Orso Fiction 035

Orso Fiction Chapter 035-A Sunrise In Darkness
Suddenly, Orabella stopped and turned to face Paige Lewis. The two girls stared each other down in the parking lot of South Carroll High School. The roads were completely empty. Convenient, Paige thought. That meant she would be able to do her work in better privacy. Her style was…not subtle.

“I won’t ask if you want to surrender.”, Orabella said firmly. “Because I don’t care.”

“Wow, thanks.”, Paige said, rolling her eyes. “Means a lot.”

“I don’t know what your game is, but it ends today.”, Orabella growled, growing even more annoyed with Paige’s sarcasm. “Your family has committed the ultimate sin against us.”

“You know what?”, Paige asked, desperately. “You’re crazy. Even if we didn’t ever do this…WHATEVER IT IS YOU KEEP TALKING ABOUT, you wouldn’t believe me. How about we just get this fight over with? And if you’re still conscious by the time we finish, you have to listen to me, and not interrupt me all the damned time.”

“And if I win, you bring your boss to me yourself so I can cut his throat.”

“Wha-NO!”, Paige shouted. “You psycho bitch…”

“That’s what I want from you.”, Orabella said. “Your corruption goes straight to the top, and I’m going to fix it.”

“You’re a lunatic.”, Paige said, igniting her ring with Sun Flames. She opened her box, releasing a Sun Giraffe. “I’m going to shut you up. Topaz, get ready.”

The giraffe pawed the ground twice and snorted.

“Alright, Orso.”, Orabella said, releasing her Sun Snake, Apophis. “It starts now.”

“Hey…”, Paige murmured, too quietly for Orabella to hear, too slowly for her to notice the movement of her lips. “Are you getting all this?”

---

Back in the base, McKenna Mason spoke into her headset, watching the video feed.

“Got it.”, she said back. “Don’t give her an inch.”

“Of course.”, Paige’s voice came back to her. “I’m apparently fighting for the sake of Zach’s throat…Crazy bitch.”

“McKenna, I’m bored.”, the boy’s voice came from behind her. She turned her head to see Mike Kreinar sitting, his feet up on a monitor, an utterly apathetic look on his face. “Why did you make me come up here. We all know Paige is going to win this. What’s the point of watching?”

“Mike, Paige told me I had to make you watch. It wasn’t my choice.”, she said. “She told me it would be a good experience for you.”

“But I’m BORED.”, Mike argued. “And I’m HUNGRY. Paige wins, the other girl learns a lesson about friendship, everyone’s happy.”

“Mike?”

“Yeah?”

“Watch the screen, or I’m telling Paige you were backtalking me.”

“…Okay.”

---

“Topaz, if you’d like, you can sit out for a little bit.”, Paige said. “I don’t want to wear you out too fast.”

The giraffe bowed its long neck, and stepped away from the battle. No one seemed to notice how odd it was for a giraffe to be standing in a parking lot in the middle of Eldersburg.

“Apophis, we strike now.”, Orabella commanded, and the snake hissed, then launched at Paige. She the expertly sidestepped, and before the animal could counter, kicked it away. Paige dashed at Orabella and shot a leg at her. Orabella couldn’t react in time, and the kick hit her in the side, knocking the wind out of her.

“Apophis.”, she commanded, and the snake replied, by lunging at Paige again, from behind. The Sun Agent quickly and elegantly fell into her hands, kicking the snake back at Orabella in the course of a front flip getting her back onto her feet. Orabella caught Apophis in one hand, probably squeezing tighter than she had to. “Well, aren’t you graceful?”

“I do alright.”, Paige said. She took a step back to distance herself from her opponent.

---

“Right.”, Mike said. “She’s graceful. We get that. When does this get important?”

“Hush.”, McKenna said, typing. “These girls are basically unknown. I can’t get any information about this girl, not even a name.”

“Why are you bothering to look her up?”, Mike asked. “She’s just some girl. A girl who probably belongs in an institution somewhere. But just some girl.”

“Paige and I agreed that she’s, well, probably not just some girl.”, McKenna said slowly. “There’s more than likely some story behind her.”

“Oh…Yeah, whatever.”, Mike said, rifling through his pockets for something to eat. Nothing. Damnation.

---

“You know…I really hate people like you.”, Orabella said. “So…lucky. You sit there, living in a place as nice as this, with no regard for the people struggling below you.”

“I’m not listening to you.”, Paige said. “You’re a lunatic.”

“I’m quite serious. The seven of us struggled to stay alive for so long, and we got a lucky break, when Sonia told us she’d help us start a new life. But then…you monsters poisoned Princess.”

“Poison? Princess? Are you ON something?”, Paige asked.

“Princess. I mean Rosangela, the youngest of us. She’s ill now, and the only cure is the Arcoferro you and your family are fighting so desperately to keep from us.”

“The Arcoferro?”, Paige asked. “We need that to make weapons for the family. We’re not trying to keep it from you out of spite, or something, you paranoid freak.”

“This changes no facts.”, Orabella said, stepping closer to her. Paige took a step back unconsciously. “My sister is dying because of your poison. If we don’t defeat you, she will die.”

“We never poisoned anyone!”, Paige shouted.

“Or were you just not informed of the plan?”, Orabella asked, hatred in her voice rising, taking another step forward. Paige began to take a step back. “Perhaps YOU are innocent. But that just makes me all the more eager to kill your boss.”

Paige stopped her step, and stomped forward, bring the two closer.

“You think Zach is the kind of person to poison ANYONE for something selfish like this?”

“Isn’t he?”

“Not even close. You don’t know anything about how Zach works, do you?”

“No. Enlighten me.”

---


 * Before…*

“Paige!”, the boy called, limping to her. “Hold up a sec!”

She turned to him and smiled.

“Hey. What’s up?”, she asked.

“The guys and I have been planning something…it’s about this girl…Will you read this, and tell me if you think it will work?”, Zach asked, passing her a piece of paper. Paige read the plan, and smiled, knowing how out of Zach’s comfort zone this was.

“This is…so cute.”, Paige said, smiling. “Maybe a little bit overboard, though.”

“Can…we ask, if you’ll help us, just so this won’t go wrong?”, Zach asked, laughing sheepishly. “I can’t think of anyone else to ask, I think with everyone else, I’d be too embarrassed.”

Paige rolled her eyes.

“Of course, Zach.”

“You’re the best, Paige…I just went from butterflies in my stomach to nothing, now that I know you’re on my side. You’re the best. Now I just have to worry about what she says. I have to admit I’m a little nervous about that part.”

“Stime, you know everyone loves you. You shouldn’t be afraid…you goober.”

Zach grinned like an idiot.

“Thanks, Paige. And I can’t wait to see you…playing Dorothy.”

“Zach, you know I haven’t got the part yet.”

“I know.”, Zach chuckled. “But I know you’re the best for it. I’ve got faith in you. Kinda like you’ve got faith in this plan of ours working.*

Zach walked off after flashing another smile to Paige.

“That goober…”, the Sun Agent murmured.


 * Later, in a room of dancing teens*

“Paige, I owe you!”, Zach said, throwing himself at the girl in a hug.

“But…she didn’t…”, Paige trailed off.

“Tiny detail! I DID it!”, Zach asked. “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve risked anything? I wouldn’t have been so ready, if you hadn’t been there to light the way for me.”

“Um…thanks. Thanks, Stime.”, Paige said, a smile forming on her lips.

Zach quickly looked from side to side, then leaned in.

“Do you think I could talk McKenna into a dance? Or will she not be interested, do you think?”, Zach asked, in a hushed tone of voice.

“I think you should.”, Paige laughed. Zach nodded once, and began to make his way to the girl. Paige smiled brightly as she watched the awkward exchange, that led to a dance. “Go get ‘em, tiger…”

---

“That tells me nothing.”, Orabella said. “So your boss is an awkward little freak, who sucks with women.”

“I didn’t think you’d get it.”, Paige said. “The worst thing Zach can even think of doing to a person is ask them for some of their time. He’s kind of stupid about that, but he’s not evil. He’s fighting for a pure cause.”

“Then why…why is my sister dying?”, Orabella asked. “I really hate people like you, you know that? You sit on your ivory tower, worrying about things as silly as a school play…when outside, people are fighting and dying, all just trying to live another day.”

“We’re fighting to fix that.”, Paige said, steel in her voice. “I won’t sway you with words, so I’ll shove you with results. We’ll take that metal, and we’ll use it to form a new world. One that even you’ll be happy with. I promise you! When we win, we’ll do all we can to cure your sister!”

Orabella lit her ring with Sun Flames, and pushed it into her yellow box, tinged with black.

“Show me!”, she called. “Show me the power you think a girl like you could ever use to sway someone who has suffered as I have!”

The yellow flames and black tendrils raced around Orabella and Apophis. Slowly, the snake’s skin turned black, his eyes red, and wings of yellow flame began to grow from its back. As Apophis underwent his physical change, Orabella’s returned to the past, for just a moment.

---

The young girl sat on her new bed. Bandages covered her face, only revealing one eye. The girl with the brown hair sat beside her.

“Why…why do they all run away?”, she asked. The other wrapped a comforting arm around her.

“I don’t know…”, she said. “I just don’t know.”

“I hate them.”, she said bitterly. “When they called me pretty, they would never run from me.”

“Don’t hate them…”, her new friend told her. “They don’t know any better.”

“Why can’t they understand…They were all so lucky, to escape…before…the building…”

The other squeezed her shoulder tighter.

“We don’t have anyone now.”, she said. “For now…all we have, is each other.”

“Why…why don’t you run from me?”, the burned girl asked. “I’ve only just met you.”

“We lived in the same building…so, we’re neighbors, right?”, the other said, trying a smile.

“I…guess so.”, the burned girl said. “What do we do now?”

“I guess…we walk…”, the girl with the brown hair said. “I can’t stay here, that’s for sure. Not when they think…what they think about me…Will you come with me?”

“I will.”, Orabella said, her young mind somehow knowing exactly how hard the road would be for her. “But…what is your name?”

“We should have new names, if we’re starting a new life.”, the other said.

“A new life?”

“We are the bottom of the world right now…We’ll rise. We’ll rise until we’re at the top of the world, you and I.”

“You…you’re like a princess.”, the burned girl said, smiling beneath her bandages. “You’re so…noble. You seem so… high above the world.”

“Noble?”, the girl said. “I’m only trying to do what’s right…I know my new name now. It’s German…it means ‘noble’…Adelina.”

“I can’t think of anything for myself…”

“I can.”, Adelina said. “A name that symbolizes your beauty. Like a beautiful sunrise. Orabella.”

“Orabella…”, the girl said. “It is pretty…Adelina?”

“Yes?”

“Will we be friends, forever?”

“Of course. I’ll never turn from you.”

---

“And I won’t turn from you, Adelina.”, Orabella said, her voice distorted. “I’ll fight until the end.”

“Topaz!”, Paige called. The giraffe stood now, walking to her master’s side. “Cambio Forma. We’re not losing.”

The giraffe let out a surprisingly loud roar, and Topaz began to glow yellow. The giraffe began to change shape slowly, shrinking. When Topaz stopped glowing, he had taken weapon form. The giraffe’s neck was shrunk and extending straight forward, her face metallic and unblinking. Paige held the weapon by two large handles at its back. Paige held in her hands a cannon made from a giraffe. The audience paused to consider how cool this was.

---

“Paige’s weapon?”, Zach repeated to Nicole Roberts, when she asked in front of Paige. “Well, it represents her perfectly, of course. Imagine a world covered in darkness. Paige, to me, would be the flare that shows me where I could find safety.”

“That’s a little dumb.”, Nicole said, then yelled when Zach noogied her.

“I like it.”, Paige said. “I’m glad you think of me like that. The flare that shows you to safety…Like a sunrise after a long night.”

---

“Scoppio di Sorgere!”, Paige called. “One shot is all I’ll need…But I didn’t want to need it.”

Apophis roared, and launched himself at Paige, flying on his wings of yellow flame.

---

“I don’t get it…”, Mike said. “What am I looking at?”

“Little punk…”, McKenna murmured. “Paige knew, that one day, you would need to make a speech of your own. She wanted you to see her do it.”

“…Whatever.”, Mike said, turning to play on his phone, hiding how impressed he was. “Tell me when she wins.”

---

“Fire!”, Paige shouted, and an intense burst of yellow flame shot from the giraffe’s muzzle. The blast ripped past Apophis, striking Orabella directly, ripping the black tendrils whipping around them away from both. Orabella flew backward, landing on her back on the asphalt. Apophis, injured, returned to Orabella’s box. The black-tinged box crumbled into dust, when nothing returned to it. Topaz returned to Paige’s box as well.

There was a moment of silence.

“What…is your name?”, the Rose demanded.

“…Paige. Paige Lewis.”, the Agent responded.

“I…am Orabella.”, she answered, looking into the sky.

Paige walked over, and sat down next to her.

“That’s a pretty name. It suits you.”, she said. Orabella turned away from her, revealing the remnants of a burn on her cheek.

“Maybe…you were right…But…you promised…”, Orabella said, fading into unconsciousness.

“Yes. I promised.”, Paige said, putting her hand on Orabella’s. “I promised. I’ll make your sister well again, if it’s the last thing I do.”

-

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