Chapter two

The next morning, Clarissa woke on an oddly soft bed. The morning sun shown down on her as she lifted herself out of bed. She an extra change of clothes in her backpack, which had traveled with her to Gaea. She changed into her clothes, and decided to take a stroll through the halls.

It's really Gaea, isn't it? She thought to herself. She turned a corner and crashed into someone.

"Oh, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to--. I must have not been looking. I'm really sorry, really." Clarissa apologized as she looked up into blue eyes and long blond hair.

"No, it's ok, my fault," said the manly figure.

"Sorry, I'm not from around here; I don't know where I'm going."

"Really? Where are you from?"

"I just arrived here last night. I'm from--"

"So, Clarissa," said Vaughn behind her, "I see you've met Allen Schezar."

"Uh, I guess so," she said as she set her glasses back up to her eyes.

"Breakfast starts in ten minutes, Clarissa, if you want to come, you should be there soon," Vaughn said as he walked away.

"Uh, Allen? Isn't it?"

"Yes?"

"I really have no idea where breakfast is, could you show me?" She asked.

"Sure, I was just going there myself," he replied.

"So," Clarissa started as they walked, "I really appreciate you showing me where breakfast is, I have no idea, and I've been really hungry since I haven't eaten since, uh, since actually two days ago. I've just been too busy with my classes, and--"

"That bracelet," he pointed out, "Where did you get it?"

"Just around where I live. It has crystal from Austria, but nothing else special," Clarissa explained.

"Crystal from Austuria?"

"Not Austuria, Austria. I went to Austria before. They have lots of crystal there, and salt from Salzburg, too. It's really neat. I have relatives there."

"Austria? Not Austuria?" Allen asked.

"Yes, Austria."

"But that's on the Mystic Moon. Is that where you're from?"

"Yes, I'm from the Mystic Moon, USA actually."

"Really? Do you have any special powers?"

"Yes, but I've never told anyone, or used them in public, because they really freak people out," she whispered.

"Really? What powers do you have?"

"Telekinesis. I can move things with my mind."

"Seriously? You should show me sometime." They had arrived at breakfast.

"Well, I guess this is it."

"I'll see you sometime later, Clarissa."

Clarissa inhaled her breakfast since she was starving, and now everyone was asking her where she was from.

"Ok, just stop will you!" She said to the next person who asked her. All of the cups and drinking glasses on the table fell down to the left with a crash, while the plates people where eating from rose from the table. She knew her Telekinesis was getting out of control. She let go of her stress, and the plates came down with a thunderous bang. "Uh, sorry?" Clarissa ran from the table and back to her room where she had slept last night. She laid on her bed and pulled a notepad out from her backpack, writing a poem about her stress.

"Clarissa?" Allen opened the door and asked.

"Go away," she shwosed her arm and the door shut with a loud bang, but Allen was already inside the room.

"Sorry, I just wanted to talk to you."

"My powers kind of get out of control when I'm stress. I should be the one apologizing. I just had no control over it."

Vaughn came barging through the door, "What was all that? I demand to know an answer. You're scaring off my guests more than I do."

"Sorry, I just got, uh, stressed."

"Stressed? Stressed? That was stressed?"

"I can't control my powers when I'm stressed. The telekinesis acts up when I get mad. I'm sorry," Clarissa explained.

"Then don't do it again," he thought for a second, "What powers!?"

"Vaughn, maybe you should calm down," Allen suggested.

"Calm down? I'm the King! I can do whatever I want to *bleeping* do!"

"Come on Vaughn just calm down."

"Just shut the *bleep* up, both of you!" Then the bed she was sitting on started to rise. "Oh, God." She let it fall back down to the floor.

"See what I mean."

"I'm sorry Vaughn, I'm really sorry. Vaughn, please, please forgive me?"

"Ok, fine, but only if you try not to get stressed again."

"Ok, I'll try."

"Clarissa, your pendent," started Vaughn.

"What about it?"

"Where did you get it?"

"My grandmother gave it to me two years ago. She said she got it form a far distant land. She said someone gave it to her there. That's when I first started finding out about Gaea."

"Just like Hitomi."

"You, you have one too. Where did you get it?"

"Hitomi gave it to me before she left for the Mystic Moon. Her grandmother gave it to her, and her grandmother got it from Allen's father."

"Oh, I see."

"That's weird."

"Yeah, that's weird."

"Sorry, Clarissa."

"Yeah, sorry."

It was too weird to think about anything. Vaughn walked back out of room.

"Vaughn can get like that sometimes. Sometimes he's too reckless," Allen explained. He left the room without another word. Clarissa decided to vacate the room also, to get a better look at the gardens outside.

"I just want to feel safe in my own skin," Clarissa sung as she walked through the gardens, "I just want to be happy again, I just want to feel deep in my own world, but I'm so lonely I don't even want to be with myself anymore. On a different day, If I was safe in my own skin, Then I wouldn't feel lost and so frightened, but this is today, and I'm lost in my own skin, and I'm so lonely I don't even want to be with myself anymore. And I'm so lonely I don't even want to be with myself anymore. And I'm so lonely I don't even want to be with myself anymore. I just want to feel safe in my own skin I just want to feel happy again."

"Hello?" Clarissa asked.

"Hello, my name's Merle. I saw you at breakfast."

"Oh, sorry, I'm sorry if I yelled at you. I'm sorry about breakfast, sometimes when I'm stressed my powers go out of control."

"Oh, you're the one with Telekinesis."

"Yeah, it's me. I'm the crazy one from the Mystic Moon."

"The Mystic Moon?"

"Yeah, the Mystic Moon."

"The last person who came from the Mystic Moon --"

"Died, three months ago."

"Oh. Bye." Merle leapt off to the castle. Clarissa continued walking. After walking a long distance away from the castle, Clarissa decided she should go back, but soon she heard someone talking. She followed the noise and found a figure with its back to her. Oh, only Vaughn, she thought. She turned around to walk back to the castle, and started singing again. (Note to self, put in lyrics)

"Clarissa?" Asked Vaughn.

"Sorry if I interrupted you, Vaughn."

"No that's ok, I was just thinking about Hitomi. You know, you're a lot like her. I mean you look nothing like her, but your personalities; they're the same."

"Oh, I see. Your still mourning her death," Clarissa said as she sat next to Vaughn, "You know, I've known a lot about Gaea even before I came here. I just have to know where I'm going."

"Maybe that's why it brought you here."

"What brought me here?"

"The crystal, mine."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I wished for Hitomi to come back to me, and it brought you. It must have not found Hitomi, since she was dead, and instead brought you here."

"Yeah, I see why."

Just then, a messenger came up to Vaughn.

"Lord Vaughn, an army is approaching the castle, an invasion. It's about two kilometers from here, and I am supposed to let you know that you're going to be headed to Austuria on the Crusade. It's about to leave, but we still need you aboard."

"Is Escaflowne loaded?"

"I'm on it now, sir."

"Is Allen leaving, too?"

"Yes, Lord."

"Good. Do you have our army up and armed?"

"Yes, Lord."

"Is the castle vacated?"

"Yes, sir."

"See that the invasion is stopped soon, and have someone report to me in Austuria."

"Yes, sir, the Crusade is waiting for you."

Vaughn pulled Clarissa up from the ground and held on to her arm as he ran to the docking bay, forcing Clarissa to match Vaughn's speed. They reached the docking bay in record time.

"Come on, Vaughn!" Clarissa screamed over the noise.

"I can't, I forgot my sword!" Vaughn yelled back. He ran back into the empty castle and into the room to get his sword. Vaughn spotted it on a chair, picked it up, and ran back to the docking bay. He then realized that the hatch was closing.

Vaughn heard Clarissa yell, "Vaughn! Jump!" He took two steps backwards and ran off of the platform into midair. Vaughn grabbed the edge of the hatch and slid into the Crusade, just as it closed.

"Vaughn." Clarissa whispered. They were off to Austuria.