Chapter 4: My New Partner
Ring! Riiing! Riiiiing! The phone at Sam's house rang.
"Why isn't anyone picking up?" Steph asked herself as the phone continued to ring in her ear, "She should be home by now, Flags ended two hours ago!" Finally, someone picked up.
"Hello?" It was Sam's mom. Finally! A sign of life.
"Hello! Is Sam there? This is Steph." The other end of the phone was silent for a moment,
"Isn't she by you?" he mom finally said.
"No, why would she be?"
"I found a note taped to her door that said she'd be back soon... I figured that she was at your house," Sam's mother informed her.
"Where would she...-she wouldn't!" Steph mumbled to herself.
"Hm?" he mother questioned, not able to make out Steph's mumbling.
"Oh, nothing! I think I know where she is! I'll go find her! Bye!" Steph blurted out quickly as she put the phone back on its hook. She ran down her hallway, tripping on the rug along her way. Swiftly, she grabbed her jacket and ran out, putting it on as she closed the door behind her.
"She wouldn't go in the book alone! She wouldn't! She knows how dangerous it can be!" Steph mumbled to herself as she fumbled the keys to her car in her hand.
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Sam laid on the ground, her bad laying next to her. Drowzy, Sam felt something kick her stomach.. It slowly started to get harder as it continued to kick her stomach.
"Eh...stop!" she snapped, becoming more conscious.
"Well, it's about time!" a young man said, stopping his kicking. "I was beginning to think you were dead!" Sam rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust to the light,
"Where am I?" she asked, still squinting her eyes. She heard the young man laugh,
"You must of really gotten knocked on the head or something! You're also no in the best place to be knocked out!" the man said, not answering her question, "Just be lucky that I found you before anyone else." Sam heard him begin to poke and look through her bag.
"Hey! Leave my stuff alone!" she yelled, finally opening her eyes and grabbing back her bag.
"What is that stuff?" he asked her, still interested in her foreign objects.
"It's mine! I brought it from-" And that was the moment when she looked up at the man...and realized that it was Tamahome. He blinked when she stopped talking and stared at him,
'What? Why are you looking at me like that?" He ran his hand over his face, thinking there was something on it. Finally, Sam snapped back into reality,
"Oh! Sorry! You...uh, just look like someone I know!" He quirked a brow at her,
"Well, we did meet a little bit earlier." Sam was quiet for a moment, thinking about when her and Steph had first traveled into the book.
"Right! I forgot about that! I've had a lot on my mind," Sam countered, she wanted to tell him everything, everything that was going to happen, but it was useless. He wouldn't believe her, and it might change the fate of the book terribly. She noticed that he started to walk away from her, "Hey! Wait!" she shouted as she grabbed her bag and pulled it over her shoulder, running after him. "Can I come with you? I've got nowhere to go, please?" she asked, looking up at him with her best "puppy-dog" eyes. He had stopped walking and looked down at her.
"I don't know..." he said, unsure if he should.
"Oh, please! Please! Please!" Sam begged as she dropped down to her knees and wrapped her arms around his legs, "Please! I don't know anyone-"
"Sure," he said in between her reasons why she should go with him.
"-And I have no where to go,-"
"I said sure," Tamahome repeated.
"-And I promise I won't get in the way-"
"I said sure!!" he shouted, finally getting her attention. Immediately she stopped and looked up at him, releasing her grip on his legs,
"Really?" she asked. Tamahome took advantage of her letting go of his legs,
"No-" he was cut off by slamming into the ground when he tried to run away. His legs were tied together with rope. He looked up, his face covered with dirt, "What's the big idea!?"
"Well...I had a feeling that you might run away...so I tied your legs together," Sam said, leaving a big smile to resolve her explanation. Tamahome grumbled as he undid the ropes on his legs. Quickly, he stood up and brushed all the dirt and dust off his tunic.
"So, what do you so around here?" Sam asked, recoiling the rope and putting it in her bag.
"Well, I look for opportunities to make money," Tamahome's eyes turned into dollar signs as he continued, "...because money makes the world go 'round!" Sam quirked a brow at him as she watched him drool.
"He loves money more than I though..." Sam thought to herself. Eventually, he snapped out of his daydream. For that brief moment, he had been swimming through lakes full of money, and dancing in coins that fell from the sky. When he was pulled away from his wonderful world, he returned to Sam pulling on his tunic, examining the fabric and style of it.
"Hey! What are you doing!?" he shouted as she pulled him down to her level, by his collar.
"I wonder if it has a tag..." she mumbled, letting his question go through one ear and out the other.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Tamahome yelled, jumping back, "What are you doing!?" Sam blinked, looking up at him,
"I wanted to see who made your...um..." she considered what his outfit might be. The top half was rather long, went down to his knees, and then he had pants underneath, "...your dress with pants?"
"A dress!? This is a tunic! Made from the finest clothes in Konan!..." Tamahome responded, "...or maybe from the finest garbage..." Sam quirked a brow at him,
"Garbage? You got your clothes from the garbage?" It kind of revolted her, but since he was poor it was understandable. If he hadn't of gotten his tunic from the garbage then Lord knows what he would be wearing. Perhaps nothing. It's not that she would mind.
"My tunic isn't important right now!" he snapped, grabbing her arm and pulling her along with him as he walked back into the heart of the town. It was hard for her to keep up with him, especially since it was so crowded. People seemed to jab at her, wanting to get the best deal at the next seller. Suddenly, Tamahome stopped, causing Sam to bump into him and fall back onto the ground,
"Hey! Why'd you stop?" Sam asked, standing up as she brushed the dirt off her butt with her hands.
"It's the Emperor..." Tamahome said as he watched the Emperor and his servants pass by. The word 'Emperor' ran in Sam's head,
"Hotohori..." she mumbled. She looked around frantically, "How do I get his attention!? How do I get his attention!?" Finally she remembered that she put a few things in her bag that might be of some use to her. Flumping down to the ground, Sam fumbled through her things. Toothbrush? No. Chemistry book? No. Bra? She could think of a few things to use that for, but then she might never see her bra again, so no. Finally, she came across some things that would be useful. When she stood up, she raised her hand into the air and waved it around, with a big foam finger on her hand. It was a big, bright, yellow one with the words "We're #1!" written on it in big, bold, red print. She had gotten it at the last basketball game she went to.
"Yoo-hoo! Mr. Emperor! Over here!" she shouted, jumping up and down, waving her foam finger around. Everyone around her gasped at her actions.
"What are you doing!?" Tamahome asked, embarrassed to be around her. Sam blinked as she stopped her jumping for that moment,
"Trying to get his attention..." she looked at her big, yellow, foam finger, "...do you think it's too much? Maybe I should go to plan B..." And so she dropped her yellow, foam finger and picked up a fog horn.
Honk! Honk! Honk! She pressed the button to the horn, Honk! Honk! Honk! Everyone around her backed away, scared of the foreign object in her hand.
"What? It's just a-" Sam's explanation was cut short by one of the soldiers orders,
"Seize her!" he shouted. She blinked. She blinked and watched the men run towards her,
"Aw, shit!" she shouted as Tamahome grabbed her hand and dashed out of that crowd. "My bag!" Sam yelled, holding her free hand out towards her bag, as if she were trying to use the force to bring it to her.
"Forget your bag! If we get caught, the Emperor will have us imprisoned or killed!" Tamahome informed her. They dashed in and out between people, trying to escape from the soldiers. They came to a sudden stop when their path had been blocked off by a few soldiers. Perhaps they could trace their steps a bit, but that plan failed. Soldiers had surrounded the two, leaving them to either fight or give in. One of the Soldiers rushed towards them and grabbed a hold of Sam. He held on tightly to the young girl, as if he planned to never let go, but his death grip quickly released as Tamahome hitch kicked the soldier in his face. Right after he defended her, four of the soldiers jumped on him, restraining him.
"Run!" he shouted to Sam. She nodded and turned, but was stopped by a heavy-built, tall soldier. First, he grabbed her, but she fought. Kicking and screaming, trying to jab her elbow in his stomach. When the solder found that she wouldn't go easily, he swung her over his shoulder and led the others to the castle.
Ring! Riiing! Riiiiing! The phone at Sam's house rang.
"Why isn't anyone picking up?" Steph asked herself as the phone continued to ring in her ear, "She should be home by now, Flags ended two hours ago!" Finally, someone picked up.
"Hello?" It was Sam's mom. Finally! A sign of life.
"Hello! Is Sam there? This is Steph." The other end of the phone was silent for a moment,
"Isn't she by you?" he mom finally said.
"No, why would she be?"
"I found a note taped to her door that said she'd be back soon... I figured that she was at your house," Sam's mother informed her.
"Where would she...-she wouldn't!" Steph mumbled to herself.
"Hm?" he mother questioned, not able to make out Steph's mumbling.
"Oh, nothing! I think I know where she is! I'll go find her! Bye!" Steph blurted out quickly as she put the phone back on its hook. She ran down her hallway, tripping on the rug along her way. Swiftly, she grabbed her jacket and ran out, putting it on as she closed the door behind her.
"She wouldn't go in the book alone! She wouldn't! She knows how dangerous it can be!" Steph mumbled to herself as she fumbled the keys to her car in her hand.
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Sam laid on the ground, her bad laying next to her. Drowzy, Sam felt something kick her stomach.. It slowly started to get harder as it continued to kick her stomach.
"Eh...stop!" she snapped, becoming more conscious.
"Well, it's about time!" a young man said, stopping his kicking. "I was beginning to think you were dead!" Sam rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust to the light,
"Where am I?" she asked, still squinting her eyes. She heard the young man laugh,
"You must of really gotten knocked on the head or something! You're also no in the best place to be knocked out!" the man said, not answering her question, "Just be lucky that I found you before anyone else." Sam heard him begin to poke and look through her bag.
"Hey! Leave my stuff alone!" she yelled, finally opening her eyes and grabbing back her bag.
"What is that stuff?" he asked her, still interested in her foreign objects.
"It's mine! I brought it from-" And that was the moment when she looked up at the man...and realized that it was Tamahome. He blinked when she stopped talking and stared at him,
'What? Why are you looking at me like that?" He ran his hand over his face, thinking there was something on it. Finally, Sam snapped back into reality,
"Oh! Sorry! You...uh, just look like someone I know!" He quirked a brow at her,
"Well, we did meet a little bit earlier." Sam was quiet for a moment, thinking about when her and Steph had first traveled into the book.
"Right! I forgot about that! I've had a lot on my mind," Sam countered, she wanted to tell him everything, everything that was going to happen, but it was useless. He wouldn't believe her, and it might change the fate of the book terribly. She noticed that he started to walk away from her, "Hey! Wait!" she shouted as she grabbed her bag and pulled it over her shoulder, running after him. "Can I come with you? I've got nowhere to go, please?" she asked, looking up at him with her best "puppy-dog" eyes. He had stopped walking and looked down at her.
"I don't know..." he said, unsure if he should.
"Oh, please! Please! Please!" Sam begged as she dropped down to her knees and wrapped her arms around his legs, "Please! I don't know anyone-"
"Sure," he said in between her reasons why she should go with him.
"-And I have no where to go,-"
"I said sure," Tamahome repeated.
"-And I promise I won't get in the way-"
"I said sure!!" he shouted, finally getting her attention. Immediately she stopped and looked up at him, releasing her grip on his legs,
"Really?" she asked. Tamahome took advantage of her letting go of his legs,
"No-" he was cut off by slamming into the ground when he tried to run away. His legs were tied together with rope. He looked up, his face covered with dirt, "What's the big idea!?"
"Well...I had a feeling that you might run away...so I tied your legs together," Sam said, leaving a big smile to resolve her explanation. Tamahome grumbled as he undid the ropes on his legs. Quickly, he stood up and brushed all the dirt and dust off his tunic.
"So, what do you so around here?" Sam asked, recoiling the rope and putting it in her bag.
"Well, I look for opportunities to make money," Tamahome's eyes turned into dollar signs as he continued, "...because money makes the world go 'round!" Sam quirked a brow at him as she watched him drool.
"He loves money more than I though..." Sam thought to herself. Eventually, he snapped out of his daydream. For that brief moment, he had been swimming through lakes full of money, and dancing in coins that fell from the sky. When he was pulled away from his wonderful world, he returned to Sam pulling on his tunic, examining the fabric and style of it.
"Hey! What are you doing!?" he shouted as she pulled him down to her level, by his collar.
"I wonder if it has a tag..." she mumbled, letting his question go through one ear and out the other.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Tamahome yelled, jumping back, "What are you doing!?" Sam blinked, looking up at him,
"I wanted to see who made your...um..." she considered what his outfit might be. The top half was rather long, went down to his knees, and then he had pants underneath, "...your dress with pants?"
"A dress!? This is a tunic! Made from the finest clothes in Konan!..." Tamahome responded, "...or maybe from the finest garbage..." Sam quirked a brow at him,
"Garbage? You got your clothes from the garbage?" It kind of revolted her, but since he was poor it was understandable. If he hadn't of gotten his tunic from the garbage then Lord knows what he would be wearing. Perhaps nothing. It's not that she would mind.
"My tunic isn't important right now!" he snapped, grabbing her arm and pulling her along with him as he walked back into the heart of the town. It was hard for her to keep up with him, especially since it was so crowded. People seemed to jab at her, wanting to get the best deal at the next seller. Suddenly, Tamahome stopped, causing Sam to bump into him and fall back onto the ground,
"Hey! Why'd you stop?" Sam asked, standing up as she brushed the dirt off her butt with her hands.
"It's the Emperor..." Tamahome said as he watched the Emperor and his servants pass by. The word 'Emperor' ran in Sam's head,
"Hotohori..." she mumbled. She looked around frantically, "How do I get his attention!? How do I get his attention!?" Finally she remembered that she put a few things in her bag that might be of some use to her. Flumping down to the ground, Sam fumbled through her things. Toothbrush? No. Chemistry book? No. Bra? She could think of a few things to use that for, but then she might never see her bra again, so no. Finally, she came across some things that would be useful. When she stood up, she raised her hand into the air and waved it around, with a big foam finger on her hand. It was a big, bright, yellow one with the words "We're #1!" written on it in big, bold, red print. She had gotten it at the last basketball game she went to.
"Yoo-hoo! Mr. Emperor! Over here!" she shouted, jumping up and down, waving her foam finger around. Everyone around her gasped at her actions.
"What are you doing!?" Tamahome asked, embarrassed to be around her. Sam blinked as she stopped her jumping for that moment,
"Trying to get his attention..." she looked at her big, yellow, foam finger, "...do you think it's too much? Maybe I should go to plan B..." And so she dropped her yellow, foam finger and picked up a fog horn.
Honk! Honk! Honk! She pressed the button to the horn, Honk! Honk! Honk! Everyone around her backed away, scared of the foreign object in her hand.
"What? It's just a-" Sam's explanation was cut short by one of the soldiers orders,
"Seize her!" he shouted. She blinked. She blinked and watched the men run towards her,
"Aw, shit!" she shouted as Tamahome grabbed her hand and dashed out of that crowd. "My bag!" Sam yelled, holding her free hand out towards her bag, as if she were trying to use the force to bring it to her.
"Forget your bag! If we get caught, the Emperor will have us imprisoned or killed!" Tamahome informed her. They dashed in and out between people, trying to escape from the soldiers. They came to a sudden stop when their path had been blocked off by a few soldiers. Perhaps they could trace their steps a bit, but that plan failed. Soldiers had surrounded the two, leaving them to either fight or give in. One of the Soldiers rushed towards them and grabbed a hold of Sam. He held on tightly to the young girl, as if he planned to never let go, but his death grip quickly released as Tamahome hitch kicked the soldier in his face. Right after he defended her, four of the soldiers jumped on him, restraining him.
"Run!" he shouted to Sam. She nodded and turned, but was stopped by a heavy-built, tall soldier. First, he grabbed her, but she fought. Kicking and screaming, trying to jab her elbow in his stomach. When the solder found that she wouldn't go easily, he swung her over his shoulder and led the others to the castle.