NGHI

DO NOT REPLY!!!

This takes place before the two even heard of GHI. The on-the-run outcasts were in desperate need of work, so they sought out a man by the name of Eiyza at his local bar.

It's not like me to enjoy someone's company. I never really liked anyone. That all changed when I first laid eyes on Samantha. Now I don't know if I fell for her alluring charms or not, but I don't care. I don't mind one bit. You see, Samantha might be the thing that I've been trying to find my whole life since my parents died. The dream that I had growing up. The one thing that I've been looking for. Someone to call my family.

Diana sat down on a creaking wooden chair at one of the tables in a bar. The chair actually felt pretty comfortable, but nothing felt more comfortable to her than not being alone. Sitting across from her pretty much became Diana's definition of an older sister...Samantha Douglas-Ottuske.

Samantha decided to come into the bar in style. She wore a elegant, one-shouldered red-velvet dress that only had a beautiful red rose attached to the shoulder. Her hand complemented the dress; a red ribbon tied around her wrist and black heels finished the look up perfectly. The dress tightly clung onto her body and showed off her curves and flawless look. Her hair was well groomed for this occasion; it seemed lifelike and the sun radiated the glow that her hair and her well-taken-care-of skin emanated. She arched her body forward and sat back in her chair, giving any lookers a reason to not turn away. The dress went halfway past her knee, high enough to show off her elegant black heels. The bartender took one glance at Samantha and his eyes popped. Samantha gave a alluring grin and winked back at him, causing his face to flush a bright red.

Diana on the other hand went casual today. She had on a sleeveless, thin blue jacket and let the hood hide behind her long brown hair. Her perfectly flawless skin only showed through her face and hands since everything else was covered up. Faded blue jeans clung onto her body along with a white tank top that tightened and easily showed off her curves as well. The Vans she wore completed the casual attire and made her seem like a plus one to Samantha.

Diana didn't notice Samantha winking at the bartender or the guys giving Samantha googly-eyes since she was caught in her diary. Writing away all the adventures she shared with her sister, Diana couldn't even see the frown that appeared on Samantha's face. To break Diana's concentration, her sister's soft hand gently landed on the hand that scribbled away, causing the teen to stop in her tracks. Diana didn't glance up, but she didn't write either; she simply began proofreading what she wrote as she addressed her sister. "Mm?"

"Do you have to keep writing in that book all day? We're in a bar, you know." Samantha moved the hand with the wrist ribbon from Diana's and over to the girl's chin. Using her finger, she lightly tugged Diana's head up from her diary. It worked and now Diana met her sister's eyes.

"This passes by the time," Diana explained. "Besides, bars aren't really my thing. I can't make googly-eyes at the bartender like you can." Even though Diana didn't see it, she knew her sister pretty well to guess that she would try something like that. Even though they had a mission, Diana knew that Samantha would enjoy every minute that she could. Her suspicion was proven right when Samantha countered with a pout.

"Come on Di, loosen up. You know you want to." Samantha gave the girl a warming grin as her finger moved from her chin. The hand now sat against Diana's cheek as she spoke. "Look, I know you're not a fan of bars, but you're going to have fun whether you like it or not."

Samantha's other hand drummed against the table as she took a look over at the open diary. In an instant, the diary was in her hands, closed, and away from Diana's reach. "Hey," Diana protested as she took a look at the book that was out of her grasp. Diana knew that she wouldn't be getting it anytime soon, so she left the protest at that. "Books are not fun," Samantha explained. "Now go over there to that cute bartender and get us a couple of drinks."

Diana sighed in defeat as she clutched the hand her sister placed on her cheek. She took it off and held onto it as she stood up from her seat. Diana's hand slowly left her sister's and instead dangled next to her jeans. The girl approached the bartender and took a seat at one of the red round chairs, skimming the shelf behind him for a drink that Samantha might enjoy. She seemed puzzled once she realized that she never seen any of these drinks before in her life. The only thing that stood out from the rest was the whiskey. Diana remembered the drink all too well. Whiskey to her is another word for bad memories. Going into a little trance as she thought of the events that led up to here, the bartender noticed her confusion and spoke up after giving a scrawny man a glass of champagne. "Ey, you need help?"

"Yeah, I need something that'll satisfy my slutty sister and me," Diana answered with a fake smile, a smile that she's known and used for so long. A smile that many people have been given by her. In fact, Samantha was one of the few people who had ever seen a real genuine smile from the young girl. It isn't something to be proud of, but it's something that her sister should take into account if she ever questioned if Diana loved her or not.

"Ah, you're talking about the lady in red, huh?" The bartender took a small glance over at the red doll who seemed to be in a deep conversation with a slightly-older and bearded man to the left of her. Running a hand through her hair, Samantha knew that this man was just nothing more than easy fodder. Diana let out a disappointed sigh that came heavier than she thought. "Yep, that's her."

The interaction between her sister and the bushy-mouthed man didn't surprise her. What did was a masculine hand that rested on her head, causing her to turn back towards the bartender. He had been holding a small shot glass in front of the girl; he took his hand off of her head once she saw the glass. "You're gonna need this one, kiddo."

Diana got ready to spit out a rude remark regarding him putting a hand on her, but she let it slide once he offered the shot glass. It was like he read her mind; Diana needed a little reliever if she was going to put on a show for her sister. Taking the glass, Diana looked into the clear liquid that sat inside for a moment before downing in all. It took about two seconds for her to process the weird and new taste before she looked up at the charming man. She had to admit, he was kind of cute. Another reason for her to not mind him placing a hand on her head.

Diana never bothered to get a good look at the guy at first, but she now glanced over to see the well-buttoned red vest the man wore to complement his unbuttoned black dress shirt with thin red stripes. That, and the painted red nails matched his ruffled red hair. For some reason, a weird red line went across the pale man's neck, but Diana didn't mind it. "You got any more," she asked. The man shook his head.

"Sorry, but I don't want you passing out on your first time here. How about something easy?"

Diana didn't like being babied, but she figured that the bartender knew more about her drinking limits that she would. Nodding her head, she accepted a bottle of Peach Schnapps and thanked the man for giving it to her for free. Rejoining her sister, the bearded man laughed. "So is this the lady ye spoke of," the bearded man asked. Samantha winked at Diana before giving a giggle to the man, followed by a nod. The man laughed even harder before turning to the young girl.

"Um, what's going on," Diana asked as she set the bottle down on the middle of the table. Samantha let the man respond. "We're thinking of going on a little adventure, see? I have a pickup truck around back that'll take ya to the train station that you two are headed for."

The man seemed shady to Diana, but Samantha seemed to trust him. Either that, or she put him under a spell. Being with her sister for three days now, Diana knew that she had a knack for convincing people to help them whether it was a ride, directions, advice, or even monetarily. Diana figured that she had a magical power just like her. In the end, Diana decided to put aside and doubts and trust the man as well. It wasn't like her to trust people quickly, but following Samantha's judgement never bit her in the butt yet, so she became on board regardless of any arguments that came to mind. She hoped that Samantha was right....

"What the heck, why not," Diana responded after thinking for a few seconds. A bright smile appeared on her sister's face and the bearded man gave a laugh as he took out the empty glass he had on his table. "How about ye fill 'er up," he asked. Diana popped opened the bottle and filled up the glass like the man wanted, giving him room to laugh again before gulping the glass down. That's when she realized that she forgot to get a glass for her sister. She felt like an idiot now for forgetting that, but feeling like an idiot turned to feeling surprised when the bartender came over with three glasses. He pulled up a chair to the girl's table and got comfortable.

"Uh, shouldn't you be watching the-"

Diana stopped speaking when she noticed how the bar was mysteriously empty all of a sudden. No traces of people being here could be found; not an empty glass to be seen on the counter, floor, or the tables. The place was spotless too. The only people in the building right now were the bartender, the bush-faced man, Samantha, and herself. The four were alone. "Well okay..."

"Glad to see that business is booming Eiyza," Samantha teased him, causing the man to crack a smile. Diana's eyes widened. Whoa, this dude was our contact the whole time?! I didn't even guessed that we'd be speaking with a bartender. Either that, or this guy can live up to his disguise well...

"I've been better," he admitted before turning to the bearded man. "Who's he?" Eiyza had a lit cigarette in his mouth and kept his arms crossed as he took a look over to the man that Samantha had been enticing. The man gave the best bow he could in a chair before speaking.

"Timmy Garfunkle, but my friends call me Pearl or Mr. G," he introduced. Samantha let out a cute laugh when he gave his silly nicknames. Eiyza seemed a little uneasy towards the man, but he knew that he meant well if he was going to help the two ladies. That, and he most likely wouldn't try anything with two super-beings. Eiyza remembered a pickup truck parked out back and realized that the only ones here were the girls and Pearl. It didn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together.

"Okay Pearl, I guess you're the one giving these two a ride to the train station then. I guess that saves me a lot of gas money," he joked, causing Pearl to laugh. Diana didn't know how much Eiyza knew about their plans, but it didn't matter either way. She just didn't want the man to require more for his assistance. She plastered on another fake smile as she watched the two men converse.

"Yes sir," Pearl replied. "We were about to take off right now."

Eiyza nodded, turning his attention to Samantha now. "I got the map that you wanted," he said as he took out a rolled up paper. Handing it to her, he explained how it was a map to a safe route in Conlis with their destination circled with a black pen. "It took me a fortune to find one that led to Rotundus Tech, but nevertheless, I got it."

"Thanks Eiyza," Samantha said with gratitude as she took the map and gave it to Diana. "Di, you have a jacket, so you hold it." Diana couldn't refuse if she wanted to, so she obediently tucked the map away and remained quiet throughout the discussion. She watched as her sister placed a gentle hand on the bartender's shoulder and it made the little teenager gag internally. If she wanted to see something like this, she would've stayed at her foster home in Nacros. If Diana said something about Samantha's loose ways, she wouldn't even be able to open her mouth anymore. Not after what her sister would do to her. In the three days that she spent with her, Diana knew some of the lengths the woman was willing to go to in order for things to go her way. Samantha was also someone who'd never tolerate disrespect. Diana found that out too.

"You two come back in one piece, alright? Don't forget that you still have my end of the deal that you have to hold up to," Eiyza informed. He had a slick tone to his words and spoke as if they might not stand a chance in Conlis. Diana grinned at the thought of them not being able to handle Rotundus Tech.

"Have you met us," Diana asked with the grin still intact. That sparked a grin from Eiyza and even ones from the other two. There was imminent silence among them before a goofy chuckle came from Pearl. The four laughed as they stayed for half an hour to down the remaining contents of the whiskey. Eiyza wished them well as Samantha, Diana, and Pearl headed out back and piled into the truck. Diana sat in the back of the pickup truck while Samantha sat in the passengers seat, no doubt continuing to work her charms on the poor man. Although Samantha still had her book, Diana now had time to finally think on the events that continued so far. She thought of what to put next in her diary as the truck drove off, heading to the train station.

It's been three days since I left my foster home and began my travels with Samantha, and those three days felt like hell on Earth. Escaping Nacros took a day on it's own, and it ended up having me listed as a wanted woman, though no one really cared enough to come after me yet. At that time however, my nerves were on fire and I constantly hid with Samantha from authorities or any shady characters that we felt were dangerous.

The truck was now the only thing riding down a narrow road towards the station. The other vehicles remained in Civitas, driving about the big place while the truck had one destination in mind. Pearl was able to drive faster now, so wind automatically attacked Diana's hair, letting it flow beautifully through the wind. This only made the girl think deeper.

Three days of running. Three days of hiding. Three days of fighting. Three days of surviving.

People would laugh if I ever told them about these past three days. They'll say that three days would mean nothing, and that the full brunt of life doesn't kick in that fast. The thing is, these three days defined what my life is, my purpose, and my hopes and dreams. All of it simply in the a short time span. No one would believe me when I tell them that these three days mean everything to me. Right now, Eiyza, Pearl, and Samantha are my only friends in this world. They're the only people that I can trust to protect me. They're the only people that I would want to protect. To make a decent amount of money and have food, shelter, and water, Samantha and I are helping Eiyza with dangerous tasks. This one is a freebie...something that Samantha had been talking about for quite some time. Eiyza found a way into Conlis safely, so we're not wasting a single minute of it. Today was a day to relax, but tomorrow will most likely be the biggest hell that I'll ever come across. There's nothing for me to worry about though...I have friends on my side that I can rely on. I just hope that they stick around for the long ride that we'll be taking.

Three days. Three long days. Three days in hell. Hell is what defines my new life right now, but I wouldn't regret having this life for a second. This hell is what makes me feel alive and free. But who knew that hell would be this cold?

Pearl's goofy chuckle could be heard miles away as the truck roared on towards the train station.