[ComicGuy89]

Chapter 5: Two's Company

Nadia sat in her seat twiddling her thumbs. "Who even does this? What's the point?"

She gazed forlornly at her mobile phone plugged into the power socket in the corner, out of reach. Of all the days she had forgotten to charge her phone ...

And where on Earth was Rose? The lecture hall was half filled up and there was not a peep of Ms Punctuality. It was simply unusual for Rose to not be there first, and Nadia felt like her whole day would be thrown off by this tiny change in routine. Who was she going to rely on to take notes or keep track of assignments? She wondered whether she should text her, but then she remembered her phone lying in the corner and felt a wave of laziness wash over her.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Nadia looked up. The voice had come from a young man, a face she hadn't seen before. Dark hair, and astonishing grey eyes. Nadia thought he would have been quite the looker if it wasn't for his “couch potato” fashion of hoodie and jeans. Then again, considering what she was wearing, who was she to judge?

"Sorry, seat's taken," she said. "The one next to it isn't, though. No one sits with us nutcases.”

"Oh okay, thanks," he said, sitting down.

Nadia reached out her hand across the empty seat between them. "Hiya. Name's Nadia. Nice to meet you."

The young man hesitated for a moment, staring at her hand with a somewhat worried look on his face. This seemed awfully familiar to Nadia, though she couldn't place her finger on why.

Eventually, he smiled and shook her hand. "Hi, I'm Anthony, nice to meet you, too."

"Cool. So, Tony?"

"Uh, Anthony, if that's okay with you."

This insistence struck Nadia as strange, but she brushed it off. The man has a right to his own name, after all.

“Anthony it is then,” she said. “How come I haven’t seen you here before?”

He chuckled. “The fates have conspired to place me right here, right now. It’s all part of a grand plan.”

Nadia raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, okay, even I admit that was real bad,” said Anthony. “I’ve been on campus. I just realised that I didn’t meet the prerequisite Media Studies class I was taking, so admin transferred me here. Hopefully it’s not too hard to catch up.”

“You’ll be fine,” said Nadia. “Matt hasn’t really gone too far, he’s been way behind schedule. But you’re pretty good with studies and stuff, right?”

“I guess I do okay. Why?”

Nadia leaned back in her seat. “I need your skills as note-taker. You wouldn’t mind, would you?”

Before Anthony could answer, Rose, who had just arrived, waltzed up to them, tossed her bag on the floor and sat on the empty seat.

“Hey, I recognise you!” she exclaimed, beaming at Anthony. “You’re that guy at Rendezvous the other day, when that Feral attacked! What happened after that?”

“The manager lady dropped us off at our homes. She’s very kind.”

Nadia snorted. “Sally? Kind?”

“You weren’t there, Nadia,” said Rose. “Anyway, my name’s Rose. Who’re you?”

“Oh, name’s Anthony, nice to meet -”

“Anthony? I love that name! So delighted to make your acquaintance!”

Ignoring his confused look, Rose shook his hand hard. Nadia stared at her quizzically. Rose was neat and prim as usual, but something was off. A hair strand out of place, a crease on her sleeve and a bag that was not zipped to the bottom. Plus, Rose seemed a tiny bit out of breath, though Nadia wasn’t sure if that was due to her lateness or to her excitement at meeting Anthony.

“Someone’s cheerful today,” said Nadia. “Care to share what’s up?”

Rose grinned brightly. “It’s nothing, the sun is shining, the clouds are beautiful, the sea smells delicious, can’t a girl be happy for once?”

“The sea smells delicious? You can’t be serious.”

“Alright, alright, I can’t lie to you,” said Rose quickly. “Sorry about that. There is something up, something really cool. But I can’t tell you now.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a secret, and besides you haven’t told me yours yet,” said Rose, winking.

“Touche,” laughed Nadia. “When did you get so cheeky, oh gentle Rose?”

“It’s just been a really good day! I’m just dying to tell you, but not just yet -”

The door slammed open as Matthew George stumbled in, accompanied, as always, by a stack of paper in his arms. These he dumped onto his desk. Nadia smirked as she saw Rose clam up immediately; she always was so predictable.

“Good day, class, how are you all?” said Mr. George as he grabbed a few sheets off the stack. “All bright and happy today? Eager to dive right in, I’m sure?”

There were a few audible groans. Rose glanced worriedly at Mr George and Nadia knew that she was afraid that he had heard.

Whether or not he heard the groans, nobody would find out, because he simply continued, “As I’ve promised, I have your quiz papers marked. They’re right,” he tapped the stack of paper, “here. You also know that it’s worth only a mere 5% of your grade, nothing to worry about. However, I am a little bit concerned about your grade average. This was just two chapters worth, but only a small number of you passed with flying colours.”

Nadia shot a knowing wink at Rose, who blushed.

“But not to worry, it’s really just 5% after all,” said Mr George jovially. “Nothing to fret, I’m sure it’s all a fluke, or an error somewhere. In fact, this little paper has just confirmed my long-held suspicions that exams are useless. Maybe you don’t believe me, but they really are! After all, the studies show they’re not that accurate, so I’ve been thinking about something different for your assessment.”

Taking his electronic pointer, he projected an image of an instruction sheet on the screen. “A remedial assignment! This will take the place of the final exam. It will be a real-life experiment, where you apply some facet of communications psychology you’ve learned in class. You’ll get the full details by e-mail later, but for now you should consider getting into groups of three. Go on, talk amongst yourselves, you guys already know each other so well, after all!”

As the lecture hall burst into a chatter, Anthony turned towards them. “Mind if I join you guys for the assignment?”

“We wouldn’t mind right, Rose?” asked Nadia.

“But we don’t know anything about you,” said Rose teasingly. “What if you were an axe murderer or something?”

Anthony smiled at her. “Ah, that you don’t know. But I promise I won’t bite. Plus,” he winked at Nadia, “I dare say I’m a decent note-taker.”

*

The Feral hissed defiantly at Nadia, now in her Garde Espresso form, as she thrust her Spoon of Doom right into its chest. The creature writhed and shook and with one loud howl, it exploded in flaming smoke.

Nadia grinned sheepishly at the clapping and cheering crowd. “It was nothing, all in a day’s work!”

“Good work, kiddo,” said Mittens, clapping too. “I hate to admit it, but you certainly have gotten the hang of this.”

“Garde Espresso? May I have a moment?”

Nadia turned around to see a woman walking up to her. She was dressed in a beautifully laced headscarf that stood out against her more modest jacket and slacks.

“Hello, anything I can help you with?” asked Nadia. She looked around for Mittens, but the blasted cat was gone again. Never around to help in these awkward talking situations.

“You’ve done far more than we could hope for, and for that we’re immensely grateful. But I’m afraid we’ll need your help one more time.”

“We?” asked Nadia. “Who’s we?”

The woman gave a gentle smile. “Stella City police department. My name’s Officer Azra Aydin. I’m not in my uniform now as I don’t want to draw attention. No need to be afraid!” she added hurriedly, seeing Nadia’s face. “You’re not in trouble, we need your help.”

Nadia crossed her arms defensively in front of her. “Okay, but I’m not going to reveal my identity, or … or join the police force or anything!”

Officer Aydin chuckled. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing of that sort. But I can’t say more here. Are you available to come right now?”

“Sure … I guess.”

“That’s excellent. I’m guessing you know the Beacon Port station is just two blocks away?”

Nadia shifted her feet uncomfortably. “Actually, I’ve never really paid attention.”

“Then you can follow me, it’s just a short walk.”

And it was a short walk. Nadia had no idea how she had never noticed the bright blue and white marble building before. As she was about to enter the building after Officer Aydin, she felt something jump on her shoulder.

“I’m coming in,” said Mittens. “this may be important and you humans will need my knowledge.”

“Finally decided to show up, haven’t you?” hissed Nadia. “Can’t you just stick around for once?”

But Mittens looked gravely serious, so Nadia didn’t press the issue. Officer Aydin led them through a few narrow hallways before stopping at a room. It was only when she was holding the door open for them that she noticed Mittens perched on Nadia’s shoulder.

“Your cat can stay outside if you wish.”

“Trust me, lady, you’ll need my help,” said Mittens. “So please let me in?”

Officer Aydin, left speechless, had nothing to say in reply so she merely nodded.

“You enjoy doing that, don’t you?” whispered Nadia.

Mittens smirked. “Have no idea what you’re talking about, kiddo.”

The room was bare except for a large, rectangular conference table with its accompanying seats and people. Seated at the head of the table was an important-looking man dressed in a business suit. And on the other seats were -

“Rose!” exclaimed Nadia in surprise. “And Will! Sharon! What are you guys doing here?”

“I’m not even going to bother asking this time,” said Will.

“They’re here to help with this investigation,” said Officer Aydin, closing the door behind her. “This,” she gestured to the important-looking man, “is Magistrate Roger Kelly. Do you know what Mr Kelly’s duties are?”

It was fortunate that Rose piped up because Nadia had no idea what a magistrate even was. “A magistrate handles small civil and criminal laws, right?”

“Very perceptive, Ms McKenna,” said Magistrate Kelly. “Today, however, my role is to represent the state and the law. Magistrates are the first arm of the justice system.”

“We’re here to talk about those monsters that have been invading Stella recently,” said Officer Aydin.

“The Nihil?” asked Nadia.

Officer Aydin scratched her chin. “So that’s what they’re called. Yes, that’s right. We don’t really like admitting it, but we’re left completely in the dark regarding these monsters. All we know is that they’re concentrated here in Beacon Port, particularly around Beacon Port University.”

“We want to know the implications of this invasion,” said Magistrate Kelly, nodding. “Particularly the circumstances surrounding their apparent possession of people.”

There were sudden, muffled sobs as Sharon broke down, crying. “You - You want to arrest me, don’t you? For what I did?”

“No, no,” said Officer Aydin gently. “Mr Kelly and I just want to hear your side of the story. It’s simply an informal hearing.”

“That’s right, Ms Wattana, there’s nothing official about this,” affirmed the magistrate. “It would be grossly improper to prosecute anyone in this manner, anyway.”

“So, dear, would you like to tell us your story?” asked Officer Aydin.

Sharon rubbed her eyes and inhaled deeply. “Rose knows this, but on that particular day, I wasn’t feeling too good. There was a … great disappointment that day that left me very distressed. That afternoon I was crying in the alley behind Rendezvous, when he came. The man known as John Smith.”

The silence that followed was interrupted only by the sound of Officer Aydin’s pencil scratching the surface of the notebook she was jotting notes in.

Seeing that no one was going to say anything, Sharon continued, “There was something about his presence, I don’t know what. It was like I had lost all the strength in my body, and couldn’t fight back. I couldn’t be happy, I couldn’t even feel sad. I just felt dead.”

“It was horrible,” said Rose. “I was there to witness it. She was just floating there unnaturally, completely subdued.”

“I could barely hear or see what was going on,” said Sharon. “And then suddenly, I heard him speak. He said -”

“Give in to despair,” completed Nadia grimly.

Sharon looked at her. “How did you know? Were you there?”

Drat, she forgot she was there as Nadia. “Uhh … he said that to Rose too, didn’t he? Anyway, let’s continue.”

“Alright. So when he said that, my mind went empty, and I found myself in this dark room. It was vast, and there were no walls. I didn’t know what to do.”

“Was this the same for you, Ms McKenna?” asked Magistrate Kelly, looking at Rose.

Rose nodded. “That’s right, dark, empty, like a void. It was the most horrible and lonely feeling I’ve ever felt.”

“If it’s okay, I’d rather not talk too much about what that’s like,” continued Sharon. “The memories of that still give me nightmares. I will say, I wasn’t aware of anything else that happened until I woke up later in the hospital. And I didn’t find out until I watched the news.

She bowed her head, letting her hair fall to shield her eyes. “I … I’m sorry I did all those things as Siren. I wasn’t even aware of doing them.”

“That’s why we’re not prosecuting,” said Magistrate Kelly.

Sharon’s face lit up almost immediately. “Huh?”

“You confirmed our suspicions, Ms Wattana,” said Magistrate Kelly. “We had already suspected that the victims of these creatures have no control over their actions. We just wanted to confirm that, and now we have two testimonies. So no, we don’t find you guilty.”

“Oh, thank you! I really don’t know what to say!”

Magistrate Kelly handed a tissue box to Sharon, who was now blowing her nose. “You don’t have to say anything. But before we conclude, I’d just like to get a few more opinions on these … Nihil. Ms McKenna, do you have anything to add?”

“No more than what I have already said,” said Rose. “Except that these monsters are not to be taken lightly. Trust me, I know.”

“Hmm. Ms Espresso?”

Nadia made an awkward salute. “Your honour sir! These creatures are destroying lives in Stella, and I will do my best to contain the threat.”

“And we will be grateful for that,” said Magistrate Kelly. “The city is powerless without your help. But you’ve been quiet, Mr Keegan. Any thoughts on the issue?”

All eyes were now on Will, who proceeded to straighten himself up in his chair. “Sir, I can’t say for sure what I know, since my guess is as good as yours. In fact, I’ll be lying if I said I would take anything said here,” he lowered his glasses and glanced at Sharon and Rose, “with more than a grain of salt.”

At this, Nadia slammed her fist on the table, “What? Are you saying you’re doubting Sharon’s and Rose’s testimonies?”

“Ms Espresso, calm down!” snapped Officer Aydin. “Remember that you are in a police station!”

“Garde Espresso, I’m not doubting anyone,” said Will. “But I am also not taking anyone’s word for it. I am simply indifferent, none the wiser. And I will remain that way until I get enough evidence to convince me otherwise.”

“What then, will it take to convince you?” asked Rose.

Will thought for a few seconds. “I don’t know. Look, I’m aware this is not the nicest thing to say, but all I know is what I saw and I will live by that. If you need a more constructive opinion, Magistrate, I guess that I can at least say that these monsters are a threat beyond the capability of your police force. And that you will need Garde Espresso’s help to neutralise it. That is what I saw.”

“Thank you, Mr Keegan,” said Magistrate Kelly. “I guess that concludes our -”

“Hold on a second!”

Mittens jumped on to the table. Everyone except Rose and Nadia had their mouths wide open; Magistrate Kelly nearly fell off his chair.

“Didn’t think I was worth asking did you?” sneered Mittens. “The cat’s not important, is he?”

“But Mittens,” said Rose. “You said you weren’t a cat -”

“Not important right now!” he hissed. “All you all need to know is that I understand these Nihil the most of anyone in this room, I’d wager my opinion was more important than all of yours combined! I’m a talking cat, so you can take my word for it.”

He stood up proudly, smirking. “Alright, first thing’s first. Ignore the boy. The girls were outta their minds, they had absolutely no control over their bodies. These Nihil, they come and possess humans, because this is the fastest way to create despair. Few things cause despair more effectively that the total loss of bodily control.”

“But why would they need to create despair?” asked Magistrate Kelly, finally having found his voice.

“That’s because these creatures feed on despair like a cat runs on tuna. It’s their lifeblood! Forget the little details, we’ll be at it all afternoon if I have to recount everything. Have Espresso write a report or something! I want to go to the next bit.

“Secondly, John Smith is nothing like I’ve ever seen before. He seems to have full consciousness of what he’s doing, I’m not even sure if he’s human. I can’t say for sure, as I haven’t encountered any possessed or Nihil like him, but I will admit he’s probably the most dangerous one of the lot.”

Mittens then cleared his throat and, standing upright on his hind legs, marched up to Magistrate Kelly and pointed his paw at the bridge of his nose. “Here’s the final bit, buster. So listen up! You can try to beat these creatures, but you can’t. My girl here, Garde Espresso is your only hope against the Nihil, so unless you want this city to be consumed, you stay out of her way. Got it?”

Nadia watched Magistrate Kelly nod nervously and didn’t know whether to thank Mittens for the vote of confidence or to chastise him. But she saw Officer Aydin, red with anger, reach out to grab hold of him.

“Forgive his manners, Your Excellency-ness,” she laughed nervously as she took hold of Mittens right before Officer Aydin snatched him away. “He’s said more than enough, haven’t you, Mittens?”

Magistrate Kelly took a handkerchief to wipe his forehead. “Very well, thank you Mr … uh, Mittens. At any rate, I will reiterate what I said. The state does not find victims of Nihil possession guilty. John Smith remains an anomaly that has to be stopped, and this Nihil threat must be contained.

“Therefore, I conclude this hearing, and thank you for coming.”

Nadia watched her friends get up and leave; Sharon and Rose looking pleased while Will was unreadable as ever. She started to follow after them when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Garde Espresso, a quick word?”

She turned and saw Officer Aydin scrutinising her intently. “Yes, Officer, is there a problem?”

“No,” Officer Aydin said shortly. “I just think it is important for you to know that you don’t have to do this alone.”

Nadia sighed. “I knew this was coming. Look, officer, you’re really nice and all, and even awfully pretty, but I’ve told you, I don’t want to join the police force.”

“And you don’t have to. All I’m saying is that if you ever need help, we’re here to lend a hand.”

“Why, you don’t think I can handle this on my own?” said Nadia, laughing.

But Officer Aydin’s face was stern. “Honestly, no. I feel you and Mittens are a bit reckless, and not serious enough for such a momentous task. However,” her voice softened. “I don’t believe in judging by appearances, so let’s just say I’m cautiously optimistic about you.”

“Uh … thanks I guess.”

“Don’t disappoint me, Garde Espresso.”

*

“The train to Stella City will depart in 10 minutes.”

Staring aimlessly out the train window, Nadia wondered who they got to record the PA announcements. She had such a sweet, yet oddly artificial voice. Was she an employee? A professional actress? Just a girl dragged off the street? She wouldn’t mind doing that for a few bucks …

“Psst!”

“Wha -” Nadia shook her head out of her daydreams and looked around.

“Down here, stupid!” The voice had come from inside her backpack, where Mittens was hiding.

“I thought you didn’t want to be seen?” whispered Nadia. “Stay in that bag!”

“Do you see anyone else in the cabin, kiddo?”

“Well, the security cameras will catch you.”

Mittens snorted. “No, they’ll just see a girl talking to her bag. It’ll be a riot.”

“Why you … if I didn’t have to keep you a secret I’d have wrung your furry neck!”

“No you wouldn’t, because I know you love me kiddo,” said Mittens, sniggering. “Anyway, I know you enough to know something’s on your mind. Wanna share?”

“Just thinking about who they got to voice these PA announcements.”

“I meant besides the usual aimless fluff in your mind,” scoffed Mittens. “You ain’t fooling me, I know you’re thinking about what that policewoman said.”

“To be honest, I’m not. I was just now, but I think we can handle it. Don’t you think so, Mittens?”

“Sure we can. You know all the things I say, I’m just messing with you right?”

“Of course. You’re about as good at hiding that as you are at mind reading.”

“Hey, watch the smart mouth before I - hold on.”

Nadia sat up. “What’s wrong?”

Mittens poked his head out of the backpack and sniffed the air. “There’s something …”

“Stay in the bag! Pets are not allowed on the train.”

Ignoring her, Mittens jumped out of the bag and ran out the train door.

“Mittens!” shouted Nadia after him. “I already bought the train ticket!”

She had no choice but to run, cursing as she crossed over the turnstile. Behind her, she heard the doors close and the train take off. Nadia knew that this was part of her job now, to sacrifice conveniences but she still felt peeved as she ripped her now useless train ticket and tossed the bits in the bin.

“Mittens, mind telling me what’s going on?” said Nadia, panting as she pushed through the door after Mittens.

“Who are you?” asked a voice.

Nadia took a second to behold the scene in front of her. The voice had come from a young, hooded boy, standing in the middle of the car park they were in. Nadia could not make out his face from under the hood. Four men were standing limp beside him with their heads bowed; she recognised them as the homeless that occasionally begged outside the train station.

Of course, Mittens was nowhere to be found. Again.

The boy was carrying an ornate staff, which he tapped impatiently on the ground. “Are you deaf? Brainless, perhaps? Should I ask again?”

“That would be polite, yes. You could use some of that,” said Nadia, glowering adamantly at the boy.

“Sharp tongue,” said the boy. “I guess it matters not, you’ll be dead in a few minutes. Don’t bother running. Stand right over there and wait, it’ll be easier for you.”

Just as Nadia was about to retort, the boy lifted his hood and revealed black holes for eyes, void and empty; they sent chills down her spine. She had seen those same eyes before …

“You’re a Nihil!” she shrieked. “Just like John Smith!”

“Ah, you know my master? Then I suppose I should introduce myself. I am called the Herald. Pleased,” he gave a mocking curtsey, “to meet you.”

Nadia studied the four other men in the room. “I know what you’re going to do. I’ve seen your master do it.”

“How are you so knowledgeable? But make no mistake, I’m not nearly half as inefficient as he is. Three weeks, and only one possessed? At this rate, we’ll conquer the world by the turn of the century, if we’re lucky. No, if this attempt is to go anywhere, work needs to be carried out much faster.”

The Herald slammed his staff onto the ground and the four men keeled over, jerking and twitching. In moments, the same dark cloud that engulfed Sharon days ago now emerged from the Herald’s staff and wrapped itself around the four men. They screamed horribly, and the cloud burst apart, revealing four figures draped in ragged cloaks. Hooded and masked, they had a wispy quality about them, as if they were not entirely solid.

“Shades,” said the Herald, admiring his creations. “Not quite as powerful as something the master can come up with, but I’m sure in numbers the power difference is irrelevant.”

He whipped around and pointed his staff at Nadia. “Now that this little demonstration is over, it is time to eliminate witnesses. Shades, finish her.”

The Shades croaked in reply. From under their sleeves, they revealed bony hands which materialised large, rusty broadswords. These they dragged on the ground as they hobbled after their master, who was now advancing on Nadia with his staff raised in the air, ready to strike.

Nadia instinctively made the grasping motion to produce her Garde Filter, but she stopped short, remembering what Mittens had said: the only way someone could discover her identity was to see her transform, or be told about it. Should she risk it?

At any rate, she didn’t have to think too much, because the Herald stopped abruptly. “Curses! I can sense my master returning and I must hurry back. It’s a shame that I cannot witness your demise, but I’m sure your despair would have been satiating.”

Nadia watched him rush out the door, slamming it shut behind him. It’s now or never; she produced her Filter and held it tightly in front of her.

“Nadia, no!” Mittens leapt between her and the Shades.

“What are you doing?” shouted Nadia. “There’s no time!”

“We can’t let them see it! You know that!”

“Even these guys? What do you expect me to do, lie down and let them hack me to bits?”


“We don’t know, alright? What if they can report to their master? We just can’t risk it!”

A Shade had reached Nadia and heaved its sword to slash at her. Nadia fell to the ground, but heard a whistle in the air as the sword missed her by inches.

Mittens was frantic now. “Run! Just run!”

Nadia scrambled to her feet and dashed for the door, but a Shade stumbled in front of it and raised its sword to bar her way. Glancing behind her, she saw the other three closing in, joints rattling and cracking as they lifted their swords. There had to be a way out of this, there just had to be. But she just couldn’t see how …

There was a loud bang as the door exploded, throwing the Shade guarding it into the ground. As the dust settled, Nadia squinted her eyes to see -

“Fear not, fellow citizen! I am here to save you!”

It was a girl. A girl with a most peculiar outfit: she wore a bright purple dress with matching hat and shoes. All three were furnished with bows of a deep red. Her outfit was the most outlandish thing she had ever seen, if not for her own Garde outfit. Wait, wouldn’t that mean that she was -

“My name is Garde Tea!”

Well, that answered that question.

“And you will pay for your wrongdoings!”

Nadia’s jaw fell in disbelief and she looked at Mittens, who was equally shocked. “Mittens! She actually got to finish her tagline! That’s not fair!”

Mittens was too dumbfounded at what had unfolded to reply. Nadia could understand perfectly why: there was another Coeurgarde!

“Citizen, you must leave!” exclaimed Garde Tea. “Go do your thing, I’ll uh … need some backup!”

Backup? Did Garde Tea know who she was? Regardless, Nadia picked Mittens up and sprinted out through the smoking gap in the wall where the door used to be. As she ran round the corner, she pulled out her Garde Filter.

“Finally, let’s do this! Here comes Garde Espresso!”

Spinning the newly formed espresso in a spiral around her, Nadia felt the warmth as her Garde costume materialised. She straightened her hat, gripped her Giant Spoon of Doom tightly and raced back inside.

“My name is Garde Espresso!” she shouted as she clambered in. “You will pay for your -”

A sword slashed into view on her right, which she deflected with her spoon. “Crimes! It was just one freaking word! Crimes! Can’t I just finish my introduction for once!”

The Shade withdrew its sword and lunged it forward. With an upwards motion, Nadia parried and locked the sword in place. She jerked her spoon and knocked the sword out of the Shade’s hand. It shuffled backwards, hissing at her.

“Oh shut up!” said Nadia as she smacked it across the face with her spoon, knocking it out.

On the other side of the carpark, Garde Tea was parrying strike after strike by three of the Shades. She defending herself with what looked like a giant, wavy needle, red like the bows on her ensemble.

Parry. Parry. Swing. The giant needle sliced through a Shade’s cloak and it screeched in pain. With deft movement, Tea brought back her needle and deflected two slashes from the other Shades.

Nadia grabbed her spoon and drew the triangular motion in the air. She had to help somehow, and that meant that she had to finish off the Shade on the ground, first.

Smack. The Shade burst into smoke, leaving behind an unconscious man.

Garde Tea sent the two Shades flying with a roundhouse kick and stepped backwards. With three quick strokes, she drew the familiar triangle in front of her and just like with Nadia’s spoon, Garde Tea’s needle radiated a bright gold. Brows furrowed in concentration, Garde Tea dashed forward and slashed. Burst of smoke. A quick stab at the last Shade and it too went up in a puff.

“She’s impressive,” whispered Mittens beside Nadia.

Nadia nodded wordlessly. Then she saw the final Shade jerk slightly on the ground. In a second, it got to its feet, poised to stab.

“Look out!” shouted Nadia.

But Tea was ahead of her, sidestepping the Shade’s jab and swinging her needle in a wide arc through the Shade’s neck. It vanished, and a man fell through the smoke that formed.

“Wow,” said Nadia.

“Hi Garde Espresso!” said Garde Tea excitedly. “Thanks so much for coming to my -”

“Shh, shh!” said Nadia, bringing her finger to her lips. “Just - don’t say a word - just let me say this: you’re amazing, you’re awesome, how - how the heck did you do that?”

Garde Tea pinched at her hair, blushing. “Uh, like you do, of course. I’m a Garde like you. Garde Tea.”

“But who are you?”

The flush in her face disappeared in a flash as she brought her hands to her hips. “Ho, ho, Nadia Chen, now you’re trying to figure out who I am? What a role reversal!”

There was a loud clang as Nadia’s spoon fell to the floor.

“B-But how?” asked Mittens, awestruck. “How do you know who she is?”

“As a Messenger, surely you would know, wouldn’t you Mittens?”

Nadia almost sprained her neck to look at the source of the voice. A dog. A dog. The dog was talking, and holding a messenger bag like Mittens’.

“After all, there are only two such ways to unearth a Garde’s identity,” said the dog. “You either have to be told, or you have to see the Garde transform.”

“Master Claude!” exclaimed Mittens incredulously. “You haven’t been seen in ages! What are you doing here?”

“Good to see you too, Mittens,” smiled Claude the dog. “But there will be time for catching up later. Right now I think poor Garde Espresso’s mind is straining under the stress of trying to figure out who Garde Tea is.”

And he was right. Nadia kept feeling like she knew who Garde Tea was, and yet every memory or hint that surfaced in her mind seemed to be pushed down. It was like a magnified feeling of being at the tip of her tongue and it was causing a great, throbbing pain in her head. Feeling dizzy, she had to lean on a column for support.

“Nadia, I’m so sorry for teasing you!” said Garde Tea hurriedly as she ran over to Nadia. “Here, let me power down.”

Garde Tea took out an intricate, purple teapot, decorated with a rose motif. She held it tight and there was a brief flash of light. Standing before her was -

“Rose!”

Rose McKenna’s grinning face came into view. “So, Nadia Chen, when were you going to tell me that secret?”