Destined: 2 Be Continued

21. Opal is Funny.

Jeremiah awoke where he thought he would: the place he didn't want to be, his part of Dreamy. He really, really wasn't in the mood to talk to Flicker, who would most definitely chastise him for letting Marionette die, knowing he would unravel after the next fusion. Still, he got up and walked around till he found his wolf master. He pretended he was pleasantly surprised to see him, thought the opposite was true. He was, in fact, dreading the thought of seeing him.

"Hey, master," Jeremiah greeted heartily as Flicker emerged from an alley. "How are you? How's the wife? The job? The money?" Flicker wasn't amused, but instead got straight to the point.

"You let Marionette die," he growled. Jeremiah winced. "Yeah. Yeah, that's true, master."

"You knew he would."

"Well, you see, master, he wanted to, and he didn't let me stop him. Our combination was crucial for our victory, and it was Marionette's plan."

"The others could have fought. They were prepared. Belle's Danse Macabre would have sliced that insect's head clean off."

Jeremiah sighed. "You're right, master. I'm sorry."

"'Sorry' is a lame apology, Jeremiah. You're better than this. You know that."

"I know. It wasn't my idea--"

"I don't care. You know, I watched you two combine and tried to think of a plan for a punishment. I even talked to the other lords for ideas. After a bit of discussion, we finally thought of an idea." Flicker howled, and the road in front of Jeremiah cracked. From the cracks seeped a bright light. The cracks grew larger and larger until the road burst open, finally revealing another lord. Jeremiah had been thinking it would be Aquila, the lord of light, but the lord standing in front of him was much different from his expectations.

"Who is this?" Jeremiah asked. The lord standing in front of him was dressed in some sort of black bodysuit, wrapped in white threads and sporting a pair of white wings. Their head was odd, too--it was a perfect sphere, white as snow and pure as light. Aquila looked completely different--Jali had described him once.

"I am Opal, the lady of hope," Opal responded. She was definitely a she, another difference from Aquila. "Flicker and I are working together to bring you a punishment."

"Yes, I know that, lady," Jeremiah answered as politely as he could. Masters of shadow were known for their politeness, and that was a good image to keep up. "What is it, if you don't mind telling me?"

"Well, I suppose you'll find out right now. Flicker?" Flicker nodded and stepped up to Jeremiah. He placed a paw on Jeremiah's chest. Jeremiah gulped, unsure what they were doing but too scared to ask what.

Flicker released his claws into Jeremiah. Jeremiah felt the power of shadow--the power he had loved so dearly, and had known for eighteen years--leave him swiftly, bit by bit. He felt the shadows close in around him, since he had been able to see in darkness for years. He had never known the night was this dark. But that brought up concern for Jeremiah.

"Wait...you're going to just take my powers? I'm supposed to help my friends like this? I know I messed up with Marionette, but you're being ridiculous, if you don't mind me saying, master," Jeremiah argued indignantly, dropping his original politeness. It must have gone with his shadow powers. 

"No! We're not taking your powers, that would be ridiculous," Flicker answered. Jeremiah breathed out a great sigh of relief. He really didn't want--wait, what?

"If you're not taking my powers, then what are you doing?" Jeremiah asked. Opal's head glowed brightly. Jeremiah got the feeling that if she had a mouth, she would have been grinning evilly. That made Jeremiah feel even more nervous, and it didn't help when Flicker lowered his paw and Opal came up to Jeremiah, raising her strange hand up to the same spot Flicker's paw had been in.

"We're swapping your powers," Opal chuckled, and Jeremiah felt a surge of power. The dark area around him became light again, but not because he could see in the dark--no, it was because light was shining from him. Jeremiah saw the plan now, especially since Opal had just told him. He hadn't even known that masters could do that. 

"I will see you tomorrow night for your first lesson," Opal calmly said, lowering her hands. "Jeremiah, master of hope." With that, Jeremiah dropped out of Dreamy and rose back into reality.

He awoke with a start. His room was not his room--the dark, creepy forest had been replaced with some sort of moving cloud illusion--and instead of the moonlight at his back, the sun shone on the wall. Even his bed covers had been changed from black to white. 

Marionette was obviously no longer standing in the corner, and the floor made it look like he was walking on sunshine and clouds.

Hilarious, Opal. Hilarious, Jeremiah thought. Then another thing came to his mind. With a thousand hopes in his head, he opened his dresser drawer--the one with his black shirts in it.

They were white.

"YOU'RE HILARIOUS, OPAL!" Jeremiah cried out in fury, loud enough to wake up Heather, on the other side of the eating room. Hearing steps towards him, Jeremiah quickly put on some clothes--a white t-shirt and some fancy golden jeans that Jeremiah wondered where Opal found. Heather dashed in without knocking, wearing glasses and having a blanket wrapped around her.

"What was that? What happ--" Heather saw Jeremiah's outfit, his admittedly cool moving sunshine floor, his bright walls. "Flicker did something, didn't he?"

Jeremiah nodded. "Yup. He and Opal, the lady of hope, turned me into a master of hope. I really don't like them." As he was talking, August and Alex came in through either side.

"Am I the only one concerned about the fact that Heather made it here before you two did?" Jeremiah asked them. All three of them glanced furtively around the room before Heather answered, "I'm a light sleeper, I guess."

Jeremiah explained what had happened to him and why his room was so flipping bright. As he told the story, he saw Alex sneaking glances at Heather. It was strange enough for Jeremiah to glare at him and make him stop.

"Well, we can't help you," Alex resigned, and he and August left. Heather took this opportunity to sit on Jeremiah's new shiny white bed.

"Listen, Jeremiah...remember two years ago, when you barely knew anything about your shadow powers?" she asked. 

"Well, yeah, but I had had sixteen years of experience with those beforehand. I knew how to shadow evade, at least," Jeremiah answered.

"Well, when did you originally learn of your shadow evasion?" 

"Must have been when I was...eight? I practiced for weeks until I was finally able to do it on command."

"Well, then, we'll treat your powers like that. I'll read up on the power of hope, and we'll learn everything there is to know, step by step, even if it takes weeks." She took a reassuring hand from under her blanket and placed it on his shoulder. Jeremiah couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks, Heather," he said.

"No problem," she answered, then started to walk back to her own room.

"Oh, and Heather?" Jeremiah asked as she opened the door on the right.

"Yes?" she answered.

"I like those glasses."

"Thanks." With that, Heather left Jeremiah with his own thoughts.