***
He wouldn't tell me anything.
And don't get me wrong.. I was patient. I was actually impressed with myself for being so patient.
In the meantime, of course, there was plenty to occupy my mind. I stayed in the Megaship most of the time, all but hiding from the hordes of people who demanded to hear my entire story. How ironic was that? The Megaship had been docked in the outskirts of the earth city of Angel Grove.
Andros and TJ mostly kept them out of my hair, but I did have one rather disturbing incident in which I woke up in the morning and went to use the shower facilities. After I'd completely stripped and put my hair in a shower cap, I heard a voice from behind me, a loud and boisterous child's voice.
"How come your hair turned yellow?"
After shrieking, picking up all my clothes, jumping into the shower, slamming the door, putting all my clothes on again and screaming once again as the cold water suddenly came on by itself, finally Ashley and Cassie came to my aid. They scolded the child, Sylvia I think they called her, and told her never to come on the ship again.
"Funny..." I said to Cassie later, as she put my outfit in the clothes drier. "This is the one day I forgot to lock the bathroom door."
Cassie shook her head, smirking. "I'm never having kids."
"How did she even get on the Megaship?" I asked.
"Oh, Carlos and her are friends, I guess he let her come in and she got out of his sight. You should have seen what happened last time those two got together."
"I think I'm glad I didn't." I sighed, watching the purple and gray flashes of color spin in the drier.
Cassie put her hand on the top of the drier, and then jumped on top of it, sitting down and looking at the ceiling. She whistled, kicking her legs back and forth.
I frowned. "Cassie, what's the date?"
She looked at me, chewing on her lip. "Hmm.. I think it's the 24th."
"What month?"
"November.." She said, not really thinking about it. "November 24th, 1998." She smiled. "Feels like we've been here a long time, huh? We're superstars now.. so.. everyone wants a piece of us. After we get some peace, though, we're going back to KO..." She stopped. "Uh..KO-35."
"We are?" I asked, my head jerking up.
"Mm-hmm!" She said, grinning. "That's gonna be.. uh.. nice, isn't it?"
I blinked. "Oh... well, sure. Of course."
KO-35...
She cocked her head to one side, and then jumped off the drier just as it shut off. "It's done already.." She opened the door and handed me my laundry. "Okay, nice and dry now."
I nodded, clutching it to my chest. "Thanks.. I guess I'll go try taking a shower again."
"Don't worry, Karone." Cassie said lightly.
I looked at her, nodding again.
"I just have to uh.. make sure the water's not so cold. And I'll lock the door this time." I said, turning around.
"No.. ha. I didn't mean about the shower." Cassie said, looking at the floor.
I frowned. "I'll be fine, Cassie... as soon as Andros tells me what the hell happened to an entire month of my life." I turned back around to face her. "November 24, you said?"
Cassie nodded, taken aback.
I nodded back at her soberly, and then left the room.
And a moment later, I found myself curled in a fetal position on the floor of the shower, tears pouring from my stinging eyes.
***
But other than that, I was a perfect lady. Poise, beauty, a stunning smile. I was the ideal candidate for the former princess of darkness and current tragic heroine with a shrouded past who never let her guard down, never let anyone forget how happy she was now.
I found my picture on TV, in the newspapers, in the magazines.
I actually left the Megaship about a week after the shower incident.
It was night, and the city was quiet, thankfully. As I walked off the ship, I got a terrible view of the city of Angel Grove; no longer smoldering but still torn.
What happened to make all of this happen?
As my feet touched down on the ground, I took a deep breath and looked at the sky. How small and pitiful the stars looked; from this earthbound view. Thousands of worlds out there, all of which were just as torn as this one. Why? How?
It was as if the Dark Fortress was beckoning me, truthfully. I hadn't intended to start walking. I hadn't even intended to turn around, to see the enormous vessel, powered down and looming just beyond the hill. But I did.
I found it in the city center.. larger and more powerful than I'd remembered. But it also carried with it a touch of weakness, vulnerability. It was like an ancient relic, untouched by the hands of time, still containing a horrible secret. As if to walk inside would answer every awful question ... illuminate the dark corners of my mind.
To think that it could do that, when it no longer even illuminated itself.
It was illuminated only by the frail lights of this meaningless city.
"What happened to you?" I repeated vocally, as a chill wind struck me from behind. I took a timid step, strangely afraid of knowing the answer.
It felt like hours, really.. just me standing there in the shadow of the great vessel. But no other indication of the time was available. No light peaked out from over the edge of the fortress, and at times it seemed almost as if my very blood had stopped circulating.
Was it meant to be like this? Was it meant to be an eternal moment..?
It was as if I was standing on the edge of a great precipice, deliberating whether or not to jump.. but in the meantime, there was nothing pushing me forward or pulling me back. Not even time itself pushed me forward.
Or pulled me back.
Is that the gist of my life... just one big contradiction after another?
With that thought, I closed my eyes, shutting out my view.. shutting out everything except the wind.
The wind that struck me again, this time pushing me. Pushing me forward.
I opened my eyes, gasping. I took a step. One step... just one step! One more step!
And then.. just as if I were on the precipice..
I fell.
***
He wouldn't tell me anything.
And don't get me wrong.. I was patient. I was actually impressed with myself for being so patient.
In the meantime, of course, there was plenty to occupy my mind. I stayed in the Megaship most of the time, all but hiding from the hordes of people who demanded to hear my entire story. How ironic was that? The Megaship had been docked in the outskirts of the earth city of Angel Grove.
Andros and TJ mostly kept them out of my hair, but I did have one rather disturbing incident in which I woke up in the morning and went to use the shower facilities. After I'd completely stripped and put my hair in a shower cap, I heard a voice from behind me, a loud and boisterous child's voice.
"How come your hair turned yellow?"
After shrieking, picking up all my clothes, jumping into the shower, slamming the door, putting all my clothes on again and screaming once again as the cold water suddenly came on by itself, finally Ashley and Cassie came to my aid. They scolded the child, Sylvia I think they called her, and told her never to come on the ship again.
"Funny..." I said to Cassie later, as she put my outfit in the clothes drier. "This is the one day I forgot to lock the bathroom door."
Cassie shook her head, smirking. "I'm never having kids."
"How did she even get on the Megaship?" I asked.
"Oh, Carlos and her are friends, I guess he let her come in and she got out of his sight. You should have seen what happened last time those two got together."
"I think I'm glad I didn't." I sighed, watching the purple and gray flashes of color spin in the drier.
Cassie put her hand on the top of the drier, and then jumped on top of it, sitting down and looking at the ceiling. She whistled, kicking her legs back and forth.
I frowned. "Cassie, what's the date?"
She looked at me, chewing on her lip. "Hmm.. I think it's the 24th."
"What month?"
"November.." She said, not really thinking about it. "November 24th, 1998." She smiled. "Feels like we've been here a long time, huh? We're superstars now.. so.. everyone wants a piece of us. After we get some peace, though, we're going back to KO..." She stopped. "Uh..KO-35."
"We are?" I asked, my head jerking up.
"Mm-hmm!" She said, grinning. "That's gonna be.. uh.. nice, isn't it?"
I blinked. "Oh... well, sure. Of course."
KO-35...
She cocked her head to one side, and then jumped off the drier just as it shut off. "It's done already.." She opened the door and handed me my laundry. "Okay, nice and dry now."
I nodded, clutching it to my chest. "Thanks.. I guess I'll go try taking a shower again."
"Don't worry, Karone." Cassie said lightly.
I looked at her, nodding again.
"I just have to uh.. make sure the water's not so cold. And I'll lock the door this time." I said, turning around.
"No.. ha. I didn't mean about the shower." Cassie said, looking at the floor.
I frowned. "I'll be fine, Cassie... as soon as Andros tells me what the hell happened to an entire month of my life." I turned back around to face her. "November 24, you said?"
Cassie nodded, taken aback.
I nodded back at her soberly, and then left the room.
And a moment later, I found myself curled in a fetal position on the floor of the shower, tears pouring from my stinging eyes.
***
But other than that, I was a perfect lady. Poise, beauty, a stunning smile. I was the ideal candidate for the former princess of darkness and current tragic heroine with a shrouded past who never let her guard down, never let anyone forget how happy she was now.
I found my picture on TV, in the newspapers, in the magazines.
I actually left the Megaship about a week after the shower incident.
It was night, and the city was quiet, thankfully. As I walked off the ship, I got a terrible view of the city of Angel Grove; no longer smoldering but still torn.
What happened to make all of this happen?
As my feet touched down on the ground, I took a deep breath and looked at the sky. How small and pitiful the stars looked; from this earthbound view. Thousands of worlds out there, all of which were just as torn as this one. Why? How?
It was as if the Dark Fortress was beckoning me, truthfully. I hadn't intended to start walking. I hadn't even intended to turn around, to see the enormous vessel, powered down and looming just beyond the hill. But I did.
I found it in the city center.. larger and more powerful than I'd remembered. But it also carried with it a touch of weakness, vulnerability. It was like an ancient relic, untouched by the hands of time, still containing a horrible secret. As if to walk inside would answer every awful question ... illuminate the dark corners of my mind.
To think that it could do that, when it no longer even illuminated itself.
It was illuminated only by the frail lights of this meaningless city.
"What happened to you?" I repeated vocally, as a chill wind struck me from behind. I took a timid step, strangely afraid of knowing the answer.
It felt like hours, really.. just me standing there in the shadow of the great vessel. But no other indication of the time was available. No light peaked out from over the edge of the fortress, and at times it seemed almost as if my very blood had stopped circulating.
Was it meant to be like this? Was it meant to be an eternal moment..?
It was as if I was standing on the edge of a great precipice, deliberating whether or not to jump.. but in the meantime, there was nothing pushing me forward or pulling me back. Not even time itself pushed me forward.
Or pulled me back.
Is that the gist of my life... just one big contradiction after another?
With that thought, I closed my eyes, shutting out my view.. shutting out everything except the wind.
The wind that struck me again, this time pushing me. Pushing me forward.
I opened my eyes, gasping. I took a step. One step... just one step! One more step!
And then.. just as if I were on the precipice..
I fell.
***