Chapter VIAs Shelbi walked into the sunlit streets of India, she couldn’t help, but stretch, her long, golden hair gleaming as the blue tips glowed blue. Smiling, the teenager put her hands in her pockets. Then, she frowned.
The necklace. The necklace that she had failed to tell Maria about was still in her pocket; still in secret. Her pale hands touched the smooth surface, as if tempting her to put it on.
Shelbi shook her head once she heard Killer burp. She glanced at the others who have come outside as well, she eyes briefly catching sunlight and making them glow before she said, “Well, now that we’ve eaten, I say we split up and get supplies.”
Vidia glanced over at her, her eyes gleaming. The jill knew something. Shelbi ignored her, simply turning to Maria as Vidia said, “I’m gonna go back to the ship.”
Maria smiled as she asked Vidia to take some bags (most likely to give to the hyenas). Shelbi looked over at the ship. It seemed to wave back mockingly at her, telling her to just run and leave them here, pushing the hyenas and Zazu off. She could make it. She could do it. She could get out of here. She could finally escape Scythe. She-
She could kill them.
Quickly shaking the thought from her head, she turned to Maria, trying to figure out why she would think that. They were her friends.
“Ok,” She began, “I’ll go with Maria. Tails, you go with Meg while Jeff, Killer, and Wild Dog boy can go together.”
Shelbi noticed Logan’s glare, and quickly smirked at it.
Quickly heading into a crowd, she left them. Maria quickly jogged to catch up with her. The crowd around them was alive with people walking quickly to and fro while shoppers of all kind asked for people to buy stuff. Soon, it became a very distant sound in Shelbi’s head.
Why not?Shelbi blinked as the sound of the bazaar quickly gone. The voice that rang in her head was a female’s, but it had a deadly ring to it, along with some coldness.
Why not kill them? They’ll only get in the way…Shelbi felt her mouth open, but before she could speak to this odd voice, she heard the distant sound of flute. Her eyes glanced in every direction before she finally spotted in old man. His cold, black, eyes seem to stare right at her. As if he knew what she was thinking.
“Uh, excuse me, sir. What are you selling?”
“Anything…” he said as he quickly muttered what he sold.
“We’ll take some rope, fruits, and some root beer.” Shelbi said, adding the last part when she remembered Maria saying she liked the odd liquid.
“I’ll just get some liquor later…” Shelbi murmured as Maria stepped closer to something.
Shelbi glanced over at Maria, finally spotting an odd tree. On it, were ribbons of crimson. They danced in the small breeze. Maria reached up and touched one with one, tanned, hand.
“Excuse me, but what do they do?”
“They grant you a wish,” the man’s raspy voice said, “But it is only one wish. You whisper to the ribbon your wish and you wait for it to come true.”
He put the last orange in Shelbi’s bag, as he did, he glanced up at her with those black eyes and whispered, “Any wish…”
Shelbi’s eyes widen, her breath caught in her throat. Shelbi stared at him for a minute before giving him his money. He glanced at it before grabbing a stick and getting a red ribbon. Maria smiled as he handed it to her. As she put it in her back pocket, Shelbi noticed the man was suddenly next to her. He looked up at her and handed her a ribbon as well.
“I-“ she began.
“You want it…” the man whispered.
Glancing at Maria, she was shocked to see the girl was not moving.
“Maria?”
Shelbi reached over to touch her, but before she could, the man appeared again, this time, as quick as lightning. His eyes glowed an odd red, his hand reaching out to give her the ribbon.
“Take it…” he rasped.
Glancing between him and Maria, she slowly reached. As her hand finally clasped around the smooth material, time seemed to start up again. Maria was smiling. Before she could look over, Shelbi had quickly put the ribbon in her coat pocket. She looked at the shop to see the man. It was as if he never moved at all.
Shelbi barely listened as her thoughts raged on what had just happened.
As an elephant stood behind the man, Shelbi quickly sensed something was wrong. Taking Maria’s arm, Shelbi said, “Thanks, but, we should go.”
Before Shelbi could drag Maria off, the man went off again about some parade. Growling, Shelbi said, “Uh, thanks, we’ll check it out.”
Finally, Shelbi was able to leave. Her thoughts were rapid and questioning. What was going on?
***
It wasn’t until Shelbi was save in the crow’s nest when she could recollect her thoughts. She couldn’t remember Maria getting mad or Vidia’s odd behavior to leave. That was all so distant. Shelbi rubbed her arm, starting to feel scared.
She looked down on deck and noticed Maria; maybe the girl could get her mind off things.
Shelbi soon found herself next to Maria, leaning down on the ship’s railing as they sailed.
“Hey, Shelbi,” Shelbi turned when she heard the girl’s voice, “You ever got the feeling when you did something you’re not supposed to do.”
Shelbi’s eyes trailed down to the sea. She stared down at it, not looking at Maria. The sun danced on the sea’s waves.
Yeah…I have…The leaves danced silently in the forest. A young girl with beautiful, golden, hair ran happily, her eyes showing joy. Next to her, running a long side her, was a tan and tall man. His hair had strands of silver, as did his beard, but his eyes showed he was young.
“Don’t you go too far, Shelbi!”
“I won’t, Da!” Shelbi laughed happily.
As she finally stopped, her father rested beside her. He put a giant hand on her small head, smiling as he said, “You’re getting to fast for me.”
“But you’re faster than anything, Da.” Shelbi said, cocking her head to the side.
The man laughed. His silver strands caught rays of light as a leaf got stuck in those strands. Shelbi soon frowned. She blinked as she soon saw smoke.
“Da, what’s that?”
The man blinked, turning. He stared at the smoke for a long time before picking Shelbi up and putting her on a rock. Shelbi blinked, turning to see on the other side was a large meadow.
“I want you to run. Run as far as you can.”
“What?” Shelbi turned to her father. She raised her hands up into fists as she said, “But I want to be with you!”
He only shook his head. Both father and daughter jumped as a shot was heard. Shelbi, quickly fearing for her life, ran.
She ran past the golden strands of grass that passed over her head. She ran past the huge oak tree that rested at the end of the meadow. She didn’t stop running until something made her stop.
Blinking, the girl stared into the brown eyes of Steven, her half-brother. He blinked, asking, “What are ye doing here, Shelbi?”
Right when he said her name, Shelbi starting bawling.
“Da! I-I-I left h-him! Da! Daddy! I-I-I w-w-want him!”
She failed to notice Steven’s smirk. He frowned as he said, “Don’t worry, I’ll find your daddy.”
Sniffing, Shelbi asked, “Really?”
“Mhm.”
Steven took her back to the hut her and her father shared. Then, he left. Two days passed as Shelbi cried herself to sleep. The six year old would sometimes hold Tails for comfort, as the gray tabby cat looked up at her, worry in her eyes.
Then, on day three, as the sun was setting. Da came home.
He was covered in some odd crimson liquid that Shelbi had yet to realize was blood. All she cared about was her Da. Jumping, she quickly hugged him.Shelbi’s eyes were still to the ocean as she said, “I should have never told Scythe…”
“You okay?”
Maria’s voice rang in her ears.
“Yeah,” Shelbi said as she looked at Maria, “just bored.”
“Me too.”
Remembering what Maria asked, Shelbi asked, “Why? Ye do something like that?”
“I did, I ran away from home, took my father’s credit card, and took an airplane to Africa.” She said, sighing.
“That sounds like something Vanessa would do.”
“I know,” she rubbed her arms, “the guilt kills me. She warned me not to go…and I did.”
“Ye aren’t usually like this.” Shelbi said, leaning on the railing once more.
“I know, but when I return, they’ll probably yell at me.”
Shelbi looked to the sea.
At least you have parents…“Ye parents wouldn’t do that,” Shelbi murmured, “They tell you...how much they missed you and how worried they were.”
Shelbi soon felt a pain in her heart. She would do anything to have a moment like that with her parents.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Shelbi heard the girl sigh as she walked off.
***
Once again, they found land. Shelbi watched with boredom, not noticing Martin (who had come along with them) next to her.
“Uh, is your friend ok?”
Shelbi jumped a bit, glancing at Maria. The girl seemed to be sniffing the air. All Shelbi did was shrug.
It seemed like only seconds when Shelbi was yelling, “
That idiot,” as Logan attacked some Iraq guards.
“No wonder you call him ‘Wild Dog Boy’.” Martin whispered to her.
Shelbi turned to Martin to comment on what he said, but soon found herself staring at Logan, who was bleeding from an attack.
“Idiot…” she whispered.
It happened so fast…
See what they’re doing? Just get rid of them.That voice again. Her eyes narrowing, Shelbi said, “No.”
***
Moments were slipping past Shelbi so fast. She couldn’t even remember giving Maria some fruits. Which was only a few seconds ago.
Staring into nothingness, Shelbi failed to notice a familiar alien. His yellow eyes showed question, as did his tail that was forming a question mark.
“Something wrong?”
“Life.” Shelbi simply said.
The Mercurian chuckled. Then, silence. Shelbi tried to look everywhere, but into Martin’s cat face.
“Why do you keep secrets?” he asked.
“What?”
“Secrets.”
Shelbi growled. “Mind your own business.”
“It could be my business when your thoughts endanger this whole crew.”
Shelbi stared at him. She opened her mouth, but he said, “I can read minds. Yours has been hectic, lately.”
For once, Shelbi ran. She ignored the questioned looks of the others as she quickly climbed her way to the crow’s nest. Catching her breath, she glanced down to see Martin simply watching her, his silver hair blowing in the wind.