Room 507, Friday morning
Apr. 7th, 2006 09:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nadiathesaintNadia stood outside a massive pavillion housing an equally massive bell, waiting.
She had no idea what she was waiting for, but she knew it was important. She watched a black car pull up and a man and a woman, both young, British, and blonde, step out. She watched a second man approach them, and slowly backed up. She suddenly realized it was also important that these people not find her. Not yet.
Just before she turned, she recognized the second man. Sloane.
She spun and ducked behind a column as Sloane turned in her direction, and knew, somehow, that he hadn't seen her. She could hear the three people talking, but couldn't make out the words.
They sounded like a flock of geese.
There were two other people on the other side of the bell, and Nadia squinted into the sudden darkness.
Marty and Angela. Like the others, she couldn't make out what they were saying. She wondered if the sea water had somehow broken her ears.
Someone screamed and she spun again, and found herself staring down at a young, dead (blue?) man, lying on a bench. She gasped and backed up, her feet splashing in the blood that puddled beneath him. Someone laughed, and an slightly (orange?) older man stepped forward, lifted a crown off the dead man's head, and, still laughing, put it on his own.
The scream rang out again and Nadia searched for the screamer, then spotted Alanna, pounding against the air, screaming at the man in the crown. A stone at her throat glowed, and Nadia hurried over.
"Alanna! What's going on?"
It was as though Alanna didn't see her. As though no one did, because there were people all around, talking, laughing, eating, and no one but Alanna seemed to care what was happening with the dead man and the crowned man and as Nadia turned to look at them again, the world shifted, and she was standing outside the pavillion again, but now there was a whole crowd of men, facing off in front of it where Sloane and the blondes had been.
She only recognized one of them, the cripple, off to one side. It was the man who had shotMartyAngel at Empire. She ran at him, intent on . . . she wasn't sure, hurting him, definitely, maybe even killing, but he and the other men vanished before she could get there. A crater opened in front of her with a fiery explosion, knocking her back and she growled in frustration.
A tiny, scarred hand reached out to her, and she took it.
"Are you my mummy?"
Nadia watched as her eyes, reflected in the glass on the gas mask the little boy wore, slowly changed red and her skin lost its color, and she screamed.
She woke to find herself pressed tightly up against the wall next to her bed. She was disoriented, as though she'd fallen asleep with her head at the foot of the bed, and she desperately checked the skin on her arms and hands before relaxing slightly.
Another damned dream.
She noticed the voicemail light on her phone was blinking, and absently checked her messages. Lucas sounded angry, and Veronica was definitely panicked.
She'd really screwed up, this time. She called Veronica back, then pulled her blanket up over her head and curled up into a ball against the wall.
Given the choice? She'd probably never come out again.
She had no idea what she was waiting for, but she knew it was important. She watched a black car pull up and a man and a woman, both young, British, and blonde, step out. She watched a second man approach them, and slowly backed up. She suddenly realized it was also important that these people not find her. Not yet.
Just before she turned, she recognized the second man. Sloane.
She spun and ducked behind a column as Sloane turned in her direction, and knew, somehow, that he hadn't seen her. She could hear the three people talking, but couldn't make out the words.
They sounded like a flock of geese.
There were two other people on the other side of the bell, and Nadia squinted into the sudden darkness.
Marty and Angela. Like the others, she couldn't make out what they were saying. She wondered if the sea water had somehow broken her ears.
Someone screamed and she spun again, and found herself staring down at a young, dead (blue?) man, lying on a bench. She gasped and backed up, her feet splashing in the blood that puddled beneath him. Someone laughed, and an slightly (orange?) older man stepped forward, lifted a crown off the dead man's head, and, still laughing, put it on his own.
The scream rang out again and Nadia searched for the screamer, then spotted Alanna, pounding against the air, screaming at the man in the crown. A stone at her throat glowed, and Nadia hurried over.
"Alanna! What's going on?"
It was as though Alanna didn't see her. As though no one did, because there were people all around, talking, laughing, eating, and no one but Alanna seemed to care what was happening with the dead man and the crowned man and as Nadia turned to look at them again, the world shifted, and she was standing outside the pavillion again, but now there was a whole crowd of men, facing off in front of it where Sloane and the blondes had been.
She only recognized one of them, the cripple, off to one side. It was the man who had shot
A tiny, scarred hand reached out to her, and she took it.
"Are you my mummy?"
Nadia watched as her eyes, reflected in the glass on the gas mask the little boy wore, slowly changed red and her skin lost its color, and she screamed.
She woke to find herself pressed tightly up against the wall next to her bed. She was disoriented, as though she'd fallen asleep with her head at the foot of the bed, and she desperately checked the skin on her arms and hands before relaxing slightly.
Another damned dream.
She noticed the voicemail light on her phone was blinking, and absently checked her messages. Lucas sounded angry, and Veronica was definitely panicked.
She'd really screwed up, this time. She called Veronica back, then pulled her blanket up over her head and curled up into a ball against the wall.
Given the choice? She'd probably never come out again.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 04:49 pm (UTC)Walter would have been up early for his first period class even if he hadn't heard Nadia moving around. As it was, he turned the electric kettle back on and sat down on Nadia's bed, putting an arm over the lump.
"More dreams?"
no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 04:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 04:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 05:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 05:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 05:08 pm (UTC)The lump hesitated again, then part of the blanket lifted and Nadia stuck her head out and stared at the wall. "'m not hungry."
no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 05:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 05:27 pm (UTC)She sat up slowly, still clutching her blanket around her, then scooted over closer to Walter. He was probably going to get sick of trying to take care of her, soon.
"I'm sorry."
no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 05:36 pm (UTC)He scooted over and put an arm around her shoulder. "Sorry for things out of your control? Or for last night?"
no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 05:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 05:47 pm (UTC)"We have a deal, though. So the next time we go swimming will be in the pool, where it's warm."
no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 05:50 pm (UTC)But he did have a point about the warm thing.
She tried to will herself to sit up and move back over, but it wasn't working. "Do you have class today?"
no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 05:58 pm (UTC)He thought about skipping math. "You're going to beat yourself up and feel bad if I miss class because I'm worried about you, aren't you?"
no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 06:00 pm (UTC)Okay, so she'd spent the entire time jotting down notes of what she needed to take care of and who she needed to say good-bye to before she "left", but she had been there, and that was what counted, right?
no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 06:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 06:17 pm (UTC)Fortunately, Nadia was smart enough not to say that part out loud. Even if she was just kidding. mostly.
She was beginning to think that Walter would never let her be alone, again. Problem was, asking someone else to come would require explaining what was wrong.
With Walter, she didn't have to explain.
"What if I promise not to leave the room?"
no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 06:28 pm (UTC)He made a face and tried to think of a compromise that would give her a chance to talk to anyone else she might have scared the hell out of yesterday. "Meet me for lunch. In town or in the caf, I don't care which. Because you like me and you don't want me to worry about you all day."
no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 07:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 07:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 07:36 pm (UTC)"Okay."
no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 07:45 pm (UTC)He said it lightly, but it was less a joke than he made it. Really, he should get changed. Or learn how not to make wrinkles in his sleep.
no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 07:48 pm (UTC)She had no idea how Alfred would know Walter had gone to class wrinkled, but figured it was some butler thing.
no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 07:54 pm (UTC)Yes, he's insufferable about the tea.
no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 08:05 pm (UTC)"Hey, Furrball, do you want some tea?"
"Mew."
"Damn."