As Maria made her way around, she was determined to find what she was searching for. When she was clear of the forest and saw a large glistening area, she let out a sigh of relief. She hurried to the waters' shore. The sand beneath her feet as she stepped close was so soft. She stood on the very edge of the water, looking down then looking up over the extent of it. She took a deep breath and then dropped to her knees, and closed her eyes facing down at the water. When she opened her eyes she saw an image of Eli, again. This couldn't be possible. She stared at the rippling picture of her friend and than smashed her fists into the water, letting them rest on the wet sand underwater.
She was trying to understand where the visions of her past were coming from. She couldn't figure it out. It wasn't possible. At least, so she thought until something hit her, hard.
"Amy," she whispered to herself and looked up over the water. She knew what was happening now. She figured everything out. Her younger sister Amethyst, the only one she knew that had the capabilities to do something like this. It had to be her. There was no other option. She had to be doing it to tell Maria how much she had hurt her, and everyone else.
"Little late to be out here by yourself isn't it?" Maria heard a voice and felt eyes staring at her back. She turned around swiftly to find her stalker, but no one was there. There was only emptiness.
"Who are you?" She was searching calmly around the area with her eyes trying to see who was talking to her.
"You're not really in much of a condition to be out here alone." The voice said again, not answering Maria's question.
"I can take care of myself. I don't need any help." She said taking a step back discreetly.
"Is that so?" The voice asked sounding nefarious in a way. Maria couldn't see well, it was dark, but she knew someone was right there in front of her. Somewhere, where she would see him, but where? She did not see anyone. She stood there, curious.
In the blink of an eye, she was pinned on the ground. She was lying on her back looking up into bright yellow eyes.
"Looks to me like that's not entirely true." He said.
Maria struggled to come free pulling away and fidgeting, but it was no use. Her arms were spread straight out away from her and were being held down by his hands tightly. Her legs were free but that wasn't doing her any good. Who was this guy?
"Get off of me! Let me go!" She said forcefully, but he did not release his grasp. She looked him over. She saw his eyes. There was a spiraled tail. A horn was set in the middle of his forehead. He was a chameleon. He had to be. "That's why I couldn't see him," she thought to herself as she looked back into his eyes.
"Why should I?" He sounded calm and confident. Maria looked out towards the water and noticed that her hands were still free. She knew exactly what she could do to get him off of her. It was the only thing she could do. The chameleon followed her gaze and then looked back at her, she was staring into his eyes.
"Because you don't have a choice." He watched curiously as the gem in her forehead started to glow a bright white. She flicked her wrist towards him and out of nowhere a stream of water hit him directly in the side. He tumbled over to the side of her and she quickly resumed her footing. She reached down and from somewhere, pulled out a gun. She pointed it at his head, holding it with two hands, only inches from his temple, as he started to chuckle a bit. "What do you want?" She asked, worried about his sudden amusement.
He looked up at her with big eyes and then suddenly disappeared again. Maria was really starting to get tired of this. She was suddenly grabbed from behind and she felt an arm wrapped around her neck. She dropped her gun and tried prying his hold off with her hands. It was no use. Her hands were suddenly grasped in another. She couldn't move them and she was unable to keep trying to remove his arm from her throat. She continued to struggle.
"That's a good trick. You'll have to teach it to me sometime." She stopped moving for a second or two then spoke.
"What do you want with me?"
"Nothing."
"Then why don't you let me go?"
"I would if I didn't think you would kill me."
"I wouldn't."
"Why should I trust you? Give me a reason why I don't have to keep hold of you." There was a long pause. Neither one spoke. She looked down at her Beretta.
Maria sighed and simply said, "I can't." She suddenly heard a voice in her head.
"Don't say you can't, not to me." Then it was gone and she heard nothing yet again.
There was no sound, only the loosening of his arm around her neck. She took a small step forward and turned around to face him.
"You gonna disappear again?"
"Not if you don't give me a reason to." She stared at him for a second then turned and walked away towards the water. She stood on the edge of the waves and stared up at the full moon in the sky. He watched as she did this and didn't attempt to do something that may cause her to attack him. He knew that he had her out-matched, but he still avoided it.
"So, what is it you were following me for?"
"Saw you leave, just wanted to make sure you didn't go off and attempt something you'd regret."
She was silent then thought for a moment.
"Leave where?"
"Jumped out the window didn't you?"
"How would you know that?" She looked back at him. He shrugged his shoulders and looked back at her.
"I just know how things like that are done." He paused and cautiously walked up next to her. She backed away worried that he would do something. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"How can I trust you? What have you done for me?"
He smiled a bit and dropped his head.
"I saved you." Her eyes widened at hearing this. She put a hand on her right side and refused to look at him. "Does it hurt?" She remained quiet. "You should lie do--"
"Why?" She paused and looked at him, "Why do you care so much?"
He looked at her eyes. They were such a bright, luscious green.
"No one deserves pain. Sorrow. Death."
"You're wrong." He looked at her who was staring down at the ground. There was a short silence, as the chameleon seemed to study her, trying to find something.
"How so?"
"You wouldn't understand." She spoke in such a hushed tone. It was difficult to hear. "You wouldn't be able to help me."
"Maybe not, but I'd listen."
"Yeah, well you listening won't solve my problem." She saw a sudden image flash before her eyes. It was not Eli, nor was it Amy like it had been before. It was, an old friend. She remembered her now. She closed her eyes as she thought.
"Tash, I'm not going to pull you into this with me."
"Oh come on Maria, like I'd let you go alone and have all the fun. You know me better than that."
"This isn't you're problem. You don't need to try and help me."
"So what, now I can't help? Can't go? I don't think so."
"Tash, I say no way are you're coming with me."
"And I say no way I'm not."
"Natashia,"
"Friends forever, that means no one is left behind, we're there for each other no matter what. I'm going with you."
Maria opened her eyes. "That memory, all those memories, they've been playing like a movie." Maria whispered to herself and he overheard.
"Odd time to be talking about movies isn't it?"
Maria jerked her head around quickly as she had forgotten he was still there. She didn't say anything, but he noticed a tear form in the corner of her eye before she blinked it away.
"Listen, I didn't mean to--"
"Like I said, you wouldn't understand."
"How would you know? You don't know me."
"Yeah and you don't know me, but I know you should mind your own business."
"Why? You got something to hide?" Maria said nothing, just looked away. He was not one to butt into peoples' business, but this was different. She made him gain an urge to persist, to pry a little more where he wasn't wanted, to wonder a little more about who she really was. "So now you have nothing to say? I find that hard to believe."
"You know I'm really not up to arguing with you right now."
"But you were up to sneaking out in the middle of the night and coming out here alone."
"Yeah well, some things are more important than others."
"So you just had to leave that bed, threatening your own life, to come out here becoming susceptible to getting killed?" He paused and took a step up to her side, standing right next to her. He spoke in a softened tone, "yeah, that sounds real sensible to me." There was a long pause and Maria was just looking at the water that lay in front of her. He was more focused on how he was going to get her to talk to him, not that she hadn't been, but he seemed as though he were an enemy more than a friend. "So who are you?"
Maria did not look at him, just kept her gaze straight ahead over the gentle surface of the waters. She had figured sooner or later he would ask about her, just as Mighty had. Then she realized that they had to of known each other, this chameleon must be one of the others he was talking about. The thoughts of him knowing such a gentle person as Mighty made her feel a little more comfortable.
"Are you asking 'who I am' as in my name? Or as in my past, my life?"
"You're name would be just fine." She looked back at him gently, and saw the warm, small, but warm smile on his face.
"You can call me Maria." She looked into his eyes, seeing the presence, "You?"
"Espio." She smiled slightly then turned around to look away form him again. There was another silence between them. Maria kept her stare in the same direction and Espio looked her over a little bit. He thought she'd have been in a lot of pain considering how badly she had been injured. The bandages around her waist were still tightly wrapped around her. The bandage he had put a couple times around her forehead was still there. She was still cut up and bruised and scraped horribly. He felt pain in his heart more than anything else because of the fact he couldn't do anything more for her. "You should probably go back, no telling how much this could be affecting your injuries."
"I'm not going back. Nothing there will help me."
"You can't just stay out here."
"Why not?" She looked at him again. "And who said I was planning on it?"
"Well, I just assumed that's what you meant."
"I don't stay anywhere. I never have."
"Maria, I know what you're feeling, I do. Don't you remember? You should. You were in the exact same place as you're planning on putting those girls into."
"Don't you dare bring that up, Eli!"
"Maria, you know it's true, you know it happened. You knew exactly what you were feeling when I told you I was leaving."
"Eli! Stop!"
"Maria, don't you think I tried all of this before? Revenge, showing my power, saving what I thought I had left. What he did was a crime, he knows that and he's enjoying it. You doing this will be just as bad. And he'll be the one holding you with a blade to your throat laughing in the end."
Suddenly, Maria swung around and punched Eli in the face causing his lip to bleed and him to fall backwards because of the force. She threw her arm at him so hard that she, too, fell to the ground. She started to cry.
Maria opened her eyes and she was staring at the ground, close-up. Espio was knelt down beside her. She had tears in her eyes and she quickly wiped them away.
"I'm taking you back, you aren't in any kind of condition to be out here."
Maria saw an image of Eli flash before her eyes again. She couldn't comprehend all this. Why was Amy doing this, it had to be her, there was no other option for it...was there? She suddenly felt herself being picked up off the ground. Espio was cradling her in his arms as they started to go back to the house. She did not fight it. She was tired and scared to be honest. She just leaned in against him and closed her eyes, feeling the swaying motion of him walking. Not long after she had drifted into a light sleep.
When they reached the house, Espio opened the door as quietly as possible. Despite his efforts though, her eyes opened to his.
"You're a light sleeper." He said in a soft voice.
"You have no idea," she responded in the same soft tone. She gave a slight smile and she looked around the room a little while Espio closed the door behind him. She saw a large crocodile lying on the couch. "Who's that?"
Espio looked to where she had pointed and replied.
"Vector, don't worry about him."
"Like I would." She rolled her eyes and watched where Espio was carrying her: up the stairs, down a hallway, and to a door. "This is the second time you've had to carry me now."
He smile down at her, "Shh, it's alright."
"No it's not." Espio looked at her and shrugged. He gently helped her out of his arms to stand next to him. He then opened the door just as quietly as he had the front door. They walked in together and he shut the door just as silently behind him. Maria recognized the room, all too well. Then she looked over to the bed. Charmy still lay there. Then she remembered Mighty and looked around the room, seeing him leaning against the windowsill, arms crossed, with his eyes open looking at them gently.
"He's still asleep?" She spoke softly.
"I told you, they sleep like rocks." He spoke soft as well. They did not want to wake up the little bee.
Espio was caught off guard slightly hearing Mighty's voice but hid it well. They exchanged glances as Maria watched them. Mighty then looked back at Maria walking up to them.
"You alright?"
"I'm fine." She looked at them and then to Charmy again.
"You should probably get more rest, that's all you need right now."
"Right, like that's even close to possible." She said turning around and walking over to the bed. She sat cross-legged next to Charmy and watched him rest. She looked at Espio and Mighty as they walked out the bedroom door and shut it.
◊◊◊
"Where was she?"
"Down by the waterfront. She was alone." They spoke softly so Maria could not hear them well. Mighty leaned up against the wall next to the doorway and crossed his arms at his chest.
"You snuck up on her didn't you?"
"I soon found out I wouldn't have had much of a choice."
Mighty raised his eyebrow confusedly, "Why's that?"
"Let's put it this way, she can definitely defend herself."
"Yeah, I found that out too." Mighty rubbed his arm a little again. It didn't hurt but he could still remember what it felt like. "You know who she is yet?"
"All I know is her name's Maria, other than that, nothing."
"Right." Mighty rubbed the back of his head.
"What about you, anything?"
"Not much more, not anything that's very important. All I got was that she's not one to sleep."
"Well that's helpful." Espio was sounding a bit agitated.
"Chill." Mighty stood from the wall and stopped in front of Espio. "We'll talk to Vector about her tomorrow morning. It's late. We all need some rest." He walked by and went through a different door, his bedroom.
Espio stood there for a second longer before turning the opposite direction and walking to his room. Their heads were both crowded and foggy. Sleep was probably the best thing for them.
◊◊◊
"Amy." Maria sat there next to the little bee whispering to herself, but more to others through herself. She was lost in thought, worry, sadness. "Eli," she paused and looked out the window at the moon, "I'm...sorry."
