Disclaimer: Even though I went shopping.. I still don't own a damn thing... •grumbles•
Claimer: I own the creepy guy people in here and Shadow. I also own the horses. Yay.
Notes: I only use these, • , because I can't get the asterisks to work... grr on them... Hopefully it's obvious who Odd's going to get with.. Yeah.. Amaya. •impish• I can't help it! And of course, Ulrich and Yumi. Yumi and Ulrich with anyone other than each other is just wrong. And Jeremie and Aelita. Am I that predictable? Yes! Yes I am!! XP And I already have an idea for... drum roll please... A SEQUEL!! Yay!! It's killing me man... I gotta finish this but I got an idea for a sequel... ah, I spend too much time thinking in bed at night. When I'm not watching my shows... Ah, whatever. You're probably getting sick and tired of listening to me babbling like a monkey.. unless you're just not reading this.. if you're not then you're one smart cookie. xP!
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Ch. 5 Voices in the Mists
Later that day, Amaya was taking a walk through the woods with Storm. This past week had been full of pain and happiness all at once. Pain because of what had happened to her grandmother, and happiness because she had finally found friends.
"You know what Storm? I think my life might be turning around. Finally.." she said to the horse. Storm neighed as if saying 'I hope it does.' She smiled softly and petted his neck. They continued walking and Amaya was oblivious to the eerie mist that had fallen upon them. There was a rustle of leaves on her right. Amaya looked at the bushes skeptically and urged Storm to walk just a little bit faster.
"Amayaaaa...Amayaaaa..." A voice whispered from behind her. She whipped around in the saddle and looked around wildly. No one. Not a soul in sight.
"I'm losing my mind..." she murmured to herself. She turned back around and looked ahead. Visibility was about a foot from her nose and she could barely see Storm's head. She heard the voice again, only this time, it seemed to have gained vocabulary.
"Amayaaaa... I'm waiting for youuu... You need to come back to meee... You need to come baaaack..." the voice whispered. Amaya turned around again and looked around frantically.
"Who's there?" she called out, pulling Storm to a stop. No response. "I am armed and I'm not afraid to kick your ass," she said. She pulled her dagger out of her belt loop and slowly scanned the area. She narrowed her eyes. The tendrils of fog and mist snaked around Storms legs like shackles. He whickered nervously and pawed the ground with his hoof. The voice came again, this time it was stable and sounded more human like. Before it had sounded like an angry whisper, coming from the throat of the deceased.
"Amaya... remember me. Come back to me," the voice said. Amaya recognized that voice. She furrowed her brow. Then, realization dawned on her and she shook her head slowly in disbelief.
"Who are you?" she demanded. The voice chuckled.
"You know who I am. Remember me, Amaya," the voice commanded. She didn't want to remember him. He was dead. And the dead can't walk in mist or even talk for that matter.
"I know who you're trying to be. Knock it off," she said angrily.
"I'm not trying to be anyone," the voice said. "Say my name."
"No! You're not him!" she said, her voice growing louder with every word she spoke.
"Say my name!" the voice hissed. Amaya clamped her hand over her ears. She slid off the saddle and onto her knees. Storm walked around behind her and whinnied softly.
"You are not Demetrius!" she shouted, slamming her eyes shut. After staying with her hands over her ears for a moment, she lowered them and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw were narrow blue eyes looking right back at her. The person placed their hand on her cheek.
"But I am," he whispered. He had on black eyeliner and was dressed in all black. His black hair hung loose and was looking scraggly as it touched his shoulders. His stubby nails were painted black and the polish was chipping. Along the deathly pale skin of his arm were scars and scabs. Amaya looked at him with her mouth slightly opened and eyes wide.
"You can't be Demetrius. He's dead! He died three months ago when he was shot!" she said, scooting back away from him.
"I never died Amaya. That's what I wanted them to think. But I'm back and you've nothing to worry about, love" he said. His hand inched around to the back of her neck and he tried to pull her head to his. She shoved it away.
"I'm not your love. I never was and I never will be," she spat. Quicker than he could blink, she pulled out her dagger and slashed it down his arm. He withdrew quickly and sucked in a painful breath through clenched teeth. She quickly mounted Storm and urged him into a gallop. They took off just as this so called 'Demetrius' lunged at them. She looked back and saw him standing there, watching them as they ran.
"We will meet again, my little dove. You can count on it," he said to himself. But somehow, he knew she heard it. With the next breeze, he had disappeared.
Once Amaya was sure she was far away from him, she slowed Storm to a stop. She climbed off of him and stood next to him, stroking his sleek black coat.
"That wasn't our last meeting with him. Not mine at least. I can feel it in my bones," she told the horse, staring ahead. She turned to the side, threw her head back, and howled. Exactly like a wolf's howl. Within a minute's time, Agrona came barreling through the underbrush. She ran up to Amaya and knocked her down, licking her face. When she was done, she sat back on her haunches and wagged her tail. Amaya crouched down in front of the wolf and looked her in the eyes.
"Agrona, I need you to do me a favor. Look for Demetrius," she said, hoping the wolf would remember him. She did, and she turned her head to the side and growled viciously. "Make sure you are not seen nor heard. Come find me when you're done, okay?" The wolf barked. "Be careful," she said as Agrona took off down the trail where she had previously been. She turned to Storm and mounted him, urging him to run back to the shed.
When she got to the shed, she scrambled off of him and ran toward the school. She hoped her friends were outside. They were, and she ran toward them. She stumbled and almost fell but she regained her footing and ran up to them, panting and gasping for breath.
"Amaya, what's wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost," Yumi said in a concerned tone.
"You could that," Amaya said. She was about to explain to them everything that happened when they head a piercing screeching sound from above. They all looked up and saw some sort of bird flying at them. It was flying toward them when something struck it in the wing. The bird, along with what had struck it's wing, hurtled toward the ground. The bird hit the ground with a dull thump and the stone that had struck it hit Odd's head. Yumi gasped and walked toward the bid to make sure it was okay, but the bird made angry screeching and hissing noises. Yumi stopped in her tracks.
"It's a peregrine falcon. A really, really big one," Amaya said, looking at the large blue-gray bird. She slowly walked toward it and it started hissing at her as well. But this didn't stop her. She began whispering to the bird like she done with Lily yesterday. Just whispering to it. The bird slowly stopped screeching and hissing and allowed Amaya to pet it. She picked up the bird carefully, knowing that it's talons and beak could tear her arm to shreds. When she turned around, her friends were staring at her in amazement.
"How'd you do that? He wouldn't let me come near him let alone pick him up!" Yumi said. Amaya smiled.
"It's an old trick Master Oroshie taught me. It's how I stopped Lily yesterday. I just whisper to the animals. They're like people in a way, and like people, hearing a calm voice soothes them and calms them down. Here, try," she said, holding out the bird to Yumi. She looked at the bird as it started hissing at her.
"What do I say?" she asked. Amaya shook her head.
"It doesn't matter. They hear a calm voice and they calm down," she said. Yumi approached the bird and began whispering to it. She felt a little foolish, whispering to a bird, but when he calmed down and allowed her to pet him, all foolishness left her. She smiled as she stroked the birds soft feathers. Soon, the rest of the group had earned the bird's trust. Amaya sat on a bench and examined the bird.
"His wing looks broken," she said. Odd hadn't paid much attention to it, but now that he remembered he was hit with the falling stone, his head started throbbing.
"Yeah, and I think that damn rock broke my head," he said, rubbing his head tenderly where the rock hit him.
"You'll live," Jeremie said. Odd stuck his tongue out at Jeremie.
"Hmm, what's this?" Amaya said, pulling a piece of paper from the bird's foot. They all gathered around her and read the letter to themselves.
Amaya,
We'll meet again my dove. I will find you and I will bring you back. Do not fret my dove. You will know when I am coming. Until then, listen to the mist whenever you want to hear me.
Demetrius
Amaya let the letter fall into her lap next to the bird. The falcon looked at the letter, cocked his head to the side, and pecked it with his beak. She hung her head and covered her face with her hands, digging her fingertips into her hair.
"Amaya, who is this Demetrius guy?" Ulrich asked. Amaya sighed and dragged her hands down her face.
"He's the other runaway Master Oroshie found. But as soon as he found him, Master fell ill. I had to teach the new guy. He had some kind of infatuation with me. I taught him a lot, then Master got well and took over. I left after that. But three months ago, he was supposedly shot and killed in an alley. Supposedly. But I saw him today. I was walking with Storm when I heard him. He kept telling me to come back to him. But I was never with him. I'm fourteen and he's seventeen!" she told them.
"And... this letter is from him?" Odd said, looking at the letter that was being pecked to death by the falcon, who had hopped off of Amaya's lap with the letter. He was on the bench and happily pecking away at the letter, as if it was a foul evil and needed to be destroyed. Amaya nodded slowly.
"But, he's no match for me. Sure, he's a lot stronger than me, but he never finished his teachings. He ran away after I stopped teaching him and he was 'shot.' He never let Master Oroshie finish teaching him," she said. "I know more than him. He wasn't that good a fighter anyway. Well, he was good, but not focused. He was bent on beating the shit out of anyone who opposed him and girls."
"So, you're not worried about him?" Jeremie asked. Amaya shook her head.
"Nope, not at all," she lied.
Meanwhile...
"Master, I have returned," Demetrius typed. Soft lime green words appeared on the large screen in front of him.
"Did you deliver the message and talk to the girl?"
"As you ordered, Master. She ran to inform her friends. The falcon I sent oversaw that. I then shot the falcon down, as you ordered." He typed.
"Good job Demetrius. You have done well. You may rest," appeared across the screen.
"Master, will I receive what I have been promised when you are finished with your plans?" Demetrius typed.
"As long as you continue to work for me and do not fail, your reward will be granted," is what appeared on the screen.
"Yes, Master Xana," he typed. The computer turned itself off, not wanting to be bothered any longer. Demetrius turned and walked out of the room and into his. He laid down on his bed.
"Master shall destroy Amaya's friends, and he will get his prize. Control of the world. And I will get mine: Amaya."
At the school...
"Guys, I'm telling you, I don't have anything to be afraid of. Demetrius is smart enough not to come near me in school. And if he does, he'd still be no match for me," Amaya said. They had all gone inside when it had started raining. Amaya was carrying the falcon with her and Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and Jeremie were surrounding her, acting as an escort to her room.
"Still," Yumi said. Amaya unlocked her door and set the falcon on her dresser gently. She heard barking from below. She walked over to the window and her friends followed her. She looked out the window and saw Agrona standing below her.
"Did you find anything?" she called down to the wolf. Agrona whimpered and laid down, looking up at Amaya with big blue eyes. "Not even a scent?" Agrona whimpered again. "Damn!" she cursed out loud. "It's okay Agrona. Thanks anyway. See you tomorrow!" she called down to the wolf. The wolf barked and ran back into the forest. Amaya shut her window and dove headfirst into her bed.
"Why does he have to do this to me now?! Just as I was feeling happy for the first time in years!" she said, her words muffled by her pillow. Yumi sat down on the bed next to her and Odd sat down on the floor. Ulrich and Jeremie leaned up against the dresser and Ulrich picked up the falcon.
"Uggh I hate him! The stupid gothic bastard..." Amaya grumbled. "Why couldn't he have just died? I swear, someone up there does not like me," she said, pointing to the sky without lifting her head from her pillow.
"Well someone up there must like you at lest a little bit," Odd said, grinning.
"What makes you say that?" Amaya asked, lifting her head from her pillow.
"Cause now you've got us for friends!" he said, grinning from ear to ear. Amaya laughed and threw a pillow at him. Ulrich's eyes lit up as he set down the falcon and ran into his room. He returned a moment later with two pillows.
"PILLOW FIGHT!" he shouted loudly, tossing a pillow to Odd, who grinned and caught it. Amaya tossed a pillow to Yumi and Jeremie and turned her music on, cranking up the volume. Yumi swung her pillow at Odd and hit him in the head.
"Uhhh" he said, swaggering on the spot. Yumi laughed and turned around to attack Ulrich, who was beaning Jeremie on the head. Before she could attack, she was hit with both Odd's and Amaya's pillows.
"Uh-uh, my target," Amaya said, swinging her pillow at Odd. They got into their own battle. The music was loud and everyone was having a good time. When they finally stopped, it was around eleven at night. Everyone was either laying on the floor or on the bed.
"That was fun," Yumi said. Everyone nodded.
"Yeah it was fun. Nice to get a break from saving the world, you know? Well, I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Jeremie said. He waved goodbye and walked back to his own dorm. Yumi yawned.
"I'd better get going too. I'm gonna get an earful when I get home..." she said, rolling her eyes. Ulrich stood up.
"I'll walk you home," he said. Yumi smiled.
"Okay, see you guys tomorrow!" she said. She waved goodbye and walked out the door. Ulrich looked back to see that Odd was making kissey faces at him. Ulrich blushed and threw a pillow at him. He left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Phew, that was fun," Amaya said. Odd nodded. She got up and turned her music down as a song by 'The Cure' came on.
"Why'd you turn it down?" he asked.
"Not all music needs to be listened to so loud it shakes the walls," she said, putting her Three Days Grace CD in it's jewel case and putting it in the CD holder.
"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Ulrich and Yumi like each other," she said, smirking. Odd laughed.
"Yeah I think they do too. We know it, and I got a feeling they know it. But they've got to admit it," he said.
"How long do you think it's gonna take?"
"Eh, who knows. Could be a loooong time. Anyways, are you sure you're gonna be fine in here?" he asked. Amaya laughed.
"I'll be peachy keen. See all the weapons on the wall? Anyone who comes in here to hurt me will not leave this room alive. Besides, Shadow would hear them. He's a light sleeper," she said, looking up at the cat who had stayed on top of the bookcase during all the mayhem. "But if it'll make you happy," she said. She pulled a gun down off the wall and shot the wall connecting their rooms twice. Odd's eyes widened as she kicked the drywall until there was a two foot by two foot hole.
"What the hell?" he said.
"All we gotta do is make a little door on each side. Then, if you ever suspect that I'm being murdered in my sleep, you can look through the little door," she said. Odd laughed and looked through the hole.
"Well whaddya know, I can see my room," he said. Amaya laughed.
"You're a nut," she laughed. Odd stood up, stretched out, and yawned.
"I'd better get going to bed. I'll never be able to get up in the morning as it is," he yawned.
"Same here. I like sleeping almost as much as I love eating. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, and if you wake up with Shadow in your face, just tell him to go find me," she said.
"Okay, see you tomorrow then," he said, walking out and into his own room.
Outside...
"You didn't really have to walked me home Ulrich," Yumi said as they walked down the road that lead to Yumi's house.
"That's okay. I wasn't going to let you walk home with that Demetrius guy around. Besides, I wanted to," he said, blushing as he did so. Yumi blushed as well, looking over at the other side of the road.
"I had fun today. You know, aside from the part with a loon running around," she said.
"Yeah, me too," Ulrich said. He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. To him, she was the most beautiful creature to ever grace this planet. And he was lucky enough to be one of her best friends. Yet, he was unfortunate enough to have the biggest crush on her. He would have to admire her from a distance forever more. She'd never return his feelings. And he might even go far enough to say that maybe what he felt for this beauty was... more than a crush.
"Well, here I am," she said sadly, as if she didn't want this to be her home. Just to walk a little longer on this beautiful night with him. "Thanks for walking me home Ulrich."
"You're-" he cut off when Yumi's lips connected with his cheek. She let them linger there for a few seconds. "Welcome," he finished almost breathlessly. Yumi blushed lightly.
"See you tomorrow," she said, walking into her house. Ulrich waved absentmindedly at her.
"See you..." he whispered, but somehow he knew she heard it. As her door closed, he turned around and walked back to school. Once he was out of sight of her house, he stopped walking and leaned up against a big tree. He sighed happily and touched the spot on his cheek where Yumi had kissed him. She, Yumi, had kissed him, Ulrich. He couldn't believe it. He grinned all the way back to school.
When he got back to his dorm, Odd was laying in his bed in a pair of boxers and a tee shirt, listening to his music with his eyes closed. Strangely, the music wasn't face-meltingly loud. It was soft and he seemed calm. But Ulrich didn't care. Odd opened his eyes and looked at Ulrich.
"Hey Ulrich," he said. Ulrich just walked into the room and sat down on his bed, grinning deliriously. Odd sat up and looked at him. "What's wrong with you? And why are you smiling like that? You look like a mental patient. Isn't that my job?" he asked. Ulrich just kept smiling and poked his cheek with a finger. Odd raised an eyebrow.
"Yumi," was all Ulrich said, before collapsing onto his bed. Odd smiled and rolled his eyes.
"I think it's safe to say that's you're a lovesick fool buddy," he said, lying back down and listening to his music once again. "And I thought Jeremie was bad..." he muttered to himself.
"Hang on, why isn't your music turned up so loud it'd melt your ears right off your fat head?" Ulrich asked. Odd shrugged.
"Not all music has to be listened to so loud it shakes the walls," he said. Ulrich's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
"Who are you and what have you done with Odd?" he asked.
"Amaya told me," Odd laughed. Ulrich walked over and banged on the wall.
"Yo, Amaya! Did you brainwash Odd into thinking music isn't supposed to be loud or something?" he shouted through the wall.
"Maybe," came Amaya's voice. He looked down and almost jumped out of his skin when he saw Amaya's head sticking out of the wall.
"What the-" he said as he stepped back.
"She shot a hole in the wall," Odd said, not moving from his current position. Ulrich looked at him then back at Amaya.
"Is he serious?" he asked in astonishment.
"Yup," Amaya said happily. "Odd was afraid I was going to get murdered in my sleep by Demetrius. So I shot a hole in the drywall and kicked it in. I can add the little doors later," she said.
"You used a gun?" Ulrich asked, completely off topic.
"Yeah. It's easy. I've got like, fifteen of them," she said, grinning from ear to ear. She lifted her head as Shadow crawled under her and into Ulrich's room. He rubbed against Ulrich's leg and then leapt up onto his bed and curled up. Amaya frowned.
"Shadow, get over here you lazy cat," she said. The cat meowed and stayed put.
"Don't make me come over there mister," she told the cat, scowling when he stayed put. Ulrich chuckled.
"It's okay Amaya. He can stay in here if he wants. He's probably more entertaining than Kiwi anyway," he said, looking at the dog who was curled up at the end of Odd's bed. Odd opened one eye at the mention of his dog.
"He can come and go when he wants anyway. After all, there's a big hole in the wall," Odd grinned.
"Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow then. Be good Shadow," she said, looking at the cat once more before disappearing back through the hole.
"See you," Ulrich and Odd said in unison. Ulrich yawned and stretched.
"I'm going to bed. See you in the morning," he said tiredly.
"Night," Odd said, once again listening to his music. Shadow moved to the end of Ulrich's bed and fell asleep.
In Amaya's Room...
Amaya was reading a book in bed when she suddenly felt a chill go down her spine. She glanced at the window. It was shut tight. She rubbed her arms and continued to read. She couldn't focus. She looked around her room and her eyes landed on the box in which the falcon was being kept. The box was lined wit soft blankets and the falcon was resting inside. Amaya had wrapped it's wing in a piece of old shirt.
The falcon started hissing and making soft screeching noises. Amaya got up and looked into the box, to find that the falcon was sitting up and looking around at the confines of his box.
"It's alright birdie. No one's here," she said, gently stroking the birds soft feathers. "You need a name... Hmm how about Bullet?" she asked. The bird bobbed his head up and down. "I'll take that as a yes," she laughed. She turned around to get back to reading and gasped. Demetrius was sitting in her bed and reading her book. He looked up at her and smiled, showing her his fanglike teeth.
"I never knew you read this horror crap Amaya. I thought you would be the one to read actioney books. Looks like I don't know everything about you," he said, tossing the book aside.
"How.. how did.. what are you..." Amaya stuttered, backing up.
"I have my ways dove," he said.
"I'm not your dove you pervert," she snapped. "I never was and I never will be. So, go stalk someone else."
"But I don't want to stalk anyone else. I want you," he whispered. Amaya picked up Bullet and threw him at Demetrius. The bird, angry at being picked up from his comfortable box, bit, scratched, and clawed Demetrius. He tore threw his black shirt and clawed into his flesh. Surprisingly, Demetrius didn't make a sound. He opened the window and leapt out, throwing the bird onto the floor. Amaya rushed over to Bullet and picked him up, apologizing for throwing him. She looked out her window to see that no one was there. Not on the ground, not in the trees, not running away. No one.
"Screw him. Leave me alone Demetrius. You hear me? Leave me alone," she said into the night. She placed the Bullet back into his box and crawled into bed. She turned her desk lamp out and closed her eyes, falling into an uneasy sleep.
so whaddya think? that was chapter five of my story. I have no idea when I'm going to be able to update Just Because It's Wednesday. Well I must be off.. see you guys! don't forget to R/R!!