Huge, huge thank yous go to:
Autumnaki: Thank you so much for the great review; I'm especially glad you think the grammar is good! And no, you're not imagining it- there will be much more sweetness of Albina and Tala to come!
Tama: WOW I've never had such praise, thank you so much!!! There is a lot more excitement and Tala-ness to come so I hope you keep reading!
Columbine-icetree: Hi Chelle! Thanks so much for reading, and putting up with all the beyblade-ness! You're so sweet to say I amaze you!! :D
X Shadow Wolf X2: Thank you for being my first reviewer and for sticking with the story- I really appreciate it. And I hope you update your fanfic soon! ;)
Cookie crumbs: Thanks for reviewing! I sent you an e-mail about Albina, I hope it will be sufficient :D
Disclaimer: If I owned Beyblade, Tala would be in every single episode. Along with Albina, who belongs to me!
Chapter 4 – ConsequencesAlbina looked closely at the man. So...this was Boris. He exuded evil and corruption; held the lives of so many innocent orphans in his large, veined hands; he could crush anyone of them at any second, as easily as that. Would he do that to her, now that her secret was out?
"Girl- I don't know why or how you got in here, but I should be either killing you or throwing you out right now. However, these men have reported to me that you have unusual talent with a beyblade. If I find this sufficient, I MAY let you stay. You will demonstrate, now! Against Tala. The loser- will be punished."
"Why should he be involved? It was me who was breaking the rules!" Albina cried, even more horrified at what may be awaiting Tala if she won over him again. Perhaps, if she timed it right and was very careful, she'd be able to ensure it was a draw.
"Because you were both out of your cells at night! Besides that- I think it may be interesting."
Looking at each other guiltily, they launched their blades half-heartedly and began to battle. It was a long and drawn out battle, each afraid of hurting the other. After five minutes, Boris got so infuriated that he declared they would both be punished, and kept separate from now on. Albina felt her heart shatter- Tala was the only one who could keep her sane in this satanic place, and now her last lifeline was going to be cut off. The thought of punishment didn't even register in her brain- even as she was beat and whipped, all that remained on her mind was the thought of never seeing him again. Afterwards, she was led back to Boris, where she was forced to beybattle against one of his henchmen, as another chance to prove her worth. She decided that there was more chance of seeing Tala if she stayed here than if she was kicked out, or killed- so she gave it all she had and won in an instant.
"Excellent!" Boris cried, his eyes shining menacingly through his mask. "You will prove useful... as to whether you will prove as a suitable replacement for Kai, that remains to be seen. From now on you will be isolated from the others, in your own cell. Train hard, get better- and you will be rewarded..." Albina's feelings were confused. Did she want to be alone? It would be more like her old life, and yet... she felt like now she had tasted friendship and conversation, she didn't know whether she could live without it. She simply nodded and followed one of the hoods to her new cell.
As soon as she left, Boris turned on his communicator and linked to Voltaire, the president of 'Biovolt' (the name of the company which presided over the Abbey, which was responsible for training the children and managing the science experiments). A cruel, old face appeared on the monitor, with grey hair and sharp features. Boris bowed and greeted him.
"Your honour, I have made a great discovery. There is a new student at the abbey that I think has a lot of potential-"Voltaire merely blinked, unimpressed and passive, waiting for more. "Her name is Albina, and I think-"At this Voltaire flared.
"A GIRL? This new student is a girl? You know that only boys are allowed into Biovolt."
"Please, sir, let me explain! Her talent with a beyblade is quite astounding. She beat our most promising student, Tala, and has a battling style much like Kai had-"
"Are you suggesting to replace my grandson with a girl, Boris?" Voltaire fumed.
"N-no, but- please, watch this video of her battling one of my men-"He pressed a button and the video began to play. Voltaire watched with growing curiosity. The first thing he noticed was her familiar attacking technique, the amazing speed and agility of her blade. But the second thing he noticed was her white hair and skin- how peculiar, he thought. But those eyes...
"I have seen enough." Voltaire gasped, pushing the crazy idea he'd had out of his head. "I am curious about this girl, and I would like to see how she progresses and develops. You will supply her with a beyblade of her choice and new clothes. Give her what she needs, but keep her on a tight leash. You must harden her insides and freeze her heart, make her resistant to pain and fatigue. I don't want her to be a student, Boris- think of her, rather, as my little experiment." He grinned evilly, his Hiwatari eyes glinting dangerously.
And so, because of that fateful night, Albina lived a hard and lonely four years at the abbey, training hard. For the first few weeks, she crept around whenever she had the chance, trying to find Tala- but her efforts were in vain, and severe punishments followed. Not that she let it bother her; her body had gone through such a lot, that she had developed a kind of immunity to pain- at least to a certain extent. At first her small, thin body couldn't take it, but through strict training everyday, she developed a more muscular physique, allowing her beyblade launches to become even faster- until it went so fast it was a blur. Being separated from the boys was lonely at first, but she soon got used to solitude and began to like it- the silence allowed her to focus her mind to direct her blade even better than before. As her heart hardened and her mind became more and more focused on winning her occasional beyblade challenges, Boris granted her more privileges; as a prize for coming so far so fast, she was the first student allowed to choose one of the genetically modified bit beasts that Biovolt were growing for her own. One morning after training, she was taken up to the highest level of the building, where she was let into a most disturbing room.
Eerie multi-coloured light lit the white tiles and silver computer screens. When her eyes found the source of this light, she staggered back- glowing tanks of some liquid filled the room, each with their own computer and - could they be real? - bit beast. She stared in awe at the floating animals, not sure whether to be disgusted or excited. She was going to control one of these...
"I think it would be a good idea for you to choose one of these two," Boris advised, showing her to two tanks- a smallish one and an extremely large one. In the smallest floated what looked like a wolf, and in the largest, a ferocious polar bear. "I think that ice would be a suitable element for you, don't you think so?" She nodded, and walked over to the polar bear, a great, unsuspected sadness washing over her. This seemed cruel- yet once she had one, she would hold so much power. She was torn between her two personalities.
"I want this one," Albina pointed to the polar bear.
"Yes, I thought you would choose Polborg here. He has truly fearsome attacks, just like you do." He pressed a few buttons on the computer console, before removing the bit chip and handing it to Albina. She took it gratefully, looking at it in amazement. Her very own bit beast!
"Who are the others for?" She asked, looking at them apprehensively.
"They are for your team mates, of course. We will be forming a team shortly, which you will practice with in preparation for the upcoming Russian championship, in a year's time. It will test you, but with your expertise, it shouldn't be that much of a challenge."
"I'll be ready."
Sorry if that was a boring chapter, but it was needed to bridge a gap. I'll be posting chapter 5 up soon so that you don't get too bored...
