Note: Well, here's the reworked second chapter. There's an ironic thing about the science hallway I mention here at the beginning… last year I didn't go down there, but this year I do… and I always see the place where the door is supposed to be. Isn't that strange? So… um… yeah, that's it, so just RR.
Chapter 2: Another World, Another Key
I raced down the hallway, turning down the nearest stairwell. I followed the commotion of a fight to the science hallway. I turned down one hallway, and it was then that I noticed a door I had never seen before. Now, granted, this wasn't a hallway I frequented, but I had been down here before, and I knew there wasn't supposed to be a door here.
Another student came running down the hallway, and when he saw me, he seemed relieved. "Hey, are there any others with you?" he asked.
"It's just me. Are you alright?" I asked. That was when I noticed the scratches on his legs. His pants were torn and bloody trails in sets of three crisscrossed his legs. I was reminded of the scratches on my own leg and arm.
"Dang, everyone else is gone. I haven't seen anyone." He panted as he approached me. "Those creatures… were all over the place… and now… everyone's gone…"
That was when THEY appeared, loping down the hallway.
"Run!" I yelled, hauling the boy around the nearest corner. "You have to get out of here," I told him, "Run! Now!" I pushed him towards a nearby exit and then turned around the corner to face the Heartless.
"What do you want?" I asked them, "Why have you come here?"
We come for the heart…but I had no time to think before they attacked.
I felt something in my head click, and suddenly that Keyblade was in my hands. I looked up at the coming Heartless, a new strength filling me. I slashed as the Heartless reached me, keeping many of them at bay. One slipped by me, and I turned to see it touch the door behind me. It gave me an almost mischievous look as the door opened. A shiver ran up my spine as I looked into the now open door.
It was a terrible and beautiful sight, this heart of our world. Before I could take it all in, I saw a shadow moving quickly towards the glowing heart.
"No!" I shouted, "Leave it alone! Don't…"
I stepped forward to stop it, but suddenly I was pulled by a strong force, and thrust backwards into darkness. I tried to fight it, but in the end, I was beaten, tired and sore. I had no choice but to give in and let my consciousness fade.
"So what are we gonna do with her?" said a duck like voice.
"I don't know. Should we tell someone?" asked another voice.
"Nah. Someone would get in trouble. Let's wait here till she wakes up." Said another voice.
"Ducks," I thought, "why do their voices have to quack in such a harsh way? It's hurting my head." I sighed.
"Is she awake?" asked a voice.
I opened my eyes, and found myself staring into the white face of a young duck.
"What the...!" I shouted, leaning back. I found myself leaning against a wall though, so I couldn't move far. I looked past the duck and saw that there were two others there too.
"It's ok," said the closest duck as he backed up. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yeah." I stood up and looked around. I noticed that this place was strangely familiar, like I had seen it in a picture. I turned to them. "Where am I?" I asked.
"You are in the castle of King Mickey," said the duck in the blue shirt. "And I'm Dewey."
The one in the red shirt spoke up, "I'm Huey."
"I'm Louie," said the one in green. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," I said, shaking their hands, um…wings. I turned and looked out over the balcony near where I had seemingly landed. "So this is Disney Castle." I sighed.
Then I remembered what had happened. I backed up and put my back against the wall again. I slid down until I was sitting again. I pulled my knees up and rested my head on them. Then I let the emotion go. I cried for my friends whose hearts had been lost, I cried for my world that had fallen into darkness, and I cried for myself, my stupidity at not realizing that the door had led to the heart of my world.
"If only I hadn't been so stupid!" I shouted. "It's all my fault! If I had just locked that door, my world would still be safe. And I didn't do anything! I just watched! And now, because of me…" I sighed, "My world is gone!"
Then I heard a voice in my head. "It's ok, Kaitlyn." I felt a strange, and yet familiar presence in my head. "It's not your fault. The only thing you can do is fight the darkness. Don't let despair consume you. Everything will be ok." The voice laughed. "And say hello to Queen Minnie for us." I heard the smile in the voice. "We'll see you soon."
"Huh?" I asked, but the voice and the presence were gone.
"'Huh?' what?" asked one of the ducks, Dewey I remembered.
"Nothing," I stood, "I'm feeling better now. Is there a way I can get an audience with Queen Minnie?" I asked.
They seemed surprised that I knew about audiences and Queen Minnie. If only they had known about all the medieval time period books I had read. They looked at each other, and then nodded.
"First, you're going to need some new clothes," said Huey.
"And we know just who to go to," finished Louie.
I looked at my clothes and realized how much of a mess I was. My mismatched practice clothes were all nasty and sweaty from running so much. My hair was a mess too. I laughed and followed them out a door.
They led me through the halls, until we stopped in front of one of the many doors lining the hallway. They opened the doors and pulled me in. We went up to a white wardrobe with gold lining.
"We need your help," said Dewey.
"She needs clothes for an audience with the Queen," said Louie.
What I thought was just a carving, turned out to be a face that brightened when it saw me. "Well, let's see what we can do with you," smiled the wardrobe.
That was when I realized that this was the enchanted wardrobe from Beauty and the Beast. She opened her door and pulled me close. The ducks waved and left, closing the door behind them.
As she pulled me into all the clothes, she said, "So…an audience with Queen Minnie…hmmm…let's see."
Clothes were flying around me. It seemed like there was more space inside than should have been possible. I felt things go over my head, going on and off me, everything flying and rushing around. Suddenly I was pushed out and able to see myself. I was wearing the perfect outfit for what I had become. I had on a short white tank-top with a longer black jacket open over it. The jacket had a lot of pockets on it and the arms were short enough to show the charm bracelet on my wrist. The inside of the jacket was red. My pants were white with black bottoms and they had more pockets as well. I also had short boot-like shoes on that had zippers on the side to keep them on. The clothes were all slightly form-fitting, but not enough to be uncomfortable; actually it was all very comfortable and very easy to move in.
"It's perfect," I told the wardrobe. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. But we're not done yet."
I felt my hair and realized what she was talking about. I laughed and sat down in front of a vanity mirror that was in the room as well. The drawers in the vanity opened on their own, and out came several pairs of scissors, a brush, a comb, and many other hairstyling tools.
"So what do you want, dear?" asked the wardrobe.
I thought for a moment while the scissors quivered in excitement. "I want something that's easy to take care of and won't get in my face during a battle. But I still want it slightly long."
"Ok, deary. That's no problem. We know just what to do." And with that, they went to work on my hair. They started cutting and brushing, but when the hairspray started misting, a pink haze hung around my head. I started to cough, but then I heard the wardrobe say, "Finally! All done."
The spray cleared and I saw myself. It was perfect. So many perfect things on a day that had started so terrible. My hair was done in a French-braid style on the top and sides, but it came together in the back as a ponytail.
"It's wonderful!" I exclaimed. "Just what I wanted!"
"And now you're ready for the audience with Queen Minnie," said the wardrobe. We heard a knock on the door. "And just in time too," She finished.
Huey, Dewey, and Louie came in and congratulated me on my new look, and they thanked the wardrobe for her help in getting me ready.
Then they turned to me, all formal, and Louie announced, "You are summoned to your requested audience with Queen Minnie." He started.
"Please, follow us, and we will take you to her," finished Dewey.
They led me through the hallways, twisting and turning so much that I got lost when I couldn't see the door to the room where the wardrobe was staying. Eventually, we came to a huge door. It seemed to be about 30 feet tall. I wondered if we were really going to open that large of a door just for me, but then Huey went up and opened a smaller door on the side.
We went in and Dewey announced, "The Lady Kaitlyn."
I pulled together all of my knowledge about courts in medieval times and put on my best knight-like act.
There in front of me, were Queen Minnie and Lady Daisy. I was surprised, but I didn't let it show.
"Your Majesty, please. I am no lady." I bowed. "A lady knight, if you must, but not a lady." I took a breath and prepared to explain everything. "I am from another world," I started. "Heartless came to my world one day, right after I found this." I stood and held out my hand. I then summoned my Keyblade to it.
"Wow!" gasped Daisy.
"So," said Queen Minnie, "you are a Keyblade wielder as well."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I now hold the Key of Heart. I know not what it is called, but I know that I must use it for good." I sighed. "I've lost my world, and I must now find a way to restore it. I have a request." I bowed again. "May I acquire a gummi ship so that I may continue my quest?"
"Why of course," responded Queen Minnie immediately. "I just have one thing I need you to do. But first, come with us and enjoy a meal. We will not send you off on an empty stomach." We all laughed as my stomach loudly agreed with her statement.
We went into a room near the back of the throne room. I heard feet running as we entered and assumed that someone must have seen us coming and was going to prepare the food. We sat down at the long table in there with Queen Minnie at the head, Lady Daisy on her left, and I on her right.
While we were waiting, Queen Minnie asked me, "You said that you did not know what your Keyblade was called, correct?" I nodded. "Have you ever tried communicating with it?" she asked.
"I have had very little peace, but in any case, I had no idea that I could." I informed her.
"Try it."
I nodded and closed my eyes, concentrating on my Keyblade that I had propped up in the chair next to me. What should I call you, Key of Heart? I asked.
I then felt a presence, strong and full of life, in my head, unlike any other that I had had before.
I heard a voice reciting a poem:
Out from the bleak grey ashes,
wreathed in eternal flaming flight,
rises the crimson phoenix's heart
reborn anew in everlasting light
I am the Phoenix's Heart. said the voice.
"Phoenix's Heart." I said aloud. "That's what it's called."
"Ah," said Daisy. "In that case, I have something to give you." She reached into a hidden pocket in her dress and pulled out a small box. She opened it and showed us the three Keychains inside. "I was told to give these to the one who brought the Phoenix. I was told that that person would be able to find the true owners of these."
She held out the box and I reached in and pulled them out. The first was a silver claw hanging from its middle on the chain. It seemed incomplete. Another was a gold spiraling horn with scales attached to it. The last was made of a black metal that seemed to absorb light. It was shaped like a flame and it had a silver claw on it.
"Why didn't you tell me about these?" Queen Minnie asked Daisy.
She looked down "I was told not to tell any until the Phoenix had come. But I wanted to tell you. I'm sorry."
"It's ok." A bell rung and a door I hadn't noticed opened. "Ah, the food is here. Let's eat, and then we will get you packed and ready to go." Queen Minnie said to me.
We ate and talked about things, like where I was from and the similarities between my world and theirs. I also found out that it had been about two years since Mickey left. Soon it became evident that I knew a lot about their world, and they asked me how I knew.
"Um…well," I stumbled on my words, not sure of what to say. "In my world, well…" then a good idea hit me. "We've had communication with King Mickey. He is liked by many all across the world. I find it strange that this is called Disney Castle because the King's first friend in our world was a man by the name of Walt Disney. He was a great person. We also know of both of you." I told them. "We've heard of the adventures of Mickey. Also of Sora, Riku, Kingdom Hearts, the Keyblade, and the Heartless. I'm not sure how we found out all this with out seeing any Heartless or anything, but I know quite a lot about it all."
"Wow," breathed Daisy, astonished.
We finished and soon the plates were taken away and one of the walking brooms, who seemed to be the servants around here, brought me a bag with supplies in it.
"Thank you so much, Queen Minnie." I said.
"Don't worry about it. Just follow your heart, and please, bring back King Mickey," she said.
I nodded and followed one of the brooms out another door and down a stairwell. I recognized it from the beginning of the game Kingdom Hearts when Donald and Goofy were going to their gummi ship. When we reached the bottom, the broom opened a large door and inside there was the gummi ship hanger. Chip and Dale were in the operation room doing final preparations to the ship before it took off. I couldn't put into words how thankful I was of the people here who had helped me. I looked around for a last time and then boarded the gummi ship.
The comm. unit came on and I heard a chipmunk voice say "Ready for take off! Destination?"
"Traverse Town." I replied.
The comm. unit went off and I strapped myself into a seat that I found in the cockpit. I heard the noise of a big metal door opening, and then my heart and stomach jumped up to my throat as the gummi ship dropped. All I wanted to do was a Goofy-"whooohoohoo hooooooooo." I laughed thinking of it. Then I saw what it looked like between the worlds. It was nothing like the game had been, because there was no way to capture it. It was a mix of colors, blues, purples, greens, all blending and mixing along with light and darkness. All around, though, were stars. Little lights full of life, even though you couldn't see it, you could feel it. Then I felt something different, a blocked kind of feeling. That was when the gummi ship started to slow, and I realized what that feeling meant. I had reached Traverse Town, a world that had been locked by Sora two years ago.
The gummi ship landed on an empty square and when I got out, it shrunk and disappeared. I knew I could get to it again though. I looked around to familiarize myself with the place, and I realized that I was in First District, a place I knew very well. I headed straight for the accessory shop hoping that, by some odd chance, Cid might have come back.
I entered the accessory shop, but to my dismay, it was another person running the shop. He must have seen my disappointed look because he asked, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," I told him. "I was looking for the former owner of this place. Do you know where he might be?"
"No. I don't even know who you're talking about. But I have seen some strange people around here. Maybe they can help you?" He asked.
"I don't know. Can you tell me where to find them?"
He nodded. "They would be at the hotel in Second District. You know," he said, "I haven't seen these kind of unusual folks since…well, about to years ago."
I looked at him. "You have no idea," I said. Then I felt a shadow pass over me, like when the sun goes behind a cloud. "Heartless." I whispered. "Guess I'm going to have to go take care of them." I hefted up the Phoenix's Heart onto my shoulder and I turned to walk out the door.
"Wait!" called the man. "I've seen a weapon like that before."
"Really?" I asked. Has Sora been here recently? I thought.
"Yeah, but it was a dark gray color. It also had black on it." He shuddered. "The person wielding it was frightening. He had black, spiky hair and he looked sad, and yet, angry. Vengeful even. He had an aura, even I could feel it and I was several feet away from him. He was just really scary." He shuddered again.
"Thanks for the info. Be careful."
"You too."
As I left, I felt another shadow, but this one was different. It was physical, not mental like the Heartless. I looked up at the tops of the buildings and I thought I saw something move up there. I couldn't be sure so I shrugged it off and headed for the hotel and Second District.
Note: Hey y'all! Well, this is going quickly… two chapters redone in one day! YAY! On to the next one!
Don't forget to RR!