Chapter 2; Forgiveness.
Introduction by the author;
Okay, so maybe I'm skipping ahead from the ADD. ADD does that to you!
Anywho, this is a fiction that, although does hold its parts with action and sci-fi, is also based upon real life. It'll lose some of its 'real life' qualities as it goes on; fair warning, but I hope you'll keep reading anyway. Even though this chapter is void of any action and is more, the next is funny as heck.
Indeed, it gets to be a little more interesting at this point. One character, whose purpose before seemed that to be of an enemy, reveals himself not to be the bad guy Eli thinks he is...
"Hey Dad? I'm home?"
Eli's voice carried through the house, yet there was no answer. The coyote raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Guess he's not here yet." He shrugged. "Want to come in, Peppy? He's probably out somewhere getting grub, or still at work."
The hare nodded. "Sure. Might as well; if Kay's out there and he has a mind to swing by your place, you'll want to keep ensured he won't do anything to you." He entered, looking around. "Hm. Nice place, actually. How long did you want me to stay?"
Daniel and Roxanne entered behind him. Peppy had agreed to take Eli home, since the coyote had the pass card to get in, and both his friends had decided to stay over at his place for the remainder of the day, for safety's sake. Roxanne had taken Eli's car, while Daniel had taken his own.
"Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you. Not to get an autograph or anything," Eli said, anticipating the hare's feelings subconsciously, "but about the registration. Can I get you anything to eat?"
Peppy held up his paw. "No thanks; normally I'm a vegetarian. I don't think I could stomach carnivorous material."
Nevertheless, Eli opened up the refrigerator. Immediately Roxanne and Danny piled behind him, reaching inside and pushing the canine into it. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring into a dead fish's face. He blinked, then pushed the two off him. "Hey, I've heard of a famished hunter before, but you guys are ridiculous!" Still, the managed to come away with a box of enchiladas and a soda each, then moved for the holo-vision, shoving to get to the couch first.
Eli gave them a chided type of a look, then reached into the lower parts of the fridge. He came up with a carrot, still fresh, and tossed this item to Peppy. "A bit more to your liking?"
"Alot more," Peppy said, munching on the tip. "Didn't think you'd have anything like this. And a fresh taste still in it, what's more."
Eli took a can of soda out for himself. "Yeah, well my mom knows how balance out our diet while still retaining the meat part of our lives. She does this by making a lot of stew. She knows veggies'll increase eyesight, so she also thinks that if she constantly keeps putting these into the stew that my youngest sister won't be afraid of the dark." He took a seat at the table, indicated a chair on the other side, which Peppy took.
"So, what was it you needed to talk about?"
"Some advice on what to do."
Peppy frowned. "How do you mean? I think I can sense a little bit of doubt in yourself. Don't worry, it's natural to feel intimidated around other, more experienced people."
"Well, it's not so much that. I have this little problem, actually. You've seen my grades?" Peppy shook his head. "Well, they could use a lot of improvement, I'll tell you that much. And I'm starting to wonder if I can take on this task better than I have my school work. You get what I mean?"
"I see; you're thinking maybe you may not be able to do what's necessary as well as you can keep up in class, am I correct?"
"Pretty much."
"Well, then I'll ask you something; do you enjoy piloting craft at all?"
"Well, yeah, of course I do. It's more of a hobby than anything."
"Then I wouldn't worry about it," Peppy said, biting from the carrot. "If you love to do something, then not much can go wrong. I personally never really liked schoolwork, when I was your age. But that's different from piloting because you like to fly, whereas nobody likes to do homework at all." He paused. "At least, nobody sane that I knew when I was a teen..."
Eli nodded. "Well, I guess that makes me feel a little better." He sighed, looked up at the ceiling. "So... about the other pilots. How do we find them?"
"There'll probably be a few students here and there, still looking for a place to sign up. Still, I wouldn't be able to track them down all at once, and it'd be too much of a mess if I tried to call them over the school announcement system. Do you know any other people with piloting skills?"
Eli nodded. "Yeah, a few. But I don't have their numbers. You'll have to wait till tomorrow. Can I get you to come there?"
Peppy nodded. "I'm not scheduled to get back to the GreatFox for another week and a half. I can spare the next few days, unquestionably."
Just then, Danny's voice carried to the table. "Elijah, Peppy, you guys should get down here!" His voice seemed tense, almost angry
They looked at each other in question, then made for the living room. Eli got there first, and whatever program they had been watching before, a special announcement took place. He looked over at Danny, who was watching with a grim look on his face. But Roxanne was breathing hard, almost looking as if she were going to faint. The coyote frowned looked at the screen. The reporter, a cow, spoke.
"At approximately 2:34 this afternoon, a number of three explosions took place at Carol City airport, leaving some three hundred people dead and many more injured. Several agents who were sent to the scene have deemed that this was an act of terrorism. A suspect had been caught at the scene, claiming that NOVA, the remnants of the Venomian armada, was behind all this and that more would come if they were not cautious. Though police have yet to confirm this confession, it cannot be doubted that this was a deliberate attack."
"Dear god..." Eli looked at Roxanne. Her parents worked over at the airport, one as a pilot and the other as a steward. She stared at the screen wide-eyed in terror, and immediately Eli felt torn for her. Her parents were all she had left for herself; her older brother had died in the war against Venom and she had never gotten over it fully.
She rose, still breathing hard. "Eli... Eli, my parents."
She tried to step forward and nearly stumbled, but Elijah caught her, trying to help her up. "Roxanne, it's okay!" he tried, hoping that he was right. "They... they're probably okay and not hurt at all."
She took his answer as well as she could, tried to calm down. She sat back down, tried to remain calm. Peppy took a seat next to her, rubbing her back in an effort to soothe her further. Danny shook his head. "Who'd do that kind of thing to innocent people?"
"Fools," Elijah said simply. "People who are afraid of a large population and are trying to even out the odds by murdering innocent people who don't want to fight anyway." He looked away, instead listening to the report. The details were immediately posted, starting with the news they had just heard, and ending with the responses from several planet representatives from other planets, sympathizing for those who had been killed or injured in the incident.
Peppy looked around. "The starport isn't too far from here. If you want, we can-"
Roxanne responded before he finished. "No! I don't want to be there if the worst has happened," she said, as if almost afraid to go there. She grasped her arms tightly, as if cold. "God, I hope not." She began to snuffle a little. Danny put an arm around her, trying his best to comfort her.
Eli got up. "My parents are still at work, but I can call them up about the incident. They'll want to know if Roxanne is alright." He made for the phone. Roxanne and her family had been good friends of theirs since they had arrived to Corneria, and Eli's family had always let her stay over if there was an occasion that involved her own parents having to go out.
Picking it up, he tapped a key for a three-way call, to each of his parents. The call went out a second later. Eli's mom got to the phone first. "Kenotech systems service line, how may I help you?"
"Ma? It's me."
"Hi Eli. I heard what happened at school today. Are you all right?"
"Yeah, A guy named Peppy Hare took me home, and he's at the place right now."
"The Peppy Hare?" she said incredulously.
"Who else?" he answered, with a little smile. It disappeared as he recalled what he had really called for. "But that's not the point."
Before he could continue, his dad came online. "Solarcarrier Corp representative speaking, who's calling?"
"It's me, dad."
"Hey, son. I heard about the fight." He sounded as if he were going to move into one of his old 'fighting-is-bad' lectures, but Eli cut him off in time.
"I know, dad, I know. Peppy Hare, one of the StarFox members, was there during registration, and he decided to drop me off. He's right here."
"Really? I'd like to talk to him, then."
"Later, dad. Listen..." He hesitated. "There was a terrorist attack on Carol city airport today. Several people were killed, and more were injured."
There was a silence. His mom answered first. "My goodness... does Roxanne know about it?"
"She was watching the holo at our house when she found out."
His father spoke next. "Are her parents okay?"
"They haven't called. And if they did, it would have been at her place. She isn't carrying any portable phone, and they didn't put up a casualty list at all. There's a special report on the holo, signal number 1804. You'll find out what happened. I have to hang up in a minute, see what we're going to do."
"Now don't you be going anywhere, son," said his father. "Stay put. If there was an attack, then there's no guarantee that it's all done and safe to go into. Stay there with Peppy and keep your eyes and ears open. Your sisters will be arriving any minute, and you know how they are, so send them upstairs, first chance you get, so as not to upset Roxanne in any way. And Danny is there, I'll assume?"
"Yeah, he is."
"Have him call his parents, check to see if they know yet. We'll get there as soon as we can. I'll see you later, son." He hung up.
His mother was still on the line. "Get a quilt downstairs and make her something to drink. I find it's a good policy to follow when there may be a problem."
"Ma...!"
"Just a suggestion!" she said indignantly. "I'll see you later. Bye."
She hung up on him. He put the phone back on the hook, sighed. "Well, they know about it now, you guys. They think it'd be best if we stay here and not to the airport, since it might be dangerous..." he paused, noticing, that Roxanne was bent over more than before. He came up to her, tried to look at her face.
There were tears streaming down her face, matting her red fur down. She sniffled, tried to keep from crying out. Eli frowned. "Roxanne... what's wrong?" Danny was looking away, indicating that he knew the answer and was unwilling to tell it out himself. Peppy only shook his head sadly, then sat down.
"I saw my mom on the holo..." she said. "And my father was next to her. He was screaming out her name, while she was on a stretcher..." She couldn't finish, and fell forward from the couch, into Eli's arms. Immediately, her pent up sadness came out all at once. She grasped him tightly and wept, while Eli hugged her back.
The funeral of Roxanne's mother took place three days later, but she didn't attend. Everyone understood her feelings on the matter, and let her stay at Eli's house for the time being. She hadn't slept well enough, and hadn't eaten, either. Danny had also slept over the few nights she was there. Eli had asked for them to be absent from school for the week, knowing well that Roxanne would need her friends and family more than anything to make it through the ordeal.
She didn't weep as much, instead, trying to move on with her friend's help. She improved well enough to forget what had happened at least for a few minutes. By the time the week was more than half through, which began the day after her mother's death, she seemed more her normal self, save that every now and again, she reflect on herself. Her father had also kept her company, but knew that she was much better off with her friends.
The fifth day came, and the phone rang. Eli made it, having been the only one up. Roxi was taking a nap, while Danny was playing a few video games, leaving Eli free for the call. "Christian residence, who's calling please?"
The slightly lower-pitched voice returned. "Eli?"
Eli flinched slightly before frowning. "Kay? What are you doing calling here?"
There was a sigh. "I tried calling Roxi over at her place, but she wouldn't answer. I tried three days in a row before I gave up. Do you know where she is?" The type of voice usually reserved for Eli wasn't present, and Eli wondered if maybe Kay was ill.
"Yeah, I know where she is. But she can't be disturbed, Kay. I don't think now is the time to talk to her."
"Look, if you're still against me having fought you that one day, I don't blame you. My parents came down pretty hard on me, and I'm almost certain they're ready to disown me. But Roxi's helped me through things like this, and I really need to talk to her."
Eli scoffed. "Help you?"
"This ain't funny, Eli," the wolf said, a tint of old anger in his voice. "Look, I just need to know where she is. I didn't call to bother you at all, I just needed to talk to her personally."
"And I already told you, she can't."
"Why not?" he asked, a bit more offended.
"Look, I don't know if you knew at all, but there was a terrorist attack on Carol city airport."
"I knew that!" he said, getting impatient.
"Then did you know that Roxi's parents worked at the same airport? That one of her parents was killed as a result of the incident? Now do you realize why you can't talk to her in her current condition?"
There was a pause, then a sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't know..."
Eli put a paw to his head, then groaned, trying to think of something to get him satisfied. "Argh... look, meet me by the arcade at the store at around 7:00. Me and Danny are taking Roxi down there for a little game playing."
"She's bummed out enough not to talk to me and yet still cheerful enough to hang out with you geeks?"
Eli's brow furrowed in irritation. "Hey, look, I'll just say you never called, Kay, because we don't have to take her out, either. She can have relaxation over here than over there, if she wants. But if you want to talk with her, I think maybe you should talk with me, too."
Kay sighed in partial frustration and partial relief. "Alright... I'll meet you there, then. Can I talk to her afterwards?"
Eli nodded. There was no reason for him not to say no, though whether or not she would want to speak with him after what had happened those few days before was entirely up to her. Then he forgot that Kay couldn't see him. "Sure. I can't guarantee she'll want to talk to you at all, though, after what happened. She has a right to hold it against you, and so do I."
"Well, then just know this, Elijah," he said, using the coyote's full first name for the first time. "I apologize to you and to her, for what happened. I'll see you around 7:00. See you later."
Eli didn't answer, and didn't move even after Kay hung up on the other side, frozen in amazement.
Who was that he just talked to?
They left at around 6:30. Since Roxanne was becoming less depressed, she found it a good idea to let herself go and enjoy the time she would have. Eli said nothing about Kay's call though, knowing that she could still say no and turn back. the best chance that Kay had of speaking to her was if Eli didn't say anything about him being there when they arrived. Danny didn't know, either, which was good, because he most likely would've decided to go somewhere else, also.
The arcade was usually full-up on Fridays, but since the attack had left a few people ruined and mourning, there were less there than there usually was. Still, it was enough of a population to pull Kay aside when Eli spotted him, wherever he might be.
Daniel took the fox to a few of the pistol-accuracy games, which was something that Roxi was especially good at and loved. Eli watched for a few minutes, then glanced at his watch. It was exactly 7:00. "Hey, I'm gonna get a few credits worth of coins. I'll be right back."
"Sure thing," said Roxanne, never taking her eyes off her virtual targets. "Don't take too long."
The coyote broke away from his friends, going into the direction of the coin-machine. When he reached it, he looked around, then passed it up, looking around for the wolf. He was nowhere in sight. That didn't mean, of course, that he would never be. Kay, although a cheater at times, always managed to keep a promise- from a certain point of view.
"Eli. Over here."
The coyote turned in place, coming face-to-face with the wolf. Eli almost didn't recognize him right off. There was darkness in his left eye; not the type that showed an evil thought, but a bruise-like darkness around his eye. To add to it, there was a cut across his cheek-bone, much like the one that Eli had received. His normally clean fur had picked up a few specks of dust and the brown tips of his black hair were now darker than before. He looked a mess, clothes-wise as well, with jeans that had... dried blood- stains.
Eli blinked and stepped back in surprise. "Kay? What the fuck happened?"
Kay sighed. "I got a little... well, it's something not discussable right now. If you need to know, it's what I wanted to talk to Roxanne about. Things aren't going so well with my folks."
Eli didn't say anything, and Kay continued. "Look... about that fight... that whole damn thing was my fault. I don't know what got into me. If you haven't already guessed, I kinda got a thing for Roxanne. Not that she returns it at all, but still... anyway... I guess I already did say sorry about the whole thing, right?"
"Just today," Eli said. "Why now, instead of before?"
Kay looked down. "My parents..." he stopped, not knowing how to start.
"They roughed you up or something?" asked Eli.
Kay shrugged. "That's one way of putting it, I guess. It made think more about what happened. Granted, they had absolutely no right to bring the house over my head, but nevertheless, I kept thinking about it." He laughed grimly. "Never thought I was part of a dysfunctional family, eh?"
Eli shook his head.
"Anyway, I realized how stupid I had gotten. I mean, I've taken drugs before- one joint, but that was it, 'cause afterwards I ditched the crap for good. I've been in probably fifteen fights, eight of them not school related. My parents have always thought I was a pain in their haunches, ready to disown me the first chance they get." He pointed at his eye. "See the shiner? Got that from my dad. Didn't want to hit him back; face it, he's still my dad."
Eli frowned. "Why do you bother taking this crap from them? You should have told someone about it."
"I told Roxanne, but I pleaded for her not to tell anybody; at least, not until I finally landed a job as a pilot. At that point, I at least would still be doing what I like, right? And I'd be out of the hell-hole I have the guts to call home." He sighed. "She understood well enough, but I know she's been itching to tell someone. She's one helluva friend, you got to give her that."
Eli nodded. "That's true enough. Well, now I know that you're at least trying to get some help, and not here just to try kicking my tail again."
The wolf grinned somewhat sheepishly. "I knew you had taken two forms of martial arts, but I didn't expect that kind of fighting from you at all. You fight pretty well, I got to hand it to you. But in any case, I know that, if the battle had carried out, I most likely would've come out on top."
"Not just that; you looked about ready to kill me," Eli blurted out.
The wolf looked at him incredulously. "Me? Kill you? Look, I may have once taken a joint, and I may have kicked a lot of other people's tails and tail feathers, and I may have been expelled from school." He held up a finger. "But I will make one thing clear; unless it's extremely provoked and for my defense and for the defense of other people, I would never murder anybody."
Eli looked at him. During the conversation, the wolf had changed somehow in the coyote's eyes. It was odd, since now Kay didn't look as threatening now as before. In fact, he seemed more normal, save that at the same time, he looked depressed.
Kay stopped talking for a moment. After a while, he started again. "Look... outta curiosity... I heard something at school shortly before I was expelled. It isn't true that you mated with Roxanne, is it?"
"What?!" shouted out Eli at the top of his lungs. He quieted down, remembering where he was. "No, I didn't! You heard that while passing the 'heated' girl groups, didn't you?"
"Well, yeah, I did..."
"And you believed them?"
Kay looked down. "I was a little... well if you need to know, I got a little angry about it, which was one reason I punched you, I guess. And I figured, if she was the type of girl that would do that, I might as well try being a guy who'd be that way, too. Get what I'm saying?"
"Yeah, but I'm still not sure as to why you believed them. Never do, that's my motto on that matter. In any case, she's only a good friend, and not anyone I'm considering right off. I have no reason right now."
"I guess." Kay looked around. "So... can I talk to Roxanne now?"
Eli nodded, then thought of something. "Hold it."
"What?"
"You said your parents roughed you up, right? And I'm suspecting you hate them enough to get away from them in any way you can."
"Easy to figure out, Eli. Of course I'm willing to get away from them at all costs. What's your point?"
"There's still some positions open in the mercenary part of the airforce, and Peppy Hare, the guy that punched you off me, wants Danny, Roxi and me to look for some possible pilots. It could be a chance to get away from you parents, you know. I figure you don't have any reason to hate me anymore, either."
Kay blinked. "Why ask me? I figured you'd hate me. And what chance do I have as an expelled student, getting to be a pilot? Not much a chance at all, I think."
"That's the thing; the mercenary wings don't really care what you've done, so long as you're willing to fly for the right price. They won't care about it. Besides, Peppy asked me personally to enlist anybody I could entrust to the team."
"And you trust me?!" Kay yelped out in wonder.
"Hey, you came here to talk, not to fight, right. I could trust you now."
Kay looked at him, skeptically. "You're either a forgiving saint, or a trusting fool. No offense, but I still don't understand why. I fought with you, nearly killed you, as you put it, got expelled, harassed Roxi in a way I shouldn't have... and you trust me?"
Eli shrugged, scratched his left ear. "I don't know how, but I feel like I can. So yes or no, Kay?"
Kay looked at him for a second in disbelief. Then he looked down, smiling. "Yeah... I guess so." He looked back up. "So... can I still talk to Roxanne?"
"Sure, but don't disturb her while she's sniping virtual terrorists; she'll turn the gun on you, even if it's fake. Never seen-"
"Hey Eli!" cut in Roxanne's voice over the din of the video games. Eli turned, not having expected her presence. She jogged towards them, slowed down as she saw Kay standing next to him. She frowned, looking at him head to toe. "Kay... what happened to you?"
He sighed. "I needed to talk to you. I tried calling you, but there was no answer. I just finished with Eli here."
The fox looked at Eli uncertainly. Eli nodded. "Don't worry, he's made amends."
Roxanne turned back to Kay, took his paw in her hand. "Here, come this way. I'll be right back, Eli." She walked off, Kay following her out of the arcade.
She took him to a bench, not far from the games. Stopping abruptly, the fox turned to the wolf. She looked at him with a worried visage. "What happened, Kay? Did you get in another fight with your parents?"
Kay nodded, sat on the bench. "I came in late the day I fought with Eli. They had already gotten the call that I was expelled from school, and the police had been there shortly before I arrived. First thing my dad did was give me a good blow to the eye. Naturally, my mom told him to cut it out, but as usual, he didn't feel like letting up."
Roxanne didn't say anything, leaving Kay to continue.
"They started on each other, and I hate more than anything when they start screaming at each other. I tried to get them to stop, but it didn't help much when the whole thing was my fault. So my dad cut me, using a meat knife that was nearby. Bled solid for two hours." The wolf started to shake a little. "Fortunately, he didn't do what he threatened to do with it to me."
Roxanne shook her head sadly. "Kay... you should've told someone-"
At that Kay got up and sighed angrily. "And what?!" he said loudly, though not angry at her. "I have goals, you know! I want to get away from my parents, but I want to have a life doing what I want to do for a living. How am I going to do that if I'm given foster parents and a place where I'm constantly being watched over by officials to see if I'm being treated right?" He sighed, turned away from Roxanne. "Not that it'd make a difference."
Roxanne didn't say anything for a moment. At length she stood up and grasped his shoulder. "But it would have been worth it to say something, Kay. I don't like you the way you think I do, but I'm still your friend, nonetheless, and as a friend I don't want to see you get hurt. I worry for you, Kay. I stay awake two hours after my light's out, one hour for the two people I think about most; Eli and you."
Kay turned, looked at her. "You dig Eli, don't you?"
This took her off guard. "What? No, not really. Why?"
Kay didn't say anything, walked past her, but secretly smiled when she wasn't looking. "No reason." He hid the smile. "Look... about that thing. I had heard something in school that made me a little jealous, and I figured that the way I acted would compliment with the way I heard you were."
Roxanne blinked in amazement. "Wha-?"
"I was wrong," he said, shaking it off. "I found that out. So I'm sorry about what I did. I told Eli the same, too. I've been screwing up a lot lately, but my family isn't helping with that. I wish like hell though that they did."
Roxanne nodded. She smiled suddenly. Without a word, she gave him a quick kiss on the nose. He looked up in surprise, but she waved it off. "Nothing that you'd think of... but somebody's got to make you feel better, right?"
Kay was left speechless, maw hanging open in surprise.
She took his paw. "C'mon. Let's get to game playing, what we were here for, right?" She led him back into the arcade.
Introduction by the author;
Okay, so maybe I'm skipping ahead from the ADD. ADD does that to you!
Anywho, this is a fiction that, although does hold its parts with action and sci-fi, is also based upon real life. It'll lose some of its 'real life' qualities as it goes on; fair warning, but I hope you'll keep reading anyway. Even though this chapter is void of any action and is more, the next is funny as heck.
Indeed, it gets to be a little more interesting at this point. One character, whose purpose before seemed that to be of an enemy, reveals himself not to be the bad guy Eli thinks he is...
"Hey Dad? I'm home?"
Eli's voice carried through the house, yet there was no answer. The coyote raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Guess he's not here yet." He shrugged. "Want to come in, Peppy? He's probably out somewhere getting grub, or still at work."
The hare nodded. "Sure. Might as well; if Kay's out there and he has a mind to swing by your place, you'll want to keep ensured he won't do anything to you." He entered, looking around. "Hm. Nice place, actually. How long did you want me to stay?"
Daniel and Roxanne entered behind him. Peppy had agreed to take Eli home, since the coyote had the pass card to get in, and both his friends had decided to stay over at his place for the remainder of the day, for safety's sake. Roxanne had taken Eli's car, while Daniel had taken his own.
"Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you. Not to get an autograph or anything," Eli said, anticipating the hare's feelings subconsciously, "but about the registration. Can I get you anything to eat?"
Peppy held up his paw. "No thanks; normally I'm a vegetarian. I don't think I could stomach carnivorous material."
Nevertheless, Eli opened up the refrigerator. Immediately Roxanne and Danny piled behind him, reaching inside and pushing the canine into it. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring into a dead fish's face. He blinked, then pushed the two off him. "Hey, I've heard of a famished hunter before, but you guys are ridiculous!" Still, the managed to come away with a box of enchiladas and a soda each, then moved for the holo-vision, shoving to get to the couch first.
Eli gave them a chided type of a look, then reached into the lower parts of the fridge. He came up with a carrot, still fresh, and tossed this item to Peppy. "A bit more to your liking?"
"Alot more," Peppy said, munching on the tip. "Didn't think you'd have anything like this. And a fresh taste still in it, what's more."
Eli took a can of soda out for himself. "Yeah, well my mom knows how balance out our diet while still retaining the meat part of our lives. She does this by making a lot of stew. She knows veggies'll increase eyesight, so she also thinks that if she constantly keeps putting these into the stew that my youngest sister won't be afraid of the dark." He took a seat at the table, indicated a chair on the other side, which Peppy took.
"So, what was it you needed to talk about?"
"Some advice on what to do."
Peppy frowned. "How do you mean? I think I can sense a little bit of doubt in yourself. Don't worry, it's natural to feel intimidated around other, more experienced people."
"Well, it's not so much that. I have this little problem, actually. You've seen my grades?" Peppy shook his head. "Well, they could use a lot of improvement, I'll tell you that much. And I'm starting to wonder if I can take on this task better than I have my school work. You get what I mean?"
"I see; you're thinking maybe you may not be able to do what's necessary as well as you can keep up in class, am I correct?"
"Pretty much."
"Well, then I'll ask you something; do you enjoy piloting craft at all?"
"Well, yeah, of course I do. It's more of a hobby than anything."
"Then I wouldn't worry about it," Peppy said, biting from the carrot. "If you love to do something, then not much can go wrong. I personally never really liked schoolwork, when I was your age. But that's different from piloting because you like to fly, whereas nobody likes to do homework at all." He paused. "At least, nobody sane that I knew when I was a teen..."
Eli nodded. "Well, I guess that makes me feel a little better." He sighed, looked up at the ceiling. "So... about the other pilots. How do we find them?"
"There'll probably be a few students here and there, still looking for a place to sign up. Still, I wouldn't be able to track them down all at once, and it'd be too much of a mess if I tried to call them over the school announcement system. Do you know any other people with piloting skills?"
Eli nodded. "Yeah, a few. But I don't have their numbers. You'll have to wait till tomorrow. Can I get you to come there?"
Peppy nodded. "I'm not scheduled to get back to the GreatFox for another week and a half. I can spare the next few days, unquestionably."
Just then, Danny's voice carried to the table. "Elijah, Peppy, you guys should get down here!" His voice seemed tense, almost angry
They looked at each other in question, then made for the living room. Eli got there first, and whatever program they had been watching before, a special announcement took place. He looked over at Danny, who was watching with a grim look on his face. But Roxanne was breathing hard, almost looking as if she were going to faint. The coyote frowned looked at the screen. The reporter, a cow, spoke.
"At approximately 2:34 this afternoon, a number of three explosions took place at Carol City airport, leaving some three hundred people dead and many more injured. Several agents who were sent to the scene have deemed that this was an act of terrorism. A suspect had been caught at the scene, claiming that NOVA, the remnants of the Venomian armada, was behind all this and that more would come if they were not cautious. Though police have yet to confirm this confession, it cannot be doubted that this was a deliberate attack."
"Dear god..." Eli looked at Roxanne. Her parents worked over at the airport, one as a pilot and the other as a steward. She stared at the screen wide-eyed in terror, and immediately Eli felt torn for her. Her parents were all she had left for herself; her older brother had died in the war against Venom and she had never gotten over it fully.
She rose, still breathing hard. "Eli... Eli, my parents."
She tried to step forward and nearly stumbled, but Elijah caught her, trying to help her up. "Roxanne, it's okay!" he tried, hoping that he was right. "They... they're probably okay and not hurt at all."
She took his answer as well as she could, tried to calm down. She sat back down, tried to remain calm. Peppy took a seat next to her, rubbing her back in an effort to soothe her further. Danny shook his head. "Who'd do that kind of thing to innocent people?"
"Fools," Elijah said simply. "People who are afraid of a large population and are trying to even out the odds by murdering innocent people who don't want to fight anyway." He looked away, instead listening to the report. The details were immediately posted, starting with the news they had just heard, and ending with the responses from several planet representatives from other planets, sympathizing for those who had been killed or injured in the incident.
Peppy looked around. "The starport isn't too far from here. If you want, we can-"
Roxanne responded before he finished. "No! I don't want to be there if the worst has happened," she said, as if almost afraid to go there. She grasped her arms tightly, as if cold. "God, I hope not." She began to snuffle a little. Danny put an arm around her, trying his best to comfort her.
Eli got up. "My parents are still at work, but I can call them up about the incident. They'll want to know if Roxanne is alright." He made for the phone. Roxanne and her family had been good friends of theirs since they had arrived to Corneria, and Eli's family had always let her stay over if there was an occasion that involved her own parents having to go out.
Picking it up, he tapped a key for a three-way call, to each of his parents. The call went out a second later. Eli's mom got to the phone first. "Kenotech systems service line, how may I help you?"
"Ma? It's me."
"Hi Eli. I heard what happened at school today. Are you all right?"
"Yeah, A guy named Peppy Hare took me home, and he's at the place right now."
"The Peppy Hare?" she said incredulously.
"Who else?" he answered, with a little smile. It disappeared as he recalled what he had really called for. "But that's not the point."
Before he could continue, his dad came online. "Solarcarrier Corp representative speaking, who's calling?"
"It's me, dad."
"Hey, son. I heard about the fight." He sounded as if he were going to move into one of his old 'fighting-is-bad' lectures, but Eli cut him off in time.
"I know, dad, I know. Peppy Hare, one of the StarFox members, was there during registration, and he decided to drop me off. He's right here."
"Really? I'd like to talk to him, then."
"Later, dad. Listen..." He hesitated. "There was a terrorist attack on Carol city airport today. Several people were killed, and more were injured."
There was a silence. His mom answered first. "My goodness... does Roxanne know about it?"
"She was watching the holo at our house when she found out."
His father spoke next. "Are her parents okay?"
"They haven't called. And if they did, it would have been at her place. She isn't carrying any portable phone, and they didn't put up a casualty list at all. There's a special report on the holo, signal number 1804. You'll find out what happened. I have to hang up in a minute, see what we're going to do."
"Now don't you be going anywhere, son," said his father. "Stay put. If there was an attack, then there's no guarantee that it's all done and safe to go into. Stay there with Peppy and keep your eyes and ears open. Your sisters will be arriving any minute, and you know how they are, so send them upstairs, first chance you get, so as not to upset Roxanne in any way. And Danny is there, I'll assume?"
"Yeah, he is."
"Have him call his parents, check to see if they know yet. We'll get there as soon as we can. I'll see you later, son." He hung up.
His mother was still on the line. "Get a quilt downstairs and make her something to drink. I find it's a good policy to follow when there may be a problem."
"Ma...!"
"Just a suggestion!" she said indignantly. "I'll see you later. Bye."
She hung up on him. He put the phone back on the hook, sighed. "Well, they know about it now, you guys. They think it'd be best if we stay here and not to the airport, since it might be dangerous..." he paused, noticing, that Roxanne was bent over more than before. He came up to her, tried to look at her face.
There were tears streaming down her face, matting her red fur down. She sniffled, tried to keep from crying out. Eli frowned. "Roxanne... what's wrong?" Danny was looking away, indicating that he knew the answer and was unwilling to tell it out himself. Peppy only shook his head sadly, then sat down.
"I saw my mom on the holo..." she said. "And my father was next to her. He was screaming out her name, while she was on a stretcher..." She couldn't finish, and fell forward from the couch, into Eli's arms. Immediately, her pent up sadness came out all at once. She grasped him tightly and wept, while Eli hugged her back.
The funeral of Roxanne's mother took place three days later, but she didn't attend. Everyone understood her feelings on the matter, and let her stay at Eli's house for the time being. She hadn't slept well enough, and hadn't eaten, either. Danny had also slept over the few nights she was there. Eli had asked for them to be absent from school for the week, knowing well that Roxanne would need her friends and family more than anything to make it through the ordeal.
She didn't weep as much, instead, trying to move on with her friend's help. She improved well enough to forget what had happened at least for a few minutes. By the time the week was more than half through, which began the day after her mother's death, she seemed more her normal self, save that every now and again, she reflect on herself. Her father had also kept her company, but knew that she was much better off with her friends.
The fifth day came, and the phone rang. Eli made it, having been the only one up. Roxi was taking a nap, while Danny was playing a few video games, leaving Eli free for the call. "Christian residence, who's calling please?"
The slightly lower-pitched voice returned. "Eli?"
Eli flinched slightly before frowning. "Kay? What are you doing calling here?"
There was a sigh. "I tried calling Roxi over at her place, but she wouldn't answer. I tried three days in a row before I gave up. Do you know where she is?" The type of voice usually reserved for Eli wasn't present, and Eli wondered if maybe Kay was ill.
"Yeah, I know where she is. But she can't be disturbed, Kay. I don't think now is the time to talk to her."
"Look, if you're still against me having fought you that one day, I don't blame you. My parents came down pretty hard on me, and I'm almost certain they're ready to disown me. But Roxi's helped me through things like this, and I really need to talk to her."
Eli scoffed. "Help you?"
"This ain't funny, Eli," the wolf said, a tint of old anger in his voice. "Look, I just need to know where she is. I didn't call to bother you at all, I just needed to talk to her personally."
"And I already told you, she can't."
"Why not?" he asked, a bit more offended.
"Look, I don't know if you knew at all, but there was a terrorist attack on Carol city airport."
"I knew that!" he said, getting impatient.
"Then did you know that Roxi's parents worked at the same airport? That one of her parents was killed as a result of the incident? Now do you realize why you can't talk to her in her current condition?"
There was a pause, then a sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't know..."
Eli put a paw to his head, then groaned, trying to think of something to get him satisfied. "Argh... look, meet me by the arcade at the store at around 7:00. Me and Danny are taking Roxi down there for a little game playing."
"She's bummed out enough not to talk to me and yet still cheerful enough to hang out with you geeks?"
Eli's brow furrowed in irritation. "Hey, look, I'll just say you never called, Kay, because we don't have to take her out, either. She can have relaxation over here than over there, if she wants. But if you want to talk with her, I think maybe you should talk with me, too."
Kay sighed in partial frustration and partial relief. "Alright... I'll meet you there, then. Can I talk to her afterwards?"
Eli nodded. There was no reason for him not to say no, though whether or not she would want to speak with him after what had happened those few days before was entirely up to her. Then he forgot that Kay couldn't see him. "Sure. I can't guarantee she'll want to talk to you at all, though, after what happened. She has a right to hold it against you, and so do I."
"Well, then just know this, Elijah," he said, using the coyote's full first name for the first time. "I apologize to you and to her, for what happened. I'll see you around 7:00. See you later."
Eli didn't answer, and didn't move even after Kay hung up on the other side, frozen in amazement.
Who was that he just talked to?
They left at around 6:30. Since Roxanne was becoming less depressed, she found it a good idea to let herself go and enjoy the time she would have. Eli said nothing about Kay's call though, knowing that she could still say no and turn back. the best chance that Kay had of speaking to her was if Eli didn't say anything about him being there when they arrived. Danny didn't know, either, which was good, because he most likely would've decided to go somewhere else, also.
The arcade was usually full-up on Fridays, but since the attack had left a few people ruined and mourning, there were less there than there usually was. Still, it was enough of a population to pull Kay aside when Eli spotted him, wherever he might be.
Daniel took the fox to a few of the pistol-accuracy games, which was something that Roxi was especially good at and loved. Eli watched for a few minutes, then glanced at his watch. It was exactly 7:00. "Hey, I'm gonna get a few credits worth of coins. I'll be right back."
"Sure thing," said Roxanne, never taking her eyes off her virtual targets. "Don't take too long."
The coyote broke away from his friends, going into the direction of the coin-machine. When he reached it, he looked around, then passed it up, looking around for the wolf. He was nowhere in sight. That didn't mean, of course, that he would never be. Kay, although a cheater at times, always managed to keep a promise- from a certain point of view.
"Eli. Over here."
The coyote turned in place, coming face-to-face with the wolf. Eli almost didn't recognize him right off. There was darkness in his left eye; not the type that showed an evil thought, but a bruise-like darkness around his eye. To add to it, there was a cut across his cheek-bone, much like the one that Eli had received. His normally clean fur had picked up a few specks of dust and the brown tips of his black hair were now darker than before. He looked a mess, clothes-wise as well, with jeans that had... dried blood- stains.
Eli blinked and stepped back in surprise. "Kay? What the fuck happened?"
Kay sighed. "I got a little... well, it's something not discussable right now. If you need to know, it's what I wanted to talk to Roxanne about. Things aren't going so well with my folks."
Eli didn't say anything, and Kay continued. "Look... about that fight... that whole damn thing was my fault. I don't know what got into me. If you haven't already guessed, I kinda got a thing for Roxanne. Not that she returns it at all, but still... anyway... I guess I already did say sorry about the whole thing, right?"
"Just today," Eli said. "Why now, instead of before?"
Kay looked down. "My parents..." he stopped, not knowing how to start.
"They roughed you up or something?" asked Eli.
Kay shrugged. "That's one way of putting it, I guess. It made think more about what happened. Granted, they had absolutely no right to bring the house over my head, but nevertheless, I kept thinking about it." He laughed grimly. "Never thought I was part of a dysfunctional family, eh?"
Eli shook his head.
"Anyway, I realized how stupid I had gotten. I mean, I've taken drugs before- one joint, but that was it, 'cause afterwards I ditched the crap for good. I've been in probably fifteen fights, eight of them not school related. My parents have always thought I was a pain in their haunches, ready to disown me the first chance they get." He pointed at his eye. "See the shiner? Got that from my dad. Didn't want to hit him back; face it, he's still my dad."
Eli frowned. "Why do you bother taking this crap from them? You should have told someone about it."
"I told Roxanne, but I pleaded for her not to tell anybody; at least, not until I finally landed a job as a pilot. At that point, I at least would still be doing what I like, right? And I'd be out of the hell-hole I have the guts to call home." He sighed. "She understood well enough, but I know she's been itching to tell someone. She's one helluva friend, you got to give her that."
Eli nodded. "That's true enough. Well, now I know that you're at least trying to get some help, and not here just to try kicking my tail again."
The wolf grinned somewhat sheepishly. "I knew you had taken two forms of martial arts, but I didn't expect that kind of fighting from you at all. You fight pretty well, I got to hand it to you. But in any case, I know that, if the battle had carried out, I most likely would've come out on top."
"Not just that; you looked about ready to kill me," Eli blurted out.
The wolf looked at him incredulously. "Me? Kill you? Look, I may have once taken a joint, and I may have kicked a lot of other people's tails and tail feathers, and I may have been expelled from school." He held up a finger. "But I will make one thing clear; unless it's extremely provoked and for my defense and for the defense of other people, I would never murder anybody."
Eli looked at him. During the conversation, the wolf had changed somehow in the coyote's eyes. It was odd, since now Kay didn't look as threatening now as before. In fact, he seemed more normal, save that at the same time, he looked depressed.
Kay stopped talking for a moment. After a while, he started again. "Look... outta curiosity... I heard something at school shortly before I was expelled. It isn't true that you mated with Roxanne, is it?"
"What?!" shouted out Eli at the top of his lungs. He quieted down, remembering where he was. "No, I didn't! You heard that while passing the 'heated' girl groups, didn't you?"
"Well, yeah, I did..."
"And you believed them?"
Kay looked down. "I was a little... well if you need to know, I got a little angry about it, which was one reason I punched you, I guess. And I figured, if she was the type of girl that would do that, I might as well try being a guy who'd be that way, too. Get what I'm saying?"
"Yeah, but I'm still not sure as to why you believed them. Never do, that's my motto on that matter. In any case, she's only a good friend, and not anyone I'm considering right off. I have no reason right now."
"I guess." Kay looked around. "So... can I talk to Roxanne now?"
Eli nodded, then thought of something. "Hold it."
"What?"
"You said your parents roughed you up, right? And I'm suspecting you hate them enough to get away from them in any way you can."
"Easy to figure out, Eli. Of course I'm willing to get away from them at all costs. What's your point?"
"There's still some positions open in the mercenary part of the airforce, and Peppy Hare, the guy that punched you off me, wants Danny, Roxi and me to look for some possible pilots. It could be a chance to get away from you parents, you know. I figure you don't have any reason to hate me anymore, either."
Kay blinked. "Why ask me? I figured you'd hate me. And what chance do I have as an expelled student, getting to be a pilot? Not much a chance at all, I think."
"That's the thing; the mercenary wings don't really care what you've done, so long as you're willing to fly for the right price. They won't care about it. Besides, Peppy asked me personally to enlist anybody I could entrust to the team."
"And you trust me?!" Kay yelped out in wonder.
"Hey, you came here to talk, not to fight, right. I could trust you now."
Kay looked at him, skeptically. "You're either a forgiving saint, or a trusting fool. No offense, but I still don't understand why. I fought with you, nearly killed you, as you put it, got expelled, harassed Roxi in a way I shouldn't have... and you trust me?"
Eli shrugged, scratched his left ear. "I don't know how, but I feel like I can. So yes or no, Kay?"
Kay looked at him for a second in disbelief. Then he looked down, smiling. "Yeah... I guess so." He looked back up. "So... can I still talk to Roxanne?"
"Sure, but don't disturb her while she's sniping virtual terrorists; she'll turn the gun on you, even if it's fake. Never seen-"
"Hey Eli!" cut in Roxanne's voice over the din of the video games. Eli turned, not having expected her presence. She jogged towards them, slowed down as she saw Kay standing next to him. She frowned, looking at him head to toe. "Kay... what happened to you?"
He sighed. "I needed to talk to you. I tried calling you, but there was no answer. I just finished with Eli here."
The fox looked at Eli uncertainly. Eli nodded. "Don't worry, he's made amends."
Roxanne turned back to Kay, took his paw in her hand. "Here, come this way. I'll be right back, Eli." She walked off, Kay following her out of the arcade.
She took him to a bench, not far from the games. Stopping abruptly, the fox turned to the wolf. She looked at him with a worried visage. "What happened, Kay? Did you get in another fight with your parents?"
Kay nodded, sat on the bench. "I came in late the day I fought with Eli. They had already gotten the call that I was expelled from school, and the police had been there shortly before I arrived. First thing my dad did was give me a good blow to the eye. Naturally, my mom told him to cut it out, but as usual, he didn't feel like letting up."
Roxanne didn't say anything, leaving Kay to continue.
"They started on each other, and I hate more than anything when they start screaming at each other. I tried to get them to stop, but it didn't help much when the whole thing was my fault. So my dad cut me, using a meat knife that was nearby. Bled solid for two hours." The wolf started to shake a little. "Fortunately, he didn't do what he threatened to do with it to me."
Roxanne shook her head sadly. "Kay... you should've told someone-"
At that Kay got up and sighed angrily. "And what?!" he said loudly, though not angry at her. "I have goals, you know! I want to get away from my parents, but I want to have a life doing what I want to do for a living. How am I going to do that if I'm given foster parents and a place where I'm constantly being watched over by officials to see if I'm being treated right?" He sighed, turned away from Roxanne. "Not that it'd make a difference."
Roxanne didn't say anything for a moment. At length she stood up and grasped his shoulder. "But it would have been worth it to say something, Kay. I don't like you the way you think I do, but I'm still your friend, nonetheless, and as a friend I don't want to see you get hurt. I worry for you, Kay. I stay awake two hours after my light's out, one hour for the two people I think about most; Eli and you."
Kay turned, looked at her. "You dig Eli, don't you?"
This took her off guard. "What? No, not really. Why?"
Kay didn't say anything, walked past her, but secretly smiled when she wasn't looking. "No reason." He hid the smile. "Look... about that thing. I had heard something in school that made me a little jealous, and I figured that the way I acted would compliment with the way I heard you were."
Roxanne blinked in amazement. "Wha-?"
"I was wrong," he said, shaking it off. "I found that out. So I'm sorry about what I did. I told Eli the same, too. I've been screwing up a lot lately, but my family isn't helping with that. I wish like hell though that they did."
Roxanne nodded. She smiled suddenly. Without a word, she gave him a quick kiss on the nose. He looked up in surprise, but she waved it off. "Nothing that you'd think of... but somebody's got to make you feel better, right?"
Kay was left speechless, maw hanging open in surprise.
She took his paw. "C'mon. Let's get to game playing, what we were here for, right?" She led him back into the arcade.