AUTHOR'S NOTES: Took a bit longer than I thought. Kekeke. O.o I was going to have a picture of the sundial in this chapter, but the game froze and crashed (I had already taken the other pictures though ^_^) and to go back in for just one picture? LAME. Plus I decided that it'll be better if it's mysterious... ^_~
PART II
June 17 It only took me about twenty minutes by bike, and when I reached a clearing in the woods I suddenly got a strong feeling that I had arrived where I needed to be. I took a brief nap, because for some reason when I arrived I was able to sleep.
But then I was awakened by the sounds of someone fighting their way through the tightly packed trees. I sat up and a very pretty girl came out. She must have been my age, I figured right away, as she was quite small but not as small as a child. She had blonde hair and vivid green eyes. She was quite thin, though I guess that’s normal. But I could tell immediately that she was not from Russia.
“Oh, good, hello!” she said in English. I blinked, not sure what she had said, but then I remembered the English I had learned in school and replied, “I am not so good with English, eh, sorry.” I felt my face turn red. I had never met a foreign girl before (certainly I had seen them, but never spoken with them). Especially one as pretty as her.
But she just smiled. “That’s quite all right. I’m from Sweden, but I speak English. I can’t speak any Russian.”
Great, I thought. Now I’ll never know what she’s saying without thinking about it.
“So, who are you?”
“I’m Keely Härt,” she replied. “And I’m here to assist you with the Sundial.”
“The… sundial? What is sundial?”
“Wait, you are Phoenix Razmiotnov, are you not?”
“Dah, I am, but I…” I trailed off. I didn’t even know what a sundial was.
“Well, did an angel come to you?”
So she was an angel. “Dah. Eh, yes.”
“Did she tell you nothing?” she asked, coming closer to me. “You don’t know about the sundial?”
“What is it?”
She sat down beside me, and thought for a moment. “I don’t know that much myself, but I’ll tell you what I know. But first let’s wait for Jared to get here, in case he doesn’t know either.”
“How do you know my name?” I asked. I felt a bit numb from confusion.
“The angel who visited me told me your name and his, and also about your sister. I don’t know why they didn’t tell you anything…”
We waited in silence for a while. It was rather awkward. I’m not good at dealing with other people. I’m too shy and quiet, and far too sensitive. I don’t really trust anyone, generally. I think I could trust Keely, though. She reminds me of Alexia.
Finally, someone else came out of the woods into the clearing where we sat. We both looked up at him. He had red hair, as red as fire, and a mean-looking expression on his face.
“Ye recognize Sundial?” he said, also in English.
“Yes,” said Keely.
“No,” I replied.
Keely pointed at me. “This is Phoenix. The angels merely told him to meet us, nothing more. I’m Keely. Did they tell you anything?”
I listened to him speak, not sure what he was saying because his accent was so heavy, and tried to determine where he was from. Eventually he mentioned Scotland, so I figured that was where he came from.
When they stopped talking, I asked (in the best English I could manage), “What are we doing? Why you came from far away? I am confused, please tell me.”
Keely smiled kindly. “It’s a little bit difficult to explain, but it was as though I was transported right into the woods. The angel that visited me sent me right here, though I had to explore a bit to find you.”
“Aye, same here.” What did ‘aye’ mean? I’d never heard English like that before.
“Do you know why we’re together?” Keely asked Jared, who shook his head. “Very well. I’ll tell you what the angel told me.
“A long time ago, far before Jesus came into being, Satan created a sundial in what is now Ulan-Ude, Russia.” I knew Ulan-Ude – or of it, anyway. “I don’t know what the purpose of it is, but it is connected to many terrible deaths. My mother was a victim, as was your sister, and your friend.” Jared glared at her.
“She was my girlfriend.”
“In any case, Jesus’ presence diminished its power, and for many hundreds of years, the power of Christ and the passion of his followers kept its evil at bay. But people just don’t believe like they used to, and his power is returning. I’m not sure of much beyond that, but our task is to silence it once and for all.”
It took me some time to understand what she said, but with some deep thought I was able to understand most of what she said. “So, we go to Ulan-Ude now?”
“Yes,” she replied.
Ulan-Ude is on the other side of Russia. And we must go by foot? I still can’t believe it. We’ve traveled a bit today, right now we’re camping out. I’m not really very fit, neither is Keely, so we can’t travel long distances. Fortunately, since she and Jared knew about the journey from the beginning, they brought plenty of supplies. I’m a bit nervous about Jared, though – he’s impatient and always seems angry. I don’t want to fight with him but he keeps glaring at me. I hope it all ends well…
I know it seems crazy, and unrealistic, but I have no home to return to. I have a much better chance of making my life mean something if I do this. I’m tired of stagnating. Even if it’s a lie, even if I die or end up finding nothing at the end of the road, I really need to do this. I’m not so sure I believe in all this Sundial business – I’m not very religious – but I can feel something tugging on my spirit, urging me.
But I’m really scared.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, this is the chapter that pretty much drives readers away or flocks 'em to it, I'd say. I hope no one was offended! o.O I was really worried about that, actually. All I can say is, "Wow, I sure was weird when I was 12."
Just for fun: Jared's true colors come out even as a sim. When I first entered the forest lot (before the trees arrived ^_^), what did I see Jared doing? Abusing the others, of course!! The first time it was Phoenix. Then, when I royally screwed up the lot (....o.O) we had to move to the one you see in the chapter itself, and this time he chose to abuse poor Keely. I was cracking up. He sure has a good grasp of his character! XD
