Chapter: 6

S                               Chapter: 6
A
V                                      Keep your head down and you
R                                         won't get noticed
I
N



I knew Zaydie had left her rooms. I knew she had gone wandering, and I knew that for a time she stayed in the entry way. [Come on Zaydie! I'm a Sheiv as well! I can't help it if I can sense everything that's going on around me. So no I am not a stocker!]
Why? I had no idea.
She also wouldn't tell me either.

The next morning we reported for duty bright and early.
We slipped in silently and stood behind the throne where Valadamir sat.
He turned his head slightly to see Zaydie. Not me, [like I care] but Zaydie.
should have known.
I let out a small sigh and grasped my hands behind my back.
"Well glad you could join me. Though I was beginning to wonder if you were going to get here." He said.
Zaydie dipped her head.
"My apologies my lord. I was... late getting up." she responded.
"hmm..." He rose from his chair and started to walk out of the room.
"Well come along. We need to work on your clothes."
Zaydie glanced down at her usual uniform.
We took a few quick steps to keep up with the President.
"Nothing personal but I can't bare to be seen with such..." He paused.
"ugly people?" Zaydie suggested with a dark tone in her voice. I took a side-ways glance at her.
She's going to be the death of me.

Valadamir looked at her for a moment, then walked through the doorway.
"That's not what I meant. I simply meant that it would be best for you to change into something a little more... attractive."
Ok, I did not like that word.
"Now come on. The wardrobe room is this way. You should find something you like." he said opening a door at the end of a hall.
Zaydie paused, but when he gestured for her to go ahead, she stepped through.
Valadamir looked at me a minute then smirked.
My hands clenched into fists at my side. but lucky for me Valadamir moved into the wardrobe room.
"You have...got to be kidding me." Zaydie mumbled. She took the words out of my mouth!

The whole room, which was a considerably large room, was full of just of clothes!
Tons, and tons, and tons of clothes!! this is insane!!! Who needs this many clothes?!
"it's quiet a lot don't you think?" Valadamir asked. I nodded.
"yeah! do we get to pick anything?" Zaydie asked. Iyiyi girls!
The President nodded. She smiled and looked around.
"Oh this is going to be good." She said, and soon she started rushing up and down isles of this massive wardrobe looking from left to right, muttering to herself all the time.
"Keep in mind that it has to be something you can fight in!" I shouted after her.
"Yeah yeah. What do you know Sav? your a guy." She hollered back.
I shook my head.
Lucky for me, the President didn't push me into getting a new outfit.
But it took a good several hours for Zaydie to finally pick out something.

After showing us several things that just didn't work for her, she finally decided on one.
stepping out of the dressing rooms she looked completely different.
She still had on black combat boots, but these ones were taller then the ones she had before. They came halfway up her legs actually. and everything she wore was...well mostly black.
She had on a dress. [of all things in that closet!] yes it was a dress.
a rather short one though. It came above her knees in fact, it came way above her knees, but then I noticed that she had shorts on, which came down close to her knees. [so technically it's a long shirt]
The shirt was black [again] it had a row of buttons going all the way down the front, the bottom flowed out more then the top. The top was loose around the neck, it was short sleeves, and those were loose as well. She had a silver sash knotted around her waist. One thing I noticed about the long shirt thingy, was that on the left side, starting from the bottom of the shirt and working its way up to the middle of her stomach, was a vine, several for that fact, all twisting together, stitched in silver, and sprouting out in several places, were rosebuds.

For a moment, Valad and I just stared at her. She bit on her thumb nail nervously and she let her brown hair cover half her face.
"What do you think?" she asked quietly. Which snapped us out of our daze. "To formal? or to fancy?"
we both shook our heads and nodded.
"You look great." I said first.
"Fantastic. It's quiet stunning actually." Valadamir added. A bashful smile crossed her face.
"It feels... weird not to have such heavy clothes on, I honestly feel like I'm underdressed or-oops." she put her hands to her mouth. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that. My bad."
I tried not to laugh at her.
Valadamir waved the comment away.
"But that'll make you all the more lighter, which makes you much more flexible so you can maneuver around easier."
Zaydie nodded slightly. Then she went back into the dressing room, and came out a moment latter she came back with her ureci strapped to her legs.
"Alright. Good to go." she said placing her hands on her hips.
The President nodded and we started off.

I fell in step with Zaydie easily. Leaning over I made sure to keep my voice to a whisper.
"What were you doing up last night so late?" I asked. Zaydie didn't get the chance to answer.
"yes please do tell. I would like to know." Valadamir said suddenly. Zaydie shot me a death stare, then turned back to him.
"I-uh... I couldn't sleep sir." she answered.
"Oh. So what were you doing in the kitchen?"
"Getting a cup of tea sir."
He nodded. Stopping suddenly he turned and looked at her.
"And then why did you stop at the top of the stairs in the entrance room?"
"Uh... I was-um stairgazing sir. I've never seen them through a glass roof before." She stuttered. The President looked at her for a moment before moving on down more winding hallways.
"Have you ever heard the myths about this place Zaydie?" He asked. I saw her shake her head. [though he couldn't so I have no idea why she did it]
"No sir. I don't usually have time for myths, I've always been... busy training." she answered.
"Ah well then, I suppose you don't know about the ghost that haunts this house do you?"
"No sir."
"well I guess I'll have to educate you both...But let's take it out to the garden."

We then headed to the garden. I was surprised when I saw the sun beaming down on us all bright and happy. The Creator sure had created a strange, strange place.
Valad lead us to a gazebo and he sat down on the bench that ran all the way around it. Gesturing to the bench, Zaydie sat down beside him.
"It is said that this house is haunted. By a ghost of a young boy. This young boy was said to be one of the Presidential family's own sons. In fact he was a twin to one of the other boys." I crossed my arms over my chest and moved my weight to one foot. I noticed Zaydie messing with the hem of her shirt. What was she up to?
"The ghost is lonely, and he's always looking for company. However, his company usually doesn't survive the third meeting.
But it's not very often that he finds someone that he enjoys talking to. It's usually a girl. But not just any girl, this girl has to be special. She's self-less, loving, and sees the good in everyone no matter who they are.
But like I said, the poor girl is unlucky, because by the third meeting, she'll disappear. No on knows where, or what happens to her.
So, Zaydie,... I must warn you not to go wandering around at night. But,  if you do, it's at your own risk. Just... stay out of the shadows."
Zaydie looked like someone had just slapped her across the face. Her gaze was out in the gardens, though, I have a feeling that she wasn’t here.
"You forget that I'm a Shievan. I have tricks up my sleeve that could stump anyone, even a ghost." The moment of shock was long gone off her face. Now there was a sly smile on her small thin lips. I shook my head and looked around the garden.
Valadamir laughed.
"your very cocky Zaydie. Very much so... hmm... well come on then. We have things to do today."

                                                 ++++

There wasn't really anything interesting that went on that day. It was just from one meeting to the next, one right after another.
Zaydie seemed a little bit quiet. Which got me wondering.

"Are you ok?" I asked, coming up behind Zaydie and putting some food on my tray.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
I gave her a look.
"What? I'm just a little tired that's all." Her eyes made a sweep around the dinning room. Even though there was large windows and the sunlight fell through it, there were still a considerable amount of shadows in the room.
She marched off and slid onto a bench.
Popping open the can of soda she sipped it, then just stared out the window.
I sighed and sat down across from her.
"What's wrong Zaydie? really. I have always been able to read you like an open book, so I know that something's wrong."
Zaydie sighed and started to mess with her hair.
"I guess it's just that the President's ghost story is messing with my head." She said quietly. Her head hung slightly, but her eyes were on the shadows. "I guess I've always slightly been afraid of the dark. Half my life has been covered in shadows. Monsters jump out at me and grab me from all different directions, I found it hard to cope with. But that only made my faith stronger.
But sometimes... the monsters still scare me."
I honestly, had no idea what to say.
"But, now I know, that monsters aren't the only things that hide in the shadows." She said mysteriously with a smile.
"Um..."
She laughed at my response.
"Never mind me. I'll be fine. I'm off to training, keep yourself out of trouble."
She then picked up her tray and dumped it in the trash can.
She hadn't eaten a thing.
"And keep your head down! don't do anything stupid." I shouted after her. She turned on her heel and stuck out her tongue while she walked backwards.
I chuckled.
Show off.