Okay, I hate to do this, but Ax is getting a demotion. He's now just a Prince. Sorry, I didn't think much of that, but now...
Ax; Hey!
Me; Sorry, but you gotta earn it!!
Ax: (grumbles but grudgingly accepts) Will I earn it here?
Me; Yeah... but only if you're good! (smiles)
Ax; I am good!
Me; (snickers and walks away, with Ax still insisting he is good)
And I'm not sure how this chappie will turn out... but... I'll give it a rating J.I.C (just in case). I hope this turns out good enough though (fingers crossed)
Well, we'd met up with Ax, Rtaia and Lowri (our guess at what happened... well, that's exactly what happened) who told us they'd been tailing Inaad's ugly looking ship though Z-space, as well as into Bendis territory. Then I guess the mase-ship decided to turn around and fight... and they did, only with the Aerionna being shot down, and Ax's ship getting knocked around quite a bit. They pulled off... and the mase-looking ship went off. They picked up the Aerionna's crew (at least, those who had survived the attack) and started immediate repairs. Then... it was after the ship again. Only this time... they were careful not to be 'seen'. The Andalites on Ax's ship (named the TailBlade) didn't like the idea of following the ship after being pummelled, but Rtaia insisted on following it. She knew about Ithiell's sister, and was determined to find a way to get her back. Then... well... we showed up and Ithiell's ship distracted them long enough for the TailBlade to get a good hit. Apparently the only weakness in the shield was that if they put all their shields energy forward, that would leave their back exposed. I guess the Yeerk inside Inaad's head really was afraid of what Ithiell would do. Ithiell himself... well, I guess he became distant from everyone.
Amanda begged me to go with her and check on him one day (since after Ax and Rtaia explained what had happened, he had asked Genge and Keera to take over, then disappeared into his quarters) and I agreed. She was so distressed since she thought he somehow blamed her for this. But I knew he didn't... I knew he just wanted to be alone for a while... the reality must have hit him hard...
We reached his quarters, and just as we were about to knock, the door slid open and Lowri stepped out, giving us a funny look. We were probably giving him a funny look too. But just past him... I saw...
Ithiell was curled up on the bed, upright... shaking like a leaf... and Rtaia was there, her arms around him. He was crying, and as the door slid shut behind Lowri, we heard him let loose an anguished scream. Lowri turned back, perhaps to listen, but then focused his gaze on us and shook his head sadly. We followed him away from Ithiell's door, far enough and waited until Lowri spoke.
"He is... highly distressed. He hates himself... not any of us..."
"But... can I see him?" Amanda asked, a little desperate. Lowri shook his head, and she looked like she was about to break down and cry.
"It is not that he doesn't want to see you... it is just...well, he needs to be with his own kind for now... unless you can make sense out of our language" He smiled sadly, putting a hand on her shoulder in a supporting way "He... Rtaia is the closest thing he has to what he needs right now. Her calming nature will... hopefully... act in a positive way..."
"Is Rtaia... like... a psychiatrist or something?" I asked as I watched Amanda fight back her tears. I put my arm around her, supporting, and looked up at Lowri.
"She is... in spite of no blood ties between the two... they still share a close bond. Not linked, the special way twins are... but a bond nonetheless. She is also... well, she was named Rtaia because she was... born a healer of sorts... unless she is in a war" Lowri added.
"So her name means...?"
"Well, I can only roughly translate... but it means... Soul Healer"
"Ah. Nice name. And... do you know what Ithiell's name means?"
"Yes. Silent Strength. Inaad's name means the same... only..."
"Only like a girl version. Huh" I mused "Your name?"
Yeah I know. Pointless conversation... but it was keeping away the doubts in my head... and perhaps Amanda's as well. At least, I hoped.
"It means... roughly..."
Lowri stopped talking when Amanda let out a frustrated scream and walked away from us. I guess I hadn't been doing as well as I thought. I looked at her as she walked away, and then turned to look back up at Lowri sadly.
"Sorry, but she's..."
"I understand. You asked what my name meant... well, I do not believe I live up to it. It is 'True Leader' but I do not believe this is the case. After all, my ship was..."
"Yeah, I know. Don't worry about it" I started to walk away from him, then felt a little dizzy and leaned on the wall for a second.
"Are you...?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just... do what you can with Ithiell. Help him... I'm going to go lay down for a while"
He nodded, taking my hand as a symbol of understanding and acceptance, then being a 'gentleman', helped me back to my quarters. He assured me that Ithiell would be fine, and not to 'worry myself sick' about it. He left, and I realised he was wrong. His mother had named him well. Ithiell had once told me he always wanted to be like Lowri (he was fourteen- Amanda, Robert and I were twelve) when he was younger. He looked up to Lowri... more than I think even he knew. Lowri was strong, but he still cared enough... he had another type of family back on the Chanaiben home world. A wife... three children... and along with Ithiell, Rtaia and his crew... I believed he could get anyone to follow him. Anywhere.
I lay down on my bed and fell asleep on and off. The last time I woke, I was shivering a little. I got up and realised it was actually the middle of the night (well, that's what my watch told me anyway) so I got up and slipped my shoes on, heading out my door to find someone to talk to... maybe see if Amanda was alright...
"Uh... hey! Robert!" Came a voice, and down the end of the hall... I saw Marco go running past. I froze, afraid of what might happen between the two... Robert could probably knock the stuffing out of Marco if he was mad enough...
"What?" was Robert's reply. I slunk closer to the end of the hallway to hear them better. I reached the end, deciding not to peek out in case one of them saw me.
"I... I just wanted to ask... what was that about in the training room? What were you on about?"
"I...uh... it's nothing, really. We... had a little argument when we were on bridge duty... she said I was right... probably for the first time in history..."
"What was it about?" Marco asked casually. But I knew him. He was working for answers, and since I wasn't much help...
"What we argued about? Well, nothing that should concern you now. Don't worry"
"Well if it concerns Jade, I think I have a right to, especially if it's about..."
"Well, if it'll out your mind at ease..." Robert said a little nastily.
"Yeah, it will" Marco ignored his tone.
Robert finally sighed, then told him what had happened, running over it as basic as he could get.
"You care a lot about her, don't you?" Marco's question stunned me. I wiped my sweaty forehead with the heel of my hand, straining my ears for Robert's response.
"Well, if you must know... if I can trust you..."
"Sure. What is it? I won't tell a soul"
Robert sighed, and I heard him pacing a bit, before he answered.
"You're right, I do care about Jade. A lot. So much in fact... but she's your girl now, I made the mistake of letting her go..."
"She's not exactly property... but... go on"
"This never leaves this hallway. Hear me?"
"Never"
"Well, there was a time... when I could've told her... it was just after the final war. We were both fourteen, and I had just seen her freeze in the middle of the war... she recovered herself, but only for long enough to finish the fighting. When it was over... she collapsed onto the ground and screamed and cried and beat her fists into the ground... until her voice was hoarse and her palms were swollen... and covered with blood... she felt so guilty... I wanted to go to her, maybe hold her and tell her it was all right... but I couldn't. Instead, I grabbed her collar, lifted her up to my face, and said four simple but crushing words... I nearly destroyed her hope that day..."
"What were those words?"
Don't tell him, I begged silently, remembering that day as if had only been yesterday, oh god please, don't tell him. I curled up into a ball on the floor, back against the wall, and clenched my teeth, knowing he'd tell Marco. Knowing... knowing what? That...
"They were words that carried so many meanings for her. I said 'what have you done? Jade, what have you done?' I felt like I was blaming her... and she..."
"Because she froze and got those two Chanaibens killed?"
"Yeah... but... she's yours now... and if you hurt her..."
"Yeah, I know what you can do. But... thanks for telling me, ok?"
"You tell anyone else and I'll grind your face into the ground. That's a promise"
"Yep. No problemo. My lips are sealed buddy..."
I heard it all from far away now. My head was now pounding and I was physically feeling sick. Something was wrong with me. Oh god, something was definitely, definitely wrong with me.
I wrapped an arm around my churning stomach, and another against my throbbing temple, fighting to breathe without feeling like I was going to puke. Shaking... horrible shaking...
Was I afraid? Overwhelmed? Whoa....?
And then the pain! Oh god, it felt like it was coming from everywhere! I screamed, threw up, then started screaming again, holding myself in a foetal position on the floor...
"Oh god make it stop!" I screamed. Hands were touching my shoulders... and someone was trying to talk to me... but I couldn't respond... conversation drifting in and out of my ears...
"What.......... her?"
"I....... t know!"
"I.................guys! It.......... Jake ........going ..........sick .......? .......taking him............black......... out!"
"I...... need to....... Jade! ..................help! Something......."
They tried to get me to my feet... but by now everything was spinning... where was up... I felt myself hit the floor....
And then I was gone. Whatever had happened to Jake... well, I guess it happened to me now, too.
----------------------------------------------x-------------------------
I woke up lying flat on my back. There was what felt like a sheet covering me... but something felt weird... wrong...
There was metal... and I think a pillow under my head. But... I felt my stomach... it hurt...
And then a fresh terror washed through me. The creature... it had me again!
I bolted up and jumped off the table, with the sheet sliding off me... only to find a female Chanaiben sitting in a chair in front of me, doing something with what looked like thread and her funny clawed hands. And she was giving me a weird look.... looking me over sceptically and then at my face. I looked down... and I suddenly saw why. I was... well, lets just say I was pretty... exposed.
By instinct... pure me instinct... I grabbed the weird sheet thing and wrapped it around me like a towel. It happens when you have three siblings... especially a brother with weird-as friends...
"Oh, so now you're being modest" I heard someone laugh, and I turned to see Marco in what looked like a dining chair, leaning back and laughing his head off.
"What's so funny?" I asked, feeling myself start to blush.
"I... well you..." He laughed a little harder. In fact, he was laughing so hard... the only thing that stopped him from laughing was him loosing his balance on the chair.
"Hey...whoa!"
CLUNK!!
"OWWWWWW!!"
"Oh serves you right" I said a little angrily to him, then turned back to the Chanaiben female, who's entire attention was focused on what she was doing... knitting? I couldn't be sure. I saw Marco pick himself up as I turned and saw someone else on another table beside me. Jake? He was lying on his back too... with a green sheet across him as well. What the...?
"Uhh... can someone tell me what's going on?" I asked looking from the female Chanaiben which I suddenly remembered was named Simai, then to Marco, who was rubbing the back of his head painfully. It was Simai who answered first.
"You were brought here over a week ago. Doctors say you were both incapacitated and went into, what humans call... a coma. Neither of you were responding to any sort of stimuli..." she kind of turned to Marco, lost for words. After all, she didn't really know humans as well as Ithiell and Rtaia seemed to. It was probably hard for her to sum it all up in words I'd understand.
"You and Jake both passed out at around the same time. Both of you had the same reactions and then... boom! Out like a busted light. We brought you here, where you've been ever since..." He was smiling at me now. I knew that smile. And at that moment I really wish he wouldn't. I'd had enough creepiness the past couple of weeks.
"That still doesn't explain why... uh... it doesn't explain why I'm wearing a sheet instead of my regular clothes" I was blushing now, glad that Marco had stayed where he was. I hugged the sheet a little tighter to me with one hand.
"Well, after we slapped you both silly and dumped water on you... the doctors decided to give you guys a thorough check over. Down to the molecular level..."
"But Amanda checked out as fine when that happened... and all she had to do was lay down when they..."
"Yeah, well... that's when they found something in both of you that really shouldn't have been there" He turned serious now.
"What was it?" I asked.
"It was... that thing that prodded you with that stick thing..."
"Wait a second... that doesn't make sense!"
"Well... think of it this way... not only did it take your DNA out, it put something else in as well"
"Like... like what?" I shivered. I had a feeling that whatever he was going to say, I wasn't going to like it.
"Like a virus or something. Or a microscopic version of the tar-creature"
"What?! How... we checked out fine when we...?!"
"Yeah, but neither of you were checked out like Amanda was"
"What... what about her and Ovatt and Kayleese? What about them?"
"All checked out fine. Whatever it stuck in there, not even Jake's morphing could get it out"
"So... what did they do? Is... is gone?" I asked touching my stomach and feeling fresh stitches. I relaxed.
About a hair.
"The doctors got it out. But... it was growing in your stomach... so rapidly that... it caused you and Jake to have violent reactions to it... but its out now... don't worry" He came to me and put his arm gingerly around my shoulders.
Simai got up, turning my attention to her "I will go get your clothes now, if you wish"
"Oh yes, I wish. Thankyou" I smiled gratefully at her, and she left the room.
"So... what did they do with it? Burn it?" I turned back to him, needing to know... needing to know it was all right now... and he sighed and....
Then a groan startled us and we turned back to see Jake was waking up. He looked up, probably having the same idea I had.
"Uh, buddy... I wouldn't sit up too fast if I were you" Marco warned.
"What?" Jake sat up, ignoring his friend, and I turned away as the sheet fell. I suddenly felt like leaving the room... very fast. But Marco's arm stayed where it was. He was still looking at Jake.
"Oh... hey! Where are my... ouch! Did that..."
"I'll explain" Marco went over it again with Jake as I just kind of stared at a wall, wishing Simai would get back.
"Jade... oh man... what are you doing here?"
"Well, you guys weren't supposed to wake up for a few hours... but I guess you..."
"Whatever... what are we going to do now?"
"This is embarrassing" I muttered. My face was hot, and I was sweating from the fact I was just so embarrassed about it all.
"Yeah, same" Jake said "But... well, at least..."
At that moment... that glorious moment... Simai came back, handed me my clothes and guided me into a side room where I got dressed hurriedly. I waited for an ok when I was done and then stepped out. Jake was dressed too. I was glad. But still pretty red-faced. Jake was too.
"So, what now?" I asked looking at Marco. He was silent.
"Marco? What is it?" Jake asked, sounding like his old self.
He looked down, frowning, then looked at each of us in turn.
"I think there's something the two of you need to see"
Errrr... sorry. I thought it would be better... but yeah, I told you the tar-creature hadn't left. I think I might have a name for it now... thanks to LittleMidgett. Girl you so rock! Thanks a bundle. Now I just have to find a way to bring it into this story... hmmm.... (thinking face...)
Ax; Am I a War-Prince yet??
Me; No, you'll just have to wait a little longer...
Ax; But I don't want to wait!!
Me; Tough! Now shush and let me think!
(Sorry, I just thought you guys would get a bit of a laugh from that...)