|
|
|
|
Episode 9: What Are Little Girls Made Of?
A cloud of debris orbited a dying star. It was the remnants of a now dead planet, like all the others in the system. Like the others it had moons, now the orphaned, skeletal survivors of ancient wars and aged scars. The moons and its scarce inhabitants, despite the distance, were kept close-knit by the hodge-podge team of senshi that kept what order they could in their dying system. Against all odds, the citizens had survived. However, that survival was being threatened by the most unlikeliest of individuals... “Tum, tum, tum-tum...” Chilled by the lack of warmth from the sun and the moon's core, a small child shivered, her bare knees pulled up to the thin white apron that was tied over a blue dress. She pulled the apron over her knees and buries her face into them. The was thin, with not much to keep her warm as it was. Added to the fact that she was dreadfully alone and being hunter, she was a miserable mess. “Shh, quiet... She's here...” Now, the child was about to run again. She lifted her head as the opening of the nook she hid in was slightly darkened as legs interrupted the light of the vendor's lamp. She recognized the boots, by size and color, as belonging to the three senshi of time who almost always headed the chase for the child. “Tum...” she groaned sadly. She straightened her legs and then did the best she could to get ready to spring out of her spot. She watched the legs, waiting for her chance. The legs continued to move, and then they were gone. The child took this moment to shoot out of the nook, her orange head being no more than a blur to the three surprised senshi. They were stunned, as always, before turning and charging after her. Then, as always, the ground beneath their feet began to shake. The vendor's lamp swung before its hanging arm broke from the wooden pillar and it crashed to the ground. “She's at it again!” the blond-haired Sailor Rosetta shouted. “Hurry, we've got to catch her!” black-haired Sailor Maplus said. “After her!” Maplus skipped a step to try and gain some ground, but her foot landed wrong and she tripped. Rosetta was first to fall onto her, followed by the ever-silent Sailor Violetta. The three were a tangled mess by the time their leader arrived. “Got away again?” she asked, her voice thick from her auditory handicap. She sighed and tapped the crystal in her ear. It was connected to a smaller crystal on the end of a curved piece of metal that ended just to the side of her mouth. “She got away, gather by the Lamp Vendor.” Within moments, the shaking stopped, and moments later the rest of their comrades had joined them. They didn't get to see the three time senshi in a heap. Rather, they were cleaning up the mess of the broken vendor's lamp. Sailor Seraphim and her pint-sized partner, Celestia, arrived first. The senshi of death and life were then joined by the two senshi of fate, Sailor Charel and Chaprina. The twin child senshi, Seoul and Sari, arrived last. “Aw, the pretty lamp broke,” Seoul lamented. “I'm sure he'll make another," Sari comforted in her usual role as the older sister. “This chase is pointless,” Charel said. The other senshi sighed. Here they went again. “You will never catch her,” Charpina added, tossing her long braid over her shoulder. “Well, we might,” Rosetta said, “If you would actually help!” “She would not be caught, with or without our help,” Charel said. “The child would still run free.” “It is not her fate to be held by our authority,” Charpina finished. “Yeah, yeah,” Seraphim growled. “'Her fate lies elsewhere,' that's what you always say. 'She's leave soon!' Well, that won't do us any good if she tears our moons apart first!” “We don't know even if she is causing the surface tensions,” Marina gently reminded them. “We just need to catch her to determine the facts.” “We will not catch her,” Charel repeated. She looked at Charpina, who nodded and looked to the sky knowingly. The others looked as well, as though expecting to see something. “The child's time is upon us.” -------------------------------------------- The child ran quickly. Even though the quakes had stopped and the senshi had undoubtedly stopped chasing, she still ran to get away. She looked over her shoulder, and seeing nothing let herself smile. However, she couldn't see someone in front of her. She ran smack into someone's midsection, falling onto them as they fell to the ground. That someone wrapped a pair of warm, fuzzy arms around her, giving the child her first sense of safety since arriving on the moon. She looked up and found a beautiful pair of gold eyes staring back at her. “Oh, hello there,” the young woman said, leaning forward to get the child off of her very sore abdomen. “What is your name?” “Tum-tum?” the child said in question. She settled on her knees. “Tum-Tum? That's cute,” she said. “I'm Hikari.” “Tum, tum! Tum, tum, tum-tum!” the child repeated hysterically, over and over. She was waving her arms in a panic. “Oh, oh! Calm down!” Hikari said quickly. She took the child's arms and gently pulled them down. She looked up at the dark-haired young woman standing over her. “Mei, can you tell what's wrong?” The child looked up at Mei, brushing her messy orange hair from her face with the palm of her hands. She stared in amazement as the brilliant silver eyes that looked back at her. 'I cannot see, her mind is greatly shielded,' Mei said. The child looked around for the one who had spoken before slowly looking back up at Mei. Realization crossed her mind as her eyes grew. She suddenly threw herself at Hikari's chest, burying her face in the warm, thick layers of her coat. “Ow!” Hikari exclaimed, the child pressing on several of the many injuries left over from her encounter with Sailor Magellanus. “I think you scared her, Mei.” 'Dear child, I am telepathic,' Mei tried to explain. 'I speak through the mind.' The child slowly pulled her head back until she could just barely see Mei. She then glanced up at Hikari. “It's okay, honest,” Hikari said. “She's my friend, like my best friend, or my sister.” The child smiled. “So... Your name is 'Tum-Tum,' or did I misunderstand?” The girl stood and pointed at herself. “Tum-Tum,” she said. “Tum-Tum.” 'Odd,' Mei said, tilting her head in observation. 'It would seem to be her name, but she seems incapable to say anything but that and yet, she seems to be able to understand us perfectly.' At that, Tum-Tum nodded, acknowledging that she understood them. “Well, it doesn't matter,” Hikari said with a grunt as Mei helped her up. She smiled at Tum-Tum and reached to her. She ruffled the girl's orange hair, and what happened next made both young women jump. Hikari had no sooner begun ruffling the child's hair when a pair of long white ears suddenly popped out of the mess. Noticing their surprise, Tum-Tum grabbed her ears and pulled them down as she turned completely away. It was then that they realized that she had a puffy white tail on her tail bone. “Aw, she's so adorable!” Hikari pulled the child backward into her arms. This surprised her, causing her to let go of her ears and for them to pop back up. “Aw...” she cooed. She looked over at Mei. “Can I keep her?” -------------------------------------------- On an entirely separate moon, Geb stood still and proud with her index and middle fingers pressed to her temples. Like Ixtab, she had found a way to finally focus her power of sight. “They are all equally sparse,” she told Daichi as she examined the moons. “I'm not seeing Sailor Aether or Sebastian, but something similar to them was definitely here.” “What about our people?” Daichi asked, taking her eyes off of the nearby village to look at Geb. “How is Seresha doing?” “Well, Tucana and Nebula seem to be popular,” Geb said, clearly amused. “It would seem the clothing Seresha gave us doesn't quite fit in.” She paused. “Seresha and Anog Ite have nothing of interest happening.” She paused again. “What's this?” “What?” Daichi asked, now tensed. Geb smiled. “Hikari and Mei seem to have made a friend,” she said. “A child, but a very strange one. She is nothing like the inhabitants of these moons.” “Could she be a threat?” Daichi asked. “Hikari is still healing and-” “I know you know your team better than I,” Geb said, “But this child and Hikari seem to be very... close.” She frowned. “However, a child can be just as dangerous as an adult. Aether has proven that...” “Well...” Daichi loosened up, shaking down her arms. “Even though Hikari isn't a hundred percent, Mei certainly is, and she has the added power of her staff back into play.” Daichi's uniform faded out and was replaced by a bulky outfit comprised of pants and a long coat. Geb lowered her hands and looked at Daichi. She nodded and her uniform disappeared as well. It was replaced by a long bulky dress of similar fashion. “Hey, are you two ready?” Tale and Daichi looked down to the base of the little hill. At the bottom were Zhuancha and Kimi. “Well, are you?” Zhuancha asked. “Yes, we're coming,” Tale said, beginning the descent. “You two were quick,” Daichi said matter-of-factly. “You landed in a small village, too?” Kimi and Zhuancha nodded. “They are all small,” Tale said. “The only exception is the one Mei and Hikari are in. It seems to be the main concentration. We'll go to the next moons and leave them there, and then we'll all gather there later.” The others nodded. Kimi pressed her palms together and they were gone. -------------------------------------------- Space was bent. Time was still. Objects of comfort and entertainment floated in a non-existent orbit, mingling with objects of power once held by sailor senshi. Among the objects floated Sebastian, his coat moving in a mysterious breeze that exposed his impossibly-bent body, shaking as he swallowed his cried of anguish. It felt as though this punishment had been going on forever. Floating nearby, upside down in relation to Sebastian, was Komoka. Her senshi uniform was gone, replaced by a long white coat with red swirls all over it. Her child-like face was distorted by a smug expression of enjoyment at Sebastian's expense. “Cease,” said suddenly a hard, feminine voice. Aether's face scrunched with dissatisfaction and Sebastian's voice gave out as his body snapped back to a mostly-normal shape. He didn't move, save for a shudder and soft breathes he hardly dared to take. His thoughts were focused on Tale as he tried to forget the pain. “Tell me, Sebastian,” the voice asked. “Why did you join, only to betray me?” Sebastian didn't respond. “Komoka.” The distorted, smug expression of satisfaction returned as, without command, Komoka warped space around Sebastian's left arm so quickly it caught him off-guard, bending his arm in such a painful and normally-impossible position that he cried out with a shriek of pain. “You will answer our lady!” Komoka shouted. “She- is not-” Sebastian gasped, his denial barely audible through his gritted teeth. “Cease,” the voice spoke again. This time, Komoka let Sebastian's arm snap back so fiercely that the sound made it obvious it was now broken. Sebastian swallowed his yelp as a chair appeared floating next to Komoka. Sebastian's blurred eyes barely registered the familiar figure. “My question, Sebastian.” Sebastian gritted his teeth and squinted his eyes, his line of sight no better than it had been. “You- offered me power,” he said forcibly. “I wanted- that power- to forget.” “To forget your pitiful previous life?” the lady asked. “Yes, yes... what changed?” Sebastian averted his eyes to gaze upon the floating treasures, many of which he had stolen himself. There was the sword of Sailor Libra, the scythe of Sailor Osiris, and the flute of Sailor Draco. Then, the staff of Cosmic moon from Naernoterr came into sight. It's curved, silver, half-moon black reminded Sebastian of Sailor Geb's Staff. He closed his eyes. “I was- reminded,” he said. “Reminded... of the good...” His consciousness slipped as he floated away. “Remembering is dangerous,” the lady said. She looked at Aether. “You are the perfect servant. However, you have failed me already.” “My sincerest apologies,” Aether said with a bow. “It shall not happen again.” “Yes, I know,” the lady said. “I, however, do not like to take chances.” She looked ahead through the orbiting weapons as a darkened figure began to appear in the space. “You'll go out again, but this time, you'll go together.” “I shall continue my successes in PalminaNoTenka,” the woman said. She reached out with her white-gloved hand and grasped the Deep Space Sword. “I shall not fail.” -------------------------------------------- “I don't understand Mei, shouldn't they be back by now to get us?” Hikari asked. The little orange head sticking out from her coat looked up in confusion. “Tum?” she asked. 'Our companions, little one,' Mei said. She stepped away from the cold wall and looked down either way of the street with a sigh. 'They may not come for us if they felt we were in an important area.' “In that case, we should keep looking!” Hikari dramatically lifted her fist into the air. Tum Tum hopped up from her sitting spot between Hikari's legs and offered her hand. Hikari gladly took it and started to get up. Her face scrunched with discomfort the whole way. 'Hikari?' “I'm fine,” Hikari groaned. “Honest.” 'You cannot lie,' Mei said. 'You mind is not so well trained yet.' Hikari stuck her tongue out at Mei and then noticed Tum Tum's confused expression. “Tum?” she asked, lifting her fist as Hikari had done. Then she mirrored Hikari's scrunched face quite comically, to which Hikari laughed. “Of course!” she said. “We never told you who we are or what we're doing!” 'There's no reason to tell her,' Mei said. She then felt a tug on her sleeve. She looked down and found the child looking back up at her. “Tum-tum?” she said in a whining, maybe even pleading voice. Mei sighed, closing her eyes. 'Very well,' she said. 'However, if you shall so allow, I shall show you rather than tell.' Tum Tum poked her head and nodded with understanding. Mei cupped the girl's forehead and the back of her head, turning her just slightly. There was a moment of nothing, and then the girl's hair was ruffled as Mei poured her focus in, trying to not only show the girl their story, but also to get past the shield around her mind. Hikari watched with awe as a silver glow began to lift slowly away from Mei, moving just as slowly to Tum Tum. It began to surround her, but with a sudden, inaudible snap the glow moved back at Mei, throwing her backward and tossing the child to her knees. “Mei!” Hikari moved to Mei as she sat up, panting forcefully. “Mei, what happened?” she asked. Mei looked up at her, and then at Tum Tum. 'I was successful,' she said in between breaths, 'In showing her who we are and where we are from.' “Tum tum, tum, tum-tum tum!” the girl exclaimed as she jumped to her feet. She looked at the older girls with a wide, toothy smile. 'I learned something important of our small friend as well,' Mei said as she pushed herself. She looked at Hikari. 'Wherever she is from, she is an operative similar to Geb, Ixtab, and Anog Ite, a defender and traveler.' “What, an IPI?” Hikari asked. 'Similar,' Mei said. 'I suspect that is why she is here.' She looked at Tum Tum. 'Correct?' Tum Tum nodded and lifted her pendant. She tapped the red gem before reaching into her apron pocket. From it she pulled a gold pocket watch attached to a gold chain. She popped it open, revealing a clock face with nine different-colored, different-shaped hands. It didn't seem to work, as nothing was moving. She tapped the face of the clock sadly before closing it and putting it back into her pocket. 'You're method of moving?' Mei asked. Tum Tum nodded. “So, why is she here?” Hikari asked. Mei shrugged and turned, heading down the street. Hikari took Tum Tum's hand and pulled her along. “You really are something special, aren't you?” Tum Tum shyly blushed and smiled. -------------------------------------------- Daichi stood defensively in front of the fallen Tale, starring down the offending senshi in brown and black. Daichi had already incapacitated her companions, Rosetta and Violetta, who now sat painfully behind Maplus. “I won't say this but once more, identify yourselves!” the one named Maplus shouted. “We are no threat!” Daichi shouted back. “Stand down!” “You are on our moon!” Maplus called. “Stand down!” “No Maplus, you stand down,” suddenly commanded a slurred, thick voice. Maplus tensed, and then dropped her arms. Daichi followed more slowly as Tale looked around for the voice. To their left approached a blue-haired senshi flanked by two small, twin senshi. Daichi then noticed a pair of tall senshi approaching from the right. Sensing more, she turned completely around and found a woman and child senshi behind them. “Surrounded,” Daichi muttered. She offered her black-gloved hand to Tale, who took it and stood. “I am Sailor Marina,” the blue-haired senshi said, drawing their attention. “I am the leader of the Palmina Moon Senshi.” She motioned to the surrounding senshi. “Maplus, Rosetta, and Violetta you have met. Then Charel and Charpina...” She motioned to the tall ones. “...Seraphim and Celestia...” She made a motion to the woman and child. “...Seoul and Sari.” The twin girls nodded. Tale respectfully nodded in acknowledgment to each. “I am Sailor Geb,” Tale said, introducing herself, “Formerly of the Pantheon System, now of the IPI senshi.” “Pantheon? That's impossible,” Seraphim said. “Pantheon's nebula was obliterated ages ago. The chances of a survivor is beyond remote.” “There are three of us of Pantheon,” Tale said. “However, we are of the Pantheon of another dimension, an alternate timeline. We three are Interdimensional Police Investigators.” “If there are three, where is the third?” Sailor Sari asked. “Actually, I'm just along for the ride,” Daichi said. “My companions and our guests are searching the other moons,” Tale explained. Before some of the other senshi could become angry, Sailor Charel spoje. “Not anymore,” she said knowingly. She and Charpina stepped aside, revealing the newly-arrived senshi. “Um, what's going on?” Tucana asked. -------------------------------------------- 'Moonray!' The silver beam of Mei's attack cut through the stirred-up dust and struck the roof edge where Sailor Aether had just been standing. She was midway to the ground now. 'Moonray!' Mei sent another beam at the approximate spot where Aether would land. It caused an explosion that Aether contained in a space bubble. She landed next to it and ran before it exploded with an amplified force. 'Nankan!' Its containment had amplified it so much that even Mei's black dome was helpless against it and she was thrown back. Nearby, Hikari hid in an alley with Tum Tum, under orders from Mei to not join the battle because of her frail condition. She kept Tum Tum close as she listened to the ensuing battle. “Oh Mei,” she whispered with fright. “Please take care.” “You should worry about yourself instead,” suddenly said a harsh voice. Hikari gasped and turned to look, but saw nothing but white pain and orange hair as she flew into the street. Tum Tum held onto Hikari's coat until they hit the ground. The impact loosened Tum Tum's grip, tossing her to the side. The jostled little girl looked up as their attacker, a blond-haired senshi of monstrous proportions, advanced on Hikari. “Tum-tum!” the child cried. The tall senshi kicked Hikari straight up into the air, where she grabbed the collar of Hikari's shirt. “You still have that dagger,” the woman said. “I want it.” “N-Never,” Hikari shuddered, in too much pain to open her eyes. Her defiance earned her a toss at Tum Tum. Hikari bowled into her roughly. As Tum Tum sat back up on her knees, holding Hikari, she saw Mei soar into a wall. She fell, landing on her hands and knees. “And now, the final act!” Aether shouted. Mei lifted her head and her eyes widened. Hanging from Aether's hand were all eight Eiso beads, still on their strings. “Komoka, you idiot, put those away!” Mei looked to the new voice and gasped. 'Sailor Uranus!' The tall, titan of a senshi, in a uniform unfamiliar to Mei, looked at the downed senshi with a smirk. It disappeared quickly, however, as she looked back to Aether. “Those things are dangerous,” Uranus said, advancing on the child-sized woman. “Send them back to our mistress!” “We are allowed to use any weapon we have stolen!” Aether shouted with a screech. “I choose this one!” “You can't control it, none but the senshi you stole it from can,” Uranus argued, advancing more quickly. With attention off of herself, Mei stood with her staff gripped tightly with both hands. “Send them back, now!” “No!” Aether screamed, thrusting her arm forward. What happened next occurred so quickly, Tum Tum almost missed it. Uranus grabbed Aether's arm, throwing it up as she used her other fist to punch her gut. In shock, Aether released the Eiso beads, which were propelled forward by the force. As they flew, Mei charged ahead, her empty hand reaching out for the beads. In those moments, the rest of the senshi, IPI and Palmina alike, came running out of a nearby alley. Sebastian tumbled onto the ground out of thin air. Uranus had Aether in a headlock. All watched with stilled breath as the beads nestled into her hand. Time seemed to stop for a moment, and then it shattered in a chorus of screeches as light snapped around the beads in Mei's hand, propelling her backward with such a force that the wall she hit broke apart, falling with and all over her. There were a few more moments of stilled silence before the world seemed to turn again. “Mei!” Zhuancha cried first, charging at the rocky pile. Daichi and Anog Ite charged after her as Marina and her senshi took defensive stances, separating the senshi from Aether and Uranus. Tucana and Nebula to hang back with Ixtab as Seresha ran to Hikari and the child and Geb bolted to Sebastian's side. His arm hung limp at his side while the other gripped Hikari's staff. Before acknowledging Geb, he skidded it across the ground to where Hikari was regaining consciousness. Geb wrapped her arms around him. “Sebastian,” she whispered. “You're alive.” “That... What was that?” he asked, his good arm wrapped around Geb as he stared at the broken pile. “What power!” Aether exclaimed. “I want it!” “You are insane,” Uranus said, tightening the headlock. “That could have been you, psycho.” A short distance away, Seresha gently shook Hikari's shoulder. “Hikari, are you all right?” she asked. The blond looked wearily at her. “M-Mei...” she whispered. “She's fighting...” “Mei! Mei!” Hikari's eyes widened at the panicked sound of Daichi's voice. She turned her head toward Tum Tum to see what was happening. She watched as Anog Ite, Daichi, and Zhuancha tossed aside chunks of the broken wall. Daichi then ducked down and pulled something up. Anog Ite reached in and helped as Zhuancha continued. Hikari's mind spun at the sight of Mei's limp body being pulled up into Daichi's arms. Anog Ite stepped back as Daichi lowered, Zhuancha kneeling beside her. “Mei?” Daichi whispered. She gently shook her, but no breath stirred. She crossed her arms across Mei and closed her eyes. “Healing Aroma!” A soft green glow grew from Daichi. It was steady and remained so as it migrated to Mei, covering her briefly before it abruptly fizzled away. Zhuancha looked at Daichi, whose eyes never opened as her face began to distort in rage. She pulled Mei closer as the rage turned into tears. “Oh no,” Maplus whispered. Her stance, like the others, had slowly fallen. They were all stunned as none, save for Marina, Seraphim, Charel, and Charpina, had ever seen death until now. Zhuancha lifted Mei's hand. The staff was gone, but the beads remained, burned through her glove and into her hand. “Wrath,” she muttered, recognizing the burn of the demon. Grimacing, she took hold of the four strings and gently pulled the beads away. She rested the hand, palm down, on Mei's leg before jumping to her feet in resolute rage. “You make a huge mistake taking the Eiso beads!” she shouted. “No, you made the mistake of getting in the way!” Aether shouted. Ripples of warped space moved from her, lifting Uranus up and away and pushing everyone else to the ground. “Flaming Fury!” Zhuancha shouted. Hands of fire stretched from her being, cutting through the rippled with ease. Aether panicked and jumped away. The hands vanished without causing any damage. Aether landed next to Uranus and looked at Tum Tum and Hikari. “Let's complete the pair!” she shouted maniacally. She sent ripples of warped space at them with a brisk speed. However, Seresha jumped in front of them, throwing her hands out to either side. “Corvina Litalia!” A booming, pulsing light left Seresha and somehow collided with the warped space. “Tum tum-tum!” the child shouted, her knowing eyes watching the collision. The other senshi shouted as the ground shook more violently, many of them calling for Seresha to stop. However, their shouts went unheard as the collision waves swallowed all sound. Then, the waves swallowed Ixtab, Tucana, and Nebula. Anog Ite, Daichi, Zhuancha, and Mei were the next to disappear, followed by Geb and Sebastian before Uranus wrapped her long arm around Aether's middle. They then vanished as well, leaving Seresha to fall at the sudden loss of resistance. The light vanished and she was left to pant breathlessly. The Palmina senshi pulled themselves up, with little Celestia breaking the silence. “Where everyone go?” -------------------------------------------- It felt like it should hurt, but for the moment the throbbing in her head was just throbbing. “Ixtab, Nebula, are you two all right?” Ixtab heard Tucana ask. “Yeah, I'm fine,” Nebula said with a slight groan. “I'm fine,” Ixtab repeated, pushing herself up. She felt the two senshi take her arms and help her to her feet. “What happened?” she asked. Unseen to her, Tucana and Nebula simply shook their heads. Then, she felt their hands tense. “What is it?” she asked The two didn't respond as their surprised gazes met the surprised gaze of a woman with pale red eyes and extremely long blue-white hair. “I don't think we're on Palmina anymore.” -------------------------------------------- “Tale, wake up,” Sebastian said gently as he nudged Sailor Geb. Her eyes fluttered open as he sighed with relief. “How do you feel?” he asked. Geb looked around at the darkened, unknown location before sitting up. “Lost,” she replied. She looked at him. “It's just you and me; whichever Earth we're on, the others aren't here.” “What do you mean, 'whichever Earth?'” asked a voice. The darkness was abruptly broken by sudden light which made Sebastian and Geb flinch. They could see they were in a bedroom. They looked over their shoulders to find a teen girl with wavy black hair standing behind them, framed by a doorway with her hand on what Geb knew to be a light switch. “There's only one Earth.” -------------------------------------------- “My name is 'Hotah,' don't make me repeat myself again,” Sailor Anog Ite said as irritably as she smoothed Mei's long hair. “Fine, whatever,” Zhuancha said, quickly losing patience. “Let's just figure out where we are, all right?” “But we can't very well do that with Mei in this state or without the others,” Anog Ite said. She looked upon the fallen senshi's peaceful face, barely noticing the cuts littered with small rocks. She then looked up at Daichi, whose head hung with no indication that she was even with them anymore. “We'll find other senshi,” Zhuancha said, also looking at Daichi. “I'm sure we'll find help somewhere.” “You need help?” A sudden voice startled the senshi. Anog Ite and Zhuancha looked to see a small child with blue hair standing next to a young woman with tanned skin and white hair. “Is your friend hurt? Should we get a doctor?” The child looked at Mei curiously. She then noticed Daichi, who had lifted her head and was now looking at the child with red eyes. “No doctor can fix this,” she said, each word piercing the air. |