NaNo 2008 - Chapter Six
Once again, I have updated my character art gallery. Please take a look.
Chapter Six - Lost Memories: In Which Shin and Ken Remember Something They'd Forgotten
"Welcome to my world," Professor Murray said, as the students trailed into the room. His brows furrowed, and he added, "but don't touch anything."
Rather than performing the experiment in his regular classroom, he'd opted to bring the students into his personal laboratory, where there were, surprisingly, fewer fragile things. At the same time, however, he was a little worried about having a bunch of eleven year olds causing mass destruction in a room they were not normally permitted in.
"Why are they here?" Ryoma asked, eying the Takamura twins. He looked back at the science teacher and said, "They're in my little brother's grade. You know that, right?"
"No," Professor Murray said, shaking his head. "I have a tendency to forget how old my students are, especially the less memorable ones, like, you know: the two that look exactly alike!"
"We're helping with the demonstration," Shin said.
Ken grinned and adjusted his glasses. "So we'd be demon-straighters," he said, chuckling softly. He looked away when Professor Murray shot him a glare.
The professor rolled his eyes. "So," he said, straightening his glasses, "you've been learning about siege engines in history class." He waved at two small objects that were sitting between Ken and Shin. "We have here, today, a catapult and a trebuchet. We are - Ken, do not eat the projectiles."
The students chuckled. Professor Murray rolled his eyes. "We are going to compare the potential energy stored within the catapult to that stored within the trebuchet."
"Why are we using marshmallows?" Oliver asked, pointing at Ken, who was happily munching on more of them.
Professor Murray's brows furrowed. "What would you suggest?" he asked. "Cherry tomatoes would fit, but would make an awful mess. Cotton balls are far too light. Marshmallows have enough heft to fly, without the mess."
"Marbles?"
The helpful suggestion earned a snort and a glare. "You'd put your eye out with that thing, kid," Professor Murray said. He looked at the two miniature siege engines. "The trebuchet was an advancement over the catapult. It is more efficient and, therefore, more useful for breaking down the walls of fortified encampments."
At a nod from Professor Murray, Shin set a marshmallow in the basket of the catapult and then let it fly. It sailed across the room, to drop at Ryoma's feet, just on a ruler that ran from the front edge of the trebuchet to the far side of the room. "Eight inches? Wow!" Ryoma said, glaring at the marshmallow.
"Yes," Professor Murray said. "Eight inches. Shall we see how far the trebuchet sends one?" He looked at Ken and nodded.
Ken let his marshmallow fly. It certainly sailed further. Shysie stepped over to it and said, "Thirteen inches, Professor Murray."
"That's not very far," Oliver said, his brow furrowing.
"I don't suppose it is," Professor Murray said. He smiled and said, "It's important to consider, however, these models are at a proportion of their real size."
Ryoma smiled and nodded. "You also have to consider how far, in the past, have marshmallows been flung?"
"Indeed," Professor Murray said, grinning.
Shysie looked at the trebuchet, with an expression of exaggerated surprise. "We're flinging marshmallows into the past with this thing?" she said. She turned to Ryoma and added, "That is amazing!"
This comment was greeted with assorted giggles. Ken, not to be outdone, said, "One thing beats trebuchets and catapults every time." Then he flung a marshmallow across the room. Rather than sailing through the air in a graceful arch, it darted across to adhere to the wall.
"That's right," Professor Murray said. "You are the marshmallow ninja, lord of all air puffed confections."
The laughter of the students was interrupted by a loud series of tones from the public address system. Professor Murray waved at the students to be quiet, then he turned his attention to the speaker that was tucked in the corner of the room.
"Attention, faculty, staff and students," Professor Clayton's voice came through the speaker. "The time has come for us to address certain incidents that have occurred since the beginning of this school year."
Professor Murray sighed softly and sat down on the edge of his desk. "This ought to be good," he murmured.
"At the start of the year, Mister Smith, our long-time groundskeeper was found dead in the Northeast Courtyard. Although the police ruled this death a terrible and tragic, although strange, accident, there were those that questioned this ruling."
"You don't say," Professor Murray grumbled.
"It is now believed, in spite of the police ruling, that this was a murder, perpetrated by a member of the Circle Society: William Saunders. Without getting into too much detail, it is believed that Mister Smith stumbled upon some illicit activity. Saunders, whose power of psychokinesis allows him to move objects, used a nearby shovel to strike Mister Smith in the head, killing him."
Ken's brows furrowed. He couldn't imagine what Mister Smith might have seen that would cause the former professor to kill him in such a brutal manner. He sighed and rubbed his temple, as a sharp pain suddenly ripped through his skull.
Suddenly, he wasn't in the classroom any more. He was in a tidy bedroom, sitting at a desk. He knew this place. It was the apartment he used to live with his parent and brother in, before his parents had been killed.
Ken knew this scene. He recognized it. Like a performer in a play, he knew all his lines. He turned around in his chair and looked at his brother. “What’s the answer to the fourth question?” he asked. Shin was looking thoughtfully at a drawing pad, leaning on one hand, while he fiddled with a pencil in the other. “Hey,” Ken called.
Shin looked up from the page and smiled faintly. “I’m not going to just tell you the answers, Ken,” he said, smirking. He rolled his eyes. “You’re not such a loser you can’t figure them out yourself.”
Ken sighed explosively and looked back at the history book. He enjoyed math and science, but he hated history. “I don’t have time for this nonsense,” he grumbled, flipping through the pages. Glancing back at Shin, he said, “Tell me where to find the answers, then.”
For a moment, Shin looked as though he might say something sarcastic. If their roles were reversed, Ken probably would have. Instead, he just grinned cheerfully and said, “Look on, like, the third page of the chapter.”
“Thank you,” Ken said. He began flipping through the book. “If I don’t get moving, then there is no way that I’ll be on time to meet Sam,” he murmured.
“You should have done your homework right when we got home,” Shin said. He looked up at the sound of a door slamming open. Ken looked over at the closed door to their room but, before he could speak, Shin shushed him.
Shin stood and walked over to the door. He opened it, just enough to see out and into the other room. Ken peered over his shoulder, just as the thump of something hitting the floor sounded in the living room. Their mother screamed and the boys exchanged a look.
Ken waved at Shin to stay and took a step into the hall. The first thing he saw was their father. He was lying on the floor near the door. The front of his shirt was stained a deep red and his eyes were wide open and glassy. Ken swallowed and stepped back, shaking his head slightly.
“Where are the children?” a harsh voice said.
Shin whimpered, but the sound was covered by their mother’s answer. “They’re out,” she lied, “at a friend’s house.”
Ken glanced over towards the voices, which were coming from the kitchen. A strange man with bright red hair was kneeling over their mother. She met Ken’s eyes, silently telling him to retreat.
He bit his lip and Shin caught his sleeve. Nodding once, he allowed his brother to pull him back into the room. He peeked out now, but only through a tiny crack. It was just enough to see the man who’d already killed their father.
“Ken?” Shin breathed. “Dad’s - he’s dead. Isn’t he?” Shin didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he said, “We’ve got to help Mommy!”
“You can’t,” a soft voice said. When both boys jumped, he pushed the door closed silently. “Easy, easy,” he said, smiling faintly. “I’m one of the good guys.”
Ken frowned. The man was wearing a white kimono and dark blue hakama, almost like they wore when they practiced kendo. “How’d you get in here? Who are you?”
“Why can’t we help Mom?” Shin said.
The man looked sad and said, “Because, if you try to help her, that man will kill you.” He shook his head and looked at the closed door. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. They shouldn’t have been able to find you. I can’t do anything for your parents now, but you two are still alive.”
“Mom’s alive,” Ken protested.
Just as he said the words, there was a cry from the other room. Ken flinched and tears welled in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” the man said, his voice faint. “You two are too important right now. It’s not your time and there’s still too much you have to do.”
“What to do we do?” Shin said, shaking his head. He was trembling now and, Ken realized, so was he.
“Go into the closet,” the man said, pointing over at the closet door. “Stay in there until the police come, because, trust me, they’re on the way.”
“He’ll find us there,” Ken protested.
“I can hide you,” the strange man countered. He ushered them into the closet and then stood between it and the door. As the bedroom door opened, he vanished from view, but Ken knew he was still there.
The man who’d killed their parents stepped into the room. He smirked and looked around. “Here, kitty, kitty,” he whispered. He was carrying a knife, not unlike one their father had. It was stained red and blood dripped from the tip. It also stained his hands.
Ken bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want to see this. He didn’t want to know this. He certainly didn’t want to remember this.
"Ken?" someone called.
Ken blinked and looked around. He was back in the professor's private laboratory once again. His brows furrowed and he looked over at Shin. "I - I just remembered," he said.
"How Mom and Dad died?" Shin said, scowling. At Ken's nod, he shot a look at Professor Murray. "We've never had much more than flashes of memories from that day."
"There was a person there," Ken said. His brows furrowed and he shook his head. "He - he hid us. He was dressed in - in these weird clothes, like something out of an anime - like a samurai or something."
"Like the timekeepers Darian Travers saw?" Professor Murray said.
Ken shook his head. He hadn't heard very much of the announcement. He'd been caught up in his flashback when Professor Clayton had described the strange beings that Darian had seen.
However, Shin had heard the announcement. His eyes widened and he nodded. "Exactly like them, sir," he said, nodding. "He said - he said it wasn't our time to die. That it would cause irreparable ripples in the time stream if we died then."
"Did you see the one who killed them?" Professor Murray asked. His voice was soft and kind, quite different from his normal coarse tones. "Anything that might help us know who they are?"
"He... he had red hair," Ken said. He closed his eyes and pictured the man in his mind. He tried to focus on the face, not the blood on his hands - blood that he knew was from his mom and dad. "Red hair and golden brown eyes. He might even be called handsome, but he... he looked so cold and vicious."
When Ken opened his eyes, Professor Murray was looking quite upset. "He's with the Circle Society," he said. "If he killed your parents, it was on Marcus Randall’s orders." His brows furrowed. "Why would he have sent them after your parents?"
"They had powers too," Shin said. He frowned and said, "Or... well, Mom did. Dad was just her protector."
Professor Murray nodded. "Why kill them, though?" he murmured.
"Maybe the same reason they killed Mister Smith," a soft voice said.
Professor Murray looked up. "Maybe, Caleb," he said. He stood and looked at Ken and Shin. "You two should head home." He looked at Caleb. "You... put my siege engines away and put the marshmallows away. That'll be your detention. Then you can go back to the dormitory."
"Aye, sir," Caleb said, nodding.
The twins followed Professor Murray into the hall. They almost bumped into Hanako, when she stopped and looked back towards her older brother.
"Tell Oyaji that I'm studying at a friend's house," he said.
"Alright," Hanako said, nodding. She waved and then hurried away down the hall. The twins parted to let her pass, just as Ryoma ducked into a nearby bathroom.
"Yeah," Ken said, "he's going to study." He looked at Shin and rolled his eyes. "And I'm the queen of England."
Shin smirked. "Come on," he said, grabbing his brother by the arm. "Let's get out of here, before Uncle Tomo sends out a search party." He paused, when he almost walked into Professor Stanford. "Sorry," he said, flushing. Then he noticed the far away look in the teacher's eyes. He poked Ken on the arm and pointed.
"Yup," Ken said, "he's having a vision."
As Caleb stepped out of Professor Murray's lab, Professor Stanford blinked and looked at him intently. "Be careful of strange houses, Caleb" he said, "especially going into them."
"Right, Professor," Caleb said, his brows furrowing. "I'll just remember that, then. If I see any strange houses, I'll be extra careful about going inside 'em."
As soon as Caleb spoke the words, Professor Stanford blinked rapidly. "If you're done serving your detention, you'd best head back to your dormitory, Caleb."
Caleb smiled faintly at him. Professor Stanford wouldn't remember the trance or what he'd said during it. "I'll do," he said, nodding. "I have to run to the bakery, though. Promised Professor Eikenbary that I'd pick up some monkey bread for her."
Professor Stanford smiled and nodded. "Just don't be late getting back on campus," he said, nodding. "Tell Terri that I hope she feels better soon."
"I'll do, Professor," Caleb said, nodding. As Professor Stanford left, Caleb looked at Ken and Shin. "What'd he think was so funny, do you think?"
"Monkey bread from Monkey-boy?" Ken said. "What could be funny about that?" He laughed, but Caleb rolled his eyes and shoved him playfully. Then he turned around and headed down the hall.
Chapter Six - Lost Memories: In Which Shin and Ken Remember Something They'd Forgotten
"Welcome to my world," Professor Murray said, as the students trailed into the room. His brows furrowed, and he added, "but don't touch anything."
Rather than performing the experiment in his regular classroom, he'd opted to bring the students into his personal laboratory, where there were, surprisingly, fewer fragile things. At the same time, however, he was a little worried about having a bunch of eleven year olds causing mass destruction in a room they were not normally permitted in.
"Why are they here?" Ryoma asked, eying the Takamura twins. He looked back at the science teacher and said, "They're in my little brother's grade. You know that, right?"
"No," Professor Murray said, shaking his head. "I have a tendency to forget how old my students are, especially the less memorable ones, like, you know: the two that look exactly alike!"
"We're helping with the demonstration," Shin said.
Ken grinned and adjusted his glasses. "So we'd be demon-straighters," he said, chuckling softly. He looked away when Professor Murray shot him a glare.
The professor rolled his eyes. "So," he said, straightening his glasses, "you've been learning about siege engines in history class." He waved at two small objects that were sitting between Ken and Shin. "We have here, today, a catapult and a trebuchet. We are - Ken, do not eat the projectiles."
The students chuckled. Professor Murray rolled his eyes. "We are going to compare the potential energy stored within the catapult to that stored within the trebuchet."
"Why are we using marshmallows?" Oliver asked, pointing at Ken, who was happily munching on more of them.
Professor Murray's brows furrowed. "What would you suggest?" he asked. "Cherry tomatoes would fit, but would make an awful mess. Cotton balls are far too light. Marshmallows have enough heft to fly, without the mess."
"Marbles?"
The helpful suggestion earned a snort and a glare. "You'd put your eye out with that thing, kid," Professor Murray said. He looked at the two miniature siege engines. "The trebuchet was an advancement over the catapult. It is more efficient and, therefore, more useful for breaking down the walls of fortified encampments."
At a nod from Professor Murray, Shin set a marshmallow in the basket of the catapult and then let it fly. It sailed across the room, to drop at Ryoma's feet, just on a ruler that ran from the front edge of the trebuchet to the far side of the room. "Eight inches? Wow!" Ryoma said, glaring at the marshmallow.
"Yes," Professor Murray said. "Eight inches. Shall we see how far the trebuchet sends one?" He looked at Ken and nodded.
Ken let his marshmallow fly. It certainly sailed further. Shysie stepped over to it and said, "Thirteen inches, Professor Murray."
"That's not very far," Oliver said, his brow furrowing.
"I don't suppose it is," Professor Murray said. He smiled and said, "It's important to consider, however, these models are at a proportion of their real size."
Ryoma smiled and nodded. "You also have to consider how far, in the past, have marshmallows been flung?"
"Indeed," Professor Murray said, grinning.
Shysie looked at the trebuchet, with an expression of exaggerated surprise. "We're flinging marshmallows into the past with this thing?" she said. She turned to Ryoma and added, "That is amazing!"
This comment was greeted with assorted giggles. Ken, not to be outdone, said, "One thing beats trebuchets and catapults every time." Then he flung a marshmallow across the room. Rather than sailing through the air in a graceful arch, it darted across to adhere to the wall.
"That's right," Professor Murray said. "You are the marshmallow ninja, lord of all air puffed confections."
The laughter of the students was interrupted by a loud series of tones from the public address system. Professor Murray waved at the students to be quiet, then he turned his attention to the speaker that was tucked in the corner of the room.
"Attention, faculty, staff and students," Professor Clayton's voice came through the speaker. "The time has come for us to address certain incidents that have occurred since the beginning of this school year."
Professor Murray sighed softly and sat down on the edge of his desk. "This ought to be good," he murmured.
"At the start of the year, Mister Smith, our long-time groundskeeper was found dead in the Northeast Courtyard. Although the police ruled this death a terrible and tragic, although strange, accident, there were those that questioned this ruling."
"You don't say," Professor Murray grumbled.
"It is now believed, in spite of the police ruling, that this was a murder, perpetrated by a member of the Circle Society: William Saunders. Without getting into too much detail, it is believed that Mister Smith stumbled upon some illicit activity. Saunders, whose power of psychokinesis allows him to move objects, used a nearby shovel to strike Mister Smith in the head, killing him."
Ken's brows furrowed. He couldn't imagine what Mister Smith might have seen that would cause the former professor to kill him in such a brutal manner. He sighed and rubbed his temple, as a sharp pain suddenly ripped through his skull.
Suddenly, he wasn't in the classroom any more. He was in a tidy bedroom, sitting at a desk. He knew this place. It was the apartment he used to live with his parent and brother in, before his parents had been killed.
Ken knew this scene. He recognized it. Like a performer in a play, he knew all his lines. He turned around in his chair and looked at his brother. “What’s the answer to the fourth question?” he asked. Shin was looking thoughtfully at a drawing pad, leaning on one hand, while he fiddled with a pencil in the other. “Hey,” Ken called.
Shin looked up from the page and smiled faintly. “I’m not going to just tell you the answers, Ken,” he said, smirking. He rolled his eyes. “You’re not such a loser you can’t figure them out yourself.”
Ken sighed explosively and looked back at the history book. He enjoyed math and science, but he hated history. “I don’t have time for this nonsense,” he grumbled, flipping through the pages. Glancing back at Shin, he said, “Tell me where to find the answers, then.”
For a moment, Shin looked as though he might say something sarcastic. If their roles were reversed, Ken probably would have. Instead, he just grinned cheerfully and said, “Look on, like, the third page of the chapter.”
“Thank you,” Ken said. He began flipping through the book. “If I don’t get moving, then there is no way that I’ll be on time to meet Sam,” he murmured.
“You should have done your homework right when we got home,” Shin said. He looked up at the sound of a door slamming open. Ken looked over at the closed door to their room but, before he could speak, Shin shushed him.
Shin stood and walked over to the door. He opened it, just enough to see out and into the other room. Ken peered over his shoulder, just as the thump of something hitting the floor sounded in the living room. Their mother screamed and the boys exchanged a look.
Ken waved at Shin to stay and took a step into the hall. The first thing he saw was their father. He was lying on the floor near the door. The front of his shirt was stained a deep red and his eyes were wide open and glassy. Ken swallowed and stepped back, shaking his head slightly.
“Where are the children?” a harsh voice said.
Shin whimpered, but the sound was covered by their mother’s answer. “They’re out,” she lied, “at a friend’s house.”
Ken glanced over towards the voices, which were coming from the kitchen. A strange man with bright red hair was kneeling over their mother. She met Ken’s eyes, silently telling him to retreat.
He bit his lip and Shin caught his sleeve. Nodding once, he allowed his brother to pull him back into the room. He peeked out now, but only through a tiny crack. It was just enough to see the man who’d already killed their father.
“Ken?” Shin breathed. “Dad’s - he’s dead. Isn’t he?” Shin didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he said, “We’ve got to help Mommy!”
“You can’t,” a soft voice said. When both boys jumped, he pushed the door closed silently. “Easy, easy,” he said, smiling faintly. “I’m one of the good guys.”
Ken frowned. The man was wearing a white kimono and dark blue hakama, almost like they wore when they practiced kendo. “How’d you get in here? Who are you?”
“Why can’t we help Mom?” Shin said.
The man looked sad and said, “Because, if you try to help her, that man will kill you.” He shook his head and looked at the closed door. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. They shouldn’t have been able to find you. I can’t do anything for your parents now, but you two are still alive.”
“Mom’s alive,” Ken protested.
Just as he said the words, there was a cry from the other room. Ken flinched and tears welled in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” the man said, his voice faint. “You two are too important right now. It’s not your time and there’s still too much you have to do.”
“What to do we do?” Shin said, shaking his head. He was trembling now and, Ken realized, so was he.
“Go into the closet,” the man said, pointing over at the closet door. “Stay in there until the police come, because, trust me, they’re on the way.”
“He’ll find us there,” Ken protested.
“I can hide you,” the strange man countered. He ushered them into the closet and then stood between it and the door. As the bedroom door opened, he vanished from view, but Ken knew he was still there.
The man who’d killed their parents stepped into the room. He smirked and looked around. “Here, kitty, kitty,” he whispered. He was carrying a knife, not unlike one their father had. It was stained red and blood dripped from the tip. It also stained his hands.
Ken bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want to see this. He didn’t want to know this. He certainly didn’t want to remember this.
"Ken?" someone called.
Ken blinked and looked around. He was back in the professor's private laboratory once again. His brows furrowed and he looked over at Shin. "I - I just remembered," he said.
"How Mom and Dad died?" Shin said, scowling. At Ken's nod, he shot a look at Professor Murray. "We've never had much more than flashes of memories from that day."
"There was a person there," Ken said. His brows furrowed and he shook his head. "He - he hid us. He was dressed in - in these weird clothes, like something out of an anime - like a samurai or something."
"Like the timekeepers Darian Travers saw?" Professor Murray said.
Ken shook his head. He hadn't heard very much of the announcement. He'd been caught up in his flashback when Professor Clayton had described the strange beings that Darian had seen.
However, Shin had heard the announcement. His eyes widened and he nodded. "Exactly like them, sir," he said, nodding. "He said - he said it wasn't our time to die. That it would cause irreparable ripples in the time stream if we died then."
"Did you see the one who killed them?" Professor Murray asked. His voice was soft and kind, quite different from his normal coarse tones. "Anything that might help us know who they are?"
"He... he had red hair," Ken said. He closed his eyes and pictured the man in his mind. He tried to focus on the face, not the blood on his hands - blood that he knew was from his mom and dad. "Red hair and golden brown eyes. He might even be called handsome, but he... he looked so cold and vicious."
When Ken opened his eyes, Professor Murray was looking quite upset. "He's with the Circle Society," he said. "If he killed your parents, it was on Marcus Randall’s orders." His brows furrowed. "Why would he have sent them after your parents?"
"They had powers too," Shin said. He frowned and said, "Or... well, Mom did. Dad was just her protector."
Professor Murray nodded. "Why kill them, though?" he murmured.
"Maybe the same reason they killed Mister Smith," a soft voice said.
Professor Murray looked up. "Maybe, Caleb," he said. He stood and looked at Ken and Shin. "You two should head home." He looked at Caleb. "You... put my siege engines away and put the marshmallows away. That'll be your detention. Then you can go back to the dormitory."
"Aye, sir," Caleb said, nodding.
The twins followed Professor Murray into the hall. They almost bumped into Hanako, when she stopped and looked back towards her older brother.
"Tell Oyaji that I'm studying at a friend's house," he said.
"Alright," Hanako said, nodding. She waved and then hurried away down the hall. The twins parted to let her pass, just as Ryoma ducked into a nearby bathroom.
"Yeah," Ken said, "he's going to study." He looked at Shin and rolled his eyes. "And I'm the queen of England."
Shin smirked. "Come on," he said, grabbing his brother by the arm. "Let's get out of here, before Uncle Tomo sends out a search party." He paused, when he almost walked into Professor Stanford. "Sorry," he said, flushing. Then he noticed the far away look in the teacher's eyes. He poked Ken on the arm and pointed.
"Yup," Ken said, "he's having a vision."
As Caleb stepped out of Professor Murray's lab, Professor Stanford blinked and looked at him intently. "Be careful of strange houses, Caleb" he said, "especially going into them."
"Right, Professor," Caleb said, his brows furrowing. "I'll just remember that, then. If I see any strange houses, I'll be extra careful about going inside 'em."
As soon as Caleb spoke the words, Professor Stanford blinked rapidly. "If you're done serving your detention, you'd best head back to your dormitory, Caleb."
Caleb smiled faintly at him. Professor Stanford wouldn't remember the trance or what he'd said during it. "I'll do," he said, nodding. "I have to run to the bakery, though. Promised Professor Eikenbary that I'd pick up some monkey bread for her."
Professor Stanford smiled and nodded. "Just don't be late getting back on campus," he said, nodding. "Tell Terri that I hope she feels better soon."
"I'll do, Professor," Caleb said, nodding. As Professor Stanford left, Caleb looked at Ken and Shin. "What'd he think was so funny, do you think?"
"Monkey bread from Monkey-boy?" Ken said. "What could be funny about that?" He laughed, but Caleb rolled his eyes and shoved him playfully. Then he turned around and headed down the hall.