The Beast Within
Chapter 6
Faye paused, fidgeting with the edge of her pillow. She gazed blankly at the floor in silence for a few minutes, trying Kai's patience.
"And?" he asked bluntly, "What happened after that?"
"Kai..." Tess warned, "Don't push it..."
"We won't be able to help her if she won't tell us the whole story," he replied in a clipped tone. "She's acting like a self-absorbed brat."
"Bite me," Faye snapped, not looking up.
Kai smirked and crouched down to look Faye in the eyes. "You're the stubborn type, aren't you? I like that."
Faye shot him a venomous glare.
"But," he continued, ignoring her hostility, "From what I can see, you only have two options. Either tell us the rest of the story so we can help you...or keep dealing with it on your own. I can see the second option has been working great for you so far," he added sarcastically. He stared her down until she grudgingly lowered her eyes, giving in to his intimidating gaze.
"Jerk," she mumbled.
"So...what did happen next?" Kenny asked.
"...they came for him. They tried to take him away." She managed to keep her voice steady but her hand shook slightly, betraying her emotions. "One night, a few weeks after Jarrett began translating the notes, I heard loud noises coming from downstairs; it sounded like fighting. When I went to look..." she swallowed, "They were there. I don't know who they were – their faces were masked and they were dressed all in black."
"What were they doing?"
"They were holding Jarrett – trying to restrain him – but he was struggling so fiercely that they couldn't get a proper grip on him. They were trying to take him away," she repeated, a single tear trailing down her cheek. She brushed it away quickly. "Jarrett saw me standing at the top of the stairs and told me to run – to get my charm and run. His attackers looked up at me as I stood frozen in place. The distraction lasted just long enough for Jarrett to pull free and race outside to freedom. The attackers' angry cries startled me out of my daze; I hurried to my room to retrieve my charm and then climbed through my bedroom window onto the roof." A second tear escaped.
"Caelum saw me as I passed by his window. He'd heard the angry voices coming from downstairs and couldn't understand what was happening. He looked like he was about to cry and asked where I was going...why I was leaving...and all I could tell him was how sorry I was; that I didn't understand what had happened either but it didn't matter anymore because Jarrett and I were no longer welcome in the village. Before I left him, I made him make me a promise. 'Promise me you'll stay safe,' I said, 'Stay safe and find Jarrett when the time comes...he'll know what to do.' Caelum made the promise without even a moment's hesitation. He understood the importance of the promise even though he didn't understand the circumstances. 'But what about you?' Caelum asked, 'Where will you go? Are you going with him?' I looked at him sadly. 'I don't know where I'll go, Caelum...but I can't go with Jarrett.' He looked so lonely as he watched me disappear into the night."
Faye sighed. "I haven't seen either of my brothers since that night. If I had followed Jarrett, anyone following me would have been led straight to him. I couldn't follow him...he didn't need me weighing him down." She leaned her cheek against the pillow and stared into space, her eyes sad and empty.
"So I was alone. I was alone for a long, long time before Luna and Tess found me. They actually found me when I was in the middle of an attack, like the one I had when you got here," she explained in a detached voice, "It took me a while to start trusting them...but even after they gained my trust, I still didn't tell them very much because I knew it wasn't in their power to help me."
Kenny's furious typing quieted as Faye finished her story. "Umm...if you don't mind my asking...what was so important about your charm? Why was it so necessary to take it with you?"
Faye gazed at him in silence for a while, making him shift uncomfortably and look away.
"The seal," she finally replied, "It's because of the seal."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pure white beyblade. Inscribed on it, in place of where a bitbeast's picture would normally be, was a seven-pointed star. "I'm not sure how it works, exactly..." she pointed to the star, "But being in the presence of this seal seems to help suppress the creature's powers and allows me to keep control. There were seals like this everywhere in my house...and a massive one was surrounding the statue in that clearing. That's why I recognized the shape when it lit up in flames. And I'm pretty sure the glowing shape on the statue's forehead was a seal like this as well."
"Oh," said Kenny, "So...are you the only one who had a beyblade like this?"
"No," Faye replied quietly, "All three of us had one. We're all vessels, after all. Precautions had to be taken."
Kai nodded. "So how does this vessel situation work?"
"I don't know all the details, but apparently the creature's power or something was divided between the three of us. Jarrett probably knows more about it than I do. He was translating the notes, not me. What I do know is that the power inside me reacts strongly to my emotions. Anger and fear are the most dangerous, because the creature gains the most strength from them and can almost completely possess me. The seal has been growing steadily weaker, though. Eventually the creature will be able to take complete control."
"How does all of this connect with the glowing beyblades?" Kenny asked.
"I've talked to Luna and Tess about that before. We think the bitbeasts are responding to the power of the creature. The beyblades only glow when the creature latches onto one of my emotions and channels its power through it...and only if it's a strong emotion. You know...happiness, fear, anger, sorrow...those kinds of emotions. It makes my eyes glow, too. The stronger the emotion is, the brighter and more intense the light becomes."
Kenny quickly made a note of that on his laptop. "What colour did you say the beyblades have been glowing lately, Kai?"
"Blue."
He and Kenny looked at Faye, whose cheeks were beginning to flush a pale pink colour. Her previously blank and detached expression turned to one of shy embarrassment.
"Happiness," she explained softly, her lips twitching into a small smile. Tess and Luna grinned at each other knowingly.
"Anyway," Faye continued, getting to her feet, "I don't really know anything more than that. You'd have to talk to Jarrett to be able to make sense of it all...and I have no idea where he is or how to find him. One thing seems pretty clear, though – if our seals break, the creature will be set loose. Judging by the villagers' fear of it and their decisions regarding my brothers and I, that's something we can't let happen. I just wish I knew more about what I'm fighting against."
"What we're fighting against," Luna corrected, smirking at her friend. Tess nodded in agreement.
Faye smiled. "Ok...what we're fighting against."
Kenny closed his laptop and stood. "Do you mind if I discuss this with the rest of the team?"
Faye looked between Kai and Kenny, unsure.
"At the very least, we'd have more people to look for your brothers," Kenny persisted. "You and your friends are more than welcome to come with me to make sure I explain everything properly."
"Well..." Faye shuffled her feet, looking reluctant to agree. "I guess it would help to have a larger search party...but what if they think I'm some kind of freak or something?" She looked at Tess and Luna in desperation.
"They won't," Kai answered in his don't-even-start-arguing-with-me tone. "They're not those kind of people."
"And they'd never betray a friend," Kenny added.
Faye smirked at Kenny's words. "Are you sure you want to be friends with someone like me? I'll just cause problems for you," she warned.
"Shut up," Kai glared at her sternly, "You're stuck with us so get used to it. And don't worry," he smirked, "Tyson won't bite."
Faye shot him a death-glare while Tess and Luna giggled.
"Alright, let's go." Kai led the way out of the room.
"What?!" The colour drained from Faye's cheeks. "We're going now?!"
"Of course. The sooner they know, the better."
The group left the apartment together with Faye trailing at the back, grumbling insults under her breath.
"Kai," Kenny asked quietly, "What was that comment about Tyson supposed to mean?"
Kai ignored him.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Soon enough, everyone was crowded in Tyson's living room. His grandpa was out, so thankfully they had some privacy. Rei, Tyson, and Max gave Kai and Kenny questioning looks, occasionally glancing past them at the three girls.
"So what's up, Chief?" Tyson asked.
"Yeah," said Max, "What's going on, guys?"
"Who are those girls?" Rei asked, his eyes straying towards the trio. He recognized one of them...the black-haired one who'd made that whistle noise at him that day in the park. Why's she here?
Kenny glanced at Faye before retelling her story. Her face was white with fear and she refused to make eye-contact with anyone. Taking a deep breath, Kenny began the story. He was occasionally interrupted as Luna, Tess and Kai added parts here and there, and his other teammates bombarded him with questions at times, but eventually the story drew to a close. Faye had remained silent the entire time, resting her chin on her knees while concentrating on miraculously becoming invisible.
"Wow," said Max after a long silence. "That's just...wow."
"So we've got to find her older brother first, right?" Rei asked.
"Preferably," replied Kai. "He does know the most about what's going on."
Tyson quietly stared at Faye. She tried to ignore it, but couldn't stop herself from glancing back at him now and then, wishing he would look somewhere else. She barely registered the conversation going on around her while everyone discussed strategies for locating her brothers; all she could focus on was how uncomfortable she felt being stared at. It made her feel like she was on display in a zoo or circus or something. She could feel her cheeks growing warmer by the second as she blushed with...embarrassment? Shame? Even she couldn't completely identify the feeling.
When a plan was finally decided on, Faye heaved a sigh of relief and allowed herself to relax a bit. The horrible ordeal was almost over and she couldn't wait to go back to the familiar comfort of her apartment, safe from the stares and whispers of the others.
"We'll need descriptions of what your brothers look like," Max pointed out, glancing at Faye. "I know you haven't seen them in years, but what do you remember about them?"
Faye thought for a moment, sifting through her memories. "Well...Jarrett always had the brightest icy-blue eyes. He's four years older than me so he'd be twenty-two by now...and he had blond hair. He's probably a lot taller than me, too. He was always tall," she smiled to herself. "Caelum had green eyes and dark brown hair. His skin was always pale, too, no matter how much time he spent in the sun. He's three years younger than me so he'd be fifteen now." She could hear Kenny typing rapidly on his laptop, jotting down every detail.
The large group began to disperse. Max and Rei left first, followed by Kai and Kenny. They had decided that splitting up would be the most efficient course of action, as opposed to getting anyone else involved. They would each keep watch over a different area of the city and hopefully have some success soon enough.
Faye stood up and was about to follow Tess and Luna outside when Tyson rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, looking concerned.
Tess and Luna waited for Faye by the door. She took a deep breath before giving Tyson a small nod. "I'll be out in a sec," she told her friends. They gave her a nod of understanding and left.
"We'll just wait for you outside," Tess called as she closed the door.
The silence that followed was painfully awkward. Faye waited for Tyson to say something...anything. He was just standing there. The silence was deafening –
She mentally kicked herself for thinking in clichés.
"So...uh..." Tyson nervously shoved his hands into his pockets, avoiding eye-contact. "What happens if the seal breaks?"
Faye blinked, confused by the question. "They told you already. The creature will be set loose...or, at least, my portion of the creature."
Tyson shook his head, adding to Faye's confusion. "No," he said, raising his eyes to meet hers, "I meant what happens to you?"
She held his gaze, losing herself in the intense sincerity of his eyes. She felt an irresistible urge to let her guard down and be completely honest with him. He knew her secret now. There was really no point in hiding things from him anymore.
"I...I don't know," she answered with a sad smile, "And it scares me."
A small gasp escaped her lips as Tyson's arms suddenly snaked around her waist, pulling her into a warm embrace. "You don't have to be scared anymore," he whispered reassuringly. "I'm here. The guys are here. Your friends are here. We're all looking out for you now."
Faye could feel the tension in her muscles slowly melting away with his soothing words. She wrapped her arms around him, tentatively hugging him back. His arms tightened their hold slightly in response. She smiled with a soft sigh, feeling safer than she had in years.
"Thank you, Tyson."
As they pulled away from each other, Faye noticed Tyson's eyes widen. A strange expression passed across his features as he looked at her.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her guard up once again.
He blinked, looking amazed.
"Seriously, what?" Faye asked, more forcefully this time.
"Your eyes. They were glowing a second ago. Just faintly, but still..." he pushed his bangs out of his face, still staring at her in amazement.
Faye felt tension creeping back into her limbs. This was the part where most people screamed, ran, or chased her away. Nobody liked a freak. Tess and Luna had been the only exceptions.
"That surprises you?" she asked in a hostile tone. "The others already explained that the creature's power makes the beyblades and my eyes glow. Weren't you listening?" She immediately regretted snapping at him, but there was no taking it back now.
Tyson nodded slowly, unable to remove his amazed expression. "Yeah, I heard them. I guess I just never expected it to be so..."
"Weird? Creepy? Unnatural?" Her heart sank further and further with every word.
She was completely thrown off by the sheepish grin he answered her with. "Pretty."
"...you're joking."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not."
"But you must be!"
"Nope."
Faye nervously played with her hair.
"...you really think it's...it's..."
"Pretty?"
"...yeah." A blush quickly blossomed across her cheeks.
"Of course!" He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "You know, I really like you," he grinned shamelessly.
Faye smiled back, in spite of herself.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
"Wow, look at you!" Luna exclaimed when Faye came out of the house.
"Yeah," Tess agreed, "You haven't looked this happy in...well...actually, I don't think I've ever seen you look this happy!"
"Look at that glow!" Luna beamed, "That's the brightest blue I've seen yet!"
"Aw, come on guys! Quit it!" Faye blushed, smiling.
"So what happened?" Tess asked, barely able to contain her excitement.
"...let's talk about it over coffee," Faye laughed, feeling ten tons lighter in the angst department.
"YES!!" Tess cheered, pumping a fist in the air, "Now you're speaking my language!"
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
The three girls sat around a small table in the back corner of a coffee shop. Soft, soothing music played from a speaker somewhere above them, and the faint smell of cinnamon permeated the air. It was having a very relaxing effect on the trio after their hectic day. That's the magic of cinnamon for you.
Tess took a big gulp of her coffee – espresso, of course – before speaking. "So, tell us what happened in there!"
"Yeah," Luna nodded, sipping her hot chocolate, "Come on, we're sick of waiting! You know we suck at being patient about stuff like this!"
"Well," Faye began slowly, playing the memory back in her mind, "He was worried about what will happen to me if the seal breaks."
"Awww..." Tess and Luna sighed together.
"And I told him that I didn't know what would happen...and that I was scared. And then he hugged me and comforted me." She blushed.
"Awwwwww!"
"And then he noticed my eyes glowing."
Luna gasped and Tess' eyes widened. "What did he do then?" they asked.
"He said it was..." She paused, replaying the wonderful moment in her head.
"What? It was what?"
"He said it was...pretty."
"AWWWWWW!!"
"And then he kissed me on the cheek."
"He did what?!"
"And he said he really likes me," she grinned, her heart racing.
"Eeeeeeeeeeee!!!" Luna squealed, "I really am the best matchmaker ever!!"
Tess laughed, leaning over the table to hug Faye. "That's so cute!"
"Yeah...hey, you know what we should do after this?" Faye chirped.
"What?"
"Go home for ice cream."
