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Post by Chris Strongheart on May 31, 2006 21:27:45 GMT -5
"You and me, it's destiny - fate is on my side"
OOC: ahem, now that I have that song out of my system XD The Stingers - Destiny. Post Christine leaving the hospital
~
Christine slept quietly the night following her return from the hospital. Well, quietly enough for a mostly untrained seer. She thought she had put up tight barriers in her mind to prevent Darkar from slipping in and poking about to see what visions he could steal from her.
She moaned softly in her sleep as she felt his dark ghostly fingers rifle through her memories, seeking out what she knew about the Codex and how it went together. A grimmace appeared on her face as she silently tightened the barriers around her thoughts, trying to keep him at bay for as long as she could.
"Darkness and light combine as one," she whispered in her sleep, unconciously giving Darkar and whoever was awake in the room a clue as how to get into the realm of Realix. Hopefully, she could shift her dreams away from that to something more pleasent - something that would cause her to lose her mind from the stress of keeping the knowledge a secret.
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Post by Chris Strongheart on May 31, 2006 21:34:36 GMT -5
She stirred moments later and struggled to sit up. Doctor Sterling had told the headmasters that she should remain in the wheelchair for the next two months until she fully recovered from the severity of her injury. She shifted slightly and manuevered herself to the chair. She quietly wheeled herself to the large window that had a bench and lifted herself from the chair and settled down on the window's bench.
She sighed quietly and sang to herself. "Sometimes I feel so alone and within, sometimes don't know where to turn, or who to call my friend! But I'm okay! I'm okay! I have faith in myself! I'm okay! I'm okay! I'm gonna make it through the day! I'm okay! Sometimes, I go through so much in my mind! Sometimes, the space that I need is no place I can find! But I'm okay! I'm okay! I have faith in myself! I'm okay! I'm okay! I'm gonna make it through the day! I'm okay! I'm okay! I'm okay! I have faith in myself! I'm okay! I'm okay! I'm gonna make it through the day! I'm okay! I'm okay! I'm okay! I'm okay! I'm okay!"
She sighed quietly and allowed herself to relax and just dream. No visions, just dream. She could do that, right? Of course, it was just a tad more difficult because she could feel something wanting to make itself known. She shook her head defiantly - she was not going to let her gift rule her life right at this moment. She'd dream - just dream.
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Post by Chris Strongheart on May 31, 2006 21:52:40 GMT -5
It was strange this dream, so very different then her usual ones. She could usually make out what the hell was going on in her dreams, but this - this one was different. She had no idea if this was a dream, a vision, or what. It didn't feel like a vision, but it sure as hell didn't feel like a dream. It wasn't a memory, that was for sure, at least, if it was a memory - it wasn't one of hers. Perhaps, perhaps a past life's, another life. Well, whatever it was - it could possibly provide some form of entertainment or something.
Let me go, set me free, and let me fly!
Christine couldn't see her, the singer, but she could feel her. It was a warm presence, comforting, soothing. But she was upset - she wanted her freedom, but she didn't want to abandon the other person, it was a person, right?
If you go, don't you know that I will die!
Okay, scratch that, it wasn't a person, at least not in the strictest sense. It was a beast, an animal of some kind. She couldn't quite see it, no matter how much she tried to force herself to see it clearly. Although, from what she could see, there was white fur and it had a lupine style to it. A wolf? Werewolf? Perhaps she was reading too much into this.
Let me go, I will see you soon again!
Okay, now this was reading like a cheesy romance novel. Or was it? Was there more to this vision, dream, memory that she just wasn't seeing, getting, understanding? What could have happened between this man, she was sure of that - even if she wasn't sure as to what he was, and this woman?
If you go, I will be the unhappiest of men!
Oh, God, she wanted to hold him, hug him, let him know that everything was going to be okay, that she was going to be right back, that she wasn't going to be gone forever. That brought her thoughts up short. She was too overidentifying with this song. And somehow, she had a feeling if she ever brought this up, that the others would laugh at her. So, it would be her secret, as always.
Let me go! I'll return to you! I swear! Let me go! In your dreams I'll still be there!
Dreams? What kind of promise was that? What if he forgot her, she forgot him? No. That was silly. But she did promise to return so that made up for the cheesy promise to still be in his dreams. That is, if he did dream. Oh, he had to.
Let me go! You must pack your bags and go!
'Oh, my darling beast,' Christine absently thought. She couldn't bear to hear the obvious heartbreak in his voice.
Though I go, I'll be back before you know! Let me go! I'll return to you! I swear! Let me go! In your dreams I'll still be there!
Surely, surely that would make him happy. Maybe she wouldn't be gone for that long - maybe everything would be fine and she could return quickly. Surely, he could last until she returned. He wouldn't die that quickly on her. A few days. But the pain in her heart at the thought of her leaving just was almost too much to bear.
I must let/Let
you/me
go!
The pain and anguish in that last bit caused Christine to bolt fully awake from her dream and she reached up to touch her cheek, amazed to find it wet. How silly. It was just a dream, and here she was crying over a dream. But it had felt so real... she could almost have felt the silk dress the girl had been wearing, the brush of fur against her skin when the girl touched the beast.
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Post by Riven on May 31, 2006 22:38:48 GMT -5
Walking down the dorm hall, Riven paused outside one door in particular as he wondered whether or not he should bother its inhabitant. With a sigh, Riven shook his head. Ever since Christine had returned from the hospital she seemed more withdrawn and no one seemed to know what to say to her. Everyone had heard the news about the possibility that she might never be able to have kids and for some reason, it made everyone feel like they couldn't talk to her - like they would be walking on eggshells, trying not to say anything to upset her. It was easier these days to just walk on by her room, to pretend that she was perfectly okay.
But Riven knew she wasn't. She couldn't be. He was no stranger to shrinking away from the world - hell, he used to do it all the time. But now . . . but now he knew that it wasn't healthy. She needed to talk to someone, to yell or vent or do something other than to just quietly sit in her wheelchair, watching the day pass by.
With that, Riven firmly tapped on Christine's door; she needed to talk and if no one else would see that, at least he could.
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Post by Chris Strongheart on May 31, 2006 22:41:48 GMT -5
Christine heard the knock at her door and slipped into the chair. "Coming," she called, as she wheeled herself to the door. She opened it slowly and gave a small ghost of her true smile at the sight of Riven. "Riven, how are you?" she asked politely, clearly happy to have a visitor.
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Post by Riven on May 31, 2006 22:48:48 GMT -5
"Hey there, gorgeous," Riven teased, hoping to draw out the real Christine - the one who would punch his arm and tell him that he shouldn't say such things when he had a girlfriend. He didn't like this version of Christine before him: this shell of a girl who was too polite, too formal. Too unlike the fun-loving girl everyone had loved.
Pushing aside his thoughts, Riven asked as he leaned against the door frame, "Can I come in or you going to go all 'boys have cooties' on me?" Lightly, he added, "You just haven't been hanging out with us guys lately and it makes me wonder if you've started up a private clubhouse where boys aren't allowed." With mock severity he finished, "That isn't cool, you know; us guys have feelings too and we know when we're being kicked to the curb. So tell me, what gives?"
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Post by Chris Strongheart on May 31, 2006 22:54:26 GMT -5
Christine wheeled herself aside so Riven could enter. It was a long moment before he was fully in before she leaned over and gave him a light punch. "That was for flirting with me when you have a girl," she said, chastising him playfully.
"And no, I haven't gone all "ewwwwww boy cooties"," she said, laughing a bit. "It's more of you boys going "I dunno how to talk to her" on me," she added with a pout. "This," she tapped the side of the chair, "isn't forever."
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Post by Riven on May 31, 2006 23:02:42 GMT -5
Taking a seat, Riven stared down at his feet for a long while before he glanced back over at Christine and said with a short laugh, "So, I take it that that means you've noticed that people seem to be reacting differently to you now that you're in a wheelchair." Leaning back in the chair, Riven said quietly, "You can't really blame them; they don't mean to alienate you - it's really the opposite. They don't want to say something that's going to hurt you. You know how a lot of the guys are - they speak without thinking and they can say some really idiotic things. As stupid as it sounds, avoiding you is just the guys' way of avoiding causing you any pain. As for me," Riven continued with a grin, "I'm much more daring than the other guys. I said to hell with potentially saying something stupid because you know what? You're my friend - one of the few I have - and I'm not going to let a damn wheelchair change that. Now, tell me what's really going on. You're too quiet these days and it makes me wonder if you're even partially okay."
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Jun 1, 2006 6:40:29 GMT -5
"I'm hanging in there," she said quietly, weakly, without much conviction. She did a sweep of the room with her eyes, trying to keep Riven from seeing that she was still in pain. Finally, her fragile wall cracked. "It's not fair!" she half cried, half screamed. "It's not fair! Sky can have all the kids he wants and I may not be able to have any! I fought to protect him and ever since he's treated me like I don't exist!"
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Post by Riven on Jun 1, 2006 13:09:38 GMT -5
Riven watched wordlessly as Christine cracked before he stood up and then crouched down before her. Taking her hand he said firmly, "Hey; hey, listen to me! What happened to you was insanely unfair and Sky's nothing but a coward for running away when you need him - even if it's just to be your friend. But don't you see? You should be doing more than to be sitting around here crying for some guy who doesn't deserve you; this isn't the Christine we all know and love. The real Christine would do something; she'd demand that Sky listen to her and she'd have her say whether he liked it or not. Where is that girl? It sucks what happened to you, but nothing is going to change it. And if you keep keeping yourself locked up in your room, you're never going to pull yourself together - you're never going to heal. Chris, you need to forget about him. He isn't worth your time. You need to get out, though. You need to come be with your real friends; you need to let us help you out. Tell us what you need and we'll be there for you." With a warm smile that he only used on two people, Musa and Christine, Riven said, "I hate to say it, but guys are kind of idiots when it comes to hints; if you need something, you need to tell us because otherwise, we won't know it. So tell me, Christine, what do you need?"
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Jun 1, 2006 13:14:14 GMT -5
"Besides Sky actually treating me like I'm real?" she asked, tears streaking down her face. "I want the truth from him! I want to know what we are! If he'd just come out and tell me that he just wants to be friends, then damn it all to hell, then tell me!"
She struggled to compose herself. "I need a future where I'm not treated like a little china doll that's kept on a shelf because everyone's afraid she's going to be broken again."
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Post by Riven on Jun 1, 2006 22:54:19 GMT -5
Riven exhaled loudly as he looked up at Christine with furrowed brows. "Can I ask you a question, Chris? It's something that has confused me for a long time, actually and as much as I've tried to get it, I can't. You see, I just can't understand why exactly you want to be in a relationship with Sky. Sure, he can be friendly and charming - but he can also be the greatest jerk around. Now I know that I don't have much room to speak, but at least I freely admit that I am not some knight in shining armor. But Sky? Sky has a way of doing things and then pretending - or convincing himself - that he hadn't. Like stringing people along. First there was Diaspro, and then there was Bloom, and now you? Come on, Chris; you can't honestly think that he wasn't aware of what he was doing and that he's innocent in all this, can you? I know you're smarter than that. And I know that you've seen Sky in his relationship with Bloom and that you've seen how he's treated her - as bad as this may sound, what makes you think that it'd be any different with you?" Shaking his head, Riven asked questioningly, "Why would you even bother to put yourself through that?"
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Jun 2, 2006 6:55:49 GMT -5
"I don't know, I honestly don't," Christine answered truthfully. "Maybe I'm just trying to get a sense that not all relationships can be the way my family's are. I mean, my mother divorced her first husband because they were from vastly different worlds, and then the man she marries afterwards vanishes because he has a curse and she ends up quasi going back to her first husband." She shook her head slightly. "I guess, I guess I think that if I'm with Sky, I'll get a semblence of stability."
She sighed quietly. "I guess... I guess I thought I had a chance because I understood him. It seems silly now."
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Post by Riven on Jun 2, 2006 14:06:04 GMT -5
"Stability? With Sky?" Riven asked incredulously. "You can't be serious, Chris. Because trust me when I say that you'd feel more stable in an earthquake than in a relationship with Sky."
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Jun 2, 2006 14:09:07 GMT -5
"Hey, color me naive, will you," she said, mock pouting. "Besides, I rather be in a relationship with Sky then someone else..." Her hand slipped to her throat where a thin scar was resting. "Besides, at least Sky hasn't tried to kill me. At least out right."
She hoped Riven would ask what she meant by that. Talking about that attack at Sky's birthday really wasn't her idea of fun.
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