Chapter 8
Visions of the Past and Present
The next day was a lot like the one before. After school everyone went to the gym. All five guys found a place in the bleachers to watch the girls practice their gymnastics. Several minutes after the bell rang the students came out to stretch. There were thirty girls and twenty guys wanting to try out for one of the teams. They found places along the wall to stretch while the janitors pulled out the equipment. Then coach Maxwell and her assistant came out.
"All right everyone, listen up," Coach said. "I want to have two teams of girls and two of guys, if possible. That doesn't mean that if you don't make the team you can't come practice. The teams will practice first and everyone else who wants to practice can afterwards. Anyone who doesn't want to try out for the teams but wants to practice, walk over to the wall by the girls locker room. Everyone else stay where you are."
Half of the girls and guys went over to the other wall. The five girls spoke with each other, then all turned and started to walk after them. Coach looked up and said, "You five aren't fooling anyone. Decide what order you want to go in and start working on your routines. Leave the floor exercise for last as we'll start try outs there."
The five girls grinned and chorused, "Yes, coach."
"Who wants to go first today," asked Midget.
"I want to be last today," Munchkin stated.
"You always want to be last," Jaya said, rolling her eyes.
Munchkin stuck her tongue out at Jaya. Sara laughed and Jaya ran after her.
"I'll go first," Penny told them eagerly.
"I guess I'll go second," Sara said.
"Jaya, is third ok with you," asked Midget.
"I suppose so," Jaya quietly agreed.
"I'll take fourth," Midget announced. Then she looked at Munchkin. "Next time we'll switch the order around again, ok?"
Everyone else agreed cheerfully. Munchkin sighed, but nodded resignedly.
"How about we start on the balance beam, move to the bars, then over to the vault, work with the rings, and then finish with the floor exercise," Munchkin asked, changing the subject.
They all looked at each other, then nodded. Turning, they walked over to the balance beam and Penny got ready. The other girls watched her from the sidelines. Each time one of them went through their routine, the others would watch them quietly, and then comment on their performance. They all gave each other praise, constructive criticism, and encouragement in equal measures.
As they watched, the guys talked about the girls. They were all impressed with their skill as gymnasts. Each girl had their own style and they could see it in the way they presented their programs. Their personalities showed through. Once they finished, everyone met by the gym doors. Then they went over to Kento's family's restaurant for dinner. Then they went over to Midget's house to practice.
There they found Kayura and the Warlords waiting, ready to begin practice. Everyone put on their armors. Then the group worked on meditating and connecting with each other through their armors. After they were all able to speak to each other, they concentrated on exploring the girls powers. Kayura guided them while the Warlords and the Ronins went outside to practice their fighting. Ryo and Rowen squared off in one corner of the yard while in the other three corners it was Seckhmet and Cye, Kento and Dais, and Sage and Cale. Flame and Star wondered around outside, occasionally interfering by pinning one of the pairs to the ground or knocking them over.
At eight o'clock Kayura and the Warlords left and so did most of the others. There was only Munchkin, Ryo, Midget, and Rowen left. The four went into the living room. Midget sat on the floor, her back propped against the smaller coach. Rowen sat to her left. Across the room, Ryo and Munchkin sat on the floor with their backs propped against the larger coach. Since the room wasn't all that big, they were only separated by a few feet.
"What time do you guys have to be home," asked Munchkin as they sat down in the living room.
"Not until nine," answered Ryo. "Why do you ask?"
The two girls looked at each other. They had already decided telling the guys their dreams would be a good idea, since they were going to tell each other they might as well tell them now. However, talking about something was one thing. Doing it was proving to be another thing entirely. Star sat beside Midget while Flame sat next to Munchkin. Both cats were giving the girls their support and encouragement.
"Is something wrong," asked Rowen. "I noticed that all day the two of you have looked like you didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night."
Munchkin decided to explain first. Taking a deep breath, she said, "It's like this. Something happened last night kinda like what happened the first night we met you all. This morning we found out that we could communicate with each other in our minds, without our armor. That's when we found out that we both had nightmares last night. The weird part is that we have both been able to talk to Star and Flame from the time we met them. They told us that not only could they communicate with each other, but that we could have all this time. Anyways, we couldn't discuss our dreams this morning so we decided to do it later. Then Star told Midget to tell Rowen and Flame told me to tell you, Ryo. So we talked about it and decided that we would see if you guys had some time after practice today. That way we could discuss the dreams all together, instead of having to go over them more than once."
Ryo and Rowen looked at each other. Then they looked at the girls with new interest. They had known something was wrong, but the girls hadn't wanted to talk about it with anyone else around.
Ryo asked, "Ok, so who's going to start?"
"I will," Midget replied quietly. She looked at them all for a moment, then ducked her head, feeling uncomfortable. When Rowen took her hand, she gave him a shy smile of gratitude. Then she took a deep breath, and began her story. "My first dream was one that I've had before. It's actually more a memory than it is a dream. I'm about four years old, and I'm walking with my family. My father has my hand and my mother has my younger sister's hand. I can never remember my sister's face, but I know she is there. We were walking in a small clearing near our village, minding our own business when my parents stop. I look up and see someone standing in front of me. Suddenly, I find my self running. Then I stop as something tells me to look back. That's when I see the soldier slash my parents. Then the soldier turns and walks toward me. I turn to run, and that's when I wake up."
Rowen held her hand tightly, even as she squeezed his. He asked her gently, "How many times have you had the dream?"
Midget, her eyes distant, whispered, "For the first few years I had it every night. Over the last few years it had become more infrequent. I would have them maybe once or twice a year. Every year on the day it happened and then sometimes on my birthday."
Star rubbed her head against Midget's arm, purring. Rowen put an arm around her shoulders, silently offering her his presence as comfort. Ryo and Munchkin looked at them, sympathy in their eyes.
"I know how you feel," Ryo tells Midget quietly. "I watched my father die in front of me. He was killed by a wild animal. I was six at the time."
Munchkin cleared her throat. "You're dream was like mine. Only, I don't know who I was dreaming about. I see a family with a father, mother, and a young girl. The girl is walking with her father. The strange thing is that the mother is holding someone else's hand, I just can't see who it is. The hand is small, though. None of the faces can be seen. The mother freezes, then lets go of the hand she was holding. She screams to the father, who has also stopped. I can't hear what they are saying, but I know something is wrong. Then I find myself running, and that's when I wake up. I've had the same dream before, but they stopped when I was five. This is the first time I've had it since then."
As she was speaking, her eyes unfocused slightly. She didn't notice that she had started shaking, or that Ryo had put one arm around her. Flame nudged her in the side, bringing her back to the present. Glancing over, she found Midget and Rowen talking softly, every now and then looking at her with interest. "What are you two talking about?"
Both glanced at each other, then shook their heads. "Nothing much," Rowen said mildly. Then he looked between the two girls. "You both said you had another nightmare last night, didn't you?"
"Hey, that's right," Ryo exclaimed. He looked at Munchkin. "What was your other nightmare about?"
"It was really weird," Munchkin replied, a hint of puzzlement in her voice. "And a bit confusing. I was surrounded by mountains as far as I could see. There was a huge dark cloud hanging over them, making me feel as if I were trapped. One mountain stood above the rest. At the top stood a warrior, dressed in armor exactly like mine, except it was tan and had a chain mace for a weapon. She looked me in the eye, then started to laugh, and then turned serious. Then she whispered 'Soon. Very soon.' Her eyes turned dark red, and then she disappeared, just like that. It was really creepy." A single shudder passed through her at the memory, and Ryo's arm tightened around her.
Rowen said, "It was probably one of our new enemies. I wonder what she wanted."
"I think I know," Midget informed them softly. The other three turned to look at her and she looked up into their faces and then to the right, seeming to stare off into space. "My second dream was kinda similar. I looked all around, but all I could see were flat lands. A black cloud loomed over everything, making it seem menacing. A strong wind blows around me, then I see that in one place the cloud extends down to the ground, like a tornado. A warrior in armor like mine, except it's color was dark gray, stood in front of it. Her weapon was a pair of num chucks. I saw two different auras around her, as if one was blocking the other. A gray one fought weakly against the black one that surrounded it. The warrior threw back her head and laughed, then turned abruptly serious. She hissed, and I quote her words, 'Master Talpa wants you to join us. And Madam Tara will see that her brother is satisfied. You can count on that.' Then her eyes glowed red for a minute as she faded away. I woke with a start, my heart pounding, and felt Munchkin's fear. I reached out to her, and that was when we connected and learned who we were talking to."
Rowen looked at Midget, worried. He didn't like the sound of this. He exchanged a look with Ryo, and saw that he to was worried. Settling himself closer to her, he wrapped his arms tighter around Midget, then spoke. "I think it would be a good idea to tell Kayura and the others. It sounds like the Dynasty may be after you two, and we're probably going to need their help. Don't you think so, Ryo."
"Yeah. We don't want anything happening to you two," Ryo said fervently. "How are we going to contact her, though?"
"Don't worry," a voice told them mildly. "I've already contacted her and the Warlords. They will be here shortly."
All four looked to the right. Midget was the only one who had sensed him arrive. "Anubis, have you been listening to us this entire time," asked Munchkin in an annoyed tone.
"No," answered Midget quietly. "He arrived just before I told you about my last dream. I saw him appear."
"Why didn't you tell us," cried Munchkin in exasperation.
"I had to tell you about my dream," she responded calmly. "Besides, I had a feeling we'd be seeing either him or the Ancient, giving us advice on what to do so I figured I might as well tell my story without any interruptions the first time through."
"A good idea, actually. I see that your empathic abilities are strengthening with practice. You've made good progress."
Munchkin rolled her eyes. "Why is it that every time I try to get on to him for pulling a stunt like this, you two get into some kind of conversation and then I don't get to have my say," she asked in an exasperated tone.
Ryo and Rowen chuckled as Midget looked at her calmly, then gave her a sweet smile and said innocently, "I don't have any idea what you are talking about. I just answered your question and moved on. It's not my fault you were left behind."
"Oh, ha, ha, ha. Very funny, Midget," Munchkin retorted, trying to lunge at her. Ryo held her back though, still laughing.
Kayura and the Warlords arrived just then. It took a few minutes to get everyone settled. Then the guys explained the girls' dreams, with the girls correcting them every now and then. For a few minutes there was silence as the Warlords and Kayura all exchange uneasy glances. Midget, catching their unease, smiled reassuringly even as her eyes questioned them. Then Kayura broke the silence.
"I think it would be best if we have the guys watch over the two of you. I don't think we should tell the others just yet. They have enough to worry about as it is," she said.
"I agree," Munchkin and Midget chorused, then grinned at each other. Both were feeling better now that they had gotten their dreams off their chests.
"The two warriors were the bearers of the Mountain and the Tornado armors. To see them reduced to mere puppets is..," Anubis stopped, at a loss for words.
"Don't worry, Anubis," Midget told him reassuringly, "we'll do the best we can to free them from Talpa and Tara. I promise you that." Her expression was earnest and determined.
"That's right," the other three confirmed in unison. Then Munchkin looked at her watch.
"Oh, no. It's a quarter till nine. Ryo and Rowen need to get home, and so do I," Munchkin cried in dismay. "We've got to get going."
With that, the four teens walked to the door, leaving the other four and Anubis in the living room. Midget talked to Munchkin for a few minutes after the guys headed home, then went back inside.
While no one else was in the house, Anubis and the others spoke quietly.
"The time is nearing when they will remember everything that happened that day," Dais said with regret.
"And what happened the other days," Kayura said in the same tone.
"Those two have become almost like the family we don't have," whispered Cale.
"And soon, we may lose the bonds that tie them to us," Seckhmet spoke softly, his tone conveying his sadness at the thought.
"We will have to wait and see how things turn out," Anubis said in a troubled voice. He had known them for longer than the others and had become closer to them. He didn't even want to think about losing the relationship they had built. The only thing that gave him comfort was the fact that both were kind and forgiving. Perhaps things would work out in the end, like the Ancient had said. "Right now we need to concentrate on protecting them and helping them as best we can."
"Right," Kayura said. "I'll try speeding up the girls' training."
"We'll take turns watching over those two," Dais said.
"Seckhmet and I will switch days and nights each week, right Seckhmet," Cale asked.
"Sure, as long as we all switch which girl we are watching every two weeks. I remember that Midget leads a quieter life than Munchkin and I don't want to have to keep up with Munchkin all the time," Seckhmet returned a bit grumpily. Everyone else ignored it, knowing exactly why he was grumpy.
"Dais will stay on days while I stay on nights," Anubis said calmly. "I'll come check in on them and keep you guys company during the days sometimes too."
"Well, if that's all settled, who's watching who this week at night," asked Kayura.
"I will watch Midget tonight," Anubis said quickly.
"Cale, you watch Munchkin," Seckhmet volunteered.
"Why me" Cale asked just a bit scared.
"Because you volunteered me for baby sitting in the first place. So I volunteered you for the first night," Seckhmet retorted.
"Fine. She probably won't be that bad tonight, since she didn't get much sleep last night," Cale said with a smirk.
"Fat chance," Seckhmet laughed. Dais and Kayura joined the teasing.
"I bet she is going to drive you crazy," Dais sneered.
"I wonder if that girl gets more than three hours of sleep a night any night," Kayura said with a huge smile. Anubis decided to tell of his experiences.
"That girl barely ever sleeps. And when it has been a while since she has had a decent nights sleep she has a tendency to get a little excited. One time she mixed exhaustion and soda for an overnight party with Midget and the others. That girl didn't stop moving until noon the next day. Midget on the other hand will at least sit still for a half hour at a time between pacing sessions. That girl does make me dizzy sometimes," Anubis told them with a grin.
"All right. Just be quiet," Cale sighed.
Just then Midget walked in and asked, "What were you five talking about?"
"Nothing. Just some stupid jokes," Seckhmet said quickly.
"Sure. Anyway, I have school tomorrow so good night," Midget said tiredly.
"Good night," Kayura and the Warlords said together. They then left.
"I wanted to ask you if you are really ok with your dreams," Anubis saidquietly.
"Yeah. I guess I just needed to tell someone. Why?" Midget replied.
"I just think of you both as good friends. And I get worried about my friends sometimes," Anubis explained.
"Don't worry about us," Midget said with a thankful smile.
"Well, good night then," Anubis replied.
Anubis couldn't help feeling uneasy, though. Something was wrong here, but if that wasn't it then what was. He looked over at Star, who looked back at him. "There is something going on here beyond the dreams, isn't there?"
I don't know, but I think so. Or maybe it is a part of one of the dreams. She is an empath. Maybe she felt something in one of the dreams. Midget is still trying to get used to her abilities and if she felt something it might be enough to upset her. Star told him.
"I guess I should ask her about it," Anubis said thoughtfully. He went to her bedroom and called out, "Is it safe to enter?"
"Yeah, Anubis. Come on in," Midget called.
Anubis entered and looked around. Midget was curled up on her bed with a book in her lap. He sat down beside her and waited until she glanced up at him. "All right, Midget, what's wrong?"
Midget looked at him seriously for a moment, then sighed and put her book down. A troubled expression came across her face. "Anubis, you were part of the Dynasty, right?"
Cautiously, he answered, "Yes, I was. Why?"
"So, you know what it's like there, right," she asked carefully.
Relieved and confused he asked, "What is this all about, Midget?"
"In my dream last night, the one with the warrior, when I looked at her I could sense her pain and confusion. Her aura was riddled with holes, as if she endured repeated attacks on it regularly. I could sense that her soul was dying from abuse and neglect. I felt my own soul ache in response," Midget whispered, looking at him with haunted eyes.
Anubis looked at Midget, aching to comfort her but unable to reach out and touch her. He understood how she felt. It was hard to be able to see something like that happening and to know that you couldn't help. Then he had a thought. "There is someone I know who can help you." At her look of confusion and hope he smiled warmly. "Sage is also an empath. He should be able to help you deal with this."
"Really?" Midget looked hopeful for a minute, then her shoulders slumped. "But I can't tell him about it for fear that he'll tell Sara."
"Just tell him that you sensed it from someone but don't want to go into details," Anubis said reasonably. "I'm pretty sure he won't push it."
"All right, I'll try it," Midget agreed dubiously as she reached for the phone.
Two hours later she finally hung up, looking as if a weight had been taken off her shoulders. She looked at Anubis and asked why he was still there.
"I'm going to be watching over you at night. One Warlord will watch over you and one will watch over Munchkin for the next few weeks. One during the day and the other at night," Anubis informed her mildly. Then he smiled as she turned off the light and went to sleep, accepting the information calmly.
Only a few blocks away Sage smiled to himself as he got ready for bed. It's nice to have a friend who can understand to talk to. Now I have someone to share the ups and downs of empathy with. Feeling as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he drifted into a peaceful sleep.
To be continued....