FF Entry - 5

Apologies for not finishing. I had some unfortunate events that disrupted my evening and weekend, and I was playing catch up with homework all weekend. Onto the entry!

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"Do you know where this office is?" Janeil couldn't make much of the writing. Most of it was strange to him, but surprisingly a few English signs were around. The thought of previous contact to some degree floated in his head momentarily. "And would it even be open now? I mean, its evening, isn't it?"

"Census offices are open around the clock. The information must be available at all times. And yes, I do know where it is."

They had just rounded a corner when they came upon a somewhat disturbing scene. Four teenage boys were in a small circle around a girl about the same age as them. One had the girl from behind pinning her arms to her side so she could not fight back. The rest of them seemed to be taunting and harrassing her.

"Can't do anything now, can you?" One boy said.

"Let go of me!" The girl yelped. She kicked and struggled against her captors, which invoked laughter from the rest of the group.

The boy landed a smack straight across her cheek, causing her to cry out and knocking her black hat to the ground. He glanced up and realized that Janei and Sophia were watching what they were doing.

"Let's get out of here," the other boys urged the first one.

The boy looked sharply at Sophia then back at the girl. "This isn't over, monster girl." She was let go as the boy shoved her backwards into a pile of grain sacks. She hit them with a loud "Oof!" and slumped to the ground as they broke up and quickly disappeared into an alleyway.

Janeil made his way over to the girl's side, taking her by the elbow and pulling her up to her feet. Her long raven-black hair was in disarray, her face red from the strike she had received earlier. She had a white blouse with short cuffed sleeves, a swishy and somewhat sweeping navy blue skirt that reached about mid-calf, and a white apron which was tied in a large bow on the back with suprising wide apron strings that trailed down almost as long as her skirt. She had dark brown boots that reached her calves.

"Hey...you okay?" Janeil's voice was gentle but slightly demanding.

The girl tried to struggle out of his grasp, her footing unsteady and her eyes squeezed shut, waiting for the worst. Upon hearing his words, she stopped in her tracks, daring to look at her rescuer. Her deep green eyes roamed his facial features in uncertainty and fear.

"I'm...I'm...o..kay. Who...are you?" The girl stammered, pulling her hair out of her face and pulling it over her shoulders. She trembled in his grip, either out of fear or the pain that was previously inflicted to her.

"My name is Janeil." He was definitely sure that the girl couldn't walk on her own much less stand unattended. It was somewhat baffling; it was if she was weak. Sophia approached both of them, the girl's hat in her hands.

"Janeil.....Janeil...." The girl quietly mulled to herself, looking down at the ground. Her face showed a brief flash of sadness. "I'm Tamilia." She finally added in a low voice.
Sophia placed the hat on Tamilia's head. "Do you need help getting home? You don't look to well."

"I'll be fine." Tamilia pulled her elbow away from Janeil and staggered a few steps before collapsing to the ground. Both Janeil and Sophia caught her in their arms.

"I don't think you're fine," Janeil noted in half-seriousness. "Where do you live?"

"Down the street...near the markets by the wharf." Tamilia answered. She looked somewhat irked but incredulous that they were fussing over her well-being.

"Why not take her home? I'll go to the census office and catch up with you shortly." Sophia suggested.

"All right, don't get into trouble."

Sophia left them as Janeil slung the girl's arm over behind his neck and over her shoulder and started to walk in the direction specified. The girl's eyes continually swept the ground,
occasionally glancing at Janeil out of the corner of her eyes.

"Why were those boys hurting you?" Janeil asked.

He received no answer. Tamilia's face fell with shame as a sigh escaped her nostrils. "I don't want to talk about it..."

Janeil let the matter be, much to Tamilia's suprrise. He judged her to be sixteen or seventeen, maybe older. He was very curious as to what her story was, namely why she seemed ill.
It wasn't long before he reached the house that was described to him. It reminded him of the fisherman's huts he had seen in history books. It was set in a small flowered yard and the back was placed near a boardwalk that ran along the edge of the ocean.

Coming up to the door, Janeil knocked. The door was yanked open as a well-built and burly man opened the door. He wore black trousers and a gray sweater, his beard somewhat scruffy. He seemed to go into a fit upon seeing Tamilia's condition.

"What have you done to my granddaughter?!" Were his first words out of his mouth.

"Grandpa...please..." Tamilia begged weakly. "He didn't do this...."

The man's look relented slightly, but still glared at him as he pulled Tamila inside. Janeil followed at a distance.

The interior was slightly dingy but surprisingly warm and well-lit. The man sat Tamilia on the edge of a small bed and knelt down to her level.

"What have I told you about going out by yourself? How did this happen?"

"Andresen's boys were beating me." Tamilia admitted. "All I did was get some wheat like Letty wanted me to..."

"And him?" The man thumbed in my direction.

"He and his friend...the boys saw them and ran off. He brought me here."

"Where is his friend?"

"She went to the census office...said that she'll come here later."

The man sighed and placed his hands on Tamilia's shoulders.

"It's not safe for you to be wandering about by yourself. Not only because of your condition, but people are not kind towards your current state and what happened to you."

"I know..."

"You're lucky that you were found. It could have been worse." The man got up and turned around to Janeil.

"As for you...I have some doubts about you. But thank you for bringing Tamilia home. She would have been left there...." The man looked at Janeil straight in the eyes.

"What's wrong with her?" Janeil asked.

The man bit his lip. "Are you sure you want an answer to that, boy?"

The door creaked open as the man glanced towards the door. Sophia had stepped in cautiously, not sure what had transpired.

"Sophia?" The man was surprised.

"Pierre...." Sophia's face softened. She walked up to him as Pierre gave her a hug and let go.
"It's been a long time....I was wondering what had happened to you..." Pierre had a big smile on her face.

"I'm sorry...the Doorway was sealed on my world. I haven't been able to use it since." Sophia shrugged in defeat.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Janeil was clearly surprised.

"You know him?" Pierre was surprised as well.

Sophia had an amused look on her face. "Yes. Pierre, this is my traveling companion Janeil. He's helping me look for Elizabeth."

"I see..." Pierre closed the door and invited them to sit at the table. He got two tall tin mugs and poured coffee into them with a dash of milk, and offered it to his new guests.

"Elizabeth was a fine woman indeed...it was a shame that happened." Pierre seemed slightly hesitant to talk about the subject.

"Tamilia is my granddaughter and daughter to my younger sister. Four months ago, there was an accident at sea. Something...strange had happened. But Tamilia was the only survivor. When she was found and brought back here, she had suffered a bite from something. The wound healed, but as days progressed, she started to behave odd."

"She would be absent-minded, falter in her footsteps, even just sit motionless for no reason a t all without a single word. Nobody knew what was wrong with her. But Elizabeth...tried some medicines on her. Tamilia seemed to do better and seemed like she would recover. But then he came."

"Volus, our village priest, did not approve of this. He declared that she used forbidden arts and exiled her from the village. She left. Since then, he's been trying to get me to turn her over so that he could "cleanse her body of the poison that flows within."" He sighed in disgust.

"Tamila grows more distant every day. Her body has weakened, and she can barely walk on her own. When she sleeps at night, she continually has nightmares and. She wastes away every single day and there isn't a single thing I can do to save her..." Pierre was close to tears.

Sophia placed a hand on Pierre's beefy arm and rubbed it gently. Janeil glanced over at Tamilia, who had paid no attention to the entire conversation. Her eyes were fixiated on the ground, her body posture rigid and her hands folded on her lap.

"I came looking for Jennifer," Sophia explained. "I had no idea what had transpired. I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I think Elizabeth would have understood. Jennifer meant a lot to her." Pierre glanced around him. "Did you find what you wanted from the census office?"

"No...there's no record of her. I didn't make sense till you explained what Volus had done. I'm
not sure what I'd do now...."

"You can stay here for the night and figure out what you would like to do in the morning," Pierre suggested. "You're welcome to stay here as long as you like."

"Thanks, we'd appreciate that." Janeil nodded.

Pierre grunted in approval and motioned to the coffee. "You two look like you haven't had a bite to eat in forever...."

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Janeil was the first one up. The inside of the hut was pitch black as a light from a lamp flickered into view.

He had been sleeping on the floor since there was nowhere else to sleep. Sophia had shared the bed with Tamilia and Pierre had stayed in his own bed. The arrangement was less than adequate, but Janeil had assured him that he had slept in worse conditions and it was all right.
He had awaken to the sounds of whimpering and crying, mixed with Sophia trying to get Tamilia's attention. Pierre had come out of bed and had a glass bottle in his hand filled with a dark liquid, a lamp in the other.

"Its trying to get me...I have to go...." Tamilia cried.

"Shush, child." Pierre gave her a swig of the bottle and stroked her head. "It'll be all right."

Janeil noticed that Pierre didn't seem to believe that it would be all right when he had stated so. The girl strugged in Sophia's grasp with a whimper and became limp, her eyes sliding shut.

"She'll be okay for now...it's a sleep mediciine." Pierre explained. "I try not to use it too often because I don't know when I'll get another bottle."

Sophia nodded in understanding as everyone settled back into bed and went back to sleep. Janeil didn't however, staring at the sliver of moonlight from the planet shining through the window. He wondered about Tamilia; what was going on in her head? She seemed tramautized; and her apparent sickness didn't help any. He turned over on his side and faced the window, a finger touching the handle of his pistol underneath his provided pillow. Tomorrow woud arrive soon.
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"Pierre, had you seen Sophia?" Neil asked.

"She left early this morning. She said not to wake you and that she would be back later on," Pierre handed Janeil another tin mug of coffee.

Janeil smiled at the action, memories of squadron commanders and starship captains getting served coffee on the bridge. He had never gotten the privilege to serve with fleet ops, and wished he was a fighter pilot. It would have been such a different story, and he probably would have been still with the UEA today...

The coffee was stronger, but the milk helped offset that. He stared at his gear and luggage in the corner, making sure that it wouldn't be bothered. Taking another sip, he stepped through the backdoor.

The boardwalk was suprisingly empty. Janeil figured that only the people that lived there used it if they had boats or the like.

Boats. He had to marvel how he came from starships and laser guns to simple people with fishing boats. And they seemed to do everything with manual labor as well. But Pierre seemed to be a decent fellow and had unending care for his granddaughter. As for Tamilia...

She was out on the boardwalk, sitting flat on it, her skirts spread around her. Her knees were brought up to her chest as he hugged them somewhat, her chin rested on top.

"Good morning," Janeil greeted her. He sat down next to her.

Tamilia didn't answer, a wary eye glancing at him.

Janeil was not sure what he could break the ice with. He was sure the conversation would be slightly difficult, but didn't have anything else to do. He was also curious about her to a certain degree.

"You're Janeil, aren't you?" Her voice seemed a little stronger than yesterday.

"You remember me?"

"I do." Was her simple reply.

"Thank you for helping me. Grandpa said I was lucky." She turned her head a little in his direction.

"You're welcome."

"They don't like me because of what the priest said. They think I'm a monster because of what happened to me."

Janeil shook his head. "I don't understand...why are people hating you for a monster injuring you?"

Tamilia turned her head away. "It did....something more to me. I feel that I'm changing every day. Something happened, and it can't be stopped. It's also what gave me nightmares."
Janeil exhaled. Something else was a factor. How did she know? She did say she felt it...but someone wouldn't get the notion unless something else happened, would it? It just didn't add up...

The door opened as Pierre walked out. "I'm headed to the south docks to check on a fishing boat that had come in this morning. I'll be back soon; don't leave the house." He did a double take. "Tamilia! What have I told you about sitting wherever you please just on your bum like that? The washerwoman threw a fit because of your dirty knickers!" His voice was scolding.

Tamilia's face turned red as she shrunk a little. "Grandpa please...not in front of him."

Pierre realized what he had said and laughed softly. "I guess it can't be helped....keep her out of trouble, will you?" With that, the two of them were alone once more.

Janeil tried to stifle a laugh himself. He had a pretty good idea what Pierre was talking about. But as he saw Tamilia's embarrassed face and the way she sat there, he probably could have understood why he left her alone and let her be.

"Promise me you won't go repeat that to anyone else," Tamilia's face was still red. She let out a frustrated groan. "I've already have two names now. I don't need more people calling me them."

"Oh?"

"I think you heard those boys call me monster girl. They also call me...Miss Dirty Knickers."

"I see. I'm guessing someone ran their mouth?"

"Yes!" Tamilia turned towards him, slightly renewed conviction in her voice.. "That washerwoman had no business telling everyone about my clothes. I can't help it if I sit someplace that's not too clean and stain my-" She suddenly realized she was blurting out the entire story that she had begged her grandfather not to scold her about. Tamilia turned her head away, her face redder than ever.

Janeil let the subject drop and didn't say anything else. After the few moments that followed, Tamilia peeked back at Janeil, surprised at his sudden silence.

He finished his coffee and let the mug clank onto the boardwalk. The silence continued when he noticed a shadow looming over them.

"And what do we have here?" A voice asked. A thin tall man was standing in front of them, bony features on his narrow face. He had a large nose and dark hair that reached his shoulders. He wore a black robe that reached his knees with matching leggings and boots underneath. He had a staff with one hand made out of a long piece of straight wood, a strange beak on the top.

Tamilia let out a small gasp as the man looked over both of them. "I thank you for keeping her out of trouble, stranger. I cannot cure her of the thing that plagues her if street thugs cause her life to expire."

A flashback occured to the dinner table. This had to be Volus, could it? He certainly seemed creepy enough. He knew exactly about Temilia and what had transpired last night.

"Why are you so concerned about her?" Janeil asked, his voice slightly on edge. "And how did you know what happened yesterday?"

"My my, defensive, are we?" The man clucked his tongue. "What you did yesterday is the talk of the village. And as the village's residing priest, I must aid all of its inhabitants to the path that is required of them."

Janeil didn't answer. He wanted to tell him to buzz off, but didn't want to tick him off and cause trouble to Sophia. The man seemed to know what was going on in his head.

"Staying quiet I see; good answer. I'm sure we'll meet again. Remember Tamilia, clinging to your grandfather's side won't make you feel better. Imagine sleeping peacfully at night..."

Tamilia's eyes widened as her lips moved to speak. The man chuckled and left, continuing down the boardwalk. She looked after him, great conflict in her eyes.

"I....I..." She looked at Janeil, desperation in her eyes. Tamilia was clearly confused and wasn't even sure what to think.

"That was Volus, wasn't it?"

"But....how?" Tamilia's voice wavered.

"Wild guess. Let him go. You'll be all right."

"But...." Tamilia wanted to protest.

"You grandfather cares for you. That woman Elizabeth probably cared for you. And from what I heard, I don't trust him. Frankly, despite the short time we've met, I care too." He looked at her hard. "Sophia probably does too. I get chills looking at him..." Janeil looked at Volus' disappearing form.

"But I'm scared!" Tamilia blurted out. "Grandpa can't do anything and I feel myself slipping
away. Every day I know I'm changing. Something's happening to me." She grabbed Janeil's t-shirt in big handfuls pulled him towards him. "I don't want to die!"

"Tamilia," Janeil took hold of her wrists and pulled her away, gently placing them on her knees once more.

"Look, I can't guarantee anything. But I'm not going to leave you out there. I don't know what happened to you or what will happen to you, but we'll fix it."

Tamilia was utterly confused more than ever, but her gaze was fixed on Janeil's face as he spoke.

"Why?"

She was starting to sound like Pinnochio. "Because its what I did. And probably what I'll continue doing in one form or another..."