Chapter 2

Yuja: First on the to-do list is very important. This story needs a title. The one it's got right now, "Fear's Injustice," was just something I thought up after I uploaded it with the dull title "The Mayor's Grandson," which had absolutely nothing to do with the main plot of this story as far as I could see. Therefore, if anyone has any possible title ideas, it would be highly appreciated if they were put either in a review or e-mailed to me.

Isaac: In other words, Yuja is terrible at coming up with original titles and OC names.

Yuja: …Well, you didn't have to put it that way… Anyhow, thanks to the four people who reviewed.

Review Responses

Dracobolt -- So you're a Garet fan, huh? Cool, 'cause this is the first time I've even considered writing a fic not based on Isaac or Felix. I like the saying at the end of your reviews. I don't think the blocks are going to get me for a while with this story.

Writer's Blocks: (have been laced with catnip and are too busy hiding from Smudge the cat)

Fjord Cannon -- Thanks for that. Now I can get back to working on ch. 3.

Jenna: (dripping wet) …

savinglifelessness -- The guy who got back the money? n-n There's a reason why I put responses at the start of the chapter this time. "Hopin"? Good grief! I didn't think I was too bad at updating… Star being ignored for the sake of argument. ;-P

Sorceress Sakura -- How's this for "soon?" Don't worry, I know what you and everyone else seems to be thinking, but this story isn't going to end up like "Star of Venus" has…which, honestly, was pretty pathetic on my part…

Yuja: And now to the story.

Jenna: Yuja doesn't own Golden Sun. If she did, I would've sued her for muse abuse.

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"So, how'd you do it? That thief must've not been very strong if you could beat him so easily."

Garet crossed his arms defiantly. "And just what's that supposed to mean?"

Jenna couldn't hold back a short giggle. "Just as it sounds. Besides, you're not the type to use violence if it can be helped."

Garet sighed, his arms dropping back to his side as he leaned against the stone wall. "I guess you're right."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "What happened?" She sounded almost bored, but the look on her face showed she was actually quite amused.

"Huh?"

Jenna put her hands on her hips. "Well? What really happened? Everyone thinks you drove off that thief and retrieved your money single-handedly. But that's not the full story, is it?"

Garet groaned and looked away. "How could you tell?" He kicked a pebble gently with his shoe.

"Oh, for crying out loud Garet. Everything about you right now screams 'guilty!' You had help, didn't you? And now you feel guilty because everyone's giving you all the credit. Am I right?"

"As usual."

"So who was it then?"

"I…don't know."

Jenna leaned against the wall next to him. "What did the person look like then? If the grandson of the mayor doesn't know them, then maybe I know them."

"Well, he was about your height…with spiky blond hair and…I pretty sure he had blue eyes, 'cause his stare was kinda unnerving. He wore mostly blue, except for a yellow scarf. Beats me why he was wearing a scarf. It's not that cold out yet."

Jenna's light smile vanished as Garet continued to muse over why someone would be wearing a scarf. "Are you sure that's what you saw?" Garet nodded. "Garet, have you told anyone else this?" Garet shook his head. "Good. Don't. Do you have any idea who that person was?"

"I get the feeling I'm about to find out," said Garet, deciding that maybe the scarf wasn't so important.

Jenna glanced around as though to confirm that they were still alone. "Promise me you won't tell."

"Um, okay." Jenna glared up at him. "Okay! I promise!"

Jenna took a deep breath. "Where do I begin? To put it simply, that person you met, people say he's an Adept."

"He's a what?" said Garet a little too loudly.

Jenna hit him in the arm, the strength in her punch fully intentional. "Shush! Calm down already. I'm just saying…what I've heard," she added quickly.

Garet massaged his arm. "But what makes people say that guy's an Adept?"

"Both of his parents died in a flood over a dozen years ago. He was the only survivor. His family was already under suspicion for Adept connections. It's said they were attempting to leave Vale when the flood caught them."

"I still don't see how that makes him an Adept."

Jenna's glare silenced him again. "I'm getting to that part. When he was found the next day, he was in a tree. And here's the freaky part. The branches of the tree actually seemed to be wrapping around him! That's what kept him warm through the night. When he finally regained consciousness, though, his throat was so damaged that he had almost completely lost the ability to speak or make any noise. Not that he was very willing to talk, anyway. Eventually, he stopped making sounds all together. Then evidence was found that he had at least one blood ancestor that had been an Adept, or least had shown the traits. That meant that he too had Adept blood in him. He was exiled soon after."

Garet stared at Jenna. "You mean I-I talked to an Adept!" Garet brought a hand to his head. How would he explain this one? Since before he could remember, Adepts had been the source of blame for nearly every tragedy and disagreement in Weyard. Garet remembered when he was eight-years old how there had been a mass persecution of Adepts. Hundreds of people were arrested, with their families, and all were exiled, ran away, or took on knew identities as non-Adepts in distant lands. Or, at least, those that survived did.

Jenna was staring straight into his face. "Now do you see why you can't tell? If people found out that an Adept helped you get back that money, well, I don't want to think of what would happen."

Garet looked away. "You're right. It could ruin the family. And all because I couldn't stop a simple thief on my own." He turned around and pounded a fist on the wall. "I just keep messing up!"

"Don't worry, Garet. I swear I won't tell anyone. Just promise me for sure that you won't tell anyone anything about that kid."

"But, if there's an Adept in Vale, I have to report it. It's my duty as a member of the Mayor's family!" He started moving towards the entrance of his house.

Jenna grabbed his arm. "No! Garet, you can't!"

"Why not?"

"Just because someone's an Adept, doesn't mean that person's completely bad."

"Jenna, what are you-"

"Just think about it! Did he seem like any sort of threat when you saw him?"

"Well, no, but-"

"And if he was such a terrible villain, do you really think he would've given you back your money when he could've made an easy get away?"

"I-I guess not."

"And don't you owe him for getting your money back?"

"I-I guess so."

"Then you can't turn him in."

"But…he's an Adept."

"Your point? What if it turned out that I was an Adept? Would you turn me in, too?" Jenna crossed her arms and stared at him, and Garet knew the argument was settled.

"No."

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One week passed, and Garet and Jenna said nothing more about the incident. Garet kept his promise and told no one about the Adept he had met in the alleyway, but the memory wouldn't leave his mind. Little did he know that their paths would soon cross again. In the meantime, however, Garet had bigger things to worry about.

"How about this one?"

"I don't know, Kay. It has an awful lot of green in it. I don't think your brother would like it very much," said Mrs. Jerra, looking at the drawing in the catalog.

"Well, that was kinda the point."

"Don't I get a say in what I wear to my own birthday?"

"No."

Aaron looked up from the miniature fort he was building from a pile of wooden blocks. "Don't worry, Garet. One day, you're going to be the mayor, so they can only do so much."

Kay pointed to another drawing in the book. "How about that one?"

"Kay, dear, your brother is not wearing pink and purple to his eighteenth birthday."

Garet looked down at his little brother. "Why do I not feel comforted?" Aaron just shrugged with a smile and returned to his blocks. Garet groaned as Kay suggested an even more embarrassing outfit. From the sounds of it, this one had ribbons. "I'm going out. Let me know when the torture's over."

Aaron didn't look up this time when he answered. "Knowing Kay and Mom, you might never want to come back."

Garet left the house and started down the path towards the plaza before changing directions and heading for Dr. Kraden's house. The scientist had left for Tolbi a few weeks earlier, so the house would stand vacant until his return the next month. Garet leaned against the side of the house and waited. Soon enough, the door opened and Jenna emerged, locking the door before closing it behind her.

"So your brother does yard work, and you clean the professor's humble abode. Meanwhile, I get tortured about one day becoming the mayor of this crazy place. Could you help me out, 'cause I don't see where this counts as fair?"

Jenna smiled as she walked by, Garet falling into step alongside her. "Sorry Garet. I would trade jobs with you, but something tells me that your dad and grandpa might not approve."

"And knowing how good I am with cleaning, I might be able to last two days before the Doc would have me fired, assuming he was away for two days."

"If that. He'd probably be back before sundown just to make sure his house was still standing. I have to pick up some things at the plaza. Want to come along?"

Garet shrugged. "Why not? I'm not planning on going home anytime soon. Kay was having a little too much fun looking through clothing books for my birthday uniform."

"She found the pink and purple one, huh? Sorry, Garet. Mom wouldn't have designed it if Mrs. Carlson hadn't requested it."

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The two left the marketplace an hour later, Garet carrying the two large bags that were the result of Jenna's shopping.

"Thanks, Garet, but I can carry those from here," said Jenna when they came to a crossroads. "I need to drop some of this off at Kraden's house."

"That's okay. I can still carry it for you."

"But I'm sure your family is going to want you home soon. You don't want your dad to come looking for you again, do you?"

Garet shrugged. "Let them look. It's not like I'm robbing a store or anything."

"That's okay, Garet. I can help her from here." Garet turned around to find Felix standing behind him.

"Hey there Felix! Haven't seen you all day."

"I've been busy." He took one of the bags as Jenna took the other.

"Then I guess this means I don't have an excuse for being late anymore. See ya tomorrow if Mom and Kay don't torture me with too many bad outfits." They all said their good-byes and waved as Garet turned down the path that led to his house.

Felix waited for Garet to be out of sight before he took another path. "Come on. I need some help." Jenna nodded and followed.

Garet walked along the trail, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He hadn't gone far around the corner before his fingers had made contact with a slim rectangular box about four inches long that Jenna had bought. He had put it in his pocket so she wouldn't have to worry about it breaking, and of course he had promptly forgotten it. "Looks like I've got an excuse after all." He grinned as he spun around and hurried back the way he had come.

When he came to the corner, Garet stopped. The crossroads was in sight, but Felix and Jenna weren't on the path that led to their house or Kraden's. "Where are they going?"

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Felix led the way into the small passageway that was well hidden behind a wall of overgrown ivy vines, and the fact that it was in a remote forested area on the edge of the village made it all the more easy to hide. Jenna slipped through with her bag as Felix held back the overgrowth for her and they walked quietly along the corridor. As they neared the last turn and the end, the floor gradually became more level and less rocky, reflecting the dim illumination of lanterns. There was a rustling sound and a shadow passed the light source, blotting out the light for a fraction of a second before disappearing.

Jenna was the first to turn the corner and enter the small room at the end. "It's okay. It's just us." There was more movement and a figure slowly emerged.

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Garet edged his way along the tunnel. He had wasted at least a minute or so just searching for the entrance after the two siblings had vanished. If he had gotten there sooner, he would've seen how Felix had made the vines look like limp noodles compared to how tight and thick they were when Garet tried to move them, almost as though the vines were trying to keep him out.

The sound of voices made Garet slow down a little more, and he was finally able to understand what was being said as he came to another corner and stopped. The first voice he recognized as Jenna's

"And I didn't get as much bread this time, considering how you didn't finish the last loaf quick enough. Not that I blame you. It was a lot for one person."

There was a short silence, as though waiting for a reply, before Felix could be heard as well. "Still, you don't have to rush to eat it in time, and you don't have to eat around the mold just to save us a little money. It's cheaper to buy new food than to buy medicine because you gave yourself food poisoning."

Another silence. Garet couldn't understand why the two would be talking about food supplies to each other like this. As the conversation carried on, along with frequent spells of silence, Garet became dimly aware of the presence of a third person moving around. He finally risked a peek around the rock wall, and almost fell over when he recognized the third party member sitting on a wooden bench. It was him, still fully clad in blue clothes, yellow scarf, and messy blond hair: the Adept from the alley who had retrieved his money pouch.

Jenna continued to rummage through the sacks she was kneeling beside, sometimes pulling out items that the Adept would take and put on a shelf or in a cabinet that had somehow been attached to the stone of the cavern. Felix's work, most likely. "And I noticed there was a tear in your scarf, so I brought some sewing thread to patch that up." Felix sat on another bench, silently cutting away at a small block of wood he held in his hand. "Just how did you get that tear anyways, Isaac? You weren't going into town again, were you?" The Adept, Isaac paused while closing a cabinet before moving on. Jenna put a hand on her hip. "You were, weren't you?"

Isaac turned around, but didn't make eye contact as he played with the end of his scarf before Felix came to his rescue. "You can't be too mad, Jenna. I doubt that living your entire life in a cave for fear of being seen is anywhere close to being a desirable, lifelong aspiration." Isaac smiled gratefully. "Still, you need to be more careful. You may be an Adept, but I don't see you as the type to use your Psynergy to fend of a mob of angry villagers." Smile gone.

"He's right," added Jenna. "I almost didn't make it to Garet in time to stop him from telling about you." Isaac looked at her puzzled. "The guy that was robbed in the marketplace whose money you got back. The fact that the thief got away makes me nervous, but the mayor's grandson!" Jenna shook her head. "It doesn't get any more risky, unless it had been the mayor himself." She looked back at Isaac, who was now playing with both ends of his scarf. She stood and faced him. "That's the problem though. You're--too--nice. Sure, I'm grateful that you helped Garet, but at least two people have seen you now. Garet's promised not to tell, but what about the thief? You used your Psynergy to stop him. What if he comes forward?"

"I doubt it." All eyes fell on Felix, who continued to carve as though this was a daily conversation. "If the thief were to come forward, that would mean admitting that he was the thief, which would mean jail time. As for Garet, he is the Mayor's grandson. I would be more worried about him than the thief. I know you want to trust him, Jenna," he added, cutting off his sister as she opened her mouth, "but it's a decision between friends and family."

Jenna stood over her brother and glared down at him. "Garet--won't--tell."

There was a moment of silence in which the siblings seemed to be starring the other down. Finally, Felix returned to his carving. "If you say so. That family tends to put the laws first in everything, but you know him better than I do."

Jenna crossed her arms and sighed before deciding to change the topic. "Just what are you carving, anyway?"

"Something."

Jenna cocked an eyebrow as she studied her brother, then clapped her hands in excitement. "That reminds me!" She hurried back to the shopping bags and starting shifting through them. "I got something for you, Isaac. Since your last whistle was broken, I thought you might like a replacement." Isaac's face seemed to light up at the idea, and he moved closer. "Hold on. I know I picked it up, so where is it?" She finished moving things aside in the second bag. "Darn. I gave it to Garet to hold on to so it wouldn't get lost or broken. Sorry, Isaac. I'll have to get it back for you tomorrow."

"Why put off until tomorrow what you can do tonight?" The eavesdropper emerged from his hiding place.

Jenna gasped. "Garet!" The siblings were on their feet in an instant, and Isaac looked ready to have a heart attack. No one moved for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Garet carefully pulled the box from his pocket.

"Sorry, Jenna. I should've given it to you back at the crossroads." He gently set the box on a nearby shelf and, not sure what else to do, turned to leave.

"Garet, wait." Jenna began to follow.

Garet paused. "Don't worry." He looked back at Isaac, who was still standing stiffly. "Consider it as payment for helping me."

"Garet!"

"Forget it, Jenna." He kept going.

"G-Garet, you-you-you jerk!" A hard object made contact with the back of Garet's head.

Garet spun around. "What was that fo-!" The mayor-to-be bit his tongue. There were tears in Jenna's eyes. Angry tears. A bad combination with a girl like Jenna. "J-Jenna, I-I didn't mean to-!"

"You think you can just sneak in here, discover everything we've tried so hard to hide and protect, and then leave!"

Garet flinched. He hated it when girls cried, especially Jenna. Felix calmly sat back down. "If he wants to go, Jenna, let him. There's nothing we can do to stop him."

Jenna struggled for something to say. When she couldn't, she crossed her arms and moved to the farthest corner of the room from the door, her back to Garet. Isaac instead took the chance to come forward. He stood back from Garet and seemed to watch him.

Garet shifted uneasily. "I won't tell." Isaac nodded and reached out his right hand. Garet hesitated at first, then future-mayor and Adept shook hands, and the promise was sealed.

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Yuja: And that's it for chapter 2. I already have the first page of 3 done. The only reason I stopped writing after the first page was because the clock said 2:58 and I wanted to truthfully tell Dad that I had gone to bed before 3 in the morning. n-n;; A bit of forewarning: there may be some hints at Garet/Jenna throughout this story.

Garet: Hints? You call those "hints"!

Yuja: n-n;; It's not too bad. I promise that there will be no fluff. I may be a girl, but fluff and romance just isn't my thing when it comes to my writing. After all, my friends know my penname and I would never hear the end of it if I wrote romance.

Before anyone starts asking, I'm still editing chapter 15 for TNK, but the beginning of the chapter seems kind of…off…so it might need some redoing.