Finding Me (Chapter 6)

Chapter 61

After shutting the door behind his friend, Danny motioned for Jay.  Jay walked up and Danny whispered something into his ear while Canace and Melissa just stood in the awkward silence.  Jay nodded and continued whispering to Danny.  Canace watched Danny’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise as his whisper something back.  2

Melissa looked a bit annoyed to be left out so she interrupted the two whisperers, “You don’t have to be rude.  If you have something to share, please share it with all of us.”  Jay and Danny’s heads both jerked up.3

“I need to speak with Jay regarding something highly important and I am very sorry, but you two can’t hear it yet…”  Danny replied. 4

Jay nodded in agreement, “Melissa have you been in Abaratis before?”5

“No.”  she shook her head. 6

“Why don’t you and Canace go check out the town and get to know each other?”  Jay suggested. 7

“Great idea!”  exclaimed Danny.  “Well, we’ll be seeing you later!  Have fun doing what ever it is girls do!”  As Danny guided Melissa and her out the door, Canace looked back at Jay.  He nodded, so she left with Melody tagging at her heals. 8

They were standing out in the hallway wondering what to do when Melissa suggested, “Well, it looks like Danny and Jay won’t be out for awhile.  Why not go get some food and have a small picnic under some tree?”  9

“That sounds like a fantastic idea.”  Canace agreed as they walked out of the inn and back onto the crowded streets. 10

“Horses!”11

“Animals!”12

“Clothes!” 13

“Food!” 14

“Nothing you need but might as well have anyway!”15

Canace and Melissa looked at each other and laughed at the last advertiser while they shoved their way to a food stand.  Canace looked behind and saw Melody dodging feet left and right, so she picked up the dog and kept walking.  When caught up to Melissa, she saw that Melissa had already bought two sandwiches and drinks.  Not knowing where to go, they picked a direction and just kept walking. 16

While silently following Melissa, Canace had a strange feeling that she had seen this girl before.  There was something familiar about her, but Canace could not place her face.  Not that I could if I wanted to, she thought as she continued to walk along.  17

As Canace cleared the mob of people, she followed Melissa over to a tree on a hill that was providing much shade.  Canace put Melody down then sat next to Melissa.  “Here you go,” said Melissa as she handed Canace a sandwich and drink. 18

“Thank you.”  Canace took her bag and reached in for some food that she gave to Melody.  Satisfied that Melody’s food would last her awhile, Canace started eating her own food.  19

Melissa looked at Canace and said, “I hope those boys are getting what they need done.”20

Canace nodded in agreement, “I hope they don’t take long either.  So Melissa, what it like going to…um…what school did you go to again?”21

“Knowledge’s Point.”22

“What do they teach you there?”23

“I learn different kinds of techniques.  I learn how to speak, read, and write in ancient tongues.  I’m learning how to write in secret way so a normal person or enemy couldn’t read what I put down.” 24

“That’s interesting.”  Canace commented.25

Melissa sighed, “That’s the boring part.  I prefer the classes that teach how to defend myself and how to fight. It is amazing all the weapons one can use to go to battle with.  I want to learn them all!” 26

Canace smiled and said, “I’m sure you will Melissa.  But if you want to learn all those things, why are you out traveling with Danny?” 27

“He had to find Jay and talk to him regarding something of importance.  Then he and Jay are supposed to go to these libraries to find vital information on something or another.  It’s regulations that no one in the school can travel alone anywhere, so since Danny was my mentor, I was chosen to go along with him.” 28

“Okay, I can see that happening.  So what does Danny teach you while traveling?” 29

Melissa smiled, “He teaches me about nature, you know, what trees are which, different kinds of animals, that sort of thing.  However, the more interesting things he teaches me have to do with the history of places we travel to.  That’s my favorite part.”30

“Does he quiz you to make sure you know everything?” 31

“He sure does.  In other languages.”32

“Wow.  Why does he do that?”33

“To make sure I still remember the languages I guess.  Sometimes he will give me a quiz and I will not even know what he is saying because I did not pay attention during the day that part was taught.  But enough about me, tell me about you.”34

Canace looked away from the gazing blue eyes that were staring at her, “Well, I like horses and dogs, and I like hot chocolate.  Give me hot chocolate and I’ll be good.” 35

Melissa giggled a bit then said, “Well that’s nice to know.  However, I meant where did you come from?  Why are you traveling with Jay?  How did you meet him?” 36

“Oh,” Canace sighed.  She had been trying to avoid those questions.  “I met him at the Little Burrow Tavern in Hollow Hills.  We were in a card competition and I creamed him. Afterward we got talking and he asked me to travel with him.” 37

“Couldn’t keep away, could he?”  Melissa joked.38

Canace frowned, “No!  It was because when I met him, I couldn’t remember anything about myself.”  She bit her lip.  That wasn’t supposed to have come out.  Melissa did not have an answer for that one although Canace noticed she looked a bit relieved about something or another.39

“Did you even remember your name?”  Melissa asked.40

Canace shook her head, “Nope.  Jay had to give me a name because I was walking around nameless.  Jay also said I could travel with him so we could find out who I am.”41

Melissa looked down, “I’m sorry.  I hope you find out soon.  But you couldn’t remember anything?”42

That was sincere.  “Not a thing.  I woke up in the middle of nowhere and a wolf was about to eat me for lunch.” 43

Melissa looked nervous, “Did you get hurt?” 44

“Luckily no.  I made it out of there safely and eventually found myself in Hollow Hills.”  Canace took a bite of her half-done sandwich.  After she chewed and swallowed, she asked, “Does Danny always act like that?”45

Melissa, who was also eating now said with a mouthful, “What?  Excited, secret-like, or a big flirt?” 46

“The latter.”  Canace replied, “He surprised me a bit when he kissed my hand.” 47

Melissa smiled a bit amused, “He’s always like that when he meets a new girl.  Don’t take it personally.” 48

“I won’t.”  Canace grinned to herself and took a sip of her drink.49

“So, what do you think of Jay?”  Melissa asked.50

Canace stopped sipping her drink and stared at her, “What do you mean?” 51

“Did you notice that when Danny kissed your hand that Jay looked a bit jealous?”  Melissa pointed out. 52

Canace looked at her in surprise, “He did?”53

“You bet he did!  So what do you think of him Canace?”  Melissa asked.54

“Umm…he’s a nice person.”  Canace stuttered. 55

“He’s a nice person,” she mimicked, “You like him, don’t you?”56

“Me?”  Canace was trying not to blush.57

Melissa inched closer, “Yes you.  It is written all over your face.  Admit it!” 58

“I like him as a friend and nothing more,” she slightly lied. 59

Melody then finished eating her puppy food and started running around the trees. 60

Ignoring the scampering puppy, Melissa continued, “I think he likes you Canace.  You should mention it and see what his reaction is.” 61

Going totally off the topic, Canace replied, “So Melissa, tell me about your family.”62

For a moment Melissa froze as if she were afraid, but quickly caught herself, “Um, I have a mom, dad, and four older brothers back at home.”63

“That’s nice.  Where is your home town?”  Canace said curiously. 64

Melissa searched her head, “I’m from a small town near Hollow Hills.  It is very hard to get there and takes a long time.” 65

“Mmhmm,” Canace sighed, not really paying attention.  She was a bit more focused on Melody and making sure that her dog did not run off too far.  The sun had started setting when Melissa sat up, “Hey, look who’s coming.  It’s about time.”66

Canace looked over a bit and saw Jay and Danny walking towards them.  When Melody saw Jay, she went running and barking to him.  Danny bent down to pick the little dog up, but she ignored him and pawed on Jay.  Still scared by the golden retriever, Jay just kept walking.  Realizing that he was not going to pick her up, she ran to Danny, whom immediately cuddled her in his arms.  67

The two reached the top of the hill and Danny sat next to Melissa while Jay took a seat next to Canace.  Melissa raised an eyebrow at Canace as if to say, I told you so.  Canace blushed in embarrassment.68

“So, what did you kids have to talk about?”  Melissa said without skipping a beat. 69

“Melissa, if we couldn’t listen to them in the first place, why would they tell us now?”  Canace asked her. 70

Jay cleared his throat, “Actually, now we can tell you.  We had to catch up on a few things first and then we could talk about the important things.”71

“Which when I heard of the things that had happened in the past few days, I suggested we do on the way to find you guys.”  Danny added. 72

Melissa and Canace looked at each other, both a little mad.73

“So all you guys did was talk about what you guys have done in the past few days?”  Melissa asked.74

“Yes.”  Replied Danny, not catching on.  Melody was getting a bit jumpy, so Danny set her on the ground, watched her curl up beside Canace, and fall sound asleep.75

“So there really was no point in sending us away, was there?”  Canace demanded. 76

“I guess not…”  Jay realized, “Oops.” 77

Danny clapped his hands together, “Well what’s done is done.”78

“And?”  Melissa asked.79

“And we’re sorry and promise not to leave you defenseless ladies alone ever again,” Jay finished.80

“Better not,” Canace muttered while Melissa nodded in agreement.81

“What was that?”  Danny questioned.82

“Nothing.”  Canace answered, smiling. 83

Jay rubbed his stomach, “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starved.  Let’s go get something to eat.”84

Melissa smiled, “While you two were talking nonsense, we had our meal.” 85

“I don’t think I could eat another bite,” Canace added, “Pity.  I still had all this food left in my bag.  Oh well, guess I will save it for some other day.”  “Oh come on Canace, share some,” Jay pleaded.86

“You share what you guys were talking about that was so secret,” Melissa shot back. 87

“Now Melissa,” Danny lectured, “You know that you should treat others with respect, right?  Don’t break the code!”88

Melissa bowed her head while secretly rolling her eyes, “Yes sir, I mean, no sir.” 89

“Well,” Jay said, “In response to your last ‘question,’ we were just about to tell you what we were discussing.”90

Canace and Melissa both blushed.  “Well, as you both apparently know, we are on a search for the royal family.”  Nod from Canace and Melissa.  “After studying for many hours, I have discovered a vital fact that could help us finish before the given time runs out.”  Melissa looked scared-shocked while Canace looked happy-shocked.  “Although we have one slight problem.” 91

“What is it?”  Melissa responded, shaking off the shock.92

Jay stepped in, “We know that there is a necklace that when at a certain time and place, will tell if its wearer is of royal blood or not.  However, it must be worn at night on a persons’ neck, or else it will not work.  Sadly, it does something horrible to a person if they are not of royal blood.”93

Melissa was disgusted, “So if you are not of royal blood, you should consider yourself dead, right?” 94

Jay nodded, “Yes.”95

“Do you know where this necklace is?”  asked a curious Canace.96

“Sort of.” Danny admitted.97

“Sort of?” 98

“Well, they have a bit of it, but not the whole thing.”  Danny spoke.99

“Can’t they just put what they have together and be done with it?”  Melissa asked. 100

“Unfortunately, no.  There are six pieces, and 5 of them are spread out between the five Libraries of the Ancient Stars.  It is said the royal family members have the final piece.  But we need to find out what it looks like so we know what to look for.”101

“Which means what?”  Melissa asked.102

“Which means,” Canace cut in, “that we have to go to those libraries to find out more, right?” 103

“Exactly,” Jay replied.104

“She’s smart,” Danny complimented, “I am sorry about your memory Canace, I hope we can help you recover it.” 105

“Thank you Danny.”  Canace smiled gratefully. 106

“Show him that paper we found Canace.  The blank one with nothing on it.”  Jay suggested. 107

“Okay,” Canace took off her pack, reached in, and pulled out the little black box that held the paper.  Carefully, she opened it up and gave the slip on white paper to Danny.  “Here you go.”108

Danny took it from her fingers, and studied it carefully.  “Hmm, the paper looks like the paper from the academy.  But that’s impossible; I’ve gone there my whole life and have never seen you before.”  He flipped it over and stared at it intensively, “Let me hold onto this for a few days, and I can try to see if there is a code on it.  There are hundreds of techniques to make writing disappear, but only a few don’t leave an imprint on the back…” 109

“Okay, as the mastermind tries to decode the anonymous piece of paper, let’s get back on subject.”  said Jay, pulling out his map from the back of his pocket.  He spread it out on the grassy ground beneath them and continued, “We are here in Abaratis.  We need to get over here to Celestial.  After going there, we will go to Orion, Starhaven, Keiper, or Moonlight’s Key, whichever one we decide we like best.” 110

Melissa looked excited, “Are we going to stop in Ide’s Song?”111

Danny, who had been focused on the puzzling paper, looked up, “We weren’t planning on it, but-”112

“Yay!”  Melissa shouted, “Ide’s Song, here we come!”113

“What’s in Ide’s song that makes you so excited?”  Jay asked.114

“You mean you guys don’t know what’s in Ide’s Song?”  Melissa stared in disbelief at her confused friends, “I can understand Canace not knowing, but, you guys!”  Jay and Danny just nodded their heads in confusion.  115

Canace had been getting bored during this conversation and let her gaze drift around.  She relaxed herself and thought about the tree that was shading her.  She was admiring how the light weaved itself in and out the branches when suddenly the view around her changed.116

117

The trees were gone.  So were Danny, Melissa, Jay, and Melody.  She opened her mouth and tried to shout, but nothing came out.  Canace looked in front of herself and saw she was on a street.  All along this mysterious street there were people selling hundreds of different kinds of flowers.  There were so many it looked as if the street was bathing in flowers.  Glancing to the left, she saw a clearing of grass that had kids running around having fun.  Looking up, Canace saw trees towering majestically over the town and underneath couples sat enjoying the company of the other.  From some house on the street came the soft sound of a violin adding a romantic touch to the scene.  Canace could not help but feel like she had been there before as she walked silently down the crowded street.118

119

“I can understand Canace not knowing, but, you guys!”  Jay and Danny just nodded their heads in confusion while Melissa stared at them in shock.120

“Have you ever been there Jay?”  Danny whispered, “What about your little sister?  Did she ever mention it?” 121

“No.”  Jay whispered back, “I haven’t seen her for awhile and when I do, she spits on me.  Cathy’s only one and a half, remember?”  They both looked at Melissa with expectant faces.  Melissa just sat there and stared at them.  122

“Are you going to tell us or not?”  Danny sighed. 123

“Guess,” Melissa smiled with mischief twinkling in her eye. 124

Danny rolled his eyes, “Potatoes?  Cheese?  Cheese potatoes?” 125

“This is a waste of time,” remarked an irritated Jay, “Could you just tell us?”  126

Melissa put a pouting face on, “Fine.  Ide’s Song is known for-”127

Jay’s attention wandered over to Melody who was sleeping peacefully.  Then he looked a Canace and suddenly jerked to attention.  “Canace!  Are you okay?”  Her eyes were wide open in shock, but it was as if they were staring at some unseen object in fright.  She was lightly shaking and looking rather pale.  Danny looked over a bit too late because at Jay’s shout, Canace snapped back.  She squeezed her eyes shut while shaking her head rapidly for a moment, then looked up.128

At first, she glanced around absentmindedly, and then spoke, “Flowers and romance.  What a friendly place.”129

“-known for its flowers and romance, not to mention what a friendly place it is.”  Melissa had been saying.  Danny, Jay, and Melissa all looked at Canace.  And she looked back at them, still a bit out of it. 130

“Canace, how did you know that?”  Danny asked. 131

“Know what?”  Canace asked, oblivious to what see had just done.132

“How did you know what Ide’s Song is known for?  You lost your memory.”  Melissa told her.133

Canace looked a bit sad “I…I don’t know.  One moment I was sitting here next to all of you, next moment I’m on a street filled with flowers, strange music, and tall trees that seem to cover the whole city.” 134

Melissa was not convinced, “Uh huh, sure.”135

“Are you calling her a liar?”  Jay demanded angrily.136

“Well, what she said could not be possible!”  Melissa shot at Jay.137

“What was the last thing you remember Canace?”  Danny asked her. 138

Canace, a bit hurt at that Melissa did not believe her, thought back, “I remember Melissa gaping at you two for not knowing what Ide’s Song was known for.  My attention drifted away, and all of you guys ended up going away with it.”139

“I think she’s telling the truth,” Jay defended, “I looked over as Danny was talking about potatoes, and her eyes were wide open, she was shaking, not to mention she looked a bit pale.  It seemed as if she was not here.  I mean, she was here, but at the same time, she was somewhere else.” 140

“Canace, did you hit your head any time recently?”  Danny asked.141

“Um, yeah.  Yesterday coming into Jamestill.  I tripped over Jay and got to introduce myself to a tree.”  Canace replied, rubbing her head a bit,          “It still hurts.”142

Danny though to himself while everyone waited expectantly for an answer. 143

“I know!  Canace, I’m guessing that you lost your memory by either hitting yourself on the head or being hit on the head, right?” 144

“Do you think some one would have done hurt her intentionally?”  Jay asked.145

Oh, you do not know, someone thought.146

“Well, I personally do not think so, but it could be a possibility,” Danny informed him, “Anyway, because you were most likely hit on the head, being hit on the head again may be able to bring back your memory.”147

Canace’s face twisted in confusion, “But wouldn’t that mean I would have all my memory back by now?” 148

“Not necessarily,” Danny’s twinkling brown eyes met with her eyes, “it might not come back all at once.  Most likely it will come back in flashes, which is what I think just happened.”149

Jay nodded in agreement, “That sounds about right.”  150

“So her memory is coming back?”  Melissa asked.  Jay thought that his eyes were playing tricks on him, for he thought there was a trace of disgust in her voice.151

“I think so,” Danny smiled, “It may not be that long before we know who are friend here really is.” 152

Canace smiled in relief as she leaned against the tree next to her. I hope it won’t be too long, she thought. Then she looked up to the sky.  The sun had gone down, and the stars were slowly appearing one by one.  Out of all the things she knew of, she admired stars the most.  Canace thought they were the most wonderful things ever created and longed to touch them.  153

Danny also looked up at the sky and said, “It’s getting dark.  We should head back the inn before we can’t see anything.”154

“You’re right, we should get going,” Canace lightly shook Melody who immediately jump into her arms.  Canace sighed, “Can’t you walk?” 155

“Here, let me take her,” Danny said.  Canace gratefully surrendered the tired puppy to Danny’s open arms.  Then Danny stood up while Jay extended his arm to Canace, who did not refuse.  When Melissa caught Canace’s eye, she just smiled her toothy grin and nodded. 156

They started walking down the hill and into the town.  The streets that had been bustling with people before now only had but a few stragglers trying to get home. 157

Danny and Melissa seemed to be in an intense talk of some sort, for they walked ahead a ways and did not looked back to see where Jay and Canace were.    158

“It’s cold,” remarked Canace, rubbing her arms, “Jay, could you get out my cloak for me?  It’s in my bag.”   159

“Sure,” Jay went behind her and opened up her bag.  He quickly found her cloak, and right under it was Danny’s diary.  “Hey Canace, we still haven’t given Danny his diary back yet.  I wonder if he knows it is missing.  Canace?”  Jay then noticed that she was lightly shivering; this time it was not from the cold. 160

161

Canace had just asked Jay to get her cloak when the scenery changed around her for the second time.  Once again, she found that she could not talk, so she looked around at her surroundings.  She was on a path that led to a forest and ahead of her was a fork in the road.  There were no signs telling which way went where, but for some reason she knew she needed to go left and not go down the path that led to the right.  She recognized this forest.  She had grown up near this place.  It was her playground as a child.  Canace felt she knew it by the back of her hand, that she could name every tree to every blade of grass.  For the first time, she realized that she was not alone.  There was a boy next to her.  He was older then Canace by around four years and had jet-black hair with a set face.  I know him, she thought, but who is he?162

“Now don’t forget to meet me at our place in two weeks.  Promise?” he asked her.  She looked into his enigmatic green eyes and wanted to cry out, who are you?  Where am I supposed to meet you?  Help me!  However, she replied, “I promise.  What could go wrong?  I am just going to say hi to some people then rejoin with you in another town.  Simple as that, don’t worry.”163

“Listen, things haven’t been as safe as they used to be.  It’s going to be more dangerous and you need to be more careful,” he warned.  Then he gave her a hug and whispered into her ear, “I love you.” 164

To Canace’s surprise, she replied, “I love you too.”  He held her in front of her, and she looked into his caring eyes, “I’ll see you later.” 165

“Goodbye.”  Then she turned around and started walking away.  166

167

Jay finished shutting her pack up tight and stepped in front of her with her cloak in his hand.  Canace looked the same as she had earlier when this had happened.  Although he did not like it, he knew that whatever she was getting, he should let her finish.  Then she started shaking harder.  Okay, memory or no memory, he thought, I cannot let her shake like this. 168

“Canace!  Canace!”  Jay spoke loudly into her quivering ear. 169

“What?”  Canace stopped shaking and tripped over herself in confusion.  Luckily, Jay was right there to catch her.  He lifted her back up then said, “Welcome back.  So, what did you remember?”170