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Chapter Eight:
Phantom Mirror
~ Tokyo Rabbit
~*~
"Dr. Lemuria, I have found nothing that would even hint to the reason for your body's behavior," Dr. Lee removed her stethoscope as she twirled on her chair to look at me.
"So I'm okay?" I asked, eager to return to Crystal Tokyo and Darren.
"Well, some of your other cultures are going to take a few hours, my doctor said as she reached into a drawer.
"A few hours? That long?" I said in disbelief.
"I don't think they'll tell me anything different."
My hopes for getting the grant to return to Earth were soaring sky high, even though a small portion of my common sense was telling me to be more concerned why Dr. Lee couldn't find any reason for my sickness while on the absconded planet.
The wizened woman handed me a card she just had in her pilot, "Give this to the Counsel, and I'm sure they'll let you return to your work."
"Thank you, Doctor," I smiled, jumping up to get dressed once again.
"You're welcome Doctor," she returned the smile.
~*~
"Dr. Lee has cleared me, as you can see, your Majesties," I explained as I stood in front of a handful of Ambassadors who were peering down at me skeptically.
Currently I was standing in the Milky Way's Counsel Interrogation Room, or as it was often called on friendlier terms, the discussion room.
"Dr. Lemuria, we trust Dr. Lee's judgment, but is this what you really want? To return to Earth and risk your health and possibly even your life once again?" Queen Freyjia, ruler of Venus and the head of the Inner planetary ring of the MW, asked me.
"Yes, it is with all my heart."
~*~
Oh happy day! I was now on my way back to Earth and to Darren. Feeling how I was, I almost believed that if my seat belt wasn't holding me firmly in me in my place, I would float away from it in elation even though the gravity simulators where on.
But right at that moment, I was concerned as I watched Darren's report. He looked almost as ragged as I had felt when I left Earth.
"--the storms have gotten worse. It's amazing how fast they're materializing now; nearly double the time it would usually take. Our days are becoming shorter,' his solemn expression faded into an exhausted smile, 'On a more pleasant but bizarre note, the thorns on the roses have fallen off. They don't seem to be growing any more in height, but they're blooming at an alarming rate.... Which now that I think about it, that really shouldn't surprise me--" I smiled, 'Get well soon, miss you.'
And that was it. I wanted to report back and asked him if they had found any full-length mirrors, but I figured that I could just ask him in person. Hee.
Chewing on my bottom lip, I giggled slightly, "I hope he's surprised."
The flight itself went pretty quickly and we only had a few hours of layover in orbit while the pilots constantly watched their instrumentation for the ideal landing conditions. As were landing, I nearly vaulted from my seat, ripped open the emergency door and jumped into the blue yonder-- a product of my excitement.
Being dropped off at the edge of camp, away from the castle, only a small group gathered to see who had landed. My luggage was unloaded first and no sooner than I had both feet on the desolate soil of Earth, a figure rushed forward and fiercely embraced me, nearly knocking me backwards. It was Adela.
"Why didn't you call and tell us?!" She demanded.
"I guess I wanted to surprised everyone," I answered, patting her back as an older sister would, "Did it work?"
She pulled away and I could see tears in her eyes, "Yes. Welcome back!"
And with that warm statement, the small crowd surged forward to greet me in similar ways, almost making me cry. After a slew of handshakes and bear hugs a couple of my colleagues helped me carry my luggage to my quarters. Once inside and alone, I hummed an annoyingly happy tune as I reveled in the task of unpacking my things while imagining a shocked look on Darren's face; I had asked someone earlier where he was and was informed that he was currently working in the castle. Hoping to see him soon, I wondered how he would really react, but knew that however he did, it would be positive.
Just after placing a picture frame on the nightstand next to my bed I heard my door slide open. Turning, I had to shield my eyes against the blazing sun pouring in to make out the dark, tall, heaving silhouette that stood in my door way. They stepped inside to allow the door to shut behind them.
"Darren-" I gasped astonished to see him of all people standing in my room (damn, there goes my plan of surprising him).
He didn't respond but rather just stood there gawking at me while trying to catch his breath. Hesitantly he strode over to where I stood rooted in shock, his midnight eyes looking me over wildly.
"The doctor checked me out and said that I'm fine.... Surprise?" I laughed nervously as a bronzed hand reached out to touch my hair.
Having his breathing returned to normal (he most obviously ran from the castle upon hearing the news of my arrival. Note to self: find out who snitched and destroy), "And the Counsel?"
For my answer, I flashed him the card that if inserted into a pilot would show my clearance from both Dr. Lee and the Counsel. The corners of his mouth quirked in a strange smile and before I could think any thing else, his mouth fiercely claimed my own in breathless heat. He broke away only after I felt I would pass out if I didn't breath soon, then he nearly lunged at the door and locked it. I just laughed as he came at me again.
~*~
Therein the distance that was covered in impenetrable fog came a voice so sweet, lulling my scenes into calm revere with song. I knew this voice to be the one I had heard in the castle as the mysterious building just began to reveal it's mysteries to me. A song so haunting and beautiful at the same time, in a language I could not begin to understand....
But just as it had faded into my consciousness it began to drift away as I felt my body stir.
My eyes fluttered open. My first night back and already I was beginning to have strange dreams and hear voices. Why did I agree to come back again? Looking around I spotted the picture I had placed on my nightstand earlier in the day, dimly lit by a candle I had lit next to it and found my first reason: my father. It was his life's work to unlock the secrets of Crystal Tokyo and now it was mine. Smiling, I rolled over gently and looked upon the second reason: Darren, who was sleeping soundly.
I sighed happily and looked at my watch, which I had not set back to Earth time yet, but simple mathematics told me that it was two a.m. It would be hours before the storm outside died down. Listening to it, I understood what Darren meant when he said that they had gotten worse over the past few days; if the buildings where not so technologically equipped to sustain such extremes, I would have been worried.
I shivered at the thought and Darren subconsciously pulled me closer to him. Instead of thinking of such things, I resigned to think of happier topics (i.e. Darren). I smiled. Unable to resist, I snuggled closer and kissed him on the nose. He stirred slightly and opened his eyes slowly.
"Hey," he smiled at me and kissed me on the forehead.
"Hey," I replied.
"I missed you," his smile turned into a smirk as he propped his self up upon an elbow.
I laughed a deep, throaty laugh, "I couldn't tell. Oh!"
"What?"
"I meant to ask you, have you found any mirrors in the castle?"
It was his turn to laugh.
"What? I'm serious!"
"Most definitely a career woman," he murmured more to himself than to me before he kissed me on the lips.
"So? What's wrong with that?" I whined.
"Nothing. Nothing at all," Darren reassured me, amusement dancing in his eyes, "There have been a few mirrors found and shards I'm sure, but I don't know if it's what you're looking for. Why?"
"Queen Persephone told me that she couldn't forget about this mirror Queen Serenity kept in her and her husband's room. After that I had a dream about mirrors," I said as rolled over on my back.
"What happened in the dream?"
"Nothing much. I just came across this full length mirror and stared at it for the longest time."
"Strange."
"You're t-t-telling me," I yawned, rolling over once again.
"Well, it's pointless to worry about it now. I'll show you the mirrors we've found in the morning," he said softly, his deep voice and body warmth lulling me to the edges of the conscious world and non.
"It's a de--al" I whispered, yawning once again. Darren dipped down to kiss my temple and whispered, "I love you Serene. Good night."
"Mn," was my only response as I was too far-gone to even tell if he spoke at all.
He brushed some of my hair out of the way and wrapped me lovingly in his arms. Shortly thereafter slumber claimed him as well.
~*~
Darren showed me a holding room in one of the main buildings where shards of glass, hand held mirrors, and other uninteresting items were being held. I found no mirror that fit the description of Neo-Queen Serenity's mirror.
After sifting through the useless artifacts, I decided to retire to my quarters to have a look at the letters. Hours upon hours told me nothing. I pulled every reference pilot I had, picked out charts, and graphed each character. After several letters, I began to notice patterns. There was a certain familiarity in several sentences which I figured where nouns of some sort that the author of the letters knew, whether it be a name of someone or a place or something else. Then there was the same closing statement and signature at the end of each letter. Even as I made a table of all the different characters, something seemed to be familiar in each obscure letter.
Standing, I yawned. There was a good thirty minutes before the storm would start, according to its new patterns. Gathering up all the letters, my charts, and anything else I thought I would need, I stuffed it all in my bag and left my room heading for the castle.
It had been so long since I had been in its cool passages, ancient rooms. As I stepped inside the great hall, I inhaled deeply and a sense of homecoming washed over me.
Thinking I would take a stroll among the rose gardens, I began to make my way towards the corridors that would lead me to them, well, that is until I heard a moaning sigh.
"Not again...." I mumbled, closing my eyes.
Opening up my eyes, one by one and slowly, I looked to my left I used my peripheral vision as to give myself a little more warning if something came floating out at me. Being young as I was, normally I didn't worry about my heart quitting any century soon, however, at the rate it was beating and the sickening feeling that was overtaking my body, I began to slightly doubt if I could handle another scare. Seeing nothing spectral, I turned fully to look down the dark, smaller corridor. It seemed to stretch on forever into a void where if stepped into, one would be lost evermore. That thought only strengthened my sense of foreboding.
Coming from its depths, another hauntingly unnatural sigh drifted to my ears. Something awaited me at the end of that corridor, I knew that, but did I really want to venture into the darkness where, for all I knew, something waited to lunge out at me. On the other hand, down that hallway lying in the darkness could be waiting the answer to unlock everything. Was it something I wanted to risk?
"No," I said out loud. Whether it be my heart attack or the answers desired waiting for me down the way, I couldn't risk losing the latter of the two just because I was afraid.
Slowly I unbolted my feet from the dirt covered marble floor and began my march towards the hallway. As I reached its entrance, a strange, unnatural breeze picked up and swayed me forward, as if something was trying to pull me in. I didn't stop in my grim trek though. I had resolved to follow the shuddering sighs until I found their source, just as I had the night I had seen the beacon in the towers of the palace.
Something ahead, in the long depths of the hallway, flashed in a sickly pale blue light. Stopping for an instant, my heart lurching wildly the only sound to be heard, I inhaled and waited. Again the sigh came, more desperate this time, with the light. Placing shaky step after step behind me, I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. Several times I had to will myself to continue on as my legs began to seize up from the intense fear I was feeling.
"Come on Rena, only a little further," I breathed somewhat unevenly.
I came several paces from the end of the hall where met another that ran along perpendicular. Stopping for only a moment, I tried to decide on which way to go but my eye caught a flurry of white skirt just as someone walked out of sight. Left.
Turning I saw nothing but the faint glowing light that had motivated me enough to find what was beckoning me. Carefully treading along the fallen chunks of stone that littered the floor, I had a faint recollection of a story my father used to tell me when I was little. It was about a princess who was doomed to prick her finger on some device and fall into a deep slumber for all eternity until her true love came to save her. In the story, the kingdom thought the threat to be extinguished, however, once alone, the princess was lead away by a mysterious light to her fate.
After a few heavy moments, I began to catch up with the light and came upon the source. It was a strange opening in the stone. It wasn't a door, but it seemed to be just that, an opening that revealed in the pulsing light a stairway. Again I was reminded of that fairy tale as I hesitantly edged towards the first stair. Perhaps, the reason in my conscious began to rationalize, it would be wise to wait for a companion, such as Darren, to accompany us up to this passage way. I listened the quavering opinion inside my head and thought that my work had finally gotten to me as I now had voices consulting me.
Before I could dwell on my apparent madness and further, a strong, brutal, icy wind pushed me forward on all fours... on the staircase. Turning I saw, much to my horror, a wall of solid stone blocking the opening that had only been there seconds ago.
Launching myself from my awkward position, my body came in contact with the cold, solid stone, hands frantically searching for some sort of lever or handle that would release me, and finding none. I was sealed in.... My cold, sweaty hands remained on the wall for quite some time in disbelief until another, more human moan reached my ears as if saying, 'Come. Follow. Don't stop.'
Turning almost angrily, my eyes traveled up as far as they could, following the spiral stairs of stone. Why? Why me?! My mind fumed with indignation. Anger more than curiosity fueling my fatigued body, I began to ascend the way before me. I didn't stop for one second, and finally came upon a crude wooden door. The light pulsed through the cracks and without one hesitant thought, I tore it open to find nothing inside but a mirror. A full-length mirror....
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TR- Bah! I was so stuck on this chapter. I'm sorry for all the worry I caused among you, my readers, but let me assure you that there's no way in hayword I'm going to stop this story or any of my others. It just may take me a little while to get there with all of the new stories I'm writing on. I know I should just concentrate on the ones I have out so far, but I can't help it! I'm a writaholic and I haven't enough will power to squash the constant urges to start new stories. Just, keep supporting me and you shall surely be rewarded.
(Unedited)
7-25-03