Wow. It has kind of been forever since I posted something. Here are some words to read in a short-ish chapter form.
Apologies for the lateness. Life hit me like a wall and got extremely busy.
Review and stuff. I like feedback!
Enjoy.
"Just one more lap to go! Hustle up out there, group!"
Finally. Lap twelve around the island-or the last lap. In my mind, it was about eleven laps too many. Needless to say, this school has yet to turn me into a runner. Luckily, my Vertigo hasn't acted up for a few days and the school physician cleared me for action. Thank goodness. I was getting cooped up in my room.
Descending a flight of stairs to run along the lower portion of the floating rock, I see a patch of cloud suddenly appear from nowhere in front of my path along the rickety boards that the Skyloftians like to call 'the lower walkway'.
I like to call it a death trap.
Granted, I didn't grow up thousands of feet off the ground on a floating chunk of rock. Some days, I still wasn't really used to it—especially when a cloud appeared out of nowhere giving me zero visibility.
This is where the mental focus comes in. Remembering where the wood ends and you drop off to your doom. The school has decided against putting up guard rails. 'Makes it more of a challenge' they claim. Plus, they have knights patrolling the skies, so just in case someone does fall off, there will be someone to come get them if not their own Loftwing. Only a few of the students have Loftwings, though, and I've got to admit, I'm jealous.
A scream interrupts my thoughts and I try to figure out who fell off the boardwalk today. A slight break in the clouds appears. It is a younger boy, no older than thirteen, flailing his arms uncontrollably. He gains some sort of control over his falling and whistles—signaling his descent. A streak of a dark blue Loftwing appears and grabs him midair. The boy begins to laugh as it sets him back on the floating rock.
Sometimes I can't believe how crazy some of these people are.
Oh, no big deal, I think, I just fell off a cliff of a floating rock thousands of feet in the air. I've had worse. I shake my head and grin. I wonder if I will become like that someday.
Probably.
We round the last corner to finish out the lap when suddenly another cloud appears out of nowhere. This one is slightly different, though. The winds are much stronger and it feels denser—damper.
Like a thundercloud.
I sprint as fast as my body can physically muster to get to the front of the group. Goddesses knows how much I hate thunderstorms, and that is enough motivation to sprint faster, even after so many laps around the island.
The professor cheers me on, as if I saved my best for last. He doesn't even know. I am deathly afraid of thunderstorms. I crossed the 'finish' line and cowered against a wall. Just to have something between myself and that cloud.
It was a long time ago, but there was a thunderstorm that burned down our house when I was little. Lightning flashed everywhere and lit our house, and everything in the general surrounding area, on fire almost instantly. It was a terrifying experience. We had to start over anew, everything was gone. This was before my dad got re-married.
Before my mom got sick.
Before my life got so complicated.
Yeah, back in the good old days.
I was still clutching on to the wall when Karane crossed the finish line and made her way toward me.
"Wow, Zel," she pants, "You really saved your energy for the end, didn't you? You left me in the dust."
I just give an airy laugh and shrug. I look over her shoulder and see Link just crossing the line next to Fledge. He always seems to be helping him out. They both stop running and place their hands on their heads, breathing deeply. Link reaches over and places a hand on Fledge's shoulder, smiling. Karane turns over her shoulder to see what I'm looking at and laughs.
"You know, Zel," she says, still looking over her shoulder, "if I didn't know better, I'd say you've got a little crush on Link over there."
"What?" I squeal, about three octaves too high.
Well, that wasn't obvious at all, I think. Dang it, Karane. My face turns a violent shade of pink. I duck my head so my hair falls into my face. She simply laughs.
"Come on," she says, still giggling, "let's do the cool-down workouts so we can head to breakfast." She begins making her way to the field house when all of a sudden a sharp wind picks up. It circles between the school's housing building and the outer wall, almost like a—
"Tornado!"
I hear the yell before the wind drastically increases. I hide my face behind my hands and am pushed back into the wall. Karane tries to grab my hand but is pushed back by the sheer force of the winds. People are running every direction. I get knocked a couple times, and eventually end up on the ground with a throbbing head. I lay there for a while, trying to regain my bearings.
A pair of brown boots appear in front of me and I look up to find Link bending down to help me up. I grab his extended arm and pull myself to a standing position. Link wraps an arm protectively around me, pulling me close. I try to ignore the feeling in my stomach and focus on where to go.
We make it a couple steps away from the wall, but are eventually pushed right back into it. Even Link is having troubles walking in this wind. Who knows where I would be if he hadn't shown up.
"Zel! Hold on just a bit longer! We'll be alright!"
He starts leading us to the building along the wall. But the winds are only getting stronger. We just make it in time to the main entrance as a tree falls feet behind us. Link opens the heavy door and lets me in first, then tugs the door securely shut.
I stand frozen. I had no idea tornadoes happened this far up in altitude. I find the wall and slide down it, sitting on the ground. Link looks out the window and places the wood bar in the hooks of the door, locking it into place. He joins me on the floor shortly after.
"No one else is out there, right?" I ask, voice shaking.
"No. Everyone else headed for the training arena. I didn't see you come through the doors, so—"
"You came back for me?" I turn my head to look at him. He smiles.
"Like I'd leave you to get sucked up by a twister. Who do you think I am?" He runs a hand through his hair.
"Obviously you're no Groose." I laugh, then shiver. Just realizing how cold I am, Link takes off his sweatshirt and offers it to me. I gladly accept.
"Thanks," I say quietly.
"No problem," he responds. "So," he continues. "Everyone else is in the training arena. I told Professor Owlan that I came looking for you, and I think this will last a while. Would you like to explore the disused basement here in this building?"
"Works for me," I say without enthusiasm. I stare out the window in fear and discomfort. It doesn't go unnoticed, either.
"Zel," he whispers, lightly touching my shoulder. "What's going on? You okay?"
"Sure," I respond, void of emotion. My fear is slowly coming back now that I see lightning right outside the window we sit next to. I freeze on the spot.
"No, you're not. Spill. Are you afraid of storms?"
His eyes found mine. They were calm—no judgment weighed them down. I studied his face. He started growing in a slight beard and his hair was becoming even shaggier than usual. His expression tender as the corner of his lips hinted at a permanent little smile. Seeing him gradually warmed me and I was able to somewhat defreeze myself from my fear.
So I tell him all about when I was little. How a lightning storm took our home and left nothing for us to keep other than the clothes we had on our backs—which we ended up throwing away anyway.
He doesn't interrupt. He sits there, listening as I divulge. He knows that this is hard for me. I haven't really opened up to anyone here other than Karane and himself. He eventually places his arm around me and rubs some heat back into my arm. I smile, leaning my head against his shoulder.
"But in reality," he continues after I finish my story, "we should head to the basement. It looks like the storm is getting worse by the minute and basements are the safest place to be."
"Does that actually apply to a floating rock?" I laugh airily, still feeling vulnerable. I just told him one of my deepest secrets—something I haven't even told to Karane yet, but somehow I feel slightly fuller than before. Bizarre.
"Believe it or not, the twisters can never sneak underneath Skyloft. They only ever land on the surface or fly over. There is no under for them. Now," he stands up, holding out his hand for me to grab, "How about we grab a cup of cocoa and head down?"
"Sounds like a great idea to me." I say, grabbing his hand and pulling myself up shakily—albeit with little effort on my part. He was strong.
After we had grabbed our cocoa, we went straight to the basement. It was a lot bigger than I was expecting it to be. No windows lined the walls, and everything was dim due to the emergency lights being the only light source in the immediate area. The storm had knocked out the power. From what I could make out, though, there was a type of lounge with a few sofas, chairs and a disused fireplace. There were a few halls leading to other rooms and multiple closets.
Link goes over to the fireplace and places a few logs in the hearth. He then lights the fire with magic and walks directly over to one of the closets. He opens it up to reveal blankets and pillows. He grabs two of each and walks over to the couches, placing one set on one and the second set on the other couch.
"Here you go," he says, as he plops down on one of the couches. "I'm thinking it will be best to wait this storm out down here, so you might as well get comfy." He is slightly too tall for the couch. His legs fall on the armrest.
"How long do you think this is going to last?" I ask quietly. He looks my way, sensing my discomfort as I twitch due to a crack of thunder. He got up from the couch and grabbed my shoulders, making them loosen under his gentle touch.
Why, at some of the possibly worst times, can I be such a girl and notice these little things? We are alone, in a dark basement, with presumably comfy couches, blankets, and pillows. Yeah. Great combination, universe. As if my feelings weren't already confused. Thanks.
"Do you want the straight answer or the one you would rather hear?"
Great. I scrunch my nose. He chuckles.
"We'll be fine, Zel," he says, pulling me into a hug. "Sure, storms tend to last longer here because of the high altitude, but once they happen we have a long streak of no storms and all around perfect weather. You'll see. Even when it snows here there aren't intense winds. It just kind of, falls, right to the surface. Like magic." Link pulls back. "Honestly, this storm could last a couple days. There will be breaks here and there, but until they happen, it's best to stay put."
I nod as we both fall into silence. He pulls me close again. We stand there for a while. I don't know how long. All I know is that his presence is comforting.
And the storm inside me is slowly subsiding.