Jeff felt ill when he had heard what had happened to Belle.
Someone... someone had taken her. Probably not even knowing who she was, that she was a living thing. Maybe she had wound down? Being so small, her charge couldn't keep for as long as Ricky's. He ran down the corridors of the school, trying to find her.
He took his search outside the main entrance, going down a set of steps onto the street. "Belle!" He shouted at the top of his voice. It was the dark dead of night, with only the glow of street lamps giving any illumination. It was cold too... with the wind picking up suddenly. He tried to focus on looking for a tiny gleam of silvery metal. He was breathing heavy as he ran up and down the road three times. He saw the drains wondering if she could have fallen down there. Please god no!
Finally, he found her. Lying down, in the middle of the road. Did she get hit by a car?
... she... she... was broken. A few little ticks emanated deep within as the clockwork doll seemed to be trying to say something. Jeff's name? Whoever was responsible? But then she stopped.. so suddenly in the palm of his hands.
Jeff held the tiny broken clockwork girl. "Who could have possibly done this! " He felt as if he would heave in his stomach. He was vowing to kill whoever did this! But... but... it didn't matter. Belle was hurt- she could even be... no... just.. no. No! He tried to pick up all the pieces, shuddering as he did. Strange springs and sprockets that made absolutely no sense. So tiny, it would be a miracle if he found them all. A piece of her foot torn off... Dear God no! The young teen picked them all up, and didn't waste any time.
The hospital wouldn't be able to help. So he took the girl to a shop where he knew they repaired watches. He knew the shop well. The elderly man, a watchmaker, looked at the doll and the grieving boy.
"I will do what I can son" he said as he lit a lamp on his desk to work on her.
Son... that word, made him feel comforted when said. So strange. For a moment Jeff felt a sense of relief. This man can help. He was the best watchman ever. He could do it.
Tirelessly he watched the old man work, on the pieces of his girlfriend... but.. they were just beyond understanding even to him. He worked for hours, before giving up shaking his head. Jeff was given the pieces, and ran back to his house, crying.
Jeff wasn't going to give up. He had to repair her! He used a microscope, and tweezers as he manipulated the springs, doing all he could with no experience. "Fix her damn it! You have to fix her!"
Belle started to tick a little suddenly as he pulled on one of her springs. The young teen leaned closer, maybe he could work out what to do by the sound?
'Tick. You. Broke me. Razor. Tick. Broke me. Razor. You broke me. Tick. Razor. Your fault Razor. You try to fix me. Tick Even. Before I was changed. Tick. You broke me Razor broke me razor broke me razor-"
Jeff woke up in a cold sweat on his classroom desk. He practically screamed and threw up on the floor.
The teacher gasped in surprise. "Jeff? " She asked rushing over to the boy, who was shaking and shivering.
"A.. a dream," He whispered shaking away the taste of vomit. Oh- he fell asleep. He had stayed awake during the day and fell asleep. He looked ashamed suddenly as he realised just what he had done. The other students gave a wide berth not sure quite what was going on.
Jeff glanced at the desks beside him, and noticed Ricky and Belle were missing. Her absence made his heart skip a beat. "W-where's Belle?"
"They were taken to the principals office. He wanted a word with them. " said the teacher glancing at the two empty desks. It was strange to be teaching transformed students, but to her they were still her students. It didn't matter. Jeff was just as much her student too and was at the moment her prime concern. "Let's take you to the nurse."
"I- I'll be fine, " Said Jeff not used to anyone being concerned of him. Even a teacher. "I'll be fine. Sorry. I- just don't feel so well in my stomach. Need some fresh air. That's all."
The teacher appraised the boy then nodded. "Alright, I'll clean things up here. You go take a break. " She said looking at him concerned. "Back to work all of you."
The student did so, as the teacher cleaned up Jeff's mess.
Lilly was back in her home, panting for breath. She... she did it. She wasn't sure how she did it, or why that even worked. "H-how? " she asked looking at the strange blue stick. She knew there was something special about it, but she couldn't in her wildest dreams believe it had such a power against the enemy.
Examining the branch, she realised something else too.
"It's gotten smaller, " she said sadly.
Whatever she did, just took it to half it's size. No longer a walking stick, it was about the size of a small flute. It was like the substance of it just.. evaporated. She balanced it in her hand, looking at it thoughtfully.
Her father suddenly opened the door. "Lilly! God- where were you! "
"S-sorry dad, " She said meekly. "I was in the trees an'... " Oh no. She couldn't tell him about the branch. There was no way he would believe her. If she told him of the Enemy, what would he do? But it was Julian now- and that made it her problem too. "
"It's okay dear. I know your... instincts can be a little overwhelming. Just please be careful, "
Lilly felt bad to be 'lying' like this- even by omission. But she just couldn't risk the magic stick being taken away. If it can be used as a weapon against the Enemy, Jenny had to know about it before anyone else.
"I got a call from the hospital. "
"Oh... I'm gonna get x-rayed? " asked Lilly warily. She knew her father wanted to eventually put them through a scanner to work out their transformations.
"No- Not today. Maybe... maybe next week. An old colleague wants to see me... and for some reason he mentioned you too by name. Said that a girl wanted to see you. Someone named Haru. Do you know her? "
Lilly shook her head.
Leslie nodded. "He was... quite insistent. Let's go together. I'm curious myself."
Lilly smiled a little. The idea of walking with her human father at night felt... nice. Hand in hand, they walked towards the hospital.
Leslie had to admit... it was quite nice to have a strange daughter as this.
The enemy was struggling to understand how to integrate a human mind into their collective. While they were certain the majority of it was, there was a certain part that just... evaded it. A human mind was so disjointed, and disordered. What was it about the strange duality that humans had? They were individuals that were so many people all at once, in actions, and in thought...
How was Lilly able to hurt us?' Asked the hunter Julian, growling.
Blue said the Enemy with a shudder on it's voice.
What? Your weakness is blue?! Again, lame.
No. Blue. The factorial Blue. It is a fact of the time-line. Of reality itself. The object Lilly Gordon wields is not just blue. It is Blue Eternally and Unchanging until the end of your reality and even after. Facts as those disrupt us. There is only one way such an object can be created...
The key stones, thought Julian. I'm eager for round two against this angel... she thinks she is some guardian to help the world? I'm going to be a freakin' god! Instead of their 'lowly servant',.. Lucas might think herself special, but in the end that's all she was... nothing more then a dog of a force in the universe. The enemy knew... and now he knew of it. Of Selene... the one he must really go after, once he was done with Lucas.
The wolf grinned. First you Lucas... then your Goddess...If the angel can be destroyed, we will acquire one of the elements... An acceptable risk?
Acceptable. Consensus formed. We fight the Angel-changed known as Lucas, then return to this window of Haru.
The small part of Julian cringed a bit as he evaded more of this strange world. This was a God-damn trap! But they wont listen to him. He wasn't listening to himself. He was a prisoner of his desires. He tried to stop it, he didn't want to die with them!
But his larger more powerful side just quashed his actions, so all he could do was watch.
Haru felt relief as her eye turned back to normal. But she knew they would return quickly... unless...
She blinked as she saw the squirrel girl enter the hospital room with her father. She then noticed the blue stick... and gasped as images flooded into her- it.. it is linked to the first day... the first wish... Not only that, but she saw the threads of Death around the girl... yet Death seemed to be keeping a distance? She wasn't sure how she could interpret these strange images, but she was glad that the Enemy didn't understand them quite as well as her when it resided inside her eye.
The little animal girl looked at Haru shyly then whispered something to her father. "Um... can I.. talk to her... "
"Alright Lilly, I'll wait outside. " Said Leslie a little reluctantly.
"Can you keep them away from me? " asked Haru. She wasn't sure quite how she knew what to ask, or what this was all about... but her senses seemed to be screaming that Lilly knew a way. Whatever it was, Lilly had to do it or all would be lost. The enemy would find out about Jon, and everything...
"I... I dunno, " said the child looking at her shyly. Haru was an older girl then her, and it was odd that someone older would think she could do something about anything. She wanted to help, but she didn't know. Wouldn't Jenny or Artemis be of better help? Anyone else... Also if she used any power, the stick would get smaller and smaller... until...
. 'until you'll be an ordinary girl again.'
"Could you try?" asked Haru softly. She could see the reluctance of the little girl. The duality between bravery and yet lacking in confidence. Someone who was trying her best to live with her new change, even liking some of it... yet still, was wondering if this was her life... she wished she had an answer for her. She really did... Haru embraced her new life, and she thought Lilly would enjoy it too if she let go completely... but...
"I- I'll try." said the squirrel, holding the stick delicately.
Haru nodded. There were... so many layers to the little girl, so much more then she had seen in others. It was horrific to even think... but no- it might not be so. Haru couldn't predict someone dying... it just meant the little girl was going to face...something dangerous. Did she know? Could she tell her? Should she... should she tell her? Why were there so many forces pulling around her?
Lilly concentrated, trying to express her wish for a ward. A way to protect Haru from being used by the Enemy. She drew a circle around the three eyed girl, drawing the numbers as before, then tapped the stick on the ground.
There was just the briefest flare of blue light...
Lilly looked at the stick, noting that it lost another three inches of length. Not as much as with the first 'spell'... but at some point...at some point...
Haru smiled to the little girl. "I don't know how you are doing this... but... thank you." Her sense told her, the enemy couldn't touch her any more.
Lilly smiled shyly back. Even if magic had a cost... it was worth it, to help her.
