Just The Girl

Chapter 1: A Brand New World

Staring up at the night sky a small girl felt a shot pain hit her. She wrinkled her small pixie nose and pushed the feeling away. Something was coming and she knew it.

A gust of wind blew over, sending her black and red hair into a spiral behind her. She shivered and stood up watching the lightning dance across the sky in waves. The girl narrowed her brown eyes and stared at the bright light then looked down at the ground as the lightning lit it up.

Slowly she walked back towards her house. It was early morning and would be leaving for Australia soon.

Off in the distance she heard her foster parents calling for her. She quickly ran home so as not to get in trouble.

As she came through the door her foster father scowled her, “Valora! Where have you been? He will be here to get you at any second. Go get your things.”

The girl nodded and ran up the stairs to her bedroom. She quickly grabbed her bags. As she was about to leave, she noticed her diary lying on the ground. The black haired girl raced over and quickly scooped it up then headed back downstairs as she heard a car pull into the driveway.

As she jumped down the stairs to meet her knew parent, she saw the older man standing there talking to her foster parents. Valora froze as she stared at the white haired man, then slowly walked towards him. He wore a suit and glasses.

“Ah this must be Valora! How do you do?” he said holding out his hand. Valora shook it but she didn’t speak.

“Shy, ‘ey?” the man said putting a hand on the 10 year old girl’s shoulder.

The foster father shook his head, “No she’s not shy… she’s a mute.”

“Really? Well we’ll just have to teach you sign-language then” the man promised, leading Valora away as she smiled at the idea “Let’s go, daughter.”

“Valora! Well come see you this summer, darling. Mr. Masen take care of her!” her foster mother shouted after them. Valora nodded and waved goodbye to them before climbing in the car.

The chauffer walked around to the back and but her bags in the trunk then got in the driver’s seat.

“It’s going to be a long ride to air port. You might want to get some sleep” Mr. Masen said gripping her shoulder and rubbing it gently. Valora nodded and leaned her head against the back of the leather seat.

It wasn’t until they were out on the smooth highway did she finally fall into a deep slumber.

0o0

Valora sighed finally getting off the plane. She rubbed her back as she waited for Mr. Masen. He came out soon and they both followed the crowd out of the air port and into Sydney, Australia. Valora looked around in awe, staring up at the huge buildings and all the people. It was a long flight for England to here but she made it.

Mr. Masen ushered her to follow him towards a car that was waiting for them. The chauffer took her bag and reached to take her diary but she shook her head and held to close to her chest. The man nodded understanding and turned to Mr. Masen.

“G’day mate! This must be your new daughter! She’s a cute Sheila, Valora right?”

The girl nodded enthusiastically and held out her hand, “Nice to meet you Valora, I’m Wes.”

Valora smiled and climbed into the car and stared out the window at all the people. It wasn’t long before they were out of the city limits and heading up a long curvy dirt road. At the end of the dirt road was a large white mansion. Valora’s eyes widened in shock and she looked over at Mr. Masen.

“Welcome to your new home, Valora” he said as the car stopped. Still keeping her diary clutched to her chest she looked at the large white house. Valora climbed out of the car Wes held the door open for her. She stared mouth agape at the large home then grabbed her bag from the back and slowly walked inside.

“Come, dear, I’ll show you to your room” Mr. Masen walked up a long stair case to the second story. Valora took note that there were three stories total. He led her just to the right and pushed opened the door. The room was huge.

It had light blue walls and a large bed with canopy. There was a dresser and closet; she noticed that the closet had clothes already in it. It also had its own bathroom which she like. Valora smiled and placed her bag with her diary on top on the floor beside her.

Mr. Masen bent down to her height as she stared at the bed, “Why don’t you go see how soft that bed is.”

Valora smiled then took off running and jumping on the bed. It was soft. She sat up from the heap of blankets and pillows just thrown on her and playfully laughed at Mr. Masen as he lifted a pillow over his head. He brought it down gently on Valora and she let out a silent laughter. Mr. Masen smiled at the girl as she grabbed a pillow and fought back. Seconds later they were in a full-fledged pillow fight.

0o0

(7 Years Later)

Silent as could be, Valora went to find her scientist father. She tapped on his office door and heard no response. The 17 year old knocked again and still nothing. Sighing she pushed the door open and walked in. What she saw made her curious.

Mr. Masen wasn’t in the room but there was another door she’d never seen, wide open, and heading down a flight of stairs. Her curiosity got the better of her and she walked towards the door. Without a second thought she began to descend down the flight of stairs. They spiraled around into a basement. Amazed, she walked farther into the room.

In the corner was a large, portal like thing. Slowly the girl approached it and touched it. A dark purple spiral popped up and pulled her closer. Gasping silently, she struggled to get away from the sucking machine. If she could she would have screamed. Dark hands reached out trying to grab her. Some looked like knives while others were decayed and rotting.

Letting tears roll down her cheeks, her eyes widened as one of the hands grabbed her. More and more of the dark purple hands fumbled and reached blinded trying to grab her. The more Valora struggled the faster she was pulled into the swirling dark purple mass. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out and she was pulled into the swirling mass.

Everything was dark. She looked around and saw nothing but dark. Suddenly a bright light shone in her face. Groaning she opened her eyes. A group of long eared people stood around her. The first one she noticed had dark reddish brown hair, done in dreadlocks and tattoos all over his face. She stared into his icy blue eyes, mesmerized by them.

Slowly she looked away from him and looked around at the others. There was a blonde man with bright blue eyes, a red headed woman with green eyes and tattoos like the first man, another woman with teal colored hair and green eyes, and a small orange weasel like thing on the blonde man’s shoulder.

The room she was in was made mostly of metal and had lots of odd machines and scanners that Valora didn’t recognize. Slowly, she sat up looking around at everyone oddly. She lifted her hands to her own ears and slowly her eyes grew wide. They were long like the others. Valora made a face like she was screaming but no noise came out.

“What’s wrong with her?” the red head asked as the girl began to breath faster.

“She’s a mute!” Jak exclaimed trying to calm the girl down.

After a second the black haired girl looked around at everyone again and her breathing went back to normal. Valora tried to sign-language to them but none of them knew sign-language. Sighing with irritation, she made a motion like she was writing on her hand. The brunette man was the first to get what she was saying and quickly ran off coming back with a notepad and pencil.

Valora took it from him and quickly scribbled some words on it.

Yes, I’m a mute. My name is Valora. Where am I? And who are you all?

She held out the notepad to everyone and they all read it quickly. The brunette sighed.

“This is Haven City, kid. I’m Torn” he stated holding out his gloved hand. It wasn’t until now that she noticed their odd, and with the women revealing, clothes they wore.

“I’m Governess Ashelin” the red head said.

“Yeah Sugar” Valora’s eyes got wide as the weasel started talking “I’m Daxter or Orange Lightning,” he pointed at the blonde “This is my sidekick, Jak, and,” he pointed at the teal haired female “this is his girlfriend, Kiera.”

You can talk?! Valora wrote on the paper and held it towards Daxter who nodded What are you?

“What am I? I’m an Ottsel” Daxter said and Valora raised an eye brow.

Interesting, is there anybody here in Haven City that could help me out. I need to get home!

Valora flashed the page to everybody and Jak, Daxter, and Kiera looked at each other knowingly.

“Onin and Samos can help you out,” Torn began holding out a hand to help her off the ground “I’ll take you to them, kid.”

By the way, Valora scribbled on the paper as Torn looked over her shoulder I’m not a kid, I’m 17 years old!!!

“Alright, alright! I’ll stop calling you kid, now let’s go” he held out his hand again and this time she took it and was pulled to her feet. She waved to the rest of the group as Torn led her down one of the many halls.

“First things first. We get you some new clothes and a weapon,” Valora raised her eyebrow at this “Well, Valora, if you haven’t noticed your clothes have been ripped to shreds and you barely have anything covering you up,” the black haired girl looked down at herself and her eyes grew wide and she blushed a deep crimson as she realized Torn’s words were true “Plus there are ton’s of metalheads running around the city, you’ll need some sort of protection.”

Sighing slightly, Valora decided not to ask anymore questions. She quietly prayed to get out of this place quickly. She knew if she stayed her to long she would become attached to some people which wouldn’t be good when she found a way home. Valora followed Torn through the halls of the large building, clutching the notepad to her chest when a question popped up in her head.

What is this place? She wrote as a man with blue armor passed by them, nodding respectfully to Torn and staring at her oddly. Valora quickly tapped Torn on the shoulder and showed him the small sentence.

“This would be Freedom League HG,” Torn stated “I’m commander of this joint.”

Valora made a motion like she was ‘Ah-ing’. Torn rolled his eyes and pushed opened a door. It was a room filled with civilian clothes and weapons. Torn began to dig through some of the clothes and motioned for Valora to do the same. Sighing she began to pick through a rack of clothes. They duo ended up with a pair of dark shorts and a short sleeved belly shirt. Valora didn’t like it to much but she changed into it anyway.

Torn turned his back as she began to change. Valora quickly pulled on the clothes and realized she was barefooted. When she was pulled through the rift, she wasn’t wearing any shoes. Valora looked up at Torn and smiled softly. Torn just rolled his eyes again and grabbed some combat boots. The teenager nodded her thanks then pulled the shoes on.

Torn handed her two thigh holsters, which she stared at oddly, not knowing how to put them on. Torn growled softly and knelt down, jerking the holsters out of her hands and strapping them to her upper thigh. He left for a second then he came back and slapped two long barreled pistols in her hands. Valora shrugged and slid them into the holsters.

With a quick nod the commander turned around and left the room, with Valora right behind him. He led outside into the streets of Haven. She looked around at all the odd fly cars without wheels (well that’s what she thought they were.) With a shrug she climbed on the odd vehicle Torn was sitting in. Without a first noticed he shot of the ground. Valora stared out at the vehicle till Torn spoke to her.

“These are zoomers,” he said and Valora nodded “You must not have this kinda technology where you’re from.” The 17 year old shook her head then wrote something on the notepad.

How long was I out?

Torn looked away from her as he spoke, “4 months. Jak found you in the Underport while on a mission to close the doors down there. We put you in the infirmary and we thought you were going to die. But then, just a little while ago, you jumped up out of your bed and ran into the meeting room where you collapsed then woke back up a minute later. It was kinda creepy.”

Valora became every excited then, Then I’m not 17 I’m 18! My birthday was a few days ago! She exclaimed on the piece of paper.

“Well, Valora, Happy 18th Birthday” Torn said, not really a person to give out birthday wishes but this girl really needed some normalcy. He sighed to himself as he stopped just outside the Onin’s Tent that had been moved in front of the old KG Fortress after the Palace had been destroyed. Torn growled at the thought as he walked towards the tent with Valora right at his heels. There were lots of men with guns in this area and they scared her a bit. Torn noticed this.

“They won’t hurt you as long as you obey the laws” Torn stated and Valora relaxed a bit.

The commander held the flap of the tent open and Valora walked in cautiously. She looked at the old wrinkly woman sitting on the floor, legs crossed and eyes closed. She wore even odder clothing than everybody else in the city. There was also a half monkey half bird like thing hanging upside down. Valora thought it was dead and her being her curious little self went and poked it in its gut.

“ARKKK!!!” The thing screeched and Valora fell backwards stunned, Torn caught her before she hit the ground though.

“Don’t ever do that again,” the thing said with a heavy Spanish accent “I am Pecker and your probably wondering what I am. The answer to that question would be a Monkaw.”

Valora probably would have laughed at his name if it weren’t for the fact she was shocked by the Monkaw’s reaction and how’d it know what she was going to ask?

Onin began to make odd signs as Pecker spoke, “Onin says welcome to Haven, Valora, and that she has been awaiting your coming for a long time now.”

Valora looked at the woman funny then quickly scribbled something on the notepad, How’d she know I was coming here?

“Because,” Pecker began “Onin is a Soothsayer, she see’s the past, present, and future. She knew you were coming long before you were ever born!”

Valora mouthed one word, ‘Wow.’

“She also says that she understands what you are going through being mute and all” Pecker continued.

Valora rolled her eyes and wrote on the notepad, How would she know what I’m going through as a mute?!

Pecker’s beady eyes scanned over the message and he laughed, “Why do you think I’m translating her odd sign language to you all?!”

Valora shrugged, not knowing.

“Do you know why Onin is a mute,” Pecker questioned and both Valora and Torn shook their heads “Because she knew you were coming and gave her voice up when she saw your future in Haven. Slowly but surely, with the help of Torn, you’ll learn to speak. Unlike Jak you need not have an accident so everything gets back in order and you are able to speak,”

Jak was a mute? Valora questioned astonished. Pecker nodded as Valora realized why Jak was the one that shouted she was a mute. It was because he used to be one himself.

“Onin says to come as often as possible to see her, but for know she has nothing more to say to you,” Pecker paused as Onin made more signs “Goodbye Valora and good luck!”

Both Valora and Torn nodded and left the tent. Both thinking deeply they climbed into the zoomer and headed back towards FL HQ.