Rising Shards

Ovie felt steel in her heart as she followed Jeans through a cavern path. Everything was ready, and now she’d stand by her side as Jeans’ greatest accomplishment came to life. After leaving 09 behind, Ovie felt like she could do anything. She couldn’t wait for the look on Manure’s face when she saw everything. Jeans had told her to be furious, and she was saving all that energy for when she saw Zeta again.

“Where do you want me to be?” Ovie asked. “When it really gets rolling, you know?”

Jeans didn’t answer for a second.

“What’s wrong?” Ovie asked.

Jeans turned to her with tears welling in her eyes.

“You’re going to hate me,” Jeans said.

“No, Jeans, stop…” Ovie said, rushing to comfort her as Jeans sat down. “I could never hate you.”

“I forgot something,” Jeans said. “Or I just thought of something that could happen that could ruin everything.”

“What is it?”

“With Kitty pulling the students in…I realized she might not be able to get everyone.” Jeans said.

“What do you mean?” Ovie asked.

“She’s pretty strong,” Jeans scratched the back of her head. “But she’s only strong enough to get those waiting at the gate she set up. If anyone was a straggler, or if they somehow made some new friends…”

“They could screw this all up,” Ovie said.

Jeans nodded. “So now you probably think I’m an idiot that can’t plan for crap.”

“I don’t think that,” Ovie said, holding onto Jeans’ shoulders, holding her cheek gently against the denim of Jeans’ jacket. “What if I go get them?”

“No, Ovie, then you’d—”

“I can stop whoever was left behind,” Ovie said. “And then rush back here. And if I don’t make it in time…” It started to sink in that she just volunteered herself to potentially miss everything Jeans had set up. “Then you can tell me all about it when it’s over.”

“That’d be really good,” Jeans said. “I think this cave forks ahead, if you follow the left path it should take you back to the ice canyon.”

Ovie nodded. “I won’t let you down.”

“I know,” Jeans said. “If you see that clybrid too, finish her off this time, you know? Then you fix both our mistakes.”

The steel in Ovie’s heart now turned to needles and daggers from Jeans’ words. It felt like she’d failed Jeans more times than she could count that day. She really shouldn’t have let her go.

“You can take care of her like you took care of Harika.” Jeans said cheerily, despite her words bringing horrible memories rushing back to Ovie.

“I’ll do it,” Ovie said, shaking away those memories. “I’ll do whatever you need. Forever. I’m with you, always.”

“Alright,” Jeans said with a slight laugh. “Thank you, Ovie. You’re really amazing.”

“I guess I should get going then,” Ovie said as Jeans rose to her feet. Without giving her any warning, Jeans suddenly grabbed Ovie, pinning her against the wall as she kissed her.

“Now, there’s one last thing.” Jeans said as she broke the kiss.

“Anything,” Ovie said, almost breathless.

“I actually thought about this problem a few minutes before we got to the cave, so…” Jeans trailed off. Ovie felt Jeans’ grasp on her lessen. She’d felt this before, but she’d never been tricked so easily by Jeans’ powers and could only watch as she faded away.

Ovie slunk back against the wall. Her projection’s…improving…a lot, she thought to herself bitterly.

“Ouch,” someone said behind her. Ovie whirled to see 09 approach.

“What the hell are you still doing here?” Ovie snapped. “How did we not…hear…?”

“I’m pretty sneaky when I want to be,” 09 said. “I’ve been following you for a while. Once Jeans split into two and went another way, I figured I should follow you.”

“She didn’t split into two,” Ovie said. “She can project herself. She’s so good at it it’s practically physical now.”

“Practically?” 09 asked. “Could you not tell when she kissed you? Or are all her kisses that bad that you can’t tell when it’s her or her projection?”

Ovie charged her bloodsaber. When she was mad, really blood boiling mad, she felt her powers come through stronger. Though she lost her time stop power, her new one felt ultra-charged just the same, dripping acid on the ground as soon as her blood went through the veins of the sword.

“I’m giving you one chance,” Ovie said. “Tell me why you followed me. Then turn around and go. And if you don’t do any of that…”

“I wanted to return this.” 09 said, holding up the minivan in a can. “And maybe, I don’t know, let you vent out that your girlfriend just did all that?”

“She didn’t do anything!” Ovie yelled. “Or...anything wrong.”

“Jeans pretended to be here so she could lead you pretty far away from her.” 09 said. “Before making you think you should go complete some nebulous task.”

“That’s…” Ovie started. She yelled in rage as she slashed near 09, sending a line of acid close to her shoulder. The clybrid girl didn’t flinch.

"I think I like acid better than time stop, not gonna lie." 09 said.

“Just go,” Ovie said, her long messy hair blocking her expression for a moment as she turned her head low. “Why won’t you go?”

“I’m…scared what’ll happen to you if I do,” 09 said.

“What’ll happen to me is I will wrangle some Rising Shards losers up, bring them all back to Jeans and watch as she finally lives out her dream.” Ovie said. “I can include you in that, or you can go.”

“You don’t have to do what she tells you, you know?” 09 said. “I think this would be a great time to cut and run. You can go, too.”

“Shut up…” Ovie said, gripping her sword but finding herself unable to strike again or leave.

“I’m not gonna force you,” 09 said. “And I’m not gonna mess with your head like she does. I just want you to hear from an outside perspective that what she’s doing to you isn’t cool. To put it lightly.”

“It’s not…” Ovie said. “I’m the one that’s the screwup. It’s hard to be with someone so legendary, destined for greatness. When you don’t measure up.”

“I’m sure that’s what she tells you,” 09 said. “Between bouts of gaslighting and abuse. Though I guess it’s redundant to say both, huh?”

Something about the word abuse rattled Ovie. She suddenly felt like she was a caged animal in these caves and had to lash out at the bars around her.

“Just shut up,” Ovie snarled. “You idiot clybrid freak! You don’t know anything about me because you don’t know anything about anything!” Ovie stabbed at the ground. “You were probably raised in some freak test tube pod, and then after hours of downloading what you think it means to be a person, you got adopted by that moron Penteldtam, so you know even less about anything since then! You’ll never be anything like Jeans, because she’s going to accomplish everything she’s ever dreamed of and this time I’m going to fix everything! I’m going to do it all so good she won’t have anything bad to say this time! And, I…I’ll be…standing…by her…”

The acid from Ovie’s attack had lanced all around, searing the walls and the ground, but she hadn’t hit 09. Almost out of breath, Ovie looked up at the clybrid’s expression, expecting judgment or a sneering look, something so inspiring of hate she’d be able to easily strike at her, just like long ago. But she only saw pity on 09’s face.

09 got up silently, dropping the minivan in a can in front of Ovie. She walked away as the energy from Ovie’s bloodsaber dissipated, leaving Ovie alone in the darkness, and when she was gone all Ovie could hear was the sizzling sounds of her acid eroding the rocks around her.