Rym - Episode One - Bank Robbery

Episode 1- Evicted from her apartment, a woman going by the name of Cherub travels into town to withdraw some money from the local bank. When she arrives, however, a paranormal robbery takes place.

Bank Robbery

Location: 933 Castor Rd; Archenon

A large crash rang throughout the hallway of the apartment. "What was that?" a female voice yelled, following the crash. A middle-aged woman with grey-brown hair stomped angrily out into the hall. The head of another woman slowly emerged from the room at the other end. She had shorter silver hair, yet she showed hardly any signs of old age. "You wouldn't have any sentimental value to a round, glass vase,"  she said, with a worried expression, "would you?"

"Oh, of course not," the older woman walked down the hall, frustrated. "Why would a three-hundred year old family antique have any value whatsoever?" "Calm yourself, Georgia," the younger woman said unworridly while Georgia walked past her, and went to where the vase broke, "I'll repair it." "Alright, then could you please explain to me how exactly you plan to do that, Cherub?" Cherub turned around and saw that the vase had been completely shattered; enough so that fixing it was out of the question.

"Okay, well," Cherub began, while Georgia went to the nearby closet and pulled out a broom, "I, uh-" "No," Georgia interrupted  her, and shoved the broom to her. "You are going to do this instead; clean up, pack up, ship out. I've had it up to here," Georgia held her hand above her head. Cherub stood there awestruck as Georgia stomped back out into the hall. "What?" Cherub said. "You're kicking me out?"

"What exactly do you think I'm doing?" Georgia disappeared at the other end of the hall. Cherub dropped the broom and trailed Georgia. "I think this is a little too much consequence for breaking a vase, don't you think?" Cherub called. Georgia reappeared, stopping Cherub in her tracks. "I'm kicking you out because this is the fourth time," Georgia said sternly. "For what?" "For screwing up."

"When else have I screwed up in this apartment," Cherub demanded, "tell me." Georgia held up one finger, "Blowing up the refrigerator..." "Well, you see-" "Stuffing the place with balloons...", she held up a second finger. "Oh, but that was hilarious! You should've seen your face!" Georgia held up a third finger, "And throwing the most destructive Valentine's Day party of the millennium!" Cherub pointed a finger at Georgia's face, and said, "That was the best party you've ever experienced, and you know it!" Cherub lowered her hand. "Plus, Valentine's Day isn't as respected as it deserves to be."

"There you are!" Georgia exclaimed, "you're still claiming to be a cherub!" Cherub tilted her head. "I am a cherub! Why else do you think I'm called that?" Georgia went into another room and called, "I don't know; probably because you're a lunatic that's in the middle of having an identity crisis!" "I am not," Cherub called back. "Well, whatever is going on in that mind of yours," Georgia said, coming back holding a small black suitcase in front of her, "It will not be in this apartment!" 

There was a pause as Cherub stood glancing back and forth at the suitcase and Georgia's upset face. She forcefully took the case from her, extended the handlebar, then walked out of the hall and out the door. Georgia stood and watched as she left.

With the door still wide open, Cherub turned around and looked back at Georgia, exhaled, and said, "One day you might regret making me leave, Georgia." Georgia came and stood by the door, holding one hand on the knob, and replied in a growl, "Yeah- and people begin breathe fire," and slammed the door. "Fine," Cherub muttered, narrowing her eyes. She turned around and walked off down the sidewalk, dragging the suitcase behind her. 

*  *  *

Location: St. Lucasan Bank

The walk from the apartment to the bank was long, but when Cherub arrived at the St. Lucasan Bank, the lines for the tellers were short. Still hauling the suitcase, she picked a line and waited. Ten minutes later, Cherub was at the front. The teller sat there with a tired expression, and said, "How can I help you today?" "Ah, yes," Cherub said, "Could I take a bit of money out of my account, please?" The teller paused and stared at Cherub for a second, with the same face. "You do know that you could've just gone to an ATM, right?" Letting go of the suitcase handle, Cherub rested her front limb on the counter and replied, "Nah... I prefer having people hand me my money." Cherub grinned. "Account number's 78519."

The teller typed the number into his computer. "ID, please?" Cherub handed him a card. The teller held the card for a second, then said, "Miss, this is a piece of cardboard." Cherub's eyes widened. "Oh, uh, sorry," she reached over the counter and took back the card, "handed you the fake one; my apologies." Cherub pulled out another card and gave it to the teller. However, the teller didn't take it. He looked at the card, then looked past Cherub at a guard, who was now watching. Cherub glanced over her shoulder at the guard. "This one's real, I'm serious."

"I'm not going to trust you on that," the teller said, now standing up. Cherub grinned, "You know, I think things here have been misinterpreted-" she said, before the guard put his hand on her shoulder. "Miss, could you come with me, please? I'd like to speak with you." Cherub stood where she was. The bank's doors opened, and three people came in, all with matching burlap-satchels. One had light hair (almost white), another had jet black hair with a streak of green, and the third one'd hair was long, and fiery amber, with the occasional black streak in it. "I haven't done anything wrong. I'm not going anywhere," Cherub replied.

The woman with the green streak walked to the left side of the bank, the man with the light hair to the right side, and the amber-haired woman stood where she was. "We're not messing around. Come with me, now." the guard said sternly.

The light-haired one looked over at the dark haired one, and gave her a nod. She then gave the amber a nod. "Miss, I don't want to use force," the guard said. The amber reached into her satchel and slowly pulled out a large gun, as did the other two. "Well you're gonna have to, buddy, because I'm not budging," Cherub replied darkly to the guard. He took his hand off of Cherub's shoulder and reached for the taser he had strapped to his belt.

The amber fired six shots into the air, startling everyone inside, including Cherub, the teller and the guard. Bits of plaster fell down from the ceiling where the bullets hit, and there were a couple people who let out a shriek. As the tellers climbed over the counter with their hands up,  the dark-haired one leapt over the counter and pressed a small red button; the lock-down button. A large steel door quickly descended over the glass ones. Cherub looked around, and saw that the ten or so people inside were gathering together. The light-haired one held his gun over his head, so that everyone could see. "Spread out!" he yelled. "We don't want there to be any unnecessary obstacles, today," he turned to look at the amber, "do we now, Alex?"

"No. We do not," Alex said. Cherub was still standing exactly where she was when the robbery started. She stared at the three people across the room. "How about we introduce ourselves? I'm Alex," she pointed the gun at the light-haired one, "that's Marrow," and the darker one, "and that's Jade." "Why are you giving us your names?" one man in the crowd said, "We'll just be able to find you later." 

"Clever." Alex said, walking slowly towards the one who spoke out, "What's your name?" "D-," he stammered, "D-, Darren." "Darren," Alex said, her serious expression remaining unchanged. "Well, Darren, I can guarantee that you won't be searching for us after this is over." Cherub stood confused. "Why?" Darren said, "Are you going to kill me?" "Why?" Jade said, climbing back over the counter. "Do you want to be killed?" Jade walked over to where Alex had Darren at gunpoint. "It's just that-" Darren stopped mid-sentence and grabbed Alex's gun from her, and hit her head with it. Alex fell back, while Jade threw a punch at Darren. He ducked, and kicked Jade in the stomach, sending her skidding back a couple feet.

Cherub took this opportunity to climb over the counter to press the lock-down button again (which would raise the steel door). At the same time, Marrow raised his gun and aimed at Darren, ready to shoot, but Alex held up a hand to stop him. Cherub paused, staying absolutely still. While Jade was sitting where she'd stopped skidding, Alex slowly got up. Darren was holding her gun and pointing it at her and Jade simultaneously. Cherub found where the lock-down button would be, but in its place was a clump of hard green material. What is this, Cherub thought.

"I was in Archenon's military unit for twelve years!" Darren said sternly, "You think I don't know a thing or two about combat?" Alex stood all the way up, holding her hand a few inches in front of the gun. "I think your being a bit too self-" Darren fired a shot at Alex, but she ducked quickly, dodging the bullet, "righteous; Darren, I'm trying to-" Darren fired another shot at Alex, and she ducked again, "not have a death toll today, but you're making it-" Darren pulled the trigger, but there was just a click. Alex didn't flinch. "Utterly. Difficult." Darren repeatedly pulled the trigger, each time the gun clicking over and over, and Alex didn't move once.

Darren raised the gun over his head, to hit Alex in the head with it, but it was knocked out of his hand before he could strike. Darren turned to look at the other side of the room, where  there was a sound (like cement cracking) where the gun had hit the wall. There was a hole in the brick, lined with cracks. Cherub had forgotten about her suitcase as she watched in awe.

Around the gun itself was a rough column of a dark green stone- jade. Darren turned again to look at Jade, with her right hand stretched forward. In the palm of her hand, the same green material stretched out; however, this time it was smooth. Gasps came from Cherub and the people watching, while Darren just stood there, wide-eyed. The smoothed jade kept stretching, until Jade was holding a full-sized cutlass in her hand. 

"How?" Darren said, mystified, "How can you do that? A-are you guys, like, magicians or something?" He was beginning to panic. "If we were magicians, we'd be pulling rabbits out of top hats, and waving around plastic sticks, blabbing nonsensical words," Alex said, pausing and turning to look at both Marrow and Jade, "Right? Isn't that what those people do?" Jade shrugged. Alex looked at Marrow, and waved her hand upward. "Well, at least this time, you've got the real deal," Alex said looking back at the man as her friend raised his hand slowly. Darren coughed, clutching his chest. Darren said, hardly able to work his lungs properly, "what are you doing?" 

His feet began to rise off of the floor. The higher Marrow moved his hand, the higher Darren rose. Once he was about five feet above the ground, Alex started walking towards the counter. Glancing at Darren as she walked by, Alex brushed off each of her shoulders. Cherub, who was still behind the counter, slowly crouched down to hide. Alex stood next to the counter, scanning the floor behind it. Cherub was doing all she could do to silence her breathing. Alex's eyes moved over to the area where Cherub was hiding. Cherub sat motionless.

"Alex," Jade said. Alex  turned around, and Cherub relaxed. "If there are any deaths today, we'll have to deal with Sapphrine." Alex took a couple steps away from the counter. "We'll have to deal with Sapphrine anyway; we're robbing a bank," Alex  said, "We might as well go ahead and kill the guy." "No," Darren wheezed, "Please!" Alex paused to think for a second. "If I hold him for too much longer, his rib-cage'll break," Marrow said. Alex sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine; let the man down." Marrow looked back at Darren, and loosened his grip. Darren fell to the floor, and lay there coughing and gasping. Alex gave a last look at him before turning around again and walking back to the counter. Cherub tucked up closer behind it.

Alex looked around the other side of the counter once more, and this time she listed every place money could be stashed. Drawers, cabinets, file folders, Alex thought. Jade closed her eyes for a moment and searched the tellers' memories. "There's a safe," Jade called, opening her eyes and pointing the green cutlass in the corner of the room, "Behind the picture on the wall." Alex looked at Marrow, and he waved his hand, moving the painting about fifteen feet away. Sure enough, the door to a safe was there. "It's a little cliche', don't you think?" Alex said as she scaled the counter. Oh, no, Cherub thought as she saw Alex land lightly in sight. As Jade (with eyes closed) read out the combination and Alex turning the dial, Cherub looked around to see if there was a better way she could hide (since if Alex turned around, Cherub would be caught in a second).

Cherub found an open cabinet that was mostly empty, except for a couple of files and a box of pencils. As silently as possible, she made her way to the cabinet, which was two feet away. Alex finished entering the combination, and the safe-door opened. Cherub reached the cabinet and climbed inside, gently closing the door behind her. Alex took the satchel and opened the zipper, and held it up to the safe. She put her arm inside, and scooped the stacks of cash inside into the bag. When the safe had been emptied, Alex zipped up the satchel and walked back over to the counter.

  Before she climbed back over the counter, however, she froze. She sniffed the air with a confused look on her face. "What is it?" Jade asked. "Do you smell that?" Alex said. "It smells like... sugar." Alex threw the satchel to Marrow, then went to the first cabinet, and yanked it open. Cherub's cabinet was a little ways down, but Cherub knew that Alex would get to her's soon. Alex opened the next cabinet. An idea came to Cherub. Alex opened the next cabinet. Cherub's eyes began to glow blue. Alex got to Cherub's cabinet, and opened the door. Alex stuck her head inside. "This is where it's coming from," Alex said. "And?" Jade asked.

Alex reappeared from behind the counter, with a slightly confused look on her face. "There was nothing," she said. " She climbed back over the counter. "Strange..." Alex said quietly to herself as she went to join the two.

As the three approached the door, Alex raised her right arm. Swinging it forward, she punched the steel door clean off, accompanied with a loud metal-bending noise. The three robbers walked out of the bank, disappeared off the left side, and the people in the bank fumbled out after a moment. Alex, Marrow and Jade were walking along the wall, passing a couple dumpsters and small puddles of rainwater. "Where did you land the Wanderlust, again?" asked Alex. "Ah," Marrow began to reply, looking around the area confusedly, "I think I might've put her down on a corner... I think it was by a brick-"

Marrow was interrupted by a noise from the nearby dumpster; like something lightly hitting on the side of it. All three of them immediately looked in the direction it came from. It was light, but followed by a softer fluttering noise. After that came muttering, "G-go! Get out of here! Away!" Alex and Jade began to walk slowly towards the dumpster, while Marrow hesitatingly turned around to find the ship.

"Away!" the voice continued. Alex was the first to approach, and when she was approximately three feet away, a small grey bird flew out of a hole in the dumpster's lid, and the muttering ceased. Alex flinched as the bird flew past her, close to her head. She watched as it flew away over the buildings, and turned back around to the dumpster. Once she was close enough, she lifted the lid a bit to look inside. She stared inside for a second, then closed the lid lightly.  Alex looked over at Jade, who was staring at her, curious as to what was in there. Alex turned back around, and lifted the lid once more to see inside.

"Hiya," the voice spoke; it belonged to Cherub. Alex lowered her eyebrows. "I'm not trying to pry too much, but, what exactly are you doing sitting in a dumpster behind a bank?" Alex asked, still looking in the dumpster. "Um..." Cherub thought of an answer, "I'm homeless." "Oh, really," Alex responded, "Because by your appearance, you," she gave a half nod, "certainly fit the profile." Cherub surveyed her clothes, which had been kept incredibly clean. "Well, sometimes fabric tears through teleporta-" Cherub realized she was talking, "shouldn't have said that."

"Teleportation, you said..?" Alex asked. "No," Cherub responded quickly. The amber paused. "Why don't you come up here?" she said. Cherub's face slowly came into sight over the rim of the dumpster, and she paused, looking at Alex. "Now," the amber said, "Were you in the bank?" Cherub hesitated. "Y-yes." "When we were inside?" Alex made a gesture in the direction of Jade. "Yes..."

"So why don't you enlighten us on how you managed to teleport?" Alex said. "I didn't say that." Cherub lied. "Immediately," the amber demanded."

Cherub sighed. "It is a bit of a complicated answer," she responded, "that a rym would most likely not want to waste her time listening to," she said, glancing back and forth at Alex and Jade. Alex glared at Cherub. "You know that we're ryms?" she asked grimly, "How?" "You see, I, uh-" Cherub began.

"Wait," Jade held up a hand, and walked over to the dumpster. "What?" Alex and Cherub both said at the same time (then giving each other a quick glace). Jade went up to Cherub and grabbed her right shoulder, using her thumb to brush back the collar of her shirt. On her skin, a mark with three hearts became visible to all three of them. While Cherub stayed there, looking extremely worried, Jade and Alex both exchanged angry looks. Alex came forward and grabbed both of Cherub's shoulders, while Jade took a step back. Alex, with little effort, pulled Cherub out of the dumpster, and slammed her against the outside of it (Cherub showed obvious facial signs that this was very painful). 

"Why are you here? Huh?" Alex angrily interrogated Cherub. "Did Cupid send you to keep this little mortal planet safe from ryms?"

"Wha-? No!" Cherub quickly responded, "No; Cupid didn't send me to do anything!" 

"Is that so?" Jade chimed in, "How do we know that if we release you, you won't go fluttering back home to tell him that ryms robbed a bank that you happened to be at during the wrong time?"

Cherub sighed. "I wish I could say something other than, 'You don't have a reason to believe I'm telling the truth.'"

Alex's eyes began to glow a burning red as she held up her right hand. On one fingertip, a tiny fire lit. When Alex snapped her fingers, her whole hand became ablaze. Cherub's light-blue eyes widened, mirroring the fire, while Alex's appearance remained furious.

"Marrow's found the ship," Jade said, looking down the alley, seeing her fellow rym waiting. "We should go before things escalate." Alex breathed, sounding similar to a bull snorting, and lowered her hand (self-extinguishing the flame). Alex let go of Cherub's shoulder, and turned away for a second, allowing Cherub to begin to relax. However, while still looking away, Alex grabbed Cherub's throat, and held her off of the ground. Cherub desperately tried to pry away Alex's hands, but it was no use. Looking back, Alex slammed Cherub against the wall of the dumpster; hard, and released Cherub as soon as she did. Cherub slid down the rusted metal panel, as her sight began to fade into darkness. 

*  *  *

The headache came a minute after the blow, when Cherub regained consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes to a blurry setting. She hadn't moved anywhere (she was still up against the dumpster), but Alex, Jade and Marrow were talking about seven yards away. Cherub re-shut her eyes when one of them looked over at her. Cherub began to eavesdrop while pretending to still be out cold. She listened for a few seconds. Scratch that previous statement, because they weren't talking; they were arguing.

"Well we can't kill her," said Marrow's voice, "I say we let her walk." "We could wipe her memory," Alex said. "My power is the closest thing to that," Jade responded, "But I can only read minds; not change them." Alex rolled her eyes and thought for a moment. "Let's leave her here, then," she concluded. "And not do anything?" Jade said, "When Sapphrine finds out that we robbed an Archenian bank we'll be lucky to walk away unpunished, but when she finds out there was a cherub here as well-" "That's not going to happen," Alex said sternly. "Why not?" Jade asked, "Are you just going to let this slide?" "Yes I am!" Alex said, beginning to get angry once more, "Are you defying my orders?"

"No; I'm asking you to justify them," Jade replied, "Why should we leave her?" "I don't want this day to be the day that we declare a war against the cherubs!" Alex shouted, "Or maybe you haven't noticed that we're on the brink of war as it is? You are my good friend, but you are also my inferior. You take orders from me as long as you're living on Shiri!" After that, there was a silence from the ryms. Cherub heard Jade's heavy footsteps fade down the alley, followed by Marrow's (which were lighter), then she heard Alex give a sigh.

She turned around and looked back at Cherub before returning to their ship. Cherub opened one eye, then opened the other. She watched for a moment as Alex disappeared from view around a corner. The alley became silent. Cherub slowly stood up, then immediately was off balance (a head-rush). She grabbed the rim of the dumpster with both hands. She blinked until the dizziness had mostly passed, then she stood there for a second, listening to the gentle sound of distant water. Cherub looked up at the grey sky, and on her nose fell two small raindrops.

She lowered her eyes and stared at the corner that Alex had disappeared behind. The air began to fill with the tiny raindrops of a drizzle. Cherub walked away from the dumpster, and began to tip-toe towards the corner. She slowly peered around to look for either of the three ryms. Cherub saw Alex standing in the center of the three buildings, holding her thumb out. Cherub watched as a blue light shone below Alex's thumb, and a metal door rose soon after.

Not bad, with an invisible ship, Cherub said in her head as Alex stepped through the door. "Alright, let's go," she heard Alex shout from inside. Cherub heard a rumbling sound coming from the space where she figured the ship would be. All of a sudden, Cherub experienced an unexpected feeling; longing. She wanted to go with them; why, she did not know (even if they did want to kill her). She didn't know what good it would do, or the severity of the damage it would inflict. This is enough, Cherub thought.

She raced towards the door of the ship (which was still wide open). The soft amber and green lights coming from inside began to disappear as the metal door descended. Cherub breathed heavily as she ran as fast as she could. The door continued to lower. Cherub realized that at the speed she was going, she wouldn't get through in time. She held one hand behind her, and leapt about a foot off of the (now-muddy) floor of the alley. In mid-air, a fiery-looking fuchsia light blasted from Cherub's palm, propelling her forward much faster than before. Her bare feet hit the ground, and with the momentum of the blast still in effect, her feet slid. The door was almost shut now, but Cherub had enough room so that she slid under it, and was on the rym ship. 

Cherub stood up and looked around. It was dark inside, the metal walls dull and rustic, with the occasional shaft of orange or green lights. Cherub knew that if she kept standing out in the open, she'd be caught in hardly any time at all. The ship jerked as it took off, throwing her a little off balance. She began to walk down the hall to the right, stepping lightly, to find a place to hide. Farther down, there were six or so shipping crates stacked together. She started making her way to the crates, but then she heard voices drawing nearer. Cherub ran (as quietly as she could) to the crates, and hid behind them. The voices were Jade and Marrow's, and Cherub found that out as the two ryms turned a corner and came into view. There was a gap between the crates that Cherub could look through, and she listened to what they were saying.

"I mean, I can't be the only one seeing this, right?" said Jade, "You can agree; she's getting too controlling?" Marrow looked around cautiously for Alex, "I guess so... But she's a princess... I suppose it's probably what princesses do; act like they're above it all." "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, then?" Jade asked. "I don't know," Marrow replied, "You're the one who reads minds." "To tell Sapphrine about the cherub?" "Well, if we do, what if it turns out that Alex is right?" Marrow asked. "Sapphrine is a good ruler; Vesuvius as well- but are the ryms really going to begin a war because of something as accidental and dumb as this?"

Marrow paused. "I suppose not... What if the cherub was lying, and she runs back to Cupid to tell him that the princess of ryms knocked her unconscious, and was close to killing her?" "Then that'll have been Alex's mistake," Jade said. "We didn't do anything wrong; we were following her orders as we're meant to do; nothing would happen to us!" Cherub felt mild sympathy for Alex. "I hate it when you're right," Marrow said in a low tone.

"We'll be rewarded for telling the truth," Jade continued, "who cares what punishment she recieves?" "We should," Marrow stated, "because we're her friends. And friends don't go behind friends backs." "Marrow," Jade said, "You're losing the cold-heartedness that you've evolved to have; and you'll pay for it one day, I'm sure. But you will tell the truth; won't you?" Cherub heard Marrow give a short exhale. "Fine. Just don't expect me to enjoy any moment of it," he concluded, walking off shortly after. Cherub sat there, perplexed at the repeated mention of a war between the ryms and the cherubs. This was the first she'd heard of it; and now she had another reason to be on the ship- to find out more.

As Marrow climbed up a ladder a ways down the hall, Alex watched in silence. She'd heard every word of their conversation. Even if she was a rym, her heart hurt. She felt the sting of betrayal that was caused by whom she thought were her best friends. She turned around and walked to the bridge of the craft (at the end of the hallway). She sat down in the right chair, pressed a few buttons on the control panel, then pulled back on a lever. The Wanderlust (which was still cloaked from all eyes below) raised higher into the atmosphere, and soared through the clouds.

*  *  *

Hours later, Cherub was shaken awake from a nap when she felt a jolt as the ship was set down. She had remained undiscovered by the ryms for the entire flight. Alex got up from the pilot's chair and walked out of the bridge, stepping into another room behind a bronze-colored door. When it shut, there was the sound of clothes ruffling. When the door reopened, Alex stepped out in a long, sleek, black dress. 

The rym princess walked down the hallway of the ship, almost tripping a couple of times (from the high-heeled shoes she was wearing). Jade and Marrow awaited her by the door. The metal rose within the threshold, and the three ryms stepped one by one through the doorway. Cherub peered out from behind the boxes, and watched the them disappear. She saw that the setting outside was warm-toned, but dark; sand was carried on the winds, and the ground was dry and dusty in the absence of water. A desert planet, Cherub thought, I cannot be here. She stood up from behind the crates and leapt over them, and began stepping lightly towards the open door.

However, before she could reach it, the metal door started descending. "No," Cherub muttered under her breath, walking faster while keeping quiet, "No, no, no, no, no!" The bottom of the door touched the floor of the ship, and metal made sounds as they shifted, locking only exit Cherub was aware of. Cherub sighed as she came to a halt. She put her hand over her mouth, a bit frustrated, and thought about what she should do next. She looked down at her feet, with her hand still covering her mouth, and thought, I don't want to teleport again.

Cherub turned around, putting her hand down, and looked over at the bridge. She could try and figure out how to start the ship on her own; she figured it couldn't be very difficult. She took a step towards the bridge, but suddenly, there was a heavy shake throughout the ship, preceded by the sound of heavy metal adjusting. Cherub heard another sound, of released steam, coming from the outside of the ship. Everything was still as the steam outside was being let out, and Cherub didn't move from where she was standing. For a moment, it felt like slow, lingering waves of energy were rippling through the air. Then, preceded with a heavy jolt of motion, the entire ship had begun to move.

*  *  *

Location: Quartzine Palace; Shiri

Alex chose her steps carefully to avoid tripping over her heels. Marrow was to her left, and Jade to her right. Their shoes tapped rhythmatically as they proceeded down a tall hallway. The floor was shining white like diamond, but it was quartz. Thin, slender grey pillars lined the walls, and brilliant amber lanterns hung high above from vaulted ceilings. The end of the hallway split off in opposite directions.

A young-looking man walked quickly around the corner, and his face darkened slightly at the sight of the three. He had curled, short, dark-brown hair and wore a black suit with a rich-green pocket handkerchief. "Princess Alexandriel!" he said as he approached. Alex held up a hand, "Spruce, please; just call me Alex," she said. She lowered her hand. "Queen Sapphrine is aware of your thievery of Archenian currency," Spruce said, "And she and King Vesuvius wish to speak with you in the records' room."

Alex gave a heavy breath, then replied gravely, "Very well then. Must my escorts be present?" "That is up to them," Spruce answered, glancing over his shoulder in reference to the monarchs. Alex walked past him, trailed by Jade and Marrow (who were remaining silent), and Spruce fell into step behind them. They walked through the corridors until they reached a section lined with thick, bronze doors spaced about fifteen yards apart from each other. The third door down on the right was guarded by two ryms in silver-plated armor, each wielding a long-blade.

When Alex approached the door, the guards crossed their blades in front of her, blocking her off. "If you don't recognize my being royalty after this long, so help me-" Alex growled at the guards. At this remark, they quickly lowered their weapons and let her pass. She opened the door, and behind it were thousands upon thousands of books stacked on mahogany shelves. Tables were centered in the middle of the isle in between the massive shelves, and were each cluttered with their own assortment of records and documents. Sitting at the nearest table were Vesuvius and Sapphrine.

"Alexandrael," Sapphrine said sternly, rising from her seat. She wore a light blue and white gown, which had ruffles along the bottom edges that dragged across the floor when she walked. She had grey-black hair with the left side of it an aqua blue, and she had piercing teal eyes. Vesuvius, on the other hand, wore a thick robe patterned in yellow, red and orange . Tufts of his dark brown hair stuck up near the front, and each was tipped in gold. He looked more worried than he did concerned or upset.

"Wait outside, please," Sapphrine waved her hand as a sign to Jade and Marrow. They nodded their heads in sync, and left the records' room. The guards outside shut the door behind them. "Where have you been?" she asked, irritated.

"I'd think you'd be the one to know that, considering your tone," Alex said, slightly intimidated by her mother.

"One of your little friends enlightened us," Sapphrine said gravely, "And we'd like to ask why exactly you were raiding an Archenian place of currency exchange."

"You mean the bank, ma'am?" Alex said, her head hanging low. Her mother nodded. Vesuvius stayed back, as if he was intimidated by Sapphrine as well. "I meant nothing by it," she continued, "It is in my intention to return the money." 

"But why were you there in the first place, young miss?" Vesuvius stepped in, giving the quickest of glances to his wife. "Not young," Alex muttered as her father continued, "What purpose would you have to do this?"

Alex was silent for a moment. "It is not important," she said swiftly. "It has a grand amount of importance!" Sapphrine's voice echoed through the records' room. Alex flinched at her mother's acerbity. She gave a heavy exhale, and explained. "I wanted a brief break from my routine schedule as princess, ma'am."

Her parents glanced at each other, then her mother began to glare at her while her father looked away for a moment. "This is the reason that you lied and sneaked away?" Sapphrine said. "This is the reason that you terrorized another world's people, and stole their property?!"

"There's not much else that I could've done here," Alex defended herself.  "What are you talking about?" Vesuvius said, "There's plenty to do here."

"You wouldn't know," Alex retorted. "You're always busy with planetary relations, and managing institutions!" Alex's voice was raised, but she still kept her tone low. "The concept of boredom wouldn't come commonly for you!" "Alex," Sapphrine began, "that's-" "What's even worse is that as old as I am, neither of you've permitted me to do much of anything worthwhile! Nothing that I wanted to do!"

"Alexandrael, that is enough!" Sapphrine's voice boomed. Her hand was balled into a fist, and she'd struck it down on the table, and patch of sapphire was left where her hand hit; the material pointing in all directions. "We have given you all that you've needed since you were a newborn child, and you have done little in return for the treatment! As our child of royalty, I'd expect that you would show at least the slightest amount of gratitude." 

"What would you have me do, then?" Alex demanded. "You can start by taking the money that you stole up to the distribution hub," Sapphrine said. "You may take the Wanderlust," she snapped her fingers, and Spruce opened the door and came in holding the satchel that contained the Archenian money, "and you will do it yourself. However, if you so much as veer a foot off course, we will have our men bring you back in a heartbeat."

There was a pause as Sapphrine's voice faded from the atmosphere. Alex narrowed her eyes into a glare, turned around and snatched the satchel out of Spruce's hands. She was preparing to walk out of the room when Sapphrine called after her. "Did anything else happen that I should know about?"

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, not turning to look at her parents. "Did anyone catch you and recognize you?" Sapphrine clarified, "Anyone at all?" The rym princess stood motionless in thought. "No, ma'am. We didn't see anyone, and no one saw us." "Very well, then," said her mother, turning and sitting down at the table. "You're... Dismissed, Alex," Vesuvius said, seeming slightly dazed. Alex exited the room, and walked past Jade and Marrow down the hallway towards where they entered.

"Alex!" The princess heard the rapid procession of footsteps behind her. Marrow came up along side her. "Where are you going?" Alex replied, aggravated, and without looking at him, "The answer's a bit obvious, don't you agree?" "I know, but... I mean..." Marrow struggled with his words, "You aren't going to run or anything?" They turned the corner. "Doesn't seem like there's much of a point to running," Alex answered. "You're just going to take the money back?" "I thought that was made clear by my holding this," Alex held up the satchel for a second. "It doesn't seem like you to not go behind their back," Marrow commented.

They came to a massive room that was enclosed by a thick glass dome above. Iron decks surrounded several ships and spacecrafts; the Wanderlust was among them. On opposite sides of the circular dome, huge metal, arm-like structures that ended in a horseshoe shape, moved ships to-and-from a broad launchpad. To carry a craft to the pad, they rotated about the room and centered themselves around it. Once centered, the inside-edges of the horseshoe shape glowed blue, and an electronic frequency was pulsed through the space between, lifting a craft from its position.

What Marrow had last said to Alex stuck in her head while she walked over to a iron platform. She opened the thin gate that connected the railing, and stepped inside. "See you in a while," Marrow said. Alex stood where she was, and glared down at her satchel. "Yeah," she said quietly, yet sternly, as the platform rose to the higher deck level. Marrow watched as she gradually disappeared from view.

Once the platform reached the higher deck, Alex opened the gate on the opposite side of the railing. She stepped out, and walked a short distance to a small monitor suspended by a metal podium. She touched the screen, and searched its contents to find out where her ship was placed. The monitor gave her the information she needed. She walked along the deck that diverted to the left of the platform, and three crafts down, she found the Wanderlust awaiting her.

She placed her thumb on the scanner, like she'd done previously; the light shone, and the ship's door ascended. She walked inside, the door closing momentarily behind her, and she set the satchel down near the shipping crates. She proceeded to walk through the ship's hallway until she reached the bridge, and sat down in the seat. Alex sighed, and shook her head for a moment, then pressed two buttons on the control panel. She took both of her high-heels off, and threw them furiously back down the hall.

Cherub was nearby, waiting in absolute silence as she heard the shoes clang against the metal by the door. If she so much as moved now, she would be caught dead. She held onto a bar on the wall as the ship was carried from the space to the launchpad. The waves of energy flowed through once again. The ship was set down, and Alex pulled the lever back. The Wanderlust's engine hummed in its deep tone, and again, jolted as it began flight. The top of the dome opened in the very center with about a hundred feet in diameter, enough so that the ship could fit through with ease. Alex steadied herself by holding onto the right arm of the seat. A boom was heard in the air from the Wanderlust exiting the atmosphere. They were now in space.

Gravity was still present within the ship, as well as sound. Cherub gazed through the glass that separated them from nothing. Alex pressed her index finger on a screen, and moved it downward, scrolling through a variety of destinations. She selected the bar that read, 'Shirian Distribution Hub', and the screen beeped in response. The ship increased its speed steadily toward the location of the hub. Alex leaned back in her seat.

For Cherub, it had been a long time since she'd last seen the stars without a planet beneath her feet. Quietly, she took a couple steps forward, momentarily forgetting that Alex was there. Her bare feet allowed her stride to have silence. She managed to keep her breathing silent as she looked at the distant nebulas she saw, one by one. They came in varieties of bold greens and blues, and burning yellow or purple.

In the distance, a free-drifting structure could be seen; it was in the shape of a sphere with two pyramids built on opposite ends. Crafts navigated in and out of hanger doors on all sides of the pyramids. Cherub's hand made the tiniest noise as she placed it on the back of the chair. Alex heard it and tensed. Cherub was being an idiot.

"Isn't that the Distribution Hub?" Cherub asked casually, like she was in no danger at all. "What in-?!" Alex exclaimed as she sat straight up in her chair (putting both hands briefly on the control panel), and whipped around to face Cherub. In doing so, she unknowingly pressed a light-blue button, and nudged the lever out of it's position by about thirty-degrees. Facing the stowaway, Alex's hands both began to glow, and were soon ablaze with orange flame. Quickly, the rym princess pulled back one hand, closed it into a fist, and threw a small fireball in Cherub's direction. However, Cherub ducked just in time to avoid the blow, and the fireball hit the back wall where she'd been standing not but a moment ago.

The Wanderlust had begun to merge to the right after Alex knocked the lever out of place, misreading Alex's movements as intentional instead of accidental.

"You'd better have a pretty grand excuse to be aboard my ship, cherub," Alex said intensely, "And I'd start talking!" Alex pointed a blazing finger at Cherub.

"Okay, okay! Alright, just..." Cherub held both hands in front of her in defense, "Calm down, please, and I'll-" "No, I will not 'calm down'!" Alex exclaimed. "You are on my ship, and you will do as I order!"

Back on the desert planet, a red light beeped on a computer screen in a darkened room. The rym sitting in front of it looked up, in mild surprise. He stared at the red light on the screen for a second before reaching for a microphone suspended by a thick wire. "Let the King and Queen know that the princess is several meters off course," the rym said, "And that a retrieval fleet is prepared for departure."

"I, uh, heard you talking about some war between the ryms and cherubs," Cherub said, holding her hands above her head now. "What?" Alex asked sternly, still holding up her flaming hand. "Have you been under a rock or something for these past couple of years?!" "Uh... In a way," Cherub replied.

Another screen on the ship's control panel began to beep repeatedly. Alex turned her head to face the source of the noise. She waved her hand, and the flames that engulfed her hand were extinguished. She took a couple of steps toward the monitor, and Cherub took one step to follow her. "Stay over there," Alex said, pointing a finger at Cherub without even glancing back at her (her finger was not lit). Cherub stopped immediately.

"W-what is it?" Cherub asked, tilting her head to try and get a look at the screen. Alex stared worridly at the screen, then through the thick glass; instead of being on a straight course to the hub, the ship was drifting away from it rapidly. "Is there a problem?" Cherub asked, beginning to worry. Alex lowered her head gravely, and looked at the screen again. It showed a green dot (the Wanderlust) moving away from a white dot (the hub) and being pursued by several red dots (rym police ships).

"There is indeed a problem," Alex said, turning around to face Cherub, and grinning angrily, "And it's trespassing on my ship, getting ready to have its face melted off." Cherub paused. "So... What's the problem, then-"

"You idiot!" Alex yelled as smoke began to fill the room from her rage. "It was an attempt to stay on Sapphrine and Vesuvius' good side by obeying their simple order, and not get myself in any more pointless trouble! But now, I'm way off course of the distribution hub, I have a cherub on my ship, and half the royal security is on their merry way here, where they'll find you, and possibly start the war of the century! So can you not see the problem that currently plagues me?!"

"I'm sorry!" Cherub pleaded. "If I'd have known about all this, I would've stayed-." "You're dang right you're sorry!" Alex yelled. "I'm taking you back to Archenon."

"What?" Cherub exclaimed. Alex walked back over to her chair and sat down, pressing a couple of buttons and pushed a bar up on a third screen. "Why not just bring me to the hub, and they'd leave you be?" she suggested, walking over to Alex's chair.

"It's a Shirian craft. They'd kill you as soon as you showed your idiotic face there. I'm trying to save your life; not that you deserve my kindness." "Well," Cherub said, "that's hurtful." "Yeah, that's more or less the point insults," Alex said while exhaling.

Alex mashed a large orange button marked with two lightning bolts. "Hold on!" she yelled. Immediately, the ship jolted forward, accelerating, leaving a trail of ash and smoke as the engines flared. It was as if a dragon was roaring inside the Wanderlust, the engine was so loud. Cherub did her best to hold onto the bar on the arm of Alex's chair, and Alex did her best to hold onto her chair as well.

The rym police ships accelerated as well, one after the other in pursuit of the Wanderlust. A large cracking noise sounded when they finally reached Archenon's atmosphere. Alex's craft began to blaze on the front, now having the presence of oxygen. After a moment, the police ships burst through the edge of the atmosphere as well, the loud booms occurring in quick succession of each other.

Inside the Wanderlust, Cherub's hands began to slip off of the bar. Eventually, she lost her grip, and would've been flung back onto the metal wall behind her if Alex hadn't grabbed her arm at the last second. The police ships began to disappear as the pilots cloaked their crafts with invisibility.

"Were you planning on stopping?!" Cherub managed to yell, despite the feeling of her lungs shrinking. "Give me a moment, cherub!" Alex yelled back. She quickly turned around, put her foot on the back of the seat, and pulled Cherub forward (allowing her to firmly grasp the bar) with hardly any struggle. Afterwards, she turned back around, grabbed a hold of the control panel, and reached for the lever that had accelerated the engine originally. The force around them tried to push Alex back in her seat, but once she had it in her hand, she let go of the control panel (while still holding the lever, of course), and let herself fall back in her chair. As she moved back, the lever rotated with the motion of her hand.

The ship didn't stop, but the turbines on the outside of the ship reversed, blasting flame forward instead of back. The Wanderlust slowed, but was still moving towards the ground at an incredibly quick speed. The ship shook at the sudden change in velocity, and gravity took its place once more. Cherub collapsed on the floor of the bridge, and lay there, exhausted. All the rym ships passed through the layer of dark clouds, and a broad forest came into view below. "Hey, it's not over," Alex said, sitting up straight in her chair. "You might as well just grab onto something heavy." Cherub sighed dramatically.

Alex pressed another, smaller, orange button, which activated another identical lever that glowed in response. The first lever in her right hand, and the second lever in her left, she gently pushed both of them forward. The two turbines followed the exact movements of the levers, and as they moved clockwise, the Wanderlust's flight course curved, until they were running almost parallel to the treetops. The police ships did the same, some just brushing the canopy, and the trees swayed violently with the rush of air.

As the ships swept by, they sounded like jets soaring at a sonic speed. Alex struggled to hold the levers in place, each angled back, to keep the Wanderlust from crashing through the trees below. Having the turbines angled as they were, she intended to decrease their speed until she had a good opportunity to activate the secondary turbines (which would propel the ship higher). Alex decided to take her chances, and yelled out to Cherub. "Cherub!" she summoned. Cherub clung to the bar as she slowly stepped forward. "Yes?"

"I'm going to try and activate the secondary turbines. I need you to hold onto this lever," Alex explained. "Oh, you mean this one?" Cherub put one hand on the left lever. "Yes," the rym nodded, "but I'd use both hands because it's extremely-" Alex had released her grip on the lever, and swung forward onto Cherub's hand. She shrieked in pain, and the entire ship spun forward very quickly. When the lever jerked forward, it caused the left turbine to swing about the corner-edge of the ship, so it was facing upwards. Alex quickly reached for the lever, despite almost having to stand in on the side of the control panel, and pulled it off of Cherub's hand.

When she was free, Cherub leapt back clutching her hand as she leaned against the control panel, trying to resist the pain. Alex was prepared to pull the lever pack to its original position, however, she didn't have time to; the left turbine had been angled up for too long. The Wanderlust had slowly been descending during these few seconds, and a couple of holes on the bottom of the ship (from vents) had begun to catch on the top branches of the trees. One sturdy branch snagged, and the Wanderlust was flung downward instantly.

When the ship hit the ground, it hit hard; soil from the forest floor was sprayed as the Wanderlust skidded along. The impact of hitting the ground had caused the cloaking device to malfunction, and the true image of the ship became visible. It rolled on all sides, snapping the trunks of trees as if they were as fragile as twigs. As the ship skidded on one side, one of the primary turbines broke off (left behind), and the ship came to rest in between two trees with dense foliage.

The Wanderlust was taller than the trees around it by about twenty feet. It wasn't shaped like a spacecraft normally would; it was more like a cube, rather than a disc or a sphere of some sort. Its sides were rusted, and the vents that released air on the outside were now smoking grey.

The police slowed their ships much more easily, and all eight of them landed more quietly in a small clearing nearby. None of the rym police ships seemed to be much larger than an average automobile. A few columns of smoke bellowed up from the Wanderlust, which was resting upside-down. Doors on the police ships began to ascend, and ryms dressed in dark blue uniform stepped out wielding long blades (like the guards back on Shiri), and some carrying small pistols on their belts.

They each stepped through the brush of the forest, avoiding large pieces of torn metal that were lodged deep in the trees. They came to the edge of the burned area in which the Wanderlust had skidded, and stepped lightly around the blackened briers, ferns and broken tree-trunks. When they reached the ship, one of the two large trees had been partially uprooted, and was leaning against one of the ship's doors. One of the ryms (at the front of the group) walked up to the tree, and saw the shape of its leaves, which were similar to spades.

"Capalta," the rym said, giving a quick glance over his shoulder. A female rym stepped up, her tan hair in a braid, and scanned the tree from the bottom up. She sheathed her long blade in the scabbard that was also connected to her belt, and she put her hand on the tree. The wood creaked as it slowly stood upright (Capalta's hand still resting on its trunk), then began to collapse in the opposite direction of the ryms. Capalta took her hand off it, and they were all showered bits of soil and ash, flung from the roots. The tree fell, and the ground shook from its impact.

The entrance now accessible, a couple ryms stepped forward. The scanner device had been majorly cracked, and wasn't functional, and the rym police noticed this; one gently pushed the door, and it fell in immediately with a loud metal crash. The two ryms at the front (whose names were Bronze and Falcon) glanced at each other, then proceeded to step inside the dented remains of the ship.

Bits of wood from the shipping crates were scattered across the ceiling (note that the ship is upside-down, still) and so were parts of what little metal furniture was in this hallway. The ceiling was raised, so it was a small jump down from the outside, but it was clear enough to navigate through. Bronze and Falcon paused for a moment, then Bronze gave a hand-signal for a couple more to follow (and a couple did).

Holes had been ripped in a few areas in the walls (most likely from the furniture), and torn wires sparked within them. The ladder that led to the first level of the ship was at the end of the hallway. The ryms stepped through the wreckage, reached the ladder (which was darkened on the inside, and sheathed their blades before climbing up. As they were climbing, Falcon reached for one of the bars, and found nothing to be there. He almost fell back onto the other ryms when he fumbled, but he quickly gripped another bar above it. About four different bars had had something rip through it.

When they reached the lower level, it was just as torn up as the upper level. There were more holes in the walls, warped metal furniture, same as before. They proceeded along the ceiling until they reached the bridge, where they figured their princess would be. However, they didn't see her; they searched around the remains of the room (the control panel was in half, and barely suspended by sturdy wires).

They didn't look up at the floor, though, (and it was in a spot that was hidden from view by a small column of smoke) which was where Alex and Cherub were hiding silently. They'd hidden there in the extremely short amount of time before the crash (there was a trap-door that led to a space underneath). They both had their fair share of scratches, but the rym princess had more of them; her dress was even torn from the edge to the waist. Alex's hand was covering Cherub's mouth so she'd stay quiet, and not reveal them.

However, Alex's hand was not covering Cherub's nose; she inhaled a bit of the smoke that was accumulating near them. She wrinkled her nose, trying to avoid sneezing, and Alex looked gravely at her. The ryms below were still unaware of their presence; but, however much Cherub tried to hold it in, she couldn't. Cherub sneezed.

All four of the ryms below turned their heads at the noise, looking towards its source. Cherub glanced at Alex (who was letting her head hang in her other hand) with wide eyes. One of the ryms unsheathed their long blade, and stepped toward the column of smoke.

Alex lifted her head, mouthing to Cherub, "Stay out of sight." With Alex's hand slowly coming off of her mouth, Cherub nodded. She had a worried expression on her face.

Alex turned, and she picked up a small piece of metal. She slipped it and the two fingers holding it through the iron mesh, and flicked it to the other side of the room, as Cherub quietly backed away into a shadow like Alex had told her. When the piece of metal hit the opposite wall, it clanked, and all the ryms below turned to see what was flung.

In the couple of seconds that the ryms were distracted, Alex lifted her foot, and kicked the trap-door out, and it crashed loudly onto the ceiling. The four security officers whipped their heads around to see Alex fall out of the hole in the floor, and land on one knee. She slowly stood up, her red eyes glowing scarlet, glaring at them. Cherub watched her through the mesh, without letting her presence become known.

Alex's hands had been balled into fists, and they both began to glow and spark. A couple of the security officers reached for their blades. The rym princess didn't give them a chance to touch their weapons, however; she raised both her arms, opened her hands, and sent a blast of orange flame rushing in their direction. They were all blocked from view by the blaze; but when it'd cleared, all that could be seen was a large, brilliant bronze disc. It began to glow gold, then was shattered, sending bronze shards flying in all directions. All of the security officers was behind it and had been protected.

Alex's expression changed slightly from angered to worried; she held her hands out to both sides, and created a column of fire around her (so she was out of view). It sounded as if a lion was roaring on the bridge. The iron mesh began to burn intensely at Cherub's feet, and she backed as far as she could away from it. When the flames vanished, however, so had Alex; all that was left was a hole (melted around the edges) burned into the ceiling. Metal was clanging in the deck below as Alex ran through the hallway (she'd been wearing grey leggings under her dress, so running wasn't an issue). The security officers immediately ran after her, jumping individually through the hole Alex had made.

Cherub watched all of this, and (while crouching) stepped quietly towards the trap-door. She fell through the trap-door, and landed lightly on the ceiling of the bridge. "Hey!" Cherub heard one of the officers shout outside. She knelt down by the hole, but didn't look through until she could safely assume that all the security officers were outside. Cherub stuck her head through the hole to get a look down the hall. No one was there. She jumped down and landed lightly again on the deck below, and tip-toed to where the door had once stood firmly.

After almost tripping on one of the pieces of loose furniture, she went and stood up against the wall to the right. She peered around the edge of the doorway, and checked outside. The sun was close to setting, but it was still fairly light outside. She saw burn-marks making a sort of trail from the doorway to the trees, and she heard shouting and warped-blast-sounds coming from the forest.

Cherub considered running off, but when she did, her body became heavy with guilt. She didn't know what was going to happen to Alex; for all she knew, she was near getting killed. It was Cherub's fault that the both of them were there, and despite this, Alex had saved her life more than once. Cherub figured that it was only right to return the favor.

*  *  *

Location: Border Forests of Gallagher State; Archenon

A sharp branch cut Alex's cheek as she continued to run through the forest. Even while dodging several obstacles, and firing back the occasional fire blast, the security officers weren't far behind her. Scaling a fallen log, she brushed her hand across the cut on her face, and saw the bit of blood on her fingertips. As she saw the blood, a spike of orange crystal whizzed by her head. It stuck onto a nearby tree, and when Alex saw it, she ducked her head in response to several more spikes of the same crystal flying in her direction.

"Topaz!" Bronze said to a rym with short amber hair, "Kill her if you're an idiot, or move if you want to get paid!" Topaz slowed down. "Thorne!" An officer with brown hair that was tipped white caught up to Bronze at the front of the group. "Don't kill the princess," Bronze reminded. Thorne stepped over the same log, landed, held up his left hand, and a small length of vine that was serrated on most sides with briers formed in his hand in the shape of a ball. He thrust his hand forward, and the length of briers shot out, straightened. It caught on a low-hanging branch, and coiled tightly around it.

Alex, getting tired from running, summoned up a portion of the strength she had left, coming up on a thick-trunked tree. She lowered herself so that she was skidding across the dried leaved that covered the ground, and held out her right arm (which was entirely lit ablaze, all the way up to her shoulder). She slid up next to the tree, and her arm sliced through the wood almost flawlessly; however, she did angle the cut upward at the other side of the trunk. She knelt down at the other side of the tree, facing the direction that she'd came having swung around that way, and the tree began to fall towards the eight security officers. However, before it could fall any more than it had, Alex stood up, grabbed the end of the trunk, and forced it upward into the air (still horizontal) as if she had the strength of a god.

Alex then kicked the end of the tree with one leg, sending it hurtling towards the officers. All eight of them stopped running. It's foliage was thick, and they couldn't move out of its way, but one of the officers stepped forward. He put his hand against his head, and all of a sudden, the air was filled with a massive, thunderous sound; an amplified combination between a lion's roar and a wolf's howl. The officer had caused this sound with his mind, and it was so strong that its waves propelled the tree back towards Alex.

The rym princess covered her ears, almost falling over from the massiveness of the noise. She growled, squeezing her eyes shut as tight as possible, but when she did open them again, the tree was sailing over her head. The sound ceased, and Alex uncovered her ears. Her eyes narrowed, and turned bright red once more. She stood up, and her hands were lit ablaze. "Can't you idiots see that I've done nothing wrong?!" She shouted to the officers, and lit a line of fire in front of her. The flames rose, and began to spread in a circle around them, while Alex took off running.

This did not stop them either; the fire was blown out by large, broadly-feathered wings, of which belonged to Falcon. A path through the blaze was made, and all the officers charged through it. Falcon folded his wings, and they disappeared behind him. Thorne was at the head of the group, and he thrust his hand forward once again, sending a length of thorns spiraling towards the princess. It hit Alex's wrist, and she jumped as the briers coiled tightly around it. She attempted to pry it off, but the thorns dug into her fingers when she tried.

Thorne fired another string of briers, and it struck about a foot away from Alex. A few more were fired down, catching on branches and roots, but Thorne finally hit his target; a vine of the small spikes coiled around Alex's left ankle, causing her to trip. Rolling over to sit up, she tried again to pry it off, with the same result. Alex then tried to burn it off, blasting a small concentration of fire around the plant-material, but it had no effect.

The princess was able to stand up, but for only a second; the more she moved her ankle, the deeper the thorns penetrated, and the more it hurt. She grabbed a hold of a knot in a tree, catching herself from falling. She put her back to the trunk, and slid down onto the ground. The officers were close, and Bronze was about ten yards away, but Alex made a last attempt to send them off; she raised one flaming hand, and aimed a blast of fire at the officer. However, he held up his fist, and a bronze shield fanned out from his wrist, blocking the blaze.

Alex lowered her hand, putting out the fire. "Just leave me alone, Bronze," she said, exhaustively, "and that's an order." "I already have orders; from Sapphrine and Vesuvius," the officer stated, lowering his shield. Bronze held up his other hand, then quickly waved two fingers in Alex's direction, and closed, bronze handcuffs formed around her hands (like two blobs of the material clustered around her hand, with a relatively rough outside). The rest of the officers finally caught up. "By their order, you are under arrest." The princess hadn't noticed that the string of briers that had gripped her ankle had coiled around both of her feet, and rooted itself in the ground. She glared at her feet, then her hands, and then up at the officers. She exhaled once, a bit of smoke blew out of her nostrils.

*  *  *

The sun had set, and the sky was growing dark. Most of the officers were talking in a clearing a good distance away from Alex, who was still restrained by the cuffs and the thorns. As insurance, Thorne had fastened a string of briers around her shoulders and the tree. She felt the blood from the cuts on her fingers gathering in the cuffs, but she felt it, merely, worth it; and despite having the strength and ability to break free, she felt no need to, since she'd saved a life, and avoided a colossal war. She didn't know where the cherub went, but she hoped that wherever she was, that she was as far away from them as possible.

Alex sat there, her mind drifting, wondering what punishment would be awaiting her back on Shiri. She began to close her eyes, tired from the day.

"Hey," an officer said who was standing by the tree, nudging her with his foot. Alex slowly opened her eyes. "No one's going to be carrying you to the ship." "Naturally," the princess muttered under her breath, "You dimwits don't have kind enough courtesy to carry me, either way."

Suddenly, there was a tiny sound that came from the forest; a branch snapping. Alex's eyes turned (still keeping her head down) when she heard it, and the officer heard it, too. He turned around and faced the darkness through the trees (Alex couldn't, since she was confined to the tree). The other security officers didn't hear it, and continued on with their conversation.

"Most likely an animal," the officer said. "Nothing to worry about." "Not worried," Alex replied, irritated. "Well, I've heard that there are monsters on this planet," the officer said. "Some enormous; others illusive... I've heard about dark wolves, hybrid birds..." Alex stared off into the trees as he spoke, pondering these creatures, and becoming slightly worried. "... enchanters, shape-shifters, even the people, so rumored, can become monsters."

"Not entirely true," a voice said suddenly behind the officer. He whipped around and saw Cherub, hanging upside-down from the tree-limb. Alex's eyes widened, in awe that the cherub had found them, and the officer reached for the pistol he carried on his belt, and held up, aimed at Cherub's face. "I mean," Cherub continued, seemingly not caring about the gun, "some people on Archenon can be real ignoramuses, but most of them are overall simple beings." Alex stayed silent in order to not give away that she recognized the cherub.

The officer chambered the round. "I will fire if you don't explain yourself," he warned. "Eh- I've already been through this bit today," Cherub said, rolling her eyes. "Listen," she held out her hands, "I was overhearing your little chat-to-yourself about the monsters on this planet, and..." Cherub looked over at Alex, who was still staring at her wide-eyed, then back at the officer. "... and- I think that you might should add one more thing to your list."

Cherub swung back up into the foliage and disappeared. In dismay, the officer fired a shot into the tree, and caught the attention of his comrades. Alex heard a sound on the other side of the tree she was tied to. A second later, the length of briers around her shoulders became loose, and were removed. Alex was able to move her arms freely, while the officer still stood looking nervously up into the tree. "And, uh, what would that be?" he asked worriedly.

"That-" Cherub stopped mid-sentence from in Alex's tree. Suddenly a small scrap of sharp metal dropped from the branches, and stuck into the ground cleanly. Alex carefully picked it up between the cuffs, and Cherub appeared silently behind the officer (who was looking up, and in the opposite direction). She reached over his shoulder, and plucked the pistol quickly from his hands. He turned around instantly, and Cherub finished, "would have to be me."

Things happened in a matter of seconds; the large group of officers saw Cherub, unsheathed their blades, and were now rushing over. Alex began to saw at the briers around her ankles, and Cherub hit the pistol against the officers face; he was knocked back, but didn't go down. He stood back up, and aimed a blow at Cherub. She ducked, his fist going over her head, and she kicked the officer in the stomach, sending him back to the tree. He hit it hard, and he hunched over, laying on the ground with a bit of blood dripping from his nostrils.

Alex had dropped the metal shard once or twice, but she finally finished cutting through the thorn vine. They fell back limply, and Alex stood up, looking at Cherub, then the other officers (who were now present, and all grouped together).

"Drop your weapon!" one officer shouted. Cherub held the pistol up in one hand. "You mean this little gun right here? Not mine. Nope," she shook her head, and flung it out of view through the trees, "don't need that." "State your purpose," Falcon said pointing his blade at Cherub. "Well, you all must be wondering what gives me the right to take your captive captive," she asked. "Not. Captive," Alex muttered. Cherub glanced in the princess' direction, then back at the officers.

"What are you talking about," Topaz said. "The question we're asking is what you're doing here assisting the escape of our prisoner!"

"Well, I have a question for you," Cherub said as Alex and the officers listened, awaiting her explanation. "So I've heard; the royal security officers of Shiri, let alone any planet or security force, is authorized to open fire or commence other means of attack at a threat that is of concern of them," she gestured the officers, then their unconscious comrade, "their fellow officers, and/or the people they are ordered to protect," she tilted her head in Alex's direction. "Your point being?" Bronze asked. Cherub held her head lower and gave a half-grin. "Why aren't you shooting at me yet?" Bronze's eyes narrowed, and he switched his long blade to his other hand, only to take out his pistol with the other hand. He chambered the round, and fired a shot at Cherub.

She dodged it, however, moving her head to the right of it. The bullet hit the tree behind her, and Cherub stood back up. The officers' eyes all widened, and Alex remained still. Cherub smiled. "Your aim's getting shoddy!" she said, amused. Bronze's expression became angered; he fired another shot at the cherub. She dodged it by moving her head to the left, and it hit a tree further back in the forest; but before she had the chance to stand up straight, Topaz had already prepared his pistol. He fired a bullet, and it was about to go to the cherub's head; however, Alex moved her right hand quickly in front of Cherub's face, and the bullet ricocheted off of the cuff, rocketing skyward.

There was a pause that hung in the air with the shock from both the officers and the cherub. She looked up at the princess, but Alex did not look back at her. "Are you aware of what you're doing, Alexandrael?" Bronze said, "Are you truly going to defend someone who you don't even know?" "You know nothing more than I and you're prepared to kill," Alex replied as she lowered the cuff, while still giving a menacing glare. "And you're willing to follow an order when you don't even understand the situation." "What else is there to understand?" Bronze demanded. "Who is this person, then?" Alex turned her head and looked down at Cherub, her expression changing slightly from annoyance to sympathy.

"This person," Alex said, turning her head to look back at the officers, "Unlike everybody else in my over-sized life," Alex took a step forward. She raised her enclosed hand, and it began to glow a bright yellow-orange, "is my friend."

The cuff had begun to melt, but it instead was shattered, sending the searing pieces flying in all directions. Bronze (the officer) quickly raised one hand, and all the shards of metal instantly stopped mid-air. He waved his hand forward (towards Alex), and the shards were shot back at the princess. As swiftly as she could, Cherub bent down and grabbed the pistol off of the grass, and swung her left leg around, hitting Alex's ankles and knocking her down onto her back. Cherub stood up, after all of the shards has passed over them, aiming the pistol at Bronze, and fired a shot that penetrated his left shoulder.

The officer shouted from the pain of the wound. As Bronze clutched his shoulder, Capalta and Thorne stepped forward to fight. The remaining officers clustered around Bronze for his aid. Capalta readied her fists, each hand becoming coated with splintery layer of wood, while Thorne's hand produced a long serrated whip-like weapon, with the tip and handle of a sword, completely composed of briers and vines. Cherub's face darkened; she placed her thumb on the top of the pistol (now aimed at the two officers), and it began to glow a bright pink, while the pistol began to gleam of the same color. She fired a shot at Thorne, having a burning pink light accumulated around the bullet, but not altering it's speed.

Thorne ducked under the first shot, but Cherub fired a second time; the officer raised his weapon, lashed it, and the sword-tip of it deflected the bullet, and sent it flying into the night sky. Cherub glanced upward at it, and in the second she was distracted, Capalta took a running charge. Cherub looked back down, and narrowly missed a blow to the stomach.

*   *   *

While the two were fighting, Alex was still on the ground, a bit dumbfounded, and as she stood up, she caught the attention of another officer. He began to walk over towards her; the grass under Alex's feet began to smoke and glow, and the officer stopped mid-stride. Falcon glanced over his shoulder at the other officers giving Bronze medical attention, and then back at Alex; his eyes began to glow a golden yellow, and he was now walking towards her again. As he touched one foot to the ground at one point, an enormous pair of wings sprouted from behind each of his shoulders.

The flames that were growing under Alex's feet were blown back by the gust of wind the wings had generated when they spanned out. Alex closed her eyes as the rush of air passed, and when she opened her eyes again, the air before them glowing with red haze.

*   *   *

Thorne stood watching as Cherub and Capalta brawled. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Falcon's enormous feathered-wings spreading. Behind him, the officers aiding Bronze were still crowded around him. Topaz and another officer (named Marble) stood up and ran off into the trees; Thorne assumed it was for medical supplies. "Please feel free to assist," Thorne said to himself, turning his head back towards Capalta and Cherub. "Thorne!" Capalta shouted as Cherub held up a fist, burning with the glowing pink light, "Please feel free to assist!"

She reopened her hand, and the light around it clustered together in her palm; she thrust her hand forward, spreading her fingers, and the pink light shot towards the two officers. As it was projected, it broke apart into shard-like-shapes. Capalta ducked to her left, and raised her gauntlet to try and deflect the light; however, it grazed the wood around Capalta's hands, and she shrieked as it moved deep enough to cut her skin. Thorne narrowly missed another of the lights, while Capalta fell to her knees clutching her hand. "Capalta!" Thorne shouted. He looked back up at Cherub, who had a worried expression on her face. I don't think we're gonna win this, she said in her head.

*   *   *

"You are so absent-minded," Alex said loud enough for Falcon to hear, "I almost feel sorry for you!" "You can still come back to Shiri, you know," Falcon called, "I don't want to harm you any more than already done!"

"Too bad!" Alex shouted, the flame by her feet growing into an enormous pillar behind her. Her pupils were not visible behind the burning red glow of her eyes. "I'm not going back until my parents can respect who I am!" 

Like a wave crashing against a rock, the pillar came down onto both of them, concealing them from view outside the blaze. The glowing orange wisps began to circulate (around the area that Falcon had been standing), and eventually enough was cleared to show Alex holding her ground, with her hands raised towards the fire. The roar from the orange blaze continued; however, for an instant, the ball of flame had downsized. After that instant, the fire was blown outward by the burst of wind produced by Falcon's wings. The feathers that covered them were partially burned off (making it near impossible for Falcon to be able to fly). He glanced at the damage, then looked back at Alex, infuriated, and his yellow eyes glowed more intensely.

He unsheathed the long blade from his belt, and charged forward, with his ashy wings still spanned behind him. Alex's eyes widened, realizing she had no shield from a blade besides the one cuff she still had clasped around her hand. Falcon raised his weapon over his right shoulder, grasping it with both hands, then he spun himself counterclockwise, swinging the blade as far as his arms would stretch. He spun once, then swung the blade towards her neck. Alex quickly raised her left arm, putting the cuff in front of the weapon. The princess gritted her teeth from the force of the impact, while the officer kept trying to hold the blade down. Alex swung her left arm back, knocking the weapon out of Falcon's hands, and it disappeared behind the trees. Falcon himself was thrown back a few steps, and he was positioned low to the ground; he held up his left hand as his right held him off of the short grass. The skin around his hands began to transform into a scaly exterior, once he balled his left hand into a fist, he unclasped it to reveal large, black talons replacing his fingers.

*   *   *

Thorne darted past Capalta, giving her an instant's glance as he ran by her, and he paused only to throw the whip he was still wielding, sending it spiraling towards Cherub. For a second, the ground directly beneath her feet glowed in the bright pink light as the cherub bent her knees, and leapt above the thorn-covered weapon. Small fragments of the light were suspended in the air after she jumped.

The whip kept spiraling until it clung to the trunk of a large tree. Cherub landed, glanced back at the tree, then turned back to Thorne. The officer raised his arm, preparing to generate another whip, but Cherub flicked two fingers towards him, firing another shard of light towards him. It was quick enough that he didn't have enough time to respond, and it struck his hand. He shouted as it pierced his skin, before it seemed to dissolve into the air.

As the particles faded, Thorne's skin began to sizzle and fester, almost as if it had been in contact with acid. He looked back up at Cherub, with his expression changing from pained to shocked. Cherub's expression remained concerned, and her eyes widened when it dawned on her; the only magic that affected a rym's skin like that came from cherubs, and she felt certain that the officer had realized this as well. She waited to see what his response would be.

In this moment, while the two were staring at each other, Capalta (who was behind Thorne), stood up, letting her wounded arm hang limply at her side. "Thorne," she said darkly. Thorne quickly turned around, and saw Capalta standing there. He glanced back at Cherub, then turned and walked towards his friend. He walked past her, pausing for a second beside her before continuing on towards the group. He didn't tell her, Cherub thought. Capalta kept her eyes fixed on her opponent, blood dripping from the cut on her hand.

Capalta held up her undamaged hand, still protected within the rough wooden gauntlet, and fragments of it pointed at Cherub without loosing contact with the gauntlet itself. "I, uh," Cherub said, worrying about the outcome of her actions, "W-we can jus-" Capalta sent the fragments of wood speeding through the air towards her. Cherub tried to dodge as many of them as she could, but a few of them still dug into her flesh; one grazed the right side of her torso, two punctured her left leg, and another struck her waist. She let out a yelp when they struck her, and she collapsed onto one knee.

After a second, she pulled the two in her leg out, painfully, but she didn't have time to remove the others; Capalta ran forward, still not using her cut-hand, and aimed a blow at Cherub's face. Cherub moved out of the way, partially; the officer struck her right shoulder, sending Cherub flying back a few feet. The blow had made her do a twist in the air, making her hit the ground face-first.

While this was happening, Thorne had joined the rest of the officers tending to Bronze. He knent down, still shocked, and signaled for another officer to come and talk to him. This officer was Sonorous, the officer that had previously blown back the tree by creating the deafening noise. Thorne said a few things to Sonorous, then gave him a pat on the back. Sonorous gave a nod, then stood up. He began to walk to where Capalta and Cherub were battling.

*   *   *

Alex jerked her head back, narrowly avoiding the talons that had ripped through the air in front of her. Falcon pulled his arm back, and twisted his body to the right, with his wings spread. His left wing hit Alex's side, and hit her hard enough that she was flung horizontally against a tree, and a loud thud was heard when it hit her in the stomach. She landed on the ground beneath the tree, and gasped (having the wind been knocked out of her). Alex placed a hand on the ground to attempt to get up, coughing, and positioned herself on her knees.

*   *   *

Sonorous went over to where Capalta was standing, the female officer taking notice of his presence. Cherub was laying about seven feet away, struggling to get on her feet, taking long and heavy breaths. Sonorous was speaking with Capalta (not with words, rather hand motions), when he pointed upward in the direction of the moon. Capalta replied, only loud enough so that Cherub could barely hear her, "Alright, then."

They both began to walk over to Cherub, and when she turned her head to look at them, she was surprised to get kicked in the face. She felt the grass against her cheek, before feeling someone grab her by the ankle. Cherub was barely managing to keep track of what was going on, and it took her a second to realize that Capalta was going to throw her by the feet. She felt the world spin around her, and saw the blurs that were the officers standing below. She got a clear enough of a look so that she could see Sonorous place his hand against his head, and Capalta covering her ears. "Oh, no-" She began, before being interrupted by the same thunderous sound as before.

The tops of the trees around the officers were blown away from the blast, as Cherub was instantly propelled upward towards the glowing silver moon. She had her eyes tightly shut, and once she had general control of her arms, she struggled to cover her own ears as she rocketed (ungracefully) into the night sky.

*   *   *

Alex used the rough tree trunk to help her stand, and she had about two seconds to prepare for an incoming swing from Falcon. She held up the hand that was still protected by the bronze cuff; Falcon, instead of merely scratching the metal, grabbed a firm hold of it, the curve of his talons making his grip stronger. Alex began to heat the cuff so it might be able to burn her opponent, but she was unable to; Falcon had placed a second taloned-hand on the cuff, and swung her back out into the center of the clearing.

Alex rolled on her side across the grass, finally stopping only to hear the deafening sound once more. She covered her ears while still lying on the ground, and when the noise finally ended, she glanced upward to see Cherub being ungraceful. She looked back at Falcon, who was walking towards her once again, and she placed her hand flat against the grass. Her hand began to glow (and her eyes did the same), and bright orange flame spanned out across the clearing in a star-like pattern. The air began to shine from the fire, and small bits of ash floated upward as well. Alex glared at Falcon as he walked towards her, talons ready, but he glanced upward and paused. Alex looked up as well, and her eyes widened, reflecting some of the pink light.

*   *   *

The noise finally stopped, but Cherub was still over about three hundred feet above the ground. She reached the highest point in the sky of which she was thrown, and she was upright. She narrowed her eyes at the clearing below, seeing the fire that Alex was now creating. "My turn," she said under her breath. In an instant, her blue eyes glowed most intensely, and she balled both her hands into fists. Two patches on her back began to glow pink, and in a quick flash of the light, a pair of brightly shining pink wings spanned from behind her shoulders. With the moon behind her, a bit of its light shone through her wings, casting two broad rays of pink light across the clearing below.

Cherub lowered her head, and began to dive through the cold atmosphere. Fragments of the pink light trailed behind her as she (now a bit more gracefully) plummeted towards the ground.

She saw Alex staring up at her, along with all of the officers. She narrowed her eyes, still brightly glowing blue, and once she was about twenty feet from the ground, she folded her wings and disappeared. She reappeared, however, behind Alex, surprising her by grabbing her wrist tightly. No quicker than she'd reappeared, both Cherub and Alex vanished from the clearing; the flame receded towards its center, and disappeared itself by the crackling of a couple of sparks.

*   *   *

Location: Kobalt Forest; Archenon

A lizard with faded-blue scales skittered across a mossy boulder that was half buried in the earth. Small insects floated in the air among the dark silhouettes of trees, softly glowing in various different colors. A breeze blew gently through the trees, making the rustling of leaves the only sound in the area.

A tiny pink light began to appear, hovering by the boulder, then suddenly, the area was illuminated by a quick flash of bright light. Cherub collapsed to her knees on the ground, and Alex took a few disoriented steps away from where they'd appeared. She looked around confusedly, then turned back to Cherub.

"Did you teleport us here?" the princess asked rhetorically. Cherub took a couple breaths, then began to stand up. "Uh-huh," she said. Alex took a couple more glances around their location. "How far away are we from them?"

"A few miles... Why do you as-" Alex slapped her in the forehead. Cherub fell back, now sitting on the ground, holding her forehead. "Your welcome!" she said sarcastically.

"How much of an idiot are you?" Alex demanded. "Coming back to help me was the most idiotic thing a person could've done in your scenario!"

"Like you didn't need my help," Cherub replied, still sitting on the ground. "I didn't!" Alex responded quickly. Cherub raised an eyebrow at the rym princess. Alex sighed. "Alright, fine, I might've needed a bit of assistance escaping arrest, but you went about it in the most foolish way possible!" "Foolish?" Cherub said, standing up.

Alex held up a finger, "Letting yourself get caught." "I didn't technically get captured, for say, I just-" "Acting like it didn't hardly matter what the outcome was, for you or I," Alex held up a second finger. "Well you're free, now!" Alex held up a third finger and opened her mouth, about to say something, but she flung her hand down and turned away.

"See," Cherub said, following her for a couple steps, "not completely foolish!" "You do not get it, do you?!" Alex shouted, turning around quickly, her eyes beginning to glow red again. Cherub stopped abruptly. "If any of those officers- and I mean any of them, found out that you were a cherub, things wouldn't turn out as cheery as you'd hope."

"Hmm..." Cherub hummed, turning her eyes away from Alex. "What?" "Hmmmm..." Cherub hummed again. "What is it?" Alex demanded. "There's a chance that a couple of them know..." Cherub met Alex's eyes. "Maybe...?" The red glow in Alex's eyes began to glow even more brightly, before she yelled, "Are you kidding me?!" The cherub shook her head.

Cherub stood there silently, staring at Alex as she sighed loudly, turned around, walked over to the boulder and sat down. The princess let her head sag from her shoulders, the glow in here eyes beginning to fade as she gained control of her anger. Cherub stood there for another moment, looking at Alex, then she turned and took a few steps out of view from her. The rym let out a sigh, then looked down at her scraped-up hands, of which were still bleeding. Alex grabbed her left sleeve and tore the fabric off, just below the shoulder. She ripped the black fabric longways into two pieces, and wrapped her hands in the cloth. After a second, Cherub returned and sat down next to Alex, holding the satchel.

Alex, without lifting her head much, turned and saw the bag. She quickly reached for it, and got a hold of it; she then opened it and pulled out a couple stacks of cash from the bank. "You held onto it," Alex said. "Well, yeah," Cherub replied, her eyes fixed on the bag, "I thought you should have something of yours with you. Plus, we're going to have to return the money sometime." Alex's expression darkened as she placed the cash back inside the satchel. "We?"

"Yes, we," Cherub answered. "I don't have much to go back to after this..." She looked up at Alex's face. "And, I'm assuming, you don't have much good things to return to back home." The princess exhaled through her nose. "That, unfortunately, is true. I have no flight-capable ship, either, so it's near impossible for me to leave this planet for now."

"Well, maybe until you can find a new ship," Cherub began, "we could work together." Alex looked at the cherub. "Work together," she echoed. "Yeah, I mean," Cherub glanced around at their surroundings, "this isn't the worst place to be stuck on, is it?" Alex looked up and around, noticing the luminous insects, the coolness of the air, and the calmness of the environment. "No, I suppose it isn't." Cherub's face brightened.

"You know, when I was at the bank in the first place, I really was homeless," she said. Alex gave a faint chuckle and a half grin. "You truly are foolish, aren't you?" Cherub began to laugh. "Little bit, yeah..."

She stood up, and offered a hand to Alex. The princess slowly grasped her hand, which was wrapped in the black fabric, and was pulled onto her feet. "If we're going to return the money, we'd better start walking in..." Cherub let go of Alex's hand, and took a couple steps to the left, "this direction...?" Cherub turned abruptly and took a few more steps back past Alex. "No, this direction." Cherub began to walk off through the trees, and Alex took a couple steps following her. However, she paused when she heard a small, high-pitched beeping noise from within the satchel.

She opened it, and pulled out a small device with a thick, broad screen, that had a tiny flashing green light on the top of it. Alex pressed a button on the front of it, and a message appeared on the screen. Since it was dark, the message was hard to make out, but Alex read the following:

>Recipient: Alexandrael S. V.<

Heard that you had showdown with

some of the royal sec. officers.

What happened, and where are you?

>Sender: Jade I. G.<

Alex held the device for a moment, staring at the message. "Alex? I think... Are you coming, or what?" The princess looked up towards the direction of Cherub's voice. "I'm, uh, coming." She glanced at the device one more time. "Be right there." She said as she turned off the device, and placed it back in the satchel.

Author's Note

Know that this took me a few months to write, and it has been undergoing constant editing. It seems like I might not have things planned out, but trust me I do, and I am currently writing the second episode. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!