Remember

Episode Two: Shifting

Chapter One

"Where are you going, Mother?"

Queen Anastaise turned around, unaware that she had been followed by her youngest son. "Oh, Blumiere. I'm only going for a walk."

"Are you visiting the humans? Can I come?"

She knelt beside the ten-year-old boy, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You remember what your Father says…"

He sighed. "I know. 'Stay away from them.' But why can you visit them and I can't?"

"Blumiere," she murmured softly, "the humans are dangerous. I'm not sure how they might treat a young child like you."

"But what about you?" he whispered. "Will they hurt you?"

"Of course not," was the calming response. "I'll be careful."

It was nearly a week before Blumiere was able to sneak out again.

It wasn't easy, considering that there were only twelve of them total living in the castle, including his infant niece. It was easy to notice if one was missing, especially because leaving castle grounds was forbidden, and there wasn't much to be occupied with outside. Despite all of this, Blumiere was finally able to convince his father that he needed some time alone, and that he would be outside of the castle until supper. Presently it was just after breakfast; he'd made it clear he'd be eating lunch outside by himself.

Blumiere emerged from the castle, exhausted and glad he was finally out of the confining building. Dressed in all black, he wore silk pants and gloves with matching boots. Also part of his attire was a button-up shirt and a long black hooded cape with a red pearl clasp. The inside of the cape was a silky red. It had a hidden pocket, and the opening was so concealed that he sometimes had to search for it before he could access it.

Before heading into the town, he walked the border of the hill, checking for a way down that didn't involve glaring, screaming, inconsiderate humans. Unfortunately, there wasn't any, unless he wanted to take a very long fall.

Slowly he made his way back to the front of the castle, and was able to slip unnoticed down the pathway towards town. As he turned the last corner before the gate, he stopped dead. Humans were everywhere, crowding the street, rushing back and forth, chatting loudly amongst themselves. Blumiere had to quickly jump back around the corner to avoid being seen.

There are so many! He thought exasperatedly. And they're all so close! What do I do? He peeked around again, surveying the scene. Humans clogged the paths, providing for no extra space that he might be able to slip through. A young human child made eye contact with him and began to cry, so Blumiere retreated back to his hiding place, breathing heavily.

There's no way through. I'll never make it. Defeated, Blumiere decided to find another way. I promised Ronan I'd go see him again. I have to find a way!

He climbed the pathway up to the first sharp turn, where it began to ascend in the opposite direction. On the level ground before the turn was a small grassy clearing with a wooden bench right in the middle. Behind the bench was a thick patch of thorny bushes, and directly after them was a steep drop down into the woods right on the edge of town.

It's the only other way… At least the drop isn't nearly as far as from the top of the hill. He placed a black-gloved hand on one of the bushes, and pulled away. The thorns immediately snagged on the silk fabric. Glancing down at the rest of his clothes, he realized he wouldn't be able to get through without causing serious damage to his royal attire, and the bush was far too tall and wide to jump over.

Kneeling down, he noticed that there was a small space in between them where the branches of each bush were closer together, growing further apart as the plant grew taller. Deciding this was the only other option, Blumiere removed his gloves and slid them into his pants pocket; then unclasped the front of his cape and rolled it up, tucking it under his arm.

Well, here goes nothing…

Crawling through the hole proved to be much more difficult that he'd initially assumed. The thorns of the bush scraped along his back, and it was difficult to move his arms in such a small space. Finally, after nearly five minutes of shuffling, he made it through to the other side. The ground immediately gave way to a short drop. If he tried to go down this way, he'd likely end up falling the length of the drop, as there wasn't much for footholds along the earthy wall.

He tried to turn around so he could find a less dangerous route, but the edge of the drop began to crumble, and soon he was falling backwards, unable to scramble back onto the grass. He managed to hold back a surprised yelp as he fell about five meters to the ground. Landing stiffly on one foot, he stumbled a bit and winced.

"Thank goodness no one saw that," he muttered to himself, brushing the excess dirt from his clothing. "That might have been embarrassing."

Looking around, he saw that he was now on the very edge of town; he could see the brick walls of houses through the trees, as well as the entrance he had used during his first experience in the human's village. By walking alongside the town through the trees, he'd be able to reach Ronan's house.

Blumiere, after a short recovery, began moving slowly through the thin line of forest, trying to keep behind the trees so he wouldn't be spotted from the town. He'd already contemplated heading further into the woods and traveling at a distance, but he really didn't want to risk getting lost.

Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks. A rustling, like someone running, could be heard. Blumiere was currently behind a tree, and as the noise got louder he dared to peek around to see what or whom had made the noise.

Almost immediately he was plowed into by a small being, and he stumbled, falling backwards into the foliage and leaf mold on the forest floor. When he sat up, he saw what had run into him… and gasped. The young girl that was now lying across his feet had bright lime-colored skin. Her hair was the same hue, perhaps a shade darker, and was tied up in two pigtails with small yellow ribbons. She wore a short yellow dress with small white dots, and no shoes. Presently she was breathing heavily, covering her eyes with trembling hands.

Blumiere didn't know what to think of this. All his life he was led to believe that there were two types of beings: the Tribe of Darkness and the humans. There was blue skin and there was pale skin, but there was never… green.

The young girl got to her feet quickly, seemingly about to apologize, but she stopped, her ruby-red eyes widening. "Blue," she whispered.

Blumiere initially thought she was calling him by his skin color, but as the word replayed in his mind, he realized something. She hadn't said it in a scared or angry way, but almost as if she were saying his name.

'Blue,' that's what Ronan called me. His eyes grew slightly wider. "...Melody?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it and turned away. "Th-that's not my name," she finally said, and for a moment Blumiere felt embarrassed for his mistake, but she continued, "I'm only Melody when I'm a human...When I'm like this, I'm called Mimi."

Blumiere narrowed his eyes dubiously. Melody wasn't human? Melody wasn't even Melody? Why was she here now, running through the woods? Why had she changed her name, and… why was she green? "So, are you…? Why are you…?" he fumbled over his words, struggling to express the overwhelming confusion that was clouding him.

She turned back around to face him. "I'm supposed to be like this I guess," she mumbled with a look of melancholy, continuing his words for him. "I… I can… change…"

"Into a human?"

She nodded. "Into anyone I want. A-and that's why…"

"Why…?" he prodded.

She sighed. "Why I'm running. Th-there's an old man who makes me ch-change. H-he sometimes tells me I have to go t-to his h-house, but he was getting really m-mean so I ran away."

Blumiere furrowed his brow in worry. An odd feeling overcame him, and he suddenly realized what danger this young girl might be in. An urge to protect her filled him and, squinting off towards the town, he asked, "Is he looking for you?"

She drew a deep, shaky breath. "Y-yeah… a-and I can't change into a human anymore…" Mimi trailed off, her body heaving as she tried to hold back sobs. "I-If the people see my sk-skin, they get scared…"

Blumiere nodded in understanding; he knew exactly what that was like. Were the humans so discriminant towards anyone who didn't share their pale complexion? "It's going to be alright," he said softly. "Let me help you."

Mimi stared at him skeptically through her tears, but nodded slowly. "O-okay…"

"Come," Blumiere instructed. "Let's visit Ronan." The young boy's house was much closer than the castle was, and besides, Blumiere's father surely wouldn't take kindly to a visitor, even if Mimi wasn't human.

To Blumiere's surprise, the girl began to shake her head in a fearful manner. "No, no! We can't go there now!"

At first Blumiere was confused, but then he realized that Mimi probably would've gone there to seek help first, unless she had a good reason not to. She knows much more about this place than I do.

"Well… let's find a place, then," Blumiere muttered, more to himself than to Mimi.

Wide ruby eyes blinked up at him. "Th-there's another place that w-we can go to," the green skinned girl suggested, "the place I was g-gonna go. It's the nice lady's house."

"The nice lady's house?" his cerulean eyes narrowed. Was there another house outside of town other than Ronan's? Or was Mimi suggesting they go back in town? Relief washed over Blumiere as Mimi started walking away from the town's border, but he was still skeptical.

A few steps away she stopped and turned to see if he was following her. The yellow dress she wore twirled around her ankles, shadowing her movements. "Come on," she said, walking back and grabbing his hand with her small fingers. "Let's go!" It seemed any trace of her upset mood had faded.

Blumiere, finding her sudden attraction to his hand a bit unordinary, shifted his hand so he could hold hers properly. She tugged lightly, eager to get going, so Blumiere gave in and let her lead him through the forest.

As they walked he was able to look at her closely, and for the first time since they'd met Blumiere noticed how scrawny she looked; her ribs were sharp with hunger. His heart skipped a beat as he noticed ugly scars tattooing her skin; a few had matching bruises. What does Mimi go through when no one's around to protect her? Many questions surfaced in his mind, and an uneasy sickness filled his stomach.

"Mimi," he started, breaking the silence. "I never did ask you: Why can't you turn back into a human right now?"

"I dunno," the small girl chirped. "It just stops working sometimes." She began to walk a bit faster, as if to escape Blumiere's questioning.

He didn't say anything further, but he couldn't ignore the questions pestering him. Perhaps the 'nice lady' would know more about this mysterious child.

Mimi led him to the edge of the forest, where the trees faded away to a beautiful meadow that stretched for as far as Blumiere could see. Flowers in a rainbow of colors dappled the long grass, swaying in the light breeze. Fat bumblebees hovered lazily from stamen to stamen, collecting pollen, and butterflies fluttered to and fro, making the meadow seem alive with movement.

"C'mon, Blue, her house is over there!" Mimi pointed off into the distance, where a small shape was barely visible on the horizon. It would be a long walk.

By this point, Blumiere had given up correcting the use of the 'Blue' nickname. Perhaps when the children are older, they'll…

His train of thought halted suddenly; his footsteps stuttered and he nearly tripped himself. When the children got older…? How long did he intend to keep visiting them? Surely his father would get suspicious sooner or later, and when he found out…

Ronan had asked him to come back and see him again. Will that be the last time? I'm sure he'll keep asking for my return, and how can I say no? He could stay home and leave the humans be, but Ronan might do something reckless. A vision of the young boy walking up to the castle in search of his lost friend appeared in Blumiere's mind, and he shuddered. It seemed he was stuck between a rock and a hard place with no way out.

Mimi suddenly let go of his hand and raced away, causing Blumiere to be jolted out of his thoughts. They had reached the small house at last, and Mimi had left his side to knock on the door.

After a moment of silence, she knocked again.

Is this woman even home? he wondered. Then reality hit him like a cold splash of water. This woman, who Mimi had insisted on finding, was likely human. What would she think of him? Sure, she had taken in Mimi, but the young girl didn't belong to a race infamous for murdering half of the humans in the town.

"She's not home…" Mimi's quiet voice broke his concentration, and he was brought back to the present. "She's probably in town..."

Blumiere sighed. "Alright. So where-"

"We have to wait until noon," Mimi explained. "Then O'Chunks' Grammum will be gone."

So that's why we couldn't go there earlier. Ronan's grandmother is probably like the other humans, which means she wouldn't appreciate me being there either. Blumiere nodded, glad that he could finally begin piecing information together. There were still so many unanswered questions, however…

"Let's leave now," he said, with a glance at the ascending sun. "We should arrive at Ronan's shortly after noon."