Post by Cascadia on Oct 4, 2007 16:19:16 GMT -5
Chapter Five
Knocking on his Uncle's door was always unsettling. It was like, eagerness, anticipation. And slight worry that he might not open the door. But the knob turned, same as always and the door swung open to reveal the same, short man that was always there to greet them. A smile lit my face, but quickly dropped once we saw his expression.
"Took you long enough," he muttered and stepped back, letting us in. I felt a little hurt, not understanding his annoyance at us. We walked in quickly, and I stopped in the entryway. Boxes were piled everywhere, and the holoimages had been turned off, leaving the walls achingly bare.
"What's wrong ?" His Uncle laughed bitterly in reply, walking through the stacks of packed boxes, containing his life. I walked around them, feeling miserable. My favourite place, now packed up and obviously not going to be existent very much longer.
"As if you don't know," his Uncle spoke, more gently now, probably for my sake. I bit my lip, following the two men as they walked around the once cozy rooms.
"It's your ageday," I said quietly, the room dropping a few degrees. He can't be turning 60 already...it seemed like just yesterday he was only 50, and we were visiting for the first time. Has it really been ten years ? I stopped in the doorway of his sitting room, staring down at the floor. He had the same layout as all residencies did, a couch, a chair and a table. It looked the same as always, but now...there holoimages were gone, and the room had a sterile feel to it that gave me chills.
"But, we can still visit you, on the other world, you're related, right ?" He looked up at his Uncle hopefully, and his Uncle smiled sadly.
"You can visit, as soon as your ageday passes and you turn 18. But..." he glanced at me, his smile fading. "She can't." I looked down quickly, feeling more than unimportant, once again not having the right word. Broken ? Or damaged. I thought to myself, not knowing what to say and trying to occupy my thoughts by shuffling through my vocabulary, looking for the right word to describe how I felt. Unwanted. I finally decided, though it wasn't exactly right.
"Well, what did you two come here for ?" His Uncle asked, obviously trying to leave on a good note. I shifted my gaze, glancing up at my friend, wanting him to say for me. He looked at me and then back at his Uncle, taking a seat on the couch. I walked in and sat beside him, watching our proximity.
"Nichole had a dream," he said looking at me and nodding, urging me on to speak. I tugged at my hairtail, still biting my lip. Looking up around the room, I felt saddened again, but took a deep breath anyway, figuring I might as well have one more memory of being here.
"It was...destructive," I started, always hesitant to talk about my dreams, even after ten years of coming here, and eight of speaking my dreams. Both men sat waiting, slightly smiling at me and I went on. "Everyone was dying," I winced, knowing that wasn't even the worst part and yet enough to get me locked away for the rest of my life. "And people were screaming, the sky...malfunctioned. It was breaking, and I saw the sun." Micheal and his Uncle leaned forward, eyes widening as they listened. I didn't bother smiling, I knew that would catch their attention. No one but the Holders had seen the sun, and those that could travel between planets.
"It was too hot, like it was getting bigger, and it was breaking the sky. Melting it actually. It was day out, but...I could see stars," I smiled now, remembering the beauty of space and warming up to my story. "They filled the nothingness, and they were so beautiful, but something was going...wrong with the world. The sky melted away and was raining stones on people." I paused, knowing it wasn't stones, and struggled to remember the word. "Pretty rocks," I tried, and looked to Micheal for help. He looked confused as well.
"What colour rocks ?" His Uncle asked, and I closed my eyes, trying to remember.
"Red," I told them, remembering holding Micheal's head, my face flushing slightly. I looked down at my lap quickly, knowing my dream had broken all sorts of rules. You weren't allowed to get that close. My face heated more as I recalled more of the dream. I'd pretty much ignored the proximity rule all the way through, I mused before continuing.
"The rocks were red, when one hit-" I blinked, staring at Micheal. "No, they were see-through. The red was..." I hesitated, unwilling to say it. "..blood." I swallowed and looked away, leaning my head back and closing my eyes. "We were running, Micheal. You were with me, and we were running somewhere. But the shuttles had left, and we had no where to go. The...rocks were falling from the broken sky, and they were sharp. They were killing people, and we just kept running."I paused, letting more of the dream come to me as I listened to both men breathing.
"But I stopped, and we..." I knew the word for this one, I just didn't want to repeat anything from this point on. "We hugged," I added in a plain voice, feeling the colour come back to me and I hurried on. "But then there was...something. And we had somewhere to go. Because..." I couldn't remember this part. It got too fuzzy, so I skipped ahead. "Something was there to run to, and you were running, but I didn't want to, we were fighting..." Images flicked through my mind, and I tried to collect enough details. "Then you started pulling me to whatever we were running for, and we..." I couldn't look at him. "...kissed." I could just disappear right now. "And then we kept running, but you died." I stopped, feeling a sharp stab at my chest and took a breath, frowning. The rest of the dream faded, and I couldn't force the memories up.
"It was the end of the world," I finished, looking up at the two men. Micheal sat back, his face unreadable. His Uncle sat back as well, thinking. I returned to biting my lip, unsure. I'd had some strange dreams before, but never like this. This could be considered a threat to the world, normal people don't have dreams like that. His Uncle leaned up and opened his mouth, but a sharp rapping at the door interrupted him. He tensed where he sat, and he almost looked...afraid, I remembered the word from my dream.
"Too soon," he whispered, and was on his feet, moving about the room. He grabbed a small box, and shoved it at Micheal once we had stood, confusion clear on our faces. "Take this, and hurry. Do not let anyone see you with it." He spoke seriously, almost looking angry. I nodded, and he rushed us to his back door. "Get out, get that to your residency, Micheal. And do not get caught." Caught ? What's so wrong with the box ? What's in it ? I wondered, and was shoved out the door. I started to walk away from the place, but a strong hand gripped my shoulder. His Uncle lowered his face next to my ear, breaking the proximity rules.
"Never stop dreaming," he whispered harshly, and then was gone. Micheal and I hurried around his house and down the pathway as we carefully glanced backwards at a small group of Holders, standing around a pod. His Uncle walked out, taking only one small box with him. He didn't look at us as he got into the pod, and one Holder entered as well, the pod starting a moment later and flying over our heads, quickly disappearing from our sights.
We walked half a foot away, maybe a little more, as per world law. Micheal held the box, slightly under his shirt, his hand looked like it was shoved in his pocket. We were silent for a while, both a little tense at the random encounter. Finally he cleared his throat, the noise startling me.
"That was....different." I could tell he was smiling from his voice, but it didn't sound genuine. I nodded, crossing my arms as we walked.
"He was...afraid," I replied, the word felt strange as it rolled off my tongue. Micheal turned to me, his expression puzzled. I took a deep breath, racking my mind for an explanation. "Like, he knew something was going to happen, that he didn't want to. And he looked...fear." The words from my dream overflowed, death, chaos, fear. Mon Âme. They didn't teach us those words here. I wondered where they'd come from, if it was just my imagination creating random sounds from letters.
"He was fear," Micheal repeated, and I shook my head.
"He looked fear," I corrected and smiled. It was absurd, this new word we shared. Another secret, like all my dreams had become. We walked on, straight for Micheal's house.
My parents were both home probably, my mother worked at a store, helping people find clothing, as many other women did. And because so many others had the job, her hours were few. My father fixed simuthings, so he rarely worked as well. They both did their jobs and made money. Of course, everyone got paid the same. It wouldn't be fair to pay my parents less just because other's worked more. World laws. Although, sometimes I wish they did work more, I thought as we continued along the pathway.
"Where are your thoughts ?" I asked Micheal, and he turned a little to look at me. I turned my head as well, and smiled for him. He hummed, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.
"Outer space," he replied smirking. I grinned as well, tilting my head back. I kept my eyes open though, having learned my thoughts were too random to trust while I walked. "And I'm watching the stars explode." My smile ebbed away, and I scowled at him.
"Funny." My voice was sharp, and I rarely spoke to him that way. "Keep laughing at my dreams, and see if I tell you them anymore." I tightened my arms, still crossed over my stomach, gripping my sides. He only snickered.
"Oh, you'll tell me." His voice was rough, not simubark rough, but nice, and I felt my colour return. "You can't say no to me," he added and looked at me quickly, flashing me a smile that made the exploding stars look dull in comparison. Then he tilted his head back, closing his eyes making popping sounds, imitating explosions. I turned away from him, feeling foolish, and silently hoped he walked into a pole.
Knocking on his Uncle's door was always unsettling. It was like, eagerness, anticipation. And slight worry that he might not open the door. But the knob turned, same as always and the door swung open to reveal the same, short man that was always there to greet them. A smile lit my face, but quickly dropped once we saw his expression.
"Took you long enough," he muttered and stepped back, letting us in. I felt a little hurt, not understanding his annoyance at us. We walked in quickly, and I stopped in the entryway. Boxes were piled everywhere, and the holoimages had been turned off, leaving the walls achingly bare.
"What's wrong ?" His Uncle laughed bitterly in reply, walking through the stacks of packed boxes, containing his life. I walked around them, feeling miserable. My favourite place, now packed up and obviously not going to be existent very much longer.
"As if you don't know," his Uncle spoke, more gently now, probably for my sake. I bit my lip, following the two men as they walked around the once cozy rooms.
"It's your ageday," I said quietly, the room dropping a few degrees. He can't be turning 60 already...it seemed like just yesterday he was only 50, and we were visiting for the first time. Has it really been ten years ? I stopped in the doorway of his sitting room, staring down at the floor. He had the same layout as all residencies did, a couch, a chair and a table. It looked the same as always, but now...there holoimages were gone, and the room had a sterile feel to it that gave me chills.
"But, we can still visit you, on the other world, you're related, right ?" He looked up at his Uncle hopefully, and his Uncle smiled sadly.
"You can visit, as soon as your ageday passes and you turn 18. But..." he glanced at me, his smile fading. "She can't." I looked down quickly, feeling more than unimportant, once again not having the right word. Broken ? Or damaged. I thought to myself, not knowing what to say and trying to occupy my thoughts by shuffling through my vocabulary, looking for the right word to describe how I felt. Unwanted. I finally decided, though it wasn't exactly right.
"Well, what did you two come here for ?" His Uncle asked, obviously trying to leave on a good note. I shifted my gaze, glancing up at my friend, wanting him to say for me. He looked at me and then back at his Uncle, taking a seat on the couch. I walked in and sat beside him, watching our proximity.
"Nichole had a dream," he said looking at me and nodding, urging me on to speak. I tugged at my hairtail, still biting my lip. Looking up around the room, I felt saddened again, but took a deep breath anyway, figuring I might as well have one more memory of being here.
"It was...destructive," I started, always hesitant to talk about my dreams, even after ten years of coming here, and eight of speaking my dreams. Both men sat waiting, slightly smiling at me and I went on. "Everyone was dying," I winced, knowing that wasn't even the worst part and yet enough to get me locked away for the rest of my life. "And people were screaming, the sky...malfunctioned. It was breaking, and I saw the sun." Micheal and his Uncle leaned forward, eyes widening as they listened. I didn't bother smiling, I knew that would catch their attention. No one but the Holders had seen the sun, and those that could travel between planets.
"It was too hot, like it was getting bigger, and it was breaking the sky. Melting it actually. It was day out, but...I could see stars," I smiled now, remembering the beauty of space and warming up to my story. "They filled the nothingness, and they were so beautiful, but something was going...wrong with the world. The sky melted away and was raining stones on people." I paused, knowing it wasn't stones, and struggled to remember the word. "Pretty rocks," I tried, and looked to Micheal for help. He looked confused as well.
"What colour rocks ?" His Uncle asked, and I closed my eyes, trying to remember.
"Red," I told them, remembering holding Micheal's head, my face flushing slightly. I looked down at my lap quickly, knowing my dream had broken all sorts of rules. You weren't allowed to get that close. My face heated more as I recalled more of the dream. I'd pretty much ignored the proximity rule all the way through, I mused before continuing.
"The rocks were red, when one hit-" I blinked, staring at Micheal. "No, they were see-through. The red was..." I hesitated, unwilling to say it. "..blood." I swallowed and looked away, leaning my head back and closing my eyes. "We were running, Micheal. You were with me, and we were running somewhere. But the shuttles had left, and we had no where to go. The...rocks were falling from the broken sky, and they were sharp. They were killing people, and we just kept running."I paused, letting more of the dream come to me as I listened to both men breathing.
"But I stopped, and we..." I knew the word for this one, I just didn't want to repeat anything from this point on. "We hugged," I added in a plain voice, feeling the colour come back to me and I hurried on. "But then there was...something. And we had somewhere to go. Because..." I couldn't remember this part. It got too fuzzy, so I skipped ahead. "Something was there to run to, and you were running, but I didn't want to, we were fighting..." Images flicked through my mind, and I tried to collect enough details. "Then you started pulling me to whatever we were running for, and we..." I couldn't look at him. "...kissed." I could just disappear right now. "And then we kept running, but you died." I stopped, feeling a sharp stab at my chest and took a breath, frowning. The rest of the dream faded, and I couldn't force the memories up.
"It was the end of the world," I finished, looking up at the two men. Micheal sat back, his face unreadable. His Uncle sat back as well, thinking. I returned to biting my lip, unsure. I'd had some strange dreams before, but never like this. This could be considered a threat to the world, normal people don't have dreams like that. His Uncle leaned up and opened his mouth, but a sharp rapping at the door interrupted him. He tensed where he sat, and he almost looked...afraid, I remembered the word from my dream.
"Too soon," he whispered, and was on his feet, moving about the room. He grabbed a small box, and shoved it at Micheal once we had stood, confusion clear on our faces. "Take this, and hurry. Do not let anyone see you with it." He spoke seriously, almost looking angry. I nodded, and he rushed us to his back door. "Get out, get that to your residency, Micheal. And do not get caught." Caught ? What's so wrong with the box ? What's in it ? I wondered, and was shoved out the door. I started to walk away from the place, but a strong hand gripped my shoulder. His Uncle lowered his face next to my ear, breaking the proximity rules.
"Never stop dreaming," he whispered harshly, and then was gone. Micheal and I hurried around his house and down the pathway as we carefully glanced backwards at a small group of Holders, standing around a pod. His Uncle walked out, taking only one small box with him. He didn't look at us as he got into the pod, and one Holder entered as well, the pod starting a moment later and flying over our heads, quickly disappearing from our sights.
We walked half a foot away, maybe a little more, as per world law. Micheal held the box, slightly under his shirt, his hand looked like it was shoved in his pocket. We were silent for a while, both a little tense at the random encounter. Finally he cleared his throat, the noise startling me.
"That was....different." I could tell he was smiling from his voice, but it didn't sound genuine. I nodded, crossing my arms as we walked.
"He was...afraid," I replied, the word felt strange as it rolled off my tongue. Micheal turned to me, his expression puzzled. I took a deep breath, racking my mind for an explanation. "Like, he knew something was going to happen, that he didn't want to. And he looked...fear." The words from my dream overflowed, death, chaos, fear. Mon Âme. They didn't teach us those words here. I wondered where they'd come from, if it was just my imagination creating random sounds from letters.
"He was fear," Micheal repeated, and I shook my head.
"He looked fear," I corrected and smiled. It was absurd, this new word we shared. Another secret, like all my dreams had become. We walked on, straight for Micheal's house.
My parents were both home probably, my mother worked at a store, helping people find clothing, as many other women did. And because so many others had the job, her hours were few. My father fixed simuthings, so he rarely worked as well. They both did their jobs and made money. Of course, everyone got paid the same. It wouldn't be fair to pay my parents less just because other's worked more. World laws. Although, sometimes I wish they did work more, I thought as we continued along the pathway.
"Where are your thoughts ?" I asked Micheal, and he turned a little to look at me. I turned my head as well, and smiled for him. He hummed, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.
"Outer space," he replied smirking. I grinned as well, tilting my head back. I kept my eyes open though, having learned my thoughts were too random to trust while I walked. "And I'm watching the stars explode." My smile ebbed away, and I scowled at him.
"Funny." My voice was sharp, and I rarely spoke to him that way. "Keep laughing at my dreams, and see if I tell you them anymore." I tightened my arms, still crossed over my stomach, gripping my sides. He only snickered.
"Oh, you'll tell me." His voice was rough, not simubark rough, but nice, and I felt my colour return. "You can't say no to me," he added and looked at me quickly, flashing me a smile that made the exploding stars look dull in comparison. Then he tilted his head back, closing his eyes making popping sounds, imitating explosions. I turned away from him, feeling foolish, and silently hoped he walked into a pole.