A/N: Salvete, lectores et Fratermanni! It's been a while, hasn't it...
It's the usual spiel: procrastination, loss of motivation, life getting busy...not to mention that I fell on my old laptop and didn't have a backup for this...
But in that time, I was able to come to some conclusions. The show advanced enough that it gave me an AU cutoff point (TBA), and I decided to break things up a little in two ways. First, this chapter was going to be much, MUCH longer, but I've divided it up into four, starting with what I have below. And second, did you see that I changed the title? Yes, this is now just going to be Part I, mainly because I'm think people might be more interested in what I have planned for Part II.
But enough of that; hope you enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 3: That Much Harder
"Lucy! Rosie! Are you all right?" the voice called out from the little light.
Lucy struggled to get to her feet. Even now, her legs were still shaking.
"I'm fine..." she half-groaned, dusting herself off. "Rosie?"
She looked over to her companion, a little unsteady herself.
"Kinda wish I'd brought some milk," she answered with a nervous giggle. "Then we'd have milkshakes!"
The voice laughed. Even Lucy had to let out a chuckle.
I guess she is.
"But what was that all about?" she asked the voice. "Why'd we suddenly have an earthquake?"
"I was afraid this would happen sometime," the voice murmured to itself.
"What?" Lucy asked. "What would happen?"
The voice paused for a second before answering.
"I'd like to tell you now, but it would be better if I told all of you at once."
"All of us?" Rosie had to think for a second before she remembered. "Oh, yeah! Four other girls, right?"
"Correct. Up ahead, your path will converge with theirs in a clearing. If you get there before they do, just wait for them."
"Understood," Lucy answered with a nod. "We'll see you there."
"Oh, yes, we will," Rosie added with a mischievous smile.
"Something the matter, darling?" Nessa asked as they continued on.
Serena hesitated before giving her a small nod.
"Do…Do you think they'll...like me? The other girls, I mean…"
Nessa gave her a warm smile.
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure they will!"
Serena nodded, trying to return the smile. It was hard, though, given that her eyes were still troubled.
"Is there something else, darling?" Nessa asked.
Serena hesitated a second before she nodded again.
"I-I dunno if I heard it, but…"
"Heard what?"
Again, Serena hesitated.
"I…think I heard someone…during the earthquake," she finally said. "It sounded like she was… screaming…"
Nessa looked at her, puzzlement written all over her face.
"The weird thing it…they sounded quiet, like they were coming from far away. Muffled, too, like they were…underground…"
"Hmm…that is strange…"
"For the last freaking time, I'm fine!" Iris grumbled. "You don't have t'keep asking me every half second!"
"All rahght, if ya say so," Ava answered, a tone of skepticism in her voice.
Iris knew, though, that this skepticism was far from unfounded.
Okay, so I'm not exactly "fine", she thought as they rounded a curve, but what does she expect me to do? Act like a baby? Oh, please, that wouldn't help anything...
She was so engrossed in her internal rant that she almost ran into Ava, who had, for some reason, stopped. As she resumed listening to her senses, she realized the reason.
Right in front of them, the path widened out into what looked
"Is that...?" Iris started to ask.
Before she could finish, a head with the curliest strawberry blond hair ever popped out from around the corner, making both girls jump.
"Oh, hi!" the head called as the rest of the girl came into view.
"Ah reckon it is," Ava answered slyly as three others appeared behind the first girl.
As happy as she was at seeing the oblivious reunion, she knew that the moment couldn't last long.
After all, time is still against us.
She glanced at the dome, which was a bit smaller than it was when she had first cast her spell.
And I still need to warn them.
She looked down at herself.
I'd better change before I do, though. They wouldn't understand if they saw me like this.
And with that, she stood up on her hind legs…
The girls had barely finished introducing themselves to each other when it happened.
"Whoa!" Rosie squealed, pointing behind them. "Lookit that!"
They all turned around to see what she saw.
The three balls of light that had been following them were now interacting with each other, circling around a hidden center. As they spun, they grew closer and closer until they combined into one larger ball. After a moment, it glowed even brighter, making them look away for a second. When they looked back…
"My word…" Nessa breathed.
The ball had vanished. In its place stood a beautiful woman, emitting the same glow the ball had. She was quite tall, at least a head taller than Lucy. She was wearing a lovely sleeveless dress, complemented by a sash at her waist with a flowing tail, a necklace with a diamond-shaped jewel, and a tall crown on her head. Beneath the crown was hair was long enough to reach the sash, which was held together by a sun-shaped brooch.
"Welcome, ladies," she said with a small but warm smile. "I'm glad to see you've made it this far."
"Who…" Lucy stammered, shaking a little. "Who are you? What's going on here?"
The woman's expression turned concerned.
"I'm afraid I can't answer that now, Lucy. You still have a long way to go before I can."
They all looked at her in disbelief.
"Beg pardon," Ava said with a raised eyebrow, "but whah not here? Ah mean, we're all here rahght now—"
She had barely said "now" when the woman shook her head. Slightly startled, she fell silent.
"Because I'm not really here," the woman answered.
"Oh, right," Lucy remembered. "You're talking through. You're somewhere else entirely."
The woman nodded.
"There is much you need to know, and it would be easier on us all if we're in the same area. In my current state, I can't maintain this complex a spell for long. You'll understand more once you get your memories back."
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Iris blurted out. "Let's get a move on!"
She started toward where the single path led out of the clearing, but the woman raised her hand in a signal to stop.
"Wait, one more thing…" the woman added. "The path you need to travel on…it has changed."
The girls looked at one another, confused.
"Not as in there's a new path you need to follow," she continued, drawing their attention back to her, "but that there have been changes made to the existing one."
"Excuse me, but, um…" Serena started.
She couldn't help but hesitate. Iris couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"W-What kind of changes do you mean? And…and how do you know?"
"I can sense three particular disturbances on the path, which are most likely obstacles," the woman answered. "And as for how I know…that I'll also tell you once you arrive."
Serena nodded timidly as the woman addressed all six of them once again.
"Remember," she warned them, "stay on the path, no matter what stands in your way, and be brave. You will have to face your fears before this journey is done."
"Understood, ma'am," Lucy answered, a slight quiver in her voice.
"Now be on your way. I wish you luck."
With that, the woman glowed brightly and shrank back down to the ball of light. The girls all looked down the path, none of them quite sure what to expect.
And so…it begins, he thought with a nasty smile, sensing them heading towards his first obstacle.
As they continued, the subtle flavor of their anxiety graced his thin black tongue. He couldn't help but let his mouth water with dark anticipation.
Now who will provide my first little appetizer? Not even I will know until they arrive…
A/N: And before you ask, yes, the character appearing in the last section is an OC. More details will be forthcoming as the story progresses.
So what do you think the "obstacles" in the path are? Please say so in your reviews! Thanks for reading!
And with that, I bid you...Vivas diu fortunesque. \V/
