Chapter Four: The Fourth Rule Broken

          Kari

    I woke up, realizing where I was and more importantly, who I was.I looked down at my hands, shackled and bruised. 

   "Oh Alex.... you knew I could get out of them any time, but yet somehow I'm still here, still waiting." I said, standing up. I looked at the dusty old temple. Then my eyes widened in shock. It was daylight! I glanced at the body of Alex, he was slumped in a chair, looking completely dead. 

   "What's wrong with you? Your supposed to be out of the dark room by the time the sun rises!" I said, mostly talking to myself. 

      "Why did you take that risk, splitting your conscience into seven parts? No sorcerer has done that before..." I muttered, again, to myself. "And why me, the one who despises you? I'm supposed to be your enemy, the one who's supposed to hunt you down for your 'immense' power, yet here I am? Why? Worrying about you...." I growled angrily, stalking back in forth in front of Alex's body, my chains jangling behind me. "Maybe you lost a part of your soul, and that is why you can't get back...." I mulled it over. I thought of what it would be like, to lose a part of my soul, a part of myself..... and I shuddered.

      "I helped you escape from the Strays one time because I felt SORRY for you, it doesn't mean I'm your friend!" I growled at him. "Look at me, talking to myself because I stay here, chained up at night." I said. "Willingly....." I seemed in a daze, and it was either the blood rushing to my cheeks or coming out of my wrists, but I sat on the ground suddenly. Wear a skirt, father says. Yeah, I would've tripped over it by now..."How does he keep asking me to do this... every time he just wants to loose himself in his head, take a big risk of strays both in his head and out.... why should I take this risk?!?!?" I said. I struggled to get the shackles off.

       "Your right. You are taking a big risk." Said a voice from behind and I turned around. Alex, looking gaunt and tired but alive, was looking at her sadly. "You don't have to wear those shackles, you know, you won't leave."
       "Yes, I do!" I retorted, and Alex rolled his green-blue eyes, grinning at me. "No, you insisted to wear those, after I convinced you to keep watch. 'I might try to run away.' you told me. 'I'm a completely different person at night.' you said." Alex told me, winking. "But hey, I am too. I'm a lifeless body at night." he said jokingly.
      "It shouldn't be amusing to you. It's almost tearing you apart." I shot back. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. But this worlds no fun. In my split state, I can travel anywhere in time, since I'm not really there so it doesn't change anything! Wouldn't that be cool, to see years into the future, and years into the past? Yeah, there are some downs to it, considering the fact that some of my pieces are girls..."
      "You can be... girlish sometimes." I said, and he shot a glare at me, and I looked away. "Yeah, maybe." Alex said. "But I could hear what you were saying, though. You don't have to stay, Kari." 

        When I didn't say anything, he spoke up again. "I did have a part of me missing. What you see is only six. Lexus is missing." He said. 

         "What happened?!?" I automatically said, standing up. "That's the thing, I can't remember. But I could probably still see her if she's not apart of me, but the thing is, she could be in any time period." He tried to stand up as well, but looked like he was about to fall over, so I caught him. "Surprisingly, your not heavy." I said with narrowed eyes, and he just smiled at me. Leading him over to a pillar for support, I started ranting. "You're in no condition to go anywhere! Only being six sevenths of you isn't enough!" He just continued smiling at me. "Look at you, worrying about me." He looked at my wrists, and the shackles were gone. "Still here, then?" I looked at my feet and sighed. "I should get back..." I said. "If it's best." Alex said, looking nonchalant.
      "Why so reluctant, though?" he asked. Casting me a worried look, he reached for my hand..... and I flinched away.
      "No. I can't...." I said. "I'll meet you before nightfall, Alex." I said in a neutral voice, and walked out of the  temple. "Too long to wait...."

      Alex

    I watched as Kari left, feeling disappointed. No. I can't.... I shut my eyes, trying to stop the words from bouncing around in my head. I tried to focus on something else.
    "King Waru is on my tail... with all the Strays working for him...." I said. "It'll be hard to hide... good thing I hatched a plan.... or at least the Lee part of me did." I grinned to myself. "So by nightfall, I'm gonna catch a stray....." I said to myself, and still thought I was crazy. I mean, I could die...

      "What would it matter? Then Waru wouldn't be able to 'harness my power' or whatever. It's not extra power that allows me to do this. It's boredom..." I chuckled, but it was hollow, and it came back to me in the same tone as it echoed off the dusty walls. "Life can be so short and boring. I mean, we have a longer lifespan than humans but it we're not even allowed to interact with them!" I growled. "We just have to walk around and watch."
         "Kari understands how I feel, I know she does." I said, waiting for night to swallow the daylight faster.....