[2-2]

AN. Who-hoo! It's checked! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! School's starting for me this Wednesday (09/03/03) so I'm not sure when an update will be... I'm going to try my hardest though!

Chapter 2

Green cloak slung over her arm, Elita walked toward her room to pack. She knew Jasphar was following her. He hadn't spoken but she was glad for that, she wasn't ready to let her throat muscles relax. If she did, she was sure that she would either scream or begin to cry. This was her home, her home for the last fifteen years of her life and the only thing she knew and cared to know about. She had always known she was different, original, but she didn't ever think that someone would want to kill her. It terrified her, how fast her world could crumble around her.

She opened the door to her room and distractedly began to throw various things into a small bag. Warm clothes, a hat, gloves, warm shoes, water containers, extra shoes, some earlier stolen food, her sword, her bow, her arrows; all of them went into the bag even though the weapons were too heavy and way too big for the bag.

"Elita," Jasphar said softly, watching as Elita blankly attempted to close the way too full bag. "Li..." Jasphar called out to her again, kneeling besides her as her face became distorted with the effort of holding composure and she fell forward slowly.

Fluidly, Jasphar wrapped his arms around the distraught girl and pulled her against his chest.

"I don't want to leave here. I was happy here," Elita said, burying her face into Jasphar's chest in an attempt to hide her tears.

"I know, Li. I don't want you to leave either but... you need to leave to keep safe. It'd be better to leave with Prince Sandarka than to be forced to leave with some wizard who would do who knows what to you. Not to mention that you'll be able to find your family. You always wanted to go out and find them but Queen Trista would never let you," Jaspahar said softly and Elita shook her head stubbornly.

"Prince Sandarka is stuck up and big-headed. He probably wouldn't even notice if I was shot while we were riding and... I wasn't serious when I said I wanted to leave. Well... I was but I wanted you to come with me and... I wanted to come back. I didn't want to stay there forever," Elita said, pulling herself away from him. Jasphar kept her from turning away, hands holding her arms length away, and meet his eyes with hers.

"He cares about you Elita, if he didn't, he would have never come to give us warning," Jasphar said and then glanced away, dropping his hands from her shoulders. "We should stop talking. You need to get ready."

For a moment, Elita just stood there in shook at the reaction from Jasphar. 'So... Prince Sandarka likes me and Jasphar is... jealous?' Elita thought to herself and shook her head to clear away the thought. Even if it was true, she couldn't be thinking about it now. Jasphar was right, she should get ready.

Silently, Elita pulled the weapons out of the bag and closed it, attempting to keep her mind away from her new piece of information. If Sandarka liked her and Jasphar was jealous... no she couldn't think of it. She continued on, tying her sheathed sword around her waist and throwing the bow and arrows onto her back. Silently, she glanced over at Jasphar.

He was watching her now and, when Elita turned to face him, he smiled widely. 'Is that his defensive move? To smile? Jasphar... he is jealous... which could mean... no!' she forced the thought back, knowing that if she finished it she would never be able to leave. Jasphar was her best friend and if she finally let herself realize that he might care about her more than that, even if it was just a brotherly more, she would never be able to stand leaving.

Deciding to say her final farewell, Elita hugged the smiling Fairy. "I'll miss you, Jasphar. You've always been there for me and I thank you greatly for that. You gave me a friend and helped everyone to accept me for who I am not what I am."

"I'll miss you too, Li. I could do no less than become your friend, you had such a shinning personality. I was drawn to you and everyone else would have been too, over time, even if I never became your friend," Jasphar said, hugging her back and kissing her forehead briefly. Then, smile dropping, he pushed her away from him. "You may meet the wizard. Don't think you can take him on by yourself. He knows a lot more than you and he won't hold back. I believe in you and, if you do have to fight him yourself, go beyond what you know and follow your heart. It's dangerous but... desperate times need desperate measures." Elita nodded. "Remember to come back when it's all over, 'kay Li. Your mother won't allow you to be hunted down for the rest of your life and I would like to see you again no matter how far away that will be."

"Don't worry. The first chance I get, I'll visit you. Now, you have to keep safe too. No one's suppose to know about me leaving and someone will try and find out where I am. You're in danger because of me and if something ever happened to you because of it... well, I'd never be able to forgive myself," Elita said and smiled unsurely. " Well, I should really get going. We're leaving now. My mother just called a town meeting so no one would notice Prince Sandarka and me leaving. She's going to tell the towns people that I was killed by an animal. Remember, you know nothing. Act how you would if you found out I was truly dead."

"I'll remember, Li. Go on. If you wait any longer we'll both get in trouble," Jasphar said and pushed Elita gently out her door. "I'll see you later, okay?" Jasphar said and Elita smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, see you later," Elita said and walked away, glancing back at a friend that she would see sooner than expected

continue...