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     Chapter #2 


    As Naia thought about this, a beautiful white bird with a gray head landed on the far park gate. Strange...I've never seen such a bird. But Naia didn't have the time to wonder if she has ever seen the creature before. The bird then flew to a house fence and then landed on a streetlight down the block, right after Naia and Mitsuki reached the gate.
    "I think it wants us to follow it." Said Mitsuki through quick breathes.
    "Why does it want us to?!"
    After a series of "Stop!" and "You're under arrest!" from behind, Naia wasn't as determined to argue as of before. "You know what. I don't even care anymore." Then reluctantly followed with her bag flapping madly at her hips and her friend desperately trying to match every step of the way.

    


    Moments past. The other two officers gave up the chase and returned to the park to take Kito to the station. But the head officer was dedicated to not let the delinquents get away. Running long distances after law-breakers was one of the things he had trained for at the police station. Training that sadly, Naia and Mitsuki hadn't done. And was slowing down.
    After following the bird for so long, Naia finally realized where it was trying to take them. "That bird is leading us to the old mansion!"
    "To Comester Mansion?"
    "Yeah! But it's leading us all the way around the block!" Naia dragged Mitsuki through an unfenced lawn then, dove into more bushes.
    "Where are you taking us!?"
    "This is a short-cut! Trust me!"
    "......Alright."
    After what seemed like an eternity trudging through undergrowth, artificial light from the street posts washed over Mitsuki's face. Leaving the sounds of distant officer maneuvering around. Mitsuki say this as a chance to gulp down some much needed air.
    Not soon enough did she realize she was now face-to-face with the abandoned mansion the mayor of Plywatch refuses to tear down under any given circumstances. 'This building has too much history to be just thrown away!' He says. 'It has been around long before the town came to be. Why even our great ancestor took refuge in it. And many of their priceless possessions remain in that mansion.' And so on.
    There was a rumor that went around the town saying that a certain tree had the power to whisk away a child into the unknown. Never to be seen from that point on. Yet most of the adults, including the mayor, choose to not believe in such a phenomenon.
    "See? I told you I knew a short cut. I know every nook-and-cranny in town like the back of my head. And now the cop is far behind us."
    "Yes...but for how much longer?"
    Though officer was still lost in the unfamiliar, slightly dense undergrowth, he was slowly working his way out towards the girls. Not aware he's giving himself to them by crushing noisily under his feet, and occasionally tripping and swearing out loud.
    "Your right." Said Naia. "He's a blockhead alright, but he's not going to give up that easily."
    "....Naia...look...the bird from before..." The bird was back. Perched calmly upon the tall mansion's gates. "Does it still want us to follow?"
    "Only one way to find out. We obviously can't stay here." Glancing back at the noisily undergrowth. "What's there to lose?"
    Mitsuki didn't feel like answering this right away. She wasn't nearly as adventurous or as ambitious as Naia. The opposite of that really. She would have preferred living a typical normal life. Just like everyone else in the quiet town. But not Naia. She had always dreamed of more. Explored bigger places. And battled any obstacles that stood between her and her dreams. Brimmed with energy and high spirited day in and out. That's what Mitsuki admired about her most. Who she wished she could be. If only for a day...
    "Come on! The bird went that-away. You're not afraid are you?" Mitsuki hadn't noticed that she and Naia were in front in the gate. "Of course not! I-I'm just as ready as you are."
    Just beyond the rusty gate was overgrown grass, which has grown even taller over the years. Even for their height, the front door was impossible to see. The gates were too heavy to budge so; they had to squeeze their way through the bars.
    Mitsuki went through first and succeed but, went Naia made it over to the other side, Mitsuki shouted something incoherent and then a broad hand firmly gripped her bag, followed by, "You delinquents won't get away on my watch!"
    The persistent officer couldn't completely get beyond the gate but, Naia was in arms-length of him. Mitsuki tightly held Naia's to help win over the struggle but the officer was stronger than he lead on to be. Damn! Now they're going to take us to the station. And this was my last strike too....I wonder what auntie's going to d-"OOww!! Get off!!!"
    The bird was pecking its long beak into the officer's bare head. With his left hand out of reach, without thinking, he let go off Naia to shoo his attacker off.
    Naia barreled head-first into the tall grass with Mitsuki's hand fastened firmly in hers. The loud rustling of the tall grass wasn't enough to drown out the officer's voice as he screamed. "You damn kids haven't seen the last of me!"
    Her eyes mysteriously looked up and saw that the bird was flying right. He wants us to go that way! Mitsuki lured at the sudden turn but said nothing.
    Faster and faster they went. Mitsuki now committed to match most of her unusually hyper friend. This alertness was as confusing to Mitsuki as to Naia. She couldn't explain this accelerating energy pumping through her veins. This unquenchable thirst for speed as well as power. Like she was destined to feel like this. Yet she couldn't grasp an answer.
    The tall grass abruptly stopped at vast green hills blanketed with bits of fruit trees. But only one tree stood out from the rest. This tree was so enormous that it almost over looked the old mansion.

    Mitsuki was speechless.

    "Whoa...Look at the size of this tree!" Said Naia. "I bet if I climb up this I would see our houses from here. What do you think Mitsuki?"
    "Naia...this is the tree all the kids at the high school talks about."
    "...The Underwood Tree?" Naia's eyes grew in amazement. "Wow! I can't believe we're standing right in front of it! But it looks so ordinary...I always thought that it would be abnormal looking or something. Different colors; weird tree limb deformities; shape shifting tree bark...anything."
    "Well this tree must be very important. Or else why would that bird take us here...?"
    "Hey! Where is that thing anyway?"
    The bird shot out of the tall grass and probably fell into the tree somewhere, for there was rustling in the tree's leaves overhead. A dozen of its feathers fluttered around Mitsuki & Naia like a light snow fall. The feathers glow a faint white aura and Naia thought she could also hear them humming as well.
    "Whoa...they're amazing."
    Mitsuki plucked one of the free falling feathers out of the air. The glows weakly lit up her face, and mesmerized Naia. "What do you suppose these are?" Referring to the others.
    "Obviously not an ordinary feather. Let me see." As Naia cupped her hands together, all of the mid-floating feathers momentarily froze, before exploding into a blinding shower of neon-green orbs of light. "What's happening? Where did the feathers go?"
    "Naia! Look at your hands!"
    Placed in the center of her palm was a gorgeous, rainbow glowing, metal feather. This amazing charm glew yellow, then blue, then orange, next was green, and after that came purple and brown. Wait a minute...what happened to red?
    Naia was in awe when she and Mitsuki's eyes both lay on the feather. The feather in Mitsuki's hand also turned metal and faded a red glow.
    "This must be part of your charm." Said Mitsuki after some time.
    "Whoa. These are ours now? Free of charge?! Seriously!"

    "Don't go."

    Both Naia and Mitsuki simultaneously met the bird approaching them from the tall grass. The bird focused on Naia when it spoke again in its pitched voice. "Go through Fathom Portal. You must."
    "If it isn't one weird thing, it's the next." Naia sighed. "Now you talk!?"
    "You must go. It is your destiny."
    "Look bird. I've had enough craziness for one day. Let's call it quits for the night."
    "No! It is your destiny! Hurry, there isn't much time left! You must go! Through the Fathom Portal!"
    "What are you yapping abou-!"
    The bird suddenly attacked Naia! Using one of her arms to protect her head, and the other to fend off the bird. Yet the bird was pushing her to back away. Mitsuki was screaming something but it was blocked out by the bird's horrible squawking. "Go through the Portal! Before the next Hunter's moon! Quickly!!"
    "What do you want from me?!" Naia's fingertips touched the tree bark and a sharp pain shot up her arm. Unprepared for the unexpected shock, Naia collapsed on the ground, panting hard.
    "Naia, get up! You're...!"
    Naia looked up from her spot, and saw Mitsuki struggling to reach Naia's hand with hers behind some unforeseen wall. The bird was long gone, and from her view, the world around Naia was shifting and changing into something unclear. But her body refused to operate properly. And her mind was starting to get hazy.
    "Naia grab my hand, before you disappear!" Mitsuki stretched as far as the invisible wall would let her to reach her friend. She felt Naia's hand flaked hers. And in moments, the girl’s fingers were intertwined with each others.
    But just as Mitsuki felt she could help her friend from this dream-like nightmare, the unseen force let her go and Mitsuki fell face first into the grass. The wind howled eerily and the tall grass rippled like ocean waves. Nothing. Her hand gripped air.
    Mitsuki sat up then, stared sorrowfully at the feather charm no longer luminating its red glow. Tears dropped from her face. Slowly, her gaze met the huge tree branches that rattled noisily in the wind. No more laughter. No more chatter. For the first time in Mitsuki's life she was alone. Utterly, completely alone.