Chapter 16: Pandora's Polonius
"Now that we've actually got five seconds to talk," Terra said, chomping into a ham and cheese sandwich. "How ya'll likin' school so far?"
"American sfool sure if a lot more interefting that British school if," Ron said, his mouth almost too full to talk. He swallowed hard. "More interesting people to talk to. There was this girl in my second block who swore up and down that someone was following her. But she shrugged it off like it was nothing at all."
"We've got a few weirdoes at this school, yeah," Blank smirked. "Take those two, for example." She jerked her thumb toward Renee and Terra. "Renee's hyper all the time and no one knows how Terra finds the energy to act so insane twenty-four-seven."
"It's 'cause I'm a Hamlet," Terra grinned. "I'd love to find out who my Claudius is. Probably Dirken, he'd be an excellent Claudius. But that would make him my uncle...and my mother's husband. Ew. Ew. Ew. Major. Well, at least it isn't true."
"And who would that make Polonius?"
"Whoever is his right hand. What about Ophelia? I'm a girl!"
"Riku!" Renee shouted.
"Sora!" Blank cried on her heels.
"Harry!" Hermione laughed right after them. All three said boys' cheeks changed to a nice rosy tinct, the likes of which wouldn't be coming off any time soon.
"Hey, hey, what about Horatio! He's the most important part!"
"I know, I know!" Ron laughed. "Blank or Renee."
"Blank, I'd say," Kyle languidly walked in and wrapped his arm around Terra and Renee's waists. "How are we all doing here in Imagination Land? College is fine, mates, before you even ask."
"What makes you think we'd ask?" Terra asked, slipping from his arm and prancing about the hall. "Shining star, where art thou?"
"Vanishing from the sky," Kyle said, suddenly glum. "Another star went poof while ya'll were gone."
Silence subdued the little group. So many places were vanishing out from under their noses already. How many more will need to be sacrificed before their six years were up? Terra frowned, her brow wrinkling in worry. Would they lose anyone?
"We'll just have to keep doing what we are," she said. "That's the only way to beat Pandora and Dirken."
"Pandora's Polonius!" Renee yelled.
They laughed.
"Are you gonna stab her behind an arras, Terra?"
"I sure hope so," she said, completely serious.
Terra waved good-bye to the others as she and Riku headed at last to their final class of the day: History. Harry and Hermione had math. Ron was all by himself in English. Riku's silver hair bounced lightly as he practically dragged his feet into the tiny history room.
"'U.S. History I'," Terra read the door. "I've only passed that about twenty times since semester, but I still don't like it. The history of my own country doesn't really interest me. I like histories I've never heard of before. Like the Meiji Era in Japan. Maybe it'll interest you more; you've never heard it before."
"Perhaps," he said.
"You've been...rather quiet since we started all this, Riku," Terra said as they walked into the room. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. A little overwhelmed, but fine."
"I'm here, Riku. I know what you're going through."
"Do you?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you really know? I don't think so."
Terra didn't have an answer to that. The class filed in and they sat together in the very back of the room. The American Revolution—again. Terra sighed, sinking into a deep trance. No one wanted to hear Oldsman drone about subjects they'd heard about fifty times over.
She idly began doodling in her notes. Listening, she jotted down things that sounded important. The class began reading out loud from the book. By now, she was an expert at paying attention and idly drawing at the same time. When it was her turn to read, she picked up exactly where she should.
She shut the book almost instantly when the bell rang for the end of class. Waiting for everyone else to get out, she slowly shoved her books into her bag. The teacher stood outside to monitor the halls. Slowly, she turned and glanced at her silver-haired friend and spoke up at last.
"Riku, is there something you're not telling me?" Terra asked. "I mean, you've been real quiet..."
"I guess I just miss Kairi," he said, staring at the wall. "She meant a lot to Sora and me. And we know Pandora's not exactly trustworthy..."
"I know. I'm sorry she's gone, Riku." She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, letting him rest his cheek against her shoulder. "We'll find her. She's safe, I know she is. Even demons keep their promises." He placed his hand on her shoulder, as though to push her away, but he didn't.
They stood there like that for several moments in silence. At last, Riku lifted his head again and turned away, shouldering his white pack. As if nothing had happened, Terra grinned, speaking again.
"And if Pandora's really a Polonius, believe me, she's really, really stupid." He smiled, his eyes softly closed. In that instant, Terra knew she loved him. She also knew she would never be able to have him. Kairi had already taken his heart.
"Wonderland," Freda said, whistling through her teeth. "Morning, all. Have a nice day at school?"
"Yes, ma'am," Blank grinned. As Sora glanced curiously at the heart-shaped hedge of the Queen of Hearts' garden, she frowned. "We're really going in there?"
"Yup," Freda said. "Terra always said this was the hardest part in the game."
"Why?" Kyle asked. "They're a bunch of card people and an old fat hag."
"Because she never got that strong before she got here," Al said. "I, on the other hand, was smarter and powered up in Traverse Town."
"Well, there's no such thing as experience points here, as Riku so eloquently put it," Blank said. "Are we all ready?"
Silence.
"Then let's get moving."
The small group walked in to the garden, where the queen was already beginning her "trial" on Alice. Sora couldn't help but stare at the woman. She uncannily looked a lot like Terra's high school principal.
"Who goes there? Halt! Halt, I say!" shouted the woman. "Who are you?"
"Er..."
"We're here to prove Alice's innocence. If you will give us some time, we will gather evidence for her," Blank said, her eyes blazing. "Will you let us?"
"If you must," she sighed. "But if you do not find evidence, or I find it insufficient, it's off with ALL of your heads!"
Sora grimaced at the image that popped into his head.
"Why are we doing this again?" Freda asked. "Alice got out of worse scrapes in the movie..." "This isn't the movie, Mom," Al said. "Nor is it a game. It's real life. You gotta get that through your thick skull. We've got to help Alice because she can't help herself."
They tramped through the woods in silence. Every once in a while, a Heartless or two would attack them, but so far, nothing of great importance happened. No one seemed to know where they were going, their only intent being to find "evidence" of whatever Alice's crime was. Which no one seemed to know the specifics of, by the way.
"Where's that stupid cat?" Blank muttered. "It should have been here a long time ago."
"We're looking for a cat now?" Freda blinked.
"The Cheshire Cat, to be precise," Al said. "It's more of an annoyance than a help, but riddles are what it does best."
The pink and red striped cat was nowhere to be seen.
On they trekked, into the night.
"Well, we'd best get back to Hogwarts for our sleep," Blank said with a sigh. "I wonder if queenie in there will just get impatient and do Alice in anyway."
"I sure hope not," Sora said, bowing his head.
"Now that we've actually got five seconds to talk," Terra said, chomping into a ham and cheese sandwich. "How ya'll likin' school so far?"
"American sfool sure if a lot more interefting that British school if," Ron said, his mouth almost too full to talk. He swallowed hard. "More interesting people to talk to. There was this girl in my second block who swore up and down that someone was following her. But she shrugged it off like it was nothing at all."
"We've got a few weirdoes at this school, yeah," Blank smirked. "Take those two, for example." She jerked her thumb toward Renee and Terra. "Renee's hyper all the time and no one knows how Terra finds the energy to act so insane twenty-four-seven."
"It's 'cause I'm a Hamlet," Terra grinned. "I'd love to find out who my Claudius is. Probably Dirken, he'd be an excellent Claudius. But that would make him my uncle...and my mother's husband. Ew. Ew. Ew. Major. Well, at least it isn't true."
"And who would that make Polonius?"
"Whoever is his right hand. What about Ophelia? I'm a girl!"
"Riku!" Renee shouted.
"Sora!" Blank cried on her heels.
"Harry!" Hermione laughed right after them. All three said boys' cheeks changed to a nice rosy tinct, the likes of which wouldn't be coming off any time soon.
"Hey, hey, what about Horatio! He's the most important part!"
"I know, I know!" Ron laughed. "Blank or Renee."
"Blank, I'd say," Kyle languidly walked in and wrapped his arm around Terra and Renee's waists. "How are we all doing here in Imagination Land? College is fine, mates, before you even ask."
"What makes you think we'd ask?" Terra asked, slipping from his arm and prancing about the hall. "Shining star, where art thou?"
"Vanishing from the sky," Kyle said, suddenly glum. "Another star went poof while ya'll were gone."
Silence subdued the little group. So many places were vanishing out from under their noses already. How many more will need to be sacrificed before their six years were up? Terra frowned, her brow wrinkling in worry. Would they lose anyone?
"We'll just have to keep doing what we are," she said. "That's the only way to beat Pandora and Dirken."
"Pandora's Polonius!" Renee yelled.
They laughed.
"Are you gonna stab her behind an arras, Terra?"
"I sure hope so," she said, completely serious.
Terra waved good-bye to the others as she and Riku headed at last to their final class of the day: History. Harry and Hermione had math. Ron was all by himself in English. Riku's silver hair bounced lightly as he practically dragged his feet into the tiny history room.
"'U.S. History I'," Terra read the door. "I've only passed that about twenty times since semester, but I still don't like it. The history of my own country doesn't really interest me. I like histories I've never heard of before. Like the Meiji Era in Japan. Maybe it'll interest you more; you've never heard it before."
"Perhaps," he said.
"You've been...rather quiet since we started all this, Riku," Terra said as they walked into the room. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. A little overwhelmed, but fine."
"I'm here, Riku. I know what you're going through."
"Do you?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you really know? I don't think so."
Terra didn't have an answer to that. The class filed in and they sat together in the very back of the room. The American Revolution—again. Terra sighed, sinking into a deep trance. No one wanted to hear Oldsman drone about subjects they'd heard about fifty times over.
She idly began doodling in her notes. Listening, she jotted down things that sounded important. The class began reading out loud from the book. By now, she was an expert at paying attention and idly drawing at the same time. When it was her turn to read, she picked up exactly where she should.
She shut the book almost instantly when the bell rang for the end of class. Waiting for everyone else to get out, she slowly shoved her books into her bag. The teacher stood outside to monitor the halls. Slowly, she turned and glanced at her silver-haired friend and spoke up at last.
"Riku, is there something you're not telling me?" Terra asked. "I mean, you've been real quiet..."
"I guess I just miss Kairi," he said, staring at the wall. "She meant a lot to Sora and me. And we know Pandora's not exactly trustworthy..."
"I know. I'm sorry she's gone, Riku." She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, letting him rest his cheek against her shoulder. "We'll find her. She's safe, I know she is. Even demons keep their promises." He placed his hand on her shoulder, as though to push her away, but he didn't.
They stood there like that for several moments in silence. At last, Riku lifted his head again and turned away, shouldering his white pack. As if nothing had happened, Terra grinned, speaking again.
"And if Pandora's really a Polonius, believe me, she's really, really stupid." He smiled, his eyes softly closed. In that instant, Terra knew she loved him. She also knew she would never be able to have him. Kairi had already taken his heart.
"Wonderland," Freda said, whistling through her teeth. "Morning, all. Have a nice day at school?"
"Yes, ma'am," Blank grinned. As Sora glanced curiously at the heart-shaped hedge of the Queen of Hearts' garden, she frowned. "We're really going in there?"
"Yup," Freda said. "Terra always said this was the hardest part in the game."
"Why?" Kyle asked. "They're a bunch of card people and an old fat hag."
"Because she never got that strong before she got here," Al said. "I, on the other hand, was smarter and powered up in Traverse Town."
"Well, there's no such thing as experience points here, as Riku so eloquently put it," Blank said. "Are we all ready?"
Silence.
"Then let's get moving."
The small group walked in to the garden, where the queen was already beginning her "trial" on Alice. Sora couldn't help but stare at the woman. She uncannily looked a lot like Terra's high school principal.
"Who goes there? Halt! Halt, I say!" shouted the woman. "Who are you?"
"Er..."
"We're here to prove Alice's innocence. If you will give us some time, we will gather evidence for her," Blank said, her eyes blazing. "Will you let us?"
"If you must," she sighed. "But if you do not find evidence, or I find it insufficient, it's off with ALL of your heads!"
Sora grimaced at the image that popped into his head.
"Why are we doing this again?" Freda asked. "Alice got out of worse scrapes in the movie..." "This isn't the movie, Mom," Al said. "Nor is it a game. It's real life. You gotta get that through your thick skull. We've got to help Alice because she can't help herself."
They tramped through the woods in silence. Every once in a while, a Heartless or two would attack them, but so far, nothing of great importance happened. No one seemed to know where they were going, their only intent being to find "evidence" of whatever Alice's crime was. Which no one seemed to know the specifics of, by the way.
"Where's that stupid cat?" Blank muttered. "It should have been here a long time ago."
"We're looking for a cat now?" Freda blinked.
"The Cheshire Cat, to be precise," Al said. "It's more of an annoyance than a help, but riddles are what it does best."
The pink and red striped cat was nowhere to be seen.
On they trekked, into the night.
"Well, we'd best get back to Hogwarts for our sleep," Blank said with a sigh. "I wonder if queenie in there will just get impatient and do Alice in anyway."
"I sure hope not," Sora said, bowing his head.