03-20-2009, 09:28 PM
Rosemary’s court looked largely the same as it had when Juno and Sophia had sprinted out of it. There were only a few differences: all the candles were out and the podiums looked as if they had been tossed about without a second thought.
The hybrid stepped from stone to hardwood, his bare feet sticking to the floor because of all the mud and sweat that had collected upon them. He moved to the center of the room and sat cross-legged on the ground, taking the navy bag from his shoulder and plopping it into his lap. From its confines he pulled a bottle of water, and took a much needed swig.
“I know you’re out there,” he called. “I want some answers,” he demanded, looking up at the space around him, but for a while, it was all silent in the disheveled chamber.
Rosemary leaned over Kai’s shoulder. Her cherry-blonde hair tickled his neck, and the head of the compound shot the girl a look. She backed up, but attempted to focus on the screen that showed Juno’s image. “What the heck is he doing, boss?”
“He’s talking to you, Rosie,” Kai giggled. Rosemary looked to him—what was he going on about now? Then, she glanced back at Juno’s screen. Kai was right. The boy was talking to her.
“Do you want me to go back down there and teach him a lesson? Or do you want me to give your troops his location so they can shoot him down?” Rosemary asked, hoping for the first answer—she really didn’t want Kai to kill Juno. Not just yet, not when the fun had just begun.
“No,” Kai shook his head. “Neither option, Rose; just let him come to you.”
Rosemary shot her superior a confused look. “Let him come to me, sir?” Kai merely chuckled and stood. He gestured towards the seat, and Rosemary sat upon command, staring at the screen holding Juno’s image. Then, she felt something tapping at the back of her mind. All of a sudden, she realized what was going on, what she would have to do.
Juno.
Rosemary.
He closed his eyes tightly, remembering back to what it had felt like. A wonderful choice, little ones. Hope it was worth it. These were the last words he had heard Rosemary speak, but she hadn’t been even close to earshot when she’d said it. His only possible clue was to infer that the woman was telepathic. So, he had decided to use his telepathy for some answers—if he couldn’t get what he wanted playing the game straight, why, then, he’d cheat!
He found himself sitting on a mental plane, the ground shiny obsidian black and the sky around him filled with stars, looking to be like outer space itself. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, staring out towards the other end of the plane, where sat Rosemary in her throne.
“Deductive, aren’t we?” Rosemary chuckled. Juno merely smirked; he was satisfied that he had finally made it here, but he wasn’t about to let Rosemary play games with him. He’d have to kick this into gear—and the first step was not showing weakness by, as he’d grown to refer to the practice, ‘playing along.’
Without a second thought, he glanced up at her and poised his question: “Why?” His expression flushed over with longing and curiosity, but Rosemary’s was amused and effervescent.
“Why, Juno?” she laughed heartily. “Is that all you’ve got for me—why?” Juno nodded quite innocently, and Rosemary’s smile faltered. She quite obviously had expected something more than one word from this hybrid. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, collecting herself.
“You really want to know why?” Rosemary assured herself, and Juno nodded once more. “It’s because you’re whimsical, Juno. You can’t ever stay in one place, with one decision. I know how long it took you to come up with your answer—I was reading your thoughts the whole time.”
“But there’s something about you, Juno,” she continued, “That isn’t whimsical. There’s something about you that’s constant. You first discovered it back when you were just a boy back on the streets of South City. Then, you felt it again, for Juliet. Now, you’ve come close—if not quite—to that feeling for Sophia.”
“I was in love with Juliet,” Juno argued. “I don’t love Sophia, and I never have.” Rosemary shook her head.
“You’re missing my point,” she scolded. “The one thing about you that is constant is not your ability to love or your ability to hate, or anything of that sort—no. What’s constant about you is your ability to feel. We have six senses. There’s sight, there’s touch, there’s taste, there’s hear, there’s smell, but the most important one there is you have mastered, and that’s the ability to feel.” Juno looked away from the cherry-haired fiend.
“Why are you being so honest with me?” Juno asked. He wondered why Rosemary had opened up to him and spilt this information out. Rosemary then put on a light-hearted façade; more of the traditional woman he’d known her as than of the one he’d just met with.
“It’s because you’re one of my favorites, Juno,” Rosemary flattered him. “One of my favorite players of this game.” She stepped down from her throne, and suddenly Juno found himself standing at the center of the room, eye-level with her. “My boss; he picked up a lot of different people, but there were only a few he picked that were truly smart. You, my young friend, are one of them.”
“So I challenge your intellect?” Juno posed.
Rosemary laughed. “You’ve yet to challenge my intellect, Juno. You’ve just… entertained it. But I see you have the potential to. That’s why I picked the girl who couldn’t kill to play the game with you. That’s why I’m telling you these things now. Dropping you little hints as you go along.”
“So that’s why you’ve been so truthful?”
“Hey, now!” Rosemary warned, “Don’t be so sure I’m being truthful. I could’ve been lying to you the whole time. Don’t be so trusting, my little June-bug—” Juno cringed when she referred to him that way “—you do remember that’s what almost got you shish-kabob’d last time!” Juno nodded weakly.
“I remember,” he said reproachfully. Rosemary smiled her sweetest smile, and then tugged on one of her scarves. The chamber reappeared around him, and the red-haired woman was gone. In the back of his mind, however, Juno could still hear her laughing.
“Done, sir,” Rosemary sighed, leaning back into his chair.
“Why were you so truthful with him, Rosemary? Giving up secrets, are we?” Kai asked, slinking in behind her.
“Because he is one of my favorites,” she repeated.
“Hum,” Kai pondered. “Well, I suppose you’re not going to be too happy with my next decision, Rosie.” Kai picked up the walkie-talkie that laid on his desk and whispered quite maniacally into it. “Alright, boys, Rosemary’s had her fun, now you can have yours—kill him.”
“WHAT?! KILL HIM?!” Rosemary screamed, standing and letting the office chair slide backwards frantically. Her eyes were glued to the monitor. What was to become of her beloved June-bug? Surely he’d be smart enough not to let his emotions cloud him again? Surely he’d see them coming? Surely he would… survive?
Juno’s head singed slightly, and he saw the picture that he’d been expecting—several soldiers rushing in from all sides. Within seconds, that picture had come true, and now, once more, Juno was rushing down the cavern, soldiers on his tail, in an almost exact replica of the beginning of this ordeal… minus Sophia.
He never thought he’d miss her company so much.
The hybrid stepped from stone to hardwood, his bare feet sticking to the floor because of all the mud and sweat that had collected upon them. He moved to the center of the room and sat cross-legged on the ground, taking the navy bag from his shoulder and plopping it into his lap. From its confines he pulled a bottle of water, and took a much needed swig.
“I know you’re out there,” he called. “I want some answers,” he demanded, looking up at the space around him, but for a while, it was all silent in the disheveled chamber.
~
Rosemary leaned over Kai’s shoulder. Her cherry-blonde hair tickled his neck, and the head of the compound shot the girl a look. She backed up, but attempted to focus on the screen that showed Juno’s image. “What the heck is he doing, boss?”
“He’s talking to you, Rosie,” Kai giggled. Rosemary looked to him—what was he going on about now? Then, she glanced back at Juno’s screen. Kai was right. The boy was talking to her.
“Do you want me to go back down there and teach him a lesson? Or do you want me to give your troops his location so they can shoot him down?” Rosemary asked, hoping for the first answer—she really didn’t want Kai to kill Juno. Not just yet, not when the fun had just begun.
“No,” Kai shook his head. “Neither option, Rose; just let him come to you.”
Rosemary shot her superior a confused look. “Let him come to me, sir?” Kai merely chuckled and stood. He gestured towards the seat, and Rosemary sat upon command, staring at the screen holding Juno’s image. Then, she felt something tapping at the back of her mind. All of a sudden, she realized what was going on, what she would have to do.
Juno.
~
Rosemary.
He closed his eyes tightly, remembering back to what it had felt like. A wonderful choice, little ones. Hope it was worth it. These were the last words he had heard Rosemary speak, but she hadn’t been even close to earshot when she’d said it. His only possible clue was to infer that the woman was telepathic. So, he had decided to use his telepathy for some answers—if he couldn’t get what he wanted playing the game straight, why, then, he’d cheat!
He found himself sitting on a mental plane, the ground shiny obsidian black and the sky around him filled with stars, looking to be like outer space itself. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, staring out towards the other end of the plane, where sat Rosemary in her throne.
“Deductive, aren’t we?” Rosemary chuckled. Juno merely smirked; he was satisfied that he had finally made it here, but he wasn’t about to let Rosemary play games with him. He’d have to kick this into gear—and the first step was not showing weakness by, as he’d grown to refer to the practice, ‘playing along.’
Without a second thought, he glanced up at her and poised his question: “Why?” His expression flushed over with longing and curiosity, but Rosemary’s was amused and effervescent.
“Why, Juno?” she laughed heartily. “Is that all you’ve got for me—why?” Juno nodded quite innocently, and Rosemary’s smile faltered. She quite obviously had expected something more than one word from this hybrid. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, collecting herself.
“You really want to know why?” Rosemary assured herself, and Juno nodded once more. “It’s because you’re whimsical, Juno. You can’t ever stay in one place, with one decision. I know how long it took you to come up with your answer—I was reading your thoughts the whole time.”
“But there’s something about you, Juno,” she continued, “That isn’t whimsical. There’s something about you that’s constant. You first discovered it back when you were just a boy back on the streets of South City. Then, you felt it again, for Juliet. Now, you’ve come close—if not quite—to that feeling for Sophia.”
“I was in love with Juliet,” Juno argued. “I don’t love Sophia, and I never have.” Rosemary shook her head.
“You’re missing my point,” she scolded. “The one thing about you that is constant is not your ability to love or your ability to hate, or anything of that sort—no. What’s constant about you is your ability to feel. We have six senses. There’s sight, there’s touch, there’s taste, there’s hear, there’s smell, but the most important one there is you have mastered, and that’s the ability to feel.” Juno looked away from the cherry-haired fiend.
“Why are you being so honest with me?” Juno asked. He wondered why Rosemary had opened up to him and spilt this information out. Rosemary then put on a light-hearted façade; more of the traditional woman he’d known her as than of the one he’d just met with.
“It’s because you’re one of my favorites, Juno,” Rosemary flattered him. “One of my favorite players of this game.” She stepped down from her throne, and suddenly Juno found himself standing at the center of the room, eye-level with her. “My boss; he picked up a lot of different people, but there were only a few he picked that were truly smart. You, my young friend, are one of them.”
“So I challenge your intellect?” Juno posed.
Rosemary laughed. “You’ve yet to challenge my intellect, Juno. You’ve just… entertained it. But I see you have the potential to. That’s why I picked the girl who couldn’t kill to play the game with you. That’s why I’m telling you these things now. Dropping you little hints as you go along.”
“So that’s why you’ve been so truthful?”
“Hey, now!” Rosemary warned, “Don’t be so sure I’m being truthful. I could’ve been lying to you the whole time. Don’t be so trusting, my little June-bug—” Juno cringed when she referred to him that way “—you do remember that’s what almost got you shish-kabob’d last time!” Juno nodded weakly.
“I remember,” he said reproachfully. Rosemary smiled her sweetest smile, and then tugged on one of her scarves. The chamber reappeared around him, and the red-haired woman was gone. In the back of his mind, however, Juno could still hear her laughing.
Be careful, my June-bug…
~
~
“Done, sir,” Rosemary sighed, leaning back into his chair.
“Why were you so truthful with him, Rosemary? Giving up secrets, are we?” Kai asked, slinking in behind her.
“Because he is one of my favorites,” she repeated.
“Hum,” Kai pondered. “Well, I suppose you’re not going to be too happy with my next decision, Rosie.” Kai picked up the walkie-talkie that laid on his desk and whispered quite maniacally into it. “Alright, boys, Rosemary’s had her fun, now you can have yours—kill him.”
“WHAT?! KILL HIM?!” Rosemary screamed, standing and letting the office chair slide backwards frantically. Her eyes were glued to the monitor. What was to become of her beloved June-bug? Surely he’d be smart enough not to let his emotions cloud him again? Surely he’d see them coming? Surely he would… survive?
~
Juno’s head singed slightly, and he saw the picture that he’d been expecting—several soldiers rushing in from all sides. Within seconds, that picture had come true, and now, once more, Juno was rushing down the cavern, soldiers on his tail, in an almost exact replica of the beginning of this ordeal… minus Sophia.
He never thought he’d miss her company so much.