Of Secrets and Lies:Chapter 2- Replies

Once again Tenchi Muyo is not mine, but the others listed are. Thank you ^^.

Of Secrets and Lies:

Chapter 2: Replies

                Jamilah was elated, but thoroughly exhausted. Even after her second ten-minute break the sweat of six hours of vaulting had made the escaped tendrils of her hair stick to her face and neck, she still refused to give up.

                "One more time, Ji" the coach and owner of the stable, Allie Drummond said, "and then that's it for the night."

                Jamilah was about to frown, but her stomach voiced its demand, echoing in the large dressage ring. Her teammates, who were munching on Wendy's, giggled.

                "C'mon, Ji!" Hollered one teammate, a blonde named Mandy, before slurping on a frosty. The other joined in with hoots of enthusiasm, which only made her smile. Her team wasn't much in the friends department, but from the news today, they were all eager for her to get through this nights work. Jamilah nodded and with a flick of the wrist, Allie made the long whip go swoosh.

                The steely gray gelding began to move at a brisk, but bouncy, trot. The muscles bunched and flexed as he smoothed out his gait, making his coat flash brightly in the fluorescent lights. Jamilah took in a few deep breaths before following along the lunge line towards the massive creature, timing it close, she grabbed a top loop of the girth strap/ saddle and kicked herself up to land comfortably on the horses back. She than began to do a few warm-ups. Scissor kick, cross legs Scissor, Twisting scissor, a flag. Then she put down her left arm, keeping her right leg still up, and braced herself on her elbows upon opposite sides of the horse's spine. Slowly adding her weight to her forearms and elbows, she straiten her back and leg aligning it just below the horses' kidney. The huge gelding tried to slowdown, but Allie kept at him to move. With a quick movement, both legs were off the geldings back. Jamilah gritted her teeth even has her teammates held their breath, so far was so good but the rest was where she had trouble. Allie quickened up the horses pace, making him canter, the trot was too bouncy for the next move.

                As blood began to rush to her head, Jamilah pushed off her elbows, her entire being concentrating on this moment. She was on her hands in a handstand, elbows bent to receive even the jolting of every hoof hitting the dirt ring. Breathing fast, heart pounding in her ears, she brought the inner palms of her hands side by side. Slowly... she began... to lift a hand away.

                Her teammates clapped and hooted as Jamilah's hand and arm was aligned with her shoulder. But suddenly something happened that made them all want to scream.

Someone slid open the huge, rusty, noisy stable's ring door.

                It broke Jamilah's concentration, and she lost her handling. She fell hard on her side against the dirt ring, her teeth rattling as she hit her head. The Steel gelding, startled, began to prance about nervously as her heard her fall. Allie tugged on lunge line, but that only made the gelding more anxious and alarmed. Her teammates ran towards her and the horse, trying to see if she was okay. Suddenly, the unwelcome and idiotic guests headed towards the ring. As soon as they saw what happened one of them hurried towards Jamilah. He was tall, well muscled but on the lanky side, with sensual brown eyes and spiked red with blonde tipped hair. He took off his jacket and placed it under her head.

                "Now look what you've done! Idiot!" His voice was sharp as he regarded the older boy, whose green eyes and scruffy, light brown hair was almost a slight replica of the girl on the ring floor.

                "Me?" said Corbin, his green eyes flashing

                "I say," Said another one, with small square-rimmed glasses perched on his narrow nose, with deep blue eyes causally looking around with locks of blonde hair falling into his eyes, "That it was all of our faults wouldn't you say, Trever?"

                The one called Trever, glared at them as he grabbed a nearby first aid box. He made his way purposefully toward the group. His long, black, curly hair was pulled back in a tail. His square lined jaw set. His eyes were different from the others, his changed color; they faded in and out from grass green to deep gray.

                "I'll kill that horse as soon as Mamita wakes up." the one with red hair growled, the only disagreements he got was the blondes narrowing eyes, Corbin about to give a sharp retort, and Trever about to pound him for being ignorant. Except for the fact that hand shot upwards and slapped him.

                "Touch that horse and I'll have your ball sac as a garter, Emilio..." Jamilah growled as she rolled to sit up. The blonde with glasses snagged the first aid from Trever, going over to her.

                "My dear, you really aught to stop such foolishness." the blonde began comfortingly; he was rewarded with a scowl.

                "Don't start on that, Zach, in fact drop it." Jamilah said as he began to clean her face, which had gotten a tiny cut. She faced Emilio, "And don't call me mamita."

                Trever gave a small smile and he placed his hand on her shoulder, she looked away from the light Zach was flashing in her eyes to look up at him, she gave him a small secretive smile.

                "Are you okay?" he said quietly. She nodded, only to place her hand on her head. Trever and Corbin helped her upright as Mercedes, Mandy's twin; piped up, "Oh, she HAS to be ok" she was beginning to get over emotional, "After all sh-"

                Mandy slapped her hand over her twins mouth and smiled coquettishly at Emilio, "Don't mind her she's just had way too much caffeine. She's just worried that Ji might overwork herself.." the other girls followed suit, nodding before sipping their drinks. A stocky brunette, Tara, looked at her watch, "Look at the time! I got to study!"

The other four looked at her watch and began to scurry to their duffle bags waving goodbye to Allie and Jamilah as they walked out.

                Jamilah hobbled over as Allie handed the rolled up lunge line to her, which was still attached to the gelding who had been watching her.

                "C'mon, Winter Bolt" She said tugging at the line. "Lets brush you down and get you set for the night."

                Trever smiled as Zach and Emilio looked at her openmouthed. She was starting to walk normally, adding that slight sway to her hips as she went to take care of her horse. The other two had no idea who or what she was. To him, she was an enigma, to be anywhere and go where she went. They had no idea that they had lost before they began to chase after her. Today Corbin had caught the two putting their ears to the two-inch thick door, hoping to hear something. Her brother had obviously been distracted because he let them in, forgetting her strict rule that while in practice no one was to come in.

                He had never been so scared in his life. He saw her fall because of the noise; the horse had startled and lost its rhythms. The other two had no clue, but they were getting to be an irritation as of late. From what he was told the other two had just 'shown up', wanting her to marry them. He snickered as he pulled out a stick of gum. She had a huge fit, no one tells her what to do, at least not outright. He watched her groom the horse, Winter Bolt, and then put him in his stall. Unfortunately so were the others. Gods he wanted them to go, but Jamilah would have to do it herself. He watched her as the steel gelding, huge in height and bulk, obeyed her as she led him to the comfort of a clean stall. Allie left to her office, saying goodbye to them all but not without giving a scathing look at the boys of the bunch. They all walked, Corbin on one side as Zach and Emilio jockeyed for her other side, as Trever trailed behind then towards the gray Victorian house.  She turned and smiled as Corbin began searching for the keys behind her. Two out of her three 'suitors' looked uneasy as she walked towards them, then pasted two.

                "Goodnight, Trever" She said after they embraced. Then she wriggled her fingers at the trio, "'Night all." And then closed the door behind her.

                She breathed a sigh of relief as she closed the door. Zach and Emilio were getting to be a bore, and were intruding in more than her school and vaulting, but her art as well. She mulled this over as she delved into the plate that her mom had left her with a voracious appetite. She would have loved for Trever to stay over, however, the other two would never take no for an answer. Corbin sat opposite of her with a soda in hand; she felt his eyes on her, Jamilah looked up.

                "What? Do I have sauce on my chin?" She said around a mouthful of food. Corbin's only reply was a somewhat sour look. Although only four years difference in their age, he looked more like her twin than her older brother, and she looked younger than what she really was. He shifted slightly and then pulled the blue envelope from his pocket, letting it slide on the tabletop to the plate, with the kanji on top.

                "Why haven't you told him yet?" Corbin asked as he studied her crestfallen face.

                "Told who what?" She gave him a blank look as if she couldn't read it.

                Corbin frowned at her, "Don't try to act stupid, Ji. Why haven't you told Tenchi that I'm not writing to him? Is this the reason why-"

                "Don't assume about anything I do." An icy edge came to her voice as she had swallowed the last bit of her food. She sighed. "I'm sorry Corb, but..."She bit her lip as she tried to not sound stupid, "He didn't need to think I was a girl."

                "Ah! Jesus!" Her brother put his head in a hand, "Is this why you've been picking up the mail all the time?"

                She nodded.

                He stood up, going into big brother mode," I want you to write him and tell him the truth."

                Her widened, "If I tell him, he'll never write to me again! He'll think I've been lying!"

                "So you haven't?" Corbin went to the fridge to grab some ice cream.

                "No.. Not really" She added, "I've basically told him everything in sort of your view and such. As best I can anyways."

                Corbin poured the last of his soda over the lump of ice cream in a glass, it fizzled a foamed. "It's still a lie, Ji."

                "No it's a secret." She corrected him as she picked up the envelope and turned it in her hands. She knew that she couldn't handle any more secrets; Tenchi had become her best friend since he sent that huge manila envelope. He told her everything, and she had kept it a secret, like he had asked. And she told him a few as well, but not about Trever or the others. She sighed, no matter which way you looked at it, she knew that by writing as Corbin it had made her a liar.

                "I'll tell him in person." She muttered. Corbin choked on his cola float.

                "What? In person? That's a fortune." Corbin pointed his spoon at her, "One which you do not have."

                "Well, guess what happened today anyways." She placed the letter beside her and folded her arms, "I got an offer to perform. In Japan."

                She moved to the left as a jet of cola ejected itself from Corbin's mouth..

                "Yeah, I felt that way too." She muttered, "I dunno how long I'll be there. Mercedes and Mandy will co-captain while I'm away."

                "And what about Winter?" Corbin asked, "That crazy horse-"

                "Will be coming with me." Jamilah assured him, "Winter will be about two days behind me in flight time. They already have a stable ready for him and everything. It also gives me two days to tell the truth."

                "Lemme ask you something, sis." Corbin edged over the table, "Why you?"

                "They have a home nearby, for summer I guess." She took the letter and walked upstairs, "Plus Allie showed them all my competition videos. They want to show their children, and other children there their something new, I guess. That and they need a publicity stunt for opening stores and such."

                Corbin took a gulp of his float, wondering if he should add liquor to it...

                UPSTARIRS, Jamilah sat down at her laptop and frowned. To tell him the truth. It was a hard thing to think on. She didn't really lie to him; in fact the truth was hidden between the lines. 'I would have thought that he might have figured it out by now' she thought, biting her lower lip, 'especially when I wrote those letters and he didn't reply.' She placed the envelope down and grabbed her towel. That was when he opened up, when he told the truth. About the princess', Ayeka and Sasami, the pirate Ryoko and their adventures. Daring escapes and near misses, it had read like a novel. She took it with a grain of salt. And wrote back to him, and he replied. It had gone on like that. He was somewhat having the same problem as she was; only the poor guy was panicking.

  She bathed in deep thought as the hot water ran over her body. She knew that the time had come, and she sighed. Her art might suffer for being so waylaid, but a job was a job, and she needed to tell Tenchi. Tenchi, her best friend, who might forgive her. Or who might not. Her mind wandered as she opened the letter.  She had asked him to write half in Japanese so that she could read it for practice; tonight she wished he had lapsed.

      Morning Corbin!

                   Sorry this has to be such a short letter, but I was paired up in a science project (thankfully Washu doesn't go to school) and I have to hurry. Ryoko is being wild and all and things seem to be what I would have to say normal for this place.  Speaking of Washu she has been down in her lab way too long makes me uneasy sometimes. Mihoshi and Kiyone have gotten another set of jobs; how they manage I have no idea. Sasami is actually thinking of going to school. I think she should, what do you think? She'll have a lot more friends her own age if she does.

  How's your sister, Corbin? Did she win the finals? You must be real proud of her. I sometimes think of Sasami as a sister. How are your studies going along? Are you planning on working or traveling?

                Well, I wish you well. Reply as soon as you can.

 

   Your friend,

 Tenchi

ps- You still need work on your Japanese!

                Her smile faded as she laid the letter flat. She began to type, something short. No, not now. Not in a letter. She'll tell him in person. As herself.

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                Two beings laughed as an explosive went off in the middle of a peaceful village. The gentle creatures of this small planet, which knew nothing of war for eons, ran screaming from the fires and explosions. They only met up with either of these horrible beings or their horrid creations, and in that meeting they met death. They were either sliced, or burned by leaser fire. Some tried to make it towards the sea, but that was covered too by creatures hiding in the sands, they ended up being devoured or torn. One of the creatures, in a blood rage, began rampaging thru the streets. The two beings walked through the chaos and entered a huge mausoleum of water and marble. They moved through the archaic guards and priest, their eyes falling on a long stave with a strange violet orb rotating atop of it.

                "Stop!" cried an elderly creature with long, flattened ears and silver eyes. Its white beard singed short by fire, the being still looked slightly formidable- to anyone else. "Do not take the Mourishin! Tis not for you to take!"

                One of the beings, thought hidden in shadow, grabbed the elderly being by the throat.

                "Newsflash old man." the male voice growled, "You're not alive enough to stop us."

                And with that, he crushed the Archaic High priest's throat as his partner took the Mourishin off its mantle of water. The mantle disappeared, the water landing at their feet with a splash. They both laughed as the fires spread out, enveloping the town and eventually the entire island of the once hidden Mourishin.

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Ok ok, here it is chap 2. Who are these evil beings? And who really is Jamilah's benefactor? And why would they spend so much? And will she tell the truth or chicken out? HEck more to come if you want it!! Read and review DAMNIT! REVIEW!! Love it hate it i don't care, just tell me :_ | just tell me..