Chapter 19 - Ally's Secret

December 27^th, 2:33 PM

Christmas was over. After Christmas sales were beginning, and all the world was a buzz. Meanwhile, GWANAN sat snug in their airship, flying above everyone. It was while they drank hot chocolate that Ven said, “Hey! Ally, don’t you still need a coat?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah! I do. I was hoping one of you would get it for me for Christmas, but I guess not. I’ll go today. They may have a sale going,” Ally replied.

“I’ll go with you. Maybe I’ll use my date certificate tonight,” Konrad thought out loud.

“No! Not a chance!”

“Why not? It’s your Christmas present to me, right?”

“No! Well, I mean, yeah, but I didn’t want it to be so soon, during the busy season. I was thinking it would be best to go when things are less crowded.” Ally explained. Though to me, it seemed like a complete lie.

“But it’ll be cheaper and you can get it out of the way and not worry about it anymore, right? Lets go tonight!” Konrad tried to convince her.

“No, well, we can go tonight, just don’t go shopping with me.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m afraid you’ll see something you like and buy it and waste your money.” This too, appeared to be a lie.

“I promise I wont spend any extra money. Cross my heart.”

“No, I can’t trust you. Besides, I have to borrow your coat in order to buy one, I don’t want you to go cold.”

“You can borrow Ven’s instead.”

So, after much more arguing, the reluctant Ally Kat finally had no more reasons he couldn’t go with her and they ended up going together. This was when all was revealed....

~*F*~

Chapter 18 - Christmas with GWANAN

December 24^th, 5:55 PM

The snow falls lightly to the ground in a small town called Hamlin. It was the eve of Christmas. Carolers filled the streets, wreaths hung on every door, candles in every window. Glistening icicles hung from the rooftops like a frame, and Fir trees were seen all covered up in lights and tinsel and handmade ornaments. Along every street, snowmen smiled to the passersby and children threw balls of white at each other, and upon everyone’s lips were the words, “Merry Christmas!” But in one small corner of the town, there is a place where few people go and where one small cat was sitting... waiting....

~*F*~

Chapter 17 - Melting the Ice

November 17^th, 3:15 PM

And so it ended. The ice king was sent to the prison in Sanlio and the people returned to their frozen homes. Izo decided that he would stay and use his powers to try and return their houses to their original state with the permission of the townspeople. Kon’s shoulder was patched up and Carumati and her father were reunited. With all the merriment going around, everyone decided that it was time for the festivities to begin....

~*F*~

Chapter 16 - Kon vs Ally

November 15^th, 5:42 PM

“Psalm 91:1-2 says, ‘He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”’ May this soul rest in the presence of the Lord. May she and everyone who loved her be filled with peace. Amen.”

The sun shone brilliantly that day. So why was it, the air was so cold? Why was it that no warmth could fill the heart? Why was it that the ice could not melt? Izo’s mother, whom they all held dear, was dead. She had been the sun of that town. She had brought them all warmth in those troubled times. But their sun could no longer bear the weight on her own and was swallowed up by the sea which turned to ice. With no sun, is it possible for the ice to ever melt?

~*F*~

Chapter 15 - Freeing Izo

November 15^th, 4:50 PM

“Ice King, there appear to be intruders outside,” a young man announced.

“Who is it?” The king demanded.

“One of them appears to be Carumati Baird. The other is a young woman known as Ally Kat.”

“Ally Kat? Oh, ho ho! This could get interesting! Very interesting indeed.”

“What do you mean, Ice King?” the man with the raspy voice asked.

“Ally Kat happens to be one of the twins of.... THAT man.”

“THAT man? But your majesty, if THAT man is involved....”

“I doubt it. THAT man hasn’t been heard of for years. It is said that Ally Kat killed him and went into hiding. Though I heard a rumor that she is traveling with a group called GWANAN and doing good deeds in the world. Such a shame. She was such a talented criminal too. And now she’s turned to the light side. Tsk tsk.”

“But what will you do with her?”

“Capture her, of course! And see if we can’t bring that girl back to the side of evil where she originated. Izo!”

The young boy hanging on the wall groaned and opened his eyes. The ice king let him loose and he landed neatly on the ground.

“Go, Izo. Go and meet your old friend and her comrades. Take them down. You may kill the red head, but do not cause too much damage to the brunet. I shall have her as a new slave. What do you think?”

~*F*~

Chapter 14 - The Invisible Ice Giant

November 15^th, 4:11 PM

“Bwahahahahaha! I knew the young Baird girl would not disappoint. What a large mind for that small body. It’s nice to know that she still has feelings for my beautiful masterpiece.... Izo!” The man shrouded in mystery gazed up at the young boy as he hung by the chains on his wrists on the wall like a picture out on display.

“What makes you say that?” came a raspy voice. “The little girl seemed perfectly willing to kill him.”

“No. Ultimately she only put him to sleep, which was her intention all along. He’s the only thing she has left to connect her to the past. She wont let him go so easily. Fortunately, this same boy is also my beloved puppet. The little genius will soon find herself being killed by the one person she loves and who loves her.”

“My Lord is always so intelligent about such things. Hehehehe!”

“Yes! But first we must capture her, in order to call her father out of hiding. I will make Baird pay for what he’s done to me....”

And yes.... I was indeed hiding inside their secret lair in order to hear all this. Never underestimate the abilities of a writer.

~*F*~

Chapter 13 - Carumati vs. Izo

November 15^th, 3:56 PM


Pruina, also known as the World of Ice, was a large city which stretched far and wide. People from all over came to visit Pruina and gaze at the sculptures made by the ice building up over time known as Ice Wonders. Despite the cold, many people lived there as well, and learned to grow ice plants for food and hunt ice animals. It was an all around popular and exciting place. However, recently, an ice spell-caster came and cast an ice over the land which would never melt. The people ran in terror, but were soon entrapped by the ice giant made by the same spell-caster. That’s when our heros came upon the scene.

~*F*~

Chapter 12 - World of Ice

November 8^th, 1:22 PM

“Ally Kat.”

“Yes?”

“It’s about the last chapter that you gave me.”

“What about it?”

“Well, it was good, but... how come it doesn’t say hardly anything about the party? I mean, we don’t even know if anyone sang happy birthday to you.”

“What? Ally, you didn’t put in the most hilarious part?”

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Absolutely nothing!”

“The reason that part of the story is scarce is because she actually can’t remember most of it.”

“Huh?”

“Basically, Cato slipped some liquor into Ally’s drink and we all learned that Ally Kat can’t even handle one sip without getting drunk.”

“Wait, what did she do?”

“Kon, don’t you dare!”

“Right after they sang happy birthday, she turned to Cato, took his hand and in the dullest voice ever, proposed to him right there.”

“You’re kidding!”

“She sang love songs the entire time that I was carrying her upstairs to bed after everyone left. Cato was laughing so hard, he could barely ask the maid to attend to her.”

“You’re dead, Kon.”

~*F*~

Chapter 11 - An Old Friend: Part 4

October 30^th, 9:49 PM

It is there beyond the light
Where darkness grows bright
A whisper in the night
The fated dark sight

How long will this hold?
In a story untold
With linens so old
And moss at the fold

No place is free
For someone like me
With no memory
I have just one plea

With moonlit glow
Through lakes I row
With heart in tow
I’d like to know

Who am I?

~*AK*~

Chapter 10 - An Old Friend: Part 3

October 18^th - 29^th, 6:32 PM


Dictated by Fable, written by Alameda:


I have fallen and twisted my ankle and sprained my wrist. Because of this, Ally Kat has prepared the next chapter for you herself as a favor to me. I hope you enjoy it and hopefully it wont be too wretched I know that she will do a better job than me.

~*AK+F*~

Chapter 9 - An Old Friend: Part 2

October 18^th, 4:37 PM


The town of Caverna isn’t exactly the place one would go for a vacation. It is gloomy and eery. The whole town resides in a pit and the only way in or out is by walking down a steep ridge on the outer rim. Constantly full of mist, it becomes impossible to see where one is going. The only thing is to keep moving forward. The faint sound of a violin follows the soft steps of people coming and going, and the dead trees reach out their branches like little fingers longing for something to hold. Dim lights move about, but no bodies can be seen for the mist. Once the bottom has been reached, one will see in the distance, a tall, dark mansion where a strange being that no one has ever seen resides. All sorts of creatures dwell here in this pit. Werewolves and vampires seek out this place as their home....


Other than that, it’s completely normal!

~*F*~

Chapter 8 - An Old Friend: Part 1

October 11^th, 3:03 PM


October. A month full of suspicion. Most people think of Halloween when they think of October. Few can recognize the true beauty of it. The beauty of the rain falling on the slowly yellowing leaves. The gentle breeze carrying the faint sent of pumpkin pie. Because of this, October becomes a symbol of peace. For GWANAN, who is constantly fighting and carrying out duties, this is a valuable time of the year when they get to relax between fights. Or so they thought....

~*F*~

Chapter 7 - The Full Form of GWANAN

Who ever said that sitting in a cabinet while the airship was going upside down, WAS SAFE?!!
(This guy ------> Konrad Aimery)

~*F*~

Chapter 6 - Leaving Polstar

August 24^th, 10:16 AM


I followed behind everyone, trying to blend in and stay out of their way as much as possible. This girl that was with them was certainly unique if nothing else. She had dark, red hair, which she kept tied back slightly with a ribbon. She wore a white jacket which was far too big for her and a large shirt which had ancient Greek characters written all over it (of course, I didn't know that at the time, she told me later that they were ancient Greek). All this was covered up by all the strange gadgets she carried with her. She even had some odd objects strapped to her legs. We all hurried (Carumati skipped) to the airship so we could leave at a time when the winds would die down.

~*F*~

Chapter 05 - The Cargo

August 24^th, 9:33 AM


Polstar. A city surrounded entirely by mountains but for one small opening on the northern side. No one knew why, but high winds circled around these mountains during the Summer and Autumn, making it impossible for any normal person and ship to fly during these times. However, inside this circle of mountains, it was always cool and calm, and everything was green and lush. When Winter and Spring came around, the wind outside would die down and there would always be a snow cloud covering Polstar, like a lid. Then everything inside would freeze over and the people living there would escape to their underground homes until everything above thawed out again. This was Polstar.

~*F*~

Chapter 4 - Reaching Polstar

August 24^th, 12:45 AM

Ally Kat walked over to me and lifted me by the collar. The look in her eye was neither amused nor angry. It was simply a look with no hint of what she was thinking. However, her lack of emotion was what made me more nervous and I almost looked away. But I quickly told myself that I had to remain strong and stared right back at her.

“Oh, yeah. I forgot about the little brat,” Konrad said as he stood, keeping a firm grip on Katrina's wrists. “What were you thinking, kid? Coming in here without permission and hiding like that? What would you have done if Miss Crazy over here and gone wild and started shooting everywhere and one of them hit you?”

I remained staring at Ally Kat and answered, “I would have gritted my teeth and bore it. If it was so bad that you had to send me to a hospital I would have found some way to pay you back. I'd do what I had to.”

“You've got guts, kid. But you still lack skills and experience. Why don't you try going after someone a little safer? Then you can build your way up to our level. After all, you can't just start at the top.”

“I can't afford not to,” I said. “In the world of books, a book is great or it isn't. The author's skill and experience mean nothing if the story stinks. Most great novels come from the unrecognized authors that are discovered by the public. So... if I want to make it at all, I have to make it to the top from the very beginning.”

“That's sweet and all, but this isn't a story. It's real life. If you want to write about the real world, you need to stop sticking your head in the clouds and grow up a bit.”

I listened to his words. I knew he would refuse me yet again. And this time, the decision would be final.

“But if you wanna stick around and risk your own neck, go ahead.”

I looked at Konrad, unable to believe what he just said.

“What's your name, kid?”

I smiled. “Just call me Fable.”

~*F*~

Chapter 3 - An Impostor Aboard

August 23^rd, 11:43 PM


In my hiding spot beneath the cabinet, I could hear as Ally Kat threatened Konrad.


“You move and you're dead,” Ally Kat spoke.


“Alameda, what are you doing?” Ven asked, alarmed.


“Ally, come on! What's wrong with- Agh! What are you shooting at me for? Get a hold of yourself!”


I peaked out a bit from the cabinet to see Konrad leaping from his chair, but Ally Kat shot him in the leg and he was forced to kneel down.


“Who are you? Who are you working for? Is it Denov? Why is he after us?” Ally Kat interrogated.


“Ally Kat, are you out of your mind?” Ven questioned.


“No, she's not,” came a voice from outside the room. I couldn't see who it was, but Ven seemed to react to it with confusion.


“Wait, who... Which one is the real....”


“Ven, this is an imposter. Someone sent by Denov, no doubt,” the stranger spoke. “There were a few others that I had to take care of in the next room.”


I opened the cabinet a little farther so I could see, but ended up falling out completely. I looked up to find Ally Kat, Ven and two Konrads staring at me.

~*F*~

Chapter 2- A Typical Day With GWANAN

 August 23^rd 9:28 PM

“So, I wasn't able to spy on you guys after all,” I said.

“It's really hard to hunt a hunter. I know, I've done it myself,” the girl called Ally Kat replied.

“I wasn't hunting. I was observing.”

“Why? Why were you following us?” Konrad asked.

“I'm an author. If you don't mind, I'd like to observe from the sidelines and write about what you guys do. Naturally, I would change your names so people wouldn't know.”

Konrad sneered. “Not a chance. Even if you weren't lying, you'd just be in the way.”

“I promise, I'll only get as close to you guys as I need to. If there's anything I need, I'd just ask you. U-unless that would bother you.... In which case I would just make do with half a story. Please! I don't care if I get killed. If I can just get this story, I wouldn't mind dying, knowing I accomplished something at least.”

“We don't have time for this, kid. We've got somewhere to go and something to do. Just go home and enjoy life. You're young. You can accomplish plenty with the time you've got without having to bother us.”

The three of them turned their backs to me and I could feel my only chance slipping away. “I'll keep following you! No matter where you go, or what you do, I'll follow you whether you like it or not! You'll have to kill me, to get rid of me!”

The three kept walking, leaving me standing alone on the street.

~*F*~

Chapter 1 - Introductions

 August 23^rd, 6:41 PM

“So you're a writer, eh?”

“That's right.”

“Looking for a story?”

“Yeah.”

“In that case, might I make a suggestion?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“See those people over there?”

I turned and looked. There were two men. One had blond, spiky hair with goggles pushed up among the spikes and a boyish grin that made him look a lot younger than he was. The other had dark brown hair that fell in every which way and dark sunglasses that covered his eyes.

“They call themselves GWANAN.”