Once upon Forever part 3
~*Izzy's point of view*~
"So what do we do?" Tai demanded, pacing back and forth, his anger un-stilled.
I shook my head. I didn't know. I really didn't know.
"C'mon, Izzy! If you can't figure something out, then who can?" Matt demanded, looking up from where he huddled with Mimi.
"This isn't the kind of thing that I usually deal with, Matt," I reminded him, managing to keep my anger down. I didn't know what to do! Couldn't they understand that?
"Why did this happen?" Kari asked in a soft voice, from where she was sitting with TK.
Silence hung heavily around us. No one knew. Not one of us.
I knew how it had started. I just didn't know why.
~*Flashback*~
"Ha! We defeated him!" Tai shouted in delight.
I smiled, as well. Apocalamon had just been defeated. As of now, we all stood around, not yet having been returned to our world. We were still in that weird dimension. All of us.
I could feel something around me. Something in the air…
Something that seemed to almost…preserve me. It was a strange feeling…it kind of tingled, all the way through my body, from the tips of my hair right down to my toes. It seemed almost…far-off…like it wasn't happening to me…but to someone else, but that somehow, I could still feel it…
There was no doubt that the others had felt it, too. I could see it in their faces.
I just shrugged it off. Little did I know, that years later, I would mentally kick myself for that mistake.
~*End of Flashback*~
How could I have been so stupid, not to realize, right then, that something was wrong? How could I not have comprehended the danger, at that moment?
Because I had been so young…had just gained victory over Apocalamon with my friends. That's why.
But I realized now. I can still feel that tingling feeling from so long ago…almost as if it just happened, today.
But it didn't really matter if it had happened then, today, or a hundred years ago…it seemed that my life was timeless, now…only what was going on at this exact moment…that was all I could think about…
And it didn't help that my laptop was now soaked…or that the battery had worn out…
~*Flashback*~
Blackness slowly started to dissolve into light. Tranquility turned into pain. Darkness faded into comprehension.
The sky…or ceiling…or what ever it was…I couldn't exactly say in my delirious state…hovered an inch above my head, then seemed to fly upwards till it was a hundred miles away.
So I just lay there…at least…I think that I was lying down…I couldn't be sure of anything, at the moment.
I tried not to focus on the present…tried to hold onto the calmness that was held in unconsciousness.
But I couldn't. Because I was already partially awake. And I couldn't seem to force myself back into the blackness.
I could hear faint voices, all around me…I could make out the sounds…but not the actually the words. It was really annoying…I was sure that if I were left alone in silence, that I would be able to pass out again…to forget everything…to be accepted back into a world containing no pain…
When I suddenly remembered why I had blacked out in the first place. I had to fully awaken…so, really against my will, I forced myself to concentrate on the voices.
Slowly…oh, ever so slowly…and not to mention painfully…my eyes began to focus…until I saw that I was staring up at a white ceiling. So I was inside. Not outside, as I had though that I might be.
Finally, I was able to make the slightest sense out of the voices that I was hearing, though I was still unsure as to whom they belonged to.
"See? He looks dead!" One voice commented.
"Don't be a fool! You know that they can't die! He's just acting!" a second voice shot back at the first.
Wonderful. What was I supposed to do now? I couldn't really hope that anyone would come to my rescue…none of my friends knew just where I was. So if I were to escape, I would have to do it on my own.
But how?
I finally dared to open my eyes just a little. Blinding light filled my vision. I immediately squeezed my eyes tightly closed, then proceeded to open them again, more cautiously this time.
I could just make out two figures…two men…standing a few feet away, carrying on with their conversation. Just behind them, was a door.
I ruled that possibility out. I would have to pass my captors in order to escape through the door.
I glanced in the other direction. A window. Outside, I could see the setting sun. The sky was painted with pink and orange; red and gold.
I didn't move an inch. I didn't dare. All the while I surveyed my surroundings, I kept as still as possible, only opening my eyes the slightest crack. No one must guess that I was awake.
It was then that I realized that my laptop had been thrown onto the ground. If I could get to it…I could send an e-mail for help…
But whom could I summon? Who, other than my parents and friends, would even want to help me…me, one the "demons who lived forever," as my captures put it. I mean…what was so bad about living forever? It wasn't like we were going to hurt anyone, or anything…but then, I knew, as well as every one else, that whatever gave us our power wasn't natural. I guess that's where everyone's fear concerning the matter came from.
Back to my plan for help…I wasn't going to endanger my family…my mother or my father. And as for my friends…God only knew if they would ever have access to a computer again!
So I ruled that plan out, as well.
So it seemed that my only escape was to be through the window. But how could I do that with my captors just a few feet away?
Well…I could just make a run for it…I might make it…even if they shot at me, or something, I would be alright, after a while…but I couldn't take the chance of passing out, again. Then, they might move me somewhere else…I don't know, put me in jail or something…somewhere that I wouldn't be able to escape from.
But maybe if I waited, then a solution would present itself to me…
I looked back towards the window. And almost did a double take.
Because Tai's face was staring back at me from outside. I could clearly…well, kind of clearly, see Kari and TK standing behind him.
So. Maybe my friends did know where I was. It was a comforting thought.
"Don't move. I've got plan," I saw him mouth. At least…I think that's what he was trying to say…
Well, I would do everything in my power to help them out with Tai's plan. So I tightly shut my eyes, being careful not to move so much as a millimeter. And I waited.
~*End of Flashback*~
~*Kari's point of view*~
I sighed, leaning over to lay my head on TK's shoulder. The rain was beginning to stop…thank God.
And I truly did Thank God. At least we were all still alive…I mean…yeah. And at least the rain was slowing down…even though I could see Izzy casting evil glances around at everyone, looking for who didn't warn him that his laptop had been lying out in the rain.
I sighed again. When would this ever end? Never, I guess. It would probably go on forever, unless society finally accepted us, eternal life and all.
But I doubted that would happen for a long, long time. But I could hope, couldn't I? Yeah. I could hope. But that didn't mean that everything would work out. But I could still hope.
And even after I lost hope, I knew that TK would gladly lend me his hope. I was glad that we were still together.
And then, light broke through the gloomy, depressing rain clouds. But that didn't mean that I was feeling too light inside.
No. The outside weather didn't always match that of inner weather.
I just hoped that this would be over soon.
~*Flashback*~
"So. What's your brilliant plan, Tai?" TK demanded, as my brother turned from the window.
We had followed the men who had captured Izzy. After ducking out of site and leading the second man on a wild goose chase. Hey, we had to get rid of him somehow.
Taking a deep breath, I turned my attention to Tai and his plan.
"It's easy! One of us just…dresses up…you know…long coat…hat pulled down over the eyes…and calmly walks in, explaining that he's gonna take over the duty of watching Izzy. When the two men are gone, we get Izzy out of there! And since it's my idea, and I don't want anyone to get hurt, I'll do it."
"Um…Tai? Where do we get the 'costume,' exactly?"
"Um…I haven't exactly figured that out, yet…I'll be back in a minute!"
With that, he disappeared. I hoped that he would be all right.
TK shook his head, as if to tell me that I had a crazy brother. I smiled my agreement.
"I say that if he isn't back within ten minutes, we go into search for him," TK announced. "We can't take any chances on anyone else being captured."
I once again nodded my agreement. It seemed that we wouldn't need to worry, however, as a few moments later, Tai was jogging back into view, a long coat and floppy hat dangling from his hands.
I stared at him. TK stared at him. It seemed that my dear but crazy older brother had found just what he had been looking for.
TK expressed just that, only in words. "I see that you still think your plan just might work. Let me guess…you almost got killed getting that crazy costume?"
Tai gave a small smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Actually…I almost did get killed," was his reply.
No one was laughing now.
"So. Are we gonna use Tai's plan or not?" I finally voiced my question into words.
TK shrugged. "No one else has a suggestion, so I guess so."
Tai smiled smugly. "Okay. So I'll go in. I'll 'relieve' those two of their duty, and we'll escape out of through the window. You two wait here, in case something goes wrong." With that, Tai shrugged into the long jacket, buttoning it up, while I set the matching hat upon his head and pulled it down partially over his face, so that his features were hidden in ominous shadow.
Giving us a small thumbs up sign, Tai sauntered off around the building, heading back the way he had just come.
I shot a worried look at TK.
"Don't worry, Kari," he assured me, moving closer so that he could drape one arm around my shoulders, as he read the fear in my eyes. "He'll be okay. I mean, this is Tai we're talking about!"
I nodded, but did not say anything, for my brother was now entering the room in which Izzy was held captive. Crouching down, we made our way over to the window so that we could peer inside.
TK gave my hand a gentle squeeze, and I returned it, glad that he was here to comfort me.
We couldn't hear what Tai was saying, but it was obvious that, at first, the two men did not believe him.
I guess that Tai just kept on trying to persuade them. Finally, shrugging their shoulders, the two men left.
I tried to still the butterflies in my stomach, but couldn't seem to do so. There was so many things that could go wrong with this plan…the men could come back…they could get help…so many things…
I watched as Tai hurried over to Izzy. He stood, as if unsure what to do as he looked down at Izzy. It was then that I saw that Izzy was bound to the surface on which he lay. Tai did not have anything to help him to free the boy.
Without a word, TK quickly stood up, lifting the pane of glass from the window. I reached out one hand to stop him, but he just gave me a look that said that everything would be okay. And I believed him.
With one, quick, fluid movement, TK was in the room and crossing over to where Tai and Izzy stood, offering his help.
Izzy was soon free. But it was then that I heard the footsteps nearing the door that led into the room.
The others must have heard it, too, for TK's head snapped up, and a panicked look crossed onto Tai's face.
Grabbing onto one of Izzy's arms, Tai swung him out the window. Izzy fell to the ground. Tai had not had the time to be gentle. Both Tai and TK hurled themselves out of the window right after.
I helped Izzy to stand up just as one of the two men stepped back into the room. I could see the look of shock on his face turn to anger.
We didn't hang around to see what he would do. We just took off. But we couldn't move quickly enough. Izzy stumbled, the circulation in his wrists and ankles not yet having been fully restored.
Tai and TK helped him along, while I ran beside them. Fear was coursing through my veins, and was the only thing that kept me going on through my utter exhaustion.
As we ran, we seemed to loose our pursuers. And it seemed that we were safe. For now.
It was then that I saw the object on the ground. A pair of glasses. Startlingly familiar.
They were Joe's. He had been here.
Okay, so maybe that sucked. The next part will be better…I hope! So…what did you think? Please review!
Gatomon_1