Chapter 26: Renee (pronounced Rah-nay, not Ree-nee nor Rah-nee. Got it? Good ^^)

            Miranda groaned and turned on her side. Her eyes snapped open as she shot up wide awake. She looked around and found herself in a king sized bed, her clothes changed. She was in a rosy red, spacious room, the furniture well polished, sunlight filtering through the window. Where the heck am I…? She turned at a knock on the door.

            "M-Ms. Arianna…?" A female Genome entered through the massive double doors holding a tray and some clothes. She gave Miranda a nervous smile. "Oh! You're awake!"

            Miranda just stared at her. "Arianna? I think you have the wrong room."

            The genome set the tray down on the table at the center of the room and placed the clothes on a nearby dresser. "Nope…you're Arianna." She straightened and looked up in thought, then snapped her fingers. "Oh yea…you don't remember! Sorry, eh-hehehehe…"

            Miranda placed her head in hands and sighed. "Ok…tell me again?"

            "Well, first let me introduce myself." The genome bowed. "I'm Renee, aged fourteen. I'll be your attendant while you're here. Say the word, and you got it!"

            "Ok, Renee…WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!?!?!?!"

            Renee cringed. "You don't have to yell so loud…"

            "…Sorry…anyway, where am I and who is this Arianna person?"

            "You're in Systania, and you, Miranda, are Arianna."

            "That made a lot of sense," she grumbled.

            "I'm not the one to tell you anymore about Arianna. I myself don't know actually." Renee sat on the end of the bed playing with the hem of the sheets. "You seem like a popular girl…Tristan kept asking about you."

            Miranda buried herself under the covers. "Don't tell me that pleeaaase!! That's the LAST thing I want to hear."

            Renee raised an eyebrow. "Don't you like him? He's cool, polite, fun, and not to mention sooo cute."

            "I already have a boyfriend…"

            "Whoa, whoa, whoahoho! You already have a boyfriend??" Renee pulled the covers off Miranda.

            Miranda sat up then looked down. "Yeah…and he's very different from Tristan…for one I've known him for a long time…we've been through a lot together…"

            "Oh…I bet you really miss him." Renee noticed the crystal. "Did he give that to you?"

            Miranda held it and looked at it. "Yeah…" she said softly. "I'll always have him with me with this," she held up the crystal, "and he'll always be in my heart."

            "Oh that is sooooo romantic!!" Renee sighed. "Wish I had a boyfriend."

            "Aren't there any other genomes around here?"

            "Well there are a lot in Systania, but here…not a lot really…probably, like, six others I guess. And they are like the deep thinking, wide ranging, complicated ones."

            "So…I guess you're kinda alone…huh?"

            Renee looked out the window. "Yeah…I guess you could say that…but I keep myself busy with the chores so I don't think about it much."

            "What about the other genomes?"

            "Mostly like the ones here, though there are a good few who are like me. But I don't see them that much."

            Miranda smiled. "Well…I'll be your friend if you'd like."

            Renee jumped up. "Really?! YOU would be my friend!?!?" She jumped hugged her. "Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you thank yoooouuuu!!!!"

            Miranda laughed. "First thing though…call me Miranda, not Arianna."

            "Sure thing! Though…Arianna is such a pretty name!"

            "I'm still not used it to it…"

            Renee hit herself on the head. "Doh! I came here to check up on you and to give you your breakfast!! Aaaahhhh!! It's probably cold now!!" She ran and grabbed the tray. "Yep it does not like nice…ew…um, I'll run back to the kitchens and get you some brunch instead!! Be right back! And go ahead and change, I want to show you the place!" She burst through the doors and Miranda could hear her skidding down the hallway.

            Miranda shook her head and looked at the clothes lying on the dresser. "Crud…I have to wear a dress…" she grumbled. She walked to the bathroom and was amazed at the elegance of it. She got dressed and was brushing her hair looking out the window when she heard a knock at the door. "Come in. That was pretty fast, Renee," she added without looking up.

            "Renee is still in the kitchens. I just came to see how you were."

            Miranda turned around only to slam into Tristan. He caught and steadied her. "You look nice."

            Miranda moved away from him. "I don't need any compliments from you, thank you very much."

            "Hey, what did I do?"

            Miranda glared at him. "What did you do? What did you do?!?!? For one you had to nerve and kiss me like that back in Lindblum, and two, you kidnap me from my friends and take me here!!!"

            "Well, I guess that is something to get mad about," he said after a thought.

            "You guess? YOU GUESS?!!?!"

            "Temper, temper, Miranda," he said grinning. "If you don't watch it, you might get into some trouble."

            "Hah, with you?"

            "No, not me. But someone you'll meet very soon."

            Renee walked in. "I'm baaack! And I got you the greatest—" She stopped when she saw Tristan. "Er…what are you doing in here?"

            "I was just, uh, checking up on Miranda here. I'll leave you two to chat or whatever you girls do, heh." He flashed them a smile and walked out.

            "Grrr…I could just slap him to the next year!!" Miranda yelled as she sat down at the table.

            Renee looked at her wide-eyed. "What did he do?"

            "I'd rather not remember…"

            "Oh my…did he…er…"

            "NO!! But he had the nerve to kiss me and then kidnap me with who I assume is his sister and take me here!!"

            Renee pulled up a chair and sat next to her. "So that's how you came here…everyone said you had ran away from Gaia and Tristan and Altea had found you in the forest nearby…I knew that was a lie when I talked to you this morning. But now I fully understand…I'm sorry Miranda…"

            Miranda moved the food around with her fork. "Don't be…it's not your fault…I can't believe I let myself get into this! ARGH!! I don't even have my sword!!!"

            "You have a sword? You must be pretty good."

            She gave her a small smile. "I don't know if I'm that great…"

            "I'd bet you'd make a good match against Tristan. You could get your revenge in a sword fight," Renee said grinning.

            "Hah. I've seen him fight. I don't think I could."

            Renee shrugged. "You never know…anyway you look really nice in that dress."

            "You really think so?"

            "I know so. I'm the one with the fashion sense in this place. But…you don't seem very comfortable in it…"

            "Well I do prefer shirts and jeans actually."

            "Oh, ok. I'll remember to give you some later!"

            "Thanks." Miranda pushed herself away from the table. "I think I'm ready now."

            Renee stacked the plates up on the tray. "Ok, I have to drop this off at the kitchens…wanna come?"

            "Anyplace where Tristan is not is fine with me."

            "That'll be hard…but I'll keep a look out. I know this place like the back of my hand, including all the secret passages and stuff."

            Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Secret passages…?"

            Renee almost dropped the tray. "Oops…wasn't supposed to tell you that…promise you won't tell??"

            Miranda laughed. "I promise. Where would I go anyway? This place is so foreign to me…I would get lost, heh."

            Miranda looked around at all the brightly lit lamps hanging along the marble walls of the hallway. As they continued on, Renee pointed out the various rooms and trophies hanging along the walls. Miranda noticed there weren't that many portraits and asked Renee about it.

            "There's really no one to have a portrait of, except the master of this place," she said as she opened the door to the kitchen.

            "And who is the owner of this gigantic castle?"
            "I am."

            Miranda whirled around to find a man dressed in black whom she judged was in his late twenties. His hair was a well kept dark brown color, but what she really noticed the most were his eyes. They were a deep dark brown, but they didn't look menacing or mean. They were gentle, kind, and full of life.

            He smiled at both at them. "You must be Arianna," he said bowing to Miranda. "And I see Renee has once again used her fashion sense to good use," he said ruffling her hair.

            "Hey!! What did I say about messing up my hair?" she said glaring.

            He laughed. "I just couldn't resist."

            "Aren't you forgetting something?" Renee said tapping her foot and motioning her head toward Miranda. "Name," she hissed.

            He placed his hand on his head. "Doh! I always forget."

            Miranda just looked at them. "You guys wouldn't be related somehow would you?"
            They laughed. "Everyone always asks that," Renee said smiling. "But it's really that we rubbed a bit off each other. I guess I'm kinda like his little sister, teehee."

            "And a bratty one at that at times…" he said rolling his eyes. "But I'm forgetting again! Just call me Drake. The rest of my name is too complicated."

            Renee nodded in agreement. "You'd wish he had never told you. I sure wish I didn't persisted. I had gotten myself a major head ache…"

            Miranda laughed. "I see. Then I won't ask then."

            "So which would you rather be called…Miranda or Arianna?" Drake asked her.

            "I'd prefer Miranda…"

            "Then Miranda it is! Welcome to the Draconis Manor. That's my last name. I guess I could have told you that…" he added after a thought. "Anyway, I'm glad that you're feeling well. I guess I should let you on your tour. I have some work to do, so I'll catch up to you guys later!" He turned around and walked into a room, which Miranda assumed was his study.

            "Interesting…fellow…" Miranda said after a moment.

            "Isn't he cool? Wish everyone else was like him," Renee said. "The rest of the old geezers are booooring."

            "Renee!"

            "Well!" She led her back down the hallway and turned a corner, immediately shoving Miranda back the other way and hurrying her along. "Tristan alert," she muttered. "Turn left and we'll be going out to the gardens. It's beautiful this time of year."

            They walked out and Miranda felt her breath taken away as she saw the sunlight filter through the leaves of the trees onto the beautiful exotic looking flowers. She stepped through the gates and onto the stone path. She could here various different birds and spotted a beautiful blue bird on a branch nearby. It cocked its head at her then flew onto her should chirping.

            "Hey! She likes you Miranda…that's a definite first."

            Miranda gently stroked its head. "What do you mean?"

            "Well, she never really hangs around people that much."

            Miranda blinked and looked at her. "Really…?" Rocky…She gave it one last little pat and it flew back onto its branch looking at her.

            They continued walking, Renee identifying the various flowers. They soon came to a small stream and they sat on the edge. Miranda dipped her hand into the water, letting the crystal clear, cool water run past her fingers.

            "So Renee…have you always lived here?" Miranda asked her.

            Renee leaned back onto the grass, a piece of straw sticking out of her mouth. "Hm…I guess I have." She looked at Miranda and grinned. "And I wouldn't to live anywhere else."

            "Have you ever been anywhere else?"
            "Er…well no…but I don't think I'd fit in anywhere else." She raised her tail and a butterfly rested it on it, its wings opening and closing slowly. She flicked her tail a little and it flew off. "I like it here…sure, I wouldn't mind visiting other places other than Systania, but living anywhere else than home…I don't think so."

            Home… "I'm a long way from home…I wasn't from Gaia."

            Renee sat up. "Really? Where are you from then?"

            "Well you probably have never heard of if, but it's a planet called Earth…I wonder if I'll ever see it again…"

            "I bet you will! Your knight in shining armor will come galloping up and take you home!"

            "I wish he could take me away from here…" Miranda said softly. "But I don't think he could take me home…we both and another friend of mine came here from there. I wonder what it would be like if I did go home. I mean…I spent so much time here…and if I kept my time right, it's almost my sixteenth birthday."

            "Oooh…I see…time might flow different over there…either slower or faster than our world…"

            "Yeah…and I don't know how much time has passed over there. They might have found us missing and presumed us dead if months has passed…or what if we can't return home, or aren't allowed to? What if we can't even find a way? I'd never see my parents or my friends…" Or my video games, my anime, my CDs…then again…I've lived without them this long…and I don't really need that stuff…

            "Oh Miranda…" Renee watched her, wishing she could do or say something to cheer her up. "I wish I could do something to cheer you up…" she said sadly.

            Miranda smiled and hugged her. "It's ok. I've been thinking about that for a long time now. I'm glad I could tell it to you. You're a really good friend. I'm glad I met you."

            Miranda… "Yeah, and I'm glad you're my friend, too!"

            They helped each other up and they walked back into the castle.

Author's Note: Well this is a change of my original plans…*cough* but anyway…uh…I don't know what to say o_o just review! o.o…the little red line for the spell checker is on my o_o face it looks like it has a beard…XD well keep reading and review!