Chapter Twenty-Three: Three Thousand Snowflakes

Senny's head felt as though a giantman had put his axe through it and sliced it cleanly into two identical pieces like a mellon. The room spun and she briefly wondered why she was on the floor in a room full of flame. Briefly. The next thoughts that rushed to her head were those of extreme panic. She jumped to her feet, wobbling from the pain in her head, and rushed for the door. As she was about to leave, she heard someone cough. She spun around, scanning the room, and found that on the other side of the flaming bed was some other unfortunate victim of the fire. She hefted the person up into her arms, straining under all the weight, and found with dismay that the almost-lifeless body was that of Kifka. She dragged him to the door, coughing heartily. The smoke made everything hard to see, and her eyes were beginning to water. She tried the door and immediately jumped back, for the metal handle was red-hot. She backed up a few steps, with Kifka still in her arms, and kicked the door with all her strength.

The door flew outward in a shower of splinters, and the dense fog of the fire rushed out like a giant mushroom to fill the adjacent rooms. Senny half-ran half-limped down the long staircase leading to the courtyard where several cloaked figures awaited.

She became suddenly aware of her naked state as a gust of wind swept through the courtyard, enveloping her and Kifka in its icy embrace. A strange tattooed man draped a dark cloak over her, and then took Kifka from her arms. Artemis stood next to him, her eyes staring off into nothingness as usual. Darad presented himself beside her, seeming like he had grown from a graceful young boy into a masculine and handsome young man in one night. Senny was much too tired and much too dismayed to apprehend such happenings. Her head hurt even more when she realized she could not remember anything that had happened after the light in the birthing room faded. It seems like she had wandered a dark, dark plane for months until she woke up in a strange room full of fire.

She looked from Darad to Artemis to the strange man, and then finally to a young woman whose face looked incredibly familiar. She squinted, frowned, tried to figure out where she had seen that face before. Kifka stirred in the tattooed man's arms, and the figure with the familiar face rushed to him, cradling the wizard's head on her cloaked bosom. Kifka's eyes opened and focused on the face.

"Senny…" he uttered. "I knew you'd come to save me…"

Senny frowned from where she stood, observing the young woman and the wizard. She didn't know what she felt. It wasn't jealousy. It wasn't anger. It was just confusion. Utter confusion.

The woman leaned over Kifka and whispered with a smile, "No daddy, it's me… Athena."

Senny staggered as her entire life flashed before her eyes in less time than she could take to blink. Her birth, in a place full of light, two glowing figures smiling down at her, the warmth of her mother's breast, the cheery smiles of what must have been her siblings; the utter destruction in which her parents died, then a place much too unfamiliar to her; then her Rogue lover, and his mysterious death; then Kifka and his relentless pursuit, the party night when they lay together; the birth of Athena; the dark void; the burning room; the strange figures staring back at her. Her head exploded with the memories, most of which she did not understand. She frantically struggled to find a handhold on something, something solid to hang on to, but found nothing. Artemis rushed to her, but before she could catch the Rogue's hand, Senny curled into a small ball on the ground. She stared dizzily at the five figures looking back at her… Darad, Artemis, Kifka, Athena, and the tattooed man. She could feel their concern, but she no longer cared. There was a longing to return to her old ways, where she never used to depend on any of them - only on herself. She staggered to her knees, then stood up altogether, turned away from the five, and walked to the gates of the castle.

"Mother, wait!" Athena cried and ran after the rogue. Senny had no intention of slowing down, even when the word struck her to her heart. She wasn't ready to be a mother. Especially not when her daughter looks almost as old as herself. She walked on, seemingly in a strange haze, unable to comprehend what had happened. She turned at one of the stables and stood for a long time in front of one of the mirrors, staring at her own almost-unfamiliar reflection. Her hair was much too long and much too curly. Her eyes lost their mischivious shine. Her muscles were no longer as profound as they were, and she was mezmerized by this. Her reflection pulled at her, wrapped its ghostly hands around her heart and pulled her closer and closer, into the mirror itself, until she was sharply snapped back into reality by Athena's soft hand on her shoulder.

"Mother, where are you going?" she asked.

"I don't belong here," Senny finally answered. "I don't know any of you. I don't know how I got here, or what has happened the last few months, or however long it has been. I don't know who YOU are, or that man with you, or even the prince and Artemis. This is much too strange for me. Much too strange."

"How can you not know me, mother? I'm Athena, your daughter!" the girl exclaimed.

"I don't KNOW that, girl!" Senny screamed back, her fists clenched. This outburst, this defiance, this voicing of her thoughts suddenly gave her feeling in her hands, a luxury that she had not had since she became pregnant with the child that now stood in front of her a full-grown woman with the most beautiful angel wings. Senny felt like she had been absent from her life for years, and her reflection amazed her because she had expected to see an old woman staring back at her from that mirror.

"Please, mother. Just stay a little longer. Let us tell you what happened here. Let us explain," Athena pleaded.

"Alright, 'daughter.' I'll stay for one night," the rogue answered. "If you can convince me to stay with you, I will. If not, then please don't make me stay here any longer than I have to."

And so it was agreed. Senny dressed for dinner - she dressed in the leather that she had loved so much, and the halfgloves in which she hid all her lockpicks. She packed her gold with her in a small rucksack, along with a few weapons and useful potions.

Everyone sat around the huge dining table in one of the castle's many reception rooms. The tattooed man was introduced as Belgorath the dragon, and it took Senny a while to accept the fact that a dragon could walk among humans as one of their own. Artemis retained her silent nature and rarely spoke. She looked in Senny's general vicinity unblinkingly, concentrating on some kind of thought or vision, or whatever it is that she did when she sat unmoving like that. Darad didn't seem to be too interested in what was going on; he hadn't been with the "group" long enough to fit in yet. Athena desperately tried to explain to Senny what had happened, and why she should stay, but every word just bounced right off the rogue because all she could do was stare at Kifka. The look in his eyes was mesmerizing. He was the only one who knew that noone could make her stay, and that thought ate away at him, so he sat there, memorizing every beautiful inch of her face so that he would never forget her. Senny sat looking back at him, trying to figure out why he, out of all the people, did not try to make her stay. Three thousand snowflakes rushed over his eyes, filling the room with diamond snow, freezing everyone but him and her. They sat together, one across the other, staring into each other's eyes. Everything now melted away and all that was left was snow, and three thousand snowflakes dancing and dancing and dancing. She understood now that he would not try to keep her here, and he understood that too. He knew how much he loved her, and that was why he had to let her go, to let her see for herself what's out there, and if wanted it more than she would want what was here, beneath all this snow.

After dinner, the snow melted away. Kifka gave her one last longing gaze before he stood and walked away from the table. Athena looked hopeful, but knew that she had not succeeded. Darad and the dragon walked away together, talking about something rather irrelevant to the subject at hand. Only Artemis remained, still gazing at her the same way she had throughout the whole dinner.

"Artemis…" Senny began.

"You don't have to say anything, Senny," the Oracle answered. "Right now I am not the one to be pitied. Remember, it is a gift to be a Gem, not a curse."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Why don't YOU?"

"I…" Senny paused. Artemis was different now. She was no longer the whining brat that snapped bows in half because she couldn't hit a target two feet away from her. She even looked different now, with her strange eyes and queenly posture. If this is what it was to be a Gem, then Senny didn't want it. She knew she was the second, and because of the three thousand snowflakes dancing, dancing, dancing, she didn't want it.

"What aren't you telling me, Senny?" Artemis inquired, prying deep inside the rogue with her vacant eyes.

"Nothing, Artemis. Someday you'll understand…" She stood up and started to walk away from the table.

"…I do," Artemis answered. "It took me a long time to accept this. I miss my sight. I hate being like this sometimes. I really do. But there are times when I am glad that the Hyads gave me this power. You'll understand it someday. Don't reject it. The Gold Gem wants you, and you should be honored."

Sennymay whirled around and the three thousand snowflakes turned blood-red. "If it means that I will become like YOU with this gift, then the Gold Hyad can take up and shove it up her a-"

"What gift?" Athena asked, catching half the conversation, her heart beating much too fast.

"And YOU!" Senny screamed at the girl. "Who are you?"

"I'm - " Athena started.

"Well, you're not my DAUGHTER, if that's what you were gonna say! I would never raise my daughter to be like YOU! You're weak, you're empathetic, you're NOTHING! A mother could NEVER be proud of you!" Senny raised her hand and struck her daughter across the face. Athena came crashing down into a wall a few feet behind her. Her wild multihued eyes stared back with horror at her mother.

"Mother, please! I'll change! I promise!" she cried, diamond tears streaming down her beautiful face.

"No, I will correct my mistakes once and for all, starting with YOU!" Senny scanner the room in the red haze emitted by the snowflakes, and started for one of the ornamental swords hanging on the wall. Artemis ran to her, trying to stop her, but Senny just pushed the Oracle aside and removed a huge gleaming scythe off the wall. "I will correct my mistakes!" She screamed again and ran at the whimpering girl in the corner of the gigantic dining room.

She was suddenly stopped by Kifka's strong arms. He took the scythe from her hands and tossed it aside.

"Senny, what are you doing?" he asked her with a sad look on his face. The snowflakes faded back to their peaceful white.

"I'm…"

"You're correcting a mistakes?" He asked. His eyes gazed at hers in a calm, loving stare. "Well then, go ahead, if you truly think this beautiful child was a mistake, if you think that night between us was a mistake, if you think the way you love her is a mistake. I won't stop you." He let her go, leaving her feeling cold and scared in all this snow. She stared at her terrified daughter huddled in the corner, her snow-white wings enveloping her body to protect herself from the rage of her mother.

"I don't want to be a Gem, Kifka," she uttered, turning back to Kifka and his calm face.

"But you're not."

"Yes, I am. I can feel the Gold running through my veins, and I don't want it. I don't want that kind of power!"

"Mommy, you don't understand!" Athena mouthed from the corner. She stumbled to her feet, and approached Senny. The rogue backed away a little, but stopped, encouraged by Kifka's loving eyes. "Give me your hand mother, I will show you."

Senny took Athena's hand and the three thousand snowflakes turned into millions. Yet as she looked closer, she saw that they weren't really snowflakes. They were feathers. White feathers enveloping her and Athena. The two stood in a field of these feathers as Athena showed Senny things she had never seen before.

"This is the Green Hyad's power," said Athena, pointing to a beautiful Jade statue of a woman on her knees, praying to the Heavens. "Birth, Sympathy, Empathy, Love." She moved to the next statue.

"This is the Blue Hyad." She pointed to a statue of a kingly man, holding a scale in one hand, and an imperial sword in the other. "Justice, Truth, Happiness, Freedom."

Then instead of taking her to the next statue, she paused. Athena turned to Sennymay, and looked her in the eyes. "For every good there is a bad," she simply said, and behind her appeared the next statue.

"This is the Red Hyad." A ruby statue with gigantic devil wings and a bloody sword loomed over them. "Hate, Destruction, Pain, Death." She stood, looking at the red statue, before moving to the next one.

"This is the Gold Hyad," she said and pointed to a gold statue of a woman clad in ethereal armour, wielding powerful weapons of war. "Impulsiveness, Brutality, Sex, War."

"What's over there?" Senny asked, pointing to a strange shadow at the very end of the feather field.

"I don't know," Athena answered. "I can't go there yet. They won't let me."

"Who?"

"The statues."

The field faded and they were back in the room.

"So you see now, don't you?" Athena said. "Every Gem has a different power. Don't blame Artemis for being so passive. She is serene because of the Green Gem inside her."

"Well then what's YOUR power?" Senny asked.

"I, well…." Athena paused. "I don't think I have one. I don't know who the Gems are."

"I see…" Senny answered, her eyes lowered. She certainly couldn't tell them now of the power that harbored itself inside her, among the snowflakes. She looked around the room with downcast eyes, before she saw Artemis's. The Oracle knew. She smiled warmly at the Rogue, reassurance on her lips. The snowflakes danced gold among them.

Kifka took Senny's had, and she almost melted. She missed him greatly, wandering around in that dark nothingness. Without a word, the two turned around and left the dining room and its three thousand snowflakes.

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