Chapter Twenty-Six – Answers and Jealousy
Zarine's POV
I got up at the crack of dawn. I couldn't sleep anyways, so what was the point of staying in bed? Last night was the second night in a row that I couldn't sleep. Luckily, I don't have to battle today. There were only going to be three rounds in the 3 final rounds. Max, Kai, and Tyson are going to battle.
I can't get that dream out of my head. The dream last night had been more vivid than the last. Who was that person with the cold voice? Just thinking about it made me shudder. What did he mean by the person he wants is me? I don't even know him!
I sighed heavily and decided to go for a walk, hoping that the fresh air would clear my head.
Ray POV
I woke up and found Zarine's bed empty. Then I spotted a note on the night table between his and Zarine's bed.
It said,
Ray, I went for a walk. No need to wait for me for breakfast, I'll just buy something to eat in a store. I'll be back in time for the semi-finals against the Saint Shields!
Love,
Zarine
Wow, she sure has neat printing.
At breakfast, Max asked, "Where's Zarine? Is she still sleeping or something?"
"No, she went for a walk. She said that she'd just buy something to eat and will come back in time for our match," I replied.
We were cleaning up the dishes when Zarine came back.
"I'm back!" she said.
I looked at her and was startled to see that she had black circles under her eyes. She looked like she hadn't slept in days! The others looked at her too, in surprise. Kai looked inquiringly at me. I shook my head almost imperceptibly, not wanting Zarine to notice.
Tyson opened his mouth and was about to say something. I shot my teammate a warning look, and he shut his mouth. Now is not the time to ask her. She is really stubborn about keeping things to herself, nothing can wrestle it out of her. Even if she does answer, it'll probably be a lie.
"Is something wrong?" Zarine asked, tilting her head to the side and looked at them questioningly.
"Nothing," I answered quickly. "So where have you been?"
"I told you already! I went for a walk!" she snapped, and sent me a glare. "You know, I can take care of myself. I don't need you babysitting me all day!"
I was hurt by those words. I wondered what I did wrong to get her mad.
'It's not your fault,' Driger's voice came into my mind. 'She's going through a rough time. Just be patient.'
'I just want to know what's wrong with her. I hate to see her like this,' Ray said.
'If you really want to know, stay up tonight and watch over her, but you must not let her know. Remember that you mustn't, or you won't get your answer.'
'Okay. Thanks, Driger.'
On the way to the stadium, Zarine was walking with Max, Tyson and Kenny. She hadn't even looked at me since this morning. I hoped with all my heart that I would get my answer tonight, just as Driger promised.
Kai slowed down to walk beside me. "So any clue what's wrong with her yet?"
"Nope, but Driger said that she's going through a rough time and I would find out the deal with her tonight,"
"You know, if she's still like this by tomorrow, I'm not going to let her battle," Kai told me
I was surprised, really surprised, "What?! You know that she really wants to get her brother back."
He sighed, but said firmly, "The Dark Force is a powerful team. We can't afford to take any chances. We'd get her brother back for her."
"I suppose you're right," I agreed, somewhat reluctantly. "She is definitely not in any shape to battle."
When Max lost against Mariam, Zarine beside herself with anger. "What were you doing out there? You were totally pathetic!"
Max looked really hurt. Kai barked, "Zarine! I don't want to hear any more criticism from you! I am team captain and I will decide when to criticize."
Zarine bit her lip, but said nothing.
Kai and Tyson won their matches against Dunga and Ozuma. "The World Champions will face off against the mysterious Dark Force tomorrow!" Jazzman yelled through the cheers of the crowd. "Don't miss the finals tomorrow!"
"Great match!" Dunga said to us.
"Yeah, it was great," Kai agreed.
"Good luck in the finals," Ozuma said.
"Thanks!" Tyson smiled.
Normal POV
The Bladebreakers decided to stay and watch the round between the White Tigers and the Dark Force.
It was over in minutes. Lee, Mariah, and Gary's blade were all shattered by the other team.
The White Tigers were devastated, never before had they suffered from such a shameful loss.
"They're such strong opponents," Max said grimly.
"That's for sure," Ray said. "Let's go see how the White Tigers are doing."
They went and knocked on the door of the White Tigers dressing room or whatever it's called.
"Hello? Who is it?" Kevin's voice came from behind the door.
"It's Ray. The rest of my team are here too," Ray answered.
The door flew open. Mariah threw herself onto Ray. The force nearly knocked the wind out of him.
"I have never been so ashamed in my life!" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Zarine glared at her. She felt a stab of jealousy when Ray put his arms around Mariah and patted her on the head, comforting her.
All in all, the visit wasn't fun. The whole White Tigers team was miserable, and disappointed. All they talked about the whole time was how they couldn't face their elders in their village after their loss, and so on. It was a tedious hour for the Bladebreakers.
"We got to go now, to get some training done," Kai said finally.
"I'm going to stay here for a bit longer," Ray said. Mariah's face brightened at that prospect. She clutched Ray's arm even tighter. Zarine felt anger rising within her at the sight of that. She clenched her fists together, but didn't say anything.
That night, when Ray finally got away from Mariah, he found Zarine getting into bed already. The small girl just looked at him, and turned away. She was still pissed off about Mariah. He pretended to get ready for bed, and turned off the lights. Soon, he heard Zarine's deep and even breath, and knew that she was asleep.
Zarine's POV
I felt tears welling up into my eyes as I closed them. I felt so bad. I had hurt everyone's feeling's today. All because I was afraid. I knew I looked awful today. That had been the reason why my teammates were staring at me this morning. I didn't want them to know that I had been having bad dreams that scare me to death. Dreams about being in the dark, talk about being childish! I'm already younger than them, I have to prove that I'm as strong as any of them, especially to Ray.
I drifted into a troubled sleep. I was back again, for the third time. I groaned. I just wanted this to end and have a good sleep! The wind came again. This time, I started running as soon as I felt it. My legs felt like lead, but I struggled on, determine to escape it. The voice...the cold voice that make me numb with fear laughed evilly. I felt a shiver go down my spine...
"You can't run," it whispered.
I ignored it, and kept on running. Then, I felt something wrapped around my waist, stopping me in my tracks. I tugged on the thing, it felt like a rope. I tried to get it off, but in my attempt, the rope or whatever it is grew hot. It burnt my skin. As soon as I released it, it cooled down.
"Let me go!" I pleaded.
He just laughed at me. I felt an invisible force push me into something hard. There, I felt chains slipped into each of my wrists and ankles.
"What do you want from me?" I asked, in a small voice.
"I want you to join the darkness!"
"No! I won't do it!"
"Fine, then! Feel the pain!"
I saw the flash of a knife. It was aimed at my heart. Slowly, it was being lowered...as soon as it contacted my body, I screamed, and woke up. I sat up quickly, bumping my head in the corner of the night table. I couldn't care less, I checked the spot where that person had supposedly stabbed me. It was fine...nothing happened to it. This dream had been the worst of them all, and also the most vivid.
Ray's POV
I bolted up as soon as I heard the bang. I quickly turned on the lights. I saw Zarine, gasping for breath. Walking over to her, I saw that she was pale and sweating. Her eyes had a frightened look in them.
"Zarine, what's wrong?" I asked and took the terrified girl by the shoulders to face me.
She looked at me and acknowledged my presence for the first time. She suddenly threw her arms around me, shaking uncontrollably. I wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. I could feel her racing heart throbbing against my chest.
"It was so horrible. This one had been the worst one by far!" she sobbed into my chest.
So there had been other nightmares before! "What are you talking about?" I asked her.
"Dreams...dreams about the darkness...the wind...and the cold voice."
"Hush! It's okay. I'm here," I said softly, tightening my hold on her. I waited for her to stop shaking before saying, "Tell me about them."
"The first one, it was just the wind and the dark. It was a terrible wind. It made me cold all over. A cold voice talked to me in the second one. I was running. I asked him what he wanted and he said that he wanted me. This one..." a sob came out of her. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "The wind came immediately. I started running again. He just laughed at me, and used some kind of rope to stop me. I tried to get it off, but when I tried to, the rope burned me. An unseen force threw me against the wall where I was chained. He told me he wanted me to join the darkness. I refused and he...he stabbed me in the heart." A fresh wave of tears came after she finished telling me. "It was always so dark there! And I was always alone!"
"Shh...it's okay, it was just a nightmare, nothing more," I assured her.
"No it isn't!!!" she said fiercely.
I was startled by how vehement she sounded. "It was no dream, Ray. I know that something really bad is going to happen. At least, to me," she said, in a softer tone.
"Nothing is going to happen to you. I'll protect you," I promised.
"I think this was some kind of warning," she said slowly.
"We'll talk about it tomorrow. You have to get some sleep now," I said. I still haven't told her what Kai said to me in the afternoon.
I let go of her and watched her lay back down before covering her with the blanket. I was getting up to leave when I felt her grab my hand.
"Please stay," she pleaded. "Hold my hand or something. Just let me know you're here."
"Sure," I said.
I got onto the bed beside her, and reached over to turn off the lights. I put my arm around her. She moved closer to me. I felt myself blushing as she cuddled up against me. Eventually, her breathing slowed down, and her even breathing told me that she was asleep. I caught a flowery smell. I was looking for the source of it when I realized that the fragrance was from Zarine's hair. I moved closer to her, taking in the sweet fragrance of her hair. That was the last thing I remembered before falling asleep myself.
Zarine's POV
I got up at the crack of dawn. I couldn't sleep anyways, so what was the point of staying in bed? Last night was the second night in a row that I couldn't sleep. Luckily, I don't have to battle today. There were only going to be three rounds in the 3 final rounds. Max, Kai, and Tyson are going to battle.
I can't get that dream out of my head. The dream last night had been more vivid than the last. Who was that person with the cold voice? Just thinking about it made me shudder. What did he mean by the person he wants is me? I don't even know him!
I sighed heavily and decided to go for a walk, hoping that the fresh air would clear my head.
Ray POV
I woke up and found Zarine's bed empty. Then I spotted a note on the night table between his and Zarine's bed.
It said,
Ray, I went for a walk. No need to wait for me for breakfast, I'll just buy something to eat in a store. I'll be back in time for the semi-finals against the Saint Shields!
Love,
Zarine
Wow, she sure has neat printing.
At breakfast, Max asked, "Where's Zarine? Is she still sleeping or something?"
"No, she went for a walk. She said that she'd just buy something to eat and will come back in time for our match," I replied.
We were cleaning up the dishes when Zarine came back.
"I'm back!" she said.
I looked at her and was startled to see that she had black circles under her eyes. She looked like she hadn't slept in days! The others looked at her too, in surprise. Kai looked inquiringly at me. I shook my head almost imperceptibly, not wanting Zarine to notice.
Tyson opened his mouth and was about to say something. I shot my teammate a warning look, and he shut his mouth. Now is not the time to ask her. She is really stubborn about keeping things to herself, nothing can wrestle it out of her. Even if she does answer, it'll probably be a lie.
"Is something wrong?" Zarine asked, tilting her head to the side and looked at them questioningly.
"Nothing," I answered quickly. "So where have you been?"
"I told you already! I went for a walk!" she snapped, and sent me a glare. "You know, I can take care of myself. I don't need you babysitting me all day!"
I was hurt by those words. I wondered what I did wrong to get her mad.
'It's not your fault,' Driger's voice came into my mind. 'She's going through a rough time. Just be patient.'
'I just want to know what's wrong with her. I hate to see her like this,' Ray said.
'If you really want to know, stay up tonight and watch over her, but you must not let her know. Remember that you mustn't, or you won't get your answer.'
'Okay. Thanks, Driger.'
On the way to the stadium, Zarine was walking with Max, Tyson and Kenny. She hadn't even looked at me since this morning. I hoped with all my heart that I would get my answer tonight, just as Driger promised.
Kai slowed down to walk beside me. "So any clue what's wrong with her yet?"
"Nope, but Driger said that she's going through a rough time and I would find out the deal with her tonight,"
"You know, if she's still like this by tomorrow, I'm not going to let her battle," Kai told me
I was surprised, really surprised, "What?! You know that she really wants to get her brother back."
He sighed, but said firmly, "The Dark Force is a powerful team. We can't afford to take any chances. We'd get her brother back for her."
"I suppose you're right," I agreed, somewhat reluctantly. "She is definitely not in any shape to battle."
When Max lost against Mariam, Zarine beside herself with anger. "What were you doing out there? You were totally pathetic!"
Max looked really hurt. Kai barked, "Zarine! I don't want to hear any more criticism from you! I am team captain and I will decide when to criticize."
Zarine bit her lip, but said nothing.
Kai and Tyson won their matches against Dunga and Ozuma. "The World Champions will face off against the mysterious Dark Force tomorrow!" Jazzman yelled through the cheers of the crowd. "Don't miss the finals tomorrow!"
"Great match!" Dunga said to us.
"Yeah, it was great," Kai agreed.
"Good luck in the finals," Ozuma said.
"Thanks!" Tyson smiled.
Normal POV
The Bladebreakers decided to stay and watch the round between the White Tigers and the Dark Force.
It was over in minutes. Lee, Mariah, and Gary's blade were all shattered by the other team.
The White Tigers were devastated, never before had they suffered from such a shameful loss.
"They're such strong opponents," Max said grimly.
"That's for sure," Ray said. "Let's go see how the White Tigers are doing."
They went and knocked on the door of the White Tigers dressing room or whatever it's called.
"Hello? Who is it?" Kevin's voice came from behind the door.
"It's Ray. The rest of my team are here too," Ray answered.
The door flew open. Mariah threw herself onto Ray. The force nearly knocked the wind out of him.
"I have never been so ashamed in my life!" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Zarine glared at her. She felt a stab of jealousy when Ray put his arms around Mariah and patted her on the head, comforting her.
All in all, the visit wasn't fun. The whole White Tigers team was miserable, and disappointed. All they talked about the whole time was how they couldn't face their elders in their village after their loss, and so on. It was a tedious hour for the Bladebreakers.
"We got to go now, to get some training done," Kai said finally.
"I'm going to stay here for a bit longer," Ray said. Mariah's face brightened at that prospect. She clutched Ray's arm even tighter. Zarine felt anger rising within her at the sight of that. She clenched her fists together, but didn't say anything.
That night, when Ray finally got away from Mariah, he found Zarine getting into bed already. The small girl just looked at him, and turned away. She was still pissed off about Mariah. He pretended to get ready for bed, and turned off the lights. Soon, he heard Zarine's deep and even breath, and knew that she was asleep.
Zarine's POV
I felt tears welling up into my eyes as I closed them. I felt so bad. I had hurt everyone's feeling's today. All because I was afraid. I knew I looked awful today. That had been the reason why my teammates were staring at me this morning. I didn't want them to know that I had been having bad dreams that scare me to death. Dreams about being in the dark, talk about being childish! I'm already younger than them, I have to prove that I'm as strong as any of them, especially to Ray.
I drifted into a troubled sleep. I was back again, for the third time. I groaned. I just wanted this to end and have a good sleep! The wind came again. This time, I started running as soon as I felt it. My legs felt like lead, but I struggled on, determine to escape it. The voice...the cold voice that make me numb with fear laughed evilly. I felt a shiver go down my spine...
"You can't run," it whispered.
I ignored it, and kept on running. Then, I felt something wrapped around my waist, stopping me in my tracks. I tugged on the thing, it felt like a rope. I tried to get it off, but in my attempt, the rope or whatever it is grew hot. It burnt my skin. As soon as I released it, it cooled down.
"Let me go!" I pleaded.
He just laughed at me. I felt an invisible force push me into something hard. There, I felt chains slipped into each of my wrists and ankles.
"What do you want from me?" I asked, in a small voice.
"I want you to join the darkness!"
"No! I won't do it!"
"Fine, then! Feel the pain!"
I saw the flash of a knife. It was aimed at my heart. Slowly, it was being lowered...as soon as it contacted my body, I screamed, and woke up. I sat up quickly, bumping my head in the corner of the night table. I couldn't care less, I checked the spot where that person had supposedly stabbed me. It was fine...nothing happened to it. This dream had been the worst of them all, and also the most vivid.
Ray's POV
I bolted up as soon as I heard the bang. I quickly turned on the lights. I saw Zarine, gasping for breath. Walking over to her, I saw that she was pale and sweating. Her eyes had a frightened look in them.
"Zarine, what's wrong?" I asked and took the terrified girl by the shoulders to face me.
She looked at me and acknowledged my presence for the first time. She suddenly threw her arms around me, shaking uncontrollably. I wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. I could feel her racing heart throbbing against my chest.
"It was so horrible. This one had been the worst one by far!" she sobbed into my chest.
So there had been other nightmares before! "What are you talking about?" I asked her.
"Dreams...dreams about the darkness...the wind...and the cold voice."
"Hush! It's okay. I'm here," I said softly, tightening my hold on her. I waited for her to stop shaking before saying, "Tell me about them."
"The first one, it was just the wind and the dark. It was a terrible wind. It made me cold all over. A cold voice talked to me in the second one. I was running. I asked him what he wanted and he said that he wanted me. This one..." a sob came out of her. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "The wind came immediately. I started running again. He just laughed at me, and used some kind of rope to stop me. I tried to get it off, but when I tried to, the rope burned me. An unseen force threw me against the wall where I was chained. He told me he wanted me to join the darkness. I refused and he...he stabbed me in the heart." A fresh wave of tears came after she finished telling me. "It was always so dark there! And I was always alone!"
"Shh...it's okay, it was just a nightmare, nothing more," I assured her.
"No it isn't!!!" she said fiercely.
I was startled by how vehement she sounded. "It was no dream, Ray. I know that something really bad is going to happen. At least, to me," she said, in a softer tone.
"Nothing is going to happen to you. I'll protect you," I promised.
"I think this was some kind of warning," she said slowly.
"We'll talk about it tomorrow. You have to get some sleep now," I said. I still haven't told her what Kai said to me in the afternoon.
I let go of her and watched her lay back down before covering her with the blanket. I was getting up to leave when I felt her grab my hand.
"Please stay," she pleaded. "Hold my hand or something. Just let me know you're here."
"Sure," I said.
I got onto the bed beside her, and reached over to turn off the lights. I put my arm around her. She moved closer to me. I felt myself blushing as she cuddled up against me. Eventually, her breathing slowed down, and her even breathing told me that she was asleep. I caught a flowery smell. I was looking for the source of it when I realized that the fragrance was from Zarine's hair. I moved closer to her, taking in the sweet fragrance of her hair. That was the last thing I remembered before falling asleep myself.