A/N: So here we have the second chapter. I don't really have much to say here, except I'm adding more OCs. They're only minor characters, but anyway. Here it is.
"So what were you doing out here anyway? Are you lost?"
"No, I'm not lost. What's it to you anyway?" Ellen responded to Viola's question. Her voice held a hint of anger, and Viola's eyes registered a little shock, but she quickly composed herself.
"Well, you don't look equipped for being out here. Are you on your own, or do you have somewhere to go?"
Ellen was getting very concerned, and quite a bit agitated. She wasn't sure how to respond, and Viola's curiosity wasn't helping matters. "I have..." She trailed off as a feeling of dizziness swept over her body. Her vision blurred for a second, and when it cleared again she was leaning against Viola, with her head on her- Oh god no! She pushed away from Viola's chest, and quickly stood upright "I'm so sorry, I-"
"Are you okay!? You just stumbled into me! Did you hit your head?" Viola barraged her with questions, either ignoring or not noticing where Ellen's head had been. As Ellen blushed furiously, Viola grabbed Ellen's head and started moving her hair and twisting her head around, looking at it closely.
"Wh- what are you doing?" Ellen asked in confusion. Strangely, she found that she didn't mind particularly that this girl had grabbed her like this.
"I'm checking for head injuries. Daddy told me that head injuries can be very serious, because you might have concussion." As she said this, Ellen realised she had a slight headache. Just as she was about to say something, Viola pulled her hand away, blood covering two fingers. "You've got a nasty cut on your head. I assume that happened when you fell over just now." She paused as she thought something over. "Why were you running anyway?" Ellen was in a dilemma. On the one hand, she didn't fully trust the girl. On the other hand, she didn't feel comfortable lying to her. Before she could decide what to say, Viola spoke again. "Oh, I'm sorry, am I being nosey? I didn't mean to pry, but I've always been told I'm far too curious. I guess it's something I need to work on, right?" Viola smiled another warm, friendly smile. "But, if you don't have anywhere to stay, do you want to camp with me and my friends for tonight? We're all out here camping. There are only three others – It's me, Angelica, May and Rue. They're just friends of mine from school."
Ellen was about to say she would go on her own, when she heard Loki's voice, again in her ear. "Go with her, she will help you."
Ellen was startled, but she noticed that Viola hadn't seemed to notice a thing. "Okay, I'll come with you..." She said, trusting Loki's judgement. He hadn't lead her astray yet.
"Okay then, come on!" Viola giggled, about to drag Ellen off by the hand. Suddenly, she stopped, turning to face Ellen. "Have you got a sleeping bag? What about food?"
"Umm... no, not really..."
"Alright then, I'll have to get you something to sleep in. Oh! Wait here a moment!" Ellen turned around and grabbed a large pile of wood off of the floor. "Almost forgot why I was out here! Alright, this way." With that, she walked off, and Ellen followed her into the woods.
After about a quarter of an hour, they came to a small clearing. There was one small tent there, a small table with what looked like food and cooking equipment on it, and a small pile of ashes. "I'm back!"
When she called out, three people emerged from the tent. The first was a girl with dark brown hair and blue eyes, about the same height as Ellen, wearing a hooded jumper and jeans to keep out the cold. The second had very pale, almost snow white skin, jet black hair and violet eyes, who was wearing pretty much the same clothes as the first. The third had dark hair and green eyes, with a shirt and jeans on, seemingly oblivious to the temperature. Much like Viola, come to think of it. She quickly put her arms over the shoulders of her two friends who both regarded Ellen with surprise and curiosity, whilst she just a smile on her face. "So Viola, who's this?" She asked.
"This is Ellen; I met her in the woods. She hasn't got anywhere to go tonight, so I said she could stay with us."
"Nice to meet you Ellen! I'm Rue, and this is May," she indicated the blue eyed girl, "and Angelica" With that, she pointed at the violent eyed girl.
"Hello, it's nice to meet you." May relaxed and smiled warmly.
"Hi..." Angelica appeared to be very shy, seeing as she was trying to hide behind Rue.
"Did you get the firewood?" May looked at Viola, waiting for an answer. Viola looked down into her arms, where she was holding a large pile of wood, and then stared at May, one eyebrow arched. "Ah... stupid question, right?" Viola merely nodded.
"Should I get the fire going Viola?" Rue asked.
"Yeah, you do that. I'm going to get some food ready, so May, could you help me with that?"
"Sure thing Viola." May replied.
"Okay... Angie, you know first aid, right? Could you have a look at Ellen's head? She hurt it just before I found her."
"Umm... okay..." Angelica replied nervously. She lead Ellen over to the tent and sat her down inside. There was a small pile of what appeared to be sleeping bags and rucksacks in one corner. "Um... please wait here." She crawled (She had to, it was a low tent) to the pile of gear, where she found a small first aid kit in a rucksack. She brought it to Ellen, opening it by her side. "Um... hold still please..." She moved Ellen's hair aside, looking at the cut. "It doesn't appear to be serious, but I should still dress it." Strangely, her nerves had vanished as soon as she began to treat Ellen. Putting an antiseptic and some dressing on the cut, she smiled at Ellen. "So, uh... why were you out there anyway?"
"I... I was trying to get away from... from some bad people." Angelica nodded in what appeared to be understanding. "Um... why were you so nervous earlier?"
"Oh... well, eheh... I don't really like meeting new people, it's... scary..."
Ellen smiled, and she hadn't done so in so long that she almost found it painful. "I... I know what you mean; it can be very... scary. But you got a lot calmer when you were treating me."
"Well, I like helping people. I want to be a doctor when I leave school, and whenever I do something like this, I just get so happy."
"I guess it's good to have something you enjoy..."
"Yeah, I guess so. So, who were you running from?"
"Um... Well, it's kind of complicated, uh..."
"Oh, don't talk about it if you don't want to! I didn't mean to pry..."
"Thank you... It's very hard to talk about."
"I know what you mean, I think... Well, I've finished patching you up. Everything should be all right now. Do you want to go back outside now..?"
"Yes please..." As they both left the tent, Ellen was surprised to see that the others had already gotten a medium sized fire going, with a pot over it filled with water. Viola and May were cutting vegetables and some meat of some description at the table, whilst Rue kept the fire going, occasionally adding a bit of wood or stirring the pot. As Ellen watched, Angelica got a small bag from just inside the tent, handing it to Rue.
"Thanks Angie..." She said with a smile, taking a few small bottles of what appeared to be herbs and spices from the bag.
Ellen walked over to Viola. "Um... Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Yeah, sure... Just grab a knife and start chopping those potatoes..." Viola pointed over at another part of the table, where there was a small pile of potatoes. Ellen quickly got to work, slicing fast and rhythmically with the knife. She hadn't ever done this before, but she picked it up just by watching how Viola and May did it. Soon, she'd finished cutting the potatoes. May had already done the carrots and onions, and Viola was just finishing chopping mushrooms and meat. Rue took all the ingredients and put them in the pot of hot water. She then added a few bits and pieces from the jars Angelica gave her, and then stirred it briefly to mix everything up, before leaving it to cook.
Ellen shivered slightly. True, they'd all gathered around the fire, but her back was still cold because it was facing away from the fire. A small part of her liked the contrast between the different parts of her body. It was an unusual sensation, and it just made her feel more alive. She felt herself smile slightly, relishing the others company. Loki had been right; it was a good idea to go with Viola. Though... She could still feel a slight unease, like she was being watched, like she wasn't safe.
As she thought this, she once again shivered, this time out of her unease rather than because of the cold. Viola noticed this, going to the tent and coming back with a hooded jumper. "Here you go. I thought you might be a little cold."
Ellen smiled in response. "Thank you." Slipping it over her head, she was immediately grateful for the warmth it provided
Rue turned to the pot. "I think the food's done cooking." She took a ladle and started spooning it into bowls. Quickly, May and Viola rushed to get some, whilst Angelica and Ellen hung back. When it came to Ellen, she motioned for Angie to go first who replied, "After you."
"No, after you..."
"Please, after..." She was cut off as Rue held a bowl out in each hand. They both giggled and took the bowls. Ellen sat down next to Viola, whilst Angie waited for Rue to sit down with her. When the two of them sat down, Angie lay her head down on Rue's shoulder, snuggling in close to her. As Ellen began to eat, May noticed the two of them.
"Get a room guys..." She said with a smirk.
"Aww, you look adorable..." Viola added, a cute smile on her face. Ellen felt as if her eyes were drawn to Viola, and she couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked. A light blush found its way to her cheeks, and she turned her attention to the others, trying to clear her head.
Angie's face turned deep red, and she buried her head in the crook of Rue's neck. Rue herself looked very embarrassed, but also slightly amused. "Just because I've got a beautiful girlfriend, doesn't mean you two have to be jealous..."
"Me, jealous? You know I'm not into girls..." May replied.
"Yeah, why would either of us be jealous? But that doesn't stop it being adorable!" Viola added, a huge smile on her face.
Ellen, slightly confused and finding it hard to follow the conversation, decided to ask Viola. "What are you guys on about?"
"Oh yeah, you don't know do you? Well, Rue and Angie here are going out. Have been for about... Must be getting on for three years now, right?"
"Well, it was just before your eleventh birthday Viola, and you're 14 in a month or two... Yeah, three years in about five weeks." Rue replied.
"You thinking of proposing anytime soon Rue?" May asked with a wicked smile.
"Hehe... Not yet..." Rue murmured. "We still have to break the news to our parents first."
May looked grave all of a sudden. "I definitely don't have any jealousy there. Angies parents are alright, and your dad's a really nice guy, but what about your mum?"
"With any luck dad will keep her in check." By this point, most of them had finished, with only Angie having anything left to eat.
She slowly worked her way through hers, but paused to ask Ellen a question. "What are your parents like Ellen?"
Ellen didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell them the truth, but she couldn't make up a convincing lie either. Before she could reply though, there was a noise out in the woods.
"Damn, I thought they'd be occupied for longer... pull that hood up." Once again, Ellen could hear Loki's voice in her ear. Doing as he said, she pulled her hood up, covering her hair and eyes, just as two men burst through the trees. They looked like servants from her father's house, and she knew instantly that they were looking for her. One had a radio in his hand, whilst the other held a shotgun. Turning her head and hands back towards the fire, she wondered what to do.
"Hello there." The first one spoke calmly, whilst the second (the armed one) scanned around with his eyes. "We're looking for a young girl, about your age. Do you mind if we check around here?"
Loki watched from the tree line, his silver eyes gleaming with his frustration. Trying to work out what to do, he suddenly came up with a brilliant idea. Looking at the men, he could see them checking the girls. One of them would check Ellen in a second.
Feeling with his mind, he found a tree in the woods on the other side of the clearing. Feeling a weakness, he smashed into it with a wave of telekinetic power. The resulting crack caused everyone to turn to look at it, giving Loki precious seconds. Twisting the fabric of space, he created a corridor, which sucked him in one end and Ellen in the other. Suddenly, he was sitting by the fire with the girls. Now I just have to rely on dim lighting and a little cognitive blindness, and they'll never even realise the difference.
The two men looked back at him, but when they got a proper look, they only saw a boy with piercing silver eyes. The other girls looked shocked at the change, but as the men turned, Loki put a finger over his lip, signalling for them to keep quiet. Wisely, they heeded that sign. Loki then twisted reality one more time, a pulse of radio waves coming from him.
There was a crackle from the servant's radio. "We've found her! She's running north! Everyone, get here now!"t
With a start, the two men ran off in pursuit of Ellen. Or, rather, an imaginary Ellen that didn't exist. He'd sent conflicting messages to each radio, that led them all off on paths that they'd never meet on, and all away from Ellen. He felt quite proud of himself for that one.
Ellen saw the two of them turn around to check the noise, but then she felt a wave of dizziness and darkness falling over her eyes, before she found herself staring at the girls, and sitting in her place was Loki. She smiled slightly, marvelling at how he'd protected her. Just after the two of them ran off (She couldn't hear the radio from that distance) Loki motioned for her to walk over to them. She went over to them, and the others gasped in surprise when they saw her.
"How'd you do that?" Viola gasped in wonder. Angelica and Rue could only gape in astonishment. May on the other hand, looked slightly more suspicious.
"What I want to know is why?" She asked, her voice laced with distrust.
"Well... uh , if you want to know how, you'll have to ask him," She indicated Loki, "But as to the why... well, they were looking for me."
"Why?" Rue asked in reply.
"Well, they work for my parents. Angie, you remember you asked me about my parents before those guys turned up? Well, my parents... they used me ever since I was born. Used me for their own ends, with no concern for me..." Ellen felt herself shaking. How could she make them believe her? Was she going to lose her new friends already?
"...How do you mean they used you?" May pressed her further, clearly not understanding the stress Ellen was under.
"Hey, leave her alone..." Loki muttered. "It's been a hard day for her."
They all gasped at the sound of his voice. "Who are you?" May replied. Really? You ask that of a creature that has a voice that sounds like everyone in the world talking at once? Are you not just a little bit intimidated? Ellen wondered.
"Well, I believe the best way to describe me would be... Well, I'm a pan-dimensional being of incredible intelligence and equally incredible power. My power could be considered god-like, and some of your kind have referred to me as such, but that was many thousands of years ago and I was going through a rough patch and doing a lot of smiting and destroying things. It's probably better just to call me Loki though."
"Loki? That's your name? The name of a Norse god?"
"Hey, that's the name I was given..." He said, slightly indignantly.
"Who gave you the name?" Angie asked nervously.
"Ellen did." He replied. "She probably chose it because she was looking in a book of Norse myths for a name for me"
"Why did Ellen choose your name...?"
"Because... well... incredible intelligence isn't limitless. And 10 billion years can do a number on what you remember about yourself, especially when you don't really need a name in the first place."
"This is all great and all, but it just sounds like you're crazy. Your voice may sound weird, but that could be a trick. I mean, a pan-dimensional..." May's voice died to nothing as, with but a snap of his fingers, Loki was gone.
"Proof enough?" His voice called from the top of a tree. A tree it should have taken ten to fifteen minutes to climb. He had done it instantaneously. Then he jumped down to them. "Ellen, do you want to tell them about what your parents were like, or..?" He let the question hang in the air.
"Could you... tell them..."
"Certainly... Actually, I have a better idea. Can I show them?"
"Um... Yeah, I guess so... What do you mean, show them?"
"They'll see..."
With that, they all froze, leaving Ellen standing there, not knowing what to do.
The four friends stood there, seeing only darkness. They huddled together, but even pressed close together, they couldn't see each other. A voice called out of the darkness. "Oh damn... One second." With that, light appeared all around them. They were in an area that was totally white, and it was impossible to tell the floor from everything else, even though they could feel it under their feet. Loki stood a few metres away, looking at them warmly. "That's better... Now, shall we get on with what we need to do?"
"Where are we?" Viola asked.
"Well, that's an interesting conundrum. You see, your bodies are where they were... Your minds, on the other hand, are in a kind of inter-dimensional space."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's hard to explain. But you're safe. I suppose inter-dimensional space is the wrong way to put it. A place between universes would be an easier idea for you to grasp."
"Who or what are you!?" May shouted, clearly scared by the being she didn't understand.
"Well, like I said, I'm a pan dimensional being... I suppose you could explain it in that I'm pretty much just made up of energy and consciousness. The physical form you see is just something I made with my powers. The pan dimensional bit... Well I exist across all dimensions. I am everywhere and nowhere, at every moment of existence. I have to admit, this can lead to some bad decisions... When you've effectively lived through from the beginning of the universe to the end, but at the same time you haven't, it can get confusing."
He paused for a long moment, staring at the ground, or at least where the ground should have been. "It gets lonely too... But that's not what we're here for. We're here to show you something you need to see." He clicked his fingers, and millions of panels appeared around them, all displaying different images.
"What are these?" Rue asked.
"Ellen's life, up to now at any rate. Time for you to see what she lived through. Through her eyes." With that, one of the panels absorbed them, and they fell into Ellen's memories.
Viola felt her eyes open. That had been a... Distressing experience, to say the least. She hadn't realised that it was possible for one person to feel that much pain and misery. When you were in that much suffering, and to see your parents, just standing by and letting it happen. Using it, using you, all for their own gain. It was made a hundred times worse when Ellen discovered how they were actually causing it. It was despicable. And then to find a chance to escape. Not one, but two creatures of magic had come before her, offering her a way out. Viola felt glad that Ellen had chosen Loki rather than the cat, but how close her despair took her to making a deal with that creature made Viola slightly scared. That someone like Ellen could be pushed that far was something she had not realised. If it had been me in her position, I'm not sure I'd have waited long enough for Loki to turn up...
As she thought this, Ellen appeared at her side. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"Ellen... I..." She couldn't say the words she wanted to, so she settled for wrapping her arms around her and hugging her as tight as she could. The other three girls joined in, almost squeezing the life out of Ellen.
Mays voice whispered in her ear. "I'm so sorry I doubted you..."
"It's okay, but... Could you please let me go?" Ellen squeaked, unable to get enough air to talk properly.
At once, all of them jumped back. "Sorry, it's just..." Viola mumbled.
"It... It's okay, I actually kind of liked it, but it was getting hard to breath." Ellen said with a giggle.
"Hehe, yeah... Sorry about that." Angelica said. The others all nodded their heads in agreement.
"I have to admit, I was a bit worried about you guys. What happened to you?"
"We went... Well, I have no idea, but long story short; we saw what happened to you..." May said, slightly worried about what Ellen would think.
"Ah... Right. Umm... And you don't mind... Knowing who I am?" Ellen asked, apprehension clear on her face.
The other girls looked shocked, but quickly pulled Ellen into another group hug, this one gentler than the first. "You haven't done anything wrong." Viola said simply.
Ellen smiled. "Thank you." She felt safe in their arms. She hadn't known just simply having friends could feel this good. But something felt... Wrong, but in a way good. She felt warmth from all of them, but she felt something more from Viola. Or actually, perhaps a better way to put it would be towards Viola. Something that scared her slightly. She didn't know what it was, but she had a pretty good guess. Am I… in love with her? I've barely known her for more than a few hours! This isn't love… is it? But why else would I feel like this? She tried to clear her head. She's just a friend – Okay. So she's very pretty, but that's probably the source of this… attraction… It's nothing serious… nothing serious at all. Just a friend.
At that moment, Viola spoke up. "Well, I'm tired. It's been a bit of a crazy night, and I'm going to bed. What about you guys?"
May nodded in response, and Angie looked questioningly at Rue. "I guess we're going too." Rue said with a slight smile.
Ellen looked over at where Loki was standing. He'd sat there quietly through the entire conversation, but now he could see she wanted him. "What do you want, Ellen?" He asked quietly. The others all jumped at the sound of his voice.
"What are you doing now?" Ellen responded, wondering what he would do.
"Well, I think I need to set up a new life for you. I'm going to enrol you in a school – probably the same one as these guys – procure a place for you to live, and forge a past for you so you don't get questioned. I should have all but the school done by the tomorrow morning, and we'll go to the school and get you enrolled at that point, ok?" He paused for a moment, thinking to himself. "If I pose as an older brother, that should remove all questioning as to how you're provided for, where you live etcetera. The only thing I'm concerned about is that I'm going to have to get a job, or someone's going to notice that something's up." He looked at her with a smile. "I'll work out the kinks in the plan overnight. For now, do what you want to."
"Well what I want to do is sleep." Ellen replied with a grin.
He grinned back. "I guess that would be a good idea. I'll see you tomorrow then." With this, he walked off into the night. Viola walked over to the fire, which had grown low, and tipped the left over liquid from the food earlier onto it to put it out.
"Well, I guess we should all get into the tent then." Viola said. They all walked into the tent, and Rue immediately went over to the pile of bags, passing out a sleeping bag to May and another to Viola. She took a third and laid it on the floor, before opening it up and getting in. Angie got in with her. May looked at them with a mischievous, but also slightly annoyed, expression.
"If I have to listen to you two make out all night again, I'm going to throw my shoes at you." She said. Ellen couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or if she genuinely meant it.
"Well, I would say go on then, but…" Rue whispered as she pointed at Angie. The girl's eyes were already shut, and she was curled up against Rue. There was a cute little murmur as she moved slightly in her sleep, her head moving into the crook of Rue's neck.
"She's so cute!" Viola whispered.
"I swear you say that at least once an hour." May muttered with a grin.
"What? It's true isn't it?" She said back. May merely giggled.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous."
"Hehe... you know I'm not though..." May shook her head with a final grin, as she curled up in her sleeping bag.
Viola turned her head to Ellen. "Oh, you don't have a sleeping bag, do you? Why don't you share with me?"
"Uh... Okay..." Ellen replied. Viola unzipped the sleeping bag, lying down inside, then holding it open for Ellen. Ellen felt awkward as she got in, lying next to Viola, their bodies pressed together. Viola did up the zip behind her. Ellen was feeling uncomfortable enough in such close proximity to Viola, but then Viola wrapped her arms around her. Ellen blushed a deep red. Fortunately, Viola didn't notice, as her eyes were already shut, and she began to fall to sleep. Just before she drifted off, she kissed Ellen's forehead.
"Goodnight, Ellen..." She mumbled, drifting off to sleep.
Ellen lay there for over a half an hour, her mind whirling. Does she like me in that way? Surely not... we've only just met! That must have just been a... friendly thing? Yes that's it...
And the fact I enjoyed it so much is nothing to do with any feelings I may or may not have for her...
A/N: Well then, there you have it. Chapter 2 is done. So I kind of have a rough idea of how long I want this to be. I'm thinking just another one or two chapters, so yeah... a few hints of Viola/Ellen at the beginning, and some stronger elements to the end. The next chapters will solely be about those two's relationship (Well, and Ellen's integration into regular society).
I hope you enjoyed this update,
JJ4622, Over and Out.