Last night I walked my dog, Mandy, for the last time. She was deliriously happy for the exercise, but collapsed and didn't move for the rest of the night once we finally got inside. Can't blame her.
Today I was woken at 6 am by my mother, telling me my father intended to take Mandy to the vet in half an hour. I got up as if automated, not yawning or stretching, just sort of moving, getting clothes on, eating a small breakfast, not thinking.
I stroked Mandy's head and scratched her ears as much as I was able. She panted happily to be given attention.
It took some time for my father to get the v an ready for her. He put a towel on the seat, had to move containers and crabbing equipment out of the way. Mandy was able to get down the stairs by herself and into the van with some encouragement, but didn't get on the seats. I rode beside her, continously stroking her hair and petting her body.
It took half an hour to reach the vet's. Mandy kept lifting her head to see the sights, but it was hard for her to stand for long in the bump and grind of the road. Whenever I stopped petting her she would nudge my hand or press her head into my leg, begging for more. I obliged, every time.
When we finally got there, I saw that my sister had arrived before us. I hadn't known she would be there; she had been crying for a long time. Her eyes were red, her hair was wild. Her boyfriend kept his arm around her.
I took Mandy to the sidewalk. She defecated on the pavement, but I couldn't do anything about it. I ignored it. We walked inside, and the nurse put their own leash on her, and led her away. Mandy fought it until my Dad scolded her and told her to behave, and she was walked away whining.
We waited in the room for 10 minutes. I paced and drank water constantly, keeping my face as hard as I could. My dad supported himself against the counter, pretending he was waiting for paperwork. My sister sat in a chair and tried to compose herself.
We were led into a small room to wait further. It was the room over from the room where Jake had been put down. I was silent. My dad asked why I didn't want to go to the Ocean with my mom. I didn't reply. He didn't say anything more.
Mandy was wheeled into the room atop a chest-level tray, bandages on her wrist. She was panting and looked around at us happily, I think happy to see us again. The doctor was there with her, needle at the ready. Me and Jamie pet her head and stroked her. We didn't say anything. This was goodbye. We scratched her head and touched her head. She panted happily. My dad touched my shoulder. I moved aside- the doctor was preparing to inject her.
I held her head as he slid the needle into her arm. She looked around lazily, kept panting. She looked tired. She looked into my eyes and slowly lowered her head against my hand. By the time her head touched the mat she was dead, eyes open, tongue caught between her lips. She was gone. I couldn't say the exact second. Only that between the slow collapse and the touch, she died, looking at me. Wondering, maybe. Going to sleep for the last time.
The doctor checked her body for a pulse as Jamie burst into tears. I couldn't breathe. I didn't breathe. The doctor left the room. We touched her for the last time. My father stroked her head and whispered "Good dog." I kissed her cheek.
It wasn't until I was home and alone that something in me snapped and I cried. I held her in my hands as she died. She was looking at me as she died. She died. She went from a living being of emotion and force to lifeless while I touched her.
She was a brat when she was younger. Always getting into things and bothering Jake. She grew up to be the alpha female. Everyone knew it- she bullied Jake and JJ. And in her final year she was dignified. She no longer bullied, but was respected.
She was a good dog. I miss her.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Shadecest
WARNING: The following is pure, unabashed smut written for a community LJ for tryinghuman. Do not read if this offends you.
Shadecest
Shade closed the door to her quarters, dimmed the lights, and walked over to her bed. She sat down and stared ahead for a moment, holding her hands in her lap. After a moment, she fidgeted imperceptibly, long fingers gently touching each other. Sliding her hand underneath her pillow, she pulled out the trying human circuit, closed her eyes, and touched it to her chest.
When she opened her eyes, she looked at her long, human fingers, and exhaled quietly through the red lips. She touched them with her fingers- felt the sensation, thick and soft. Her skin was smooth, and she stroked her own cheek, the tingling feeling of the new skin sending a chill down her spine. She was like a gear that had been wound too tight, and finally loosened; the tension went out of her, and she fell back onto the bed, her hair splayed out underneath her like a great white sheet. Boots were gently nudged off.
Her fingers slid through the white streams of her hair, and she gathered it between her fingers and held it up, touching the softness. Her motionless eyes stared at them, stroking a tuft of her hair with a thumb. She let it drop onto her face, feeling the tickling sensation. Her face involuntarily bunched up and she blew the hair off.
It felt nice. She stretched her arms into the hair, closed her eyes, pretending she was awash in a sea of white fur. She curled it around her fingers, looped clusters around her arms. Tiny pricks here and there on her head, pressure. She felt hot. Her heart was beating faster than was normal. She was thinking of her own naked body. She wanted to touch more of herself. Her stoic face scrunched just a little bit, and ruby lips parted to give a moist exhaled.
She pulled the collar down, looked down at the chest the circuit had given her. She plucked the buttons open on the coat, and slowly touched her belly. The coat fell open, exposing her pale, bluish purple nipples, which were already stiff, yet gently stretched into the open air as the heat of the overcoat was replaced by the cool, open air. Shade drifted through the alien sensation, focusing on the tiny details. Tiny tingles and itches around the edges of the aureole that seemed to magnify as she focused on them, the skin thickening and puffing. She could see in her head the blood vessels doing it, the rush of movement in her body. She was aware of the mass of muscles in her breast; and as she slowly pressed her hand into one, squeezed, felt them contract, felt pressure build up and release as her hand did.
She took a nipple between the fingers and pinched, eliciting an gasp that she didn't intend to release. She rubbed the nipple experimentally, seeing which way was the most sensitive. She grasped a tuft of her long hair, and brought the tip to the nipple, stroking it slowly over the pale blue. Her toes curled, and her back pushed off the bed. Her shoulders shook with the movement in her body, and she began to breath harder. She could feel her body becoming a tripoint; three hotspots of neural activity.
Continuing to tickle her nipple with her hair, her other hand slid down her white belly to the lower of her hip, and gently touched the lowest hotspot with her palm, sliding the hand between her legs. It was moist, and warm, and it felt good, and she pressed her hips into her palm and gently ground into her hand, tickling her nipple periodically. It was exhilarating, accelerating. Shade felt the whole of her body tense, suddenly jump, and lost control. She cried out softly. She spasmed as the tension left her, replaced with pleasant tinglings. what she knew were endorphins, pumping through the human flesh. Allowing her body a few minutes to return to a less heightened state, she gently began to explore her body again.
She was a well-greased gear tonight.
Shadecest
Shade closed the door to her quarters, dimmed the lights, and walked over to her bed. She sat down and stared ahead for a moment, holding her hands in her lap. After a moment, she fidgeted imperceptibly, long fingers gently touching each other. Sliding her hand underneath her pillow, she pulled out the trying human circuit, closed her eyes, and touched it to her chest.
When she opened her eyes, she looked at her long, human fingers, and exhaled quietly through the red lips. She touched them with her fingers- felt the sensation, thick and soft. Her skin was smooth, and she stroked her own cheek, the tingling feeling of the new skin sending a chill down her spine. She was like a gear that had been wound too tight, and finally loosened; the tension went out of her, and she fell back onto the bed, her hair splayed out underneath her like a great white sheet. Boots were gently nudged off.
Her fingers slid through the white streams of her hair, and she gathered it between her fingers and held it up, touching the softness. Her motionless eyes stared at them, stroking a tuft of her hair with a thumb. She let it drop onto her face, feeling the tickling sensation. Her face involuntarily bunched up and she blew the hair off.
It felt nice. She stretched her arms into the hair, closed her eyes, pretending she was awash in a sea of white fur. She curled it around her fingers, looped clusters around her arms. Tiny pricks here and there on her head, pressure. She felt hot. Her heart was beating faster than was normal. She was thinking of her own naked body. She wanted to touch more of herself. Her stoic face scrunched just a little bit, and ruby lips parted to give a moist exhaled.
She pulled the collar down, looked down at the chest the circuit had given her. She plucked the buttons open on the coat, and slowly touched her belly. The coat fell open, exposing her pale, bluish purple nipples, which were already stiff, yet gently stretched into the open air as the heat of the overcoat was replaced by the cool, open air. Shade drifted through the alien sensation, focusing on the tiny details. Tiny tingles and itches around the edges of the aureole that seemed to magnify as she focused on them, the skin thickening and puffing. She could see in her head the blood vessels doing it, the rush of movement in her body. She was aware of the mass of muscles in her breast; and as she slowly pressed her hand into one, squeezed, felt them contract, felt pressure build up and release as her hand did.
She took a nipple between the fingers and pinched, eliciting an gasp that she didn't intend to release. She rubbed the nipple experimentally, seeing which way was the most sensitive. She grasped a tuft of her long hair, and brought the tip to the nipple, stroking it slowly over the pale blue. Her toes curled, and her back pushed off the bed. Her shoulders shook with the movement in her body, and she began to breath harder. She could feel her body becoming a tripoint; three hotspots of neural activity.
Continuing to tickle her nipple with her hair, her other hand slid down her white belly to the lower of her hip, and gently touched the lowest hotspot with her palm, sliding the hand between her legs. It was moist, and warm, and it felt good, and she pressed her hips into her palm and gently ground into her hand, tickling her nipple periodically. It was exhilarating, accelerating. Shade felt the whole of her body tense, suddenly jump, and lost control. She cried out softly. She spasmed as the tension left her, replaced with pleasant tinglings. what she knew were endorphins, pumping through the human flesh. Allowing her body a few minutes to return to a less heightened state, she gently began to explore her body again.
She was a well-greased gear tonight.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Home
Suggested listening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqTe-MgIAsA
I was living on a campus. Large, tall school buildings, dorms. Squares of grass with trees, long hallways. A math club is holding a competition outside, in the shade of one of the buildings. Solve the equations, get prizes! A surprisingly large crowd is drawn. Lot of people having fun. The contest ends- I win the day and the largest prize. My very own large room in the dorms, to myself. A worthy prize.
A group of chinese young men appear. They easily solve all the equations idly, getting everyone's attention. They ask to present their OWN equation for people to solve. The host is uncomfortable and tells them no, it's over, sorry. They are upset, and become creepy in a malevolent way. Staring, silently, as a group. Everyone begins to leave. I stay behind. I'm cocksure and full of myself for winning. I ask if I can give a shot at their equation. They share knowing smiles with each other.
They draw a bizzare, insane graph. Looping circles. It's art, more than it is lines. It's a representation of something. Something I'm not meant to understand. Just staring at the thing feels like I'm losing myself. I can't understand it. I'm not meant to. I don't want to lose- I say a random, bizzare, complicated equation- hoping to call their bluff and make them think I actually figured it out.
I'm wrong. There IS an equation. They know it. And I lose.
Their faces melt away into pure shadow with beady eyes of light. They are staring. Face shapes with eyes. No mouths. No ears. Nothing save for those beady glowing eyes. I pull myself away, going to run- but the whole world matches them now. Everything, everything is dark shadows and glowing light, seen through a grey, dim lens. I can't see myself. Small, complicated shapes no longer exist- the ground is just a plane of white; humans are gone. Trees are wretched forms of shadows, flickering, twisted things reaching to the sky. I whirl around- the men are gone. I am alone. There is no one here.
I stumble through the world, unsure of where I'm going. Space and time are stretched out here. Doors right next to each other have become stretched out with long hallways between them. I have the room I won in my head- a place to go to. My memories feel grey and fading. I feel thin and empty. I try to hold onto myself. The world shifts suddenly- light flashing, shadows growing. Dark sounds. Distant, deep drums. The sound of quiet moaning as if from a deep chasm. Is it me? Am I making that noise, or is something else doing that? I close my eyes, screaming.
The shift ends, but I am disquieted. I find the room- and I almost cry when I see that it is an empty square. No desks. No bookshelves. No books. However, there IS.. a bed. Thank god for small comforts. I curl up on it.
There is a window, but it's more like an open hole in this world. It's raining. The rain drops fall slow. Drops of light and shadow. Slivers, really. Fading as I watch them. I open my hand and try to catch one- a drop of light in my hand. But my hands are invisible, and I do not exist- it falls through where I imagine my hand to be. I spend hours outside in the slow-falling rain. It passes through me. It burns- but I don't care.
Time passes without me.
People say the dorm room I won is haunted after my mysterious dissapearance. Reports of things moving. Cold all the time. The sound of water coming from it, for brief instances. When people step inside they feel strange.
I don't explore too much. The world is too similiar to everything else. I could get lost very easily, I know this. I stay where it is familiar. Where I am safe. I do not need to eat. I do not need to sleep. I try- closing my eyes, in this world, acts similiar. The shifts frighten me, threaten me- but they never hurt me. Several times they occur when I am outside- and when they stop, I find that I am not where I was when they began. Sometime time and space bend; I am where I was going, or I am where I began. Or rarely, I am somewhere I have never been before, and shadows lurk around me.
I wonder how many others like me there could be here, trapped. Invisible. Unable to effect the world. Unable to live; unable to die. Alone.
A very long time I wait. It is a very, very long time. Eons. Unchanging. I sleep. The shifts awaken me, but this time-warped life eventually becomes unchanging itself.
The whispers become louder one eon. The shifts begin to occur more frequently. And most frighteningly of all, one shift puts me under the ground, in a grave. I am able to climb out through the dirt, passing through like a ghost, terrified that I am going the wrong way, pressing myself deeper into the earth. I find the surface at what seems hours, in darkness. A flat yard of light. I only vaguely recognize it.
It has been a long time since I have had to exist. I am almost nothing. But I walk- I float- mouthless, eyeless, without heart. I find the dorms again as it begins to rain. It is raining fast now. Normally. I stare up at the sky and blink. Something is changing. SOmething is coming.
I spend my eons awake now, watching, waiting. I am right. Shadows of men. Faceless, with eyes of light. They are coming again. Preying. I crawl down from the dorm, out of sight. They are watching something I cannot see. A shift. The biggest shift I have ever been through. The world inverts, turns upside down. Reality itself is inverting. Things that should not be are dissapearing. And from nothing, everything.
I am real again. I have flesh. I am exactly as I was. I am alone in the courtyard. The chinese men are walking away- they have not seen me. There is a sign on the courtyard wall for a math contest later tonight. Hours. I have hours after eons. I just sit and breath for a while. Air in my lungs. Blood in my veins. Real arms. Real. I slowly walk to the cafeteria. Food. No one notices me. No one stops me. I am like a living ghost. Seen but unnoticed. I don't care. Food in my belly. Cold water. An hour, gone.
I walk back to my room. It is locked. Abandoned. I steal the keys to open it- it is dirty, filthy. Dusty. I clean it. The sheets are changed. The dust removed. The floor and walls wiped. An hour, gone. But my room is good again. My room is good. My home. I need to fill it. Books, or.. something. I leave.
People notice this. They stare as I leave home, look inside. I don't care. It's getting close to time. There are people starting to gather in the yard for the contest. I walk there, wait there. A girl makes small talk with me. She says she hasn't seen me around before, asks my name. I no longer know it. I look familiar, her friend says. My eyes are very beautiful and haunting, they think. Like light.
The contest begins. It is all happening again. There is a winner- the girl I was speaking to. Again, the men approach. They don't see me, or they don't recognize me, or they don't care. I don't. I am cold and growing warm. They ask to present their own challenge. The host says yes. I am startled. Yes? I am forced to think. They begin to draw a large graph. Everyone stares, entranced. There is a box for submitting answers. I am frightened, backing away. The girl notices this. Begins to sense something is wrong. She asks if I'm okay. Sees my staring at them and the equation. They see me. They see me. THEY SEE ME. THEY SEE ME. THEY SEE ME. THEY SEE ME. THEY SEE ME.
Everyone is going to be wrong. The world is going to shift. Everything. Everyone. They are grinning. Grinning. Their faces are melting. Everyone is screaming. Their screams are shifting. Turning to hollow moans. Distant, from deep chasms. The girl and her friend are grabbing each other. I grab her as well.
The shift ends. I am nothing again. So are they... but I can feel them. I am holding onto them. I can touch them like I can touch myself. I hold onto them, touching them, they are touching me back, frightened. I think they know it's me. I can't be sure. But they are not running away terrified. I gently guide them. We are moving. The whole crowd must be with us now. Invisible, each alone, or with whomever they were touchin, but unable to see them.
What would happen if we had let go and run? Would we ever find each other again? Or simply be alone, knowing somewhere out there was the only companion we could have had? They couldn't know what was to come. They couldn't know. Couldn't. They'd run.. they'd hide. They'd let go. They'd never find them again.
I guide them to the room. Shapes of light and dark. A bed. I sit them down on it. They are touching my face. Probably each other faces. Trying to make sure it's us. We touch heads. Comforting each other. Holding each other. They shudder. I feel they are crying. I feel for them. But most of all, I am happy.
I am not alone. And they will not be, either. We cannot speak.. cannot see. There will be challenges.. they have never undergone a shift. It is certain in time we will be seperated by them. Time and space bending us apart. But they understand. This room is home. We can strive to find it, always. We can touch each other. There is comfort, pleasure to be had from that.
As the distant hollow chasms begin to moan, they cuddle close with me. Warmth. It begins to rain. My invisible, mouthless face smiles. I am happy.
We are not alone. We are Home.
I was living on a campus. Large, tall school buildings, dorms. Squares of grass with trees, long hallways. A math club is holding a competition outside, in the shade of one of the buildings. Solve the equations, get prizes! A surprisingly large crowd is drawn. Lot of people having fun. The contest ends- I win the day and the largest prize. My very own large room in the dorms, to myself. A worthy prize.
A group of chinese young men appear. They easily solve all the equations idly, getting everyone's attention. They ask to present their OWN equation for people to solve. The host is uncomfortable and tells them no, it's over, sorry. They are upset, and become creepy in a malevolent way. Staring, silently, as a group. Everyone begins to leave. I stay behind. I'm cocksure and full of myself for winning. I ask if I can give a shot at their equation. They share knowing smiles with each other.
They draw a bizzare, insane graph. Looping circles. It's art, more than it is lines. It's a representation of something. Something I'm not meant to understand. Just staring at the thing feels like I'm losing myself. I can't understand it. I'm not meant to. I don't want to lose- I say a random, bizzare, complicated equation- hoping to call their bluff and make them think I actually figured it out.
I'm wrong. There IS an equation. They know it. And I lose.
Their faces melt away into pure shadow with beady eyes of light. They are staring. Face shapes with eyes. No mouths. No ears. Nothing save for those beady glowing eyes. I pull myself away, going to run- but the whole world matches them now. Everything, everything is dark shadows and glowing light, seen through a grey, dim lens. I can't see myself. Small, complicated shapes no longer exist- the ground is just a plane of white; humans are gone. Trees are wretched forms of shadows, flickering, twisted things reaching to the sky. I whirl around- the men are gone. I am alone. There is no one here.
I stumble through the world, unsure of where I'm going. Space and time are stretched out here. Doors right next to each other have become stretched out with long hallways between them. I have the room I won in my head- a place to go to. My memories feel grey and fading. I feel thin and empty. I try to hold onto myself. The world shifts suddenly- light flashing, shadows growing. Dark sounds. Distant, deep drums. The sound of quiet moaning as if from a deep chasm. Is it me? Am I making that noise, or is something else doing that? I close my eyes, screaming.
The shift ends, but I am disquieted. I find the room- and I almost cry when I see that it is an empty square. No desks. No bookshelves. No books. However, there IS.. a bed. Thank god for small comforts. I curl up on it.
There is a window, but it's more like an open hole in this world. It's raining. The rain drops fall slow. Drops of light and shadow. Slivers, really. Fading as I watch them. I open my hand and try to catch one- a drop of light in my hand. But my hands are invisible, and I do not exist- it falls through where I imagine my hand to be. I spend hours outside in the slow-falling rain. It passes through me. It burns- but I don't care.
Time passes without me.
People say the dorm room I won is haunted after my mysterious dissapearance. Reports of things moving. Cold all the time. The sound of water coming from it, for brief instances. When people step inside they feel strange.
I don't explore too much. The world is too similiar to everything else. I could get lost very easily, I know this. I stay where it is familiar. Where I am safe. I do not need to eat. I do not need to sleep. I try- closing my eyes, in this world, acts similiar. The shifts frighten me, threaten me- but they never hurt me. Several times they occur when I am outside- and when they stop, I find that I am not where I was when they began. Sometime time and space bend; I am where I was going, or I am where I began. Or rarely, I am somewhere I have never been before, and shadows lurk around me.
I wonder how many others like me there could be here, trapped. Invisible. Unable to effect the world. Unable to live; unable to die. Alone.
A very long time I wait. It is a very, very long time. Eons. Unchanging. I sleep. The shifts awaken me, but this time-warped life eventually becomes unchanging itself.
The whispers become louder one eon. The shifts begin to occur more frequently. And most frighteningly of all, one shift puts me under the ground, in a grave. I am able to climb out through the dirt, passing through like a ghost, terrified that I am going the wrong way, pressing myself deeper into the earth. I find the surface at what seems hours, in darkness. A flat yard of light. I only vaguely recognize it.
It has been a long time since I have had to exist. I am almost nothing. But I walk- I float- mouthless, eyeless, without heart. I find the dorms again as it begins to rain. It is raining fast now. Normally. I stare up at the sky and blink. Something is changing. SOmething is coming.
I spend my eons awake now, watching, waiting. I am right. Shadows of men. Faceless, with eyes of light. They are coming again. Preying. I crawl down from the dorm, out of sight. They are watching something I cannot see. A shift. The biggest shift I have ever been through. The world inverts, turns upside down. Reality itself is inverting. Things that should not be are dissapearing. And from nothing, everything.
I am real again. I have flesh. I am exactly as I was. I am alone in the courtyard. The chinese men are walking away- they have not seen me. There is a sign on the courtyard wall for a math contest later tonight. Hours. I have hours after eons. I just sit and breath for a while. Air in my lungs. Blood in my veins. Real arms. Real. I slowly walk to the cafeteria. Food. No one notices me. No one stops me. I am like a living ghost. Seen but unnoticed. I don't care. Food in my belly. Cold water. An hour, gone.
I walk back to my room. It is locked. Abandoned. I steal the keys to open it- it is dirty, filthy. Dusty. I clean it. The sheets are changed. The dust removed. The floor and walls wiped. An hour, gone. But my room is good again. My room is good. My home. I need to fill it. Books, or.. something. I leave.
People notice this. They stare as I leave home, look inside. I don't care. It's getting close to time. There are people starting to gather in the yard for the contest. I walk there, wait there. A girl makes small talk with me. She says she hasn't seen me around before, asks my name. I no longer know it. I look familiar, her friend says. My eyes are very beautiful and haunting, they think. Like light.
The contest begins. It is all happening again. There is a winner- the girl I was speaking to. Again, the men approach. They don't see me, or they don't recognize me, or they don't care. I don't. I am cold and growing warm. They ask to present their own challenge. The host says yes. I am startled. Yes? I am forced to think. They begin to draw a large graph. Everyone stares, entranced. There is a box for submitting answers. I am frightened, backing away. The girl notices this. Begins to sense something is wrong. She asks if I'm okay. Sees my staring at them and the equation. They see me. They see me. THEY SEE ME. THEY SEE ME. THEY SEE ME. THEY SEE ME. THEY SEE ME.
Everyone is going to be wrong. The world is going to shift. Everything. Everyone. They are grinning. Grinning. Their faces are melting. Everyone is screaming. Their screams are shifting. Turning to hollow moans. Distant, from deep chasms. The girl and her friend are grabbing each other. I grab her as well.
The shift ends. I am nothing again. So are they... but I can feel them. I am holding onto them. I can touch them like I can touch myself. I hold onto them, touching them, they are touching me back, frightened. I think they know it's me. I can't be sure. But they are not running away terrified. I gently guide them. We are moving. The whole crowd must be with us now. Invisible, each alone, or with whomever they were touchin, but unable to see them.
What would happen if we had let go and run? Would we ever find each other again? Or simply be alone, knowing somewhere out there was the only companion we could have had? They couldn't know what was to come. They couldn't know. Couldn't. They'd run.. they'd hide. They'd let go. They'd never find them again.
I guide them to the room. Shapes of light and dark. A bed. I sit them down on it. They are touching my face. Probably each other faces. Trying to make sure it's us. We touch heads. Comforting each other. Holding each other. They shudder. I feel they are crying. I feel for them. But most of all, I am happy.
I am not alone. And they will not be, either. We cannot speak.. cannot see. There will be challenges.. they have never undergone a shift. It is certain in time we will be seperated by them. Time and space bending us apart. But they understand. This room is home. We can strive to find it, always. We can touch each other. There is comfort, pleasure to be had from that.
As the distant hollow chasms begin to moan, they cuddle close with me. Warmth. It begins to rain. My invisible, mouthless face smiles. I am happy.
We are not alone. We are Home.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Chapter 4
The next day, the girl was forbidden from leaving her room. The two guards she had seen posted by the stairs were now outside her room. She had slept in, undisturbed, and awoke with the vague sensation that the break of schedule was some kind of punishment. She'd opened the door, only to find them standing outside.
"Ah!" One of them remarked. It was Frederick, whom she had spoken with before. She recognized his face, and saw his eyes marked with a tired pity. The other guard's face was dark with blame and annoyance. It was Frederick who spoke. "You're up at last. Sorry, girl- can't let you out of your room today."
Her face look positively crushed, and she made such a face that Frederick seemed to almost back away apologetically. "Look, it's not my decision. The Princess' handservant told us to, and he had the authority of the Security Chief to back it up. WAnts you kooped up today, says you need to learn your dependence or something."
"You're not supposed to TELL her that, you idiot." His partner grumbled. "Now she'll just be pissy that she's being punished."
"Oh, come on, Raynor. Look at her. So what if she did sneak around a bit? It's not like we haven't wanted to, only we have posts to tend to. This place is ancient and old.. just imagine what kind of secrets its dusty rooms hold." Frederick gazed reverently at the walls, looking a bit foolish.
Her face was inquisitive, and she looked at Frederick expectantly.
"What..? You didn't know?" Frederick looked to Raynor.
"If she's telling the truth, she probably doesn't know anything about the Stormsidi." Raynor said. "I think that would include how old the castle is, or why.. well, if she's telling the truth." He sniffed and looked at her, his fingers tightening his grip around the spearshaft he held.
Frederick shrugged and looked at the girl. "Well, let's just ask her. Hey, do you know why this castle is important?" She shook her head, and he looked at Raynor with a "see?" look.
"How did you even GET this position?" Raynor muttered darkly.
As if he thought the question was sincere, Frederick responded. "WEeeell, my pappy was good friends with the King, one of his personal bodyguards. Kinda like the Princess' manservant, but officially recognized. Bless the king's heart." There was a moment of silence between the two guards. (The girl's participation was more or less considered voluntary.) "So a year or so ago I got an invitation to join the royal guard. Then this guy came and asked me to spy on the royal family for them, and they'd pay me a pretty big sum of silver. Of course, I said I'd never even consider it and they'd best find themselves lost, because the royal family was good to mine and I'd never betray them, not even for all the riches of the fairies. Well, the very next day, the Princess' manservant is at my door and takes me from home and hearth and wife to here." He exhaled and took a big breath.
Raynor stared at Frederick with wide eyes and blinked. "Wasn't meant to be answered, lad. But.. I see. Well, tell her whatever you want. If she IS a.. well, then you're not telling her anything she already knows. As long as you keep it to public knowledge." Frederick shrugged.
"Sure. It's not like we know anything the public don't." Frederick responded. "Alright, listen. You know why the Stormsidi's called such?"
The girl shook her head.
"Well.. do you know what fairies are?" He asked, looking nervous. She shook her head. "They're ancient things. Not human, but they looked human.. anyways, a long time ago, they interbred with the royalty of an ancient nation, called.. erm.."
"Blackwulfen."
"Something like that." Frederick said. "And the kings and queens of that line founded the Stormsidi. Following?" The girl nodded. "As a result, their line has always been.. blessed, I guess you could say. Fairies are weird. Their blood is even weirder.. but they've always ruled well."
"You speak of our Princess, Frederick." Raynor warned.
"I mean no disrespect." Frederick said. "Just, they've always.. well, I guess it's hard to convey in words. They're not mad, or ill. Just unusual. But powerful, wise, and majestic." He nodded. "And of course, their blood empowers the Stormsidi.."
"No one really knows the secret of the Stormsidi." Raynor finished. "But the royal line has something to do with it. An ancient power.. it was last used in legend, to defend the Stormsidi against barbarian hordes."
The girl listened intently, eyes flicking between the two, leaned against the doorframe with arms crossed.
"Ah!" One of them remarked. It was Frederick, whom she had spoken with before. She recognized his face, and saw his eyes marked with a tired pity. The other guard's face was dark with blame and annoyance. It was Frederick who spoke. "You're up at last. Sorry, girl- can't let you out of your room today."
Her face look positively crushed, and she made such a face that Frederick seemed to almost back away apologetically. "Look, it's not my decision. The Princess' handservant told us to, and he had the authority of the Security Chief to back it up. WAnts you kooped up today, says you need to learn your dependence or something."
"You're not supposed to TELL her that, you idiot." His partner grumbled. "Now she'll just be pissy that she's being punished."
"Oh, come on, Raynor. Look at her. So what if she did sneak around a bit? It's not like we haven't wanted to, only we have posts to tend to. This place is ancient and old.. just imagine what kind of secrets its dusty rooms hold." Frederick gazed reverently at the walls, looking a bit foolish.
Her face was inquisitive, and she looked at Frederick expectantly.
"What..? You didn't know?" Frederick looked to Raynor.
"If she's telling the truth, she probably doesn't know anything about the Stormsidi." Raynor said. "I think that would include how old the castle is, or why.. well, if she's telling the truth." He sniffed and looked at her, his fingers tightening his grip around the spearshaft he held.
Frederick shrugged and looked at the girl. "Well, let's just ask her. Hey, do you know why this castle is important?" She shook her head, and he looked at Raynor with a "see?" look.
"How did you even GET this position?" Raynor muttered darkly.
As if he thought the question was sincere, Frederick responded. "WEeeell, my pappy was good friends with the King, one of his personal bodyguards. Kinda like the Princess' manservant, but officially recognized. Bless the king's heart." There was a moment of silence between the two guards. (The girl's participation was more or less considered voluntary.) "So a year or so ago I got an invitation to join the royal guard. Then this guy came and asked me to spy on the royal family for them, and they'd pay me a pretty big sum of silver. Of course, I said I'd never even consider it and they'd best find themselves lost, because the royal family was good to mine and I'd never betray them, not even for all the riches of the fairies. Well, the very next day, the Princess' manservant is at my door and takes me from home and hearth and wife to here." He exhaled and took a big breath.
Raynor stared at Frederick with wide eyes and blinked. "Wasn't meant to be answered, lad. But.. I see. Well, tell her whatever you want. If she IS a.. well, then you're not telling her anything she already knows. As long as you keep it to public knowledge." Frederick shrugged.
"Sure. It's not like we know anything the public don't." Frederick responded. "Alright, listen. You know why the Stormsidi's called such?"
The girl shook her head.
"Well.. do you know what fairies are?" He asked, looking nervous. She shook her head. "They're ancient things. Not human, but they looked human.. anyways, a long time ago, they interbred with the royalty of an ancient nation, called.. erm.."
"Blackwulfen."
"Something like that." Frederick said. "And the kings and queens of that line founded the Stormsidi. Following?" The girl nodded. "As a result, their line has always been.. blessed, I guess you could say. Fairies are weird. Their blood is even weirder.. but they've always ruled well."
"You speak of our Princess, Frederick." Raynor warned.
"I mean no disrespect." Frederick said. "Just, they've always.. well, I guess it's hard to convey in words. They're not mad, or ill. Just unusual. But powerful, wise, and majestic." He nodded. "And of course, their blood empowers the Stormsidi.."
"No one really knows the secret of the Stormsidi." Raynor finished. "But the royal line has something to do with it. An ancient power.. it was last used in legend, to defend the Stormsidi against barbarian hordes."
The girl listened intently, eyes flicking between the two, leaned against the doorframe with arms crossed.
Dream Journal: Shells
It is time to save the world again.
I am an investigator, cold and aloof, investigating the death of a citizen on our small little worldship. Their eyes have sunken into black sockets, and their expression is cold and miserable. It was just another game in the daily list of games the whole ship participated in. First person shooters, random physical activities. Everyone does them, every day. The person was "Shot" during a game and died for real and in a most unusual manner.
I am the only investigator on the ship. I ask questions. I discover that there are others who have died like this in the past. People forget quickly, too quickly. I discover that their energy has just been.. drained out of them, and this is the result. Their spiritual energy, or their "soul". People try to prevent me from learning more, things turn violent.
I am forced to kill someone attacking me in self-defense, and upon death they scream and vaporize, then respawn way back in their own home. Just like if we were playing a game. There's no boundary between our real lives and the games. It's all the same thing, I discover. The game is on, always. Why?
The ship is using our spiritual energy to power itself. The games are its way of harvesting us. Death, excitement, charges our energy, allows it to be harvested. Dying when you have energy left just lets the ship respawn you. But sometimes you have no energy left.
They're everywhere. Corpses, walking. Empty eye sockets. People ignore them. They're guided to ignore them. What happens, then, when you run out of energy, but you're not killed? When you just keep on living without your soul anymore?
You become an empty, cold shell. An investigator.
I pull the trigger on myself.
I am an investigator, cold and aloof, investigating the death of a citizen on our small little worldship. Their eyes have sunken into black sockets, and their expression is cold and miserable. It was just another game in the daily list of games the whole ship participated in. First person shooters, random physical activities. Everyone does them, every day. The person was "Shot" during a game and died for real and in a most unusual manner.
I am the only investigator on the ship. I ask questions. I discover that there are others who have died like this in the past. People forget quickly, too quickly. I discover that their energy has just been.. drained out of them, and this is the result. Their spiritual energy, or their "soul". People try to prevent me from learning more, things turn violent.
I am forced to kill someone attacking me in self-defense, and upon death they scream and vaporize, then respawn way back in their own home. Just like if we were playing a game. There's no boundary between our real lives and the games. It's all the same thing, I discover. The game is on, always. Why?
The ship is using our spiritual energy to power itself. The games are its way of harvesting us. Death, excitement, charges our energy, allows it to be harvested. Dying when you have energy left just lets the ship respawn you. But sometimes you have no energy left.
They're everywhere. Corpses, walking. Empty eye sockets. People ignore them. They're guided to ignore them. What happens, then, when you run out of energy, but you're not killed? When you just keep on living without your soul anymore?
You become an empty, cold shell. An investigator.
I pull the trigger on myself.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
On the Run (Dream Blog)
There is a pale queen, and she is feasting on the heart of a horse. There is an army about her, and she means to use it to invade my homeland. My homeland is a land of modern times, urban houses and small parks. Her land is the land of fantasy and medieval, of wild men and magic. I am spying on her, but I am caught. She has a daughter, a queer girl who has a strange power. She leads me away from a spot just before a rock crashes into it. The power of slight presciency, or ability to see the future.
She is silent and does not speak, but her facial and body language say that she likes me. Her favor wins my survival, and she begifts me with small kisses. War comes. She is taken with an army of men to invade the modern world, and I go with her. We attack a fortress-prison to make a beachhead. I do not fight, but in the middle of combat. She turns, seeing what will happen just a moment before it does. I am cast off a wall and fall to my death below.
The queer girl screams, and casts powerful blood magic. She sacrifices her entire army. I awaken in a powerful rush of water, in the flooded debris of what was once a fortress. Blood, everywhere. I find the girl, who is near death, and I revive her with a kiss- giving up my life for hers. She refuses to allow it, and so we are both just alive, and weakened. She is the weaker, however, and a living soldier of my homeworld comes upon us. He recognizes her for what she is.
I am forced to kill him.
I am now a traitor to my own people, on the run in my homeland, carrying the girl and hiding within a suburban area. I gather supplies while I can, but a news bulletin gives my face, and I am forced to flee from police and military men, investigators with high-powered technology. The girl finds me, turns us invisible, and we hide, cuddled in a corner, as they pass. We hide in unlived houses, parks, and escape into the city. She protects me, and I protect her. We share blood now.
I find shelter in an old friend's home, who is torn between his friendship with me and the fact I am harboring a powerful enemy. I need to get her back to her homeland, and avoid the searching. The girl does not trust him. She wants me to kill him. War is coming, in the shape of horses and fires. The queen searches, too, for her daughter, and the man who took her.
I must do my best to keep them both alive as I search for a way to return her home. Being found by either army would mean the death of one of them- and me.
She is silent and does not speak, but her facial and body language say that she likes me. Her favor wins my survival, and she begifts me with small kisses. War comes. She is taken with an army of men to invade the modern world, and I go with her. We attack a fortress-prison to make a beachhead. I do not fight, but in the middle of combat. She turns, seeing what will happen just a moment before it does. I am cast off a wall and fall to my death below.
The queer girl screams, and casts powerful blood magic. She sacrifices her entire army. I awaken in a powerful rush of water, in the flooded debris of what was once a fortress. Blood, everywhere. I find the girl, who is near death, and I revive her with a kiss- giving up my life for hers. She refuses to allow it, and so we are both just alive, and weakened. She is the weaker, however, and a living soldier of my homeworld comes upon us. He recognizes her for what she is.
I am forced to kill him.
I am now a traitor to my own people, on the run in my homeland, carrying the girl and hiding within a suburban area. I gather supplies while I can, but a news bulletin gives my face, and I am forced to flee from police and military men, investigators with high-powered technology. The girl finds me, turns us invisible, and we hide, cuddled in a corner, as they pass. We hide in unlived houses, parks, and escape into the city. She protects me, and I protect her. We share blood now.
I find shelter in an old friend's home, who is torn between his friendship with me and the fact I am harboring a powerful enemy. I need to get her back to her homeland, and avoid the searching. The girl does not trust him. She wants me to kill him. War is coming, in the shape of horses and fires. The queen searches, too, for her daughter, and the man who took her.
I must do my best to keep them both alive as I search for a way to return her home. Being found by either army would mean the death of one of them- and me.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Stormsidi (Chapter ?)
The girl sat in the windowsill, gazing out to sea as she did each morning. Fog rolled over the blue waves, and waves sprayed mist. There was a gentle silence as the light danced beams around the water and walls. She pulled her nightgown tight around her ankles and rested her arms on her knees.
The smooth, deep voice of King snuck in through the silence. She knew what he was going to ask as soon as she heard him. "Do you remember what happened the night we found you?" He asked. The girl turned her head to look at him with a reluctant expression and blew some hair out of her face, shaking her head with downward, insincere eyes. "Try. It's important." Her eyes focused on a distant point, and then flicked to his. A slight shake of her head. ".. I see. You know, maybe your memory would be stirred if I told you what we knew." The girl looked apprehensive.
"We were moving the Princess to a new safecastle. Our old one was compromised after our former head of security was killed." The girl's eyes narrowed slightly and she quickly looked out to the sea as King watched her. She bit her lower lip and looked back to him. His eyes felt piercing. "We heard gunfire on the path.. there was an explosion. We found you there. Our men saw several rebels fleeing the scene. Do you remember any of this?"
The girl sighed, and nodded slightly, looking up into King's eyes. "Do you remember what happened before we arrived?" She shook her head before he was even finished asking the question. "I see." This would not be the last time he asked this question, it was clear.
She spent the day padding barefoot around the section of the castle she was confined to, creeping about quietly pressed to walls and listening to people and sounds. The castle was pristine in the parts that had been cleaned, but many parts of it, especially those not in use, were full of dust and a strange musty smell that permeated the air with age.
Many of the doors available to her were locked, but she could see through the keyholes dark rooms of shapes. The door four doors down from her room was locked, but the lock fell apart after a few strong jiggles and led into what must have once been a royal pantry. The crates and boxes remained, but the food was long gone. The girl toed around stains on the floor and pushed aside boxes, climbed on top of tables and peeked on top shelves, blowing dust off.
There was a hole in wall behind one of the boxes. When she leaned down to inspect it, she could feel a cold wind blow through it, chilling her. There was a passageway.
She could just barely fit into the hole, and it took some scraping and bending. Her nightgown bunched up at the shoulders and she stopped, halfway through the hole, because she did not wish to tear it, and carefully adjusted herself until she could push through. The secret passageway was as wide as a man and remarkably clean.
There were small sources of light peeking in through the sides of the passageway, from the outside. Bricks that were glowing. The girl walked up to one and inspected it, and discovered that the brick was actually see-through and glass. She followed the wall and the bricks along, until she came to an old grating in the floor. There was some sort of duct in the floor. The air was cold and blowing fast in it. Some kind of air conditioning system? She wondered. She pulled the grating off and decided to chance exploring, sliding easily into the duct-space. It was big enough to comfortable crawl in, although it was quite cold.
She crawled until she came to an opening that peeked into a room below. It was a very small opening, not enough for even a child to crawl through, but she could still see into the room. It was an office, with plans and maps laid out on the wall. It seemed vaguely familiar to her. Inside the room was a strange man she hadn't seen before, but his voice she recognized from somewhere.
"I don't agree." The strange man said. He was dressed in dark blue, practical clothing, with buttons up his arms and short brown hair. "It's a big security risk."
"Everything is, these days." The voice belonged to King, though she could not see him. "It's your job to prevent anything disastrous from happening. If you think it needs a greater security detail than the guards assigned to the Princess.."
"I'm not saying that they're not up to the task. It's just.." The man ran his hand through his hair. "We don't know anything about her. And we can't find anything out about her. There's nothing on her. It feels obvious to me there's more going on here."
"I agree." King rumbled. "But until we know more, I don't see a problem with keeping her in the safecastle."
"I do!" The man exclaimed. "She could be a spy. She could be an assassin. If you'd just let me interrogate her-"
"The Princess has deemed that unnecessary. I agree."
"I don't agree with your trust." The man replied with a deep sigh. The girl studied his features carefully. His eyes were deep and heavy. He'd not gotten much sleep. He looked stressed out, the girl recognized.
"It's not within your authority to deny the will of the throne." King said.
"It IS within my authority to decide measures to protect the throne." The man said. "As your new chief of security, that is well within my purview. And this girl is an obvious risk. Adoral was killed because he trusted someone he thought he could trust, even when all evidence pointed against it. As his replacement, I'm not going to see the same trick played twice." He stood up straight, and looked firmly in the direction of King.
"...very well. What do you want to do?" King said.
"I want to interrogate her. Myself. How I please." The man said.
"No." King said, with a level of grit in his voice the girl had no heard before. She shuddered, and rubbed her hands together hard. It was so cold in the vent. "I do not allow that."
"You don't have the power to deny me." The man replied. "I am acting in the interest of the throne. You may be the Princess' servant, but it is not you who is chief of security."
"Perhaps. But we are both charged with protecting the Princess. You cannot do your duty long if you focus overly much on your own will. She has given you her will. The girl is not. to. be. harmed." King said.
The man was silent for a long while, looking at the wall. The girl adjusted herself slowly, looking into the vent until she could see King, who looked.. harried. Angry. There were lines in his face she had never seen until now. His eyes flicked up for a brief moment, and she pulled back, unsure if he had seen her. If he had, he did not express it in his body or words.
"Interrogate her if you must. But her recovery will not be interrupted." King said.
"Her recovery." The man said with an air of mocking. "How convenient, her silence. How arbitrary, her timing." He sighed. "Very well. Take me to her. I will ask her my questions, if she can answer them." He gestured to the door. They were coming to see her! If she was not in her room, or at the very least the hallway she was supposed to be confined to.. she squirmed in the vent and backed up slowly as the cold wind blew against her backside.
It took her precious minutes to scoot herself up to the grate that she had entered into, and she quickly pulled herself out, forgetting the grating and rushing towards the hole. She quickly pulled off the nightgown and tossed it through the hole, and threw herself through it, struggling mightily to slide through, scraping and slicing. Quickly, she blew off the nightgown and pulled it back on, and slid out of the room with all the quietness of a very quiet mouse.
The hallway was silent yet judging. She could hear voices coming from near her room. She calmed her heart as best as she could, smoothed out her dress, and stepped forward on bare feet around the bend of the hallway until the man and King came into sight.
"..not here! Who gave her permission to..?" The man paused, seeing the girl. She looked fearful and nervous, but slowly stepped forward. Her posture was that of someone who had known they had down wrong; shoulders slumped, movements slight, head slightly bowed. "There she is."
King walked in tall strides to her and quickly grasped her shoulder. He squinted slightly. "Cold. You're very cold.. and bleeding." He was looking at her shoulder. There was dirt and a small amount of bruised bleeding. "What were you up to? Come." He pulled her past the man into her room, and the man followed. King pulled out a fresh set of bandages as she sat down on the edge of the bed. As she waited, the man walked up to her, with a strange, cold look in his eyes, yet awkward nervousness in his posture, she noticed.
King dabbed ointment and disinfectant against her shoulder, and she cringed, but he pressed the disinfectant harder against her. Silently expressing his disapproval of whatever she had been up to, to obtain such injuries. He began to wrap the bandages around her as the man began to speak.
"My name is Michael." He said. "I'm the Chief of Security here. I've like to ask you some questions." It was clear from his tone the girl had no choice.
"What is your name?" He asked. She shook her head. "You can't give it, or you don't have one?" She squinted one eye at him and made an annoyed face. King looked at the man. "Alright, fine. Do you HAVE a name?" She shook her head.
"Okay. The night you were encountered, there was an intense firefight, that sparked off REMARKABLY close to us. Do you remember that?" She nodded, but slightly. "I bet. You got injured in that. Do you remember how?" She hesitated. She.. could she? Was it there? Or would it hurt too much to know? She looked to the side. "You do." The man replied. He leaned forward. "YOur throat. It was.. I'm told the healers had never seen such an injury. Someone didn't want you talking." She shrunk from his presence as much as she could. King tied tight the last bandage on her shoulder. "Why were you there?"
She looked at Michael with a hopeless expression. He pressed forward. "WHY were you there? It was late at night. In the middle of a firefight. You had plenty of time to escape. The rebels are careful to maintain perfect PR. WHY were you hurt?" He demanded, grabbing her shoulder forcefully. King looked at the man with alarm. "ANSWER ME!" She said nothing, biting her teeth and staring at the floor with wide eyes. Michael rose his hand and backhanded her, and in return King slid inbetween her and Michael with a sense of presence she had only guessed he had.
"That's enough." King said, holding his arms open. Michael looked at his hand, and sighed.
"I'm sorry. I lost my patience there." He said quietly. "You must understand the position you've put me in. You're an unknown person, with an unknown identity, and you cannot speak.. It is all so convenient." He stared at her intensely with those cold eyes of his, and then turned and left. She watched him go with King.
King turned to look at her with a sad expression on his face, but it sublty reverted to his normal, expressionless face. "You've made an enemy of him, I fear. I'm not sure he'll ever accept your presence. Not as the Princess has begun to.. you should rest. You are cold, and injured. You should refrain from exploring the castle so intently in the future. It will lead you to harm." He warned. King left the room, leaving her alone.
She slid to her pillows and rest her head on them, and stared, imagining terrible things.
The smooth, deep voice of King snuck in through the silence. She knew what he was going to ask as soon as she heard him. "Do you remember what happened the night we found you?" He asked. The girl turned her head to look at him with a reluctant expression and blew some hair out of her face, shaking her head with downward, insincere eyes. "Try. It's important." Her eyes focused on a distant point, and then flicked to his. A slight shake of her head. ".. I see. You know, maybe your memory would be stirred if I told you what we knew." The girl looked apprehensive.
"We were moving the Princess to a new safecastle. Our old one was compromised after our former head of security was killed." The girl's eyes narrowed slightly and she quickly looked out to the sea as King watched her. She bit her lower lip and looked back to him. His eyes felt piercing. "We heard gunfire on the path.. there was an explosion. We found you there. Our men saw several rebels fleeing the scene. Do you remember any of this?"
The girl sighed, and nodded slightly, looking up into King's eyes. "Do you remember what happened before we arrived?" She shook her head before he was even finished asking the question. "I see." This would not be the last time he asked this question, it was clear.
She spent the day padding barefoot around the section of the castle she was confined to, creeping about quietly pressed to walls and listening to people and sounds. The castle was pristine in the parts that had been cleaned, but many parts of it, especially those not in use, were full of dust and a strange musty smell that permeated the air with age.
Many of the doors available to her were locked, but she could see through the keyholes dark rooms of shapes. The door four doors down from her room was locked, but the lock fell apart after a few strong jiggles and led into what must have once been a royal pantry. The crates and boxes remained, but the food was long gone. The girl toed around stains on the floor and pushed aside boxes, climbed on top of tables and peeked on top shelves, blowing dust off.
There was a hole in wall behind one of the boxes. When she leaned down to inspect it, she could feel a cold wind blow through it, chilling her. There was a passageway.
She could just barely fit into the hole, and it took some scraping and bending. Her nightgown bunched up at the shoulders and she stopped, halfway through the hole, because she did not wish to tear it, and carefully adjusted herself until she could push through. The secret passageway was as wide as a man and remarkably clean.
There were small sources of light peeking in through the sides of the passageway, from the outside. Bricks that were glowing. The girl walked up to one and inspected it, and discovered that the brick was actually see-through and glass. She followed the wall and the bricks along, until she came to an old grating in the floor. There was some sort of duct in the floor. The air was cold and blowing fast in it. Some kind of air conditioning system? She wondered. She pulled the grating off and decided to chance exploring, sliding easily into the duct-space. It was big enough to comfortable crawl in, although it was quite cold.
She crawled until she came to an opening that peeked into a room below. It was a very small opening, not enough for even a child to crawl through, but she could still see into the room. It was an office, with plans and maps laid out on the wall. It seemed vaguely familiar to her. Inside the room was a strange man she hadn't seen before, but his voice she recognized from somewhere.
"I don't agree." The strange man said. He was dressed in dark blue, practical clothing, with buttons up his arms and short brown hair. "It's a big security risk."
"Everything is, these days." The voice belonged to King, though she could not see him. "It's your job to prevent anything disastrous from happening. If you think it needs a greater security detail than the guards assigned to the Princess.."
"I'm not saying that they're not up to the task. It's just.." The man ran his hand through his hair. "We don't know anything about her. And we can't find anything out about her. There's nothing on her. It feels obvious to me there's more going on here."
"I agree." King rumbled. "But until we know more, I don't see a problem with keeping her in the safecastle."
"I do!" The man exclaimed. "She could be a spy. She could be an assassin. If you'd just let me interrogate her-"
"The Princess has deemed that unnecessary. I agree."
"I don't agree with your trust." The man replied with a deep sigh. The girl studied his features carefully. His eyes were deep and heavy. He'd not gotten much sleep. He looked stressed out, the girl recognized.
"It's not within your authority to deny the will of the throne." King said.
"It IS within my authority to decide measures to protect the throne." The man said. "As your new chief of security, that is well within my purview. And this girl is an obvious risk. Adoral was killed because he trusted someone he thought he could trust, even when all evidence pointed against it. As his replacement, I'm not going to see the same trick played twice." He stood up straight, and looked firmly in the direction of King.
"...very well. What do you want to do?" King said.
"I want to interrogate her. Myself. How I please." The man said.
"No." King said, with a level of grit in his voice the girl had no heard before. She shuddered, and rubbed her hands together hard. It was so cold in the vent. "I do not allow that."
"You don't have the power to deny me." The man replied. "I am acting in the interest of the throne. You may be the Princess' servant, but it is not you who is chief of security."
"Perhaps. But we are both charged with protecting the Princess. You cannot do your duty long if you focus overly much on your own will. She has given you her will. The girl is not. to. be. harmed." King said.
The man was silent for a long while, looking at the wall. The girl adjusted herself slowly, looking into the vent until she could see King, who looked.. harried. Angry. There were lines in his face she had never seen until now. His eyes flicked up for a brief moment, and she pulled back, unsure if he had seen her. If he had, he did not express it in his body or words.
"Interrogate her if you must. But her recovery will not be interrupted." King said.
"Her recovery." The man said with an air of mocking. "How convenient, her silence. How arbitrary, her timing." He sighed. "Very well. Take me to her. I will ask her my questions, if she can answer them." He gestured to the door. They were coming to see her! If she was not in her room, or at the very least the hallway she was supposed to be confined to.. she squirmed in the vent and backed up slowly as the cold wind blew against her backside.
It took her precious minutes to scoot herself up to the grate that she had entered into, and she quickly pulled herself out, forgetting the grating and rushing towards the hole. She quickly pulled off the nightgown and tossed it through the hole, and threw herself through it, struggling mightily to slide through, scraping and slicing. Quickly, she blew off the nightgown and pulled it back on, and slid out of the room with all the quietness of a very quiet mouse.
The hallway was silent yet judging. She could hear voices coming from near her room. She calmed her heart as best as she could, smoothed out her dress, and stepped forward on bare feet around the bend of the hallway until the man and King came into sight.
"..not here! Who gave her permission to..?" The man paused, seeing the girl. She looked fearful and nervous, but slowly stepped forward. Her posture was that of someone who had known they had down wrong; shoulders slumped, movements slight, head slightly bowed. "There she is."
King walked in tall strides to her and quickly grasped her shoulder. He squinted slightly. "Cold. You're very cold.. and bleeding." He was looking at her shoulder. There was dirt and a small amount of bruised bleeding. "What were you up to? Come." He pulled her past the man into her room, and the man followed. King pulled out a fresh set of bandages as she sat down on the edge of the bed. As she waited, the man walked up to her, with a strange, cold look in his eyes, yet awkward nervousness in his posture, she noticed.
King dabbed ointment and disinfectant against her shoulder, and she cringed, but he pressed the disinfectant harder against her. Silently expressing his disapproval of whatever she had been up to, to obtain such injuries. He began to wrap the bandages around her as the man began to speak.
"My name is Michael." He said. "I'm the Chief of Security here. I've like to ask you some questions." It was clear from his tone the girl had no choice.
"What is your name?" He asked. She shook her head. "You can't give it, or you don't have one?" She squinted one eye at him and made an annoyed face. King looked at the man. "Alright, fine. Do you HAVE a name?" She shook her head.
"Okay. The night you were encountered, there was an intense firefight, that sparked off REMARKABLY close to us. Do you remember that?" She nodded, but slightly. "I bet. You got injured in that. Do you remember how?" She hesitated. She.. could she? Was it there? Or would it hurt too much to know? She looked to the side. "You do." The man replied. He leaned forward. "YOur throat. It was.. I'm told the healers had never seen such an injury. Someone didn't want you talking." She shrunk from his presence as much as she could. King tied tight the last bandage on her shoulder. "Why were you there?"
She looked at Michael with a hopeless expression. He pressed forward. "WHY were you there? It was late at night. In the middle of a firefight. You had plenty of time to escape. The rebels are careful to maintain perfect PR. WHY were you hurt?" He demanded, grabbing her shoulder forcefully. King looked at the man with alarm. "ANSWER ME!" She said nothing, biting her teeth and staring at the floor with wide eyes. Michael rose his hand and backhanded her, and in return King slid inbetween her and Michael with a sense of presence she had only guessed he had.
"That's enough." King said, holding his arms open. Michael looked at his hand, and sighed.
"I'm sorry. I lost my patience there." He said quietly. "You must understand the position you've put me in. You're an unknown person, with an unknown identity, and you cannot speak.. It is all so convenient." He stared at her intensely with those cold eyes of his, and then turned and left. She watched him go with King.
King turned to look at her with a sad expression on his face, but it sublty reverted to his normal, expressionless face. "You've made an enemy of him, I fear. I'm not sure he'll ever accept your presence. Not as the Princess has begun to.. you should rest. You are cold, and injured. You should refrain from exploring the castle so intently in the future. It will lead you to harm." He warned. King left the room, leaving her alone.
She slid to her pillows and rest her head on them, and stared, imagining terrible things.
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