Hiya! This is the last redo chapter before I upload Chapter 4 (which will be in a few minutes, hopefully). So, please let me know if you think this is better than the one before. I think so, at least, and must say I'm happier with it. It's less talkative and flows better. So, please R&R!!
Disclaimer:I do not own Golden Sun or any or it's copyrighted themes or characters. But I do own whatever I create. They're mine! All mine! So back off! (brandishes a sword) Sic 'em Luna!
Haha... Sorry, couldn't resist... Enjoy!
Chapter 3- Run, Thana!
Maria felt her skin go paler than the smoke that was sweeping into the room. Coughing as she breathed some in, she unsteadily pulled herself up with one arm using Thana's bed rail. Panic surged through her as she consciously realized the fumes of smoke, and she frantically proceeded to pull Thana out of the bed. She desperately needed to get her sister out of there. If either of them got an asthma attack-! But she didn't want to think about it- she couldn't even afford a moment to think. In this present situation, an asthma attack needed to be the least of her worries.
"Hey-what-who-?" Thana protested and questioned at once, but failed in her attempt to stay in the bed until she got a full explanation when she suddenly lurched forward, coughing and wheezing from the smoke. Maria used this window of opportunity to pull Thana out of the bed.
"There isn't much time to explain, but the fact is we need to get out of here!" Maria interjected before Thana could question, pulling out her spare inhaler from her back pocket and stuffing it into Thana's mouth. Her sister grabbed it and pressed it, releasing the medicine.
Thana gulped in a shallow breath that contained the medicine, her chest still heaving as she tried to inhale it. A few seconds later, her convulsions began to subside, and Thana was breathing easier. The medicine was working, and the smoke was beginning to filter out of the room through the window with the breeze.
Maria breathed a sigh of relief.
Thana lowered the inhaler. "Thanks, Maria," she murmured gratefully in a tired voice.
"What a day, huh?" Maria said. Thana gave a quiet laugh and nod in reply, shakily leaning against the bedrail. Maria's eyes dropped down to the floor as she looked down in exhausted relief. Suddenly Thana gave a small tug at her sleeve. "What is it Thana?" she asked, raising her face to look at her. She stared at her in confusion.
Thana's eyes were wide, fear filling her bright orbs as she looked directly beyond Maria.
"What's-" she began as she turned around, but never finished her sentence.
She was looking right into the center of the barrel of a gun. And it was aimed right at her and Thana.
"Well, well, "the owner of the gun drawled in pleasure. "What a surprise…Maria and Thana Walker."
"Romano, you traitor," Maria hissed. "I should've guessed who you sided with after the commotion you caused at Easter!"
"Always the Master, my dear Maria," the man replied smoothly, lowering the gun ever so slightly. "Besides, since I acquired the powers of the Dark after joining with the Master, could I stay in this family of Light?"
Romano was a tall, lanky man in his early twenties, a few years older than Maria, with browned skin. Too much time in the sun, Maria figured. He was dressed in a military uniform that held a new insignia upon his shoulder. He was carrying rifle in his hands, and had a smaller pistol at his side. Drumming his fingers slightly against the rifle, he continued. "Here we came prepared for an army of Adepts, and we find two little girls cowering in fear all alone. This will be easy. The Master will be so pleased."
Maria rolled her eyes visibly at the remark, and then commented sarcastically, "New insignia, I see, Romano. Your Master actually came up with something almost original? Wow, it's gonna snow in June."
"Laugh while you may," he sneered, "because very soon you won't be laughing at all!" He suddenly raised his gun, aiming at Maria, and began to pull the trigger. Her eyes went wide. Her arms moved instinctively and pushed Thana behind her.
Suddenly, Romano swerved the rifle toward the ceiling, releasing three consecutive shots, and pausing slightly after each.
Maria looked on in confusion, straightening slightly.
Romano laughed as he lowered the gun. "All I did was relay the signal for a few soldiers," he said. "Did you really think I was going to shoot you?"
"Yes, I did," Maria spat, not sharing in his humor.
"The Master ordered us to bring you two in alive, my dear. You should've known by now that Thana, or you for that matter later on, are no good to him dead," Romano said. Soldiers entered the room in rapid succession. They now stood behind him, assembled and with their own rifles at the ready.
"W-what do you want with us, Romano?" Thana whispered, pushing herself out from behind Maria. Her quaking voice betrayed her attempt to sound confident at addressing her step-cousin.
"Oh, the midget speaks," Romano laughed in mock surprise, as Maria pushed Thana behind her again. "You see, my little one, my Master has some need for the two of you, but your family, and your sister here, have been most uncooperative. Do you understand, or do you need me to explain what I just said in, say, little words?"
"No, I don't!" Thana spat, trying to push herself past Maria again. She had a furious look in her eyes that clearly said she wanted to kill him. She hated being treated any younger than she was, just because she was one of the younger members of the family.
"Ah, a fighter spirit," he said aloud. "Good. Our Master will have some use for that."
"Like I'll go with you either!" Thana spat. "And I'll say this openly: I may have no idea who you are or what's happening, but I trust my sister's judgment, and I've decided I don't like you either! Nyah!" She stuck her tongue out at him.
Romano's vein popped in annoyance. "Brat," he muttered, then added, "how about I teach you a lesson in manners?"
Before Maria could react, she felt a hard blow to her stomach, and then another to the side of her head that knocked her to the ground. Eyes blurry with stars, she looked up. Romano stood in front of her, holding her sister up by her collar. Thana was struggling against him, but her strength wasn't strong enough to do anything to even annoy him.
"Put me down!" Thana shouted, but Romano stood unfazed.
"Now," he said dangerously, cocking his rifle up at the Thana with his free arm. "You have a choice. You can both come willingly, or I shoot your sister, right here, and right now. The Master may have said to bring you all in alive, but what I failed to mention was that it didn't have to be in your… best health."
Maria didn't believe that she could've gone any paler.
"Your choice," Romano repeated.
Maria desperately searched her mind for an option.
"There is a way to save your sister," a soothing, familiar voice spoke in her head. "But will you allow me to help?"
"Alright," Maria murmured. She had promised herself it wouldn't come down to that, that she couldn't reveal it, at least not while it was only her to explain it to Thana before it was her time. But her options were beginning to look slim. And Thana's life was at stake. Maria had to make up her mind now. How much was she willing to risk by not using her powers? Thana's peace of mind? Or Thana's life?
"What was that?" Romano questioned.
Maria had promised her parents that she would protect her sister from danger while they were gone. That was a promise that she intended to keep.
Leaving indecision behind her, Maria quietly stood, brushing the dust off of her.
"I said, alright. But I wasn't talking to you," Maria said, giving a sly smile. She calmly raised her arm above her head.
Romano suddenly looked nervous. "Y-you wouldn't-! I-I mean it! I'll shoot your sister!" He desperately raised the gun closer.
Maria didn't seem to hear. Thana watched her in confusion. She could feel the air pressure changing, and could've sworn she smelled rain the air. But how could she? It had been completely sunny several minutes before...
She glanced out the window.
Angry thick, black storm clouds gathered in the heavens, blotting out the sun and making the day as dark as night. The wind shrilled hysterically like a madman, ripping through the trees with the strength of gales. Lightning seared through the sky to the land, tearing at the ground and anything in its path, before quickly followed with monstrous peals of thunder that seemed to rent the sky itself to two. Thana felt the earth beneath her begin to quake in terror.
"What happening?" Thana murmured, but her voice was lost in the raging voice of nature.
"Shut your eyes, Thana! Now!" Obediently, Thana followed the mysterious, if somehow soothing, voice.
Suddenly, a brilliant white light tore through the room, blinding everyone within but Thana, and she was dropped the floor as Romano tried to shield his eyes from the light. She quickly picked herself off the floor, looking incredulously at Maria for an explanation.
Maria returned the look with one of relief and said, "I'll explain later. At the present, we are in heap of trouble, and I have to get you out of here." Thana murmured a "what?", but Maria didn't notice. She just tossed Thana's backpack to her for Thana to put on. Then she was looking hurriedly around the room, trying to find a solution.
Her solution arrived on four furry feet, pushing the door slightly ajar.
Maria eyes lit up. "Luna! There you are!" she called, as the sleek, silver long-haired cat ran into the room, jumping on Thana's bed. Her blue lamp-like eyes stared up at Maria, and she heard the familiar, this time more urgent, voice say in her head,
"Mistress, you must take your sister and get out of here, now! The enemy is close at hand, and more will be here any moment!" Her blue orbs shone imploringly at Maria.
"I know!" Maria replied. "But there's too many! There's no way to get both of us out of here unnoticed without-" and, suddenly, an idea dawned on Maria. A crazy one, but it was her only hope.
"Luna, you take Thana and lead her away from here. Grab Sol, and Mars if you can find him. Just make sure you can get her to safety. I'll create a distraction, so you all can escape."
"No! You cannot die, mistress! What are you talking about?! We'll find a way to all get to safety…" her voice trailed off. "…Or did you have another vision and did not tell me about it?" she asked, quietly.
"I'm sorry, Luna," Maria murmured, softly nodding her head. She looked at Thana, who was still standing beside her, now wearing her backpack. A look of confusion was still on her face, and new confusion forming as to why she wasn't undergoing another attack since there was still smoke in the room.
"But Thana…" Maria paused, then continued. "She has a long journey ahead of her. But I… I did not see myself along her path. Not until much later down her journey. My heart ached at my inability to be there for her no longer, but that is the path that has been laid down for us, and that is what will come to pass no matter what I try to do to prevent it. For now, I must do all in my power to be her stepping stone on her way to her journey." She looked away, tears glistening in her eyes. "Please, Luna. Protect Thana with even greater power than you watched over and protected all of us with! Whatever happens, don't let her die!" she begged the small cat on the bed, her eyes full of desperation, as if that might also have been seen in her unspoken vision.
"Alright, Maria," Luna replied softly. "As you wish."
Slowly Luna rose, and jumped off the bed. She hurried over to Thana's side, who was now standing beside Maria. Thana was looking up at her with great confusion.
"Maria, what's happening?" she asked, her younger eyes filled with worry. For a brief moment Maria just looked at her younger sister, then grabbed her into a tight hug.
"Promise me that you'll take care of yourself, all right?" she whispered, urgently.
"Um, okay," Thana said. "But why are you saying this like its good-bye? Aren't we going together? Wherever we seem to be going? I still don't know what's going on…"
"Two-second explanation then," Maria said, speaking fast. "There are a bunch of dangerous intruders inside the house, and I have to get you out of here. They're after us, but at the worst-case scenario, I'd rather they catch one than both, so I'm going to ensure that you escape. I know you don't understand why, because our family was so stingy over not being told until it was our time, but someday, perhaps we can sit down and have a long talk about this. For now, the intruders'll be here any second, and you need to get out of here. Escape through the window. Luna will look after you. Just think of this as that exercise you wanted to redo. And if you can survive this, I'll pass you with flying colors, because there won't be a 'try again' button if you lose this time, I'm sorry to say. And don't worry. Luna is a good… watchcat, for lack of a better term. Practically a guardian angel."
"Just trust us, Thana," Luna said. "I can protect you."
As if in justification, Luna jumped into Thana's arms, looking up at her with her glowing blue eyes. Thana looked skeptically at the cat, still not even believing that the thing in front of her just spoke in her mind, but thought better of questioning that at a moment.
"But what about you? Aren't you coming too?" Thana asked, the sudden realization racing into her mind.
Maria gave a grim smile. "No, kiddo. I promised our parents that I'd protect you, and protect you I will, even if it costs me my life."
"No!" Thana exclaimed. "No, Maria! Let's go together-"
"Someone has to make sure you get out of here safely!" Maria shot out, interrupting Thana, who backed down a little at the sudden outburst. "But don't worry," Maria hastily added. "We'll see each other again."
"Promise?" Thana asked in a tiny voice.
"I promise, sis," Maria replied, giving her a tired smile. "Now, will you trust me?"
"All right."
"Then head to the window. Once there, exit, and make a beeline for the woods. Just follow Luna. She'll guide you to safety," Maria said. "Oh, and take these as well."
Thana reached her hands out grasped three bracelets- one with golden beads, the second with blue beads, and the last with red beads. Though all of them had a larger bead that matched the color of the bracelet, these different, larger beads all had a different symbol on them, but she couldn't figure out what they meant, and, being a moment where every second might count, she didn't try.
"Okay," Thana murmured tinily, and was about to head to the window when she stopped, and threw her arms around Maria. "We must meet again, "she whispered, trying to bolster her courage. "Or how can we ever see each other or our family again?"
"That's right, Thana," Maria said. "If we fail in strength, then we'll think of each other. That'll give us a reason to continue on." She paused, and undid Thana's arms. "Be strong," she whispered, "and don't give up. Don't give up."
Thana nodded, then turned and walked toward the window, then, looking back once, exited, and then took off running into the storm that only seemed to build, Luna hot on her heels. Then, a golden cat, followed by a brown one, ran out from the undergrowth, and followed them, like guardians in the night. Maria said a prayer for Thana's safety, then turned to concentrate on her own as she murmured one for her.
"I never thought I'd have to do this again," Maria thought, as she placed her hands in front of her. The feeling of her power surged through her, and a blue-and-silver staff appeared, with a knife to her side. She grabbed them, putting the knife in a strap at her waist, and then held the staff in front of her, stilling her quaking hands.
Her clothing had changed, too. She was no longer dressed in her t-shirt and jeans, but in a flowing, white dress and a blue-and-silver robe, the hood falling gracefully about her shoulders and neck, edging slightly into her upper back. Just above her hips lay a long fabric-like belt with a circle-shaped buckle balanced on her left hip, portraying a glowing, crescent moon which enclosed opal, sapphire, and white gems, which in turn were all inlaid inside small, glowing star-shaped outlines. The ends of the belt dangled loosely down her side. She wore tight arm warmers that stopped just before her elbow and at the knuckles and a leather arm, wrist and palm guard on top of them. Her boots, brown leather that went right below her knee, were inlaid with interwoven silver at the top and right above the foot.
She was in her Adept Guardian form, allowing her more strength than she would have had in her normal Adept form. This one, like everything else, she had been required to keep hidden from Thana after being taught, until it was her time to learn the secrets of their family, their Adept family. Like she had done a few years before when her powers manifested. But Thana's powers were not yet ready by the family's standards, and thereby she couldn't learn of everything until that happened. She felt sorry for having to send Thana away still knowing nothing, but her family was strict that way, just like with the training exercises they had to put up with.
However, there wasn't much time to mull over that now. There was a job to do.
"Well, to battle," she murmured. "And to whatever awaits us."
A/N: Well, what did ya think? Please let me know. Thank you:D