Arise, Dear Quicksilver - Chapter 4
That night, as Ami slept in her own bed, the dream came back to haunt her. "Come to me, come to the light," the voice called again, and the more Ami heard it, the more she became puzzled by it.
"Who are you?" called Ami, again.
And the reply she got was the same as the previous nights, "You know me already…"
Again, Ami screamed into the darkness. "Where are you?"
"You know where I am already…"
And ever so slowly, the dream began to unfold in the usual manner, moving away from the light, pulling her closer to the darkness. As she tried scream for help, nothing came out, again, as the feeling of suffocation began to overcome her, only to be awoken by the sounds of her alarm clock, informing Ami it was time to get up, still in the sheer innocence that the clock seemed to emit. Nervously, Ami climbed out of bed, and made her way to the bathroom, and splashed her face with cold water. Again, the reflection in the mirror didn't seem to be her, yet it was her face. But this time, the face didn't seem evil; it seemed different, yet she couldn't work out what it was that was different about her face. Confused, Ami rubbed her eyes, and checked again, only to be greeted with her usual innocent face. Nervous, Ami took a step back, and looked again, before getting ready to head to school.
Back inside her bedroom, Ami opened her closet, and began to look for one of her good skirts, but for some reason, they didn't seem so appealing as they usually were.
"I think I need a change," Ami spoke lightly to herself, before diving into a mass pile of clothes that she had never even worn before. From them, she pulled a skirt and blouse that the rest of the Scouts had bought her for a birthday gift, but they were never Ami's sort of clothing. But today, they seemed perfect, as Ami held up the skirt, examining it.
"Yes, this seems alright, after all, it is summer out there!" she smiled to herself.
The skirt and blouse fitted Ami perfectly, a little TOO perfectly. The blouse reached only down to the tip of her navel, and the skirt didn't even brush her knees. Ami took a moment to admire her own self in the clothes. "I don't look too bad!" thought Ami to herself, as she headed out of her bedroom, eagerly ready to head off to school.
In the classroom, several students had arrived before Ami, and were chatting away innocently, but when the door opened, and Ami entered, the crowds went silent, as Ami innocently made her way to her desk. Ami's outfit stunned both the males and females of the class. Ami sat down at her desk, and began to unpack her stuff, as the classroom door swung open again, and Serena came charging in, thinking she was as late as usual. She came to a blazing stop next to Ami, after crashing into some nearby desks. Panting, she pulled herself up to her feet, and turned to Ami.
"Am… I… late?" Serena puffed.
"No, you're on time," replied Ami, who awaited the arrival of Ms. Haruna.
"I am?" confusingly replied Serena, amazed that she could arrive to school on time, "WAHOO!" she screamed, as she jumped around, celebrating. Her celebration was short-lived, however, as she misjudged her leaps, and came crashing down on her face.
"Ugh…" moaned Serena, as she pulled herself up to her feet, again. Ami just smiled to herself, and thought, "Serena will be Serena!" When Serena got back to her feet, she turned to Ami, and looked at her.
"Say…" she began, "Something's different about you…"
"Do you like it?" replied Ami.
"Hold on, I'm trying to decide what it is that's different about you…"
Ami rolled her eyes, as Serena gave Ami a semi-interrogative stare.
"I think I know what it is!" exclaimed Serena. "You've changed your hair!"
"Uh… yeah!" answered Ami.
"I knew it!" celebrated Serena, "And people say I have slow wits!"
Ami just giggled, and smiled, while Serena took her seat, ready for the arrival of Haruna.
The morning rolled by for Ami & Serena. There were a few approving glances from a few of the boys in the class, but Ami didn't seem to notice. Lunchtime came, and Ami sat herself her usual spot under the cherry blossom tree, where she began to eat her lunch. She hadn't got far into it, when a figure approached her.
"Uh… Ami?" the figure asked.
"Yes?" Ami asked, looking up to the figure. It was one of the boys from her math class, who was standing clutching his math book, and his lunch.
"D-d-do you m-mind if I sit here with you, and uh… study?" the boy nervously continued.
Ami smiled, and laughed lightly. "Of course!" she spoke back, motioning to a space next to her. The boy sat down, and opened his lunchbox. The boy began to speak, but was interrupted by another boy, who also asked if he could sit near her. Within a few minutes, there were several males around Ami, all giving her a puppy-dog eye stare of approval.
Across the schoolyard, Serena was walking along, talking to Molly, complaining about just how boring the math class had just been.
"I'm telling you Molly, that had to be the most boring lesson I have ever been in!" she began, "Why do we need to know about Algebra anyway? Its not like it's going to help me in the future, is it?"
Just then, a voice cut her off, "Well, actually Serena, the uses of Algebra can be very useful to everyone, even you!"
"MELVIN!" Molly and Serena shrieked. "Melvin, will you just bug off?" scorned Serena.
"What, you don't want to hear the latest gossip?"
"What?"
"News has it that over by the cherry blossom tree, that Ami is building up quite a pack of male followers…"
"Who, Ami? No way!"
"Why don't you take a look for yourself?"
Disbelieving, Ami began to head in the direction of the cherry blossom tree, closely followed by Molly.
"Come to think about it Serena, Ami did seem pretty different this morning in Math…" piped up Molly.
"Yeah, that was just her hair!" answered a confident Serena.
"No, I think it was the outfit she was wearing!"
"Outfit?" replied Serena, confused.
"Yeah, her clothes seemed a little… shorter than usual!"
Images of earlier today began to flash back through Serena's mind. "Now that you mention it… she did seem a little… less dressed than usual…"
Both girls turned the final corner, and looked over at the cherry blossom tree, and sure enough, as Melvin had reported, there was Ami, with her horde of male admirers. Serena looked over, and took a double take. "No way… that can't be Ami, can it?"
That night, as Ami slept in her own bed, the dream came back to haunt her. "Come to me, come to the light," the voice called again, and the more Ami heard it, the more she became puzzled by it.
"Who are you?" called Ami, again.
And the reply she got was the same as the previous nights, "You know me already…"
Again, Ami screamed into the darkness. "Where are you?"
"You know where I am already…"
And ever so slowly, the dream began to unfold in the usual manner, moving away from the light, pulling her closer to the darkness. As she tried scream for help, nothing came out, again, as the feeling of suffocation began to overcome her, only to be awoken by the sounds of her alarm clock, informing Ami it was time to get up, still in the sheer innocence that the clock seemed to emit. Nervously, Ami climbed out of bed, and made her way to the bathroom, and splashed her face with cold water. Again, the reflection in the mirror didn't seem to be her, yet it was her face. But this time, the face didn't seem evil; it seemed different, yet she couldn't work out what it was that was different about her face. Confused, Ami rubbed her eyes, and checked again, only to be greeted with her usual innocent face. Nervous, Ami took a step back, and looked again, before getting ready to head to school.
Back inside her bedroom, Ami opened her closet, and began to look for one of her good skirts, but for some reason, they didn't seem so appealing as they usually were.
"I think I need a change," Ami spoke lightly to herself, before diving into a mass pile of clothes that she had never even worn before. From them, she pulled a skirt and blouse that the rest of the Scouts had bought her for a birthday gift, but they were never Ami's sort of clothing. But today, they seemed perfect, as Ami held up the skirt, examining it.
"Yes, this seems alright, after all, it is summer out there!" she smiled to herself.
The skirt and blouse fitted Ami perfectly, a little TOO perfectly. The blouse reached only down to the tip of her navel, and the skirt didn't even brush her knees. Ami took a moment to admire her own self in the clothes. "I don't look too bad!" thought Ami to herself, as she headed out of her bedroom, eagerly ready to head off to school.
In the classroom, several students had arrived before Ami, and were chatting away innocently, but when the door opened, and Ami entered, the crowds went silent, as Ami innocently made her way to her desk. Ami's outfit stunned both the males and females of the class. Ami sat down at her desk, and began to unpack her stuff, as the classroom door swung open again, and Serena came charging in, thinking she was as late as usual. She came to a blazing stop next to Ami, after crashing into some nearby desks. Panting, she pulled herself up to her feet, and turned to Ami.
"Am… I… late?" Serena puffed.
"No, you're on time," replied Ami, who awaited the arrival of Ms. Haruna.
"I am?" confusingly replied Serena, amazed that she could arrive to school on time, "WAHOO!" she screamed, as she jumped around, celebrating. Her celebration was short-lived, however, as she misjudged her leaps, and came crashing down on her face.
"Ugh…" moaned Serena, as she pulled herself up to her feet, again. Ami just smiled to herself, and thought, "Serena will be Serena!" When Serena got back to her feet, she turned to Ami, and looked at her.
"Say…" she began, "Something's different about you…"
"Do you like it?" replied Ami.
"Hold on, I'm trying to decide what it is that's different about you…"
Ami rolled her eyes, as Serena gave Ami a semi-interrogative stare.
"I think I know what it is!" exclaimed Serena. "You've changed your hair!"
"Uh… yeah!" answered Ami.
"I knew it!" celebrated Serena, "And people say I have slow wits!"
Ami just giggled, and smiled, while Serena took her seat, ready for the arrival of Haruna.
The morning rolled by for Ami & Serena. There were a few approving glances from a few of the boys in the class, but Ami didn't seem to notice. Lunchtime came, and Ami sat herself her usual spot under the cherry blossom tree, where she began to eat her lunch. She hadn't got far into it, when a figure approached her.
"Uh… Ami?" the figure asked.
"Yes?" Ami asked, looking up to the figure. It was one of the boys from her math class, who was standing clutching his math book, and his lunch.
"D-d-do you m-mind if I sit here with you, and uh… study?" the boy nervously continued.
Ami smiled, and laughed lightly. "Of course!" she spoke back, motioning to a space next to her. The boy sat down, and opened his lunchbox. The boy began to speak, but was interrupted by another boy, who also asked if he could sit near her. Within a few minutes, there were several males around Ami, all giving her a puppy-dog eye stare of approval.
Across the schoolyard, Serena was walking along, talking to Molly, complaining about just how boring the math class had just been.
"I'm telling you Molly, that had to be the most boring lesson I have ever been in!" she began, "Why do we need to know about Algebra anyway? Its not like it's going to help me in the future, is it?"
Just then, a voice cut her off, "Well, actually Serena, the uses of Algebra can be very useful to everyone, even you!"
"MELVIN!" Molly and Serena shrieked. "Melvin, will you just bug off?" scorned Serena.
"What, you don't want to hear the latest gossip?"
"What?"
"News has it that over by the cherry blossom tree, that Ami is building up quite a pack of male followers…"
"Who, Ami? No way!"
"Why don't you take a look for yourself?"
Disbelieving, Ami began to head in the direction of the cherry blossom tree, closely followed by Molly.
"Come to think about it Serena, Ami did seem pretty different this morning in Math…" piped up Molly.
"Yeah, that was just her hair!" answered a confident Serena.
"No, I think it was the outfit she was wearing!"
"Outfit?" replied Serena, confused.
"Yeah, her clothes seemed a little… shorter than usual!"
Images of earlier today began to flash back through Serena's mind. "Now that you mention it… she did seem a little… less dressed than usual…"
Both girls turned the final corner, and looked over at the cherry blossom tree, and sure enough, as Melvin had reported, there was Ami, with her horde of male admirers. Serena looked over, and took a double take. "No way… that can't be Ami, can it?"