Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the plot line of
Escaflowne. I do own Jewel, so if you wish to sue her, please let me know!
Chapter Five: Flicker of Memories
Jewel awoke in pain. Her head felt like splitting open, her skin burned and there was an unusual pain behind her eyes. Then it hit her like a spear. She didn't remember anything. Not who she was, what she liked, what she looked like, where she lived, where she was. nothing. It was all blank.
"Wha. What happened? Who am I?" She asked aloud. She received no answer. Jewel looked around the place she was in. She was in a small, white room with padded walls and celing. The floor was white, apparently made of some white stone. She was lying on a metal slab raised off the floor by three feet. To her right was a white padded door. The door had a small mirror in it. Jewel studied the door, her eyes darting over every inch. There was a silver metal handle on it.
This confused her even more. Where exactly was she? She sat up and looked down. She was wearing a plain white, long gown. She had nothing on her feet-they were bare. She found that they were small and tan. That interested her. She looked at her bare arms. They were also a tan color. They also were thin and long-her fingers long and graceful.
Slowly Jewel explored her body. She was slim-her legs were slim and muscular, like her arms. She had a neck that held veins and short, dark red hair. Her face was that of a mystery to her since she could only feel it and not see it. But she knew she had high cheekbones, lips, an dainty nose and high arched eyebrows. She knew she had ears and a tongue, she knew she could speak. But all of these didn't bring back her memory.
Jewel sighed and let her hands from her face. They brushed against something hard and cold around her neck. Startled, Jewel looked down. There was a metal chain around her neck with a small, smooth piece of metal at the end. The thing looked like it had something written on it. Why hadn't she seen this before?
Jewel took the metal tag and looked at it thoughtfully. It was smooth and cold on one side, but it had engraved writing on the other. Jewel stared at the engravement, reading it over and over again.
"Jewel Harper, age nineteen. Born, White 4th moon," she read out loud. "Is that my name? Jewel?" Confused, Jewel looked around the room again. It was blank. so devoid of emotion. Was it supposed to look like that?
Was she supposed to be in this room? Was she supposed to be here? Was she supposed to know who she was? Where was she? Was she in danger? Questions flooded her mind, sending her into a state of panic.
She held the tag in her right hand and stated gently rocking back and forth. Her eyes-now wide with fear-darted around the room. The whole room seemed so unfamiliar and hostile. It scared her even more. Suddenly a movement to the right caught her eye. She focused and saw the door opening, fast.
Who was coming in? Were they a threat? Did they want her hurt? Were they friend? Questions plagued her mind even more. She couldn't answer all of them! How was she supposed to know the answers?
Just then a person entered the room. Jewel's eyes focused on the open door. Maybe she could run out of the room. But then man shut the door behind him and Jewel's hopes died. Then she noticed the man. He was tall and wore a black cloak that covered all of him. His hood came over his face, shielding it from view. He looked scary, frightening.
Jewel shrunk back in fear. Who was this man?
"Hello. I'm not going to hurt you," he said. His voice seemed trustworthy, full of concern for her. Jewel shrunk back further.
"I'm here to help you. We found you in a forest, knocked out. You had many cuts on your body, so we took you in and healed you. How do you feel?" He asked, concerned.
Something in Jewel urged her to reply. "I. I don't know." she whispered fearfully.
"No need to be afraid of me, miss. I'm here to help you. You can trust me. Now, do you know your name?"
"N. No."
"Do you remember anything?"
Jewel shook her head. "This tag says my name is Jewel Harper. And that I'm nineteen. And that I was born on White, fourth moon."
"Really? May I see the tag, Jewel?" The man walked slowly and carefully towards Jewel, hand outstretched. He reached her and looked down on her.
Jewel looked at the hand. It was black, but that couldn't be his skin, could it? No, it wasn't. Her skin was different, she could she the ridges on hers. This was smooth, no ridges. Maybe it was fabric?
"Yes," she whispered. She took off the necklace from her neck and handed it to the man. The man took it and studied it.
"Well, I guess you were wearing this when we found you. You name is Jewel, I guess. So that's what we'll call you. Would you like to recover your memory, Jewel?" The man asked.
"Yes."
"Ok. I'll go and get some colleagues of mine and I'll be back later. Until then, just rest, ok?"
Jewel nodded and watched as the man set the necklace down on the metal slab and walked back towards the door. He opened it but just before he left he turned around.
"Don't worry, Jewel. You're in good hands. You can bet your life on that. And I will find out who you are." And then the man was gone.
***
When the man returned hours later, Jewel wasn't so sure she likes his colleagues. They were also dressed in cloaks, only theirs were brown. And like the man they had their hoods up also. But unlike the man, they weren't gentle with her.
At first they entered the room swiftly and pinned her down. Jewel tried to fight, but it was five against one. The odds were against her. They pinned her and two of them drew needles, which were promptly pushed into her skin. Pain rushed through Jewel and she began to scream.
Her screams were animal like and unearthly. They echoed around the room, making the screams seem like they continued for eternity. Her eyes grew wide as more needles were jabbed into her.
Still Jewel continued to fight them. But the men were stronger then her, and she was loosing a battle. Her instincts screamed at her, but what they were screaming Jewel couldn't tell. She could only tell pain and fear apart, anything else was lost.
She didn't know how long the torture lasted. She didn't even notice the men pack up and leave the room. She just lay there on her "bed", in a painful daze. Staring up at the blank celing for hours and hours. She couldn't move, she couldn't think. She felt helpless. Then she realized that,-in some part of her brain-for once, the feeling of being helpless seemed familiar. But how she couldn't figure out.
Slowly, as the hours slowly crawled by, things began to make sense to Jewel. Her name was Jewel Harper and she was a warrior for Zaibach. She had been rescued from a raped village when she was only one. She had been trained ever since then, working long days and training hard. She remembered how it first felt to hold a sword, a mighty weapon that she would someday master. She remembered how her teacher had been hard on her, but never over looked her own needs.
She remember when turning thirteen, she was given her first mission. She knew how excited she was, and how her first kill felt. It felt like glory. She remembered working even harder, training for more hours, becoming the best in Zaibach. Slowly she made her way up the ranks, until she was finally admitted into the Zaibach Dragon Slayers, the elite team in all of Zaibach.
She remembered the friends she had made, the fights that had been fought. The deaths that she had mourned. She was Jewel Harper, soldier of Zaibach and trained assassin. She was the best of the best.
But in some part of Jewel's brain, something didn't click. The man had said she was injured and they found her. they took her into their care. they asked her name, acted like they didn't know her. But, if she was a soldier in Zaibach, how could they not know her?
Jewel fell into a painful sleep with that in her mind. And as she dreamed, memories began to sprout. Memories that Jewel didn't want to have.
*~~*
TBC..
AN: Ok, so how was it?!?! Was it good? Please review!!! Oh yes, the next chap you will get to see Jewel's dreams. But why doesn't she want to have them?! Could her real past be coming back?! And what about the strange men?! What is going on!?! Review and I'll get the next chapter out faster!!!
-ShadowKat
Chapter Five: Flicker of Memories
Jewel awoke in pain. Her head felt like splitting open, her skin burned and there was an unusual pain behind her eyes. Then it hit her like a spear. She didn't remember anything. Not who she was, what she liked, what she looked like, where she lived, where she was. nothing. It was all blank.
"Wha. What happened? Who am I?" She asked aloud. She received no answer. Jewel looked around the place she was in. She was in a small, white room with padded walls and celing. The floor was white, apparently made of some white stone. She was lying on a metal slab raised off the floor by three feet. To her right was a white padded door. The door had a small mirror in it. Jewel studied the door, her eyes darting over every inch. There was a silver metal handle on it.
This confused her even more. Where exactly was she? She sat up and looked down. She was wearing a plain white, long gown. She had nothing on her feet-they were bare. She found that they were small and tan. That interested her. She looked at her bare arms. They were also a tan color. They also were thin and long-her fingers long and graceful.
Slowly Jewel explored her body. She was slim-her legs were slim and muscular, like her arms. She had a neck that held veins and short, dark red hair. Her face was that of a mystery to her since she could only feel it and not see it. But she knew she had high cheekbones, lips, an dainty nose and high arched eyebrows. She knew she had ears and a tongue, she knew she could speak. But all of these didn't bring back her memory.
Jewel sighed and let her hands from her face. They brushed against something hard and cold around her neck. Startled, Jewel looked down. There was a metal chain around her neck with a small, smooth piece of metal at the end. The thing looked like it had something written on it. Why hadn't she seen this before?
Jewel took the metal tag and looked at it thoughtfully. It was smooth and cold on one side, but it had engraved writing on the other. Jewel stared at the engravement, reading it over and over again.
"Jewel Harper, age nineteen. Born, White 4th moon," she read out loud. "Is that my name? Jewel?" Confused, Jewel looked around the room again. It was blank. so devoid of emotion. Was it supposed to look like that?
Was she supposed to be in this room? Was she supposed to be here? Was she supposed to know who she was? Where was she? Was she in danger? Questions flooded her mind, sending her into a state of panic.
She held the tag in her right hand and stated gently rocking back and forth. Her eyes-now wide with fear-darted around the room. The whole room seemed so unfamiliar and hostile. It scared her even more. Suddenly a movement to the right caught her eye. She focused and saw the door opening, fast.
Who was coming in? Were they a threat? Did they want her hurt? Were they friend? Questions plagued her mind even more. She couldn't answer all of them! How was she supposed to know the answers?
Just then a person entered the room. Jewel's eyes focused on the open door. Maybe she could run out of the room. But then man shut the door behind him and Jewel's hopes died. Then she noticed the man. He was tall and wore a black cloak that covered all of him. His hood came over his face, shielding it from view. He looked scary, frightening.
Jewel shrunk back in fear. Who was this man?
"Hello. I'm not going to hurt you," he said. His voice seemed trustworthy, full of concern for her. Jewel shrunk back further.
"I'm here to help you. We found you in a forest, knocked out. You had many cuts on your body, so we took you in and healed you. How do you feel?" He asked, concerned.
Something in Jewel urged her to reply. "I. I don't know." she whispered fearfully.
"No need to be afraid of me, miss. I'm here to help you. You can trust me. Now, do you know your name?"
"N. No."
"Do you remember anything?"
Jewel shook her head. "This tag says my name is Jewel Harper. And that I'm nineteen. And that I was born on White, fourth moon."
"Really? May I see the tag, Jewel?" The man walked slowly and carefully towards Jewel, hand outstretched. He reached her and looked down on her.
Jewel looked at the hand. It was black, but that couldn't be his skin, could it? No, it wasn't. Her skin was different, she could she the ridges on hers. This was smooth, no ridges. Maybe it was fabric?
"Yes," she whispered. She took off the necklace from her neck and handed it to the man. The man took it and studied it.
"Well, I guess you were wearing this when we found you. You name is Jewel, I guess. So that's what we'll call you. Would you like to recover your memory, Jewel?" The man asked.
"Yes."
"Ok. I'll go and get some colleagues of mine and I'll be back later. Until then, just rest, ok?"
Jewel nodded and watched as the man set the necklace down on the metal slab and walked back towards the door. He opened it but just before he left he turned around.
"Don't worry, Jewel. You're in good hands. You can bet your life on that. And I will find out who you are." And then the man was gone.
***
When the man returned hours later, Jewel wasn't so sure she likes his colleagues. They were also dressed in cloaks, only theirs were brown. And like the man they had their hoods up also. But unlike the man, they weren't gentle with her.
At first they entered the room swiftly and pinned her down. Jewel tried to fight, but it was five against one. The odds were against her. They pinned her and two of them drew needles, which were promptly pushed into her skin. Pain rushed through Jewel and she began to scream.
Her screams were animal like and unearthly. They echoed around the room, making the screams seem like they continued for eternity. Her eyes grew wide as more needles were jabbed into her.
Still Jewel continued to fight them. But the men were stronger then her, and she was loosing a battle. Her instincts screamed at her, but what they were screaming Jewel couldn't tell. She could only tell pain and fear apart, anything else was lost.
She didn't know how long the torture lasted. She didn't even notice the men pack up and leave the room. She just lay there on her "bed", in a painful daze. Staring up at the blank celing for hours and hours. She couldn't move, she couldn't think. She felt helpless. Then she realized that,-in some part of her brain-for once, the feeling of being helpless seemed familiar. But how she couldn't figure out.
Slowly, as the hours slowly crawled by, things began to make sense to Jewel. Her name was Jewel Harper and she was a warrior for Zaibach. She had been rescued from a raped village when she was only one. She had been trained ever since then, working long days and training hard. She remembered how it first felt to hold a sword, a mighty weapon that she would someday master. She remembered how her teacher had been hard on her, but never over looked her own needs.
She remember when turning thirteen, she was given her first mission. She knew how excited she was, and how her first kill felt. It felt like glory. She remembered working even harder, training for more hours, becoming the best in Zaibach. Slowly she made her way up the ranks, until she was finally admitted into the Zaibach Dragon Slayers, the elite team in all of Zaibach.
She remembered the friends she had made, the fights that had been fought. The deaths that she had mourned. She was Jewel Harper, soldier of Zaibach and trained assassin. She was the best of the best.
But in some part of Jewel's brain, something didn't click. The man had said she was injured and they found her. they took her into their care. they asked her name, acted like they didn't know her. But, if she was a soldier in Zaibach, how could they not know her?
Jewel fell into a painful sleep with that in her mind. And as she dreamed, memories began to sprout. Memories that Jewel didn't want to have.
*~~*
TBC..
AN: Ok, so how was it?!?! Was it good? Please review!!! Oh yes, the next chap you will get to see Jewel's dreams. But why doesn't she want to have them?! Could her real past be coming back?! And what about the strange men?! What is going on!?! Review and I'll get the next chapter out faster!!!
-ShadowKat