Living in the Shadows

CHAPTER 8 THE RAINS, DAY 4: DARKRAI AWAKENS

May 13, after 4 a.m.

(Zorua)

I don't know when Zorro and I fell asleep, but I'm pretty sure I'm the one who nodded off first. If my being the first one awake wasn't proof of that, I don't know what is.

I was parched, so I tried shadow-jumping onto the stage, where I saw all the snacks and drinks through the grate.

Tried is the keyword. It felt like I was trying to squeeze through a long, narrow Diglett hole. I stopped when I couldn't get more than my face through. I thought that maybe if I reached for one of the drinks... It worked. Except I had to settle for what I could grab. It wasn't water, but I was too thirsty to care. I had to transform into my human self to get my drink and open it, though. And I got one for Zorro, too, when he wakes up.

I wondered if Jenna or anyone else was up, so I did what I saw her and Zorro do: pressed my forehead against a shadow and closed my eyes.

I was having trouble getting a clear picture of the gym. Like every Dark-type, I can see in the dark, but this was like trying to see through the rain yesterday. I finally realized the reason why I was having so much trouble was that Jenna's marble was wearing off on me.

I finished my drink, it was juice, and changed back into myself when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head to the movement and I saw the King's long black tatters and white hair starting to billow.

I hurried and woke up Zorro. "Hmm, what?" He said sleepily.

"Look, look, look!" I exclaimed while pointing at the King. When he saw what I saw, his head hit the ceiling. Literally. A little dust fell on us, but we ignored it.

"Sire?" Zorro asked anxiously as we knelt before him. "Sire? Can you hear me?"

The King gave no response, but his tatters and hair billowed a little more, and I could have sworn I heard him grunt.

"Let's wait a few more minutes before we talk to him again," Zorro suggested.

I nodded in agreement.

I don't know when, but we fell asleep again. I found myself on the quilt, using the King's arm as a pillow, while Zorro was sleeping on the other side, not on the quilt; his head resting on his paws.

What woke me up was a noise. I looked at the King and saw that his tatters and hair were billowing normally, even though there was no breeze blowing in here.

The noise came again. It was from the King! He was taking deep breaths and trying to move. Then his visible eye opened.

For a moment, he stared at the ceiling. When his eye grew more focused, he looked at his surroundings. When he noticed me and Zorro, he tried to move again. I was so happy he finally woke up that I was hopping with joy.

"Yay! Hurray!" I shouted.

My shout woke Zorro up; he was startled so much that he hit his head on the ceiling again. Hard this time.

More dust than before fell on us as Zorro was rubbing his head and saying: "I'm up! I'm up!" and "What's with all the shouting?" Then he saw that the King was awake. "Sire! Are you alright?" He asked anxiously while I shook off the dust that fell on me.

"Aside from being unable to move and feeling as though my body is made of stone." The King replied before he sighed. "I could not be better, Scout."

"Is there anything we can get for you, Your Majesty?" I asked.

"No, young one," he said. To my brother, he asked; "Where are we, Scout?"

"Sire, we are in a human school's theater." My brother answered.