Wow, two chapters in one day. Would you look at that. You can go ahead and thank my procrastination and inability to work in a 3D space.
The Files of Kazdan Kalinkas
Book Three: Shadow of a Boy
Chapter Five: The Ghost of You
"And all the things you never ever told me. And all the smiles that are ever gonna haunt me. … And all the wounds that are ever gonna scar me. For all the ghosts that are never gonna catch me."
Weeks passed by in blurs of pleasantness and torture. I was happy away from everyone but my friends and family but was still wary of what had happened in Chaotic. But at least I was beginning to sleep more. The nightmares were faded and broken and I was able to actually stay in my room the whole night. Granted, I would wake up every so often, freaked out by whatever nightmare had just attacked me, but I would still go back to sleep eventually.
And then there was Klay.
No one saw him for almost six days straight after I'd beaten him in the fight. Not that anyone cared. His only friend was Krystella. If you could call her his friend; they were more like partners in crime. He'd probably scam Krystella if she had something he wanted. The point is, Klay didn't come back to Chaotic for a while and when he did, I was pretty sure he was watching me.
I didn't voice this concern to any of my friends, they would have just called me paranoid. But I could always feel someone's eyes on me and I was fairly certain they were Klay's. At first, I was extremely careful with my actions but as the weeks went by, I loosened up, forgot about him, and relaxed.
But I still refused to port to Perim.
Tom and the others did and I'd ask them for news on what was going on. Most of it wasn't good. The UnderWorld was a war zone and players porting there were in danger of being Coded. From what people understood, Lord Van Bloot had led a full fledged attack against UnderWorld City and with Chaor missing, the UnderWorlders were barely holding on. The other tribes were taking no part in the conflict and H'earring was staying far away from the turmoil, for which I was glad.
On the other hand, I could tell that Tom was beginning to get irritated at me for making him play messenger boy. And sure enough, about a week after Klay's return, when I asked him what was going on in Perim, he stood up, grabbed my arm, and dragged me out of the Pourt Court and under the shade of a nearby grove of trees.
"You've got to stop this!" He said in a low voice.
"Stop what? Asking for news? What's so wrong with that?"
"You're being a coward!"
"No, I'm being sane!"
"Look, if you'd just port to Perim—just to see H'earring at Garv's place—then maybe you'll feel better. And you can get your own news!"
"No." I said flatly, "I'm never going back to Perim."
"Kaz!" Tom said exasperatedly, "You're being ridiculous! If you avoid the UnderWorld I'm sure that—!"
"There are still Creatures who know I was Ghost!" I hissed back at him, "Even in the OverWorld! Look what happened with Frafdo! What if it happens again? And what if you guys get targeted for being my friends? I couldn't…handle that."
"Hey, hey," Tom patted my shoulder, "We're nothing but a bunch of Code, remember? And that Generator thing that pulled stuff from Earth has been destroyed, so there's no need to worry."
"It's Ghost, too." I murmured softly.
"What?"
"It's Ghost." I repeated, "Look what happened with Klay. I did that for no reason and…" I hesitated, "Tom, a part of me actually wanted to fight him." I wasn't looking at him, rather at the grass between my shoes, "I could have really hurt him. And I don't want to go back to Perim because I'm scared that that Ghost side of me will wake up even more."
"You sound like you have split personalities." Tom muttered.
"I do not!" I snapped at him and he raised his hands defensively.
"Look, fine, if you don't want to go back to Perim I'm not going to make you." He turned to go, "But I think you're being stupid." And he left.
I stood there under the trees, wondering if I should be angry or not. Maybe he was right, maybe I was being stupid about the whole thing but I just couldn't bring myself to go to Perim. Maybe someday. Maybe never. I sighed and walked back into the Port Court, my hands in my pockets.
Maybe I was being a coward.
It was a normal day in Chaotic; the four of us sat at our usual table, talking and occasionally watching whatever matches happened to be displayed on the screens. It was a good, calm time and I was relaxed and smiling and laughing along with everyone else.
Until an uninvited guest waltzed up to our spot.
"KidChaor," I flinched and looked around. It was Klay, "Have a Drome match against me."
"Okay, first of all," I glowered at him, holding up a hand and ticking things off on my fingers, "My screen name's changed so get with the program. Second of all, I thought you would have had the sense to stay away from me after what I did to you last time. And third of all," I leaned forward and looked him right in the eye, "I. Don't. Play. In. The. Dromes." I sat back.
Klay looked at me with a sneer on his face and said in a cold voice, "How about I tell the whole Port Court about you being Ghost?"
Our table was in an uproar in seconds. Tom and Peyton were both on their feet and ready to haul Klay off to some Code-forsaken part of Chaotic to beat the crap out of him.
"Open your mouth again and you're Danian-meat!" Sarah said hotly, leaning over the table.
"You have no proof!" My words stopped the other three. I kept my eyes on Klay, "No one would believe you."
"They'd believe this." Klay held up his Code Scanner, his sneer growing, and I heard my voice coming from it,
"There are still Creatures who know I was Ghost!"
Klay stopped the recording and stowed his Scanner away, a dark grin playing across his features, "I've got more than enough evidence to prove to everyone who you really are, Ghost." He chuckled darkly, "So it's either a match or," He patted his pocket, "Your secret's out."
"Blackmail." Tom growled but sat back down with Peyton, defeated.
"Why do you want to battle Kaz so badly?" Sarah asked, anger making her clench her fists on the table top, "Wouldn't you rather use that blackmail to get some scans from him?"
"I'd heard that the CodeMasters had made it so you didn't have to be in any Drome matches." Klay answered, "And I would have just left you alone if you hadn't picked that fight with me."
"You picked that fight!" I snapped, "You threw the first punch!"
Klay waved his hand through the air dismissively, "Either way, Kaz, you humiliated me. I wasn't going to stand for that. I just had to wait for the right moment for revenge. And that moment came when you didn't think to check around that little tree grove when MajorTom decided to have a little chat!"
"Eavesdropping scum!" Sarah hissed.
"Eavesdropping scum with a plan." I muttered under my breath and then louder said, "Fine. One match. Three-on-three. But afterwards, if you don't get rid of that recording…I'll make sure you never come back to Chaotic ever again." It was a dark threat, even for me, and Klay paled at the look on my face but nodded anyway.
I waved a hand at my friends, telling them not to worry, and followed him out of the Port Court. I heard people whispering to one another, felt their stares, knew they were wondering where I was going with Klayborne. Eventually, they'd put it together and everyone would be watching the match.
Stepping into the Drome made me remember why I didn't want to be in here in the first place. But there wasn't much of a choice. That pissed me off. I'd escaped the UnderWorld so I could make my own choices and now that freedom had been taken away from me once again.
I glared daggers at Klay from across the Drome as I set my Scanner in the stand. He smirked at me and I switched my gaze to my display. Even after almost a year of not playing, I still knew what to do. My fingers flicked over the holographic display, siphoning through Mugic, Battle Gear, Creatures, and Locations.
"Players, lock your decks." Said the DromeMaster. I hesitated and then pressed the button. Klay's field of play was revealed.
"What's wrong, Ghost?" Klay sneered, "Afraid to have an UnderWorlder versus UnderWorlder match? Come on, let's play with fire!"
"I don't use them anymore." I felt a tightening in my chest, anger and hate making my limbs tingle with adrenaline, "And that wasn't part of the deal. So either you make do or you shut up and leave me along."
Klay's sneer dropped a bit but he said nothing.
"Because Klayotic is the challanger, Ghost shall be the attacking player. Spin your Location Randomizer."
I flicked the roulette, watched it spin, and couldn't help but let the sadistic grin twist itself onto my face when it stopped rotating.
"The first Location is…" The DromeMaster inserted the necessary dramatic pause, "UnderWorld City. Ghost, choose the attacking and defending Creatures."
"Zhade attacks…" I cast a glance over Klay's Creatures, "Zhade attacks Pyrithion." I put a hand over the Mipedian's picture, watched the display fade away, felt the transforming Code change me into the lizard-like Stalker.
"Let's get Chaotic!" Hissed the UnderWorlder across from me.
The next thing I knew, I was standing on a very dark and very familiar street. The first thing I did was panic before I reminded myself this was a Drome battle and there was no one else here except me and Klay. That gave me confidence.
Using Zhade's nimble agility, I leapt up the side of a building and crouched on a roof top, listening. Screw Invisibility; I could win this without it. I automatically settled into the calm, cold, hunting state of mind that I'd grown so used to during the year I'd spent in this stupid city. I crept over the rooftops, as silent as the calm before the storm, watching the wide streets and constricted alleyways for movement.
Ah, there he was. Right in the middle of the road just off the market street, looking all over the place for me.
Zhade's tongue flicked out, tasting the air, and I couldn't stop myself from getting nervous. I didn't want to be here, fighting like this, it brought back too many memories.
"What's wrong, Ghost?" Pyrithion 's voice echoed down the empty street, "Forget how to play?"
I suppressed a growl; he wanted a battle, I'd give him a battle.
I slunk out onto an arch that hung over the street, keeping an eye on Klay. He was slithering down the street like he owned the place. I crouched low and waited patiently. He moved right under me.
I waited a split second longer then dropped down on top of him. He never had a chance to react. I grabbed his head and twisted it.
The resulting crack was lost in the sound of exploding Code.
We were back in the Drome. Klay was staring at me with something like shock on his face, one hand rubbing the side of his neck. I swallowed and breathed deeply, trying to calm my suddenly erratic heartbeat. I'd done what I'd been trained to do; strike with a killing blow. And I knew I was going to do it. That's why I had stayed away from the Dromes.
"Y-your attack, Klay." I murmured, my palms tingling where my fingers had dug into them when I'd clenched my fists.
"Right…" He sounded wary of me now, almost scared, "Galmedar attacks Zhade!"
Coded.
After that first bout, I'd fought against myself more than Klay and lost Zhade. I'd gotten it together again to give a good fight against Lord Van Bloot with Xaerv but lost it in the end. I pulled up short at the last second, stopping myself from initiating that killing blow. It cost me the fight but not my sanity.
"This is stupid," Klay grumbled as his Van Bloot guise disappeared, "I was hoping for a good revenge match against you and all you're doing is pushing daisies! Fight back!"
"Shut up!" I snarled and Klay froze momentarily, "You forced me into this! I didn't want to come in here for a reason so you'll get what's given!"
Klay sneered at me, pushing a stray lock of hair back into place, "But just remember what happens if you lose, Ghost…"
My eyes narrowed but I didn't respond, just raised a hand to the display, "H'earring attacks Galmedar."
He was the only UnderWorlder I'd use. It was completely out of nostalgia and friendship and something like guilt but it was still a stupid idea. H'earring didn't stand a chance against Galmedar and I knew it. But my conscious wouldn't let it go.
The Forest of Life seemed a lot bigger when I was H'earring's size. I wondered briefly if H'earring's tribal alliance had changed. Would his card be blue now?
This thought was blasted out of my mind with the fireball that slammed into my back and sent me tumbling head over heels into a tree. Dazed and aching, it took some time for my senses to come back around. When they did, I saw Galmedar looming over me.
"Pick on something your own size!" I snapped in H'earring's high voice, "Ash Torrent!"
Galmedar stumbled backwards, coughing and waving his hands through the air. I took off, running on H'earring's stubby little legs into the safety of the underbrush. I peered out from between the leaves. Galmedar had regained control of himself and was looking around for me.
This was stupid. Maybe I could hold out against Galmedar but there was no way I was going to beat Lord Van Bloot with H'earring. But I couldn't afford to lose this match. So I'd give it everything I had.
"Ember Swarm!" The bullets of fire slammed into Klay's Creature and he snarled angrily.
"Now I know where you are! Torrent of Flames!" I raced away from the burning wood, trying to find some cover. I heard Galmedar stomping around behind me and scrambled up a tree. H'earring was not built for climbing. But I managed to make it up the tree and perch in its branches and shielding foliage. Galmedar stomped into view, looking this way and that for me. I sat there and watched him.
"I'll burn this whole forest down to find you, Ghost." He said, "I don't care what it takes!"
I inched out over the branch until I was directly above him. He was still looking left and right, standing in the same spot. Idiot. I eased myself into a crouched position and raised H'earring's ears slightly. Sounds became magnified. I could hear Galmedar's heart beating from this distance. I jumped.
Galmedar sidestepped, reached out a hand, and grabbed one of H'earring's ears as I shot towards the ground. I shouted in pain, dangling in the air, kicking against his grip.
"Did you think I'd fall for that again?" Galmedar sneered, raising a hand up. A Pyro Blaster materialized there and it was aimed at me. Point blank range. There was no way I'd survive. I kicked and struggled even more.
"Let go of me, you call this a fair fight!?"
"Fair fight!" Galmedar laughed and dashed me against the trunk of a tree. I lay there, stunned, head spinning, "There was no fair fight! This is revenge!" He aimed the Pyro Blaster at me again, "And I win." He pulled the trigger. I screamed.
I was still screaming when we ended up in the Drome. But now it was out of rage. I wanted to charge at Klay, knock him down, beat him to a pulp. But instead and I hurled curses at him and yanked my Scanner from the stand. Klay grinned and held up his own Scanner. He hit the play button.
I hung my head, dragging myself from the Drome and back towards the Port Court. People were whispering and staring and pointing and gasping.
My secret was out.
I was done for.
I sank into my seat beside my friends, put my face in my arms, and didn't say anything to anyone. No one said anything to me.
I wanted to cry.
Just when I'd thought I'd found something good, just when I'd thought it was going to be forgotten…
I was ruined.
My shoulders shook but I bit back the tears. I would not cry. I would not be weak. I would not care. I would ignore them. I would go on with my life.
I raised my head and looked around at my friends. They all wore similarly worried expressions. I forced a smile. Peyton grinned.
"It's no big deal," I murmured, "They would have found out sooner or later."
"You gonna be okay?" Tom asked.
"Yeah." I replied, tapping my fingers on the table top, "But I need some time to think." I stood up again and headed for the Transport Center. Several people backed out of my way, looking wary. I ignored them. Klay's stupid recording couldn't prove anything. Everyone thought Ghost was a Creature. The only thing that made them suspicious was the fact that I had vanished for a year and during that time period, Ghost had shown up and when I'd come back, Ghost had disappeared. And maybe the fight with Klay. And my new screen name. And if they talked to the right Creatures in Perim…
I swallowed and ported home.
Life was going to be hell for a while.
Song: "The Ghost of You" by My Chemical Romance
Please don't give me any grief about Klay's Creatures. I don't know what cards he has so I just had to make something up. I didn't have the resources to look up anything. So I made do.
So…are people going to believe Klay's recording or are they just going to blow it off? Everyone knows he's a scammer so…any opinions?
And what about Kaz? What's he going to do about it? Is he going to do anything? Will he ever come back to Chaotic again or is he really staying away this time? And even if he does go back to Chaotic, will he ever go back to Perim? Would it help like Tom thinks it will?
And will I ever stop asking questions at the ends of my chapters? The answer to that is probably no.
