Chapter 2 – Side trip

The young woman's long blue wavy hair flew wildly behind her as she dashed through the trees. She was a blur of bright colors, with her light blue long sleeve jacket with light green trim and swirls on it, a red single strapped shirt underneath that had a purple star on it. Her shorts were denim with purple pockets sticking out, her light blue and green striped socks almost meeting them but stopping at her knees. Oddly enough her boots were just plain black. Her clothes weren't the only strange things about her. She had long pierced tapered ears sticking out of her wild hair and oddly bright silver eyes with gold flecks in them. Running next to her is a young man with blue eyes and sandy blonde hair mostly hidden by an orange toboggan with a green stripe going around the bottom of it. His bright orange Jesus fish shirt has the sleeves ripped off and contrasts greatly with his tan cargo shorts. It's hard to imagine how he can run that fast with his flip-flops on. Along side them was what appeared to be a glowing green orb. But upon closer inspection, it was a male fairy with bright neon green wings that matched his hair. His light lavender eyes are a suspiring difference among all the green that the fairy had on. His shorts appear to be small leave sewn together.

"You'll never catch us you stupid soldiers," A man ahead of them yelled.

Narrowing her eyes, the teen redoubles her effort to get closer to the idiot who had just given away his position. Noticing that the girl had picked up the pace, the guy tried to keep up only to trip over a tree root that his flip-flops had gotten caught in. The six foot two flip-flop wearing idiot tumbled over taking the girl down with him. Sighing the fairy slowed down and just sat patiently on a tree branch close by.

"How many times have I told you to invest in a PROPER PAIR OF SHOES" the girl semi-screams at the boy on top of her.

Shrugging the guy roles off her. As a much of soldiers surrounds them, the girl sits up and yells at them, "What are you looking at idiots! Go after them." Pointing in the direction the jester's were still running. "We'll catch up. Get going."

The soldiers scramble after the jesters, while the young woman pushes herself off the ground, into a standing position. Huffing, "Xavior, when are you ever going wear something other then those blasted flip-flops?" she asked the man on the ground. He simply shrugged and got up also.

"When you stop looking like a bag of skittles, Lilly." He grinned.

Rolling his eyes the fairy got of the branch and flew over to the bickering couple. He sat down Indian style on Xavior's toboggan.

"Hey there little fella." Xavior said trying to look at the small fairy on his head.

The fairy just shook his head, knowing that it was pointless to even try and reply, for no one would hear.

"Ron fly ahead and check on those idiots." Lilly commanded. With a salute, Ron took off.

"Shall we my lady?" Xavior asked with a little bow towards Lilly.

Laughing, she faked doing a curtsy "We shall."

With that the two took off.

"How was I to know you spoke the language of amour?" Asked the handsome stranger. He had sat up and was rubbing his stinging red face. Cleo huffed and ignored him as she went and helped up Liz, whom had barrel rolled in and hit the wall on the other side. Liz got up wobbly and let Cleo help her to side of cart, opposite of where the man was sitting, and sat her down in the corner. She sat down a few feet a way and took a moment to examine the man sharing the cart with them. His shaggy blonde hair framed the top of his face where his maroon red like eyes seemed to stare straight through someone. Two cuffs and an x adorned his right ear. While light purple button down shirt adorned his trim figure, revealing his chest. A pair of black slacks hugged his hips and ran the length of his longs legs where a pair of casual black shoes adorned his feet. Hmmm he is quite a catch. And I probably smell and look like crap. Cleo thought while inspecting herself. The man looked over to the girls and noticed Cleo staring at him. Grinning he walks over and sits down a few feet in front of her. Cleo was broke out her thoughts by the sound of movement, looking up the man is sitting in front of her. She narrows her eyes in suspicion at him.

"If you're done checking me out, I'd like to formal introduce myself to you lovely ladies." He said with a smirk. Cleo's eyebrow started twitching and Liz grinned.

"I am Leonardo Whowood, but please call me Leo." he stated with a charming smile, "And who might you gorgeous ladies be?" he said in a flirtatious.

"Elizabeth Marie Baker." Liz stated sitting up straighter in her corner.

Leo looks at her, "A lovely name, to go with an equally beautiful woman."

"Thanks, my boyfriend thinks so too."

Deflating a bit, he turns to Cleo, "And you're name, beautiful?"

"Cleopatra Rae Papdopoulos and keep your stupid opinions to yourself, you creepy vampire." Cleo growled her patience with Leo gone.

Staring at her in wonder, "How did you know that I was a vampire?"

"Like I have to tell you."

"Well, you are just as smart as you are stunning." Leo suddenly whispered in her ear, partly leaning over her. As quickly as he had appeared he was on the floor, curled up into a ball, groaning.

"Was that necessary?" Liz asked while examining her nails.

"Creep had it coming." Cleo said not caring.

The trio jumped off the train and started stretching their stiff limbs.

"I am so glad to be off that horrible thing." Cleo grumbled. "Where are we?"

"The train was to stop somewhere outside of Nashville. It's nightfall and we should find you lovely ladies a place to stay for the night." Leo stated walking away from the group and towards the lights of a city glowing in the distance. Liz shrugged and started following him on her staff. The pair had started talking on the ride and she felt that he would be a great help to their cause. I don't think he would harm us…. Not that he actually could. I believe I can use him to our advantage and lord knows we need all the help we can get. Cleo stared after Liz as if she had grown an extra head.

"Do you think it's a smart idea following this…...freak?" She whispered in Liz's ear after catching up.

Liz rolled her at the statement and just nodded. Huffing Cleo just went with it. After walking for about thirty minutes the trio make it to outskirts of town, where a small dingy hotel was. Leo went up to the door and opened it; he then motioned for the girls to go in first. Liz hopped off the staff and walked in and up to the counter where an employee was. Rolling her eyes Cleo walks by Leo. Ενοχλητικό Αγγλικά μαλάκα. She strolled over to Liz who had just finished talking to the desk person. Before Cleo could ask Liz shoved a key into her hand before handing a different one to Leonardo. Raising an eyebrow at Liz's odd behavior, Cleo looked at the key to see if it had a number on it.

"Room one." Liz stated, starling Cleo, Liz then walked up a stairway to the right. Cleo made a "are you high or something" face as she slowly followed her grumpy leader. Feeling a breeze, Cleo looked back at the door to see if anyone had come in but the lobby was empty. Strange, I thought that flirty ηλίθιος was still down there.

"I'm not waiting on you all day."

"Did you feel that breeze?"

"It's a pretty rundown place so expect there to be drafts here and there. Now come on, I want to take a shower." Liz explained while opening their door.

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming." Cleo uttered offhandedly, as she continued up the stairs and into the room. It wasn't the nicest room she had been in, but it had to separate beds, a dresser, mirror, bathroom and TV. A real bed. I am so happy! Cleo happily thought to herself. The sounds of water running were coming from behind a door, so that must be the bathroom…... She does realize that we don't have any clean clothes to change into, right? Knowing her she'll probably think of something. An angry scream came from the bathroom, echoed throughout the room. Cleo ran towards the door and pounded on it.

"Elizabeth! Liz! What the heck's wrong?"

Liz slowly opened the door and came out in nothing but a towel, her short caramel hair was soaked and dripping on her shoulders and partially covering her green eyes. In her hand, that wasn't holding the towel, was a doll that had clothes identical to hers, a black pinstriped suit with a maroon under shirt.

"What's with the doll?"

"I was trying to transform my suit into a tank and sleep pants when the spell went wrong and this thing showed up!" Liz confessed while shaking the doll. She walked over to one of the beds and sat down.

"What am I going to do? I can't walk around in a towel!"

"Cool your jets. I'll run out and buy you some new clothes. It's only…" Cleo glanced around the room her eyes stopping when they hit a clock, "six pm. So the stores should still be open."

Liz dropped the doll on the bed and motioned towards the dresser, where she had laid her wallet, the room key, and her glasses. Swiping up the wallet, Cleo flipped it open and grabbed what appeared to be a credit card. She waved good-bye and headed out the door, where she immediately walks into a chest. Taking a step back, she scowled when she saw who it was.

"What do you want, weirdo?" Cleo asked closing the door.

"I was coming to see if you ladies would like to get something to eat?" Leo answered.

She narrowed her eyes, "Later. Right now I need to go the closest clothing store and but us some clean clothes." Cleo then processed to shove pass him, down the stairs, and out the door. Sighing, Leo slowly made his way back to his room at the end of the hallway. Back in room one, Liz grabbed another towel and started to dry her hair.

Cleo threw open the room door soaked. She tossed a bag to Liz, walked in the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Well someone's being pissy. Liz thought as she got up and started to change into the grey tank and black shorts she had gotten out of the bag. There was a light knocking at the door; putting her glasses back on and grabbing some cash out of her wallet, Liz opened it to reveal Leo.

"It's a downpour outside, so I guess we won't be able to go out and eat." He sighed with a frown.

"That's quite alright. I took the liberty of ordering pizza. They should be here any minute." Liz assured in a casual tone. A pizza delivery guy came up the stairs and walked over to the pair.

"Elizabeth Baker?" He asked holding six boxes of pizza in his hands.

"Yes that's me. Leo will you be a doll and grab those from him." Leo smiled and took the boxes.

"Okay, so that will be a total of fifty-nine, ninety-four."

Liz handed him seventy dollars. "Keep the change."

She motioned Leo to go in the room first and then followed. Cleo walked out the bathroom at that moment, her hair up in a ponytail. She had on a black tee and grey sweat pants, in her hand was her dirty clothes.

"These are ruined beyond repair," she complained throwing them the trash. "I bought us both…." She drifted off after her eyes had seen the pizza. In a zombie like trance she moved to Leo and took the boxes out of his hands. Sniffing them, she preceded to hand him back the top two and walked to one of the beds. Liz shook her head chucking.

"Why did she take those four?" Leo asked confused as he sat the boxes on the table in the room.

"Those four are pepperoni and are for her. I only eat cheese and I didn't know what you would want so I just got two cheese pizzas for us." Liz stated as if the answer was obvious. Eh bien c'est assez étrange, mais je ne vais pas remettre en question. Leo thought to himself…. Man I've got to stop thinking in French. Making a face, he opened a box.

"Would you like me to hand you a piece? It seems as if we don't have plates."

"Yea that's fine."

Leo handed her a slice and the three of them ate in silence for about half an hour. Cleo had devoured all four peperoni pizzas and Leo and Liz finished one of the cheeses, when Liz's cell phone started ringing. She got up and grabbed the phone.

"Hello."

"Thenk th' stars 'at yer alife! Whaur th' heck ur ye idiots?"

"We're in a hotel on the outskirts of Nashville."

"Guid. There's a weapon base thaur 'at Ah want ye tae fin' and' destroy. Ance yer dain wi' 'at meit up wi' me at the' Jester's Coort."

"Right away sir." And with that Liz hung up.

"I swear sometimes it's so hard to understand that man." She sighed rubbing her face.

"So who was that?" Cleo asked, as she got up and stretched.

"Boss man. He wants us to destroy a weapon base that is here."

"What about him?" Cleo gestured at Leo.

Liz turned to face him. " He'll help. I mean he now knows our plans he has no choice but to help."

"What?!" He stuttered panicking.

"Do you support Andromeda?"

"No"

"Do you want her stopped?"

"Of course."

"Then we agree. You'll help us." Liz stated while gathering a needle, lighter, ice cube and ruby earring.

"Grab him." Cleo grinned as she pounced on him before he had a chance to run. Liz handed him the ice cube.

"Hold that to your left ear."

"Why?"

"It'll numb your ear." She stated while heating the needle.

"Oh come not that ear." He was really starting to panic.

"I can pierce the cartilage." Liz shrugged not caring.

"The left ear."

Arthur's Note:

I'm so sorry. i meant to have this up friday.

Translations:

Ενοχλητικό Αγγλικά μαλάκα. – Annoying English a#$&&^&

Eh bien c'est assez étrange, mais je ne vais pas remettre en question. - Well this is strange, but I'm not going to question it.

ηλίθιος – idiot