*Chernaudi Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 Hi everyone. This is the area where I'll be posting rough drafts of my fan fic chapters. For some discussion and info, check out the "My Guyver and Twilight fan fic I've hinted at" thread. I've converted the chapters into the proper format so I can copy and paste the text here and so I can edit them on my laptop in the future. So here's the first chapter: Bio-Booster Armor Twilight Epilogue With me being Lia den Adel, and being born into a family a vampire hybrids, you’d think that was weird. On top of that, being married to a hybrid who is a retired and highly decorated Army officer who can also transform his body into any form he wants would seem strange to most people. And having vampires, other hybrids, shape-shifting werewolves and humans as friends seems pretty weird, too, huh? But that is my life, and it’s normal to me. I thought that things wouldn’t be able to get more unconventional, but I wouldn’t be able to think that for much longer. Having settled into a routine in Forks with Camel, my husband, I was about to have a “girl’s morning out†with our friends, Melinda and Jess, along with Renesmee, or Nessie, as she was also known. When we all had days off of work, we’d go out on walks early in the morning in the forest near our homes outside of Forks. That was our routine and how we spent time with each other—just us girls. We’d usually get up before our husbands did, which for me often didn’t happen. I would normally on these days get up before he did, but he was usually awake soon after I got up. On this particular day, I awoke very early in the morning, at least according to most people. I awoke at about 5:00 in the morning to get ready for my walk, and my day in general. That meant showering, and getting dressed mostly. I walked into the kitchen, to find, as I had predicted, Camel sitting at the table. Did I mention that he usually got up shortly after I did? “Hi, Liaâ€, he stated to me as I sat down at the table and grabbed an apple and an orange from a bowl of fruit positioned on the middle of the table. “Haii, Camelâ€, I replied. I picked away at the orange peel as Camel looked at yesterday’s newspaper. We rarely read our newspapers except for advertisements and the humorous stories in it. But something caught Camel’s attention. “You see something?†I asked. Camel actually seemed more amused than alarmed, but something clearly peaked his interest. “Just have a look at this.†I came around the table and read the article with him. There was—at least ever since it came out that vampires and the shape-shifting wolves existed—a section in the paper dedicated to urban legends and humorous stories about them. There was a twist to this story, however. It was reported as being possibly real. There had been stories about a weird creature in the forest that would show up during the night. This creature was seemingly similar to the urban legend known as “Slendermanâ€, or at least the character from the video game Slender: The Eight Pages. “I don’t believe that it’s realâ€, Camel opined. “However, there’s other weird things showin’ up, too.†What weird things? I decided to read on. The most peculiar things that were occurring were random notes were appearing in the woods. That was real in actuality. But the most bizarre thing was what the notes had written on them. “’Don’t look or it takes you’, ‘It follows’, ‘They’re coming’, ‘Bio-Booster Armor Guyver is coming to get you!’â€. The fact that some person was leaving these notes in the woods was odd itself, but saying that someone—or something—was out there such as Slenderman or Guyvers was the most irrevocably strange thing. We knew that Slenderman didn’t exist, but the Guyvers did. They became public knowledge on a large scale after Mel and Camel visited Volterra. And they were known in some circles, as well as some organization known as Chronos, for quite a while before that. However, these sightings of strange things in the forest were really standing out and were being reported as real. And in a town where mythical creatures being real was the norm, that was saying something. “All the stories about Guyvers don’t mention them in a malevolent light, but most aren’t so sure about this ‘Slenderman’ thing. And reports about it are very sketchy. However, most stories don’t fully line up with the ‘creepypasta’ urban legend.†I said, “I wouldn’t know, I’ve never been out in the forest in the middle of the night. And if the Guyvers are here, I can’t tell you why.†Camel added “I wouldn’t know, either. You still gonna go on your walk with the girls?†“Of course I am. It seems that whatever is doing this stuff wouldn’t attack in daylight.†“You goin’ out dressed like that?†Camel pointed out my state of dress—black tank top, black and grey-violet punk rock skirt, fishnet nylons, and punk rocker boots—while giving me a smirk. “I’m goin’ for a walk, not a friggin’ run, Camel,†I stated. “I think that I can walk through the forest on a trail in this outfit with my girlfriends just fine.†The smirk stayed on Camel’s face, which caused me to smile. “The others will be here soon, I’ll be in the living room—you goin’ back to bed?†“Yeah, just you and Mel, Jess, and Nessie be careful.†“We’re hybrids, I don’t think that you have to worry too much about us.†Upon going into the living room, I propped my feet up onto the coffee table and turned the TV onto the local news, and the topic of the day? A report on the “Slenderman/Guyver†sightings. However, I didn’t learn anything new compared to the newspaper article. I turned the TV off and lounged on the couch until I heard a knock at the door. It was Mel, who I let in, and we waited until Jess and Nessie showed up. After a brief conversation—all saying hi and small talk—we went out for our walk. Aside from me, everyone else was dressed in either T-shirts or tank tops, sweaters, jeans and sneakers. Pretty much stuff that we usually wore during everyday actvities on our days away from work. Our plan was to walk throught the forest on the trails we usually walked on for our morning walks, and within about an hour or so, we’d return home and we’d pick up from there. But we all felt an odd feeling. Not ominous or scary, but we knew that something weird might happen. And so it began… Quote
*Chernaudi Posted May 24, 2014 Author Posted May 24, 2014 Chapter 2, narrated by Lia, as above. Bio-Booster Armor Twilight Chapter 1—The Arrival. The girls and myself went on our walk as planned that morning. It was actually sunny out, and the sun was barely starting to rise above the horizon, providing a faint light. We had planned to stick to a trail in the forest that we frequently used. It was a common event for Mel, Jess, Nessie and myself to walk by such trails at least once or twice a week, so we didn’t expect anything insanely out of the norm. Of course, by “insanely†I meant “insanely†by our standards, which being supernatural creatures, meant that not much surprised us. That being said, we started to talk about the newspaper rumors about events in the forest. First, though, we talked about what we were wearing—mostly about my choice of attire for out walk this morning. “Aren’t you cold, Lia?†Nessie asked, noting my short skirt, tank top, fishnet tights, tank top and a light jacket over that. Everyone else was in sneakers, jeans, and sweaters, except for Melinda, who was wearing a black tank top with a jacket over it. “No, Nessie,†I replied. “Why don’t you ask Mel why she has a tank top on?†“Well, at least I’m wearing a jacket, like you are Lia,†Melinda stated. “And besides, I’m packing…†Mel then showed us her .40 caliber Browning Hi-Power—well, one of them. She was also carrying a second. “Why do you feel the need to carry guns into the forest with you?†Nessie questioned, knowing the power we had as vampire hybrids. “Humans would, and besides, we might find some food that I doubt that we’d enjoy having to wrestle and kill that way.†“Well,†Jess started to opine, “Mel does have a point.†“I guess I can understand that,†Nessie said, seemingly legitimately understanding Melinda’s point. “But why use automatic pistols? What are you gonna do to a deer? Gravity gun it?†That referred to one of Mel’s abilities. She could manipulate gravity into energy blast, using her hands or even firearms to deliver them, giving even simple pocket pistols a massive punch against major threats that normally can’t be dealt with using normal guns. I could do similar, except my power wasn’t gravity based so much as electro-magnetic based. Not dissimilar otherwise, but my wasn’t as much rooted in manipulating gravity as electrical or electro-magnetic fields. Then talk turned to the recent sightings of various creatures—some familiar to us, some not. “There have been reports of Guyvers around here in this forest, as well as that Slenderman like thing, too,†Nessie commented. “I’m familiar with Guyver I and Guyver III, though I’ve never seen them in person. But this ‘Slender’ thing, I dunno, to be honest.†“Well, Jess and I have seen both Guyvers in action, and they can be formidable, but not really a match for us,†Melinda stated. “So I’m glad that I consider Sho my friend. As for Agito, well, we’re on somewhat friendly terms, but we’re not great friends by any means.†I of course, knew this. I secretly visited Volterra when Mel and Camel were there, and I know how formidable a full-on, battle trained hybrid can face not only Guyvers, but even Hyper Zoanoids, or even Zoalords and Gigantic Guyvers, which can overwhelm Zoalords. I even faced some Enzyme III Hyper Zoanoids in Volterra saving Sho and his girlfriend Mizuki from an attempted attack—Melinda did something similar, to her credit. And I know how much animosity that Mel and Agito used to have for each other. They ended up on better terms by the time they left, but it’s not an easy friendship by any means. “Camel has been talking to me about this Slenderman stuff and Guyver sightings, and I can’t say that I know what to make of it.†We continued to walk, and in so doing we encountered some light ground fog. “I know that Camel has a lot of the combat abilities of the Guyvers and some similar weapons, as well as those of some Zoanoids. He can even grow tentacles and a tail.†Jess then spoke up, saying, “What are you gettin’ at, Lia?†“Are you saying that Camel might be this ‘Slender’ thing?†Mel questioned. “You think that Camel might be experimenting with some of his powers at night in the forest?†Nessie also asked. “I can’t say for certain. It might make sense. I have felt his presence leave my side on occasion at night. It never was for very long—about 15-20 minutes at most. I assume that he watches TV because he has admitted to having issues sleeping recently.†“So, Lia, does that mean that he leaves the room, or the house?†Nessie asked. “I don’t quite know for certain,†I replied. “I think that it’s possible that he does leave the house, but I’m not worried. It’s not like he’s sleepwalking, and he’s never gone. We used to go outside for brief periods of time at night, but that was when it was warmer out.†We continued to walk, until we came across a note that was nailed to a tree. I walked over with Mel and we pulled the note off the tree, brought it back over to Jess and Nessie, and analyzed it. It was a simple, handwritten note with an illustration of the Slenderman Mythos “operator symbol†(a O with an X though it), with the phrase “it sees, it followsâ€. There was no reference to the creature not having eyes, which means that it’s questionable as to whether or not it was an actual reference to Slenderman. We continued to walk through the forest, just going on our little walk, when we all shuddered and paused. A strange presence was felt by all of us. A few seconds later, three strange beings came out of the forest in front of us. We recognized two of the forms—a Gregole and a Vamore, both types of Zoanoids (thank god for all of this being unclassified!), but the third, neither Nessie or I recognized, but it seemed that Mel and Jess did. And to put it short, they weren’t happy. “What the hell are you doing here!†I demanded. I had thought that most of these creatures had been destroyed or un-processed. “We’ve come to investigate the legends of the Olympic Peninsula, such as yourselves…†the one odd-ball character said. “We believe that since you creatures seem capable of destroying a Guyver in combat, we wondered if you could help us out?†“HELL NO!â€, I heard Melinda scream at the strange creature. “I will not help you destroy any Guyver! I know who you are, and what you may actually be here for!†“Attack!†the weird figure called out. The two Zoanoids lunged at us, but Nessie stopped Vamore by punching him out, while I punched and kicked Gregole about his face and stomach, then shocked him using my powers. We saw Mel and Jess attack the only remaining creature, and he was taking a beating, to put it lightly. As the two defeated Zoanoids vaporized in front of us, we witnessed Melinda throttling the surviving creature, with Jess slapping, punching and kicking at him, both screaming insults and profanities at him. At that very moment, I felt an approaching presence, one that was oddly familiar to me. Within seconds, Sho and Agito—Guyver I and Guyver III, as the case may’ve been—emerged from the forest, only to stop near us, only a few feet away. “It looks like you girls beat us to the punch—literally and figuratively,†Agito announced to us. Both Guyvers’ attention turned to Mel and Jess pummeling and cursing out the last creature—Zoanoid, Hyper Zoanoid, or something else altogether, I didn’t know at the time. Sho then spoke up, having observed the situation. “I think we should help out the Swan sisters. They don’t seem to be able to defeat this creature.†“No, not now, Fukamachi,†Agito opined. “But they don’t seem to be able to overcome this creature†“Sho, look at Melinda and Jess,†Agito said, continuing with “they’re toying with him. Let them have their ‘fun’, Guyver I.†We watched as Mel and Jess continued to antagonize this creature. Why weren’t they trying to kill him—they seem to be torturing him, toying with him, as if trying to punish him. For what, I didn’t know at the time. But they continued on, nonetheless. I started to listen in to what they were saying. “You scum! Don’t you know what you did to me and my sis?!†Mel screamed. Jess added a statement of, “how do you expect us to forgive you so easily? Take your punishment like a man!†“Why did you feel it was necessary to put us though the hell you put me and my family and friends though, you son of a bitch!†The torrent of insults and profanities continued until Mel and Jess decided to let him go. “We shalln’t pursue him, Guyver I,†Agito stated, as Mel and Jess came back to us. “You girls OK?†Nessie asked. “Yeah, we’re fine—physically,†Jess answered. Mel added, “But we’re both pretty pissed right now!†“What was that about?†I ventured to ask. “That guy…he’s scum, that’s about what I can say right now…†Mel said, exasperated. Sho then spoke up, asking, “what kind of creature is that?†“He’s not a Zoanoid, Fukamachi,†Agito noted, then facing Nessie and myself, stated, “and neither were those other creatures you defeated.†“Well, what the hell were they?†I questioned. “He’s a shape-shifting vampire hybrid,†Agito responded. “The others were fake clones of zoanoids that this creature spawned.†“Like my Camel?†“Sort of,†Makishima answered. “He’s not exactly the same, in more ways than one. He’s weaker than your husband in his physical form and as far as the type of person he is. He makes Camel look like a saint. It’s perhaps best to get more on that from Melinda and Jess†We all turned to Mel and Jess for answers, and they turned out to be more than eager to vent about what Agito was on about. “That ‘thing’ was Ricky Zamora,†Melinda started to say. “He was supposed to be wedded to me, but he left me at the altar.†“He ditched us, and his own family, too!†Jess angrily atoned. I myself had never heard of such a revelation from either of them before, though Camel had referred to it before. He said that Mel had a fiancé who ditched her on the eve of their wedding without informing her or leaving her with a good reason. She has had a grudge against him ever since, according to Camel’s story. And I can understand why; the least Ricky could’ve done is at least give Mel a reason for his desertion. “He friggin’ deserted me!†Mel angrily noted. “I almost don’t want to say it, but I’d love to see Sho or Agito beat the living, mortal frickin’ crap out of him!†“I don’t blame you, Mel†I responded. “At least Camel never did that to me, but he’s my soul mate, so I know that he’d never do that to me.†Nessie chimed in, saying, “So that’s why Mel and Jess wouldn’t kill him, but instead were antagonizing and beating him like that. I don’t really condone it, but I understand it.†We had a few moments of looking around and trying to cool down from what happened. We were wary of another attack, but we couldn’t sense or feel anything unusual, nothing that would lead us to believe that something would happen. “Well,†I started to ask, “what now?†“There’s nothing here, we should be going†Sho commented. “What’ll happen now?†Jess questioned. “You girls can go back to your walk, since you’re safe and we know that you can handle any threats you may face,†Agito answered. “Guyver I and I will search the woods for any psudo-zoanoids and for Mr. Zamora. We have some questions we’d like to ask him. Sho, come. We have a visit to pay…†“What about your girlfriends?†Jess asked them as they were about to leave. “You should have no worries about Mizuki and Shizu,†Agito retored. “They’re safe with Bella and Edward. I know of their abilities and they’re safe with them and the other Cullen vampires and with Jacob.†With that, Agito and Sho used their Guyver armors’ ability to fly and quickly disappeared from sight. We knew that if these creatures were no match for us, they might not be a match for a well-trained user of a Bio-Booster Armor unit. We were able to easily defeat those monsters with our bare hands, and a Guyver unit has tons of weapons. We had no question that whatever Sho and Agito found, they’d likely be easily able to confront it. But all of this left a question. Basically, the question of why the hell Zamora was here, and what the purpose of his visit is. “It beats the livin’ hell outta me,†Mel said, in reply to that very question. “Why are the Guyvers here?†Nessie asked. “Why would Sho and Agito be in forks.†“Obviously something to do with Ricky,†I surmised. “Chronos is defeated, but I don’t know why they’d be after him, aside from the fact that he seems to have the ability to clone zoanoids.†“Why ever they’re here,†Jess spoke up, “I hope that they teach Ricky a lesson…†Melinda spoke in agreement, saying, “I know about the malice of Makishima, and he definitely isn’t a great human being. But in spite of his dark amorality, he has his limits on how much of a douchebag he is. He may be a violent, dark-hearted, calculating, cold ball of sleaze, but I’ve seen him with Shizu, and I know that he’d never willingly do to her, what Ricky did to me…†We all decided to walk back to our respective homes, and our talk on the way back was basically light hearted…for the most part. “I wonder if Aunt Alice got her claws into Ms. Segawa and Ms. Onuma?†Nessie asked jokingly. “If they stayed with Bella and Edward,†I opined. “Then they’d be fine, though they seem interested in fashion to an extent from what Mel and Jess told me of them.†“You ever meet them?†Jess asked of me. “Yeah, I briefly met both of them. I met Mizuki when I saved her and Sho from being devoured by a bunch of Enzyme III hyper zoanoids. I had a longer talk with Shizu when I met her in a hotel while I was in Volterra keeping some tabs on Camel. But Mel and Jess and Camel spent a lot more time around them. I don’t know them insanely well from personal visits. I have spoken to them online quite a bit, though.†Just then, the discussion became serious for a moment. “I thought that Shizu would have died by now. I’m glad that she’s still alive, but what happened to prolong her life?†Nessie asked me. Ms. Onuma was processed into a proto-Zoalord, which supposedly shortened her life to only a couple of years or so. But she wanted to live longer, even knowing that such a shortened life span was a penalty of her processing. And, naturally, with people as smart as she and Agito were, she found a way. “She’s actually a lot like us, now,†I stated. “Vampire?†Nessie questioned. “Sort of,†Mel added. “She’s technically now a human-vampire hybrid. Jess and I know this—along with Camel—because her eyes are still the turquoise-blue-violet color that they were when she was human.†“She’s also warm compared to a normal human being,†Jess added. “So she’s very much like us—maybe more like Camel.†“Yeah, she can still transform into Griselda, her proto-Zoalord form,†I added. “Imagine a cute monster girl. What the hell am I saying? We—and the Cullen vampires—are all cute monster girls!†With that, a good laugh was had by all, and it took the conversation back to its original light hearted origins. We continued to chat until we exited the forest and walked back to Mel and Jess’ home. We had our reasons to believe that Zamora would return to their home to possibly confront them over the beating and berating he received. But since we didn’t since his presence—nor those of Sho and Agito—we assumed that the coast was clear, and we said our good byes and part our ways for the time being. As I walked back home, I continued to wonder about Sho and Mizuki, and Agito and Shizu. I was glad for them that Chronos was defeated, and that Shizu was able now to live out her life—and be as immortal as her boyfriend. My wonder then also turned to Tetsuro, Mizuki’s older brother and Sho’s best friend, and Natsuki Taga, a close friend of Sho and his cadre, who I also met in Volterra. I wondered if they were in town, or at least in the general area. And there was still the big question, the question of why. Why all of this activity around here, with Sho and Agito around here, the tales of strange sightings in the forest at night, and what I thought may’ve been strange behavior on Camel’s part recently, with his brief trips out of bed. None of this was adding up in my mind, but I did feel that there had to be some connection. And what to make of Mr. Zamora, and his fake Zoanoid clones? What the hell was going on there? All I had was a lot of questions, with no clear answers. I knew that I shouldn’t have worried myself over any of this, as we knew that we were safe. We were safe? That may’ve been, but what of everyone else in Forks? Having thought of all of those points, I realized that I was nearing home. Something caught my eye, two things in fact. I saw a silver Volvo, which I knew was Edward’s, so I knew that he and probably Bella were visiting Camel. That did make since, since I knew that Bella and Edward wouldn’t leave Mizuki and Shizu alone. The main Cullen house was on the same property, so they most likely were staying there at that moment. But another car caught my eye—a red Toyota GT-86. It wasn’t familiar from around here, but I guessed what it could mean. It had to mean that Natsuki was there. Camel met her in Volterra with Mel and Jess. She was a bit of a sci-fi nut, and she, having experience with the Guyvers and Chronos, would likely be able to help get to the bottom of the strange events in the forest that have been reported recently. I knew that if she was nearby, it would peak her interest, and that of Tetsuro, if he was with her. I calmly walked back into the house, to find it almost deserted. I couldn’t find Bella or Edward, or Natsuki; the living room was empty of any living creatures aside from Camel’s cat Salem. Aside from our cats, I was only able to sense one other presence in the house. I walked towards the kitchen, where I found Camel talking on the telephone. I then eaves dropped on the conversation. “Yes, Charlie, I’m familiar with the newspaper stories…It beats the crap out of me as to what’s goin’ on…Yeah, Natsuki is here, and she’s safe with Bella and Edward…I think that Lia has come in…I think that she should know about what might be goin’ on…I will. Take care, Chief.†“Camel…I didn’t mean…†I told him, feeling like I was intruding on that conversation, which I was to be honest. “Don’t worry, Lia,†he replied. “I was going to have to tell you anyways, soon.†“About the events in the forest?†“Yes, Lia.†“The Guyvers, Zamora, fake Zoanoids, the ‘Slenderman’, everything…?†“Yes, hon. I feel that you need to know the reason. It seems that you were on quite a run?†“Camel, I have something to admit. I and the other girls encountered Mr. Zamora, both Guyvers, and some fake Zoanoids. Mel and Jess beat the crap out of Mr. Zamora, Guyver III and Guyver I filled us in a bit, but didn’t give us much info. And we all know about Ricky’s past sins with Mel and Jess…†I was exasperated. “You fought?†“Yeah, Camel, I killed a fake Gregole. I thought that all Zoanoid technology was destroyed?†“Don’t worry, Lia. Nothing will hurt you. This is really bizzare, so you’re gonna have to bear with me, honey…†And so, my questions started to be answered… Quote
*Chernaudi Posted May 24, 2014 Author Posted May 24, 2014 I'll post a couple more chapter today. Chapter 3, Melinda's POV Bio-Booster Armor Twilight Chapter 3: Visitation I got home after running errands with my sister Jess, to find myself home alone. I had no work scheduled at the hospital, not even volunteer work lined up for the next two weeks. I had intended to use this break to spend a second honeymoon with my husband Nauhel. Unfortunately, for me, Nauhel had to work, though he also had the next two weeks off, after this day, that is. That all being said, I was home alone, aside from my cat and my dog. Nauhel and I had our own house on my family’s property outside of Forks where the two of us lived separately from, but within walking distance of, my parents and sister. My family also “adopted†Nauhel’s sister, Jennifer. She on occasion stayed with me and Nauhel, but she usually stayed with my parents and sis. She was vacationing in Europe, where she was also helping with some projects to restore World War II era aircraft. Jen was due back home today or tomorrow. But neither she nor my husband was home, meaning only my pets were able to keep me company. I was also bored as hell, being alone with nothing really to do. In the event, I put a pot roast in the stove, since it was sort of a “set it and forget it†meal for me, since I was cooking it at a low temperature. It being the afternoon, there was nothing to watch on TV, and I didn’t feel like dragging any DVD’s downstairs. I wanted to just veg out until Nauhel got home, or someone called or texted me. I then heard my phone go off with its ringtone, being stored in my purse which I sat on the table next to where I was sitting. It was Lia, which was a bit unexpected, since she was home with Camel. I was under the belief that they’d be a bit busy, since that’s what they do when they’re both home, but it errands, working on cars or Camel’s vintage planes, or other things that I don’t feel at liberty to mention. “Hi, Lia,†I said when I answered my phone. “Hi Mel. I’m calling because I’m bored.†I wasn’t expecting that, as I noted. “Aren’t you two doing something, anything?†“Not really,†Lia answered, exhausted out of inactivity. “We talked with Bella, Edward and Natsuki earlier. Nessie and Jacob were also there, too. Then things were going to get ‘interesting’ when Mizuki and Shizu came up to our room and collapsed on our bed and fell asleep.†I then asked, “Camel fell asleep with them?†“You guessed right. So I decided to do my hair and nails, and after that didn’t kill much time, I tried to sleep, but, even cuddling up with Camel, I still couldn’t force myself to sleep. So I decided to call you. You up to anything?†“No, I’m in the same state that you’re in. Nauhel isn’t home yet, and neither is Jennifer. So I’m glad that you called. I don’t really wanna go out and find something to do until either one gets home, so I put on a roast and I was about to go to sleep on the sofa when you called.†Lia and I casually talked for a few more minutes before we ended our conversation when Lia resolved to try and take a nap with Camel—and Shizu and Mizuki on their bed, too—and wake up when he or they did. However, when we hung up, I felt alone again, and above all else, bored. Even with me being shy, I still desired human contact. The way I saw it, I had two choices: sneak in a nap, or get my butt up and go to the hospital to hang out with and help out the staff. I then though that I might have something to do with a hobby of mine, or my main business. I myself sort of tinker with vintage aircraft—some of which I owned—as a hobby of mine that I had for a while. I restored a Fiat CR32 biplane to airworthiness, and I also owned a P-51D Mustang and a Spitfire Mk VIII and a FR (fighter-recon) Mk XIV. And then there was my MG A convertible and Ford Capri that I was working on. I was also owner of my father’s old US spec Ford Cortina. But none of that really appealed to me as far as getting up off the sofa—they were all restored or nearly restored, and I didn’t want to go out into the barn I had them stored in. Then there was my main business that I enjoyed doing and made most of my income from. My dream business—my own wedding boutique. I had my own climate controlled room in my basement for altering and even making wedding dresses, which was the main element of that business. I could also make wedding cakes, but that wasn’t the main part of my boutique. But then it hit me; there was nothing urgent down there for me to do. All orders had been filled, although the summer was busy, and I made a killing with my services. It was a labor of love, and I offered good prices, but the volume of work was great. And, of course, when it’s time to renew my vows to Nauhel, I can have make or alter dresses for my bridesmaids. A few more minutes, minutes of mindless incision, passed before I finally got a knock at the door. I got myself off the sofa, and drug myself to the door. At least I was glad to find out who my visitor was. “Hi, Natsuki,†I said upon opening the door, after finding out it was her. I let her in, and she sat on the sofa beside me. We began to talk about a litany of things. At least that would pass the time before Nauhel came home, and I was doing it with a friend. “Can I get you anything? Coffee or a pop?†“Nah, I just wanted to visit you, since I knew that you had to be home. Sort of lonely at the inn.†“Tetsuro not with you?†I asked, considering that he was a close friend of her’s. “Not right now. He’ll be due in here in a couple of days. He’s just taking his time getting here, having a few things that he had to attend to in Tokyo.†We sat there a few minutes, just wondering what we wanted to talk about. It’s rare that Natsuki would be at a loss for words, nor myself for that matter, in spite of my shyness. But we just had a hard time getting our conversation going. At least when we found something to talk about… “I heard you were at Camel’s place today, with Bella, Edward, Nessie and Jacob. Was Lia back by then?†“Yeah, she was—for my second visit.†“You visited Camel twice?†“Yeah. I find him quite interesting as a creature, to be honest.†“As a creature? You mean his shape shifting deal.†“Yeah, he reminds me of Aptom, but he’s different. It’s like an even better version of his abilities.†“You do know that Camel was born that way. Something that it turns out his mother was the carrier of.†“He also says that his mom doesn’t demonstrate the ability, but, as you said, she carries the gene. I find your kind—vampire hybrids—to be interesting in general. Y’know, the best of both vampire and human traits.†Of course, I couldn’t argue with Natsuki—in my opinion, she was right, not that being a Cullen “vegetarian†vampire was that bad, either. But I liked the thought of being “warm†blooded, not really standing out in sunlight, and having my mom’s eye color, too. Of course, then, I noticed that Natuski was nuzzling close to me. “You know, you could’ve dressed more friggin’ warmly—I know why you’re sitting so close to me.†“I was fine when I got here, but now it’s overcast and feels like it’s gonna rain,†Natsuki answered. “Maybe I should ask for a coffee.†Well, it was a good reason to get up—I wanted a cup of coffee, too. I walked into the kitchen to turn the coffee pot on, and made my cup of coffee. While doing this, I noticed that Natsuki was walking around the living room, just looking around. It was almost like she was looking for decorating ideas for her apartment that she owned in Tokyo. “You want cream or flavoring in your coffee?†I asked. She snapped to attention at my question, and answered “no cream, what flavorings do you have?†“Mocha, hazelnut, French vanilla, orange vanilla.†“French vanilla.†“I noticed that you were looking around my living room—want decorating ideas?†“Yeah, I was just lookin’ around at your drapes and the colors of paint on your walls.†“Yeah, Nauhel and I like it,†I commented as I brought out coffee in. “The light bluish-lavender is pretty comforting and a nice neutral-ish color. Anything else you like?†“I like the coffee table and that lamp—I feel this since of scenery porn, to be honest.†“My house?†“Yeah, and Lia and Camel’s place, Bella and Edward’s home, and just Forks itself.†“I know, Natsuki. We all love it up here, even Bella. She really didn’t like living up here at first. Bella didn’t take well to the cold and the rain, but she met Edward, and that made things better for her, he and his family, as well as Jacob, too.†“Parts of Japan are sort of like this. Not Tokyo, really, though it has its own charms.†“Yeah, I know!†I’ve been to Tokyo before, on vacation, and I fell in love with the place, and I was never really a big city girl. “I lived near Volterra, Italy—“ “Home of the Volturi,†Natsuki accurately noted. “Yep, I lived near there, and in Slovenia, and Phoenix, and I was born and originally lived in Roswell, New Mexico.†“Fitting, given who you’re talking to…†We shared a quick little laugh over that remark, then we set to finishing our coffee. “Camel show you anything else on your first visit?†“Yeah, he showed me his and Lia’s little storage complex on their property.†Little was quite the understatement. It was a massive complex! There was a building with underground storage for his and Lia’s collector cars, and there was a big hangar—again with underground facilities—where Camel stored and worked on his vintage World War II aircraft. Among them were 2 P-51D Mustangs—one in US Army Air Force colors, and one in Royal Air Force colors, a Spitfire IX and F.22, a de Havilland Vampire and Venom, a Gloster Meteor, a Hawker Hurricane, and three pretty significant rarities. He had a North American F-82B Twin Mustang, one of the 20 Packard V-1650 Merlin powered Twin Mustangs that he rebuilt. He also had an Allison V-1710 powered F-82E day fighter, which could be configured into a F-82G night fighter. He also had one of what thankfully was becoming an increasing number of de Havilland Mosquito twin engine aircraft. He had a B.35 bomber and a FB VI attack fighter that could be configured into a F II night fighter. And he was also building a replica of a de Havilland Hornet twin engine fighter out of a few salvaged parts from an old DH Hornet airframe, so it could be called a restoration as opposed to a simple replica. I wonder what Natsuki thought of this virtual museum that Lia and Camel had to the automotive world and WWII era aviation. “Well, I was impressed, and it wasn’t just the cars and aircraft he had out. All the cars run and are occasionally driven, and all the planes are airworthy. And the attention to detail in all of these vehicles—the Mitsubishi A6M Zero has a rebuild Nakajima Sakae engine, and the Spitfire 22 has the appropriate Rolls-Royce Griffon engine. And the DH Hornet has the proper Rolls-Royce Merlin 130 series engines in them. It’s all pretty impressive and spoke to the tomboy in me.†“Well, it speaks to the tomboy in me, too. I have my own planes under restoration—actually, all the ones that I own are airworthy, too.†I took in a breath, before I said in conclusion, “Camel’s dedication to those projects always impressed me, let alone his dedication as an Army officer, and as friend and lover. I always sort of knew that we weren’t meant to be as lovers, so I’m glad that he found Lia. That being said, he’s always been a great friend of mine since I was young.†“I’ve felt that with him, too. I think that we’ll be great friends, and that he’ll be a great help to me in what I’m trying to do.†We finished our coffee and Natsuki left. We said our good byes, knowing that this wasn’t going to be the last time that we’d meet in the foreseeable future. I then sat down on the sofa again, and I started to rest, taking a glimpse at the clock. The good news was that Natsuki’s visit took over an hour out of the time that I had to wait before Nauhel got back. The bad news, sadly, was that there was nearly two in a half hours before he got back. I had dosed off for a while when there was another knock at my door. I got up and peeked through the window, and what I saw vexed me like nothing else recently—at least not since that morning. After the events of this morning, I thought that I couldn’t be made more angry with what was the present state of things. To say that I was ticked off, was putting it lightly. “What the hell are you doing here!†I commanded after I opened the front door, leaving the storm door closed. It was Ricky, and I had to believe that he either had some major balls or a total lack of common sense to be at my home right now. “Melinda, let me explain…†“You need to explain nothing! Get off my friggin’ property, and get outta my friggin’ life, you douche!†“At least let me in to talk to you about somethin’,†Ricky requested. I really didn’t want to let him into my—my and Nauhel’s—home for even a second. I considered it an affront that he even dared to step up to my door, or come to Forks in the first place. But I sensed that the sooner that I gave him a bone, the sooner he’d be out of my life, or so I hoped. Exasperated, I said, “okay, I’ll let you in, but you’d better make it quick, because my blood’s already starting to boil.†I let him into our mudroom, not daring to let him into any actual living space. I did wonder as to why the hell he was here, knowing how I still felt about what he did to me, and that my family and friends were pretty sore about said events themselves, and that many of them lived nearby. As I said, bravery or stupidity, I didn’t know what motivated him. “Melinda, I’m sorry for what I did to you.†“If you’re so damn sorry, why couldn’t you have let us know that you wanted to call the wedding off before the day we were supposed to get married? You didn’t just upset and enrage me, but my family and friends, even ones like Lia and Camel who couldn’t make it to the wedding. Camel was your commanding officer in the Army, and even with that notwithstanding, he’s much more a man of honor that you were!†I already wanted to slap the crap out of him for having the freaking gull to come and confront me with this. “I was just afraid of commitment. You gotta understand.†“No, I don’t!†I was already about to cry—a sign of extremely intense anger for me. “If you had something that was up, you should’ve come to me about it. Do you really understand how much you hurt me, my friends, my family, and even your family. And you didn’t even cheat on me. That’s good and well, but it gave me no reason to figure out why you did what you did!†I was totally exasperated by this stage, let alone insanely frustrated, and I already felt that Ricky had overstayed his welcome. “Urrgh, god! I need a drink!†I walked into the kitchen, with Ricky following me, and continuing to argue with me. Needless to say, not how I wanted to spend my afternoon. I poured myself a lemon iced tea and walked outside onto the patio in our backyard, where Ricky, you guessed it, followed me. And if you guessed that he continued to press his case with me, again, you’d be right. It was one of the most annoying ordeals that I had gone through since I got married and my life entered its first truly happy sphere in nearly a decade in a half. “Melinda, I really do need your help!†“Why should I help you, not only after what you did to me, but the fact that you’re always gettin’ yourself into such situations?!†“Trust me, I’m in danger!†“You’re a vampire hybrid! Why don’t you use your powers to aid you?!†“Don’t you understand?!†Ricky was clearly distressed, but, knowing what he is, why would he be? “You don’t know who’s after me?†“Fine, who’s after you?†“Some creature, he’s got black armor with blades on his arms and spikes on his head. He calls himself ‘Zeus’, and is accompanied by a skinny chick, almost as tall as you are, with long black hair who always dresses in a feminine style. She can transform into some seven foot tall creature with hair-like plates hanging from her head.†I instantly knew who he was talking about. I didn’t even need all of those clues to figure out what Ricky was on about as far as who’s after him. “Agito and Shizu. I know them. Shizu’s a friend of mine, and Agito was kinda a douchebag to me, but we’re sort of friends now. Even when he was at his worse, Agito was a walk in the park compared to what you put me through. And what I did to him to when he pushed me will be a cakewalk compared to what I’ll do to you if you don’t leave me alone!†At that moment, Nauhel arrived home, and he came out onto the patio to find me and Ricky. He suspected that based on my stance and my facial expression, that Ricky wasn’t welcomed. “Melinda, who is this? He giving you any problems?†“No, Nauhel. I can handle him.†I turned back to Ricky, saying, “and if I can’t, Agito Makishima and Shizu Onuma will!†I took Nauhel’s hand and I walked back with him into our house—with Ricky trailing, of course. “You can’t just let me face them alone!†“You should’ve thought of that before you committed whatever act that pissed them off!†I chided. “You can help me with them!†“NO! Shizu’s almost like a sister to me, and Agito may still have trappings of an amoral sleazebag, but he’s a much better human being, even at his worst, than the bag of crap you are!†Nauhel then interjected, saying, “I know Shizu and Agito, too. Agito is definitely a bit amoral and fighty, even after he mellowed out, but Shizu is very nice, composed, intelligent and gentle. I have to agree with Mel, you had to do something pretty significant for her to go after you with Agito. What did you do to them, anyways?" “What’s your explanation?†Not that it was going to make me more likely to help dissuade Shizu and Agito from beating the crap out of him should the mood strike one or both of them. But I at least wanted to know what he did to set them off against him. “I found this chick in the woods a few nights ago, just walkin’ around alone. I thought this unusual, so I walked up to her.†I didn’t think that it would take much of an imagination as to what may’ve happened next. He may’ve been faithful to me until he ditched me on my wedding day, he did have the reputation as being a bit of a womanizer. “I asked her what she was doin’ out in the woods. She told me that she was lookin’ for somthin’ called ‘Slenderman’. She seemed convinced that it wasn’t what was described, but she wasn’t offering any theories of her own.†“Okay, Ricky. Innocent enough so far. What’d ya’ do to tick Shizu off.†I knew that there had to be a “catch†to this story. “I asked her if she needed someone to be with her. She said no, that she was fine.†“But you didn’t take no for an answer, did you? You wanted to be with a little, pretty girl…†“It wasn’t like that,†“Oh, I bet it was,†Nauhel vocalized. “She told me to go away and leave her alone. She then said something about her being married. She then flashed her engagement and wedding rings at me. She then slapped and punched me in the face, and kicked me in the ribs after I fell to the ground. I heard her call out ‘Agito’â€. An evil, but happy, thought entered my mind upon hearing him mention Agito’s name. I could only imagine what would happen next. Only thing I knew was that it wouldn’t be good for Ricky. “This man ran out to her, and she explained what happened. I then heard him call out the phrase ‘bio-boost’, and he transformed into Guyver III, extended his sonic blades, and then I saw this tunnel of light.†I then offered up my opinion on what he meant by “tunnel of light.†“This had not better be some parody story where you ended up at an IHOP after you entered the tunnel.†“No, Mel.†“Continue.†I then woke up, after my body started to rebuild itself, to see Shizu and Guyver III standing over me. ‘You learn you lesson?’ the chick asked of me. I then made a sarcastic comment to her, about needing a man with bionic armor to help save her, at which time she, still in her human form, picked me up. That’s when I discovered, though her actions and her telling me, that she’s been bio-engineered into being a vampire hybrid. At that point, she proceeded to unceremoniously punch and kick the crap out of me, then there was that tunnel of light again.†“After I came to, I made a mocking comment about her being a girl, that’s when she turned into a Zoalord form, which she called ‘Griselda’, and when she used one of her bony, armored hair plates on me, you guessed it, there was that tunnel of light again. I decided not to press my luck next time I came to, and it was mutually agreed that it was best if I got my ass out of there as soon as I could.†“Well, at least you learned not to screw with them after the third time,†Nauhel noted. “Yeah, but he should’ve known not to screw around with Agito, or, even, Shizu. She may be a femme, and tiny, but she’s a hybrid, and a Zoalord before that, those powers being magnified since she became a hybrid,†I mentioned, almost as a chide towards Ricky. I knew here, and she’s probably the nicest person I knew, but I knew than when she was pushed, she could be hell in a dress and heels, though I guessed that, being in the woods, that it was probably more like hell in jeans and sneakers. She always struck me as being extremely strong and brave. “But now they’re after me, you gotta help me!†“Sadly, Ricky, they might not be after you out of a mere vendetta now. They probably think that you’re that ‘Slenderman’ creature, and possibly, some type of Zoanoid or other weird creature.†And I wasn’t even that far off—Ricky was kind of weird already. “Can I stay with you and Nauhel?†“That’s up to…†“Hell no!†I yelled out to Ricky before Nauhel could finish his statement. “Well, you have your answer,†Nauhel responded as he tried to hug me. He managed to put his arms around me and I was about to do the same when I noticed that Ricky was still there, pouting. “You can go all puppy dog on me to your heart’s content, but you’re not stayin’ here!†He still showed no sign of leaving even after I told him that. I felt that I had to take action against him, and I tried all peaceful means to send him away. And I knew that calling the cops wouldn’t get me far against this strange vampire hybrid. Nauhel and I let loose our embrace, and I started to dart upstairs. “Where you goin’?†Ricky asked. “I’m getting a shotgun!†I yelled. I was about to go to the bedroom to retrieve a shotgun, but, in that instance, I thought of something better than a firearm to use on him. I calmly walked back down the steps to a position where I was face to face with Ricky. “What are you doin’?!†“Something better than what a shotgun blast would do to you. Maybe Agito used something similar against you while you were in that tunnel of light.†I placed my hands close together, fingers curved gently towards each other. I began to concentrate a bit, and very quickly I felt energy welling up in my hands. I extended my arms outwards until the palms of my hands were pointing at Ricky, with an energy blast aimed right at him—exactly as for a Guyver’s pressure cannon, a gravity based energy blast that’s sort of like a worm hole that can blow big holes in an enemy. But my aim wasn’t to injure, at least seriously, but to get his ass out of my house. I fired off my pressure cannon blast, and Ricky went flying out of my front window. He landed in the thicket of trees across the street from my house. Nauhel then set to fixing the window, which only took us a few minutes. “Are you sure you didn’t hurt him?†he questioned. “No, but he won’t feel like getting up for a while. He deserved it on so many levels.†We returned inside and cleaned up, and we were about to sit down to our dinner which Nauhel and I helped finish. I took one last look out of the repaired window before I sat down, and I saw a brand new Infiniti G37 coupe park on a small access road near where Ricky was jettisoned out of my living room. A medium-height woman with waist length black hair and a much taller man with longish dark hair get out and walk into the forest. I knew who they were, and why they may’ve been there. I just hoped that Ricky wouldn’t be a smart-ass to them. Quote
*Chernaudi Posted May 24, 2014 Author Posted May 24, 2014 Final one for today, chapter 4, narrated by Shizu. Bio-Booster Armor Twilight Chapter 4—Explanations and a Revelation After being up for nearly thirty hours and being badly jet lagged, I was glad to be heading home. By home, I mean a house that my husband and I owned here in Forks, along with our permanent home in Colorado. We had purchased this property here so we had a vacation home and to allow me to volunteer at the hospital here. However, my husband and I weren’t in Forks just so I can volunteer at the hospital. I already sense that I’m getting ahead of myself, not even saying who I am or any other important formalities. I’m Shizu, a young woman with some quite “unconventional†abilities, you could say. More on those abilities later on. My husband Agito is a host for a Bio-Booster Armor unit, or Guyver unit, as it was often simply known. We used to lead an organization called “Zeus’ Thunderbolts†until the defeat of the Chronos Organization. I was transformed into a proto-Zoalord to command our army in the field and protect them from harm. Seeing our operatives getting hurt and killed, however, as well as the processing I myself went though, put a considerable emotional and physical strain on me. I was even estimated to only live for one to three years after being processed. By the time of the events that were occurring in Forks, however, I had become a human-vampire hybrid, or, dhampir, for a more “technical†term. This “change†happened a couple of years ago by that time, and I was fully able to use my abilities and powers by the time of the events in Volterra. My change into a hybrid allowed me to become immortal, enhanced my Zoalord powers—from a physical and psychic stand point—and will allow me to live a full life with those who I love who are still with me. That didn’t mean that I was entirely devoid of human tendencies, not at all. Agito and myself grouped up with Sho, his girlfriend Mizuki, and our friend Natsuki, to head to Forks to investigate the reports of an allegedly paranormal creature that was repeatedly sighted in the area. The word “paranormal†was synonymous with Forks, due to the vampire and vampire hybrid population near the town, as well as the La Push shape-shifters. The latter creatures had the ability to change from a human form into that of a giant wolf. In the past, Zoanoids were blamed for such sightings, which, of course, meant nothing now. Our plane trip, was uneventful, but seemed to take an eternity. I stayed up for the whole trip, while everyone slept, though, to be fair, Sho and Agito spent a fair bit of time awake. We had a one night sleep over in Seattle before we departed to Forks. Agito and myself had actually left for Forks that night to get set up for our visitors—though Natsuki was willing to try her luck with lodging in town. She said that she had a few things that she needed to do on her own. Agito and I had also decided to do a little preliminary investigation of our own. Natsuki had told us that there were some mysterious notes appearing on trees in the forest near town. Four our part, I had decided, with Agito, to initiate a counter “posting†of notes, to try and discourage this creature from doing any harm to anyone in the area. We had set out into the forest near our home to engage in our “activitiesâ€. It was from that point that things for me got “interestingâ€. I changed into a pair of sneakers instead of my dress flats, but aside from that I kept on my jeans, spaghetti strap top, and jacket that I had worn since flying out of Tokyo. The weather was definitely cool, but not too bad for me. One good point of being a hybrid was that I was definitely “warm-bloodedâ€. I had posted a few notes in the forest when I came upon a pile of what at first resembled aircraft wreckage. After a few moments, I realized that this was a storage area for aircraft parts—and that I had to be on Camel’s property. This was the only such facility in Forks, so I was able to at least determine my location based on that alone. I attached a note on one of the fence posts, and I made my way from there. After a few moments, I felt a presence near my in the forest. I was able to quickly discern as to what it was. It wasn’t a Zoanoid or Zoalord, a Guyver host, or a shape-shifter or normal vampire. It had to be a hybrid. However, it wasn’t Lia, Melinda, Jess, Camel, Renesmee, or anyone I knew as well as them. I did figure out quickly who it was, but not his purpose for being in the forest, let alone being near me. I continued to walk, not afraid of the entity that was seemingly following me, but keeping an eye out for its intentions. He then called out to me. “Hi, lil’ lady,†he said nonchalantly. I feigned ignorance, and continued walking. He called out for me again. This cycle of exchanges—or lack thereof in my case—continued until I finally replied to him. It was usually not in my nature to be rude, but I did hope that if I ignored this creature, he’d leave me alone. Unfortunately, I knew who he was, and who I was… “What do you want, Mr. Zamora?†I finally spoke out to Ricky. “Miz Shizu, why would you ask that of me?†“You’ve been following me around for the past several minutes,†I said, exasperated, “like you want to ask me a question that I can’t or won’t be able to answer.†“Well, where’s Melinda?†I knew that he was bound to ask a question that, as I told him, I couldn’t or wouldn’t answer. “You know that I’m not at liberty to tell you that, for Mel’s sake. I know what you did to her, and I don’t believe that it’s a good idea what so ever, for you to look for her.†“I need to talk to her.†“I don’t think so, and for sure I can tell you that she won’t appreciate the gesture. And I love Mel like a sister, so you won’t be getting any such answers to your questions from me.†I turned to walk away and return to home, my “mission†being accomplished, when Ricky grabbed my arm. I swiped his hand off my arm, and glared angrily directly into his face. “Leave me alone! I told you that I won’t give you the information you were requesting. And don’t think for one moment that you grabbing or accosting me will change that.†I started to walk away again. Then Ricky, the disgusting rat that he was, decided to touch my hair as I turned away from him. This was one of few times I even slightly regretted having such long hair, which was waist length and styled in a traditional Japanese style. He wasn’t pulling it, but him still touching it was none the less annoying and irritated me, especially as I held him to not be a friend in any way. “Don’t touch me like that, ever again! You do, you may forfeit your life and limb!†“Miz Shizu…†“I told you to leave me alone!†He grabbed for me again. I grabbed his arm, and I slapped him. I didn’t really want to, but he left me little choice in the matter. “I told you to leave me alone and stop accosting me! Can’t you take no for an answer?! What’s your freakin’ problem! I’m not gonna tell you where Melinda is, and you antagonizing me like this isn’t gonna do you any favors!â€. “Antagonizing you?†“You are harassing me! Following me around, grabbing for me after I insisted that you leave me alone. Yeah, you’re antagonizing me. It’s annoying, and I want you to leave me alone—and leave others who may come into your vicinity, for that matter. That means Melinda, too.†“What do you intend to do if I don’t do any of what you said? C’mon, take me to Mel if you know where she is.†I had more than enough of Ricky’s antics. Does this damned fool even know the meaning of the word “noâ€? It had become time for me to really stand my ground, hoping that he’d listen to that. “I will not!â€, I told him, with no ambiguity or hesitation, whilst looking him dead in his eyes. “Huh?†“I won’t tell you where Melinda is, and I won’t lead you to her or any such thing. You’re out of luck as far as I’m concerned, and if you’re so damned desperate to find her, look for her yourself!†“Fine then, l’il girl, have it your way, but you have never seen power like mine!†Yeah, right, I thought to myself. Agito is a Guyver unit host, and so is Sho, and there’s Aptom with his unique powers. And then there’s hybrids like Mel, Jess, Renesmee and Lia, and vampires like the Cullens. And on top of that, there’s Camel and all of his abilities. Ricky started to transform into this awkward, strange Zoanoid-like creature. Tall, muscular, horned, but still looking vaguely humanoid. So he seemed to be sort of like Camel, but I doubted, based on my power readings, that he’d be anywhere near as powerful. I was able to easily block a punch he threw at me just by grabbing his fist before he could strike me, confirming my findings. He strained to try and overcome my holding him back, without success. “Do you really wanna push your luck with me?†I asked. When he threw another punch at me, I ducked his blow and threw him to the ground by grabbing his arm. “’You have never seen power like mine!’, you said!†I yelled at him. “I’ve been around things more powerful than you have claimed that you are. If anything, you haven’t seen power like mine! On top of formerly being a proto-Zoalord, I’ve been bio-engineered into being a vampire hybrid, which has enhanced those powers, some of which I can access even in my human form.†Again, it seemed that Zamora failed to take my advice, and he got up and charged at me. Hence, I used my hair, like in my Zoaform, as a weapon against him—thus turning him into half the man he used to be, literally, by cutting him in two. “Are you gonna take my advice now? I warned you against fighting with me. It’s a useless battle, one that I would rather not waste my time by participating.†“Shizu, what can’t you just help me with Melinda?†“Because Melinda is still angry at you for ditching her on her wedding day like you did. You think that she’ll be quick to forgive you? It may’ve been years now since that day, but such wounds do heal quickly. I still mourn my grandfather and all of those who died under my and Agito’s command.†The stern expression on my face softened, and became more sad and frustrated than angry and enraged. “You can’t just hope that she’ll be quick to forgive. I’ve never forgiven Chronos for my grandfather’s death, and Chronos is long gone now. I don’t think that Melinda’s ready to see you yet, and I refuse to do anything that might hurt her.†Ricky then started to merge his bisected body back together, as he said to me, “You don’t understand…†My anger level started to boil up again. “Oh, I think I do!â€, rage starting to ring back into my voice. “You couldn’t have disclosed your issues to her before your wedding day. And why didn’t you manage to come up with an understandable explanation, or ask for the wedding to be postponed?†I was angered and frustrated to such a degree that my eyes started to tear up. “I’ve tried to explain to her, but she won’t listen to me. I keep calling her, but she never returns my calls.†“Then, you shouldn’t have blown your best chance to at least save something between the two of you. Why can’t you accept that you’re liable for what you did and let the woman have a bit of peace, now that she’s married and truly happy for the first time in years?†I took a breath, the tears welled up in my eyes, I balled my hands into tight fists. I had reached my limit. “Your persistence frustrates and annoys me. Seek out Melinda if you want, but know that you won’t be getting any help from me, and whatever happens to you, happens. But you doing what you’re doing now, and me knowing what heartache you put one of my best friends though, just makes me…want to scream!†“No, Miz Shizu, don’t†It was too late for him. I let out an angry, frustrated, tearful scream. Almost literally a second later, I felt a presence near me, approaching rapidly. It wasn’t a Guyver, so that ruled out Agito or Sho. I was whisked up into the arms of this creature, who I quickly found out who it was. “Camel!†I exclaimed, surprised. “What are you doing here?!†“I heard you scream,†he replied as he lowered me onto my feet, and started to wipe the tears off my cheeks with one of his tentacles—bizarre, I know, but I felt comforted by its touch. “You hurt?†“No, Camel, but I’m as frustrated as hell. I ran into Mel’s deplorable ex-fiancé, Ricky Zamora.†I noticed an intrigued look emerge on Camel’s face has he held me in a secure embrace. “What?†“Zamora, as in First Lieutenant Ricky Zamora? He served with me in Kosovo and Afghanistan. He may’ve been a great officer, but he damn sure ain’t no gentleman.†Camel then looked up, and I turned my head to see what he was looking at. Ricky was walking towards us. Why he didn’t learn his lesson the first time I fought with him, was beyond me. “Don’t even think of playing dumb with me, Ricky. I know who you are!. What the hell do you want with Shizu?!†“I saw her in the forest posting signs, and I knew that she was a friend of Melinda’s, and I hoped that she could help me with finding her.†“Ricky, you should know that Melinda doesn’t hold you in any high esteem whatsoever, and that Shizu is her friend, and she won’t give you any help. And on top of that, you’ve upset Shi.†“Shi†being the nickname he gave me after we met. “That doesn’t sit well with me,†Camel continued. Camel then walked towards Ricky, as I stood behind him. I obviously knew of the intent that Camel had for him. “Did Shizu fight you?†“Yeah.†“I believe that you threw the first punch. I don’t believe that was a smart move.†I heard Camel’s voice lighten into an almost amused tone. “She might be only five-foot-four-inches tall, but I sense that she pretty much kicked your ass. But even with that, you still antagonized and pestered her. Just for what you did to Melinda, I ought to kill you, but instead, I think that I’ll try and teach you a lesson, you stinking, friggin’ rat!†As Camel said that, I saw him extend his blades on one of his arms, and generate the his hair blades—and I knew where he got those from, by the way—and he proceeded to slice and dice Ricky like he was making stir-fry. “Okay, Shi, Ricky won’t be bothering you anytime very soon. Let’s go and find Agito.†I hopped up on Camel’s back and he carried me to the edge of the forest. We saw Agito, in his Guyver armor, in a pasture, and he was trying to look for me. “Shizu, where are you? I know that you can protect yourself, but, please, give me a sign that you’re not in peril.†Camel then walked out into the pasture with me, while telling Agito, “Relax, Makishima-san. Shi’s safe.†I pulled myself further up on his back, so I can peek over his shoulder. He put me down on my own two feet so I can walk over to Agito. “Agito, we met who I suspect has been posting the notes in the forest that Natsuki referred to,†I told him as we embraced each other lightly. “Your old ‘friend’, and ‘mine’, Ricky Zamora,†Camel confirmed. “Zamora,†Agito said, as we let go so he could transform out of his armor. “I remember him from some dealings in Volterra. He, if I remember correctly, was associated with those people who tried to nail bomb you in Volterra.†“Sort of, Agito,†Camel responded. “He actually tried to interfere with their plans, but he didn’t totally succeed. As I told Shizu, he may’ve been a great Army officer, but he’s damn sure not a gentleman, and he’s not too friggin’ bright, either.†By then, Camel had phased back into his human form—and thankfully, in his case, he always was able to phase back and keep his clothes. It was late, as in about 3:00 in the morning, so Camel decided to return home, and we decided that it was wise to do the same. “I hope that Lia hasn’t woken up and is wondering where I’m at. Have yourselves a good night.†“Night, Camel,†I said as Agito and I put an arm around each other and walked back to our car and drove home. Once there, Agito was able to go straight to sleep, but, after changing into a sleeping gown, I continued to stay up. I wasn’t anxious, or scared, or stressed. I just couldn’t put myself in the mood to sleep. Between sitting on the couch, reading, watching crappy late night TV (mostly infomercials), I wasn’t able to sleep, even after laying down on the couch. I decided to stay there to keep from waking Agito up. This brought me to the following day. Despite still not having much in the way of sleep since my trip began, I decided to go with Mizuki and visit with Lia and Camel while Sho and Agito looked for Zamora. Their recreation area in their basement seemed to have everything one could think of to keep two young women busy. There were all kinds of arts and crafts stuff there, including some stuff that Lia was working on. She enjoyed modifying dresses, jeans, tops, and other clothing to suit her. There was also an Xbox 360 Kinect and a Wii down there. Video games weren’t really my thing, but I thought that if Mizuki and I could keep moving around, we’d be able to stay up for longer—knowing that Sho would go out looking for what something that at the time she couldn’t comprehend, she didn’t get much sleep either. Unfortunately, the plan failed, to put it short. We lasted only about a half hour with the Wii. Mizuki passed out first, and I sat down next to her, to be awakened from a near-sleep like state to hear Camel talking to Natsuki, Bella and Edward about the latter three going into the woods to find some evidence of the strange occurrences that had been happening. I didn’t know exactly all that had been said, though I was glad from what I’ve heard that my name wasn’t brought up. I didn’t want Natsuki to know yet that Agito and myself had been doing our own little “investigationâ€. I finally passed out—well, sort of—a few minutes later. After Natsuki and her party returned, I came out of my somewhat comatose state, and Mizuki also woke up. “I’m as tired as hell,†she told me. “I’m not much better off myself. Maybe we should go upstairs, to at least let Lia and Camel know that we’re tire, but okay.†Before I went up with Mizuki, I took my shoes off. They were a new pair of short heeled swing back pumps that I bought because they went well with my dress and cardigan. However, being new, they didn’t feel right, not being broken in—and my feet were killing me! Yes, even vampire hybrids can have trouble with new or ill-fitting clothing. We managed to find ourselves at the door of Lia and Camel’s bedroom, and I knocked. We were invited in, in spite of the fact that Camel and Lia were trying to share an intimate moment, and they were nonetheless hospitable, though Lia was to the point about our appearance. “You girls look like hell,†she confessed to us. Mizuki stated the simple fact that she’d “been up since we got here, and that was almost a full day ago.†“I’ve been up for nearly 30 hours myself,†I added. At that instance, Mizuki and I collapsed onto their bed, and fell fast asleep. It seemed that Camel, too, had caught the sleeping bug, and he went to sleep himself. That left only Lia awake, and she took the opportunity to dye her hair, get her nails done, and call Melinda. She told us that’s what she was up to while we slept, and I sensed that she was doing those things as well. Though I was asleep, my senses still “recorded†what went on around me to a degree. I was awoken a couple of hours later by a gentle nudge of my shoulder. I started to come to, seeing that Mizuki was no longer next to me, and sensing that Agito was trying to rouse me from my sleep. Mizuki was standing next to Sho, trying to fight off sleeping again, while I stood up next to Agito, trying to do the same, while Camel and Lia sat on their bed. After we talked about what they had found and my experience from the previous night, we parted ways for the time being, though we knew that we’d be meeting again soon. I climbed into the passenger seat of our Infiniti coupe and I was about to pass out, but I wanted to stay up until we got home. So, Agito tried to keep me talking. “How did everything go with Lia and Camel?†“Fine, I guess. Mizuki and I passed out fairly quickly when we played on their Wii. We lasted only about a half hour before we shut it off and passed out on the loveseat.†“That’s all you two managed to do while you were there?†“Aside from making our way to Camel and Lia’s room and passing out there, yeah, that’s all we did.†“Fukamachi and I decided that it would be best that you two were there for that time being. Since Mizuki is a human in a town of supernatural creatures that she’s by and large unfamiliar with, and you two being tired. I didn’t want Sho to worry about you two.†“I understand. At least Lia and Camel have a nice bed…†That got a bit of a laugh out of my husband. Things quieted down from there, that was until we drove by Melinda’s house. I noticed that the front window had been blown out, and Agito saw that the shrubbery next to the road on his side was disturbed. We decided to pull over and take a look, and what we would find didn’t surprise either of us. “Ricky, didn’t I tell you that visiting Melinda wasn’t such a good idea?†I asked reproachfully. “You should’ve taken my wife’s advice, Zamora. Would’ve saved Melinda from kickin’ your ass.†“I wanted to apologize to her,†Zamora squeaked out. “And didn’t I try to tell you that she doesn’t want to hear anything of the like from you?†I questioned. “I thought that she’d be ready, Miz Shizu.†“You thought wrong. Melinda isn’t gonna forgive you anytime soon for what you did to her,†Agito opined. “I agree with Agito-sama,†I added. “Though, I don’t think that we have to say it. The evidence of the wisdom of our advice is all around you now.†Ricky then attempted to get up to confront us, as if he was placing the blame for what had happened on us—not a smart move. “You two got me into this mess!†“How?!†I asked, insulted. “We’re the ones who told you to lay off of her. We also told you that she’d might react badly to your intrusion.†“That’s exactly what Shizu said, and you pressed the issue anyways, and now, you’re paying for it, just like how you’re gonna pay for sassing my wife like that! Bio-Boost!†Agito then transformed into his Guyver armor as Ricky transformed into his battle form. They were about to go at it when I informed them “I’ll be behind this bush for a moment.†I had a card up my sleeve, just for Zamora. “Why the hell is Miz Shizu going behind that bush. She gotta pee that badly? Have I scared her?†Agito fired back, saying, “oh, from what I heard, it was she who nearly made you piss yourself!†“Agito, we all know that as a hybrid, I’m a superior battle from against a Guyver or Zoalord, let alone any ‘lesser’ creature. I’ve had enough of this parley, let’s just see what’s what!†“Silence!†I yelled from behind the bush that I went behind. I jumped out from behind it and between Agito and Ricky. “I merely went behind the bush to remove my clothes before I converted myself into my Zoaform, as Griselda, as you also know me.†I hadn’t yet experimented with my transforming as far as doing while clothed. I know that Camel had that ability, but I’ve never tried it myself to that point. “Agito, allow me to teach Mr. Zamora a lesson.†“Happily, Shizu.†“Now, you will experience the full power of my Zoaform. I have only one major weapon based attack that I usually use, but it’s devastating to something like you. Have a taste, you vile, stinking desertionist!†I started to spin myself around, and I deployed my hair blades, and I proceeded to slice and dice Zamora—knowing that he’d reform, but my aim wasn’t to kill or permanently injure, just to hurt and humiliate him enough to add to what Melinda did to him. Just for the hell he put her though, he was deserving of what I was doing to him, or anything that Agito would’ve done if I hadn’t chosen to be the one to teach him a “lessonâ€. Of course, my “lesson†came at a bit of a price for myself, too. I went behind the bush to change back into my clothes, and I no more than got completely dressed and slipped my shoes back on, and I passed out. That was the penalty for me using my power, after having so little sleep over the past couple of days. I awoke a couple of hours later in my bed, with Agito sitting right next to me. “Feeling better?†he asked. “Yeah, but I’ve been thinking about some things while I was asleep. I wanna go to the beach to have some time to myself.†“You sure that you want to do that, and go all by yourself? You must’ve been thinking about some serious stuff.†“Well, one of them isn’t so serious. It’s about my phasing—I wonder if I can keep my clothes on like Camel does, you know? When I’m wearing normal clothes, as opposed to my battle robe?†By battle robe, I meant the robe like coat that I used to wear when I expected to change into my Zoaform. Wearing the dress I had been wearing all day, I phased into my battle form, and phased back. Like with Sho and Agito when they transform into their Guyver armor, and like Camel when he phased, I retained my clothes, in their original form. Yay! No more worries about post battle embarrassment! “Okay, now that I figured that out, I’m gonna go to the beach now, to think over the other things that are on my mind.†Agito seemed to sense what I was going on about. “Zamora?†“Yeah,†I replied, “I know why here’s here as far as being here with trying to ‘patch things up’ with Melinda. But he seemed to be asking us for our help earlier, he was tailing me in the forest, like he wanted something, and I suspect that he was asking Mel for help.†“Help from what?†“I hypothesize that he told her that he needed help from us, but I suspect that it was a veil for something else. But I don’t know what…†“Shizu, relax. Don’t agonize over this too much. Go to the beach if you think it’ll clear your head. I’ll be here when you get back, and maybe I’ll take you out somewhere so you won’t have to worry about dinner. What do you say?†“Sounds good, Agito. I just need a little time to myself right now.†I changed out of my original dress and into a bikini over which I put on a loose, robe or slip-like dress, and flip flops instead of my sling backs—I was going to a beach, after all. I only looked in a mirror on my way out to check my hair and dress. I then threw an actual beach robe over myself to give me a layer against the ocean chill. It wasn’t insanely cold, but there was a slight chill being brought in from the ocean that was making its way inland. I got into my Ford Fiesta—the Infiniti, thought my car (Agito’s being his Maserati Quattroporte), was more for long trips or to have fun. The Fiesta was for short trips or to pick up stuff, as well as the Audi A4 Allroad I also owned. Aside from stopping at a convenience store to get some snacks and a bottle of water on my way to La Push, I made no stops, being eager to have some time to think to myself. After arriving at the beach at La Push, I got out of my car, and I started to walk down the seemingly deserted beach, thinking to myself about Zamora and his cryptic approaches to me. He seemed to be acting as if someone was after him, or he was avoiding something unpleasant. However, I couldn’t think of anything more unpleasant for him to do than to confront Melinda, his ex, someone who he so hurt and angered. I loved her like a sister, so I could understand why she would act the way that she did towards him. I’ve also found him to be extremely annoying and kind of rude in my own dealings with him. If he wanted help, he was certainly going about it the wrong way in my opinion. But aside from that, I couldn’t figure out a damn thing about him. The beach seemingly being so deserted did lead me to direct my attention to a lone person laying there. I quickly recognized her from her hairstyle. “Hi, Natsuki!†I yelled as I waved at her. She waved back to me, saying “Hi, Shizu. What are you doin’ out here?†Natsuki was wearing the same jacket, T-shirt, and sneakers as earlier, and we was wearing a beach towel around her jean shorts like a bikini wrap, trying to keep herself a bit insulated from the onshore chill. I didn’t expect her to be out here. At least I might have someone to talk to about who might know about Ricky, given her background with the supernatural world. “I’m just walkin’ around, thinking about stuff,†I informed her as I sat down next to her. “Have you found out anything about Mr. Zamora?†“Lia and Camel talked about him with me after I got back to his house with Bella and Edward. Other than what they’ve told me, I didn’t find out too much myself. I think that I’ll be needing Tetsuro’s help once he gets here.†“Well, Nats, I might be of some help,†I said, a bit of an exasperated tone in my voice. “Something wrong, Shizu?†“With me, no. But I need to talk to you about something. I ran into Zamora last night!†A strange look came onto Natsuki’s face, being a mixture of concern and wonder. “Don’t worry, nothing happened to me. But I can tell you that he’s probably responsible for most of the sightings of that so-called ‘Slenderman’ creature,†I told her. She seemed to relax, but she still was intrigued by my info. “Well, that does open things up a bit. But what happened when you ran into him?†I was asked. “He kept following me and he was accosting me. It was annoying for sure, to be honest.†“Uummhh,†Natsuki uttered as she made an angry, pouting expression at me. “Something wrong?†I asked. “No, but I do have something to add,†she responded, her expression changing little. “Some guy was following me and making gaga eyes at me. He seemed to be following me around, almost like he wanted to ask me out on a date!†“He did the exact same thing to me!†I confirmed. “He followed me around like that. However, I don’t think he wanted a ‘date’, so to speak. He really wanted something, but I don’t know what. I know that he was asking me about Melinda, his ex, but he wanted something other than that, but I can’t figure out what†“I know what you mean. He didn’t seem to be wanting to ‘hook up’ with me, but it was almost like he wanted to ask me something important. He didn’t say anything about Melinda to me, though. What’d you do with him?†“I fought with him after he kept grabbing at me. I screamed out of frustration, and Camel showed up, carried me away until Ricky caught up with us, and he phased and shredded him. Today, when he was giving me crap after Melinda pressure cannoned him out her living room window, I sliced him up after I phased into my battle form. I doubt he learned his lesson, though.†Natsuki let out a giggle, stuck out her tongue at me, and then said, “I know what you mean. He grabbed at my arm when I turned away from him, and I slapped him and told him to go away, I then punched him and stomped on his foot. He finally left me alone when I told him I was friends with you, Agito, Sho, and Camel and Lia.†We proceeded to talk and joke about random stuff for a few minutes, when I noticed Bella walking alone a couple of hundred yards away from us. We waited until she was within a distance were we could get her attention with a “Hi, Bella†that was only a decibel or two louder than a normal talking voice. She was, as we had come to expect of her, wearing sneakers, jeans and a sweatshirt. “Hey, girls, what are you out here?†“I just came out to look at the surroundings, and Shizu just wanted to think about a few things until she saw me,†Natsuki answered. “Oh, I suspect that she’s been thinking about Ricky Zamora?†“Yeah, Bella,†I retorted. “Melinda call you about him—she’s gonna need a new front window now.†Bella replied, exasperated, “yeah, she called me. The window’s fixed now, by the way.†I then noticed something about Bella that struck me as peculiar. It was something that I wondered if anyone else noticed. “Bella, touch my hand. I wanna see something.†Bella put her hand in mine, and she felt nearly as warm as I did, but her skin felt as strong and durable as mine. Knowing what I had become, what Lia, Camel, Mel, Jess and Renesmee were, my suspicions were seemingly confirmed. “Are you a hybrid now?†“I have to say that it seems to be true,†Bella commented. “Does anyone else know? Edward? Nessie?†I asked, concerned. “Yeah. But I can’t tell you how this has come to be.†“I think that I might have an explanation that makes sense,†Natsuki interjected. “Nessie is a hybrid, right? Maybe, because you have such a motherly connection to her, maybe you’re being converted into a vampire hybrid for some reason, maybe to relate to her, or, since you’re such a unique case, to be able to have the ‘best of both worlds’, ya’ know…?†I didn’t have the best of knowledge of vampires, and I was only a vampire hybrid as a result of being bio-engineered into such, but Natsuki’s explanation seemed plausible. “That seems to be a good explanation, Natsuki. Only problem is that Bella’s a unique case—she the only person known to have survived a birth of a hybrid that was conceived in her womb.†“I agree with that,†Natsuki replied. “If she wasn’t a unique case, and something like this has happened to someone else, we’d know exactly what’s happening.†“Either way, I hope that I’m not becoming human again. But if Shizu can be bio-engineered into a hybrid, then I guess that about anything is possible. I gotta go for now. Edward and Nessie are waiting for me at the other end of the beach.†“Okay, Bella, we’ll see you later,†I told her as the left to rejoin her family. “You do suppose that could be what’s happening?†I asked Natsuki. “Could be. As I said, if she wasn’t such a unique case, I could say something more conclusive.†“Maybe I can figure something out. Not to sound overbearing, but my mind is ‘wired’ to think faster and work though more info than even yours is.†“Not at all—that’s just part of being a hybrid.†“I do wish that we could’ve given her more of an answer. Hopefully that will come in due time, and it’ll be good news.†“I agree. But even if she becomes a hybrid, she’ll be pretty much immortal—Lia, Camel, Melinda and the rest have proven to be as such.†“True enough. Maybe if she starts to become clumsy, and she’s not acting, she’ll be human, huh, not that I want that.†“Well,†Natsuki started to say, “I ought to be headed back to the inn. It’s starting to really cool off.†“Yeah, Agito promised to take me out to dinner, so I should be headed home myself. Bye, Nats,†I said as I gave her a hug, which she returned. “Bye, Shizu. I’ll be seein’ you around.†“Just remember, if you need a place to stay, we have a room for you at our house.†“That’s nice of you. I’ll consider it. Good bye.†At least for me, this oddesy was about to end on a positive note. If only longer term I could’ve said the same for Bella. I hoped that if anyone else knows about this, that they were taking it well, and that they might have had more and better answers than I did. Quote
*Chernaudi Posted May 27, 2014 Author Posted May 27, 2014 I don't really know, but I do know he doesn't really play a part in this story. I'm mostly writing this story for fun anyways, because I've wondered how Guyver and Twilight characters would do in fights and having characters like different vampire hybrids that have mixed attributes. Quote
*Chernaudi Posted May 27, 2014 Author Posted May 27, 2014 I might post 1-2 more chapters later today or tonight, including possibly one where Natsuki shows that she likes "feminine" things Quote
*Chernaudi Posted May 31, 2014 Author Posted May 31, 2014 Finally, new chapter, Bella's POV: Chapter 5—Where to Now? Have you ever though that you had things figured out, only to be thrown a curveball? That’s what happened to me after I talked with Shizu and Natsuki at the beach at La Push. Actually, even before that, I was starting to feel “oddâ€. However, they hit the nail on the head about me being a hybrid. Or was I becoming a hybrid? Was I reverting back to being a human? I was hoping that the coming days would help give me answers. The morning following that beach meeting, I was sitting with Edward at the table in the kitchen, drinking a glass of blood. It was then I started to think of something that I had started, to a small degree, to think about recently: food. Human food. I still enjoyed drinking blood and I got nourishment from it, but I wanted to try human food again. While I was thinking about this to myself—unbeknownst to Edward, because of my shield—I heard the doorbell ring. I got up to answer it, and I found Shizu standing on the front steps of our cottage. I wondered why she would be here, at this time of the morning. The thought of her asking me and Edward to lead her into the woods for evidence of the goings on entered my mind. However, Shizu’s attire of a dark indigo sweater, black jeans and dress flats instantly suggested to me that wasn’t her intention. “Hi, Bella.†Shizu addressed me. “Sorry I didn’t call to let you and Edward know that I’d be showing up. I hope that I’m not disturbing you.†“No, not at all. You’re welcome in.†Shizu calmly walked in, giving no indication that anything was wrong, and she sat in the recliner near the love seat in front of the TV in the living room. Edward came into the room as well. “Hi, Shizu,†Edward introduced himself. “It’s been a long time since Volterra. It seems unusual, though, that you’d be here at this time.†“Something wrong?†I asked. “No, not really,†Shizu answered. “I was just thinking of the talk that we had yesterday at the beach. Edward, you know about Bella, don’t you?†“Yes, and I’m about as confused as anyone as to why she seems to be no longer a full-vampire.†“So you talked about it?†“Yes, Shizu. We’re not really sure about why it’s happening.†“Natsuki and Shizu have some interesting theories, but nothing concrete,†I noted. Just then, Shizu’s phone rang, and I sensed that it may be Natsuki calling her. “Hi. What’s goin’ on Nats.†That confirmed my suspicion. “Yeah, Bella and Edward are here. I don’t think that they’ll have a problem with you coming over. You’ll be comin’ with Lia and Camel? That’ll be okay, I guess. They might be able to add to the conversation. Okay. I’ll see you soon, sis. Bye.†“So Natsuki will be over with Lia and Camel?†Edward asked. “I suspected that Natsuki would be coming over,†I chimed in. “She has experience with supernatural beings, though she’s fairly new to vampires and shape shifters.†Shizu then added, “Yeah, they’ll be over in a few minutes. I ventured into the kitchen for a few moments, but I still listened in to her and Edward’s conversation. “I can’t exactly say why Bella is in her ‘hybrid’ state. I was only bio-engineered into being a vampire hybrid to extend my life, which was shortened by me becoming a psudo-Zoalord.†“Why would you do that?†Edward asked. “Agito needed someone to lead our army of Libertus Hyper-Zoanoids, and I willingly volunteered, because, like him, I lost a loved one—my grandfather—to the actions of the now long gone Chronos Corporation. Of course, becoming a hybrid has made me virtually immortal—even more so than Agito, who is a Guyver unit host. It also much enhanced my Zoalord powers, and even some abilities that I can use in my human form.†“So you’re unique, like my wife?†“You can say that, I suppose. However, I fear that my own experiences might be of little help to you and Bella. But I’ll offer my help in any way I can.†I reentered the room to find that Shizu had slipped off her flats and was sitting with her legs akimbo, her knees tucked under her chin. I offered Edward a cup of blood, and Shizu a cup of coffee. “Thank you,†she replied to me in a kind, gentle, almost angelic voice. “Blood would’ve been better, to be honest, but any beverage would suit me well at this moment.†She smiled and winked at me, almost as if she was lightly reminding me that she was a hybrid. Shizu continued to talk after a brief pause. “I know that this is probably gonna sound random, but there’s gonna be an extra guest when Lia and Camel get here. Mizuki will be with them. I wasn’t told this, but I have a feeling that she had to go with them because Sho decided that he had to go with Agito on short notice.†“They have Mizuki with them and they haven’t called you yet?†I noted. “You know this…?†Shizu gently nodded, with a tight lipped smile on her face, signaling that she knew this by sensing it telepathically. “I can sense these things, being a friend of hers. It also works for foes and acquaintances, too.†She then turned her face towards the window, signaling that we should also take a peek. Natsuki’s Toyota and Camel’s Audi S6 were parked in our driveway, and everyone Shizu suggested would be coming out walked up our drive. I opened the front door and invited them in, and lead them into the living room. “Well, I guess we all sorta know why we’re here right now?†Camel asked rhetorically. “Yeah,†Natsuki started to state, “Shizu and I suspect that Bella’s a hybrid, but we can’t figure out why.†“Another mystery for you and Tetsuro to figure out when he gets here?†Lia rhetorically stated. “To be honest, Camel and myself, being born hybrids, we’ve felt the changes that Bella have gone through. But, us to, are at a loss for a good explanation.†“I think that Nessie coming of age and Bella surviving her birth is a possible explanation,†Natsuki said. “Of course, not being a hybrid, I can’t do anything aside from make a guess. I think from being around Camel and talking to him and Lia, Mel and Jess about hybrids that I know quite a bit, but you’re a pretty unique case.†I noticed that Mizuki was sitting very close to Shizu, almost as if she was seeking her protection from something. “Miz, you have nothing to fear,†Shizu explained to her, holding her hands. “You’ve been around me, Lia, Camel, Mel and Jess. Bella and Edward are no different as far as their abstinence from human blood. They’ll be her to protect you, like Sho, Lia, Camel and the others.†That seemed to calm her down, to the point where she asked, “You aren’t like ‘normal’ vampires?†“No, Mizuki,†I stated. “We don’t drink human blood—unless it’s old, expired blood bags from a blood bank.†Edward added, “We value human life, we revere it. We don’t believe in killing just to feed ourselves.†“Besides, ‘regular’ vampires suck,†Camel chimed in. Ohhh boy, I thought, here we go… “Vampires like the Cullens don’t have the weaknesses that ‘traditional’ vampires have. You can’t stake them though the heart, you can’t kill them by decapitating them, sunlight, holy water, or running water doesn’t do a damn thing to them. Crosses don’t bother them, they don’t sleep in caskets or have any need to take a friggin’ casket filled with dirt wherever they go. And then here’s the kicker: you can defeat a vampire, by leaving them outside, because they have to be invited in to enter one’s home! With all of that, screw havin’ a casket full of dirt, may as well be filled with bullcrap!†“Camel,†Natsuki chimed in, “I think that we’re all aware that these vampires aren’t effected by normal means to stop vampires. Propaganda touted about by the Volturi that they had to own up to propagating when they started to loosen their grip on the vampire world.†“Well, Nats, at least the Volturi and other vampires that have emulated their lifestyle also know that they’re vulnerable to Guyvers, too,†Camel stated. “Even basic Guyvers can devastate them. Years of such a reclusive, sedentary lifestyle didn’t help them in their HQ when Guyver I was regenerated in there, and when Melinda, myself, Agito and Shizu went in to get him out of there.†“Yeah,†Shizu started to say, “and they were helpless when you attacked Aro and Caius. Sho and I had to stop you from destroying them.†“True enough,†Lia said, venturing to speak for the first time in that part of the conversation. “We’re not ‘weak’ like the ‘normal’ vampires. Shizu has shown that, and she’s an ‘engineered’ hybrid.†“Us hybrids and vampires like the Cullens may give anything short of a Guyver Gigantic Exceed a run for their money, but those like the Volturi don’t stand a chance against us in a fight now, or against a normal Guyver, as has been said,†stated a new voice into the conversation. We all turned to see that Mel and Jess also showed up. “Hi, everyone,†Melinda said. “Sorry for the unconventional introduction, but you should expect the unexpected from me and Jess.†Jess added, “We saw that everyone was here, so we thought that we’d drop by and see what’s goin’ on. Sorry for showing up uninvited.†“No problem,†I told them. “We had actually hoped that you might show up. We’re just talking about me becoming a ‘hybrid’.†“I had suspected that,†Mel replied. “Anyone have any theories?†“Natsuki and I thought that with Nessie being grown up now and the unique situation involving Bella becoming a vampire after her birth could have something to do with it,†Shizu opined. “That could be, but I sort of don’t want to make too many guesses,†Jess said. “And that’s from the ‘magical girl’. But even with that, I don’t have an explanation. No magic tricks here. Sorry guys.†Jess seemed to be wishing that it was her doing that I was a hybrid, so she could at least explain it, and she seemed to be genuinely sorry that I was in my state. “I wouldn’t feel too sorry for Bella, Jess, provided that she permanently becomes a hybrid,†Camel said. “Camel, you might actually be onto something,†Lia responded. “Bella, are you still venomous?†“Yeah. I still produce venom like I did before.†“And are you wearing contacts?†“No.†“Let’s go in for a closer look,†Lia said, as everyone closed in around me to look at the irises in my eyes. “They’re brown, like they were when she was a human—but with a difference.†Lia pointed out. “Yeah, there’s a topaz ring around them,†Shizu noted. “I suppose that the rings probably change colors in tune with her diet and thrist/hunger state,†Camel added. Natsuki then stated, “Yeah, that can be the case. If I remember, it’s topaz for animal blood, red for human blood, black for blood starved, and, in this case, maybe brown or some other color if she eats human food.†“That might make for an interesting experiment,†Edward said. “That might go some way, at least, to letting us know if Bella is becoming a hybrid.†“Anything to help me figure any of this out,†I said with no objections. Renesmee and Jacob came in, and after we all informed them of what we had been talking about, they had a bit of an announcement, but not before they voiced their concerns for about me. “I don’t know what that means, mom,†Nessie vocalized. “Maybe it means that you’re becoming human, or becoming a hybrid to maybe blend in a bit more into the world?†“I can’t tell you, Nessie,†I responded. “Maybe you could be becoming a shape-shifter?†Jacob opined. “Not likely, Jake,†I said. “And be glad that you didn’t say that around Rosalie.†Natuski then joined in. “I sense that Rosalie doesn’t like shape-shifters like Jacob—or is it just Jacob?†“She’s not insanely fond of Jacob,†Nessie replied. “It’s mostly because he imprinted on me and some of the things he did when he was younger.†“Oh, I can relate to that,†Mizuki interjected. Shizu added, “I think we all can, even me.†“Well, I hope that mom’s gonna be okay…†Nessie said, visibly depressed. “I hope the same too, Nessie. Not only for you, but my friends and the rest of my family. Didn’t you have something else you wanted to say?†“Oh,†Renesmee started to say, in a happier mood. “There’s gonna be a party that Alice and Rosalie are helping me plan this weekend. All of you are invited to come. Even our guests from Japan.†“That’s nice, Nessie,†Shizu stated, “the only problem is what Agito and Sho will be doing this weekend. Hopefully we’ll be free.†Natsuki then entered in the conversation, saying, “A party will be a nice change of pace compared to the past few days. But is it formal? I didn’t really bring any ‘girly’ clothes with me from Japan.†I could tell there—and I already knew from previous meetings with her—that Natsuki was a bit of a tomboy. She was a bit more into fashion and clothing than I was, especially before Alice became my sister in law. At the same time, though, she was a bit of a tomboy, in that she liked going outside, playing sports, and her chin length bobbed haircut. She was definently a T-shirt and jeans type of girl quite a bit of a time, in spite of being a pretty chic young woman when she wanted to be. “It’s not really formal, per se, but you might want to get some nice, fashionable clothes. That’s what I’d advise for everyone, except for Lia and Camel, who I expect will do their own thing anyways,†Nessie noted. “Their own thing?†Natsuki asked. “I wear stuff like you’ve often seen me wear as far as goth-loli or punk rock clothes, or like what I’m wearing now,†Lia replied, referring to her black slacks, tank top, jacket and sneakers. “And then there’s Camel, who usually wears like a T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, or sweaters or sweat shirts.†“At least I’m not gonna show up wearing what I wear to bed—you know, sweats,†Camel added. “If you need a dress or something,†Shizu said, “you can find Rosalie Hale. She’s Nessie’s aunt and Bella’s sister in law. She can get you something that you’ll like, considering that I’ve bought stuff off her.†“Or you can come by my place sometime before Saturday,†Melinda chimed in. “However, most of my stuff leans more towards the formal. It is, after all, a wedding boutique.†“All right, I’ll try and find something chic and fashionable for this party other than jeans and a sweatshirt,†Natsuki exclaimed. “I do have to confess that the most fashionable things that I have with me is a tank top, slacks and ballet flats. Sorta sad, huh?†Natsuki was being sarcastic, but she was smiling. She was known for that dry sense of humor, though she’s also often quite light hearted and cheery. “Actually, that’ll be fine for our party,†Jacob told her. “But if you want something else, you can ask Rosalie for help, or, as I prefer, Alice or Melinda. What about Shizu?†“I’d be glad to help, but I don’t have anything ready-made that Nats can wear,†she answered. “There’s a bit of a size difference between us, especially in height. What works great on me might not work on her on account of fit.†“That’s okay,†Natsuki replied. “I think that I can find something here in town. You said to visit Rosalie? I’ll look her up.†After everyone exchanged pleasantries before leaving, Camel had one last “little†note for us. “I assume that most everyone here knows about the DH Mosquito that I’ve been working on—or at least one of the two?†“Yes, Camel,†Melinda said. “We’ve all been to your house and have visited the buildings where you and Lia keep all your collectable cars and aircraft.†That quote referred to the large storage “shed†that they owned on their property, which was actually a large facility that Camel hoped to turn into a storage facility and a bit of a museum, too. Much of this was an underground parking and hangar facility, though it is all air conditioned and lit. One of the advantages of being independently wealthy and being a vampire hybrid, I supposed. “Well, I’m thinking of getting my FB VI launched this weekend, too. However, if anyone wants to take a look beforehand, they’re free to show up at any time while I’m awake and not at work.†“I have some errands that I want to run tomorrow, so I might visit,†Natsuki offered up. “Okay then, Nats, you can show up any time you want. Just knock on the front door of my house.†After that news—which everyone wanted to attend this since Camel did this as a bit of a tribute to Lia and offered it up as a commemoration of their engagement and wedding—everyone left except for Nessie, Jacob, Shizu and Natsuki. “Mom, I really hope that there’s nothing wrong with you,†Nessie told me. “I hope so, too. I don’t think that there is, but I can’t say for certain.†“Maybe you should see Carlisle about this,†Edward suggested. “He’s a doctor, after all, and he knows more about vampires and hybrids than about anyone I can think of,†Natsuki offered. “He also consulted with me and Agito on me becoming a vampire hybrid and how we were able to get that to work for us,†Shizu replied. “If anyone does have any answers, it’d probably be him,†said Jacob. “I’ll go and ask him about this, and tell him what Shizu and Natsuki have offered up.†I did devoutly hope that he could help me. Natsuki and Shizu had good ideas, but what they offered up, by their own admission, were ideas, theories, but nothing concrete. With his vampire knowledge and medical background, maybe Carlisle could help me out. Soon, Shizu and Natsuki said their good byes—Shizu wanted to run a few errands, and Natsuki wanted to get ahold of Rosalie to let her know that she was going to visit tomorrow and wanted to set up an appointment with her. Renesmee and Jacob stayed around for a while. “Mom,†Renesmee spoke up, â€I do think, maybe, that you are becoming a hybrid because of me coming of age. It seems to be a good explanation.†“Maybe so, but I hope that Carlisle can give me some answers soon.†Jacob sat next to Nessie, thinking. “I know that I’m not the best to offer up an explanation, but it maybe makes sense. But I have the same objections that Shizu and Natsuki have on their similar theories. We just can’t know for sure simply based on that.†I then sat down next to Edward, who told me, “I suppose that it can be true, but we need more information. We have theories, but those theories need to be put to the test.†And knowing that, and not having any definite answers, was concerning. But we did have some avenues to look down, which gave me hope that we could find some answers soon, and figure out what I had changed. I hoped that I could be a hybrid forever if that was to be the case. At least then I could have the best of both the human and vampire worlds. More than anything, though, I wanted answers as to if I’d be able to be with Edward, Nessie, Jacob, and the rest of my friends and family. But the answers to those questions would have to wait—but, I hoped, for not too much longer. Quote
*Chernaudi Posted June 2, 2014 Author Posted June 2, 2014 That probably won't happen for a while to come. As for me, the next chapter might get posted tonight. Quote
*Chernaudi Posted June 10, 2014 Author Posted June 10, 2014 Chapter 6 will more than likely be out tomorrow. Got some stuff to do today, but I'll have some free time tomorrow to post and edit the chapter. Quote
*Chernaudi Posted June 12, 2014 Author Posted June 12, 2014 Finally, Chapter 6, and it's a long one. Natsuki narrates. In summary Natsuki get's girly, Camel shows his feminine side, and we get some dynamics of the Lia and Camel husband and wife relationship. Bio-Booster Armor Twilight Chapter 6—Party, Prom Night? What is This Again? It was early in the morning when I decided to check my phone, the though entering my mind, as if a dream was telling me, “Yo, Natsuki, check your freakin’ phone!†I awoke and checked the itinerary on my smart phone, and it seemed sort of packed. Dress shopping, hair appointment, make up consulting, and visiting Lia and Camel. Even “worse†was my email inbox on my phone—though it was helpful with sorting out my day. My friend Shizu sent me a most helpful email telling me where I can do all the stuff I had discussed during the meeting at Bella’s home to attend Nessie’s party. Want a dress? Visit Rosalie. Want your hair & nails done and a makeover? Visit Lia and Camel. I was thankful for Shizu’s advice, as it would maybe give me some of her name sake (Shizu meaning “peace and quiet†in Japanese) as far as my mind went. Only problem was that everyone chimed in with the same advice. Sarcastically, I thought, okay, guys, I get it! They meant well, but it was the repetition. Maybe I should’ve seen it as some endorsement of the services that Rosalie, and Lia and Camel could offer. At least I could kill two birds with one stone, since I promised to visit Lia and Camel, anyways. I volunteered to help Camel out with some stuff before his Mosquito launch. What that entailed, I didn’t know exactly, but Camel may’ve been playing to my inner tomboy. In other words, it seemed that he was looking for an excuse to get my dirty so I would have to have a makeover, my hair and nails done, and visit Rosalie for a dress. Wasn’t really the case as far as his thinking, but maybe something I could unload on him if he wanted me to work on a Rolls-Royce Merlin instead of party decorations. I sat in bed for a few moments before I took a look at the clock. I couldn’t believe that I was up at 4:00 that morning. Wisely, I went back to sleep, considering that I was going to be busy that day. It didn’t seem like a lot, but I didn’t know what Camel had planned for me, or how much time I’d be spending with Lia and Camel with their makeover stuff, and with Rosalie at her dress store. It was not knowing what was in store for me that left me to wonder about what was going to happen. But it was also very stimulating, since it was “girl†stuff that I’d be doing. I’d also get to meet Rosalie in person. I did talk to her in the past online though emails, chat sessions, and long distance phone calls and Skype. But, up until then, I had never met her in person. I finally sat up in bed, and got my bearings about me. I did the usual stuff for a young woman who got up early in the morning while vacationing in a land that was foreign to her. Shower, change out of my sleeping gown into a patterned T-shirt, jeans, and flats, and get ready to traverse the town of Forks. I had a brief breakfast at the inn, grabbing a muffin, an apple and a coffee. Not a great breakfast, I know, but I was sort of desperate to leave the inn. The previous night was my last night that I had paid for. Instead, from then on, I’d stay with either Shizu and Agito, or Lia and Camel, in the guest houses on their properties. I had also hoped to spend a few nights with the Cullens, too. One look outside, and I was glad that I had taken my rain coat and a hat with me. The weather was typical Forks: rainy, dark and gloomy. I opened my umbrella, and ran out to my Scion, taking shelter from the rain and mist. The cold dampness was piercing. I was dressed for the weather, except for my shoes, but even that wasn’t bad, not compared to how my neck felt. This was one of the few times ever that I regretted not having very long hair. Not long like Shizu’s, or even Lia’s, or when I was in high school, but longer than the bob cut that I had (and still have). I cranked over the 4 cylinder boxer in my GT-86, and set off for Rosalie’s dress store. It was on the other side of town. I enjoyed driving, even in the rain and wet, and I loved the heater in my Scion on that day. It was just the piercing, thick, water-logged cold that was harder to shake. I was hopeful that the forecasts that suggested that that the rain would clear out would bear true. That had not come to fruition by the time I got to the dress store. The rain had started to let up to a light mist, but it was otherwise as gloomy and miserable as it had been since I had awoken. That did allow the dress shop to stick out, being seemingly a bright beacon that seemed to alluring to me, even without the cold and rain. Being brightly lit inside, and seeing several people inside wearing light clothing, bright fabrics and clothing that was made out of said fabrics, as well as what seemed to be some dining area, it was all to inviting to me. Entering the store did confirm the suspicion that there was a dining area there. It was more of a coffee house and snack bar than an actual diner. Decorated with small tables, distantly spaced, and bright lighting and a dry and warm atmosphere to counter the cold and gloom, it was a refreshing sight to me, and, probably, everyone else there. However, it was lightly attended, like much of the store was; there was only a few visitors to either the diner or the actual store. “Hey, Nats, hi!†I heard in a soft, buy gleeful voice. I turned to the direction that the voice was coming from, and I recognized Shizu sitting alone at a table. “Hi, Shizu,†I said in response. I sat down at her table, where she was drinking a cup of coffee, and I noted how casually she was dressed; jeans, sneakers, and a sweatshirt. “What are you up to?†Shizu asked. “I’m dress shopping for the party. I hope that I can find something good here.†“You don’t have to get all dressy for the party, as Nessie said.†“I know, but if I don’t choose to wear it for the party, there might be some other occasion I can use it. You seem kinda casually dressed to be here, considering that you bought something,†I told her, noting her bag of items that she had purchased. “That’s just some stuff for my knitting and for working on my dress for the party.†“You’re gonna wear a dress, yet you say that I don’t have to?†I noted sarcastically. “Don’t freak out, Nats. I’m speaking of a goth-loli dress like what Lia likes to wear. Something that in my opinion would look good on you, if I may say so.†“Actually, that’s true, and is something that I may consider for Halloween. But why are you dressed so casually? You’re not even wearing dress flats?†“I’m gonna volunteer at the hospital in town a little later on. I’ll be a sitter for a couple of little babies—rocking them to sleep and feeding them. I like babies and I do have a nursing degree, after all. May as well put it to use since I live here now. I’ll also be going over to Lia and Camel’s place to help out with a surprise for you—and I’m not gonna tell, so uummm!,†Shizu said, as she jokingly stuck her tongue out at me. “Ummh to you too,†I replied and stuck my tongue out at her. “I think that you’ll find some interesting stuff here. Rosalie is a major fashionista, and she can help you find something to suit your form and personality. I can already tell that you want something that’s a bit restrained, yet feisty and cheerful.†“Yeah, I want something like that. I just want something that looks good on me and suits me. I assume that Agito is busy today?†“Yep. He’s out looking for Zamora and any of his cronies. Sho is back at our house with Mizuki, so you don’t have to worry about them right now. Me being alone has sort of allowed me to go sit some babies, run a few errands and work on my party dress.†Shizu then excused herself to attend to her activities for the day. “I gotta go and get to the hospital. Carlisle is expecting me to show up soon. I’ll probably see you at Lia’s place later, since you’ll be heading there to visit Camel’s hangar. One way or the other, I’ll be in touch with you soon. Anything else you’d be up to?†“I’m also gonna get my hair and nails fiddled with over there, too. You get your hair and nails done over there?†Shizu’s hair was always beautiful in my opinion—though it’s length wasn’t my cup of tea—and she seemed to like having her nails done. On that day, they were dark maroon, the color contrasting with her pale skin. “Only when I’m lazy,†she stated. “I usually do that myself. Even with knitting, cooking, dress altering, and me working as a nurse and volunteering at the hospital when I’m not needed, I have enough time to pamper myself.†At that moment, a tall, blonde woman, who I was sure was a vampire and I though was likely to be Rosalie, came over to our table. “Hey, Rose,†Shizu addressed her cheerfully. “Here’s my tab. And here’s Natsuki. She’s the one who I was telling you about earlier, with her wanting to buy a dress and stuff. I think that she’ll be a joy to work with.†“Yeah, I think that, based on what you said, Natsuki will be great to collaborate with.†“Bye! Have a nice time!†Shizu told us as she departed for the hospital. “Have a safe trip!†“Since you’re at the diner section, is there anything I can get you Nats? You gotta be soaked and freezing.†“Not really. I only feel cold when I’m outside. The climate here is very different than what I’m accustomed to, being from Tokyo. I wouldn’t mind some French Vanilla coffee, if that’s available here?†“Sure thing, Natsuki. When you’re done, you can come and get me to help you with what you’d like to find.†After I finished off my coffee and got ahold of Rosalie, who I drug over to one particular display at the store. When I was outside, as I was entering the store, I noticed this black beaded, sleeveless dress that came down to above the mannequins knees. “I so want this dress!†I exclaimed when I showed it to Rose. “It seems to suit you, but wouldn’t you want to try it on before you bought it?†“Of course! I wanna know if it looks as good on me is I think it will.†After Rosalie found one in my size, I changed out of my jeans top in the changing room and slipped the dress on over my lingerie. In short, it was great! It felt good, it looked good on me, and, even though it was off the shelf, it suited my form exceptionally well. “You like it, Natsuki?†“Yeah, Rose, I love this dress. Love at first sight worked here for sure!†“You seem easy to please?†Rose joked. “Well, Rose, you do have to understand something. We have talked in the past, and I think that you know from our Skype calls that you could sense that I was a tomboy.†“Yeah, I sensed that, big time, in so far as that you are actually very chic and fashionable, but you’re not the most ‘dressy’ woman out there.†“Well, I’m not a total tomboy. I’m usually a T-shirt and jeans or a simple top and slacks girl. I also don’t wear heels. It’s sneakers, flats, or flip-flops on the shoe front. I actually wear hiking boots more than I wear heels. Though, to be honest, I think that heels would go great with this dress if I can find a comfortable pair.†I was never a really “dressy†girl. I wasn’t like Shizu in that respect most of the time. It’s not that I didn’t dress femininely, but I rarely wore skirts or dresses, and I almost never wore heels. For that dress, though, I was willing to make an exception—if only I could find a pair that suited my feet, which hated heels more than the rest of me did. “Wow, Rose, a pair of heels that I might like!†I had found a pair of strappy heeled sandals that appeared as if they had a fleece lining on the sole. They also had a broad, wedge like heel that wasn’t very tall, but they looked fancy while being comfortable. I found that one of the pairs that was out was in my size, so I slipped off my flats and tried the wedge sandals on. I knew that today wasn’t the day for wearing them, but they were more comfortable than I thought that they would be. And they looked great on me, though, with the few dull remnants of worn black nail polish on my toenails reminded me of one reason why I wanted to visit Lia and Camel later—and the flushed light violet polish on my fingernails, which had faded and started to flake off near the tips of my nails reinforced the thought. “These shoes would look better if I had gotten a pedicure before I showed up here.†“They don’t look that bad, even with your nails needing some TLC on them—they’d probably do with just having what little old polish on them removed.†“You think so, really?†“Yeah, why? Ohh, the tomboy stuff…in my opinion, I think that you straddle that line as far as your fashion very well.†“Indeed she does,†said a new voice. “Hi, Lia,†I spoke up to her as I noticed her walking towards me and Rosalie. As with Shizu, Lia was dressed casually in jeans, sneakers, and an unzipped sweater over a tank top. A short distance behind her, I noticed Camel, who was looking at some fabric. “Why are you two braving the elements?†I asked. “We’re looking for some waterproof fabric for some car covers and also as covers for some aircraft parts that Camel’s been working on. By the way, Nats, love the dress and sandals.†“Thanks. I really like them. Of course, the state of my nails—all twenty of them—is one of the reasons I’ll be seeing your two later.†“I don’t think that your fingers and toes look that bad Nats,†Camel opined. “However, if you want your hair and nails done, we’ll be at your service later on. Of course, the shoes and your dress really suit you. Those for the party, for did you buy them for something else?†“They’re not for the party, really,†I responded. “I’ll just be going in jeans and some kinda top, though I may wear the sandals—they’re just so comfortable and look so good.†“I’d buy Lia a pair of those wedges, but she’s already got like four pairs of them.†“Camel!†Lia sarcastically said. “Well, when it comes to clothes, you’re sorta spoiled—but maybe not as much as Shizu is!†“Yeah, Nats,†Lia spoke, “If you think that me having four pairs of those shoes is bad, Shizu has like six pairs. But for each of us, only one pair of those shoes were gifts—the rest were bought with our own money.†“Speaking of which,†I said, “I should finish making my purchase. I haven’t hand lunch yet, and I have to get ready for the hangar visit and the ‘surprise’ that Shizu informed me of.†“Yeah, and it’s gonna stay a surprise for right now,†Lia stated. “Yeah, that’s how it’s gonna be, isn’t it, Rosalie?†Camel noted in response. Rosalie nodded in agreement. “So, Rose is in on it, too?†“Yes I am, and it’s gonna be a secret until later.†I finished buying my dress and shoes, and tried to grill Lia, Camel, and Rosalie for answers. Of course, they weren’t budging. I had to wait and find out later. “Okay, guys. I guess that I’ll be seeing you later. I hope that the surprise that you have for me is a good one.†Having changed back into my “normal†clothes, I paid for my items and left the store after my good-byes to everyone who I had met inside. I made my way out to my car, and was pleased that the weather had changed while I was in the shop. It was no longer raining, the wind had relented to being virtually nonexistent, and the sun was out, peeking through widely broken clouds and clear skies emerging from the west. After being out in a rain storm earlier, one could understand my appreciation for such a change. I walked back to my car, popped the lift gate, and sat my dress box in the back behind the rear seats. Upon lowering the hatch, I found this awkward looking man standing a distance away from my car. I wanted to think nothing of it, but I thought that I recognized him. Pretending like he hadn’t caught my attention, I started to walk away towards my new destination. I had spotted a small restaurant that was a short walk away from Rosalie’s store, and I decided to try it out. After a few seconds, I felt a presence behind me. I gathered that the strange young man was following me. I tried to ignore him, fearing that he was a purse snatcher or simply wanted to harass me. I had guess at who he was, and I hoped that it wasn’t him, but I couldn’t ignore this person much longer. “Hi, missy,†I heard him say. I turned and faced this man. Needless to say, it was who I thought it was, and, needless to say, I wasn’t impressed. Either with his attention getting techniques, or who it was to begin with. “I saw you carryin’ some stuff from Rosalie’s dress store, and I thought that you’d need help.†“No thank you, I’m cool,†I replied politely, while trying to make it know that I’d rather have him leave me alone. At first, he seemed to get the message, but then he didn’t leave. “You seem lost. Wouldn’t you like for me to help you find a place to eat?†Great, I thought. He knows that I’d like to have some lunch somewhere. What does he think I want? A date?! No way! “I know where I want to go, and I’m fine. Thanks for your willingness to help, but I’m okay,†I told him, still with an overwhelmingly polite air in my voice, but with more firmness. “Wouldn’t you want a companion to be with you to show you ‘round town?†I responded with a little white lie, hoping that he’d get the picture that I wanted him to leave me alone. “Sorry, but I have a date, and I’ll be meeting him in that restaurant. And he won’t like me telling him that you were antagonizing me.†I turned and started to walk away, when I heard him say, “you even know who I am, Miz Taga?†How did he know my name? Doesn’t matter. I know his name—and his “gameâ€. Time to call his bluff. “Well, it seems that you do know me from somewhere. Thing is, I know you too, Ricky Zamora, and I know that you’re some type of dhampir, a vampire hybrid!†“What, wha….†“I have friends who confirmed this for me, but I suspected it from the start,†I stated to Ricky, with a hint of definite aggression in my voice. “I know that you’re responsible for the ‘Slenderman’ sightings in the woods near Forks, and I know your secrets, too!†“…†He stood, in shock, that I, a recently graduated college student from Japan who was here in Forks on vacation to study the phenomena he was liable for creating, already knew so much about him. And I also knew of his past dealings with some of my friends on top of that. “I know that you ditched Melinda on her wedding day—a wedding where she was your bride! How could you do that to her? The woman’s had enough trouble in her life without you ruining that day for her! And how you confronted Shizu Onuma in the forest the other night. You had dealings with her and Agito Makishima before. You had to have known that they were Griselda and Guyver III! Shizu’s a nice girl, but she has her limits. I’d have thought that the ass-kicking that she and Camel gave you would’ve taught you to leave ‘pretty li’l ladies’ alone!†I wanted to end the conversation then and there, and tell Ricky to buzz off by giving him one last ultimatum. “I may be a normal human being, but I have plenty of friends here who’d stick up for me if they find out that you accosted me and if you do it to others!†Ricky then grabbed for my phone as I pulled it out of my purse. I had wanted to check on any messages I may’ve received, but he took it as some type of threat—so I made one. “You try and lay another freakin’ finger on me, I’ll call the police department, or one of my friends, and have you charged with harassment and assault!†That seemed to make him back off, but I knew that he’d try and make a strike again. I sensed that he was trying to lunge for my purse. When I heard that he was within almost arm’s length of my purse, I simply moved off slightly to one side, and he slipped and fell into a puddle near a storm drain on the pavement. “Ricky, you’ve just added filthy, failed purse snatcher to your list of ignominious titles,†I cheerfully commented. “How does it feel to make an ass of yourself in public? Gotta be embarrassing, isn’t it? Now will you leave certain women around here alone? I suggest that you damn well consider starting.†I stood over Ricky, as he was laying, face down, in the puddle, trying to conceal the fact that he was out-foxed by a young woman who shouldn’t have stood a chance against him. Is he a horrifying vampire hybrid, or some weak, awkward idiot trying to seem like he’s a big bad? As I was standing with my hands on my hips, looking down at Ricky, in a pretty pathetic state from failing to do anything other than annoy me, I noticed that Rosalie had come out to see what happened. “You alright, Natsuki?†“Yeah, but he does seem to be a little worse for wear.†Rosalie giggled as she saw him making an embarrassing attempt to conceal his own embarrassment from me putting him in this state without laying a finger on him. “I think that you can go on your way, Natsuki,†Rosalie told me, “I think I can handle him.†I gladly continued on my way as Rosalie “dealt with†Zamora. I didn’t bother to look behind me to see what happened, but I can recount from what I heard what happened: “Why do you have this idea that you can irritate certain young women? Especially those who are associated with vampires, vampire hybrids, and humans who possess bionic battle armor? And even one who’s part human, part Zoalord, and part vampire? We all know now that you got your ass handed to you by Shizu and Camel. But yet, you still haven’t learned. Maybe you’ll learn your friggin’ lesson, you pathetic piece of crap!†From what I heard, she did slap and punch the crap out of him in an alley as I walked away. Perhaps he’d learn not to bother us anymore, but based on his persistence, or maybe ignorance—or maybe he had some type of death wish, or was big time into sadomasochism—I doubted it would be my last encounter with Ricky. My lunch break went without incident. It was just a small restaurant that was intimate and private like Rosalie’s diner was. I ordered a small baked chicken breast, mashed potatoes and gravy plate, and after I was finished, I walked back to my car—no sign of Ricky, thankfully—and set out to drive to Lia and Camel’s residence. With drying roads, no rain or fog, and much reduced wind, the drive was a lot more tranquil and enjoyable than the trip into town a few hours earlier. I found a road that lead into the tree line beyond the edge of the main road I was on. This road was actually the driveway to Lia and Camel’s house, which itself sort of stood out. It possessed a simple, outstanding beauty about it. It seemed like a peaceful, sturdy, safe “mini-mansion†with a limestone façade and wrought iron and wood balconies, and a twin front door that looked almost as if two giant sheets of tinted, etched glass. Of course, this was dwarfed by a three large buildings at the rear of the property. One was a limestone and marble-faced building that was large in and of itself. It looked like a two floor, wide, windowless version of their home. Based on what I had been told in the past, this was their car park, where they stored most of their cars. A much larger, but otherwise similar building was nearby, its other marked difference in that it was taller and had a much wider entrance/exit door. This was the aircraft storage hangar. And finally, there was what appeared to be a simple steel building with a domed roof; this was the aircraft maintenance and restoration hangar. This was where Camel most likely was, though I went up on the front porch and rang the doorbell. “Hi, Natsuki,†Lia said after she opened the door. “Here to see Camel before your make up appointment?†“Yeah. He’s in the restoration hangar?†“Yeah. You can just go over and knock on the door—he’ll know it’s you.†“Is Shizu and Rosalie here yet?†“Rosalie is, but Shizu is the main one behind your surprise, and she’s not here yet, so you’ll have a while before we can show you what our ‘present’ for you is.†I decided to go into the hangar to pass the time until my hair and nail appointment, and at least hang with Camel before then. I walked over to that hangar, and knocked on the door. “Come in,†a voice told me. “Now try and find me once you find your way in.†I opened the large, windowless metal door, and entered. I started to look around inside that hangar to find where Camel may be hiding or what he might be working on. Among the aircraft that I found was a North American P-51D Mustang that seemed to be undergoing engine work, A fully-assembled Hawker Sea Fury, a fully built up , dark blue-colored North American F-82B Twin Mustang, with a pod sitting on a dolly under its center wing, and another aircraft was sitting at the rear of the hangar that I couldn’t identify at that moment. The one, though, that caught my eye was a de Havilland Mosquito Mk VI fighter/attack bomber. It was painted in a medium grey/dark earth green camouflage upper surface, with black undersides on its wings, engine nacelles and the bottom half of the fuselage. This was the so-called “intruder†color scheme that many Mosquito night fighters used before 1944. I also noticed that the engine cowlings were detached and that the cockpit entrance door was open, with a ladder hanging out of it. Out of curiosity, I started to walk over to the Mosquito. I wondered if Camel was nearby, and if so, where. The engine cowlings were arranged in such a way that they were organized in the order that they were to be reattached. And the ladder simply lead up into the cockpit. Camel didn’t seem to be around any of those areas. The only place I could think of him hiding was in the bomb bay, the front half of which housed the breaches for the four 20mm cannons and their belt-feed storage magazines. This seemed unlikely, as the bomb bay doors were shut. I decided that if he wasn’t in the cockpit, he had to be somewhere in the back of the hangar. Or, perhaps, hiding in the Mustang or one of the Twin Mustang cockpits; they could house a person up to 7 feet tall in comfort, after all. I inspected the nose area of the Mosquito more closely. I noticed the four 7.7mm machine gun barrels that protruded from the nose cap. Then I noticed the door: how could Camel fit in there?! I decided to climb up the ladder to see if he may’ve left some clue as to where he was in the cockpit. As I reached the top of the entry ladder, I noticed that Camel was in the starboard (right hand side) of the cockpit. “I see that you finally found me, Nats.†“Yeah. One question: how were you able to fit in the door?†“It’s cramped, for sure,†Camel admitted,†but I wasn’t wearing a full flight suit. And once I do get this thing airborne, I’ll have the parachutes stored inside.†“Parachutes?†“Yes, Natsuki. The Mosquito carries two people usually, even in the fighter versions. The pilot sat in the left seat, the navigator/radio operator sat in the right side, slightly behind the pilot’s seat.†It was then that I noticed why Camel was hunched over in the way that he was. He was trying to work on the center section of the control panel—a plane’s equivalent of a dash board. It seemed that he was just checking to see if all the wiring was hooked up properly before he did some checks on the Mosquito. “I’m gonna try and so some taxying runs to see if the engine and gauges work right. I thought that you’d like to help, along with Lia in a while.†“Sure, I’d love to help.†I was thankful that I didn’t have to work on an aircraft engine before my appointment. “Wha’dcha want me to do?†“Since Lia has experience with working with and flying aircraft, she’ll help me work on lookin’ at the gauges to see if they work and if the engines are working right. I’d like for you to try and see if stuff leaks out from around the engine assemblies. Look for coolant or oil or anything unusual.†“Okay, I guess that I have to be careful of the propellers.†“Yeah, but since you’ll be behind them, and back away from them, you’ll be safe. If you see something unusual, just come out in front of us in a calm fashion and wave. We’ll take that as a sign to shut the engines down.†I did have experience with doing such things with car engines in the past, since I sometimes did maintance on my own cars. Of course, the Mosquito’s Merlins were much larger—and, thankfully, much easier to look at for fluid leaks—and had propellers that as they spun were of twelve feet in diameter, so it was also going to be much windier. Lia then came out and climbed inside the Mosquito next to Camel for the engine test to begin. The engine tests and taxying went without a hitch, which I was glad for, though that was expected. With Camel being a hybrid, it was very likely that everything would’ve been screwed together right the first time. “Okay, Nats, you can help Camel attach the engine cowlings while I get your hair and nail stuff ready,†Lia called out as she slid out of the Mosquito’s cockpit door. “That might help keep you occupied while I finish that up for you.†I noticed some the standard top and side panels for the cowling, and two different variations of lower cowling sections. One pair had the standard supercharger intakes, the other had enlarged and elongated intakes. “Those have ‘tropical filters’ in them?†I questioned, a “tropical filter†being a engine intake filter to keep dust and other grit encountered in desert or tropical conditions from destroying the supercharger and other engine parts. “Yeah, Natsuki. I see that you’ve studied some World War II stuff, obviously an interest of yours.†“And of Shizu—she’s the one who got me started on it.†“Well, let’s install the standard lower cowlings and we’ll head in and get started with your make over.†After we attached the engine cowlings, I made my way into the house with Camel—and noted the airstrip near his home. I also noticed noises coming from room that we walked by on the way to their “spaâ€, AKA their kitchen. I swore that I head Shizu and Rosalie giggle in there, but I followed Camel. I suspected that my surprise had something to do with that room. I changed into a robe and a swimsuit for the makeover. Lia started by washing my hair to get what oil and junk that might have built up in it since I washed it earlier that morning. After my head was wrapped in a towel to dry my hair quicker, I took some nail polish remover pads and took the old polish off my fingernails, while Camel and Lia each went to work on a foot, after which my hands and feet were placed into containers of warm water. “Okay, Nats,†Lia called out. “I’m gonna take off that towel and we’ll figure out what we want to do with your hair.†After she removed the towel, Lia went back and stood with Camel, both of them examining my hair as if it were an artist’s canvas. “I wonder if we should frost it, but something tells me that it’s not gonna work out great,†Camel opined. “I was thinking more along the lines of some light highlighting,†Lia replied. “Well, the nail stuff will be easy,†Camel stated. “Red will do it on all twenty digits.†“I agree, and Natsuki does like red. Could it work on her hair.†“Such as you’re highlights, Lia?†Camel said, as he and Lia examined a lock of her hair that had dark wine red highlights in it. The then looked up at each other. “Let’s ask Nats,†the said in unison. Camel then grabbed a mirror and Lia knelt down next to me and showed me that same section of her hair that had the translucent wine red dye in it. “Now, I think that this will work well with your hair, especially the front. Wad’cha think?†Lia asked. I looked at her hair, and then in the mirror. I wanted a second opinion. “What’d you think Camel?†I quizzed. “I don’t know, Nats, I’m just holdin’ the mirror,†her retorted sarcastically. “But, seriously, I think that Lia’s suggestion would work pretty good. And it will also match you girls’ nail polish—well, at least what Lia has on now, and what you’ll be wearing soon.†I thought about that. The color matching, along with the color and pattern of my dress. Then I started to think about the jeans, T-shirt and flats ensemble that I’d be waring to the party. Black jeans, black flats and a dark red shirt. It’s gonna work, Natsuki. Done! “Okay, guys, just put the highlights in lightly. I think that a little will go a long way.†Lia then said, “Alright. This won’t take long. I didn’t take long when I did mine, and that was with me doing it myself.†Lia then gently streaked the dark red dye in my hair, using only enough to get the lightly streaked and layered effect that I wanted. The sticky, colored liquid dried very quickly, and I was happy with the results when Camel showed me what it looked like in a mirror. Then it was time for my manicure and pedicure, which, of course, explains the containers of water that my hands and feet resided in while Lia and Camel worked on my hair. They seemed to have a system going to make things go quicker. It seemed that they had their own specialty; Lia worked on my fingers, and Camel worked on my toes. The order that they worked was also set to a plan. Buff, file, clear based coat, wine red (brighter than the highlights in my hair) color coat, and clear top coat. I can tell that this wasn’t their first time with any of this. Camel I knew, from living with him while I had him help with some research after the events of Volterra, like working with women’s hair and nails. But Lia was every bit as good as he was at that stuff. “Well, Lia’s a girl,†Camel opinioned, as if he was reading my mind. “Lia has been doing this since she was a teenager, I’d guess, in hybrid years, that’s been since ’94?†“’96,†Lia corrected him. “I’ve told Shizu this story, and Lia, and all my past girlfriends, and I probably told you about it a bit, too,†Camel itoned. “Yeah, I know,†I replied. “You’ve always gotten along with girls better than men. You’ve always been interested in ‘girly’ things, and you’ve seen women as being smarter and more ‘sane’ than most men you’ve encountered.†Camel then turned to Lia, saying, “see, she remembers the ‘talk’.†Lia then reared up while Camel ducked down, and they shared a kiss. A “we’re in love and always will be soul mates†kiss. Lia then turned and walked out of the room, saying as she left, “I’m gonna check on the girls.†My nails were almost dry by this stage, but not enough for me to move freely though the house. None the less, I watched Camel move around the kitchen. I noticed that there were streaks in his hair, that matched mine and Lia’s as far as color and style. I also noted that some of his hair was done up in a pony-tail—like Shizu’s. And on top of that, he had this layered thing going on with a layer of hair on the sides of his head cut into a chin-length bob cut, like mine was. Has he let us girls get our claws into him a bit too much? I wondered. “No, you haven’t,†Camel spoke up, again as if he read my mind. “I’d rather have Lia experiment with me with things that have me do it with her.†Camel then turned to face me, using one of his hands to brush some of his hair—which was extraordinarily long—over his shoulder. “Your nails should be dry by now, you should be able to put on your flip-flops and walk around if you want to.†I happily obliged, and I walked over next to him to make a cup of coffee. After I was finished, I perched my butt on the counter—as I’ve seen Lia do—so I can be more able to talk to him without having to crank my neck back. I then noticed a puzzled look on Camel’s face, followed by him asking, “anything interesting happen today?†“You should be able to guess, since it seems that you can read minds,†I responded. “True enough, but I’d rather hear it from you.†“Okay…after I left Rosalie’s store, Ricky confronted me. I think he was either trying to steal my purse or ask me out. I may be single, but I’d have to be pretty desperate to ask him out.†“Go on,†Camel said, with a smarmy smile. “He tried to grab for me a couple of times. He missed the first time, and the second, I just moved and he fell into a puddle. He seemed to be quite embarrassed about it. On top of that, I think that Rosalie beat the crap outta him in an ally after she pulled him out of the puddle.†Camel then looked down at me—I was still not quite level with him, even with him slightly hunched down next to me—and scratched under his chin. “Well,†he started to say, smarmy smile and all, “it seems that this guy would make Sho, in his early days even, look like Charles Bronson. All’d that Mizuki would have to do is give him a death stare and he’d back off from her. Probably over simplifying, but I’ve fought him, and Shizu has fought him. He’s nothing special at all.†A gentle smile then came to Camel as he looked at me. He had one of the most beautiful smiles that I’ve ever seen on a man. And with his life straightened out and him being back with Lia and having his parents back, I was glad that he was able to show it more often. At that moment, Lia came back into the kitchen. “You ready for your surprise, Natsuki?†she asked, with a huge smile on her face, which was as beautiful as Camel’s was. “Yeah, considering that I’ve been waiting most of today for it.†I was then lead to the room where I heard a commotion when I first came in for my spa treatment. Lia then cracked open the door and peeked inside. “You girls ready?†“Yeah, about as ready as we’ll be.†I heard, suspecting that the voice was Shizu. The door was opened wide and I was allowed to step in that room. I noticed that Shizu was sitting on a bed, and Melinda, Jess, Rosalie and a short-haired, very short—shorter than Shizu or Mizuki—young woman, who I recognized as Alice, were standing next to the bed. “This was our guest room,†Lia told me. “So, I thought that we’d use it for our guest, that being you, Natsuki.†“We knew that you were getting tired of staying at the inn, so Lia and everyone here thought that we’d try and help you out,†Camel noted. Shizu joined in, saying, “I was put in charge of the redecorating.†She then climbed out of my bed and slipped her sneakers back on, and walked towards me. “I mostly worked on the bed. Rose and Alice helped with furnishings, while Mel and Jess worked on blankets and coverings.†I looked around the room, focusing first on the bed. There was a knitted bed spread covering what appeared to be a fleece blanket. And around the room, there were various furnishings—a recliner, a small couch, and an end table next to my bed—all finished with knitted coverings. The room’s walls were finished in a cool light bluish violet. As for other things that were in that room, there was a TV set, a radio, and a couple of lamps, as well as a work desk for my laptop. For a simple guest room, it was spacious and comfortable, and it did appeal to me. “Anything that sticks out to you?†Alice asked. “I’d like to try the bed,†I stated. I knew that it had to be not very warm in there, but I took off my robe, and climbed into the bed in my swimsuit. Strangely, I found the bed to be surprisingly warm. “I love this, but why is it so warm?†“Well,†Shizu started to say. “It’s an electric blanked, like what I have at home, and, of course, Mel and myself spent a lot of time in the bed working on stuff.†“Yeah,†Alice noted. “If it was me or Rose in there, it’d be a lot colder right now.†“None the less, I helped with the fabric items,†Rosalie told us. “However, Shizu and Bella worked on the bed covering, while Mel and Jess knitted the ones for the couch, end table and recliner.†“And we had Jasper and Emmett work on the furniture, such as the entertainment center, work desk and the tables,†Alice noted. “And the knitting gave us some stuff to do when we were sitting at the hospital,†Jess told me. “We’d work in shifts, and when we were on break or at home, it was a nice distraction,†Melinda added. “Well, guys, I don’t think that ‘thank you’ is enough for me to say about this.†“You don’t have to thank us,†Lia said. “You’ve done plenty for us and brought us much cheer. Giving you a nice place to stay while you’re here is the least we can do for you.†“After all,†Camel started to say. “I gave you a good place to stay when you visited me in the past, and Melinda and Shizu did the same for us in Volterra. They wanted to continue with that.†“Well, thanks guys.†“Again,†Shizu said, “no problem. It was just a nice project to keep some of us busy during down time and help out a friend.†Everyone started to leave my room, as if they knew that I wanted to take a nap. “I hope that you enjoy your little nap,†Alice noted. “Okay, I know that I’ll be seeing all of you soon. Good bye.†I curled up in my very warm bed. Again, this was a good contrast between the cold and wet of the morning when I got up and started my day. I had nearly faded off to sleep when my phone started to go off. I turned on the lamp and grabbed my phone. It was a phone call that I had been waiting for. “Hi, Tetsuro. You in Seattle yet?†“Yeah, Natsuki. I’ll be in Forks by tomorrow morning. I have a small charter flight to Forks airport.†“Okay, I’ll see you there tomorrow. And we won’t have to stay at the inn now.†“Oh? Why’s that?†“Lia and Camel had Shizu and some of their friends work on a guest room for us. I’m there now. It seems like a nice place for us to work on our research in privacy from those who we don’t want to have interference from, and with Lia and Camel, and their friends, we’re all safe. I’ll be seeing you tomorrow morning. “Okay Nats. Have a good night.†“Good night, Testuro.†I put down my phone, turned off my light, and looked back on the day. Got a dress and shoes, got my hair and nails done, had a good place to stay while I was in Forks, one of my best friends was now about to come into town, and my research was going well. I then looked back at my confrontation with Zamora. I was mightily frustrated with his confronting of me, but I looked back on the actual confrontation with a light heart, being able to defeat him so easily without even lifting a finger. I did still wonder, however, what his purpose for being here and pursuing us was. What did he want, why was he here? Hopefully the days what would come would let us know what was going on. Quote
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