AN: I'm giving a ahead warning of a little language as it might desturb senstive viewers. :) No, really, it's my duty to inform you that there's some harsh language ahead. I've tried to scale it down through the fic (as i tend to be a bit fouled mouthed at times) but in this chapter, i'm sure even the Saints would've reacted the same way.
Chapter 22: Help
Joanie-Ellen stared miserably at the parking lot in front of her before she looked up at the cable line. By her guess it would take the cable car about fifteen minutes max to reach the top or bottom. It had taken her almost four hours by road. She was exhausted and daunted by the fact that – all in all – she hadn't come that far. If she had used the cable line… She shuddered and pushed the thought away as she gazed up at the looming mountain. The image of the cars dangling in mid air – with nothing but a line holding it up… She shuddered again, stuffed frozen hands deeper into her pockets and started trudging up the driveway to the main road. This was a mistake… She squashed the thought before it took hold. She was doing what's right by her. She had no place in this world. Staying here was keeping an illusion alive that would in the end just shatter like the rest. These people would come to hate her anyway. She would never fit in. This was a mistake. She wasn't sure what she meant. Reaching the road Joanie discovered another problem. She didn't know which way to go. Looking at the snow-covered road Joanie almost turned around and ran back to the academy. The cowardly urge was enough to make her loose her temper with herself though, as she stormed off into a direction. 'Coward. Sniffling little…' Nothing. Joanie-Ellen gave a surprised yell when she stumbled forward as the ground gave way before her.
'Sky, clouds, Touch.'
Joanie's little body jerked as Skyla caught her seconds after appearing. She gasped and stayed very still for a few seconds before she opened her eyes and started struggling. "Let me go!" She cried out before she even looked around her. "You have no right…" Skyla had difficulty holding on to the squiring kid. "Joanie, please calm down." She requested. "I can't let you go, easy now…" The girl wasn't calming down. Before Skyla could get a decent grip on her, Joanie managed to role out of her arms. It took her less than a heartbeat to realize that there was no ground to land on.
Joanie didn't even scream. Moving quickly Skyla managed to get below her again and catch her. Eyes closed the girl didn't even make a sound, her body shaking so much Skyla almost felt off balance. Noticing Joanie's stark white pallor, Skyla made a soothing sound and descended quickly so that she could find a place to land. When they passed the cloud cover Skyla flew to a large piece of open field on the edge of a high cliff overlooking the Capital. She set herself down and loosened her hold on the girl. Joanie was out of her arms so fast that she stumbled and rolled away from the woman. As she stopped her body shuddered and she coughed into the grass. Skyla gave the girl enough space until she saw her rub the back of her hand over her mouth. She approached her slowly and hunched down next to her. "Are you okay?" She queried softly and rested a hand on Joanie's shoulder. The girl reacted with more vehemence than she usually did as she spun around and slapped Skyla's hand away. "What the…" Her face went a shade paler as she looked at the woman. "It wasn't a dream." She muttered to herself, then jumped up – eyes wide. "Holy fuck you're a freaking fairy!" She exclaimed and stepped back. "Shit! What the…" She looked around her bewildered and took another step back. "What is this?" Skyla didn't bother to reprimand her on her language as she stayed in a kneeling position. "Another world." She said calmly and waited for the stricken child's reaction.
Joanie blinked at her, giggled but stifled it quickly. Her eyes started widening as she took in the woman's sudden queenly air, her wings and her blond streaked hair – a vision she has had in her dreams since she came to the Dance Academy. "Shit." She whispered, fear suddenly entering her eyes. "Shit!" With out warning she turned around and bolted in a direction. Skyla jumped up and flew in front of her. Joanie turned so quickly her feet slipped out underneath her but in a show of agility she had gained on the street she made a summersault and came up in a run. She got two paces before Skyla seized her under the arms and lifted her a little off of the ground. Joanie went limp with terror as she watched her feet dangle above her. Turning her around in the air and making sure that she had a firm grip on her, Skyla set them both down again. Instead of running away this time Joanie shrank away from her touch, her eyes squeezed tight. "Take me back." She whispered before Skyla could get in a word. "Take me back right now." The woman sighed softly. "Hear me out Joanie please." She said softly, trying to keep her tone soothing. "I need your help. Please." The girl stubbornly shook her head. "Take me home." She pleaded again. "Please take me…" Skyla shook her head. "Jade, Slam, Breeze, Angelica and Camille are in trouble." She made sure to say every name clearly. "As things are looking, you are the only one who can help them. Joanie, I'm asking you to help me. Please." She allowed Joanie to break away from her grip. The kid took a few steps back but didn't run. "No." She said in a shaky voice. "I don't even know what you are. What they are. No. This is freaking weird. No." Skyla made sure that she met Joanie's eyes. "I am from this world." She admitted. "But they are not. They are like you, students of mine who I have brought here to help me protect this place. Today, I have failed to protect them, now I need your help." Joanie's eyes were still wide as she shook her head. "So that you can fail to protect me too?" She queried. "No. I want to get out of here. Take me back. You had no right to bring me here. No." Things were not looking good as Joanie took another step back and looked up at the sky as if she expected to be beamed up. In desperation, Skyla played her last card. "Joanie-Ellen, please." The girl blinked as if struck and stared at her. "How do you know my real name?" She hissed under her breath. The woman sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "When we found you," she began slowly, "you were very sick. You know that right?" Joanie nodded hesitantly. Skyla sighed again before continuing. "Well," she said gently, "you were very sick. Much sicker than we let you to believe. You needed a doctor and there wasn't one at the academy. So, I brought you here to an old friend of mine. While we were busy, I told the Skydancers with me to go through your bag. We found your books." Joanie had gone very pale and still. She shivered slightly and touched her sudden dry lips with her tongue. "Then… then you saw the purse?" She whispered hoarsely. Skyla merely nodded. The stricken child took a quick breath. "I… I put it back on your desk!" She exclaimed. "I didn't take any of the money, I swear!" Skyla nodded quickly and held up her hands. "I know." She said gently. "I saw Joanie." She paused and smiled slightly. "I also saw that you placed and extra fifty dollars into it as well." Joanie's posture began to relax as she dropped her gaze to the floor. "I… figured you would've figured that I took it when you found it on your desk." She muttered. "I also figured that you wouldn't mind if you saw that I put some extra money in…" Skyla smiled as she studied the girl. "An investment well placed." She said to herself. "I will give it back to you off course. Don't worry." Joanie didn't say anything. She bit her tongue and squeezed her eyes shut. "If I… help you." She began slowly. "Will you let me go then? Will you leave me alone?" Skyla nodded sadly. "Yes, but if you really don't want to Joanie…" The girl shook her head and unzipped her jacket. It was considerably warmer in the wingdom than from where she came. Her dark eyes were haunted when she looked up to mean Skyla's. "What do I have to do?"
Chapter 22: Help
Joanie-Ellen stared miserably at the parking lot in front of her before she looked up at the cable line. By her guess it would take the cable car about fifteen minutes max to reach the top or bottom. It had taken her almost four hours by road. She was exhausted and daunted by the fact that – all in all – she hadn't come that far. If she had used the cable line… She shuddered and pushed the thought away as she gazed up at the looming mountain. The image of the cars dangling in mid air – with nothing but a line holding it up… She shuddered again, stuffed frozen hands deeper into her pockets and started trudging up the driveway to the main road. This was a mistake… She squashed the thought before it took hold. She was doing what's right by her. She had no place in this world. Staying here was keeping an illusion alive that would in the end just shatter like the rest. These people would come to hate her anyway. She would never fit in. This was a mistake. She wasn't sure what she meant. Reaching the road Joanie discovered another problem. She didn't know which way to go. Looking at the snow-covered road Joanie almost turned around and ran back to the academy. The cowardly urge was enough to make her loose her temper with herself though, as she stormed off into a direction. 'Coward. Sniffling little…' Nothing. Joanie-Ellen gave a surprised yell when she stumbled forward as the ground gave way before her.
'Sky, clouds, Touch.'
Joanie's little body jerked as Skyla caught her seconds after appearing. She gasped and stayed very still for a few seconds before she opened her eyes and started struggling. "Let me go!" She cried out before she even looked around her. "You have no right…" Skyla had difficulty holding on to the squiring kid. "Joanie, please calm down." She requested. "I can't let you go, easy now…" The girl wasn't calming down. Before Skyla could get a decent grip on her, Joanie managed to role out of her arms. It took her less than a heartbeat to realize that there was no ground to land on.
Joanie didn't even scream. Moving quickly Skyla managed to get below her again and catch her. Eyes closed the girl didn't even make a sound, her body shaking so much Skyla almost felt off balance. Noticing Joanie's stark white pallor, Skyla made a soothing sound and descended quickly so that she could find a place to land. When they passed the cloud cover Skyla flew to a large piece of open field on the edge of a high cliff overlooking the Capital. She set herself down and loosened her hold on the girl. Joanie was out of her arms so fast that she stumbled and rolled away from the woman. As she stopped her body shuddered and she coughed into the grass. Skyla gave the girl enough space until she saw her rub the back of her hand over her mouth. She approached her slowly and hunched down next to her. "Are you okay?" She queried softly and rested a hand on Joanie's shoulder. The girl reacted with more vehemence than she usually did as she spun around and slapped Skyla's hand away. "What the…" Her face went a shade paler as she looked at the woman. "It wasn't a dream." She muttered to herself, then jumped up – eyes wide. "Holy fuck you're a freaking fairy!" She exclaimed and stepped back. "Shit! What the…" She looked around her bewildered and took another step back. "What is this?" Skyla didn't bother to reprimand her on her language as she stayed in a kneeling position. "Another world." She said calmly and waited for the stricken child's reaction.
Joanie blinked at her, giggled but stifled it quickly. Her eyes started widening as she took in the woman's sudden queenly air, her wings and her blond streaked hair – a vision she has had in her dreams since she came to the Dance Academy. "Shit." She whispered, fear suddenly entering her eyes. "Shit!" With out warning she turned around and bolted in a direction. Skyla jumped up and flew in front of her. Joanie turned so quickly her feet slipped out underneath her but in a show of agility she had gained on the street she made a summersault and came up in a run. She got two paces before Skyla seized her under the arms and lifted her a little off of the ground. Joanie went limp with terror as she watched her feet dangle above her. Turning her around in the air and making sure that she had a firm grip on her, Skyla set them both down again. Instead of running away this time Joanie shrank away from her touch, her eyes squeezed tight. "Take me back." She whispered before Skyla could get in a word. "Take me back right now." The woman sighed softly. "Hear me out Joanie please." She said softly, trying to keep her tone soothing. "I need your help. Please." The girl stubbornly shook her head. "Take me home." She pleaded again. "Please take me…" Skyla shook her head. "Jade, Slam, Breeze, Angelica and Camille are in trouble." She made sure to say every name clearly. "As things are looking, you are the only one who can help them. Joanie, I'm asking you to help me. Please." She allowed Joanie to break away from her grip. The kid took a few steps back but didn't run. "No." She said in a shaky voice. "I don't even know what you are. What they are. No. This is freaking weird. No." Skyla made sure that she met Joanie's eyes. "I am from this world." She admitted. "But they are not. They are like you, students of mine who I have brought here to help me protect this place. Today, I have failed to protect them, now I need your help." Joanie's eyes were still wide as she shook her head. "So that you can fail to protect me too?" She queried. "No. I want to get out of here. Take me back. You had no right to bring me here. No." Things were not looking good as Joanie took another step back and looked up at the sky as if she expected to be beamed up. In desperation, Skyla played her last card. "Joanie-Ellen, please." The girl blinked as if struck and stared at her. "How do you know my real name?" She hissed under her breath. The woman sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "When we found you," she began slowly, "you were very sick. You know that right?" Joanie nodded hesitantly. Skyla sighed again before continuing. "Well," she said gently, "you were very sick. Much sicker than we let you to believe. You needed a doctor and there wasn't one at the academy. So, I brought you here to an old friend of mine. While we were busy, I told the Skydancers with me to go through your bag. We found your books." Joanie had gone very pale and still. She shivered slightly and touched her sudden dry lips with her tongue. "Then… then you saw the purse?" She whispered hoarsely. Skyla merely nodded. The stricken child took a quick breath. "I… I put it back on your desk!" She exclaimed. "I didn't take any of the money, I swear!" Skyla nodded quickly and held up her hands. "I know." She said gently. "I saw Joanie." She paused and smiled slightly. "I also saw that you placed and extra fifty dollars into it as well." Joanie's posture began to relax as she dropped her gaze to the floor. "I… figured you would've figured that I took it when you found it on your desk." She muttered. "I also figured that you wouldn't mind if you saw that I put some extra money in…" Skyla smiled as she studied the girl. "An investment well placed." She said to herself. "I will give it back to you off course. Don't worry." Joanie didn't say anything. She bit her tongue and squeezed her eyes shut. "If I… help you." She began slowly. "Will you let me go then? Will you leave me alone?" Skyla nodded sadly. "Yes, but if you really don't want to Joanie…" The girl shook her head and unzipped her jacket. It was considerably warmer in the wingdom than from where she came. Her dark eyes were haunted when she looked up to mean Skyla's. "What do I have to do?"