It was impossible to live life without regrets. Whether it be by something you did or said, or something you didn't do and ended up wishing you had. Because of that, one should never pause or falter. Don't waste time thinking of the "what-ifs" and "maybes". Just get up and do it. Don't worry yourself.
Of course, that being said was so much easier than actually doing…
With each obstacle I faced, I stood there wondering what I should do. I overthought things constantly, pondering the consequences and coming to the conclusion that out of all forty scenarios and events that ended poorly, only one or two would work well-and even then I feared it would all go terribly wrong.
Perhaps that's why I was stuck here in the first place, in an entirely white room that was supposed to be my new "room". Filled with strangers in black coats, who… claimed to be "protecting" me. Magic existed, and I… wasn't exactly who I thought I was. On the bright side, I guess I finally knew what happened to my sister all those years ago. Or at least, I'm pretty sure I knew.
…
The day had started off normal. Granted, I suppose everyone's days did… unless you just woke up on the wrong side of the bed; then your day would be very much not normal, because you'd be grumpy and cranky, and all you'd want to do is sleep. Although I always liked sleeping, though most of that was because due to being as sick as I was, I just really lacked energy to stay awake or do anything.
It sucked too, because that meant boredom. And not doing anything, not being able to do anything, often led me into a depression where I laid there for hours questioning my existence and why I was still there when it was my older sister who had gone missing.
I had been three years old-I was far more defenseless than a nine year old and easier to capture. It was in our own home, too-not that I really remember what had happened. Dad often told me stories, mother normally refusing to bring anything up about it. One of the many reasons why they divorced I suppose, what with their conflicting views on everything.
Add a missing child and super sickly child into the mix, and you get nothing but turmoil. I counted on my fingers the years between us, constantly trying to keep track of what age she was now. I didn't know who she was, what she looked like, or even her personality. We only had pictures of her from before she was taken.
Dark hair, pale skin-as a baby, she looked rather Asian despite being American. Our family had a lot of Europe in it, and since I had the most Indian traits out of us four kids (I having three older siblings, one which being the missing sister I previous mentioned) I looked rather Indian when I was born. Apparently mother cried after I was born and saw my face, for I looked a lot like "Maria" back then. I'm told I still do.
That in turn made me wonder about her appearance. She had dark hair in the pictures-was it the same dark brown chocolate like mine after all these years? And her eyes-were they brown? Dad said they had been hazel. I was the only one out of us four children with brown eyes, Darian and Clair both having Dad's blue.
Was she tall and skinny like Darian, or short and wide like me and Clair?
These thoughts passed through my mind almost every day. I couldn't imagine getting kidnapped; I got scared every time I thought about it, and nearly burst into tears whenever I tried to think about what she had been through or is currently going through. She must have been so scared… I certainly would have been.
After so many years had passed, the police just stopped looking for her. They decided she had been killed, her body hid. The thought always gave me nightmares. And with my cousin, Ally (short of Alyssa), being the total psychopath she was I started to ponder about my own wellbeing as well.
She was a nightmare. Knowing she was going to be a freshman in my High School once I reached Senior year terrified me. What if she tried to ruin everything I built up? What if she harmed my friends? I didn't have many-a few I kept very close to me. Skylar, Eliza, Andrew-they were extremely important. I couldn't imagine living a world without them.
Unfortunately, I knew a day would come when we would have to part-but that wouldn't happen until after High School ended and we would all be struggling to keep in contact. I already had to deal with Clair and Darian moving out and leaving me alone; I just had to prepare myself for when I wouldn't see my friends on a daily basis.
A nudge on my shoulder snapped me out of my dark thoughts, as I had been pondering the meaning of being without anyone I cared about constantly in my life, and I jolted in alarm. Skylar snorted in amusement when she saw how startled I was, more than used to my skittish personality but still finding it funny.
"We're done with Bellavia," she informed, and I quickly rushed to put up the jazz music sheets into one of my music folders. We had quite a few measures at the end where we didn't have to play anything. "We're playing…" I could tell she resisted the urge to groan. "We're playing Shut up and Dance now. Did you grab your Flute?"
"O-Oh, uh, yeah! Um, where-" I fumbled, looking on the ground on either side of my chair before realizing I had placed the Flute case under it. I quickly popped my reed out of my Oboe, put it in my mouth, and got to work putting the beautiful yet painful-to-play instrument away. Mr. Reinholt politely waited for me and another bilingual player-a Trombone and Bassoon player named Marcus-to switch sections and get both of our instruments together.
Once we were ready and had put our other instruments up, Mr. Reinholt directed the band and we started to play. My fingers flew, eyes scanning the music sheet and trying to make sure I didn't accidentally skip a measure or play too fast, and I strained my ears to make sure I could hear the clarinets as they were on the other side of the room.
Skylar, while an experienced Oboe player, had some trouble with the song as it was really fast and it was one of the parts that were especially hard to play for such a difficult woodwind instrument. Flutes, clarinets, oboes… we always got the short end of the stick, didn't we? I don't even play clarinet, but my friend Eliza certainly does and I couldn't even get a sound out when I tried. It made me wonder why Oboe was so easy for me when it was one of the hardest instruments to play.
Oh, my aching cheekbones and limp lips hurt thinking about it.
Eventually we reached a rest-the woodwinds did-and we listened to brass continue. I looked into her eyes, I think I saw the future; I realize, this is my last chance! I jokingly started to sing this with Skylar, who laughed and groaned at the same time because of how much she hated the song, but found it amusing when I sung along. I elbowed her in the side with a wide grin, singing, "She took my arm, I don't know how it happened; we took to the floor and she said~!"
Quickly pulling my Flute up to my lips, Skylar doing the same with her Oboe, we started to play again.
It was near the ending when the bass drum suddenly started going way off beat. Everyone eyed the section oddly, still playing, only to stop all at once when we realized that it wasn't Richard playing. Mr. Reinholt didn't even both to signal for us to stop, we having done so before he even noticed the newcomer, and stared in shock at the forty-odd something year old man twirling the bass drum mallets in his hands.
He had stopped playing when we did, and just grinned crookedly at all us as he pretended the mallets were a pair of guns, making shooting motions at us. "Well, hello ladies and gents~! You all got some kind of party goin' on here something?"
Wh-What…? Pushing the sleeve of my Hufflepuff jacket up, I nervously reached a hand out to grab onto Skylar's Slytherin jacket sleeve. "Um, Skylar," I whispered, utterly confused, "what's going on?"
"I have no idea," She answered honestly, looking just as lost. Her dark eyes glittered inquiringly, my Cherokee-blooded friend probably wondering if she needed to beat him up. She was not someone you wanted to make mad, and I luckily happened to have never been on the receiving side of her anger. I was usually the one trying to dissuade her from attacking and calming her down. Actually, thinking on it, she was probably glad he interrupted. She got to stop playing the song she hated. "Is he wearing an eyepatch?"
"Uhh…" Pushing my glasses up and turning my head to look at him, I ignored the rest of the whispers coming from the band as I tried to make out his face. A… scar seemed to go across his jaw all the way up to the bottom of his left eye, which was… yellow? No, gold. Amber? Oh god, it's hard to tell. Maybe it just looks that color from so far away? "Y-Yeah, he's wearing an eyepatch. You're not crazy. Well, unless we're both crazy. Wait, what am I saying? We are crazy."
She snorted, giggling in agreement, and I flinched in surprise when the man suddenly tossed the mallets behind him over his shoulder, the drumsticks making a very loud clanking noise as they bounced off the wall and hit some of the snares. "Oh, wow. Okay." She blinked, stopping her laughter abruptly.
"Well, now that the fun's over… What's say you all tell me where I can find a little girl with brown hair? Shoulder length, round glasses-brownish green eyes? Five foot two?"
Um… looking around the room, I don't see anyone with that description. Well, except maybe Miranda. She had shoulder length brown hair and greenish eyes. She was taller than me though, and I was the same height as the one he gave out.
"Her name is Irene Thorn!"
At that everyone went silent and, like the idiot I was, I pointed at myself dumbly. He blinked, grinned, and next thing I knew he was right in front of me. I shrieked, almost knocking myself backwards and making my chair do a flip I was so startled. Hands on his hips, his smirk broadened. "Well, then… hey, Axel! You got the picture, right? This look like her? Her hair isn't shoulder length at all!"
His gaze flickered over to Skylar. With the similar round face and dark eyes, if it weren't for her curved button-nose and caramel skin we could have passed off as the same person. She was a bit bigger than me, but not by much. Her dark brown hair-hair just a tid bit darker than mine-was shoulder length.
"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" He joked. "Unfortunately, you aren't the one I'm looking for. Heart's filled with plenty of darkness though… Hmm…"
Okay… I don't know who he is, but I'd really rather him not get so close or say weird things to her. Scared, and fully aware of all the eyes on us, I reached out and wrapped my arms around Skylar's shoulders, pulling her towards me as I bit out, "Mine! Find your own darkness!"
"Aw, so sweet." Skylar laughed. I gave a grin, already prepared for the pick-up line war that may or may not be about to happen.
"Sweet enough to give you a cavity?"
"Of course! But if I'm your darkness, does that me you my light?"
"Well, naturally, my honey."
The stranger turned away, hand over his mouth and the other wrapped around his stomach, and made gagging motions. "Gross~! I think I'm gonna barf."
"If you do, I'm not the one cleaning it up." A man suddenly spoke up, appearing out of nowhere from the back of the room.
Everyone turned, some making obnoxious comments about his appearance and how he had an impossible waistline for a guy. Others were about how attractive the newcomer was. And, just like with how our school's band always did, Karl, Maya, and a few others started to make moaning noises.
Most of the band laughed, whereas I just groaned and whined loudly about the disturbingness that was their behavior. I released Skylar and covered my ears, trying to block out the noise. The emerald-eyed redhead raised a thin eyebrow at everyone, probably questioning their sanity and if he should walk out of the room, before he carefully maneuvered his way around the crowd and stopped next to the middle-aged man.
His voice was smooth, alluring even, with the slightest tint of a rasp to it as he spoke. Holding out a piece of piece to the man they both looked at it and then at me. The redhead said, "It certainly looks like her, though her hair is shorter than what's on this…"
"Glasses are more square. How long ago was this? Damn it, Vexen." The middle-aged man, Mr. Eyepatch as I am now dubbing him, cursed. "You know, that dude makes my life way more difficult than should be. Well, what're you waiting for? Grab her, Axel."
Axel wasted no time in doing as told, and I nearly dropped my flute as he pushed the music stand out of the way and on the ground, all the music papers flying on the ground, and grabbed my arm, forcefully pulling me out of my seat. "Why am I always stuck doing the icky jobs?" He complained, eyeing Mr. Eyepatch sourly.
"Because you're Number Eight and I'm Number Two; that's why."
"Oh, shut up. You think I don't have that memorized already?"
Mr. Reinholt had stepped off the podium at this point, looking ready to yell at he walked up to them. "Excuse me, but who are you gentlemen? What do you want with Irene?"
"So it is her!" Mr. Eyepatch exclaimed, his smirk broadening. I was beginning to wonder if his face hurt from smiling so widely as was. "Perfect! That makes this so much easier. Welp, pack your bags, squirt. We're goin' on a fieldtrip and we ain't comin back."
Eyes darting between him and the redhead, I fearfully tightened my hold on my Flute and wondered if I should hit them with it. But then if I did that my Flute would get destroyed and we don't really have the money to fix it. Not to mention that if they got brain damage or really badly wounded, mom or dad would have to pay their medical bills. Oh, but with my lack of arm strength it might not even hurt at all, so maybe I can hit them…?
Axel rolled his eyes at my teacher and yanked on my arm, causing me to cry out and stumble backwards as he started to drag me away. "W-Wait!" I cried out, trying not to fall, but my attempts were in vain as his long strides were impossible for me to keep up with. I slipped, toppling on my rear and nearly pulling a muscle in my shoulder due to him still holding onto me.
Only Skylar and Eliza got up, ready to rush over to help me. Nice to see how much everyone else cares; I know I'm annoying because I don't shut up, but seriously? Remind me to never help you guys with anything again. Wait, no-Chris, Eliza's ex and who used to be one of my best friends in Middle School, got up and was running over here.
My eyes widened and I shrieked, seeing him about ready to Football tackle the guy who had me. Unfortunately, Mr. Eyepatch got in the way and… "Chris!"
The brunette was sent flying to the other side of the room, crashing into the clarinet players' stands and knocking them back onto them. He groaned, pushing himself up. Seeing the violence ready to unfold I tried to stand, attempting to pry the fingers of the redhead off of my arm.
"L-Let go! P-Please!?"
"Please?" Axel echoed, eyes wide in surprise. He laughed. "Aren't you cute? No, sorry, kid- can't. I've got very strict orders and honestly, I'm really not in the mood to be turned into a dusk. Got it memorized?"
"D-Dusk?" What? How can you be turned into a time of day? I stopped struggling, staring up at him in confusion. Mr. Eyepatch was still toying with Chris, pushing him back and sending him flying time and time again. He had a bit of blood on the side of his face now, along with some bruises forming on his arms. Mr. Eyepatch was beginning to look bored. "J-Just stop! Leave him alone! What do you guys want!?"
"Want?" Mr. Eyepatch asked, raising an eye as he focused his amber orb on me. Chris stopped trying to fight him at this point, remaining on the ground next to the many stands that he had landed on. "Why, we want you of course. As if that wasn't obvious!"
"But… But why?"
What was even happening right now? I want details; an explanation, please!
He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it and raised an arm, lights forming. In a bright flash, there was the sound of bullets and Mr. Reinholt screaming and stumbling away in surprise as the phone he was calling on was suddenly shot out of his hand. The piece of plastic was shattered into multiple pieces, a kunai-resembling object sticking out of the ground, and everyone was silent as they stared in horror at the very real threat in front of them.
There, in Mr. Eyepatch's hands was some sort of weapon that was mixed between an crossbow and a gun.
My voice died on my tongue.
"Now then," He grinned, twirling the weapon in a similar fashion to how he did the drum mallets, "anybody else got issues with us taking little Miss Light Keeper here?"
It was safe to say he wasn't prepared for the stand Skylar used to whack him in the back. I couldn't help it; I burst out laughing. It was so anti-climatic, and the whole scene was so terrifying I just didn't know what to do. Tears were welling up in my eyes, my heart thudding painfully in my chest, and I took that as a decent sign to try and get out of the stranger's hold.
Standing now, I wasted no time in shoving my shoulder in the man called Axel's chest. I was just short enough that it worked, and lucky enough that he had been standing next to the ledge of the floor that led up to a higher level of ground. His heel hit it and he let out a surprised shout as he fell back.
And… now what? Pin him down? He'll overwhelm me easily. Do I run? My stamina isn't that great; my lungs are really bad and I didn't want to have to use my nebulizer again in the middle of school. At least I have my rescue inhaler in my binder. Besides, with this guy's long legs he might catch up to me in seconds flat. I didn't want to be beat up.
Granted, after doing what I had… I probably will get beat up. So, uh…
Awkwardly grabbing his wrists I tried to pin him down, but he easily overwhelmed me and threw me off. I yelped and clamped my mouth shut as I rolled painfully down the floor's levels, wincing once I finally landed near the podium where Mr. Eyepatch was groaning and trying to sit up. Unfortunately for him, Skylar kept whacking him back down with the stand every time he tried to get up to his knees.
"Why you little~!" Axel looked furious, his hips swaying as he brought his hands out to the sides, and a pair of chakrams appeared in his hands from flames. He twisted his torso, preparing to throw them, and my eyes widened in horror as I braced myself for what was probably going to be death. "I'm gonna scorch you into-"
"Number Eight, what are you doing!? Number Two, get off the ground. You're supposed to be apprehending the girl, not causing her harm. How hard can it be to grab one defenseless teenager?"
"Z-Zexion!?" Axel practically choked. His chakrams vanished in the very same flames they appeared and he stumbled. "W-Wait, how long have you been there? You didn't hear any of that, did you?"
Looking up at what appeared to be my savior, I stared at the slate blue-haired male in gratitude. Granted, what he was saying made it sound like he was part of one of my attackers, but still. He stopped me from being mincemeat toast, so…
I watched the man, who was probably just a year or two older than me, narrow a single brilliant blue eye at the redhead. His voice, while low, was soft as velvet-calm, collected, and rang clear as day and resonated within one's bones. He had the kind of voice that made you want to listen to him.
"I heard enough to learn just how ill-suited you were for this mission. You and Number Two are disappointments… Behaving in such a manner; you two are nothing more than children. You were taking a while, so the Superior sent me here to make sure you were doing as ordered. It's a good thing he did, too…"
Sitting on my knees now I stared up at him, breathing heavily due to all the exertion. It's been awhile since I had to act up like that. I stiffened when he suddenly focused his gaze on me. His piercing blue eyes locked me in place and I was unable to move as he walked forward. Proud, dignified… it was clear this person had a high opinion of himself.
"Stand up."
I did as told, resisting the urge to run far away. He eyed me for a moment, his single visible eye scrutinizing. "You are Irene Thorn, correct? I apologize for my comrades behavior. They're rather… temperamental."
"Hey!" Mr. Eyepatch exclaimed indignantly, only to be quickly knocked back to the ground by Skylar and her stand.
A light smirk spread across the newcomer's face, the man named Zexion looking rather amused at his ally's position. His long silver hair covered one side of his face, his bangs reaching just a couple inches below his chin and grazing his collarbone, while the back was much shorter and messy in length..
"Hurry and get your things together," He told me, acting much more polite than Axel or Mr. Eyepatch. "A return trip is slim and if we are to… guarantee your safety it's best to get what you need now."
...I really should be running away right now. But damn it if this guy didn't know how to sound persuasive. I hesitated.
"Would it make you more comfortable if we were to leave first, and have Number Eight and Number Two grab your things for you?" He offered.
"Irene, just because he's cute doesn't mean you should listen to him!" Skylar's voice broke me out of my trace. I jumped, startled, and looked at her with wide eyes. She whacked Mr. Eyepatch one more time before stepping back, the man huffing and propping his chin up with his hands once he got the message to stop trying to get up.
"H-He's not-I mean," I cast a quick glance, deduced that yes, he was rather attractive, before looking back at Skylar and declaring, "You know I don't think about that stuff! I only like fictional characters!"
"He looks like a fictional character!" Good point. But so does mister spiky red hair over there.
"Number Eight, grab her belongings. Irene-" I was in the middle of giving a flustered comeback to Skylar when a hand snatched my arm, pulling on it. "We're departing. Number Two... " Zexion paused and I stumbled, barely stopping myself from crashing into him. "Report back as soon as you are able."
"Wh-What!? Are you serious right now? Dude, come on! You're going to leave me with a bunch of hormonal teenagers!?"
Zexion gave no response, leaving the middle-aged man to fend for himself as he dragged me away. Axel grumbled to himself as he walked over to the chair I had been sitting in, some people debating whether or not to tackle him or let me get kidnapped, before deciding on the latter, and Axel packed up all my things. Music, instruments, waterbottle, binder, and chromebook…
"Always stuck with the icky jobs," He muttered, following behind.
"Axel! Hey, Axel! Dude, come on, are you seriously leaving me here, too!?"
"Sorry, man." He apologized, not sounding very sorry at all. He smirked. "But my hands are full. Got it memorized?"
I stumbled after Zexion, the man still greatly taller than me but much shorter than Axel, so he was easier to keep up with. What was he- five foot six? Seven? Somewhere around there. Axel had to be a decent six foot two. "Wh-Where are we going?" I choked out, still scared but slightly more comfortable around this guy than the other two.
"Somewhere… safe." He said carefully, turning his head just slightly to look down at me. "Come now, it's this way."
"O-Okay?" I made a face, scrunching my nose up, and knit my eyebrows together. I was so confused. One minute I was being attacked, my best friend was beating up another guy with a stand, one of my ex-best friends who I don't really talk to anymore got all beat up, and now I was willingly following someone who worked with the guys who were doing all the beating up into a place I-don't-know-where?
Axel, who was following us with all my things in his arms, easily caught up and overheard. "You'll understand soon, kiddo. Don't worry your pretty little head about it."
I gave him a sour look, completely unconvinced, and blinked when I realized I was doing something exceedingly stupid. Oh god… maybe I should run away now? Zexion wasn't holding onto my arm that tightly. But at the same time what would I even do if I escaped? Wouldn't they just find me again? They made weapons appear out of thin air; it would be pointless trying to fight back!
Well, unless you're Skylar… who just so happens to be an experienced street fighter. Why are all my friends so violent? Skylar, Mira, Dorthy… well, Dorthy is more manipulative than violent, but you know… There's also Eliza and Andrew, but Eliza wasn't that angry a person. Andrew has some anger issues, but he's gotten over that pretty well considering what he used to be like in Elementary.
Wait, why was I still thinking about this? Ugh… I don't even know. I give up. There's no point; I'll get captured either way. This is so lame…
Zexion turned the corner, stopping at the band department entrance, and I nearly crashed into his back. I blinked, only to gape with big eyes when he waved his hand and an oblong mass of… of something appeared out of the air. Dark and purple swirls mixed together, reminding me of what you might describe "darkness" as, and I was more than a little startled when Axel walked up and went through it.
"Wh-What!?" My voice went up multiple octaves, something reoccurring and unsurprising, which unfortunately ended up causing me to be on the receiving end of jokes due to how high pitch it could get. "H-How did- where did he go!?"
"Through the portal." Zexion replied simply. I lifted my head up and stared at him incredulously, and also sort of disbelieving that he thought I didn't realize that.
"N-No, I meant-I meant what's through the… the portal?"
"Our headquarters and your new home. Come." He tugged on my arm and I felt my heart race with fear, knowing that this was the end game. I was completely and utterly screwed, and I was proven correct when we stepped through and all air stopped entering and exiting my lungs.
It was almost as if a hand had reached deep inside of my chest, wrapping around my heart and squeezing the life out of me. Fire ran through my veins, boiling like acid, and my skull pounded so hard it felt like my brain was about to explode at any minute. I gasped, choking, and wasn't even able to get out a syllable as my legs gave out.
My limbs were numb and I could just barely hear Zexion let out a small curse. One minute I was on the ground, the next I was slung over a shoulder as sirens rang in my ears. Darkness tried to envelop me, threatening to engulf me and swallow me whole, when white suddenly blinded me and coated my vision. I barely managed to cling onto consciousness as I was suddenly thrown like a ragdoll onto something soft.
I didn't have the state of mind to try and figure out what I had landed on, too busy gasping and coughing as air rushed back into my lungs. Zexion was bent over, hands on his knees, breathing a bit labored. Someone clearly wasn't that physically strong.
"I miscalculated…" He breathed. "To think the Dark Corridors would affect you so quickly and deeply… Vexen needs to hear of this. Axel-Number Eight, where are you!?" He stood up, chest still rising and falling heavily, and looked around. He found the redhead appear through another portal, all my things gone and out of sight. "...I trust you delivered her things to her room?"
"Of course." He responded lazily, waving his hand in the as he walked over, the portal closing behind him. "As if I wanted to carry that stuff around any longer. I wasn't made to be someone's bellhop, you know."
A small smirk spreading across his face, Zexion responded, "You could've fooled me…"
"Wha-? Now, that's just mean." He teased, a hand on his hip as he leaned down closer to Zexion's height, his other hand on his chest. "You're breaking my heart here, Zexion."
"That would be the case... if you had one to feel with in the first place."
"Hmph. Fair enough." Axel retorted, standing up and looking down at me as I began to calm down. He placed his free hand on his other hip, raising an eyebrow. "So… what're we gonna do about her? She looks about ready to keel over."
"I was just about to inform the Superior of her arrival. Watch over her, will you? It would not bode well if something were to happen to her."
"Whatever." I was sitting on my knees at this point, trying to get a decent control of my breathing. I brought a hand up to my chest, fingers lightly wrapping around my throat. Scared, I looked up at the two men with big eyes. I wanted an explanation-what had happened to me? What was the reason I was even here? Maybe I should have hit and run like I'd been thinking. "You okay there, kiddo?"
"F… Fine," I choked out.
"Great. Well, see you later, Zexion."
The blue-eyed man gave a simple nod, waved his hand, and went through a portal that had opened up. I watched in awe as it closed behind him, the dark spirals vanishing into nothing. A hand waving in front of my face took me out of my trance and I jolted, looking at Axel in alarm when he suddenly decided to plop down next to me on the couch Zexion had dropped me on.
I stared distrustfully at the man sitting next to me, wondering what exactly was running through his mind. "Wh… Why am I here?"
"That's the big question, isn't it?" He responded, kicking his feet up and letting them rest on the coffee table. He brought his hands up behind his head, lacing his fingers together as he let out a big yawn. "Nah, I couldn't tell ya even if I knew, kid. The Superior and Saix are being awfully "hush, hush" about the whole thing. All I know is that I had to grab you and bring you here for safekeeping."
A job which you failed utterly at doing, I thought dryly, scooting a little bit away from him. If he noticed, he didn't say anything about it. His eyes remained closed, his breathing slowing down so much I decided he was sleeping. We sat there for a few minutes, and when the man still showed no sign of moving I got up and waved a hand in front of his face. He really is asleep?
Maybe I can make a break for it then? I've no idea where I'm at, but… maybe I can find an exit? Oh, but then what? I have no money; I can't pay for a taxi or anything. I could call the police; I do have my phone, but if they ask for my location what am I supposed to say? I'm in an empty white room filled with even whiter couches and surrounded by men in black? Sure, they'll love me for that.
Running away clearly becoming pointless, I plopped back down onto the couch and slumped into my seat, crossing my arms over my chest and hugging myself. Through all the fear, I felt a slight empty feeling form in my chest, the familiarity of loneliness hitting me like a ton of bricks. How long am I going to be here…? What did they mean by "safekeeping"?
Every time I got another answer, it just seemed like more questions piled up.
Seeing another portal appear out of thin air I jumped and, despite not knowing he was and that he tried to kill me earlier, quickly woke Axel up as I feared he might get in trouble if he was caught sleeping. I didn't know what being turned into a dusk meant, but I doubted it was something very pleasant.
He opened an eye, staring at me, before turning his gaze to the portal and sitting up just as Zexion and two men I did not recognize stepped out. They wore black coats as well, but their appearances were even weirder than Mr. Eyepatch.
Both were overwhelmingly tall, and the first man-the one who appeared to have the most authority- had dark brown skin and cold eyes the color of molten gold. His silver hair was long, stopping at his shoulderblades, and his bangs were spiked back. Compared to the man beside him, if it weren't for Zexion, he would have looked like the friendliest one in the room.
With high cheekbones and pointed ears, eyes the color of amber glared down at me. A scar in the shape of an "X" decorated the top half of his face, traveling from his nose to his forehead, and his long blue hair cascaded down his back. With how neatly brushed it looked, I could only assume he put time into his appearance. This man looked like he wanted to skin me alive.
''So you are the one we have been looking for." The dark-skinned man greeted, speaking slowly and with a deep voice. "Welcome to our wonderful abode…" As he spoke, he spread his arms out as if to gesture to the building we were standing in. "I do hope you'll enjoy your stay here. We will do our best to make sure you are… comfortable… in your new home."
I probably should have gotten off the couch like Axel did a few seconds ago, but I felt that if I stood up my legs would just give out. "Wh-Why am I here? What do I need "safe keeping" for?"
"You don't know…?" He asked, looking mildly surprised. "Of course… you were raised on a world that abhors magic. It would only be natural that you are unaware of your true identity."
...What? I'm so lost. Despite all the words building up on my tongue, I chose to remain silent and waited for him to finish. Zexion, Axel, and the blue-haired man all waited quietly and patiently for the silver-haired man to finish speaking.
"Long ago… beyond the farthest stretch of time… before all creation… there existed light and darkness. The light was everywhere, bathing all the worlds in its brilliance. But darkness hid, residing within the hearts of the people… People fought over that light, wanting to keep it for themselves, and the darkness grew stronger. This caused an unbalance within the hearts of man, chaos overwhelming the land, and caused all the worlds to scatter.
Seeing this, the skies fought. The Sun and Moon forged together, creating an eclipse to bring about one of the most powerful beings; the Keeper of Hearts. By combining the Light of the Sun and the Darkness of the Moon, they brought forth a child that held equal amounts of darkness and light, one who would be able to bring stability to the chaos and create a balance in all of humanity's hearts.
But the strength and magic the powers both gave him was unbearable… there was too much of each inside of him and if something was not done it would inevitably destroy him. So, in a pity, the almighty Kingdom Hearts split the child in two. One became the embodiment of darkness, filled with the strength and power to defend humanity from evil, and the other became the embodiment of light… a being so pure, it filled the world with magic and hope, healing those who have delved too deep into despair.
These people are known as the guardians of man, those who protect the hearts and the balance within them. They… allow those lost to become whole once more." An almost sinister grin spread across his face, his amber eyes flashing as he pressed a hand against his chest, but I remained silent and politely listened. What he said sounded like crazy, but it would be rude to interrupt his monologue. "If one is to be overwhelmed, the stability will break and the world will be wrought with destruction. One can not live without the other, and every time another dies a new one is born. We call these people the "Keeper of Hearts", the guardians of Light and Darkness. Sixteen years ago, the previous Keeper of Light died, and six years before that the Keeper of Darkness.
We are still searching for the defender, but we, the Organization, have finally located you…" Raising a hand up, he pointed at me. I blinked, leaning back slightly despite the wide distance between us. "The new Keeper of Light. The Healer. Unfortunately, due to your separation with the Keeper of Darkness, your body has been poisoned in an attempt to compensate the darkness your other half would have held. Your Light is fading, and as such we must work with haste in order to locate the other Keeper."
I blinked multiple times, staring at him completely dumbfounded. So, wait… I'm basically the reincarnation of a person who died sixteen years ago? How does that even work? I'm not even sure if this a dream anymore or not; I was imaginative, but this was too crazy even for my crazy brain to think up.
Wait, six years before I was born the Keeper of Darkness happened…
Maria?
No. No! Really? C-Could that-no. The chances of that happening were so low! Not to mention I was being completely ridiculous. Just because she was kidnapped, and I was kidnapped, did not mean we were both kidnapped by the same people or for the same reasons. Wait, since I "willingly" followed due to a lack of judgment was it really considered a kidnapping? Ah, whatever. "Are there other people looking for the Keepers?" I didn't believe it for one second, but I decided to play along for now. I didn't want to risk being beaten or killed…
The memory of nearly being sliced in half made me scoot farther away from Axel, who eyed me strangely when he saw me do that.
A smirk seemed to spread across the silver-haired man's face, his eyes pleased if not mischievous. "But of course. Those are the people we are trying to protect you from… If they got their hands on you, who knows what kind of things they would do? They would use you for their own gain... All we wish for is to keep you safe."
Bullcrap. I'm calling bullcrap on this. "Um… right. O-Okay. Uh… what do you mean my body was "poisoned"?"
It was the blue-haired man that spoke up. "If they are separated for too long, the Keeper of Light will unconsciously pull in the darkness around her in an attempt to balance out the darkness she had been lacking with her other half gone. That is dangerous, and in some cases even lethal, and will cause them to become severely ill. It's the same way for the Keeper of Darkness."
"So the reason I have so much trouble breathing and get sick constantly is because I got a whole bunch of unwanted darkness in me?" I questioned, voice completely monotone as I stared at them blankly and pointed at myself with both index fingers. Wonderful, just wonderful. On the bright side, this should be a dream and in the dream I might get to see my sister again. Keyword being "might".
The silver-haired man, whom I'm pretty sure is the Superior, nodded with an overly polite smile.
"...Well then."
"I understand that this is a bit of a shock to you," He started to monologue again, "having come from a world where everything was normal and you were left unaware. But I assure you, things will become easier to accept through time and you will be calling this castle "home" before you know it. You will have your other half soon, and the Organization… will become a second family to you. In the meantime, however, while we are searching for the Keeper of Darkness… why don't you rest up in your new room? I'm certain you would like some time to absorb all this information…"
I opened my mouth to protest, about ready to demand I be sent home, before closing it. Arguing wouldn't get me anywhere, and I really didn't want to make any of these people angry. I sighed in defeat, slumping my shoulders, and stuck my bottom lip out in a pout as I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets. My fingers slid against my phone as if to remind me that I still had some form of contact if necessary. Good thing I constantly turn my phone off to save battery… here's to hoping these people have internet.
"If I have to…" I murmured, more to myself than anything. Knowing my luck, they probably didn't.
"You're surprisingly compliant," Zexion noted curiously. I lifted my gaze to look at him, only to become more upset when I saw his face was void of almost any emotion. Looking on it, barely any of these guys had much emotion on their faces, nonetheless their voices. Axel and Mr. Eyepatch seemed to be the exception to that, always either smirking or grinning, and I've really only seen Zexion annoyed from when he had scolded Axel for trying to kill me. Other than that, his eyes were like an empty canvas-apathetic and cold.
"Not much point in arguing," I responded quietly, answering as honestly as I could. I disliked lying, and there wasn't really much point in doing it now. I was far too in this mess to try and get out of it. Zexion seemed to approve of my answer, nodding just slightly in what I'm assuming was understanding-or at the very least agreement. "Um, am I walking to my "room" or… or am I going through another one of-of those… portal-thingies again?" My voice got smaller the more I spoke, increasing just slightly in octave as the words tried to get stuck in my throat.
The silver-haired man gestured to the redhead beside Zexion. "Axel will be escorting you to your room… You are to remain there for the time being. I will have members bring you food and drink occasionally, so you do not... "waste away" as some members would put it..."
"O-Okay… Th-Thank you…" Do I get up off the couch now? I-I think I should. Wow, this is awkward. Tentatively I pushed myself up and stood, wobbling a little as my limbs still did not want to work normally. Axel placed a hand on my shoulder, keeping me steady, and I tried not to flinch away. The image of him ready to throw those chakrams and slice me in half were still very fresh in my mind.
"Easy there, speedy. Don't rush yourself. Now let's go; you heard the Superior. To your brand new room!" A hand on my back, he started to guide me out of the room. I took a nervous glance behind me, almost as if any one of them were going to stab me in the back at any moment, and upon seeing them all vanish in the dark portals I looked back at Axel. "What's the matter, kid? Scared?"
I didn't respond, giving him an uncomfortable shrug instead. I gripped the inside of my jacket pockets tightly, the oversized jacket hanging crookedly on my small form. "A… A little…"
"Good. You'd be stupid if you weren't."
"O-Oh…" My voice cracked, squeaking a little at that. "Th-That's encouraging."
Axel just laughed at me. "It was a compliment, kid! Just relax, will ya? I'm sorry about trying to slice you in half earlier, but I was having a pretty bad day. Promise I won't do it again-I'd get obliterated if I tried. Kinda glad Zexion didn't bail on me-or maybe they're turning a blind eye to it? Either way, I'll try to play nice from now on."
He wore a grin, but his voice didn't have much feeling in it. It was sort of… strange, really. Kind of robotic. I tilted my head, looking at the ground thoughtfully for a moment, before looking back up at him. "Where are we?" I resisted the urge to look down into the empty abyss that was below us, there only being walkways and staircases in the area we were now in.
"Oh, that's an easy one. We're in a castle located above the World That Never Was. It's the Organization's Headquarters."
...So if I fall off the stairway and into the deep empty abyss, I would topple down onto the world below us or something? This is seriously a messed up dream. Well, realistically speaking, I'd probably just end up in the castle dungeons or something.
"Hey, don't worry about it, kid. It'll be fine~. There's plenty to-okay, no, that's a lie. There's not a whole lot of stuff to do since you're not a member. But, hey! If you get lucky you might be able to leave the castle every now and then as long as you have an escort."
"So… I can leave?"
"I said if you're lucky. Probably won't be able to do anything but eat and sleep and wander the castle until we find your other half. You're one of the purest of hearts-try and look on the bright side of all this. You're safe from all those baddies who want to use you. Think of it this way; if we didn't grab you, someone else would have. And those people-they're not nice. Got it memorized?"
"A-And you are?" I choked out, watching as he stepped back and sighed. He brought a hand up, scratching the back of his head as he rested his other hand on his hip.
"You're not listening, kid." He grumbled to himself about something, turning around so he was facing me completely. "This is for your safety. We-me and everyone else who are in this castle-we're trying to protect you. And you acting like this? It isn't helping. Let us do our job in keeping you safe, and you can laugh and lolligag all you want."
Maybe I don't want to laugh and lolligag, huh? Maybe I want to go home! I grudgingly followed Axel up the staircase and down multiple hallways, each and every room, wall, and floor being decorated in the same blinding white and steel gray. Eventually we arrived to a room, and Axel stopped in front of the door.
"Superior will probably send someone to bring you something to eat-as he said before-so until then make yourself comfortable. I'll see you later." With that said, he turned around and walked off, not bothering to wait and see me enter the room. I watched until he vanished through a portal, and then proceeded to open the door. I entered, standing there in silence for about ten minutes, before moving over to the completely white bed and sitting down.
There wasn't much in the room; the walls were white (like everything else in this stupid place) with a metallic sort-of sheen, and the single bed I was sitting on. The headboard was shaped with a strange symbol, and there was a window that revealed the very same heart-like moon that I had seen in the room I first arrived in.
There was also a plain white dresser and a shelf. All in all, it was pretty bland. The only thing that stuck out was the bright purple of my binder, the black of my chromebook and instrument cases, and the blue of one of my music folders- all of which was discarded rather rudely on the thin carpet of the floor.
Was I… really supposed to live here now?
T_T This is something me and my sister are collaborating on, Maria being her OC, and thought it would be interesting to write this. XD
Well, read and review!
Switching the roles... Instead of being told through Sora's point of view, this will mainly be told during the Organization's point of view. Fun, right? :D There will be bits and stuff from the manga-but most of it will be following the games. :3 This is starting about a year before Roxas, around the start of KH1.