June 1st - June 19th
It's almost summer! The last few weeks of school have come, and students will need to study hard for their final exams! Don't let up yet, or your grades won't be what you want them to. Of course, the weather is almost perfect and pristine, in attempts to lure students away from their studies.
"As an artist grows older, he has to fight disillusionment and learn to establish the same relation to nature as an adult as he had when a child."
-Charles Burchfield
A small brown leather diary is set on the surface of an old oak dresser in the Hufflepuff dormitories. On the cover of the diary is a black and white photo of a black short-haired cat watching the camera from a bush. A small silver lock is the only deterrent for someone who might want to read the diary. If the lock is picked, or broken, one would recognize the neat flowing handwriting of Binx, also known as, The Black Cat.
John rolled his eyes with a laugh, casting an unamused glance at Ed, forcing back a snort. "You idiot," He exclaimed, "There's no such thing as fairy tales." Ed sent him a hurt look, as though his friend had deeply hurt him. "Are too!" He retorted lamely, looking at the ground and sulking for a moment as John only laughed. "You've got your head in too many books." Replied the older of the two brothers. John was fifteen now, and had long ago forgotten what it was like to dream and to imagine. Real life had sucked out every last imaginative cell in his body. Trials, angst, hardship. They were core pieces of a world that was built to destroy everything innocent and childish inside. Ed wasn't as hardened as John was. Ed was born only a year later, but he had stuck to his books when John had wrapped himself up in the drama that went hand in hand with high school.
"Shut up," Ed replied tearfully, throwing himself on his bed in a mix of fury and disappointment. In the past, he and John had played together endlessly. When they were younger, they were inseparable, and now John had drifted away from him. Had Ed done something to push his best friend and older brother away? He buried his face in his arms, ignoring the stares that came from John, who was now seated at the computer. "You're like a little baby." John grunted in annoyance, shrugging off Ed's muffled whimpers. "Stop crying and get over it! Fairy tales don't exist. No wonder you can't get a DATE man! You're stuck in the days of knights and princesses! There's no such thing as chivalry anymore!...." John turned to face the computer to browse the internet. "What about Santa Clause? Didn't mum tell you about him? He doesn't exist!"
"SHUT UP!" Ed shouted angrily, "Just SHUT UP!" He hurled a pillow from his head at John, who only laughed, "You don't know anything! You used to believe in this stuff too!" "Yeah," John snorted, "When I was FIVE. It's time to grow up and stop being a BABY." Ed's eyes flashed in anger as John continued, "You know why dad left right? Because he couldn't handle YOU anymore!" "TAKE THAT BACK!" Ed hollered, jumping off the bed and onto his feet, clenching his fists. John craned his neck over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing as they landed on his infuriated brother. "Make me." "FINE!" Full of wild rage, Ed threw himself on his older brother, who was nearly twice his size. "Argh! You little gnat!" John grunted, grabbing at Ed's blonde hair and tugging on it. Ed began to yell, and dug his fingers into John's sides savagely. "OUCH--" John shouted, his feet jerking against the floor, pushing him back so that his arm hit the glass of water resting on the desk by the keyboard.
"TAKE. THAT. BACK." Ed roared as John's fists began pounding against his sides. "NO YOU LITTLE GIT! GET THE HELL OFF OF--" Out of the corner of his eye, John saw the spilt water dripping off of the desk and onto the top of the computer. "ED!" He shouted, and instead of fury his voice was full of fear, "Wait! Ed get off--" "NOT UNTIL YOU TAKE IT BACK!" He and John tumbled out of the desk chair onto the floor, landing with a loud thump before becoming a mass of tangled arms and legs. "ED!" John exclaimed, "LOOK OUT!" The water that had hit the computer was spilling over the front and the back, soaking the cords. The power cord began to spark and smoke, causing Ed to halt, "What's tha--" His eyes widened as he saw the sparking computer, before noticing that he and John were sprawled in the water. "ED!" John shouted, trying to roll away from the sparking plugs. "AAAH--" The sparks had turned bright yellow and white, and all Ed could do was close his eyes.
The electricity sent shocked through their bodies, causing them to convulse uncontrollably until sleep claimed the two brothers.
"Nng.." Everything about Ed ached. His entire body felt as though it were on edge, like a thousand jolts had been sent through his nerves. There probably were... He thought as his mind retraced what had happened. Was he dead? He and John had been electrocuted, and now... John! "Jhnn!" Ed murmured, unable to work his tongue correctly. He forced himself to roll over onto his stomach, and was shocked when the palms of his hands were met by moss. His breath quickened with both excitement and fear. Moss... Am I outside? Ed tried to open his eyes, but was unable to. All he could do was collapse onto his stomach and try to get his breathing under control. Once he could breathe easy, he began to notice things that he hadn't before. There was a slight rustling of leaves overhead mixed with the sounds of birds chirping. The fact that his skin was cool told him that he was in the shade. Combined with shade and leaves, Ed began to wonder if he had been thrown outdoors into some sort of forest.
I must be dead... He realized, How else could I have gotten outside? The sound of footsteps caused Ed's heart to quicken. Someone wearing heavy boots was crunching their way over to him. "Telenai?" The voice was foreign, and the speaker sounded like they were no older than he was. "Nng--" He replied fearfully. "Thalini," The voice continued, the tone taking more urgency, "Neletanal! Tarnook!" A pair of hands that felt human were resting on Ed's arm now, causing him to flinch lightly. A distinctly female voice spoke up, but this one didn't seem as alarmed as the first one had, "Naganati. Tarnook J'bAnai del fangar." A pair of long fingers were placed against the sides of Ed's head, right above his ears. The female voice dropped to below a whisper, "Yanada, Renga, Shima, Lothalata ni kahtch!" "Did it work?" Ed flinched in surprise, "I think so," The woman replied.
Ed squirmed a little, "Whud.. Happnd.." "Well he's speaking our language now," The woman continued, "So yes," "Are you okay?" The original voice stated, his hands tightening slightly on Ed's arm. "Mmg.." "He's damaged," The female voice continued, "I can heal his mouth here, but I'm not sure about his eyes. We might need to take him back to Gwendal." "Whatever you can do, do it." The voice responded. Ed lay helplessly on the ground, listening to what they were saying. He was speaking their language? How could he understand them now? What's.. going.. on.. He wondered, "Wrrs.. Jhn.." He grunted, fear jumping into his throat as the woman placed her hand over his mouth. "Shh.. Be still." He obeyed, because there was nothing else he could do. The woman began to whisper again, but this time it sounded as though her voice were apart of the rustling leaves overhead. As her hand rested against his mouth, Ed's brow furrowed. Were those scales against his lips? She drew her hand away slowly, "Speak." "Where's John!?" He blurted, "W--wait... I can talk again--"
"Thalini is the second best healer in the palace." The original voice stated proudly, "So of course you can speak!" Ed groaned slightly as his head began to throb, "What's going on--why can't I see--where Am I--" "Maybe I shouldn't have healed your mouth," The female voices that he recognized as Thalini stated in amusement, "I don't know about this.. John of yours.. You're the only one here." Ed froze up completely, and his face became ashen. John wasn't there? "As for your eyes, they were damaged by, I am assuming, the same thing that damaged your mouth. Eyes are much more sensitive and complicated then burns on the tongue... So I'm afraid that even if I could restore your ability to open them, the sight itself would be blurred. As of now they are completely swollen and burned shut." Ed began to feel sick as his stomach churned, "Wh-what--"
"You're frightening him Thalini!" The original voice exclaimed indignantly, "Don't worry kid. We'll get you to the palace soon."
-- end of section one
I started a new story, as you can see. What can I say, I'm inspired!
"Wha--" Ed awoke with a start, his throat scratchy and dry. When had he fallen asleep. He clutched at the soft sheets over his legs tightly, tilting his head up. There was a bandage winding around his head, covering his eyes and tying in the back. He reached up to touch the bandages lightly, suddenly afraid of what was wrong with his eyes. He was in complete darkness, as far as he knew, and there was nothing more frightening or crippling than that. He could feel tears forming under his eyelids, and his eyes promptly began to burn, "Aah--" He exclaimed in pain, his other hand flying to his bandage. "Somebody--" He kicked his feet out blindly, searching for the edge of the bed. One foot was planted on the floor, and he shoved himself off of the bed, falling to one knee. He took in a sharp breath, hands covering the bandage as he forced himself to stop the tears. So everything hadn't been a dream.
From what he could remember, the Thalini and the other one had carried him, but somewhere along the line he had completely lost consciousness. "Hey!" A voice exclaimed. Ed recognized it as the other one from when Thalini had healed his mouth, "What do you think you're doing out of bed!?" "I--I'm sorry," Ed murmured, feeling the hands jumping to his shoulders, "Get back in bed!" The young voice continued, forcing Ed to his feet before pushing him back lightly against the bed. "Your body went through a lot of shock for some reason.. We can't do anything to heal you until Giselle comes back from the--... Well until she comes back." Ed grunted uneasily as he sat down on the bed, swinging his legs onto the soft mattress. Whoever it was pulled the blankets over him, "Back from the what?" Ed questioned suddenly, dropping his head back onto the pillows, "... It's none of your concern." The other person replied, "But either way, Gwendal doesn't want to do anything with you until she comes back."
"When will that be?" Ed was feeling nervous again, "I don't know, but Gwendal knows about these things so we have to listen to him. You shouldn't be getting up anyway just in case your body shuts down again." "... Shuts down?" Ed could sense a pause, before the voice finally spoke up again, "Yeah.. It shut down when we carried you here.. Almost completely. If Thalini hadn't been there to make sure you didn't go into critical condition--" The voice trailed off before picking up again, "But anyway. Yes, we can't risk you dying on us until we figure out who you are and where you're from." Ed lay on the bed in silent, his hands on either side of him. The person who he had been speaking with began moving objects around. The sound of glass chinking against wood caught Ed's attention, and he tilted his face toward the noise. "Oh--" The person seemed to realize that they were causing a disturbance, "Sorry Faire." Ed frowned under his bandages, "Faire?" He questioned. "Oh--yeah--um. We, around here, we call you Faire because we don't know what else to call you."
Ed laughed lightly, mostly because the situation was so dismal that even that seemed funny to him. "I'm Edward." He replied, smiling lightly, "But call me Ed." The person approached the bed, "Ed it is then. I'm---" He paused for a moment, as though he were hesitating, "Just call me Blax." Ed let out a laugh, "Blax? What kind of name is that?" "It's no weirder than 'Edward'!" Blax replied indignantly. Ed kept laughing, "Yes it is!"
A few moments passed, and Ed's laughter died down, "Hey, I'm sorry if I insulted you." "Well you did but you're a foreigner so it's not like you would understand." "A foreigner?" "...Yeah.. Blonde hair isn't exactly common over here." Ed reached up to touch his hair lightly, and was shocked to find a few bald spots, "Wha--" "Burns." Blax answered calmly, grabbing Ed's hand and pulling it away, "Your hair will grow back though as long as you don't irritate the skin. So hands off." The hand that Blax was holding by the wrist tightened, "Right... Burns.." He gulped as he remembered what had happened with John... "Am I--" Ed looked over to Blax, "Are you what?" Blax asked, setting Ed's hand down by his side, "Am I dead?" At that question, Blax started laughing, "Dead? Hardly! The dead don't have bright blonde hair like you do. Besides I don't think they'd take someone as young."
Ed became instantly confused. Blax was speaking about death as though it were some sort of creature, "They?" Ed questioned hesitantly. "They? The Dead, obviously. They wouldn't add someone like you to their ranks." Ed's mouth became a thin line as Blax spoke. Zombies? "W--W--What do you mean--" He stuttered unsteadily, "D--Do you mean that ZOMBIES roam this place--" His fists began clenching the sheets nervously. Being in complete darkness only made him feel more afraid and vulnerable--and now with talk of zombies adding people to their ranks... Blax seemed to sense Ed's vulnerability, and touched Ed's arm lightly, "Erm.. We don't call them 'zombies'. Those died out long ago during the first great war. I'm talking about the Dead." Ed bit his bottom lip lightly, not exactly feeling comforted by this knowledge.
Blax could see that he wasn't exactly being comforting to the patient, so he patted Ed's arm lightly, "Don't worry about the Dead. They've been pushed back behind the Eastern Front. I haven't even seen one in person." Ed didn't respond, making Blax sigh, "I should probably go tell Thalini about your progress..." He started, "So I'll just be going now..." Ed continued to remain silent, and in an act of defeat, Blax left the bedside and went out the door.
--
Once he was out of the room, Blax closed the door and sighed, resting his back against the wall. This is terrible.. He thought to himself. I wish I could explain things to him.. Where he is... About why he can't be healed yet... But I can't.. Not until we figure out whether or not he's just a mole.. Blax raked his fingers through his long dark hair, forcing a smile onto his face as a few healers walked by and nodded to him. He was standing in the inner cloister of the Monastery. Originally, he and Thalini had been intending to carry Ed all the way to the Palace, but once Ed had completely collapsed, they couldn't risk the journey. The Palace was only a few miles away, but Edward's situation had been critical. Blax sighed heavily, continuing to rest against the wall until he was greeted by Thalini. "How is the boy?" The half-mer-woman asked pleasantly. "Not well." Blax muttered, "I found out his name was Ed.. But other than that.. I couldn't really tell him anything, and then I think I made things worse by talking about The Dead." Thalini's crystal blue eyes widened, "Why did you start speaking of The Dead?"
"He asked me if he was one! How was I supposed to know he was just talking about being inanimate!?" Thalini smiled at Blax, placing a lean hand on his shoulder, "Do not worry. When he regains his eyesight he will be well again, and then we will be able to put him in front of Gwendal." Blax grunted, staring down at the cobbled stones of the monastery. "I don't think it's right, making him go in front of Gwendal..." "Gwendal is the greatest Leader that Lenthor has seen since the original King." Blax shrugged lightly, grunting as he continued to stare down at the floor. "If it were not for Gwendal, you wouldn't even be allowed in the monastery. Males are only allowed in if they are given specific permission." Blax nodded begrudgingly, "I know.. And I owe him a lot--but Gwendal can be a bit... Overpowering sometimes, and I think it's too much for Ed..."
"Don't worry. We'll get this all sorted out soon enough..." Thalini murmured soothingly, "Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to check on "Ed's" condition."
"What are we going to do about the other one?" Blax questioned suddenly as Thalini moved away, causing her to freeze. "He mentioned a John." Blax continued, clasping his hands together in front of himself, "Should we send out a search party." Thalini hesitated, swaying lightly right and left, "By now, they will already have gotten him." She stated carefully, "And there's nothing we can do. It's been nearly a week since Ed, and this alleged other, arrived. We can only pray that he died rather than fall into their hands." Blax nodded lightly, eyes still locked on the ground beneath him. Thalini sent him a concerned look, before heading into the room that he had just left, shutting the door behind her.
-- end of section two
Apparently the Real Ed and I were avoiding each other for no reason!.... People can be really stupid sometimes huh? Things are all okay now though.
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