The Phantom of the Abbey
I'm so good to you guys! I've got one poxy review (Thankies Troublesome Aries) yet I am still updating, even though I said I wanted five! Still – seventeen reviews. Not bad for a sidelong story… Man, why are sidelong stories always more popular? Things start to get interesting in this chapter…
And /…/ is sign language.
The Phantom of the Abbey; Chapter VI: We Have All Been Blind
"Japanese, Spanish, French and Indonesian. Why do you ask?" The man looked at the teen curiously.
"How come I know Indonesian?" Kai murmured, clutching his knees.
"More to the point – how did you know I know Indonesian?"
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"What? How did you-" For once, Seth seemed shocked.
"Seth!" Voltaire barked. It scared even Kai, the look of hatred on the Phantom's face.
"I have to go." Seth growled, following Voltaire and Boris out of the room.
"Attention! Bladers, could I have your attention please?" Mr Dickinson called. Seeing he had everyone's attention, he continued. "Thank you. It has come to my notice that there are a number of bladers among you that are carrying dangerous weapons. I now ask that those of you that have weapons please place them in the dish in the centre." Kasi and Tala exchanged glances. Bryan muttered obscenities under his breath as he began to pull out knives and guns hidden in various places about his body. Ian dropped the bullets from his launcher into the dish; Spencer threw in a couple of switchblades and Tala offered several pistols. Bryan and Kasi sat down and began to remove weapons from various folds of clothing. Ray stared at the assortment of dangerous implements in the dish and still more came. Bryan pulled off his shoes and threw them in. Kasi began to un-plait her hair and Mr Dickinson gaped as little knife blades dropped out. Finally, Kasi turned away from the rest of the group and pulled an extremely sharp knife from her top. She chucked that in and glared at Kai. Kai visibly quailed under the looks from the entire Russian team and pulled out a gun from his back pocket, tossing that in.
"Is there anymore?" Mr Dickinson stammered.
"In our luggage." Bryan growled, slumping down into a seat set apart from the rest of the group. This seemed to symbolise the end of the meeting, and the bladers began to mill around. Bryan closed his eyes…
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Suddenly, someone sat on him. Bryan stiffened at the close contact and opened his amethyst eyes, to have them alight on a little girl, no more than ten years old, with long red hair and appealing violet eyes.
/Do you understand me// She asked. Bryan inclined his head, his serious eyes never leaving her face. What she did next threw him. She hugged him. /My name is Jo. /
/I am Bryan Kyznetsov. / Bryan replied automatically. /Number 31892. / Jo blinked and almost fell off his lap, but he slid an arm around her waist and pulled her back into safety.
/Why did you say a number? And I like your hair/ Jo giggled silently.
/I come from a bad place, where we're all known by numbers. You are very pretty. /
/Thank you// Jo hugged him again, but this time he hugged her back with his good arm. /Why aren't you sitting with your friends//
/I'm not supposed to have friends./ Bryan stopped, shocked at himself. Why was he telling a ten year old about the abbey?
/Why not? I ask too many questions// Jo giggled again and Bryan almost smiled. /Do you beyblade? What team do you battle for? Do you have a bit beast? Can I see it// Jo covered her mouth with a hand.
/I am not encouraged to have friends because that would make me happy, and I've done too many bad things to be happy. Yes, I beyblade. My bitbeast is Falborg, and I'm a member of the Demolition Boys. Here, this is Falborg. / Bryan prised his beyblade out of his pocket and handed it to the little girl.
/Yeah, I blade. My bit beast is Cyclopslyon, he's really cool! I don't belong to any team really, but me and my sister are hanging around with the Majestics, because my brother's in it. /
/Your brother is in the Majestics? Let me guess… he's Johnny// Yet again, Bryan almost let a smile slip onto his face, just by looking at the little girl.
/Yup! How did you guess? And what bad things have you done// Bryan wondered why he was telling his life story to a ten year old.
/Well, because of your red hair, and because Johnny is glaring at me and because I detect the teeniest hint of a Scottish accent. / He flicked her chin. /And bad things I've done? I've hurt people, I've stolen bit beasts, I steal and I've killed people. / Jo's face looked horror struck, and she slid off his lap, running to her siblings. Bryan closed his eyes to hide the crystal tears in them, but not quick enough for Kai.
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Taking a subtle deep breath, Kai made his way towards the Majestics. Suddenly, his eye was caught by an exceedingly pretty red head, sister to Jo.
"Hey." Her accent was Scottish, decidedly so. "I'm Suzy McGregor. Older sister to Johnny."
"Kai Hiwatari." Like Bryan, a pretty Scot was making the bluenette open up.
"What can I do for you, Kai?" he liked the way she said his name.
"I want to talk to Jo. I know she's deaf, but I saw her conversing with my… acquaintance over there and I just wanted to know what he was saying." /Is it ok if we talk//
/Sure. You're Bryan's friend, aren't you? Well, not friend, he doesn't have any friends, per say, but you know him, right//
/Yeah. / Kai paused, not sure how to continue. /Bryan told you what he's done, right//
/Yes. / Jo was twisting her hands as they lay in her lap. Suzy, satisfied that Jo would be ok, walked away. Kai seized the moment to try and open Jo up.
/I like your sister// he confessed. /Has she got a boyfriend// He knew his gamble had worked.
/Nope. And she won't be getting one unless they have £600,000 sterling. / Jo giggled again and Kai felt himself warming to this strange child.
/How's a million roubles// Kai asked, rapidly calculating his wealth.
/Sounds good to me// Jo grinned. /Now, what were you going to say about Bryan//
/Only that…/ Kai furrowed his brow in confusion. /Bry was forced to do a lot of that stuff he told you about. /
/Forced? As in…/ Jo raised an eyebrow, making herself look like her brother.
/As in hurt, tortured. Bryan likes you. He doesn't usually like little children, or girls, but he made an exception for you. And now, although he doesn't show it, he's quite cut up. /
/Ohh… I didn't know. I didn't mean to// Jo's eyes clouded over with tears of dismay.
/I know you didn't. You're a nice little girl. / Jo scowled as he patted her condescendingly on the head.
/Did you mean that about Suzy// Jo's eyes gleamed wickedly when he nodded.
-
"We need to talk." Seth muttered, coming up behind Kai.
"Fine." He responded, following the Phantom away from the rest of the group.
"What do you want to know?"
"Seriously? I'd like to know how come you know I know Indonesian, when I didn't know myself until about thirty minutes ago." Seth composed himself.
"I was in love with your mother."
-
"Sing once again with me, our strange duet, my power over you grows stronger yet…" Kai's father sang quietly to himself as he turned the page over in his book.
"For God's sake! Stop singing!" Kai's mother suddenly yelled.
"Bryoni? What's wrong?" Kai buried his head in his father's le.
"I'm seventeen and whilst you're swanning off and enjoying yourself, I'm looking after a child!" Tears dripped down her face as Kai's father embraced his wife.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realise it upset you. They're looking for a Christine, why don't you audition for that and I'll look after Kai?" Kai's father picked up the two year old as he tried to get to the wooden spoon his mother had dropped.
"You'd do that – for me?" Bryoni looked at her husband.
"I've already ruined your life by getting you pregnant."
"Don't give up your job." Bryoni decided. "Just knowing you'd do that – for me – makes me feel better." Kai yelled and kicked as his parents kissed.
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Oh yeah! I'm on a roll! The next chapter is the big one, guys. That is where the climax is… Try and guess what happens! (Naioka1992 – you aren't allowed to guess, because you know!) Happy guessing peeps!