Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

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--|Nuemia Crosswinds|--

--|Chapter 2: Preparations|--

Page 9

Alex started calming himself. "Well, thanks for trying, but I guess I just don't have the talent for this."

Alex walked back to his home feeling very weak and heavy. "What can I do?" Alex thought. "These friends of mine are so amazing, and yet I can't do nearly all the things they can. How can I help if I'm so weak? Maybe I'm not as ready as I thought I was. Maybe I don't belong here..."

Alex slowed his walking pace. He got the feeling that he was being followed. Something had to be stalking him. He came to a complete stop just a few blocks from his home to look around the area. Even with the few streetlights, he could not see anything. Perhaps he was simply imagining things, he thought. Still, he was pretty sure he heard something sneaking about the streets. Alex felt almost frozen in time. The eerie atmosphere of the darkness horrified him. Suddenly, he heard feet running towards him. Too frightened to move, he braced himself for whatever was coming. He closed his eyes, unable to face his doom.

"Hey, basket!" Ruby called as she came near Alex. She stopped directly in front of him and looked at the tears forming in the corners of his closed eyes. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Alex took a deep breath and sighed. "I don't know" he replied, simply relieved not to be facing his doom.

"Well, you can't be so hard on yourself just because you weren't born with the same abilities as someone else. It's not like everyone can use magic, ya know."

"Still, you can." Alex replied with more tears forming in his eyes. "I want to be cool and powerful like you!"

"Well, you don't have to have all the same abilities as me. I told you before that you handled that katana well. You say you've never used one in your life? How cool is that?"

A smile crossed Alex's face. Ruby's words gave him back some of the confidence he had lost. "I guess I'm not as worthless as I thought I was."

"Not at all."

For a few moments, Alex and Ruby were standing face-to-face doing nothing else than smiling at each other. "You're a good friend, and I don't want you to die," she said, "so I saved something for you."

Ruby lifted her hand, which was holding a strange garment. From what Alex could see, it was a black shirt. Ruby unraveled it to reveal what it was. Alex looked curiously at Ruby as she held what appeared to be a girl's undershirt.

"What is it?" Alex Asked.

"This is the skin of the guapda. It's really tough, and also helps you stay warm. I made it into clothes for myself, but I think you should have one, too."

Ruby offered it to Alex, but he backed away as she held it closer to him. "Don't be afraid, basket," she urged, "It's not gonna eat you!"

"I know that!" Alex replied as he squirmed away from Ruby's present. "But, I'm not really sure it would be proper to ... I mean, if you've worn it, I'm not sure..."

"Of course I haven't worn it!" Ruby retorted, somewhat offended by Alex's insinuation. "I'm wearing my own right now!"

Ruby lifted her shirt to show the guapda skins she was wearing, and then quickly covered it again. "You know I'm not that sort of girl!"