Hello! I'm making up for not writing in so very long. Therefore I have ye here the fourth chapter of Broken Wings. :)
Disclaimer: I do not own anything besides my OCs. Which are Charly, Claire, Carmen and Jennifer.
Jennifer's POV
Oh dear Lord... what have I gotten into? It has been at least three hours after Charly - or how I like to call her, Bones - gave us a full out explanation of this... Mortal Kombat world. To be honest it all sounds like something a vagrant under crack would say. Then again, at least she isn't as rude as her other friend, Claire. Her name doesn't go with her personality. She's loud, rough, speaks without thinking, and has been calling me Barbie since she met me. Right now though I'm the only one awake. We're all in the same room because we decided it would be best if we stayed together.
Claire was on the other bed. There we're only two beds and one "hamaca" as Charly called it. While I was on one of the two beds, Carmen was on the hamaca that was tied to the walls and Charly was on the floor with a pillow and a blanket. I stared at her for a few minutes. If what she had told us was true... then the only thing that would keep her alive in a place like this would be her knowledge. I have to admit I do feel a bit better when I'm around her. She was a bit shy but she knew about this place. She would definetively be our personal guide here.
Training. Ugh I can't believe were actually going to have to train with some total strangers. It's not like I don't already know how to defend myself. I took juijutsu and karate when I was younger. I wonder... what if one of those guys is going to train me? Oh I certainly hope not. They weren't very polite. Especially the one in that yellow ninja suit, since at least the one in blue wasn't as rude.
Now that I think of it, the men here - or at least the ones I've seen - have all been exceptionally... muscular. Charly did say that almost all the characters in the game were warriors but they were extremely buff. Mmm. I looked at Charly again. She didn't really look bothered by any of this. Except for the fact that we needed to fight. That seemed to have startled her as much as it did to us.
From what Carmen told me Claire and Charly were basically opposites. While Claire was very violent and outspoken Charly was more passive and shy. Claire was pretty strong while Charly was scrawny. Their interests we're...different but very similar all the same. Even when it's not the same thing, they're both still rather freaky and weird. Claire always talks without thinking whereas Charly takes her time to think. Charly apparently has a very artistic side. Drawing, writing, dancing, singing, acting...the girl had done it all. Though Carmen and Claire have never seen her dance, sing or act.
Claire wanted to study medicine and could get aggressive when trying to defend any argument that was hers. I had actually seen Claire hit Charly more than once in the time we had been here, yet the skinny girl barely moved a finger. All she did was cry out, glare and rub the spot on her head. Claire was lucky. Very luck. To have somebody like Charly by her side and actually enjoy her company. If I had been her I would've ended that "friendship" a long, long time ago...
Thump!
I immediately stopped and sat up. Looking down I saw Charly was also standing up, her eyes wide and rubbing her ears.
"You heard it too?" I was refering of course to the light sound that was heard from above but what she said wasn't what I was waiting.
"You kidding? That must've woken up everybody." What? That wasn't...uh, nevermind.
"Let's just stay here and let the "guards" take care of it." I put enphasis on the word guards and layed back down. After hearing a few rustles with the sheets I was about to shout at her for making so much noise. When I heard the door open though I stayed quiet.
"Charlotte?" Silence.
"Charly?" Not a hearbeat.
"Rapunzel?" More silence.
"Great."
Charly's POV
Mmm. I wonder why I heard that so loudly. It sounded like a big footstep that was mistakenly placed on the floor. What in the world are those lines? I mean I know we probably see things differently here since it is another dimension but those flowing, colorful strings looked like water floating in mid air. There were a few, all with different colors, movements, sounds, appearance and even smells. I walked barefoot along the halls, touching the walls for reference because the only light was the one coming through the windows from the moon- wait moons?
Quietly stepping towards the wooden window I pressed my face and palms against the glass. Why are there two moons instead of just one? They look pretty though. This is a full moon night apparently. I thought that since this was Earthrealm it would resemble Earth but I guess I was wrong.
Thump! There it is again!
I snuck around following the sound to where I thought it had come from. As I neared the end of the hall I was in, I saw a light coming from the left, right at the end.
Thump! Thump! Shrnnnkk!
That last sound froze me. it sounded so much like the blades of the Tarkatan... Gulping I turned to the right, surprised at what I found.
"Damn...why wont this come out." There stood Johnny Cage with a toaster in hand. He seemed to be having trouble with it.
"Um...need some help with that?" I asked quietly. He jerked his head to me, surprised.
"Hey there lil dudette. Uh...shouldn't you be in bed with the others right now- wait. I woke ya up didn't I?" Johnny groamed that last part out. I was actually staring at the bright, yellow flow coming from him and out the door. So that one's his huh. I'm beginning to get the hang of this.
"Oh no, don't worry about it. I'm nocturnal and I was kind of hungry anyways." As I said this I reached and grabbed the unplugged plugger. "Also I'm pretty sure this has to do with your little predicament." Woah, big fancy words there Charly.
"Oh man...I hope there's electricity around here..."
"I highly doubt that." After realizing what she said she continued, "Because...well from what I've seen this place looks really old fashion. It'd be a miracle if you could make this work." I grabbed the toaster to emphasize my point, but when I layed it back down on the wooden counter, it bursted to life spitting the bread out.
"Yes! I love you!" Hugging me til there wasn't air on my lungs he grabbed the two pieces while I turned the device over and over.
"But...it wasn't plugged anywhere." I said lifting the cable. Cage just shrugged putting tons of different types of food on the bread. Heh, I used to do that too.
"Say just asking but...weren't you a bit taller when you got here?" I shrugged yet taking notice that he was right. "So how did you hear me all the way from your room?" He asked right before stuffing his face with the make-shift sandwich.
"What do you mean? You were making a lot of noise you know." I raising an eyebrow at him.
"Uh...no I wasn't princess. You must have really sensitive ears because I barely made any noise. Considering that I usually make a lot more." At this I frowned.
"But I sware I heard...nevermind...and what's with everybody putting me nicknames?" I asked as I remembered he called me princess.
"Don't know but it fits ya. Ya know cuz you're smaller than the rest of us and look waaaay more delicate than other females in the house." At the end he chuckled. I think he was refering to Sonya, which made me smile knowing they had a love-hate relationship.
"Um...just out of curiosity...you wouldn't happen to know who's gonna be training us do you?" He looked like he was thinking for a few seconds before looking at me.
"I'm not supposed to tell you this but...we're debating on whether to switch every couple of days or give each of you two trainers instead of just one." He finished with his mouth full.
"What do you mean by switch?"
"You know...one day with Subs, another with me, another with Liu...so on." I made a small "oh" sound then asked again, "And if you don't do it like that...who will we be training with?" I asked looking him in the eyes.
"Well...geez I'm not supposed to be saying this...ah what the heck! The candidates for the positions are Liu Kang, Kenshi, Smoke, Ermac, Sub-Zero, Kung Lao, me and Scorpion." He counted them off with his fingers that had a yellow substance on them - from the smell I could tell it was mustard. Where the heck did he get that? And how come my nose is keen?
"Wow...and were gonna be causing all of you guys trouble?" I said looking to the side and rubbing behind my neck. Then I felt a heavy arm sneak over my shoulders casually.
"Hey! No worries dudette, seriously! You aren't any trouble at all!" He said, pausing and looking at me, "Though you're pretty small to be competing in the tournament." He said giving a slight snicker. I gave a pout at him but then laughed along with him. After that I spent about an hour talking with him - mostly about his acting career and life - I started yawning a lot and he noticed.
"Why don't you go to sleep? Who knows, maybe I'll get to train you." He winked at me playfully while I giggled and stumbled towards the room.
Normal POV
The next day the girls were rudely woken up by Scorpion. One by one they grumpily dragged their feet out of the room and into the living room. Once they were all in the room, they divided into four groups of three: the student and two teachers.
Claire had Kenshi and Liu Kang; Carmen was with Ermac and Smoke; Jennifer was along side Kung Lao and Cage; Charly -unfortunately - had the hard task to be the only barrier between the two major foes, Scorpion and Sub-Zero. She was excited because they were her favorite characters...but the bickering was driving her ears nuts. Ever since waking up she had been hearing everything outrageously loud, so even the smallest whisper could not escape her. Also the flowing water now had other friends; what looked like floating clay was beside the "water". Right now though, she was more focused on getting the two opposite ninjas to be quiet.
"You shouldn't have come if you didn't want to. Trust me it would had been a lot better for everyone." Sub-Zero said loudly, trying very hard not to scream at the spectre.
"Go to hell. This girls will never make it through alive anyways." Their voices weren't really loud enough to be annoying to anyone but to Charly they were unbearable.
"If you're going to be so negative then don't train her. Easy as that." Sub-Zero said more calmly now, which Charly appreciatebly smile to, until Scorpion opened his mouth.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Charly had had it.
"Ugh! God it's like being back with mom and dad! Sheesh! Aren't you two supposed to be highly trained ninjas?! Because you look like a bickering coulple!" She had no idea where all that had come from but she was too busy trying to block out all and absolutely all annoying sound.
Sub-Zero and Scorpion merely stared at the teenage girl who stumped off ahead of them trying to cover her small ears. Scorpion almost went after her, fisted hands at sides and deep growl in his throat, more than ready to murder her. Sub-Zero of course, stopped him. This nearly went to a deadly argument but the two ignored each other for the sake of it.
'Why did I do that? I never act like that!' Thought the confused brunette who waited for her two mentors to go ahead of her. She was currently leaning against a large tree. She could hear every crunch of dried leaves their boots would make, making her cring a bit. Fall had always been her favorite season, but she'd never realized how dry and crunchy the leaves really were. She was also confused as to why now she was seeing two colorful trails. She was beginning to think that they were like visual scents from different people...now she wasn't so sure.
Finally she heard the spectre and ice ninja approach her. Even their breathing and heart rate pattern couldn't sneak past Charly's ears. Sighing she tapped her foot impatiently. Usually she'd be the slow one but right now she felt much more hyper.
After the three emerged at a clearing the spread out into what looked like a perfect circle surrounded by pine trees that were rather large and tall. That - thankfully for Charly - created somewhat of a shade, depending on the sun's position.
'Here goes nothing.' Thought Charly as her "training" began.
Claire stood to the side as she watched the blind swordsman and the shirtless man demonstrate the basic, fighting techniques. She had already memorized most of them and was growing very bored, very quickly. She wanted to punch something, not stand there watching them. For most of the time Liu Kang was quiet, while Kenshi seemed more approachable on a social level. He would answer all questions she had without losing patience. She hated to admit it, but she would rather be with Barbie then there. At least she wouldn't be growing so bored.
"Can't we just start with the training already?" Kenshi looked at Liu Kang.
"We need to be sure that you know the essentials of fighting." Kenshi answered.
"Besides, it would be unwise to challenge either of us at the moment. Seeing as you don't seem to have much fighting experience." This had come from Liu Kang, the one who had been deadly quiet through the entire walk. Now Claire could feel anger building up inside of her. How would he know anything about her?!
"Just who the hell do you think you are?" Liu Kang seemed tense as he almost stepped forward, when Kenshi calmly put his arm in front of him.
"He did not mean to say you are incapacitated or-"
"Incapacitated?!" Now both warriors seemed to sweat drop as they sensed the hostility without cause coming from the tall teenage girl.
"No what he - I meant to say was that-"
"I don't care about who you are but you know nothing about me!" With that Claire huffed and crossed her arms, at an attempt to stop herself from going over to them and punching the two.
"This is going to be harder than I expected." Sighed Kenshi as he rubbed the back of his neck, thinking about what lay in store for both him and his fellow warrior.
That's all folks!