FicWad

Chapter 10

Everyone awoke at about 7 A.M. and all were quite hungry from their activities the night before. They divided up the use of the bathroom into shifts and all prepared to go out for breakfast. However, Rachel was going to try to get Elly away from the others a bit to talk to her and reveal what she had discovered. Yet, doing so would mean that she would have to reveal who she truly was, and she was not sure that she was ready to reveal that much. Once everyone was dressed, they headed out. Billy knew a good diner where one could get good home cooking for a cheap price, and yet was not loaded with smoke. There was a large round table that could accommodate the entire crew, and they headed for it. The owner, on the other hand, caught one look at Poe, and she was displeased. “Kids, I’ve seen many strange things in my time, but I have never seen someone try to bring in their pet…” and she was not sure what to call it, and then guessed, “…emu into the diner. It will have to wait outside.”
Then, everyone’s jaw dropped when they heard “it” say, “Poe not an emu, Poe a raven!”
One could have heard a fly walk on the wall, as the kids looked like they were in the center of a bunch of codfish. Billy stepped up and said, “Hey, Marlene, you’ve seen some strange things around me before. This surprises you…because…?”
Marlene snapped out of it and said, “Oh, hi Billy—didn’t see you there. Is this your…pet?”
“No, he’s our butler,” said Billy, as if something like this was normal.
“Oh, so he’s a…um…service animal?” asked Marlene, not knowing what else to call it and have an excuse for it to be in there. Rue picked up on it and said, “You could say that,” not really committing to it. By this point, everyone else in the diner became very interested in their own meals. Marlene said, “Okay, he’s fine, as long as he behaves himself. What does he want for breakfast?”
She did not know if she had birdseed on hand, or if she would have to send a waitress out to fetch some. Billy said, “Hey, he’s a raven: he eats everything.”
Poe looked a little offended as he said, “What is this? You think Poe is garbage can? I do have some taste, you know!”
The kids laughed as Billy said, “Don’t worry, you’ll get a menu!”

As they ate breakfast, Rachel was trying to figure out how to deal with things. Finally, she said, “Say, Elly, could I have a private word with you once we are done eating?”
“I suppose,” Elly answered, not sure how to take it considering the grilling she had taken the night before from her.
After a good fill, Rachel got a distance ahead of the others with Elly, and said, “I have something to tell you, but to tell you, I have to reveal something. Can you keep a secret?”
Elly was now uneasy about this. Why was this happening, and why was this girl, who she hardly knew, so interested in her. Elly took a chance and said, “Look, I don’t care what you do in your personal life, and I do think I can be your friend, but I am not that way…”
Rachel stared at her for a second, and then realized where Elly was going, and she said, “No, I’m not… Look, you said that you had been sick for a time, right?”
“Y…yeeeeeeeeeesssss,” Elly answered, she becoming a bit annoyed with Rachel now.
“What if I were to tell you that there was a point where you were out for a week, and there had been complications with things?”
Elly went stiff. How did this girl know that she knew she had had a week missing out of her life? Elly got in her face and said, “How do you know this!”
Now Rachel knew that she had stepped over the line of no return. Rachel found an alley and led Elly into it. As she did, Rachel motioned that it was alright, and motioned them along. Ahiru was not sure what was going on, but she remembered her first encounter with Elly when she was Tutu, and she decided to hang back and jump in if there was trouble.

In the alley, Rachel said, “What I am about to show you, you cannot tell to anyone. Do you understand this?”
“What are you trying…” demanded Elly, but she was cut off when she watched Rachel transform into the Raven right before her eyes. Now all Elly could do was stare. “This is why I know,” said Raven, and Elly was about to bolt in fear. However, the alley mouth was filled with another presence. Standing there with her arms crossed before her breasts, up on her toes was Princess Tutu. “Fear not, dear Elly,” said Tutu, with her big eyes and gentle smile, “for she is my friend.”
She looked ready to faint, so Tutu sashayed over and caught her hand. Instantly the link was made, and Elly felt more peace than she ever had felt. Because of the link, and the thoughts on Elly’s mind about the missing week, Tutu knew right away what was going on. “Ah, I see that Raven wants to show you the source of your gifts,” said Tutu, “Open your thoughts up to us, and we shall guide you.”
Elly was more of a captive audience, and felt that she did want to go, yet, at the same time, she felt that she did not want to break the great feeling that she was feeling at that moment. Without even an invitation, the three began to dance. Elly did not know that she was capable of doing this, but she also felt that Tutu was guiding her every move, and somehow, she felt okay with it. Raven then said, “You have incredible gifts that you have not even fully tapped into yet.”
“You know some things now,” added Tutu, “but there could be more that you could do with your powers.”
“My powers?” asked Elly, now confused.
“A complication in your illness caused a connection in your brain to break and not reconnect,” said Raven, “This put you into a coma while you slept, and this is why you have no memory of things.”
Tutu added, “From what I see, your brain, and the essence of what is you, wanted to fix this. A new connection was made through one of the spots in the human brain that are not used—a dead area, if you will.”
Elly was now becoming frightened by this talk, but Tutu embraced Elly gently, and said, “This is nothing over which to be frightened, dearest Elly. We are friends, and we want to tell you that what could have been bad has been made a great opportunity for you!”
Tears were in Elly’s eyes, and she said, “Why didn’t anyone tell me my life was in danger?”
Raven jumped in and said, “You were well before you awoke, and your family brought you home, so there was no need to tell you. However, if they had known what had happened, I am sure they would have told you at that point.”
“Are you saying something happened in my head that allows me to do what I do?” asked Elly.
“Of course,” said Tutu, “and we want to help you foster your gifts.”
At this the dance ended, and all seemed okay. However, Elly said, “Look, I know you two are superheroes and all, but I don’t know if that is what I want.”
“You don’t have to,” said Tutu, “But, at least, if you learn how to tap into your gifts’ fullest potential, you could still use it for good.”
“But, how can you help me?” asked Elly. With that, not only did Rachel change back, so did Tutu. Elly’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Duck?” she asked, all surprised. Ahiru smiled her bright smile and said, “Yep!” with all the charm of a cute 14-year old girl. At first, Elly wanted to be scared, but now, at seeing this, she suddenly felt safe. “We have shown much in trust by revealing this to you,” said Rachel, “therefore, please trust us when we tell you that we will not share this with others, or exploit you in anyway.”
This was answered with a big hug, and Ahiru said, “Let’s catch up with the others!”

The girls came to the doll shop they had heard about, and the boys decided to go into a sporting goods shop, while all agreed to meet up at the music shop later. It was about 10 in the morning by this point, and they were glad they had awoken early to be able to have a long day together. They came to the shop that said, “Otto’s Doll and Toy Wonder Shop,” and saw the things displayed in the window as amazing. The dolls were all mechanical, but done in the classical style. There were also other automatic toys and games, and they were now quite keen to go in. Inside the shop, Drosselmyer was watching Uzzura, not certain what was going on. She had been very quiet since the night before when she started to ask those riveting question. She had been spending a lot of time looking into the mirror, and then comparing herself to the other dolls in the shop. Drosselmyer was hoping to get things going with her before this moment, but he had underestimated her ability to learn. He still hoped that he could pull off grander things with Uzzura, but now he was not sure how to go about it. This is when the bell rang, and let Drosselmyer know that there were guests. He looked at Uzzura and said, “Be good, and stay right there while I go see our guests.”
When he left, Uzzura was not sure that she wanted to stay in the back. He kept calling people coming in, “our guests,” but if they were so, why could she never meet them? This is when fate played her hand.

All the girls were walking around, looking at and trying various things as Otto was very glad to tell his guests all about them. However, Nana had separated herself from the others, being very interested in the dolls. They looked much like the ones that she remembered back in Paris with her grandmother, but those dolls were never like this. The shop itself had the old European feel to it, from the wood carvings in the décor, to the look of the shelves, even the trim on the pane glass in front of the shop. The floor gave away that feel as it creaked here and there depending on one’s size. Nana was captivated, but by this point, she had the sensation that someone was following her. She slowly turned around, but she saw no one, but the sensation someone was behind her, staring holes into her, would not go away. She slowly turned again, and again, nothing. Nana decided to be clever, and say, “Well, I guess there is no one behind me,” took two steps, and then pirouetted to see something shorter than her scoot behind her. Nana did not let on that she knew what was happening, but she took a couple of steps backward, then spun around and nabbed her “shadow.” “Got you!” said Nana, thinking for a moment that she had grabbed a toddler, but then was shocked to see, and to feel, that she was holding onto a two and a half foot doll. She wanted to yell, but she was frozen there, eyes wide as dinner plates. Her mouth went agape when she heard the thing say, “You won the game-zura,” and then watched as it reacted like a small child as it smiled, closed its eyes, and raised its arms. Uzzura, sensing that the girl had not moved, made a face of wonder, made like she was sucking on her forefinger, and said, “Why are you still like a doll-zura?”
“Dolls do not do what you can do,” said Nana, as she attempted to cough out the words.
“Otto says I’m special-zura!” Uzzura answered gleefully.
“You are indeed!” responded Nana. Uzzura thought for a moment more, and said, “Are you Uzzura’s friend-zura?”
“Is Uzzura your name,” asked Nana of the very German looking doll before her—what she thought was part doll and part nut cracker.
“I’m Uzzura-zura!” Uzzura said, happy that Nana had learned her name. She then asked, “And what’s your name-zura?”
“Je m’appelle Nana,” she responded, but Uzzura looked confused.
“That means, ‘my name is Nana’—it is French,”
“What is French-zura?”
“It is the way we talk in my homeland of France.”
“It sounds funny-zura.”
“Not every one talks the same way petite une.”
“What did you say-zura?”
“That means ‘little one.’”
“Can you teach me French-zura?” asked Uzzura, her programming that caused her to want to learn now surging.
“Maybe one day, if…” responded Nana, and she popped up, saying, “Monsieur Drosselmyer, how much is this doll here?”
Otto looked over the shelf and saw to what she referenced, and looked in horror. He quickly said, “She is not for sale! She is a…special work…and she needs to be in back,” the last comment thrown at Uzzura hinting her to go into the back. Uzzura, however, showed that she could be stubborn, saying, “I made a new friend-zura!”
“Now, you march right back to the back, young lady,” said Drosselmyer, as if she was his daughter, but Uzzura stuck out a lower lip, and started to beat her drum angrily, saying, “I DON’T WANNA GO-ZURA!”
Otto excused himself and picked up the miscreant doll and said, “I’ll be right back!”
Once in the back, he scolded Uzzura, and said, “Now you just wait here, you little devil, and we’ll talk when I get back!”
When he returned, the ladies all had one doll or another they wanted to buy, Mary having the money for them, which put Drosselmyer in a better mood when he saw the cash. He told them all the features of the dolls, and how to activate them. Of course, for the older girls, they would be nothing more than décor, and something to show friends when they came over. However, Drosselmyer had more sinister plans. Yet, as they were dealing, another set of eyes looked on, especially at Nana. She did not like how Otto had scolded her, and she remembered how Nana treated her. Even when Otto had been somewhat nice, he still treated her like she was not…well…she really did not realize anything about the way he had treated her until she met Nana, and had something against which to contrast. One thing was certain: the sensations she felt with Nana, (things she did not yet know were called “feelings”,) were more agreeable than those with Otto, and she wanted to experience more of this. Therefore, when Otto was not looking, she snuck after the girls and slipped out the door. Otto was glad to not only have made a sale, but that he had set up some new treasure gaining ventures. Now, he had to look to Uzzura, and see if there was something he could do with what he saw as a growing problem. He was the only one that knew where her off switch was, and he was going to root around a bit in her programming, and maybe start from scratch. Yet, when he went to the workshop, she was gone. “Uzzura,” he called, “Where are you?”
He looked all over the shop for her for about a good fifteen minutes. He then remembered what had happened with the youngest girl, and went out to the street. By this point, however, they were gone. Now he began to worry.

As the girls made their way to the music shop, Rue asked, “What was that all about?”
“Oh, it was the most wonderful toy,” said Nana, “This one could talk, and it seemed to be a learning doll.”
“A learning doll?” asked Ahiru.
“Well, it seems like it was like a Furby, but much more sophisticated,” said Nana, “I would have loved to have it. It called herself Uzzura.”
“’She’” said Rue, “How do you know it was female?”
“That is an interesting name, though,” said Mary, “Who calls themselves ‘Uzzura?’”
As if it were an answer to this, they heard behind them, “Je m’appelle Uzzura-zura!”
All the girls gave a start, and then turned around to see the thing with which Nana had been conversing as it began to march in a circle declaring in son as she played her drum, “I am Uzzura-zura! Je m’appelle Uzzura-zura!”
They all now knew they had a problem.