Eyes wide. Panting. On the verge of tears. I can hardly stand to look at the image of my brother, but I can't find the strength to tear my eyes away. I swallow, throat as dry as the volcanic air.
"A-Arc?" I moan, voice hollow and distant. A smile crept across his shadowy face. I shiver.
"Been a long time," Arc whispered. He reached out a hand and for a moment I thought it might pass through me. However, when he touched my head, fingers grazing through the sweaty strands of my hair.
My throat swelled closed and for a long minute I can't breathe. Tears spilled over and course down my cheeks. My heart ached and I can't help but reach out for him. "Arc!"
I released the lip of the crater and plummeted towards him, arms outstretched. Arc simply smiled, opening his arms to invite me into a hug. My body fell but I don't care. All my focus is on Arc.
"Cheryl!" Kopaka's sudden harsh cry awakened me as if from a sleep. His strong hand reached out and grasped my arm, halting my descent. He's dangling over the edge of the lip, one of his blades stuck into the wall of the pit
Arc flicked his eyes upon him, flashing red. He hissed and flees at the sight of the Toa, spiraling down into the depths of the tunnel until he disappeared into the blackness.
My heart sank. "No! Arc!" Kopaka tugged on my arm once and I glare. "Why -?!"
"When I swing you grab the edge," Kopaka snapped back. I'm silenced. "Save yourself or fall. Your choice." His grip tightened upon the blade and he swung his body back and forth, building momentum.
As my feet dangled over the yawning pit, I felt the sudden urge to let go, to not make a grasp for the edge and let myself fall after my brother. The more I thought about it the more appealing it became. Our speed had built up to its high point, Kopaka would let go soon. Just let go . . .
Kopaka swung up, releasing me. I fling forward and instincts kick in. I stuck out my hands and tightened them around the lip of the pit. Kopaka nodded to me. Well done. Together we climb out, hand over hand. Kopaka made it out before I did and waited for me to join him. As soon as I was on solid ground, I whirled on him, enraged.
"What the hell was that!" I cried, shoving him back. Kopaka stumbled back a step, but retained his balance. He regarded me coolly and my rage burned. "Why did you do that? That was Arc! Why didn't you let me go with him?!"
Tahu and Matt rushed to our sides. Both were winded and drained, but otherwise in one piece. I couldn't pay attention to them, my sights were on Kopaka.
"That wasn't your brother," Kopaka growled. I shivered, feeling part of my anger drain away. Never before had I heard him so cold.
Tahu glanced from me to Kopaka, staring hard at his companion. ". . . Her brother . . .? But he's . . ." His pink eyes flicked to me and they widen, burning orange with realization. "You recruited his sister?! After what happened to him."
"What's going on?!" I screeched, halting all conversation. I aimed an accusing finger at Kopaka, eyes burning. "If that wasn't my brother who was it?"
+ "It was a Ghost," Turaga Vakama sighed heavily.
We all sat in Vakama's home, around a small file. Tendrils of blue smoke wafted up from the blaze, making me choke. Matt's eyes watered. Tahu and Kopaka were unaffected.
The aged elder paused in front of us, both hands on his staff, leaning on it for support as if the weight of the world was upon his shoulders. "I didn't think there would still be Ghosts after all this time . . . Especially one of Arc . . ."
"I still don't get it, what's a Ghost?" I asked impatiently. Since abandoning the arena and seeking Vakama's counsel, no one had bothered explaining to me what I saw. "How do you all know about Arc?"
"When a Toa or a Toa's apprentice is drained of all their powers and life force, all that's left behind is their physical form, their Ghost," Vakama explained. "Ghosts are able to maintain some form of intelligence, which is why it spoke to you, Cheryl. However, it's unclear how Ghosts are made and how hey can be controlled. All we can assume is Makuta is the driving force behind this process."
"But . . . Ghosts are alive, right? I mean, I saw Arc right in front of me! I felt him, I heard him. He has to be alive!" I cried, voice rising with each word. Kopaka placed a firm hand upon my shoulder, holding me in place.
"They are very much alive," Vakama replied, "though not in the sense we know. They can breathe and bleed, fight and speak, but their minds aren't their own. They're only puppets used to do the bidding of their masters. So to more accurately answer your question, they are alive but it's a dead life."
A pit formed in my gut and my head sank in my hands.
"How do you know so much about them, Turaga?" Tahu asked. "You say you don't know how Ghosts are created, but yet . . ."
Vakama sighed deeply. "I have had my fair dealings with Ghosts in the past, Tahu, though I wish I hadn't. As long as there are Toa and as long as there are apprentices, there will always be Ghosts."
"Then who brought him here?" I growled. "Only Toa and apprentices can be turned to Ghosts, right? Arc disappeared two years ago, without so much as a trace." Rising up, I broke away from the group to stand against the well, taking in, glowering at Tahu, Kopaka and Vakama. "Which one of you did it?"
The trio said nothing, exchanging uncertain glances. My blood boiled.
"Which one of you?!" I seethed, getting right into their masks. Their silence didn't help to soothe me and I wasn't leaving until I had my answer.
" . . . It was I . . ."
All our gazes landed on Kopaka as he stood, staring down at me with as much a blank expression as he's ever had. He was rigid, tense . . . and expertly hid his distaste for the situation.
"I took convinced Arcangelo to come along into this world," he went on. His shoulders sagged ever so slightly and he opted for gazing out of the window to stare at the broiling atmosphere of smoke and ash. " . . . And I'm the reason he is now a Ghost."
Storming up to his side, I stared hard at Kopaka, as if my gaze could burn a hole right through him. I dared not reach out and make him face me; I couldn't stand to stare into the eye of my brother's captor.
"Why?" was all I could say.
Kopaka sighed deeply, never averting his gaze from the gale of fire and smoke outside. His lips became a tight line and a crease had settled in his brow. " . . . I thought it was right, at the time," he muttered softly. I had to strain to hear him. Kopaka shut his bright blue eye and hung his head. Shock stabbed my chest. Never before had I seen him look so . . . defeated. " . . . This is my fault. He didn't deserve this."
Vakama inched his way towards us, expression heavy. "Do not think that," the Turaga commanded. "No one can predict who will and will not become a Ghost."
Kopaka clenched his hands into fists. "And if I hadn't left him alone, he would still be here," he growled. "He was my charge, my apprentice . . . and as his master I let him down."
I silently watched the exchange but my mind was awhirl with questions. "I'm still missing a large part of the story. Arc vanished six years ago. He went to a friend's house to play football and he never came home. Did you take him?"
"It wasn't as easy as that," Kopaka replied. "The way I found him wasn't unlike the way I found you. In fact, you both were taken the same way."
Turning away from the window, Kopaka gestured for me to take a seat. I was too antsy to sit still, but I did so anyway, finding a spot in a small chair, crossing my legs over each other like a pretzel. Kopaka followed suit, finding a small bench.
"It's best to start at the beginning," Kopaka stated. "Apprentices have been used in the past, but they have fallen out of popularity . . . then I thought it would be a good idea to restart it. I had heard Turaga Nuju, the elder of my village Ko-Koro, tell tales of Apprentices and the more I listened . . . the more I wanted one for myself.
"That's when I went in search of one. It was difficult to construct a connection to your world and even more so to find suitable Apprentice material. It took me a long while, but I eventually found Arc . . . and I instantly knew he was the one."
"That still didn't give you the right to just kidnap him!" I barked. My mouth had formed into a tight frown. "Just because you wanted an Apprentice . . ."
Kopaka shot a glance at me. "Do you wish to hear this story?"
I became quiet, prompting him to continue.
"I didn't take him right away," Kopaka explained. "I had to make sure he was tough enough to handle the demands of being a Toa. Over the next several days I kept tabs on him, slowly discovering he was strong, calm, fearless. He was a loner, but still able to get along with others when he needed to."
"That sounds like him," I smiled softly.
Kopaka nodded. "Yes, he had the qualities of a true Toa, and at the same time I sensed there was something special about him. I shouldn't have been able to just tell if someone was worthy enough to be an Apprentice. There was no precedent of a Toa just knowing, but deep in my heart I knew he was destined to be an Apprentice, my Apprentice."
His expression hardened. "However, I wasn't the only one who thought so. Makuta had found him, how I do not know. He wanted Arcangelo and caught him on his way home from that friend's house, like you said." He nodded to me. "Makuta tried to lure Arcangelo away, promised him power, things beyond his wildest dreams . . . and for a moment I thought he would take it."
"How do you know?" Matt asked. When all eyes turned to him, he shied away. "I mean, how do you know what Makuta did?"
"I was there, watching," Kopaka answered. "I told you, I kept careful tabs on Arcangelo. And with Makuta there, do you honestly think I would leave the boy alone?"
"Some would call that stalking," I pointed out.
"And from my perspective, I call it being protective," Kopaka retorted. "I wasn't about to leave Arcangelo to face Makuta's temptations alone. I jumped in, deflected an attack from Makuta, and brought Arcangelo here. I would have taken him home to fetch some mementos, but there was no time. Makuta was hot on our heels and I had to get the boy to safety." He shook his head. "I hardly time to answer any of his questions.
"We came back here, to Mata Nui, and after making sure Makuta hadn't followed us, I gave Arcangelo a synopsis of who I was, why I rescued him, his purpose and what was to take place thereafter."
"And what did he say?" I asked.
"The boy hardly believed a word of it!" the Ice Toa replied. "Thought he had gone mad, that he had been kidnapped by thieves and his mind was playing tricks on him out of fear. I assured him that he was wholly sane and everything I said was truth. It took him a while to grasp everything, but after much convincing Arcangelo had calmed and accepted the situation, albeit a little reluctantly. He wanted to return home."
"So why didn't he?" I asked. My brows knit together. "If he wanted to go home, why didn't you let him instead of hold him against his will?"
"You make it sound as if I am the evil one," Kopaka snapped, venom his voice. "Do not blame me for destiny's plans. It is not my place to say no. And in any case, it would have taken too much time to recreate the entrance back to his world, either way he would have resided in Mata Nui regardless. So, I did what I had to be done."
Tahu gave a humorless chortle. "Arcangelo didn't seem to mind the stay. He was more than happy to spend time with all of us Toa and learn about our ways and us. He was a likeable boy, very mild-tempered, pleasant, never challenged anyone's authority." He stared pointedly at me. I sneered.
Vakama nodded fondly. "Yes, he was a good lad. Quiet, but learned well."
"He developed quickly," Kopaka went on, voice level in memory. "His powers showed within the first few days. With minimal training he was able to cease a snowstorm with a wave of his hand and start one just as quickly. Arcangelo changed physically as well. His dark hair turned white, eyes changed to bright blue, and he grew tall, coming to nearly my height."
"Why? Is there something in the water that made him change?" My image of Arc was a kid of medium height with black hair and dark eyes. It was hard to imagine him as anything different.
"It's uncertain," the Turaga replied. "We can guess that as an Apprentice matures in their powers, they acquire attributes like height, the eye color of their masters. It varies."
Matt and I exchanged an uncertain glance. "Does that mean my hair's going to turn white too?" I pulled at a strand of orange hair.
"And my eyes will turn red?" Matt asked in awe, touching he flesh beneath an eye.
"Perhaps," Tahu replied with a smirk. "For all we know, you two will turn into our clones!"
"Tahu," Vakama chided.
"I doubt the change will be that drastic," Kopaka sighed. "There's no record of a human undergoing a full biomechanical transformation. As far as we know, it's impossible.
"You're deterred me from my tale. As I said, Arcangelo grew quickly. He aided me in guarding the village against rogue Rahi, even against a threat called the Bohrok. The Matoran from all villages were enamored with him, all of us Toa respected him, and the Turaga approved of him. I'm sure it was because of him that caused Tahu to take on an Apprentice. One night while I was walking about, I witnessed a new star being born in the heavens, right next to the six Spirit Stars. I knew it was Arcangelo's . . ." I thought I was hallucinating but the briefest glimmers of a smile crossed Kopaka's mask. " . . . I couldn't have been any more proud of him.
"But it wasn't meant to last. I trusted too much in Arcangelo's abilities, forgetting that he was still a child, that he was still human."
Kopaka sighed deeply, cradling his head in his hands. I thought he wasn't going to finish, but the Ice Master gathered up his wit and continued, voice heavy and burdened.
"We went out on routine walk, making sure there were no threats to the village. It was nice weather, not so much as a cloud. The suns were bright. It was Arcangelo's idea that we split up to circle the mountain, cut the work in half and save energy. We would meet back at the village. It made sense to me and I trusted him . . . so I let him go . . ." Curling in on himself, Kopaka placed both hands over his eyes. He was so tense I thought he might burst.
" . . . He never came back . . ." I whispered and Kopaka nodded slowly.
"Yes," he murmured, raising his head ever so slightly. It was difficult for him to even look at us, especially me. "I made it back before he did and waited . . . but there was no sign of him. I asked everyone in the village, but no one had seen Arcangelo. I searched for him with all haste, scouring every square inch of the Ko-Wahi. I feared he had fallen into a crevice and couldn't climb his way out or was caught in a rogue blizzard . . . but I found no trace of him.
"Still, I kept on searching. I didn't want to think he had disappeared. I knew he was too smart to get himself lost . . . but accidents can happen. I hunted for him well into the night and I would have kept going, but the weather had turned bad. A storm was coming and I wasn't going to put myself in jeopardy. As much as it pained me . . . I turned back for the village.
"I hardly slept that night, staring at the raging winds as the gusted outside my window. All I could think about was Arcangelo: was he safe? Was he alive? My heart told me that he was, that he had found someplace to wait out the storm . . . but doubt poisoned my peace. I wouldn't rest until I saw for myself that he was alive.
"Eventually I slept, but only for a short while. I woke while it was still dark. The storm had given way to peace, the light of the moons bathing the freshly laid snow in silvery light. With the weather calm, I thought it was as good a time as any to continue my search. I went outside, passing through the heart of the village . . . and that's when I saw him.
Silence. Each of us processing the story. I would be lying if I said I wasn't in shock. Arcangelo had everything going for him, he was a true and talented Toa and it was hard to imagine his fall from grace. I couldn't believe he had turned into a monster. It made me furious, sad and I knew whom to blame for it.
I lifted my head. "But how did Makuta find him?" I inquired softly. "He was supposed to be in a place of safety."
"If I knew that Arcangelo wouldn't be a Ghost!" Kopaka suddenly snapped, startling us. "I don't know how his meeting with Makuta came about . . . but it happened and I let it happen . . . all because I assumed everything would be fine." Kopaka cradled his head once more, massing the back of his neck.
Done with listening, Tahu sized up his brother, staring down much like a stern parent. "Then why did you drag his sister here?"
I blinked. I had nearly forgotten that question and glanced to Kopaka. As much as the conversation had drained him, the Ice Toa's task wasn't yet finished. There were still questions to be answered.
Lifting his head, Kopaka sighed heavily, knitting his hands together. "It was an ignorant move on my half. With Arcangelo gone . . . I still desired an Apprentice as great as him." He glanced at me. "A few times he mentioned you, how you were a wilder version of him, always getting into trouble. I reasoned that you, being his blood sister, would have the same qualities as him. That you too would be an accomplished Toa. And as destiny would have it, Makuta thought so as well." He shook his head. "The rest is history."
My brow knit together. "So . . . you took me the same way you took Arc just so I could be his replacement?" I frowned. "Kopaka, that sucks."
"Don't write it off so quickly." Kopaka's expression was hard. "Yes, I was selfish and took you like I took Arcangelo, but if Makuta was after you as well then it must be for a purpose. For some reason he wanted both of you and if I hadn't shown up, he would have had you."
"So that should automatically make me grateful, indebted to you?" I spat back. My hands balled into fists. "You already screwed up with Arc, and now you dragged me into this too? You couldn't have left me alone?"
Kopaka stood. "I will not be made the enemy. If Makuta was after you like h was after Arcangelo, then you have the same destiny as him. You are meant to be an Apprentice and you can't run away from it. This is your purpose."
"No!" I barked. "You don't just take some innocent kid just because you think they might be a good Apprentice. You can say no to destiny, you don't have to play by its rules!"
Turaga Vakama slammed the butt of his staff down upon the ground, calling our attention. His fiery eyes were stern. "Cheryl, if that were true then Tahu, Kopaka, and I wouldn't be here. We all were called by destiny to be Toa. I was like you, I didn't think I would make a good Toa. I thought the Great Spirit had made a mistake, I wanted no part of it, but over time it became clear that I was meant to have that power. No matter how hard you try, you can never avoid your purpose."
My jaw clenched the more I listened. It left a bitter taste on my tongue to think I no longer had a choice in who and what I wanted to be. I was a lump of dough being fit into a mold and I wanted nothing more than to break out.
"Watch me," I hissed and stormed out of the building.
Alone. Running laps around the arena again. Not for exercise, but to blow off steam. If I had stayed in that room any longer sparks were going to fly. Kicking up my speed another notch, I panted hard as I rounded my fifth lap, smacking my feet against the ground to propel me forward.
My thought turned to all that had led up to this point and the more they stewed in my head the more my anger grew. All I could feel was hate. Hate for Makuta to giving Kopaka a reason to bring me and Arc here, hate for Tahu for belittling me, hate for Matt for defeating me in mock battle, but most of all I hated Kopaka. It was his fault Arc was lured here, that he was turned into a Ghost. It was his fault I was no caught in this nightmare, serving nothing more as a replacement, a bandage to cover his pain.
I growled and leaped up, coming down to slam my fists into the sizzling ground. A layer of frost coated the earth and evaporated in a cloud of steam just as quickly. It was the first time my powers reappeared since freezing the Rahi. Turning my hands over I flexed the fingers, finding no indication of the lingering ice.
"I don't think Arcangelo was the only one who matured early," Matt said as he appeared beside me. Startled, I whirled and aimed a punch at his head, but the boy sidestepped. I fell on my knees. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he apologized.
"Scare and startle are two different things," I replied, rising and dusting the dirt from my pants. "Why're you here? In case me leaving wasn't a hint, I want to be alone."
Matt nodded. "I know . . . but still I wanted to know how you were feeling. I mean, it was hard enough for me to even listen. I can't imagine how you felt."
"As you can imagine I'm really pissed off." Having Matt near me was putting me on edge and I shuffled my weight from one foot to the other, hands on my hips.
"I wouldn't blame you. If something like that happened to me I would have stormed out of there too." He bit the inside of his lip, as if deciding on what to say next. " . . . What you said about defying destiny . . . I don't think you can do it, not with a fate like ours."
I frowned. "Of course you can. Destiny and fate, they don't control a person. I choose my own path, I carve out my life. It's not predetermined for me and I'm just going through the motions. I make my own story and I get to write my own ending."
"But Cheryl, we already know what's going to happen in the story," Matt countered. "We become Apprentices, train, change, and become Toa after Tahu and Kopaka. If that's not predetermined destiny, I don't know what is."
I snorted, cracking my knuckles and I paced a couple steps. "That might be what your destiny is, but not mine. I'm not going to follow that role. That's why I'm going to find Arc, I'm going to change him back, and then we're going home. We're getting out of this hellhole."
Matt gaped, eyes wide. "What?!" he yelped incredulously. "You can't do that!"
"And why not?" I replied.
"Because, you're an Apprentice. You can't just turn your back on it, it's your duty."
I scoffed, eyebrow raised. "Duty? I never signed up for this, I didn't have a choice so don't go saying I'm obligated to do this."
"Neither did I," Matt pointed out. "I'm in the same boat as you, but I'm not letting my emotions get the better of me. I'm keeping a level head about this –"
"Your brother isn't a mindless Ghost!" I bark, enraged. How dare this boy think he understood me? "You only need to think about you. If you're cool with having everything ripped from you and want to spend the rest of your life defending a group of people you hardly even know, then fine. Do it your way. But me, I'm going to find my brother, I'm changing him back, and we're going back home. This isn't what I wanted and I'm not going to be a part of it, no matter what anyone says."
"How do you even know if there is a way to turn him back?" Matt pressed. "You're not thinking this through. And in any case, Kopaka will never let you go off on your own."
I smirked. "That's why Kopaka doesn't have to know. And as far as Arc goes, if I can't change him back myself then I'll barter with Makuta. I don't care what it takes, I'm going to do it one way or another."
"But Makuta wants you!" Matt bellowed, cutting me off from leaving. "That's why he chased after you and Arc. If you barter with him you're only playing into his hands. You can't do this, Cheryl."
"Watch me. I already told you, I'm doing whatever it takes to get back home." I moved to shift around him, but Matt blocked me every time. "Move."
"No," Matt said firmly. "I can't let you."
"I said move."
Still Matt would not budge. "No, you're going to get yourself killed and fulfill whatever plan Makuta has in mind. I'm not going to let you do it!"
I stared hard at the older boy for some time. Every fiber in me screamed for me to toss him out of the way and begin my search but . . . "Okay," I muttered. "Have it your way. I won't go."
Matt was a little suspicious of me, but he nodded in approval, proud that he had swayed me to his view of thinking. "Good. Now, if you want we can go back to –" He never made it further than that as I pulled the Vulcan Death Grip upon the back of his neck. Matt fell like a ton of bricks, unconscious.
"Sorry," I shrugged.
Hooking my hands under his arms, I dragged Matt over to one of the three goal posts within the arena, tossing him against the wall. When he woke up, he will run and tell the Toa of my quest, but I planned to be long gone by then.
"I'll see you on the flip side," I announced, turning to leave. "Don't wait up."
I fled from the arena, putting as much distance between me and Matt as possible. There was no way I could escape without anyone seeing me; I'd have to wait until nightfall.