Change of Heart
Chapter 37
Cat and Mouse
Summary: In chasing games, the one who is snuck upon is the mouse, right? So, what happens if the one you're sneaking on sneaks up on you?
Sunday morning at the Abandoned Warehouse...
Tala entered the throne room noiselessly. 'I'll find something here,' he thought. 'I have to.' He walked around the throne itself, looking for something. 'It has to be here..."
"What are you doing?"
Tala gasped, turning around. He sighed deeply. "Vanessa, don't sneak up on me like that."
"What are you doing?" Vanessa asked again.
"I'm going to take Marik's Rod and destroy it," Tala replied. "Help me search for it."
"Just stop it, Tala," Vanessa said.
"Stop what?" Tala asked.
"You'll get us all slain!" Vanessa yelled. "We have to listen to him."
"I will not be Marik's pawn!" Tala roared, grabbing Vanessa's shoulders. "I will not be another pawn. I left the abbey along with my team so we could make our own choices. Marik will not govern me as Boris did."
"I have seen inconceivable things," Vanessa said, sounding panic- stricken in Tala's grasp. "We have to listen to him, or he'll obliterate us!"
"You didn't see anything, Vanessa," Tala said, trying to soothe her. "Marik is playing with your mind; there's no way he could know – "
"Marik knows everything," Vanessa continued. "I saw something horrifying, Tala. And I'm frightened." She started to weep in his arms.
Tala hugged Vanessa, taking in her tears. "It's alright, Vanessa. Anything Marik made you see won't happen." He drew her face up to his, and looked as though he would kiss her.
"Is everything okay in here?" Jasmine asked, by chance destroying their moment.
Tala let go of Vanessa, who was still weeping, and brought her closer to Jasmine. "Both of you, stay here," he said.
"Where are you going?" Jasmine asked.
"I'm going to take Marik's Rod," Tala replied.
Vanessa seemed to weep even harder as she watched Tala walk away.
"Vanessa, why do you keep weeping?" Jasmine asked.
Suddenly, she stopped.
"Vanessa?" Jasmine asked. "Vanessa?"
Vanessa's eyes were bright blue once more, and mixed with her tears was a crimson drop.
Marik's room...
Tala moved cautiously, so not to interrupt Marik. He already knew that Trisha was awake. She was in her room, preparing for Battle City. Tala searched in clear places immediately. Gradually, his hunt led him to go through more personal spaces. At last, he was forced to look close to Marik's bed. 'I hope he doesn't sleep with it,' Tala thought. He lifted the sheet quickly, seeing Marik latent. 'Good, he's still sleeping.'
The floorboards squeaked.
Tala received the greatest quiver up his back. 'If Marik is in bed... who's behind me?' Tala heard someone shouting, and realized he was hearing his own shrieks and wouldn't realize anything else for quite some time.
Chapter 37
Cat and Mouse
Summary: In chasing games, the one who is snuck upon is the mouse, right? So, what happens if the one you're sneaking on sneaks up on you?
Sunday morning at the Abandoned Warehouse...
Tala entered the throne room noiselessly. 'I'll find something here,' he thought. 'I have to.' He walked around the throne itself, looking for something. 'It has to be here..."
"What are you doing?"
Tala gasped, turning around. He sighed deeply. "Vanessa, don't sneak up on me like that."
"What are you doing?" Vanessa asked again.
"I'm going to take Marik's Rod and destroy it," Tala replied. "Help me search for it."
"Just stop it, Tala," Vanessa said.
"Stop what?" Tala asked.
"You'll get us all slain!" Vanessa yelled. "We have to listen to him."
"I will not be Marik's pawn!" Tala roared, grabbing Vanessa's shoulders. "I will not be another pawn. I left the abbey along with my team so we could make our own choices. Marik will not govern me as Boris did."
"I have seen inconceivable things," Vanessa said, sounding panic- stricken in Tala's grasp. "We have to listen to him, or he'll obliterate us!"
"You didn't see anything, Vanessa," Tala said, trying to soothe her. "Marik is playing with your mind; there's no way he could know – "
"Marik knows everything," Vanessa continued. "I saw something horrifying, Tala. And I'm frightened." She started to weep in his arms.
Tala hugged Vanessa, taking in her tears. "It's alright, Vanessa. Anything Marik made you see won't happen." He drew her face up to his, and looked as though he would kiss her.
"Is everything okay in here?" Jasmine asked, by chance destroying their moment.
Tala let go of Vanessa, who was still weeping, and brought her closer to Jasmine. "Both of you, stay here," he said.
"Where are you going?" Jasmine asked.
"I'm going to take Marik's Rod," Tala replied.
Vanessa seemed to weep even harder as she watched Tala walk away.
"Vanessa, why do you keep weeping?" Jasmine asked.
Suddenly, she stopped.
"Vanessa?" Jasmine asked. "Vanessa?"
Vanessa's eyes were bright blue once more, and mixed with her tears was a crimson drop.
Marik's room...
Tala moved cautiously, so not to interrupt Marik. He already knew that Trisha was awake. She was in her room, preparing for Battle City. Tala searched in clear places immediately. Gradually, his hunt led him to go through more personal spaces. At last, he was forced to look close to Marik's bed. 'I hope he doesn't sleep with it,' Tala thought. He lifted the sheet quickly, seeing Marik latent. 'Good, he's still sleeping.'
The floorboards squeaked.
Tala received the greatest quiver up his back. 'If Marik is in bed... who's behind me?' Tala heard someone shouting, and realized he was hearing his own shrieks and wouldn't realize anything else for quite some time.