Okay, I explain it again, just to make it clear. Sorry for the confusion! In my mother tongue we use these:
"To explain what someone thought"
- To show what someone said/says. – Something like did they yell, cry, laugh … – And the character continues speaking.
I know I could write the dialogs in the English way, but that would really confuse me while writing. I'm used to these dialogs, like:
- How are you?
- Fine. You?
Also, thank you for the reviews! Every following review will be appreciated as well!
After the storm
Montana, Tectum
Kisshu took a deep breath before he flew back to his friends to talk about what happened. He was more than sure that Taruto and Pai were inside the cathedral discussing some significant issues, so he descended to the marble stairs. He climbed the rest of the stairs and walked into the building. The great hall inside it amazed him as always.
- Kisshu! – Taruto shouted as he noticed his friend. He and Pai were standing by the large round table in the center of the assembly hall.
- I hope you're bringing good news! – Pai added.
Kisshu rushed his few last steps towards them.
- It depends on what you mean by good – he sighed.
- What happened, Kisshu? – Taruto asked curiously. – Tell us!
Pai nodded to show he agrees with Taruto.
- The good news is… - Kisshu started, - that I managed to save her life. As she was trapped inside a cabin of a ski lift while a major storm was raging outside.
- So by good news you meant foolishly revealing yourself to her?! – Pai asked critically.
- The cabin was about to fall down and in the end it did. It would have crushed her to death – Kisshu explained.
- It would have been one less problem for us to worry about – Pai shrugged.
- Come on, Pai! – Taruto shouted, hitting Pai's shoulder with his fist. – Don't be so heartless!
Kisshu looked at Taru with gratitude for his support, but Pai only took a deep breath to indicate his disagreement.
- You two spend too much time on humans recently! – Pai claimed.
Taru and Kisshu first looked at him in anger, but then they started to understand.
- Not that much… – Taruto sighed.
- I guess you're right – Kisshu added. – But I won't regret saving her!
Pai nodded in acceptance.
- Have you found out her true intentions at least? Now, that she knows about you, you could have directly asked her instead of spying on her!
Kisshu shook his head tiredly.
- I could have indeed, but she wasn't in the right condition for debriefing. She was hurt and freezing.
- So when are you going to debrief her? – Taruto asked.
- Tomorrow, maybe. But she didn't seem like someone who knew a thing. She didn't even recognize me at first!
- That's not enough evidence! – Pai stated firmly. – You need to make sure, that she's not planning anything that could endanger us!
Kisshu sighed deeply as he looked at Taruto for backup.
- I have to agree with Pai in this! We need to know what she knows! – Taru said. – And you need to make her promise you not to tell anyone about us!
- But don't waste time on anything else! – Pai ordered. – Just question her and then make her swear to remain silent about us!
- Fine, fine! I will – Kisshu promised. – I ensure you that she won't ever harm us!
- I guess she wouldn't harm us anyway – Taruto supposed, as he put his hand on Kisshu's shoulder. – But why do you feel so grumpy about seeing her again? Don't you enjoy the time that you can spend with her?
- You see that's where the problems begin! – Pai stared down on them in disapproval. – That cat girl took away his sanity once before! As far as I'm concerned… – Pai placed his hand on Kisshu's other shoulder with firmness. – I couldn't agree more with your unenthusiastic attitude to see her again. It's better, if you keep your mind clear this time! That's why I advised not to spend much time with her.
- You're both right, my brothers – Kisshu finally stated. – I know she wasn't about to harm any of us – he said looking at Taruto. – And I will make sure that she'll keep our secret as well – he turned to Pai. – And I won't let her distract me again! – he promised.
Taru and Pai tightened their hold of his shoulders and looked at him in satisfaction. The only one who wasn't satisfied was Kisshu himself. Even though he pretended not to feel anything for Zoey, or that he won't fall in love with her again… He wasn't so sure about it. In a different way, than six years ago, but he felt attracted to her again. But, as he thought before, this relationship between them would have no future. So he kept on denying his true feelings.
…
Montana, Winter Resort,
Zoey took a deep breath and entered the cottage. Her friends stared at her in surprise. That was what she'd been counting on.
- Zoey, what happened?! – Haley asked.
- Where were you?! – Chris added.
- Why is blood on your gloves? – Sarah noticed.
- Are you okay? – Andy asked.
- Well, I… - Zoey tried to make something up, but her voice faded as she shivered.
- Oh my God, you're shaking! – Haley shouted, and helped Zoey to take off her coat and boots. Andy brought a blanket and they wrapped Zoey in it as she sat down by the fireplace. She sat in an armchair, crouched like a cat. She even let a 'meow' out, as she started to warm up.
- Thanks guys, you're the best! – Zoey sighed. Soon Sarah give her a cup of warm tea. – Thanks! – she repeated and took a sip of the tea. – It's delicious!
- So… Would you tell me what happened? – Chris demanded as he and her other friends looked at her with curiosity.
- Well… – Zoey started trying hard to make up a good lie. Like, it would be stupid to tell them the truth about Kisshu. And if she cannot talk about Kisshu, then it would be hard to explain how she escaped from the ski lift. So she needs to hide everything about the truth. – You know…
- Have you trapped inside a cabin of a ski lift? – Haley asked directly. Zoey almost had her ears popped out, but she controlled her nervousness.
- No, I haven't! – she managed to deny at last. – But it almost happened! – she said, trying to say something close to the truth. – I might haven't noticed the warning about the storm in time…
- Zoey… So typical! – Andy shook his head.
- But the lifts stopped seconds after I had arrived at the peak I had been heading to…
- So you were trapped on a peak of a mountain while a storm was coming?! – Chris asked.
- Then what? – Sarah asked suspiciously. – Don't tell me you slid down the slope in such a storm!
- Well, I did – Zoey lied.
- On your own?! In such a storm?! – they all shouted.
- Thing is… I was halfway to the ski center, when the storm became too strong, and I got really scared… - Zoey explained. This was a half truth, as she was indeed scared.
- And?!
- You won't believe me, but… When I was panicking in the middle of the ski course, I ran into an old acquaintance…
- How? Someone else was as stupid to ignore the warning as you were? – Andy asked.
- Andy! Don't be rude! – Sarah told him off.
- It seems he was – Zoey responded. – And, to be correct, I should say, he ran into me. He saw me standing in the middle of the slope in fear, and he slid to me. Then he helped me to make it to the end of the slope, and we went into a café in the ski center to warm up.
- You seemed quite frozen when you arrived – Haley said.
- Yes, because the center is still 600 meters from our cottage, and I had to walk home in a huge storm – Zoey lied and took some more sips from the tea. Her friends seemed to be convinced.
- And who was this guy? – Chris asked.
- An old acquaintance, as I said. I first met him in Tokyo about seven years ago – Zoey replied, and it wasn't even a lie.
- What's his name? – Sarah asked. Zoey did not want to answer first, but she decided, it would be too suspicious if she didn't reply a few questions at least.
- Kisshu … Clon…
- Kisshu Clon? That's a weird name – Sarah shrugged. – But fine…
- Do you like him? Or did you like him in the past? – Haley asked.
- Well – Zoey's cheeks became cherry red.
- I guess she definitely like him now – Sarah said, - as he's just saved her.
- That's true – Zoey sighed, as she thought of Kisshu with gratitude.
- If he's such a hero – Andy mentioned, - then why hasn't he accompanied you home?
- And you still haven't explained what happened to your hands? – Chris asked. He was the only one, who noticed that Zoey's wounds still haven't been treated. He put out the first aid box and started to clean her wounds.
- Auu! – Zoey sighed in pain as the alcohol first touched her skin. But then she looked down on Chris, who was sitting next to the armchair, with gratitude. – Thanks Chris.
- No problem – he responded and continued to clean her wounds. – But you could finally answer!
- Fine – Zoey said. – My hands are wounded as I slipped on the stairs of the ski café and hit them trying to ease the fall.
- Typical – Sarah sighed and shook her head.
- You are mean, guys! – Zoey growled, but then she added: - And Kisshu couldn't come with me, as his accommodation was in the other direction, and I also asked him not to walk with me in such a major storm!
- Well, that's understandable – Haley shrugged and so did the others. – You messed up again, Zoey! – she added, but with a playful smile.
- You know me, guys! – Zoey finally managed to smile. – My middle name is Murphy!
- Absolutely! – Chris agreed, when he finished with her wounds. – It wouldn't be you, otherwise!
- But watch out better next time! – Andy advised.
- I will – Zoey promised.
Later, they had dinner and they went to sleep. It seemed that Andy, Chris, Haley and Sarah were about to forget the whole story.
Zoey first found it hard to sleep. She was thinking of Kisshu, and how she had felt about him. First, she had been relieved by his presence, but that was something she would never tell him. Then she had been pissed of by him, as always back in the days. However, there was something different with him now. Or rather, there was something different with her. She had felt so pleasant in his presence, deep down he had calmed her down. Now, thinking of the last events, she really started to like him, more then she had been counting on.
…
Montana, Winter Resort, the next morning
Zoey woke up with new enthusiasm. She decided to search for Kisshu, if it was even possible, and ask him some questions that had been bothering her since last afternoon. "Like, what was he even doing there? And what were his plans? And, maybe… Does he have a girlfriend?" Not like she wanted to date him… She was only curious.
But the morning came with some unexpected news.
- Hey, did you see the news?! – Haley asked the others as they gathered around the wooden table.
- What news? – Andy asked.
- One of the ski lifts was damaged last night – Haley said, showing the others a picture on her tablet. – It's the lift that leads to the highest peak. The cable was damaged during the storm and a few cabins fell down. Most of them crushed on the rocks of the hillside.
- Wow. That storm was rough indeed! – Chris noted.
Zoey took a deep breath. "And if you guys knew…!"
- Hey, Zoey! – Andy said. – How lucky that you didn't chose that ski lift!
- Yeah, that definitely wouldn't reach its destination in such short time, and you would have been trapped – Chris added.
- Just as we supposed last day – Haley said.
- Yes… - Zoey said stroking her head. – Guess I was really lucky yesterday – she lied.
- It seems, we won't be able to use that lift until the rest of our holiday – Sarah concluded. – After all, it's the fifth day and it will probably not be finished in five days.*
(*Zoey and her friends had a 9-day ski pass. They arrived one day before its validity, and leaving the day after the 9th. So, in conclusion, they spend 9 days and two half days in Montana. By fifth day, Sarah meant the fifth day they were about to ski.)
- Yes, we only have five days left to ski involving today – Andy added.
- So, what are we waiting for! Let's eat and then go! – Haley suggested.
…
They soon left for the slopes. The storm has passed and the sky was blue with only a few white clouds drifting away. Despite the nice weather, Zoey refused to go this day, and her friends understood. She had hell of a slid last day, as far as they knew. So they left and Zoey stayed at the cottage.
She spent hours with thinking about Kisshu and what happened. Later she went skating and had lunch. But it all wasn't enough to finally come to terms with everything that happened to her. So she wrote a note to her friends, and around 3 pm she went for a walk. She was heading into the woods far from the ski center, like she did in the previous days. She was in her Mew Mew form of course.
She had been running around the snowy forest for like two hours. It was already dark outside, when she stopped at the high ponderosa which she climbed on two days ago. That wass where she sensed Kisshu's aura. She could only hope that he would show up, but still, she sat down on a fallen tree trunk close to the ponderosa pine. Her intuition was proven to be right.
…
Montana, in the mountains, a few minutes later…
Kisshu didn't want to wait for too long before debriefing Zoey, so he decided to look for her the next day. He didn't want to be seen by the humans, thus he only teleported out Tectum when he knew the Sun had already set in the human world. He didn't know where to look for Zoey for sure, but he relied on his intuition, and flew to the high tree on which he saw her standing two days ago.
He didn't have to be disappointed. The pink haired, cat-eared girl was sitting on a log next to the ponderosa pine. She was wearing winter clothing with a hat and scarf, but he recognized her anyway. Also, her cat ears couldn't been covered fully by her red hat, so it wasn't too hard. He decided to debrief her quickly, and try not to fall in love with her again.
He descended to the snowy ground, quietly and behind her back. He wanted to prank her first, just for fun.
…
- Hey, kitty! What's up? – he said leaning close to her ear. Zoey of course was thrilled and jumped up right away. She turned to him with fright and anger.
- Kisshu! – she shouted angrily, as the Cyniclon only gave her a grin. – Did you have to do this?!
- Uh, aren't you scared, kitty? – he asked with a cunning smile. He couldn't help enjoying pissing her off.
- You were right, some people just never change! – she claimed nervously. Although, deep inside, she was rather excited.
- I'd like to correct that statement! – Kisshu said. – It's more like, some habits never change. But I have changed since then.
- Well, I have changed too! – Zoey stated. – I'm not the little girl you can play with, anymore!
- I see – he sighed as his voice became more serious. – Also I haven't come to play with you.
- Like I would believe you! – she disagreed, but she did realize the change in his tone. – Then why have you come?! Why are you here, at all?! – she asked finally what she had been dwelling on all day.
- I've come to debrief you – Kisshu explained, and pointed at the trunk with his left hand. – Sit down, please!
- What?! – Zoey shouted. – No! – Kisshu frowned. – I meant... – she added. - What are you doing here, on Earth!
- The exact reason of my visit is to find out how much you know about things like this. It would be stupid to tell you the very information which I'd like to make sure you don't know!
- Well, I don't know anything and it's starting to drive me crazy! – Zoey complained. – What do you think made me so distracted last day that I got in that stupid cabin despite the warning?!
- I have definitely no idea! – Kisshu stretched his arms to demonstrate it. – But it would be great to know, why you have been so suicidal!
- I wasn't suicidal! I had been thinking of YOU all day, and because of it I couldn't focus on anything else! So, after all, it was the least from you to save me, as if it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have stepped inside that stupid cabin at all!
Kisshu first looked at her in surprise, then he seemed to be relieved. "At least she wasn't suicidal. …But…" His face turned a bit emotional.
- You… had been thinking of ME? – he asked, finding it hard to believe.
- Oh, just don't be so touched! – Zoey replied defiantly. – It was because I sensed your stupid aura in New York, and then two days ago while standing on this tree – she pointed at the ponderosa pine. – It was so disturbing, and I couldn't imagine what you were doing here! And for the record, I wasn't even sure that is was you, as you never showed yourself! You jerk! Why were you spying on me?!
- Well – Kisshu didn't want to piss her off much more. Also, despite the anger in her voice, he felt that Zoey was rather uncomprehending than mad. And she had every right to be so. – I'm sorry to distress you – he said on a rather kind than serious voice.
- Sorry, huh?!
- In New York I only wanted to find out how it was going for you. After all, it had been six years… And I didn't think that you would sense me.
- Well, I did.
- I didn't want anything else from you.
- Then why did you follow me to Montana?! And what are you doing on this planet, again?!
- It was an accident that I saw you two days ago – Kisshu replied, trying to avoid the other question. – I had no idea that you were here on vacation.
- Well, let's suppose that you're saying the truth…
- I am!
- You're still avoiding my other question! – Zoey insisted. – Why…?! – she couldn't finished as he put his finger on her mouth.
- Sshhh. Let me ask the questions finally! – he commanded. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down to the trunk. – Sit!
- But…!
- Why have you come here, to Montana?
…
To be continued…
Merry Christmas Everyone!