Twinkle's Story: Chapter 26

*Hi again, stalkers of my blog! XD*
*I don't know when I'll get the chance to type up a new chapter, and since I have some free time now, I'll type it up now.*
*Hmm, I feel like I'm rushing.*
*Uh... Apple cider is delicious. :P*
*That action and suspense, though.*
*That cactus, though.*
*Now read, you stalkers, read! >8U*
*Oh. Remember to comment your predictions in the comments.*
*Hi. ^-^*
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CALLIAH

He won't catch him. I shake my head. No, he can't catch him. I sigh, relieved. The guard, his very face hidden behind an invisible mask, has kept no sense of navigation. He has absolutely no idea where Duke could possibly be. Right?

I stretch out my two legs. They hang off the edge of the faded color chair. I flex the toes on my feet, one foot at a time, following a steady but fragile rhythm. The beating of my nearly-broken heart.

I slowly get up from my seat. I pinch the fur at the tip of my tail. I look up towards the ceiling of this cursed place. A thought strikes me; a painful blow.

What about me? I'm not sure myself that I know where he is. How can I possibly forewarn him about the guard if I don't even know where he is myself? How many are they? How many "WANTED" posters have been hung up on every tree trunk, every door, every gate?

Suddenly, uneasier questions enter the muddle of my mind. The muddle of me.

How much longer till he, somehow, is found? Will he react the same way to the experiments as I did? Or differently? Will he attempt to go against all odds, everything, in a chance to get out alive? Will he ignite that spark of defiance, and speak out letting everyone know the truth about--

I then remember that he doesn't know about that, either. I shrug off the thought, but it still lingers in the back of my mind. It brings a question that disturbs me the most out of all of them. How unfortunate of me.

Are we strangers to one another?

All of a sudden, as I stay standing, I can practically feel the very definition of darkness running through my veins.The very vast yet empty souls of phantoms. Their hearts just cold, black pits. I feel their anguish, their screams of terror, of a long gone ghost that haunts my dreams. I begin to lose all the sanity left in me.

Being controlled. Again. The irises of my eyes flash a deadly, toxic purple. Like a type of death serum; one that could bring along death instantly. The purple color fades into my eyes.

I can no longer control my actions. My thoughts, just moments ago, wiped out of my memory.

I am being controlled yet again. By them.

The phantoms.


FAUNA

Eternal's isolation, of his own accord, has been going on for far too long now. It brings unease among us three. He looks at us, mostly at me, in a diabolical way. He has a rather strange interest in me. But why?

I sigh, exasperated. I look to the left in this tiny circle of three. Duke's aunt is there; to the right, Duke's uncle. He scratches the side of his forehead with a claw.

"Well...." he says, dragging the word out painfully slow.

After a moment's silence of nothing else being spoken aloud among us, I speak up. Annoyance clearly heard and understood in my voice.

"Someone has to keep a watch on him. We can all agree on that. I believe that one of us--"

I suddenly get interrupted by the aunt. "Mhmm. But who?"

I just roll my eyes at her and continue speaking. "I'm the smallest out of us three, as well as the gentlest. I think I'll be the one to eavesdrop. To, you know," I look at each of them in turn, "see how he's doing."

The aunt and uncle exchange uneasy glances, but they both come to the same conclusion.

"Okay. You go, Fauna."

Satisfied, I stretch out my wings. I float up just a bit higher, and leave the two behind without another word.

It doesn't take me long to find out where Eternal has isolated himself this time. My paw grabs the wall's corner. I daringly look out beyond the corner. As quickly as I looked, I turn back.

I won't forget that face for a long, long time. The face of absolute vengeance.

As I get almost out of earshot, I hear him say something. It brings me a sickening feeling. Those words spoken aloud. It felt like sharp claws going all the way down my spine, and then slicing it in half.

I can imagine Eternal rocking back and forth in that chair of his, that look of pure evil on his face, those words.

"I'll get you, I'll get you! I'll kill every one last of you! I'll kill you!"

I don't think he means only the phantoms. With the insanity in his voice, I'm pretty sure he means so much more than that.

I flee all the way back to where the other two are.

I'll never forget that face. Never.


DUKE

I sit at the head of this oak-colored table. Bundled up in blankets of bright colors, I sip the drink that's set before me. I lift up a paw, looking at the bright red blanket on my wrist. I look at it and laugh. I don't even remember the last time I actually wore bright colors. I remember my wardrobe, or perhaps my previous wardrobe for all I care, only being in various shades of grays, blacks, and occasional whites. Still amused by this, I place the paw down and wrap it around the mug. It instantly warms my paw.

I grab the delicate mug, precision in my grip. I hold it up. I breathe happily as I stare at the depths in the liquid. The scent of mint leaves rested on top of the almost clear water, fills me with joy. The balance, unbroken, marvels me. I take another good, long sniff. I smile once again. I don't remember the last time I actually smiled- and meant it.

I bring the mug up even closer to me. The brim of it on my lips. I take a long sip. I swallow the mint tea, satisfied.

Right after I place the mug back down on the table, I see this mysterious person standing in the doorway at the opposite end of the room. Covered in black, the color of shadows, I can't distinguish who this is. Perplexed, I just look at whoever that is.

"Fierdan, Fierdan..."

I look around the room. No one else is there but me.

"Fierdan, Fierdan..." the voice repeats. The calmness of it all begins to scare me.

"Fierdan, Fierdan. Fierdan, Fierdan. Fear-ee-dan..."

My left ear perks up. "Excuse me?" I ask, trying not to sound too awkward.

The mysterious person sounds relieved. "Ah, good. It is you. Master Fierdan, we have important matters to discuss."

As the person nears me, I say, much louder this time, "'Master?'"

After a moment's hesitation, the person says, "Why yes. I am your top most adviser. You've got to remember your good, ol' fellow!"

Confused, I simply say, "No, I think you've got the wrong person. Sorry."

As I look into my tea again, the voice sounds much more determined this time around. "No, you are the right one. I know that for sure, mate!"

"No. I'm sorry, sir, but you've got the wrong... person. I'm not--"

Before I can finish my own sentence, that one word keeps on replaying in my mind. That sing-song voice driving me insane.

"Fierdan, Fierdan, oh Fierdan, Fierdan. The Master of the long-forgotten, the oppressed. Oh it's Fierdan, Fierdan. The Master of this long-forgotten kingdom. The one who sent his brothers and sisters to be slaughtered by blades bathed in blood. The one who set our world in flames. Oh Fierdan, oh Fierdan, what else do you have in store for a poor fellow like me? Fierdan, Fierdan....

The voice haunts me now more than ever. Annoyed at that stupid word, "Fierdan" being repeatedly played in my head in that tune, I knock the mug over. The white tablecloth gets stained in an instant. I then knock the empty mug off the edge of the table. As I hear the first collision of the mug and the tiled floor, I completely forget the taste of the mint leaves and water on the tip of my tongue.

I suddenly get interrupted yet again.


TWINKLE

"Duke? Duke!" I cry out. I have no idea what this blasted fox is doing. It looks like he's having some pretty weird seizures. As I place a paw over my eyes to avoid the deadly glare of the sun, his amber eyes suddenly flash open. He sniffs the air, then gets up.

He then announces loud and clearly, "Blue fox, I have to..." He laughs awkwardly for a time longer than most would laugh at a time like this. "I mean Twinkle. Duh! Haha, haha!"

"Uh, Duke... Maybe you should go back to rest now...?"

"No!" Duke says, curtly. He closes his eyes and sniffs the air above him.

"What in the name of Mira are you even doing, Duke!"

He replies with, "I have to pee."

Getting grossed out by what this might lead to, I say, "Uh okay? Go over... there." I point my finger backwards in the direction farthest away from where I can see. Which is behind me.

Without even thinking it through, he declares, "Okay! Be right back!" and rushes off in the direction where I pointed.

After waiting around a minute, I finally decide to look behind me. "Oh, oh. Oh Zios. Duke..."

He doesn't hear me, though. I can't even see him anymore. In these circumstances, I'm not even sure if that's good or bad anymore.

Suddenly, I hear his voice painfully loud and clear in this vast nothingness. Between harsh swears, he shrieks.

"OH ZIOS, THERE ARE CACTI HERE! OH ZIOS, OH ZIOS. WHY DID YOU LEAD ME HERE, TWINKLE!? WHY, TWINKLE, WHY!?"

I try shouting, but it's far softer. My throat still feeling raw not really helping out in this situation. "You should've looked where you were going then, idiot!"

"WHAT?"

"You're an idiot for not looking where you're going!"

"I CAN'T HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, TWINKLE. PEEING IN THE MIDDLE OF A CACTUS FOREST IS NOT A GOOD IDEA!"

I shout as I loudly as I can now. "EXACTLY. YOU'RE AN IDIOT FOR PEEING BASICALLY ON A CACTUS!"

"OH, I CAN HEAR YOU NOW. GOOD, I'M NOT TURNING DEAF! WAIT. YOU WANT ME TO PEE WHERE YOU ARE? WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?"

Wide-eyed, I answer back, "WHAT THE.... NO, DUKE, NO. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT DOING THAT!"

"SORRY. WHAT? MY... OW, OW, OW, OW, OW!"

"STOP MAKING A FOOL OUT OF YOURSELF!"

"I CAN'T HELP IT. IT HURTS TOO MUCH!"

Completely terrified and grossed out, I gasp. "WAIT, DUKE..."

"YES, I JUST FINISHED PEEING!"

"DUKE..."

"OH MY ZIOS. WHAT NOW! GEEZ, THERE'S NO TOILET PAPER HERE!"

"OBVIOUSLY! WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!"

As I think Duke will continue this gross nonsense talk, he instead looks at his shoulder- the scarred one. He stares at it for quite a while standing in the middle of these many cacti. How he even managed to run through all those cacti to be in the center of them all, I have absolutely no idea.

His look is pure confusion as he walks back. He shows me his uncovered shoulder. On top of the red lines that run along it, this pale green color covers most of the red.

"Twinkle, do you know what this is?"

I, too, am confused. What is this? No, who did this?

"It looks like someone must've noticed your wounded shoulder, and well, dressed your wound. With this green stuff."

After a moment's pause, he asks me, "Then who?"

"I don't have the closest idea, Duke." I walk closer and sniff the pale, bright green substance that now drips down his shoulder.

It smells like mint.