Iridescent: Chapter Nine

Iridescent

Chapter Nine

~Mysterious Friends~

After the Fall

“Ha!” Amber kicked at her brother.

She missed, of course, as he simply stepped to one side. Amber lost her balance and fell forward onto the grass. She punched the ground in frustration and looked up at Chaud. Chaud looked at her with a sages disappointment.

“That was not what I did just two seconds ago!” he said.

Amber narrowed her eyes, “I can copy your form but that doesn’t mean I have the muscle strength or stamina!”

“Fine!” Chaud crossed his arms, “Do some squats.”

“I don’t want to!?” Amber sat crossed legged with her arms crossed.

“I thought you wanted to learn the family business!” Chaud stated.

Amber rolled her eyes, “Since when did the family business include doing squats?”

“Since like, forever!” Chaud responded, “How do you think learning how to fight starts? You aren’t just born with it!”

There was silence between the two siblings. Each glared at the other unwavering. They stayed that way for several minutes.

“I’m going to see if I can hunt anything,” Chaud said, “but don’t think like you’ve won! If I didn’t have a good heart to find food we’d starve staring at each other. Think about that while I’m gone!”

Amber stood up, “You aren’t taking me?”

“Nope,” Chaud said as he walked down the stairs, “not with that attitude. Besides, you could use to learn to walk a little quieter.”

“Chaud!” Amber called but didn’t receive and answer.

She pouted for several minutes but eventually she realized that he was right. Amber had to admit that she wasn’t trying her absolute hardest as Chaud tried to train her. She always seemed to challenge what he said. The more she thought about it the more she felt bad about back talking him. She hoped that Chaud would hurry back so that she could apologize.

Amber got to her feet and got out a pouch of throwing darts from her bag. Chaud found her some in the rubble of the shrine. Amber practiced at throwing her darts at several things. She was decent at her aim. Amber walked downstairs into the field. There was a fallen tree on the other side of the field along the tree line. There was a thin branch with a single leaf on it. That was Amber’s target.

She threw a dart but missed miserably. Amber narrowed her eyes. She threw another one and it was much closer than the first. Amber threw several more until she had only one left. She threw the last dart and struck the leaf off its stem. She jumped with excitement at her new achievement. Now her new goal was to hit the same target every time.

Amber ran up to the log to retrieve her darts. She sat on the log as she picked up the darts. Amber looked into the forest and waiting for her brother. She sighed and grew quickly board. The forest looked more and more inviting. She looked over her shoulder and didn’t see her brother anywhere. Amber got up and walked into the forest. After all, what her brother didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

She trapped the pouch to her right leg and rang though the forest. Amber practiced running quietly. She ran and jumped over fallen trees like she had seen her brother do. Her steps and leaps weren’t as strong as her brothers but she felt herself getting better and stronger little by little every day. She stopped and turned back the way she came.

The shrine was hidden behind some trees but could be barely visible. Amber decided that it would be best to remain within the sight of the shrine. She looked around and found another target for target practice. Amber struck a callus on the tree. She was a few paces away. Each time she struck the oval callus where and old branch had been she stepped back. A majority of her throws struck her target. When she ran out she walked over to the tree to retrieve her darts.

She turned around after retrieving them and stopped suddenly. A girl stood a ways behind her in a black knee length dress. Amber looked at her closely. The girl looked around her age. She had long white hair with a black bow tied into the back of her head just above her ears. A black bow was sewn at the base of raised collar on a white surface dipping from one shoulder to the other. She also wore white sock stockings and flat black shoes with bows on the toes. Around her waist was a black belt with two holsters carrying a pair of silver guns.

The girl stared at Amber with emotionless eyes, “Hello.”

Amber watched her closely, “Hi.”

“What is your name?” the girl asked.

Amber placed her hands on her hips, “I don’t think I should be telling you anything.”

“Fine,” the girl turned around, “I’m leaving now.”

“Wait!” Amber started after her, “I’ll tell you my name if you tell me yours. What about that?”

The girl turned and looked at Amber. Her eyes were just as steady and emotionless as before. “Fine,” she said.

“I’m Amber,” Amber introduced herself, “What’s your name?

“Ai,” the girl responded.

“I?” Amber looked at her funny. What kind of parent would name their kid I?

The girl nodded, “Ai.”

Amber shrugged. Beggars couldn’t be choosers, she determined.

“You aren’t out here by yourself are you?” Amber asked, “I’m sure my brother would let you travel with us if you are alone! It’d be nice to have a girl to talk to for a change.”

“I’m traveling with my brother,” Ai answered.

“Oh, you have a brother too?” Amber smiled, “Aren’t they a little annoying?”

Ai shrugged, “I never really thought about it.”

Amber nodded, “Trust me, they are. I’ve got three. Where is your brother anyway? Is he close by?”

Ai looked through the trees, “I don’t know. We came out here to hunt for food.”

Amber smiled, “Come on, let’s play a game!” she pointed to a twig on a tree, “First one to knock that twig off the branch wins!”

Amber threw a dart that grazed the leaf on the twig. She looked a little disappointed as she handed Ai a dart. Ai shook her head and pushed Amber’s hand. The girl pulled a gun from her holster and fired at the twig. The small branch, leave and all; were blasted off their mother branch. Amber ducked down at the loud sound.

“I win,” Ai said.

Amber looked at her, “Hey, that isn’t fair!”

Ai just looked forward, “All you said was that the goal was to shoot off the twig. I did that.”

“And nearly shot out my eardrums too,” Amber muttered.

“I’m sorry,” Ai said.

Amber shrugged it off, “It’s alright I guess. Next time though, you can’t use your gun. It’s not fair. You are a good shot though. Did your brother teach you? Mine’s teaching me how to defend myself too.”

Ai looked at her gun, “I guess he taught me a little. I knew a lot before he took me in.”

“Took you in?” Amber tilted her head, “You mean you aren’t blood siblings?”

“Blood siblings?” Ai thought a moment, “He’s the only brother I have ever known.”

“That’s cool,” Amber smiled, “I’m not blood siblings with my brothers either. I’m adopted! But it feels like I’ve always been part of the family so I don’t think of myself as adopted. That must be like what you feel right?”

“I guess,” Ai answered.

Amber was about to say something else when Chaud ran through the trees. He stopped short at the sight of Ai. His gaze dropped momentarily to the gun in Ai’s hand. Ai looked at him with a blank but observant gaze. Chaud looked at his sister and smiled as relaxed smile as he could muster.

“Hey, sis,” he said, “I heard a gunshot and when I didn’t find you at our spot I got a little worried.”

Amber looked at her brother, “Ai and I were just playing a game. Ai this is my brother.”

“Hello, Chaud,” Ai greeted.

Chaud smiled, “Hello, Ai.” He looked back at his sister, “We should get going.”

“Now?” Amber asked, “Can Ai and her brother travel with us?”

Chaud laughed awkwardly, “No, I don’t think so. Come on, let’s get out things and get going. Say goodbye to your friend.”

Amber waved, “Bye, Ai! Maybe we can play again!”

Ai raised a hand in a motionless goodbye.

Chaud turned his sister around and started walking in a different direction of the shrine. He hurried her on away from the mysterious Ai.

Amber saw they were going away from the shrine, “Chaud, this isn’t—”

“Shh!” he hissed quietly, “Keep walking.”

Amber looked over her shoulder and saw Ai watching them leave. Her eyebrows furrowed in thought. When Ai was lost to their sights Amber turned to her brother.

“Chaud?” Amber asked.

Chaud looked down at her, “What?”

Amber started looking a little nervous, “I never told that girl my brother’s name. How did she know that your name was Chaud?”