Chrissel felt utterly useless and stupid.

First, she let Zam go fight alone. Second, wearing a ragged amaranth dress and kitty heels really wasn't helping her get into action. Every once in a while, she'd trip on her heels but Jaxx managed to catch her. And third, crying in front of Jaxx, someone who was younger, who knew less and was more flustered than her, wasn't really the most responsible thing she'd ever done.

As soon as Zam shot to the sky to fight whoever-that-was-that-attacked-them, Chrissel immediately took Jaxx by the wrist and ran towards the fountain where she had made Zam promise to meet them.

When they reached their destination, a tear trickled down her cheek. Chrissel didn't notice it until Jaxx cleared her throat. "Um, are you okay? You're... crying."

Chrissel raised an eyebrow. "What?" Another tear trickled down her face. She hastily wiped it with her hand. "It's nothing."

Okay, so it wasn't actually crying, but more like her eyes were feeling sore from not blinking. She had so much in mind that she hasn't even blinked.

Chrissel stopped abruptly in front of the fountain, Jaxx almost bumped into her. "Let's rest here."

Chrissel didn't realize how tired she was until her knees buckled to the ground. All that running finally took its toll on her. A slight feeling of guilt slapped her in the face. If she felt this tired, then what more for Jaxx? Chrissel had so much in mind that she didn't even bother to stop.

"But, what about the fountain?" Jaxx asked.

"This is the fountain."

For a second, Jaxx gave her a confused look. Then her eyes averted behind Chrissel and she must have just realized the fountain was, in fact, there. Jaxx mumbled, "Never mind."

Jaxx sat beside Chrissel, though she was at least one foot away. Her blue dress was torn and ragged. Her once curly red locks were now back to its straight, messy style, except this time, with an additional of unwanted dirt and mud. Her ocean blue eyes seemed so dark and tired.

Chrissel whispered a word in French, gâchette, under her breath, making her rings switch into twin blades. Jaxx flinched at the action and gave the blades a wary look. Chrissel laughed. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna slay you or anything."

"I didn't think that," Jaxx muttered though she still looked hesitant.

Chrissel stared at her own reflection through one of her twin blades, and, oh my shizzling macaroni, she was a mess! Just an hour ago, her peach curly locks were in the perfect state they could have been, thanks to that Betty lady. Now they were at their worst state.

Her peach curly hair was tangled in places. Her bangs was wet and rough-looking from sweat. Her pink amaranth dress was just as worse as Jaxx's dress—with mud and holes on it. Worst of all, she had eye bags underneath her eyes. Eye bags! She looked like as if she just survived a tornado!

Chrissel's left eye started twitching.

"You don't look that bad," Jaxx commented.

Chrissel glared at her. "Right. My hair is wet. I have MUD on my dress. And my eyes have been infested by eye bugs!"

"Eye bags," Jaxx corrected.

"Whatever."

A moment of silence aired between them. Chrissel looked down and fiddled with her twin blades, her reflection changing. She remembered way back when she was just about eight years old, how she got her rings, and the traumatizing history she had with her father.

She remembered the look he had on his face that night when she discovered his secret; how she almost got killed.

"Chrissel?" Jaxx's voice shook Chrissel out of her memory.

"What?"

"You've been staring at your blade for a minute, and, um, you had this... murderous look on your eyes," Jaxx shifted uncomfortably on her position.

"Oh," Chrissel looked down at her twin blades before whispering, "gâchette" and making her blades retracted back to gold rings on her middle fingers. "Jaxx?"

"Um, yes?"

"Aren't you scared?"

"Of what?"

"Of everything," Chrissel glanced at the red-head then back at her rings. "You don't know what's happening. I'm really sorry for dragging you into this mess. Zam too."

"About that," Jaxx bit her bottom lip then twirled her hair on her fingers nervously. "You don't have to be sorry. Besides, my situation probably sounds crazier than yours... whatever it is."

Chrissel cocked her head to the side. "What could possibly be any crazier than getting attacked by a hurricane in the town in the middle of a festival, meeting a creepy memory eidolon, and well, all that we just went through?"

Just then, Jaxx's ocean blue eyes seemed so far away, so distant. Just like it had been earlier. Just like... the ocean. She looked straight into Chrissel's eyes, Chrissel almost fell. "How about... does the word, 'Earth', ring a bell to you?"

For about five seconds, Chrissel's mind blanked. Jaxx looked away. "Never mind, my mind is probably just going—"

"Y-Yeah, I actually know that word," Chrissel stuttered. The memory of her own world came back to her as clear as ice, but that moment of forgetfulness scared her out of her wits. "That's where I, uh.." she hesitated. ".. come from."

A moment of silence passed as both girls just stared at each other with a bundle of emotions—astonishment, confusion, tire—plastered on their faces. The truth dawned on both of them at the exact same time.

Chrissel cleared her throat. "Did you, perhaps, came crashing in the sky this morning?"

She felt unbelievably stupid for asking such a question, but something in her told her Jaxx was different from the many other folks in the town that didn't have any clue to her randomized questions.

Jaxx shook her head. "As far as I remember, no. I just had this weird and scary dream last night, and the next thing I knew, I woke up on this paradise-like field. Kind of like the Garden of Eden."

"Strange. Zam and I were sent flying in the skies when we woke up. I guess we're not so favored by the gods."

"What?"

"Nothing," Chrissel examined her own rings. "Did you come alone and found the cat in the town or was that animal with you the whole time?"

"Silvy," Jaxx murmured, her expression in a mixture of disgust, anger, worry, and sadness. "I found him on my way to school about three years ago. So, he was with me the whole time... until he decided I was trash and ditched me."

"We'll find him," Chrissel assured her. "For now..."

Chrissel took a deep breath and explained her whole situation. How she woke up flying in the skies, just like how Zam did, on their arrivals to Eldion. The whole situation with Gad seeking for the Chosen Ones. She left out the part about Zam being the son of the Creator though. She felt like it was too personal, and that he himself should be the one to tell people if he wants to.

"So, I guess I'm one of the so-called Chosen Ones," Jaxx didn't sound so amused. "I don't know what I did to deserve this. Really."

"You must have done something really eye-catching that caught Gad's attention," Chrissel said. "Betty said Gad picked the most worthy, brave, and courageous mortals in Earth."

Jaxx mumbled something under her breath. Chrissel could only make out a few words—something about an old woman and a hat.

"What did you do?" Jaxx asked.

"Honestly, I don't recall doing anything heroic."

"Me neither."

"I guess that makes us sisters," Chrissel grinned.

Jaxx nodded. "Yeah, sure."

As the two of them talked, something in the corner of Chrissel's eye moved, making her jump up. One of her rings formed into a blade.

"C-Chrissel?" 

Chrissel glared at a nearby bush. "Reveal yourself!"

A girl popped out of the bush. "You caught me."

She had lavender hair tied up on a ponytail, lavender eyes hiding behind a pair of rimless glasses. She wore a long white coat over her clothes. 

The girl regarded them with her eyes. "Would you be polite enough to do as I say and follow me?"

Jaxx stood up and reached for her dress's pocket, then realized her dagger wasn't with her. Chrissel whispered her signature word, making her other ring turn into a blade. "You're one of the D batch, is that right?"

Riezen sighed. "I guess not."

* * *

Belated Happy Thanksgiving.