"Maud! MAUD!" Trixie wailed, tripping over herself as she scrambled towards her unconscious friend. She got down on her knees, sliding her arms under the grey girl's back. Maud was completely still, hanging limp in Trixie's arms. Her mouth was agape, and the scratch on her leg was beginning to turn red. Small specks of blood were seeping through the cut.
Hot tears rolled off Trixie's face on onto Maud's, while Tempest causally walked over to the incapacitated girl's scattered deck, which had been knocked out of Maud's deck slot. No one dared to stop her as she bent down to pick up all the scattered cards all in one hand. Hitch had run over to Maud as well, with his fingers on her neck, checking her pulse.
"She needs medical help! NOW!" He called out to the bleachers. Several of the onlookers began dialing on their phone, while the rest crowded around Maud's body, which was being embraced tightly by a devastated Trixie, bawling her eyes out.
Tempest scrolled through the deck, and smirked. "You know," she said, gathering the attention of Hitch and a few others. "I know the deal was that I would take her best card, but judging from your friend's current state -"
"Don't you dare..." hissed Hitch, but Tempest continued anyway.
"It looks like she won't be using this deck for a while. I think I'll just take the whole thing!"
There was an audible gasp from the listeners. Hitch, his eyes wide with fury, dashed towards Tempest, only to find his face being driven through by her elbow. He fell to the floor, clutching his nose in pain.
"That wasn't the deal!" he yelled. His voice was nasal from him stopping the blood now coming out of his nose. Tempest ignored his cries, and placed the deck in her pocket. She slipped out her own deck, deactivating the duel disk in progress.
"C'mon, Mona. We're leaving these losers," said a calm Tempest. She began walking across the gym floor, and was halfway out the door, when she noticed something. She turned to look, and saw Mona, standing in place, starting at Maud.
"Are you deaf? C'mon, I said we're going," she said again, this time, her voice was much angrier. Mona turned to face his sister. She was slightly taken aback when there was a judging look in his eye, and fury dotted his expression.
"....no...let you.." he mumbled. Tempest's ears perked up.
"What did just you say?" she asked, her voice seething with a bubbling anger.
"I SAID I'm not going to let you PUSH ME AROUND ANYMORE!" was the immediate reply. Mona's words echoed in the gym, which was now quiet, save for the soft sniffles of Trixie. She had turned her attention to the events unfolding in front of her, but she still carried Maud close in her arms.
Tempest was silent. Her eyes flickered with rage, and her fist was clenched tight. She took a deep breath and brushed her hair down and to the side in frustration. Her frown shifted into a smirk, and she shook her head.
"I see how it is," she said, folding her arms. "I hurt your little friend, and now I'm the bad guy."
"You knew her for, what, a day? Yet, here you are, framing me, your sister, as someone who hasn't been raising you for so many years." She placed her hand over her heart with fake emotion. "You break my heart."
"You might be my sister," Mona replied, standing between Tempest and Maud, "but I won't ever be anything like you..."
The brief silence that followed was broken by Tempest's laughter. "Is that what you believe?" she said through her cackles.
"Fine," said Tempest, after she had calmed down. "Stay here with you little loser's club. I'm going home, and I don't care if you ever come back." With those final words, she slammed the door, and Mona fell to his hands and knees.
"....Tempest....." he whispered to himself.
The paramedics came about three minutes afterwards. Only one other person was allowed to ride with Maud in the back of the ambulance, and no one objected when Trixie offered to be that person. As the ambulance drove off, the rest of the members of the dueling club were unsure of what to do. Some had already left to head home, shaken by the events of today. Others bombarded Hitch and Mona with questions.
"What do we do now?"
"What's gonna happen to Maud?"
"Have you seen your sister do anything like this before?"
"Can we trust you?"
Mona's ears perked up at that last one. He opened his mouth to speak, when Hitch cleared his throat loud enough to silence all the commotion.
"AHEM!" The crowd turned to look at him with anticipation. "Everyone, this club will have to be put on hold for now. Just stay in touch with one another, and I'll post any updates on our group chat. Understood?"
The unanimous reply was a resounding "Yes", and the members began to trickle out of the room. Hitch turned to Mona.
"You got a phone on you?" he asked. Mona nodded. The two exchanged contacts as they walked out the door. Once they were outside, almost at the same time, they realized their current predicament.
"What now?" they both asked at the same time. Mona glanced past Hitch, and spotted a bike parked right next to the library, locked with a rather rusty-looking chain.
"Is that Trixie's?" asked Mona, who pointed at the blue bike. Hitch turned to look and nodded.
"Yeah, but I'm sure she'll come back for it." He said plainly. The two continued walking down the parking lot, until Hitch stopped at a long, pale-green motorcycle. The thick wheels jutted far past the body, held by the suspension underneath, and seat's backrest was raised high. Set between the handles were 5 card slots, similar to that of a duel disk. Underneath that was an odometer and the other meters Mona expected to see on a motorcycle. Hitch pulled out a pair of keys,
and pressed one of the buttons. The headlights came on, and the vehicle roared to life.
"Is that your duel runner?" Mona asked in amazement.
"Yup," responded Hitch proudly, giving the handle a pat. "Bought and customized this baby myself."
He reached in the compartment under the seat, and tossed a green and black helmet to Mona. He caught it, confused.
"Saddle up," said Hitch. "We're going to follow that ambulance and make sure that Maud will be okay."
He climbed into the dirver's seat, revving the handle. Mona, somewhat clumsily, sat down behind Hitch. He reached out and , in trying his hardest not to make the situation any less awkward, wrapped his arms around Hitch's chest, and leaned his head against his back.
Hitch's face grew red. ".................okay, not like that," he said, flustered.
Mona quickly shifted his position to put his hands on Hitch's shoulders instead.
The motorcycle revved again, and this time, pulled out of the stall and through the parking lot, out onto the open street. Dusk had passed by now, and the night sky was in full display. The soft neon lights were a blur to the two as they sped down the roads, casually weaving in and out between cars. Hitch spotted the ambulance up ahead, and began to decrease speed. They came to a full stop, and while the ambulance pulled ahead with its sirens blaring, Hitch and Mona found themselves caught in a full-scale traffic jam. The commotion of the Ambulance had apparently caused a ton of cars to be locked in awkward positions, and drivers began shouting for the others to move.
"Drat," Hitch mumbled, kicking the kickstand down in frustration. The car horns blared intermittently all around them.
"Well, while we're stuck here, can I ask you something?" Hitch said, turning around to look at Mona.
The grey boy had been staring off at the sidewalk. Hitch followed his line of sight, and spotted two children. The girl seemed almost twice the age of the boy, but she was leaning down to hold the little boy's hand, as they laughed and chatted down the roads. Mona looked away from Hitch for a moment, wiped his eyes and turned back to Hitch.
"Sorry, I zoned out for a bit. What did you want to ask me?" he said. His voice was quieter than usual.
"I just want to know," Hitch began, "if there's a reason behind your sister doing things like what she did to Maud. Has she ever done this to anyone else before, or.... ?" He stopped himself from going deeper.
Mona thought about this for a bit. His face was grim when he responded: "She started to change a few years back, after she lost in the first round of the World Cup. She was angrier, more aggressive, to the point where I couldn't recognize her."
He continued. "And it wasn't long before she started turning that anger.... on me."
Hitch's eyes widened. "You mean...." he couldn't bear to say it out loud. Neither could Mona, who could only nod in silence.
"And your parents never stopped her?" Hitch asked. Mona was silent again, and Hitch immediately realized the line that had been crossed. "I'm sorry..." he said solemnly.
"....she wasn't always like this..." said Mona, in a low, hushed voice.
10 years ago
The entire building was silent, and not a single being was out of bed. The night had arrived hours ago, and the fireflies that buzzed outside were the only light that illuminated the building with the words "Goodwin Orphanage" nailed on the wall above the door.
That wasn't to say that no one was awake. In the far most southern part of the building, two little figures were huddled up underneath the thin, poorly-patched blanket protecting them from the cold winter air. The first was a little boy, who was no older than five, curled up in the arms of his sister. The second was, of course, the sister herself, only 2 years older, and gently stroking the boy's long black hair. The boy's eyes were wet, and his breathing was heavy.
"There, there, now," said the girl, bringing the boy closer. "It was only a dream."
The boy only sniffled, and his breathing began to slow. His breaths condensed in the cold air.
"Would you like me to tell you a little story?" the girl asked. The boy nodded in response, as he had in the past a hundred times to this question.
The girl smiled and looked to the ceiling, as if looking for inspiration there. "There once was a very sad man with pale skin and dark eyes...." she began, after thinking for a bit.
"Why was he sad?" the boy finally spoke up. His voice was quiet and hushed, and still a bit shaken.
"Because all living things had to face this man, and when they saw him, they were afraid of him, and shunned him."
"Why were they afraid?"
"Because everywhere the man went, there would be great sadness and tragedy."
"What did the man do?" asked the boy, knowing the answer.
"He took and axe, and split himself right down the middle...." the girl said, smiling.
"So that he would always have a friend?" the boy asked, finishing the story.
"So that he would always have a friend...." responded the girl, wiping away a tear from the boy's cheek.
The sound of footsteps from the lower floor alerted the two. The girl quickly scrambled out of bed, but felt a hand grab her wrist. Her brother was still holding her arm.
"Tempest?" the boy asked. "Will I ever have a friend?"
Tempest smiled, kissed the forehead of her brother, and tucked him in.
"You will always have me, Mona," she responded. "Never forget that."
The two drifted off to sleep afterwards. In Mona's mind, those words were cemented in his brain.
You will always have me, Mona...
Present Time
Hitch listened to Mona's recollection in silence. A part of him was stunned, not by the fact that this boy had opened up so quickly to him, but by how much it seemed to contradict the idea he had about Tempest prior. He opened his mouth to speak, but he found himself unable to say anything again.
The two rode in utter silence. By now the traffic had cleared, and the cars were moving at a smooth pace once more. About 10 minutes later, Hitch stopped, checked the map on his phone, and looked about. He spotted the license plate of the ambulance that had carried his friends, and turned into the parking space.
The lot was fairly full, but Hitch found a spot to stop in the Eastern wing of the giant hospital in the middle of the vast concrete space. The two took off their helmets, Hitch kicked up the kickstand and pocketed away his keys, and Mona retuned the helmet back to him.
"I think the entrance is this way," said Hitch.
At the front desk, a young woman sat working behind the counter. Her light grey skin was complemented by the white-and-red nurse's uniform she was wearing. She was working furiously, and with a final click of her mouse, she stood up from her seat, and grabbed her jacket. She took off the hat, revealing her long shining grey hair, and was ready to leave when a familiar person caught her eye.
"Hitch," she remarked as the boy walked towards the desk. "Visiting hours are almost over. If you want to see him, you can, but something's come up, and I need to check up on something now." She spoke hurriedly, and had slid her ID through the scanner, opening up one of the doors that lead down the clean, white hospital hallway. Mona was about to ask about who "he" was when Hitch reached out.
"I know, Limestone," said Hitch, grabbing her shoulder. "As much as I want to see him, that's not why I'm here. I think you know about Maud already."
Limestone was silent, almost stunned, and she closed her eyes and exhaled shakily. Tears sprung into her eyes.
"Do you know what happened?" she asked him shakily. They began walking down the hallway and stopping at one of the elevators.
"Yeah. I'll explain everything on the way,"
Limestone put her hand out in front of Mona as they entered the elevator, stopping him. "Who's this?"
"He's.... involved in this. It's kind of a long story." Hitch said, making way for Mona to step in.
"I'm a friend of Maud." added Mona. "You must be...."
"Limestone Pie." she said, staring intently at him. "I'm one of Maud's sisters."
"Right, of course," Mona said, whispering mostly to himself.
The elevator ride that followed was even more awkward. Hitch filled Limestone in on all the events that had occurred earlier that evening: the initiation, Tempest's arrival, the duel that followed, and the glowing cards. Mona stood near the back, awkwardly listening to the conversation. Every so often Limestone shot an accusatory glare at the boy, before Hitch would explain (over and over) that he wasn't to blame. After 20 second that felt like a full minute to Mona, the doors opened up, and the three stepped out into the hall.
Only a few other nurses were walking up and down the hall at this hour, but by peering through the door, Mona could see around 5 or 6 people, laying on beds within each room he passed. He noticed Hitch staring at one room in particular, and remember Limestone's comment from earlier.
If you want to see him, you can..... "Hey, Hitch-"
"We're here," said Limestone sternly, opening one of the doors.
Upon the bed closest to the window was Maud, still wearing the clothes from earlier. Her skin was slightly paler than Hitch was used to seeing, and her whole expression was relaxed and calm. A heart monitor was rigged up to her arm, beeping steadily. Trixie sat by her bedside, clutching her hand, and her face burrowed into the bed. Mona walked in for a closer look and heard a very quiet but distinct sound of snoring.
She was sleeping. Mona looked over and moved out of the way to allow Limestone to stand by her sister's bedside. She stared at Maud's peaceful face, then chuckled half-heartily.
"Its odd," she said, her eyes began to glisten. "When she's awake, she doesn't show emotion at all. Believe me, I've tried, and nothing can crack that stone-cold expression. But," she continued, as a tear steadily began to flow down her cheek. "She always looked the happiest... when she was sleeping..." She rushed through those last words before hiding her face from the group. She breathes were shaky and rapid, and she wiped her eyes. Hitch put his hand on Mona's shoulder.
"We'll leave you alone for a few minutes," he said quietly. Limestone could only nod in understanding.
The two boys sat outside in the hall, across from the door to Maud's room. Neither of them felt like talking much at the moment. Hitch began tapping his heel in anxiety, and Mona let his scrambled thoughts take over his mind. A few nurses glanced at the two of them, but most of them at Hitch. One wished them goodnight, and the rest moved on in silence.
".....How many sisters does Maud have?" Mona asked finally. A part of him still wanted to know who the "he" from before was, but he was too scared of making Hitch hate him for asking something potentially so personal to him.
Hitch looked up and began counting in his head. "Three, I think. There's Limestone, who you've already met. There's also Marble, her younger sister, and... and.... darn it, what was that last one's name?"
"PINKIE!" a voice shouted from across the hallway. The two looked up only to see a blinding pink blur rush past them and making a bolt right for Maud's room. Another girl came, panting and tired from running. Her skin tone was the same as Limestones, but her cheeks were softer, and her hair was rounder but shorter, and hung over her left eye.
"Dang it, Diane, wait up..." she panted, as she wobbled into Maud's room. The boys decided to look back into the room.
The pink blur was, in fact, another girl, but stood out from the others in the room like a sore thumb. Her skin and hair were a bright rosy pink, and her hair was so puffy and curled Mona thought it looked like a giant tuft of cotton candy. She was wearing a jacket that was a darker shade than her skin, and was currently speaking so fast, it was hard for anyone to make out.
"MAUD! ARE YOU OKAY?AREYOUOKAY?IS SHE OKAY?WHATHAPPENED?WHY HAPPENED?HOW HAPPENNED?"
The girl grabbed Mona by the shoulder and began shaking him violently, causing the boy to become a blur himself.
"WHAT HAPPENED?" she yelled at the top of her lungs, before she stopped shaking him. "Also, who are you?" she asked, in a (relatively) calmer voice.
It took a few seconds for the world to stop spinning. Mona regained his bearings and looked the girl as straight in the eyes as he possibly could. "...You must be Pinkie Pie," he said slowly, trying to faint from dizziness.
He turned to look at the other newcomer. "And you must be Marble, correct?" The girl brushed her hair to the side and nodded. Hitch stepped in. "Mona, you don't have to tell them if you're not comfortable. I can fill them in..."
Mona shook his head. "No. I've been thinking about all of this, and realized that this is partially my fault. They deserve to hear it from me."
Hitch took a few steps back, as the girls took a seat on the chairs set next to Maud's bed. Mona stood at the foot of the bed, took a deep breath, and began to recount and deliberate every event that had led up to this moment. It was one of the longest talks Mona had ever given.