Okay, chapter 1 is finally done with. Please leave your comments about it. Or else you can start storyboarding for this one.
Chapter 1: Day I met you Scene 1: The story begins in the highlands of Opal. There is a garden with elegant looking birds perched in a flowering tree and a fountain spouting water below it. The scene then moves into a room, which has a manikin and a wedding dress. On a table, there is a book that reads: Wedding vows and procedures and under it there is a photo of Sitka's family (namely her father, Tealy, Boaba, Maeve and herself).
Stika is sitting crossed-legged, staring at a wall and hugging a pillow. Someone is muttering something odd.
Mekando: Two grams of stardust... and eight... mix with...
Stika: [Whispering. I heard whispering which came from the room next door.]
Mekando: Tear drop of dragon, and wing of phoenix...
Stika: Hello?
[And although I had no clue who the voice belonged to, or what it was talking about...]
Mekando: ... Stir till it is a thick paste then add...
Stika: Hello!
[I honestly wanted to meet that person behind that wall.]
Mekando: Eh... what's the last ingredient? Bleed har... bleeding er... bleeding heart! Petal of bleeding heart!
Stika is beginning to get annoyed after being ignored.
Stika: (shouts) HELLO!
Mekando: (shouts) SUCCESS!
The wall infront of Stika blows up and crumbles to the ground. Stika gets thrown back by the impact.
She gets up coughing and finds that a hole has been blown through the wall. Stika crawls over on her hands and feet to the hole.
Stika: Hey you! -cough- Are you alright?
[Come to think of it...]
The smoke begins to clear and a shadowy figure can be seen.
Mekando: -cough-
Stika: [that was how...]
As soon as the smoke clears, Stika finds herself staring at what should be a human but with a black puffball face. Something like the sootballs from studio ghibli except that it's holding a potions bottle and smiling.
Mekando: Hello~
Stika: [we first met]
S-s-soot sprite!*
*the dust bunny from studio ghibli.
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Scene 2: The scene opens in Mekando’s room which is littered with stacks of papers with weird symbols scribbled on them and flasks with strange materials stuffed inside. Stika is sitting cross-legged on a sofa, hugging a pillow. She is staring at Mekando whose back is against her. Mekando is washing his face with water.
Mekando: Owie! It hurts!
Stika: Erm, hey are you sure you're alright?
Mekando: Yep. I'm pretty fine...
He pauses for a moment to splash his face once more. Then he turns to face Stika while drying his face with a towel he hung on his shoulders (<- this part from the readers point of view, he's facing Stika but we're facing his back).
Mekando: But just so you know, it's dangerous to bug a working biochemist.
Now we get a clear look at Mekando's cute chubby pinchable face (which he is still wiping with the towel).
Mekando: My name's Mekando from the Asakura Clan. Pleased to meet you!
---
Scene 3: Mekando is now sitting in an armchair adjacent to Stika's sofa and he's prepared some tea for them. He's leaning forward looking very curious.
Mekando: So you're Stika Imaraldis, and you're from Aquamarine. That means we both come from the lower Spectrum.
Stika: You said you were from the Asakura Clan, are they the ones who set up the Alchemist Guild?
Mekando: (surprised) You know about it?
Stika: Well, they're pretty famous. I read about them before in the library. The Alchemist Guild is found deep within the subterranean country of Amethyst, very close to the border of our world. It was set upand run by the prestigious Asakura Clan for hundreds and hundreds of years, right?
Mekando: That's right! Almost everyone in our clan is well versed in magic and science.
Stika: Wow! So you're in the Alchemist Guild too?
Mekando looks embaressed, he rubs the back of his head.
Mekando: Eh... not really. You see, I've got something else... Haha, nevermind that. (More tea?)
Mekando pours another cup of tea for Stika. Stika observes him for awhile, wondering what his little secret is.
Stika: [Not in the Alchemist Guild huh?]
[Well, he’s pretty young, so maybe he’s not old enough to join the guild…]
[Come to think of it, what is someone so young doing up in the Highlands of Opal. Only important people come up here.]
[Does that mean he…]
Stika: Hey Mekando…
Mekando smiles cluelessly.
Mekando: Yeah?
Stika: I’m curious. What are you doing in the Highlands.
She points her two index fingers together.
Stika: My dad says only the aristocrats in Opal live here… and that means their visitors…
Mekando stares for awhile. Then he bursts out laughing.
Mekando: I’m going to meet the Overseer.
Stika: Eh? L-like the one who rules over Opal?
Mekando: Yep, he summoned me.
Stika: [The Overseer of Opal! The one who rules Opal, and has very great influence on the countries both in the upper Spectrum and the lower.]
[I don’t think anyone has ever seen his face, but I know that he’s powerful…]
[Mekando, who are you really?]
When Stika breaks from her reverie, she finds that Mekando is squatting in a far corner of the room emoing.
Mekando: But I’ve been put on hold!!! (The Overseer put me on hold for two weeks! Why? If he’s still angry about the stained glass window that I blew up then…)
Stika: (Ah, please don’t do things like that. It’s scary.)
Stika tucks her hair behind her ear.
Stika: Anyway, my appointment got delayed as well. I mean that’s not a bad thing but…
Mekando looks up.
Mekando: ?
Stika: Opal is really a beautiful place, quite unlike anything I’ve ever dreamed of seeing before. It’s very quiet here and the people here are strange. They’re cover head to toe in white, even their faces are covered.
[Everyone from the royals to the servants, everyone’s face is hidden by a veil or a mask.]
[And everyone here speaks so formally]
[I feel as if I’ve been functioning on a different frequency from them altogether.]
Stika: (very cheerfully) I’m glad I finally got to meet someone normal.
Mekando: (I’m normal?)
Mekando scratches his head and smiles.
Mekando: I guess I’m glad about that too.
Mekando: Anyway Stika, I wanted to ask you what you came here for.
Stika suddenly goes very grey the face. She looks down so that her fringe is covering her face.
Stika: I…
Mekando squints.
Stika: That is…
Mekando: …
Mekando: It’s alright if you don’t want to tell me…
Stika: …
Just then there is a knock on the door. Both Stika and Mekando look in the direction of the door.
Mekando: Come in.
The door moves open by a fraction and bright light streams in. A shadowy figure of a servant in a veil and a frilly lolita dress comes in. She quickly bows.
Servant: Asakura Mekando, the Overseer summons you.
Mekando: Oh! Okay! (cheerfully) Give me a few minutes, I’ll go freshen myself up.
Servant: That is not necessary. We have prepared new clothes for you. The Overseer requires that you come quickly just as you are…
Now we can see Mekando’s side profile. (He’s on the floor ever since the time he was emoing). At first he’s just looking a bit blank, then he smiles very slightly.
Mekando: So it’s finally time huh?
He gets up.
Mekando: Okay, I’ll follow you.
Mekando turns back to regard Stika for awhile.
Mekando: It was really nice chatting to you. Whatever you’re doing up here, I wish you all the best.
The servant turns.
Servant: Please come with me.
She looks over her shoulder.
Servant: After all, you’re right. The time has finally come…
The next page is dedicated to Mekando. It’s just him standing there looking as mysterious as anyone could ever be.
Servant: Asakura Mekando. Gatekeeper.
---
Scene 4: This page is black and there are flowers hanging over a pool where petals are floating. There is a fairy clinging to one of the branches (this fairy is Cheryl in her small form) and pointing at the water. Stika is also sitting in the ‘dark’ landscape watching the petals falling.
Stika: [(recalling Mekando’s voice) ‘I wanted to ask you what you came here for.’]
[(recalling Mekando’s voice) ‘Whatever you’re doing up here, I wish you all the best.’]
Stika: That’s right… why am I here?
Stika recalls herself in a room, with her siblings: Boba, Tealy and Maeve). Maeve is sitting on her lap and Tealy is standing next to her. Boba is standing some distance away.
Maeve: Big sis, big sis! Daddy says I’m going to Emerald to learn how to be a mage!
Tealy: And I’m going to school in Zircon!
Maeve: Isn’t that great big sis? We’ve never been to school before. You’ve been to school before big sis. Was it fun?
Stika giggles.
Stika: Very. I’m happy for you.
Stika turns to Boba, who is looking very very emo.
Stika: What about you Boba, where will father send you?
Tealy: That’s right Boba, where are you going?
Maeve: I want to know!
Boba: …
Stika knits her brows.
Boba: I’m going to Amethyst, to become an alchemist.
Maeve and Tealy: Wahhh!
Stika: Isn’t that wonderful Boba. Isn’t that always what you wanted to be.
Boba snaps angrily and turns out of the room.
Maeve: Why is Boba so angry big sis? Is he mad at us?
Tealy: Did we do something wrong?
Stika pets Tealy’s head.
Stika: No Tealy. Boba’s just not in a good mood so we mustn’t disturb him now. Isn’t that so?
Maeve and Tealy nod their heads.
Tealy: Oh yeah, big sis. Where will you be heading for?
Stika smiles sadly.
Stika: I’m going to Opal to marry a prince.
Tealy: Ah!
Maeve: Then you’ll be a princess!
Stika: Yeah…
She looks down.
Later Stika goes out to the balcony, which is over-looking the lake of Sapphire. Boba is leaning over the railing, with his arms folded.
Stika: Don’t look so glum Boba, after all, dad’s worked very hard to find you a place in the Alchemist’s guild.
Boba: …
Stika: Ah, if that won’t cheer you up, at least think of the younger ones. They’re very excited about leaving this horrible place.
Boba: That’s because they’re too young to know anything.
Stika: That’s true.
Boba: Don’t you envy them? Right now all they can think about is leaving Aquamarine to explore the world out there. They wonder about so much: ‘who is my teacher?’, ‘how big are the trees in Emerald?’, ‘if I go to Zircon, can I become a doctor?’.
Boba turns and clutches his left elbow with his right hand.
Boba: (very angrily) Don’t they every wonder what’s going to happen to dad after we leave? Have they ever wondered if we’re ever going to meet again?
Stika: …
Stika gazes at the lake of Sapphire.
Stika: Who knows?
She shrugs.
Stika turns to face Boba.
Stika: Maybe they won’t realise dad will be dead, even till they grow up. Maybe they don’t realise that people will look down upon them because they’re half bloods. And maybe we won’t ever meet again…
Stika hugs Boba.
Stika: But I’ll tell you one thing I know for sure. When I reach Opal, I will escape. Then I’ll come to look for all of you. Every single one of you.
Boba starts crying and Stika starts crying as well. Aww… so sad.
Back to Stika and her black background.
Stika: [That’s right. I promised Boba that I was going to find him.]
Stika stops daydreaming. She now scans the room she is in (Mekando’s room). Stika gets up from the floor and looks around.
Stika: [Alright! Let’s do this!]
---
Scene 5: One of the servants enters Mekando’s room.
Servant: Wah! This is the fourth room he blew up!
She looks around.
Servant: Wasn’t there someone next door, erm, the bride? I wonder if she’s alright…
The servant goes to peer through the hole in the wall. The room on the other side is dusty. Then there is a crack on the wall besides the fire extinguisher.
Servant: No one’s here.
She looks at the crack.
Servant: [Isn’t that where the fire escape route map was…]
The servant realises what has happened.
The scene shows the palace grounds in the highlands of Opal.
Servant: Kyahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! The prince’s bride escaped!
---
Scene 6:The scene opens up to the fire escape route map. Stika lowers the map that she’s been looking at.
Stika: Eh, did someone just call me?
Suddenly from one end of the corridor, a group of servants appear in a big cloud of smoke, holding things that look like parangs and hitting their hands with them.
Stika looks horrified.
Servants: Come back with us Stika Imaraldis and you shall come to no harm.
Stika: Eeeeeeee!!!
Stika fumbles with the fire escape plan, drops it and runs off in the other direction. But as she is running, another group of servants appears.
Stika: [Eeps! I’m trapped!]
Stika is still running. She shuts her eyes, pulls the hood of her jacket over her head and yells her spell.
Stika: (shouts) Star of the white dog: Nicola!
A weird light surrounds Stika and she changes into a small white puppy. Stika jumps over the heads of the servants and manages to get away.
Servant: Get her! Don’t let her escape!
All the servants charge after Stika and begin to chase her around.
---
Scene 7:There is a tea party going on and all the royals of Opal are gathering and having a feast.
One royal with a feathery hat is talking to another.
Feathery hat: Did you hear about the new attraction that’s being built?
Other royal: You mean the chocolate milk waterfall?
Feathery hat: Isn’t it wonderful? It connects us the aristocrats with our lovely citizens.
Other royal: Prince Patricia is great isn’t…
A small white speck comes charging over in their direction followed by a big smoke cloud.
Other royal: This is?
Stika jumps and lands in the feathery hat.
Feathery hat: What’s that? What’s that? Get it off me!
Suddenly the smoke cloud full of servants runs up to him and begins to beat him with their brooms and parangs.
Feathery hat: What the- What are you doing?!?
Stika is swaying about on the hat trying to evade the blows. She finally manages a chance to leap off the hat and runs away. One servant sees her escaping.
Servant: There she is!
Stika turns around, jumps into the air and gathers a ball of energy in her mouth.
Stika: Starlight!
She spits the light at the group of servants and causes and explosion. With that she heads off.
Stika is running on her own now.
Stika: (panting) Ah, I’m so tired. And what’s wrong with all the people here? How come they can run so fast in stilettos?
She then become aware that one servant is still chasing after her with a broom. Stika looks back at the servant, then in front of her and realises that she’s on a balcony and if she runs some more she will fall off.
Stika: Ack!
The servant looms closer.
Stika: [I don’t like fighting…]
Servant: Come here you troublesome little freak.
Stika: [But I guess I have no choice now.]
The servant brings her broom down on Stika. But Stika jumps up high and manages to evade it. She does her starlight spell again and shoots it at the servant.
Stika: Starlight!
The servant collapses unconscious, and Stika cheers.
Stika: Yes!
Then she looks down and realises that she’s happily jumped over the balcony.
Stika: Eek!
Stika falls down.
Stika: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
And the scene goes black.
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End of Chapter 1
