That leaves “Meg V” beside C3. Yes, I said V instead of XV because it’s shorter. Don’t get confused. With their backs against the neighboring tables, Mercy and Jo are behind Charis and Travis while Cat is kind of by herself at her own table sitting right besides Jo and behind Kammy. I hope you know what I mean, picturing people sitting around six-seated tables plus one for Gigi. If you don’t get it, just remember I tried.
The drinks are given, and C3 takes her seat, running her hand through her short hair in a peppy fashion and giving a good shake at the top. With a deep breath, she begins her speech. “Ho-kay! I’m so glad you guys could be here. I’ve been looking forward to this ever since Duplica came to Juniper to tell us about it. That said, I guess I should jump right into the lesson so we can have more time to goof off after. Now, what do you guys know about me and red rocks already?”
Gigi raises her soda bottle. “You and your son Travis are from this storyboard designated CCCXLI, and the red rocks are just one type of mysterious materials that are a part of System elements that people can use for good or evil, depending on what the substance is and how it’s used.”
“Wow, Gracie,” Duplica applauds, “you said that much simpler than I did in my notes. Poor Lully.”
Giggling, Grace says, “Well, I wouldn’t have known it if my wonderful mom didn’t write it in her notes, so I guess they were important, weren’t they?” This grateful attitude is followed by a wink from the kind daughter. “Oh! And you were born in a dream, Meg.”
Pleased with Gigi’s knowledge, Meg goes into how she was made. “One night, the System Director had a dream in which, I theorize, my storyboard was born. Back then, we were a mix of knights and maidens with robots and futuristic things, but with other types of villages and tribes in the area. The big villain was our version of Arion Jekel, but he had just been defeated by AB and James when the dream started. The land had been ravaged by Jekel’s attacks, but the System Guards were able to squash him. However, in the mayhem, some of his machines had either been missed or weren’t as destroyed as the heroes had thought. I was just a little girl when one of these machines reactivated and killed my family. The machine was destroyed and the rest of the threats were finally cleaned up, but I was without a home, so the elder of my village, James Scott’s father, took me in. If you know who Patriarch is and his step-daughter Patty, then you’ll know who I mean when I saw our universe’s version of Patty was the other little girl now orphaned, thus C3 Patriarch and Vahnna took her in.”
The girls voice their fondness of XI Vahnna and imagine how cute Meg and Patty must have been as little girls in this new storyboard. Meg laughs and continues her story.
“As Patty and I grew, we started training to fight. Our village wasn’t as advanced as the other civilizations, but our martial arts skills were still a valuable asset. James was really the only one proficient in the technology used by AB’s people, but Patty and I determined to learn one day. Our training had us following the journey AB and James had taken a generation earlier, and eventually, we earned a place among the ranks of the royal army. We served for the rest of our lives, always wondering if the rumors were true that Arion Jekel wasn’t really dead. However, nothing ever presented itself, and we all died of old age. I know that’s not what you expected to hear, but at least I married Canbel, right? Well, eons later, the System Director came to Canbel and I with a special mission and revived us. We awoke to the world you see now, only a generation before this one. I almost puked the first time I stepped up to a window that overlooked the Earth, but I soon adapted well. I was sad that Patty couldn’t come, but I soon made new friends, so it wasn’t so bad. Elena came to my world with Mr. Locket, but we had barely gotten to know each other before the evil Zeria got me lost in Storyboard XV. I met Meg XV and helped her out until Elena could find me. With the knowledge of so many Megs, Elena got us all together for a party, ha ha. I came back here, discussing the topic of the red rocks, but by the time we arrived here again, it was too late. My world was in ruin.”
Inner Man Theatre 