The next day, I skipped school. A bunch of us did, and we all went to
Tristan's. Mai was absent, which worried me initially, but then again,
maybe it was just that she wasn't told.
"So, Tristan, what was the thing you found out?"
"That green haired woman you described, I saw a painting like it." Serenity said. "The painting was entitled The Faerie Queene." The Faerie Queene? There was a book written like that by some British dude, but I couldn't remember what it was called. Well, I knew there was something unnatural about her, but that was just...
"Any info on what she wants?"
"Nope. I try to read the cards, and all I get is that she is a greedy, deceitful woman." Tristan said, fiddling with a bandana on his head. Ever since he found out he had gypsy blood in him, he went a little crazy like that. I personally thought it was annoying, but whatever floats his boat. Serenity thought it was cute.
"So, I gotta be careful around her. Okay, maybe I can trick her or something." I said with a laugh.
"Joey, you're not exactly the smartest person." Tristan said. "It won't be easy to trick someone like her."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I shouted, ready to clobber him. He chuckled, and so did Serenity and Yugi. Angrily, I grabbed my jacket and left.
"Hold up." Tristan said. We were in the foyer, and I could tell he wanted to talk privately, about Mai.
"What? Gonna give me woman advice?" I joked.
"No, I'm going to warn you. Be careful of all the women you meet. Although I gather the Faerie Queene was the Queen of Rods, we don't know anything about the High Priestess. That's another woman, so be careful." He said before darting off. Although was happy he told me that, I got the feeling there was something he was holding back. Something about Mai.
"What...aren't you telling me?" I wondered.
I went back to Mom's and decided to take another look at that rock. Maybe I could figure out if we could pry the hand open, or burn it away with acid. Then maybe I could take the stupid thing to the Faerie Queene without that sacrifice nonsense. When I got to the house, I noticed that the front door was ajar. Was it a burglar? In the middle of the day, probably not. Then I noticed Mai's car in the driveway. When did she get here?
I walked inside, and there she was, standing at the kitchen table. She was holding the rock n her hand, and looking right at me.
"I knew everything." She said. "I know what you're after and what happens."
"How'd you know that?"
"I had a dream about it." She responded. "I saw the Faerie Queene. She mentioned everything."
"Wait, how did you know it was the Faerie Queene?" Mai paused for a second.
"What are you afraid of?" I asked. "I said before you could tell me anything, and now you can. Please, tell me." I came close to her, and looked deep into her eyes.
"It's...it's because..." She started, but again, she seemed unsure of how to speak.
"It's because...I'm...well...I just had the dream is all. It's what followed the dream that worried me."
"What worried you?" I asked sympathetically. "If it's anything, anything at all, tell me. Tell me so I know not to do it."
"That's not it. It's not something you do; it's something that I must do. Joey, open the rock!" She ordered holding it out to me.
"I can't. It needs a..." I started for a second. Then I realized what Mai was asking.
"Absolutely fucking not!" I shouted. "There's no way I'll open it and let you sacrifice your life."
"You don't really have a choice. You have to get it open because this pendant is the only thing that can stop Andrea."
"How do you know about Andrea? The dream again?" I asked, hitting the rock out of her hand and watching it clatter on the kitchen table. She nodded and bit her lip.
"I know you don't want me to, but this is destiny at work, kiddo." Why was she acting carefree at a time like this?
"I ain't gonna. I don't care if Andrea starts killing people right and left, I don't want you to go!" I came in close, trying desperately to get Mai to understand me.
"Joey..." She said, and then she moved forward and kissed me. Hard. She forced herself on me so hard that I nearly stumbled. I kissed back. I'd been waiting a long time for this. She put her hand on the back of my head, while the other grabbed my wrist. I shut my eyes, this was pure magic, everything I thought it would be.
Until I realized that Mai shoved my hand on the rock, then pushed with all her strength to keep my hand from moving. I tried to break the kiss and yank, but Mai still had her vice-like grip on the back of my head, preventing me from moving. I was panicking as I felt a tingle in my hand and the loosening of the rock. No, dammit, not now! I struggled, I kept struggling, but Mai kept my hand and head in place with so much force, blood started oozing on the table.
"So shall the sacrifice be done. I am again free." The female voice that talked about sacrifice before spoke again. Mai kept her grip, and I nearly screamed.
A minute later, I felt Mai's grip loosen. I shoved her hand off of me, but it was too late. The rock itself had disappeared, and in it's place was the pendant, staring with it's single emerald eye at me like a demon. I ignored it and clutched Mai. She was still warm, but not breathing. Her heart was not pumping. I tried resuscitation even though I knew it was hopeless. I wanted to call an ambulance, but what would I say if they asked me what happened? So instead, I cried, I cried freely over her body.
"Damn it, Mai! It didn't have to be this way." I grieved. Why did she do this, how could she do this? Didn't she understand what she was doing? What wasn't enough for her, how did I fail her?
"You told me...you told me once that I could always count on you. But now, how could you do this? Mai, answer me!" I ordered knowing it was hopeless. I heard the door slam, and in stepped Serenity.
"Serenity!" I cried, hugging her with so much force I nearly knocked her over.
"Joey..." She started, taking in the scene slowly.
"Serenity, please. Please tell me that I'm dreaming. Tell me that I dozed off in class, or that I'm upstairs this very minute. Hell, tell me I'm at Dad's, getting the shit kicked out of me. Tell me I'm not here, tell me this didn't happen!"
"Joey..." She said softly, pushing my head to her chest. "The truth isn't always pleasant." She said.
"What can...I do?"
"Not something stupid." She said. "You know if you did something stupid that Mai would never forgive you."
"What are you talking about, I wasn't going to do something stupid." I angrily broke her hug.
She looked at me with sincerity.
"Then why are you holding that knife?" I looked down at my hand, and noticed that I was holding one of Mom's carving knives. I didn't even remember picking it up. I'd have a hell of a time explaining to Serenity that I wasn't about to commit suicide, although I felt like it. I would have gladly committed suicide if it meant being close to Mai again.
Serenity took the knife from my hand.
"Come on, Joey. I'll get the others. We need...we need to give her a service." She slipped the pendant around my neck.
"This is Mai." She said. "She gave it to you, so it is her." I didn't understand, but I think I felt better.
They buried her in the garden, but I couldn't show up. I stayed upstairs and watched from the window whenever I gathered the courage, but I only looked a few times. Because whenever I looked, I saw her face. Her cold, silent, sleeping face. And then I would lose my heart, and walk away.
"Mai." I grabbed the pendant in my hand. "I don't know where I failed you, but I promise that no matter what, I'll bring you back. If I have to blaspheme the name of my God and every law of nature, I'll do it."
Everyone stayed over, and made sure I was never alone. They still thought I would commit suicide. I tried to insist that I would be fine, but when I went to get a snack from the kitchen, my hand drifted to the knives again, and that's when Tristan entered the room. So now they didn't trust me alone anymore. I don't know what possessed me to touch those knives; maybe I did want to kill myself. So they stayed right beside me, all of them, until I finally went to sleep.
My dreams that night were horrible. I felt Mai in pain, and I reached out to her, but whenever I reached I saw her face, the face I saw at her funeral. I screamed, and kept calling out her name. That's when Serenity woke me up.
"You were talking in your sleep. I know, it's hard, especially on you. Please, try to remember her fondly. I tried to, but it wasn't helping. That's when Tristan snuck a sleeping pill in some water to force me to sleep. I didn't realize it then, but when I woke up I knew. When I woke up, however, I knew exactly what I had to do. Whispering Mai's name softly, I awoke before everyone else. Grabbing one of the carving knives, I ran as fast as I could away. I only had one chance to do this before they caught me and locked me away. It wasn't suicide, but it was damn well close, what I was trying had never been attempted before. However, for Mai, I would do anything.
"So, Tristan, what was the thing you found out?"
"That green haired woman you described, I saw a painting like it." Serenity said. "The painting was entitled The Faerie Queene." The Faerie Queene? There was a book written like that by some British dude, but I couldn't remember what it was called. Well, I knew there was something unnatural about her, but that was just...
"Any info on what she wants?"
"Nope. I try to read the cards, and all I get is that she is a greedy, deceitful woman." Tristan said, fiddling with a bandana on his head. Ever since he found out he had gypsy blood in him, he went a little crazy like that. I personally thought it was annoying, but whatever floats his boat. Serenity thought it was cute.
"So, I gotta be careful around her. Okay, maybe I can trick her or something." I said with a laugh.
"Joey, you're not exactly the smartest person." Tristan said. "It won't be easy to trick someone like her."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I shouted, ready to clobber him. He chuckled, and so did Serenity and Yugi. Angrily, I grabbed my jacket and left.
"Hold up." Tristan said. We were in the foyer, and I could tell he wanted to talk privately, about Mai.
"What? Gonna give me woman advice?" I joked.
"No, I'm going to warn you. Be careful of all the women you meet. Although I gather the Faerie Queene was the Queen of Rods, we don't know anything about the High Priestess. That's another woman, so be careful." He said before darting off. Although was happy he told me that, I got the feeling there was something he was holding back. Something about Mai.
"What...aren't you telling me?" I wondered.
I went back to Mom's and decided to take another look at that rock. Maybe I could figure out if we could pry the hand open, or burn it away with acid. Then maybe I could take the stupid thing to the Faerie Queene without that sacrifice nonsense. When I got to the house, I noticed that the front door was ajar. Was it a burglar? In the middle of the day, probably not. Then I noticed Mai's car in the driveway. When did she get here?
I walked inside, and there she was, standing at the kitchen table. She was holding the rock n her hand, and looking right at me.
"I knew everything." She said. "I know what you're after and what happens."
"How'd you know that?"
"I had a dream about it." She responded. "I saw the Faerie Queene. She mentioned everything."
"Wait, how did you know it was the Faerie Queene?" Mai paused for a second.
"What are you afraid of?" I asked. "I said before you could tell me anything, and now you can. Please, tell me." I came close to her, and looked deep into her eyes.
"It's...it's because..." She started, but again, she seemed unsure of how to speak.
"It's because...I'm...well...I just had the dream is all. It's what followed the dream that worried me."
"What worried you?" I asked sympathetically. "If it's anything, anything at all, tell me. Tell me so I know not to do it."
"That's not it. It's not something you do; it's something that I must do. Joey, open the rock!" She ordered holding it out to me.
"I can't. It needs a..." I started for a second. Then I realized what Mai was asking.
"Absolutely fucking not!" I shouted. "There's no way I'll open it and let you sacrifice your life."
"You don't really have a choice. You have to get it open because this pendant is the only thing that can stop Andrea."
"How do you know about Andrea? The dream again?" I asked, hitting the rock out of her hand and watching it clatter on the kitchen table. She nodded and bit her lip.
"I know you don't want me to, but this is destiny at work, kiddo." Why was she acting carefree at a time like this?
"I ain't gonna. I don't care if Andrea starts killing people right and left, I don't want you to go!" I came in close, trying desperately to get Mai to understand me.
"Joey..." She said, and then she moved forward and kissed me. Hard. She forced herself on me so hard that I nearly stumbled. I kissed back. I'd been waiting a long time for this. She put her hand on the back of my head, while the other grabbed my wrist. I shut my eyes, this was pure magic, everything I thought it would be.
Until I realized that Mai shoved my hand on the rock, then pushed with all her strength to keep my hand from moving. I tried to break the kiss and yank, but Mai still had her vice-like grip on the back of my head, preventing me from moving. I was panicking as I felt a tingle in my hand and the loosening of the rock. No, dammit, not now! I struggled, I kept struggling, but Mai kept my hand and head in place with so much force, blood started oozing on the table.
"So shall the sacrifice be done. I am again free." The female voice that talked about sacrifice before spoke again. Mai kept her grip, and I nearly screamed.
A minute later, I felt Mai's grip loosen. I shoved her hand off of me, but it was too late. The rock itself had disappeared, and in it's place was the pendant, staring with it's single emerald eye at me like a demon. I ignored it and clutched Mai. She was still warm, but not breathing. Her heart was not pumping. I tried resuscitation even though I knew it was hopeless. I wanted to call an ambulance, but what would I say if they asked me what happened? So instead, I cried, I cried freely over her body.
"Damn it, Mai! It didn't have to be this way." I grieved. Why did she do this, how could she do this? Didn't she understand what she was doing? What wasn't enough for her, how did I fail her?
"You told me...you told me once that I could always count on you. But now, how could you do this? Mai, answer me!" I ordered knowing it was hopeless. I heard the door slam, and in stepped Serenity.
"Serenity!" I cried, hugging her with so much force I nearly knocked her over.
"Joey..." She started, taking in the scene slowly.
"Serenity, please. Please tell me that I'm dreaming. Tell me that I dozed off in class, or that I'm upstairs this very minute. Hell, tell me I'm at Dad's, getting the shit kicked out of me. Tell me I'm not here, tell me this didn't happen!"
"Joey..." She said softly, pushing my head to her chest. "The truth isn't always pleasant." She said.
"What can...I do?"
"Not something stupid." She said. "You know if you did something stupid that Mai would never forgive you."
"What are you talking about, I wasn't going to do something stupid." I angrily broke her hug.
She looked at me with sincerity.
"Then why are you holding that knife?" I looked down at my hand, and noticed that I was holding one of Mom's carving knives. I didn't even remember picking it up. I'd have a hell of a time explaining to Serenity that I wasn't about to commit suicide, although I felt like it. I would have gladly committed suicide if it meant being close to Mai again.
Serenity took the knife from my hand.
"Come on, Joey. I'll get the others. We need...we need to give her a service." She slipped the pendant around my neck.
"This is Mai." She said. "She gave it to you, so it is her." I didn't understand, but I think I felt better.
They buried her in the garden, but I couldn't show up. I stayed upstairs and watched from the window whenever I gathered the courage, but I only looked a few times. Because whenever I looked, I saw her face. Her cold, silent, sleeping face. And then I would lose my heart, and walk away.
"Mai." I grabbed the pendant in my hand. "I don't know where I failed you, but I promise that no matter what, I'll bring you back. If I have to blaspheme the name of my God and every law of nature, I'll do it."
Everyone stayed over, and made sure I was never alone. They still thought I would commit suicide. I tried to insist that I would be fine, but when I went to get a snack from the kitchen, my hand drifted to the knives again, and that's when Tristan entered the room. So now they didn't trust me alone anymore. I don't know what possessed me to touch those knives; maybe I did want to kill myself. So they stayed right beside me, all of them, until I finally went to sleep.
My dreams that night were horrible. I felt Mai in pain, and I reached out to her, but whenever I reached I saw her face, the face I saw at her funeral. I screamed, and kept calling out her name. That's when Serenity woke me up.
"You were talking in your sleep. I know, it's hard, especially on you. Please, try to remember her fondly. I tried to, but it wasn't helping. That's when Tristan snuck a sleeping pill in some water to force me to sleep. I didn't realize it then, but when I woke up I knew. When I woke up, however, I knew exactly what I had to do. Whispering Mai's name softly, I awoke before everyone else. Grabbing one of the carving knives, I ran as fast as I could away. I only had one chance to do this before they caught me and locked me away. It wasn't suicide, but it was damn well close, what I was trying had never been attempted before. However, for Mai, I would do anything.