Chapter 3: The Community

Bright light. No. Get it away. Get it away now!

My eyes opened as I sat straight up in my bed. Sunlight was pouring through the large window across the room. For a brief moment, I forgot where I was, but then I remembered. How could I not? Large, talking animals weren't something I was about to forget. Then again, for another brief moment, I thought that they were all dreamt by me, but then I looked around the room and finally convinced myself that this was not a dream. And because the room wasn't a dream it meant that the animals really let me sleep here, which meant that everything that happened the day before was really real and not jut something I concocted in my unconsciousness.

Content with my reasoning I threw back the covers and jumped to the floor. Thank god the rug was there, because I'm sure brick was very cold the first thing in the morning. I walked over to the window in order to close the blinds, but I decided against it and sat on the window seat to look out. It looked to be a fairly nice day, or at least, as nice as a nice day is in a place like this. The trees were still bare, and the grass had almost a gray tint to it. I looked straight down as far as I could and saw the moat that Boomer had talked about. It looked to be fairly wide, and I could swear I saw something move. I shuddered and sat back against the brick wall.

I hope everyone was doing all right…

There was a knock at my door.

"Come in." I said. I heard it open and looked over to see Miles walk in. His hair was freshly combed and his buttons seemed to gleam in the glow of the sun flooding in the room. "Good morning."

"Good morning. You slept well?" He asked. I nodded as I walked over to him.

"Very well, thank you. I think that was the most comfortable bed I've ever slept on."

"Then, it's yours…"

I walked over to the dressers and opened one of the drawers. Sure enough I saw some of the brightly colored clothes that Patches had given to me the day before. I took out a bright red shirt and slipped it on over my tank top. It actually felt very comfortable. I then brought out another pair of pants and was about to change when Miles cleared his throat.

"Oh, sorry." I said, most definitely blushing in the process.

"It's fine. It's fine. But I came in to tell you that Finitevus is expecting you down in the lab. You remember where that is, right?"

Lab. Lab. Lab….

"Sure." I replied. "Tell him I'll be down in a couple of minutes." Miles bowed his head and left the room.

I finished changing into a pair of black pants when I walked over towards the door. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked sourly over at the unmade bed. I was quite the messy sleeper, and now my mom wasn't here to make it for me even when she wanted me to make it myself… I sighed and tried to straighten everything as best as I could. Once that was accomplished I walked over to the door and out into the hallway.

"I take a right." I said to myself as I turned down the hallway. So far so good. I made a few more turns before I had absolutely no idea where I was.

"Well this is just great. I'll be a corpse before they find me in here!"

"You're probably right. The smell would lead us straight to you." Said a silky voice from behind me. I turned slowly and saw Fiona walking towards me. She glared at me.

I don't know what I did to deserve her scorn and hatred, but it was no reason to treat me like I was some sort of retarded child that 'has' to come along for the ride of life with the normal kids.

She motioned for me to follow her. I obliged, but making sure to walk a couple steps behind her. At least if there was going to be a booby trap sprung, then she would warn me prior to it.

"Thank you for helping me." I said after a few minutes of walking in silence.

"Don't mention it." She said. " Ever." Her voice dripping with malice.

"Fine. Fine." I answered quickly.

We walked the rest of the way in silence. When we got to the door she pointed at it and continued walking down the hall.

I opened the door and walked in, muttering about Fiona.

"It's best not to get involved with her. She'll just stab you in the back later."

I looked over and saw Finitevus walking over to me.

"I believe it. Is she like that to everyone?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Just other females and stupid people. Now, about your training, have you ever fought anyone before?"

He asked, walking over to a large table. I followed.

"I've gotten into some disagreements with my mom before, nothing too violent… but that's about it." He stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly, his red eyes gleaming in the low light.

"So, you've never brutally fought anyone before?"

I shook my head. He sighed.

"This might take longer than I had originally planned. Fine, I supposed I can teach you how to harness the Chaos Energy but you'll need to learn the basics in fighting…." He growled, as he walked over to a speaker in the wall. He pressed a button and called for Patches to come down. He replied that he'd be down shortly.

"I send him to do one little errand, just one and he does it wrong."

"Who? Scourge?" I asked tentatively.

"Yes, Scourge. When I sent him to your world I expected him to bring me someone who could fight as well as have a grasp on the vocal chords. How else would they be able to survive here?"

"Well, if everyone here fights like Fiona talks then I can understand the fighting portion, but… Why would you need someone who has a 'grasp on vocal chords'?"

"I need someone like that… someone like you, because in order to use the Chaos Energy, the summoner needs to call on it. You can't simply will Chaos to happen or else it will run amuck. Because you can sing, you can channel the energy through your voice. You see, our vocal chords are much stronger than a normal human being's. But a singer's voice has to be strong in order to do what they must do, and that is why. Does this answer your question?"

I nodded.

"Very much so."

"Good."

At that moment Patches entered, now dressed in a blue and red coat with gold trimming.

"What seems to be zee problem?" He asked as he walked over to Finitevus. "You seemed very urgent."

"I still am." Finitevus snapped. "She doesn't know how to fight in combat. You, being from the military, must've trained at least some soldiers to fight. Yes?"

Patches stood at attention and nodded.

"I have trained some of zee best in Moebius." He replied.

"Yeah, too bad I'm not from Moebius." I muttered under my breath.

"Good, then I want her trained as best as you can as you can." He said. His eyes then turned towards me.

"And don't forget young one, the faster you help me with this, the sooner you can go home."

With that, he walked away, his black cape once again swinging dramatically behind him.

Home. It seemed weird now that I wasn't even on the same planet as it anymore. Only a day here, and already I seem accustomed to the idea that I was 'here'. Not home. With family. With friends. With loved ones. I sighed and looked over at Patches who seemed to be in some sort of deep thought.

"What? Don't know where to begin?" I asked him as I picked up a small glass orb from a nearby table.

"Precisely." He answered as he grabbed the orb from my hands. "And do not play weeth zees. Eet eez a bombe zat eez strong enough to blow up 'alf of zee castle."

"Oh. Sorry." I said as he placed it back on the table. It rolled around a bit when it found a groove in the table and stopped. "Uh, shouldn't it have a holder or container if it can do that then? I mean, right now it could just fall and blow."

"Don't worry, eet only works eef eet eez thrown by fleesh and blood. So we are fine." He said walking over to the door. "So are you ready? Your training will begin now. Please. Follow me."

I walked over to the door and took one last look at the little orb. It gleamed in the light of the laboratory with some sort of sick humor. It definitely seemed like something Finitevus would have lying around. Just in case…

Walking down the hallway with Patches I noticed that every so often he would turn around and look at me. Just briefly, and then turn back around to continue walking. Soon we were outside the castle and on the other side of the moat.

"Well, are we going to begin?" I asked. Patches nodded and smiled at me.

"Yes, we are. Twenty laps around zee moat. And don't fall in."

I looked at him like he was on fire.
"You're joking. The moat? It must be a half a mile wide the whole way!"

"Actually it's almost a full mile the whole way." Said Scourge as he walked up beside me. "Twenty? Really Patches? Seems a bit much for her first day."

I looked at him. His black leather jacket looked to be freshly polished, and his glasses seemed to have a fresh coat of paint. Either that, or he just seemed like a beacon of hope from this seemingly unfair training.

Patches sighed.

"Oh? And what will she do when she goes up against zee Freedom Fighters? Huh? She'll need to run fast enough to get away, or to go get 'elp. She can't do anysing if she doesn't have a good heart. And I mean anysing."

Scourge looked at Patches and then back to me. His light blue eyes bore into mine and he smiled- teeth gleaming in the sun.

"All right then, we'll make it a game. Sound good to you?" Patches glared at Scourge, probably for taking away his pupil.

"I suppose. You mean to play zee 'ide and go seek." He said with a hint of fear in his voice. "I don't sink you should do zat to her. She eez not ready for somesing like zat."

"Ready for what? Hide and go Seek? I always used to play that." I interjected. "What are your rules?" I asked Scourge.

He smiled and paced slowly around me.

"Well, it's not too much different from what you know of it. But, when I play, the person who's 'it' has a weapon. Like a knife," He said from behind me. I heard metal on metal and before I knew what was happening I felt his blade on my neck. My breathing caught and then began to quicken. He chuckled in my ear and took it away. "Or some other weapon. And once they find the other players they need to 'kill' them before they get back to the designated area. I'd make it to wherever Patches is right now for this game. So, do you want to play?"

I stared at him as he held his un-armed hand out to me. His eyes were now hidden from my view and I was still breathing hard.

"And what's the point in playing the game like this?" I asked.

Scourge walked forwards so he was about half a foot away from my face.

"To help you get the feel for being in the field. You won't always be in a laboratory or some other controlled environment forever, Sweetie. So, you have to get your body used to the adrenaline from a situation like that."

I stared at him, my eyes wide in fear for a good thirty seconds before I finally nodded. Patches sighed and covered his face with one of his hands.

"Zees eez not a good idea…" I heard him mutter.

"Great." Said Scourge as he gave me a large, toothy grin. You go and hide anywhere you like. But, no castle. The last time we almost took out the lab. So, stay outside Kay?"

I nodded.

"You're not really going to kill me are you?" I asked as I remember Patches reluctance to my playing. Scourge smiled and began to toss his knife up in the air. He closed his eyes and continued to toss.

"One hundred…ninety nine….ninety eight…ninety seven…"

I took off running into the forest nearby and didn't stop until I came to a large, tree. It must've been really old or it wouldn't have been that gnarled up in the roots or the vines. I walked around it. In awe of its presence amongst the other trees. It must've been at least ten feet in diameter, and two hundred feet tall. Then again, my math isn't what it should be, so my guess was probably wrong.

"TWENTY!" Came Scourge's voice. I panicked, and began climbing the monstrous roots towards the leaf covered limbs at the top.

"TEN!"

I grabbed one of the branches and pulled myself up. The branch I was on must've been at least a foot thick… I then grabbed onto another and pulled myself farther and farther up.

"HERE I COME!" He shouted. I gasped, pulled myself up one more higher and stationed myself so I could see the clearing at the bottom of the tree.

For a couple of minutes I sat there, not knowing where he was, or how I was supposed to get down, or…

I slapped my head.

Calm down. Calm down. This is what he wants to test. This is what he wants to show you. The thrill of… of… well 'battle' wouldn't be politically correct since it was one sided… Well, I guess I'd think of the politically correct term later. Right now, I just wanted to win the game. So I sat in the tree and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And for a change of pace, I waited some more.

Soon, the sun would set and I'd be at a complete disadvantage since I had no way of seeing in the dark. I sighed and looked down at the same clearing I've been staring at all day. No footprints. No leaves disturbed. Completely untouched. Some part of me wondered if he had even set foot into the woods. What if he's just sitting there with his arms crossed and one of his one of a kind smiles.

"I bet he's going to wait until I come back and then rub it in my face for being so gullible." I muttered to myself. I then heard a twig snap from somewhere down below. I froze and moved only my eyes. I couldn't see anything, which meant he could be on the other side of the tree. It was large enough that I wouldn't be able to see him if he was.

My breathing began to quicken. I know he said 'kill', but something tells me that he would take it to the extremes. I began to shake, but then, the cool night air was beginning to settle in. I felt goose bumps on my arms as I tried to quietly rub them to keep them from getting numb. I looked down again and saw a shadow looming from below. I saw ears form from the shadow and my breath caught. It was coming around the tree now.

My breath caught as I saw a small little bunny hop into view.

It nibbled on some clover leaves and eventually hopped away. My heart was still pounding heavily after it left my sight. Where was he?

Eventually night fell and there was still no sign of Scourge. Luckily it was about a full-ish moon tonight so I could see the bottom of the tree at least. I was now getting tired of my position and I figured that I might as well move closer to the ground so I could make a getaway if necessary. So, I slowly climbed down, keeping my eyes on a constant lookout for Scourge if he emerged. I then dropped down in between a large root which continued to give me cover from sight and the wind and would also give me a clear path to run if I needed to. I settled down and eventually I fell asleep.

SNAP!

My eyes burst open. How long had I been asleep? The moon was on the opposite side of the tree, so I saw its great shadow from the light blue glow. The small clearing that the tree made around itself was bathed in the glow and something… or…someone was here. My breathing quickened, as did my heart rate. It's just a test. Just because he has a knife, doesn't mean he'll kill you. Scare you, yes. Kill you, no.

I looked to where I entered the clearing. That's where I would go. That's where I would run. But, where was he? I heard the grass being stepped on, and then what seemed to be something jumping on the roots. And up the branches. I held my breath. A 'thunk'.

"So, you decided to leave your hideaway, huh, sweetie?" Came Scourge's voice from above me. "Smart move. Your scent is concentrated here, so it masks wherever else you've been." I heard him pull the knife out of the tree, and his shoes coming into contact with the lower branches. He's coming down. I shrank back against the tree. Groping around I found a rock and kept it clutched in my hand. My only form of protection against this insane adrenaline game.

I heard him land on the grass nearby.

"Where are you Charolette?" He called softly. "I know you're tired and hungry. So is Patches. Yes, he's still waiting for ya. How do I know you're here? Well, this is the last place to look. So, lets just get this over with. I'll give ya till the count of ten… One,"

As he counted I firmly grasped the rock in my hand and somewhere around eight lobbed it into the woods the other way from where I would need to go. He stopped counting and I heard him bound into the woods. I took this opportunity to get up and run.

The woods where much darker now, and even with the light of the moon I could barely see in front of me. I tripped a few times, but I'd always continue to run. My breathing was now quite loud, and I 'm sure he's figured out that I didn't go that way. Heck, he probably knew the moment he heard. He was probably coming after me as we speak. He was probably waiting up ahead for me so he could ambush me. He was probably-no!

I shook my head and ran harder. This was just part of the game he wanted me to play. He just wanted to scare me.

"I'm following you, Charolette!" I heard from somewhere behind me. I ran faster. It was working.

From the light of the moon I thought I could see the outline of the castle somewhere in front of me. This in turn gave me hope and the cramps that where forming in my side became unimportant. All that mattered was getting to Patches.

Then, I heard fast footfalls from behind me. I turned even though my better judgement told me not to. I saw Scourge running after me. His eyes where hidden from underneath his sunglasses, and his sharp, white teeth gleamed in the moonlight. That brief moment it took me to fully understand that he was behind me was enough time for me to lose track of where I was going and trip over a root. That one, conveniently placed root that knew exactly where I would be running. I felt Scourge trip over the same root, and since he was running to catch up to me he had enough momentum to fly right over me and skid aways.

I put my hands on the ground, revved my feet and then pushed off running faster and faster. I felt, saw and heard a silver object fly by me and land in a tree. As I passed I saw the knife wiggling around in the tree. Then,

"I'm right behind you." I screamed, and a blast of yellow erupted from my very being. I heard Scourge yell but he was still close behind me.

I then burst out of the tree line and saw Patches standing halfway between the forest's edge and the moat of the castle. I saw his eyes light up when he saw me, and then just as quickly turn into fear. I knew who was behind me and I ran. Oh, how I ran. I reached out my hand to Patches, and as I was going to tap his hand, an unbeatable force wrapped his arms around my legs, sending the both of us to the ground. I saw Patches hand pass by me and then the ground. After our bodies stopped sliding I opened my eyes and saw Scourge slowly release my legs and stalk towards me, his teeth still gleaming in the blue moonlight. It gave his green skin an unearthly glow. I cringed. Who was this?

He put his teeth to my neck and slowly bit down. I felt the sharpness prick my skin, and as I was sure he was going to bite down and draw blood I felt the warm breath of his chuckle escape onto my neck.

"I win."

I fainted out of sheer fear and exhaustion.