Don't Be Afraid
Chapter 4: Confusion
Faye sat outside "the center," waiting for Spike to arrive. In all the past months, her anxiety had never been as high as it was now. Everything she and Jet had been searching for was now within her grasp. She hadn't even bothered to radio Jet for fear that when she returned, she'd have missed her chance.
Scratching her leg which was getting dry in the hot sun, Faye turned to Mari who was playing on the ground. Could her life have been like that as well? Playing in the dirt, struggling through life on a dying planet. She tried not to think about those things, but sitting there with nothing to do, it was hard to escape her thoughts. Fortunately they were soon interrupted.
"Ah, here he is now." The older woman, Sarah told her. Faye looked to her right in shock. Walking towards them was a man dressed in dark clothing. His face and head were wrapped to protect him from the winds that often blew through the planet. Faye stood, expecting him to either run towards her or try to run away. Instead he continued at the same pace, barely noticing her. He went to Sarah and handed her the bags he was carrying.
"I got everything you asked for. Unspoiled milk is becoming more expensive though." His voice was muffled and unrecognizable, but Faye felt a chill run down her spine as he spoke. Sarah thanked him, then gestured towards Faye.
"This woman has been waiting for you, I believe you know her?"
The man looked at Faye, and shook his head, unable to recognize her. She stood shocked as he began to unravel the clothes which protected him. Slowly his face came into view. A sharp jaw, a long face, weary eyes, silver hair.
Faye stepped backward, realization dawning on her. "Vicious? It... It can't be!" The man finished unwrapping and stared at her for a moment before speaking.
"That name... it's familiar."
Faye blinked in awe. "Why? Why are you here? You can't be! You're dead! Dead!" She could feel herself panicking. She hated to lose control but this... she couldn't deal with this. What was supposed to be a happy occasion had suddenly turned horribly wrong.
"Is something wrong dear?" Sarah stepped forward, placing a hand on Faye's shoulder. "Why do you react in such a way to this poor lost soul?"
"Tell me Miss, do you know me?" Vicious stepped towards Faye, who backed away further.
"What are you talking about?!"
Sarah tightened her grip, keeping Faye in place. "I have already told you this man has no past, nor a name. That is because he has no memory."
Faye bit her lip in confusion. This was all to strange. She turned to the older woman for an answer. "How could you confuse him for the man in the picture?"
"Picture?"
Growling Faye pulled out the photograph and shoved it in the woman's hand. "Yes! The picture!"
Sarah looked at the photo and smiled instantly. "I didn't know you had a picture. Mari said you were looking for a man who was lost so I figured it must be him."
Faye face-faulted and nearly fell over. "You just assumed without any kind of information?! I can't believe I trusted you!"
Laughing sweetly, Sarah looked at the photo again. "Yes well, what's done is done. So why do you have this picture of Spike?"
Suddenly, the woman who seemed mature and wise was revealed to be a middle-aged dimwit. Straining to not lose her sanity, Faye straightened herself out and let out a deep sigh. She was more confused than ever but it seemed that things weren't a total loss. Glancing over she saw Vicious talking to a few of the children. Her stomach wrenched and she wanted to do nothing more than get them away from him.
Had he truly lost his memory? Or was this all a hoax? If Spike really was here, wasn't it possible that Vicious tracked him down, and staged his memory loss to get to him? Still, he seemed different now. Still menacing, but his words were no longer full of malice. His hair was cut as well, which was understandable. That unruly mane was a part of his threatening image. Without that there wasn't much reason to keep it, was there? Glancing around, Faye realized most of the people there had relatively short hair. With the arid climate and windy conditions of the town, it made sense.
Catching her stare, Vicious moved towards them. "There's obviously been some confusion. Why don't we go inside?" Sarah smiled and headed in. Faye nodded wordlessly and slowly followed, her attention focused on the man she still considered her enemy.
The three of them sat at a small table, drinking coffee Sarah prepared. It was the worst conversation Faye had ever been a part of. Between constantly re-explaining things to Sarah and cautiously watching Vicious, her mind was a wreck. After Sarah finished talking about her collections of flavored coffee Faye tried to get the conversation back on topic.
"So let me get this all straight. Several months ago Spike, the man in the photograph, came here. You don't know where he lives or anything else, just that he works for an old man and brings ices to the kids on Sundays... Vic... uh, this man came here a little while after Spike. He has no memory of his past, and doesn't know his name."
Both Sarah and Vicious nodded. Since they stayed silent she continued to speak. "So, has Spike ever met you?" She asked, turning to Vicious. He nodded with an almost sweet smile.
"Yes, I have met him several times before. He sometimes helps me when the children are eating."
"I see..." Faye sighed and leaned back in her chair. "What day is it anyway?"
"I know that one." Sarah replied. "Saturday, the 17th."
"Saturday? So then Spike will be here tomorrow?"
"That's right" Vicious told her. "I'm sure you could stay here for the night so that you can see him tomorrow."
"Yes, you should stay!" Sarah said brightly, standing up and grabbing for Faye's hand. She took hold of her wrist and pulled the new comer to her feet. "We have some spare bedrooms for emergencies. You can stay in one of them."
Before Faye could argue she was placed in a small, indistinct room and the door was closed behind her. Suddenly feeling her exhaustion from the previous few days, she decided there was no point in complaining. In a few hours, things would be settled. Then again, didn't she have the same thought that morning?
SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY...
Chapter 4: Confusion
Faye sat outside "the center," waiting for Spike to arrive. In all the past months, her anxiety had never been as high as it was now. Everything she and Jet had been searching for was now within her grasp. She hadn't even bothered to radio Jet for fear that when she returned, she'd have missed her chance.
Scratching her leg which was getting dry in the hot sun, Faye turned to Mari who was playing on the ground. Could her life have been like that as well? Playing in the dirt, struggling through life on a dying planet. She tried not to think about those things, but sitting there with nothing to do, it was hard to escape her thoughts. Fortunately they were soon interrupted.
"Ah, here he is now." The older woman, Sarah told her. Faye looked to her right in shock. Walking towards them was a man dressed in dark clothing. His face and head were wrapped to protect him from the winds that often blew through the planet. Faye stood, expecting him to either run towards her or try to run away. Instead he continued at the same pace, barely noticing her. He went to Sarah and handed her the bags he was carrying.
"I got everything you asked for. Unspoiled milk is becoming more expensive though." His voice was muffled and unrecognizable, but Faye felt a chill run down her spine as he spoke. Sarah thanked him, then gestured towards Faye.
"This woman has been waiting for you, I believe you know her?"
The man looked at Faye, and shook his head, unable to recognize her. She stood shocked as he began to unravel the clothes which protected him. Slowly his face came into view. A sharp jaw, a long face, weary eyes, silver hair.
Faye stepped backward, realization dawning on her. "Vicious? It... It can't be!" The man finished unwrapping and stared at her for a moment before speaking.
"That name... it's familiar."
Faye blinked in awe. "Why? Why are you here? You can't be! You're dead! Dead!" She could feel herself panicking. She hated to lose control but this... she couldn't deal with this. What was supposed to be a happy occasion had suddenly turned horribly wrong.
"Is something wrong dear?" Sarah stepped forward, placing a hand on Faye's shoulder. "Why do you react in such a way to this poor lost soul?"
"Tell me Miss, do you know me?" Vicious stepped towards Faye, who backed away further.
"What are you talking about?!"
Sarah tightened her grip, keeping Faye in place. "I have already told you this man has no past, nor a name. That is because he has no memory."
Faye bit her lip in confusion. This was all to strange. She turned to the older woman for an answer. "How could you confuse him for the man in the picture?"
"Picture?"
Growling Faye pulled out the photograph and shoved it in the woman's hand. "Yes! The picture!"
Sarah looked at the photo and smiled instantly. "I didn't know you had a picture. Mari said you were looking for a man who was lost so I figured it must be him."
Faye face-faulted and nearly fell over. "You just assumed without any kind of information?! I can't believe I trusted you!"
Laughing sweetly, Sarah looked at the photo again. "Yes well, what's done is done. So why do you have this picture of Spike?"
Suddenly, the woman who seemed mature and wise was revealed to be a middle-aged dimwit. Straining to not lose her sanity, Faye straightened herself out and let out a deep sigh. She was more confused than ever but it seemed that things weren't a total loss. Glancing over she saw Vicious talking to a few of the children. Her stomach wrenched and she wanted to do nothing more than get them away from him.
Had he truly lost his memory? Or was this all a hoax? If Spike really was here, wasn't it possible that Vicious tracked him down, and staged his memory loss to get to him? Still, he seemed different now. Still menacing, but his words were no longer full of malice. His hair was cut as well, which was understandable. That unruly mane was a part of his threatening image. Without that there wasn't much reason to keep it, was there? Glancing around, Faye realized most of the people there had relatively short hair. With the arid climate and windy conditions of the town, it made sense.
Catching her stare, Vicious moved towards them. "There's obviously been some confusion. Why don't we go inside?" Sarah smiled and headed in. Faye nodded wordlessly and slowly followed, her attention focused on the man she still considered her enemy.
The three of them sat at a small table, drinking coffee Sarah prepared. It was the worst conversation Faye had ever been a part of. Between constantly re-explaining things to Sarah and cautiously watching Vicious, her mind was a wreck. After Sarah finished talking about her collections of flavored coffee Faye tried to get the conversation back on topic.
"So let me get this all straight. Several months ago Spike, the man in the photograph, came here. You don't know where he lives or anything else, just that he works for an old man and brings ices to the kids on Sundays... Vic... uh, this man came here a little while after Spike. He has no memory of his past, and doesn't know his name."
Both Sarah and Vicious nodded. Since they stayed silent she continued to speak. "So, has Spike ever met you?" She asked, turning to Vicious. He nodded with an almost sweet smile.
"Yes, I have met him several times before. He sometimes helps me when the children are eating."
"I see..." Faye sighed and leaned back in her chair. "What day is it anyway?"
"I know that one." Sarah replied. "Saturday, the 17th."
"Saturday? So then Spike will be here tomorrow?"
"That's right" Vicious told her. "I'm sure you could stay here for the night so that you can see him tomorrow."
"Yes, you should stay!" Sarah said brightly, standing up and grabbing for Faye's hand. She took hold of her wrist and pulled the new comer to her feet. "We have some spare bedrooms for emergencies. You can stay in one of them."
Before Faye could argue she was placed in a small, indistinct room and the door was closed behind her. Suddenly feeling her exhaustion from the previous few days, she decided there was no point in complaining. In a few hours, things would be settled. Then again, didn't she have the same thought that morning?
SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY...