Chapter 6: Protecting Old Friends --------------------------------- "Xyo, stop sleeping. I want to meet that Banon." Xyo moaned, rolling over, showing the whole world her uncovered face. Merine gasped. It woke up Xyo. "Oh no! My face is unveiled!" Xyo frantically searched for her veil. Merine shook her head. "No, no. Look at yourself in the mirror." Xyo ran to the bathroom while Merine waited patiently. Across Merine heard a shriek, and she smiled. A flushed Xyo came in. "You don't look dead anymore." Which was true. Xyo's face was still pale, but the color improvement was undeniable. Especially now that she was blushing. He hair hung dirtily from her scalp, but it wasn't as lifeless as it had been when it was clean. "It must be the sleep. How good it is too sleep after all these years! It's not nearly enough, thou..." Xyo stopped when she saw Merine gaping at her. She quickly realized that she had let something slip. "Years?" "I'm... um... just exaggerating. Yeah, that's it." Xyo laughed nervously. "What was it that you wanted to do?" She asked, changing the subject. Merine was still giving her looks, but she answered Xyo's question. "I want to meet Banon. The guy I sold my earring to mentioned him, remember? Anyways, I think he can help us even though Jidoor is *gulp* invaded." Merine looked away, to hide the tears swelling in her eyes. "Then let's go look for him." ************** "Banon?" They had searched for him for nearly two hours straight, and finally find out that he was in the town bar. "Yes?" This was the most comical person Merine had ever seen in her whole life. Even funnier then that clown that had been hired for her eighth birthday. Merine would've laughed at the man's star formed hair hadn't her reason to see him wasn't so serious. Taking a big breath, Merine recited the speech she had thought up the night before. "I have some news you might find of interest." Merine awaited an answer, but all Banon did was watch her patiently, as if she was some child that had told him that the sky is falling. "Kohlingen... Kohlingen has been taken over." Merine nearly choked on her words. "Kohlingen? Are you sure? And by whom?" "Yes, I'm sure. I was there, after all." Merine gritted her teeth. "It was by Afkek." Xyo poked Merine. "And by... by Sascha." she said to the floor, in a strangled voice. "Tell me about it." Banon prodded gently. Biting her lip, she looked straight at him and burst into tears. "It was horrible!" She wailed, shaking, remembering. "Not one person... not one person knew what was happening! They were all worshipping them! As if they had a favour to them by burning their houses, and building factories in their places! In their prayers before going to bed, I bet they thank God for 'leading' Afkek to them. My own family, raving lunatics! They watched our house burn down to ashes, and my father praises every move Afkek ever made. My little sister Rana would never go near Sascha when she was younger, and now she follows her with such faith. My mother, always boasting to her friends that her own daughter was best friends with Sascha." "Friends? You were friends with her?" "And I still am! She's under the same influence that Afkek put on all the other town people! I'll help her, no matter what she does!" "How can you be so sure that she really is being put under control?" "She has to be! She really is a good person! She always wanted to help protect the earth and it's citizens! She's my friend, and I'll never desert her!" Merine realized that she was screaming. "And I don't see you accusing all the townsfolk!" "She has a stronger will than those people do and ever will. Anything she does would be her own choice. Look at you - you managed to escape the same fate all your other friends did." "No! No! You're lying! I'll do everything and anything to save her! And no one's going to ever stop me, not even you!" Crying, Merine ran out of the bar.