Seven Days of Christmas
Day 1:
The short thin man at the front of the classroom stacked some papers, organizing his plans. He pushed his glasses further up his nose and cleared his throat. Kirei slouched down in her seat leaning her head on one hand and staring out the window. December 18th, the last day of school before winter break; it didn't feel like Christmas, not this year.
The teacher began chattering on nervously about their winter assignment, pausing every once in a while to collect his ideas once more. She didn't understand why this man had become a teacher; he always seemed intimidated by the small group of students, about 25 in all. He began walking around the room placing a red sheet of paper on each student's desk. The rest of the class looked about as bored as Kirei, they were all eagerly anticipating winter break and certainly didn't want to be here any longer. When he arrived at her desk she picked up the paper looking it over. A poem, they had to write a poem. She groaned at the thought, a poem about Christmas, something special. Her mind was completely blank, she decided to think about something else, it'd come to her eventually.
The little man went on for another hour, talking about the form and suggestions for ideas, none of them appealed to her; they all sounded so ordinary. She knew those were the ideas that would get you an A, but it was generic. At last the bell rang, the teacher sat down with a sigh, looking rather disappointed, perhaps with himself or the nonexistent interest of the students. She did feel sorry for him, but she hurried out the door in the swarm of people.
As Kirei made her way home she thought about all the snow there would be on the ground if they were still in New York. Oregon was nice, but she missed the snow. She had come to one conclusion about the northwest: it was wet. All year long rain, rain, and more rain. She liked the rain sometimes but it was lonely in their big house with no one around and the constant sound of the rain outside only reminded her of the absence of voices. There was no rain now, no snow either, but maybe there was still hope for a white Christmas.
"You look so sad," a boy came up from behind her and started walking with her, he looked at her with curious brown eyes. "It's almost Christmas, you know? You should smile!" The boy, who looked about 7, grinned up at her, almost as if showing her how. Kirei tried keeping a straight face but it didn't last.
"So Christmas is a happy time?" she said giggling a little.
"Of course!" he said automatically, his eyes getting bigger as this girl questioned the very joy of Christmas. "The happiest. You're supposed to sing Christmas carols, decorate everything in red and green, and most important of all! You've got to always smile at Christmas." She bit her lip and looked over at him, his clothes were okay, not the most expensive and his back pack looked a bit worn, his hair was light brown and shaggy hanging in his eyes. He was about 1 and a half feet shorter then her and his brown eyes glowed with the spirit of the season.
"You're right, I should smile," she turned to him and showed a perfect white smile. Her blue eyes brightened to almost match his. "I'm Kirei," she said stopping next to him.
He grinned even wider, delighted by the results, "My name's Jim."
Kirei thought for a moment as she glanced down the busy street. She looked at him curiously, "So where do you live Jim?"
He looked down only briefly obviously hoping she wouldn't notice. Then, looking her in the eyes he smiled again, "I almost forgot, I have to get home quick, can't be late. It was nice meeting you Kirei, I hope you can enjoy Christmas." His eyes twinkled, reflecting the spectrum of light from the city all around them.
"I'll try," she promised, "Goodbye Jim."
"Bye!" He called out as he headed off down one of the streets. Kirei seemed to snap back into the world, remembering her previous thoughts.
"He's right, it is still the week before Christmas and I should enjoy it." But she felt a lot less cheery now that he was gone and her smile faded back into the solemn look that often marred her young face. She looked into the windows of stores as she passed them; each filled with Christmas delights and decorated extravagantly. She passed a toy store where a group of children huddled around the window pointing at what they wanted and shouting with excitement.
She turned away from the street towards her house and entered the Towns Square. Huge crowds of people hurried in all directions dressed warmly and dragging large bags filled with presents, or little children along beside them. In the center of it all was a huge tree, adorned with lights, ribbons, and detailed ornaments. She made her way towards the tree, but was shoved to the ground by tall lady with red hair and three children being pulled along. Kirei sat there for a moment watching the woman continue on her way, without so much as a glance back, until they had disappeared in the crowds. Standing up she walked over to the tree and sat on a bench. Going home didn't appeal to her, the house was big and she was the only one there. Staring out across the people she noticed a store that caught her attention and she walked over to it.
It was tucked away in the older corner of the square, she was surprised she had even noticed it there. In the windows were pictures of mobile suits and of gundams, newspaper clippings from war times. It was a sore subject at home, both her mom and dad had told her about it, but never wanted to tell more then they had to. She understood that the memories must have been painful for them and mostly wanted to be forgotten; she stopped asking about it. No matter how much she missed them each time they left for another mission, she was always a bit proud of what they did. Keeping peace was important, but sometimes she wished that it wasn't them keeping it... so that they'd be home with her.
The old blue door creaked as she pushed it open and the floorboards sounded as if they would fall apart under the weight. She walked in cautiously looking around to see if anyone was there. The store was stuffed with papers and pictures of all sorts, blueprints and plans articles and even models. A green book caught her attention, she picked it up and started flipping through it. Some kind of journal she guessed, writings dated before the war and all through it. A cloud of dust grew around her as she looked through other papers strewn across tables and shelves. A hand grabbed her by the shoulder and she jumped dropping the book.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," the man's voice was clear and almost rung in her ears. She turned around to look at him and felt a little intimidated. He was tall and slim with fair skin and blue eyes; he didn't seem to belong in an old forgotten bookstore but rather in an elegant ballroom. The fingers that drew away from her shoulder were long and slender, yet he was dressed plainly and his light brown hair seemed to do as it pleased.
"I... uh didn't know if anyone was here," she pushed blonde strands of hair out of her eyes suddenly feeling very self-conscious.
He smiled charmingly, "Not a lot of customers these days, perhaps people have lost interest in the war. I don't blame them really, I'm sure it's nice to forget it all and move on." He looked to be around 20 years old, she wondered what memories he had of the war.
"Actually I've never noticed this place before, but it looks as though it's been here for ages. Do people really just forget the war?" She inquired, her mind opening to all the memories of her parents. The look in this man's eyes... it was the same pain yet hope she saw in both her mom and dad's eyes.
"Well I think they'd like to forget, but I don't think they can. Move on? Yes they've gone on with their lives, but I wonder if they take for granted this peace they live in," his smile was no longer there, but he still seemed kind. He leaned down and picked up the green book Kirei had dropped. There was something so familiar about him but she was almost certain they'd never met before.
"I don't really know anything other then peace, it's all I've ever known. But the war... without knowing more about it, something is just missing. Maybe a book would help me understand," she looked up at him, curiosity taking her mind off everything else. He handed her the green book and smiled warmly.
"If it's a war book you want you've come to the right place. I'm sure I've got something fitting in here," he began going through books and papers on the shelves. Kirei followed him as he made his way across the shelves and towards the back of the store. He led her into a room that was filled with more books. Pulling a large flat book down he handed it to her and she opened it carefully. It was filled with pictures of many things in the war, of the soldiers and civilians, of earth and the colonies. She stared at it in fascination and the man watched her as she turned each page. "I thought that might be good," he said as he pushed through more books.
"It's terrible," the words came out before she even realized she was thinking them. "How can people stop caring about what happened? Wouldn't that mean all those people died for nothing?"
He looked down as if avoiding her eyes, "In a way it's what all those who died wanted for the future. The dreams and hopes of those soldiers have come true through people forgetting. You see they wanted to make a better life for the people to come, so that people just like yourself wouldn't have to know the pains of war."
"It doesn't feel right living through a life that those soldiers deaths created for us and never thinking of them. They should be remembered." Kirei felt very strange as if her words had been waiting to escape. This man was a complete stranger to her, but it was nice to have someone to talk to, unlike her parents he seemed to want to remember.
The next book he handed her was smaller then the first and looking at the cover she saw that it was a textbook. Similar to what they had in school, but focused on the war.
"Thank you," she said politely pulling the three books to her chest. "How much?" She had plenty of money and no one to spend it on. Presents for her parents had already been bought and waited under the Christmas tree patiently. The little group of friends that she had didn't really appeal to her, distant relations built on the foundations of money and expensive clothing. Although spending money on herself at Christmas time made her feel slightly guilty she decided they were harmless books.
"No charge," the man said smiling a bit as he headed back towards the front of the store. "I'm sure this store won't be here much longer."
"But I can't just take these..." Kirei's eyes got wider, "Please let me pay for them."
He walked behind the counter and sat down, his face got sterner and he looked her in the eye, "No."
Kirei didn't really know what to say and the man said nothing. They continued in silence for what seemed to Kirei like forever. By the look on his face she wondered if he might be mad, but after coming to no conclusion she finally said "thank you" and walked out the door quietly. She put her backpack down, set the books inside, and continued on her way. This time she tried to avoid the crowds and stayed close to the wall until she was back on the street towards her neighborhood.
She knew she was close to home when the houses grew in size, becoming richer and more beautiful. Everything began to twinkle with lights of every color as the sun began to sink down below the hills. At last she reached her own house and she stopped at the end of the driveway. The windows were dark and the house undecorated, there were no cars... and no people. This was home. She often felt tiny in this big house, but she was sure it was a mere dream for many. Kirei made her way up the driveway and inside dropping her backpack and coat by the door and walking into the kitchen.
The counters were marble and glossy, the stove stainless steal everything was clean and just in place, absolutely perfect. She hated it. The house was cold, it was cold and empty. She let out a sigh and decided she wasn't hungry. The stairs didn't creak as she walked up them and her bedroom door didn't squeak as she opened it. Everything did as it should, what else would you expect in a perfect house?
Kirei flopped down on her bed and starred at the ceiling for a while. Her mind wandered into thoughts, anything other then the silence that rung in her ears. Her eyes slid shut and she drifted away to the realm of subconscious.
Darkness enveloped her into a familiar world of dreams, only to be shattered as light began to pierce through, pulling her somewhere unknown. She tried to fight it, but as she smelled something beautiful, she let it come to her, a welcome disturbance. Her eyes closed again as she breathed in the intoxicating scent, wanting to somehow preserve it untainted. Even before she could see them she was certain what was there. The flower of love, of beauty, unforgettable and unchanging: the rose. Kirei was surrounded in roses, red roses. Intricate weavings of thorned vines winding their way up a trellis above her, letting just enough sunlight peak through to warm her face.
Before her lay a walkway of grass leading towards a stone wall then turning sharply around a hedge. The fragrance of the roses that surrounded the path lifted with the breeze then seemed to hang in the air around her. It appeared, to Kirei, the most perfect day, with the blue skies and warm sun, in the most perfect garden. Curiosity tugged at her feet pulling them forward across the grass wanting nothing more than to know what would lie around the next corner. But as she came around the bush she saw that there was yet another corner. Her feet kept moving round this corner, then the next and the next and before she knew it she had come to an opening in the shrub wall.
The opening led down a stone walkway with steps leading to a lower level below that. The entire garden was filled with more red roses with a stone wall around the perimeter. She could see willow trees beyond the wall as a sort of barrier between the world and this... place. Intrigue had pressed her on thus far but something kept nagging at the back of her mind telling her to go no further. She couldn't understand it and so her interest won. She walked down the first set of steps and slowly made her way down the walkway. Up ahead she could see a rose lying in the path almost as if pointing towards the next stairway. Kirei stopped when she reached it, and knelt down to see it closer. It was another red rose not quite fully bloomed. She wondered how it had gotten here, but pulled it into her hand tightly.
Dark clouds drew across the sky painting shadows over everything in the failing light. Kirei's hands began to shake and she clenched the stem of the red rose tighter in her fist. She was afraid now, the shadows seemed ominous but she forced herself to walk forward taking each step one by one until she had reached the long set of stairs leading far below.
At the top of the stairs, she could now see the end of the path where a platform awaited. Rising up from the earth, it was a stone altar to the heavens, its grey weight a burden to the soft soil. Tendrils of green grass brushed its rough surface, silken strands whispering against its base.
She made her way down the steps in a stumble-walk pattern never taking her eyes off the end of the path. Rain began to fall, light at first, then heavier and heavier. The water seeped through her clothing. Icy fingers brushed at her neck and she shivered. Her hands were shaking now, and she wondered at it, staring at the slim, feminine fingers in surprise. And yet she felt nothing beyond the whisper in the back of her mind that she was supposed to- that somehow she should feel these things, feel the cold of the wet rain running in rivulets over her skin.
The willow trees twisted and turned as the wind blew harder, making each step more difficult than the last.
Her grip on the rose tightened as if it would be gone forever if she let go. It was almost a comfort to her as, what seemed a peaceful, beautiful garden, was covered in shadow. Dripping strands of hair fell in her eyes and with her free hand she pushed them back, letting nothing distract her from her goal. She continued forward, one step at a time and as she neared the stone she could see a bright light gleaming on its surface. Her hand reached out towards it as if she could capture it in her grasp. At last Kirei reached the platform and the light died down so she could now see what lay before her.
A pure white rose.
Completely devoid of color, little droplets of rain dotted each petal. She pulled her other hand up so she could see the red rose next to the white, but as she opened her hand to release it she could see her palm was covered in blood, her blood. The thorns, so tightly pressed in her fist, had pierced her skin and the crimson tears now fell from her hand and formed a pool on the cold stone. The rose tumbled from her reach and fell, landing across the white rose. Kirei lifted her trembling fingers and placed them over both roses leaving scarlet fingerprints on the petals. Light pierced the darkness and slowly everything in her sight began to fade. The roses and the altar, the garden and the maze of shrubs, the path and long steps she had followed all drifting away to another world never to be seen again in this reality.
AN: day two is almost finished, I just didn't want to post it only half done. I should have it up in the next week or so. Hard to believe I meant to finish this by last Christmas ^^;. Also if there is any confusion about the story line it is only beginning more will be explained later, but basically her parents are gone for some Preventers thing.
Day 1:
The short thin man at the front of the classroom stacked some papers, organizing his plans. He pushed his glasses further up his nose and cleared his throat. Kirei slouched down in her seat leaning her head on one hand and staring out the window. December 18th, the last day of school before winter break; it didn't feel like Christmas, not this year.
The teacher began chattering on nervously about their winter assignment, pausing every once in a while to collect his ideas once more. She didn't understand why this man had become a teacher; he always seemed intimidated by the small group of students, about 25 in all. He began walking around the room placing a red sheet of paper on each student's desk. The rest of the class looked about as bored as Kirei, they were all eagerly anticipating winter break and certainly didn't want to be here any longer. When he arrived at her desk she picked up the paper looking it over. A poem, they had to write a poem. She groaned at the thought, a poem about Christmas, something special. Her mind was completely blank, she decided to think about something else, it'd come to her eventually.
The little man went on for another hour, talking about the form and suggestions for ideas, none of them appealed to her; they all sounded so ordinary. She knew those were the ideas that would get you an A, but it was generic. At last the bell rang, the teacher sat down with a sigh, looking rather disappointed, perhaps with himself or the nonexistent interest of the students. She did feel sorry for him, but she hurried out the door in the swarm of people.
As Kirei made her way home she thought about all the snow there would be on the ground if they were still in New York. Oregon was nice, but she missed the snow. She had come to one conclusion about the northwest: it was wet. All year long rain, rain, and more rain. She liked the rain sometimes but it was lonely in their big house with no one around and the constant sound of the rain outside only reminded her of the absence of voices. There was no rain now, no snow either, but maybe there was still hope for a white Christmas.
"You look so sad," a boy came up from behind her and started walking with her, he looked at her with curious brown eyes. "It's almost Christmas, you know? You should smile!" The boy, who looked about 7, grinned up at her, almost as if showing her how. Kirei tried keeping a straight face but it didn't last.
"So Christmas is a happy time?" she said giggling a little.
"Of course!" he said automatically, his eyes getting bigger as this girl questioned the very joy of Christmas. "The happiest. You're supposed to sing Christmas carols, decorate everything in red and green, and most important of all! You've got to always smile at Christmas." She bit her lip and looked over at him, his clothes were okay, not the most expensive and his back pack looked a bit worn, his hair was light brown and shaggy hanging in his eyes. He was about 1 and a half feet shorter then her and his brown eyes glowed with the spirit of the season.
"You're right, I should smile," she turned to him and showed a perfect white smile. Her blue eyes brightened to almost match his. "I'm Kirei," she said stopping next to him.
He grinned even wider, delighted by the results, "My name's Jim."
Kirei thought for a moment as she glanced down the busy street. She looked at him curiously, "So where do you live Jim?"
He looked down only briefly obviously hoping she wouldn't notice. Then, looking her in the eyes he smiled again, "I almost forgot, I have to get home quick, can't be late. It was nice meeting you Kirei, I hope you can enjoy Christmas." His eyes twinkled, reflecting the spectrum of light from the city all around them.
"I'll try," she promised, "Goodbye Jim."
"Bye!" He called out as he headed off down one of the streets. Kirei seemed to snap back into the world, remembering her previous thoughts.
"He's right, it is still the week before Christmas and I should enjoy it." But she felt a lot less cheery now that he was gone and her smile faded back into the solemn look that often marred her young face. She looked into the windows of stores as she passed them; each filled with Christmas delights and decorated extravagantly. She passed a toy store where a group of children huddled around the window pointing at what they wanted and shouting with excitement.
She turned away from the street towards her house and entered the Towns Square. Huge crowds of people hurried in all directions dressed warmly and dragging large bags filled with presents, or little children along beside them. In the center of it all was a huge tree, adorned with lights, ribbons, and detailed ornaments. She made her way towards the tree, but was shoved to the ground by tall lady with red hair and three children being pulled along. Kirei sat there for a moment watching the woman continue on her way, without so much as a glance back, until they had disappeared in the crowds. Standing up she walked over to the tree and sat on a bench. Going home didn't appeal to her, the house was big and she was the only one there. Staring out across the people she noticed a store that caught her attention and she walked over to it.
It was tucked away in the older corner of the square, she was surprised she had even noticed it there. In the windows were pictures of mobile suits and of gundams, newspaper clippings from war times. It was a sore subject at home, both her mom and dad had told her about it, but never wanted to tell more then they had to. She understood that the memories must have been painful for them and mostly wanted to be forgotten; she stopped asking about it. No matter how much she missed them each time they left for another mission, she was always a bit proud of what they did. Keeping peace was important, but sometimes she wished that it wasn't them keeping it... so that they'd be home with her.
The old blue door creaked as she pushed it open and the floorboards sounded as if they would fall apart under the weight. She walked in cautiously looking around to see if anyone was there. The store was stuffed with papers and pictures of all sorts, blueprints and plans articles and even models. A green book caught her attention, she picked it up and started flipping through it. Some kind of journal she guessed, writings dated before the war and all through it. A cloud of dust grew around her as she looked through other papers strewn across tables and shelves. A hand grabbed her by the shoulder and she jumped dropping the book.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," the man's voice was clear and almost rung in her ears. She turned around to look at him and felt a little intimidated. He was tall and slim with fair skin and blue eyes; he didn't seem to belong in an old forgotten bookstore but rather in an elegant ballroom. The fingers that drew away from her shoulder were long and slender, yet he was dressed plainly and his light brown hair seemed to do as it pleased.
"I... uh didn't know if anyone was here," she pushed blonde strands of hair out of her eyes suddenly feeling very self-conscious.
He smiled charmingly, "Not a lot of customers these days, perhaps people have lost interest in the war. I don't blame them really, I'm sure it's nice to forget it all and move on." He looked to be around 20 years old, she wondered what memories he had of the war.
"Actually I've never noticed this place before, but it looks as though it's been here for ages. Do people really just forget the war?" She inquired, her mind opening to all the memories of her parents. The look in this man's eyes... it was the same pain yet hope she saw in both her mom and dad's eyes.
"Well I think they'd like to forget, but I don't think they can. Move on? Yes they've gone on with their lives, but I wonder if they take for granted this peace they live in," his smile was no longer there, but he still seemed kind. He leaned down and picked up the green book Kirei had dropped. There was something so familiar about him but she was almost certain they'd never met before.
"I don't really know anything other then peace, it's all I've ever known. But the war... without knowing more about it, something is just missing. Maybe a book would help me understand," she looked up at him, curiosity taking her mind off everything else. He handed her the green book and smiled warmly.
"If it's a war book you want you've come to the right place. I'm sure I've got something fitting in here," he began going through books and papers on the shelves. Kirei followed him as he made his way across the shelves and towards the back of the store. He led her into a room that was filled with more books. Pulling a large flat book down he handed it to her and she opened it carefully. It was filled with pictures of many things in the war, of the soldiers and civilians, of earth and the colonies. She stared at it in fascination and the man watched her as she turned each page. "I thought that might be good," he said as he pushed through more books.
"It's terrible," the words came out before she even realized she was thinking them. "How can people stop caring about what happened? Wouldn't that mean all those people died for nothing?"
He looked down as if avoiding her eyes, "In a way it's what all those who died wanted for the future. The dreams and hopes of those soldiers have come true through people forgetting. You see they wanted to make a better life for the people to come, so that people just like yourself wouldn't have to know the pains of war."
"It doesn't feel right living through a life that those soldiers deaths created for us and never thinking of them. They should be remembered." Kirei felt very strange as if her words had been waiting to escape. This man was a complete stranger to her, but it was nice to have someone to talk to, unlike her parents he seemed to want to remember.
The next book he handed her was smaller then the first and looking at the cover she saw that it was a textbook. Similar to what they had in school, but focused on the war.
"Thank you," she said politely pulling the three books to her chest. "How much?" She had plenty of money and no one to spend it on. Presents for her parents had already been bought and waited under the Christmas tree patiently. The little group of friends that she had didn't really appeal to her, distant relations built on the foundations of money and expensive clothing. Although spending money on herself at Christmas time made her feel slightly guilty she decided they were harmless books.
"No charge," the man said smiling a bit as he headed back towards the front of the store. "I'm sure this store won't be here much longer."
"But I can't just take these..." Kirei's eyes got wider, "Please let me pay for them."
He walked behind the counter and sat down, his face got sterner and he looked her in the eye, "No."
Kirei didn't really know what to say and the man said nothing. They continued in silence for what seemed to Kirei like forever. By the look on his face she wondered if he might be mad, but after coming to no conclusion she finally said "thank you" and walked out the door quietly. She put her backpack down, set the books inside, and continued on her way. This time she tried to avoid the crowds and stayed close to the wall until she was back on the street towards her neighborhood.
She knew she was close to home when the houses grew in size, becoming richer and more beautiful. Everything began to twinkle with lights of every color as the sun began to sink down below the hills. At last she reached her own house and she stopped at the end of the driveway. The windows were dark and the house undecorated, there were no cars... and no people. This was home. She often felt tiny in this big house, but she was sure it was a mere dream for many. Kirei made her way up the driveway and inside dropping her backpack and coat by the door and walking into the kitchen.
The counters were marble and glossy, the stove stainless steal everything was clean and just in place, absolutely perfect. She hated it. The house was cold, it was cold and empty. She let out a sigh and decided she wasn't hungry. The stairs didn't creak as she walked up them and her bedroom door didn't squeak as she opened it. Everything did as it should, what else would you expect in a perfect house?
Kirei flopped down on her bed and starred at the ceiling for a while. Her mind wandered into thoughts, anything other then the silence that rung in her ears. Her eyes slid shut and she drifted away to the realm of subconscious.
Darkness enveloped her into a familiar world of dreams, only to be shattered as light began to pierce through, pulling her somewhere unknown. She tried to fight it, but as she smelled something beautiful, she let it come to her, a welcome disturbance. Her eyes closed again as she breathed in the intoxicating scent, wanting to somehow preserve it untainted. Even before she could see them she was certain what was there. The flower of love, of beauty, unforgettable and unchanging: the rose. Kirei was surrounded in roses, red roses. Intricate weavings of thorned vines winding their way up a trellis above her, letting just enough sunlight peak through to warm her face.
Before her lay a walkway of grass leading towards a stone wall then turning sharply around a hedge. The fragrance of the roses that surrounded the path lifted with the breeze then seemed to hang in the air around her. It appeared, to Kirei, the most perfect day, with the blue skies and warm sun, in the most perfect garden. Curiosity tugged at her feet pulling them forward across the grass wanting nothing more than to know what would lie around the next corner. But as she came around the bush she saw that there was yet another corner. Her feet kept moving round this corner, then the next and the next and before she knew it she had come to an opening in the shrub wall.
The opening led down a stone walkway with steps leading to a lower level below that. The entire garden was filled with more red roses with a stone wall around the perimeter. She could see willow trees beyond the wall as a sort of barrier between the world and this... place. Intrigue had pressed her on thus far but something kept nagging at the back of her mind telling her to go no further. She couldn't understand it and so her interest won. She walked down the first set of steps and slowly made her way down the walkway. Up ahead she could see a rose lying in the path almost as if pointing towards the next stairway. Kirei stopped when she reached it, and knelt down to see it closer. It was another red rose not quite fully bloomed. She wondered how it had gotten here, but pulled it into her hand tightly.
Dark clouds drew across the sky painting shadows over everything in the failing light. Kirei's hands began to shake and she clenched the stem of the red rose tighter in her fist. She was afraid now, the shadows seemed ominous but she forced herself to walk forward taking each step one by one until she had reached the long set of stairs leading far below.
At the top of the stairs, she could now see the end of the path where a platform awaited. Rising up from the earth, it was a stone altar to the heavens, its grey weight a burden to the soft soil. Tendrils of green grass brushed its rough surface, silken strands whispering against its base.
She made her way down the steps in a stumble-walk pattern never taking her eyes off the end of the path. Rain began to fall, light at first, then heavier and heavier. The water seeped through her clothing. Icy fingers brushed at her neck and she shivered. Her hands were shaking now, and she wondered at it, staring at the slim, feminine fingers in surprise. And yet she felt nothing beyond the whisper in the back of her mind that she was supposed to- that somehow she should feel these things, feel the cold of the wet rain running in rivulets over her skin.
The willow trees twisted and turned as the wind blew harder, making each step more difficult than the last.
Her grip on the rose tightened as if it would be gone forever if she let go. It was almost a comfort to her as, what seemed a peaceful, beautiful garden, was covered in shadow. Dripping strands of hair fell in her eyes and with her free hand she pushed them back, letting nothing distract her from her goal. She continued forward, one step at a time and as she neared the stone she could see a bright light gleaming on its surface. Her hand reached out towards it as if she could capture it in her grasp. At last Kirei reached the platform and the light died down so she could now see what lay before her.
A pure white rose.
Completely devoid of color, little droplets of rain dotted each petal. She pulled her other hand up so she could see the red rose next to the white, but as she opened her hand to release it she could see her palm was covered in blood, her blood. The thorns, so tightly pressed in her fist, had pierced her skin and the crimson tears now fell from her hand and formed a pool on the cold stone. The rose tumbled from her reach and fell, landing across the white rose. Kirei lifted her trembling fingers and placed them over both roses leaving scarlet fingerprints on the petals. Light pierced the darkness and slowly everything in her sight began to fade. The roses and the altar, the garden and the maze of shrubs, the path and long steps she had followed all drifting away to another world never to be seen again in this reality.
AN: day two is almost finished, I just didn't want to post it only half done. I should have it up in the next week or so. Hard to believe I meant to finish this by last Christmas ^^;. Also if there is any confusion about the story line it is only beginning more will be explained later, but basically her parents are gone for some Preventers thing.