FanFiction.Net - unleash your imagination 
mobile edition|
Author of 119 Stories |
Spooked
Jenna: The romance is kind of thrown in.
It is, isn't it? I'm not a big romance fan either.
Felix: Again, Camelot owns Golden Sun. Why do I have to keep saying it?
Jenna: Because.
Fighting Spirit
As they progressed through the wood, they were coming even closer to discovering the body that lay sprawled across the path, pale as death. A fox prowled around the body and sniffed. The fur along its back stood up and it fled with a terrified screech.
Alex stopped for a moment as he heard a screech. "Did you hear that sound, Felix?"
"Yeah," Felix said, looking worried as he reached a fork in the path. He hoped that hadn't been a human screech. "I think it came from that direction." Felix pointed.
"I think we should follow that sound. It may lead us to Jenna," Alex suggested. They quickly set off along the path and clambered over thick branches and tree limbs as they made their way along it.
"This is irritating," Alex grumbled as he clambered over a jutting out tree branch which was quite thick in diameter. "I almost wish I had just stayed back in Suhalla."
"Fine, go back then," Felix snapped, storming ahead. "I don't need your help, Alex." He disappeared into the darkness of the forest, leaving Alex alone.
"Fine, be like that," Alex said automatically, turning away. Then he thought about it and turned back, gritting his teeth. "Who am I kidding? I can't let him go off alone in the wood. Saturos and Menardi would have my head. We kind of need him to get into the lighthouse." He warped out.
"Oh, did you miss me already?" Felix looked grumpily to the side as Alex warped in next to him.
"I am merely trying to ensure your safety," Alex said calmly, refusing to rise to the bait.
"Fine, whatever," Felix said, continuing to hurry along the path. The two fell silent as they walked, feeling rather uncomfortable in the eerie silence that hung over the wood.
"I hate this silence," Alex said suddenly. "Let's try calling out for Jenna again." He trailed behind Felix and shouted out Jenna's name, hoping for a response. Suddenly, Felix stopped and Alex almost collided with him. Alex looked at him in annoyance. "Now what's the matter?"
Felix stared in horror at the figure lying across the path, which was quite unmistakably Jenna. She wasn't moving, she didn't even appear to breathing and she was covered in blood. Felix cried out and fell to his knees next to her, anxiously shaking her. She didn't awake.
"Jenna?" Alex stared in shock. He bit his lip, realising that her injuries were quite serious. Jenna was completely still and not responding to Felix's efforts, remaining prone.
"Jenna... wake up!" Felix tried casting Cure on her in desperation, but the Psynergy simply dissipated as it approached her. He sharply breathed in, eyes widening as he realised that his healing Psynergy was simply not working. "Alex... please... heal her!"
Alex quickly walked over and glowed with Psynergy, attempting to use his strongest healing Psynergy to bring her back from the brink. His face fell as it dissipated. "It's not working."
Felix stared up at him, eyes wide in shock. His voice quivered he spoke, "What... what do you mean? How can it not be working?"
"She's already dying," Alex said bitterly, turning away. He wasn't much good at showing his emotions around others. In fact, he preferred to keep them tightly locked away. "It's too late. I don't have that kind of power yet."
"No..." Felix whimpered, pulling Jenna into his lap and hugging her tightly, not caring as blood got onto his clothes. "She can't... Jenna can't die! Please... Jenna... come back!"
Alex swallowed heavily and walked away a short distance, shaking his head. He didn't want to be listening to Felix as he cried over her, he didn't want to risk feeling anything at all. If Jenna was dead... she was dead. Alex leaned against a tree, pressing his head tightly against the cold bark, trying not to hear as Felix poured out his grief.
"Please don't die... come back, Jenna..." Felix frantically cast Cure, trying to bring her back. However, her wounds remained open, blood steadily dripping from her wounds, landing on his clothes, creating dark spots. His eyes prickled with tears and he bowed his head, gritting his teeth in agony. She was dying...
"Why Jenna?" Alex whispered, slamming a fist into the tree. He tried to ignore his emotions, but the raw pain he felt on seeing her lying bloodied and dying like that was just too much for him. "This isn't right."
"Why... why do you have to go?" Felix whimpered, stroking her hair away from her pale face. "Why did you suffer alone for so long? You shouldn't have had to be involved in anything... if we'd just left you in Vale, you would still be alive now." A tear splashed onto Jenna's face, dripping down. "I'll have to go to Prox... and tell Mom and Dad... why... why wasn't there anything we could do?"
Alex stonily stared at the tree, feeling bitter as he thought of poor Jenna alone in the wood, struck down by a cruel ghost. She'd never done anything wrong and yet she was going to die. How were they going to explain this? They could hardly tell Saturos, Menardi and Kraden that Jenna had been killed by a ghost. And what if her death caused Felix to refuse to go on any further?
"Felix..." Alex spoke gently, turning around. "We can't do anything now. We should... go back."
"But I can't leave her here, and we're a long way away from home!" Felix burst out. "I don't know what to do..." He fell silent, closing his eyes shut and trying not to look at her pale face anymore. Tears fell copiously down his face and he shook with grief.
Alex swallowed heavily and turned away, his eyes widening as he saw a familiar luminous figure. "Felix!" Alex exclaimed in a choked voice as the figure floated toward them. "The ghost..."
"Damn him!" Felix yelled, getting to his feet and glaring at the figure. Alex sensed he was about to try something foolish and quickly moved forward, grabbing him. "Let me go!"
"You can't hurt it, Felix," Alex said sternly. "We can't let that ghost kill us too! We can't do anything...
"I'm so sick of being unable to do anything!" Felix cried out.
"Aw, poor, pathetic mortals," the ghost spoke in a patronising voice. "I killed one person tonight. I enjoyed the kill. But if you want to be my next victims, I won't complain."
"We'd better get out of here," Alex whispered urgently, still holding onto Felix tightly. "It would be suicide if we..."
"I'm not leaving Je-" Felix broke off, staring at something else. "What the..."
"Hm?" Alex had been about to warp out anyway, despite facing the wrath of a heavily traumatised Felix, but now his curiousity was provoked. He stared at the sneering ghost as it drifted toward them, then noticed what Felix had seen.
Another pale, luminous figure stood behind the ghost. Felix and Alex stared at the other ghost in consternation. The ghost of the man seemed to have no idea that it had a companion. The other ghost was unmistakably female, long hair hanging around its shoulders and a skirt around its legs.
"Are you ready to die too?" the male ghost asked, sneering at Felix and Alex. "Now who should I take first?"
The female ghost screamed and lunged at the male ghost, tackling it to the ground. Felix and Alex stared as the ghosts tussled, then the female plunged her hand into the male's chest and appeared to rip something out. A screeching wail followed and the male ghost exploded into many fragments, scattering and drifting to the ground. The shining pieces then disappeared.
"He's gone..." Felix whispered, feeling the slightest hint of relief. But it was too late... for Jenna...
The female ghost stared at them and the two flinched as they recognised Jenna. She gazed sadly at them, her face completely miserable and clear as the day in the darkness. Then she began to fade.
"She's fading..." Alex gasped in horror. "I think she's passing on..."
"No!" Felix screamed. "Don't, Jenna! Don't go. please!"
Jenna's spirit shook her head and looked sadly at the ground, becoming even more transparent. Her feet lifted off and she floated upward, a tear seeming to drop off her face.
"There's got to be something..." Alex said desperately as Felix fell down on his knees next to the body, crying out to Jenna.
Then Felix remembered something very important. The Tolbi spring... the prize... Water of Life. He gasped and quickly rummaged in his pockets, locating the bottle of liquid. "Thank goodness I didn't leave this at the inn!" Felix exclaimed as he lifted Jenna's head onto his lap and uncorked the bottle.
"Water of Life... that might just work," Alex whispered, feeling far more relieved than he thought possible, which surprised him. He looked desperately at the barely visible spirit, praying that Jenna would hold on just a little longer.
Felix poured the precious liquid down Jenna's throat. Thankfully, her reflexes allowed her to swallow and he waited desperately, hoping that it would work. "Wake up, Jenna," he insisted. "I don't want you to go. I don't want to have failed you... please..."
The wound in Jenna's gut glowed with a gentle yellow light and then it closed up. Felix stared at it, his hopes rising. Jenna drew in a sharp breath and her chest began moving, slowly at first, then it began moving quicker and colour returned to her face.
"It worked!" Felix exclaimed happily. "The Water of Life worked!"
"Thank goodness for that," Alex sighed in relief.
"Oh..." Jenna moaned, her eyes fluttering open. She slowly sat up and shook her head, looking around in confusion. "Ugh... I remember now... that ghost, it attacked me!" She looked at Felix, biting her lip. "And I was hurt..."
"You were more than just hurt," Felix said, shaking. "You nearly died, Jenna!"
"I did, didn't I?" Jenna shuddered. "But then how..."
"Water of Life," Felix replied, holding up the empty bottle. "Thank goodness I had that on me. I thought I was going to lose you."
"Yes... thank goodness." Jenna hugged him tightly, pressing her face against his chest as he hugged her back. She could scarcely believe she'd come so close to death, the thought terrified her. If it wasn't for that Water of Life...
"Don't you remember what happened next?" Alex asked. "You were fighting that... monster."
"I was?" Jenna blinked, trying to recall it, then it came back to her. "That's right, I was dying and I... it felt like I left my body. I was watching the both of you trying to bring me back, I wanted to come back so bad, but I couldn't. Then that ghost was going to hurt you... I did the only thing I could think of..."
"You fought it." Felix nodded. "You won, Jenna. It's gone now."
"Yeah," Jenna said, smiling faintly. "And then I was about to move on. I felt so sad, I didn't want to go, and you were so upset..." Her eyes welled up with tears and she let out a sniff.
"Hey, don't cry," Felix said quickly. "It's okay now. You're alive and that's all that matters now. It's over. We'll be alright now."
"We should return to Suhalla now," Alex said, breaking into their teary conversation. "We were supposed to have an early night, remember?"
"Yeah, we should go back now," Felix said, getting up and helping Jenna to her feet. "Let's go."
"Hey, it's nice to know you have emotions too," Jenna said, smiling strangely at Alex, who looked away awkwardly. Did she figure out that he'd been upset as well?
"Just take my hands," Alex said brusquely. "I'll warp us back." They wordlessly did so and disappeared in a flash of light. The trio reappeared just outside Suhalla. They walked toward the inn and quietly entered, careful not to disturb anyone as they passed through the building and returned to their respective rooms.
"This was surely one of the worst nights of my life," Felix murmured as he burrowed down into the bed. "Another one being that night I fell in the river during the storm."
"It's hard to believe I nearly died," Jenna said, shivering as she pulled the cover over her shoulder. "I could have died out there in the wood."
"I should have tried harder," Felix said, biting his lip guiltily. "If I'd just stopped you from leaving the room then..."
"Don't blame yourself," Jenna said quickly. "I should have fought it harder... I shouldn't have let that ghost almost win. But I suppose I was able to defeat it in the end..."
"I don't want to go through that again," Felix said. "The thought of having to tell Mom and Dad... that you actually..."
"Stop," Jenna said. "Don't dwell on it, Felix, it's over now anyway. Let's just sleep. Goodnight."
"Night," Felix said quietly, closing his eyes. He wasn't sure he would be able to sleep tonight, not after such a terrifying incident. It wasn't something that could be brushed off lightly.
"I'm glad they didn't ask us why we didn't listen," Felix said, sleepily yawning as he walked along out of the village. "We would have had a hard time explaining."
"I didn't get much sleep last night either," Jenna muttered, rubbing her tired eyes. "I kept having frightening dreams. Saturos and Menardi were so unsympathetic."
"When are they ever sympathetic?" Alex asked. "Besides, it's not like they would have believed you if you explained."
"Well, yeah, I can't say I was lured out by a ghost and almost killed," Jenna muttered thickly. "I can't remember the last time I got a good night's sleep."
"So, what is the matter with you, hm?" Kraden looked curiously at the group of three. "You don't look like you've been sleeping well lately."
"It was that pathetic ghost," Felix grumbled. "It kept bothering us and last night it tried to kill Jenna."
"It did?" Kraden's eyes widened. "You're okay, aren't you, Jenna?"
"I'm fine," Jenna replied. "Felix had Water of Life, so everything worked out in the end. And the ghost was destroyed so it's not going to bother us anymore."
"And thank goodness for that," Alex muttered. He'd had enough of the crazy going-ons in the group. If he ever got the opportunity, he was just going to leave permanently.
The group entered the Suhalla Desert, quite relieved to find that it was not as scorching hot as the Lamakan Desert had been. However, it was treacherous with tornadoes blocking every path. Alex was immediately on hand to water down the tornadoes and Saturos and Menardi would quickly dispose of the lizards that came out.
After a while of walking through the desert, a shout came from behind them. They turned to see a smaller group that had apparently been travelling behind them. The people appeared to have had a run in with a tornado.
Felix spotted a familiar person at the edge of the small group and gasped. "That's Sheba over there! But what is she doing here?"
"This may be our chance," Saturos said, eyes lighting up. "Alex, quickly, go and save that girl. Don't bother with the soldiers."
"What luck." Menardi smiled. "The perfect opportunity fell right into our laps."
"Something about this doesn't sound right," Jenna whispered.
"Yes, it sounds like they are planning to keep Sheba," Felix murmured back, looking confused. "But what for?"
"At any rate, we have to save her," Kraden said.
Alex wasted no time in hurrying over toward the small group. The soldiers were inches away from being picked up by the tornado. Sheba stood near the edge, looking frightened as she stared in horror at the tornado. Alex quickly grabbed Sheba and warped out with her. The soldiers didn't notice as the tornado had already picked them up.
Sheba looked around in confusion as she stood in front of a new group. Her eyes lit up as she recognised them. "You saved me?"
"Where were you going?" Jenna asked.
"Back to Lalivero," Sheba replied. "But... I don't think I can possibly make it back there alone."
"Well, that's okay," Menardi said, smirking. "You can come with us."
"Watch her," Saturos ordered, looking at the rest of his group. They quickly passed on through the desert without further incident.
"I feel something strange," Menardi commented, sitting next to Saturos. "I'm not sure how to describe it."
"I suppose I do have an odd feeling too." Saturos inhaled and stared at the stars wonderingly. "I just feel like this night, looking at the stars, it's important."
"Maybe it feels like we won't do this again," Menardi murmured, staring up at the sky.
"I don't think lighting Venus Lighthouse is going to be easy," Saturos said. "I gave Felix the Jupiter Star. I felt as if I had to do that."
"Even though he seems to be a bit stubborn and rebellious sometimes, he's still reliable," Menardi said. "We can trust him to carry on the quest if we fail."
"Who knows what's in store for us?" Saturos said. "So long as Prox is saved, it doesn't matter what happens to us."
"Uh..." Alex stared at the ground, feeling a little perturbed. "I see."
"It's important to me," Jenna said quietly. "I like to know that I at least matter to you... even if it's just a tiny bit."
"Right..." Alex shifted around uncomfortably. This was an awkward subject for him and he wondered what point she was trying to make.
"I mean, you even stand outside the bathroom when I'm in it," Jenna said, giggling. Alex shot her an affronted glare. "Oh come on, I'm just teasing! Don't you have a sense of humour?"
"After Felix verbally accused me of being a filthy pervert, I'm afraid I'm not so keen on those kind of jokes," Alex said stiffly.
"Do you find me attractive?" Jenna asked, her face turning slightly pink. She chewed on a thumbnail nervously as she watched him.
"What kind of question is that?" Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Just asking..." Jenna pouted. "Tell me!"
"Well, I would hardly respond in the negative, my dear Jenna," Alex replied. "I don't want to invoke your wrath. So... yes."
"You don't get it," Jenna grumbled. "Okay... I'm just going to spill it. Even if you're a little cold sometimes and rather annoying at times, you're pretty cool.. and... I like you."
Alex stared at her, his blue eyes widening as he understood what she was getting at.
"Heh... I made a fool of myself, didn't I?" Jenna bit her lip and looked away, her face turning red. "Sorry. It doesn't matter."
"Jenna..." Alex said softly. Jenna turned her head and looked up at him wonderingly. "I do care about you but I don't show my emotions easily. It was just a surprise to hear you say that."
"Yeah, I guess. I just wanted to get it off my chest," Jenna said. "I hope you don't mind."
"I don't mind a bit," Alex assured, leaning over. Jenna stared at him, the heat rising in her face as she gazed into his eyes, then she leaned over as well and their lips met. Their arms wrapped around each other and they remained still, holding each other and enjoying a lingering kiss.
"Eh, it's nothing much," Felix said, shrugging his shoulders lightly. He barely noticed her compliments as he brushed her off and he looked around, staring in shock as he saw Alex and Jenna kissing. "What the heck?"
"Hm?" Sheba looked in the direction Felix was staring and spotted the couple. "Oh, Alex and Jenna were together? I didn't know that."
"I didn't know that either," Felix said, about to rise to his feet and give Alex a piece of his mind. A hand on his arm stopped him and he looked at Sheba curiously.
"Sorry." Sheba pulled her arm back. "But they look so happy together. Are you really going to break it up?" She looked down, blushing. "It's not my place..."
"Eh, I'll talk to him later, I guess." Felix shot another glare at Alex. "But Alex... why Alex? Of all the people..."
"I think they look cute together," Sheba commented. Felix shook his head, not bothering to agree or disagree.
Eventually, it was late enough that Saturos and Menardi decided it was time to go to sleep and everyone retired to their tents, most of them looking forward to their first decent night's sleep in long while.
