Chapter 6

A/N: I just noticed that I messed up on the fourth chapter... The sunrise is on the other side of the tower, and the sun set is what shines through the balcony window. I know, it's probably insignificant, but still it irks me rather. I mean, I'm not going to go back and fix it (thanks to my laziness), but I want you to forgive me. The dawns and the dusks are going to be seen in the same window. Heh...I hate myself. Oh well...Read and Review. Oh, and Serendipity 1, this is actually taking place a little less than a year before the whole FoF thing. Quasimodo is still 19 years old.

It was already past sunrise when Lilo had decided to leave the bed, now fully dressed and wearing her sandals. The cool breeze of morning that the bell tower was not guarded against pervaded her clothing, which still had a small bit of wetness retained in the material, and she shivered. Now that she wasn't so dizzy (though it was difficult to stand, somewhat), her curiosity toward her surroundings had increased. Everything seemed to hide in the shadows...something that she wasn't quite used to, having grown up in the perpetually sunny state of Hawaii.
Lilo walked away from the darkness, however, and toward the ever- brightening light that was now making its way across an even larger portion of the floor. This was the last place that she had seen the man walking, though that was about half an hour before, and she wished to speak with him a little more. Her usual prying nature was once again kicking in.
The suns rays did not reach their usual whitish-yellow color, so it was not too hard to see when Lilo approached, but the objects that stood against the light of the outside still ended up seeming little more than silhouettes. One of these figures, Lilo realized rather happily, was her rescuer, who sat at a table that was outlined oddly in the light. There were several objects set atop the surface of the table and he sat playing with them, but Lilo was unable to discern them from where she stood.
When she approached, however, she noted with heightened excitement that it was a beautifully rendered city miniature, and the man was toying with several wooden dolls that were obviously supposed to be townspeople.
"Wow!" Lilo exclaimed. Her rescuer turned swiftly at the sound, his expression one of surprise. Then, seeing who it was who had spoken, he relaxed, but only slightly. It was obvious how uncomfortable he was with her being in the tower, but he seemed to try his best to ignore the fact. Apparently, he wanted her to feel welcome.
"You're up," he said after several seconds, scratching the back of his head uneasily (which seemed a difficult task taking into account just where his head was located). He attempted a smile, but it ended up just a margin away from what he wanted to impress upon her. Lilo returned it with a smile of her own.
"Yup," Lilo replied, her smile widening. She approached the table cautiously, despite the fact that she knew she could trust the man, and she noticed that the piece of furniture was just as makeshift as his bedside candleholder. Its body consisted of an array of different sized wooden boards and statue pieces, as well as a basin that was turned over, now used as a leg. The tablecloth was little more than a scrap of crude fabric, spread out underneath the miniature. Lilo peeked her head cautiously over the edge of the table, admiring each of the hand-carved pieces quietly. "Did you make all of these yourself?" she finally asked.
Quasimodo nodded, deciding to remain silent. It was very strange for him to be in the presence of another human being other than his master and the clergymen, and the oddest thing is the fact that this one did not run away. She was younger than the others, and of a different, supposedly weaker-minded gender. It seemed miraculous to him that she had not yet left the bell tower when she found she was able to walk.
Lilo looked timidly at the figures. They were simple, yet beautiful, and she had a powerful urge to touch one. She nearly did this, lifting her hand up from its place at her side, but she suddenly realized that this might be something else that her rescuer would be sensitive about and she replaced it. She wouldn't risk it. At least not without permission.
Lilo looked up at Quasimodo, who had not yet averted his gaze from her, still perusing each of her actions. "Can I touch it?" she asked.
Quasimodo thought quietly. Should he let her? What if she broke one? Finally, after several moments of deliberation, he nodded his head. Lilo smiled and reached out, picking up one of the women, whose arms were outstretched, a tiny basket hanging off of one.
"It's pretty," she said shyly. Quasimodo smiled, pleased.
"Thank you."
Lilo put the townsperson back where it last stood and coughed uneasily. Shyness wasn't an aspect that Lilo was very used to, but the situation was a bit awkward, and she couldn't help feeling it. She stared down at the ground, as did Quasimodo. None knew what else to say.
"I forgot to ask," Lilo said, yet again keeping the conversation afloat, "who are you?"
Quasimodo sighed.
"You have probably heard of the monster that lives in the bell tower," he said, continuing to stare at the floor boards.
Lilo's eyes opened wide at the statement, suddenly realizing something. So, he was disliked by other people too. He was even called names just because of how he was, not unlike her and Myrtle's "weird-lo". How was it that these people couldn't understand the fact that even because they were different, they were still human? These people called him monster, for goodness sakes! They were not unlike each other, she and her rescuer. She wanted to find some way to reassure him.
"Yes," Lilo replied, lying. Quasimodo sighed wistfully. Lilo continued, raising her hands in the air, preparing for some descriptive body movements. "I heard that he was ugly and horrible, casting spells on people when they sleep and giving everyone bad luck. I heard that he scared people and turned them to stone!" She exclaimed, waving her arms interpretively in the air. Quasimodo's eyes were still on the floor, and he seemed to sadden with every word that she spoke. Everything that Lilo said was a lie, but the man was not able to tell, believing everything that the odd little girl had to say. Lilo decided that, after several more insults, it would be best to stop, because it seemed that her rescuer was going to run back into the shadows. "Yeah, that's all I heard about him."
Quasimodo sighed another harsh sigh, his eyes glazing over with tears.
"Yeah..." Lilo continued, approaching the man with a gentle smile. "You better be careful. He might catch you and do bad stuff to you."
Quasimodo began to nod, but halfway through this movement, he stopped, the meaning of her words registering. He looked at her, a bewildered look clear upon his odd face, but all that he gained back was a smile. She looked satisfied.
"Wait," he said in realization. "You're lying."
Lilo shook her head vehemently. "No!" she said. But, with one look at Quasimodo's already hurt face, she sighed and shook her head. "Yes...Okay. But I don't think you're a monster, okay?"
"Why not?" Quasimodo asked suspiciously.
"Because you're not," she replied. A smile crossed her face, and she put a hand on his leg. "Monsters aren't human."
"How do you know I'm human?"
"Can you explain everything?" Lilo asked, her hands on her hips.
"No," came the reply.
"Neither can I. I'm not even going to try on this one. As you said, you are what you are."

Quasimodo looked down at her thankfully, but that indescribable sadness still remained surrounding him.

"I wish I could believe that," he said, looking out into the iridescence of the brightening sun. Lilo followed his gaze, perplexed.

"Why?" She asked. "Can't you?"

Quasimodo did not reply, just shaking his head and standing up from his seat and heading to a darker area of the bell tower. But, before he returned to the gloom, he looked back, giving her his name and asking for her own.

"Lilo," she replied.

"Why don't you go downstairs, Lilo?" Quasimodo asked, gesturing toward the wooden ladder that led to lower levels. "I have something important to do."

Lilo nodded and walked toward the ladder as Quasimodo slipped stealthily into the darkness once again.

Nani was more nervous than ever. It was already seven o' clock at night, and still Lilo was not back yet. Her sister may be ridiculous, but she wasn't stupid, and it was just plain absurd to stay out so late into the night. Nani wanted to call the police, but the other three occupants reassured her, and they told her not to do so just yet. They claimed that they were sure that Lilo would arrive soon enough, and she just had to relax and wait for her to arrive. So that's what she did. And, that's what she had been doing for the past hour and a half! WAIT! Soon enough, they had said. Well, this was way past soon enough for her! This was taking forever!

The other three were located in different areas of the household, none of them she was very sure of except for Jumba, whom she could hear lumbering up in Lilo's room. She had hoped ardently that he was searching for clues, but this was soon discarded and replaced by anger when she realized that he was tinkering with one of Lilo's toys. This was not the time!

Despite all anxiety, she remained seated on the couch in front of the television, tremulous with concern. Every minute that passed, she glanced at the clock, then at the telephone that taunted her on the side table. She had to pass the opportunity every time it aroused in her mind. Do not call the police. Trust the others. Do not call the police. Another minute passed. Nani watched the clock with renewed disgust and she felt the sudden urge to grab the piece and slam it across the wall. This was it. She couldn't take much more of it. Why the others wanted to retard their search for Lilo was not something she knew the reasons for, or really cared about at the moment.

She reached for the receiver, determined to have her way. They weren't getting anywhere their way. She didn't have to wait any longer. It was her house after all.

Above, in the cluttered attic of the household, Stitch sat at the control panel, watching it steadfastly, barely even blinking. Jumba had set it to trace the wave emitted from Lilo's transmitter, and Stitch's usual impatience forced him into the position. He made a silent vow to be the first to know where Lilo was.

The process, as Jumba had stated earlier, was rather tedious, wasting their time as it slowly progressed toward the answer. The scientist had said that it would take several hours before it was completed, so it would be best to do something in the long time of wait. Stitch had found nothing to do, unlike Jumba and Pleakley. The Cyclopean alien spent his time caring for his indoor plants, planting and replanting, watering and pruning. Jumba was in Lilo's room, fixing something that Stitch had broken earlier on in the day. Nani was sitting on the couch, eyeing the telephone, and, Stitch was almost sure, conflicting inwardly whether or not it would be wise to alert the authorities of her sister's disappearance.

Jumba had told her not to, knowing that if such a thing were reported there would be police officers searching the whole of the house for clues that none of them had been able to find. There was a good chance they would disrupt the delicate process, and that was a risk that none of them were very keen upon taking. What would the Earth authorities say about the amount of equipment that they had, which were then unknown to most? Stitch didn't really trust Nani on this, but remained quiet all the same, eager to find Lilo.

The progress bar, which was not unlike a loading bar on a computer program, moved slowly on, advancing only several millimeters every hour. They had a long way to go. Stitch groaned angrily and hit his head against the wooden floorboards, grumbling crankily to himself.

This was taking too long! If Lilo was there with him, they would be able to have some fun during this mess, but, seeing how that was impossible at the moment, Stitch was forced to wait by himself, finding nothing to do. He was frustrated. Angry... alone... worried... bored... Five minutes passed and the blue experiment remained on the floor, nearly dozing off to sleep. It wasn't like Stitch hadn't experienced boredom beforehand...it was just no fun alone. Actually, it was no fun at all. It was just not so much so when he had someone with him. He had even considered hanging out with one of the other three during the wait...but that, he realized even before he acted, would change very little. Pleakley, in a lot of ways to our little experiment, was the embodiment of boredom. Jumba, though a little less so, tended to do things alone. And Nani...Stitch was already having a hard enough time tolerating her when things weren't boring.

Stitch scratched an 'S' into the wood beside him with his nail. There was nothing else to do. He might as well go to sleep. He didn't get that much, having stayed up late the night before and forced into arousal by that infernal alarm clock. Yup. That would be okay. Just a little nap... Stitch felt his eyelids drooping and he yawned, curling up into a fetal position, very similar to a puppy dog readying itself for a rest. His vision clouded and he felt himself relaxing. He promised to wake up before the process was complete. He promised.

Lilo stood out in the open air, staring through the hewn designs in the concrete of the balustrade of an outer walkway down at the city below. The sight was very familiar, the picturesque townhouses spread out beneath her creating a breathtaking effect. The pall that the sun cast over the houses was beautiful, the shadows and reflections caused by the rays forming an odd pattern of it.

It was not until several moments later that Lilo realized where she had seen the city before. It was not in a photograph or picture book, but just a few minutes ago, on Quasimodo's table. The miniature and the actual city were very similar to one another, due to the hunchback's obvious creative talent. The only thing missing was the giant H-forming towers that she had seen dominating the table-top. But it didn't matter much to her, and Lilo found herself praising the man even more as she thought about it.

How could such a man be called a monster?

Lilo had tried to do as Quasimodo asked, making her way down the set of ladders and steps that led to where she now stood. She did not know how to get to the main part of the church, the whole setting being alien to her, and her rescuer had not even attempted to assist her in this. She was at first a bit upset about that fact, but then she realized that he must have suspected she knew how to find her own way down, having somehow found her way up. She acknowledged this but still did not realize what to do. So she remained at the balustrade, staring down.

It seemed that much of the city had already woken up, which was an odd thing to Lilo, who was used to waking up much later than she had that day. She saw a few people, very similar to the ones that she saw in Quasimodo's miniature, traveling down the narrow streets that were barely visible between the crowded roofs of the houses. Where they were going, Lilo didn't know. And frankly, she didn't care. It was nice enough to see the workings of the city below, still remaining alien to her.

She still didn't know where exactly she was, and she thought Quasimodo would think her stupid to ask. She didn't want that. She owed a lot to him already. It seemed an Earth city, but, she admitted, it also seemed a bit...unmodern. Every house was constructed of wood and seemed like they would topple anytime soon, and the streets seemed bumpy and uneven, even from the tremendous height that she stood at. Maybe it was Earth. Maybe it wasn't. She didn't know and she wasn't sure if she would ever know. She would have to figure it out somehow on her own, but it wasn't going to be anytime soon.

Just as she was pondering over this, a sudden sound exploded overhead. It was an eerie noise, the clanging of metal and peals of iron ringing out from the tower that she had just exited. Lilo listened quietly to the noise, reminded suddenly of her deceased alarm clock. The sound wasn't annoying, no! It was a pleasant loudness, an aspect to the eerie ambiance that Lilo already felt. Lilo liked it.

After several minutes of the lovely chimes that sounded from the invisible bells, the noise faded once again into obscurity and she felt an odd calm taking over. What was that? She asked herself. She knew that it was the sound of bells, she was sure. But these bells sounded as if they would be moved by a giant. Was this what Quasimodo had said he needed to do? Well...she smiled. She was really starting to like this man.

Lilo decided to continue to search for the way that led to the main hall of the church that Quasimodo had told her to go. She found a wooden door after a while and she opened it, the serene sound of chanting reaching her ears. Deciding that this must be the place, she rushed downward.

A/N: Okay dokay, that's the end of my sixth chapter and I am getting very mad at my computer. The top row of the twenty eighth page keeps sinking into the top! ARGH! I apologize to the reader if there is a section in the story that seems like a sentence or two is cut off because of it. ARGH!!!!