Figments of Imagination, or Sakkaland

Chapter Six

After several long days of revising...

The Sakka repeatedly banged her head against the wall, a thud accentuating every word she spoke. "Why... can't... I... just... edit... the... dang... story?" Blood began to stain the wall. She began to scream. To drown out the horrible sound, the Sakka turned on loud Evanescence music and rocked out, tossing her head until she collapsed onto the ground in a mangled heap of blood, tears and limbs.

After several MORE long days of revising...

"Okay. I think I'm done." Holding a perfectly pristine manuscript, the Sakka reread it three times, searching for the smallest error. Had she misspelled 'sculpture'? Nope. Had she made a mistake that would disgust and disappoint the gods of grammar? Never. Everything was immaculate. "I think I like this," she whispered. Then, she reread the newest chapter, the one where the characters all met the Sakka for the first time...

--

Heads turned. The fight stopped. Silence fell. Xal had never heard the voice, but she knew it demanded attention. She looked at the speaker with wide eyes. It was the Sakka...

"My god," whispered the silver-haired teen.

Everything seemed almost completely paralyzed after that, until Jade spoke up. "Last time I saw you, your hair was blue-black. Now it's red."

"Thank you for the careful analysis of the color of my hair. Now, I believe that we need to have peace all around. Eh, Jaegar?" Walking over to the silver-haired teen, she poked him on the nose. "And you. Darren. For shame, child. For shame." She glanced at the redhead who Jaegar had been locked in battle with.

Jaegar froze at her touch, eyes wide and unblinking.

Darren gulped and backed up a little. "Sure. Of course." He, in a contrast to Jaegar, blinked rapidly.

Xalvadora looked at the Sakka, then at Jaegar, nearly paralyzed in what she could only guess was pure terror. She eased forward a little in the crowd, wondering if every time the Sakka was here, it was this exciting. Taking in a deep breath, she focused before saying, "Miss?"

The Sakka looked at her with dark brown eyes. "Miss? You don't have to call me 'miss'."

"Well, um... Sakka person... I'm new here, kind of. I've just recently been bleeped. And... uhhh... how does this work, really?" Xalvadora coughed into her sleeve.

The Sakka grinned and adjusted her black-rimmed glasses. "I talk to you people, and you all go, 'pick me! pick me!' and I pick one of you. If you have some specific reason to come back, make it very clear, because sometimes I pick no one at all."

"My family?" Xalvadora, realizing how stupid it was to say this, stared at her feet. Everyone here had families. And if they didn't, they probably deserved to go back even more.

"Your family is fine without you. Their memories have been wiped of your existence. They don't remember you, so they can't suffer for your disappearance. Kapeesh?"

Xalvadora nodded pathetically, looking down at the floor. She had the strange sensation in her tear ducts that suggested that she go to the other room to cry. Inching away, she dashed to her room before anyone could notice she was gone. To her surprise, Jade was waiting there already. Odd... she thought she'd been there the entire time...

"Hey." Xalvadora sat down on her bed. "Why aren't you out there, trying to be recognized?"

Jade sighed. "I don't think it's much of a use trying any more. I'm positive I'll never go back into my story. I just don't fit there any more. In the library, I read what's going on in the tale, and... You get it. I'm never gonna be used again."

"Maybe I'll never be used again. You've been here fifty years and the Sakka didn't bat an eyelash when she saw you. She barely answered my question. It's as if I don't have a story any more."

"Yeah, well, life stinks." Jade grimaced, then corrected herself. "Never mind. Porridge stinks."

"I like porridge."

"After fifty years you won't like porridge."

"Probably true." Xalvadora collapsed back onto her bed, hands behind her head. "What's up with that Jaegar guy? Is he just..."

"He's only been here fourteen years. In other words, he got bleeped VERY close to the time you did. He still clams up every time the Sakka's here. Poor guy. He still has some hope. If only he didn't have such a bad temper." Jade sighed and pulled the bow from her hair, letting it fall to the ground. "The Sakka tends to bring back male characters she finds attractive."

"That's disgusting! She's only thirteen, and they're... how old's Seth?"

"Nineteen."

Ignoring the fact that there was a five-year difference between the ages of Seth and Jade, Xalvadora continued her speech. "How can she feel that way about her characters?"

"She makes them to be however she wants them to be. Most of the time, that's drop-dead gorgeous. And that's what worries me. She's had her eye on Seth for a very long time. She likes him. A lot. Seth is her favorite name in the whole world. And if Seth goes back to a story, he'll forget my existence, and fall in love with some other girl. But I'll remember him. And it'll hurt. And I'll have no one."

"There are loads of other fish in the sea!"

"Yeah, right. There are only about three hundred deleted characters. And I know them all by name."

She opened the door and pointed out. Xalvadora, sitting up, looked out as a purple-haired girl passed by. Jade spoke expressionlessly.

"Ditei. Age 18. She's been here for 74 years."

Another passed, a green-haired elf with freckles and pale skin.

"Sephira. Age 112. 16, in human years. She's been here 68 years."

As a short, curly-haired man stepped by, Jade opened her mouth to describe this one as well. Xalvadora interrupted her.

"I get it. There are no fish in the sea. Because you know them all, and he's the only one that's right. The question is, is there any chance she'll bring him back to his story?"

Jade groaned. "She could put him in any story! She could just stuff him into any role she felt like, just so she gets to see him! Because he's her absolute favorite bleepie."

Interrupting their conversation echoed the voice of the Sakka, a loud, cheerful voice that did not seem to fit the evil with which Jade described her. "Report to the Lion Room to hear my decision."

"Let's go." Jade stood, dragging Xal to her feet as well. "Wanna see if Seth'll be here in the morning?"

--End Chapter Five--

A/N: Thank you especially Twist130 for being my most dedicated fan! Also, thanks Firefly Orain Xi-Wang and MagnolianWolf for being the family that I can tie down and force to read my stories. If you haven't read this yet, be afraid. Because I'll make you.