Ilayne Merespark: My Story

[Ilayne_Merespark]

Metal. A mechanical hand. Grabbing my arm. My eyes fluttered as I quickly looked to see who was holding me.
“Error 329. You are not permitted to be sleeping on these grounds.” I heard a robotic voice say.
I looked around - my sister was still sleeping on the ground beside me. Not wanting to wake her up, I quietly stood up and shook off the cold metal hand.
“I answered this yesterday,” I whispered, annoyed. “I told you that we have nowhere else to stay.”
“If I am not mistaken, I also told you that there is, in fact, a place for you to stay.” It said. Already I was getting a headache from the monotone voice. “Urchin’s Grotto.”
“Sir, I am not an urchin. We are not urchins.” I growled.
“Error 330. You are forced to reside there or come with me to prison.” it relayed.
I wanted to strike the troubleshooter, but at that moment, a bombardier came around the corner of the alley to see what was going on. I decided to wait.
“Yes sir, we’ll go to Urchin’s Grotto. Thank you sir.” I stated for the sake of the moment. The bombardier turned back around, and the troubleshooter turned to go too. I eyed the huge weapon on it’s back, and I figured that even if I had striked the automation I would have been defenseless. Yes, I was strong, but without any weapons I would have been killed.
“What happened, Ilayne?” a voice broke into my thoughts. I turned to see my sister sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall.
“Nothing. They just want us to move to Urchin’s Grotto.” I made a face. “But there’s no way we’re going there.”
My sister said nothing as she looked into space. I sighed in my mind. Oh, my precious sister. I loved her so very much, but without her, it would be so much easier. I cursed my strong emotions. I loved her, but maybe I loved her too much. Because if I didn’t love her so, maybe we would be somewhere safer right now.
If only…
No. I wouldn’t think like that. I would not think to the past. No, the past is over and done. Right now, my priority is to take care of my sister. And to decide what’s best for her.
But what was best for her?

End of Account 1
People mentioned in this post:
@Scarlett_Darkhall

[Ilayne_Merespark]

Even though I wore boots, they felt as thin as paper because they were worn out. I could literally feel the gravel penetrating the skin of my foot. I tried not to grunt because I wanted to stay strong for my sister, but she noticed immediately.
“Your shoes bothering you again?” she asked as we entered Urchin’s Grotto. The stench quickly filled my nostrils; I gagged.
“No… They’re fine.” I lied. She seemed to sense it.
“We could ask Georgia to fix them up a bit,” she said, looking down at my boots. Reluctantly, I looked down also. There was a huge tear in the front so anyone could see my big toe, and as I propped up my leg with my other knee, I saw the sole was completely gone.
“See? Perfectly fine.” I fake-smiled. My sister gave me the look.
“Com’on, sis. Georgia could fix it up. Your foot might get infected.” she pleaded.
Of all people, Georgia! That little rat! Yes, she seemed innocent on that outside, but that little girl was as stingy as a person could get. Especially about flowers.
“Scarlett, are you nuts? Georgia?! Last time you tried to help her out she said she would get it herself!” I exploded.
“Ilayne!” Scarlett scolded. “She’s only ten! And all of her life, she’s grown up an urchin without any parents!”
“So have we, and we’re not stingy.”
“Well, at least we have an uncle who cares about us.”
I stared at her. “Our uncle? Did you just say he cares?”
“Ilayne, com’on. He just wants to make sure we won’t betray the Empire.”
I shook my head. My Uncle Phileas? He abandoned us. He…
Before I could think any more bad thoughts about him, Scarlett dragged me into the square of Urchin’s Grotto. Before I could resist, she pulled me up to Georgia, who was tending the fire.
“‘Ello mates! Fine day, innit?” she grinned, looking up. Ugh, I could just feel the stinginess radiating from her…
“Yes it is!” Scarlett jabbed me in the ribs when she saw the disgusted look on my face. “Ilayne here needs some help.”
“Yeah? What can I do you for?” Georgia asked, her huge green eyes looking up at me. I sighed inwardly. I hated getting help from others. I saw myself capable of doing anything. But my sister knew how much I needed to be humbled. Maybe that was partly why she brought me here. I coughed.
“Uh… Yeah. My shoes…”
“My, guv! Do you need a new pair?” Georgia cut in, having already saw the state of my shoes. I immediately thanked the Great Engineer that I didn’t have to suffer through the humbling sentence.
The Great Engineer… The Great Engineer… Why had he come to mind? He hadn’t been heard from in many years! He abandoned Aethasia… Just like my uncle abandoned us…
“Yes, that would be wonderful!” Scarlett answered for me, seeing I was lost in thought. “Sorry to bother you.”
“No problem, guv!” Georgia winked, shooting out of her sitting position. She bolted (or should I say, boinged) into a nearby alleyway. A few minutes later, she came bounding back.
“Irving said this’d do,” she said. As quick as lightning, she had propped my leg upon a broken barrel and started working on my shoe. Or rather, my strip of leather wrapped around my foot.
“They kick you out of No Man’s Landing again, guv?” Georgia asked, pressing something cold against the bottom of my foot.
“Yeah. They thought we were…”
Scarlett jabbed me again.
“... not worthy of staying there.” I glared at my sister. If I would have said one of you, I would have loved to see Georgia’s reaction.
“That’s why Urchin’s Grotto was made, mate! For outcasts like us!” Georgia replied, tying a sturdy piece of cord around my foot to keep the part in place. “You’re welcome to stay ‘ere. But don’t take anythin’ from me, mate. And don’t even think about touchin’ me flowers.”
I stole a glance at Scarlett, who pretended to ignore me. I laughed inwardly. I know I’m always right!
I felt a sharp tug at my foot and I looked down to see Georgia tying the last part in. “There ya go, guv! Hope that helps.”
I lifted my leg off the barrel and stepped on the ground. Surprisingly, it actually felt supportive again! It looked brand new! I looked at the sole and saw that she had placed a flat metal part there. Nothing would get through now.
“Wow, it’s great!” I complimented before I could catch myself. Ilayne Merespark never said those types of things!
“Thanks guv!” Georgia replied proudly. A noise suddenly sounded from the alley over.
“Georgia, did you take my water can again?!”
Georgia blushed a bright red. “Gotta go mates. Bya!” she quickly scampered away.
As I stood up, Scarlett looked at me with one of her many looks. “See? Look what a nice little girl she can be.”
“A nice little girl?! Did you just hear what that other urchin said?” I made a face. I didn’t want Scarlett to know how much I appreciated her help. Ilayne Merespark never needs help.
Scarlett just shook her head. I put my arm around her shoulder as we walked off together.

End of Account 2
People mentioned in this post:
@Scarlett_Darkhall

[Ilayne_Merespark]

I sat alone in the cold, dank, dark alleyway in Urchin’s Grotto. Of course, I wasn’t really alone. Scarlett was asleep beside me. And as well she should. It was already late into the night - two in the morning, I supposed. Actually, I should be asleep as well. But something was keeping me up. I couldn’t identify it. What was that cold, dark feeling that was rising inside of me?
I looked over at my sister. She looked like she was shivering in her sleep. Without a moment’s hesitation I took off my thin coat and spread it across her body. I softly smiled as I looked intently at her face. She was thin for a girl her age, and sometimes, she was very weak. But not in the mind. Definitely not. She always thought beyond the situation; she looked for a better explanation to things. If physical strength wasn’t her strong point, her mental strength sure was.
I sighed as I thought about me. I was undoubtedly gifted in strength; that had always stayed with me. That and my temper. Yikes. Now that maybe wasn’t a strength, but it was the thing that kept me going. It was the thing that helped me survive. To press on.
I looked over at my sister again. Part of me wished I was her. She didn’t have to worry about a thing… Well, as long as I was there. She always thought about the positive side of things, and me… I don’t know. I guess I was born to be headstrong and negative all the time. I was the eldest sister, after all.
But the other part of me was thankful for who I was. Without my boldness and… “headstrong-ness”, we wouldn’t be where we were today. And, to put it frankly, we’d be dead.
But we’re not. Because Ilayne Merespark never gives in to fear.
I still could not place the feeling that was beginning to scare me. What was it? What was that unknown feeling? It felt like anxiety, in a way… Was it something from my past?
Definitely my past. As soon as I thought that, something that I was thinking about earlier popped into my head.
My uncle.
He didn’t necessarily betray us, but I would say he abandoned us. But what for? I knew the answer, I just couldn’t bring myself to think about it. Oh, if only my sister hadn’t made things so hard. It wasn’t her fault really; it was more like my strong feelings that had gotten us into this mess. Why couldn’t I just choose one side over another? What was so hard about making decisions? I usually made very quick decisions, because my life was mostly full of close-calls.
I sighed as I looked up at the sky. The moon was shining bright; it was a full moon. A tear slid down my cheek as I cuddled into a ball. Did anyone truly care about me? Yes, someone cared about my sister: that was me. But… Who cared about me? Obviously not my uncle. And definitely not the Great Engineer. He was long gone.
At that moment, I suddenly felt very alone. And I finally discovered that that was the feeling I had been experiencing. Loneliness. What a tragedy of a feeling. Moments after figuring that out, I quickly fell back to sleep, thinking how my life could be different…

Metal. A mechanical hand. Grabbing my arm. I groaned, thinking that we were back in No Man’s Landing. I tried to think of an excuse as I tried to open my tired eyes.
“Sir, please don’t take us to jail. We were just…”
But as my eyesight adjusted, my eyebrows furrowed. We weren’t in No Man’s Landing; we were in Urchin’s Grotto! Before I could say anything, the automation quickly projected, “Under the orders of the Empire, you are being taken to Evercity.”
“Evercity?!” I almost screeched. I quickly looked over at my sister to see if she had awakened, but she had not. Com’on sis, now’s not the time to sleep in!
“Do not resist. Orders are clear. If you resist we will take you by force,” the automation said. “General’s orders.”
“What general? What right do you have to take me from here?” I argued. I was just trying to buy time. My sister was a light sleeper; why wasn’t she waking up? Another question for my puzzled brain: why weren’t they taking her as well?
Instead of answering me, the automation - with surprising strength - forced me on my feet. It moved behind me and dug a gun into my back. “Get moving,” was all it said.
Angry and confused, I walked from the alleyway into the square, where I saw three more automations waiting for me. As I kept walking, one of them moved in front of me and the other two on the sides of me. Great, it was turning into a parade. How lovely. The only way to get out of this was my sister. Anxiously, I stole a glance at the alleyway, hoping.
Nothing. There was nothing. I was done for, with no apparent reason why.

[Ilayne_Merespark]

I began to sweat as I lost sight of the alleyway. I knew I was clinging onto false hope, but at that moment I was desperate. Something like this had never happened to me before. Sure, I had heard stories of people mysteriously disappearing and such. But never to me.
I began to think back to those stories, and I instantly regretted it. Most of the stories were people getting carried off to the Fogworks - and who knows what happened there. But I wasn’t going there: I was going somewhere more dark. The city of Lord Lucky himself. This created an eerie feeling inside of me, almost like…
No! Ilayne Merespark never gives into fear!
But as I started thinking about it more, the more frightened I became. And the more frightened I became, the more desperate I became. What happens… what happens if they kill me?
I finally concluded that my sister wasn’t coming. We were already halfway through No Man’s Landing. I had to think of something - fast. I scolded myself for relying on my sister. I had to rely on myself. It was up to me now.
With one hit of my fist, one of the automations went down. As the three other automations jumped in surprise, I jumped the guard in front of me. It tumbled to the ground. From the reflection of the moon on the ground, I could see the the shadows of the other two guards. My heart beating wildly, I wrenched a metal part off the automation in front of me and spun around. One of the guards - which was a Pacifier - lifted its arm to aim it’s gun at me, but I whacked it with my piece of metal. The arm of the Pacifier flew off, and the automation fell to the ground. Satisfied at the outcome of my strength, I didn’t even realize the other guard was behind me. With one blow of the end of the guard’s gun, my wits were knocked out of me, and I sprawled onto the cobblestone street.

“Well well well, look who’s finally here. D32404, report. When you came back, 
why was it just you? And why was the girl knocked out?”
Startled, I opened my eyes to see nothing. Nothing, that is, except for a 
green lantern hanging from the wall. I groaned, and as I blinked several more times,
my eyes adjusted to the dark room. With only the help of the green lantern, 
I could see the shadow of a man standing near the door in front of me. A 
Pacifier was right beside of him. Clearly they were unaware that I was awake.
“D32404 reporting, commander. The urchin attacked us on our way. XX192, F6721,
and M3307 were terminated. It was only necessary to knock the girl out.”
“She brought down three Pacifiers… without any weapons?” the man said with a 
hint of surprise and anger. I smiled to myself, thinking how frustrating it 
would be to be him. Always commanding stupid automations to do everything...
“Yes commander. The urchin is strong for her age. It would be wise to keep an 
extra eye on her.” the Pacifier reported.

“Good work, D32404. Return to your ranks.” the man said. I would have loved to see his face. The automation saluted and marched out the door, leaving me and the man alone in the room.
The man stood in the shadows for the first few seconds. I didn’t know what he was doing, but I could him watching me. How welcoming.
I would have liked to look around the place, but with the man standing there, I didn’t want to take any chances. I already felt uncomfortable, so I stayed where I was and focused my eyesight on the floor.
The room was silent all until I heard the man take a step forward. I was slightly startled at the movement, and as the man kept walking toward me, I kept getting more frightened. What was he going to do? No, Ilayne, you can’t be frightened now! Stay strong!
The man finally stopped when he was directly in front of me. I gulped. I still couldn’t see his face. But at that moment, I put my fear behind me and decided I was going to be more than my fear thought I was.
“Sir, I don’t know what I’m doing here,” I started out, my voice not even wavering. I was proud of myself. “And let me just tell you right now that I have done nothing to deserve this. Though I can’t say I’ve committed myself to the Emperor, I haven’t done anything deserving imprisonment in his main city. So why, my I ask, am I here? And who are you?”
There was silence. Then I heard a match being struck against something, and there was suddenly a tiny green flame in the man’s left hand. He brought it to his other hand, which held a pipe, and lit it. I stared intently at the odd-colored flame.
“Hello Ilayne,” I heard him say in a deep voice as he brought the pipe to his mouth. The voice sounded frighteningly familiar; it sounded almost like…
I gasped. “Uncle Phileas!”

End of Account 4

[Ilayne_Merespark]

My jaw hung open in shock as my uncle continued to smoke his pipe. I had so many questions, and most of them I wanted to blurt out then and there. What was happening?

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I brought you here,” Uncle Phileas said, exhaling the green smoke. It reminded me of the famous green fog that invaded the lands. Of all colors, why did it have to be green?

I didn’t say anything, but I continued to stare at him with shock. I was still trying to get over the fact that I was seeing my uncle before my very eyes. The last time I met him was the time he abandoned us. That seemed like years ago, but as I concluded with revelation, it had only been 13 months.

My uncle took my silence as a yes, so he proceeded. “I’m sure you are aware of my daughter, yes?”

“Yes,” I nodded with understanding as I smiled at the old memories. How could I forget! She was the only one in the whole Newgadget family who didn’t treat us like dirt!

“Well,” Uncle Phileas continued, looking almost pained, “something happened to her.”

“What?” I asked immediately, looking up from my folded hands. She was like a second sister to me, and I could readily say that I cared for her as much as I cared for Scarlett.

“It’s difficult to explain.” He shifted uncomfortably. “She… decided to leave.”

“Leave? Why?”

He looked toward the cell window with his hands clasped behind his back. “Because she betrayed me, and she wasn’t repentant.”

“Grace? She would betray nobody!” I protested with surprise. I thought back to my kind cousin who always made me smile. No, it couldn’t be.

“But she did,” Uncle Phileas confirmed. “And by doing so, she turned her back on the Empire as well.”

I tried to remember the last time I had seen Grace. I recalled she had told me something about not being content in the Empire… But she didn’t tell me why. Another thing to add to my already-puzzled brain. Great.

I sat in silence for a couple minutes, with the occasional noise of my uncle’s pipe. Finally, I looked up at him again.

“What did you bring me here for?” I asked.

“I know last time I saw you, you were still making up your mind on which side to choose,” he said. “I wanted to know if you’ve made up your mind.”

“I still haven’t,” I said obstinately, shaking my head. “Give a girl some time.”

“Ilayne, it’s already been a year! How long will it take you to decide whether you will join the Empire or the Resistance?”

I dropped my head into my hands. All I wanted was to protect my sister. Was that hard enough? Each side had their advantages and disadvantages. The Empire would definitely be most safest, but it was very questionable to me. The green fog everywhere, the weird automations telling you what to do… It didn’t seem like a good choice. But compared to the Resistance, it was definitely safer. The Resistance rebel against the current authority and place themselves in dangerous situations just to prove the existence of the Great Engineer... To me, it sounded like a cult. Actually, I don’t even remember why I even had that as a choice in the first place.

I turned back to my uncle, who appeared to be thinking. “Well, you don’t have to wait any longer,” I said, rising from the ground. “What do you want me to do?”

End of Account 5
People mentioned in this post:
@Grace_Newgadget @Scarlett_Darkhall

[Ilayne_Merespark]

I peeked around the corner of the building, looking for signs of movement. There was none, except for the flickering of a nearby street lamp. Like everything else, it was green. Green. What a repulsive color!

I turned back over my shoulder and focused my eyes on the person behind me. “All clear,” I mouthed. The person nodded and motioned for the group behind him to follow. I watched him as he moved ahead of me and started creeping down the street. A few seconds later, I followed. Then another person. Then another. We barely made a sound as we progressed into Town Square. The moon, hidden by dark clouds, didn’t shine as it used to, so anyone who wished to see us would have to look hard into the night.

As we silently followed a lane into No Man’s Landing, I saw the familiar outline of the print shop. It had originally been run by a loyal follower of the Empire, but that was many years ago. Somehow it had went out of business. I guess no one wanted to hear the same old news of, “Lucky is the only one who can save us” and, “Get more fog, because it brings prosperity”. Someone had bought it last year, but I hadn’t taken the time to investigate. It was probably just another Lucky follower, publishing the same old news. Actually, I don’t even know why they have a print shop; there are so many propaganda carts around town!

The man leading us suddenly stopped before we entered the square. He motioned for us to gather around.

“We have to act quickly,” he barely whispered. “Darkness will break in four hours. If we don’t find the Resistance base before then, you know what will happen.”

The group nodded as if they understood, but I looked confused. As the group quickly broke up and spreaded out, one person saw the confused look on my face.

“I guess you’ve recently decided to join Lucky,” she said. I couldn’t see her face because she had a hood pulled over it. “You’ll be fine as long as you keep your head down. Hopefully you won’t have to learn what the consequences are.”

I gulped as I hurriedly nodded, and she scampered away into the night. I looked around; everyone had already gone. I guess I had to start looking for clues to finding this... Resistance base.

I remembered back to my talk with Uncle Phileas in Evercity. I rubbed my temples. Okay, I could rescue Grace and bring her back. Sure. But finding a Resistance base? The Resistance was unethical, but very stealthy, I had to admit. My uncle had mentioned that before. They could go to-and-fro without being seen, and leaving no trace whatsoever. How was this even possible?

Then I suddenly remembered my sister. Uncle Phileas said that he wanted her to help too. Maybe she could figure this mess out! After all, she does have the mind of ten people. I started running past the print shop, across the bridge, and down another flight of stairs. I passed the familiar old lemonade stand and hurried into the lane leading to Urchin’s Grotto.

Nothing had changed in the place. It still stunk like crazy, and trash was everywhere. I dashed into the familiar alley that had begun to be me and my sister’s home.

“Scarlett?” I whispered softly at first, scared of waking the other urchins up. Since the moon wasn’t shining, I groped around in the dark, searching for my sister’s body. I called for her again, this time, a little louder. Nobody answered. I pulled out a flashlight my uncle had given me and turned it on. The color green exploded the alley, and as my eyes adjusted to the bright light, I found that only trash was there. I started to think that Scarlett had chosen another place to sleep, but there was a high chance she hadn’t. That’s weird. I wonder where she is.

I wished to continue my search for Scarlett, but I recalled what the man said: Darkness will break in four hours… if we don’t find the base before then, you know what will happen…

I did not like being threatened in such a way. What was the point? Was it necessary only to make sure the workers weren’t lazy? I supposed so. But I bet that even if we didn’t find the base, my uncle would find some way to make sure they wouldn’t harm me. I hoped…

I walked back out the alley and to the entrance of Urchin’s Grotto. I guess my sister would have to wait, no matter how much I wanted her with me. Turning off my flashlight and attaching it to my belt, I hurried off into the shadows.

End of Account 6
People mentioned in this post:
@Grace_Newgadget @Scarlett_Darkhall

[Ilayne_Merespark]

I climbed wearily up the stairs near the print shop, and when I got to the top, I leaned against the fence and sighed. Our group had been running around No Man’s Landing for the past three hours, and we still hadn’t found anything leading to the Resistance base. I dropped my face into my grimy hands. This was completely, utterly, altogether impossible. Those rebels had been more sneaky than we had thought.

From my view near the print shop, I could see most of the town and the docks. The green lanterns cast an eerie glow on the almost completely still water. My alert eyes untensed at the calming sight of the water. If only my life was like the water, moving wherever it wanted to go. It had the ability to flow freely and calmly, unharmed by all the dangers and trials of life…

Of course, if I was the water, there would still be obstacles that would churn my waters. Like ships. I sighed. I guessed no matter who or what you are, there is always something that is in the way of your dreams. That’s why I guess I loved books so much when I was little - the main characters always got what they wanted in the end, and it was always a “happily ever after.” I could take a break from reality and read something that was totally untrue. Why is it that people forget their childish memories - the carefree memories - and instead remember the grown up memories that bring them to reality? The hard, rough, terrible reality.

My early life had been carefree once. All until that dreadful, fateful night. The night my parents were…

No. I wouldn’t think like that. Thinking those thoughts got me in trouble. Like I always told myself, the past is over and done. I must move forward and get on with this miserable life.

I pushed myself off the fence and started walking. I had no destination. I had practically searched every inch of No Man’s Landing. So what was the use?

I glanced at the print shop, and I discovered that someone had changed the name to The Beacon. Interesting. I’m surprised they didn’t name it “Lucky’s Beacon” or, “The Green Beacon.” I looked at the moon. We had an hour left. I guess since the others were searching I could get caught up on this place.

I moved toward the double doors. In the day, the wheels beside the building turn and make a huge racket, but since it was night there was complete silence. I was grateful! I opened one of the doors, and I cringed as it creaked. Well, I guess it didn’t really matter. No one was in the print shop anyway. The people I did worry about were Lucky’s spies…

I quickly hurried inside the building and shut the door as quietly as I could. I leaned against the door and sighed. Hopefully Lucky’s spies didn’t see me, and hopefully they still thought that I was still searching…

It was then that I realized something.

Two small lanterns were on in the room.

My suspicions were immediately aroused. My mind went to the thought that someone was there, but I shrugged the idea off. It didn’t surprise me - I liked being suspicious. It made life less boring, I guess.

I picked up one of the lanterns off the floor - it was a pretty blue color - and held it up so I could see the room. It looked basically the same from the last time I visited. The only thing that really improved was the neatness and the printer.

I walked away from the door and into the center of the room, looking around me. I immediately noticed the new bookcase the new owners must have installed in the back of the room. It actually looked nice there. I always loved the look of bookcases - and of course, I loved the stories the books on the shelves told.

I stepped toward the bookcase when something caught my eye. I turned to see a paper lying on a box, with a red shape on it. Intrigued, I picked up the paper. And I wish I hadn’t. On the paper, there was a picture of a person I was well aware of. The person that had made everything worse. The person that was responsible for most of the trouble in the world today.

The Scarlet Man.

At the very thought I almost crumpled the paper and threw it as far away as I could. But I refrained, and read the words written on it: “REWARD: 1,000 Sovereigns - for information leading to the capture of THE SCARLET MAN.”

My hands shook as I looked over the figure. Though the red hood covered most of his face, the outline of it and the mysterious purple goggles were visible. I tried to tear myself away from the paper, but I just couldn’t tear my gaze away from his eyes. Something about them… something...

Before I could think anything, I quickly slammed the paper down upon the box again, breathing hard. No! Ilayne Merespark worked for the Empire. The Great Engineer was gone. The Scarlet Man was a good-for-nothing rebel or a myth. Those were facts. Hope had used to be in Aethasia. But… the Great Engineer abandoned Aethasia. Abandoned us. I was glad they made a wanted poster for him, though I doubted anyone would capture such a sly figure.

I turned away from the box, and at that moment, I suddenly heard whispers. Were they coming from outside? No, they couldn’t be. They sounded almost… echoey…

Then I suddenly realized that I was hearing the voices from under me.

End of Account 7

[Ilayne_Merespark]

Immediately upon figuring out that the voices were coming from underneath me, I crouched down on the ground and pressed my ear to the floor. I could still hear the talking, but I couldn’t make one word out. The first question that popped into my head was, how did they get down there? My brain quickly went to the thought Resistance base, but as I did with the other thought, I shook it away. I couldn’t just jump to conclusions. Yet…

I jumped up from the ground, my eyes darting around the room. There had to be a way to get down there and check it out. If in fact it was the Resistance base, the entry was probably well hidden in this room. I mean, the voices were coming from under here. I had to look harder.

I leaned against the bookcase that was at my back and overviewed the room. Maybe it could be under the carpet in the floor…

Suddenly, I felt the bookcase I was leaning on tilt backwards under my weight. My eyes widened as I grabbed the side, pulling it back up. Thankfully it didn’t make that much of a sound. But my eyes widened even more when I discovered what was behind the bookcase. It was right there! It was the entry!

I made a slight smile. Well. The Resistance was smart, but not smart enough for me. Without hesitation, I stepped quietly into the entry. I almost tripped because I didn’t see the stairs. I wished I could bring a lantern, but it might alert the people down below. I daren’t risk it.

Feeling my way along the walls, I went down step after step. After every level of stairs, there was a small window, which I was very grateful for. Every level the voices down below kept getting louder and louder, and suddenly they sounded as if they were right beside me. I had reached the bottom floor. I peeked stealthily around the corner, and a saw a dim light. I almost gasped as my eyesight adjusted. It was the Resistance base! It had been under the print shop the whole entire time!

I looked around for the voices and then I saw them, in the middle of the room at a table. There were two people total - one was a girl, who was standing and facing me. From her outfit, she looked like a scientist. The other I couldn’t tell what gender, because all I could see was his/her back.

“Com’on V, it’s getting late,” the unknown figure said. Definitely a girl, by her voice. She sat up from her chair and walked over to the scientist-girl. She put a hand on her shoulder. “Thirty minutes ‘til sunrise. We’ve been here two hours after the meeting.”

The other girl tried to stifle a yawn. “The time goes by so quickly... I’m sorry. You didn’t have to stay, you know. I just had to finish this one thing.”

“I didn’t want you to be by yourself,” the first girl smiled. “That’s what friends are for!”

The second girl gave her an appreciative look. “Don’t worry. I’m almost done, then we can leave. Etlo’s probably worrying over where I’ve been…”

The two girls were bent over something I couldn’t see. The first girl’s voice had sounded similar to someone I knew, but I just couldn’t place it. And it was impossible to tell who she really was because she was wearing a mask and goggles.

I stood there for what seemed like hours, but was only five minutes. The girls were doing something, I just couldn’t see what it was. The first girl’s voice was haunting me… Ugh, it sounded so familiar! Where was it from?

“I’m done,” the second girl sighed with satisfaction, straightening from her leaned-over position. She groaned as she put her hands to her back. “I always forget to sit down instead of lean!”

The first girl laughed. “You're just too caught up in your Resistance work to care.”

The second girl smiled. “I guess so. I don’t feel like I’m ready for the task the Scarlet Man has set before me… But for him, I’ll do anything.”

I scrunched my face up in disgust. Who could devote oneself to him? What was he worthy of?

I heard the girls cleaning up the items on the table, and as I looked back to them, the first girl hugged the other.

“Get some rest, Vytanni. You’ll need all of it!” the first girl smiled.

“You too, Grace. Goodnight.”

My eyes widened. My brain clicked. The first girl was…

I stepped out from hiding, and the girls, who were just heading toward me and the exit, immediately jumped. Before they could say or do anything, I stuttered, “You’re... Grace Newgadget!”

End of Account 8
People mentioned in this post:
@Grace_Newgadget @Vytanni_Throttlenight @Etlo_Maxlance

[Ilayne_Merespark]

The girl known as Vytanni immediately pulled out her weapon and pointed it at me.

“Who are you, and how did you find us?”

“Wait, hold on Vy,” Grace said quickly. She instantly pulled off her goggles and mask, and I saw her pretty blue eyes for the first time. She blinked at me, trying to figure out who I was.

“Ilayne?!” Grace gasped. “Is that really you?”

Unexpectedly she reached out and hugged me, laughing. Surprised at first, I hugged her back, laughing as well. I could see Vytanni out of the corner of my eye, and to my relief, she had lowered her weapon.

“Goodness, it’s been ages! How are you?!” Grace asked excitedly, pulling back.

“Pretty good, how are you?” I couldn’t hide my beam. Grace was like a full on sister to me, and I was so thrilled to see her again.

“Great!” Grace couldn’t contain her smile either. “I can’t believe I’m seeing you right now! How long has it been?”

“Too long!” I laughed. Grace turned to Vytanni, whose eyebrows were raised.

“Oh… I guess you deserve an explanation,” Grace grinned. Throwing an arm around my shoulder, she said, “Vytanni, meet my cousin Ilayne. Ilayne, meet my friend and fellow worker - Vytanni Throttlenight.”

I extended a hand, which Vytanni took warmly but cautiously. As we shook, I studied her - she looked like a scientist to me.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ilayne,” Vytanni said with her Russian accent that I liked almost instantly, eyeing me up and down. “I’m sorry for the sudden outburst, but I am rather curious. What are you doing here?”

I gulped, and looked at Grace, whose face asked the same question. I didn’t want to lie, yet I didn’t want to startle them… They both worked for the Resistance, after all. What was I to say?

“Uh… Actually… I was trying to find my sister,” I replied. It was true, so I wasn’t lying.

“Are you with the Resistance or with the Empire?”

Another fork-in-the-road question. Great. This time I couldn’t dodge it. I decided to play it out.

“Well… Which side do you think I’m on?” I stalled sarcastically, looking at Grace. “My cousin does work for the Resistance.”

“Yes, I know that.” Vytanni squinted at me, like she was scrutinizing me. “But you look startlingly familiar to a person I was just interrogating…”

“Come on Vy, give her some ‘grace’.” Grace winked, then went back to serious mode. “Even if she did work with Lucky, she couldn’t be a spy… Could you? I mean, how did you find this place?”

Ugh. I wanted to lie and tell her that I worked for the Resistance, but I know I would regret it! Maybe just this once I could lie… But this was my cousin I was talking to! I couldn’t just lie to my cousin! I had to tell her.

“Grace, I… I’m sorry about what I’m about to say next,” I looked apologetically at her. From my peripheral vision I could see Vytanni still studying me. I gulped, but continued anyways. I turned to Grace. “I am a spy. Your father sent me to bring you back.”

Grace looked at me blankly, trying to put together what I just said. Vytanni tensed and put a hand back on her weapon.

“Wait… My father sent you here? For me?” Grace looked so forlorn that I almost wanted to tell her that I had been kidding. But there was no going back.

I simply nodded, trying to bear the pain the look on her face gave me. She looked down at the ground.

“So… You do work for the Empire?” Vytanni asked, looking almost compassionate for me yet staring intensely at me with her silver eyes.

“Yes. But… but my choice was opinionated. I knew little about the Resistance,” I added. Had I really just said that? I knew it was true, but… I thought I had made my decision that the Resistance was for the corrupt rebels. Could… could my view be changing? I was scared to think so. I sighed inwardly. Just go home with Grace and you’ll never have to worry about this!

“Ilayne, I… I can’t go back,” Grace said softly, looking up at me.

“Why not?” I asked, my heart thumping. “Don’t you want to see your father?”

She sighed. “Trust me, I do. But…”

“He said before I left that you had betrayed him, but I didn’t believe him.” I interrupted.

“He said that?” Grace shook her head sadly. “I was afraid he would.”

“How did you betray him?”

“Well, I…” she stopped, a faraway look in her eyes. Vytanni stepped closer to her.

“You don’t have to tell it if you don’t want to,” she said comfortingly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“No… I must,” Grace sighed, turning to me.

End of Account 9
People mentioned in this post:
@Grace_Newgadget @Vytanni_Throttlenight

[Ilayne_Merespark]

“My father had great plans for me in the Empire - he wanted me to go to Academy Automicus to graduate as a Autofficer.” Grace started. “I was thrilled when Ambassador Alena chose me to go the academy. I thought it would be really cool...” she paused and smiled.“I remember arguing with Ariella about going… Even though she was going to the academy with me, she didn’t seem excited.”

Grace paused again, and at first I thought she wasn’t going to continue. Her thoughts seemed so far away. But she did.

“Ilayne, I honestly can’t tell you what happened at the academy, but it was there that my view changed. I knew I couldn’t work for Lucky anymore.”

“Why? What was wrong with serving Lucky?” I questioned, honestly puzzled about how this conversation was going.

“It’s… I… I can’t explain. But the Scarlet Man made me realize who Lucky really was,” Grace said. “Before, I had thought fog was the most coolest kind of technology there was - I mean, it powered almost everything. But in fact, what I realized was that the fog actually makes people forget about the Great Engineer.”

“The Scarlet Man? The Great Engineer? What’s so special about these people?” I asked, my face reddening.

“Lucky is a monster, Ilayne. The Great Engineer built these lands on aether, which is fog, but one hundred times better. He used to rule Aethasia, and…”

“How come I don’t remember this?”

“The fog made you forget.” Grace replied. “Everything Lucky makes is dangerous - the fog, the automations. He comes to destroy those who don’t obey him…”

“...but the Scarlet Man comes to give life,” Vytanni slowly finished. She looked towards me with the compassionate look still in her eyes. “Without him, I would have died… but he saved me and gave me - gave us - a mission to complete. He loves us dearly and all those who follow him. He has come to deliver Aethasia from the merciless hands of Lucky and save us from destruction.”

I looked at them both, head spinning. I felt like I was getting light-headed, but I kept my focus. The Great Engineer… Hadn’t abandoned us? Was he the one that sent the Scarlet Man?

“All this sounds great, and I’m happy for you both,” I said, struggling with the battle in my mind. “But I’m absolutely sure that even if I did want to join you, the Scarlet Man would never let me.”

“Of course he would!” Grace exclaimed. “He’s always looking for people who will have the faith to follow him.”

Oh, how I desperately wanted to believe her. But something inside me kept saying, she’s lying… the Scarlet Man would never forgive you… you’ve doubted him so much… you’ve pushed him away too many times…

“I’m sorry Grace. I just can’t. I’m sorry,” I said sorrowfully.

“Please just tell me you’ll think about it!”

“I already have,” I shook my head, and headed for the stairs.

“Ilayne wait,” Grace stopped me. “At least if you say no, please don’t go back to my father. The fog corrupted his mind, and if you go back without me it’ll be disastrous.”

I thought for a moment. I thought surely he would pardon me, but if what Grace said was true about the fog…

“Fine. But please don’t push me into this decision about choosing sides,” I stated. Grace, looking a bit despondent, nodded her head in agreement.

“All right. Here, you can come with me to my place,” Grace regained her smile, seemingly putting aside the previous conversation. “Goodnight Vy!”

“Goodnight Grace, Ilayne,” Vytanni nodded. I could see her looking at me with a concerned look, but she quickly turned away to gather the objects on the table. Grace ran up the stairs ahead of me, and taking one last glance at Vytanni I followed her.

End of Account 10
People mentioned in this post:
@Grace_Newgadget @Vytanni_Throttlenight

[Ilayne_Merespark]

After trying to fall asleep for five minutes, I rolled on the bed so that by back was facing the mattress. My body was sweating, though I didn’t take off the covers. I couldn’t go to sleep, and I was blaming the wave of thoughts that continually crashed down on the rocks of my soul.

I had been staying at Grace’s place for a day now. The depression and doubts that were swirling in my mind kept me from saying anything to anyone, and it seemed that all I could do was sleep. I knew I was making Grace worried, but what can you do when you just don’t want to face the problems life gives you? And the bad thing was, I couldn’t share my pain with anyone. I couldn’t share my pain with Grace, Vytanni, or even Scarlett. At the moment, I had no idea even where she was. Yesterday, Grace was so kind as to help me search No Man’s Landing for her, but she was nowhere to be found. The constant weight that hung on my shoulders were doubled when we couldn’t find her. My sister… My twin… Was lost somewhere in the lands of Aethasia. I had one job - to protect her - yet I failed.

I squinted at the clock on the wall, and I could just barely see that it was midnight. I laid my head back down on the pillow. I tried to stop them, but once again the thoughts came rushing back in. And all of the thoughts were centered around the Scarlet Man. I just couldn’t figure him out… Why was he so mysterious? People are dying and being hunted by Lucky. If the Scarlet Man is truly as powerful as people say he is, then why hide? Why do things under cover? Why not just destroy Lucky and get it done with?

I had so many questions, but I knew if I thought about them again I would end up feeling like throwing up… I looked towards the window. I felt a sudden urge to go outside, so I threw my legs over the side of the bed. After tugging on my boots and putting my cape over my nightie, I quietly tip-toed past Grace’s room and unlocked the back door. As I slipped out into the cool night air, I inhaled deeply as a cold wind blew my white/blonde hair from my shoulders. I pulled out the rubber band holding my front hairs back and let them go wild with the breeze. This is what it felt like to be free… At least, for a couple minutes.

I stepped down the stairs and onto the empty street of No Man’s Landing. As I took a hold of my front bang and curled around my finger, I smiled as I recalled my father doing the same thing. I would giggle and reach for his beard, and he would laugh and start tickling me. There was continuous joy while with my father… He could make the bad memories melt away just with his smile. And mother - why, she was the most loveliest woman in Aethasia. There were so many good memories that with along with her that I couldn’t make out which one was my favorite. When my parents got home late at night from their jobs, my mother would make tea for her and father and pour juice for me and Scarlett, and we would gather around the table telling our adventures. It was kinda like our family time. My parents worked all hours of the day, so when they got home and still found the time for us, it made my day. If only I knew how truly fortunate I really was.

I walked towards the docks, which was directly down the street to the right. I stood on the wooden platform, watching the water gently flow. I knelt down on the dock and placed my finger in the water, and I watched the liquid ripple in tiny circles. I tried to think of a simile matching my life with the water ripples, but I could think of nothing. My brain was so tired from thinking useless, depressing thoughts that my usual creative ability had disappeared.

I sat down on the edge of the dock and let my legs dangle just above the water. I folded my hands in my lap and looked up at the moon, the white satellite reflecting off my watery eyes. How I wished someone would care for me. I was foolish to think that, for I had Grace. But I wanted the care of my parents - the care that only they could give. What I would give to be in my father’s arms again! What I would give to see my mother’s smile again! I felt the emotion of loneliness invade me again like it did that one night in Urchin’s Grotto. I was sick and tired of this feeling because it made me feel helpless. Ilayne Merespark was a bold and courageous figure… Or, wished to be. Tried to be. I had to appear that way for everyone else. No one could see me as helpless. Never.

But nevertheless, the tears started to form. I felt so deadly alone. No one cared for the person who tried her hardest to remain strong. I dropped my head into my hands and wept. I had never cried this hard before… And when I had, my father and mother were there to comfort me. Now there was no one. I was alone.

Unexpected in that heartbreaking moment, I felt a hand come upon my shoulder. The touch of the person made my body tingle. Slowly, I raised my head from my hands and looked into the water to see the reflection of the person.

And of all people that could have been there, I looked into the masked face of the Scarlet Man.

End of Account 11
People mentioned in this post:
@Grace_Newgadget @Vytanni_Throttlenight @Scarlett_Darkhall

[Ilayne_Merespark]

If I was my normal self, I would have immediately backed away and started talking really fast. But instead of doing what I normally would do, I just sighed and looked back down at my dangling feet.

“What do you want?” I said defeatedly.

No answer. His hand was still on my shoulder, and for some reason, it felt... soothing. It felt like the hand could easily carry away my hurt… No Ilayne, you’re going too far. This is the Scarlet Man who’s standing over you, for Aethasia’s sake!

There was silence for about a minute. In the meantime I was boiling inside with resentment towards the man standing over me. Why couldn’t he have chosen another place to hang out? I was not in the mood to talk and I still had a lot of tears to cry -

“Don’t be afraid. I know what you’re feeling.”

The voice that came from the cloaked figure startled me from my thoughts. It was a deep voice… A voice that made me shiver. It sounded so pure and trustworthy. In fact, his voice alone astounded me so that I didn’t even think about what he actually said until moments later. And when I did, I was confused. The Scarlet Man? Did… Did he really know what I was feeling? His comment sounded so relieving, and made my heart stir - did someone actually care about me? Was I wrong about him? I was about to give in and pour out everything to him, but I caught myself just in time. My face, which had softened, hardened once again.

“Oh yeah? I bet you do.” I mumbled sarcastically. My hands, which were grasping the end of the dock, hardened their grip. I figured he would probably get angry at me and leave, and when his hand left my shoulder I thought for sure he was gone. But to my surprise, as I looked over to where he had been, he was still there - sitting right beside me. His presence made me take a big breath, and I forced myself to remain calm.

“Don’t push me away. I can help you,” he said softly. All in one moment, I went from mad to… well… really mad. Boiling.

“Help me? Oh yeah, I bet you can do that too. But I think you’ve done quite enough so far, don’t you think?” I snapped. “All you’ve ever done is “help” me by making things worse. Actually, you’ve been making things worse for everyone! If the Great Engineer hadn’t disappeared and if Lucky hadn’t taken over and if you hadn’t revolted against him, my life would be absolutely perfect! So don’t even think about trying to “help” me more! My life is shattered and I don’t need a few more broken pieces, thank you very much!”

Silence. Again. I was breathing hard, and as the wind suddenly picked up, I felt it cooling down my burning red face. I was still looking at him straight on with hatred in my eyes. But… He… didn’t seem angry. Though I couldn’t see his face, there was no presence of anger about him. I immediately felt ashamed of what I said, and embarrassed, I turned my head away from him, down at the water below. But I felt his gentle, gloved hand touch my chin, and he turned my head towards his. And at that moment, as I stared into his face, I felt… was it?... Assurance. Assurance that it was going to be okay. Assurance that I could trust the mysterious man sitting beside me. This was the feeling I had longed so much for. I didn’t feel the need to be strong anymore. I could finally be myself. Relief surged through my body, and I couldn’t contain it any longer. My head dropped onto his shoulder and I began sobbing uncontrollably.

“I’m… I’m so sorry…” I choked. To be real with myself, this was one of those rare times when I actually said sorry. And I wasn’t just saying sorry for what I said earlier, but I was also saying sorry for everything I had ever done. “I-I… I was wrong, so v-very wrong…”

“We all are wrong sometimes," he soothed.

“B-but… I was really wrong,” I cried. “Fate made my parents die to get me back for what I’ve done! I’ve messed up too many times, I…”

“No one has messed up too many times, dear heart,” he seemingly smiled under his mask. “No one is beyond the reach of forgiveness.”

I sniffled again. “If that were so, who would even want to forgive me?”

“I would.”

I lifted my head from his shoulder and stared up at him. Did I really just hear what he said? Did he just say… he would forgive me? I blinked several times, the leftover tears escaping my eyes.

“But… why? Why would you want to forgive me?”

“Because I care for you, Ilayne. I always have.”

So someone did care about me. And this whole time I had been thinking I was alone. I softly smiled, and I felt another batch of tears coming on.

“I… I don’t know what to say.” I whispered, baffled.

“You don’t have to say anything. All I want from you is to join me.”

“Join you?”

“Join the Resistance. I have a plan for you, and I want you to join me.”

I couldn’t believe my ears for the second time that night. He - the Scarlet Man - wanted me to join him?

“I-I...” I stuttered. I didn’t know what to say! “I… I will. But I have so many questions, like about why my parents...”

“They will all be answered. In time. I promise.” He put a reassuring hand on my shoulder again. I breathed in deeply and let it out, and if there was any anxiety left, it was completely gone now.

He stood up to leave, but as he did I stopped him.

"Sir… I want to join you. But I know I’m going to make mistakes again, and I know I’m going to doubt you sooner or later. So how can I help?”

He turned back to me, the moon gleaming off his goggles, his cape billowing in the rising wind. He only answered with these two words: “Trust me.”

And in that moment, as he disappeared into the night without a sound, I decided to take his offer… As crazy as it sounded. The Scarlet Man chose me out of all the people alive and breathing in No Man’s Landing, and I would not let him down. Or so I was determined to.

The encounter that had lasted a mere ten minutes would change my whole entire life - and little did I know that even though I would make mistakes along the way, I would not stray from this amazing new purpose. The Scarlet Man gave me purpose - and even though I still had so many questions and wondering what I got myself into in the past couple minutes - I would live out that purpose or die trying.

What a totally redirected course for me to take in one night!

“Ilayne!” I suddenly heard someone loudly whisper. I turned, but saw no one. I stood up from the dock and slowly walked near the buildings, and it was then that I saw a hand motioning urgently to come into the alley. Hearing the sound of an automation, I dared to risk it and rushed into the alley.

“Vytanni?” I raised my brow, but she motioned for me to be quiet. After the troubleshooter marched by and down the street, she stood in front of me.

“What are you doing out here by yourself? It’s dangerous here at night,” she asked inquiringly, still keeping her voice low.

“Uh… Getting some fresh air,” I said. It was close enough to the real thing. “Why are you out here?”

“I came looking for you. I’m afraid I have some grim news for you,” Vytanni bit her lip.

“Oh goodie. What is it?”

“You’re not going to like it…” She cleared her throat as if looking nervous, then leaned in closer. “I found your sister.”

“You found her?! How is that bad news?! Thank the Great Engineer!” I loudly whispered. “I-”

“Hold on. It won’t seem so great in a minute,” she continued. “When I saw you for the first time, I knew you looked familiar. I finally realized that I had seen your face in the person I was interrogating for spying on us... Your twin. But she escaped the day you found Grace and I. We haven’t been able to find her though… And I’m afraid something has happened. Something dreadful.”

As I contemplated what she was saying, suddenly it all clicked. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped in realization.

“No…” I muttered, shaking my head.

“It’s alright, we’ll search farther. I promise,” Vytanni reassured, misinterpreting the look on my face for the reaction to her comment.

“No!” I grabbed her shoulders and stared wild-eyed into her grey eyes. “The Imperial search party! They found her on that night! They mistook her for Grace! The Empire has my sister!"

End of Account 12
People mentioned in this post:
@Grace_Newgadget @Vytanni_Throttlenight

[Ilayne_Merespark]

I was still so shocked the next day that my sister was with the Empire that I had totally forgotten to tell Grace and Vytanni that I had decided to join the Resistance. The whole rest of the day I didn’t eat or drink or even sleep; all I did was think. Thinking was one of my weak points, but I did it anyway. I was mourning the loss of my sister and I was frustrated at myself that we had been so close to seeing each other. But now she was gone… Again. My mind entertained the thought that I could rescue her, but how could I rescue her from the Empire? It was impossible. Absolutely impossible. But Ilayne Merespark doesn’t take in that kind of news; she takes in the news that she likes. Nobody likes to hear that though, apparently.

“Ilayne, you can’t go there! There’s too many automations. And way too many Lashers. You’ll never get past the doors,” she protested one night as we sat in front of the fireplace. “I know how much you miss your sister. But there’s no way.”

“Not if I try hard enough,” I argued. That was my nature; I just had to argue. “Trust me, I have more power then four Pacifiers combined. I can do this.”

Grace sighed. “There's no use arguing with you. But please, as your cousin, I beg you not to go.”

I softened and turned to her. She was staring directly at me, eyes pleading. I exhaled deeply.

“I really miss her, Grace. She’s my other half; I need her. Without her, I’m only half of myself.” I felt like crying, but I held the tears back. “I feel like… Well, I feel like the Scarlet Man gave me her for a reason. I feel like he wants me to get her back.”

Grace’s eyes widened. “Wait, what did you say?”

“That I feel like it’s my duty to go after her.”

“No, you said something about the Scarlet Man.”

“Oh, about that…” I positioned myself so that I was facing her. “Grace, I decided to join the Resistance.”

“Ilayne, that’s… that’s awesome!” Grace exclaimed, her whole face lighting up. “How did you come to your decision?”

“Well, I had a little persuasion from your commander.” I smiled. “I wish I had his cape, it looks so cool…”

Not being able to express it in words, Grace reached forward and hugged me so tight I could barely breathe. Pulling back with a huge smile on her face, she said, “Let’s go introduce you to everyone.”

Grace had called together a last minute meeting to introduce me, and even though thrilled to meet everyone, I was nervous to see how they would greet me. Grace told me I had nothing to fear, but I mean, everyone gets that nervous feeling when they’re meeting new people… right?

As Grace and I arrived in the downstairs of the Beacon, my eyes widened. I was immediately overwhelmed, and I felt like my eyes were going to bulge out of my head. As we entered, everyone looked at us.

“Hello everyone! I would like you to meet our newest recruit, Ilayne Merespark!” Grace pronounced loudly, a grin on her face. Everyone - so as not to attract attention up above us - clapped softly, but I could tell by their faces they were all excited to see another member. I guessed there was about twenty/twenty-five people in the room. I was relieved to see their reaction, and I didn’t feel nervous anymore. Grace grabbed my hand and dragged me to meet everyone. A girl with bright red hair immediately ran up to me and shook my hand forcefully.

“Hi, I’m sooo sorry for knocking out your sister that one night, I totally didn’t know, Vytanni told me everything, I’m really sorry,” she said all in one breath, gasping for air.

I laughed. I liked this girl. “It’s okay, I’m sure it was an accident.”

“Oh, and if you’re wondering, I’m like this all the time,” Ariella winked, pulling out a can of something from her coat. Opening it and pulling out chips that didn’t look familiar, she handed one out to me and asked quickly, “Want a pringle?”

“A what?” I raised my brow, my smile widening. This girl was so random!

“Sorry. That’s Ariella Newheart,” a man interrupted, walking up from behind Ariella and shaking his head. He towered over all the others. “She’s a bit arbitrary.”

“You mean, a lot arbit… How do you say that?” Ariella munched on a pringle, and we didn’t need to answer, for she had already forgot her question. I knew that no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t frown around her. I almost laughed.

“Ilayne, this is Goku Ironheart, our leader,” Grace switched subjects, smiling.

“Oh wow. It’s nice to meet you, sir,” I said as we shook. He had a firm grip.

“You too. It’s awesome to see we have a new recruit.” he smiled. “We always need more people to fight for our cause. Here, let me introduce you to a couple people…”

Clearing his throat, Mr. Ironheart pointed out a couple people to me and introduced them. “The one over there in the green dress is Aislinn Mollisong. She’s one of the most loyal members we have. Over there with the short red hair is Hanna Brassheart, my niece and a strong warrior. Then there’s Iliara Mustardtop in the corner, Jacoby’s over there with the tall green hat, and May’s right there talking to him. And, I’m guessing you already met Vytanni.”

“Yes she did,” Vytanni said, walking up with her usual calm air and confident smile. Seeing my overwhelmed face, she put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, it took me awhile to get down everyone’s names. Everyone is amazingly gracious and supportive here, and I bet it won’t take long for you to make friends.”

I nodded, looking around the room. There were a lot more people that Mr. Ironheart didn't introduce, and I was excited to meet all of them. For some reason, I felt at home here… I felt like everyone one of these people were already my friends. It was an amazing feeling.
If only Scarlett was there to feel it with me.

Seeing my face look downcast, Grace guessed the problem and addressed Mr. Ironheart. “Sir, Ilayne’s sister Scarlett was captured by the Empire a couple days ago. Is there anything we can do to help?”

He thought for a moment. “I mean, I would love to do something, but it would be risky to send a rescue party. I don’t know what else we could do.”

My head lowered. I had thought maybe they could help me, but maybe they were right. How on earth would I get my sister back?

“Hey, it’s okay.” I heard a female voice say. I looked up to see the girl Mr. Ironheart introduced as Aislinn. “I had my family taken by the Empire too. It’s a scary feeling, I remember. But we will try our hardest to rescue your sister. We’re your family now.”

I smiled thankfully at her, and she returned it. I just met these people, and they already wanted to help me! Maybe this is why the Scarlet Man wanted me to join the Resistance. He knew I needed family, he knew I needed to support.

I had to rescue my sister.

End of Account 13
People mentioned in this post:
@Grace_Newgadget @Vytanni_Throttlenight @Scarlett_Darkhall @Ariella_Newheart @Goku_Ironheart @Aislinn_Mollisong1 @Hanna_Brassheart @Iliara_Mustardtop @Jacoby_Elderfun1 @May_Otterview

[Ilayne_Merespark]

“UGH! Nothing works!”

I threw yet another crumpled paper towards the trash can, but it didn’t make it and landed on the floor. I buried my face in my hands and crossed my legs under the chair, scratching my scalp with my fingers anxiously. It had been a week since the Resistance meeting, and ever since then I had been trying to come up with a plan to rescue my sister. But everything was either too risky, hard, or impossible. I was determined to get my sister back, but I had run out of ideas. I was so frustrated and lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear the door open behind me.

“Scarlett’s a smart girl, Ilayne,” I heard Grace say as she put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “She’ll think of a way to get out. She always was the brains of you two.”

“Yeah, but what if she can’t think of anything? What if she’s trapped and there’s no way out? What happens if…” I couldn’t continue that sentence, so all I did was bang one of my balled fists onto the table. “Grace, I gotta think of something!”

“Listen. You’ve been working on this for a long time now! Take a break and come back to it when you’re done. Plus, you’re probably frustrated because you haven’t eaten in a day!”

Being the stubborn person I was, I denied what she said in my heart. But my mind and my whole body screamed otherwise. I sighed and looked up at Grace.

“Have I ever told you thank you for all you do?” I smiled. She grinned as she placed a cup of tea and sandwiches down before me.

“I’m going to meet with some of the Resistance members about something that’s going on. I’ll be back later tonight.”

I nodded as she left the room and closed the door. Who knew that my very own cousin would become like a understanding sister? She was always there for me. But it was crazy what other things she could do to, because she was also an amazing spy and very stealthy. And good with weapons. And… basically everything. She reminded me a lot of my sister, which made me ache for Scarlett even more. I looked down at the tea - made a face - and pushed it away. I sat back, looked around the room, and took a breath. Maybe I could take a break… a small one. But what could I do?

As I looked toward the corner of the room, something caught my eye. It wasn’t tall, but it wasn’t short, and it had a cloth draped over it. Curiosity got the best of me and I walked over to it. Pulling the cloth off, memories flooded my brain as I saw what looked like a box guitar. My father had used to play the guitar when he wasn’t working or playing with me and Scarlett. I smiled as I brushed my fingers gently over the strings, making the notes fly into the air. I carefully picked up the guitar - it was really dusty - and brushed what I could off. As my fingers plucked some of the strings, I recalled a song my father used to play…

In the valley
We will roam
Of death and darkness
We shall see

But we will not fear
No, we will not fear
For someone greater than death and darkness
Is here with me

By ear, I plucked the first verse out. The guitar wasn’t tuned and it sounded terrible, but I didn’t really care. All I was thinking about was my father and the “someone” in the song. Did my father know about the Great Engineer…?

End of Account 14
People mentioned in this post:
@Grace_Newgadget @Scarlett_Darkhall

[Ilayne_Merespark]

After playing some songs by ear for a couple hours, I got some dinner for myself in the small kitchen and walked outside. It was a chilly evening, and clouds threatened to rain. I smiled and pulled my coat tighter around me as I walked down the street. This was my favorite weather. Cold breezes, some rain, maybe even a little snow. A blazing fireplace, blankets, and a warm cup of hot chocolate. So many memories I could relate…

I wandered around No Man’s Landing unpurposefully, looking at all the apartments and buildings. If one could cut out the fog and all the noisy automations, No Man’s Landing would actually be a nice place to live. I always loved the big cities like Evercity, and I loved the downtown feel. But ever since Lucky took over, the cities became the most dangerous places. I thought about Evergreen Meadows, and I wondered if anyone still lived there…

Whispers caught my attention. I stopped in the middle of the street and looked around me. No one was in sight. I walked a bit further. Again there was the whispers, and I saw they were coming from a nearby alleyway. Being the curious girl I always was, I decided I would eavesdrop. I backed up against the wall and tried listening to them above the noise of a nearby Pacifier. Their voices sounded familiar… there was about three or four of them.

“...I didn’t get to meet that new girl. You think she’ll be a helpful addition?”

“Only time will tell. But she seemed pretty nice.”

“That doesn’t matter as much as how hard she can swing a hammer.”

“Your funny, Hanna.”

“No, really!”

“Her last name sounded strikingly familiar. Merespark, was it?”

So they were talking about me. Lovely.

“Yeah. You’re right, it does sound familiar…”

“Wait! The couple from the recruit a couple years ago! What was their last name?”

“Merespark! That’s right!”

“Wait, so you’re saying that they were this girl’s parents?”

“I’m guessing so. I mean, who else has the last name Merespark?”

My eyes widened and I tried not to gasp. What?! My parents were in the Resistance all this time and I didn’t know about it?! It all made sense. My father and mother left in the afternoon and didn’t get back until late at night. I had thought it was apart of their job, but who knew that they were working with the Resistance?

I desperately wanted to rush into the alley and ask them a million questions, but I held back and kept listening.

“...Mr. Merespark was really good with those pistols. I don’t think he even missed once.”

I smiled.

“I haven’t heard from them since. What happened to them?”

“You didn’t hear?”

Their voices suddenly got lower. I strained to listen. My heart was beating quicker. I could just barely make out what they were saying.

“They were out in Evercity trying to convince the uncle or something like that. I guess Mr. Merespark’s brother was a high-ranking official. Anyway, they went to go reason with him about Lucky and…”

The voice stopped. My heart was beating a mile-a-minute. What happened? Anger built up inside of me. I slowly entered the alley where they were and glared at them all. I recognized Hanna, Jacoby, Vytanni, and Aislinn.

“What happened to them?” I whispered threateningly low.

They all stared at me, still with shock. Aislinn shifted.

“Ilayne, we… didn’t know you were here,” she said slowly. “We -”

“What happened to them?”

Aislinn looked at the others, who looked away. She looked back at me, and she clearly looked frightened.

“They… they…”

My heart throbbed uncontrollably.

“...the uncle shot them. They… didn’t make it.”

I felt like an arrow had pierced my heart. My body shook with confusion and hurt. What? My head was spinning, and my eyes were wide with shock.

“Ilayne, I’m so sorry.” Vytanni whispered softly. She reached out to put a hand on my shoulder but I jerked away.

“How could he do this?” the words barely escaped my quivering mouth. “My own uncle…”

“It’s going to be okay, stay with me,” Vytanni tried as best as she could to comfort me, but it didn’t work. Anger and pure hatred for my uncle rose within me and I couldn’t control it. Giving one last frightened look at them, I raced out of the alley and down the street. I knew my direction; I knew exactly where I was going. I dashed through multiple alleyways, up the stairs near Lukas’ workshop, and past The Beacon. I distantly heard Vytanni yelling my name, but I blocked her out. All I could focus on was my confused thoughts. I sharply turned the corner into the town square, but I bumped into someone, and I went hurtling down to the ground. I instantly looked up to see the person I never expected to appear.

My eyebrows furrowed and I quickly got back up. “Stay out of this,” I growled. I tried my best to move past him.

“Revenge won’t do anything for you,” the Scarlet Man said softly. “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers all wrongs.”

“Love?! Are you crazy?! You want me to love the very man who murdered my father and mother?! The ones who gave their lives to you?!” I practically screamed. “I’m going to pay him back for what he’s done to me and my family!”
He stared at me. I hated it.

“You’re wasting your time, I’m still going,” I said. And not wasting another moment, I walked around him. I didn’t start running until I was around the corner. I was murderously angry; not even the Scarlet Man could stop me.

End of Account 15
People mentioned in this post:
@Hanna_Brassheart @Jacoby_Elderfun1 @Vytanni_Throttlenight @Aislinn_Mollisong1

[Ilayne_Merespark]

NOTE: PLEASE READ MY COMMENT I POSTED ON COMMENTS ABOUT ILAYNE AND SCARLETT'S STORIES BEFORE CONTINUING.

I had finally reached Evercity. I hadn’t stopped running after my encounter with the Scarlet Man, and though I was tired and desperately needed a break, I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. And I wouldn’t stop until I had done what I came for.

I knew the automations wouldn’t be a problem; I could handle them. But finding my way to my uncle would be one. Especially now that it started raining.

“Halt! State your business,” one of the two automations guarding the gate related as I got closer. Ignoring them, I ran right past them and furiously started climbing the gate.

“Error 102! Invader alert!” I heard the automations screeching. I got to the top of the gate and jumped the seven-foot drop. I rolled into a smooth summersault and immediately started running again. I knew that the two automations had called for backup, so I needed to hurry.

I ran on the main street until I saw a group of automations heading toward me. I ducked into an alleyway, but before I could reach the end I heard automations there. I skidded to a halt and looked in every direction. There was no way out, I was trapped. Normally anyone would just give up. But I’m a Merespark. And Meresparks don’t give up. If there wasn’t a way… we would make a way.

I glanced up. That was it! A Pacifier entered the alley.

“Halt for detention!” it said. But I was already climbing the wall. I grabbed the roof and pulled myself up, feeling like one of the characters in one of the novels I read as a child. I sprinted across the rooftops, jumping from building to building. By this time I was drenched, but I didn’t really care. The automations down below tried to follow me, but I was too quick. I smiled smugly. I looked foward and up at the castle like structure in the middle of Evercity. I was almost there…

A few seconds later, I was right on top of the main structure. I identified one of the windows as my uncle’s office (having been here before) and I ran with all my might toward it. I only hoped I had enough momentum to make it from the building I was on to the window. I muttered a quick prayer (I don’t know to whom) and narrowed my eyes with concentration. I could do this.

And there I was. Flying in midair across a busy street. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me; multiple people yelled in shock. I felt my fingers barely touch the windowsill - and before I could fall I grabbed the edge. The people down below were still murmuring and I could hear the automations relaying directions to each other. Wasting no time I pulled myself up, opened the window and jumped inside. The room was dark, and it took time for my eyes to adjust. But what I did see made my anger rise up in me again. Sitting at the far end of the room, at his desk, was my uncle. He looked up at me in surprise, and I couldn’t tell whether he was happy to see me or upset. The open window left rain coming into the room and flooding the floor around me.

Uncle Phileas knocked off the confused expression he had on his face and slowly arose from his chair. “Ilayne! What a pleasant surprise. How in Aethasia did you get here? How did you manage to escape?”

“Escape? Escape from who? Escape from you? It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.” I growled. “But I’ve come back to make amends.”

“Amends for what?” he said, sensing my hostility. He glanced at the door.

“For letting you get away.” I slowly walked around his desk and stood facing him straight in the eye.

“My dear, I think I’m slightly confused,” he said lowly.

“You killed my parents. Did you.”

Lightning struck outside, lighting up his face. His confused expression disappeared, and his face grew frighteningly dark. It was at this moment I realized the brown eyes I had been staring into turned a sickly green.

“I had to. They kept nagging to me about their repulsive commander. Kept asking me to join them. They were getting in the way of my position here,” he snarled. This wasn’t the normal Uncle Phileas… what was with him? The fog.

“You would kill your own sister just for power?” I asked, shaking with anger. His eyes were growing greener by the second.

“Of course. What’s life without power?” He stared hard at me. “I should have killed you and your sister along with them.”

I suddenly felt something come over me… something I had never felt before. His comment was enough to set me off. I immediately pulled out my pistol from my jacket and shot right at him. But with surprisingly speed he dodged the bullet and pulled out a weapon I have never seen before. I backed up. Now, we were both in the middle of the room staring at each other, with weapons in our hands like a duel.

“Your daughter will be horrified to know you died,” I said darkly.

That comment angered him more. He raised his gun and shot at me, but I dodged. I looked toward the wall the bullet hit and discovered with shock it wasn’t a bullet - it was a dart. A fog dart. I turned back around but he wasn’t there. Startled, I noticed the door was open.

“The coward,” I muttered to myself. But as I turned to chase him I got a glance of myself in the mirror. And what I saw made my heart break. My eyes were green. The fog had got control of me and made me want to kill my uncle. So that’s why the Scarlet Man had tried to stop me! He saw the fog had gotten control of me! What did I do...

But I didn’t have time to think. I could hear the automations down the hall. Not being able to control myself, the fog filled me once again, and my hatred returned. I raced out the door and down the hall, running straight through the automations. They didn’t have time to react, and when they did, I was already halfway down the hall.

I caught up to Phileas really quick. But before I could aim my pistol he disappeared behind two enormous doors. I followed him in… which was a horrible decision.

Immediately as I entered I felt one of his darts go into my arm. I cried out with pain and sank to my knees.

“What did I tell you, Ilayne. Virtue never lives.” Through my pain I heard a sword being pulled out of a sheath, and a couple seconds later the tip of it was lifting my chin. I opened my eyes just slightly to see that we were in Lucky’s very own throne room. I closed my eyes again and grimaced as Phileas’ sword dug deeper into my skin.

“This ends now, Ilayne. This is the end of the Meresparks,” he whispered threateningly into my ear.

But it wouldn’t end here. Couldn’t. Ilayne Merespark couldn’t die here. I had… to do something...

With a sudden and surprising burst of energy I took the gun at my side and used it to deflect the sword being pointed at my neck. Before Phileas had time to react I had stood up and pointed my gun right at him.

“I’m afraid your wrong, Uncle,” I gritted my teeth. “Even if you had killed me, my sister would still be alive.”

I cocked the gun, but before I could shoot, he said something that made my skin crawl.

“What if she’s not a Merespark... anymore?”

I lowered my gun.

“What makes you think that, snake?” I snarled. “She is and will always be a Merespark, despite what your lying lips may say.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.”

Wait… that voice… that was Scarlett’s voice! Where was she? I turned to see Scarlett standing behind me. But what I saw made my heart drop into my stomach. What I saw was my sister. But she had changed. Her hair was now black as night, and her eyes were sickly green.

“Scarlett… what…?” I sputtered.

Before I or Scarlett could say anything else, I felt the handle of Phileas’ sword bang my head, and I fell unconscious to the floor. The word betrayed was the last thought my sorry mind could think...

End of Account 16
People mentioned in this post:
@Scarlett_Darkhall @Grace_Newgadget

[Ilayne_Merespark]

My head pounded. I slightly shifted on the cold ground and groaned as I lifted my hand to my head. Yep, there was a bump. A big one. Being too tired still to open my eyes, I lifted my other hand and felt out in front of me. They touched steel. Cold steel. I forced my eyes open and saw the sight I desperately didn’t want to see. All the memories came flooding back. I was in a cold, dark prison cell in Evercity, and the only light source nearby was a green lantern. Green. Yuck. Well, at least there was a window.

I tucked myself into a ball. There was so many questions I had, and I needed them answered immediately. The one that was top priority was: what on earth happened to my sister?! It didn’t add up. Why was her hair black? Why had her eyes remained green when they were actually blue? Why had she acted so cold to me? Maybe she was controlled by the fog… Or maybe she was just covering! Maybe she could bust me out of here! I hoped that was the case.

The noise of rain pattering on the rooftops outside showed that it was still raining. I shivered as a cold breeze blew threw the window and I rubbed my bare arms. They had taken away my pistol and my jacket (with the backup pistol), so all I was left with was the plain dress I was wearing. Teeth chattering, I stood up and looked out the window. The skies were still gray, and the sound of thunder rattled through the air. But as I scanned the dull Evercity, something caught my eye… it was something red. I squinted. My heart dropped as I realized what it was.

He was standing on one of the spiral rooftops, cape billowing in the cold wind. And he was looking directly at me.

Filled with immediate shame I ducked below the window and sat back down. All the guilt I had felt when I had glanced at myself in Uncle Phileas’ mirror came back. How could I have been so foolish? The fog that I had so hated had filled me with the desire to… murder. Yes, I was still angry at my uncle, but I would never kill someone!.. Would I?

Footsteps down the hall caught my attention. I jerked my head up from my lap. The steps came closer… and they stopped near my cell. I waited impatiently for a couple seconds, and then the door swung open. It was my sister!

“Scarlett, thank the Great Engineer,” I breathed, jumping up. “I knew you would come back for me.”

She stared at me, expressionless. “I’m afraid you have the wrong idea, Merespark.”

My heart dropped. Why was she acting this way?

“Scarlett, it’s me. Your sister,” I started.

“Yes, I know you. You don’t have to re-introduce yourself,” she said coldly. I noticed for the first time that she was wearing a smart Imperial dress. Did this mean…?

Scarlett closed the door behind her and pulled out a clipboard from her jacket. “How did you get into the building?”

I blinked. Was she… interrogating me? All the facts were right there, yet I didn’t want to believe them.

She was about to ask the question again when I said something. “Scarlett, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but you gotta stop,” I put my hands on my hips. “Is this some sort of really bad joke?”

Scarlett gave me that icy look again. Oh, I hated that look! She put down her clipboard. “I suppose you think we’re still sisters?” she said.

“Of course we’re sisters! What are you thinking?!” I exploded.

Normally when I exploded like that, Scarlett would back up with a worried expression. But not this time. All she did was stare at me with those vacant green eyes.

“I’m sorry if you’re unaware, Miss Merespark, but I am no longer related to you. I am ordered to continue this interrogation until I find out the purpose of you being here.” Scarlett pulled out the clipboard again and started writing something. Hurt was the first feeling I felt as I examined my sister. I felt so confused… what had happened to her?! But then that feeling switched to anger. I grabbed the clipboard from her hands and threw it on the ground.

“Listen here, sis. I don’t know what’s gotten into you or why you’re acting this way, but you’re my twin no matter what you do. You will always be a Merespark.”

The stare. Again. She abruptly picked up her clipboard and shoved it back into her jacket.

“I may be to you. But to everyone else I am Officer Darkhall. I can see I’m not going to get any information out of you at this moment. I’ll come back when the time is appropriate.” she said. A pained expression came upon my face, and I felt like my heart had been torn in two. Without saying another word she walked out of the cell and slammed the door behind her.

I crumpled down onto the floor and stared at my hands. They began to bleed together as tears filled my eyes. My sister was with the Empire now, and there was nothing I could do about it! Chokes filled my throat as the tears kept coming. My sister isn’t coming back… my parents aren’t coming back… The Resistance had seen my actions. Even if I did escape… who would I run to? And the Scarlet Man? He was probably ashamed of me. I had failed him… I had let him down.

Why did my story always have to end this way?

End of Account 17
People mentioned in this post:
@Scarlett_Darkhall

[Ilayne_Merespark]

The moon contrasted brightly against the pure black sky. Holding onto the bars, I stared at the satellite blankly. I guessed it was about ten at night, but I couldn’t go to sleep. Not after what I had just experienced. I felt grumpy and irritable, and even when the automation had served me dinner, I had yelled at it and pushed the plate away.

When I heard a noise down the hall, I wasn’t surprised. Even when it stopped near my door, I didn’t even blink. The prison cell door opened, casting a bright light onto me and the walls around me. I didn’t turn from the window.

“Ilayne! Com’on!” I heard a male voice whisper. I turned my head only slightly to see that it was Jacoby from the Resistance. I turned back around.

“What do you want?”

I could just picture the puzzled expression on his face. “Uh, I would think that would be obvious.”

I stayed silent and continued to stare at the moon. I could hear him shift.

“Is everything okay?” he said. Only then did I turn.

“Okay? Okay? No. Nothing’s okay,” I muttered, sitting down.

“Com’on, we gotta go. We came all this way to rescue you.”

“Well you shouldn’t have wasted your time.”

He stared at me, confused. Finally he said, “Is it something about your uncle?”

“Why do you care?”

“In the Resistance, it’s our duty to care.”

“Well, you and the Resistance can leave me alone.”

Jacoby frowned. “Look, I don’t know what happened here, but we gotta go. Like, literally right now.”

“I’d rather die here!”

I’d thought that would do it for him. But instead he came closer and knelt down beside me.

“Your eyes are green.”

“My what?”

“Your eyes are green.”

Jacoby proceeded to take something out of his coat. It looked like a injector, but it was filled with a purple liquid. “Hold still.”

“Uh, no way -”

He quickly injected the needle. I almost screamed with pain, but I kept myself quiet enough by biting my lip. But after he took it out, I could feel something draining from me. It felt… good.

As Jacoby put the injector back into his coat, an alarm suddenly started blaring out in the hallway. The sound of automations came from underneath us. Jacoby glanced at me.

“You ready to go now?”

I wanted to go with him. But something held me back. Was I… scared? Frightened that I wouldn’t be accepted? Why had they even come back? Before I could say anything though, he grabbed my arm and we went racing into the hallway.

As we turned a corner, we met up with the girl I identified as Hanna Brassheart.

“I held them off for as long as I could! What took you so long?!” she yelled above the siren.

“Well, sorry! Wasn’t my fault!” Jacoby rolled his eyes.

We ran through the corridors of what seemed like a maze of prison cells. But as we reached the end of the hallway we were on, we reached a dead-end.

“Jacoby! I thought you said you knew the way!” Hanna practically screamed.

“I never said that! I’ve never been here before!” Jacoby yelled back.

As they continued arguing I searched around us for an escape. The automations were almost right on top of us when I suddenly spotted something.

“The drainage system! It leads right out of the city!” I pointed out to them. Without another word, Jacoby lifted the manhole and we all climbed through. By the time the automations got there, we were gone.

It was pitch black down in the sewer. All I could feel was the water raging between my legs. I reached my hands up, and they hit the top of the sewer. It was grimy… yuck.

Suddenly, I saw a purple light up ahead. It was Hanna.

“Com’on guys, hurry up! We don’t have all night!” she ordered as she trudged ahead.

After sloshing through the disgusting water for what seemed like hours, we finally reached a dead-end. Hanna moved aside another manhole, and we all climbed through. When we had reached the top, we found we were right outside Evercity, right near the front gate. Someone was waiting there for us.

“Ilayne! Thank goodness you’re alright,” Grace said immediately, hugging me. I was blown away by their kindness. Didn’t they see what I had done?

I slowly turned to Jacoby and the others, only now realizing what had just happened. “Guys, I’m… really sorry about today…”

“Don’t mention it. The fog gets a hold on everyone from time to time. That’s why keeping aether with you is important,” Hanna said, looking distracted. “But we can’t talk right now, we gotta travel!”

---

I stood on the docks in No Man’s Landing, dazed. I couldn’t believe what I had gone through in the last twenty-four hours. I found out my father and mother had been killed by my uncle and that my sister was apart of the Empire now, I had faced life-death experiences, and I had been bailed from one of the most highest security prisons in Aethasia. Who knew an ordinary girl like me would face all those things in one day.

Grace had already gone to bed. We had talked for awhile, and I had told her about my sister and her father. She seemed pretty upset, and she had gone to bed early. I felt sorry for her, but what could I do when I was in the same state?

I looked out over the water and my thoughts went back to the Scarlet Man. Shame and guilt filled my heart.

“I’m sorry about what happened,” I said softly, fingering the collar of my coat. I heard the creak of the docks behind me. “I… I don’t know what came over me.”

“Fog makes people do what they don’t want to." a voice softly said back.

“But... I don’t know whether it was really the fog or me,” I whispered. “I felt like it was actually Ilayne Merespark who wanted to kill my uncle. I wasn’t even thinking about others. If I would have carried through with it, Grace would have been grieving for her father.”

He didn’t say anything, but his presence was enough. My breath grew shaky.

“I… I didn’t listen to you when I should have. I knew you were right, but… I don’t know…” I shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t trust you enough. I thought the death of my uncle would satisfy me, b-but… I can see I was wrong now…”

I turned my head to face him. He was looking at me compassionately, and my chin quivered with emotion. “And now… I’m unworthy to even stand before you. Will… will you... forgive me?”

He lifted my head and wiped away my tears. He leaned down and looked straight into my watery eyes. “Like I said before,” he smiled, “no one is beyond the reach of forgiveness.”

Through my tears I slowly smiled back, and hugged him. He held me in his arms, and I felt like I was finally alive once again.

As we pulled away, he said, “If you trust me with all your heart then I will strengthen you and help you. All you have to do is believe in me. Can you do that?”

I looked at him and grinned. “Yes. I want to start over… this time, doing it with you.”

End of Account 18
People mentioned in this post:
@Jacoby_Elderfun1 @Hanna_Brassheart @Grace_Newgadget @Scarlett_Darkhall

[Ilayne_Merespark]

The next day, I packed everything that was mine and left Grace’s house early in the morning. I left a note by her bed saying that I would be back in a couple days. I had some catching up with someone to do.

When I arrived at the base of the Old Mount, I gasped in awe. It was beautiful from a distance, but even more so up close. A cold breeze blew down from the peak of the mountain and rustled my dress and hair, and I felt free. Free from all the burdening thoughts I had felt previously…

An hour after hiking up the mountain, I finally reached a cave in the side. A feeling inside told me to stop here, so I did. As I walked into the cave and placed my belongings down, a shadow of a person appeared in the entry. I didn’t I have to turn around to know who it was. I smiled.

---

For two days I stayed in that cave with the Scarlet Man, and he showed me things that I had never heard or seen before. He taught me about the Great Engineer and the beginning of Aethasia, and he replaced the lies I had accepted into my life with truth. The truth I had been looking for… longing for. During the days with him, I felt like a hole in my heart had been filled, and I felt like I could fly. I grew more closer to him, almost... as if he was my father. I may not still have my parents or my sister anymore, but I did have him. And he was enough.

On the last day in the mount, the Scarlet Man sat down beside me on the cliff and pulled out something from his cape. It looked like… a book? I stared at it with curiosity.

“I want to give this to you,” he said, handing the book to me. I thankfully took it and examined it. It had no title on the front page. Odd.

“What is it?” I asked, looking back at him.

“Open it.”

Gladly, I opened the book up the first page.

In the beginning, the Great Engineer created Aethasia. The world was covered in a corrupting fog, and darkness covered the deep waters. The Great Engineer was there, overlooking it all. Though there looked like there was no hope for this empty, fog-filled world, he saw something else.

I looked back up at the Scarlet Man. “Is… is this the story of the Great Engineer?” I asked, awed.

“Yes. But that’s not all that is in there. There is so much more you still have to learn,” he said, nodding toward the book.

“Wait, so… does this book tell what happened to the Great Engineer and where he is?”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid that can’t be revealed.”

“Why is that?”

“It’s for you to find out. Keep seeking for him, and you will find him.”

I nodded, and looked back at the book. “I’ll look forward to reading this, sir. Thank you.”

“As you continue in your mission to restart the great engines, continue to read this,” he said. “It will help guide you. And remember, your mission is not going to be easy. I’m not always going to be there to save you. But the Great Engineer will always be with you.”

I was confused. “But he’s not here…”

“No. But he has a plan. And you have to trust him. We have to bring back the aetherlight and restore Aethasia.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “We can overthrow Lucky, but we have to do it together. You and the Resistance must be one.”

The look in my eyes said it all. I nodded solemnly.

“Continue looking for the Great Engineer and fighting back the fog. You will never be alone, Ilayne.” he continued, his goggles gleaming from the setting sun. “Fight for the freedom that can be ours. And never, never give up.”

And with that, he swiftly left me alone and disappeared. But though I was alone on that mountain now, I didn’t feel alone. I looked down at the book in my hands and grinned. Fight for the freedom that can be ours… never give up.

It was time to fight back.

End of Account 19
People mentioned in this post:
@Grace_Newgadget

[Ilayne_Merespark]

Stealthily, I crawled from one tree to the next, keeping my sights upon the tall automations. I could see Hanna in front of me and could hear Iliara behind me. I was determined to not lose sight of these Lashers. My heart beat with excitement - this was my first mission that I had been assigned. For Mr. Ironheart. For the Resistance.

It had been a month since my last encounter with the Scarlet Man. Soon after, I realized how fortunate I was to see him, let alone spend a couple days with him. Now I get why people say, “He is rarely seen, but always seems to be around.” People who get to have personal encounters with him are very lucky.

I smirked as I glanced back at Hanna again. She was the one that had taught me basically everything about fighting. I owed it to her. She and I were actually very similar - we both loved to argue, we were both strong, we both loved risks, and we both loved smashing automations to splinters. Really, there wasn’t one thing that we didn’t have in common… except sometimes we argued over the simplest of stuff. Which anyone would expect from people like us.

I had grown to love everyone in the Resistance. I had met basically everyone except a lad known as Konos Darthgrate... or something like that. I didn’t know much about him, but that he sometimes popped in to help. Everyone was their own unique puzzle; I just had to put them together.

Now, back to the present. Our leader, Goku Ironheart, had said earlier that morning that a couple of our members had spotted a group of lashers heading in a certain direction. He wanted us to investigate, so that’s exactly what we were doing. Across the way, I could see Jacoby, Felicity, and Josiah following. Our orders were to follow these lashers to see where they were going, which I didn’t really like. Out of all the first missions I could have done...

“Hanna,” I whispered as quietly as I could, “why can’t we just destroy them now?”

“Because we have to see where they’re going,” Iliara replied instead. “The Empire only sends out lashers for important business.”

“True. But why does there need to be six people to scout?”

“That’s a question for Goku.”

“Quiet, you two!” Hanna whispered harshly, stopping. “We’re almost there, I can feel it.”

“You send that around the last bend,” Iliara gave her a look.

“Nevermind that, it’s gotta be ahead, I know it.” Hanna bit her lip and squinted her eyes. “It looks like we’re headed toward water.”

The smell of the beach filled my nostrils as we stopped at the edge of the trees to watch. The lashers, slowing once they got to the sand, slid onto the dock and approached the awaiting ship. It was a small ship, and from the green streaks on the side, it was definitely Imperial.

“Odd,” Hanna commented, “I wonder what’s on board.”

“Obviously something important. I mean, why would the Empire send lashers to pick it up?” I said, staring closer at the deck. There wasn’t anything or anyone on it… But wait. There was a group of pacifiers. And they were carrying crates.

“Crates. Crates filled with what?” Iliara thought out loud. “This doesn’t make sense.”

The pacifiers marched down the gangplank and placed the crates before the lashers. They kept on coming and coming, and soon there was a pile of ten large crates. I glanced at our other group across the path - their faces were confused as well. What could Lucky be up to now? But it wasn’t long until we found out why.

One of the pacifiers, under the command of the lashers, unscrewed the lid to one of the crates. All of us Resistance members waited anxiously, hearts pounding with expectation. The lid was dropped, and the head lasher reached in. It drew something back out… was it a weapon? Then realization suddenly hit me. Those were…

“Fog dart guns!” I practically yelled. The head lasher looked our way, and immediately Hanna grabbed me and Iliara and pushed us to the ground.

“Girl, how many times have I told you to keep quiet?!” Hanna rolled her eyes. Still filled with shock, I ignored her.

“Did you hear what I just said, Hanna? Those are fog dart guns!” I breathed. “It’s the same type of gun Uncle Phileas used when we were fighting in Evercity! I had never seen it before.”

“What do fog dart guns have to do with anything?” Iliara crossed her arms.

“I felt one in my arm before. It fills you with fog and you can’t control it,” I said, shivering. “You can’t even focus on the S.M. at that point.”

“That’s freakily dangerous.” Iliara stroked her chin. “Estimating, there has to be thirty guns in each crate… and thirty times ten is -”

“Way too many guns,” Hanna finished. “That’s enough for all the automations in Aethasia to have one… This is not good.”

“Well, we can’t just sit here talking about it! We gotta do something!” I protested. “We can’t let these guns get into the Empire’s hands.”

“I have the same feeling,” Hanna agreed, “but I also have another feeling that we should ask my uncle. He wouldn’t like it if we did something without his permission.”

“Hanna, think about it! By the time we go back, tell Goku, and come back, the guns will already be on their way. We need to destroy them now,” I argued. “We have to do it now.”

Hanna looked down and contemplated the situation. After a couple of seconds, she looked up at me.

“You’re right. We have to destroy them now.” Hanna motioned Jacoby’s group on the other side to prepare for attack, then huddled with me and Iliara. “Alright. Ilayne, it’s time to use those new fighting skills of yours. I’ll be leading the ambush, and I want you both to follow. Is that clear?”

Me and Iliara made the “ok” gesture. Iliara untied her flamethrower from her back, and Hanna got out her hammer. Finally, I thought, pulling out my flintlock pistols, I can get to use these…

“On my count,” Hanna said, putting up a hand. Jacoby’s team was watching her as well. My heart thumped with excitement. “One… two… THREE!”

End of Account 20
People mentioned in this post:
@Hanna_Brassheart @Iliara_Mustardtop @Goku_Ironheart @Xonos_Darkgrate1 @Jacoby_Elderfun1 @Miss_M @Josiah_Flintspinner1