NO Faults…?

All elements of Mystere and Kooza belong to Cirque Du Soleil. Storyline inspired by ALAN WAKE with just a splash of the game CATHERINE coming up!

My breathing came out in heavy pants…upset and frustrated, I had just repeated my tale to the REST of the "MdlK Refugees," or so the pickpocket, Brian Le Petit, the King and his lackeys, who I learned now were named Side and Kick, had decided to name our little group, in the snack-bar hall of the Mystere theater…the ONLY safe place OFF-STAGE we could reach from the stage…

"I-I wrote it…it's my fault," I repeated, my voice in a distressed, slightly raspy whisper.

"It's NOT your fault Guardian! How many times have I said this?" Moha-Samedi's voice cut through my self-pity-guilt as he bent on a knee beside me, hands on my arms, making me look him in the eye…eyes which, I had noticed, has morphed from brown to violet (a side-effect from his Solstrom mergence with the Trickster, perhaps?) and now gazed directly into mine as he stated, quite boldly…

"IT. IS. NOT. YOUR. FAULT!"

"He's right, Guardian of Mystere and Kooza," the Trickster chimed from behind me, hands on my shoulders in comfort, "It is NO FULT of YOURS…it is that TEMPTRESS who tried to play us all…"

"But HOW? I mean…HOW is she even able to DO THIS?" Trapeze asked, showing confidence in STILL balancing on her trapeze (Still recovering from having been stripped away from it for so long) yet having a voice filled with fear and anxiety, "I mean…she DID trick YOU…and HIM (pointing to Samedi) AND ALL OF US-!"

"CALM DOWN trapeze," Trickster said, "just because she tricked us BEFORE doesn't mean we can't get the upper hand on her NOW…."

"Yes, but HOW?" Brian asked, wanting to get a word in, "She could be ANYWHERE now! And what could WE possibly have to REPEL HER? …LIKE….FAR AWAY…FOREVER?"

"We could arm ourselves with a CATAPULT!" Kick, the roundish lackey of Kooza's King stated;

"OH! Or a CANNON!" Side, the bald-headed lackey chimed in…

"OOOOOOO! A CANNON-CATAPULT! How EXCITING!" the king obnoxiously cackled…

"NO! NO Catapult, NO cannons….NO…uh," Moha froze, thinking, "Yeah...no…WHATEVER! NONE OF THAT!"

"Moha-Samedi, CLAM" Trickster chimed.

"I AM CALM!" Moha practically burst out before sighing and raggedly laying his head on my shoulder…I sighed and playfully pet him on the shoulder…but when Trickster did the same, Moha gave him a look…and so did Trapeze. THIS was going to be a LONG meeting….

Or so I thought until we were interrupted by a knock on the door!

"OH-! Is that…another survivor?" Moha asked, sounding almost hopeful…

"COULD be…" Said the Trickster, sounding cautious

"Well WHAT AR YOU WAITING FOR Friend? OPEN THE DOOR! CHOP-CHOP!" Pickpocket clapped and snapped his fingers, regarding me like a servant.

"PICKPOCKET! Leave the Guardian alone!" Trapeze snapped, clearly the only one who could control Pickpocket...FACE-TO-FACE, anyhow…

Either way, I WAS going to open the door anyway, as I got up and was already making my way over…

"Hello?" I called through the door…no answer…

"WHO'S THERE…?" STILL no answer..

"….FRIEND OR FOE?"

…the silence was both eerie…and annoying…so I decided to just LOOK…

I opened the door…..AND…

NOTHING…NO ONE…

At least...not on THAT side-

"HELLO."

The yelps and screams of shock and horrified surprise rang out behind me-!

And when I whipped around, SHE was staring me in the face…

Sorry these chapters have been kinda short folks…wanna kinda move along the action SOON…ANYHOO! Thanks to Thalia-Dawnbringer from deviantart for the names for the King of Kooza's lackeys! :"D