The Pearl

Stage 17: To Be Happy, Or Not To Be

"And that's basically it," I finish with shaky breaths and a face of stone.

All the while, Mura was holding me close in a tight, reassuring hug. Even though I couldn't hear her, I could feel her tears making my shoulder damp. Jett was cracking his knuckles so much that I was afraid they'd, well, crack - in the more painful way. Manda simply stayed still. Her face was void of any expression. She seemed as to be slowly absorbing this information, but still siting in a point of denial. Anger treaded slowly onto her pale face.

I suddenly pick up the sound of a whisper. I look at Jett and Manda, but they remained stationary. It wasn't Mura; her face was still squished (painfully) into my shoulder and her arms still gripped each other around me. There was only one other person in the room. My watery eyes dart to Lynn. The sharp movement made a teardrop fall into my cheeks.

The girl was shaking visibly and had her arms wrapped around her protectively, but her ferocious eyes still bore into me, unwavering. She parts her lips and whispers again.

"I'm...sorry."

She immediately grimaces as soon as the word was out of her mouth. Of course; why would the little spawn of Satan ever apologize. Despite my thoughts, I nod in acceptance of her "apology".

Lynn sees my nod as an act of truth and instantly, I feel some of the sadness in the room lighten. "We're all done here I suppose?" she chirps with a bright grin.

Jett tenses, but Manda's touch - an elbow to his side - quickly calms him down. I smile in relief at the maturity the two have grown to have.

"Let me do it," Amanda hisses into Jett's ear. I'd spoken too soon. Jett smirks and watches her turn away from him with an evil glint in her eye.

Lynn rolls her eyes. Manda goes up to her with her straight hair with the sheen of raven's feathers swishing on her back. I expect a punch to come at the least, but what happened in reality was far worse. And far, far, far more unexpected.

"Aw lookie you!" Amanda coos, "You an abowable wittle girl awen't you? Yes you are, yes you are!" She throws her head back and belts out a screeching high giggle.

"Oh such a precious -"

"Manda!" Jett shouts, "Wh - what are you doing?!"His expression is horrified, like he'd just sean a ghost.

"What are you saying, Jetty Poo?? I'm just fiiiinnnne. See?" she twirls around in a pirouette, "fine. Here, I'll show you; come dance with me!" She laughs gleefully and grabs Jett's hands, which were ten times larger than hers, and swung them left to right. Once every few swings, she'd let go of one hand and twirl under Jett's arm.

Jett was frozen in surprise. Well if Amanda weren't spinning him around, then he'd be actually frozen still.

Iimura runs over and pulls Jett away from Amanda by the shoulders and whirls him around to face her. "Jett," she hisses. The tone she used was new on her. "Wake. Up." She shakes him once, hard, and he finally snaps out of his reverie.

"Oh shit, sorry guys. I just lost my head for a bit 'cuz I thought I saw Manda smi-"

His voice dies in his throat as he turned around, making eye contact with Amanda grinning ear to ear.

"Lynn," I say slowly, "you can stop now. If you keep doing this...she's not gonna be happy. That's for sure."

For once, Lynn was speechless. "I - I did. A while back actually. I don't - I don't know why...." she trails off, staring at Manda as if she were some mutated being.

"You're lying," Jett jeers with his eyes in slits. Then quieter, as if to himself, he whispers, "You're lying."

Lynn shakes her head, eyes wide. "I...she might be holding on to the illusion I gave her. You know, I was trying to lighten her mood so she wouldn't maim me, or worse. Right after I made her stop walking, I let go of her emotions. I guess she's still holding on," she shrugs, "not a whole lot of people can do that," she murmurs.