Level 1 + Dandelion Mystery
Sublevel 3 + Catch Me If You Can



A sigh escaped Umi, for she wasn't looking forward to taking her test. Both Fuu and Hikaru had passed, and if she failed, they all failed.

Presea made eye contact with Umi. "Close you eyes," she said, "and do not open them until you are told to."

Umi obeyed. There was a long pause, during which the only sound she could hear was the wind rustling the grass at her knees. The warm sunshine became hot as she stood under it in her blue-and-white armor, and she felt its heat on her cheeks and thought, Great, I'm getting sunburned...

As agitation began to set in, and just as she was considering opening her eyes anyway, a small voice commanded, "Open your eyes!"

Umi obeyed once again, and Hikaru and Fuu were gone, as well as Presea. The only other person who now stood in the great field of dandelions was a small boy with brown hair that hung low over his eyes. She smiled a little, bending over and inquiring, "And who are you?"

"I'm Ascot," he announced, "and you're gonna play with me."

Umi, having spent much time with younger children in her life, slipped into the overly-cheerful, all-too-enthusiastic voice she used when talking to small kids. "Really? What're we gonna play, huh?"

The little boy grinned. "Tag," he said plainly, "and you're It!" He dashed off, giggling, through the dandelions.

"Uh oh, hope I can run fast enough!" Umi laughed, running behind Ascot at a pace much slower than she normally would. She had played tag with children before, and knew how most of them liked to win.

Ascot turned around, running backwards. "Can't you go any faster?" he shouted back to her. "This is no fun!"

"All right..." Umi sped up, still not as fast as she could go, but fast enough that the boy had to hurry more to stay ahead. "Uh oh, looks like I might beat you!" she called up to him, grinning.

"Not a chance!" he yelled back, throwing something over his shoulder at her.

Umi dodged the item, her feet getting tangled in the grass as she did so, causing her to crash to the ground. Perhaps that was better, though, for it wasn't a second after she had fallen that an explosion erupted over her head, shooting out on all sides and searing the top of the grass. A few charred dandelion heads fell about her, but most had been incinerated.

Umi woke up about then, realizing that Ascot was not like the neighbor's little children that she had babysat. She remembered that she was in the game, and that nothing was as it seemed, that she could not trust anyone here.

She got to her feet, seeing the little boy standing there, smirking. "Uh oh, looks like I might fry you!" he cried, mocking her childish tone.

Umi glared, preparing to backtalk the child, but he ran away immediately, crying over his shoulder, "Catch me, you're still It!"

Agitation building up steadily, Umi ran after the little boy.

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Umi collapsed to the ground, the dandelions swaying over her as she lay there, panting, out of breath and overheated in the relentless sun. Ascot had led her around the eternal field, this way and that, searing the grass with his little explosives when she didn't run fast enough or ran too fast. It seemed to be a pointless thing, and for what felt like the hundreth time --- and perhaps was --- the though rose: This is my test?

Ascot was standing over her now, frowning. "You're still It, Umi!" he pouted. "Why haven't you caught me yet? And I'm right here! Just reach up and tag me."

She rolled over onto her back, still catching her breath. "I'm seriously considering taking out my friction gun," she panted.

Ascot grinned, leaning over her. "That wouldn't be good, Umi." He stood up, dashing off. "Come and get me! Hurry!"

She lay still, her breaths still coming heavily to make up for what had been lost. There was a long pause, then rustling in the grass nearby. Ascot peered over her, a scowl twisted on his small face. "I'm getting very impatient," he said, agitation in his tone, "and I would advise you to get up. Now."

"Maybe you should come down." The older girl reached up, grabbed his shirt, and yanked him down into the tall grass.

The innocent face appeared once again, peeping out between the dandelions at her left. "You caught me!" he exclaimed. "You didn't chase me, and you should've, but at least you caught me."

"Yeah, yeah. Is my test over yet?" Umi sat up, her breathing returning to normal.

The little boy laughed. "Oh, not yet, Umi. There's still one more game I want to play."

"Games within the game," she muttered to herself; then, aloud, "And what's that?"

He leaned forward until his face was only an inch away from hers. "You have to find out what I'm hiding."

Umi stared back with sapphire eyes. "Please tell me you're kidding. This isn't seriously my test, is it?"

Ascot sat back, shaking his head and sighing. "Umi, Umi, Umi... Things are different in the game than in the real world." He smiled. "Just guess. I'll give you clues."

"O-okay..."

The little boy thought for a moment. Then he said, "Red."

She raised one eyebrow. "Red?"

"Red."

Umi cradled her chin in her hand, thinking. "Red... Strawberries are red..." She looked over at him. "Is it food?" He shook his head. "Oh... hm..."

The boy stared at her as she thought hard, smiling a little. He thought how much she looked like something out of a storybook illustration, her pale hair being stirred by the wind, the grass rustling around her and the dandelions swaying close to her face in question.

"Blood," she said suddenly.

He was startled. "Blood?" Why would she think his secret involved blood? "No..."

Umi sighed. "Can I have another clue?"

Ascot thought for a long moment. Then, hesitantly, he offered, "Cherub."

The older girl's mind worked hard over the problem. Red... and cherub... She snapped her head up, staring at the little boy. "You..."

His cheeks tinged pink. "Do you have an answer?"

Umi smiled gently, leaning forward. "You've got a crush, huh?" He nodded. "On who?" He shook his head. "Oh, come on, you can tell me."

"You passed the test," he said hastily. He turned away, vanishing.

Umi stared at the spot where he had sat. She sat back, smiling to herself a little. Then an even voice behind her proclaimed, "This is the end of Level One."

Things turned black.