-.:Twilight of Escaflowne:.-

Chapter 2

First Encounter

I woke up the next morning, and I was sick. I don't know if it was a serious case of home sickness or what…but I was sick.

Around noon, I began to feel better. I went downstairs, took some Dayquil and ate a meager lunch of scrambled eggs; I didn't want to upset my stomach more than it already was. I sat down on the sofa in the living room and flipped through the channels on the TV. As I sat there, I glanced out the window at the forest. It was an unusual day in Fanelia; it was sunny for once. I decided I'd take advantage of the sun and take a stroll through the woods. Besides, I could use the fresh air.

I got up to go change out of my pajamas, but when I reached the staircase, I decided I'd just through a shawl over my shoulders. I mean, who would I see in forest on a school day? And even if I did run into someone, my pajamas only consisted of sweat pants and a t-shirt.

I stepped out onto the front step and gloried in the sunny day. I crossed my front lawn to the forest that bordered our yard. As I approached it, I began to wonder what I was thinking, but my stubbornness kicked in and I entered the shrubbery.

The forest was thick, and I kept running into tree branches and bushes. There wasn't very much light either so it was hard to find a path. Finally, I reached a less dense area of the forest where I sat down under the brush to have a rest. As I sat there, I listened to all the little noises of the forest. Birds were chirping, and I could here the chatter of squirrels in a nearby tree. After I caught my breath I resumed my trek.

I passed tree after tree, loosing my sense of direction. Pretty soon, I started to panic. I didn't know which way I had come. I tried to calm down and think about what I learned in a wilderness survival class I had taken. Unlucky for me, I hadn't paid very much attention in that class. Now I was mentally kicking myself in the rear for it.

I stopped in my path altogether, and just closed my eyes and thought for a second. I tried to calm my breathing down and relax a little. I was making progress until I heard a crashing noise not far to my right. I froze altogether. My heart rate climbed to an erratic pace, and my breathing became shallow. I held my eyes shut and tried not to panic anymore than I already had.

Everything was silent. It was as if a hush had fallen over the whole forest. I couldn't hear any birds or squirrels. The tension was killing me. I was too afraid to open my eyes. I was just about to open them when I heard yet another noise. It sounded like something was tearing down the forest; snapping twigs and destroying the underbrush. It sounded like something big. My instincts told me to run, but my limbs wouldn't move. I was like a deer frozen in the spotlights of an oncoming car.

The thing was getting closer. I could hear the snapping and breaking of twigs intensify as it came at me.

Suddenly, I opened my eyes and ran for all that I was worth. I don't believe I had ever run so fast in my life. It was like all my senses shut down and all that went through my mind was the word 'run'. I ran in no particular direction, just so long as I got away from the thing. I didn't know whether or not it was chasing me; I couldn't hear anything. I couldn't even hear my own breathing, but my heartbeat sounded in my ear like I was standing next to a giant war drum.

I ran and ran until my clumsiness returned, and I tripped and fell. I lay on the ground where I had fallen, panting. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to catch my breath and slow my heart rate back to its normal pace. I don't know how long I had lain there, but I felt that if I didn't move now, the thing would find me.

Just as I was about to get up and continue on, I heard the crashing again. It was moving quickly in my direction. I was once again frozen stiff in the spot where I lay. I couldn't get up and run even though my instincts screamed at me to. For some reason, I felt content just laying there, awaiting what ever it was that was headed in my direction.

Just as I had anticipated, the thing had broken though the brush right in front of me. It was a giant mountain lion; the biggest one I had ever seen. I just sat there and waited for it to kill me. I could see the rage in its eyes. I wondered what the cause of that rage was. But the cause didn't matter, only the effect.

It hissed and snarled at me. Just before it lunged at me, I instinctively covered my face with my arms. The next thing I knew, I was flying. Or at least that's what it felt like. I couldn't make anything out. My mind was still hazy with fear, and everything was blurry. I tried to make out where I was at. Was I dead? Is this what death was like? It was still somewhat dark, so I reasoned I was still in the forest. But was there a forest in heaven?

I looked around me to see everything passing at lightning speed. Then I noticed that someone was holding me. I could tell that it was a man. I tried to make out his face, but it was covered in shadows. Was he my guardian angel taking me to heaven?

I was aware of a very comforting and alluring scent. I snuggled into the chest of my savior, inhaling. I could feel his arms stiffen around me. I felt so safe and comforted in his strong arms. I just wanted to close my eyes and fade away. I wanted to let everything fade away—the life I had left in Basram, the new life I had started in Fanelia—just let it all fade away…

VvvV

When I came too, I felt numb and confused. I had no idea where I was or if I was even alive. I sat up and was nauseous with the sudden movement. My head was spinning and I felt my breakfast churning in my stomach.

I finally gathered my senses and looked at my surroundings. I was sitting in a yard looking at a road. When I glanced behind me, I realized I was in the yard in front of Shoji's house. I was trying to sort out the events of the day and how I ended up here. Nothing made sense or seemed to add up. And then I glanced at the forest beside me.

Looking at the dense foliage, I felt a chill go down my spine. I remembered being very afraid and running from something. Then I remembered the mountain lion, and then I remembered…flying?

Yes, I remembered flying through the forest, in someone's arms; a man's arms. And I remembered he had a very alluring scent. 'How long have I been lying here?' I thought. As I sat there and pondered over it, I heard a car coming down the road. Shoji's cruiser pulled into the driveway and I watched as he got out.

"Tomi? You're sick honey; what are you doing out here?"

"That's a good question," I muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," I said. "I'm just enjoying the sun."

He didn't say anything as he raised one eyebrow at me and looked up at the sky. I followed his gaze to see that it was completely overcast.

"I mean, I was enjoying the sun this morning. I guess I must've fallen asleep and not noticed the change in the weather," I quickly added.

"Well come inside, I don't want you to worsen your condition."

"I'm fine, really I am. I ate breakfast this morning and didn't loose any of it, and my fever has gone down."

"Well that's great. Are you up to going to school tomorrow then?"

"Sure," I sighed. I guess I couldn't put it off any longer…

"Great. Then I'll call the school and let them know that you will be attending tomorrow."

"Great," I repeated, trying and failing to be enthusiastic.

"So what would you like for dinner?" he asked.

"You go ahead. I'm not that hungry. I think I'm just going to go take a shower and go to bed."

"Well…alright," he said. "Good night."

"Good night." I dragged my feet up the stairs and into the bathroom. When I was finished freshening up, I went to my room and plopped down on my bed. As I lay there, I wondered how school would go; how the people would react to me, and what kind of people I'd meet. I wondered how I had escaped death, and who my savior was. I tried to remember the face of my guardian angel, but all I remembered was shadows.

My eyelids began to droop as I continued to ponder what happened today. Before long, I had fallen into a restless sleep. It was pouring outside, and the sound of the rain hitting the windows disturbed me. I tossed and turned as I fell into a strange dream.

Everything was foggy and blurry. I could see that I was in a forest. I looked around and saw two dark figures standing off to the right of me. I couldn't make out their faces. All I could see was that they were both men. One was taller than the other and had a gangly look about him. The other was less brawny but looked equally as strong. They both wore dark clothing.

Then I looked to the left of me and saw the mountain lion I saw earlier today. I didn't have the fury in its eyes that it held when I encountered it in the forest. Then I looked in front of me to see the taller man lunging at the mountain lion. 'How strange.' I thought. He didn't have any weapons of any sort. How could this defenseless man take on a mountain lion with his bear hands and live?

The other man joined in on the attack. I oddly felt sorry for the mountain lion, and I began to walk towards them. As soon as I took my first step, the two men paused, and the mountain lion dashed away.

The taller man ran after the mountain lion, and the other man looked in my direction. I suddenly felt a fear like no other. My mind screamed at me to run, but I was rooted to the ground. He started walking towards me, and my surroundings disappeared. He drew closer, and he too began to disappear. He held his hand out to me. I reached for it and noticed that he was fading away. I saw his lips moving as if he was calling out my name, but no sound came out. Then he was gone, and I was falling…

VvvV

I abruptly sat up in bed in a cold sweat trying to catch my breath. It's very strange how many of my dreams always end with me falling. It's like I'm doomed to fall in an eternal abyss or something. It doesn't help that I'm afraid of heights either, so being the suspicious freak that I am, I take great care to dodge even the smallest of gofer holes and avoid tall places.

Nevertheless, my slumber was ruined. I glanced at my clock on my headboard to see that it was 5:30. At least I'm not missing out on too much more sleep since I wake up at 6:30 every morning anyway.

I don't know why; it's just one of those weird things about me. It's like I have an internal alarm clock in my head that tells me it's time to get up every morning at 6:30. Let me tell you, it sure does get annoying. You know those days called weekends and holidays when normal kids sleep in till noon? Not me. Nope, I'm up at the crack of dawn. Maybe I was a rooster in my past life or something…

I went through my normal routine of getting dressed; shower, dress, eat breakfast, then go about my daily business. It doesn't take me very long at all to get ready. Then again, I'm not one of those girls who spend hours in front of the mirror making sure their hair and makeup is flawless. It's not that I'm lazy, it's just that I'm quite comfortable with the way I look without it, and besides, no amount of makeup and hairspray can make me look any better. Trust me.

When I finished freshening up, I went downstairs to see what I could scrounge out of the kitchen. There really wasn't much in the refrigerator. I was lucky that I could find the provisions to make a bowl of cereal; it's a good thing I'm finicky when it comes to breakfast. But really, it's a wonder how Shoji's survived all these years in the shape his pantry is in. Therefore, I decided that I needed to make a list and go to the grocery store. I'm gonna get stuck as the family chef too; I can already tell. Let's be honest, how many guys do you know that can make a decent meal? Not many huh? And Shoji's no different. I guess that's where the saying "the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach" comes from.

VvvV

Fanelia is utterly boring. I've only been here for two days and it already feels like I've been here for two years!

My happy life in Basram ended on August 13th, a Friday; what are the odds? I guess 13 really is an unlucky number after all.

Saturday was a complete waste as I spent the day sick and most of it slumbering outside having very very very strange dreams, but then again, what else is new?

Sunday, Shoji and I spent some quality father-daughter bonding time; Hah! In front of the TV. My suspicions were correct in that I was gonna get stuck with chef duty. I ended up going to the store after all and made a simple little dinner, and Shoji thought he had died and gone to heaven.

It's not that I don't like cooking. I actually quite enjoy it. I guess it'll help pass the time here too as there isn't much else to do in quiet, little Fanelia.

Time passes so slowly here though; I never thought Monday was gonna get here. Nevertheless, Monday is here, and I just realized why I wasn't looking forward too it. Here in Fanelia, the school year begins earlier than in Basram. I went to bed with heavy, sullen, thoughts of what was going to come with Monday.