Chapter Eight... I am getting so tired of typing up stuff. It's much more fun to just plan it out in your head and not get around to typing... but then no one could read it or review it... and then I wouldn't get any tips on how to get better at writing. Sigh. How droll, how very droll.
Zelos: You put the brat in the story, but NOT ME!?! That's so unfair, bud!
Me: Don't call me 'bud'! Dude, do you have any idea how much I used to say that, even before I played the game and heard you use it? But now, everyone assumes that I am copying you... It's so unfair!
Zelos: They think you're copying me because people naturally feel the urge to admire me. I'm THAT great!
Me: I have an ego like that too, but again... people think I'm copying you! Why is fate so cruel?
Zelos: If it'll make you feel better, hunny, I'll do the disclaimer.
Me: Would you?
Zelos: Alright all my cute hunnies out there, this voluptuos hunny of a writer doesn't own Tales of Symphonia, or me... but she wants too. Then again, who wouldn't want to own the great Zelos? Well, that's the disclaimer!
Me: Please don't call me that. Hunny alone is good enough; you don't need to add anything else.
Chapter Eight: Canada or Bust, Hopefully Canada
"So, we'll be going to Canada. Is that understood?" Tor asked. She looked around at the people in her group, pondering what their reactions would be. She didn't have to wait long to find out.
"That's SO dumb! Why on earth would we go to Canada? It's totally out of the way! What's wrong with you, you... you idiot!?!" Maggy cried. She wanted to save the world and get it over with. The sooner she could return home and be celebrated as a hero, the better. She didn't want to go through Canada and waste all that time.
"That IS out of the way, Tor. I thought that you said we had to hurry so that the world would be saved. What's up now? Why Canada?" Otto asked. The idea of going to Canada did seem a bit absurd.
"I was planning our next course of action last night, but required a bit of help. I prayed to the angels for some help, but they were kind of asleep, too. So, the half-elf known as Genis came to help me instead. He said to look for the organization known as the Renegades. Last he saw them, they were in Canada. So, we're going to look for some clues as to where they are now. If we find them, they should be able to help us with the journey... a lot." Tor explained.
"The Renegades? That organization doesn't sound very friendly. How would they be able to help us?" Kanny asked.
"I'm not EXACTLY sure how they would help us, but Genis said they would be a big help... so I'm sure that everything will work out." Tor sighed. It didn't seem like a very good arguement. It was a pretty weak arguement, actually. Most of the time, Tor was good at arguing... but now, she was too depressed to argue the point. What good was arguing, anyway? She knew that they would eventually have to listen to her, seeing as she was the best informed and had the most power.
Was she depressed? She thought so, but she wasn't sure. She was probably just out of it, tired maybe. She hadn't slept a wink. She was just tired, she concluded. Just tired.
"Pretty weak arguement. Alright, what's up? That's unlike you." Krate probed. "MY little sister doesn't give weak arguements. She gets a powerful arguement and won't shut up until she's forced everyone to take her side. What's the deal?"
"Why TRY to force you on my side? I have the position of power right now; you HAVE to go along with what I say. That being said, we are going to Canada whether you like it or not." Tor growled.
Kanny was the only one bothering to try and talk to Tor. She knew that Tor was mad, but she also knew that her best friend couldn't ever stay mad at her... and seeing as she had done nothing to make Tor mad, and Tor was just mad in general, Kanny would be fine.
"So, where in Canada are we going?" Kanny asked as they stepped from the platform onto the train.
"We are going to a place in Québec called 'Chisasibi'. It was where the Renegades' last recorded base was. We'll go there, see if they are still around there... and if they are not, we'll look for clues that could help us find their new location. Understood?" Tor grumbled.
"Sure! So, who was that guy that told you to find the Renegades? Is there a picture of him in the book?" Kanny asked reaching for Tor's pack.
Tor let her pull out the book, then replied. "Yes, I'll show you a picture of him. Look, right there. That one, with the silver hair. He's that boy... but that was thousands of years ago. Now, his body looks like that of a boy around our age, maybe a little older." Tor said smiling.
"You think he's cute, don't you?" Kanny smiled slyly. "You like him!" she whispered the taunt in her friend's ear.
"Kanny, that's absurd. For one thing, he's Gramps' friend. Second, I think he's married to the girl from the picture... The one with pink hair. And third, I like to stick to guys of my own age group. He looks like a teenager, but he talks as if he were an adult. It's rather dull." Tor explained.
"Tor, most of the time... when you aren't like, humoring us, you speak like an adult! Kids don't say 'It's rather dull.' Adults say that. Even when you try to talk like a kid, so that your brothers and everyone else understand you, you can't help sounding like an adult. It comes to you naturally. You're just a really good speaker." Kanny cried, exasperated.
"By 'good' do you mean eloquent? Good is such a general term, and-" Tor began. "I'm doing it right now, aren't I? I'm slipping into my usual manner of speech. Darn it."
"Hehehehehe! You really CAN'T help it, can you?" Kanny laughed. "So, since you don't like him... can I?"
"Oh, so THAT'S what you were getting at!!" Tor hissed back in her friend's ear. "Yeah, it's fine with me... but I'm pretty sure he's married to that girl, Presea."
"Hmmm, well... I don't care. He's cute in that picture and he's got to be HOT now. I still like him." Kanny said grinning widely.
"Cool, because Genis is a genius, too. He's got looks and brains, my friend. You really picked your guy well... except for the fact that I'm pretty sure he's married after all these thousands of years." Tor laughed.
"Do you have to keep bringing that up? You're ruining my day dreams." Kanny complained.
"Day dreams? Oooh! What kind? What are you and Genis DOING in that head of your's, Kanny? You got your mind in the gutter, my friend?" Tor pressed, grinning wildly... in an almost manic way.
"Wha- What!?!" Kanny sputtered out. "Tor! How could you say that about me!?! I'd NEVER think up something like that!!!" Kanny cried, waving her hands in front of her face for added affect.
"Relax, I was just teasing! But, it's rather suspicious that you'd be so defensive about it... You WERE having nasty, lecherous thoughts about him, weren't you?" Tor squealed, delighted that she had something to hold over her friend's head... She was feeling better already.
"Alright," Krate broke in, "you two are acting strange. You alright? What are you scheming? Out with it."
"We are sheming nothing. Besides, if we WERE scheming something... we'd be smart enough not to get caught by the likes of you, Big Brother." Tor growled. "I would like to think that I was an intelligent enough person to trick someone of YOUR capacity."
"Whatever. Just hush up a bit. We all want to get some more sleep while we're riding the train. After all, we'll be doing a lot of walking once we get off." Krate grumbled, going back to the other side of the train compartment and sitting down. He shut his eyes and seemed to drift off to sleep.
"Krate is so strange. First he seems worried about you, then he's a pain in the butt! What's up with your brother?" Kanny asked.
"We're family, so he's naturally worried for my welfare... but as an older brother, he's supposed act like he doesn't care... atleast, that's what other brothers do. I suppose he feels compelled to act the same way as the other guys. I guess that he realized that he wasn't acting like a 'normal' brother, so he tried to make up for it by being worse to us. He's really not that good at pretending he doesn't care about us..." Tor analyzed.
"Us? You mean you and Otto?" Kanny asked.
"Nope, I mean all of us. I think he feels obligated to protect all of us and sort of babysit us all. He's recognized that we're like one big family now. He's going to treat all of us like siblings. Trust me on this." Tor replied, yawning.
"Why would he protect all of us? Why would he feel the need to? YOU'RE the angel, YOU'RE the one that's supposed to protect all of us. You said so yourself. The angel told you to protect everyone." Kanny said frowning in confusion.
"Lloyd. The angel's name was Lloyd... I think we should call everyone by their names... instead of referring to them by their race or species or whatever. It seems like a more appropriate thing to do." Tor mumbled.
"Oh, um... Lloyd told you to protect us. Why would Krate feel the need to protect us, especially you?" Kanny probed.
"Oh, well that's simple. He's the OLDER brother. He feels obligated to protect those that are close to him... and younger than him. He's the oldest person here... but not the strongest. Yeah, he's extremely tall and that's pretty intimidating to most people... but I think he feels inadequate. I think he feels that he can't help... he's insecure. He wants to prove himself. He also wants to seem like the cool and uncaring older brother. He's having a mental struggle while he's trying to choose which one to be. He can't seem to do both very well... so I guess he'll try to choose... Let's just forget about it for now. Heh heh heh! I'm probably just making things overly complicated." Tor said, finally throwing another grin on her face.
"Your family is so strange." Kanny muttered, shaking her head in slight confusion.
"Well, we're all family now, like I said... so you're strange too!" Tor said grinning widely. She laughed as her friend pouted at the thought of insulting herself. It was too fun to mess with people!
They all got a few hours of sleep while waiting in their compartment of the train. It was small compartment... so they were all sort of crammed together as they slept.
Krate was the first one to wake up. "Dang it. Sleeping while sitting is not good for my back." he complained. He was about to stand and stretch, but stopped when he realized that something was in his lap... weighing him down. He looked down and tried to keep a scream from crawling out of his throat.
In his lap was Maggy. She had fallen over sideways in her sleep... and now layed with her head in Krate's lap, sleeping peacefully. Krate was not a big fan of his younger sister's friends... especially Maggy. He always thought she was a bit creepy. She was just a strange person. He really didn't like that girl... and the thought of her sleeping with her head in his lap was a frightening thought.
He turned his head every which way, looking for something... ANYTHING to get him out of this awkward situation. Suddenly, he was aware that someone besides himself was awake... or at least beginning to wake up. Who was it? Who was the one that would catch him in this unfortunate situation? He was truly freaking out.
"What the heck is Freaky Maggy doing on me?" Krate gasped. He had decided to act as if he just woke up... making the situation seem a little less suspicious. If the person who was waking up thought that he was still wondering what had happened... maybe they wouldn't taunt him... maybe they'd even help him.
Kanny yawned. She carefully stretched, making sure not to wake up Tor who had been sleeping next to her. Otto was leaning on his big sister... he was all curled up in a blanket. He looked like an adorable little kid. It was hard to believe that he was already in seventh grade. Looking around, Kanny spotted Krate with Maggy's sleeping head on his lap.
"Krate." Kanny whispered. "What's going on?" A smirk started to form on her face, a snide remark ready to leave her lips.
"Kanny. Glad you're up!" Krate whispered hurriedly. "Please, help me! Help me get her off of me!" he hissed.
Kanny stared. What exactly was going on? "Why should I help you?" Kanny whispered back to him. Why should she help him when he's been being so rude lately? "Wait... what did Tor say earlier?"Kanny thought to herself.
" I suppose he feels compelled to act the same way as the other guys." She was remembering it perfectly. "He's really not that good at pretending he doesn't care about us..." That's what Tor had said!
He cared about Tor and Otto a lot. "Nope, I mean all of us. I think he feels obligated to protect all of us and sort of babysit us all. He's recognized that we're like one big family now. He's going to treat all of us like siblings. Trust me on this." He cared about all of them!
"He's the OLDER brother. He feels obligated to protect those that are close to him... and younger than him." He wanted to protect all of them. "...pretty intimidating to most people... but I think he feels inadequate. I think he feels that he can't help... he's insecure" Insecure. It's sad to think of that.
"He's having a mental struggle ..." Mental struggle... Waking up with Maggy hanging all over him had to bring on some sort of mental struggle.
"He's trying to help us..." Kanny thought. Sighing, she knew what she had to do. She had to help Krate. Kanny stood up and tip-toed over to Krate.
"I thought you wanted me to give you a reason to help me... What's up?" Krate hissed at the girl. He had noticed the smirk she had on earlier. He was pretty skeptical about what was going on.
"Forget it. I'm helping you, so just thank me or whatever." Kanny grumbled. Krate began to pick up Maggy's head, very carefully. Kanny placed her hands underneath Maggy's head and took over that part of the project. Krate began to gently nudge Maggy away from him. In about fifteen minutes, they had successfully moved Maggy.
"Thanks, Kanny. But... Why? Why'd you help me?" Krate asked looking the girl square in the face. Something was strange.
"We're all a team... a family. We have to watch out for eachother. Even if it turns out that we're protecting eachother from eachother." Kanny said grinning. She actually was glad that she could help out Krate. Like Tor said, HE was watching out for THEM. He really cared. She figured that she'd owe him one eventually anyway.
"So, we're taking a boat to Canada now?" Maggy said as the group stepped off of the train and onto the platform. The five children had taken trains all the way to Traverse City, Michigan (If anyone is wondering where I get my cities... I pick them at random from my school atlas. It's a surprisingly convenient tool for me. It helps my writing stay slightly more real... --). Now, they would take a small and slow moving, totally inconvenient boat. It would go through Lake Michigan, then Huron, and finally into the George Bay. After they got back to land, they would work their way through Ontario. They would keep going until they reached Amos, a city that was a bit of a ways into Québec. Then, Chisasibi would only be a little over four hundred miles away.
"Yeah, we'll take a boat. We'll have to rest as much as we can, because we won't stop in any cities in Canada for over two hundred miles. The first city we'll stop in will be Amos in Québec." Tor explained.
"You're kidding me!" Otto cried. "You can't expect us to go that far without stopping!"
"We will stop before then, but we'll be camping out instead of staying in a hotel in a city... though with our limited budget, we'll only be able to stay in so many hotels... and by so many I mean so few." Tor grumbled.
"You know what I've realized?" Kanny grumbled, looking at the people surrounding her. All of them were taller than her... Maggy wasn't much taller, but she was still taller. As for the the three siblings, they were all a bit tall for people their age. Krate was abnormally tall... but it looked like Otto would be even taller... even though he was just eleven and Krate was almost sixteen. Tor was fourteen, almost fifteen, and had started getting sensitive about her height. Otto was only an inch or two shorter than her... and it bothered her... and Kanny. Kanny thought it was odd how tall the boy was. He was a GIANT!!!
"No, what have you realized, my travel-sized friend?" Tor said, putting on a devilish looking smirk. Something told Kanny that Tor knew exactly what she was about to say. She always had such a superior look on her face when she was certain that she had perfectly analyzed a person... so she smirked quite a lot. Also, she loved to mention her friend's height when it would bug her the most. She always seemed to know just when the comment would strike a nerve. She never meant for the remark to be hurtful, she just like to push her buddy's buttons.
"Well, I've come to realize that camping sucks out loud!!!" Kanny groaned. "We need to find some way to get some more money! We can't rely on the money Tor saved for her college tuition FOREVER! You know how limited that fund is!"
Yes, the money they were using to travel and pay for everything was taken out of the money Tor had saved for college. Everyone knew that she'd get some huge scholarship... so they didn't REALLY mind taking the money... Tor also knew that she wouldn't need much money for college. The fund was, therefor, significantly lacking. Their money was VERY limited.
"Money will become an issue very soon," Tor grumbled. She had already gotten money from their village and her parents... but they were already running out. They would probably be out of cash by the time they got to Chisasibi... maybe even Amos! How long could the kids be expected to live off of cheap, instant ramen? How long would they be expected to boil water until they were sure it was clean, just to have a drink? How long were these kids expected to make it, when they were so used to modern conveniences?
"We'll just have to find some way tro make some cash. How hard could it be, eh?" Krate said, smiling as he mocked Canadians with his little addition to the end of his sentence.
"Bud, with you acting like that... we'll be banned from Canada before we even get there." Tor sighed, smiling nonetheless. She only slipped into that mode of speech when she was in a really good mood. She'd act all happy and smile, but not in the way that had her brothers worrying. She'd be truly happy and call people 'Bud' and 'Hun' or even 'Hunny'. (This is true. I really do act like that when I'm really happy. I've talked like that even before I became a Zelos fangirl... but most of the time I speak like an adult... or in some annoying Professor-esk way)
"What's got you in such a good mood, Sis?" Otto asked. He stared at his sister.
"Hmm? Nothing in particular, Hun. I'm just feeling pretty good today, I guess." she said grinning. Today, despite the problems that were right on the horizon, she felt like everything would be alright. It was just a good day. She had finished her first train ride, and was about to disembark on her first boat ride. It was turning out to be an exciting journey so far.
With that matter settled, they made their way to the docks (I don't know if Traverse City has any docks... but it was on the lake side).
"O, Canada!" Kanny sang merrily, as they crossed the international border. They were still sailing as she sang the song, but they were all still happy. They had made it to the land of maple leaves, hockey, and mountees. Kanny finished the song, hanging over the railing of the boat and laughing at the last few words. There wasn't anything particularly funny about the Canadian national anthem, but she laughed anyway. Tor's good mood seemed to be infectous. They all seemed to cheer right up once they had set sail.
"Kanny! We're in Canada! It's so COOL!!!" Tor cried, running across the deck. She tried to stop, though ended up skidding along the deck and smacking into the railing.
CRACK!!!
"Ow! I hit my head on the frickin' railing! Man! That HURTS!!!" Tor cried, rubbing the bump that was quickly forming on her head. She clutched the railing to steady herself. "Did you see that Kanny? The railing like, jumped out at me!" Tor exclaimed, beginning to laugh.
Kanny just smiled. Tor was happier than she'd been in a long time. It was quite a relief, actually. It was kind of frightening to hang out with someone that was always depressed or angry. It was nice to be around her friend when she was actually smiling.
"Tor, it looks like we'll have to file some reports against that railing. Maybe we can make some money off of this!" Kanny said grinning. "We'll take that evil railing to court!" she cried enthusiatically.
"Yeah! What sort of lawyer should we look into? Should we try and get someone from back home, or take one of the native Canadians? Do you think they might have someone that specializes in railing attack cases?" Tor replied laughing.
Kanny just looked at her friend. "You're such an idiot sometimes!" she said giggling. She smacked her friend's arm and laughed some more as the angel in front of her began to whine about the world having it out for her. They both laughed some more.
They finally stopped laughing, only to take a few deep breaths and sigh. The two leaned against the railing, still smiling.
"You know, Kanny, this is pretty great." Tor said, leaning back a bit further. "It's really relaxing out here. I'm really excited to be out here, seeing all these spectacular sights. Just imagine how much better it will be when the world is REALLY flourishing again. I bet it'll seem even better, when we look at it and know that WE were the ones that saved it all." She smiled some more and leaned back further. That time, it was a bit too far.
Kanny turned to look at her friend, ready to tell her how poetic her words sounded, how she was so strange thinking about all of this... but ended up gasping as she saw her friend falling off the boat backwards AND head first.