Post by Kira & Lee Norris on Dec 6, 2007 19:08:40 GMT
It was just one big illusion.
This dream was his last dream, and somehow, he knew it. When he woke up in it, he could feel it wasn't normal. Perhaps there was a name for it. One second he was there, and then he wasn't. It was a funny feeling. It wasn't wrapped up in emotions. It wasn't bitter, hatred or pain. It just was. The idea that he knew he was there... moving through the dream... but he wasn't there completely.
Not totally.
"We can relate to each other, you know," she said softly, leaning forward conversationally. Her voice oozed with the seduction of something great. Lee found himself leaning forward too, the part of his mind that was drinking this all in was sucking up her every word.
Then, recognising his weakness, he pulled back. "Oh."
"Don't be like that," she smiled, laughing. "But, Lee, I must say, I should have given you more credit. You were far harder to crack than I first thought."
He winced. "Oh, gee, thanks."
She laughed at that too, then her dark eyes fluttered open, and she leant forward even farther. "We can be friends now, Lee. Remember?"
He remembered. Something didn't want him to care. He couldn't relax with her like he usually did.
"I don't feel it, Libba," he sighed. "Maddie and Kira know something's wrong with me. What d'you think they'll say when...?" he stopped, and cleared his throat. "I want them to understand."
"Oh, they will," Libba gushed confidently, tossing her curls. "Don't worry, Lee."
"I am worried, Libba. Too late."
"Oh, well," she shrugged. "It's unnecessary. But stop talking about Madeleine. You talk about her too much."
Lee raised an eyebrow. "I love her."
Libba yawned pointedly. "Yeah, yeah, I know, jeez..." She then brightened. "But you still think I'm pretty?"
Lee swept his eyes over her flawless body, and groaned slightly as he felt another little piece of himself sink away into the confusion of this dream. "You're beautiful."
She smiled triumphantly. "Yes, I suppose I am." Then a pause- deliberate. "Prettier than her?"
Finally, Lee felt himself relax, and smiled, embracing a rare moment of triumph. "Impossible."
She scowled suddenly, and with a terrifying swiftness, her beauty was stripped away to reveal something ugly. If you blinked, you missed it, and the next time Lee's eyes fluttered open... well, she was as stunning as ever.
"I'm glad you've forgiven me for the nightmares."
Lee's stomach lurched, the blood of his friends and family dribbling through his hands as the memories came hissing back. "They're still hell."
Her lips curved downwards. "Poor Lee."
"But... yeah. I've forgiven you. I know you had to show me those things to make me... make me understand." He stopped, a scarlet ribbon blocking his path. "Except... when you kissed me. And when... Maddie was with Levi. Why did you do that?"
Something strange flitted across Libba's face. "It was the first time I broke into your mind. Your thoughts were confused, and I'd some difficulty adjusting. It happened more than once- but I did my best to avoid it. That's all."
"Yeah," he mumbled slowly. "Yeah, makes sense."
She beamed. "Like I was saying, Lee- you and I are not so different."
"Uh-huh. How?"
Another unfathomable expression briefly distorted her features. "I was forced to leave my family too."
Lee caught his breath, his mouth suddenly sandpaper dry. He hadn't been expecting that.
Libba smiled softly. "Yeah... and it was awful. I knew I had to do it- because of what I believed and because of Marius. I knew what I was doing was right... but God. It still hurts. I left behind a brother, actually. He's in your year..."
"Do I know him?"
"No," she replied quickly. "No, I don't think so. And even if you did, I wouldn't want you to talk to him. I'm not sure how well he'd take to what we're planning..."
"But... it has to be done," Lee said blankly. It was so obvious to him now, he could barely understand his old self. Logic? Bah! Marius had all the real answers. Marius was the one who was being logical. "You're his sister. Why won't he listen?"
"Would Kira listen to you?"
He bit his tongue. "Fair point."
Libba laughed, tilting her head affectionately as she surveyed him. "They won't like it at first. You may lose them... for a long time. But you'll never lose their love. And one day, when Marius has restored peace, you'll all be together again. I promise you, Lee. One day..."
"Bet you can't wait for your day."
"It's all I ever dream of."
There was a brief pause.
"You'll have me, then, Libba."
She jumped, and for the first time ever, she focused on him in pure, open shock. "What?"
He blushed slightly at her reaction, as though it was something to be embarrassed about. "Well, you know..." he shrugged, then grinned. "We're friends, right? Real good ones?"
She nodded, her eyes narrowed.
"So," he said with more confidence now. "We'll keep each other going- motivate each other and help each other when we need it. I guess you're becoming like a big sister to me... and family..." he trailed off, and broke her gaze. "Well. Y'know."
Libba nodded dumbly, and then, a strange smile lit her features. "I hadn't thought about that."
He smiled. "Gee, Libba. Bit dim?"
"Bit," she admitted, then flashed her own sparkling smile. "Actually, I'm a genius."
"You did dream up a pretty genius plan," he laughed.
She winked. "Genius is found in simplicity."
He cocked his head. "There was one thing though... that bothered me. About my escape?"
"Just run for it," she shrugged it off. "You'll be fine. Nobody will suspect a thing."
Nobody will suspect a thing...
The words became fact before his very eyes.
Lee stood up, stretching, and letting the enormity of the noble task he'd now been granted with wash over him. Kira had never expected her training to be put to this use- had she?
He sighed, looking upwards. "Now... well. I guess I'll just have to pray nothing goes wrong."
She stood up too, worrying her lip for a couple of seconds, then took his hand and kissed his cheek; her touch as soft as a feather.
"Me too, Lee. Me too."
This dream was his last dream, and somehow, he knew it. When he woke up in it, he could feel it wasn't normal. Perhaps there was a name for it. One second he was there, and then he wasn't. It was a funny feeling. It wasn't wrapped up in emotions. It wasn't bitter, hatred or pain. It just was. The idea that he knew he was there... moving through the dream... but he wasn't there completely.
Not totally.
"We can relate to each other, you know," she said softly, leaning forward conversationally. Her voice oozed with the seduction of something great. Lee found himself leaning forward too, the part of his mind that was drinking this all in was sucking up her every word.
Then, recognising his weakness, he pulled back. "Oh."
"Don't be like that," she smiled, laughing. "But, Lee, I must say, I should have given you more credit. You were far harder to crack than I first thought."
He winced. "Oh, gee, thanks."
She laughed at that too, then her dark eyes fluttered open, and she leant forward even farther. "We can be friends now, Lee. Remember?"
He remembered. Something didn't want him to care. He couldn't relax with her like he usually did.
"I don't feel it, Libba," he sighed. "Maddie and Kira know something's wrong with me. What d'you think they'll say when...?" he stopped, and cleared his throat. "I want them to understand."
"Oh, they will," Libba gushed confidently, tossing her curls. "Don't worry, Lee."
"I am worried, Libba. Too late."
"Oh, well," she shrugged. "It's unnecessary. But stop talking about Madeleine. You talk about her too much."
Lee raised an eyebrow. "I love her."
Libba yawned pointedly. "Yeah, yeah, I know, jeez..." She then brightened. "But you still think I'm pretty?"
Lee swept his eyes over her flawless body, and groaned slightly as he felt another little piece of himself sink away into the confusion of this dream. "You're beautiful."
She smiled triumphantly. "Yes, I suppose I am." Then a pause- deliberate. "Prettier than her?"
Finally, Lee felt himself relax, and smiled, embracing a rare moment of triumph. "Impossible."
She scowled suddenly, and with a terrifying swiftness, her beauty was stripped away to reveal something ugly. If you blinked, you missed it, and the next time Lee's eyes fluttered open... well, she was as stunning as ever.
"I'm glad you've forgiven me for the nightmares."
Lee's stomach lurched, the blood of his friends and family dribbling through his hands as the memories came hissing back. "They're still hell."
Her lips curved downwards. "Poor Lee."
"But... yeah. I've forgiven you. I know you had to show me those things to make me... make me understand." He stopped, a scarlet ribbon blocking his path. "Except... when you kissed me. And when... Maddie was with Levi. Why did you do that?"
Something strange flitted across Libba's face. "It was the first time I broke into your mind. Your thoughts were confused, and I'd some difficulty adjusting. It happened more than once- but I did my best to avoid it. That's all."
"Yeah," he mumbled slowly. "Yeah, makes sense."
She beamed. "Like I was saying, Lee- you and I are not so different."
"Uh-huh. How?"
Another unfathomable expression briefly distorted her features. "I was forced to leave my family too."
Lee caught his breath, his mouth suddenly sandpaper dry. He hadn't been expecting that.
Libba smiled softly. "Yeah... and it was awful. I knew I had to do it- because of what I believed and because of Marius. I knew what I was doing was right... but God. It still hurts. I left behind a brother, actually. He's in your year..."
"Do I know him?"
"No," she replied quickly. "No, I don't think so. And even if you did, I wouldn't want you to talk to him. I'm not sure how well he'd take to what we're planning..."
"But... it has to be done," Lee said blankly. It was so obvious to him now, he could barely understand his old self. Logic? Bah! Marius had all the real answers. Marius was the one who was being logical. "You're his sister. Why won't he listen?"
"Would Kira listen to you?"
He bit his tongue. "Fair point."
Libba laughed, tilting her head affectionately as she surveyed him. "They won't like it at first. You may lose them... for a long time. But you'll never lose their love. And one day, when Marius has restored peace, you'll all be together again. I promise you, Lee. One day..."
"Bet you can't wait for your day."
"It's all I ever dream of."
There was a brief pause.
"You'll have me, then, Libba."
She jumped, and for the first time ever, she focused on him in pure, open shock. "What?"
He blushed slightly at her reaction, as though it was something to be embarrassed about. "Well, you know..." he shrugged, then grinned. "We're friends, right? Real good ones?"
She nodded, her eyes narrowed.
"So," he said with more confidence now. "We'll keep each other going- motivate each other and help each other when we need it. I guess you're becoming like a big sister to me... and family..." he trailed off, and broke her gaze. "Well. Y'know."
Libba nodded dumbly, and then, a strange smile lit her features. "I hadn't thought about that."
He smiled. "Gee, Libba. Bit dim?"
"Bit," she admitted, then flashed her own sparkling smile. "Actually, I'm a genius."
"You did dream up a pretty genius plan," he laughed.
She winked. "Genius is found in simplicity."
He cocked his head. "There was one thing though... that bothered me. About my escape?"
"Just run for it," she shrugged it off. "You'll be fine. Nobody will suspect a thing."
Nobody will suspect a thing...
The words became fact before his very eyes.
Lee stood up, stretching, and letting the enormity of the noble task he'd now been granted with wash over him. Kira had never expected her training to be put to this use- had she?
He sighed, looking upwards. "Now... well. I guess I'll just have to pray nothing goes wrong."
She stood up too, worrying her lip for a couple of seconds, then took his hand and kissed his cheek; her touch as soft as a feather.
"Me too, Lee. Me too."
