Optics of Time
NOTE: Some characters act AWFULLY OOC at certain points, but things are explained at the end, so please bear with me. Also, it's a little Twilight Zonish at the end, and if you don't really understand, I'll try to write it clearer. Thanks!
Girl in the Snow on the Twenty-Fourth
A girl looked up from the ground as the first light of day reached her eyelids. It was Christmas Eve. She yawned, and realized she was seriously injured. This girl's name was Kat, a lonely girl, who didn't know where she came from. Her mother had taken care of her alone, since her father had died before she was born, but when she died, Kat had run away. Now, she lived on the streets, without a skool education. She'd stopped going to skool in the third grade. Now, though she'd be in fourth grade, she felt she could never go back and face the world once more.
"I've been living by myself for one year now...." she mused out loud. It startled her to hear her own voice after so long. The last time had probably been when she tumbled down a slippery dirt hill and scraped her knee against some sharp rocks. Two weeks ago. Normally she talked aloud to herself, to tell herself what to do. It was a hard life, but she felt fit for it. She felt as alone when around people as she felt when she wasn't.
Kat had long, dark blue hair with streaks of black. She wore glasses, though things were still pretty blurry, considering she needed a much stronger prescription by now. She was pretty tall, at five foot one, and would look like a very pretty young girl if it weren't for her tattered look.
Only one possession she could call hers - a laptop computer her mother had given her. Whenever she needed food, or new clothes, she'd write an article for a magazine called "Crop Circles Magazine." She got paid just enough to get by. Of course, she had to mail it, because they didn't allow children to write articles. She began to eat her meal for the day - a slice of bread - and then commenced in writing the next month's article.
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Dib opened up the latest issue of Crop Circles Magazine and flipped through it. A picture caught his eye, for it showed the face of someone who looked familiar somehow. He wasn't sure why, for it was the picture of a girl whom he'd never seen before. She'd run away a year ago, after the death of her mother caused by drunken teenagers. "How sad..." Dib said to himself. The girl smiling in the picture back at him looked like she didn't have a care in the world. He imagined her, scared, cold, and alone, maybe even dead. It also showed a picture of her mother, killed two years ago after leaving her husband. She had been declared insane enough to not have custody over her kids, but the girl who'd run away, Kat, had been born afterwards.
Dib scanned the article some more, and then saw his name. Why would his name be there? He read the whole sentence: "She had a sister and brother she never knew, named Gaz and Dib." Staring in awe and disbelief, he wondered how many other families there were with a father who had two children named Gaz and Dib with their mother missing. He proceeded to read the entire article. His mother's name was Ari.
Dib ran to his father's lab inside the house and tugged on his lab coat. "Dad! DAD! Kat ran away!"
"Kat?" Dib suddenly remembered that Kat had been born later.
"Mom's been murdered!"
"Where did you hear this, son?"
"I was reading Crop Circles Magazine, and it said she lost custody, and then Kat was born, and, and she ran away! And...Dad, what happened?" Prof. Membrane sighed deeply, set his tools down for once, and crouched down to where his son was standing.
"I was afraid this day would come. You see...your mother believed in the paranormal. She didn't like that I wouldn't open myself to it. So, she left, and wanted the rights of custody. I couldn't stand you being taken away from me, so we went to court. You were only about a year old, and Gaz was only a few months old. Your mother was pregnant, but didn't tell me for fear that she'd lose another child too. I knew, though. I didn't want to sadden her, so I didn't tell anyone.
"The court found her insane, just enough to not be able to take care of children. The court was wrong! She's not insane! I was sad for her, but didn't want to give you up, either. I have a confession to make, Dib. I know you're not insane. I just didn't want the same thing to happen to you. I don't want you to be dragged out of a courtroom, screaming and yelling for mercy. I couldn't bear it then, and I can't bear it now!"
"So...that's why you don't approve of me studying the paranormal? Not because you think it's all ridiculous?"
"I think it's ludicrous, but I don't think you're crazy because of it. They just don't understand how you see things. You're very intelligent, and intelligence can lead to either study."
"You mean you were just trying to protect me from all that?"
"Yes."
"But Dad, I know what it's like. I can handle it. But thanks. What about Mom? And Kat? What about them?"
"I'm afraid I don't know the answers to those questions. Could you do me a favor and find out? I'm sorry about spending so much time working. I promise I'll make time."
"Thanks." Dib headed back to the living room and turned the television on. It was channel six news (the WHUH station.) A female voice came onto the screen.
"...In sadder news, a ten-year-old girl was found in the snow, frozen half to death, with long blue hair and glasses. She had a laptop computer with her, and on it hundreds of files of research. Apparently, she was trying to track down her family. On hand were a few photographs, of a young boy about her age, and a girl. Labeled on the back of each are the names 'Dib' and 'Gaz.' She has been identified as Kat Membrane, who was living with her mother, Ari, until she died two years ago. She has been missing since. It is now apparent that the two photographs were cut out of a skool yearbook and are her brother and sister. We pray for the family of this lost girl. In other news..."
Dib's jaw dropped at the sight of his sister, Kat, in the snow. Tears welled at his eyes and he picked up the issue of Crop Circles Magazine and looked at her picture. To the side, he saw an article written by her. It described Zim being an alien, and what she had observed in his efforts at stopping him. The line it concluded with was this: "And one last confession on my part - I am Dib's long-lost sister." He pressed the magazine close to him, and tried to imagine the cheerful Kat in the picture rather than the one lying in the snow. It was no use. He pressed the magazine closer, so much so that it crinkled.
His sister was into the paranormal. She believed him. She was a dream come true. Her being frozen in the snow was a nightmare come true. "My life has been so easy compared with hers...she doesn't even know me...but in a way, she does, doesn't she? She knows about my exploits in trying to stop Zim. My dearest sister. Her life was so hard. I can't even comprehend what it was like for her. I can't just sit here. I need to go to her. I hope she's still alive..." The thought scared him, so he shook it off. He bolted out the door and ran to the hospital, where he figured she'd be.
Unfortunately, on his way he encountered Zim. "Hey! Dib-monkey! Where are you on your way this time?! To the nearest mental hospital?!"
"I don't have time for these games, ZIM!" he said through clenched teeth.
"What? Does the worm have someplace IMPORTANT to go?!"
"My sister is dying, Zim, and I can't afford to waste any time!" he took off, but Zim tackled him.
"Why do you think I'd care about you and your little problems?" Dib punched him in the jaw, causing Zim to bleed profusely. He tried to continue running, but couldn't since he'd sprained his leg. Instead, he walked as fast as he could. It was a little while afterward when he reached it.
Dib stepped up to the receptionist for direction. "Do you know where Kat Membrane is?"
"I'm sorry, only family is allowed."
"I am her family! I'm her brother!"
"Room 238A. Here, you'll need an admittance card." She handed him a small piece of paper reading: "Admittance." He ran to the room despite how very tired he was already and the phenomenal pain it triggered. As he neared the room, he saw some doctors pulling out a cart with sheets covering a form. Dib realized that they were pulling a body out of room 238A.
"Kat? KAT! KAT, NO!" Dib pulled the sheet up and saw her. "Oh, Kat...no...." Her face was cold, blue, and lifeless. She was even more spectacular a sight in person. The girl he never knew - his sister. He picked her up into his arms, and coaxed her. "I swear, if you don't survive, I'm going to rip Zim's throat out for stalling me." He pressed his face to hers and kissed her cheek. A faint breathing could be heard. Kat's eyes opened briefly, and she kissed Dib on the cheek. Her eyes closed once more, and as a smile spread on her face the words that made him cry formed,
"I love you, Dib. Thank you." She died right there in his arms.
"KAT! KAT, SPEAK TO ME! KAT! I LOVE YOU! KAT, NO! DON'T DIE!" The doctors covered her face, and carted her around the corner. Dib stood there, watching them take his sister away. Tears fell freely as he thought about her. 'My mom and my sister are...no. I can't even think it. I love them too much, and I never even knew them.'
Dib arrived home a couple hours later, where his sister Gaz greeted him. Her eyes opened wide at his sight. "Dad, he's here."
"Huh?"
"Dib, Dad's been calling the police, the fire department, everyone! He heard about them finding Kat in the snow, and thought you'd do something drastic."
"Like what?"
"I don't know for sure."
"I want to be alone."
"What happened?"
"Kat died." With those words, he walked up to his room and locked the door. Looking at the article again, he thought about the time he first discovered he even HAD another sister. That was just a few hours ago. "Kat...can you hear me? I just wanted to say, that I love you. You were a very good sister, even though I never knew you. I can tell it. That Zim! I will tear his limbs apart one by one! But you...I just want to know how you lived. Learn more about you. Find out who you are." Before him, an apparition appeared. "Kat? What are you doing here?"
"Dib, you are correct. I am Kat. I overheard you talking to me. I thought it would be unkind to leave you alone. In losing me, you lost a sister. So I will arrange that you cross paths with a friend who will understand you."
"What about...Mom? Is she okay?"
"She will be all right, so long as you are all right. If you're ever in harm, she will be in harm. If you are happy, she will be happy."
"Are you...solid?"
"Yes. Completely." Dib held his youngest sister tightly, and she hugged him back. And, for the first time in their lives, they felt a special bond between siblings.
"Kat? I have a question. What's it like to die?"
"It's really depends on the situation, Dib. But for me, it was pleasant. You were right there, holding me. You didn't say with words that you loved me, but you showed me. That's just as good. I can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences of my life. Thanks to you."
"Zim stalled me. If it had been a few seconds more, I would've missed you."
"Even just your effort would mean the world to me."
"Kat, can you stay here? Please?"
"I'm sorry, Dib. I really wish that could be. I will visit you often, as often as possible, but I can't just stay here. I will have to move on eventually. But I'll wait until you don't need me anymore. You're a very wonderful person, and you're going to be very successful. I love you, and it is here I leave you."
"Kat?"
"Yes?"
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye." She disappeared, and Dib looked to where she had stood. A piece of paper was in her place. It read:
"Dib -
I know you're sad, so I left you a little something.
Kat"
Underneath the paper was a dust-covered laptop. Dib opened it, turned it on, and realized to whom it belonged - Kat. He felt the compulsion to open up a certain document labeled 'Goodbye.' He read, and cried. It was a note saying goodbye to the world. She had known she would die. She had planned it.
"Oh, Kat...no...how could you...? I love you, Kat, I love you...." He sat there, staring intently at the screen, reading the words carefully each time, making sure they were fully real. The more he read them, the more he couldn't believe it. Dib stared at the computer screen repeating this process for hours. Time dragged on, and he kept doing this, until midnight. It was then he fell asleep, and woke up in his bed after a restless sleep.
NOTE: Some characters act AWFULLY OOC at certain points, but things are explained at the end, so please bear with me. Also, it's a little Twilight Zonish at the end, and if you don't really understand, I'll try to write it clearer. Thanks!
Girl in the Snow on the Twenty-Fourth
A girl looked up from the ground as the first light of day reached her eyelids. It was Christmas Eve. She yawned, and realized she was seriously injured. This girl's name was Kat, a lonely girl, who didn't know where she came from. Her mother had taken care of her alone, since her father had died before she was born, but when she died, Kat had run away. Now, she lived on the streets, without a skool education. She'd stopped going to skool in the third grade. Now, though she'd be in fourth grade, she felt she could never go back and face the world once more.
"I've been living by myself for one year now...." she mused out loud. It startled her to hear her own voice after so long. The last time had probably been when she tumbled down a slippery dirt hill and scraped her knee against some sharp rocks. Two weeks ago. Normally she talked aloud to herself, to tell herself what to do. It was a hard life, but she felt fit for it. She felt as alone when around people as she felt when she wasn't.
Kat had long, dark blue hair with streaks of black. She wore glasses, though things were still pretty blurry, considering she needed a much stronger prescription by now. She was pretty tall, at five foot one, and would look like a very pretty young girl if it weren't for her tattered look.
Only one possession she could call hers - a laptop computer her mother had given her. Whenever she needed food, or new clothes, she'd write an article for a magazine called "Crop Circles Magazine." She got paid just enough to get by. Of course, she had to mail it, because they didn't allow children to write articles. She began to eat her meal for the day - a slice of bread - and then commenced in writing the next month's article.
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Dib opened up the latest issue of Crop Circles Magazine and flipped through it. A picture caught his eye, for it showed the face of someone who looked familiar somehow. He wasn't sure why, for it was the picture of a girl whom he'd never seen before. She'd run away a year ago, after the death of her mother caused by drunken teenagers. "How sad..." Dib said to himself. The girl smiling in the picture back at him looked like she didn't have a care in the world. He imagined her, scared, cold, and alone, maybe even dead. It also showed a picture of her mother, killed two years ago after leaving her husband. She had been declared insane enough to not have custody over her kids, but the girl who'd run away, Kat, had been born afterwards.
Dib scanned the article some more, and then saw his name. Why would his name be there? He read the whole sentence: "She had a sister and brother she never knew, named Gaz and Dib." Staring in awe and disbelief, he wondered how many other families there were with a father who had two children named Gaz and Dib with their mother missing. He proceeded to read the entire article. His mother's name was Ari.
Dib ran to his father's lab inside the house and tugged on his lab coat. "Dad! DAD! Kat ran away!"
"Kat?" Dib suddenly remembered that Kat had been born later.
"Mom's been murdered!"
"Where did you hear this, son?"
"I was reading Crop Circles Magazine, and it said she lost custody, and then Kat was born, and, and she ran away! And...Dad, what happened?" Prof. Membrane sighed deeply, set his tools down for once, and crouched down to where his son was standing.
"I was afraid this day would come. You see...your mother believed in the paranormal. She didn't like that I wouldn't open myself to it. So, she left, and wanted the rights of custody. I couldn't stand you being taken away from me, so we went to court. You were only about a year old, and Gaz was only a few months old. Your mother was pregnant, but didn't tell me for fear that she'd lose another child too. I knew, though. I didn't want to sadden her, so I didn't tell anyone.
"The court found her insane, just enough to not be able to take care of children. The court was wrong! She's not insane! I was sad for her, but didn't want to give you up, either. I have a confession to make, Dib. I know you're not insane. I just didn't want the same thing to happen to you. I don't want you to be dragged out of a courtroom, screaming and yelling for mercy. I couldn't bear it then, and I can't bear it now!"
"So...that's why you don't approve of me studying the paranormal? Not because you think it's all ridiculous?"
"I think it's ludicrous, but I don't think you're crazy because of it. They just don't understand how you see things. You're very intelligent, and intelligence can lead to either study."
"You mean you were just trying to protect me from all that?"
"Yes."
"But Dad, I know what it's like. I can handle it. But thanks. What about Mom? And Kat? What about them?"
"I'm afraid I don't know the answers to those questions. Could you do me a favor and find out? I'm sorry about spending so much time working. I promise I'll make time."
"Thanks." Dib headed back to the living room and turned the television on. It was channel six news (the WHUH station.) A female voice came onto the screen.
"...In sadder news, a ten-year-old girl was found in the snow, frozen half to death, with long blue hair and glasses. She had a laptop computer with her, and on it hundreds of files of research. Apparently, she was trying to track down her family. On hand were a few photographs, of a young boy about her age, and a girl. Labeled on the back of each are the names 'Dib' and 'Gaz.' She has been identified as Kat Membrane, who was living with her mother, Ari, until she died two years ago. She has been missing since. It is now apparent that the two photographs were cut out of a skool yearbook and are her brother and sister. We pray for the family of this lost girl. In other news..."
Dib's jaw dropped at the sight of his sister, Kat, in the snow. Tears welled at his eyes and he picked up the issue of Crop Circles Magazine and looked at her picture. To the side, he saw an article written by her. It described Zim being an alien, and what she had observed in his efforts at stopping him. The line it concluded with was this: "And one last confession on my part - I am Dib's long-lost sister." He pressed the magazine close to him, and tried to imagine the cheerful Kat in the picture rather than the one lying in the snow. It was no use. He pressed the magazine closer, so much so that it crinkled.
His sister was into the paranormal. She believed him. She was a dream come true. Her being frozen in the snow was a nightmare come true. "My life has been so easy compared with hers...she doesn't even know me...but in a way, she does, doesn't she? She knows about my exploits in trying to stop Zim. My dearest sister. Her life was so hard. I can't even comprehend what it was like for her. I can't just sit here. I need to go to her. I hope she's still alive..." The thought scared him, so he shook it off. He bolted out the door and ran to the hospital, where he figured she'd be.
Unfortunately, on his way he encountered Zim. "Hey! Dib-monkey! Where are you on your way this time?! To the nearest mental hospital?!"
"I don't have time for these games, ZIM!" he said through clenched teeth.
"What? Does the worm have someplace IMPORTANT to go?!"
"My sister is dying, Zim, and I can't afford to waste any time!" he took off, but Zim tackled him.
"Why do you think I'd care about you and your little problems?" Dib punched him in the jaw, causing Zim to bleed profusely. He tried to continue running, but couldn't since he'd sprained his leg. Instead, he walked as fast as he could. It was a little while afterward when he reached it.
Dib stepped up to the receptionist for direction. "Do you know where Kat Membrane is?"
"I'm sorry, only family is allowed."
"I am her family! I'm her brother!"
"Room 238A. Here, you'll need an admittance card." She handed him a small piece of paper reading: "Admittance." He ran to the room despite how very tired he was already and the phenomenal pain it triggered. As he neared the room, he saw some doctors pulling out a cart with sheets covering a form. Dib realized that they were pulling a body out of room 238A.
"Kat? KAT! KAT, NO!" Dib pulled the sheet up and saw her. "Oh, Kat...no...." Her face was cold, blue, and lifeless. She was even more spectacular a sight in person. The girl he never knew - his sister. He picked her up into his arms, and coaxed her. "I swear, if you don't survive, I'm going to rip Zim's throat out for stalling me." He pressed his face to hers and kissed her cheek. A faint breathing could be heard. Kat's eyes opened briefly, and she kissed Dib on the cheek. Her eyes closed once more, and as a smile spread on her face the words that made him cry formed,
"I love you, Dib. Thank you." She died right there in his arms.
"KAT! KAT, SPEAK TO ME! KAT! I LOVE YOU! KAT, NO! DON'T DIE!" The doctors covered her face, and carted her around the corner. Dib stood there, watching them take his sister away. Tears fell freely as he thought about her. 'My mom and my sister are...no. I can't even think it. I love them too much, and I never even knew them.'
Dib arrived home a couple hours later, where his sister Gaz greeted him. Her eyes opened wide at his sight. "Dad, he's here."
"Huh?"
"Dib, Dad's been calling the police, the fire department, everyone! He heard about them finding Kat in the snow, and thought you'd do something drastic."
"Like what?"
"I don't know for sure."
"I want to be alone."
"What happened?"
"Kat died." With those words, he walked up to his room and locked the door. Looking at the article again, he thought about the time he first discovered he even HAD another sister. That was just a few hours ago. "Kat...can you hear me? I just wanted to say, that I love you. You were a very good sister, even though I never knew you. I can tell it. That Zim! I will tear his limbs apart one by one! But you...I just want to know how you lived. Learn more about you. Find out who you are." Before him, an apparition appeared. "Kat? What are you doing here?"
"Dib, you are correct. I am Kat. I overheard you talking to me. I thought it would be unkind to leave you alone. In losing me, you lost a sister. So I will arrange that you cross paths with a friend who will understand you."
"What about...Mom? Is she okay?"
"She will be all right, so long as you are all right. If you're ever in harm, she will be in harm. If you are happy, she will be happy."
"Are you...solid?"
"Yes. Completely." Dib held his youngest sister tightly, and she hugged him back. And, for the first time in their lives, they felt a special bond between siblings.
"Kat? I have a question. What's it like to die?"
"It's really depends on the situation, Dib. But for me, it was pleasant. You were right there, holding me. You didn't say with words that you loved me, but you showed me. That's just as good. I can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences of my life. Thanks to you."
"Zim stalled me. If it had been a few seconds more, I would've missed you."
"Even just your effort would mean the world to me."
"Kat, can you stay here? Please?"
"I'm sorry, Dib. I really wish that could be. I will visit you often, as often as possible, but I can't just stay here. I will have to move on eventually. But I'll wait until you don't need me anymore. You're a very wonderful person, and you're going to be very successful. I love you, and it is here I leave you."
"Kat?"
"Yes?"
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye." She disappeared, and Dib looked to where she had stood. A piece of paper was in her place. It read:
"Dib -
I know you're sad, so I left you a little something.
Kat"
Underneath the paper was a dust-covered laptop. Dib opened it, turned it on, and realized to whom it belonged - Kat. He felt the compulsion to open up a certain document labeled 'Goodbye.' He read, and cried. It was a note saying goodbye to the world. She had known she would die. She had planned it.
"Oh, Kat...no...how could you...? I love you, Kat, I love you...." He sat there, staring intently at the screen, reading the words carefully each time, making sure they were fully real. The more he read them, the more he couldn't believe it. Dib stared at the computer screen repeating this process for hours. Time dragged on, and he kept doing this, until midnight. It was then he fell asleep, and woke up in his bed after a restless sleep.
