Nightmares in the safety of friends.

[Isolde Moore]

Isolde lay on the sofa and was reading a book. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return of the King. It was dark and fire was dying yet again and Isolde was getting a bit impatient. She hadn't been to her dorm room since she left it this morning. For some reason she didn't feel welcome or comfortable in there.
Laying her head on the cushion she stared into the fire thinking about why she felt that way. Nobody had done anything to her, in fact, none of them really talked to her. Maybe that was why, she was used to talking to people all the time back home and since she had come here she had only met four people who really talked to her.
Jude, Scott, Tamika and Arihant.
But she would like to more, she just couldn't find the right time to strike up a conversation.
"Hi. I'm Isolde Moore," she introduced herself to the girl at the lunch table, "I'm new here. From Ireland."
"Hi, Isolde. Have a seat," the girl pointed to the seat across from her and smiled. "Sweet, Ireland. What's it like?"
Isolde had been through this how many times now? "It's green and wet,"
And so it continued like this until the bell rang and the girl got up and walked out of the canteen, "No, wait. I didn't even get your.....name," she sighed the last word and grabbed her bags and went outside.
Blood was everywhere and huge blast of air hit her and sent her flying into the building. Metal clanked in every direction and shouting was unavoidable.
"GET UP AND HELP US OUT HERE!" a gruff voice shouted at her and before she could look up someone dragged her to her feet and forced their way out to the battle.
She began to protest, "But I don't even know how to-" bang!
Shuddering violently and and feeling something wet around her eyes, Isolde woke up with a quiet gasp. The fire had completely died and there was no light coming from anywhere.
She looked down to find her book lying on the floor, on a different page than she had been. That must have been the bang she had heard and woken up.
"Oh, Isolde. You're so stupid at times, get a grip on yourself!" she reprimanded herself quietly and swung her legs over the edge and picked up her book. She grabbed her cardigan and put it around her before she heard shuffling from nearby. Her breath caught and she held still.
Who was it going to be?
Why was she so scared and jumpy?
Slowly she turned around to see a familiar outline.
"Scott!" she gasped, "What are you doing down here? and so late?"

[K. Scott]

On his dorwsy journey from the bathroom back across the hall to his dorm, Scott heard a thunk from the Common Room. He froze, completely alert. Scott looked at his bedside clock through the gap in the door. 3.47am.
What the hell? With all the mental stuff that was going on in this school this year Scott seriously considered waking his dorm mate. He decided after a moment to simply scout.
Scott opened the Common Room door silently and peeped through. Whispering... and a head... a girl... Isolde.
What in the name of God was she at at this time of the morning? ...Was she OK?
After taking a quick scan of the room to make sure she was alone, Scott opened the door wide and entered, the sound of which must have startled her as she froze before slowly turning to look at him. Scott stood and rose his hands palms forwards grinning at her cautiousness.
Isolde whispered furiously at him, "Scott! What are you doing down here? And so late?"
Scott's smile fell to confusion, "All right grumpy I could ask the same of you, but since you asked first I got up to pee and I heard you. And it's early."
Isolde frowned at him.
"It's ten to four in the morning." Scott explained, What are you doing?"

[Isolde Moore]

What?
Isolde's hand felw to her forehead and her face became the exact image of her emotions...of Scott's. Confusion.
"10 to 4? Wh-H-B-" she stumbled back a step and fell back onto the sofa, "Are you serious, last time I checked it was on 1 a.m and..."
What was she doing? truth or lie?
Both.
"I couldn't get to sleep so I came in here to read so I didn't keep my room mates up." explaining she brought her knees up to her chest and rested her cheek on them while keeping eye contact with him.
"My book fell from my hands," a shiver rippled through her but barely noticible, "Sorry to alarm you."
and with that her gaze diverted to where the fire was slowly coming into focus. No hint of light and it was too cloudy for the moon to shine.
Should she tell him?
"You can go back to bed, I'm fine." she kept gazing at the fireplace, "Honestly,"
But her hands had other plans and so did her body. Since when was she rocking ever so slightly and why where her hands clenching and uncleching?
Could she go back to sleep?

[K. Scott]

Scott took an automatic step forward as Isolde fell to the sofa. So his body's reactions were good at this time in the morning, that was something to note for random future refrence... awh come on brain, focus, something's wrong. He listened as Isolde explained her reason for her nightly activity. He looked about lifting his left infra-red lens to see what she would. There was definately no light to speak of in the room he was impressed now how she knew it was him. So how long had she been down here? The fire was cold as his lenses told him, so was she... she had been here a while then. She had curled herself up and was looking at him with her bright eyes. She looked sweet. But small and... scared?
Scott squinted, trying to imagine what was keeping her up, why she looked the way she did and she explained the crash he had heard and she felt the peculiar need to apologise. Scott said nothing, unsure of what to do with himself.
"You can go back to bed, I'm fine." Isolde flickered her gaze to the fire, "Honestly."
He turned to go still frowning. She didn't look great. There was definately something up with her because she was fidgeting. Which, as he had noticed from working with her in Air Control, was not her normal, happy, tranquil behaviour.
He took one look back at her fine, cold frame and it was decided. Without saying a word he went to the fireplace and stocked it up with more coal blocks and, adding some kindling, he took out the lighter and got it started. He shuffled to the side of the fire on his hunkers and sat for a while, watching the fire and feeling it warm his face. After a few minutes, he stood and stretched. His muscles still hadn't woken up properly and he was tired. He looked at Isolde who had warmed significantly and he sat back down beside her on the sofa.
"You want to talk about it?" Scott looked into Isolde's gradually warming face and nearly smiled as the last thing to heat was her nose giving it a darker shade and adding to her adorableness.
He waited patiently like he had all the time in the world. Which, for all he cared, he did.

[Isolde Moore]

And so began another conversation between herself and her caring best friend. Well, one of them.
She was ever so thankful when he ignited the fire again and it brought a slow but heavenly feeling of warmth to her again. Then she closed her eyes for a few minutes thinking deeply. Why had she been down here? She was going to have to answer his question.
Shuffling brought her back and she blinked s few times to get the room back into focus. How could she be so tired? True she had been sleeping on the floor of her dorm for some peculiar reason and her side was bruised, again she didn't know how.
"You want to talk about it?" he spoke so gently it was hard not to look at him but she didn't. She couldn't.
She stayed huddled in her ball and kept silent. The only thing making any noise was the fire crackling and burning away, eating up the coal.
"I-" deep breath intake, "Can't sleep,"
Then she looked up at him and gasped. His eyes were completely black. Jet black. Demon? No, not Scott.
Don't be so dámn idiotic. And bam!
The memory hit her like a hot iron poker. Just because of that one thought phrase. She closed her eyes and flinched horribly. Never say it again. Never.
"They're right, I should never have come here Scott. But I had to get away, I had to," she said in a terrified yet dead tone.
"I was right to do it,"
She looked at the book on the table and finally remembering what page she was on she opened it up and marked it before closing it again.
"I'm fine. You look so exhausted, seriously, don't let me keep you up," and her face settled into a frown of disapproval. It wouldn't do her any good if he was going to ose sleep over her.
"Your eyes are....so dark and black," she reached out to touch his face to study them better but thought it would be inappropiate, "Why is that I wonder."

[K. Scott]

Finally Isolde answered him and when she looked at him she freaked. Scott leaned back wonderng what was wrong and when she started to sprout nonsensical babble about leaving some people he became deadly worried. What happened? She took one look at him and she paniked. Like she expected him to hurt her or shout at her. That was the worst bit. Perhaps in her worn out state he reminded her in someone or something. Either way this wasn't right. Something was deeply troubling her.
Isolde spoke, "I'm fine. You look so exhausted, seriously, don't let me keep you up."
Scott made to object vivaciously when she spoke again, "Your eyes are....so dark and black. Why is that I wonder."
Scott looked at her as if she had just grown another nose. "Wha- oh!" Scott blinked and his human eyelids folded over his supernormal ones and they were pulled up out of his eyes leaving him to see visable light and the colours around him. He looked back at Isolde with concern. "It's just one of my abilities. They're lenses that pick up infra-red light and allow me to see in the dark." He paused, watching her face intently now, "Was that was frightened you?" WIthout giving her time to inhale he carried on hurriedly, "Because if it did I'm so sorry Isolde. That was not my intention at all. I didn't even have an intention. I just forgot I'm so sorry."

[Isolde Moore]

"Coolio," infra-red? lucky boy but then he went on to apologise for it, "No, no. You didn't, I find it rather awesome," and she did.
Unfolding herself she lay on her back but in a way she could still see his face perfectly.
How could anyone be so kind to come and sit with another person this late in the morning and not get bored but listen intently to what the other rambled on about.
As she looked into his eyes, she could see he was deeply concerned about her.
What did she look like?
"I like them both ways," her head went to the side as she studied his eyes, "Jet black and your normal eye colour both suit you. Cept the other one makes you look like someone who has been up to no good,"
Then she giggled, and giggled for a few minutes straight before regaining control of herself. She sighed and frowned at the ceiling.
What should she tell him?
Could she?
"Life is unfair." she said more to herself than she did to Scott. She wanted to bridge the gap between them and join him in where he sat but again, she was just to stiff to move and knew it cause her vicious pain whihc she just didn't want.
"Scott..." then stopped not knowing what to say. Silence loomed over them comfortably while the pain started to rise to a near unbearable amount but Isolde was used to it and so kept her mouth shut and started to hum in an attempt to vaguely ignore it.

[K. Scott]

Isolde stretched out and, despite Scott's dubiousness about Isolde's mood and because he was a teenage boy, he quickly, and ashamedly, checked her out. He quickly flashed his eyes up and down the length of her long, slim body so fine and willowy but with a hidden strength that reflected the person that she was. She was incredibly pretty, Scott noticed, in the fire-light as she studied his eyes and he hers. Perhaps it was the fire-light that encouraged it or maybe his tiredness but he started to look at Isolde in a different way than before.
And for a brief moment Scott was lost to the world.
"I like them both ways." Isolde interrupted his train of thought, "Jet black and your normal eye colour both suit you. Cept the other one makes you look like someone who has been up to no good." And she began to giggle.
Shhit... she caught me looking...
When she didn't say anything and continued to laugh Scott felt an incredible urge to join her but merely smiled. Because there was an under-lying layer of something behind the laughter hat didn't quite fit. His suspicion was confirmed when she said, "Life is unfair."
Scott looked at the fire. What was he supposed to say to that? Yes, it is. Because that was the truth. It never went to plan and people all around the world were given situations they didn't deserve and when all they needed was a break lfe came along and smacked them in the face with another problem.
"Scott..." Isolde began but stopped suddenly. He turned his head to her again and she gave up on her sentence or question and he let it hang. She would finish it in her own time, and he'd be here when she was ready. She began to hum at the ceiling. Scott recognised the tune, Jackie used to play it constantly often blasting it in repeat when it was just her, Morgan and Scott in the house.
He began to sing to the fire an octave lower than the actual song, "Little child, be not afraid. Though rain pounds harsh against the glass, like an unwanted stranger, there is no danger. I am here tonight. Little child, be not afraid. Though thunder explodes and lightning flash, illuminates your tear-stained face. I am here tonight."

[Isolde Moore]

Isolde stopped humming to hear Scott sing. He knew her favourite song, well, lullaby. And his voice was so gentle and hushed, started to make her slightly drowsy and her pain, although flaring sickeningly, was forgotten.
And she joined in, "and someday you'll know,that nature is so, the same rain that draws you near me, falls on rivers and land
on forests and sand, makes the beautiful world that you'll see
in the morning,
Little child, be not afraid, though storm clouds mask your beloved moon and its candlelight beams, still keep pleasant dreams
I am here tonight..." and they went on like that to the end, and she looked into Scotts eyes.
"You know the song!" she asked breathless, "As far as I know, my family are the only people I have known to have ever heard of it. It's my favourite..."
She need her medication badly now and yet she refused to move. She'd endure the pain for as long as it took so she could just stay with him until he left her side.
A small whimper escaped her lips as she was thinking and she froze. One way to attract un-needed attention to yourself. Hopefully he didn't hear it.
"So, you looking forward to Easter then?" she moved on quickly to move the conversation on.

[K. Scott]

Scott smiled when Isolde's crystal soprano tones joined his tenor ones; it was nice to sing with someone. It was a pretty song, although he'd never really thought much of it. The song ended and Scott flicked his eyes to Isolde to find her looking at him and she sounded surprised that he had heard of the song.
"It's my favourite." She claimed, but, Scott noticed, she sounded like she was almost out of breath. All they did was sing. Maybe she's just tired and trying not to yawn or somethin-
Isolde released the faintest whine and lay, quite suddenly, perfectly still. Scott watched her, frowning. What the hell was that about? Scott opened him mouth to speak but Isolde got there first.
"So, you looking forward to Easter then?"
"Wh-wha-... uh yeah I suppose," Scott was exactly sure how to react to this wild change of topic, she must be nearly out of it. She looked tired. Very tired. "Listen should you not try and see if you can get some sleep?"

[Isolde Moore]

"I wish I could," she muttered as she sat up and got her bottle of water and quickly took out her variety of pills and swallowed them one at a time before taking a sip of water.
Please, please, please take effect. She felt like like crying but wouldn't. This was not one of her worst episodes but it was still one of her bad ones.
Head in her hands, she breathed in and out deeply three times before looking back at Scott. He looked so worried, bless him. She smiled at him reassuringly, "Not tired anymore?" she asked trying to lighten the atmosphere in the room but knowing she had probably failed miserably at it.
Did he really care that much?
She was about to tell him about her..secret but then shut her mouth again thinking better. The only person who needed to know was the matron. She didn't want any un-necessary worry on her behalf. Other people had worse diseases and ordeals to deal with, hers was like a scratch compared to theirs.
She just continued to stare into his eyes while waiting for an answer with a small smile on her lips.

[K. Scott]

Scott watched wide-eyed with confused shock when Isolde took out numerous tablets and began to down them.
Jesus Isolde... he mouthed as she finished and held her head in her hands.
Scott felt sure they were prescription drugs even though he didn't recognise any of them but ... why so many? This was definately something more than a sore head and a chest infection. No way would you need that many. So what was it then? Maybe she had some sort of a condition like a dangerous and peculiar kind of infection... maybe it was a lady-thing that he wasn't supposed to ask about. They sometimes had weird stuff like that. But surely that's not normal.
Isolde raised her head to look him in the eyes. "Not tired anymore?" She asked delicately.
Scott stared at her for a few moments before shaking his head slowly. He couldn't speak. What was he supposed to say? He couldn't just say 'what's wrong with you?' or 'gosh that was a lot of pills'. But he felt like he should say something. He'd seen her and it seemed pretty serious. Her smile had only the effect of heightening his worry. She was trying to make this seem as if it was nothing implying the opposite.
Scott swallowed and spoke in drabs, "You... Do you want to... talk about..."

[Isolde Moore]

"You... Do you want to... talk about..." the poor boy just couldn't speak. Maybe it was wrong for her to take that many in front of him. He looked very pale now.
As painful as it was, Isolde came and sat down beside him and took his hand in hers. She was going to tell him, the secret was out...kind of.
"Scott, I..." she let out her breath in an exasperated way. Was he going to freak? Faint?....Freeze? "Ok, don't worry and please don't freak out. I have a disease," she bit her lip and gazed into the fire. No reaction yet...
"It's called Fibromyalgia and although there is no cure for it, there are a variety of treatments and medicines out there..." she broke of and stopped.
Her heart was racing. To be touching him...it was soo hard. And he was so still and looked like he was on another planet.
Frozen?
"Scott? Please don't worry. It's un-necessary and I'm fine, besides, there are worse diseases and problems in the world than mine. I don't want anyone to worry or feel sorry for me," her lips formed a thin, hard line and her eyes were distant.
If only he knew...could know..
And without realising what she was doing, she leant over and kissed him on the cheek. Pulling back quickly and looking over the window behind her, her hair covering her face she poke quietly, "Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

[K. Scott]

Scott's mind, despite it's tendency to wander, raced now. She has a disease... called Fibro-what? Scott was no Carer and had no clue as to what this fibro-thingy did to her but what he did know was that it wasn't good, it wasn't curable and it wasn't fair. During the day Isolde was one of the brightest, kindest, down-to-earth and gentle people he had ever come across and at night she could suffer a seemingly good deal of pain alone. Why alone? He would definately have told someone by now. Just to make it easier. But then she probably, definately, had more courage when it came to this.
Scott couldn't lift his eyes off Isolde's as she pleaded with him to feel no pity. He wouldn't feel pity. Never. She was far, far to brave for that and to feel pity was to undermine that. No. He wouldn't feel sorry for her. He admired her. Here she sat before him confessing to him she had an incurable and she was the one holding his hand and telling him not to worry.
He wanted desperately to ask more questions about this stupid ... thing that evidently caused her so much pain but as he tried to form words in his head to verbalise... Isolde kissed him on the cheek.
All Scott's articulacy flew out the window Isolde had turned her face towards.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to..." She murmmered.
With his free hand Scott pulled her dark hair back from her face causing her to turn back towards him. They sat like that for a couple of seconds, with his hand on her face his face serious and, for once in his life, he was completely and utterly absorbed and focussed on her gentle features and soft skin beneath his fingers. He leaned towards her slowly until his face was an inch from her's. She closed her eyes, he followed suit, and he kissed her lips.

[Isolde Moore]

If Isolde's heart had been racing before then she had no idea as to what it was doing right now. He was kissing her. And nothing else mattered to her. Not the excruciating pain that was starting to ebb. Not that anyone could come in and find them. Not the stupid war going on. All that mattered was Scott.
And she kissed back once, twice, three times before she pulled back and opened her eyes but did not move an inch away, "Scott, I never found the right time but now here it is and I love you more than anything. And I'm sorry if I seem to...I don't know, pushy?" she shrugged but put her head on his shoulder and kissed his neck, "I love you and it will never change,"
and she just cuddled in closer to him and closed her eyes and started to sing the the lullaby more to herself than him or anything in the room hoping to the highest and higher that he felt the same way.
The pain really was starting to ebb away that or she was just on a high and couldn't care for anything but Scott.
Definately the latter.
The pills never usually worked and if they did never this well or this quickly. and she started to doodle in his palm in comfortable silence.