fragments

So I had planned on writing a review, however, I had a realllllly long day. Instead of writing a review I started writing a story. It's somewhat interesting (maybe) so I thought I'd share. The funny thing is I've gotten too used to thinking in comic book form. I end up being insanely descriptive because I visualize everything. I think it makes it too wordy, but sometimes it's fun to describe the details. Anyway, this is my random post of the month. I may write more of this story, but I think I'd have to cut down on the description.



“Breathe deep Wendolian, see past the shadows and take in the void that makes us whole. Remember, it is we who choose which is real and which is a lie. The stars rise in the sky on the whims of our fancy and without this realization the mist ways of the dreaming will consume you. You must reach further...”


Lian woke from the dream in a cold sweat still hearing the woman’s voice echoing in her mind. The same dream had haunted her for most of her life - variations on a theme - but now it was consuming her waking hours too. For the last two weeks it had come to her every night and as her everyday life continued in its monotony Lian began to wonder if something was wrong with her. She had even recently convinced her parents to allow her to move her bedding to the floor. They had assumed this change was brought on by Lian’s long standing fascination with Japanese culture and she hadn’t bothered to correct them. They’d only worry if they knew that she had resumed her childhood habit of falling out of bed as a result of violent dreams. The sunlight that broke through the curtains played on Lian’s moon-bright skin and reminded her that summer was almost over; soon she would begin her first year of high school in a new town.


They had moved to Maryland over two years ago but Lian still had a hard time adjusting to the idea. In the past three years she had attended three different junior high schools, lived two houses, and one townhouse - one of her primary ambitions was to complete high school without changing locations. The time living with her extended family had been the hardest. Constant commuting, living out of suitcases, walking on eggshells around her family, losing the one creature who supported her unconditionally, and worst of all, losing herself somewhere along the way. Lian had, in fact, hoped to find the missing pieces of her life when her parents had finally found a place for them to live. In vain she had unpacked boxes long in storage, hung up forgotten posters and perused old journals only to discover - nothing. Whatever had been abandoned in the years of blurred misery and loneliness was lost to Lian, and she slowly realized that if she was to move on she would have to accept that loss.


Shaking her head in an effort to sweep away the remnants of her past Lian rolled out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom she shared with her younger sister, Genie. Genie was still young enough that she greeted the morning with enthusiasm and as such had long since taken her morning shower. Turning the water to its hottest setting Lian stripped off her pajamas - a pair of cotton shorts and a Green Lantern t-shirt several sizes too large - and stepped gratefully into the searing downpour. The scalding water served its purpose and shocked the girl fully into the waking world. All thoughts of last night’s dreams evaporated in the steam and Lian emerged half an hour later ready to face the day. While toweling herself dry Lian’s reflection caught her attention. Even though her eyes were a pretty enough shade of grey, her eyelashes long and thick, her hair a deep, soft black, and her body on the slender side she always found herself dissatisfied with her appearance. There was a small voice in the back of her head that told her there should be something more to her reflection, a depth that the bathroom mirror never seemed to convey. Pulling herself away from her reflection Lian dropped her wet towel on the floor, conveniently forgetting her mother would lecture her about it later, and delved into her dresser. After searching fruitlessly through the neatly folded clothing she pulled on the jeans she had left at the foot of her bed last night and found a blue tank top hanging off the end of her bookcase. She yanked her damp hair into a ponytail and made her way downstairs.


Since it was a weekday both of Lian’s parents were working and the two girls would have the house to themselves until the early evening. As much as the sisters missed their home from two years ago both of them had come to enjoy their new surroundings. The weather was much the same as they had only moved a few states over, but the people seemed different somehow. Living in a small community for the first time the girls had come to understand what it meant to be part of a town. A girl they had known all of their lives (the daughter of their mother’s best friend) lived down the street and had helped the Carter sisters to adjust to their new surroundings. Kitty had introduced them to the rest of the kids in the neighborhood and Lian and Genie had slowly built new friendships over the summer. They had become especially close to Gwin, a girl close to Lian’s age. Still, as happy as Lian was with her friends in the neighborhood she realized that none of them would be entering high school with her and she’d have to make new friends all over again, and this was not something she had ever found to be easy.


Both the kitchen and livingroom were deserted this morning and Lian wondered where Genie had run off too. Raiding the fridge Lian found enough turkey to make a sandwich and after grabbing a soda she pocketed her house key and went outside in hopes of finding her sister. It was a beautiful summer day and Lian was almost sorry that she had slept through so much of it. She glanced over at her friend Dan’s house but decided that Genie was most likely to be found with Kitty or Gwin. Kitty’s house was Lian’s first stop but Kitty’s older brother informed Lian that he hadn’t seen either of the girls all day. She heard the same story from Gwin’s siblings and by now Lian was a bit frusterated.


Where could all three of them be? They didn’t even bother to wake me up.


Deciding to walk around the area a bit Lian headed out towards the main road in the direction of the playground. The tot-a-lot was little more than a swing and a slide but most of the kids in the area ended up there at one point in the day or another. Lian especially like the path that led there - it was in the middle of a small grove of trees and if you came in from the back path it was almost as if you were traveling into another world. The trees over the path were so tightly knit that it became darker in this area faster. Once the sun had sank beneath it’s noon zenith there was a small patch of displaced twilight in the area - even the lightning bugs came out early on the trail. Walking to the tot-a-lot in the afternoon had become on of Lian’s daily rituals and she often wondered if any of the other children had discovered the seeming magic of the place.