Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun and I don't even want to. Camelot rules! The original elements in this tale are mine, though.

*Chapter 4*

The ship had a small library deep in its recesses, and Mia was searching the shelves in hopes of finding something interesting to read. There weren't many other ways to pass a rainy day. The howling wind and pelting rain outside could still be heard quite clearly, indicating that the storm had no intention of going away anytime soon. None of the titles on the shelves seemed to jump out at her, though, and she was about to give up when she bumped into Jenna.

"Perhaps you'll find this one interesting," Jenna said, handing her a book.

"'Love and Deception,'" Mia read from the cover. "Provocative title isn't it?"

"It's about a handsome young man from a small village and his close girlfriend. The two of them are torn apart by a terrible war, and when they're finally reunited, the girlfriend discovers that the man thinks he's in love with some awful little scamp from the middle of nowhere."

"Sounds interesting," said Mia, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "But I think I'll look for something else instead."

"Oh, I think you should read it," Jenna said. "It's right up your alley. Wouldn't you agree?"

Mia shyly backed away from her, wishing to avoid what could become another nasty confrontation. In the days since Jenna joined the crew, she'd been hounding Mia about her relationship with Isaac, and each time they discussed it, Jenna's words grew harsher. Mia knew that she should probably tell Isaac about it, but she didn't want to interfere with their friendship. Jenna was important to him, and Mia thought it would be unfair to make him take sides.

"What's the matter?" Jenna asked. "Is the truth too much for you to handle?"

"I don't understand why you're being so mean to me," Mia said softly. "What did I do to make you hate me so much?"

"Do I really have to spell it out for you again? You're not worthy of being Isaac's love! You're just some shy, shrinking violet, incapable of expressing true emotions. You never even raise your voice! How am I supposed to believe that you can love Isaac as much as you say you do?"

"Perhaps some people are just better at controlling their frustrations," Mia said with an icy glare.

"And what's that supposed to mean?!" Jenna demanded angrily. Mia didn't answer, turning away from her.

"If you think you can ignore me, you're sadly mistaken," Jenna growled, grabbing her shoulder. "I'm not giving up until I get through to you!"

"Through to me?" Mia implored. "You're the one who stubbornly refuses to accept that Isaac loves me! What's wrong with you? Don't you want him to be happy?"

"Of course I do, but that's not the point. The point is that you can't make him happy!"

"But he is happy with me. Take one good look into his eyes and you can see it for yourself."

"He only thinks he's happy," said Jenna resolutely. "He may say he's happy; he might even believe it himself, but I know what's best for him overall. And it sure isn't some home-wrecking harridan from a winter wasteland!"

"Jenna, why are you so against me? Was it something I said? Something I did? Tell me, please and maybe we can work this out."

"Work what out? You're weak-willed, emotionally needy, and you don't possess any powers beyond healing. What can you possibly offer Isaac that no one else can? He needs a girl with real passion and power--someone capable of protecting him from any kind of harm."

"I can protect him," Mia said. "I may be a healer, but the powers of Mercury extend far beyond healing. If we encounter some monsters in this new land, I'll show you what I can do."

"And let you on the battlefield?" Jenna demanded. "I don't think so! You're just waiting for the right moment to strike! I'll bet you're still in cahoots with your old friend Alex!"

"How dare you accuse me of such a thing!" Mia said indignantly. "Alex and I parted ways long ago and I have no intentions of reconciling with him. If anyone here can't be trusted it's you. Your brother is the reason this quest started in the first place!"

Jenna glowered and slapped Mia across the face as hard as she could. "Don't you dare talk about Felix like that! You don't even know what he's been through!"

Mia's felt her whole face throbbing and blood was slowly seeping from her nose. She started to cast Ply to heal it when Jenna smacked her again.

"That's a good look for you," she taunted. "Let's see how much Isaac loves you when your precious face is marred!"

"I wonder what he'd say if he found out you were the one who marred it?" said Mia calmly. "You're treading on thin ice, Jenna. Do you realize what he'd do if he found out you were treating me this way?"

"Oh, he'd be mad at me at first, but after a while I'm sure that he'd thank me. You think you have him wrapped around your little finger, but it's only a matter of time before he sees you for what you really are--a useless, pathetic, cowardly thief of hearts!"

Mia cast Ply to stop her bleeding nose before it got worse. "I don't want to be your enemy, Jenna. Can't we please stop this silly fighting and try to get along? For Isaac's sake?"

"No, because he deserves better!" Jenna cried. "You're not worthy of someone like him! All you are is just some meek little healer from the middle of nowhere! I don't care what you say or how much you try to get on my good side, Mia--you don't deserve him, and I intend to do everything in my power to prove it! You're the sorriest excuse for an Adept I've ever met! You're just another pretty face, and sooner or later, Isaac will realize it too!"

Mia shrank away from her. She'd never been yelled at like this, and it hurt a lot. She wanted so badly to do the right thing and make peace with Jenna, but it was crystal clear that it couldn't be done. Why was Jenna being so cruel? What had she done to invoke such passionate hatred? Was loving Isaac really so wrong? She tried to voice something in her defense, but the words got stuck in her throat and she started to cry instead.

"Yeah, go ahead and sob like the coward you are," said Jenna bitterly. "I think I've made my point abundantly clear." She walked out of the library and bumped into Isaac in the hall.

"Hey, Jenna," he said. "Have you seen Mia by any chance? I went to your room and Sheba said she was down here."

"She's in there," Jenna replied, indicating the library. "Something's gotten her awfully upset and she's crying."

"What?" Isaac was shocked. "What happened?"

Jenna shrugged. "She wouldn't say. Maybe she'll talk to you."

Isaac nodded. "Thanks Jenna. You're a real friend."

"Of course," she said with a sweet smile.

Isaac found Mia huddled in the back of the room sobbing quietly. "Mia? What's the matter? What happened?"

She stood up and threw her arms around him. He had perfect timing. "Oh, Isaac! You're just the person I wanted to see!"

He returned her embrace and gave her a few moments to collect herself before asking his questions again. "What happened, Mia? What's got you so upset?"

"I'm sorry, Isaac. I know we promised we wouldn't keep secrets, but I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because I couldn't hurt you like that." She placed her head in the grove of his shoulder and drew in her sniffles. "I'll be OK."

Isaac wasn't convinced. "Mia, whatever it is, you can tell me, I swear. Please, let me help you."

"No. Forgive me, but it's better if you don't know."

"Why? I don't understand."

"You don't have to. Just let it go." She squeezed him tight, desperately trying to forget about all the nasty things Jenna had said. "I love you, Isaac. Sometimes I think you're the only thing that makes sense in my life right now."

For once, Isaac wished that he could read minds. Whatever had upset Mia was clearly hurting her far more than she was letting on, and knowing about Ivan's premonition this was especially troubling.

"I wish you'd tell me what's bothering you," he said. "You're the most important thing to me and I don't want anything to come between us. I'm here for you, Mia. I won't ever leave you."

She nodded. "I know." A few stray tears fell from her eyes. This felt so right and so wrong all at once. If only she could stay like this forever--safe from the world and alone with her true love. What would it be like if they were the only two people on this ship? How she wished that she had the courage to stand up to Jenna or that they'd never landed at Idejima in the first place. The sobs welled up within her again. She wouldn't have to endure those verbal assaults if she broke up with Isaac, but how could she ever turn her back on the one she loved with all her being?

"Are you sure you're OK?" Isaac asked.

Mia forced a smile. "Yes, thanks to you. I'm sorry to worry you like this. I'm just having a bad day--probably the weather."

He didn't believe that for a moment, but figured he should let it go for now. They spent the rest of the evening alone together. For a short while, Mia forgot about her fight with Jenna, but then it got late and she had to return to her cabin. Isaac puzzled over how uneasy she seemed when they parted for the night, and he again wished that he could read her mind and find out what she was hiding.

Jenna wasn't in the room at the moment, which was a huge relief. Mia sat on her bed and sighed in fatigue. Sheba went over to her.

"Mia, you can't go on like this," she said. "You don't deserve to be treated so badly. If you don't want to tell Isaac, I will for you."

"No, Sheba, you can't. It'd be unfair to make him choose sides. Jenna's his friend."

"And you're his love! This isn't right at all--you didn't do anything to warrant this kind of abuse from her!"

"I know. But I can't drag Isaac into this. Forcing him to choose between Jenna and I would only make things worse. She's important to him, and I couldn't bear being responsible for breaking up their friendship."

"Well, if you ask me, Jenna's violated her friendship with Isaac by treating you this way. A real friend would stay out of his affairs."

"She's trying to protect him the only way she knows how," Mia said. "I can't fault her for that. There must be a way to get through to her and show her that I'm not so bad."

"But can you last that long?" Sheba questioned. "This will get a lot worse before it gets any better, and I can tell you're near your breaking point as it is. You're strong, Mia, but there's only so much you can even be expected to take." She edged a little closer. "You're already thinking of giving up, aren't you?"

"It's impossible to hide anything from a mind reader."

"See? Let me help you, Mia. Let me talk to Isaac."

"No," said Mia sternly. "I appreciate your concern, Sheba, but I don't want you breathing a word of this to anyone--especially Isaac. Promise me you won't!"

Sheba looked at her sadly and sighed. "All right, I promise."

"Thank you."

Jenna came in and frowned when she saw the two of them together. "Taking sides, Sheba? After all my brother and I have done for you?"

"I'm only being a sympathetic ear," Sheba said. "I want to help you both be friends."

"That won't ever happen," said Jenna. "I won't even consider being friends with a useless interloper." She glared at Mia. "For your sake, you'd better hope that she's telling the truth. If you think you've got it bad now, it'll get worse if you try to steal more of my friends."

Mia edged away to the corner of her bed, clutching her knees. "Please, Jenna--it's late and I'm tired."

"Such vanity!" Jenna mocked. "Or is it because all of that pathetic weeping you did earlier wore you out?"

"Leave me alone," Mia begged. "I don't want to fight anymore."

"Then you shouldn't be here. This is a dangerous quest. How do you expect to handle enemies when you're not even willing to stand up to someone like me? You're definitely not suited to a life of adventure. You're too weak."

"Jenna, please…" Sheba began. "It's late. Let's just go to bed."

Jenna fumed a bit. "All right, but hear me now and hear me well, Mia. I'm not giving up this pursuit until I get through that pretty little head of yours. You don't belong here and you certainly don't belong with Isaac. And I'll do whatever it takes to protect him from you."

In the darkness and silence, Mia laid awake listening to the storm outside and trying hard to get Jenna's threats out of her mind. But she couldn't--those horrible words kept wrapping around her like dozens of choking vines. She could feel them pulling her down into a dark abyss of sadness and loneliness, and there was no one to pull her back. What should she do? Her whole body felt like it was shrinking and trying to suffocate her. She felt so hurt and alone. How could she make it stop? Oh, Isaac, she thought. I love you so much, but I think Jenna may be right. You deserve someone who's willing to stand up to her, and I don't have the strength to do it. And with that realization, she knew what her next course of action had to be.

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*Whew!* That chapter was a little intense, no? I think I might've made Jenna a little meaner than I intended, but oh well. What will poor Mia do now?