Darkness just started College, so while Chapter 37 is started, and I have every intention of finishing as soon as I have the chance (which shouldn't be too hard since it's half written and the rest is outlined -knock on wood-) it may take a while as I adjust to the new homework load and whatnot. It's not much more than high school, considering how little time I spend in class, but it takes a lot of effort and time management. The most exciting thing I did all week end was read 100 pages of textbook!

You'll still get these random little treats everynow and then, though, when I just throw responsibility to the wind and type something up. -shifty eyes- If you see errors, let me know, and if you read it, review, so I can know who my faithful readers are! I like you guys!

As always, read and enjoy. I love you!

Far Far Away

There was a scream, and then a pop. There was noise, noise everywhere, and it scared her. She didn't know what it was, and she didn't know where she was. She slipped and slid around, but…. But she was air. And the noise was scaring her. She'd been running up the stairs, like mommy always told her not to, but now… Now she didn't know.

Without thinking, she flew away. She just darted towards the ceiling and left, because that was what she wanted to do. And instead of stopping at the ceiling and hitting her head, like mommy told her she would if she jumped too high on the bed, she floated right through. It didn't stop her, and it didn't hurt. Mommy was never wrong, though, so maybe she had done something else.

The noise was gone, and she could hear again. She could see. She could think.

But where was she? What was going on? Anna looked down, and all she could see was sky. Sky, with clouds and sun, and very far away, very far below, was ground. What was going on? Was she a bird?

Anna giggled, her fear receding. Maybe this was a new game, and the noise had only scared her because she didn't know what was going on. Maybe she should go find Mommy and ask her how to play.

Anna spread her arms and dove, squealing happily as the air rushed by her face.

"Oh, there you are." A blue-haired woman popped into existence just below her, with an air of energetic peppiness, and Anna came to an abrupt halt, happy squeal catching in her throat.

"M-mommy?" Who was this lady? This wasn't mommy, was it?

"What?" the woman questioned, glancing up from her clipboard. Her face was bright and cheerful as she peered at her with candy pink eyes. A sob escaped Anna, and the woman's mouth formed an 'o' of surprise. Her smile disappeared in a blink, and was replaced by something much more solemn, and much much sadder.

Who was this? Mommies didn't have blue hair, and they didn't have pink eyes either. And they were always happy. Or at least Anna's always was, and she wanted her. She wanted Mommy, 'cause Mommy always made things better. Mommy made everything make sense, because there was nothing that Mommy didn't know.

The woman slipped the clipboard up her sleeve, and it disappeared. "How old are you, Anna?" she asked, voice quiet.

Another sob burst from Anna, and a big fat tear snuck from her eye. She wanted Mommy….

"Mommy…. Mommy s-says I'm two…" The water in her eyes made her voice shaky, and hard to understand. Anna knew it, and it made her cry harder. Everything was wrong. She needed Mommy!

The blue-haired woman sighed, and held out her arms. "Come here, sweetings. We'll make everything better."

Anna hesitated. "B-but… where's Mommy?"

The lady smiled sadly. "Mommy's waiting for you. But I need to take care of you for her right now. She doesn't want you to be alone." The woman closed her eyes and then opened them again. They sparkled, just like Mommy's did when she was really happy. So happy that Mommy said the joy was filling her so full it was spilling out her eyes, and only making it look like there were tears. "Mommy doesn't ever want you to be alone, Anna. Come here, let me give you a hug…"

That night Botan took Anna to say goodbye to her mother. Anna's mother was sleeping, but there was no other way to do it… There was nothing she could give either of them except this one last dream, and this one last chance to talk. It was against the rules, but Botan would give this mother a chance to hug her child and sooth her fears, despite all the consequences it would bring onto her own head. There was simply nothing else Botan could do…

"Yes… someday… far away from now… far far away… "

Botan stood in the corner, eyes shut against the two's tearful reunion, waiting for the moment when she would have to tear them apart...

" Mommy's going to come live with you, too, sweetings…" The woman's voice broke. She took a deep breath. "I'm going to come live you, too. But for now, Anna, darling, you have to go away without me. You're going on vacation… For a very long time. And Mommy's going to miss you."

The woman lost all her control, and hugged the girl crushingly close. Tears poured down her face, and the sobs tore from her chest, heartbreaking.

"Mommy's going to miss you, Anna. I'm going to miss you…"

Botan stood in the corner and hugged herself, because she had no one who could hug her back.

Her mother was long dead.