International Legends

Chapter 3: Ozara

Axel is so beautiful I think to myself. Why he can't give me a speck of his attention is beyond my understanding. I could be so good for him.

I knew why he wasn't paying attention to me though. Knew it from the instant that I saw him surrounded by a gaggle of women attending to his every need. He was tall, broad shouldered, 7 years younger than me, but he had such a confidence that I found myself falling for him.

Too bad he was being pelleted by teenagers in his comedy routine. I thought about it as I went over to go talk to him, but he was being comforted by his dad and soon by the hold of Carmen Michelle DeAngelo. I fought back the bile building in my throat and retreated into the shadows.

The Diva of the Seas is an expansive ship. I went down four flights of stairs before I found myself wandering through the promenade. On my left and right I was accosted by signs advertising a host of different restaurants, but I felt no desire to go into any of them. We would soon be disembarking soon to that city called "The Vortex" and who's to say what we would happen to find once we got there?

I fought the urge to throw myself off this ship and swim off into the Vortex Sea. Anything was better than staying on a ship run by a load of Nepotistic people. The lights and the colors, they all reminded me of having been on the MariCorp ships. I was a victim to their mercy. Never knowing when it would be my turn to be harvested. Still hearing the catchy jingle of their company slogan, the lies of being told that our reality was over, and the blind devotion we had to Guardians who didn't care for us at all.

I held that ship together until everyone that I knew was long gone. Now I was going to a city with advanced technology, whom knew everything about the cloning program, and did nothing to stop it from happening.

In spite of this, I thought of Axel. He literally died and was brought back to life by the Naomi Tree. How traumatic it was to come a brush away from death, to lose a woman who loved him, and to be adventurous enough to enjoy his time on this ship. He was already signed up for the excursions that would be leaving soon.

If he could do it, why couldn't I?

...

So that's how I found myself on an excursion being led by a tour guide named Ronald, who was reluctantly hired after inconveniently being stuck at the Battle of Purple Mountain National Park. A former tour guide in Peru, he was one of the few that Carmen deemed worthy to be a tour guide. As for the rest of them, well, it wasn't clear where they had "wandered off too."

I disembarked as one of the several groups venturing on. We were greeted by a slew of locals whom were more than happy to see us, waving at us gingerly.

To the right of us, however, were the parents of the Great Wizards. These local Vortexians had allowed events to unfold to bring about the Apocalypse. One of them, Mr. DeAangelo, was being led out with a bag over his head, accompanied by two guards on both sides.

Then the US Army was behind them, followed by the Time-Traveling Agency. Both believed they were charged with surveying and protecting their own distinct domains, both looked positively clownish as they entered into a crowd of plebian Vortexians who all thought them to look more Medieval than impressive in their statures.

"Do something," said Carmen to David, motioning to her father.

"We will figure this all out in no time," promised David.

Our group was small but was full of distinct personage - Ronald (our tour guide), Carmen (who insisted that she needed a break from the runnings of her own ship), Axel (the bird kid that I was in love with), Dr. Scarlett Tan (also incredibly busy and looking for a relaxing vacation), Leo (some former park ranger whom everyone was convinced was extremely important to the plot), Spinela and Starlia (two giant Guardians spider and moth respectively who were looking to party), Mitski (a squid octopus from Kathair's reality), Axle (the brother of Axel), and of course me (a former clone-slave aboard an intergalactic ship who just happens to be here).