Chapter 2: Birthday Surprises

Carrie woke with a start from the loud crash or something glass or ceramic shattering. She sat up in her bed and look over at the fireplace. It was still dark and the fire had gone out a while ago, but she could make out that the vase from on top of the fireplace was missing. She looked at the floor to find it in at least a hundred pieces. Even as she got up to start cleaning it up she had this odd feeling that someone was getting yelled at for knocking over the vase. After she finished cleaning p the vase she got dressed and restarted the fire; when she was done, the sun had risen. Terra started to stir as the sunlight fell upon her sleeping form.

"Good morning, Mom."

"Good morning, Carrie," Terra yawned. "You're up early."

"I had trouble sleeping, that's all," Carrie said with a shrug. As Terra got dressed, Carrie made oatmeal for both of them.

"Mom, do you want anything in your oatmeal?"

"Oatmeal again? You made that last time Carrie?"

"I know, but it's the only thing I don't burn when I cook it."

"You might be a genius when comes to school, but you a still a kid when it comes to cooking," Terra joked.

After they ate, Carrie was sitting at the table reading her school books. Terra, on the other hand, was pacing like she was worried, or expecting something. She kept looking out the window, waiting for something or someone to come. Carrie tried to ignore her mother as she read her books. Something was going on, but she had no idea what.

About lunchtime Carrie heard the unmistakable sound of a large number of horses coming toward the house. Terra was staring out the window with wide eyes as she instructed her daughter to hide under the bed.

"But Mom, I wan-"

"Don't 'But Mom' me! DO it!" Terra yelled back. Carrie was in shock. Her mom had never yelled at her before. She wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"Okay, Mom," Carrie muttered almost to the floor. She then quickly crawled under the bed and searched for the trapdoor that was there. The door was so well hidden, she almost crawled past it. Once she got it open far enough, she slip inside. The trapdoor hid a small crawl space with held a pillow, blanket, dried food, lamps, oil, books, and more the enough room for the five year old to move around. Just as Carrie let the trapdoor shut, there was pounding on the house door, followed by a yelled, "Open up! In the name of King Gallus, Open up!" Carrie cracked the trap door open enough to see what was going on. Where her mother was standing was not an elderly lady.

"One minute, one minute. I do no move a quick as I use to…" the old woman replied.

When the door was opened, the poor woman was face to face with twenty of Gallus' men, the fact that they were Gallus' men was easy to tell, what with the purple uniforms with a large gold "G" for the two officers and the 'lightish red' uniforms with a large silver "G" of the grunts. There were only two officers among the twenty men. One of the officers looked very familiar to Carrie, from where she did not know. He had purple eyes and dark purple, almost black hair. Where did she know him?

Suddenly he looked right at her! Carrie's blood ran cold, she was doomed! Then the solider winked at her and put his finger to his lips, as if to tell her to stay quiet. She nodded at him not knowing what else to do. The other soldiers had been talking amongst themselves during this, but 'Purple-eyes' just ignored them as he looked at the elderly woman before him.

The other officer held out a piece of parchment and a quill and asked the lady to sign the form. 'Purple-eyes' started at the quill as if to try and make it burst into flame just from though alone. As the woman touched the quill she yelled out in pain and dropped it to the floor. When Carrie looked back up at the old woman, she was no longer there, but her mother was standing in her place.

"Well, well, long time no see Terra. Where's the girl?" the other officer spit out.

First things first, where is Shine-Ra?" Terra retorted. Upon hearing Shine-Ra's name, Carrie almost gasped out load. That was the name from her dream! So the dreams were about her past! She had an older brother and sister, as well as a twin brother, she never knew! As soon as she got out of this, she was going to try and find them. She really had not idea how close they were…

The officer shrugged as he said, "Shine-Ra is dead. He died when we were trying to get him to use magic. The girl?"

"Carrie," Terra glared, "is gone. She was kidnapped when she was only three."

The officer smirked as he turned to 'Purple-eyes' and said, "Kayoso, come here. Is this woman lying?" Carrie's eyes went wide as she started at the man she soon realized that it was none other then her older brother Kayposa!

Kayposa stepped forward and said, "You said my name wrong…again. It's Kay-pos-a, not Kayoso."

"Terra," the officer said, ignoring Kayposa, "Kayoso here has a natural talent for finding lies. It is a shame for you, though." Kayposa growled at the officer quietly, and stepped in front of Terra. Carrie began to wonder if Kayposa was a trader, or if he would lie, and therefore not turn in Terra and Carrie. She had her answer soon enough.

"She tells a half-lie. The girl, Carrie, died at the age of three. She was trampled by a herd of elk," he lied. Carrie took this as her queue to hide once again. She let the door close silently and sat down. She prayed to the three Goddesses that everything would work out. The she heard Kayposa voice, but it was not out loud, it was in her mind!

"Carrie, do not worry. I will not let them take you. And if Terra remains calm she will be fine as well. I ma sorry to say, you will not remember this for quite a while."

"What do you mean, I will not remember? I have two brothers, a sister, and a father I never knew! Me? Forget that? I think not!' Carrie thought.

"Kovu, take care of Carrie. Do not let her find out about us until Father comes back," Kayposa 'said' ignoring Carrie.

"Don't worry, Kayposa, I'll do my job. You keep you end up." Carrie was about to ask Kovu where she was when she heard someone really close to the bed. She started to panic.

"Hey! I have personal stuff under there! Stay out!" Terra yelled.

"You own nothing, Shape-shifter!" The officer told her. "As of ten minutes ago you are under arrest and shall be talk to King Gallus himself! Now detain her!"

"No!" Terra screamed. Soon all Carrie heard was a loud roar and fighting. After ten minutes of growling, roaring, screams, other noises of fighting; there was a loud roar that turned into a scream, Terra's scream.

"We have her, sir," replied one of the soldiers. "Shall we look under the bed, sir?"

"Sergeant Louis, I will remind you that the girl is dead," Kayposa said, sounding very angry.

"Yes, Private Jowns, Look under the bed." Louis said paying no attention to Kayposa. Carrie heard men moving near the bed and the bed start to move. 'Kayposa' Carrie's mind screamed out in fear.

"Stop, Private!" Her brother shouted.

"Kayoso? What are you doing?"

"What I am doing Sergeant is none of your concern. I am the highest ranking officer here and I will give the orders here!" Kayposa ranted. "And it is Caption Kayposa! Not Kayoso." Louis muttered something about 'Gallus hearing about this'. "Let him! He ordered me here! Now we will head back to base to present this shape-shifter to His Lordship, Gallus. That is an order! Move!" Carrie could hear the sounds of the soldiers moving around then they left.

It was not long before Carrie started to cry. Then she heard Kayposa in her mind again, "Here now, don't cry. You will see your mother again; I'll make sure of it. You might even see me then as well."

"But I'm all alone," Carried sobbed.

"No you're not," Kayposa chuckled, "Kovu's watching over you, and she'll help you out. Oh, by the way, Happy fifth Birthday Little Sister!"

Carrie, sitting in the cold and dark crawlspace, started to cry, sing and fall asleep all at the same time.

"Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to me. Happy yawn Birthday, dear Carrie. Happy yawn Birth---day--- t---o--- ….zzzzZZZzzzz…."

She slept peacefully and, as Kayposa said, forgot almost everything that happened.