*grins* Thanks. I enjoyed drawing it, and I like the feel of...I dunno, despair it brings, but thats not exactly what I mean either. And questions. What happens to Talia that she has a blood soaked sword? Why does she have a sword? How did she get there? Etc.Serpent Syra said:
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Learning to Heal the Hurt - Book I: Fire Red
- Thread starter Saya
- Start date
SnoringFrog
Well-Known Member
Nice pic. Isn't the "sword" Talia's stick? That's what it looked like to me. Looks like she went on a Pokemon killing spree.
SnoringFrog
Well-Known Member
At first I thought it was just a sword, until I took a closer look, that's when I noticed the somewhat different design than any swords I've seen. The stone in the handle was what confirmed it. Since the addition of the red stone to her stick in the last chap.
T
Togepicute
Guest
please update soon!!! AWESOME!!
I have a question; will you be giving out any information about the second book, such as its name, how many chapters, ect? I've been actually biting myself trying to figure out what adventures lie in the second book, seeing as you are over half-way finished with Fire Red.
Actually, in the Author's Profile section I've got a summary of the second book, and the names of both the second and third books. I think I posted my profile on the fourth or fifth page of that thread so you could go check that. It tells you a little info about the trilogy and the one I'm writing now, etc. Thanks for reading!Serpent Syra said:
Thanks! Did you see the picture? What do you think of it? Thanks for reading!Togepicute said:
~Saya~
Oh, yeah. My new one-shot fanfiction, Flash!, was just put up today for anyone who wants to read it. It has major tie-in's to the LTHTH Trilogy, especially Talia's life, so I really encourage you to read it.
Here's the link: Flash!
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legendaryrider
Soul Trainer
Saya said:lol Told ya. *evil grin* There's your evil grin for the chapter LR.Thanks for reading, and I'm glad you enjoyed it!
*nods* Thanks. That's alright. I know what you mean by not being able to review. I have problems with that all the time. Either I'm too busy or just don't feel like reading. I just can't force myself to read anything right now. *sigh* I'll have to work on that.
You'll just have to wait and see what I do with the last four chapters. The next chapter adds an extreme twist and spices up the plot a whole lot. I like it.
Thanks for the help too. I registered at Photobucket, and I got the picture downloaded with no trouble.
Here is the picture I was haing trouble downloading earlier. As I said before, I drew it today. I told myself it looked like Talia, so I tweaked it a bit and ended up with this. It's quite a foreshadowing of what's to come a long way in the future. Around the third book I believe. I'm quite proud of it. XD
Well, what do you think?
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a314/Saya1450/taliaforeshadow.png
~Saya~
FWEEEEEEEEEEE! the evil grin. keep going.
lol Thank! And here's the next chapter you've been waiting for!legendaryrider said:
So, no one reviewed Flash, my one-shot, but thats all right. I can live with it. I'm finally able to come on the computer again after the new instalation of a rule from my parents. I can't go on on school days. *sigh* I'll live with it. Anyway, enough talk. Here I present you with Chapter 9: Stowaway. Oh, a new major character gets introduced in this chapter. I hope you'll like it, and don't forget to review!
~Saya~
Learning to Heal the Hurt - Book I: Fire Red
Chapter 9: Stowaway
Chapter 9: Stowaway
You know, when I mentioned that I’d never been to a larger city than Sandar before, I lied. It was a completely unintentional lie though. I’d been to Rustboro a few times in my pathetically sheltered life when my mother had needed a good vacation. In fact I’d once stayed at the very hospital I’d just spent about the most boring week of my life in when I’d almost severed my finger with a kitchen knife. Even if I had been to this city before I was still utterly and completely lost.
I, as my mother always put it, was directionally challenged and proud of it. I could never make heads or tails of a map or tell north from south. I swear, even if you gave me a compass, a map and a GPS I would still manage to get myself lost. I was a very sorry case.
This time, though, it wasn’t exactly my fault. Everything looked alike in this frickin’ city! Building after building rose up from the pavement of the city base, stretching themselves up toward the sky as if in a race to obtain the most sunlight. All were created with the same dull gray, brown and occasionally white cement or stone. Dozens of windows etched into the buildings peered down toward the rugged streets, almost creating the illusion of a many-eyed monster. Open, summer stands stood at every corner, vendors tempting gawking tourists with their colorful display of goods. Vehicles roared down the streets, heedless of the numerous passersby filling the sidewalks.
People of all colors, shapes and sizes milled about, some bustling past with a set destination in mind, glaring at every obstruction, living or not, in their determined paths. Others, mostly tourists in their casual, summery garb, bumbled aimlessly around, gawking openly at everything in sight. There was also the slew of Pokemon trainers, strutting confidently down the pavement, a Pokemon, and sometimes two, riding proudly on their shoulders. Children darted mischievously in and out of the vast crowds stirring up trouble at every corner. Wild Pokemon crept discretely along the edges of the streets, keeping close to the dark premises of an alleyway, snatching up refuse scraps discarded on the filthy ground by careless humans.
Rustboro was just a big, noisy, stinking city, I concluded, and as I walked this just became more and more apparent. I was lost, somewhere in the center of this hulking mass of manmade machinery, and I was far too prideful to ask for directions. To where? I pondered. How was I even going to ask for directions if I had no idea how I was to reach my destination?
Up ahead the sky began to clear of those endless buildings jutting up into the air, showing, for once, its true colors. Amongst the subtle grays and whites of the dense cloud cover I could detect the tiny silhouettes of a flock of bird Pokemon, Wingull and Pelipper I believe, soaring high above the earth on the breath of strong winds I could not detect from down below. A light breeze came whipping in my direction, bringing with it the unmistakable taste of salt. For the first time I realized I was nearing the ocean and the pride of all Rustboro, its infamous harbor.
Topping the rise of the last hill obstructing my view of what I was sure to be the harbor I stopped and stared, halted in dumb awe. Though the rest of Rustboro had been exceptionally dull, Rustboro Harbor was nothing at all like the rest of the city. Ocean liners, fishing boats, pleasure rides; jet skies, sailboats, barges, research vessels, rowboats, canoes and just about every other ship imaginable lined the innumerable piers. Masts from every kind of ship cluttered the air space directly above the harbor, and ready boats wove in and out of the other docked vessels.
People swarmed the docks, almost more people than I had seen in all of Rustboro City; hardened sailors hard at work preparing their ships to sail, captains barking orders at their busy crew, fisherman checking and rechecking their poles, tourists gawking and lining up for tickets to a boat tour of the harbor, everyone was there. Children laughed and shouted, jumping about as they stared at the ships, while their parents tried in vain to keep them in order. Unkempt, underfed harbor Pokemon darted and weaved around people’s feet, and as usual, there was no recline in the number of young, overconfident trainers rushing enthusiastically through the area. Shops, food stands, and streets performers filled the largest pier, an obvious tourist trap, and tantalizing aromas drifted from the open doors of the restaurants, overwhelming the stale fish and salt smell of the rest of the harbor, and making my stomach growl. I was suddenly reminded of how hungry I was
Then I saw her. She was the largest, grandest thing I had ever laid eyes on, and her beauty seemed to draw me to her. Every line, every color on her was perfect from the grayish black underbelly, to the three tall smokestacks reaching high into the air. My feet brought me directly down to her pier, and I didn’t even have time to wonder what drew me to her, since I’d never had much infatuation with ships. Everything around me had suddenly disappeared, leaving only her and me. There was almost no doubt in my awed mind of who she was. One quick glance at her hull confirmed my suspicions. She was the great S. S. Cactus, just as I had been suspecting since the moment I’d set my eyes on her. She had been advertised for months. Every flier I’d read claimed she was the grandest, most fancy beauty ever made by human hands. I knew right then that I just had to be on her when she set sail the next morning.
How on earth was I ever going to hook myself up with $1200 by noon? Every flier had proclaimed that a ticket to the beauty cost that enormous amount. There was just no way I was going to pull it off. I had to be on that ship though! I would do almost anything to get on her. There just seemed to be no way it was possible at the moment. A tiny grin snuck across my face, unless…
“She’s beautiful isn’t she?” A soft voice asked in my ear. I jumped and span quickly around to find myself staring up into strangest, mischievous gray eyes I had ever seen. I stepped back uncertainly and let my eyes do a quick, but thorough, sweep of the man who stood so casually beside me.
He appeared to be about nineteen, possibly twenty, with a snub nose and a mop of unruly brown curls atop his head. He was leaning easily against the dark railing of the dock, staring casually up at the massive form of the S. S. Cactus as if it were the most natural thing in the world to be talking to a completely strange girl in the middle of Rustboro City. I can tell you that I wasn’t exactly feeling comfortable with the situation right then.
“Um…” I murmured uncomfortably, casting my eyes down toward his feet. He wore heavy leather boots that looked as if they’d recently enjoyed an extra long mud bath.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” The man, boy really judging by that impish smile glued to his boyish features, said apologetically, “I didn’t introduce myself properly.” His voice held a silky, mellow tone, somehow reminding me of thick, dark honey. This immediately triggered alarm bells in my head, but my stupid mind chose to ignore them. Then again, maybe it wasn’t exactly my mind’s fault. My mind had been felling mighty sluggish for the past two minutes, all my senses dulled and my reaction timing slowed. Perhaps from the sheer grandness of the ship before me. He stuck a weather beaten brown hand in my direction. “I’m Periwinkle. You are?”
I blinked and gingerly took the offered hand in my own. His fingers were rough and calloused beneath my touch, the hands of a workingman. Just the same, I was not used to strangers being so forthright with me. “Periwinkle? Isn’t that some sort of blue color?” I asked stupidly. My mind really did not comprehend things correctly.
“Yes it is, but only in the form you’re using it. My name is two words, not one. Perry. Winkle. See?” He replied smoothly, a slight hint of laughter entering his mellow tone.
“Um…it’s a little weird, but okay,” I shrugged.
“You never mentioned your name though,” Perry Winkle spoke up promptly, as soon as a lull in the conversation appeared.
I glanced up at him, and for a second I thought something in his eyes had changed. It was like, well, I don’t know, a blazing fire of…what? Anger? Regret? I didn’t know. That familiar mischievous gray gaze quickly replaced the glint though, before I had any time to think on it further. My breath caught shakily in my throat and I quickly glanced away.
“Uh…Talia…” I replied, reluctant to give this complete stranger my last name. But you told your last name to Darren and Julia, didn’t you! A tiny voice in my head demanded. So why don’t you give your last name to this man too?
This is different! I argued back fiercely. He’s different from them!
Yes, but different in what way? And how different?
I ignored it, ignored those insistent alarm bells clanging away in my brain. I should have listened to them. It was very stupid to be arguing with yourself anyway, even if no one could hear you.
“…O’Hara,” I ended with a lie, hoping that he hadn’t noticed my brief pause. If he had noticed anything, Perry Winkle said nothing. I had a sinking suspicion though, that Perry Winkle wasn’t the name of the young man standing opposite me either. Even with that suspicion my brain would not listen to what pure common sense was telling me: to stay away from this man!
“Hmm… Talia O’Hara? Interesting,” He got this far off look in his eyes, but quickly snapped back to reality. “Isn’t she a beauty?” He meant the ship. This guy skipped around on subjects like a half crazed Linoone with its tail on fire.
I slowly returned my gaze to the gigantic ship resting in the harbor before me. I had to agree; I thought the S. S. Cactus was the handsomest ship I’d ever set eyes on. I nodded, slightly dazed with wonder.
“So? Are you going to be on her when she sets sail this afternoon?” Perry’s voice sounded a little too innocent for the occasion. Just the same my eyes never left the S. S. Cactus as I answered him.
“Unfortunately, no,” I replied regretfully. I really did want to be on that ship when it left the harbor! “Are you?”
“Maybe,” He replied slowly, stroking his chin as if deep in thought.
“Maybe meaning…?” I asked curiously, tilting my head slightly to peer up at his face. His gray eyes were filled with some complex emotion I couldn’t decipher, his sly face with its snub nose creased in deep concentration. If I didn’t mistrust him so much I would have called him handsome.
He turned to face me, a strange, mischievous glint flooding his eyes. I didn’t like that look. He grinned. That grin didn’t register in my mind as a very friendly grin, but a forced one. “Do you want to be on that ship tomorrow? When it leaves I mean?”
I took a slight, uncertain step back and cast my eyes quickly to the cement dock beneath my feet. “Well, sure, I guess. Don’t you?”
He took a step towards me, his face taking on a determined glow. “Yes, but do you really, really want to get on that ship?”
I did, or I had before, but…doubt was quickly flooding my mind. The alarm bells that had been ringing madly all throughout our little conversation were finally taking root in my skull. What right did this young man have to be asking all these questions? Why was he taking all this interest in me of all people? Then again, I had been staring at that ship like a worshipful, misplaced Psyduck when he’d come upon me. I did want to get on that ship though… I began twisting my stick around between my fingers, watching the golden sunlight play off the ruby jewel atop the branch in different, may colored spectrums. It was very pretty, and somehow, almost captivating.
Suddenly I nodded, my mind made up. Tearing my eyes away from my stick I stared determinedly up into Perry’s expectant face, and realized that he knew exactly what I was going to say all along, “Yes, I do.”
He grinned again (in relief?), and nodded slightly, “Well, Talia O’Hara, you may be in luck. I just might have a way to get you, and I, aboard that ship,” He spoke slowly, almost eagerly; casting his eyes up at the gray, cloud smothered sky, as if deep in thought.
“How?” I asked, curiosity flooding every bit of common sense I had left.
“You’ll have to help me though,” His eyes fell directly on mine, full of expectation. Again, I realized, he seemed to have already guessed what I was going to say.
“That just depends on what you’re planning to do,” I answered cautiously. I was not about to waltz right into a tangled mess like I’d seemed to be doing in the last two weeks since my journey began. I did not need another problem right now. I already had too many of those.
“Oh, it’s just a little scheme I like to call…” He paused, mid-sentence, and lowered his voice slightly; then he grinned innocently, “…helping a friend in need.”
I blinked, and stared at him blankly. Perry sighed and rolled his gray eyes heavenward. “You know, we’ll be nice, decent human beings and just help a little old lady get her bags onto the ship,” He was being evasive. “It is allowed you know.”
“You mean we’re going to sneak on and stowaway?” I asked slowly. I had figured on that much, but it had never really occurred to me how I was actually to get on the ship. His plan was actually pretty brilliant, plain but brilliant. Exactly what I needed.
“Shh!” Perry hissed, stooping down so his face was right beside my ear. He glanced around cautiously, “Keep it down. Don’t be giving notions to anybody of what we are about! Yes, to your question anyway. That is what we are doing. For this being the greatest ocean liner of all time and all, it really does have pitifully poor security.”
I nodded quickly, and whispered (we were both whispering now), “But isn’t that illegal?”
Perry’s eyebrows shot up as if to say, ‘Well, what did you expect?’. “If you’re worried about getting caught then don’t. I know exactly what I’m doing, trust me.”
“Well,” I sighed wearily, gripping the stick tightly between my suddenly icy fingers, “it can’t be any worse than any of the things I’ve done lately.”
“Then you’ll do it?” Perry asked hopefully, his face brightening.
I sighed again and nodded slowly, “Yah, I’ll help you. After all, what do I have to loose?”
Perry beamed, “Exactly.”
* * *
“So why exactly did you need my help to get onto the S. S. Cactus again?” I asked.It was late in the morning, and Perry and I were hurrying quickly through the crowded docks towards the steadily expanding mass of people gathering around the S. S. Cactus. We had speedily decided soon after our meeting that it would look kind of suspicious if we hung around the S. S. Cactus until boarding time, so we had moved off to mingle with the vast crowd among the docks, while Perry briefed me on the specifics of our plan. Perry himself wasn’t a bad guy, though I never let him out of my sight for one second, as I still didn’t exactly trust him.
I learned during our talks that Perry was nineteen. He originated from a tiny town that barely had its own place on the map in southern Johto named Satral. His parents owned a small Miltank farm where Perry, his two brothers and his twin sister had grown up. Having never liked Miltank much or the tiny proximity of opportunities Satral offered, Perry had kind of skipped town once completing high school with the idea set in his mind to see more of the world. When I’d asked him how he’d stooped so low as to be participating in what was called criminal activities (just as I wondered how I’d ever stooped that low), such as stowing away, he’d just sort of shrugged and changed the subject. I’d decided not to pursue that topic any further.
Brief seconds after Perry finished his life story, I spotted Reenie and Deri out of the corner of my eye. They still appeared to be searching for me, but it was obvious they hadn’t spotted me yet. I wanted to keep it that way too. Hastily, I grabbed Perry’s shirtsleeve and began pulling him back the way we’d come, away from my friends, hoping to blend in with the rest of the people. “Uh, I think we should head down this street for now,” I murmured quickly at Perry’s confused protests. He didn’t ask any more questions though, of which I was grateful. He had his secrets, and I had mine. Let my friends keep searching for me as long as they could; it wasn’t like I would care.
Since Perry had been so open with me about his life I soon found myself pouring out my story from start to finish, only omitting certain parts I felt I could trust absolutely no one with. The same parts, and more, that I felt I couldn’t trust Reenie and Deri with either, like the origin of the stick I kept clenched firmly in my hands every single hour of the day. When he’d asked about it I’d just shrugged, and changed the subject. Perry had quickly decided not to pursue the topic any further.
Strangely enough, I didn’t feel any more than a slight stirring of anger, and a wave of nauseating grief at the memory of all that had happened to me. My boiling vat of anger was slowly evaporating as time began to heal the hurt. I was in no way going to abandon the quest I’d sacrificed so much for though. Not even because it was the stupidest thing I’d ever done in my young life.
Perry really was a good listener as well, offering sympathy when necessary and occasionally whistling in awe at something I’d done. He really wasn’t a bad guy at all, though I still felt I couldn’t trust him completely. Somehow, I just knew there was something he was concealing from me, something important.
“Oh, it doesn’t really matter Talia,” Perry brushed off my initial question, “Just focus on how you are actually going to be able to get on that ship.”
“Perry,” I skidded to halt and planted my feet stubbornly on the warm cement beneath my sneakers.
“What?” He asked innocently, stopping, and turning to face my stubborn form. “You know, if we don’t hurry we might not find…”
“I know,” I cut in firmly, “But I’m not moving one step farther unless you tell me why you needed my help when your plan would have worked perfectly, if not better, if you’d done it by yourself.” I crossed my arms defiantly, still carefully clutching my stick protectively in my hands.
Perry sighed and rolled his eyes, “Heaven help me!” He whispered in exaggerated annoyance. Then sarcastically, “It makes the scheme more believable to have a women along. There. You happy now?”
My eyebrows shot up in disbelief, “No, and you know I don’t believe you.”
“I know,” His answer was light and joking.
“And the only reason I’m coming with you in the first place is because I want to get on that ship.”
He nodded and grinned, “Of course. You’re going to have to start moving if you actually ever want to get on that beloved ship of yours.” He winked, “Let’s get a move on shall we, Miss Talia.”
I grinned, and get a move on we did. The thicker the crowds became the trickier it was for Perry and I to weave and maneuver our way through. By the time we’d reached the boarding area it was late morning, and by the time we’d actually selected a fitting candidate for our operation it was even later.
“See that lady over there?” Perry asked, surreptitiously gesturing in the direction of our chosen subject, “She’s the one we’ll use.”
His pointing finger led my searching eyes directly to an extremely posh looking, slightly over-weight, middle-aged women. She was adorned in an overly fancy, elegant white blouse and tan skirt, and wore her slightly graying, auburn hair in a complex bun, the type I had never been able to achieve in my horrifying attempts at fixing other people’s hair. She appeared to be quite flustered over the four, large, equally fanciful traveling bags she was attempting, and utterly failing, to keep under control. She was perfect for our needs.
“Now remember what I told you, Talia,” Perry hissed to me as we made our way steadily in the direction of the woman, “Do not talk, at all, unless you are asked a direct question. Let me handle the rest.”
I nodded quickly in agreement. “I wouldn’t trust myself with speaking anyway,” I murmured back.
Perry began to make his way in the woman’s direction. I followed closely at his heals, clutching my stick in sweating, icy cold fingers, to my chest. My heart was beginning to flutter inside my chest like a caged Butterfree, desperately searching for escape. The blood began to pound in my ears as the doubts began to pop up into my brain. What if our plan failed? What if the lady didn’t need our help? What if we couldn’t find someone else? Worst of all though was, what if we were caught? That was the worst thing weighting down on my mind: the dreadful humiliation of being found out and prosecuted.
“Excuse me, ma’am?” Perry inquired, his tone extremely polite and innocent, as he reached the struggling women’s side. “But my sister and I just couldn’t help but notice that you seem a little overwhelmed with your travel bags.”
The women sighed and promptly dropped her four, elegant bags to the cement deck of the dock. “Well, you seem to have noticed correctly.”
Perry gave a slight inclination of his head. “My name’s Jack and this is my sister Anna.” I almost burst out laughing, my nervousness almost forgotten, when I heard that! Perry named Jack? Me named Anna? It was so…strange! The way Perry was going around, acting so polite and all…it just wasn’t like him! My giggles abruptly subsided as Perry gave me a severe, sideways glance.
“Glad to meet you ma’am,” I murmured softly and timidly, eyes cast shyly down at the ground, just as I thought Anna, the sister of Jack, should.
“Yes, very pleased to meet you Mrs.…?” Perry added, his eyebrows rose in polite question.
“Kastrel,” The lady finished for him.
“Mrs. Kastrel,” Perry agreed, “We were wondering if we could be of any service and help you bring your bags onto the ship?” Perry (or Jack…) asked politely, looking the flustered Mrs. Kastrel directly in the heavily make-upped eye. That was another thing I’d noticed about this over pampered, rich women: she smelled so strongly of perfume I felt quite nauseated.
“Oh yes! Thank you so much for offering!” Mrs. Kastrel exclaimed, letting an extremely relieved look crawl across her slightly pudgy features.
Before he had time to react Mrs. Kastrel had stooped her large frame down and grabbed two of her bags, shoving them into a bewildered Perry’s face in the same movement. For a woman of her age and size, I had to admit, she was extremely swift. Perry blinked, momentarily stunned, before quickly recovering and shifting the two bags around in his arms until he was comfortable.
Mrs. Kastrel quickly turned on me almost immediately after she’d parted with the bags she’d given to Perry. She stooped down and soon I, like Perry, found myself getting a mouthful of traveling bag, until I could arrange the two heavy items comfortable in my arms. That, I tell you, was not an easy job. In fact, it was almost impossible, as I also had my stick to deal with. I was probably ending up even more flustered than Mrs. Kastrel had seemed in the beginning. What did she keep in these, a bowling ball, ten-pins, cement and extra bricks?
Mrs. Kastrel was also the jumpiest, most talkative person I’d ever met too, as I soon found out. As Mrs. Kastrel, Perry and I began weaving the short distance between where we had been previously standing and the boarding ramp, Mrs. Kastrel continued to chatter on and on, announcing her thanks and deep gratitude toward the two of us, meanwhile telling us of her children, her husband, her dog, her neighbor, her cousin, her aunt, grandma, and best friend, what she’d eaten for breakfast three days ago and the strange dream she’d had last night. By the end of that short, maybe thirty-second walk, I knew just about everything I’d ever wanted to know about the Mrs. Angela Kastrel. This definitely did not improve my opinion of the rich woman at all.
Even her endless chatter couldn’t keep out the lingering doubts that screamed at me to run, drop those bags and go in the opposite direction! I could feel the palms of my hands beginning to sweat against the smooth, leather handles of the suitcases I was barely managing to drag along. My heart was pounding in my ears, almost deafening me. I tried to keep my eyes glued to Perry’s ever moving boots in front of me, so as to the fight the nausea threatening to overwhelm my senses. What if we were caught? What if our plan didn’t work? What if we were found out and punished? The doubts and questions raged through my mind. The only thing that was actually keeping me there was my faith in Perry (I didn’t even know I trusted him until that moment) and…something else I just couldn’t explain.
Somehow we made it past the ticket taker. I’m not even sure how as I was kind of tied up with handling the two bags, my stick and the nervous wreck of my brain, but it must have been some witty remark on Perry’s part or maybe even something the oblivious Mrs. Kastrel had said. As for me, I was in no state of mind to help anyone right then. My mind was almost completely frozen with fear and worry that our quest would fail, and both Perry and I would be caught.
Even as I followed robotically along on the heals of Perry and the pea-brained, I’m sorry to say, Mrs. Kastrel, my brain continued along unable to comprehend the events that were taking place right before my eyes. It was only as we passed across the threshold of the large vessel did the events of the last few minutes fully sink in. I was actually on the S.S. Cactus! We were safely going to make it! My spirits began to soar even higher as I gazed in subdued wonder at the rich finery we passed on our way to Mrs. Kastrel’s living cabin.
Confusing labyrinths of hallways wound throughout the entire ship, carpeted with a soft, crimson rug, as if it were the rug thrown down before the feet of royalty. Attendants dressed in blue finery were everywhere, each walking as if he or she had a destination to reach. There were also many other over-dressed people, but not many children I noticed, ambling slowly through the halls. Also, a few over-pampered Pokemon wandered the halls at the feet of their human trainers or owners.
The walls were papered with extravagant patterns and subtle, comfortable colors that immediately made me feel at home. Elegant crystal chandeliers glinted prettily overhead, casting somewhat eerie shadows into the walls and corners. The doors of the cabins were richly carved with intricate designs; so perfect and astounding I found it hard to believe that human hands had actually carved these patterns!
I shivered with delight as Mrs. Kastrel suddenly stopped in front of one of these doors, glanced down at the paper with the directions to her room written on it, and broke into a dimpled grin.
“This is my room!” She announced enthusiastically, “You can just leave the bags right here and I’ll be able to manage them.”
Perry nodded, “Glad you could be of service to you ma’am,” He answered politely, dropping the bags gently to the floor. I gladly followed suit, maybe not so gently, and began massaging my soar arms, stick still firmly clasped in my fingers. I was not about to let that go.
“Thank you children so much for helping me!” Mrs. Kastel began murmuring over and over as we began to turn away.
“You’re very welcome, ma’am,” Perry concluded the conversation with a quick nod of his head and began trotting off down the hall at a fairly quick pace. I, still massaging my sore arms, hurried after him.
“Where are we going?” I hissed as I reached Perry’s side.
“Somewhere safe,” He answered quickly, keeping his voice uncommonly low and slightly harsh, “Just follow my lead. I have this all under control.”
I nodded, “Good because I’m going to actually trust you on this.” As those words left my mouth I saw conflicting emotions enter Perry’s usually mischievous gray eyes, and his jaw visibly tightened. His eyes were displaying something of confusion and…sadness? I tore my eyes quickly away from his face, scared at what I’d viewed in it. What had I just seen? I shrugged it off, thoroughly confused, and followed Perry’s rapidly quickening pace down the fancy hallways of the S. S. Cactus.
It got almost monotonous after a time, the same patterns and carvings repeating themselves over and over and over. We did hurry down an occasional staircase though, breaking the monotony, but not by much. Some were so narrow only one person at a time could pass through them, and others were so wide and grand I could’ve sworn a hundred men abreast could walk down it. Sometimes there was a new room too; a dinning hall filled with hundreds of fancily decorated tables and chairs, a game room, a gym, a pool and so much more!
Finally, just as I’d been feeling as if my legs were about to drop off, Perry stopped and announced, “This is it.”
I glanced quickly around, fully expecting to see another doorway like the ones we’d been passing just about every step we’d taken, but there were none. Beside the obvious lack of doors, everything appeared the same. It was all the same hallways going on for miles and miles! “This is what?” I asked.
“This is where we go down,” Perry pointed a strong finger down at the floor beneath him. I noticed for the first time a hairline of a crack appeared in the crimson exactness of the carpet. It must be a trap door.
“But haven’t we been going down the whole time we were coming here?”
“Yes, but this time we are leaving the living quarters of the passengers. We’re really going down.”
“Below the ship, you mean?” I questioned, slightly baffled at the prospect of actually going down there. Of course, we did have to hide.
“Yes. With the cargo,” Perry answered, half joking, as he stooped down and began pulling on a metal handle protruding from the edge of the square cut out of the carpet, close to the wall, that I hadn’t noticed before.
“That’s reassuring,” I replied sarcastically, staring as Perry struggled with the heavy door.
“Alert me if someone’s coming.”
“Okay,” I glanced both ways down the hall. Not a soul in sight. Good. “It’s all clear.”
Perry quickly pulled up the heavy wooden trap door with a loud screeching sound, revealing a tiny flight of iron steps leading down into a void of pitch blackness.
“You got a light?” I asked. I was not about to go down there if we did not have a light. I just would not do it!
“Yes,” Perry replied shortly, “Just hurry down there. I’ll follow right behind you.” His voice sounded tight and slightly annoyed. I had no idea why. I didn’t think I’d done anything to annoy him.
I nodded slowly to Perry’s request, and cautiously began making my slow decent down into the ominous depths of the under deck of the S. S. Cactus.
Yup. you only have to wait till next friday for the chapter you haven't seen before. Sorry about rewriting it on you so many times. You'll see what happens with Perry soon enough. *grins evily* You'll see how I get different novels. Each novel is kind of a continuation of the first bit of the story. I split LTHTH up into three different parts ,sp I could actually feel as if I were accomplishing osmething.Riaf said:
But, yeah, I like trilogy's better than just one book for the whole story. The third book though, has a whole new main character...SnoringFrog
Well-Known Member
Interesting, I, like Riaf, think Perry's a bad guy. Yay! only 3 more days!
Only two reviews this time, (it seems I've lost some readers! *is shocked*) but any reviews are welcomed by me! Personally, Chapter 10 is one of my favorite chapters (and I don't think it's ever been released on this site either), as it is a major twist in the plot in my thinking. It like it because it begins to set the stage more for the rest of the story. And, Riaf, you will find out about Perry in this chapter, and just to tell you, he's my favorite character right now. XD
I only get a chance to update every Friday now, because of the ew rule my parents implemented, and since I don't quite have Chapter 11 finished it'll give me more time to work on it, and the following chapters.
Please, please, please peoples, REVIEW! Even if you didn't catch any mistakes you can still tell me you are/are still reading. If you do have something point out, please do so, but try to keep it positive. I'm an optimistic person, and, well, people who flame get me depressed. ^^; If I'm depressed there is no new chapter... >_<
Any way, without further ado, I present you with Chapter 10: Twice Betrayal.
It was dark, really dark. By dark I don’t mean the friendly, hazy kind you get in your bedroom at night, I mean the kind of ominous blackness that seems to bore straight into your soul, draining every last inch of light out. I mean the kind where you can’t see your hand if you put it in front of your face, and your eyes never adjust. You are virtually blind. Of course, Perry had thought ahead though, revealing a tiny, hand flashlight as he emerged into the dark passage way. Though the light cast eerie shadows upon the cold, steel walls of the ship, it was still one small comfort in the creepiness of the passageway.
We’d been traveling in silence most of the time we’d been moving. I was concentrating on the pitching hallways beneath my feet, and keeping my footing. Ships were tricky to maneuver about in, especially if they’d just set sail as the S.S Cactus had done only a few minutes previous. Perry seemed used to this kind of thing, though his brow was rapidly creasing in concern as we moved. He wouldn’t look at me, and he didn’t seem to want to talk either, but at least it appeared as if he knew where he was heading.
I, on the other hand, did not, and didn’t exactly welcome the fact that I was blindly following a young man of whom I knew almost nothing about. He could be kidnapping me as far as I was concerned! But, I told myself, he seemed like a nice guy, from what I’d seen of him, and though I hated to admit it I kind of trusted him in a strange sort of way. He’d done nothing to hurt me after all, and he’d even been nice enough to offer me a free, though somewhat illegal, passage on the S.S. Cactus. I just had no idea why he’d chosen me of all people. If he’d wanted company he could’ve found someone his own age to befriend; I was six years younger than him after all! I must admit, I did feel kind of flattered at his interest in me.
Perry stopped. I stopped too, snapping out of my reverie. “Um…Talia,” He said dubiously, eyes riveted toward the ground.
“What?” I asked, attempting to catch his eyes. He would be so much easier to read if there was more light!
“There’s…there’s something I’ve got to tell you,” He was fingering the edge of the flashlight nervously, appearing suspiciously sheepish.
Confused, my curiosity roused, I asked, “What?”
“I…I asked you to…I don’t know how to say this, but…” He was stammering, a scared, doubtful look written all over his face.
“Come on, Perry! Just spit it out!” I sighed, exasperated at his stalling.
“All right,” He sighed, and glanced in the other direction. Suddenly, he turned to face me, desperation entering his gray eyes, “Talia, look, it’s not like I wanted to do this, but I had to! You must understand!”
“What? Perry, what are you talking about?” My suspicion had quickly turned to alarm. Something about Perry’s voice made me shudder. Something definitely was wrong here.
“I…” He continued, “I only asked you to…”
A darkly clad and hooded figure stepped out of the darkness behind him, “Well, done Perry my boy. You have done well.” The voice was slightly familiar, but sharp with a tone of danger ringing in every word. I could’ve sworn I’d heard it before, though under slightly different circumstances, but where?
Perry’s face twisted in pain, then hardened, and he turned away to face the darkness. Four more dark figures materialized out of the gloom, each dressed in full gray clothing. Three of them were unmistakably large men, accustomed to fighting. The two other figures were smaller, one definitely only a hooded child of perhaps my age. The other, the figure who had spoken, appeared to be a young woman by both her figure and the way she held herself. What was happening? The woman was smiling, and even though only the lower half of her face was showing beneath her dark hood I had this strange feeling I’d seen her before.
“Ivan, Marc, grab her,” It wasn’t until these orders were issued that my brain even began to comprehend my situation. I swore violently. I had been betrayed. There was no question about that. My mind whirled sickeningly as I tried to fight off the nausea threatening to overwhelm my senses. Perry had led me into a trap. I had trusted him and he had betrayed me. Shuddering, I felt sick, I attempted to push back the anger and hurt creeping over my body.
The only question was why had Perry led me into this trap? Why did these people want me? I had nothing of value that I knew of unless… a new thought dawned on me with a jolt. The Fire Red stone! Its strange behavior was definitely nothing normal for a stone, even a strangely colored one. I’d just grown used to its strange outbursts over the many weeks it had been in my possession. How had these ominous figures found out about it though? I’d kept the secret of its existence to myself.
I shifted my feet slightly, and attempted to bring my stick up for defense. It was all in vain though, as one of the large men wrenched it from my fingers. It fell to the ground with a clatter. The next thing I knew, rough hands were grabbing my arms, and I was savagely yanked off my feet. Shouting, I attempted to free myself, but it didn’t make any difference. They were simply too strong. One of my captors brought a heavily booted foot down on the back of my skull. My head erupted in pain, and with one last desperate cry of despair my eyes met Perry’s stony ones…and I knew no more.
I was gagged and tied up, I soon realized. Coarse rope chaffed my wrists and ankles with painful clarity. I attempted to wiggle my fingers, but found I couldn’t feel them at all. Neither could I feel my feet. I seemed to be propped up against a wall, my bound arms crushed and numb beneath my body. A smothering piece of cloth, much like the one shoved so unceremoniously into my mouth, covered my vision. Whoever had tied me up really had done a good job of it. I had no idea where I was too, or, for that matter, where Perry and the dark figures had disappeared. My ears weren’t detecting anything, and my roaring head wasn’t doing anything to help the matter.
It wasn’t until some minutes later that the hollow sound of heavy boots echoed down the hallway followed by the muttered grumbling and cursing of two men. I had given up any feeble attempts of escape long ago, as all it did was tire me out.
“I don’t think she’s awake Marc,” One of the men remarked as the heavy footsteps approached.
“I don’t care,” The other man, Marc, growled, “You heard what she said. She wanted us to bring the girl to her, now.”
“Yeah, I heard her, but what if she’s still unconscious? She won’t be able to converse with her then.”
“Think really hard about that one Ivan,” Marc’s reply was sarcastic.
“Umm…” Ivan faltered, clearly stumped. “I don’t know. We wait until she wakes up I guess, but that might take more hours than we…”
“We wake her up ourselves you idiot!” Marc bellowed, exasperation edging his voice.
“Oh. Right.”
A rough hand gripped my arm and shook it harshly. I held my body limp, hoping they would leave me alone. My whole body ached and I did not feel like moving right now. Without warning one of the men slapped me straight across the face, “Wake up girl!” I jerked and groaned, a stinging pain flooding my cheek.
“So, it looks like she is awake after all,” Ivan remarked nastily.
“Well ain’t that nice,” Marc’s reply was sarcastic. Clumsy fingers were untying the ropes around my ankles, and I was roughly hauled to my numb feet. I immediately collapsed, falling helplessly against one of my unlucky captors. My traitorous feet wouldn’t hold my weight. He swore violently.
“Git up!” Marc bellowed, yanking me harshly to my aching feet. “You will cooperate without a complaint! Y’hear me?” I nodded dumbly. His screaming was worsening my headache, bringing back the terrible nausea of before. “Good, ‘cause if you didn’t I’d…I’d do somethin’ you wouldn’t like much!” What a great threat.
He jerked me, and I began to stumble painfully down the hall, Marc’s iron grip biting into my arm. It wasn’t long before I sensed the other man, Ivan, join us on my opposite side. It was extremely difficult, stumbling along on feet I couldn’t feel, blind, with my arms tied securely behind my back. Every time I stumbled or just wasn’t moving fast enough one of my captors would give me a sharp cuff on the head. We hadn’t been traveling long before I heard other voices, quickly hushed as the three of us came into view, and I felt myself shoved roughly into a hard, sharp-edged chair.
“Un-gag her, but leave that blindfold on. I want to keep her guessing,” The woman, who appeared to be the leader, had spoken. Her tone was nasty and sharp, but her voice was so familiar, I just couldn’t put my finger on where I’d heard it before! The gag was unceremoniously ripped from my mouth, and I choked, beginning to cough, spitting the foul taste from my tongue. It felt good to be able to breath through my mouth again.
“So, Talia O’Connel,” I froze. How did the strange woman know my true last name? I’d told Perry a lie. He’d heard I was an O’Hara, not an O’Connel. Then how did she know my name? “Ahh, It seems you’re wondering how I know your real last name when you told that mindless idiot of mine that your last name was O’Hara.”
“How…” I rasped. My voice was weak from so many hours of no use, “Who are you? And what do you want with me?”
“Wait, wait, wait, we do not want to rush things now do we?” Her voice was silky and sweet like honey, and she was creeping me out. “I know who you are, but do you know who I am?”
It was there! Right in the back of my brain, but I just couldn’t get at it! Who was she? “I…” I stammered, unsure.
“Oh, come on Talia O’Connel, you’re smarter than that. I seem to remember a certain girl, rugged, her clothing muddied and torn, by the side of the Sandar-Rustboro Highway, don’t you?”
My breath caught in my throat as the familiarity of her voice suddenly dawned on me, “Julia?” I whispered, aghast, “Julia Smith?”
“Not quite, my dear girl, but that is who you knew me for then wasn’t it?”
“What do you want with me! Take this damn blindfold off!” I meant to shout the words, but they only came out sounding like a pitiful squeak.
“As you wish,” Someone ripped the blindfold from my eyes at Julia’s silent command. I blinked repeatedly as light flooded in. Two chairs faced each other; I was seated in one and Julia the other. Between us, on the floor, stood an upturned flashlight that cast the only light in the dim space. One of the men, Marc I think, stood beside me as an obvious guard, his hard face devoid of any emotion. The rest of Julia’s rag tag group stood around her chair, each of their faces hidden in the depths of their dark hoods. I tensed. Perry stood silently beside Julia, his eyes lowered, face impassive. He wouldn’t look at me. Anger swelled in my chest. He would pay dearly for his filthy betrayal, if not now then later.
One of the figures, the smallest one, shifted and took a quick step in my direction, where I sat helpless in the chair. The third man (not Marc or Ivan) grabbed the boy by the arm, as if restraining him.
“Don’t you dare make a move,” The man hissed. The other figure growled, but stayed put. Confusion reigned in my mind. What did these people want with me? Why would they kidnap me and bring me on this ship just to talk? Did they want me for some certain purpose? I had no idea, and the only way to find out was to listen.
“So, Talia O’Connel, I suppose you’re wondering why we brought you here in a such an…unnerving manner,” Julia spoke, her strange silver eyes resting on mine. She looked just like she had when I’d seen her last, begging for my forgiveness, along with Darren, in the hospital in Rustboro. Her hair was the same raven black as it had been, though the way she walked and talked held a certain tone of nastiness and superiority about her.
“Yes,” I growled, “I would like to know.”
“Hmm, it is kind of a long story, but I do believe we have the time…wouldn’t you agree my dear?” Julia’s tone was sweetly innocent. It brought bile to my mouth just thinking of it.
“Just tell me!” I hissed, my impatience growing. Not that I could do anything about it…
“As you wish,” Julia began, settling back into her chair. “You see, my friends and I are all part of one group, a group that is striving to achieve the same goals. I am the co-leader and co-owner of this group, and, you will be delighted to hear, we have around a hundred members all across Hoenn. The current leader’s brother founded Team Flare, the current Team Steel, just about six years ago. We began as a petty gang of thieves in Mauville City, living off what we could manage to scrape up from our work.”
“You’re thieves!” I yelped, interrupting the co-leader of Team Steel.
“Oh, I wouldn’t go as far as to say it that way,” Julia shook her head, “I’d say we are more of…borrowers without asking, but, of course, we do never bring the stuff back.”
“I won’t work for thieves!” I protested indignantly.
Julia smiled knowingly, “We shall see about that. In the mean time please quit interrupting me or you’ll never hear your part of the story.”
I glared at her. Julia’s face was smug as she continued. “As a few years passed we finally managed to see our goal in clear view. As soon as that happened members flocked to us by the dozens, practically begging to sign up. As our organization grew, so did our operations. We began to take on larger and larger quests, and we began to become too sure of ourselves. Three years ago, Marshall Kasari, the leader and founder of Team Flare, was captured along with four of our men, by the Hoenn Police force. They were charged with theft and murder. Though the charges may have been accurate we felt the punishments were unjust. Our five men were to be executed, but we did not know where. We could not save them. They were killed, all of them, and Marshall was never heard from again. His rule was left to the current co-leader at that time, his younger brother, Simon Kasari.”
“I don’t care a lick about your stupid group, or what kind of twisted person would begin it!” I hissed through clenched teeth. Already, the fact that Julia and her band were thieves was irking me. I did not like where this little conversation was going.
Marc gave me a sharp cuff on the head, “It ain’t stupid!” He growled. I groaned and shut my mouth as my eyes snapped shut. My head was ringing loudly in my ears.
“Marc,” Julia warned sharply, her sweet voice suddenly morphing into ugliness, “Do not touch her or hurt her again. She’s valuable…unless you want to take her place of course.”
Marc paled visibly, “N-no, that’s alright.” He gulped, clearly frightened, “I’ll not do it again.”
“Good,” Julia’s tone was low and dangerous. Marc gulped again, and I could feel his muscles tense beside me.
Fear tugged at my heart at Marc’s response. What kind of roll could I be given that was so horrible this full grown man feared to take it on? I shrugged it off, riveting my eyes back to Julia’s slightly unnerving ones, hoping for her to continue. Once I’d heard my purpose I’d figure out something to do about it.
“As I was saying,” Julia continued, glaring at the visibly shamed Marc, “Simon Kasari became the new leader of our corporation. I, who had already risen to quite a high position at that time, was made co-leader, Simon’s right hand man, or woman if you will. I, being a master of the steel type Pokemon, as was Simon, proposed we change our name to Team Steel, to make ourselves invisible to the Hoenn Police. Unlike Marshall, Simon began to immediately bring up plans on how to accomplish our goal. His first idea was that we lay low for a year or two, to act as if we’d disbanded until the time was right and the people weren’t so wary of us. For a year and a half we lay low, laying out plans for our operation. Finally, Simon brought us all back together, with many new recruits we’d each individually managed to pick up in our time away. The time was right, and our domination plans began to commence. Our plans, our purpose, was to overthrow the government, and unite all three regions under one banner to serve us, Team Steel, no longer a petty gang of thieves.”
I had a tough time keeping my mouth shut at this. I couldn’t believe it. This goal of theirs was so stupid, so idiotic, so…unoriginal. I couldn’t believe they were even attempting this! What would they gain from overthrowing the government, besides the obvious servitude of the people, anyway, this Team Steel?
“Unlike so many fools who had attempted to grab the world in the past, we actually had a brilliant plan of action. It would take a few months at least to complete, but when it was finished we would have total power. Our plan was to steal the two stones, the red Orb and the Blue Orb, which rested atop the sacred Mount Pyre. One family had lived on this mountain for generations, protecting these powerful stones from people like us who would wish to steal them for their own purposes.
“The Red orb, a stone of immense power, a stone the color of fire and blood, held the will and power of the ancient dragon, Groudon. If brought to the right place, this stone could bring forth the ancient terror that would then unleash its horrible wrath on the world, destroying everything in its path. If a human controlled the stone though, that one person could control the dragon, and use its great power to his own will. The Blue Orb controlled a slightly lesser power, but a terrible power all the same: the power of the ancient water monster, Kyogre. If used in the same way, the stone can draw out this monster and reek havoc on the whole earth. When used together, the stones could draw forth both monsters, giving our corporation total power.
“We sent two of our sneakiest, most trusted men to the mountain to take the stones from right under the noses of its guardians. Right before they nabbed the stones, our men learned that only one of the two still rested atop the mountain: the Blue Orb. Hundreds of years ago, according to the guardians, the Red orb was stolen and lost. No one had seen or heard of it since.”
I felt as if someone had knocked me in the head with a baseball bat, that was how hard the realization hit me. The stones, the two stones Julia was talking about, the Red and Blue Orbs, the Red Orb’s mysterious disappearance from human life years ago, my stone… it all made sense now.
“This, my dear, is where your part comes in. After a few months of extensive searching, the Blue Orb had been in the hands of one of our men for a long while. It wasn’t very long before we began to notice changes in him. He would begin to scream randomly, throwing himself this way and that, babbling about power, injustice and all manner of things we did not understand. He began to hurt himself and others; he didn’t recognize any of us. His eyes were steadily turning a bright sapphire blue, the color of the stone he bore. He wouldn’t let us touch him or his precious stone. One day, after another such outbreak, we heard him muttering, screaming, cursing, scratching and clawing at everything within reach. Finally, he screeched, pale hands to his head, ran outside and plunged himself into the nearest body of water. Our man drowned, but we did manage to recover his body, and with it, the blue stone.”
I stared at Julia’s neutral face, horrified. That was terrible, utterly horrible! That man had gone crazy under the intense power of the Blue Orb, and it had gotten so bad he had taken his own life.
“And this is where you come in, Talia O’Connel,” Julia’s voice was nastily icy, making a cold shiver run up my spine. I had this dreadful, creeping feeling I knew exactly what my purpose was. I need only to wait for Julia to confirm it.
“None of our men would dare to take up the stone after that. We all knew how Roger had gone mad, mad enough to kill himself. We all knew that the Blue Orb was the cause of this, as Roger had been a completely sane man before. None of us were willing to risk our sanity like that for the cause though. When no man stepped forward to claim the stone Simon made a wise decision. We’d have to pull in one of the unwilling public to our quest, and make him bare the stone until the time was right, when Simon would take it up himself to control the creature. You, Talia O’Connel, shall bare this stone, willing or not, until you go mad, or die.”
I stared at her, my whole body trembling uncontrollably. Julia had just confirmed my worst suspicions. I was to bear the Blue Orb…and go mad, or die. They were not about to force it on me without a fight, though. “I,” I spat venomously at Julia, “will never bare that stone for you! I will not risk my own life for your cause! And I will never work for thieves!”
A slow, annoying smile spread across Julia’s face, “Oh, will you now?”
“I will not work for you!” Her unfaltering smile was scaring me. She seemed to be ready for my opposition.
“We’ll see about that. Right now, it seems as if you don’t have the right to refuse me,” Her voice was smooth and melodious, as if she were trying to sooth a rebellious child.
I glared at her, my eyes full of hate.
“Ivan, Marc! Tie her up again. Very tightly,” Julia’s voice turned sharp as she addressed her men.
“I will not work for you!” I screamed at her as Marc’s rough hands gripped me, forcing me down. “I will not!”
I couldn’t see Julia now, as the men had managed to wrap the blindfold around my eyes. “I’ll ask you that again later. We just have to break you.” The gag was back in my mouth again, and I could make no reply, but I did not like the sound of her words.
I was scared of what they would do to me that was for sure. I had never been afraid of another human being like this in my life. They could easily force me into anything by the way I was held captive and tied up. I was still refusing the idea in my mind that I would work for these creeps. They’d have to force me into submission if I were to do anything they wished! Team Steel was just a petty gang of thieves after all, with the most unoriginal goal I had ever heard of! It would never work.
Stories of Kyogre and Groudon I had heard all throughout my childhood were whirling around in my head, and I could not banish them no matter how hard I tried. They were the kind of story every child in Hoenn was told at bedtime, and the same story used to scare naughty children into submission. Kyogre and Groudon, two mythological creatures of the opposite elements, had been enemies, sworn to fight each other for eternity. Hundreds, possibly even thousands, of years ago these two Pokemon rose up against each other in an epic battle that almost destroyed the world. Something though, no one knows what, was stronger than both of them, and this mysterious creature subdued them, laying them down for an eternal rest, their powers locked away in two orbs of incredible power. The monsters could not be wakened unless their stones were taken to the right place, so their bodies could rise again. These two monsters were so powerful, the stories always proclaimed, so I doubted any human being could ever control them.
The Fire Red stone lay heavier in my pocket as my thoughts dwelled on this subject. I knew what my stone was now…and it knew too. I felt the extra heat of another body in front of mine. Freezing, I snapped out of my reverie. Who was there, one of Julia’s idiotic followers? He spoke, and I immediately recognized his voice, “Talia? You okay?”
I grunted, which was all I could manage with that horrible gag, anger swelling in my chest, “Look,” The voice continued, “I’m sorry for what I did to you. I really didn’t want to do it.” That was not believable. “They would’ve killed me if I hadn’t, you must understand!”
I grunted again, attempting to put all the hate I could into that one sound. Perry had betrayed me when I’d trusted him, and I could not forgive him for that. He deserved to rot in hell. I also could not believe he would betray Team Steel, especially when they were so much more powerful then either he or I was.
“Look,” He went on quickly, his light tenor voice low, “I’m trying to help you here, get you out of this, alright, but you have to cooperate with me, and not yell when I take your gag off.” I couldn’t believe it; Perry was trying to rescue me, even after he’d betrayed me, even with the penalty of death. It just wasn’t logical; no one would dare risk their life for a girl they barely knew, would they?
“So, will you let me help you?” I really didn’t know, but it wouldn’t hurt to nod my head, and see what he did. I nodded.
The blindfold was ripped from my face for the second time that day, and I realized for the first time how hungry, tired and thirsty I was. I hadn’t had any kind of liquid or food since early that morning. Who knew how long I’d been unconscious for? Perry’s gray eyes peered into mine. He seemed genuinely worried, though I found that hard to believe. Perry was a trickster, and could mask his own feelings extremely well. Next, the gag was pulled from my mouth. It was barely a matter of minute’s before Perry had my arms and legs completely untied. I dropped to the ground and began to cough.
Once the spasms had passed Perry said dryly, “Feeling better Miss O’Connel?”
I glared at him, “Thank you for rescuing me, if that is what you are doing, Mr. Winkle, if that is your name.”
To my surprise, Perry reddened, “Sorry ‘bout that,” he apologized sheepishly, “I needed cover. My name is Perry McWitz. Winkle just sounded funny so I used it.”
“Perry Winkle makes you sound like a blue color, not to mention sounding stupid,” I stated matter-of-factly, brushing myself off, “And do you have any idea where we’ll be going to hide from Julia and the creep gang? We are on a ship after all. Where can we go?”
“Don’t worry,” Perry cracked a tiny grin, a small reminder of the man I had known before his betrayal, “I know a place we can hide.”
“Good, ‘cause I don’t,” I flashed a tiny, reluctant grin back.
“Oh, yah,” Perry said, suddenly turning and reaching into a dark corner, “I have something of yours.” He turned back to me to reveal my stick, still in one piece.
I stared at it, and him, in astonishment, before quickly reaching out my hand to snatch up my precious item. The wood was still its same, familiar smoothness. I fingered the stick lovingly. “Why’d you keep it?”
Perry shrugged, “It looked important to you, so I thought I’d keep it for when I rescued you. We’d better hurry up or…”
A sharp click behind him cut Perry off. He whirled around and froze, his gray eyes taking in what I’d already seen. Julia and Team Steel were back, each ominous figures of impending doom in the darkness. Julia stood at the head of the four others, a triumphant yet nasty smile on her face. In her hand she held a gun, cocked and ready to fire. It was pointed directly at Perry.
“Don’t either of you move,” Julia hissed nastily, “Or I’ll pull this trigger.”
I only get a chance to update every Friday now, because of the ew rule my parents implemented, and since I don't quite have Chapter 11 finished it'll give me more time to work on it, and the following chapters.
Please, please, please peoples, REVIEW! Even if you didn't catch any mistakes you can still tell me you are/are still reading. If you do have something point out, please do so, but try to keep it positive. I'm an optimistic person, and, well, people who flame get me depressed. ^^; If I'm depressed there is no new chapter... >_<
Any way, without further ado, I present you with Chapter 10: Twice Betrayal.
Learning to Heal the Hurt - Book I: Fire Red
Chapter 10: Twice Betrayal
Chapter 10: Twice Betrayal
It was dark, really dark. By dark I don’t mean the friendly, hazy kind you get in your bedroom at night, I mean the kind of ominous blackness that seems to bore straight into your soul, draining every last inch of light out. I mean the kind where you can’t see your hand if you put it in front of your face, and your eyes never adjust. You are virtually blind. Of course, Perry had thought ahead though, revealing a tiny, hand flashlight as he emerged into the dark passage way. Though the light cast eerie shadows upon the cold, steel walls of the ship, it was still one small comfort in the creepiness of the passageway.
We’d been traveling in silence most of the time we’d been moving. I was concentrating on the pitching hallways beneath my feet, and keeping my footing. Ships were tricky to maneuver about in, especially if they’d just set sail as the S.S Cactus had done only a few minutes previous. Perry seemed used to this kind of thing, though his brow was rapidly creasing in concern as we moved. He wouldn’t look at me, and he didn’t seem to want to talk either, but at least it appeared as if he knew where he was heading.
I, on the other hand, did not, and didn’t exactly welcome the fact that I was blindly following a young man of whom I knew almost nothing about. He could be kidnapping me as far as I was concerned! But, I told myself, he seemed like a nice guy, from what I’d seen of him, and though I hated to admit it I kind of trusted him in a strange sort of way. He’d done nothing to hurt me after all, and he’d even been nice enough to offer me a free, though somewhat illegal, passage on the S.S. Cactus. I just had no idea why he’d chosen me of all people. If he’d wanted company he could’ve found someone his own age to befriend; I was six years younger than him after all! I must admit, I did feel kind of flattered at his interest in me.
Perry stopped. I stopped too, snapping out of my reverie. “Um…Talia,” He said dubiously, eyes riveted toward the ground.
“What?” I asked, attempting to catch his eyes. He would be so much easier to read if there was more light!
“There’s…there’s something I’ve got to tell you,” He was fingering the edge of the flashlight nervously, appearing suspiciously sheepish.
Confused, my curiosity roused, I asked, “What?”
“I…I asked you to…I don’t know how to say this, but…” He was stammering, a scared, doubtful look written all over his face.
“Come on, Perry! Just spit it out!” I sighed, exasperated at his stalling.
“All right,” He sighed, and glanced in the other direction. Suddenly, he turned to face me, desperation entering his gray eyes, “Talia, look, it’s not like I wanted to do this, but I had to! You must understand!”
“What? Perry, what are you talking about?” My suspicion had quickly turned to alarm. Something about Perry’s voice made me shudder. Something definitely was wrong here.
“I…” He continued, “I only asked you to…”
A darkly clad and hooded figure stepped out of the darkness behind him, “Well, done Perry my boy. You have done well.” The voice was slightly familiar, but sharp with a tone of danger ringing in every word. I could’ve sworn I’d heard it before, though under slightly different circumstances, but where?
Perry’s face twisted in pain, then hardened, and he turned away to face the darkness. Four more dark figures materialized out of the gloom, each dressed in full gray clothing. Three of them were unmistakably large men, accustomed to fighting. The two other figures were smaller, one definitely only a hooded child of perhaps my age. The other, the figure who had spoken, appeared to be a young woman by both her figure and the way she held herself. What was happening? The woman was smiling, and even though only the lower half of her face was showing beneath her dark hood I had this strange feeling I’d seen her before.
“Ivan, Marc, grab her,” It wasn’t until these orders were issued that my brain even began to comprehend my situation. I swore violently. I had been betrayed. There was no question about that. My mind whirled sickeningly as I tried to fight off the nausea threatening to overwhelm my senses. Perry had led me into a trap. I had trusted him and he had betrayed me. Shuddering, I felt sick, I attempted to push back the anger and hurt creeping over my body.
The only question was why had Perry led me into this trap? Why did these people want me? I had nothing of value that I knew of unless… a new thought dawned on me with a jolt. The Fire Red stone! Its strange behavior was definitely nothing normal for a stone, even a strangely colored one. I’d just grown used to its strange outbursts over the many weeks it had been in my possession. How had these ominous figures found out about it though? I’d kept the secret of its existence to myself.
I shifted my feet slightly, and attempted to bring my stick up for defense. It was all in vain though, as one of the large men wrenched it from my fingers. It fell to the ground with a clatter. The next thing I knew, rough hands were grabbing my arms, and I was savagely yanked off my feet. Shouting, I attempted to free myself, but it didn’t make any difference. They were simply too strong. One of my captors brought a heavily booted foot down on the back of my skull. My head erupted in pain, and with one last desperate cry of despair my eyes met Perry’s stony ones…and I knew no more.
* * *
I was gagged. That was the first thing my pitifully aching brain could comprehend when I came to. The foul piece of cloth wadded securely in my mouth wasn’t exactly hard to miss. It forced me to breath through my nose.I was gagged and tied up, I soon realized. Coarse rope chaffed my wrists and ankles with painful clarity. I attempted to wiggle my fingers, but found I couldn’t feel them at all. Neither could I feel my feet. I seemed to be propped up against a wall, my bound arms crushed and numb beneath my body. A smothering piece of cloth, much like the one shoved so unceremoniously into my mouth, covered my vision. Whoever had tied me up really had done a good job of it. I had no idea where I was too, or, for that matter, where Perry and the dark figures had disappeared. My ears weren’t detecting anything, and my roaring head wasn’t doing anything to help the matter.
It wasn’t until some minutes later that the hollow sound of heavy boots echoed down the hallway followed by the muttered grumbling and cursing of two men. I had given up any feeble attempts of escape long ago, as all it did was tire me out.
“I don’t think she’s awake Marc,” One of the men remarked as the heavy footsteps approached.
“I don’t care,” The other man, Marc, growled, “You heard what she said. She wanted us to bring the girl to her, now.”
“Yeah, I heard her, but what if she’s still unconscious? She won’t be able to converse with her then.”
“Think really hard about that one Ivan,” Marc’s reply was sarcastic.
“Umm…” Ivan faltered, clearly stumped. “I don’t know. We wait until she wakes up I guess, but that might take more hours than we…”
“We wake her up ourselves you idiot!” Marc bellowed, exasperation edging his voice.
“Oh. Right.”
A rough hand gripped my arm and shook it harshly. I held my body limp, hoping they would leave me alone. My whole body ached and I did not feel like moving right now. Without warning one of the men slapped me straight across the face, “Wake up girl!” I jerked and groaned, a stinging pain flooding my cheek.
“So, it looks like she is awake after all,” Ivan remarked nastily.
“Well ain’t that nice,” Marc’s reply was sarcastic. Clumsy fingers were untying the ropes around my ankles, and I was roughly hauled to my numb feet. I immediately collapsed, falling helplessly against one of my unlucky captors. My traitorous feet wouldn’t hold my weight. He swore violently.
“Git up!” Marc bellowed, yanking me harshly to my aching feet. “You will cooperate without a complaint! Y’hear me?” I nodded dumbly. His screaming was worsening my headache, bringing back the terrible nausea of before. “Good, ‘cause if you didn’t I’d…I’d do somethin’ you wouldn’t like much!” What a great threat.
He jerked me, and I began to stumble painfully down the hall, Marc’s iron grip biting into my arm. It wasn’t long before I sensed the other man, Ivan, join us on my opposite side. It was extremely difficult, stumbling along on feet I couldn’t feel, blind, with my arms tied securely behind my back. Every time I stumbled or just wasn’t moving fast enough one of my captors would give me a sharp cuff on the head. We hadn’t been traveling long before I heard other voices, quickly hushed as the three of us came into view, and I felt myself shoved roughly into a hard, sharp-edged chair.
“Un-gag her, but leave that blindfold on. I want to keep her guessing,” The woman, who appeared to be the leader, had spoken. Her tone was nasty and sharp, but her voice was so familiar, I just couldn’t put my finger on where I’d heard it before! The gag was unceremoniously ripped from my mouth, and I choked, beginning to cough, spitting the foul taste from my tongue. It felt good to be able to breath through my mouth again.
“So, Talia O’Connel,” I froze. How did the strange woman know my true last name? I’d told Perry a lie. He’d heard I was an O’Hara, not an O’Connel. Then how did she know my name? “Ahh, It seems you’re wondering how I know your real last name when you told that mindless idiot of mine that your last name was O’Hara.”
“How…” I rasped. My voice was weak from so many hours of no use, “Who are you? And what do you want with me?”
“Wait, wait, wait, we do not want to rush things now do we?” Her voice was silky and sweet like honey, and she was creeping me out. “I know who you are, but do you know who I am?”
It was there! Right in the back of my brain, but I just couldn’t get at it! Who was she? “I…” I stammered, unsure.
“Oh, come on Talia O’Connel, you’re smarter than that. I seem to remember a certain girl, rugged, her clothing muddied and torn, by the side of the Sandar-Rustboro Highway, don’t you?”
My breath caught in my throat as the familiarity of her voice suddenly dawned on me, “Julia?” I whispered, aghast, “Julia Smith?”
“Not quite, my dear girl, but that is who you knew me for then wasn’t it?”
“What do you want with me! Take this damn blindfold off!” I meant to shout the words, but they only came out sounding like a pitiful squeak.
“As you wish,” Someone ripped the blindfold from my eyes at Julia’s silent command. I blinked repeatedly as light flooded in. Two chairs faced each other; I was seated in one and Julia the other. Between us, on the floor, stood an upturned flashlight that cast the only light in the dim space. One of the men, Marc I think, stood beside me as an obvious guard, his hard face devoid of any emotion. The rest of Julia’s rag tag group stood around her chair, each of their faces hidden in the depths of their dark hoods. I tensed. Perry stood silently beside Julia, his eyes lowered, face impassive. He wouldn’t look at me. Anger swelled in my chest. He would pay dearly for his filthy betrayal, if not now then later.
One of the figures, the smallest one, shifted and took a quick step in my direction, where I sat helpless in the chair. The third man (not Marc or Ivan) grabbed the boy by the arm, as if restraining him.
“Don’t you dare make a move,” The man hissed. The other figure growled, but stayed put. Confusion reigned in my mind. What did these people want with me? Why would they kidnap me and bring me on this ship just to talk? Did they want me for some certain purpose? I had no idea, and the only way to find out was to listen.
“So, Talia O’Connel, I suppose you’re wondering why we brought you here in a such an…unnerving manner,” Julia spoke, her strange silver eyes resting on mine. She looked just like she had when I’d seen her last, begging for my forgiveness, along with Darren, in the hospital in Rustboro. Her hair was the same raven black as it had been, though the way she walked and talked held a certain tone of nastiness and superiority about her.
“Yes,” I growled, “I would like to know.”
“Hmm, it is kind of a long story, but I do believe we have the time…wouldn’t you agree my dear?” Julia’s tone was sweetly innocent. It brought bile to my mouth just thinking of it.
“Just tell me!” I hissed, my impatience growing. Not that I could do anything about it…
“As you wish,” Julia began, settling back into her chair. “You see, my friends and I are all part of one group, a group that is striving to achieve the same goals. I am the co-leader and co-owner of this group, and, you will be delighted to hear, we have around a hundred members all across Hoenn. The current leader’s brother founded Team Flare, the current Team Steel, just about six years ago. We began as a petty gang of thieves in Mauville City, living off what we could manage to scrape up from our work.”
“You’re thieves!” I yelped, interrupting the co-leader of Team Steel.
“Oh, I wouldn’t go as far as to say it that way,” Julia shook her head, “I’d say we are more of…borrowers without asking, but, of course, we do never bring the stuff back.”
“I won’t work for thieves!” I protested indignantly.
Julia smiled knowingly, “We shall see about that. In the mean time please quit interrupting me or you’ll never hear your part of the story.”
I glared at her. Julia’s face was smug as she continued. “As a few years passed we finally managed to see our goal in clear view. As soon as that happened members flocked to us by the dozens, practically begging to sign up. As our organization grew, so did our operations. We began to take on larger and larger quests, and we began to become too sure of ourselves. Three years ago, Marshall Kasari, the leader and founder of Team Flare, was captured along with four of our men, by the Hoenn Police force. They were charged with theft and murder. Though the charges may have been accurate we felt the punishments were unjust. Our five men were to be executed, but we did not know where. We could not save them. They were killed, all of them, and Marshall was never heard from again. His rule was left to the current co-leader at that time, his younger brother, Simon Kasari.”
“I don’t care a lick about your stupid group, or what kind of twisted person would begin it!” I hissed through clenched teeth. Already, the fact that Julia and her band were thieves was irking me. I did not like where this little conversation was going.
Marc gave me a sharp cuff on the head, “It ain’t stupid!” He growled. I groaned and shut my mouth as my eyes snapped shut. My head was ringing loudly in my ears.
“Marc,” Julia warned sharply, her sweet voice suddenly morphing into ugliness, “Do not touch her or hurt her again. She’s valuable…unless you want to take her place of course.”
Marc paled visibly, “N-no, that’s alright.” He gulped, clearly frightened, “I’ll not do it again.”
“Good,” Julia’s tone was low and dangerous. Marc gulped again, and I could feel his muscles tense beside me.
Fear tugged at my heart at Marc’s response. What kind of roll could I be given that was so horrible this full grown man feared to take it on? I shrugged it off, riveting my eyes back to Julia’s slightly unnerving ones, hoping for her to continue. Once I’d heard my purpose I’d figure out something to do about it.
“As I was saying,” Julia continued, glaring at the visibly shamed Marc, “Simon Kasari became the new leader of our corporation. I, who had already risen to quite a high position at that time, was made co-leader, Simon’s right hand man, or woman if you will. I, being a master of the steel type Pokemon, as was Simon, proposed we change our name to Team Steel, to make ourselves invisible to the Hoenn Police. Unlike Marshall, Simon began to immediately bring up plans on how to accomplish our goal. His first idea was that we lay low for a year or two, to act as if we’d disbanded until the time was right and the people weren’t so wary of us. For a year and a half we lay low, laying out plans for our operation. Finally, Simon brought us all back together, with many new recruits we’d each individually managed to pick up in our time away. The time was right, and our domination plans began to commence. Our plans, our purpose, was to overthrow the government, and unite all three regions under one banner to serve us, Team Steel, no longer a petty gang of thieves.”
I had a tough time keeping my mouth shut at this. I couldn’t believe it. This goal of theirs was so stupid, so idiotic, so…unoriginal. I couldn’t believe they were even attempting this! What would they gain from overthrowing the government, besides the obvious servitude of the people, anyway, this Team Steel?
“Unlike so many fools who had attempted to grab the world in the past, we actually had a brilliant plan of action. It would take a few months at least to complete, but when it was finished we would have total power. Our plan was to steal the two stones, the red Orb and the Blue Orb, which rested atop the sacred Mount Pyre. One family had lived on this mountain for generations, protecting these powerful stones from people like us who would wish to steal them for their own purposes.
“The Red orb, a stone of immense power, a stone the color of fire and blood, held the will and power of the ancient dragon, Groudon. If brought to the right place, this stone could bring forth the ancient terror that would then unleash its horrible wrath on the world, destroying everything in its path. If a human controlled the stone though, that one person could control the dragon, and use its great power to his own will. The Blue Orb controlled a slightly lesser power, but a terrible power all the same: the power of the ancient water monster, Kyogre. If used in the same way, the stone can draw out this monster and reek havoc on the whole earth. When used together, the stones could draw forth both monsters, giving our corporation total power.
“We sent two of our sneakiest, most trusted men to the mountain to take the stones from right under the noses of its guardians. Right before they nabbed the stones, our men learned that only one of the two still rested atop the mountain: the Blue Orb. Hundreds of years ago, according to the guardians, the Red orb was stolen and lost. No one had seen or heard of it since.”
I felt as if someone had knocked me in the head with a baseball bat, that was how hard the realization hit me. The stones, the two stones Julia was talking about, the Red and Blue Orbs, the Red Orb’s mysterious disappearance from human life years ago, my stone… it all made sense now.
“This, my dear, is where your part comes in. After a few months of extensive searching, the Blue Orb had been in the hands of one of our men for a long while. It wasn’t very long before we began to notice changes in him. He would begin to scream randomly, throwing himself this way and that, babbling about power, injustice and all manner of things we did not understand. He began to hurt himself and others; he didn’t recognize any of us. His eyes were steadily turning a bright sapphire blue, the color of the stone he bore. He wouldn’t let us touch him or his precious stone. One day, after another such outbreak, we heard him muttering, screaming, cursing, scratching and clawing at everything within reach. Finally, he screeched, pale hands to his head, ran outside and plunged himself into the nearest body of water. Our man drowned, but we did manage to recover his body, and with it, the blue stone.”
I stared at Julia’s neutral face, horrified. That was terrible, utterly horrible! That man had gone crazy under the intense power of the Blue Orb, and it had gotten so bad he had taken his own life.
“And this is where you come in, Talia O’Connel,” Julia’s voice was nastily icy, making a cold shiver run up my spine. I had this dreadful, creeping feeling I knew exactly what my purpose was. I need only to wait for Julia to confirm it.
“None of our men would dare to take up the stone after that. We all knew how Roger had gone mad, mad enough to kill himself. We all knew that the Blue Orb was the cause of this, as Roger had been a completely sane man before. None of us were willing to risk our sanity like that for the cause though. When no man stepped forward to claim the stone Simon made a wise decision. We’d have to pull in one of the unwilling public to our quest, and make him bare the stone until the time was right, when Simon would take it up himself to control the creature. You, Talia O’Connel, shall bare this stone, willing or not, until you go mad, or die.”
I stared at her, my whole body trembling uncontrollably. Julia had just confirmed my worst suspicions. I was to bear the Blue Orb…and go mad, or die. They were not about to force it on me without a fight, though. “I,” I spat venomously at Julia, “will never bare that stone for you! I will not risk my own life for your cause! And I will never work for thieves!”
A slow, annoying smile spread across Julia’s face, “Oh, will you now?”
“I will not work for you!” Her unfaltering smile was scaring me. She seemed to be ready for my opposition.
“We’ll see about that. Right now, it seems as if you don’t have the right to refuse me,” Her voice was smooth and melodious, as if she were trying to sooth a rebellious child.
I glared at her, my eyes full of hate.
“Ivan, Marc! Tie her up again. Very tightly,” Julia’s voice turned sharp as she addressed her men.
“I will not work for you!” I screamed at her as Marc’s rough hands gripped me, forcing me down. “I will not!”
I couldn’t see Julia now, as the men had managed to wrap the blindfold around my eyes. “I’ll ask you that again later. We just have to break you.” The gag was back in my mouth again, and I could make no reply, but I did not like the sound of her words.
* * *
I was tied up…again. The men had made short work of it too, leaving me to the support of my aching legs, my hands strapped to a pole. It was a very uncomfortable position. About fifteen or twenty minutes had passed, by my estimate, since Julia and her ‘Team Steel’ had given me that little walkthrough of their work. They had soon disappeared, leaving me behind chained in total silence. I did believe, though, that they had left someone to guard me, but I hadn’t heard a sound since the clomping boots of the three large men had receded into the blackness of the S.S. Cactus. My mind still hadn’t calmed down enough to let me think my situation through. I was scared of what they would do to me that was for sure. I had never been afraid of another human being like this in my life. They could easily force me into anything by the way I was held captive and tied up. I was still refusing the idea in my mind that I would work for these creeps. They’d have to force me into submission if I were to do anything they wished! Team Steel was just a petty gang of thieves after all, with the most unoriginal goal I had ever heard of! It would never work.
Stories of Kyogre and Groudon I had heard all throughout my childhood were whirling around in my head, and I could not banish them no matter how hard I tried. They were the kind of story every child in Hoenn was told at bedtime, and the same story used to scare naughty children into submission. Kyogre and Groudon, two mythological creatures of the opposite elements, had been enemies, sworn to fight each other for eternity. Hundreds, possibly even thousands, of years ago these two Pokemon rose up against each other in an epic battle that almost destroyed the world. Something though, no one knows what, was stronger than both of them, and this mysterious creature subdued them, laying them down for an eternal rest, their powers locked away in two orbs of incredible power. The monsters could not be wakened unless their stones were taken to the right place, so their bodies could rise again. These two monsters were so powerful, the stories always proclaimed, so I doubted any human being could ever control them.
The Fire Red stone lay heavier in my pocket as my thoughts dwelled on this subject. I knew what my stone was now…and it knew too. I felt the extra heat of another body in front of mine. Freezing, I snapped out of my reverie. Who was there, one of Julia’s idiotic followers? He spoke, and I immediately recognized his voice, “Talia? You okay?”
I grunted, which was all I could manage with that horrible gag, anger swelling in my chest, “Look,” The voice continued, “I’m sorry for what I did to you. I really didn’t want to do it.” That was not believable. “They would’ve killed me if I hadn’t, you must understand!”
I grunted again, attempting to put all the hate I could into that one sound. Perry had betrayed me when I’d trusted him, and I could not forgive him for that. He deserved to rot in hell. I also could not believe he would betray Team Steel, especially when they were so much more powerful then either he or I was.
“Look,” He went on quickly, his light tenor voice low, “I’m trying to help you here, get you out of this, alright, but you have to cooperate with me, and not yell when I take your gag off.” I couldn’t believe it; Perry was trying to rescue me, even after he’d betrayed me, even with the penalty of death. It just wasn’t logical; no one would dare risk their life for a girl they barely knew, would they?
“So, will you let me help you?” I really didn’t know, but it wouldn’t hurt to nod my head, and see what he did. I nodded.
The blindfold was ripped from my face for the second time that day, and I realized for the first time how hungry, tired and thirsty I was. I hadn’t had any kind of liquid or food since early that morning. Who knew how long I’d been unconscious for? Perry’s gray eyes peered into mine. He seemed genuinely worried, though I found that hard to believe. Perry was a trickster, and could mask his own feelings extremely well. Next, the gag was pulled from my mouth. It was barely a matter of minute’s before Perry had my arms and legs completely untied. I dropped to the ground and began to cough.
Once the spasms had passed Perry said dryly, “Feeling better Miss O’Connel?”
I glared at him, “Thank you for rescuing me, if that is what you are doing, Mr. Winkle, if that is your name.”
To my surprise, Perry reddened, “Sorry ‘bout that,” he apologized sheepishly, “I needed cover. My name is Perry McWitz. Winkle just sounded funny so I used it.”
“Perry Winkle makes you sound like a blue color, not to mention sounding stupid,” I stated matter-of-factly, brushing myself off, “And do you have any idea where we’ll be going to hide from Julia and the creep gang? We are on a ship after all. Where can we go?”
“Don’t worry,” Perry cracked a tiny grin, a small reminder of the man I had known before his betrayal, “I know a place we can hide.”
“Good, ‘cause I don’t,” I flashed a tiny, reluctant grin back.
“Oh, yah,” Perry said, suddenly turning and reaching into a dark corner, “I have something of yours.” He turned back to me to reveal my stick, still in one piece.
I stared at it, and him, in astonishment, before quickly reaching out my hand to snatch up my precious item. The wood was still its same, familiar smoothness. I fingered the stick lovingly. “Why’d you keep it?”
Perry shrugged, “It looked important to you, so I thought I’d keep it for when I rescued you. We’d better hurry up or…”
A sharp click behind him cut Perry off. He whirled around and froze, his gray eyes taking in what I’d already seen. Julia and Team Steel were back, each ominous figures of impending doom in the darkness. Julia stood at the head of the four others, a triumphant yet nasty smile on her face. In her hand she held a gun, cocked and ready to fire. It was pointed directly at Perry.
“Don’t either of you move,” Julia hissed nastily, “Or I’ll pull this trigger.”
legendaryrider
Soul Trainer
she's got a gun. how exciting. I new it she is. groudon chose her because he was smart and he knew she would not go crazy unlike that stuipd(my opinion)
water wail did'nt know her person would go crazy.
water wail did'nt know her person would go crazy.
Thanks for pointing that out Riaf. I'll go fix it. And yes, Talia did leave her stick on the Highway. You might want to ge reread the beginning of Chapter 8, because it was explained there.Riaf said:
Mehbeh. Drake and Darren might be under those hoods, and they might not be. You'll just have to wait and see. XD I'm not sure if I did a description of the battle or not. If you could find it for me, and point it out I'd figure out what to do about it. Thanks for reviewing!
~Saya~