Chapter 5: Enigma

Location: Tampa, Florida

Erika had just woken up and gotten ready for school. She was heading out the door when her mom stopped her and asked:

"Honey, what happened to your hand?!"

"Nothing mom, it's just a scratch...it's fine." replied Erika

"Well, if you say so...at least have the nurse look at it, will you?"

"Whatever you say 'O Mighty Medical Expert'." she said, walking out the door and running to the bus, which was starting to close it's door.

She just made it to the bus and hopped on. She moved to her semi-usual seat near the middle of the bus and sat down...none of her friends were on this bus, because they all lived on the other side of the district, and no one ever sat with her because this particular bus was usually moderately filled. Erika and the other occupants of the bus lived in the area where a lot of home schooled kids and private schoolers lived, so there weren't as many kids around that would ride the bus.

As she sat and waited to arrive at school, she got this weird feeling. There seemed to be something behind her that was giving her the same feeling as her crystal -now tucked neatly in her pocket wrapped in a silk kerchief- gave her. She chanced a glance back behind her, but saw nothing out of the ordinary...just the usual bunch of kids that she never really talked to.

"Oh well." she thought "I guess it's probably nothing..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Drake sat on the bus, he watched the ground stop moving and stop in front of a nice, white house with blue trim. A girl was standing in the front doorway seemingly talking to one of her parents about something...the girls mother then appeared and grabbed her hand and examined it...they then talked for about 5 more seconds before the girl ran to the bus just as the door was closing. She made it, but only just.

Drake watched as the girl walked down the aisle, looked him in the eye briefly, probably because he was staring at her, and then sat down in a vacant bench. the moment she came within 5 feet of him, he got this strange feeling in his gut...and his hand started to prickle a little, right where his Thunder mark was.

"What the deuce? Why is this happening to me, I feel so weird. Rawr, I think I might have to check this girl out a bit more...there's something odd about her. Maybe Beschermer needs to know about this... Maybe she's got another one of the crystals! That would explain it..." Drake thought.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erika settled into her first period class and took out her notebook with the latest volume of her favorite manga, Rave Master, inside. She set up the notebook so it partially covered her book, while still being able to read it. This was British literature class, and she had already gone ahead and read the story in her boredom last week before she left.

She glanced out the door of the classroom and saw one of the boys that sat a couple rows behind her on the bus. He was looking at her with a curious expression.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Drake walked by a classroom and glanced in...the girl he was looking for was sitting right there! He quickly glanced at her hand and noticed that she had a bandage wrapped around her palm...

"I wonder if she's trying to hide a mark like mine..." he thought. Pity I don't come in here until 3rd period...maybe I can catch her in between classes...if she'll talk to me."

Drake walked on to his locker, conveniently enough located 10 feet down from the very classroom he just passed. He took out his Calculus book and headed for his first class, taking out his cell phone and setting a vibrating alarm for 5 minutes prior to the end of class to signal him to get ready... he planned to leave a minute or two early to get a jump on the girl...he didn't want to miss her.

BUZZ! went his alarm in his pocket.

"Good, he's wrapping up anyways...good a time as any." he thought.

Drake raised his hand silently, and waited a few seconds until the teacher acknowledged him.

"Mr. Walton, may I please go a minute or two early? I need to make a pit stop to the Admin. building." Drake asked.

"Why of course, Drake...perfect timing, i might add. I was just wrapping up." replied the husky Walrus mustachioed man.

Drake stood up and walked out of the room, heading back for his locker after he faked a turn to the Admin building hallway. Upon reaching his locker, he deposited his book and grabbed his Lit. book. He poked his head close to the door and heard that class was still going on, but he could get behind the door and peek in from the outside.

The girl was sitting there, reading some small book. She had almost finished it, in fact.

Drake decided it best to wait opposite the door against the wall and see if he could get her attention when the bell rang.

RRRRIIINNNGGGGG!!!! went the bell, and Drake watched as kids piled out of the room, heading for their next class. Then he saw her, walking slowly out of the room and heading right for him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh great, that guy is standing right by my locker!" Erika thought to herself, the sarcasm in her thoughts almost made her chuckle. "Maybe if I just look away, he won't bug me or anything."

Erika walked over to her locker, whose lock must have been about 6 inches away from this boy's head. She opened the locker and stuffer her book inside. She was grabbing for her purse when she heard a cough come from the other side of the door. She closed the door and stared into the face of this boy, the boy whom she had never met, but was already starting to get on her nerves.

"Hi, sorry to bother you...but I would like to talk to you about something...it's kind of important." said the boy. "My name's Drake, I sit behind you on the bus sometimes, and I guess something happened this morning when you got on. I hope this doesn't sound creepy or too mysterious, but if you know what I mean by what happened this morning, I'm sure you might want to talk to me to. "

"Umm. sure, I guess I can talk." said Erika "Do you have class now? I was on my way to the library for my free period."

"Actually, I have free period too...library sounds good."Drake said. "By the way, what's your name, if I may ask?"

"The name's Erika. Listen, I need to stop by the bathroom first...meet me in the library? I'll be in the loft corner."

"Umm, yeah, no prob. see ya there." he said.

They parted ways at the bathroom and Drake went on the the library.

"I hope she isn't ditching me...this is important. I think she might really have a crystal...I need to think this out. How am I gonna bring this up without giving myself away...just in case she's NOT like me?" Drake mumbled to himself.
~~~~~~~~
Erika stood in the bathroom, looking in the mirror.

"Ugh, I don't know what to do here...I could go and talk to him...he seems like he felt something this morning too...but then again this could just be some retarded way of trying to ask me out or something..." she thought

She pulled out her wrapped crystal and looked at it for a second... it flickered light from the inside for a moment, and then went dim.

"Fine...I'll go see him." she mumbled to herself, stuffing the crystal back in her purse.


END Ch 5

Chapter 4: Waterlogged

Erika was running, running for her life. There was something flying through the air behind her, chasing her. It was bright, and was on fire. It was closing fast, even though she was running at full speed. She pushed harder, and slowed the gap down. Then, she fell. She didn't even know what happened, just that she was falling. Falling down a hill, rolling, and getting bruised and cut along the way.

She had tripped and fell. The flying object was now closing in again, the gap was shortening every second. She came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, wedged up against a rock and a log. The fire was right above her now, and she could feel the heat.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" chortled a voice from the fire. "I have you now, little miss disappear. I don't know how you managed to get away the last time, but your little friend isn't here to protect you now. I took care of him personally." the voice said, chuckling to itself at the end.

"Wh- Who are you?!" Erika screamed. "What do you want from me?!"

"Oh you know what I want... Why else would someone like me be chasing you? I want that pretty little crystal around your neck. It's either that, or I just kill you and then I get it anyways...your choice." said the voice with an icy tone.

"What do you mean, 'someone like you?' Do you have-" she started.

Just then, a loud noise came from the trees a few yards away, and then a screaming BOOM. Next thing she knew, Erika was being shielded from a blinding light by a boy, a boy that she knew, but couldn't recognize because of the light.

"Erika, please wake up. Please be okay." he said.

~~~~~~~~~~~
"Erika, wake up...Erika!" screamed Marlene.

"Wha? Whassgoingon?" she said groggily.

"Thank God you're okay... Erika, you just fell down an escalator, you idiot! What were you thinking, not even looking when you stepped on the thing?" said Marlene.

"I. I don't even remember that...Are we at the airport or something?"

"Umm, yeah! We're kinda getting ready to board the plane to go back home, silly. We need to get you to the terminal so you can sit down while we wait...You okay to move?"

"Yeah, I'm okay...thanks." Erika said, standing up. "Wow, I really fell down that whole thing? That's a two story escalator too...nice. That's definitely going on the highlight reel for the trip..."

"Yeah, let's just get to the plane, you clumsy oaf."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Location: Tampa, Florida

"Master, the closest crystal is moving...fast! It's heading this way too!" said Koichi.

"We must identify the target and find out what's going on...none of them should be able to move that fast at this stage." said Beschermer.

Beschermer and Koichi had just left Drake's area and had gone a little East, hoping they could cross in the Ocean more unnoticed than on land.

"Do you think we should turn back and warn Drake about this?" asked Koichi "We may need his help."

"No, I think we should investigate first and if need be, I'll call him. Plus, I have a theory already about what it might be...look at that sign." he said, pointing to a road sign. "It says 'Air-port.' I think that they have invented some sort of travel by air...airships ferrying goods and people all over the place. The new Bearer might be on one of these Airships. I think we should just remain close to here and wait and see. Sound good to you, Koichi?"

"Sound's fine to me, master. I just hope that this is one of the Pure Crystals and now a Shadow Crystal...those Shadow Crystals can be wickedly nasty, even when they are with a fresh owner."

"You and I both, my friend...you and I both." sighed Beschermer.

"Look Master, it's slowing down...you may be right!" exclaimed Koichi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Location: Tampa International Airport

"This is your Captain speaking...we will be landing in approximately 5 minutes. If you would, please gather your belongings and prepare for landing. Trays up behind your seats and seat belts on. Thanks for flying with us, and I hope you choose our airline again for your next flight." said the Plane's Captain.

"Erika, wake up. We're landing..." said Marlene.

"Thanks, haha. I'm feeling a lot better after that nap. Oh, by the way...please don't mention that to my parents or anything...I don't want them to worry." said Erika

"No problem...it was just a simple accident."

That...dream or whatever it was...it was so...real. Like I was really there. Whoever it was that was chasing me...got beat, right? And...the boy! He seemed so familiar, but I have no idea who he is. I know I know him from somewhere...maybe he's from school or something... thought Erika.


END Ch 4