His eyes slowly opened. He gazed around sleepily, wondering why it was so dark in his room. Shifting on his bed he realized it was made of a thin, uncomfortable mattress. Noticing the flickering torches he remembered he was a prisoner.
Pushing back the sheets he sat up, and gazed around. Everything was the same, except a small tray of food sitting on his squat table. He crawled over to it and expected his meal. It was a simple breakfast of a small loaf of bread sliced into pieces, a Styrofoam cup of orange juice and a paper plate of hash browns and scrambled eggs. Suddenly overcome with hunger he took a piece of bread and pushed the hash browns and scrambled eggs onto it, eating ravenously.
The sound of one of the cells opening echoed through the cavern. He turned his head to see Chiquita coming out of the cell Antonio had filled the night before. After locking the steel door behind her she turned and noticed him looking at her. Smiling, she crossed over to his "room".
"Good morning Mokuba." She said cheerfully as she sat down beside the bars. Glancing at the food he was devouring her smile widened. "Is it alright? I made it myself, and Antonio is always saying I'm a horrible cook."
"It's great!" Mokuba told her after swallowing his mouthful. Taking another piece of bread and eating more slowly he examined the contents of his tray more thoroughly. "Hey, Chiquita. Why isn't there any eating utensils?"
The girl giggled. "Antonio is cautious. Maybe too cautious. He thought that if he gave you utensils you might try to use them to escape. That's also why he didn't give you a strong plate or cup. He's paranoid that someone will either use cups and plates to dig a hole out, or that someone will break a plate or cup and use the shards as weapons."
Mokuba blinked at her. "You're brother really thinks we'd try that to get away?"
"Yes." Chiquita answered. "But I think either way is silly. Even if someone did try to dig a hole, it would take them forever before they reached the surface. And if they did have weapons, they're behind bars, so what can they do? I think Antonio's scared because of what Essie told him."
Mokuba perked up. "Essie? Who's that?"
"I'm not exactly sure." Chiquita admitted. "I've never met her, if it is a her. Antonio never uses Essie's real name in front of me, he just calls her 'Essie'."
"But, just who is she, or he?" Mokuba questioned as he pushed his now empty tray away from him.
"Essie is the one that came to Antonio and together they made the plan to bring all Gem Keepers together." Was the reply. "It's been Essie who's located all the Gem Keepers, including you. Essie always writes Antonio emails and calls him on the phone to tell him where to go next."
"So, is Essie a Gem Keeper, too?"
Chiquita shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think so. She has never said. But she has connections because some way or another she tracks down the Shadow Gems."
Mokuba opened his mouth to ask another question about the elusive Essie, but someone bellowed from beyond Mokuba's sight on the stairs. Chiquita's head snapped in that direction and she smiled.
"Coming, Antonio!" She said happily. Getting up she smiled at Mokuba. "I'll be back later." As the boy nodded Chiquita ran to the stairs and hopped them two by two. As she turned the corner and hurried up them she disappeared from Mokuba's sight.
With a sigh Mokuba slumped against the wall. A loneliness had set in as soon as Chiquita's footsteps couldn't be heard. He sat silently, listening to all the little sounds of the shadows.
Slowly his eyes strayed, only to find themselves gazing through the bars at the Shadow Gems sitting on the large wooden table, his obsidian and key glittering in the torchlight. Mokuba's fingers twitched. Somehow he was being drawn to it. He didn't know how or why, but he wanted it in his grasp right now. Knowing it was futile to even try and get it through the bars, he pulled his gaze away.
His fingers found their way to the card locket around his neck. He pressed he small oval button that ran alongside the frame. The cover popped open and faintly he could see the picture of his brother sitting before a chessboard.
Where are you, Seto? He wondered, looking up at the dark ceiling. Tears stung his eyes for a moment, but he bit them back. He had to be strong if he wanted to survive, a lesson he had learned from his big brother.
A strange noise sounded high above. Mokuba glanced around, trying to find the source of the odd humming. It sounded familiar. But he could see nothing as he squinted through the darkness.
Suddenly a bright light flashed, blinding him. Mokuba yelped from being startled and covered his eyes. Down the mystery corridor he could hear the quiet moans of pain as the people down there were being blinded by the sudden light as well. He shielded his eyes for a few more moments, the slowly let his hand fall to his side.
"We got it working finally." Mokuba heard Antonio say somewhere above him. His kidnapper spoke to Chiquita a bit longer, his voice muffled. Chiquita answered and footsteps sounded. The girl appeared on the stairs. She rushed to the table and pulled a jacket off one of the chairs. Then she began to move from torch to torch, snuffing each out.
"I have to go now, Mokuba." Chiquita explained. "But we got the electricity working again." With a wide grin she pointed to a large light hanging from the rock ceiling, a feature Mokuba hadn't noticed in the dark. "I'll see you later." She cried before racing up the stairs again.
Mokuba watched her go, then heaved a sigh. Alone again... he thought sadly. He looked around the cavern, trying to see if there were any differences in the light.
As his gaze traveled around the room he realized there was someone in the cell Chiquita was leaving when Mokuba got up. Crawling to the other end of his enclosure to get a better look he could see there was indeed a person sitting at a makeshift table like his, slowly eating the contents of their breakfast.
It was a girl, a year or two older than Mokuba. She had thick long dark brown hair that fell an inch or so past her shoulders. Her russet colored face was wet from tears that were slowly drying. Her navy blue jacket was overtop a lilac colored shirt and black jeans. Earrings with shells dangling from them were set in her earlobes. As if feeling Mokuba's gaze on her she slowly faced him, revealing bloodshot eyes with iris a color that rivaled that of her hair. She uttered a small "hello" in english. Mokuba answered, quickly thinking back to the english lessons he had taken.
"I'm Mokuba Kaiba." He told her, trying to be as welcoming as he could.
"I'm Takoda, Takoda Cocheta." She whispered back. Mokuba faintly recognized her accent.
"Are you Canadian?" He questioned. Takoda nodded to him. "So, you must be the Ojibwa Gem Keeper then, right?"
To this Takoda shook her head. "No. My brother is. But that crazy man took me instead." Her face seemed to sink at this.
They sat in silence for awhile. Mokuba wished the soundlessness would stop, but he didn't know what to say to this girl. She wasn't like Chiquita who always had something to talk about, and she wasn't like Seto who Mokuba knew his interests. So, quietly the boy waited to see if the girl would speak.
Finally, after an hour or so, Takoda whispered something. Mokuba strained to hear it, but failed.
"What did you say?" He asked, gazing through the bars at her.
Takoda raised her eyes to meet his. "How can you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Talk to the enemy so freely."
Mokuba blinked. "What?"
"That girl that was here before. You talked to her like she was your friend or something." Takoda noted. "But she couldn't be your friend."
Mokuba pulled his eyes away from hers. "I don't understand."
"You and her seem to get along." Takoda explained. "But I warn you, don't start to feel like she's your friend. She's the enemy. You can't trust her."
"You don't know her." Mokuba snapped. "You just arrived. Chiquita is nice, you'll see."
"If she's so nice, then why are we locked in cages?" Was the dangerous reply. "If she was really a friend, why does she help keep you prisoner?"
"She's just doing as her brother says." He told her. "It's not her fault her brother's a nut!"
"Or, maybe she's one too." Takoda whispered. "Maybe she's just pretending to be nice so she can find out all about your Shadow Gem, seeing as no two Gems have the same powers. She's probably just trying to worm her way in so she can figure out how to use your Gem, then she'll take it from you."
Mokuba's heart skipped a beat. It sounded like something a kidnapper would do. It was rather logical...
"No!" Mokuba shouted. He could hear the people down the other hall jump at his outburst. "You're wrong about her. Chiquita isn't like that, she's nice."
"You don't know that Mokuba Kaiba." Takoda stated plainly. "You don't know if she really is as nice as she appears. And truthfully, I don't know if I'm right or not. There's no way in knowing what's going on in her head. So, just be careful what you say to her. It might be used against you one day."
"You're wrong." Mokuba told her again. He got up from where he was sitting and went to the farthest corner from Takoda, making sure the legs of table and chairs blocked the new girl from his sight. He sat down and pulled his legs close to his chest. "She's wrong." He whispered to himself again.
At least, I hope so...
"This place is huge..." He mumbled, gazing at the white mansion before him. The air was cool and smelled of sea salt. The sun was shining down all around. Behind him a taxicab's door slammed shut and the yellow vehicle drove away.
Ishizu chuckled as she gazed down at the small boy. "It's better inside, Chayton." She told him. Chayton smiled and grabbed his bag from where the driver had left it. Quickly he followed Marik and Ishizu up the stone walkway.
Marik was giving the house a wary look. "Why are we here of all places?"
"He's an old friend, whether you like it or not Marik." Ishizu told him sternly. "Besides, he's told me he knows where the Greek Shadow Gem is and who is it's keeper."
Marik didn't reply, only ran his gaze over all aspects of the house. Ishizu watched his face while he judge the building. A tug on her cream colored sundress made her turn her attention to Chayton.
"What part of Greece are we in?" The boy asked.
"The island of Kithira." A voice from the doorway answered. "We are located between Peloplnnesus and Crete." All heads turned to the speaker.
A man in his late thirties leaned on the doorframe. His short cut light brown hair almost fell into his eyes. His grey eyes twinkled with welcome. A plain grey shirt and faded blue jeans were all he wore. Chayton smiled upon seeing the man's bare feet.
"Hello Sanders." Ishizu said to him. She went forwards and shook his hand. "This is Chayton Cocheta, the Ojibwa Gem Keeper." She gestured to the boy beside him.
"Good to meet you, Chayton." Sanders said as he crouched down and shook Chayton's hand. Chayton smiled at the man's heavy Greek accent. "I'm Sanders Euphemia."
Ishizu smiled at the both of them. "And Sanders, this is my brother Marik."
Sanders arose and put his hand out. "Oh yes, I remember you telling me about him. He's a lot bigger than your picture of him, Ishizu. You know, you're sister always talked about you." Sanders added as Marik took his hand.
Marik's dark look became darker. "She's told me about you, too."
"Strong shake." Sanders noted when he released Marik's hand. He didn't reply, only glared a bit.
"How about we take our things inside." Ishizu quickly said, sensing the tension between Sanders and Marik.
"Of course." The Greek man said happily. He grabbed a few of the larger bags and led the way inside. Once in the door he set them down.
The inside of the house was as elegant as the outside. At the moment the group stood in a large entrance way. Each wall had a door in the center of it. The west one led to the front yard, the southern one led to a large sitting room, the northern one led to a huge dining room, and the eastern one led to a wide hall with more doors leading off of it as well as a staircase heading to the second door.
"This was my grandparent's house." Sanders explained, pointing to a few old photos on the entranceway's walls. "My father was raised her, and so was I. I also raised my daughter here as well."
"You have a daughter?" Ishizu asked, a bit startled.
"He means stepdaughter." A dull voice stated from the stairs, cutting Sanders off. The speaker was a sixteen-year-old girl. Her platinum blonde hair ran to her shoulders with distinct black streaks running through it. Her unearthly pale blue eyes were hidden under dark eyeshadow and eyeliner. Her skin was deathly pale, the only color was a result of dark eye makeup, dark red lipstick and black nail polish. She wore a black dress with its sleeves long but its shirt short. Under her skirt was a pare of black jeans with tears at the knees. Her feet dawned black sandals. Around her neck was a dark red ribbon matching her lips. Holding the ends of the ribbon together was a brooch sitting right on the center of her throat. The brooch was plain, a simple turquoise surrounded by tarnished gold.
"Medea, I didn't realize you were awake." Sanders said, smiling to the girl. "You were up all night, you should be sleeping."
"I can't sleep." Medea told him, her voice drained of all emotion. "It is too noisy, anyways." The girl continued down the steps slowly. Sanders frowned.
"What, or who, is It?" Ishizu asked.
"Nothing." Sanders said, casting Medea a look. "Medea has this strange notion that this house is haunted and the ghost likes to try and keep her up."
"It doesn't 'try'." Medea stated. "It does." By this time she had reached the bottom of the steps and was leaning on the railing.
"Medea dear," Her stepfather said abruptly. "Why don't you show Marik and Chayton to their rooms and I'll show Ishizu to hers."
"Fine." She muttered as Sanders picked up Ishizu's bags and began to walk down the hall. "Follow me." She added to Marik and Chayton and began her way back up the stairs.
"I don't want to stay in a haunted house." Chayton whimpered.
"It's not haunted." Sanders stated before leading Ishizu down a separate hall.
Medea glared at where he had disappeared for a moment. "That's what he thinks." She then continued on their way.
"Medea, where's your mother?" Marik asked as they reached the top of the steps.
The girl chuckled a bit. "How should I know?
"You mean, you don't know where your mom is?" Chayton questioned.
"No." Medea said plainly. "I haven't for awhile. It's not in Kalista's nature to settle down. She's been divorced how knows how many times. She married Sanders when I was eight. Already she had six ex-husbands in her wake. For awhile I thought she would actually stay with a man. After three years I was sure Kalista had found the right man for her. But, that summer she ran off, leaving me with Sanders. A year later she finally called and said the Greece wasn't the place for her. She had a new boyfriend and was going to send divorce papers for Sanders to sign because she believed this new guy was 'the one'. Those two were divorced a week later."
"That's not right." Chayton uttered. Medea smiled a bit, but it was more so to spite her mother than to show she agreed.
"For another year or two she called or wrote." Medea continued. "Then, when I was fourteen she stopped altogether. I haven't heard from her since, nor do I care what happened to her." She stopped at one of the doors. "Here's your room." She said to Chayton.
The boy ran in to see the vastness of it, then with joy began to jump on the extremely large bed. Medea turned and continued to lead Marik to his room. The girl was quiet now and it wasn't until they were out of earshot of Chayton and making their way up another flight of stairs did Marik speak.
"You said before this house is haunted." He stated. "Why do you think that?"
"I don't think it, I know." She replied.
"But why?"
"I'm not sure why she's staying here. But she is somehow trapped in this house, or doesn't want to leave. I think she's afraid of something, and she's been trying to warn me."
"'She'?"
Medea nodded. "Yes, 'she'. It's the spirit of Sander's sister, Nina. She died from some illness at fifteen, or so Sanders told me. But her spirit is trapped in this house, and she knows something bad is going to happen." She stopped at a room halfway down the hall, right above Chayton's. They could hear the boy's laughter from below them. "This is your room."
"Do you think something bad is going to happen?" Marik asked as he entered the room after her.
"Like I said before, I don't think. I know." The girl said. As she turned to leave Marik caught her by the arm.
"How do you 'know'?" He questioned. Medea lifted her hand and rubbed the brooch around her neck. Marik gazed at it and realized it was like a small marble with ancient Greek writing etched into it. "The Gem of the Greeks." He muttered breathlessly.
"Each Gem has it's own gift." Medea told him. She then leaned closer and whispered almost silently into his ear. "Don't let your guard down, or you'll fall for the darkness. Be careful who you trust. You may think you understand, but you don't. And remember," She pulled away to make sure she had a grasp on his gaze. "Things are never how they appear to be."
She then turned and exited the room, leaving Marik standing there dumbfounded. After a moment or two he turned and began to unpack, running Medea's warning over and over in his head.