Guardian Angel Part 1

Guardian Angel

Focus: Branded by Pulse

Voices echo in my head; they’re far away, on the edge of my consciousness.  I paw through the darkness, trying to reach them.  The vision appears again—images swirling around me at sickening speeds, too fast to truly view.  I’m forced to watch them play out.  Make it stop, I cry out.  No one hears.  Something’s pushing me, faster and faster into the darkness, towards the voices…

I gasp as if rising from the depths of an ocean, my lungs starved of oxygen.  The voices fall silent and I can feel eyes looking at me.  I’m on my bed, safe at home.  Sitting there at my bedside are Wyst (WIST), Muse, and Gramps.  They stare at me like I’ve come back from the dead.  “What’s going on, guys?”

They all just stare at me for a moment, dumbstruck.  Finally, Muse snaps out of it and takes my hand in hers.  “Hey, sweetie, how are you doing?”  She touches my hair, pushing it away from my neck.  Her eyes are watery.

“Honestly,” I say, “I feel like my head’s been through a tornado.”  She smiles a little, but not enough to assure me everything’s alright.  I look over at the others: Wyst won’t make eye contact while Gramps just stares.  Something’s up.  “Why is everyone acting so weird?” I ask, looking up at Muse.

A tear runs down her face.  “Nothing, sweetheart; it’s nothing.”

You don’t cry over nothing.  “Just tell me.”

She turns away, trying to hide her face, and walks into the kitchen.  She begins to wash dishes, something she does when she’s trying to remove herself from a situation.  I start to go to her, but Wyst stops me.

“Jai,” he says, hand on my shoulder.  “It’s best if you let it go.”

I feel anger rise up in my throat.  They’re keeping something from me.  “Why won’t you guys just tell me what the heck is going on?”  All eyes on me now; lashing out tends to draw attention.  “You’re all acting like something bad’s happened, and I want to know what!  Was there an accident?  Did someone die? Did Anima…?”  I shut my mouth.  Anima, our town’s protector, a fal’cie.  Why would I mention that?

“Child,” Gramps whispers, “search yourself.  What do you remember?”

I close my eyes, sifting through the memories of the morning.  Gramps had promised to take some of us to the caves, a wondrous place full of beautiful rock formations painted with stunning colors, which were usually off limits.  Wyst and I decided to go; we met up with everyone and the tour began.  All was normal, things running smoothly, when I saw a strange glimmer of light in the cave.  I went towards it, away for the group, off the path.  The ground gave way beneath me; I was falling into absolute darkness.  Wyst called out for me, told me to stay put, that rescue would come soon.  I found I’d landed in a tunnel, a tunnel with that same glimmer further down it.  I followed (stupid curiosity), until I found myself in a crystal cavern.  The walls reflected my image while multiple pillars appeared nearly transparent—all of it glistening like diamonds.  I spun around, admiring my surroundings, when a noise roared from behind me.  Fast as lightning and twice as bright, it cames.  Then…nothing.  Nothing, but the dream.

Dream…a dream of fast images…enigmatic…unfamiliar.  I know I’ve heard of these dreams before.  They happen after one of them brands…

My eyes fly open and I rush the bathroom, to a mirror.  This can’t be happening; it just can’t.  Muse calls out behind me, but I can’t hear what she says.  Only one thing is one my mind, only one prayer is on my lips.  The mirror reflects the ugly truth.  There, barely hidden by my jade hair, on the right side of my neck, is the mark of a Pulse l’Cie.

I feel my knees give way underneath me.  Falling, falling into grief.  Strong arms catch me.  I bury my face in Wyst’s shoulder and let the tears stream down my face.  Wake me from this nightmare.

~~~
The sweet sounds of early morning welcome me from uneventful slumber.  Muse is asleep on the bed next to me, Wyst passed out on the couch.  My head still hurts; was anything about yesterday real?  My reflection in the window answers that…the mark of a l’Cie sits on my skin.  I can’t deal with this.  “Wyst,” I whisper, tapping him gently on the shoulder.

“Huh, what?”  He looks up at me with sleep filled eyes.  “Hey sis, what’s up?” he yawns.  Tears well up in my eyes; it dawns on him.  Wrapping me in his strong arms, he pulls me close, his heartbeat ringing in my ears.  “Hey, it’s alright.  We’ll figure this out, ‘kay.”

I want to believe him; that somehow we’ll get through this, but I really don’t see how.  Being a l’Cie is a curse, a one way ticket to eventual cie’th-dom.

“Hey you two,” Muse says, waking up.  “You want to get breakfast ready.”  The meal’s prepared in no time and we eat in absolute silence.  I can’t stand it.  I stand up, say I need to get out.  Muse agrees, says it’d be good for me, and retreats into our bedroom, returning with a scarf.  “Here,” she says, wrapping it around my neck, pushing my necklace into my flesh.  “This should cover it.”  She kisses me gently on the forehead.  “Stay out of trouble, alright.”

I’m out the door and running through town in no time.  The sounds of busy Oerba assault me from all sides.  A train whistles far off; it will be a busy day in the market.  Kids run wild in the streets, people rush around, trying to get the best deals they can on goods.  I walk past it all, down to an open area; the sound of sparring floats in the air as I watch two figures below, heavily engaged in combat.  The woman heading the lesson, counters beautifully; very little about Fang isn’t beautiful.  I make my way around them, up the stairs, into a familiar room.

“Vanille!”

The red head turns and greets me with the most genuine of smiles.  “Jai!” she giggles, and embraces me in a hug.  “How are you today?”

“I’ve been better.”

“Oh, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing you can help me with.”

“Are you sure?”

“She said you won’t be able to help, Vanille.”  Fang says from behind me.  “Stop trying to fix things you simply can’t.”

“Hey, Fang,” I smile.

“Hey squirt,” she says, ruffling my hair a bit.  “Came up here to tell you both to stay out of streets.  New train came in with some cargo that needs to go.”
“What is it?” Vanille asks in her special way.

“Cie’th.” My blood freezes.  “L’Cie got on board, knew they were running out of time, so they asked to be chained up in a boxcar.  They changed during the ride; now they’ve got to relocate them.  Officials said only a few were allowed out there, the big soldiers that will keep that thing under control if it puts up a fight…”

I’m not sure how I manage to slip out unnoticed, but I have to see the Cie’th.  It’s personal now.

I make my way towards the train station, certain to keep a low profile.  I hide behind some boxes and watch the madness unfold.  The creature, a sick combination of crystal and flesh, is bound in chains and dragged out of the boxcar.  It howls, either from pain or rage, I’m not sure.  The soldiers called in to act as protection shirk back; shoot, I would too.  Its face seems to be looking for any kind of sympathy, the last indicator of human existence.

The scene begins to change before my eyes.  I’m the one in chains, being dragged through town.  Vanille cries out in terror from looking at me while Wyst and Fang prod at me with their weapons, tearing into my flesh.  I cry out, begging them to stop, to help me, but they don’t respond.  I can’t cry; tears mix with the crystal and add to the deformities of my body.  My pleading is drowned out by roars of a beast.

A hand touches my shoulder and I nearly scream.  Wyst covers my mouth to stifle the noise.  “What are you doing here?” he whispers harshly.  I don’t answer; the words won’t come.  He sees the trauma in my eyes, picks me up, and removes me from the situation.  “Let’s get you out of here, away from all that.”

But he can’t take me away.  That beast is inside me…somewhere…waiting to show its ugly face.