blackamber- I AM SOOOO SORRY!! I went away for a while, then I got caught up at work, and then I started focusing on a novel I am writing. Truthfully, I kinda forgot about this…
Sadie- You forgot about us? (sniffles then starts sobbing loudly)
Amy- Oh hush up! This isn't the first time she's done this…
Sadie- Yeah I know… but it still hurts…
blackamber- Yeah, I know... but to make up for it though, I made this chapter longer and with some drama at the end
Courtney- ON WITH THE STORY!!
Brook- and the usual disclaimer goes here.
Tala yawned and rolled over in his bed, his arm draping across where Amy usually slept. The absence of her body did not surprise the older-teen, for she was often awake before him, but it was the fact that her side was cold that worried him. She was never up that early. He opened his sapphire eyes and peered at the spot in confusion, as though the answer to his ponderings might reveal itself if he just stared at the spot long enough. Once realizing that it wasn't, Tala removed himself from the warmth of his bed's blankets and proceeded to get dressed and move to the kitchen for breakfast.
It was in this particular room- the kitchen that is- that he found the answer to his early morning mystery; a sticky note stuck to a cupboard covered in Amy's neat handwriting.
Getting an early start with Sadie,
didn't want to wake you. I have to
stop by my work afterwards but I will be home
later; so I'll see you at dinner (possibly?)
Love you, Amy
Tala wanted to laugh at the implied question. 'Don't worry Aim. You'll see me at dinner,' he thought to himself as he removed the sticky note from the cupboard door. He read it over a few more times, savoring her penmanship. Most days, this was the most they communicated, through notes or brief words in the morning. At night, or most nights… they were too (cough) busy and their words come out incoherently or in between breaths, which meant that it took a ridiculously long time for them to say so much as one short sentence.
And the nights they weren't busy, it meant they were just too tired. It seemed like their relationship was in a bit of a rut. It wasn't that they didn't like to talk to one another or spend time together, Tala missed those times when they did and he knew, from constant comments about them when they did talk, that Amy did too. It was just, well, he was a guy, a teen whom throughout most of his life was deprived of any and all human interaction outside of bey shooting, and his hormones- as he liked to think of it- went on overdrive when his girl was around.
'Tonight,' he vowed silently, 'we'll talk over dinner tonight.'
"C'mon Sadie, keep up," Amy called behind her, pushing herself up the slippery, snow covered hills that rolled throughout the Russian wilderness. Ahead of her, Nicol ran, sniffing every tree that came into sight. She sent a soundless prayer that there were no hunters in the area to mistake her beloved dog as a wolf.
"Can't we take a break, Amy?" whined Sadie, panting heavily and trailing a good few feet behind her mentor. "We've been hiking like this since dawn."
Amy rolled her eyes; stopping at the top of the hill she was climbing to stare down at her young apprentice. "You'll never learn that way. This builds your stamina, the longer you go for, the easier it is to match and soon you'll be able to do it quicker, and then it will lead to you being able to go even father without tiring."
"What does this have to do with bey shooting?"
"Everything." Amy turned away once more, beginning her decent and traveling deeper into the wilderness. She wouldn't admit it, but she too was beginning to feel tired, fatigued. It was odd though, this hike was nothing compared to what she could do three months ago, or even a few weeks ago. Slowly, her energy had slipping away and she had an idea why. For as quickly as her energy was dissipating, her stomach was growing. No one had noticed as of yet, and she would like to keep it that way for a while longer.
Another thing she would not admit to is the most plausible, possibility as to why her stomach was growing; she had just ruled it off as she was not being as active as she was three months ago- truthfully though, she was more active now than ever, with her job and training Sadie, he barely had a moments rest.
"Just a bit further, alright?" she reasoned, fighting hard to keep the breathlessness out of her voice.
"How much further?" Sadie asked, finally dragging herself to the top of the hill Amy had just tackled.
"Three more hills," stated Amy, knowing that three- in her state- would even be a bit of a struggle for her, but of course she'd never let it show. She heard Sadie groan behind her, but she also heard the crunching of her faithful apprentices boots on the snow as she obediently moved to please her mentor.
"How about two and a half?" Sadie bartered as she half trudged, half slid down the hill.
"How about three," Amy retorted firmly.
"Why not two and half?"
"Or we can make it six."
"Three's good."
"I thought so," Amy smirked, continuing on ahead of Sadie, but behind Nicol- who was surprised by that. Usually Amy was jogging beside him, even in the deep snow. Thinking her sick or injured, he found himself running back to her, checking on her regularly with gently head-butting against the legs and sympathetic whimpers.
'Even Nic can sense something's different, it's only a matter of time before Tala does,' a voice hissed in her head.
Perhaps you should see a doctor and check in with your work another time. Hien's voice came suddenly; worry was evident in his tone.
No, I can't. Ben said it was an emergency and I had to come as soon as I could, Amy responded.
If it were such a big emergency, you would be down there already wouldn't you? questioned suspiciously.
You're just saying that because you don't like him, and Ben said it wasn't too important.
It's not that I don't like him, little warrior, it's more that I don't trust him. He reminds me too much of Cole.
Little warrior… you haven't called me that in a long time, Amy laughed, trying not to take notice of what Hien had just said about Ben.
Pretty soon, I'll be calling another with your blood that same name. Amy could hear the smile in his voice and could almost visualize his tail wagging.
You don't know that, she quickly snapped back, denial being her best friend when she was trying to come to terms with why her body was changing on her.
"Are we stopping here instead?" Sadie's voice interrupted the conversation between shooter and bitbeast.
"No… sorry I was just collecting my thoughts," Amy lied, pressing onward once more.
With another melodramatic groan, Sadie followed once more; dragging her feet like a pouting toddler. Amy shook the thought out of her head, why did she just think that about her apprentice?
"So… now what?" Sadie asked, a little out of breath, as they finally reached the hill that Amy promised they'd stop at.
"We watch." Amy sank into a crouch at the top of the hill.
"Watch what?"
Amy did not respond, her eyes locked forward on the clearing ahead of them. Nicol sat, panting at her side, still worried as to what was slowing his tireless mistress. He whimpered and nudged her side with his muzzle. She pat him diligently on the head, "Hush now Nic."
"Is this to teach me patience?" Sadie asked.
Amy nodded, "And observation… but you'll not learn anything if you do not be quiet."
"But it's sooo cold! Why couldn't we have learned this somewhere warm," complained Sadie.
"Will you shut up. You'll scare them away," snapped Amy.
"Scare who?"
Once more, Amy did not respond but pointed forward into the clearing, where a herd of reindeer were moving through the clearing, unfazed by the wildlife around them.
"When did they-
"If you were observing, rather than talking you would have noticed them earlier. You'll never make it as a bey shooter if you don't know how to observe what's around you. Just by sitting here, I know that the herd is calm because they're upwind; they have yet to smell the pack of wolves circling in around them."
"You can tell that much just from observing the herd?" Sadie asked in amazement.
"Not just the herd," Amy corrected, "everything surrounding the herd as well. The landscape, the forest, even you and Nic."
"Umm… how close are the wolves?" inquired Sadie, nervously.
"Very close," stated Amy curtly. "We are in no danger."
"You sure?"
"Mostly."
Sadie gulped at Amy's answer. "W-why only mostly?"
"Because there is something else out there that I have yet to identify," answered Amy, "and it's hungry too."
Sadie began to tremble violently, searching the trees for any sign of danger.
"Relax, you'll never be able to spot it if you search like that," Amy ordered, not even looking over at the young girl. "You move like that, whatever's out there will know you're scared and feed off that fear, it'll take advantage of it and see it as a sign of weakness. You need to relax and observe by only moving your eyes, not your entire body. Slowly, scan the area. Look for movement, listen for sounds, watch for interactions."
There was a momentary pause, then, at the head of the herd, there was movement.
"There!" Amy pointed, in a hushed voice, "that's not the wolves that have set the stag off, the wolves are still downwind. Now… what are you?" The last part was more to herself than to anything.
Sadie didn't quite understand what this had to do with bey shooting, all she knew was she was cold and scared, even though now she knew where the potential danger was. She watched that area with quiet interest, searching the tree-line. "If it were something big… we would've spotted it already," she said, not really meaning for Amy to hear. "If it's hunting, it's probably about the same height as the wolves… maybe some kind of cat."
Amy smiled, "You're learning quick. It's a snow leopard."
Sadie gawked in surprise, "You knew!?"
"No… but after careful observation I made an educated guess. With the coloring of its fur it would blend in perfectly with its surroundings." As Amy spoke there was more movement at the head of the herd; in chaotic formation, the herd dashed forward trying to escape the predator, or rather predators. The wolves had made their appearance, not ready to watch their lunch get away.
"C'mon, we're going back," Amy ordered, rising from her crouched position.
"Already? But we just stopped," whined Sadie.
"And now we're leaving again."
Sadie groaned and turned back the way they had just come. After a few moments of silence, Sadie ventured to ask the one question that plagued her since reaching the hill. "Why is that going to help me beyblade better?"
"When you learn to observe your surroundings, you learn to use them to your advantage. In a trick bey-dish, you may find a way to use the traps to stop your opponent, and it's most affective against opponents whose skill is higher than yours. You'll get better at observation the more you use it, and you'll learn what you need to look for faster, when you're in a situation that calls for you to observe your opponent and your surroundings to survive. That's why I brought you out here, to put you in a situation where you'd have to observe to survive. On your own, once you calmed down, you learned what to search for, what you were up against, or at least received the knowledge to make an educated guess as to what you were up against.
"You're learning fast, and that's good. At this rate we may get to you bey shooting by the end of the month."
"Really!?" Sadie asked excitedly.
Amy nodded, "but only if you keep up this progress. You've done well for the past month. I'm very impressed."
Sadie's heart swelled with joy at those words. She had impressed her mentor and she had heard the acceptance, no the pride in Amy's voice as she spoke. Sadie walked behind Amy without complaint now, knowing that she had impressed her mentor was a big deal and she didn't want to ruin it with a pity complaint. 'I promise, Amy, I'll make you so proud of me you won't even believe it.'
It was all too easy for Amy to call Ben and tell him that she couldn't make it to his 'Emergency', she had decided that as Sadie and she got back to Moscow that she was much too tired, and feeling a little light-headed, to go to any meeting of any sort. She just wanted to go home and lounge on the couch. She used the excuse that she wasn't feeling well- which wasn't a total lie- and promised to meet with him tomorrow.
The warmth of Tala's house greeted her as she walked through the front door. She didn't announce her presence, since usually no one was home when she returned so she was greatly surprised to hear Tala's questioning voice asking who it was. (A/N: Remember, his teammates have a key to the house too).
"It's just me," she called to her red-haired lover.
He appeared in the hall doorway in a heartbeat, "I wasn't expecting you home so soon, I thought you were stopping at your work."
"I was going to, but by the time I got back with Sadie, I just wasn't feeling up to it," she explained, removing her coat and hanging it up.
"Oh?" he inquired, "are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm just feeling a little light-headed. I guess I shouldn't have pushed myself so hard so early," she joked, making up her excuse on the spot.
Tala raised an inquisitive eyebrow, not believing her for a second. He knew how active she was, a little hike through the snow, especially today's snowfall, would not be enough to make her light-headed, no matter how long she was gone for. "You sure?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I just need to relax for a little while that's all," she insisted, moving closer to him. "A little warmth, some comfort?" She wore her seductive smile and raised an eyebrow of her own at him.
Her lover grinned at her, readily wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him. "I was just concerned, that's all. You've kinda been out of it for a while now; flashes of nausea- yes I have noticed them. I just want to know what's going on."
Amy winced, first Ben noticed them now Tala has been; she wanted to shake off this info and try reassure him, but she found herself instead asking, "How?"
"How what?"
"How did you notice? I thought-
"Aside from me, the only people who know you better are probably your former teammates and the Carters," stated he, truthfully. "What's going on?"
That wasn't a question, it was a demand for an answer; an honest answer.
Amy winced once more, searching for an answer through every corner of her mind. "I," she paused, "I don't really know." At least that was partially true; she didn't exactly know what was going on, or rather wouldn't accept what was going on. "I wish I knew, but I don't… maybe I'm just coming down with something…" she muttered the last part to herself more than anything.
Tala sighed, entirely believing what Amy said. He knew she was hiding something, but then again, she always seemed to have her secrets. That frustrated him to no end; the fact that she felt that she couldn't trust him enough to tell him what was going on with her. "Aim," there was a small warning tone in his voice, but hidden beneath it was worry, somewhere beneath it.
"I don't know!" she shrieked, jerking away from him.
Tala blinked at her in surprise, she never shrieked; now he knew for sure something was wrong. "Amy…" he said a little more gently, offering to embrace her once more.
Amy, however, shook her head. "I just need to lie down," she mumbled, moving past him and down the hallway towards the staircase.
Tala sighed; running his fingers through his red locks, he would find out what was wrong with her, but not today. Today he'd let her go telling himself that it was just the feeling of being light-headed that made shriek in- what could've been mistaken as- fear.
He shook his head; that was crazy. Amy, scared? It was not improbable but given the situation they were in, highly unlikely. With another sigh, Tala moved into the living room, sinking into the couch with Nicol at his feet. "What's up with her, huh Nic?" he asked the dog, who just looked back at him with a confused expression. He then let out a low whimper and turned his head towards the very staircase Amy had ascended not moments before.
"What's wrong?" he asked as the dog suddenly bolted up and bounded towards the stairs, barking in alarm. Tala was racing after him as though the devil were chasing them both, he could only think of one thing that would set the dog off like that.
'Amy.'
blackamber- I'm sooo cruel... I take forever to update then I throw in a cliffie at the end. I promise the next chapter will be up really soon... like tomorrow evening... or sunday... monday at latest. I don't really know 'cause I have the plot in my head but I haven't started writing it.
Sadie- Well at least the plot's there... or we wouldn't even have an ounce of hope of it being written
blackamber- hey! I'm not THAT unreliable
Sadie- Oh yeah? how many months has it been since you last updated?
blackamber- (mumbles incoherently)
Sadie- My point exactly
blackamber- I really regret creating you
Amy- at some moments, so do I
Bryan- As a special treat, blackamber is posting some future quotes in hopes that it will prevent people from hunting her down and killing her for taking so long to update
The Quotes
(you'll notice I don't use names here... that's so nothing is really given away... though you may be able to tell whose speaking)
Quote 1: from a not so distant chapter (GASP!)
Speaker 1: Sometimes I wonder if you even trust me
Speaker 2: Sometimes you wonder if I trust you? You accuse me of cheating and then you wonder if I trust you. (Speaker sighs irritably, paces on the spot a bit; appears to be thinking painfully. Speaker sighs again) You know... maybe... (sounds close to tears) maybe we should just... take a break...
Quote 2:
Speaker 1: Where's Tala? I want to shake his hand then kick his ass!
Speaker 2: (sighs) Ummm... please don't I kinda need him alive
Quote 3:
Speaker 1: You have to promise me you won't call him!
Speaker 2: (blank) he has a right to know... he is the-
Speaker 1: I know! But I can't... (pause) I can't deal with him right now...
Quote 4:
Speaker 1: You know... I suddenly have a dark desire to call Kai
Speaker 2: (clearly interested) why?
Speaker 1: 'Cause I know he'll flip when he finds out what-
Speaker 3: (Watching unknown person practice) (blank) you are officially banned from any contact with a phone
Speaker 1: I was joking!
Speaker 3: I'm not.
Bryan- well, there you have it!
Tala- R&R
blackamber- ps. I really like quote 2... and I'd like to hear what you guys think of these quotes, or quotes you liked from previous chapters or even from the chapters from Move Along. Well, anyways, till next time!