Grin plays a big part in this chapter. I tried to get his speaking style down... not quite sure if I managed it or not... oh well... enjoy!
Warnings and Headsup!
1) this story does contain mention of abuse, and full out present day abuse. It got a little detailed in one of the chapters and though nothing is stated specifically, for those of you who are smart enough to know what 2+2 is... you'll be able to understand where the train of thought was going. I will mark which chapters are the bad ones... If you skip... you wont really miss anything important, just an awesome rescue attempt!
2) this gets depressing and a little dark... but it comes out cheerful and rainbow and butterflies in the end, I promise!
3) THIS IS NOT A LOVE STORY! Duke does NOT fall in love with the OC and the OC does NOT fall in love with him! Sorry if I've made it sound like it was going in a different direction.
4) its not that good at the end... but like my last story... it gets better as it goes on I promise!
5) It may seem that my OC has a few things to realize before this is all said and done... and there are... I've tried to keep it organized... but if you have trouble basically she needs to gain self-confidence, trust, and a belief that there are heroes out there who wont fail her... kinda ties in with the whole trust thing...
6) THE END NOW READ!
Ch. 5: Inner Tranquility
"We have a problem." Mallery said running into the living room where Wildwing, Nosedive, Duke, and Grin all sat watching a hockey game on TV.
"What's wrong?" Wildwing asked sharply as Duke turned off the game.
"Chameleon just approached us and said that they could send Kat back if we got them balerium christals which are in Nigeria."
"But..." Duke looked at me and I could sense he was starting to get confused.
"I told them I didn't want to go back." I said quickly.
"Yeah, and then he vanashed to see what Dragonis's response to that would be. We didn't hang around to see what it was." Tanya said.
"Then what's the problem?" Nosedive asked. "If they need us to get the christals, that means they can't. And if we don't want to, with Kat staying here, they have no way of getting us to get them."
I had to admire the kid's reasoning. It looked like everyone else was stunned that he managed to come to this logical conclusion as well.
"Hey I have my moments." he said a little affended.
Just then a sound like an alarm went off.
We all ran to the main room where Drake 1 was beebing wildily. I had to squint a little as harsh red lights flashed. Tanya was immidiately working at the controls and a few seconds later a cold voice rang through the room.
"So will you concider handing over the girl for your manager?"
"Dragonis you don't..." Duke started but then broke off as the camera flitted over to a tied up and gagged Phil. I stared.
"What do we do Wildwing?" Tanya asked.
"Why do you want her?" Wildwing asked.
"At first I thought she was only good as bate for you feathered freaks, use her to get you to deliver the belarium christals, but then I discovered something about her when I was checking up on her stats through the universe machine I used to bring her here. She's worth quite alot to me now."
They all turned to look at me but I was just staring at the screen. "What the hell are you talking about dragon breath?" I snapped. "What did you find out?"
"Girls like you are very valuable in the galaxies. Sharp, skillful, interestingly tallented in very useful ways... word got out that you came here by accident and now I have thousands of bitters just waiting to get their hands on you. Bitters who will pay in balerium christals if that's what it'll take." he said slighly. I felt my blood run cold. I knew exactly what he was talking about, and I could NOT go down that road again, but what choice did I have? Besides, I probably diserved it. For what I couldn't tell, but if there's one thing I've learned over the years it's that bad things happen to punish people. I tried to think of what I had done this time... all I could think of was plaining on running away from the center after I passed my mobility test.
"What is he talking about?" Nosedive asked but I ignored him. I was shaking.
"Bastard." I whispered. "FINE!"
They all looked at me.
"Give us some time to talk this over lizard lips. We'll keep in touch. You better not harm a hair on Phil's head while we're making our decision." Wildwing said then pressed a botton that ended the transmition.
"Kat?" Duke asked.
"Those people who I said just wanted to use me. The ones outside my family. I didn't want to... I was a spy, a toy. If I go back to that life..." I was stamering incoherent.
Grin stepped forward and draged me out of the room. Looking over his sholder he said to the others, "I'll just be a moment with her."
He led me to his room where we wouldn't be overheard. Then he said, "Get over it."
I stared at him. "That's a hell of lot easier said then..."
"Make peace with it or it will never go away."
"It looks like no matter what I do now it wont go away! I have to go with them! Phil's in trouble!" I shouted. But Grin wasn't going to let me get away with that.
"Come here." Grin said and dragged me infront of his mirror. "What do you see?"
I looked. My long brown bangs almost concealing my face, the rest of it falling down past my sholders. I looked a mess. "Nothing." I said. "Nothing that can't be traided for anyways. Why don't you just let me?" I said yanking away from him.
"Because you need to see you the way we see you. You need to make peace with yourself and your enemies or you will never be able to see your life clearly. And you may never find what you are looking for." These words snapped a memory into place.
"You tipped off your friend at that christal store!" I shouted at him. "You know how creeped out she made me!"
"I tipped off no one. But she spoke the truth." he said calmly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. He then crumbled it up and handed it to me. "Can you use this?" he asked me.
"Yeah." I said, not too sure where he was going with this.
"But it is crumbled and I think I even tore it a little." Grin said.
"But it's still a 20." I told him.
"Exactly."
Then it hit me. "I'm still a 20." I said realization in my voice.
"No." he said.
"Oh. Then what were you..."
"You are more like a 100." he smiled. "I know you might not be able to see all of it now. But can you see enough to know that you can't hand yourself over?"
"Hey guys!" Duke's voice rang out. "We just got a message that Dragonis is going to dump Phil in the river! We didn't respond in time! Everyone's going to go get him, it's just us who's here now!"
I bursted out into the hall. "WHAT?" I shouted. "NO!"
"Kat, just stay here. They'll get him. Plus, someone needed to stay with you, you can't go there, not when they want you that badly." Duke said.
I hit the floor on my knees. Because of me. Phil is in danger because of me. I wanted to belong, not put people in danger. I shook my head.
"Go take a shower." Grin told me.
"What?"
"It will clear your mind, and help you calm down to think straight." he told me.
"I think he's right Kat. We can't do anything now. And you can bet that even when the others get Phil, Dragonis wont stop until he has you. Especially if he can use you to get christals. Come on, you can use my shower." he led me to his room, after I grabbed one of my new outfits that is, and showed me how to work the tabs and everything before leaving me alone.
I stood there as the water ran over me, thinking of what Grin had said. I thought of my past and my conversation with Duke the night before. I thought of what the creepy lady in the store had said. And I thought of my inability to trust, my habbit of hate and holding grudges. But, what good was holding on to those things doing for me? A fat lot of nothing. The voice in my mind told me. Why don't you at least try what they're telling you, just see if it might be so crazy that it works. And what if I come to the conclussion that I am worth staying out of Dragonis's claws? What kind of person puts their friends lives at risk? He wants me for what I can be. That's something I'm used to. It's not what I want, but... What about the ducks who wants you for WHO you are? The voice argued. They're getting Phil. And if you're still not convinced, don't do it to keep you safe, do it to keep the world safe. Remember what Tanya said if he gets those christals?
"You guys were right. That shower helped alot." I told them as I dried my hair. I was in my new jeans, sneakers, one of the strapless tubetops, and vest.
"I am glad, little friend." Grin said obviously pleased.
"Here Kat, tie your hair back with this." Duke said handing me one of his hair twisties. I raised an eyebrow.
"Thanks Duke, but you know why I can't." But he was ready for that.
"Here." he said and held up a spair eye patch. I looked at it.
"Uh... how many of these things do you have?" I said.
"Enough." he said. "But you just said yourself you're not going to hide anymore."
"I'm not hiding to begin with! I thought this was about me finding inner tranquility or whatever it is."
"They are one in the same." Grin said. "You were hiding from the truth and refusing to facing it, or come to terms with it. That's a form of running away." he told me.
I thought about it. Then it hit me. I need to change my outer apperience, as well as my inner one. Why, I wasn't too sure. But I knew it would make me feel a little better. I took what Duke offered me and turned my back to them. Duke knew what I looked like, but I didn't want anyone else to. Plus, I had a feeling I was the only one who knew what he truly looked like also. That was something that I wanted to keep between us.
When I turned back around Duke and Grin beamed at me. "Come here." Duke said puting me infront of a mirror. I could hardly recognize myself. I looked a hell of a lot better, like one of those teen girls I had always seen walking around the mall. I had no more bangs (yes, they were long enough to tie back). I had a low ponytail on the base of my neck, and the only deformaty I had was the patch.
"I look like your sister." I joked turning to Duke. He laughed and put an arm around my sholders.
"Hmm... I don't know. What do you think Grin?"
"I can see the family resemblence." he said smiling.
The feeling I had was remarkable. I still couldn't quite grasp at what they saw in me. Why they wanted to try and help me so badly. But I wasn't really complaining. Like Grin said, I didn't believe everything right off, but I now knew that I was worth a little more then I'd thought. And, if I could help it, I wasn't going to let anyone use me in that way ever again.
My euphoria only lasted a minute however. Just then, Grin's communicator went off.
"Grinster! We need back up!" Nosedive called out.
"Duke, you stay here with Kat. I can go." Grin said and hurried out before either one of us could stop him.
Yes, I've set it where Duke and Kat are alone... NO I'M NOT SETTING IT UP FOR ANYTHING! Keep reading and you won't be disapointed! and don't forget to... R&R!