| It all begins with doubt and gets worse and worse from then on. -Dragon�s Words; vol. 5, pg. 48 Part 56 � Mother! Mother, wake up! Please wake up!� I groaned and tried to move, but my legs and body felt so heavy. Finally, I opened my eyes and lifted my head. Someone hugged my neck. � Thank you! Thank you!� [What�s the matter with you?] I grumbled, getting to my feet slowly. � You weren�t breathing! We thought you were dead!� [. . . Oh . . .] I twisted around at a quiet shuffle and saw a girl who looked too like Zidane to keep me comfortable. I snarled at her and bristled, my scales--even the ones on my face--sticking straight out and making me look half again the size that I really was. Zidane grabbed one of my longer horns and held tight, though I could�ve pulled it from his hand with little effort. � Calm down. She hasn�t done anything to us . . . Yet.� She turned and ran ahead and we followed her to a place called Bran Bal. As we reached the place, Garnet experienced a confusing memory flash just before she collapsed. Worried, Zidane decided to find a place for her to rest, leaving Steiner to watch her while he was gone. The first area we inspected was, of course, Bran Bal. It was an unusual place. It was quiet, unlike what a town should be and . . . Everyone had a tail. Yes, they all had a tail. They all had the same hair as Zidane as well. I felt him tremble unsurely beside me and nudged his hand with my nose. He reached out and put his hand on my head. I cooed (quickly casting a Vanish spell on his wings as though it would do any good since that one girl already saw them) and he seemed to calm himself. With a short huff of air, he began asking around for a place to rest. He was directed to an inn and after looking everything over with a critical eye decided to go back to get Garnet. � Wait here.� [Why?] � I want you to do some detective work for me. While I get Dagger, you look around and see what you can find. Don�t act suspicious and don�t talk to anybody. If this is some sick cosmic joke on me, I want an advantage.� [As if I usually go around blabbering whatever comes to my mind.] He disappeared outside and I waited a moment before slinking out. I acted as though I were afraid of the beings, though they didn�t appear too interested in me. I finally got a bit bolder and sniffed at one. Only somewhat to my surprise did they not smell like anything particular. It turned and I leapt back, snarling. Giving me a blank look, it turned back around and stared into the pond again. Confused, I continued on and absorbed every little detail I saw. It was actually a rather boring town, in my opinion. Slithering down the stairs, I ended up in a laboratory. People floated in chambers full of fluid and several Zidane-looking beings, including that girl, were in there doing . . . something. Slipping back out, I made my way back through Bran Bal to the Inn. Steiner, Eiko, and Freya were there with Zidane. All four of them were watching Garnet as if she would jump up and run screaming out of the room if they looked away for just a second. I sat patiently, waiting to be noticed. A moment later, Tiovex and Vanel entered, appearing as ruffled and befuddled as I. [What in the world is going on?] Tiovex asked. [They all look alike!] [Why do they all look like Z---] Tiovex�s tail conveniently knocked Vanel forward onto her semi-soft chest plates. She sat up and glared at him, but didn�t speak any further about look-alikes except to amend her previously unfinished sentence with: [---each other?] Zidane turned. � I don�t know, Vanel. Kiti, did you find anything?� [Other than the fact that they appear to be emotionless zombies? No. They neither chased me nor were frightened of me. Only one paid me any attention whatsoever and it was a blank stare even as I snarled at it.] He frowned deeply and leaned back against the wall. �. . .� I went to sit in front of him and looked directly into his bright green eyes. I willed him to understand what I was trying to say but could not. He either didn�t get it or got it, but just didn�t want to listen. Pushing away from the wall, he gently turned me one-hundred-eighty degrees. � Please stop,� he whispered. I stopped. Garnet woke and explained her sudden fainting spell. I only listened with half an ear, my eyes on the girl peering inside. I pinned my ears, lifted my crest all the way up, bared my fangs, and bristled warningly. Tiovex and Vanel followed my example a bit later. She left. Zidane eventually decided to check out Bran Bal for himself, wandering out of the Inn like a lost drunkard. I had a feeling it involved the blue lights all around the town, which he had mentioned earlier made him feel odd. The next few minutes seemed to pass by like years. No matter how much I told myself Zidane would come back, there was that little voice in the back of my head--one that sounded suspiciously like Zidane himself--that was warning me that he wasn�t going to come back for a long time. Maybe not ever. [I�m going to find Zidane,] I said quickly, bounding out the door before any of them could stop me. I searched throughout Bran Bal, desperate to find him. And if I was unable to keep him from going somewhere I could at least go with him to keep an eye on him for my peace of mind as well as Garnet�s. I finally did catch him going up the stairs to that weird, sickly green light that seemed to be some type of guard screen. I followed him through, keeping back a dozen or so feet so I wouldn�t interrupt anything. � There is the way to Garland.� The girl pointed at a strange greeny-blue area. As Zidane spoke, I noticed how tense he was and how he kept shifting from foot to foot restlessly. His agitation got on my nerves because I wanted to go and soothe him, but was unable to for fear of disrupting the conversation. After a moment of silence, Zidane turned and stepped into the greeny-blue area, disappearing totally. I dashed by the girl and leapt into the area as well. There was a strong tingly feeling all over as I was carried somewhere else. <--Part 55 Part 57--> |