Chapter Eight: The Truth About Time and How it Passes

"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once."
-Albert Einstein

Fine, fine, I'll admit it.

Those two and a half months didn't pass by like seconds. They took too damn long to pass by to even be anywhere near like feeling as if it were only a decade or so.

So many things happened in those two and a half months to make it seem like it went by not near enough quickly.

I was so glad some of those things had happened, but, there were also times where I felt like just giving up. But I wasn't going to give up. I was stronger than that. I was not some whiny little four year-old who needed to be walked through everything. Of course, I did curse the existence of my father many times, and I did wish I was back at home with my mother, but I couldn't take anything back.

I wouldn't let myself take anything back.

----

Faye dropped the pen to mark her place in the notebook and began to flex out her left hand. Her old muscles were aching from having to be bent in angles that they hadn't been bent in for a very long time. She actually missed having to sit for hours at a time to make her maps in the book and keep a steady hand no matter how quickly she wanted it to be done with. And having the fingers of a seamstress only helped with that a bit since making details on the maps were quite easy.

She leaned back in the chair and looked up at the night sky. An oil lantern was giving her the light she needed, but she still felt so in the dark. After letting out a frustrated sigh, her lips forming into an almost perfect 'o', she stood from the wooden chair and grabbed the lantern; Faye would work on her story tomorrow.

Her memories could wait until the morning to be written into a notebook that wouldn't be read for awhile now.

So, Faye left her small study, slowly dragging her feet to her bedroom. Once there, she slipped into the large bed and lay on her back. She could remember all those times she had slept on her stomach with her head resting on his chest . . . Just the thought of his unnatural warmth sent a nostalgic feeling through her.

Faye would wish on every star in the sky to not fall asleep alone, for just once.

It seemed those stars had yet to get her wish.

----

I tried to cover up my yawn with my hand, but it was still known to everyone around me that I was tired. I'd been traveling for two and a half months now. Luckily, I hadn't ran into anymore Marines, so I was safe and even had a large amount of Beli left to spend at my heart's desire. Of course I never stayed in on town any longer than a few days. We wouldn't need someone getting a little iffy around a newcomer that just happens to wear pirate clothing.

So, right now, I was in some small town on the island the Spades dropped me off on and I was looking for lunch. I had seen a homey looking restaurant when I first walked in, but I didn't want 'homey'. They would want to get close, know who I was. I couldn't let that happen.

The town wasn't that big, and it didn't look to have anything else other than that small restaurant, a bank, a store, and bunch of apartments. Maybe I could just skip this one and go to the next one?

"Ilayda?"

I blinked, surprised at how the voice sounded directed to me. I turned my head and looked behind me.

"Oh thank the seas, Ilayda!"

A woman, looking somewhere within her elder years, ran from the store's opening to stand only a few feet away from me.

She stopped, though, and gave me a look, as if she was trying to figure out something.

"Ilayda never had green eyes . . . she always had blue."

I blinked again. "Uh . . . Maybe because I'm not Ilayda?" The lady didn't move, just continued to stare at me. Who was this Ilayda person, anyways? What could have possibly gotten her mixed up with me?

"No, no. You are Ilayda! You look exactly like her . . . for other than the height and the eyes."

After going back and forth a few times with the woman, and becoming very irritated in the process, she finally gave up on me being 'Ilayda' and went back to her shop.

Now that I think about it, though, 'Ilayda' sounds like a familiar name. Where have I hear it before- WAIT.

"OI! Old lady!" I ran after her, she couldn't know her . . . could she?

When I entered the store, I found it to not exactly be a grocery store. There was basically everything there, just in small portions. Now, when I say 'everything', I mean everything. There was fabric and pans, food and weapons, the newest in Marine technology and even a few wanted signs near the technology. It seemed not too many people liked pirates here.

"What you got with the Old Will?" I looked over at the counter. A man, his small gray scruffy beard stood out against his black and brown hair.

"Huh?" Who, or what, was 'the Old Will'.

The man rolled his eyes and closed the book he had opened up on the counter. "What business do you have with old Miss Willow? I'm expecting you're the reason she ran out in the middle of explaining something to me."

He stood up, I just noticed he was actually sitting on a stool, but he was still quiet taller; much taller than me, that's for sure, but that wasn't the part that intimidated me. It was the nice-sized pistol that rested on his hip. I had never been a very big fan of guns since I hated loud noises, and I only touched them when I had to. (For example, back at the shop with Mia and everything. The first time I had touched a gun in two years.)

"Oh, uh, yeah. She thought I was someone named 'Ilayda'. I had a question about the person, but it seems pointless now so I'll just-"

"You look like her exactly like her, Fayette. It's just the eyes. You got your old man's eyes."

My eyes narrowed dangerously. How did he know who I was?

"What are you talking about?" I had the perfect reach of any weapon in my coat, so if he tried anything (even if with a gun) I'd be ready. "How do you know my name? Who exactly is this 'Ilayda' person?" Cautiously, I began to back up, just in case I needed to make a run for it. I hated moments like these. They took the 'nice' and 'quiet' out of "nice, quiet little town".

The man chuckled, seemingly amused by my sudden quickness to be defensive.

"Maybe you know her better by 'Gran Ida'."

My eyes suddenly widened.

"What? Don't look so surprised, Faye. I know about you, and your brother, and your father. After all, the Callaghan family was full of a bunch of lying, deceiving cowards." His eyes narrowed as he looked at me. I looked back, my eyes daring him to say anymore to add to his death wish.

"Don't you dare call me a coward! I may lie and I may deceive, but I had my reasons. But I do not run from a fight!" I was beyond pissed.

But his look turned into that of a grin. "Alright, I take it back. Maybe it's only the male Callaghan's. I guess the Emery blood in you outweighs the Callaghan." He turned away and suddenly disappeared behind a curtain. Now, I was confused. No, I was beyond confused.

I was bewildered, perplexed, puzzled; very confused.

All I really wanted to do now was get away quickly before anything bad happened. This guy knew my family, how I don't know, but he knew.

Sadly, my curiosity ate away and I was unconsciously dragging myself (quietly so I wasn't detected) to behind the counter and peaking through the curtain. I gasped loudly at what I saw.

The whole back of the store had basically been turned into storage room for almost every non-owned katana, sword, and dagger in the world.

"Ah-ha, here we go!" I turned away from the shelf, making sure to keep my hands in my pockets so I didn't touch anything. When it came to anything shiny, I was the person you would least want around. "Two katanas, both haven't been used in about forty years, and their dusty old sheaths that come with them."

The two covered blades were shoved into my arms. And then, I was forcefully turned around pushed back out into the front of the shop. Again, I was very confused. Why did I have these things?

"Have a nice day and thanks for stopping by!" Suddenly, I was outside the shop.

Wait, I'm supposed to be inside. I still haven't even asked that old Willow person anything yet!

"Oi, wait! I still got some unanswered questions!" I dropped the swords in my arms on the ground and pounded on the locked door. Nothing happened, though; it wouldn't budge. "Ugh, damn it old man! Open up this door or I'll break it down!" I pounded harder, even added a few kicks. But this time, I heard no snickers or chuckles, I heard no shuffles, I only heard a pregnant silence. Hell, the whole town was quiet.

After standing, leaning against the door with my forehead pressed against the slightly cool wood, I sighed and gave up.

I looked down at the two katanas lying on the ground. That's when my eyes widened.

It can't be . . .

My mother didn't get these swords because she gave up on Grandma before I was born. I couldn't do that, though. I wouldn't end up, the wife of an evil man and the mother of two rivaling siblings. I never knew my grandmother, so I could gladly take them.

This was one of those lessons about my heritage that my mother taught me that I'm glad I remembered.

"Well guys, it seems like it's just us, now." I picked them up and hook the melt clasps onto my belt that my sash easily hid. "Seems like we're on our own from here."

And to tell you the truth, I didn't want to be alone.

That reminds me, I owe that guy a good slap and 'the Old Willow' a few questions when I see them again.

----

Faye stopped her writing, yet again. She dropped the pen from her left hand and rubbed her sleep encrusted eyes. The sun had risen hours ago, it now being a bit past noon, and her stomach was starting to give the signal to go get something to eat. So, she did as her stomach said.

The house Faye lived in was big, big for one person but quiet small for a family of four.

She travelled down the small hall and to the stairs. There she took exactly seventeen steps before reaching the kitchen. The from the kitchen was a small opening room that she sat in to read when winter came, so she could be warm by the fireplace, plus it was the biggest room in the house, next to the kitchen and the study.

From the kitchen, Faye could see a small platform nailed to the wall. On top of it was a small wooden rack. In that wooden rack were two very familiar katanas. Of course, they hadn't been used in almost forty-something years, so all they could do was collect dust.

Her appetite suddenly disappeared. She would worry about food later; right now she needed to get back to her book. Faye turned away from the open archway and left the kitchen. She was back walking up stairs in no time, but she was having a bit of trouble.

What should she write next? There were a few things that happened, but they weren't as important as some others that came in between or after.

Faye confused to muse over her thoughts, unconsciously making the correct turns to get back to her study. Time seemed to have passed by so slowly, but she had actually spent over half an hour just down stairs, staring at the many things that reminded her of her past.

Faye blinked. Speaking of time. . . "What time is it?"

Oh well, she'd just have to find out later.

----

A/N: OMGGGGG. I finally got a chapter outtttt. :D Aren't you all proud of me?

Yes, yes, I know, it's very late, and I would like to deeply apologize for that, but school is out to get me, plus I just got back from my Military Ball barely an hour ago. I'll get a picture of my dress up so all of my lovely readers can see, later. ;D

And you wanna know the funny thing? I practically had this thing done YESTERDAY (Friday night). I just had to make an ending, which I must say SUCKS. And yes, it was short; it was a filler, what did you expect? Oh, I want to point something out. NO. Faye will not become an "OMG-I-Can-FIGHT-automatically!" person. She can't fight worth a crap, and there is an actually plot-line reason why she gets the swords (no she doesn't fight with them. She tries, but fails epically,) plus I hate people like that . . . SO.

Review please?