| "Sunfalls and Watershine" | ||
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Maybe it's better to live and sleep in constant dreamscapes What's reality anyway? ~ This Day Forward, featuring Thursday The blue eyed walking contradiction, known to the others as Joshua, leaned uneasily against the second row of stacks. She watched him through eyes that were not quite clear, not quite focused, as others moved about her field of vision, and still others demanded her attention. Joshua was directing them though he did nothing himself. "Yeah, I hear you," she answered the question directed at her. The young man, Timothy, smiled and nodded his head. He was mumbling something else but she didn't catch it. It was Joshua that worried her, or more accurately, the look that suddenly crossed his features like a flash of lightning on a dark night, there only for an instant...then gone...but the effect...the effect lingered in her. Something else happened and she strained to move to see, what exactly what was going on. But she could not see anything and the tension rose steadily in the air. Then it was sudden, a swarm of activity, many things being realized at once. There was more talk, orders being barked, then the bastards decided they needed to move. "Up with you," Saf said offering support as Paige obeyed trying to get her feet under her. It was good Saf was back. It was good to stand again. Almost. A wave of nausea hit her hard and she slammed her eyes shut to the spinning world. "Easy, deep breaths Paige," Saf encouraged her. Alright, deep breaths she could do that - if her back didn't hurt so damn much. And this movement was not helping her thoughts any as they scattered amidst the gray. "Steady to the chopper," Saf said to the new person at Paige's other side. "Just me again," Timothy said to Paige with a small smile. She nodded her head, walk. Ok, easy peasy. One foot in front of the other. Finally, fresh air, but cold, very cold. She shivered sending new and wondrous ripples through the gray in her head. She moaned as the sound of the choppers rattled through in her ears. Why did they have to be so loud? Then shoving, pushing, guiding into the smallness of the chopper. There was no bench seat in the chopper, only bucket seats, and she was seated roughly into one of them near the front. Joshua was in front of her demanding her attention. She focused on his eyes again as he called her name. "Yeah, I'm here," she muttered. He turned away from her, guiding something on the floor. Not a something, someone, Baz. God, there was so much blood coming from him, so much pain on his face. At Baz's feet, on the other side of the chopper, sitting pretty much how she was...Eric. He was injured as well. When did that happen? Joshua and Safara worked on Baz, moving as one instead of two, and she felt the sinking in her stomach as the chopper lifted. If she thought she was nauseous before - there was no denying it now. She leaned forward, which probably wasn't a good idea, but Joshua was practically kneeling on her feet as he straddled Baz, she could lean on him for awhile. Saf had seen her first and grabbed her shoulders pushing her back into the seat. "No, Saf...52...pick up," she mumbled. "I know, I know," Saf cupped her face, "just hang in there a few minutes." "Baz?" "We're giving him something for the pain, then we're gonna have another look at you." It made sense to Paige, do anything, just stop the damn screaming, Baz was killing her head. Eric must not have been doing well because Saf didn't come back. Joshua did though, standing protectively over her, like a predator, a huge golden maned beast. He was talking to her...no, explaining something to her, what the hell was he saying? And why was he coming at her with a pair of sheers? What the hell was he doing? She struggled, trying to grab his hands, but he pushed them down into her lap and grabbed her face. She closed her eyes, then suddenly, the cold air entered her lungs and she coughed as the hands released her. The mask, he had cut the face mask open. "...not gonna take it off...so you can breathe better," he said to her. Alright, she was jiggy with that. The thought made her giggle earning a confused look from him. Saf was back. Hi Saf, she thought. "What's so funny?" Saf said with a small smile on her lips, though Paige thought there was more sadness to it than anything. "I have no idea," Joshua said shaking his head. His mask was off, as well as Saf's. But Joshua, his blonde streaked hair falling around his face, looked like an angel. A fallen angel, she reminded herself. But someone as beautiful as him deserved at least angel somewhere in the description. "She's getting shocky," Joshua said. They both studied her as they half stood with their legs apart so they would not step on Baz, who still moaned, but thankfully had quieted considerably. Oh no, the thought raced into the gray. Michael the Fish..."Michael," she breathed out. She watched as Saf and Joshua exchanged looks. "I have to feed him," she said, trying to explain. "Ok, Paige," Saf said gripping Paige's shoulder, "it's fine." "No," Paige protested calling up some strength, "he'll die." "It's ok, we won't let him die." What? Her mind screamed. How could Saf be so nonchalant about her fish? What - was she going to sprout wings and fly out of the chopper to feed her fish? The image of wings sprouting out of Saf's back struck her as inanely funny. Hysterical, actually, and she laughed. It sounded strange in her ears and she was sure it came out more like a deranged giggle than the actual hysterical laugh she had intended. God, she could crack herself up sometimes. She giggled again, but this time her throat did not feel like participating. Damn, she so didn't want to cough. But she did. And it hurt like hell. Her head protested loudly and she groaned grabbing at her head. Now, more hands (always these hands) were on her. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? Then the shakes started. And why was it so fucking cold in this chopper? Oh, something new? Why did they think she could possibly stand up? "C'mon, get her feet up," Joshua barked at Saf. "No, no," Paige protested trying to kick out at them. Safara spoke to her firmly, "relax, we're gonna try to lay you down." Christ, why didn't they just say so in the first place? She relaxed, the sudden weight from her not struggling anymore, and with the help of a nice little lurch from the chopper, sent her would be layer-downers sprawling, and they dropped her. Well, only half of her. Of course, that had to be the back half, and her head slammed into the seat she had once occupied. A new fresh flash of white blazed through her head. "That hurt," she muttered. Blood. Smelled like blood. They were on her instantly as Baz moaned so loudly again in her ear. But that would make sense, because they dropped her, and Baz had been at her feet. That would explain the blood, she thought. Moving again, this time she got to lie down, if one could call lying down across four bucket seats lying down. There was something stuffed under her, laid on the seat she occupied to try and level out the differences in the molded seats. Her back was uncomfortably contorted into another seat and her legs were lying across two more. Keep her awake. Keep who awake? Joshua was near her now, his arm snaked around her head as his hand rubbed her neck. "Paige," he whispered so close to her ear. She could smell him, even above all the other smells, his scent came through, his intoxicating scent that always made her dizzy and drove her mad. "Paige, you have to stay awake, talk to me." Ok, yeah, that would be no problem, maybe she would get up and do a tango as well. "I'm awake," she muttered trying to turn her head without turning everything in her vision as well. He shifted, finally, and she could see into those deep blue eyes. She could see so much in those eyes, so many layers, anger, frustration, intensity, and pain. "You're hurt," she said blinking him back into focus. He smiled gently, "nah, I'm fine, couple bruises." "I tried..to get...the top..." she breathed out. Why did it hurt so much to breathe. Oh yeah, her damn back was killing her. "I know you did," he said softly, his thumb stroking her neck. "You did good tonight." "No," she closed her eyes as the gray washed in. "Hey," he was holding her face now, leaning in close, "sweetness, stay awake, talk to me." "I'm awake," she said again opening her eyes. Everything was so blurry and she blinked trying to focus them. "Cold," she muttered. "Yeah, it's chilly in here," he nodded in agreement. "You have to stay awake." She nodded her head a little bit her eyes slipping closed again. "C'mon Paige, what are you thinking about?" She opened her eyes weakly and tried to smile, "sunfalls." "Sunfalls?" he asked quietly. "Yeah," she closed her eyes. "Sunfalls and watershine." Return |
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