FS93: See, look! I didn't forget this time!
EK94: I'm sure they're all thrilled that they didn't have to wait five months for another update when we wrote this, what? Two years ago?
FS93: ...Something like that...
Both: Enjoy!
Chapter Five: Journey to the past – The Apartment
The first thing Naomi heard as she and Elodie approached the apartment complex was the joyous, ringing sound of children laughing. Before entering the yard, Elodie turned to Naomi and said, "A little while after I left Kalin, I found this abandoned apartment complex and made it my permanent home. I started working and earning some money, and life started improving. At least I was doing something with it. I lived alone for a few weeks, but then I met my kids."
When they turned into the yard, the two girls were met with the sight of eight kids playing without a care in the world. Naomi was surprised by how many of them there were: two pre-teen boys alike enough to be brothers were playing a heated game of King of the Deck, three younger girls were jumping rope, and three boys were rough housing in a game that seemed to involve imaginary laser guns and monsters. Naomi looked over at Elodie and saw the psychic's face positively glowing at the sight of the children.
A red-haired girl wearing a green sweatshirt and twirling the rope was the first to see Elodie and Naomi coming. "Elodie's back!" the girl cried, dropping the rope and running towards them. The other children sounded equally enthusiastic cried and followed the girl's lead, dropping everything they were doing as Elodie knelt down with her arms open to admit them, a broad smile on her face.
"Hey, kids!" she laughed as she somehow embraced all eight of the children at once without falling over from the force of their hug. "How's your day been? You all being good?"
"Have we ever not been?" asked a girl with a pink shirt, denim overalls, and auburn hair in pigtail-braids.
Elodie chuckled and patted the girl's head. "No, Cari, I guess you haven't, thank goodness!"
"Who's this?" a boy with red hair and freckles asked, looking up at Naomi with happy curiosity. He wore a Nike t-shirt and jeans covered in grass stains, and he looked to be about six years old.
"Kids, this is my new friend, Naomi. Naomi, this is Danny, Cari, Jennie, Bobby, Xander, Luka, Joey, and Tristan."
"Hi, Naomi!" the children chorused together.
"Hey, everyone," Naomi couldn't help but reply with a smile. These kids were just about the biggest bunch of misfits she'd ever seen; that was what made them all so cute. No wonder Elodie loved them so much. It was just like back at the orphanage.
"You're really pretty," said a girl with black hair and a purple hooded shirt. Elodie had introduced her as Luka.
"Why are you dressed all in black?" asked Bobby, a wiry little boy with messy, tawny hair. The boy was very colorful in a bright red shirt and a yellow jacket that sported three horizontal stripes across the front, each one a different color. "It's a depressing color."
"Bobby, don't be rude!" an older boy, who was wearing just as much black as Naomi was, scolded, the frown on his deeply tanned face creating a crease between his brown eyes.
"What? It's true, and you're proof, Xander!"
"I like your hat!" Danny, the red-haired boy, jumped in brightly.
Naomi wore an expression of perplexed amusement at all the attention she was getting. Only the red-haired girl stayed quiet, Naomi noticed; she was staring up at her with an unnerving look, similar to Elodie's X-ray thing, in her jade-green eyes. Naomi if the girl, Jennie, was also a psychic.
"So," Elodie spoke up, freeing Naomi from the children's almost overwhelming attention, "have the guys left yet?"
"Yeah, they left after breakfast," said the oldest boy, a blonde-haired and brown-eyed preteen named Joey, in what sounded like a Manhattan accent. "Crow wanted us to tell you to give him a call when you got back. He was worried when you weren't here this morning."
"I told him that you were fine and looking for your friend," Jennie said in a slightly exasperated tone, "but he insisted. He was worried that the gang would come after you again."
"I'll call him when we get inside. Have you guys had lunch yet?"
At the children's exclamations of hunger, Elodie and Naomi lead the way into the apartment to prepare them some lunch. Naomi even helped fix the sandwiches for the children. Though she still held her suspicions and doubts about the psychic, she was starting to feel more familiar with her. Learning about her past and how similar it was to her own had given her a connection to the psychic. It greatly reminded her of a certain raven-haired someone she had met a couple of years ago...
While the children ate their lunch – Naomi was shocked it was already lunch time – Elodie excused herself to call Crow. Stepping into the living room with her cell phone, she hit the speed dial and patiently waited for Crow to answer, which he did after just two rings.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Crow, it's Elodie. The kids said you were worried about me."
"Well, yeah, I was! You totally disappeared this morning."
"Sorry, Crow, but it was important."
There was a short pause on the other end of the line filled with the background noises of drills, hammers, and other construction tools. Crow was obviously at the sight of the bridge.
"Was it about that Naomi girl from last night?" he asked, his tone more serious.
Elodie looked back towards the kitchen, where Naomi was chatting with the children, obviously getting more and more comfortable with each passing minute. "You know me too, well. Yeah, I left to go look for her. I found her, too. She's actually here at the apartment right now."
"Really? Wow, how did that happen?"
"It's a long story," Elodie replied. "How's the bridge coming?"
"Great! We're making a lot of progress! It would go a lot faster if you were here, though. It helps to have all four of us together."
"I know. I'm sorry, Crow, but there's still something really important I have to finish here. I'll probably stop by sometime this afternoon."
"What are you up to, El?" Crow asked. Before Elodie could reply, however, Crow figured it out for himself. "Are you trying to help Naomi like Yusei tried to do?"
"Yes, Crow. More than what Yusei tried, I'm trying to help her like the way you helped me. I know I can get through to her, and I can't give up until I do. You've taught me that much."
Suddenly, Elodie heard Jack yelling in the background, "Crow! Get off the phone and get your tail over here! We've got a bridge to finish, in case you haven't noticed!"
"Hold your feathers, Jack!" Crow shouted back. "I'll be there in a sec'!" When he spoke again, it was to Elodie. "Alright, El, do what you gotta do. We'll be alright over here, we've got it covered."
"Thanks a million, Crow," Elodie smiled. "And sorry for making you worry."
"Ah, we weren't really worried; we knew you would take care of yourself. Just leave a note or something next time, please."
"Crow!" Jack yelled.
"Alright, alright, I'm comin'! Sorry, Elodie, I'd better get going before Jack has a conniption fit."
Elodie laughed. "I'll whip him into shape when I stop by. See you later, Crow."
"T-T-Y-L!" Crow sang, making Elodie laughed again before hanging up. Elodie closed her phone and returned to the kitchen still smiling.
"Someone looks happy," Joey commented, waggling his eyebrows at his guardian. "You must've been talking to Crow!"
He sugar-coated Crow's name and batted his eyelashes in a very good imitation of a bashful maiden, making everyone but Elodie laugh."
"Oh, quit it, Joey," Elodie said, blushing slightly. "You know he's just a friend."
"Yeah," said Tristan with a smirk, "just like Joey Wheeler and Mai Valentine were 'just friends'."
"It's okay that you like Crow, Elodie," said Jennie in a very matter-of-fact voice. "You two are perfect for each other. I mean, you have so much in common, and he did save your life. You two are a match made in heaven."
"And you both like kids!" added Cari excitedly. "You two would be a perfect mommy and daddy!"
"Okay, I think you guys had better go outside for a while!" Elodie quickly said, her face burning brighter red than her jacket as Naomi burst out laughing. "Go enjoy the nice weather!'
Still laughing, the children got up and headed out of the kitchen at Elodie's urgent ushering. Jennie stopped at the back of the group and turned back, approaching Naomi.
"Miss Naomi?"
"Yes?" Naomi asked, watching the girls a little cautiously.
"You're a lot like Elodie," the little girl stated in her matter-of-fact tone, like she was reading right out of a text book. "You've both been through a lot of bad things, and bad people have hurt you. But Crow helped Elodie be happy again. Now she's trying to do the same for you."
Naomi's jaw dropped as Jennie continued with a pleading look in her eyes, resting a hand on her arm, "Please, Naomi, listen to what Elodie is trying to tell you. She knows what she's talking about; she's been through it all. And I want you to be happy like she is."
Naomi stared into the girl's green eyes, completely speechless. She looked to Elodie, who was now washing dishes at the sink, for help, but the psychic merely looked apathetic and half-shrugged.
"Um... I'll try," Naomi managed to reply, hoping that these words would satisfy. Jennie smiled sweetly at her before turning and skipping out of the kitchen, her flaming hair bouncing behind her. Elodie continued washing dishes as though nothing had happened, but Naomi continued o stare after the red-head as they heard the front door shut.
"Is Jennie a psychic?" Naomi asked.
"Yep," Elodie replied lightly. "She can read minds."
"Does she do that a lot?"
"What, read minds?"
"No, that... whatever is was she just did."
"Oh, that. Yeah, she kind of does."
"Oh... it's kind of unnerving."
"A little bit," Elodie said, and Naomi turned to see her smiling. "I love her to death, though."
Shaking her head slightly, Naomi started helping Elodie with the dishes. "So what's your story about those kids?" she asked.
Elodie smiled softly. "They are all orphans from the street, just like I was, and like me, they were alone, frightened, and in need of a friend. I met them all one-by-one, or in cases like Joey and Tristan, and Danny and Jennie, in pairs. I decided to take responsibility for them and teach them how to survive and duel just as Kalin had done for me. But in truth, they're the ones who saved me, not the other way around. Looking after them and protecting them gave me a new purpose. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. I owe them more than even they know, but they're too young to understand it yet."
"They all really look up to you," said Naomi. "I saw how their eyes lit up when you came into the yard. They absolutely adore you."
Elodie's eyes sparkled as she replied, "I've been taking care of them and protecting them at the very best of my ability. I've try really hard to be their friend and guardian."
Naomi couldn't help but smile at the psychic. "Well, you're doing an awesome job."
"Thank you, Naomi," said Elodie with a grin.
The two girls continued washing dishes in silence, and Naomi considered what she had learned of Elodie so far. It all seemed pretty legitimate to her, and she had seen the proof that this wasn't all a hoax to get her to trust her. Elodie had really felt and experienced all of this stuff; she really could relate to Naomi. 'But that doesn't mean she's trustworthy,' Naomi thought cautiously. 'I should hear the rest of the story before I decide whether or not to trust her.'
"So how do your other friends come into all of this?" Naomi inquired.
Elodie smiled again, but this smile was different; it was full of tenderness and joy, but also a hint of secrecy, like she was trying to hold back an emotion that couldn't be shared. "It all started with Crow. I only met him about a month ago, but it feels like I've known him for years. Jennie was being chased by a duel gang and he helped me save her."
"Jennie said he saved your life."
"He did. More than once, in fact, and in more than one pretense.
"The first time was when I first met him. I was dueling the leader of the gang who had attacked Jennie, and I got a little bit... carried away. I ended up doing a bit of real damage, and the wall behind me almost crashed down on top of me. I would have been killed if Crow hadn't pushed me out of the way. After that, he and his group of orphans, whom he calls his nest, escorted me and Jennie back here. I was injured in the near-accident, and he helped patch me up. There was just something about him that told me he was different. He was incredibly kind, he really got along with the kids, and he had this... infectious warmth and light in him. He loved life despite his hardships, and he made the most of what he had. It was completely alien to a negative pessimist like me," she chuckled.
"Then..." Elodie shook her head in silent amazement. "I don't know how it happened. It still completely amazes me. But the next thing I knew, we were talking about philosophies of life – we were actually kind of arguing – and somehow, I ended up spilling my guts to him and telling him my whole life story... I am still completely amazed at how easily he tore down my walls and got me to open up to him, even when I had barely known him for an hour. No one had done what Crow did since Kalin, but it was totally unlike what Kalin had done. Crow completely changed me that day.
"But then, of course, things went really screwy."
"What do you mean?" Naomi asked.
They were done with the dishes. Elodie wiped her hands dry on a dish towel and said, "C'mon upstairs and I'll show you."
Curious and a little anxious, Naomi followed Elodie up the stairs to her bedroom. Elodie walked across the room to her desk and picked up a picture frame.
"Crow saw this," she said, handing Naomi the picture. Naomi took it and saw another photo of Elodie and Kalin. Then she understood.
"Crow was a member of Kalin's gang."
"Exactly," Elodie confirmed. Naomi looked up to see a dark look enter the psychic's eyes. "That was also the day I found out Kalin was actually alive."
"I still don't get it," said Naomi, setting the picture down on the bed. "How did anger and revenge bring him back from the dead? When people die, they stay dead; if there is anything I know it's that!"
Elodie bit her lip, unsure of how to explain. After thinking for a moment, she started, "What do you remember of that huge fiasco we had about a month ago? The people disappearing and the purple flames and such?"
Naomi shuddered. "More than I want to. I think I was one of the people who disappeared. I was wandering around one night when the ground suddenly started shaking and walls of purple fire shot up out of the ground around me. I'd seen it before in New Domino City and all over the news, and I'd heard about the people disappearing in the fire and black fog. When I realized it was happening again, I tried to escape, but then this giant black spider appeared, and the next thing I knew, I was trapped in crushing darkness, full of shadows and monsters... I still have nightmares about it."
Elodie nodded, her eyes still dark and furious. "So do my kids. They were taken by the fog right before my eyes. A fluke accident was the only thing that saved me from the same fate... Anyway, the giant spider you saw was a duel monster called an Earthbound Immortal. It was being controlled by a man named Roman, and he was a Dark Signer."
"A Dark Signer?"
"Servants of the King of the Netherworld, the place you and all the other people who disappeared where trapped in. The Earthbound Immortals can only be summoned by having human spirits sacrificed to them."
"What?"
"Yeah," said Elodie grimly. "And a Dark Signer is created when a person dies with anger or a desire for revenge in their heart."
"And Kalin was the perfect candidate," Naomi realized.
Elodie nodded. An echo of the pain from what had happened to her ex-boyfriend was visible in her eyes as she gazed out the window, lost in memories.
"So what did the Dark Signers want?" Naomi asked. "Why were they using Earthbound Immortals and all that?"
"They basically wanted to bring about the end of the world. Using the Earthbound Immortals and their dark powers, they planned to bring the King of the Netherworld back to Earth to destroy everything, wipe out the entire world and rebuild it under their control.
"But first, they had to defeat the Crimson Dragon."
Naomi frowned. "The Crimson what-now? Wait, wasn't that that big, red, flying thingy that appeared during the Fortune Cup?"
"That would be it. There are five Signers to the Crimson Dragon, just as there were Dark Signers to the King of the Netherworld."
"Why are they called Signers?"
"Each Signer bears a red mark on his or her arm, and the marks resemble the different parts of the Crimson Dragon: the head, the tail, the wings, and two of the claws make five in all. The Dark Signers also had marks, but theirs represented their Earthbound Immortals."
"So," Naomi said, trying to keep up, "the good Signers, the Crimson Dragon guys, had to defeat the Dark Signers to stop them from destroying the planet."
"In a nutshell, yes. Two of Crow's friends - the other two members of the Enforcers, incidentally - were Signers, which was how Crow was able to explain this all to me. He even became a Signer himself after he helped fight in the last battle again Goodwin."
"And Kalin was a Dark Signer," Naomi concluded.
Elodie looked away, her eyes hard and distant. "Yeah. You can imagine my shock when I found all this out."
Naomi herself was shocked. She too knew how it felt to have a close friend go to the dark side after being thought dead. She knew how that felt EXACTLY.
"It was even worse when I saw Kalin that very night," Elodie continued in a low murmur.
"Say what?" Naomi exclaimed.
"Kalin was after me. He told me he had become a Dark Signer so I could be with him again. He managed to trick me into leaving the others and lured me right into his arms. He wanted to make me a Dark Signer too."
"Say WHAT?"
Elodie lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes. "It almost worked, too. He had me completely under his spell."
Naomi blinked in shock. Her own returned-from-the-dead-traitor had tried to convince her to join him as well. If there were any more parallels to their stories, Naomi was going to be convinced that she had entered the Twilight zone.
"But then," Elodie continued, "Crow showed up and saved me – again."
"Whoa," Naomi breathed, hardly able to believe what she was hearing.
Elodie looked up, her eyes turned to the window. "That was when I realized I really could trust Crow. I fought against the Dark Signers with him and the other Signers. Obviously, we won, since we're alive and the Earth isn't a ball of ash."
"But... then what happened to Kalin?"
"After the King of the Netherworld was defeated, he and the other Dark Signers came back just as they were before they had died and been reborn. Kalin realized what he had done, and he still feels terribly guilty about everything. We tried to convince him he was forgiven and that all was well, but..."
Elodie trailed off, unable to continue. Naomi got the jist of what happened. She sat down on the edge of Elodie's bed, letting everything she had learned sink in. Normally, she would have scoffed and said the whole thing was absolutely inconceivable and impossible. But she had seen the Netherworld for herself; that was something she could never deny.
"Wow," was all Naomi could think to say. "That's... insane!"
"You can say that again," Elodie agreed, plopping down on the bed next to Naomi with a loud huff.
Naomi grinned. "That's insane!'
The two girls exchanged a look and then burst out laughing, shattering the tense, depressing milieu of the room. Everything suddenly seemed to look much brighter.
"That's funny," Elodie said through her laughter. "Crow would have done that exact same thing, were he here."
"He sounds like a swell guy," Naomi commented.
"He is! Oh, Naomi, I couldn't have asked for a better friend than him."
"No kidding," replied Naomi with a cheeky grin. "No wonder you're in love with him."
"Hey, now!" Elodie exclaimed, her expression such that made Naomi burst out laughing again. "I am NOT in love with Crow! He's just a friend!"
"Ya know no one's buying that, right?" Naomi hiccupped, trying to control her laughter. "Don't tell me he isn't your Knight in Shining Armor or whatever after he saved your life all those times!"
Elodie scrunched up her face in disgust. "Please don't compare him to a fairy tale; I don't do the whole damsel-in-distress role."
"Amen to that!" Naomi exclaimed. The two girls laughed again, and Elodie was delighted at how well things were going. They were finally hitting it off!
"So, random question," Naomi spoke after they had finally stopped laughing. "Why the deck do you have a piano in your bedroom?"
Elodie laughed. "I have a bit of an addiction to music, I guess. It's one of the few ways I know how to really express myself. I suck at talking about my feelings, but there's this old saying that goes, 'When words fail, music speaks'."
"I know exactly what you mean!" Naomi said with a smile. Another thing that they had in common! Were they long-lost sisters or something?
Elodie grinned at her before continuing, "I've been playing piano ever since my days in the orphanage. The kids really enjoy hearing me play, and it's kind of a positive release for me."
"And you play guitar, too?" Naomi asked, nodding at the nearby guitar that sat in its stand.
"I just recently picked that up. I was teaching myself to play it before, but now Crow is giving me lessons. He is an amazing guitarist."
Elodie got up and moved to the piano bench. "Would you like to hear a song?"
"Sure," Naomi replied. Elodie smiled and turned to face the keys. She thought for a moment, choosing a song, and when she had picked one she thought would be suitable, she rested her fingers lightly on the keys, counted out the beat, and began to play and sing:
"Tick tock, hear the clock count down
I wish the minute hand could be rewound
So much to do, and so much I need to say
Will tomorrow be too late?"
Naomi recognized the song immediately: it was one of her favorites, one that always gave her a bit of hope when she listened to it. How had Elodie known?"
Naomi moved to the piano and sat down on the bench nest to Elodie as she continued singing and playing. Naomi was shocked to see that the psychic's eyes were closed as she played. Elodie was letting the music flow through her fingers and voice like an ocean current, endless and perfect, her body moving with the rhythm, the song becoming an extension of her being.
"Time passes by
I never thought I'd end up
One step behind
Now I've made my mind up..."
Naomi joined her voice in with Elodie's at the chorus:
"Today, I'm gonna try a little harder
Gonna make every minute last longer
Gonna learn to forgive and forget
'Cause we don' have long, gonna make the most of it
Today, I'm gonna love my enemies
Reach out to somebody who needs me
Make a change, make the world a better place
'Cause tomorrow could be one day too late."
Elodie opened he eyes and smiled at Naomi without breaking the song, and the latter saw a brightness in the former's eyes that was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Naomi smiled back, feeling happier than she had in a long time. Could she have finally found a friend she could depend on?
Elodie dropped her voice out and only played the piano part, allowing Naomi to sing solo. The two girls sang and played the whole song, and when it was finished, the last chord hung in the air above them like a steady breath of wind, the music never dying completely. Elodie lowered her hands and the two girls smiled at each other.
"How did you know that was one of my favorite songs?" Naomi inquired.
"Good intuition, I guess," Elodie shrugged.
"Well, I must admit, you've got some major piano skills."
"Thanks, Naomi! And I've gotta say, you're not a bad singer."
"Thanks, Elodie."
The two girls laughed lightly, and Elodie put her fingers back on the keys and started a new song:
"Going through this life
Looking for angels
People passing by
Looking for angels..."
"No!" Naomi cried suddenly, jumping away from the piano. She felt every nerve in her body shuddering like she had been electrocuted by the sound of that familiar song, and the old wound on her heart felt like it had been ripped open and was bleeding afresh. Elodie instantly stopped playing, looking alarmed and confused.
"What's wrong?"
"Just... don't play that song," Naomi demanded in a shaky voice. "Anything but that song!"
"But," Elodie said with a deep frown, "you love that song. It means something to you."
"I... I did love that song once, but... but not anymore!"
"Why? What happened to make you stop loving it?"
"I... it's none of your business!" Naomi snapped. "Just because you told me all about your past doesn't mean I have to give you mine!"
"I never said you had to," Elodie said calmly. "I was just asked what happened to make you hate a song that once meant a lot to you."
Naomi scoffed and turned away, old anger and bitterness pouring salt over her wounds. "I found out that the song lies, that's what happened. There are no angles to look for; not in this city of devils."
Silence. Then the creak of wood and bedsprings, and Naomi looked back to see Elodie standing before her, her gaze sad but firm.
"That," she said in a low voice, "is absolutely and completely untrue. Believe me, Naomi, I once thought the same way you did. But I've found angels in places I never thought I could." She pointed at the picture lying on her mattress. "Kalin was my angel, no matter how he turned out in the end." Her finger moved to the window. "Those kids out there are all my little angels." She twisted her wrist around to show Naomi the little black bird charm on her bracelet. "And Crow... he is the greatest angel of them all. It's when you stop looking for them that angels appear, Naomi."
"But angels fall!" Naomi argued, and though she tried to keep it steady, her voice was shaking. "They are shot down, their wings ripped off, and they are taken away, never to be seen again! Or they go to the dark side, and horns outgrow their halos. You of all people should know this, Elodie! Look at Kalin!"
"I don't make an example out of Kalin anymore, Naomi, and you shouldn't either! Kalin was just one person! Yes, he made a great impression on me at the beginning, and he ended up making some bad choices, but not everyone is going to fall the way he did."
"But why even take the risk?" Naomi demanded.
"Because, Naomi, sometimes it's worth it!"
Naomi gritted her teeth and snarled fiercely, turning her back on Elodie. "I don't need to hear this."
"Yes, you do! If you didn't, then why did you follow me here? You could've easily walked away from this at anytime you wanted. But you stayed. You stayed! And you listened. Why?"
Naomi didn't answer. Elodie had struck a very good point, and she wasn't sure how to respond to it.
"I'll tell you why," Elodie declared softly. "Because, deep down inside, you really want to believe what I'm saying. You don't want to be alone and in the dark anymore. Deep down, you want to believe angels still exist. And they do! I know you know this, Naomi, because I'm not the first person to reach out to you, am I?"
Naomi whirled around, her eyes wide and suspicious. 'What is that supposed to mean? What do you know?"
"I know enough. Someone before you must have gotten to you," Elodie countered. "Why else would you even consider my message? I also know that it's never too late to change. I mean, look at me! My whole life, I thought I was a lost cause. I thought I was worthless, drifting through space with other people buffeting me this way and that, with no control over what direction I was going. I let the opinions and judgments of others control who I was and what I did, and even though I thought I was strong, I was just trying to cover the gaping hole in my heart. But angels came out of the blue and filled that hole for me, and now I have purpose! The kids, the bridge, my friends..."
Elodie took a deep breath and looked right into Naomi's eyes. "Look, Naomi, I don't know who you've lost or who has betrayed you, but you shouldn't let those bad experiences erase all hopes of feeling love and friendship again! That was what I let happen to me until I met Crow, and if there is anything I regret it's not realizing my mistake sooner. If Crow hadn't come into my life, I would still be lost. But he gave me wings to fly, and all I want to do is give you and others the chance to be as happy as I am now, and follow his example. If things can turn out alright for a psychic street girl like me, then why can't it for anyone else? Why can't it for you?"
Naomi was silent. Her mind was conflicted and confused, and she couldn't think of anything to say. Elodie's words were filling her mind, blocking out everything else. Could what she was saying be true? Could she really start again, after everything that had happened to her? After everyone she had lost? Had she really lost herself along with them?
"I know what it's like to feel as though the world's against you, Naomi," Elodie continued softly. "No one should ever have to go through that, at least not alone. That's why I'm trying to help you and be your friend. That's why I'm building the bridge to the city. I want everyone who has ever been lost or hurt to have a new chance at life just like the chance I was given. I want everyone to feel the love and life that I feel. I want to put an end to the suffering, or at least stem the flow. It may seem impossible, but I believe that the people of Satellite can make a change, and I intend to give them the chance to."
Before Naomi could think of a reply, Elodie started walking towards the door. "C'mon. We have one more place to visit. I want to show you the Daedalus Bridge."
EK94: Ya know, this might be the last update I'm around for...
FS93: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! NO! ! I FORBID IT! ! ! YOU CAN'T LEAVE FOR COLLEGE SO SOON! ! ! ! ! !
EK94: *Sigh* How many times do we have to go over this?
FS93: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
EK94: Please review. And, oh yeah, neither of us owns the songs mentioned... They both belong to Skillet.