Once again, enjoy and please review on your way out!
I heard a small gasp as Rei stepped up behind me, rejoining the rest of the Bladebreakers. I couldn't stop staring at everything in front of me. My head started ringing as I tried unsuccessfully to take it all in. Hiro waved down two taxis and we all scrambled into motion, finally getting over a bit of the shock.
I watched out the smudged glass window. Buildings rose and fell before my eyes, brightly colored signs flickering as we passed. The scenery blended together in all shades of the grayscale. The seat belt started digging into my shoulder as the taxi driver slammed on his brakes repeatedly, but I barely noticed. My team was crammed into the back seat, almost on top of each other. I was glad that half of the Bladebreakers were in the other taxi. After a bit too many slams of the brake – Daichi was turning green – the yellow taxi abruptly stopped. I glanced out the window and froze. Outside the car were the vivid colors of a hotel sign.
The Bladebreakers filed out of the car and I slid out reluctantly. I rebuked myself for the jolts of fear chorusing down my spine; it was unreasonable. The chances of the same event happening twice were slim, like expecting lightning to strike the same place twice. I tried to paste a smile on my face and followed my team through the doors.
A chill settled over me and the lobby seemed too dark. I stepped closer to Hilary and Rei, who were just ahead of me. My arms instinctively wrapped around myself. I didn't want to do this.
Conversations turned into hazy blurs of words. All colors blended together, looming and pressing in. No.
Tyson led the way to our room. I tried to ignore the doors on either side of me; all were bringing back memories. The cracking and popping of fire ignited in the back of my mind.
I flinched. No, it was just the glare from the overhead light. There was no smell of smoke, no flames. A scream pierced the winding hallways and my steps faltered. The clear, agonized note rang out, joined by other terrified voices. Screams calling out in pain, crying for mercy, shrieking in fear. No, no…!
I bumped into Hilary and Rei. They had stopped suddenly and I glanced up to see Tyson fumbling with a room key. My clothes were damp with sweat and I tried to unclench my fists. This wasn't like last time.
Max and Tyson raced into the room, immediately jumping on the beds. The rest of us filed in more slowly. I caught a glimpse of the hotel room and halted abruptly at the doorway. Kai huffed in annoyance as he crashed into me. The window in the back, the furniture tucked off to the side, the room was a few stories up… Unease trickled into my stomach and I stood paralyzed.
"Is there a problem, Sandy?" Kai asked, folding his arms. His eyes focused sternly on my face. Panic struck me and I made a move to duck around him, but stopped half-way through the motion. If I left the Bladebreakers alone and another fire started… I turned sharply to enter the room, but couldn't move past the doorway. The fire. Flames, smoke, friends vanishing before my eyes…
"Have you decided to enter the room yet?" Kai said behind me. His voice was tinged with impatience, but the question somehow seemed sincere. I let out a shaky breath and placed a hand on the doorway. I tried to feign amusement, forcing myself to give a weak laugh. It probably sounded more like I was choking.
"You might have to wait awhile," I said. I couldn't quite manage a smile. Stepping to the side, I motioned for Kai to walk past me. He didn't move. Max cocked his head in our direction.
"What's going on?" Hilary asked. Other voices began to chime in.
"Sandy? You look pale."
"Are you okay?"
I closed my eyes briefly and entered the room. I reassured the Bladebreakers that I was fine. Repeatedly. Perhaps if I said it enough, I would believe it. After a while, they stopped asking questions and moved on. I tried not to notice my team's occasional looks and concerned expressions.
A knot of tension sat in my stomach. I sat rigid in one of the hotel chairs, watching Hiro for any sign that we were leaving. Hiro caught my stare for the third time and narrowed his eyes.
"Can I go practice?" I asked finally. "Please?"
"You're planning on leaving the rest of your team and practicing alone again?" I opened my mouth to reply, but there was nothing to say. Hiro stayed silent for a moment.
"You know, you might consider taking Tyson and the others with you. I invited you to be part of a team, Sandy, not a solo 'blader," Hiro said. A wave of defensiveness passed over me. I wasn't the only person on the team who left the group a lot. Kai vanished even more than I did. As I was thinking, however, a part of me recognized that Kai showed up whenever he was needed.
"I'll think about it," I replied uncomfortably, edging towards the door. Hiro held my gaze, before resignedly letting me leave.
I swiftly strode out the doorway, halting briefly when fire flashed before me. I shrugged off the stab of fear and moved smoothly down the hallway. As I tried to block out the lingering cries around me, I murmured, "Sorry, Bladebreakers."
I heaved a sigh of relief as I stepped out of the building. My breathing became easier, but my hands shook slightly at my sides. Anxiety hit me hard as I felt the hotel hovering at my back. I yanked out my bey and launcher.
The crowds were still unbelievably thick, but desperation fueled me. I cut through the people, weaving Nyclix in between the legs. My movements quickened and I broke into a run. I continued to weave my beyblade back and forth, but it gradually became unnecessary as the crowd parted and leapt aside. Still I moved faster; trying to keep up with my thoughts, trying to escape my memories. I heard a few people call after me, asking where I was going. I didn't bother answering. I wasn't going anywhere; I was fleeing from myself.
Panting, I reached a quieter park. People still milled about, but it wasn't as crowded as the sidewalks and streets. A group of kids gathered around a small, blue, plastic dish. A beystadium. The beybladers jumped as I walked up behind them, unease flickering in their eyes when they caught a glimpse of my haunted expression.
"Think I can challenge you?" I asked with a rugged smile.
Darkness slowly fell across the sky along with my victims. I felt a twinge of guilt as I sent beyblades rocketing out the arena again and again, but I couldn't stop. Adrenaline ran through my blood and I mercilessly took down each of my opponents. No 'blader who challenged me was spared.
A few times my own beyblade was knocked out, but I retaliated with even more reckless power each time it was. I never considered stopping until my knees began to buckle under me and my targets steadily went home. Some of the beybladers asked if I could give them tips sometime; others scampered away as if I was their worst nightmare, reincarnated and facing them down with a beyblade. Exhausted and weary, I stumbled in the direction of the hotel.
The stars glimmered mysteriously. I observed them carefully, trying to decide if they held any ominous signs. A chill, not from the night air, crept down my back as I caught a glimpse of the neon-yellow hotel sign. I walked stiffly into the hotel, simultaneously trying to walk slow enough to prolong reaching my team's room, but fast enough to block out any sounds of the fire.
Unfortunately, I reached the door in a few short minutes. I stood staring at the white paint and the grains of wood spiraling across it. The round, gold handle waited patiently. My hand reached out unconsciously, fingers wrapping around the smooth metal.
I flinched as sharp pain sparked in my hand and I quickly withdrew it. I looked down in confusion before catching a glimpse of bandages under my glove. I had used my right hand. Sighing, I put forth my left hand and pushed the door open.