| Author: Lizzybell Category: Other (Past Life) Rating: PG-13 at the most Disclaimer: I don't own them, just going to borrow them for a little while. I promise to return them when I'm done. Summery: This is a series of short stories about the Pod Squad's childhood and adolescence on Antar. These will all be before the war began so no one will die. Sorry Ava lovers, but these will also take place before she came into the picture. Note: This is a companion series to my story Secrets in the Past. You need to have read to at least Chapter 27 in SITP before reading this. *Ages are listed at beginning of Memories* Memory One: New Places, New Faces _________________________________________ Zan: 5 Rath: 5 Vonnie: 6 Lillyah: 3 _________________________________________ Rath turned in a circle taking in the new room. It was big. Bigger than his old room. But it was not as nice as his old room. Sure the bed looked big and comfy and there was a cabinet that looked like it had lots of toys. One of the ladies in the black and white dresses had put all his clothes in the cabinet at the end of the room. There was a little table with four chairs so he could draw and play games, but it still was not as nice as his old room. What made his old room nice was that he always knew his mama's room was right next door and Lilly's on the other side. That was what made his room nice. Another lady that was wearing a blue dress came in with a lady he had seen at one of his mama's parties. She was tall with long yellow hair and she wore a red dress with gold stuff on it. She was always nice when she visited mama. They came in a while ago and tried to take Lilly from him. Rath threw a holy fit. He almost had to resort to tears. They were scaring her and he could not have that. He was all she had left and he had to protect her and make her feel safe. She was still real little and there were things that could hurt her. He was five. That was big enough to look out for her. Now that his daddy was gone it was his job and he would not let him down. After a few minutes of struggle the lady in the red dress said it was ok and they could make other arrangements if they wanted to share a room until they got adjusted in their new surroundings. Whatever that meant. All he cared about was that Lilly knew where he was. She got scared if he was away for too long and she still woke up at night calling for their mama. This house was too big, he would not be able to hear her if she woke up crying here. Turning back around he saw where they had set Lilly's bags. They had not been put away yet because there was only one clothes cabinet in the room. The red dress lady said something about having one sent in later when she left. He went over to her things and opened the smallest bag. It had Lilly's favorite things. Her doll Setu, her blankey, a tune box that played an old Antarian dance, and a picture of their mama and daddy. It had been a long trip from their old house to where they were now. Lilly had fallen asleep just outside the border. An older man wearing a blue robe had carried her in and laid her on the bed while Rath ran at his heals ignoring all the other grown ups who tried to talk to him. He had to know where they were taking her because she might wake up in this place and not know where she was. She would need him then. He took out the doll and blankey first. Walking softly to the bed, he stood on tip toe to brush the hair off the little girls forehead. He gently tucked the doll into her arm and spread the blankey over her. Going back to the bag the got out the box and the picture and took them back to the bed. He put them on the table next to the bed so she could see them when she got up. They had been next to her bed at home and since this was their home now it should have things that made her feel at home. He looked around for a minute trying to decide what to do next. He didn't want to play, he didn't want to eat, and he didn't want to go exploring without his sister. Not coming up with an alternative, he went around the bed and climbed up next to her. He yanked the soft blanket that was folded over the end of the bed and covered himself. Laying on his back, Lilly felt his presence and rolled onto hers. Their little hands came together and held tight. She continued to sleep peacfuly and he stared at the ceiling for a long time. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ In the morning the lady in the blue dress came in and woke them up. She had breakfast trays for them that were pretty yummy. Then they had baths and got dressed. Shortly after that the lady, whose name was Hishta, brought them out to one of the enclosed gardens. Lilly loved flowers so Rath was glad there were gardens at this house. The lady in the red dress, only she was wearing a green dress today, brought out two other children to the garden later. The girl was a year older than Rath. She had long hair like her mother's, her bright eyes danced and she was outgoing and inquisitive. She asked Rath lots of questions that made his head hurt. She was wearing a red dress but it was shorter so she could play in it. Her name was Valondra, but people called her Vonnie. The boy was Rath's age. Contrary to his sister he was very quiet and seemed to be shy. He was watching Lillyah like he had never seen a little girl before. His name was Zan. Their mother introduced he and Lillyah to them and said that they would become very good friends and to play nicely while she went to do some important things with their father. They stood there for a few long minutes. Lilly looking at the ground. Zan looking at Lilly. Rath looking at Zan. Vonnie fixing her dolls hair. "What's your dolly's name?" Lilly asked softly, finally breaking the silence. Rath stared at his little sister. She was usually so quiet, especially lately. And she never, ever talked to people she didn't know. "Rabina." Vonnie answered excitedly. "What's yours?" she asked, pointing to the doll the small girl had clutched to her chest. "Setu. My daddy gave her to me." The later part of her answer was barely audible. "Oh." Vonnie's smile faltered for moment, then returned full force. "We have this really huge doll house in the play room that mommy had built for me. Maybe we could play together sometime." Lilly nodded, the actually beginning of a smile on her face. "That would be nice." There was another long pause before Lilly spoke again. "Do you... do you have a doll brush I could borrow? I lost mine in the garden and could never find it again." Vonnie almost jumped up and down with glee. Reaching into the pocked of her dress she produced a small doll brush, the perfect size for both their dolls. "Come on!" She grabbed the smaller girl's hand and lead her over to the blanket Hishta had spread out farther down the lawn. Rath turned to watch with narrowed eyes as the taller girl led his seemingly willing little sister away. Zan watched the way Rath eyed their sisters and understood. "Do you umm, do you want to play pathago? I have a pocket game of it. We could go sit by them while they play with their dolls." He offered the boy. Zan had always been fairly intuitive. He could tell Rath didn't want to be far from Lillyah because he might lose her. They were all each other had left. Rath was doing a good job of acting like he was really being there for his sister but Zan could see easily that it was really the other way around. "Yeah, sure." Rath stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked stiffly to the blanket, sitting next to Lilly. Zan sat down across from him and took out the game he carried in his pocket. They played for a few hours. Vonnie joined in on a few games and Lilly watched. She was too young to play this particular game. Vonnie was making a concerted effort to include the new children. Usually she had a hard time sitting still for this long, that was her brother's department. Before long they were playing a teasing like the best of friends. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Hishta watched on in amazement. The little boy was still very guarded and it would probably take him a while to really let the others in, but he was talking to them and appeared to be enjoying himself. There had even been a few times where he had laughed. The little girl, she was so precious, it was obvious she was going to be very special. Both the royal children warmed to her immediately. That was especially unusual because Vonnie did not often get along with other girls and Zan was so quiet around new people. She watched as they played until the life star dipped below the horizon and the little one curled up with her head on Zan's knee. This was going much better than Hishta had expected. It was looking like this might have been the best move for both sets of children. She saw Zan reach out and pet Lilly's head a few times like a little animal and Rath took off chasing Vonnie while she screamed in delight. Yes, this could turn out to be the best for every one. Memory Two: Polka Dot Clouds and Skinned Knees _________________________________________ Zan: 9 Rath: 9 Vonnie: 10 Lillyah: 7 (this is shortly before Gwyn comes) _________________________________________ "Lilly?" Zan asked. "Yes?" "What about that one?" He pointed to the right. "Oh, that's one of my favorites. Its pink with blue polka dots." Zan laughed. Lillyah had the best imagination. They were laying on their backs on the south lawn watching the clouds blow by. They were guessing their shapes and sometimes Lilly would make up a story to go along with them. "Pink with blue polka dots? That's it? It's not like a polka dot pony or something?" "Nope. Its just a polka dot cloud," she answered quite seriously. "Oh Ok." It was just the two of them today. Vonnie had gone off with their mother to buy some new school clothes and Rath had gotten in trouble for playing in the grand hall and breaking a window. He had to spend the rest of the day off helping hang the new curtains in the palace and weeding the Queen's flower beds. It had been awhile since it had just been the two of them. Rath and he had started school last fall but Lilly still had two years to go. Vonnie being older had started school the previous year. Over that year the boys and Lilly had become even closer. Now when they got out of school Rath hogged Lillyah all to himself. He missed his sister and Zan understood that, but he liked to spend time with Lilly too. She was not like anyone else he knew. Lilly was sweet and fun and not icky like all the other girls at school. There were these girls at school that were always trying to talk to him. Rath teased him about it all the time. He didn't like them. They were always giggling and playing with their hair and didn't like to play outside. That was the complete opposite of Lilly. She laughed and giggled but not all the time and for no good reason. She liked to play outside with them. She liked to run and jump and explore and play in the dirt with them. She was great that way. He really hoped when she got to be as big as those girls at school she didn't turn into one of them. He wondered what she did all day while they were away. He had never really thought about it before. What would he do if he was by himself all the time without his friends and sister to play with? He didn't like to think that Lilly might feel left out. "Lilly?" "Yes?" "Do you get lonely?" "Huh?" She rolled onto her side so she was looking at the side of his face. "When we're away at school, do you ever get lonely without us?" "Oh." She rolled back so she was staring into the sky again. He followed her movement so now he was on his side looking at her. "Sometimes." She it said so softly he could barely hear her. "Really?" "I guess." She shrugged, not looking at him. He was staring at her like he did sometimes. It was a good stare though, but sometimes it made her want to squirm. "Wanna know a secret?" "Sure." He rolled on to his stomach and propped himself on his elbows so their sides were touching. That way she could whisper to him. She liked to whisper her secrets even when they were alone. It kinda made him feel special, like she wasn't going to tell anybody but him. "Don't tell Rath K? He might get mad." "Why?" "He just would, he's like that sometimes." "Ok, I won't tell anybody." "K." She turned her head so she was whispering in his ear. "Sometimes, when I miss you guys, 'cause your gone all day and I have no one to play with, I sneak into your room. Sometime I play with my dolls in there and sometimes I lay in your bed. Its nice. I don't know why but it makes me not so lonely anymore." Zan looked down at the ground. He pulled at the grass with his hands. Lilly was in his room and on his bed while he was at school? The thought kinda gave him a warm feeling in his tummy. He didn't really even like Vonnie to be in his room but for some reason it was ok with Lilly. Not looking up he said quietly, "When we're at school, I miss you too." "Ooo look." She pointed to a fernata fluttering by. Abandoning the conversation she sprang up and started chasing it through the garden. Zan sat up and watched with a smile as she gracefully pranced around the grass and through the flowers. He got up with the intention of chasing after her. He watch for just the right place to jump out and grab her but stopped short when he realized where she was heading. She was skipping along watching the butterfly like creature not watching where she was going. Lilly was quickly approaching the short flight of stairs that led to the lower terrace. "Lillyah!!" He called, but it was too late. She started to tumble forward before he could even get the word out. He watched it happen in slow motion. Her right foot came down on the first step, the look of surprise on her face as she started to teeter forward. Her left foot thrown to the next step trying to stop the fall. Her hands shooting out in front of her as the rest of her body pitched forward. Her long hair flying back as she caught her self with her hands and her knees impacted painfully with the edge of the last stair. Her small cry snapped him back to attention and he was instantly at her side. She was still in the same position, her hands bracing her body that was arching into the air and her kneed perched precariously on the last step. If she tried to move she would have fallen on her face. Without thinking he wrapped one arm around her waist and the other high around her chest pulling her up and flush against his front. He was always amazed at how light she was, like she would crumble if you held her too tightly. Rath was always picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder or tossing her in the air and catching her. It scared Zan to death but he never said anything. Rath would get mad and Vonnie would probably tease him. He just made sure to watch real carefully when that happened. He sat her down lightly on one of the steps and kneeled in front of her. She held her hand out in front of her and he gently brushed the dirt and gravel off while looking her over. "Are you ok?" She nodded but her lip quivered a little, "My knees sting." "Can I see?" He put he hands back in her lap and fingered the hem of her ankle length dress. Biting her lip, she nodded. Zan lifted it, slowly bunching the fabric just above her knees and laying it in her lap. He noticed the large rip down the front of the dress. He winced but tried not to show any other emotion when he saw the battered flesh on her knees. He didn't want to upset her. It was not too bad but they were both scraped raw and were bleeding a bit. It passed through his head that someone as sweet as Lilly should never bleed. "Is it ok?" she asked in a small voice. "They're a little scraped up. We should go back so Hishta can put some bandages on them and you can change your dress." He picked up the hem and pulled it loosely down so the fabric would not catch on the cuts. "Can I see?" She asked leaning over her lap with that same morbid fascination all seven year olds have to examine wounds. "No," he told her gently, pulling her to her feet. "Can you walk? Does it hurt your knees?" She flexed her legs a little to test them. "It stings a little but I'm ok. Why can't I see?" He took her tiny hand in his and started leading her toward the palace. "because they are bleeding just a little. I know you, if you see the blood your going to cry and I don't want you to cry." "You don't?" She looked up at him with the innocence all little girls possess. That look that makes all guys melt, even nine year old boys who think most girls are icky. "No, not ever." he told her seriously. She smiled widely at him, "Ok. Then I won't." and led him back to the house. Memory Three: Midnight Meetings Pt 1 ________________________________ Zan: 17 Rath: 17 Eirya: 18 Vonnie: 18 Lillyah: 15 (after she got her own room) ________________________________ "What's the matter with you?" Vonnie pulled out the chair next to Rath's in the breakfast room while one of the attendants filled her water and juice glasses. He was pushing his food around his plate occasionally stabbing the meat with his fork. His cheek was propped in his hand and he looked very unhappy. Putting down his fork, he turned to her. "I just don't understand it. He knows she still has school during the day. He gets her to sneak out and then I get stuck dealing with her when she's cranky during the afternoon. You know, he sees her during the day, what is so important that they have to sneak out without me?" Pausing her glass at her lips, she raised her brow. "I-I mean that late at night." Vonnie nodded with a knowing look. this had been a small problem through the years, the constant vying for Lillyah's attention. It had never cause too much trouble until recently when it seemed Zan was finally exerting his desire to spend time alone with her. Unfortunately Eirya coming to the table preventing her from goading Rath anymore about his little jealous slip. "Morning." She slipped into her chair across form them rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Hey." they both greeted her. After taking a few sips of her coffee she noticed the tension in Rath's form and the amused looks Vonnie kept sending him. "So what's going on?" "Zan and Lillyah snuck out again last night." "Really?" The news shaking some of the sleep out of her eyes. "What's that? Like the third time this week?" "Yes!" Rath suddenly exploded, banging his fist on the table. The girls glared at him as their beverages sloshed over the sides of their glasses but he didn't notice. His agitation to the whole situation was building to a peak. He stood nearly knocking his chair over backwards and began to pace. "What could be so important that he has to sneak her out at night? What is there that they can't do during the day with the rest of us?" The girls watched on as he tromped around the room distractedly gesturing and mumbling to himself. Suddenly it hit Eirya. "Oh my gosh, you don't know, do you?" "Know what?" he stopped to stare at her as if she was the one who had lost her mind. She turned to Vonnie, "He doesn't know." she stated in awe. Vonnie cocked her head to study Rath, "that can't be it. How could he not. I mean its so obvious I thought everybody knew, except her of course." "No look at him, what he's saying, they way he's acted the last year. he doesn't know." They continued to talk about him as thought he were not in the room. Vonnie narrowed her eyes in contemplation. "Know WHAT!?" He stood in the center of the room with his hand on his hips. Her mouth dropped open. "Oh my gosh, your right." she stared at Rath for a moment as if she were studding a specimen. He stomped his foot and grunted bring her back to reality. apprehension creeping into her features, she shifted her attention back to Eirya. The girls had a silent conversation with glances and nods that only served to further Rath's frustration. "Come here, you should probably sit down." Vonnie held out a chair for him. How did you tell someone something like this? Especially someone as overprotective as he was. Grudgingly he sunk into the chair. Running a hand though his hair he sighed. The girls had gotten quiet, too quite. Vonnie had that sweet, sympathetic, slightly scared look she got when she had to tell them something she didn't think they were going to like. This was going to be bad he could just feel it. "I umm," she took a deep breath and locked eyes with Eirya who gave her a nod of encouragement. "We really thought you knew. Its been painfully obvious to the rest of us for quite some time." She rolled she eyes at her brother's failed attempts to hide his affections from the rest of the palace. "You see... well..." "Just spit it out Valondra." She sighed again and resigned herself to the fireworks. She just hoped that Zan had gotten up by now so he would stand a fighting chance when Rath went looking for him. "Zan is is love with Lillyah." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Rath watched from the distance for a moment while Lillyah worked in her favorite flower bed. The one just to the edge of the forest so it would not get trampled. The one Zan had picked out for her a little over a year ago. So many things had been flying through his head all day. Events that at the time he thought nothing of but now... Now he saw what everyone else saw. His best friend was indeed in love with his little sister. There was no use in denying it. As always, his first priority had to be to her and what was best for her. The truth was she was still a baby, barely 15. She was still such an innocent. She had only been to one ball. Never been on a date. Never been kissed. Never had a crush, at least not that he had known about. Maybe he had been deluding himself, but he never thought this day would come. The day he might have to face the possibility that someone could take her away from him. Maybe he had only been seeing what he wanted to see. Watching her, as she brushed away the hair that fell out its tie and hummed a soft tune, he continued to deny the fact that she was growing up. She was still a sheltered little girl who was too innocent and sweet to be corrupted by to outside world or amorous young princes as the case may be. He walked across the lawn coming to a stop behind her. "Hey Sweetling." She rocked back onto her heals smiling up at him. He gently pulled the hair back from her face, brushing it smooth with practiced fingers and retying it into a ponytail for her. "Thanks." He nodded taking a seat next to her on the grass. "Talk for a sec?" "Sure." She wiped the dirt on her hands onto the skirt of her smock then brought her legs into a more comfortable position before giving him her undivided attention. "Is this about last night because I can explain." She tried to head off what she thought was going to be his line of questioning. "Well, a little," "It wasn't his fault I asked him to go, so don't get mad at him ok?" He eyed her for a moment choosing to ignore how vehemently she defended Zan before he had even been threatened. "really?" he asked her with one brow raised. She worried her lip for a second before looking at the ground. She sighed in defeat and shook her head. "You never were a good liar little one." He playfully tapped the end of her nose. The uncomfortable silence hang for a moment before he continued again. "What umm, what do you do? When you sneak out I mean." "Oh just stuff. Go for a dip in the pond. Watch the stars. Sometimes we talk about what we did during the day. You know, just stuff." She shrugged her shoulders trying to convey the everyday nature of the their activities. "Ok," Rath scratched his brow choosing his next words carefully. Lillyah could be so defensive sometimes, he had to make sure he didn't sound like he was attacking her. "and this... stuff, it can't be done during the day?" "I suppose it could." She was drawing little circles in the grass, not looking at him. "It just, well..." he saw her brow furrow and her head tilt in concentration. "I don't know why. It just is. You guys are out of school now and Zan has the stuff with the King a lot of the time we just don't get to see each other. It was his idea, he umm, he said that he missed me and it was the only time we both weren't busy. I didn't see any harm in it, it's not like we're doing something bad," she sighed, finally looking up at him, her eyes pleading with him to understand. "I just miss my friends. I get to see you all the time because you can make time and Eirya doesn't have all the stuff you guys do but its not the same. Vonnie and Zan, especially Zan, have more important things to do now and its harder to find time to spend with them. So, when he came to my window and asked if I wanted to go for a swim I couldn't say no." Rath smiled his understanding. He knew exactly how she felt. The five of them were a family of sorts and with the older four out of school now it was harder to keep things from changing, harder to make time to spend just being themselves. The three of them had always been the closest of the group and it wasn't hard to believe romantic feelings or not that Zan and Lilly would miss each other now. He certainly missed them. "I can understand that." He looked to the clear blue sky for inspiration on his next line of questioning. "Lilly?" "Mmmm?" she didn't look up from where she was braiding a few blades of grass together. "Do you like him?" He head snapped up and she looked at him like he had completely lost his marbles. "Of course I like him. I wouldn't be sneaking out my window every night if he wasn't one of my best friends." "No," he shook his head in frustration. "I mean do you like like him?" Her eyes widened after a moment when it finally dawned on her what he was asking. A light blush tinted her cheek. "Umm, what gave you that idea? He didn't- didn't say something to you did he?" He noticed the nervous way she was playing with the hem of her smock. This was making her very uncomfortable. "No, he didn't say anything. I just thought that maybe..." "Oh, ok." The fact that this was not coming from Zan seemed calm her some, that confused him even more. "If he had I didn't want things to be awkward. I don't think of him, you know, like that. I uhhh," she started to pick at the fraying section of her hem again. "I don't really think of anyone like that. We're just friends." She nodded decisively as if the action was the final word on the subject. Rath had to wonder if it was for his benefit or hers. "All right. You're right. I don't know why I brought it up. Listen, you should take a nap if your going to keep sneaking out, ok." She looked up at him incredulously, her protest lodging in her throat when he gave her the 'don't argue with your brother, this is the final word look'. She rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll lay down before dinner." "Good." He stood dusting off his pants, "one other thing, if it starts to affect your school work you midnight jaunts and grounded. Understood?" "Of course," she waved her hand through the air. "Ok, I have to get to this meeting thing, I'm supposed to sit in on so I'll see you later tonight." He kissed her cheek before striding back across the lawn thoughtfully. Had she said every night this week? Next LizzyBell |
| The Antarian Chronicles |