Viva la Hallucination

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"Miranda!" Miranda paused, tapping the eraser of her pencil against her paper at the sound of the familiar voice. The voice belonged to her younger foster brother, Boyd. It was more likely than not that he was up to some kind of trouble, so she tried as hard as she could to ignore him. Trouble wasn't something she normally got into. Not consciously anyways. Miranda could count the number of times that she had gotten into any kind of serious trouble on one hand and less than two fingers. Right then she had better things to do than get involved in one of her brother's shenanigans, like finish the assignment that was stumping her. The reading assignment her teacher had given her to complete over the weekend was rampaging through her mind like a pack of unruly rhinos butting heads over who would eat which delicious patch of grass. In short, she had a terrible headache that was steadily getting worse.

A sudden loud knock at her door startled Miranda so badly that she almost fell out of her seat. "Miranda, I know you're in there!" Boyd called through the door. Boy he was persistent sometimes. "We both know how this is going to wind up, so just answer me!" Miranda snorted at her brother's method of persuasion. Yeah he knew all right. It was going to wind up with her sitting right where she was doing her homework. Miranda stood up and heaved open the single paned glass window to try and get some air circulating in her stuffy bedroom. The crisp winter air wafted in through the window, teasing the lacy curtains hung from the window frame coyly. The cold bit her olive skin and eased the throbbing in her head. Miranda's mother, Lillith, always complained about her letting in the cold. She made it a point to tell Miranda as often as possible that she was going to catch a chill if she didn't quit leaving the window open in the middle of winter. She would just smile and nod when her mother told her that, knowing that it was really for the sake of the rest of the family that she told her to shut the window. Her brother and father both agreed that she had to be insane.

Miranda didn't get cold like normal people did. She was always warm no matter how cold it got in the winter. "Come on, Miranda! Please open the door?" Begging was step three. On step four he would take something of hers hostage. "Miranda, I swear if you don't open up this door I'm going to show mom this picture of the green haired boy! Hey, isn't her that Miguel kid from school? Do you have a crush on him or something?" She chose to rise to the bait. "Boyd!" she snapped. "Have you been going through my things? And no I do not like him! I don't even know him!" She burst through the door to her room and tore the picture from her brother's grasp. For a moment her brother grinned in triumph of winning the battle to get her out the door. It didn't last long. He took one look on the vengeful expression that had saturated her child like face and the grin disappeared. When he realized how upset his sister was with him, Boyd's face fell so that he was looking at the ground instead of into Miranda's wrathful brown eyes. "Miranda, I'm s-," he looked up just in time to see her face go slack. "Mo-OM!" he called urgently, racing off to the kitchen. "Mandy's gone to sleep again!"

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Lillith Perez's exotic eyes pinned on the source of the noise. "What, dear?" she asked absently. A moment ago she had been absorbed in a romantic novel at the dining table, but it lay abandoned when her son barged into the kitchen. "Mandy got mad at me and she fell asleep in the hallway, Ma." The fog in Lillith's mind cleared and she sighed audibly. Miranda's collapses weren't anything new or to be worried about, but sometimes she fell asleep in the oddest places. "Well alright dear. Thank you for telling me." Lillith wiped her hands off on her apron out of habit and quickly tramped into the hallway, only to find her daughter already standing up. Lillith took her daughter's warm face in her hands and turned her head from side to side for inspection. There was something off about Miranda's eyes. They looked glossed over, as if she weren't focusing properly. "Miranda, love, are you doing alright?"

After a moment or two of consideration, Miranda tilted her head to the side oddly and slurred out an answer. "Yes."

Lillith's expression creased into a frown, but she said nothing more. She was too busy staring at the open window. Miranda, how many times have I-,"

"Going out. Later." Miranda shuffled slowly towards the front door, oblivious to anything her mother said to her.

"Miranda! Miranda, wait!" Lillith rushed toward the front door, but by the time she got there, her daughter was already gone.

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Miranda! echoed a voice. The voice reverberated like a chorus of millions in the frozen confines of her cranium. Hattie, Umea, Umi! Child with many names! Umi's mismatched eyes swept the frozen ground for the source of the voice. At first she couldn't see anything, but then the tiniest motion caught her attention. Medium-sized paw prints dotted the snow, and when she traced them to their source, she found who she was looking for. Hattie, come and play with me! Come run in the forest where only the beasts dare to go! A pair of amber eyes stared intensely back at Umi. A wet black nose rested beneath those pretty eyes, and underneath that was a mouth full of fangs. The canine the had spoken to Umi sank into a play bow, her pretty silver and white fur blending perfectly with the crystalline snow. Her mouth gaped open in a goofy grin, her pink tongue lolling out the side. Follow me, follow me! We'll go this way! The wolf practically danced with joy as it took a few steps in the direction that it wanted Umi to follow it in. Umi took a step off of the path... only to sink up to her ankle in snow. When she pulled her foot out, her shoe was left behind in the depression her foot had made. When she tried to reach for it the wolf danced closer and nipped her hand reproachfully. No time, no time! Just leave it behind! Umi did what the wolf told her. In the second step she lost her other shoe. They set out like that, the wolf occasionally making encouraging comments and the shoeless girl wading through the snow on a grand adventure. At least she was dressed for cold weather. The same couldn't be said about her poor feet.

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Joy! We're here, Umea, we're here! cried Umi's lupine companion. Where they were, she wasn't sure, but she had complete trust in the wolf. She couldn't fathom why, but it just seemed right to trust her. It seemed to her like they were in some kind of wildlife preservation judging by the markings she had seen on some rocks on the way there. Come on, Umi, let's play! Come down to the water with me and I'll tell you a story, and then you can tell me a story too! For some reason that sounded like super fun, so Umi decided that it would be a good idea to go down to the water with the wolf and listen to her story. Hurry hurry hurry! They sped up their pace to a brisk jog. By that time Umi's socks were soaked and slipping off of her feet, but she didn't mind. She knew that her feet would stay warm no matter how long she walked in snow or on ice. They had passed a few more of the weird stones when the wolf slid to an abrupt halt. Wait Umi. The wolf turned in a circle so that it faced her and sat, its eyes wide and anxious. Before we can go any farther I must help you so that you can pass. No human is allowed here save two. But I will change you, don't worry. We will be able to play. Come closer to me, Hattie. Like a zombie, Umi tripped and stumbled toward the wolf until they sat facing each other in the blindingly white snow. The wolf, or spirit, or whatever it was inclined its head to touch its wet nose to Umi's. Each breath the creature exhaled was a warm woosh against her skin. Around them, the trees swayed with each puff of bitterly cold wind. The light in the wolf's eyes danced merrily, like a warm fire that kept away the chill. Umi's spine and limbs began to shift uncomfortably, and her body started to itch like ants were crawling all over her skin. She watched in fascination as tufts of white fur began to grow in between her fingers, which were shortening and becoming stubby. Around halfway through the process of the Change, the wolf's ears pricked and she broke the contact between them to turn and look behind her. All through the change, Umea had noticed that the wolf had been been fading. It made her a bit sad. Umea, there is something- Before she could finish, the wolf looked up and Umi followed her gaze to see the shadow of a figure. The presence was warm like a radiating fire, which caused Umea some discomfort. HARK, UMEA. GUARDIANS ARE NEAR. boomed the shadow. His voiced was heated like molten rock. With that said, the wild shadow lost interest and disappeared back to where ever it was that they went to in their free time. What an odd day this has been, Umi thought absently.

OOC: Despite the fact that it's a hallucination, the wolf can actually be seen and heard as a solid form when Umi is asleep. The shadow can't be seen, though. Or heard.

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"Thanks Mugi." Isca whispered with a sad smile, taking the weapons from Miguel's hands.

"I know that the guardians have been teaching you how to deal with your new... abilities. Just don't forget to practise with those eiter." He said, pointing to the steel elbow blades that he had crafted himself. Isca gave half of a smile, nodding. "I know, I know. But this whole "go with the wind" thing isn't working out very well for me. I wish I was born with the wind ability instead of water..." Miguel smiled. "That just means you'll be really good fighting in rain..." The two laughed.

"Isca..." Miguel began with a much more serious tone. "Working with the wind doesn't mean manipulating the wind. It means using your surroundings as your strength. If you can learn to work with the elements around you, rather than against, then you will have a much better advantage against your opponent." Isca laughed slightly. "Now you tell me."

She turned the blades over in her hands. It was amazing, just how well Miguel had crafted them. They were built perfectly for herself... heavier than the norm for elbow blades, and a bit duller, too. Perfect for heavy blows instead of quick slicing. It just sucked that she wasn't very good with them. "I'll practise, I promise, ok?" Miguel smiled and nodded.

Their moment was cut off as a tall, pink haired lady stepped into the rocky clearing. "Isca... The others have left. They understand that you want the weekend off, so they will be back in a few days." Isca sighed a heavy relief. "Finally... I thought they were going to kill me with all this practising."

Penny laughed, throwing a coat over the girl. "I know its no fun now, but... its our duty." She looked out through the woods, towards the direction that the city was in. Isca frowned. "You miss the hospital, don't you? Look, I am so sorry at what happened..." Penny shook her head. "Don't worry about it! I just found out that I have a niece, and I am here to look after her. Speaking... How is the situation back home, Miguel?"

Miguel frowned, shaking his head. "They already interviewed me and my mother... They house is under constant watch, we sleep at an inn when we can. Most everybody thinks that Isca was killed... Even Brigid was a little broken up." He laughed nervously. Isca frowned. She was so absorbed into what she was feeling, that she didn't even think what the others would think. Of course, it was a good thing that she wasn't too liked. It meant that she wouldn't be missed.

"Mugi, the only reason Brigid is upset is because she thinks you are upset. I can't believe you are falling for her!" Miguel gasped angrily. "Falling for her?! As if! I'm just helping her out, like I promised!" He said, blushing. Isca shook her head. "Well it sounds to me like she sure has a thing for you. Don't tell me you don't feel the same... Honestly Mugi, I don't care if you like her or not."

Miguel glanced down. "It's not you... its... " He looked back up, an almost angry glare in his eyes. "Look, what if I did... kind of like her? It doesn't make any bit of a difference! I... I don't want to get too serious... I..." He frowned and sat, shaking his head. "I can't go through it again."

Isca tore away from Penny and sat next to Miguel, putting her arms caringly around him. "Mugi, it wasn't your fault... what happened to Umi. I know you liked her... but you have to move on." Miguel frowned and shook his head. "I didn't like her Isca. I'm pretty sure I was... am... in love with her. What if something happened to Howell? What if you could never see him again?"

Isca frowned. She didn't even want to think about how painful that would be. "I'm sorry..." Miguel shook his head. "Don't be... Life and death happen I guess... it just... it was so sudden, I guess I just couldn't get used to it." Isca patted her brother on the back supportively. "Either way, I think you should give Brigid a chance. I know you feel something for her... You've changed her Mugi. Don't let her go." Miguel sighed and shrugged. "I don't know... I... I'll think about it."

Penny nodded and glanced around. "Well... Isca, we should head back up to the hut. By the way you look, you need the rest." Isca looked at Miguel sadly. "Don't worry." He spoke up. "I'll be fine. I'll even let Howell and mom know how much you are missing them." He smiled.

Isca nodded and stood up. "Please be careful Miguel. And please tell Howell to visit soon." Miguel nodded and smiled. "Ofcourse I will... I'm going to take the long route home though. Mom has gotten into her art again, and she was asking for some rose weed from the lake again." Isca smiled. "Glad to hear it... I'll see you in a few days, ok Mugi?" Miguel smiled and nodded as Isca and Penny turned and headed off deeper into the woods.

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Robert was skipping her way home from their usual meeting point, her pig tails bouncing in the air after a good day's practise with her new guardian friend. It was a long walk home, and she didn't want to admit that she lived alone, so she always waited till the others were long gone to start her way home. She never really felt alone though... the aura of the woods always made her feel like she was surrounded by friends.

Ever since she was just a toddler she remembered being able to feel the good and bad within a person. It was what made her so peppy. She just avoided those with scary auras, so she never really had a problem with people. As she grew older, she began to see and feel other auras, in the animals and plants themselves. Although they had a different, unique, nature aura, it always made her feel safe.

She felt a warm pleasure comfort her as a swallow flew by, its song cheerful and peaceful. A large smile pasted itself across her face as she danced among the brush and wild flowers.

Then she paused... an odd feeling capturing her senses. It was a new aura... much different than the nature auras she was feeling of the trees. It was almost pulling her... guiding her. She turned, and her steps took her off the trail and into the woods.

With each step, the aura felt closer, and stronger. It made her ever so curious. The colorful aura beckoned her, and she followed it. Finally, she found the origin of the aura, and it made her stop in her tracks.

Before her was... a wolf? No, it had a much different aura. And it looked much taller...much more defined than a wolf. It was furry, that was for sure. But it seemed very human.

If it weren't for the strange aura, she would have thought it was Isca, or perhaps Penny because of its beast-like appearence. Even so, she felt strangely curious, and so she approached the... human?

"Hello!" She said, in an almost too happy tone. The aura didn't seem harmful in the least bit. It felt very... nice... and confused. "Are you lost?" Chimed the young girl, thrusting her chilly hands into the pockets of her baggy coat which hung to the ends of her shorts. If it weren't for the bits of yellow poking out from underneath her coat, it would almost look as if her legs were completely bare. Still, she was not in the least bit dressed for winter. Although, I guess if you used what you could find, you might not be dressed quite appropriate either.

[Scriptatious ! ! !]

Umi was loving her enhanced sense of hearing and sight. If she looked, she could see almost every hair on Wolf's body. She wiggled her ears happily, listening to the chirruping of the afternoon birds as though they were in the tree right in front of her. Wolf, what was that? she asked curiously. Wolf was still staring alertly at the spot where the shadow had been. You mean you don't remember? Wolf asked. She huffed out a breath and sat on the ground with a soft thump. Her ears drooped slightly and her head fell, expressing her disappointment. She sounded almost... sad. Hattie felt a childlike distress that her newfound friend was feeling so gloomy. She felt even worse that she didn't know what was bothering her or how she could make it right. You need to Remember. It's time. Wolf scooted around on her bum to face her so that she could meet Umi's gaze. You need to come down to the water with me. There are things that you don't Remember about yourself that you will Know when you look into the depths and see Yourself. Hurry, before- Wolf's words turned into a bark. Umi couldn't keep her ears from dancing when she heard a strange sound from not too far off. She tilted her side questioningly at Wolf. Someone or something was heading towards them from the forest. She could hear their feet crunching in the snow. After a minute she decided that it was a very small person, probably a child. She tested the air with her nose and sure enough, there was a human girl around. Wolf looked curiously in the direction of the footsteps. Pretty soon a cheerful looking girl walked out of the trees. Both of them locked their attention on her. She couldn't be very old. So what was she doing so far out on a trail by herself? Little girl, Wolf said without warning, No, Guardian. We need to get to the water. She needs to Remember. To Umi, Wolf wasn't making much sense. Why did she need to remember so badly? What did she need to remember?

When the girl spoke to her, Umi woke. Wolf disappeared in a puff of snowflakes as if she had never existed, had it not been for the paw prints she left behind. The fur covering Miranda's body was sucked back into her skin in the blink of an eye and her bones and joints rearranged themselves with loud, painful sounding cracks. "Wh-what?" she asked, confused. She looked around with her good eye, taking in the trees around her and the snow. She wasn't very comfortable where she was sitting. It wasn't that she was cold, it was that her butt and bare feet were wet from sitting in the snow for so long. "S-sorry, but wh-wh-who are y-you and where a-am I?" Mandy wrapped her arms around her legs and hugged them close. "And wh-where are my shoes?" she asked indignantly. She finally looked at the girl, and when her eyes rested on her she became very still. In her blind eye, she could see the beast and the girl as two separate but intertwined entities. "Wh-wh-what a-are you?" she squeaked.

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As the girl's body snapped back into its regular form, a smile formed on Robert's lips. Although confused, the girl's aura returned to an almost normal one, and her aura wasn't frightening in the least bit. "I'm Robert!" The girl spoke excitedly, holding out her hand in hopes of helping her up. "You don't know how you got here? How odd!" Robert spoke, as though excited about the mystery. "I can help you home?" The girl asked, leaning in. "Humans aren't supposed to be out here you know."

"Wh-wh-wat a-are you?"

At the question, Robert cocked her head in confusion. "What am I?" She smiled. "Different, I guess. But still human!" She said in a slightly, hyperactive tone. "There is something different about you too, isn't there?" Robert had noticed the odd feel to the girl's aura.

'She has interfeared onto the territory of the guardians!' Barked the beast within Robert's mind. 'And you are hungry, no doubt? Kill this girl!' Robert chuckled cutely. "Silly wolf, I don't eat people!" She responded, outloud (A habit she desperately needed to stop). "Besides, she seems like a very nice girl! There must be some secret reason to why she is here!" The beast growled, and returned to its slumber, defeated by the girl's innocence.

[Scriptatious ! ! !]

"U-um. I wouldn't s-say that I d-d-don't know how I got here." Miranda muttered. "I t-tend to walk i-in my sleep. But I-I've never w-walked so far from the c-city before." Miranda's tone of voice took on an anxious edge, and she swallowed hard to keep herself calm. She looked down at her hands and realized that she was still clutching the picture of the green-haired boy in her hand. "See. I g-got in a fight with my b-brother over this picture l-last I could remember." Miranda uncrumpled and smoothed out the picture she had drawn of Mugi in her sleep and held it out to the little blond girl.

"Different?" Miranda hesitated when the girl said there was something different about her, too. She seemed so innocent and adorable that she couldn't resist giving her an honest answer. "Well, y-yes. I can s-see things sometimes that o-other people can't, like the b-b-beast that lives inside of you." When the little girl began talking to herself out loud, Miranda couldn't help but giggle nervously. Especially when she mentioned that she didn't eat people. "W-well it's a relief to kn-know that you don't eat people. I-I'm sorry if I-I trespassed some where that I d-don't belong. D-do you think you could h-help me find my way b-b-back to the city?"

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Robert smiled and nodded. "Sleep walking isn't so unheard of!" She calmly reached out and slipped the paper from her hand. "Oh!" She said, looking at the picture. "Did you draw this? Its very nice!" She chuckled admiringly, handing it back to the girl.

She thrust her hands into her pocket and gleamed. "So you can see it, hm? That really is a gift you have there! I thought you might be half blind... don't bother with it, it wont hurt anyone unless I let it, and I certainly wont let it!" She glanced around. "Well, its ok that you're here. This place sort of belongs to us... the guardians that is! There is five of us..."

She blushed, realizing she was talking a bit too much. "I'm not supposed to say anything, please don't tell anyone! We would get killed if anyone found out..." She looked away, as if not thinking much of it. "I... I suppose I could help you... But I'm really supposed to head straight home... If you head that way..." She said, pointing to the right. "You're sure to reach the city in no time!" She smiled.

"Oh, one more thing... if anyone stops you, maybe tries to attack you.. someone like me, just tell them that it was an accident and that Robert sent you. I'm sure it is very unlikely that you will run into them... but well... they have a very good sense of smell... and... haha." She chuckled nervously. "They don't hurt people... they are just over protective. Like I said, just tell them that I said its ok... And they will leave you be, I'm sure!"

[Scriptatious ! ! !]

"Well, th-th-thank you very m-much for helping me, and for w-waking me up, too!" Maddy said cheerfully. Robert seemed like a very sweet girl despite the fact that she had a beast living inside of her. It seemed that the beast liked to eat people, too, so she was glad that the little girl had control over it. She heaved herself up off of the wet snow and brushed of her torn jeans, which were wet and heavy and hung awkwardly around her hips like they were going to fall off. Miranda hitched them up, grateful that they hadn't chosen that moment to fall.

"Don't w-worry, I won't t-tell anyone about y-your secret," Miranda said soothingly. Her delicate pink lips curled into an easy smile. Her smile was easily the prettiest thing about her. Her teeth were straight and white, like the teeth you would expect someone to have after having braces for years. She waved cheerily to Robert and started off in the direction that she had pointed in. The tree branches were weighed down with snow, so they hung low, brushing her head occasionally. When they did, small showers of snow would fall and get caught in her shoulder length brown hair.

Miranda's baggy clothes made her look kind of like a hobo. They were so baggy that it looked like her head was too small for her body and her jeans were almost always about the fall off(awkward!). She didn't even think to keep up her jeans with a belt because she was too busy worrying about other things. Had that girl been serious when she had said that people would try to kill the guardians if someone found out about their secret? Why would people react so violently to them? Did people just not like them or was there actually a reason to hunt down and kill an innocent little girl and her friends?

It wasn't until much later that Miranda realized that she was going the wrong direction. Instead of walking towards the city she had been walking farther into the forbidden territory. The trees were getting thicker and closer together. They looked somehow less welcoming, but that could have been her imagination playing tricks on her. The ground was piled deeper with snow in some places, and she often tripped or fell face first into them. "Oops," she whispered, and turned to start back in the other direction. It was funny because it was almost like she was being drawn by an invisible thread deeper into the forest...

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Miguel sat in the clearing for quite some time, his arms crossed across his scarred chest. Were they right in what they had said? Was he beginning to fall for Brigid? He knew she was beginning to like him... but...

He tried to think about what it would be like to be with Brigid. It wasn't too bad. She had a rich family... a nice home. Sure she was a spoiled brat... but she had really come a long ways since bullying Isca.

And then there was that one day... the day he almost kissed her...

It had started like all the others. Miguel was teaching her some new techniques. She was actually a quick learner, and was quickly rising up in her class. He was proud of her. Infact, he was in the middle of telling her so when she pulled him in close... So close he could feel the warmth of her breath on his lips.

And she was so beautiful. Her hair was that perfect shade of auburn...she was like an angel. He leaned closer to her, lips almost touching. He had looked into her eyes... and then...

He stopped and pulled away. It just wasn't right... The moment he went to kiss her, all he could see was Umi's eyes. Umi's lips. He know he had heart Brigid at that moment, but he too was hurting.

Since then, their practise sessions had been much more distant. Still, Miguel couldn't help but notice Brigid's desires. It couldn't be helped... he just wasn't ready.

But was he ready now? To give it all up? To get over Umi and move on with his life? It seemed impossible...

Finally, Miguel stood to his feet and brushed the dirt from his pants. He took a deep, cold breath of the mountain air and began his climb even further into the woods, towards the lake.

His mind had been so jumbled that he wasn't even really paying attention to where he was walking to. All he kept remembering was the pain that Umi had left in his heart with her death...

He opened his hand and stared into his palm. If he thought hard enough, he could still feel her hand in his. He knew she was sick... everyone had told him... but her death was so sudden. What was worse was that no one even thought about telling him about it. He just sort of over heard the neighbor talking about it...as if it was no big deal.

But it was a big deal, especially to Miguel. His whole life he felt like he was stuck taking care of his family... he didn't hate it, but it became lonely at times. He took up the part time job at the blacksmiths shop to help fill the void, but it never truly helped.

It wasn't until Umi fell into his life that he started to feel better about himself. No matter how hard he worked to take care of her, he was happy, because in return, he earned her affection, her love, and her trust. He knew that just as he was always there for her, she would always be there for him.

He breathed out heavily, the cool breath escaping his dry throat in a hoarse rythem. He looked out across the woods. It was these woods that reminded him of Umi more than anything. He had met Umi struggling with her water techniques.

He stopped in his tracks and looked out in the distance. He could almost see Umi... her brown hair blowing in the cool wind. Walking through the woods, almost as confused and shy as ever...

Miguel's eyes widened. He could see something out in the middle of the woods. He glanced around. Whoever it was, they were sure lucky Deaarka or Penny hadn't gotten to them first.

Miguel quickened his pace. "Hey, you!" He called out, shivering. The branches stuck out in his way, and he shoved them aside to get to the girl who had stepped into the dangerous woods. "Don't you know it's illegal to be out here?"

Once he was finally close enough to see her face, he froze, dead stiff in his foot tracks. He closed his eyes tightly, but when he opened them back up, she was still there.

That hair.. Those eyes... those lips... It was a painful memory, but one he was desperately wanting back. His mouth dropped open, and he just stood until the word finally escaped his dry mouth.

"U...Umi?"

[Scriptatious ! ! !]

The silence between the crunching impacts of Miranda’s shoeless feet on the snow was punctuated by the gentle slap of waves slapping against a shore nearby. She halted in her steps, listening to the soothing shlurp-shlurp that they made when they hit. She heard a voice, a loud voice not far from where she was standing. The sudden noise nearly made her jump right out of her undies. Something about the voice was eerily familiar, as if she had heard it out of a dream. It was bizarre exactly how familiar the voice was to Miranda. She didn’t know the person that was talking, or why they were there, or how they had gotten there, but she felt an unexpected desire to bolt. Scratch that. An intense desire to bolt.

Instead, she clenched her hands into defiant little fists and stood her ground, her nails digging half-moon marks into her palms. She shook off the feeling with a tiny, barely perceptible shudder and kicked it to the back of her mind so she could sort out the experience at a later time. She was terrified of that voice, because it reminded her of the fact that cute little Robert had said that there were other things like the thing that lived inside of her. All she could think about was how angry the beast within her had been, and how much it had wanted to punish and devour her. If it hadn’t been for the little girl, she was sure that it wouldn’t have hesitated to snap, gulp, eat her right up. If the others didn’t have the kind of easy control that Robert seemed to have over the guardian living inside of her, then she might not survive meeting them. Miranda’s fists quavered spasmodically.

”I’m s-sorry!” Miranda said. Her voice was barely more than a hoarse whisper. She figured that whoever he was, he probably couldn’t hear her, so she raised her voice and tried again. She tried pronouncing the words clearly, but all she did was manage a barely audible squeak. ”P-please! I’m r-r-really sorry, i-it won’t h-happen again. I g-got lost!” A little flurry of snowflake swirled past her knees in a biting gust of wind, briefly forming the vague image of a snarling wolf before fading as quickly as it had appeared. Then he came into view, his vibrant green hair a sharp contrast against the vivid white of the snow. The face with the voice was very, very familiar. Miranda’s jaw dropped, and no matter how hard she tried she just couldn’t pick it back up. Shock showed in the soft lines of her face. The person who had been yelling at her was Miguel, the boy from the school that kept appearing in the mysterious sketches that she drew while she was asleep. How ironic.

Miranda's cheeks flooded with violent heat and she looked away, feeling almost ashamed for dreaming of him. Honestly, she felt a bit childish and silly. It was one of those things that girls with shallow thoughts and new crushes every day did. It was a typical, girlish thing to do, and she hated herself for it. When he spoke, she looked up at him and frowned. It could have been her imagination, but Miranda thought he looked awfully pale. It was almost as if he had seen a ghost. "E-excuse me?" she asked, taken aback. The name he spoke sounded like she should know it, really, but she had no idea what or who he was talking to. "N-no, my name is M-M-Miranda."

She might have continued feeling awkward or kept on blushing like she had done something embarrassing, but Miranda was, thankfully, distracted. She had the intense, uncomfortable sensation of someone watching her. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled like static electricity clung to them. It was almost like the feeling of those eyes was a physical blow. Her deep chocolate eyes widened and without turning around, she searched her peripheral vision for the menacing watcher. There was nothing except silence and the creepy feeling.

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[::WOLFURchik::]

All his fears and emotions came rushing back to him from the past, and it suddenly seemed like no time had passed at all since he last saw Umi. At first, he wanted to believe her death and training with Brigid had all just been a dream.

But she couldn't have been Umi. Umi died... Everybody knew it. This girl claimed that her name was Miranda, and she looked honestly terrified to be there. She didn't know who he was, at least not personally. And how could she, if they never really met? But still... she looked and sounded just like Umi... maybe it was just his mind trying to get the best of him.

Hoping to calm her down, he approached her slowly and cautiously. He also knew he couldn't trust her, but if she really was just a girl lost in the woods, he wanted to help. "Alright, Miranda..." He spoke softly, constantly reminding himself that she was not Umi, and that could not be helped.

"Sorry you just...reminded me of somebody I used to know..." used to love. He added quietly to himself. Still love... He was beginning to realize that he might never be able to let her go.

"How did you wind up way out here anyway?" He asked as he finally stepped up to her. "Its dangerous out here." He glanced back, hoping that none of the others had caught her scent just yet. "Between you and me, there is a valid reason that these woods are off-limits."

Feeling sure that the others were safetly tucked away, he decided against his better instincts to trust the girl and help her out. "I can help you back to the village." He patted the elbow blades that clung to his sides. "I'm pretty well trained with these things, so you'll be safe with me." He looked back at her, and goosebumps invaded him. She looked so similar... ever the air around her felt the same... He must have been losing his mind.

He realized he must have been staring at her, and tried to shake away from it, but he couldn't take his eyes off her. He wanted to believe that she was Umi, that Umi was still alive, but he knew better... "You look just like her..." He whispered sadly.