Alrighty then Everybody!
I have revised the first 4 chapters of Magic Remembered. So if you have read this story, please read it again. I wasn't very happy with the way the story was going, so I decided to stay with the same story line, but change just a couple of things. I think this one is a little better. Thanks for rereading the story and I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks & Bunches ~ Stargaziey
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold! (Though it would be nice.)
Magic Remembered Part 1 ~ Memories & Flights
by: Stargaziey
A lovely woman, looking about 25, stood before the Sunset Arms Boarding House. She had thick, curly flame red hair, pulled into a loose bun, and startling emerald green eyes. An aura of mystery and power surrounded her. In her slender arms, a black cat with pumpkin orange eyes curiously turned its head, glancing at their surroundings. The young looking woman was wearing a royal purple, crushed velvet cloak and it billowed around her ankles in the light May breeze.
Going up the stairs, she knocked on the door and a young man with blond hair and an oddly shaped head, that somewhat resembled a football, answered the door.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"No, Arnold, but I think I can help you." The red head replied; her voice coated in a lovely Irish accent. The young man gave a confused look and in a moment his expression turned to amazement and surprise.
"Miss O'Leigh?" the young man said in a barely audible whisper. Brenna O'Leigh nodded and several red tendrils came loose and danced around her face. Before Arnold could speak, she was sweeping past him and into the living room.
The events involving Miss O'Leigh when he was in the 4th grade flooded through Arnold's memory. But mostly what he had discovered about a certain Helga G. Pataki.
"Close your mouth, Arnold, you're much more handsome when you're not gaping like a codfish." Said Brenna taking a seat on the couch, her cat sitting in her lap. Arnold profusely blushed and sat in a chair across from her.
When he sat Arnold opened his mouth he could only muster, "How...why haven't...?" He was extremely confused about this visit and more so about the visitor. Brenna knew exactly what he was trying to ask.
"Right, why haven't I aged one day since the last time you saw me...fifteen years ago?" She smiled and stroked the black cat sitting in her lap. "Because I am a witch, Arnold. I have that ability. Now, I don't want you to be frightened of me..."
"Miss O'Leigh...I'm still confused...." Arnold said, cutting her off, trying to figure these things out in his football head.
"I know, Arnold, you're not supposed to understand magic. You can't use it, at least not like I do and those that can't do magic don't even realize it exists. Like yourself. Until you met me in the 4th grade, you didn't realize it truly existed. It does exist and it's actually very easy to understand...but, well, I don't really have time to explain it right now."
"But how is it possible?" Arnold persisted. He needed to understand. He wanted to make sure that it wasn't all a dream.
"Arnold," said Brenna, interrupting him, her voice soft and understanding, "It is possible because you believe. You've always believed in miracles. It's harder for you to understand now because you're all grown up and adult minds try to reject magic of any kind because it's not understood. When you were a child, you didn't have as much of a problem accepting that a witch just appeared one day and made you friends with the person you thought hated you the most, because you believe anything was possible if you really believed." Arnold nodded his head, but the mention of 'the person he thought hated him the most' made him a little uneasy...and Brenna noticed it.
"Which brings around why I'm here to see you, Arnold." Said Brenna matter-of-factly.
Arnold shifted in his seat; he knew what she was going to ask about. He was hopping she wouldn't have brought it up, hoping that it was something that would go unnoticed. It wasn't exactly something he wanted to talk about.
"Where is Helga?" Brenna O'Leigh asked, stroking her cat and fixing him with unwavering stare.
Arnold shook his head, "I don't know." He said weakly, then he looked at Brenna, "How did you know she had left?" he asked her.
Brenna gave a small smile and replied, "How could I not? I was hoping that it was something that would fix itself, but I suppose that both you and Helga are too stubborn to swallow your pride."
"I didn't think things would have turned out this way. Even if I wanted to get a hold of her I couldn't...not even Phoebe knows how to reach her." Arnold said sadly.
Brenna eyed him keenly, "Tell me what happened, Arnold." Arnold sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Five years ago...our senior year in high school..."
*FLASHBACK*
Arnold watched Helga step into the auditorium. She was wearing the traditional blue cap and gown, just like everyone else. He couldn't help but smile.
He walked down the aisle to where Helga stood and when she saw him, smiled. Before either spoke any words, they hugged. A tear rolled down Helga's cheek, but it was gone before Arnold saw her face as they pulled away and headed to the stage where most of their lifelong friends were gathering.
The camaraderie within this group was astonishing. No matter how they all may have fought and bickered, they all had remained friends throughout all of school.
"Helga!" Phoebe called. The two girls ran up to each other and embraced. At first glance, one would think these two hadn't seen each other in years instead of just the past afternoon.
The graduation ceremony was filled with applause and tears. Phoebe was Valedictorian of the class, which was of no surprise to anyone. The surprise was Helga, who was Salutatorian. No one ever realized that Helga had been smart under her bully exterior, but she had applied herself to her studies for a reason, which she was about to reveal.
Helga went up to the podium on stage and looked at her friends. Taking a deep breath, she began her speech:
"Friends and Peers, Teachers and Staff, Mom and Dad, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today is a day of reconciliation. We graduate and become members of a world that we, as children, resented for so long. Hopefully, as we grow, we can still retain the innocence that a very close friend, to all of us, has tried very hard over the years to instill within us...Thank you, Arnold."
Arnold blushed and the crowd of seniors applauded their football headed friend. When the applause ended, Helga continued her speech:
"I know I wasn't the greatest friend, the best student, a perfect daughter or the nicest person through out school. I've tried to make up for it in the last few years. Though many of you may not have realized it.
But this speech isn't meant for "thank-yous" or "I-wish-I-had-gotten-to-know-you-betters." It's a speech that is supposed to help us transition from here to tomorrow.
I have to admit I wouldn't change anything about my memories at school for anything. I wish that I could tell all of you that I regret some of the things I've done or the way I've acted, but I'm not. And I know I'm not the only person who doesn't regret some of these foolish actions.
Those so-called foolish actions are what make the fond memories of the past years that we've spent together. We should not regret what we have done, because we don't have the time to try to correct the past and create the future. We only have time for one and it is right now that we must make that choice.
I, for one, am going to create my future...by leaving for the University of Liberal Arts in Paris tomorrow morning."
There was an uncomfortable pause. Helga stopped speaking for a moment, to let the meaning of her words sink in. Everyone was sitting on edge for the finale of Helga's speech.
"So I want to take this moment, because I may not have the time afterwards, to tell you, all of you, what this speech is truly meant for...Good-bye."
There was a stunned silence when Helga sat in her seat next to Phoebe. Everyone was staring at her, thinking they missed something, hoping there was some possibility it couldn't be true.
Arnold was the first to clap for Helga's speech. Not because he was happy she was leaving, far from it, in fact. He felt that she had helped them all, including herself, understand a few things.
He stood there; clapping with tears streaming down his cheeks. Everyone around him stood up and began clapping. Stinky...Nadine...Lila...Rhonda...Eugene...Sid...Harold
...Sheena...everyone.
Helga sat in the front row, tears falling down her face. She stole a glance at Phoebe who was not standing, but had her face in her hands and was silently crying.
"Pheebs..." Helga started.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Phoebe asked her, looking up into Helga's tear-filled blue eyes.
"I couldn't, I know I should have, but I couldn't." Helga replied weakly.
"Why." Phoebe pressed.
"I know how much you wanted me to go to Yale with you and I...I had this opportunity open up for me. I had to take it. " Helga answered.
"You're my best friend, Helga. I would have understood. You should have told me." Phoebe wept. Helga looked at the floor, by now the crowd had sat down and the superintendent of the school system was on the stage, ready to give the students their diplomas. There was a different atmosphere in the auditorium after Helga gave her speech, a mellow, forlorn shadow.
When all the students had received their diplomas and tossed their hats, they filed outside to give final hugs and heartfelt on-the-shoulder cries. Phoebe and Helga stood before each other in the throng of friends.
"I'm so sorry, Pheebs." Said Helga.
"Why didn't you tell me, Helga?"
Helga sighed and replied, "R remember yesterday, when we went out and did all that stuff. We went to the mall, had lunch at that restaurant we said that we would someday at eat at since the 5th grade, we went to the park and then the whole gang got together for one last game at Gerald Field?"
"How could I forget it?" Phoebe replied.
"Do you think you would have had as much fun yesterday if you had been thinking about me leaving for Paris the whole time? Do you think we would have had half as much fun as we have for the past few weeks if I had told you that this might be the last time you get to see me for a long time? That we could talk on the phone or email or write letters, but we wouldn't be able to hang out together anymore? Would you have had as much fun, Pheebs, if you knew and worried it might be the last time we get to do ANYTHING together?" Helga took a deep breath when she finished. She didn't tell anyone about her plans to hurt them; it was to protect them.
Phoebe shook her head, "No, I wouldn't have, but now that I know, I'll cherish them that much more. I just wish I had more time to prepare for the fact that you won't be in my life than just a few hours." Helga nodded. She understood, she had weighed the pros and cons of both telling or not and she felt that not telling would let her friends enjoy their last few days with her. It was to make up for lost time. Then Helga slightly laughed.
"You have to admit, Pheebs, we're talking about this like I'm dying. I'll come back, sooner or later. This won't be the last time you'll ever see me."
"I know, Helga, but I'll still miss you."
"I'll miss you, too, Pheebs." The two friends hugged. That's when they noticed all their friends were standing around them listening to the just past conversation. Corny as it may sound, the friends all had a group hug. Even if Helga hadn't completely redeemed herself from her years as a bully, she would be greatly missed.
The only one who was missing from this circle of friends was Arnold and Helga noticed it right away. Helga couldn't find him near the high school and she went to the one place she knew where to find him.
Ever since their "magical" encounter in the 4th grade, the bench where they had both confessed their 'love' to each other had been an almost sacred ground to them. Helga reached the City Park and, to no surprise, found Arnold on their bench, his head in his hands.
"Arnold?" she asked quietly. He looked up and Helga could see the tears in the lamplight. "So you know?" He nodded. "But do you understand?" Arnold did not answer. Helga sat down next to him. "Please try to be happy for me Arnold." She said quietly after a few moments.
Arnold looked up at her blue eyes with his own jellybean green. "I am, Helga. I just...I'm just gonna miss you." Helga began to cry, though they had confessed their love, what Helga had soon learned afterwards was that Arnold's love was more of that of a big brother than a true love. Arnold loved her, but he wasn't IN love with her. That's what tore Helga up and she felt a need to leave and get as far away as possible. That was the truest reason she was leaving, because she had to move on from Arnold, but she made sure she was the only one who knew that.
She and Arnold had become very close and that only made things worse for Helga. Arnold was so close and yet so far away. Helga was pulled from her thoughts when Arnold sighed. He stood and handed Helga something that she hadn't noticed until now. It was a rose...a red rose with white tips, just like the one that the mysterious Brenna O'Leigh had done with the two roses she had given to them.
"Good-bye, Helga." He said softly and kissed her cheek. Then stepped away, walked from the park and went home to the Sunset Arms. Helga sat on the bench and cried. She cried for her stupidity, her cowardice and, most of all, for Arnold.
*END FLASHBACK*
Arnold sighed and shook his head when he finished his story.
"Have you heard from her since?" Asked Brenna, she was still sitting in her spot on the couch with her black cat on her lap. Arnold shook his head again and stood, going to the window. He watched the cars on the street and several children playing moved to let them pass, and then resumed their game.
"Have you tried to contact her? It's not like she ended your friendship, she just went to live in another country for a while." Said Brenna matter-of-factly. Arnold turned around and stared off into oblivion for a moment. It was easy to tell that the subject of Helga weighed heavily upon him.
"No." he replied. "I wanted to, but she never left anything behind for us to get a hold of her. She sent a few letters to Phoebe, telling her to say 'hello' to everyone for her. But after a few months, Helga stopped writing. Phoebe tried to contact her, but she must have moved or something, she couldn't find Helga." Arnold sighed heavily, and then finished. "In her letters, Helga made Phoebe promise not to give out her address or anything to anyone. I don't know why. But, after the letters stopped coming, Phoebe never mentioned much of Helga. It hurt her a lot. Honestly, we don't even know if Helga's alive."
"Oh, she's alive. I can guarantee you that." Said Brenna. Arnold looked at her in some confusion.
"If you know so much about all this. Why did you come here?" He asked her.
"Because Arnold, I can help you find Helga. That is...if you still love her?" Replied Brenna, saying the last sentence very slowly.
"What do you mean. I've always cared for Helga, even when I thought she hated me. From the looks of things she still does. Why should I love her, when she doesn't care for me." Replied Arnold bitterly.
"Do you love her, Arnold?" Brenna asked. Arnold turned and looked out the window again. He didn't know if it would do a lot of good to just turn away from a witch, but he wasn't willing to show his face.
"I...I don't know. I miss her. After you came, we became very close. She was still a bully and she called me a football head, but I really didn't care. I knew it was just her way of showing she cared. She wasn't nearly as mean and we could hang out together. We had an odd, but close, friendship and I never thought of her as more than a friend." Arnold replied, a small tear rolling down his cheek.
Brenna nodded her fiery head in understanding. "Well," she said, "Looks as if we need to get ourselves to Paris." She set her cat aside and, standing up, waved her hand and a pencil and paper appeared in her grasp and she began to jot down a few things. Arnold spun around, looking about to faint.
"WHAT?" He cried, "I can't go to Paris!"
"Why not?" Asked Brenna, a look of utter amazement on her fair face.
"Because...I have work at the museum...a new shipment of fossils came in and I need to study and catalog them. Besides...I don't speak French or anything, I never even thought about going to France." He replied, sputtering.
Brenna sighed and shook her head. "Trust me, it will all be taken care of. I'm not a witch of the First Waters for nothing, you know. Now hurry and pack. I'll be back to give you a plane ticket and you can be on your way." She handed him the piece of paper; "Here's a list of a few things you may need to know. I'll send a driver to pick you up at the airport when you arrive in Paris and then I'll meet you at your hotel."
"Driver?" Arnold asked, a little numb from the shock of what he was about to do.
"Yes..." said Brenna, looking around to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything. "I can't send you to France then leave you high and dry without knowing a lick of French, well that would be throwing a lamb to the wolves."
"But, Miss O'Leigh, I...can't do this. I can't just go to France to find Helga after all this time." Begged Arnold. Brenna walked over to Arnold and looked him in the eye. His warm green eyes where filled with worry and uncertainty.
"Arnold, you don't want to go the rest of your life knowing that you gave up on the one person who needs you the most. You help people, that makes you who you are. Helga still needs you, Arnold. Don't give up on her." Arnold looked at Brenna with some doubt.
"What can I do that you can't? Why don't you just go wave your hand and make everything all better? What the point?" Arnold asked sounding somewhat bitter. Brenna shook her head.
"Never tell me you turned your back on the world, Arnold. Life doesn't work that way. What Helga needs, I can't give her. You're the only person who can. If I didn't have faith in the two of you I wouldn't go to all of this trouble." Brenna replied, holding out her arms for her black cat to jump into.
"What am I going to tell Helga when I get there?" He asked, looking down at the piece of paper Brenna had given him.
"What ever you want to Arnold, but I think you know what needs to be said." Replied Brenna with a smile, then she and her cat faded from sight.
I have revised the first 4 chapters of Magic Remembered. So if you have read this story, please read it again. I wasn't very happy with the way the story was going, so I decided to stay with the same story line, but change just a couple of things. I think this one is a little better. Thanks for rereading the story and I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks & Bunches ~ Stargaziey
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold! (Though it would be nice.)
Magic Remembered Part 1 ~ Memories & Flights
by: Stargaziey
A lovely woman, looking about 25, stood before the Sunset Arms Boarding House. She had thick, curly flame red hair, pulled into a loose bun, and startling emerald green eyes. An aura of mystery and power surrounded her. In her slender arms, a black cat with pumpkin orange eyes curiously turned its head, glancing at their surroundings. The young looking woman was wearing a royal purple, crushed velvet cloak and it billowed around her ankles in the light May breeze.
Going up the stairs, she knocked on the door and a young man with blond hair and an oddly shaped head, that somewhat resembled a football, answered the door.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"No, Arnold, but I think I can help you." The red head replied; her voice coated in a lovely Irish accent. The young man gave a confused look and in a moment his expression turned to amazement and surprise.
"Miss O'Leigh?" the young man said in a barely audible whisper. Brenna O'Leigh nodded and several red tendrils came loose and danced around her face. Before Arnold could speak, she was sweeping past him and into the living room.
The events involving Miss O'Leigh when he was in the 4th grade flooded through Arnold's memory. But mostly what he had discovered about a certain Helga G. Pataki.
"Close your mouth, Arnold, you're much more handsome when you're not gaping like a codfish." Said Brenna taking a seat on the couch, her cat sitting in her lap. Arnold profusely blushed and sat in a chair across from her.
When he sat Arnold opened his mouth he could only muster, "How...why haven't...?" He was extremely confused about this visit and more so about the visitor. Brenna knew exactly what he was trying to ask.
"Right, why haven't I aged one day since the last time you saw me...fifteen years ago?" She smiled and stroked the black cat sitting in her lap. "Because I am a witch, Arnold. I have that ability. Now, I don't want you to be frightened of me..."
"Miss O'Leigh...I'm still confused...." Arnold said, cutting her off, trying to figure these things out in his football head.
"I know, Arnold, you're not supposed to understand magic. You can't use it, at least not like I do and those that can't do magic don't even realize it exists. Like yourself. Until you met me in the 4th grade, you didn't realize it truly existed. It does exist and it's actually very easy to understand...but, well, I don't really have time to explain it right now."
"But how is it possible?" Arnold persisted. He needed to understand. He wanted to make sure that it wasn't all a dream.
"Arnold," said Brenna, interrupting him, her voice soft and understanding, "It is possible because you believe. You've always believed in miracles. It's harder for you to understand now because you're all grown up and adult minds try to reject magic of any kind because it's not understood. When you were a child, you didn't have as much of a problem accepting that a witch just appeared one day and made you friends with the person you thought hated you the most, because you believe anything was possible if you really believed." Arnold nodded his head, but the mention of 'the person he thought hated him the most' made him a little uneasy...and Brenna noticed it.
"Which brings around why I'm here to see you, Arnold." Said Brenna matter-of-factly.
Arnold shifted in his seat; he knew what she was going to ask about. He was hopping she wouldn't have brought it up, hoping that it was something that would go unnoticed. It wasn't exactly something he wanted to talk about.
"Where is Helga?" Brenna O'Leigh asked, stroking her cat and fixing him with unwavering stare.
Arnold shook his head, "I don't know." He said weakly, then he looked at Brenna, "How did you know she had left?" he asked her.
Brenna gave a small smile and replied, "How could I not? I was hoping that it was something that would fix itself, but I suppose that both you and Helga are too stubborn to swallow your pride."
"I didn't think things would have turned out this way. Even if I wanted to get a hold of her I couldn't...not even Phoebe knows how to reach her." Arnold said sadly.
Brenna eyed him keenly, "Tell me what happened, Arnold." Arnold sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Five years ago...our senior year in high school..."
*FLASHBACK*
Arnold watched Helga step into the auditorium. She was wearing the traditional blue cap and gown, just like everyone else. He couldn't help but smile.
He walked down the aisle to where Helga stood and when she saw him, smiled. Before either spoke any words, they hugged. A tear rolled down Helga's cheek, but it was gone before Arnold saw her face as they pulled away and headed to the stage where most of their lifelong friends were gathering.
The camaraderie within this group was astonishing. No matter how they all may have fought and bickered, they all had remained friends throughout all of school.
"Helga!" Phoebe called. The two girls ran up to each other and embraced. At first glance, one would think these two hadn't seen each other in years instead of just the past afternoon.
The graduation ceremony was filled with applause and tears. Phoebe was Valedictorian of the class, which was of no surprise to anyone. The surprise was Helga, who was Salutatorian. No one ever realized that Helga had been smart under her bully exterior, but she had applied herself to her studies for a reason, which she was about to reveal.
Helga went up to the podium on stage and looked at her friends. Taking a deep breath, she began her speech:
"Friends and Peers, Teachers and Staff, Mom and Dad, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today is a day of reconciliation. We graduate and become members of a world that we, as children, resented for so long. Hopefully, as we grow, we can still retain the innocence that a very close friend, to all of us, has tried very hard over the years to instill within us...Thank you, Arnold."
Arnold blushed and the crowd of seniors applauded their football headed friend. When the applause ended, Helga continued her speech:
"I know I wasn't the greatest friend, the best student, a perfect daughter or the nicest person through out school. I've tried to make up for it in the last few years. Though many of you may not have realized it.
But this speech isn't meant for "thank-yous" or "I-wish-I-had-gotten-to-know-you-betters." It's a speech that is supposed to help us transition from here to tomorrow.
I have to admit I wouldn't change anything about my memories at school for anything. I wish that I could tell all of you that I regret some of the things I've done or the way I've acted, but I'm not. And I know I'm not the only person who doesn't regret some of these foolish actions.
Those so-called foolish actions are what make the fond memories of the past years that we've spent together. We should not regret what we have done, because we don't have the time to try to correct the past and create the future. We only have time for one and it is right now that we must make that choice.
I, for one, am going to create my future...by leaving for the University of Liberal Arts in Paris tomorrow morning."
There was an uncomfortable pause. Helga stopped speaking for a moment, to let the meaning of her words sink in. Everyone was sitting on edge for the finale of Helga's speech.
"So I want to take this moment, because I may not have the time afterwards, to tell you, all of you, what this speech is truly meant for...Good-bye."
There was a stunned silence when Helga sat in her seat next to Phoebe. Everyone was staring at her, thinking they missed something, hoping there was some possibility it couldn't be true.
Arnold was the first to clap for Helga's speech. Not because he was happy she was leaving, far from it, in fact. He felt that she had helped them all, including herself, understand a few things.
He stood there; clapping with tears streaming down his cheeks. Everyone around him stood up and began clapping. Stinky...Nadine...Lila...Rhonda...Eugene...Sid...Harold
...Sheena...everyone.
Helga sat in the front row, tears falling down her face. She stole a glance at Phoebe who was not standing, but had her face in her hands and was silently crying.
"Pheebs..." Helga started.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Phoebe asked her, looking up into Helga's tear-filled blue eyes.
"I couldn't, I know I should have, but I couldn't." Helga replied weakly.
"Why." Phoebe pressed.
"I know how much you wanted me to go to Yale with you and I...I had this opportunity open up for me. I had to take it. " Helga answered.
"You're my best friend, Helga. I would have understood. You should have told me." Phoebe wept. Helga looked at the floor, by now the crowd had sat down and the superintendent of the school system was on the stage, ready to give the students their diplomas. There was a different atmosphere in the auditorium after Helga gave her speech, a mellow, forlorn shadow.
When all the students had received their diplomas and tossed their hats, they filed outside to give final hugs and heartfelt on-the-shoulder cries. Phoebe and Helga stood before each other in the throng of friends.
"I'm so sorry, Pheebs." Said Helga.
"Why didn't you tell me, Helga?"
Helga sighed and replied, "R remember yesterday, when we went out and did all that stuff. We went to the mall, had lunch at that restaurant we said that we would someday at eat at since the 5th grade, we went to the park and then the whole gang got together for one last game at Gerald Field?"
"How could I forget it?" Phoebe replied.
"Do you think you would have had as much fun yesterday if you had been thinking about me leaving for Paris the whole time? Do you think we would have had half as much fun as we have for the past few weeks if I had told you that this might be the last time you get to see me for a long time? That we could talk on the phone or email or write letters, but we wouldn't be able to hang out together anymore? Would you have had as much fun, Pheebs, if you knew and worried it might be the last time we get to do ANYTHING together?" Helga took a deep breath when she finished. She didn't tell anyone about her plans to hurt them; it was to protect them.
Phoebe shook her head, "No, I wouldn't have, but now that I know, I'll cherish them that much more. I just wish I had more time to prepare for the fact that you won't be in my life than just a few hours." Helga nodded. She understood, she had weighed the pros and cons of both telling or not and she felt that not telling would let her friends enjoy their last few days with her. It was to make up for lost time. Then Helga slightly laughed.
"You have to admit, Pheebs, we're talking about this like I'm dying. I'll come back, sooner or later. This won't be the last time you'll ever see me."
"I know, Helga, but I'll still miss you."
"I'll miss you, too, Pheebs." The two friends hugged. That's when they noticed all their friends were standing around them listening to the just past conversation. Corny as it may sound, the friends all had a group hug. Even if Helga hadn't completely redeemed herself from her years as a bully, she would be greatly missed.
The only one who was missing from this circle of friends was Arnold and Helga noticed it right away. Helga couldn't find him near the high school and she went to the one place she knew where to find him.
Ever since their "magical" encounter in the 4th grade, the bench where they had both confessed their 'love' to each other had been an almost sacred ground to them. Helga reached the City Park and, to no surprise, found Arnold on their bench, his head in his hands.
"Arnold?" she asked quietly. He looked up and Helga could see the tears in the lamplight. "So you know?" He nodded. "But do you understand?" Arnold did not answer. Helga sat down next to him. "Please try to be happy for me Arnold." She said quietly after a few moments.
Arnold looked up at her blue eyes with his own jellybean green. "I am, Helga. I just...I'm just gonna miss you." Helga began to cry, though they had confessed their love, what Helga had soon learned afterwards was that Arnold's love was more of that of a big brother than a true love. Arnold loved her, but he wasn't IN love with her. That's what tore Helga up and she felt a need to leave and get as far away as possible. That was the truest reason she was leaving, because she had to move on from Arnold, but she made sure she was the only one who knew that.
She and Arnold had become very close and that only made things worse for Helga. Arnold was so close and yet so far away. Helga was pulled from her thoughts when Arnold sighed. He stood and handed Helga something that she hadn't noticed until now. It was a rose...a red rose with white tips, just like the one that the mysterious Brenna O'Leigh had done with the two roses she had given to them.
"Good-bye, Helga." He said softly and kissed her cheek. Then stepped away, walked from the park and went home to the Sunset Arms. Helga sat on the bench and cried. She cried for her stupidity, her cowardice and, most of all, for Arnold.
*END FLASHBACK*
Arnold sighed and shook his head when he finished his story.
"Have you heard from her since?" Asked Brenna, she was still sitting in her spot on the couch with her black cat on her lap. Arnold shook his head again and stood, going to the window. He watched the cars on the street and several children playing moved to let them pass, and then resumed their game.
"Have you tried to contact her? It's not like she ended your friendship, she just went to live in another country for a while." Said Brenna matter-of-factly. Arnold turned around and stared off into oblivion for a moment. It was easy to tell that the subject of Helga weighed heavily upon him.
"No." he replied. "I wanted to, but she never left anything behind for us to get a hold of her. She sent a few letters to Phoebe, telling her to say 'hello' to everyone for her. But after a few months, Helga stopped writing. Phoebe tried to contact her, but she must have moved or something, she couldn't find Helga." Arnold sighed heavily, and then finished. "In her letters, Helga made Phoebe promise not to give out her address or anything to anyone. I don't know why. But, after the letters stopped coming, Phoebe never mentioned much of Helga. It hurt her a lot. Honestly, we don't even know if Helga's alive."
"Oh, she's alive. I can guarantee you that." Said Brenna. Arnold looked at her in some confusion.
"If you know so much about all this. Why did you come here?" He asked her.
"Because Arnold, I can help you find Helga. That is...if you still love her?" Replied Brenna, saying the last sentence very slowly.
"What do you mean. I've always cared for Helga, even when I thought she hated me. From the looks of things she still does. Why should I love her, when she doesn't care for me." Replied Arnold bitterly.
"Do you love her, Arnold?" Brenna asked. Arnold turned and looked out the window again. He didn't know if it would do a lot of good to just turn away from a witch, but he wasn't willing to show his face.
"I...I don't know. I miss her. After you came, we became very close. She was still a bully and she called me a football head, but I really didn't care. I knew it was just her way of showing she cared. She wasn't nearly as mean and we could hang out together. We had an odd, but close, friendship and I never thought of her as more than a friend." Arnold replied, a small tear rolling down his cheek.
Brenna nodded her fiery head in understanding. "Well," she said, "Looks as if we need to get ourselves to Paris." She set her cat aside and, standing up, waved her hand and a pencil and paper appeared in her grasp and she began to jot down a few things. Arnold spun around, looking about to faint.
"WHAT?" He cried, "I can't go to Paris!"
"Why not?" Asked Brenna, a look of utter amazement on her fair face.
"Because...I have work at the museum...a new shipment of fossils came in and I need to study and catalog them. Besides...I don't speak French or anything, I never even thought about going to France." He replied, sputtering.
Brenna sighed and shook her head. "Trust me, it will all be taken care of. I'm not a witch of the First Waters for nothing, you know. Now hurry and pack. I'll be back to give you a plane ticket and you can be on your way." She handed him the piece of paper; "Here's a list of a few things you may need to know. I'll send a driver to pick you up at the airport when you arrive in Paris and then I'll meet you at your hotel."
"Driver?" Arnold asked, a little numb from the shock of what he was about to do.
"Yes..." said Brenna, looking around to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything. "I can't send you to France then leave you high and dry without knowing a lick of French, well that would be throwing a lamb to the wolves."
"But, Miss O'Leigh, I...can't do this. I can't just go to France to find Helga after all this time." Begged Arnold. Brenna walked over to Arnold and looked him in the eye. His warm green eyes where filled with worry and uncertainty.
"Arnold, you don't want to go the rest of your life knowing that you gave up on the one person who needs you the most. You help people, that makes you who you are. Helga still needs you, Arnold. Don't give up on her." Arnold looked at Brenna with some doubt.
"What can I do that you can't? Why don't you just go wave your hand and make everything all better? What the point?" Arnold asked sounding somewhat bitter. Brenna shook her head.
"Never tell me you turned your back on the world, Arnold. Life doesn't work that way. What Helga needs, I can't give her. You're the only person who can. If I didn't have faith in the two of you I wouldn't go to all of this trouble." Brenna replied, holding out her arms for her black cat to jump into.
"What am I going to tell Helga when I get there?" He asked, looking down at the piece of paper Brenna had given him.
"What ever you want to Arnold, but I think you know what needs to be said." Replied Brenna with a smile, then she and her cat faded from sight.