Child of the Sword- Chapter 3
Jewel walked the quiet streets of Edge, the sun had barely begun to rise when she left her house, but now it was around one thirty in the afternoon. Jewel still kept to the alleys and avoided all people. When she did have to go to a public place, to get food, or go into a store, the sword was always well hidden in an alley. She wanted no one to know of the swords existence.
Jewel had started feeling tired a few hours back, but wasn't sure where she could go, sleeping in the alley seemed a little farfetched, but she couldn't bring the sword into an Inn. It was staring to get dark, when Jewel finally convinced herself to sleep in an alley, it was fully dark, and Jewel was very tired when she found somewhere decent enough to hide so she could sleep. A pile of cement, wood and other materials used to build a building hid the space Jewel was sleeping in. She would wake up early and leave before anyone came to get anything from the pile, Jewel decided. She slid the sword in beside where she'd be sleeping, threw the bag where she would lay her head and crawled in falling asleep almost before she set her head on the bag she was using as a pillow.
There was a strange noise outside of the space Jewel was using, it sounded like a motor, but not like any she had heard before. There was a faint light in the sky, Jewel noticed. The sound of the motor, Jewel couldn't think of anything else to call it, was getting closer.
Looking out Jewel saw two men approaching on motorcycles, they were both wearing helmets that covered their faces, so she couldn't identify them. They rode to the construction site, Jewel could see that she was in a construction site now in the dim light, and stopped. Both men sat on their bikes apparently talking to one another. Jewel tried to get a better look at the pair, but in the process of shifting her body she hit her shoulder on a piece of wood sticking out of the pile she was hiding behind and cried out before she could stifle it. The men on the bikes both turned towards her. One got off his bike and started walking to the pile; panicked Jewel reached for the sword, but had no idea what she would do with it. The man was coming closer, so Jewel did the only thing she could think of doing, she grabbed the sword and bag and ran.
The next thing Jewel heard was the sound she feared most since her decision to run. Just seconds after starting to run Jewel heard the sound of the motorcycle engines, coming her direction. She was about to try to duck behind another pile of wood and cement when the sound of the motorcycle was suddenly on top of her, and she felt an arm around her waist. All of the sudden Jewel found herself in front of one of the drivers on a motorcycle, before she knew it her sword was being ripped out of her hands, she turned to try look where the man was putting it in time to see him throw it to his companion, who caught it easily. The man turned suddenly to Jewel's surprise, she screamed and grabbed the gas tank, the man just laughed at her, Jewel closed her eyes and held on for her life, it was obvious she wasn't getting out of this anytime soon.
After what felt like several hours to Jewel, the motorcycles stopped. The man got off behind Jewel, and walked away. Jewel tried to move from her position on the gas tank, but the effort brought another wave of pain to her shoulder, and she cried out.
One of the men turned at the noise and laughed. Both of the men walked to where Jewel was on the motorcycle and grabbed her. They pulled her off the motorcycle and threw her on the ground. Jewel cried out in pain, but the men just kept laughing.
After they pulled her off the motorcycle the two men started to pull her toward the small house, but one left, he came back quickly though and Jewel was thrown on the ground again. Jewel looked up to se one of the men standing above her with her sword, Jewel cried out knowing it would do no good, she cried out again when she felt the sword cut deeply into her right arm, the men just continued to laugh. Jewel was picked up again and forced into the house, once in the man threw her on the ground. One took off his helmet and she was finally able to see who he was. He had hair a little longer than his shoulders, the other took off his helmet next, he had shorter hair, but both of them had silver hair and green eyes. Jewel screamed again.
A man watched the whole scene from the shadows of a nearby building, his eyes narrowed in hate as he watched the two men pull the girl from the motorcycle, and drag her toward the house. He was further enraged when he saw on of the men take her own sword and cut her with it. He watched as they pulled her in the house, when the door shut, was when he made his move.
Jewel regained consciousness in a small dark room, she remembered being hit after she screamed, but didn't remember losing consciousness. She tried sitting up but her shoulder hut, and now her arm as well, the wound was still bleeding slightly, so she couldn't have been out for very long.
Jewel looked around the room and tried to listen before she tried to get up again. The room was empty, and she heard nothing outside the door. It was open slightly so Jewel took her chances trying to escape.
She peaked into the main room and almost fainted at what she saw. Both of the men, or clones she thought they must be, were dead. One had been cut apart and blood covered most of the room because of it. The other was laying face down with her sword sticking out of his back. Feeling very ill Jewel tried to find the courage to step into the room, she knew she would have to try to retrieve the sword, but was trying not to think of how she would do that. The thought passed her mind just then, how did these men end up this way? Jewel grabbed the doorframe to keep from falling over, "I need to get out of here," Jewel said to herself quietly.
Jewel still hadn't left the doorway, when she gathered the strength to move, she tried to step around the blood all over the floor, she just wanted to get the sword and run away from this place. Jewel was almost across the room when she heard a deep male voice from beside her. Frightened enough for one day Jewel passed out.
Sephiroth stood against the wall with his arms crossed looking the scene in front of him. The girl was unconscious in the room to the right of where he was standing. He had considered taking the girl out of the house so she didn't have to see this, but if she was going to learn how to use the sword she needed to know what it could do.
Sephiroth was deep in his own thoughts when he heard the girl in the doorway. She didn't seem to notice him so he stayed where he was while the girl surveyed the scene in front of her. Her face was very pale and she looked like she might be sick, Sephiroth gave her several minutes and was about to say something when she started to move forward cautiously, so she didn't step on any of the blood. He walked up to her to try to talk to her, but she passed out before he was able to get a word out. Sephiroth caught the girl before she hit the ground. She was out cold. He picked her up in his arms and carried her outside sitting her against the wall before going back into the house to get the sword.
He pulled it from the dead clone and started to wipe the blood off, but an idea came to him, so he just put the sword in the sheath the girl made and slung it over one shoulder before going back outside to pick the girl up and leave.
Jewel woke up in a plain small room; she looked around recognizing where she was. She had been in this room before. Sitting up slowly so she didn't disturb her shoulder, Jewel looked around the room, the sword was leaning against the wall in a corner, and her bag was on the floor next to the sword. Jewel noticed the bandage around her arm, and new bandages around her shoulder, both were throbbing dully. Getting out of bed brought a little more pain, but nothing unbearable. Jewel remembered what had been done to the two clones just then and almost vomited; she knelt on the floor until her nausea passed.
When she felt well enough she walked to the door and paused, someone was moving around on the other side. Jewel had a good idea who it was, and didn't want to meet him. The man who gave her the sword, and the man she knew for years must be her father. She backed away from the door not wanting to see him. She was afraid of who it was, her mother had never confirmed nor denied who her father was, but from the color of her hair and eyes, as well as her height had given her a good idea who it was.
Jewel backed away from the door and sat on the bed, she looked toward the sword again and noticed the blood on the hilt. She started crying, she wanted to go back to the way things were before she found the note, she knew finding the note wouldn't have affected the outcome of these past few days, but her life before her mother was killed was much better than her life now. Jewel curled up on the bed and cried herself to sleep; it felt good to cry after all. She hadn't cried much, she didn't think crying was necessary, but right now, crying felt like the right thing to do.
The next time Jewel woke up it was still daylight, or daylight again, she was warm and comfortable, there was a blanket covering her, and her neither shoulder nor arm hurt her much. Lying there in bed was all she wanted to do, she glanced over to where the sword was sitting, it was still there. She half hoped it would disappear. She rolled over in the bed, and fell back asleep.
Sephiroth had heard the girl moving around in her room, and was about to enter the room when he heard her sobbing. He stood outside of the door until it stopped. When he was sure she must be asleep he walked into the room and looked at her. She looks like her mother when she sleeps like that, he thought. He carefully pulled the blankets out from underneath her and covered her up, he noticed the necklace around her neck, the one he had given her mother. He turned and left the room leaving the girl to sleep.
Jewel woke up again, it was night now, but there was a soft light coming from the other side of the door, which cast a strange shadow around the room. She was a little scared of what she was planning to do next, but had decided she was going to do it. Jewel walked to the door, and placed her hand on the handle, she was scared of who she would find on the other side of the door, but she also knew she couldn't hide in that room forever. The thought had passed her mind of sneaking out, or trying to leave while he was gone, but Jewel was tired of being a helpless coward hiding and being pushed around. She opened the door slowly and looked out the door. She didn't see him immediately so she walked further into the hallway. When she got to the end of the hallway she saw him. He was sitting on the couch reading a book under a lamp, Sephiroth. He looked up at her and Jewel froze where she was, staring at him, unable to move or talk. He just calmly put the book down stood up and walked over to her. He went into the kitchen got a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the sink, handed it to her and told her to sit down nodding to a chair near her. He walked back to the couch and picked up his book.
The girl was standing in the hallway when Sephiroth looked up, she was pale and frightened looking. He got her a glass of water and told her to sit down, but she stayed standing there. He sat back down and picked up the book again. She sat in a chair and looked at the glass of water in her hands. "It's not drugged if that's what you think," he said. The girl jumped at the sound of his voice and blushed before taking a sip of the water.
They both sat in silence for several minutes, Sephiroth sitting calmly on the couch, and Jewel in the chair frightened. Sephiroth finally broke the silence, "What is your name?"
Jewel was stunned by the question. He didn't know her name. "Jewel," she answered quietly.
"Your mother never said what your name was." He replied.
They both sat in silence for several more minutes. Sephiroth continued reading his book, and Jewel studied her glass. Jewel finally asked quietly, "Why did you give me your sword?"
"You need to learn how to defend yourself," was the short reply. The silence continued for several more minutes, then Sephiroth said, "Go get your sword" Jewel was startled by the request, but quickly complied.
When she came back Sephiroth handed her a cloth and told her to clean it. Jewel looked at the blood on the hilt alone and almost vomited the memory too fresh in her mind. She tried to wipe some of the blood off the blade but the sight of the blood was almost too much for her, she had to look away.
Sephiroth walked over to her and look the sword from her. "You have to know what this sword does, so you don't make mistakes." That was all he said as he walked away to one of the back rooms with the sword.
Author notes- 1. Sorry for the little delay. I have had a little bit of bad luck. My computer got messed up, then I got propane on my hand and it burned it bad enough to be painful to type, as well as do other things. Oh well that's what I get for working at a gas station I guess. So yeah I made this chapter longer because of the wait. 2. Next chapter is going to be on in a couple days, I already have most of it typed.