Chapter 4
Recognition
Riley was staring at Airiana sadly.
She couldn't look away.
Until.
"HEY!" Lexi jumped up beside her.
Airiana glanced at her, then turned away from Riley.
Along came Lexi's partner: Unknown dude.
"Hey guys, this is Roger. He's so funny, tell them that joke about their Mum." Lexi said.
"Ok. Ok. So, your mum's so poor, she takes financial advice from homeless people." He held out his hands.
Lexi started cracking up, but Airiana and Riley just stood there, feeling sorry for the guy.
"You probably didn't get it." Roger waved his hand at them.
"My mum's dead." Airiana said intently.
"Right..." Roger awkwardly bit his bottom lip.
Airiana did smile a little at that.
"Well, see ya later." Lexi chimed, dragging Roger into the forest.
Airiana turned back to Riley.
"I gotta go..." He said, turning away and starting for the dorms.
"But we haven't finished..." She stared after him.
He didn't pay her a second glance.
Later on, Airiana was in her dorm room, talking with Lexi.
"Then he just left..." Airiana finished.
Lexi gasped, "Do you think he's up to something, like, raising the dead?"
Airiana looked at her disappointingly, "No."
"Well, I don't know." she said.
"Neither."
(The Weekend)
Lexi woke up, "Ah, what a glorious saturday morning."
Airiana groaned, still folded under her blankets.
"Oh, get up." Lexi threw her reading book at Airiana.
Airiana tried to get up, but fell back down again.
"Are you retarded. It's saturday, NO CLASS!" Lexi exclaimed.
Lexi sighed and tore the blankets off Airiana.
"Fuck off." Airiana growled.
"Ok." Lexi said insecurely and put the blankets back on Airiana.
Airiana missed breakfast.
She had slept in because she hadn't slept all week. She couldn't.
All she could think of was Riley. Wynter. Riley and Wynter.
She was sitting at her computer checking her e-mail.
To:
From:
Hey, guess what, it's not really hard to believe, but anyway...
I have a girlfriend!
She's hot, too.
Her name is Amy Golwen.
Until further ado...SAM!
Airiana laughed when he made such a big deal out of it, but not when he named this unlucky schoolgirl.
Amy Goldwen. Celestia's little sister.
Awkward. She replayed the scenario's in her head, "Hey, Airiana, were practically sisters." or "Hey Airiana, my sister's dating your brother, now were related."
Airiana looked heavenward.
Airiana was laying awake by the time Gary arrived at her bedside.
Hopefully, arriving with good news.
"Airiana, do you want the bad news, or good news first?" He asked.
"Good news." She replied.
"...There is no good news."
Airiana winced. "That's not good."
"Exactly. The bad news is...I found out how to erase this...enhancement." He said.
"That's good news." Airiana said, looking at Gary weirdly.
"Well, it would be, but I left out the how." Gary said slowly.
Airiana waited. Not interrupted.
"You have to remember your whole life, everything."
"That's easy."
"Well, it would be, if the silver shadows didn't remove certain, important, bits of your memory when you were young."
"Damn it."
"Mm-hm."
"So, how do I do that."
"Well, I can't really could be certain clues somewhere in the world."
Gary was about to leave when Airiana asked, "Why are you helping me?"
"Your special." Gary replied.
"Really." Airiana didn't believe that.
"I'm under direct orders."
"From who?" Airiana asked.
A small smile crept along Gary's lips as he faded into the night.
Someone cares, Airiana thought.
Airiana was brushing her hair when she dropped the hairbrush and it rolled under Lexi's bed.
She dropped to her knees and stuck her hand under the bed.
She was feeling around when she found a strap.
She dragged black duffel bag out.
She unzipped it and peered inside.
There were knives, bullets, and guns of various materials.
Lexi was sitting on top of her bed.
Airiana threw the bag up next to her. "What is this?"
"Um...protection." Lexi cringed at her stupid excuse.
"No way." Airiana said.
She reached under her own bed and pulld out her own duffel bag equipped with her own arsonal.
But Airiana's set of knives had unidentifiable markings on the blades.
"Where did you get these?" Lexi asked, running her finger along the edge of the blade.
"I don't know." Airiana replied, taking the knife and running her fingers along it's cold surface.
Flashes played through her mind.
Airiana was walking down a dark alley in Seattle, towards a man in a hooded trenchcoat, seated at a table.
Airiana reached the table and saw that the man had something wrapped up in cloth in front of him.
"What have you got for me?" Airiana asked.
The man unwrapped the cloth to reveal several knives, one silver, one steel, one bamboo, one metal, one rock and one gold.
There was a pistol and a shotgun. Airiana picked up the shotgun and felt along it, she nodded.
"And..." She waved her hands impatiently.
The cloaked man held up a finger, he reached behind his chair and pulled up a long, shining sniper rifle.
He handed it to Airiana. "Sweet." She smiled.
She nodded in appreciation towards the guy and walked back down the alley with her newly found weaponary system.
Airiana blinked a few times.
The first clue.