Min: Sorry it's been so long! I just got done with finals last Thursday and I've been frantically working on my science semester project, so I haven't had much time to update. I actually wrote this a while ago, but I haven't had the chance to type it up and edit it on the computer.
Much thanks to three special people:
Lemurian Girl: Hehe, thanks übermuch! It's so easy to write about bloodthirsty kiddies barely out of middle school who go around killing everyone they see once they find out that they have "special powers". Hearing that Irene's different really makes me feel better about writing as her. Since she doesn't have any special skills or remarkable stats or anything, she has to rely mostly on her wits. Make sure to tell me when they're OOC! (I really need to play my game a little more….)
Link015: Thanks! I'm glad that you liked it! I hope I live up to your expectations! You and Lemurian Girl are always so supporting! Oh, and by the way, when's your next birthday? (I think you know what I'm plotting…. Mehehe.)
Lao Who Mai: You're completely right! It's one thing to have your character run around slaying people- and it's a completely different thing to actually kill someone, even during wars in this day and age. I'm happy to hear that someone knows what I meant when I put that part in!
I'mma stop blathering and get on with it already. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to the Fire Emblem games- and probably never will.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Anima magic? What's that?"
By six days in the infirmary, I had recovered enough to sit up and walk twice the length of the infirmary's hall. I sat at the wooden table in the corner, directly across from Erk. The purple-haired mage was deep into a fat, dusty tome, poring over its pages almost ravenously. A pile of books was heaped up beside him, towering past his shoulders and taking up more than half of the table. I repeated my question, seeing that Erk hadn't heard a single word.
"So what's anima magic?"
Erk paid no notice whatsoever. I sighed and cupped my hands around my mouth. "ERK!" I bellowed in a voice that would have impressed a drill sergeant. "WHAT'S ANIMA MAGIC!"
The mage made an odd noise somewhere between a shriek and a hiccup and jumped a foot in his chair. The tome leapt up as the table lurched, snapping shut and almost catching the tip of his nose in its musty pages. "Don't do that!" he snapped irritably. "I'm reading!"
"I can see that," I retorted. "You were so absorbed in that book of yours that you didn't hear me the first two times I asked you my question! What's anima magic?"
He frowned. "Anima magic? Anima magic controls and manipulates the elements of nature. It's an excellent way to bring down big units like armored knights and generals, but it's not particularly strong against dark magic."
"Dark magic?" I asked, painfully aware of how stupid I looked. "Generals? Knights? Light and darkness?"
"No, not light magic! That's the opposite of dark magic!"
"Huh?"
He gave an exaggerated sigh of long-suffering. "Read a book," he told me impatiently. "There are countless tomes in the library about the nuances of light, dark, and anima magic."
"But I don't want to know about the nuances," I explained patiently. "I want to know what they are."
"So read a book!"
"Why can't you just tell me?" I demanded.
"Because," he shouted, "I'M reading!"
I sighed and reached across the table, appropriating one of the tomes in the pile. Flipping it over, I read the title. "The History and Science of Anima Magic." I yawned. "Sounds fatally interesting." I thumbed through the pages, wrinkling my nose at the incomprehensible jargon. "Good heavens, how do you stay awake while reading this?"
"That's one of my favorites!" Erk said indignantly, reclaiming the book from my hands and wiping its cover painstakingly. "It's a thorough guide that delves deep into the very roots of the art of anima magic, tracing its origins from the first spells in the ancient language of-"
I let out a loud snore, my head nestled in my arms and resting on the tabletop. Peeking at him through the slits of barely opened eyes, I was rewarded by the sight of the mage's tirade. "I can't believe you!" he yelled, waving the book at me in a fit of infuriation. "This is one of the most fascinating books I've ever read! How could you possibly find it boring!"
"BECAUSE YOU WON'T TELL ME WHAT ANIMA MAGIC IS!" I hollered.
"I JUST DID!" he shrieked.
A woman in a white healer's uniform stuck her head in through the doorway. "Keep it down in there!" she snapped in a very un-healer-like fashion. "Some of us are trying to work in here!"
We promptly obeyed, clamping our mouths shut. After a few seconds, Erk leaned in towards me and whispered hoarsely, "This is your fault."
I lowered my voice. "It was not, Mr. No-Personality. If you weren't so absorbed in your books-"
"I am not absorbed in my books!"
"Of course you're not," I said agreeably. He opened his mouth to protest, but I beat him to it. "Listen, I overheard you talking about this anima stuff-"
"Anima magic."
"-Anima magic, whatever. Anyway, I want to study it and some of the other techniques and weapons this army uses, but I don't want to spend hours and hours reading dusty old books until I develop a permanent crick in my neck and a squint like an old lady's." I paused for effect. "So I want you to teach me."
That wasn't what he had been expecting. "What?"
"Who else? Priscilla's busy, and you probably know more about it than anyone else here, what with you always having your nose buried in a book. You can develop dust allergies that way, you know. It's very unhealthy."
"You want to learn how to use anima magic?"
"No," I told him. "I want to learn about it. I know virtually nothing about this army, and that irritates me. I don't like being irritated. If I'm to survive here, I need to learn all I can about this place and the people inside it."
He looked skeptical. "Do you even know how to read?"
"I'm not that stupid! It's just easier for me to learn if someone lays it all out for me."
The mage shrugged. "Just checking. You would be surprised if you knew how few people could read." He stopped for a while, tracing patterns on the cover of The History and Science of Anima Magic with an index finger. Then, slowly, "I suppose I could teach you, even if only a little bit. Will you promise to pay attention?"
"I promise!" I said with all the sincerity I could muster. "I'll be the best student you've ever had!"
"Not to mention the only student I'll probably ever have," he remarked dryly.
I beamed up at him, putting on my best eager-student face. "Then I guess I'll just have to be twice as good," I told him brightly, barely stifling a giggle at the face he made at that statement. Then, resuming a normal tone of voice, I leaned in and whispered to him,
"So, er, what is anima magic?"
Erk rubbed his forehead. "What have I gotten myself into?" he lamented.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
One morning, seven lessons and ten days after I had found myself in the care of the army, I received a visit from a most distinguished person: Lady Lyndis herself. I was eating breakfast with Erk during one of our now-frequent learning sessions, listening as my purple-haired tutor attempted to explain the different classes of warriors.
The mage was lecturing me in the difference between myrmidons and mercenaries when the door swung open. "No, no, you're getting it wrong," he was telling me. "Myrmidons have less defensive power and strength because they wear lighter armor and rarely carry heavy weapons. They rely on primarily speed. Mercenaries are completely different."
"But aren't they the same?" I was completely confused. "If you're a soldier for hire, doesn't that immediately make you a mercenary? Myrmidons are paid, right?"
"Of course they're paid. No one would enlist without being paid."
"So then they're mercenaries."
"No, they're not."
"But-"
"Am I interrupting something?" inquired a new voice. Turning in my seat, I instantly recognized the young woman I had seen the night I had been rescued. It was none other than the Sacaean Lady Lyndis, princess of Caelin.
Erk spun and, seeing Lyn, simultaneously choked on a piece of toast, snagged his cloak on his chair, and tripped. "Lady Lynd- oof!" The chair came crashing down on top of him with a rather ominous crunching sound.
"Erk!" I leaned over the side of the table, genuinely concerned. My tutor probably wouldn't be able to function properly with a broken skull. "Hey, are you alright?" I accompanied this query with a tentative poke at the mage's prone form.
Erk got to his feet, coughing. "Yes, I'm fine." Righting his chair, he turned back to Lyn and bowed hastily. "Good morning, Milady. I- I apologize- I was distracted and- I- I'm so sorry- I just-" It occurred to me that my normally poised teacher was babbling.
"Peace, Erk," Lyn said. The mage ceased talking halfway through a word and nodded rapidly, red-faced. Lyn smiled at him and took a seat beside us. "May I join you?" she asked.
"We would be honored, Milady," I replied politely. Inwardly, though, I wondered at the purpose of her visit. I watched her over the pages of my book as she sipped juice from a slim wooden cup, staring intently at the text of the tome instead of at the Sacaean girl sitting across from me. A chill settled over me; I remembered the look on her face that night, the way she had reached for her sword. The princess of Caelin didn't make social calls. What was the purpose of this visit- and why the sudden interest in me?
Lyn wiped her lips daintily on a plain linen napkin. Setting it down beside her plate, she leaned forward to speak. "Your name is Irene, I believe?" I nodded. "I am Lyndis, as you may already know. The Marquess of Caelin, Lord Hausen, is my grandfather."
I did already know. I glanced down at my hands, folded primly in my lap. They were shaking; I steeled them, pushing nervousness down deep into my gut. This young woman made me uneasy, the way her eyes watched me, so clear, so unwavering. It seemed almost as though she could see into my soul. "Yes, Milady. Erk told me."
Her gaze slid over to the mage sitting beside her. "Well done, Erk. Now, Irene, tell me. Where are you from, and who is this Felix you spoke of the night we rescued you?"
Here was the hard part. I had spent many nights staring at the ceiling, devising a story plausible enough to ward off any messy questions. I prayed fervently that the semester and a half of drama class I had taken back home would kick in. "Milady, Felix is my brother. He and I- and our parents- live in a town far away from here." At least that part was true. I took a deep breath and let it out, calming my frantic heart. Keep it simple. "Then, about two weeks ago, Felix sent me to meet up with a band of mercenaries he had traveled with before. He said it would be good practice for me, being his apprentice and all. I stopped in the village overnight, and then…." I let my voice trail off, letting my gaze drift downwards.
"The bandits attacked and burned it down," finished Lyn softly. She stared into the cup of juice she clasped between her hands, as if trying to decide whether to believe my story. I held my breath. Finally, she turned and looked directly into my eyes. It felt as if someone had whacked me in the stomach with a steel rod. "I believe you, Irene," she said.
The guilt jabbed deep into my heart. I hated lying, and lying to someone like Lyndis…. It was despicable. "I- my people…." Lyn drew in her breath and smiled bravely. "My mother and father, along with the rest of the Lorca tribe, were slaughtered by roving brigands." Her mouth trembled, but she held her head high. "I, too, have witnessed the horrors of bandits. You have nothing to lose by telling the truth."
Nothing at all, I thought as I watched her rise. Nothing, except for your trust.
"I'll visit again," Lyn said, setting down the cup. "When your burns are almost completely healed, we'll discuss what to do with you. Until then, relax and rest. We will make sure no further harm comes to you." Pushing in her chair, she started for the door. She paused at the threshold and looked over her shoulder. "You're safe here, little one. It'll be all right." And Lyn was gone.
I felt awful. How could I have known that Lyn's family had been murdered by bandits? Lyndis and her companions had taken me in, sheltered me…. And now I had lied to them. How would they react if they found out I had deceived them?
The door hinges squeaked; I looked up, my thoughts interrupted. Matthew stood in the doorway, carrying a large, canvas-wrapped bundle under one arm. A bit of pink hair peeked out from behind him. I frowned. Who was that?
Matthew waved and walked towards me. "Well, if it isn't the village girl!" he greeted me cheerily. "So, how fare you in this closet of an infirmary? Reasonably stifled? Has Erk talked your ear off yet?"
I heard Erk let out a snort of derision and snickered. The mental picture of Erk droning on and on about his precious tomes of anima magic as I nodded off to sleep seemed an all too possible fate.
The thief smiled encouragingly. "Now that's the spirit. You'd looked as if a frog had left some sort of unhealthy deposit on your face when I first came in."
I grinned. "Delightful, isn't it?"
It was really quite ridiculous, and Erk apparently thought as much. The mage sighed and rolled his eyes skyward, propping his chin up with one hand. Matthew turned on him and winked saucily. "As for you, my purple-haired friend, I have someone with me who can't wait to see you."
He motioned behind him. An unearthly screech pierced the air and I covered my ears, wincing. Someone yelped outside; a glass vase shattered. "ERKY!"
Erk stood up so fast that he knocked his chair over, sending it crashing to the ground. His teacup fell with a smashing sound, shattering upon impact. My head snapped towards him, startled. His face was ashen; his fingers trembled violently. His expression was one of pure, unadulterated terror. "Serra," he whispered in horror.
I glanced from Matthew, who wore a look of smug satisfaction, to Erk, now twitching in a decidedly unhealthy way. "Serra?" I inquired. "Who's that?" I cast a worried glace at the mage. "Maybe you ought to lie down, Erk. You look ill."
He didn't seem to hear. "You- you wouldn't," Erk accused Matthew hoarsely. He looked on the verge of panic.
Matthew grinned back at him, showing all of his teeth. "Oh, but I would."
"ERKY!" came the ear-rending screech again. Erk let out an oath so vehement that it sent the head healer scrambling under her chair for safety. The pink hair emerged from behind the thief, attached to the head of a girl dressed in a white smock.
Erk bolted. He shot from the chamber faster than any Olympic track runner, like Indiana Jones being chased by a giant rolling boulder, upsetting papers and draperies. I heard an indignant squawk as the mage almost bowled over a maid in his haste to exit the room.
Pink Hair blinked and looked around the infirmary. Puzzled and finding no answer to her inquiry, she began to search the room, rummaging through cabinets and lifting cushions, muttering under her breath.
"Um," I said somewhat tentatively, "excuse me, Miss, but… what are you doing?"
"Looking for Erk," she said matter-of-factly, plucking a sprig of cherry blossom from a slender-necked vase and squinting nearsightedly into the mouth. Finding no mage hiding among the flowers, she placed the branch back in the vase and straightened, hands on her hips. She glared, scanning the room for any telltale signs of the departed Erk, and pouted. "Where is he?" she demanded in a shrill, high-pitched voice as I looked on, bemused. "Oh, drat! I could have sworn he was right here a second ago. Where could he have gone?"
"Out the door?" suggested Matthew delicately.
Pink Hair frowned, furrowing her brow. Then she brightened. "But of course," she declared, tossing her head. Her pigtails bounced. "The poor fool was obviously so dazzled by my presence that he had to dash to the washroom to make himself more presentable." She let out a dramatic sigh and giggled at the same, which both impressed and perplexed me. "I'm so beautiful it kills me sometimes."
I suspected that Erk had run to the washroom- for an entirely different reason. I had a feeling that he would be spending a long evening lurking in the privy and hiding behind mops. Now, watching this strange female who had invaded my room, I began to wonder if I should have followed his example.
Mathew waved towards the pink-haired girl. "This is Serra," he drawled, "cleric in service to House Ostia, professional window-breaker, and number-one Erk repellant. And this is Irene, village girl and… um, village girl. Serra, Irene. Irene, Serra."
I hadn't even time to open my mouth when suddenly she was right there, pumping my arm up and down with the strength of a professional pitcher. I felt something in my arm pop. "Oh my goodness!" she squealed. "Omigosh! Omigosh! Your name's Irene? I absolutely love that name! I've always wished I were named something like that! Actually, Serra's not too bad, is it? At least I wasn't named something like Gertrude. Now that's an icky name. It even makes your mouth make weird shapes. Look- GER-" She twisted her face and literally mooed out the last syllable. "TROOD!"
Then, without break, she suddenly switched back to her original thought. I blinked in astonishment; it was like she'd never deviated. "Omigosh! I mean, your name's Irene! Isn't that funny? That is, like, SO AWESOME! We were obviously meant to be friends!"
Feeling thoroughly bowled over by this gushing fountain of words, I managed to stammer, "Er, y-yes, nice to meet you too," before I was interrupted again.
"Yes, we'll be the best of friends, won't we, Irene? Of course we will! Why, with me at your side, you'll be invited to countless balls and occasions! I am quite popular, you know. I'll give you a personal tour around Castle Caelin- I've been everywhere, I swear! Oh, but it's so big. Don't worry, we won't get lost! I'll even introduce you to the Lords Eliwood and Hector!" She flapped her hand at me. "Yes, yes, I'm quite generous, I know. After all, not many noblewomen would go out of their way to do things like this. And I am noble, straight down from Etruria's bluest-blooded lines. I can tell you're impressed!"
"Um," was my diplomatic response.
She waved cheerily and bounced up and down. "Now, now, no need to thank me!" she chirped. "I love doing things for the less fortunate! After all, not everyone is blessed with my stunning beauty and incomparable charm! I'll visit later, and I'll bring flowers! Ta-ta, dear Irene! Try not to miss me utterly!"
The door slammed shut and I was left gaping, attempting to form some sort of intelligent sentence. It was as if that girl had stolen every word from my lips, and quite possibly every word within a five-mile radius. "Wha- wha-"
Matthew noticed and burst out laughing. "Serra has that effect on most people," he explained. "I think a couple of her victims are still in shock years after coming into contact with her. Take Erk, for example. The poor fellow had to escort her to Ostia about a year ago, just the two of them. Now whenever he sees someone with pink hair he freezes and goes into a state of paralysis. It's really quite amusing. One time he jammed up, tripped, and fell into the town well right in front of a troop of Pegasus Knights. We had to fish him out before he drowned."
"W-what- what was that?" I managed to gasp out, finally finding my tongue. It occurred to me that Serra might have stepped on it on her way out. "For Pete's sakes, her ego's bigger than Caelin! I've never seen anyone so completely oblivious!"
"Mmm, yeah. That just about sums up Serra." Matthew leaned back against his chair, propping his feet up on the table. "She seems to have taken a shine to you," he commented. "That's good- provided she doesn't kill you with her incessant chatter. From what I gathered, you'll be seeing a lot of her during your stay."
"She's like this all the time?" Oh, great. I moaned and flopped back against my pillow. "I'm doomed," I muttered darkly to no one in particular. "Pray for my soul- and for my poor, devastated ears."
Matthew laughed and tossed the cloth-wrapped bundle he had been carrying on the sheets of my bed. "Oh right," he said cheerily, "this is for you. In all the excitement I almost forgot."
I thanked him and began to undo the cord holding the bundle together. The wrappings fell away to reveal several scrolls of aged parchment. Leaning closer, I spotted something peeking out from behind a dusty page. Frowning, I peeled the parchment back to get a better look. Tucked between two of the scrolls was a plain, sheathed blade the size of a long kitchen knife.
My eyes widened; I jerked back and hit my head on the headboard with a solid thunk. Then Matthew was there, pressing the knife into my hand. He curled my fingers around it until I had a firm grip on the leather sheath. "Don't you ever let go of this," he whispered in my ear. "It's a dangerous, treacherous world out there, and you never know when you might need to defend yourself. Promise me you'll keep with you at all times. Promise!" he urged when I didn't answer.
Startled by the sudden intensity in his voice, I gave a reluctant nod. Immediately he grinned, relaxing back in his seat. "Very good," he encouraged. Seeing my perplexed look, he laughed apologetically. "Sorry to scare you like that," Matthew said ruefully, raking his fingers through his hair, "but this is extremely important. I didn't want you shrugging it off. Then again, after that one night, you're not likely to forget." He ruffled my hair. "You're obviously not a warrior, poor kid. How old are you, anyway?"
"F-fourteen." My voice quivered. Was he mad at me?
"No wonder." He leaned his elbows on his knees and smiled. "Don't mind me, Irene. I'm not angry with you. I just don't want you to end up dead like the rest of the people in that village. Next time the bandits come, at least you'll be ready." He unrolled one of the scrolls. "Now, the scrolls are maps of the surrounding areas and of the continent of Elibe. I thought you might want to get to know the surrounding area a bit better."
He paused and regarded me thoughtfully. "I overheard you telling Lady Lyndis that you were on your way to meet up with a mercenary group. You're an apprentice, right? What kind? Tailor?" I shook my head. "Fletcher? Blacksmith? Cook? Healer?"
"No," I said to each in turn.
He tapped the scroll with a finger and cocked his head. "Well? Scribe? Hunter? Fisher?"
"Artist," I supplied.
Matthew frowned. "But what use would a mercenary group have for an artist? That can't be it. There's something you're not telling me. What are you hiding, Little Irene?"
Mentally I kicked myself. Artist? What kind of answer was that? I had to come up with something fast- Matthew was becoming suspicious, and I was fresh out of ideas.
Tactician.
I felt a cool breath of wind on my neck; a whisper in a voice I recognized instantly brushed against my ear. Tactician, Irene, it prodded. Remember?
Felix! I whipped around, but bumped into the headboard again with a yelp. Felix was here! I'd heard him somewhere around here- but I couldn't see him. Where was he?
The thief eyed me, amused, as I winced and scooted away from the fiendish piece of furniture. "Did an answer hit you in the head?" he teased.
In a sense it had. Felix had given me a way out of this potentially sticky situation. "Tactician," I said. "I- I'm a tactician."
Matthew whistled in admiration. "A strategist! Now those aren't common. I wouldn't run around letting everyone know that I was a tactician, either. No wonder you didn't want to tell me!" He patted me on the head. "What a stroke of luck! Now those maps I brought you will be doubly useful!"
My mouth almost dropped open. He wasn't going to question me?
The thief rose and stretched. "Well, I'll leave you to your maps." He winked and grinned. "Good bye, Little Irene. Study hard and get some fresh air once in a while, lest you die of suffocation!" Sweeping into an exaggerated bow, he backed out of the room.
As soon as he was gone, the disembodied voice was back in my ear. "Irene! Irene, are you okay? Oh god, Mom is going to kill me! What's going on? Why are you in the infirmary? Are you hurt?"
"Felix!" I hissed furiously. I swatted at my ear and felt nothing extraordinary there. "You idiot! Your stupid machine dropped me into the middle of a besieged village and a burning rafter fell on me!"
"What!"
"You heard me! Some bandits whacked me over the head with an ax! Lyn and her friends found me and kept me alive, no thanks to you!" I was infuriated. "I almost died! You told me I wouldn't be in any danger!"
"You weren't!" Felix snapped. "Weren't you listening to me? I told you that no matter what happened in the game, you'd be safe here in the real world!"
Suddenly I felt very, very stupid. "You did?"
"Yes!" His answer exploded in my ear and I yelped. "I DID!"
"Oh," I said sheepishly.
I heard Felix sigh and imagined him burying his head in his hands. "Look," he said exasperatedly, "you said that a burning beam fell on you, right? That would cause some serious burns and fractures, not to mention the internal damage. Don't you think that it would hurt quite a bit more than your back hurts right now?"
"Er…." He was right. My skin stung a little and my back was a constant throbbing ache, but it should have hurt much more if the burns were as bad as Priscilla had described. I slipped out of bed and stretched. Turning with both hands clasped above my head, I caught sight of a large, full-body mirror hanging in the healers' quarters next door. Curious, I made my way towards the doorway and saw my reflection for the first time since I had arrived in Elibe.
I was draped in a loose, forest-green tunic-like garment that looked a size or two too big. A long-sleeved shirt and leggings of a rich, chocolate brown covered me from ankle to wrist, its high collar enclosing my throat up to the chin. The heavy tactician's robe, newly repaired, lay on an armchair along with a cloak of the same dark green as my tunic. Sturdy boots, the ones I had been wearing before, sat next to the armchair. A couple of pieces of metal lay next to them. A loose hat with two long flaps down the back like ears and a pair of gloves rested on top of the tactician's robe. Further inspection of the latter revealed metal bands sewn into the wrists.
"I see you took the trouble of completely reconfiguring my wardrobe," I remarked dryly. "I look like Link from the Legend of Zelda series."
"It took a long time to come up with all of that," Felix snapped in an injured tone. "Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to put together a whole outfit? For Pete's sake, the icon's smaller than my tooth!"
I shrugged. "I guess I can't go traipsing around the country in a T-shirt and jeans." Stooping over, I picked up the pieces of metal and turned them over in my hands. Leather straps and buckles were attached to the sides of many of them. "Hey, what are these?"
"Those are armor," Felix said. "Small, light pieces for you to wear, just in case something happens. See that one, the one that looks like a bracelet? That goes around your neck. It'll keep a stray arrow from finding a lodging place in your throat. Those two go on your forearms, and those on your knees, in case you need to hit the ground fast."
"How am I supposed to move in all of this?" I grumbled as I strapped them on and slipped the tactician's robe over my shoulders. "I have more layers than an artichoke. It looks impressive, but it's not very practical. Did you forget to take mobility into account again?"
He tactfully evaded my question. "You said you've played this game before, so why didn't you recognize Erk and Serra? They appear in Chapter Five."
"Well, I never got past Chapter Four," I said sheepishly.
Felix's indignant squawk was cut of when a loud, muffled BOOM sounded outside, shaking the foundations of the room. Books slid from shelves to the floor, their pages fluttering like the wings of white birds. The door flew open and Erk stumbled in. His appearance was disheveled, as though he had run a long distance to get back to the infirmary. A slash of red showed through a rip on the left shoulder of his tunic. "Irene!" he gasped out. "We're under attack!"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What's going on outside the castle? And what will happen to Irene?
I LOVE YOU!
Hah, that got your attention, didn't it?
I'll try to update again soon (I'm finally on break!) so you can find out what happens next. Please review and tell me what you liked and if there's anything I can do to make the characters more realistic.
Thanks, guys! Ciao!
