Just to make it clear for the future: the poems Ebony and Emerald recite (yes, there will be more) in HJ are not mine. They tell who the real author is in the text, or else I'll put it in an A/N. I replaced seagull with pawkeet, by the way. And the 'shortest horror story,' I found from a friend, and I suppose it's on the web if you want to look it up.

The Month of Storing (November) Age 11

Week 1

I leaned out against the deck, feeling sick.

It wasn't that I was sea-sick—my last adventure on the seas pretty much cured me of that—but what happened recently, before I even went on board. I didn't have much time to write it down, since after Master Jacques sent the message, he said he was sure his friends would be arriving the next day. He sternly told my mom that she couldn't come (no one else's parents asked) as they had barely any room in the ship for my class, let alone another lady whom, by ship's regulations, required a room all to herself. She sighed at the old-fashioned rule, but relented. We didn't talk much that night, but Mom gave me a goodnight kiss and sang me a lullaby, just like when I was little.

I'll be back for Christmas. I promised.

I woke up early in the morning; she had, too. We ate breakfast quietly. Then she said, "Perhaps you want to say good-bye to your friends at Uptown. They won't be seeing you quite awhile, you know, ships' journeys tend to take long…" She trailed off, and then sighed. "Unless you want me to tell your friends myself? That's all right, if you want."

"No," I said, standing up. "I'll do it." I owed my friends that, at least. I felt a bit guilty, leaving them Uptown to deal with this whole mess. Not just for the sea voyage; ever since I found out I was one of them, I've been avoiding the high class like I would do to guards (except Brynn, of course). When I get back, I'm promising myself to spend more time there.

As soon as we got near Charlie's mansion, we heard screams. Angry, furious screams of – who else? – Auntie Catherine. Mom sighed. "I better go deal with this," she said. "Charlie seems to be up, though." Apparently, this was the normal time that rich kids woke up. I glanced near the street, and there he was, looking slightly sleepy and reading a book. And he had company.

Emerald glanced upwards. "Hanso. What are you doing here this time of day?"

"I have a boat to catch later," I said casually. "I just wanted to say good-bye. Don't worry," I added. "I'll be back for Christmas."

"Good riddance, I say," Ebony supplemented, his arms crossed.

"Ebony!" Emerald exclaimed disapprovingly.

"What?" He mock-pouted. "Are you taking his side over me?"

"Well, it's rude of you to say that."

"He's a peasant," he said stubbornly.

"It's okay," I said before they could argue any further. She seemed to be the only one he didn't mind arguing with—the rest of us are usually 'beneath his notice.'

She sighed disgustedly at him. He held up his hands. "Fine, fine. I apologize….Hansel?"

"Hanso!"

"Whatever."

"You really sounded like your sister right then," I told him.

He glared at me. "Do. Not. Compare. Me. To. Violet."

"And what's wrong with Violet?" Emerald asked. "Last time I came, you and her got along-"

"She became a guard!" he snapped. "Girls – especially rich girls – don't do that."

Emerald arched an eyebrow. "I see." Her tone became cool and icy, her eyes dark. Ebony noticed.

He bowed. "I seem to have upset you, Your Grace," he said solemnly. "And so, to cheer you up, I have remembered another poem."

"You'd be hard-pressed to find one I haven't read yet," she remarked coldly, looking in no particular direction. But a hint of interest showed on her face.

He cleared his throat. "She stood there by the ocean/The breeze gently lifted her hair/ of the pawkeet just above her/ She was totally unaware. Recognize it yet, Em?"

She shook her head. "No, but it sounds nice. Go on." Charlie and I were curious, too.

He continued gleefully. "Seemingly floating in the sky,

The pawkeet's wings were still.

I think it paused to take good aim,

And dropped a mess at will."

"Ew!" Emerald made a face.

He laughed. "It gets better. Too late she looked above her head,

Where the seagull hovered now.

Then as I watched in horror,

Bird droppings hit her brow."

Charlie and I winced sympathetically.

"Her scream hit the balmy air.

Splat! The stuff hit her face.

Then she saw my camera and me,

And stomped off in disgrace." He gave us a grin. "Duchess, lord, and peasant, you have just heard the famous 'Picture Perfect' by Annabel Sheila."

"I really must search that up," said Emerald, shaking her head. But Ebony's plan worked—she was grinning at him. Charlie and I were too busy cracking up to say anything, and soon, Ebony joined us. Emerald sighed at us. "Boys. You are nuts."

"Says the girl who willingly hangs out with us," Ebony countered. She rolled her eyes.

Then an angry shout pierced the air. "You're FIRED!"

Charlie paled. "That was Mrs. Daley and my mum. We better go-"

I ran rapidly, practically dragging Charlie along and leaving Ebony and Emerald in the dust. We sped up to find Aunt Catherine screaming at Mrs. Daley, and Uncle William trying to comfort her. "Kate, be reasonable-"

"Reasonable? She dares take the side of a beggar and a thief over me, a high-born lady? Ha! We'll see who gets the fortune in the end; but I want that woman and her husband out of my house, NOW!"

"Really, Catherine," Grandmother said disapprovingly. "This is unseemly behavior. Mrs. Daley and her husband has been with us since….since…." A strange kind of trance came over her. She blinked. "What was I saying?"

"You can't fire her," Mom said desperately.

"Well, she's not yours to keep," Catherine snapped. "If you haven't noticed, Lady Elizabeth, this house is not yours, these servants is not yours, they are MINE, and if I have to spill blood to keep them, then so be it!"

"Mum's gone mad," Charlie whispered.

"Enough," Mrs. Daley said herself, before Mom and Grandmother (for once on the same side) could say anything. "The lady of the house does now want me here…I should leave."

"Mrs. Daley!" Charlie's face was horrified and dismayed.

"At least permit me to say good-bye?" The old woman asked Catherine. The latter gave her a curt nod, and she kneeled down so she was face to face with Charlie. "I'm sorry, love," she whispered. "But I must go."

"But-"

"You don't know how much bad luck I've caused your family," she said, giving me a significant look. "If you did, perhaps you'd agree. No, don't say anything," she told him when she saw he was about to protest. "I've taken care of you, yes, but maybe I've coddled you too much. I do think it's time for you to grow up, dear."

"But I need you."

"No, you don't." She kissed him on the forehead. "Your mother doesn't deserve you, darling. I, for one, would be proud to have you as my son. I'll ask just one thing of you: You mustn't take everything at face value."

"What?"

She hugged him. "You're too trusting, dear. Sometimes the best of us have deceit in our hearts…and sometimes, the worst of us can still be redeemed. Don't give up on anyone, including yourself." He looked at her tearfully and nodded. She gestured to me. "Hanso."

I bit my lip, wondering what she would have to say to me. I know she's a cool old lady, but now I know what she did I don't think I would ever look at her the same way again. I don't even really know her—that honor goes to Charlie. So I was a bit apprehensive on what in Neopia would she have to say to me. "Yeah?"

"Some lies even you can't detect," she told me. "Some are half-truths. I am not telling you to seek them all out—the one with your little friend, for instance, is too dangerous for even you to contemplate for now—but some…one in particular…would help you."

"What is it?" I asked eagerly.

She shook her head, but she whispered in my ear. "Your grandmother could be a lovely lady when she wants to…but she would lie to disguise shame."

I frowned. I already knew that.

Then I realized something. "You know about Kayley! That deep, dark secret she's been hiding…"

"A little bit," she said softly. "If my instincts are correct, then she can be very, very dangerous one day…if she lives. Perhaps it's better that she doesn't."

"What!" I glared at her. "I am not going to let her just-"

"I apologize, my dear. I do not know the girl well." She looked me in the eye. "I will keep my promise. I will take care of the…the stones."

"Will you still be able to?" I asked doubtfully.

She gave me a sad, mysterious little smile. "Perhaps even more so, love, as my situation's changed."

"Well…okay then," I said, stepping backwards.

She gave my arm a squeeze. "Bless you, my dear. And please…take care of them." She stood up.

Mrs. Daley and my mom embraced. She cupped her head in her hands and said something to her, and Mom blinked and smiled wryly. She also gave her a kiss on the forehead, and then withdrew from the chamber. There was an awkward silence.

Mom broke it. "So, son—I believe you have a boat to catch."

The Black Pawkeet was just as I remembered it. The black sails were flying in the wind threateningly, the wood that made up the boat was still strong, and the crew still just as flippant. Everyone was waiting, with their packs sitting around, all probably chuck-full of supplies that we might need. I didn't know if our coats were strong enough to subvert the coldness I heard Terror Mountain had, but I knew we were a lot more prepared than Brynn. I had a feeling that using Hannah – MY explorer – as a ride was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

At least they'll have a guide.

All we got is that rotten compass. Jacques said that it was actually magical, showing us where we were needed, which makes it so much more important and reliable. So it's a magic rotten compass. Gah. Again with the magic attachment! Flynn, of course, had decided to abandon us, heading off to who-knows-where probably to look for worms.

Great. The mission is so hopeless that even the bird didn't want to hang with us.

Garin didn't have any of that, though. His grin was the widest I've ever seen it on top of the ship, and the first thing he did when he slid down the ropes impressively (to Jacques's dismay, the twins looked as if they would be tempted to learn that) was to go right up to me. "So, kid," he began, "Did ya fool us to get another ride again for your friends?"

Jacques's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Oh, there you are, old friend!" Garin said happily, giving him a hug. "It's been such a long-"

"Did one of my students ask you for a ride?" He scowled at me. "No doubt stealing a message and somehow figuring out the code, I guess?"

"Uh…."

"I should've known! The dock-master combs through every single ship, he would've definitely found a stowaway, and no other sailor would actually let someone onboard other than you-"

"Calm down, sourpuss," Garin said. "That was months ago! And pretty cool, if you ask me. Don't tell me you've turned land-lubber."

Jacques smiled slightly at that. "Um, no, no I haven't."

"Prove it."

"And how would I do that?"

"Jump in the water."

"Excuse me? No."

"Come on. You said you'd do it."

"I said no such thing."

"That's not what I heard," I piped up.

"You always did say we should keep our promises, Master Jacques," Razor said.

"We agree," the twins chorused.

Even Kayley, in her weakened state, smirked. "The majority has spoken, sir. It's best you do it before a mutiny rises up."

"A mutiny?" he said in disbelief. With that, the whole class drew their daggers and pointed it at him until he was at the edge of the dock. "Oh, come on," he complained. "You wouldn't actually-"

We pushed him over the edge.

He screamed a lot of things at us while he was falling, but in the end, he proved 'he wasn't a landlubber' by quickly bobbing up and floating. "Happy now?" he asked. But he couldn't help smile. I think, really, that he belonged in the sea more than he belonged in the classroom.

"Aye," Garin laughed. "Get on board, my friend, and we'll sail you anywhere from Meridell to Terror Mountain."

"The latter, please," he called up.

Garin stared. "Seriously? Besides Moltara and Faerieland, that's like the farthest land away!"

"I did say we should always keep our promises," he said, grinning. Then he sobered up. "Remember, it's our sister that's out there."

"Sister?" I asked.

"Hannah," Garin replied. He sighed. "Keeps getting into scrapes with no way out. It's a miracle we haven't been driven mad now."

"Are you sure?" said a dry, cold voice. Morgana was in the harbor, with her arms crossed. "I told you I was coming with you. I will not tolerate being left behind after explicitly left instructions that I would."

"Look," Jacques snapped, still floating in the water, "We couldn't let Lizzie Laron come with us, and no offense, lady, she's a lot more suitable than you for this trip-"

"Excuse me? I'm Masila's and Marie's aunt. I should be there for them."

"Let her go," said another voice. Jacques nearly jumped out of the water. It was Caylis. Her sea-blue eyes gazed at somewhere far away, as if she was in a trance. "She's part of the pattern; you have to take her with you." Then she blinked, coming back to herself. "What am I doing here?" Her eyes widened. "Jacques!"

"C-Caylis," he said nervously. "Uh…haven't seen you in a long while? How you've been?"

"Come back on deck!" Garin hollered. "You can catch up with your girlfriend later!"

"She is not my girlfriend!" Jacques bellowed just as Caylis yelled, "He is not my boyfriend!" They both glanced at each other sheepishly before our red-faced teacher clambered back up and went on the ship.

"Garin? Caylis?" Another head went to the surface, this time Isca. "Oh, Hanso, how lovely to see you-"

"Isca," Jacques groaned. "Don't tell me that you knew that he stowed away months ago and refused to tell me what happened!"

"My sister insisted upon it!" she protested. "And my dreams said something very bad would happen if I told you."

"Yes," he agreed. "Hanso would never see anything but the detention room again."

"We're coming with you," Caylis said, changing the subject quickly. The crew, the class, and her sister stared at her. "Oh, don't tell me you haven't felt it, Isca. We're part of the pattern, too."

"But the water's freezing-" She began.

"I can warm the water around us," Caylis promised. "But we must go. I have a feeling our dreams will help us."

So the crew had no choice to accept not one, but three women on the journey. Garin predicted that this wouldn't end well, but hey, the trip seemed pretty far-fetched from the start. We've got to rescue Sam and Kanrik, plus find a way to keep Masila out of our hair once and for all before Christmas time. But at least we have one of the fastest ships in the world (or so the crew had told me). At least there's still hope my dad would still be alive.

Still, staring at the sea and thinking about my problems isn't helping to keep my breakfast down.

Week 2

I guess I'm getting used to waking up early in the morning. Ah, well. It's useful for listening in to conversations.

The sun wasn't even out yet when I decided to get up. I know we weren't that close yet, but I could swear that the air was feeling colder. Luckily, it turned out my awesome magic trench coat did block out most of the coldness, so I wasn't that bothered. I noticed that Kayley was out of bed, too; I went out to look for her, maybe pin her down on what was happening to her once and for all. She was the one who bound her life to one of the stones (to be honest, I'm not really sure which one, but their intertwined anyway so I guess it doesn't matter), so she must know a cure.

That doesn't involve anyone dying in her place.

What made me a little slower than usual, though, was the thought that maybe that there wasn't another cure. As much as I've fought with her a lot, especially over guards, she's like my sister. I did not want her to die, no matter how annoying she was.

Funny, she'd probably say the same thing about me.

She was out on deck, facing out to the sea. But Master Jacques was with her. I strained to hear what they were saying. He seemed to be apologizing for something, but she just shook her head, a half-smile on her face. I strained harder. "…It's okay, you're the only one who remembers my birthday anyway, I don't really expect any presents. The one you gave last year was enough."

"Which you gave to Lilia," he said lightly.

She shrugged. "I thought she would have better use of it."

"What about your parents?" he asked. She didn't answer. "Hm. I suppose you're one of the unlucky ones."

"I suppose you can say that," she said, uncertainly.

"Okay, I'll back off. Really, though, not that many people take much notice of you."

"Just the way I like it."

"You're as smart and as skilled as Hanso, Kayley. And yet you hardly ever get attention unless he himself mentions you. And you've helped the Guild as much as him!"

She frowned at him. "Well, I know you don't really like teaching us. You're an okay teacher, but you like being a pirate better. Why don't go back and do it?" That was something I've been wondering, too, but I knew better than to press at him. Now, though…I think deep down, I knew that Kayley was his favorite. My fingers were crossed that she'd be able to weasel this certain piece of information out of him.

What can I say? Even in a deadly mission, I couldn't help but be a snoop.

He stared at her. "It's complicated."

She snorted. "How?" When he hesitated, she added, "It is my birthday…"

"A prophecy," he said dryly. "Caylis got it in her head that one of Garin's crew would teach someone powerful, someone who might be able to save Neopia." He shook his head. "I doubt it's true. A few days before that, Caylis and I had a big fight….she knew I was the only one who would be willing to give up the sea for a while, so it's possible she did it to spite me. You're all good students, but I haven't met anyone yet who looks to be able to save the world."

"Looks can be deceiving," Kayley reminded him.

"I suppose so. Anyway, as I can't get you anything this year, is there anything you want for your birthday?"

She thought about it for a bit. "Be nicer to the twins," she said finally.

He opened his mouth and closed it. She rose without another word.

The rest of the journey passed by uneventfully.

Week 3

"Y'know what, I think Hannah was here," said Garin.

"You think?" Jacques said dryly. Whatever Hannah and the Rebellion was doing, I guessed they weren't aiming to be sneaky. Their muddy footprints were left deep in the ground, showing the trail from where their boat was. That's right, I said was. Apparently, Hannah didn't tie it up properly ("She always made us do that bit," Jacques grumbled) and so it almost floated away. Garin's crew, however, decided to claim it, and put a Black Pawkeet flag to show who the new owners was.

If Hannah promised to return the ship, that person would be very disappointed.

"I wonder how'll they get back," Julius commented. Juliet looked slightly worried.

Kayley, on the other hand, looked hopeful. "You think they might not be able to? Like, they'd be stuck here?"

"Wouldn't count on it," Garin said. "If Hannah was anything, it was resourceful."

"I don't mean forever," she conversed. "Sooner or later someone from Brightvale's going to send a ship—but maybe a few months."

"By that time, we're probably going to be heading back ourselves," he replied. He looked sternly at his crew. "Don't follow Miss Explorer's example, guys. We've been sailing the Black Pawkeet for years, and we ain't gonna stop now."

"Then what was the extra ship for?" I asked.

Garin shrugged. "A trophy? Eh, it'd be useful to put some of our treasure there, and have an extra vehicle."

"So let me get this straight," said Kayley. "You're going to steal the boat just for the heck of it and possibly leave your so-called sister and the guards here stranded for a few months."

"Yeah. You got a problem with that?"

"No. Not at all." Kayley even looked slightly smug about it. Whatever was ailing her, it wasn't dampening her hatred for guards.

"I got the tents," Juliet commented. "You know, since we don't know where to go and we'll probably be going far."

"Good thinking, girl," said Garin approvingly. "Hannah would never remember that. She'd probably be like, 'I was hoping for a cave!'" I snickered, wondering how in Neopia Violet would react to that.

"Yeah," said Jacques uncomfortably. "Good job."

Juliet stared at him.

"What?" he said defensively.

"You never complimented me before."

"Oh…well." He had no answer for that.

We walked around for a few hours, with no idea where we were going. For some reason, I found myself hoping that we wouldn't run into the guards. It'd just be awkward, and hey, Violet would probably arrest me on the spot. Oh, and Razor probably doesn't want to get found out by Sophia. And I'm still kinda shocked how Brynneth took my explorer. I mean, is she crazy? How and why in Neopia would she do something ludicrous as that…

Whoa. That must be what she feels about me all the time.

Anyway, besides the worrying part, and the small hope that we might find my dad, that Mountain was pretty peaceful. We ruled out Happy Valley quickly in the terms of the hideout; in contrast to the secluded villages scattered around the Mountain, it was all squashed and, well, happy. Not where I'd picture the former Thieves' Guild hideout to be. The Ice Caves we left alone, as they weren't discovered until later. That left the rest of the place, and Kayley was right: It was so not just a Mountain. It was an entire, freezing cold country, all dismal and slightly wild.

I wondered how it'd be like to live there. I suppose I could ask, but both Razor and Kayley had moved away when they were little, so they probably didn't remember.

"Right," Garin said. "I think that's enough for one day. Time to hit the hay!"

The crew nodded and automatically began fixing up the tents. The twins, curious (well, it was actually Juliet who was tugging Julius along), began chatting with them, and soon they were helping out, making the entire thing about a hundred percent times faster. Kayley build a fire quickly, while Razor was swallowing a potion because of some cold he got.

We all crowded around the warmth. After a brief silence, Garin chipped in again. "No fire's complete without a story. Any volunteers?" Quiet. "Doesn't anyone have anything interesting to tell? Our crew used all of our tales up. Hey, how about Miss twin-girl over there?"

"Wha-" Juliet's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh, no. Um, no, nothing interesting to say."

He sighed. "Hanso?"

I shrugged. "I told all my stories." Except the ones regarding Brynn, but I left that part out and hoped that no one noticed my voice squeaked.

"Razor?"

"Uh-huh…no."

"Kayley?"

The Acara girl raised her eyebrow. "Are you really so desperate for a story that you would ask me?"

Garin sighed. "Well, we liked to be entertained….we used to love listening to stories that…uh, someone else once told us-" he and Jacques shared a meaningful look –"But I doubt she's up to telling us anything anymore, so yeah. Yeah, we're bored."

"Can't we jut go to bed without a story?" she complained.

"Nope," said a pirate. "Us guys need their bedtime story."

"Men," Morgana groaned. She'd been keeping a low key so far, but I suppose hoping that she'd stay silent for the whole thing was a little too much to ask for.

Kayley rolled her eyes. "Fine. I will now present you the shortest horror s tory in the world." She cleared her throat as all of us awaited eagerly to listen. "Once upon a time, the last person in Neopia was sitting at home. Someone knocked on the door. The end." With that, she made for her own tent before anyone could stop her. It took me a while to think why that would be so scary. But when I figured it out, I knew I'd be lying awake half the night.

"That was quick," Garin commented. "Nevertheless, it was a story."

"Wish Flynn was here," Jacques sighed. "Though he's annoying, he was pretty entertaining for a bird." He glared at his best mate. "Though it was irritating with him saying that 'I had no life.'"

Garin stared blankly at him. "Why're you blaming me for that?"

Jacques punched him on the arm. "Because you gave him for me for Christmas."

"What?" Garin frowned. "I never sent you any bird."

He was telling the truth.

And somehow, that was a lot scarier than any other story that Kayley could tell.

Week 4

"So Flynn…is evil?" Kayley asked with disbelief.

"For some reason, that doesn't really stick with me," Juliet said, frowning. "He's just a bird."

"A highly intelligent bird," I told them.

"But how could anyone have cracked Jacques's code?" said Razor sensibly.

"I did," I replied. "And I'm pretty sure that if I could do it, a certain Mistress of Double-cross might be able to do it as well."

Garin coughed.

"What?" I asked. "She's smart enough to-"

"Actually, Hanso, you're right," he said sheepishly. "It's likely for Masila to have guessed it. In fact, it's more than likely, as she's the one who taught it to us the first place-"

"What?"

"Hey, don't look at me like that," the captain said irritably. "She was a nice lady back then! And remember, we thought she was dead, so we didn't see what the harm to keep using her old code was. Besides," he added, "We never thought we'd be considered important enough for our messages to be intercepted."

"The question really is…why?" Juliet supplemented. "Flynn's been nothing but nice and helpful to us the whole year, plus he gave us a lot of information."

"Like my dad maybe being alive," I put in darkly. Kayley's eyes looked downwards. "Something the matter?" I asked.

"Not really, it's just…" She shook hear head. "It's nothing. Just…he never exactly said your dad's name, right?"

I didn't know what she was talking about, so I just shrugged. My mind was still wrapped around the thought that Flynn – a pawkeet – had betrayed us. I never thought for one second that he was evil; and he didn't seem the type. Okay, yeah, he was a little strange, but his predictions were more weird than sinister (a lot nicer than Morgana's, at least, who kept ranting on how she knew that Flynn was rotten fro the start). I actually managed to like him over the year. But if Flynn had told me that prediction for nothing…that this was all a trap…

This was all racing through my mind until I heard a scream in front of me.

Juliet.

She yelled as she slipped through the ice beneath her, trying to clutch in vain for her brother's desperate attempts to cling to her. But she fell, way below on the icy slope. Kayley, Razor, Julius, and I looked at each other—and at that moment, we all had a mutual agreement. Before anyone could stop us, we jumped in after her.

"No!" Jacques yelled, too late, as Morgana said disgustedly, "Oh, for the love of-"

Instead of a long drop al the way down, like I expected, the ice curved, pulling us into a kind of slide. We raced downwards. Kayley, probably the only one of us who wasn't screaming "AAAAGH!" in her head, grabbed our hands and ordered us sharply to hold on. We did as we were told, and it probably saved us; if we didn't, we would've probably been spinning off in different directions.

Thump!

We landed in a pile of huge snow. "Is everyone okay?" said Razor weakly, as we groggily tried to stand up and get our bearings. He answered his question for himself, surveying us quickly. "Yep, little dizzy, but we'll live. Where's Julie-"

He cut off when we saw her standing there in the mouth of a cave. She nodded when she saw us, her finger on her lips. Probably brushed off and went exploring as soon as she got to the bottom, I thought grumpily, but I was glad that she wasn't hurt. She gestured for us to come forward. "Someone's here," she mouthed.

My eyes widened as I ran to her enthusiastically. A little too enthusiastically, I guess, since the person called out, "Who's there?"

I stifled a gasp when I saw who it was.

And it wasn't my dad.

Uptown guide will be here next chapter. Any suggestions on what I should put in (anything you want to find out)?