"Paradise"
by Clan LeFemme (clanlefemme@hotmail.com)
written by Lisette (Lisette_1@lycos.com)
Created
on 2/04/1999
Revised
on 6/28/2001
Authors' Note: Gargoyles
and everything associated with them belong to Buena Vista and Disney. They do not belong to Clan
LeFemme and we make no claims to them. This is done purely for fun. The
character of Lisette belongs to the author and may not be used
without permission. Feedback is welcomed, just please be constructive.
Each
story is a different segment of a much bigger whole and eventually they shall all combine into one.
This is the next segment of the Clan LeFemme Series. Enjoy!
:)
Also, please visit the Clan's
homepage to see pictures of some of the characters as well as the authors' own
character descriptions, floor plans for Janua Caeli, and another peak at the
Clan's stories at: http://www.geocities.com/clanlefemme/
Description: The next
installment of the Clan LeFemme Series. The time comes for Lisette, the young halfling, to resist
the call of paradise and rejoin the world once again.
Rating: PG-13 for content and
language.
******************************************************************************
Paradise
Traverse City, Michigan
Out of all of the places that she had visited in her lifetime, this had
to be one of the most beautiful. With the perfect sandy beaches, the clean
bay water where she could see the water floor hundreds of feet down, the
enchanting lakes and streams, the lovely town, and the fading colors of Autumn
that covered the abundance of trees, it was easy to see why. It was true
that in her relatively short life, Lisette hadn't visited that many locations..
but this had to be the most beautiful of them all. It was a new paradise
for her.. a chance to escape the memories of the past and recuperate from the
more recent ones.
Immediately after arriving in the new
city Lisette had rented a room
from one of the upscale resorts located right on the bay. From her
beautiful and ornate terrace, she watched the amazing sunsets where it seemed as
though the bright ball of light disappeared into the cool waters at the edge of
the horizon. Unwittingly, as the sun dipped beneath that same horizon, she
always expected to see a cloud of steam rise up where the hot sun's surface
seemed to melt into the water beyond.
It was indeed the perfect place to relax and recuperate.. well,
almost. Even here in this place of wonder she couldn't abandon the
instincts that her dead gargoyle clan had instilled in her -- the need to protect
all that lived there. By day she was just another 'fudgie', as the natives
of the beautiful city had dubbed the many tourists that visited their
territory. On the other hand, by the full light of the moon Lisette cast
her spell of transformation, once again changing her form into that of a
gargoyle, giving the fudgies and natives a rash of new stories to tell.. of
monsters coming unexpectedly to their aid when they needed it most. In
that way she would soar over the large city and patrol it and the surrounding
areas -- she would protect the city. Then again, Traverse City being the
town that it was, it was no wonder that she was kept relatively free from
action, with only an occasional mugging or robbery to fill her nights.
Once more, another way to aid her healing.. the healing of her emotions and
thoughts... or to escape from the real world. After all, what was she
really doing here? Escaping her past, recuperating, or just using both of
these excuses to sneak out on her sworn duty to protect.. to stay in a place
where there was no real need of her talents instead of being someplace where
they were desperately in need of them...
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Lisette slowly slipped on a
flowing white satin robe over her white bikini. Still being damp from her
swim a few minutes before in the resort's indoor pool, the satin instantly stuck
to her tanned skin. Sighing, Lisette ignored the uncomfortable dampness
and stepped through her glass doors and onto the wooden terrace beyond. It
was time for her favorite part of the day -- sunset.
Standing in anticipation, Lisette felt the cool Autumn wind rifle
through her pale blond hair as the sky slowly began its transformation.
Before her very eyes, the light blue, cloudless sky of the glorious day began to
darken into different shades of yellow, orange, red, purple, and then into the
dark blue of night. Watching the large sun, Lisette smiled as it slowly
dipped over the horizon and disappeared under the dark waters of the Grand
Traverse Bay. "Beautiful," she murmured, her soft French accent
causing the word to sound in a way that it was never heard before.
Without even thinking, Lisette quickly cast her transformation spell
and in an instant of green mist she became a gargoyle once again. Clad in her white loin cloth and halter top, Lisette stretched out her pale
blue wings and experimentally flexed her muscles. It was amazing that from
such a small spell she would gain such unheard of strength and power. In
this form, she was truly a force to be reckoned with. Satisfied that all
was as it should, Lisette quickly dove off of the balcony and soared out over the
dark waters.
As the wind whipped through her tangled hair, Lisette was unable to keep the
smile from lighting up her face. The soft breeze, although somewhat cool,
felt refreshing on her bluish skin and the sound of the waves rolling in the
water below was a soothing lullaby to her ears. Grinning, Lisette rose up
into the clouds and then went into a dive, pulling up at the last minute so that
her talons dragged in the cool water.
Laughing in a mixture of delight and glee, Lisette couldn't help but
wonder why she had avoided changing her form for so long after she had woken
from her mystical sleep. After all, what had happened to her clan had
happened.. there was nothing that she could do about it.. and nothing that she
could do about Joshua. Still, that didn't keep the hurt from
hurting. Sighing, Lisette thought back to all that she had left behind and
lost... Craigen, her clan... Joshua. Why did her thoughts always lead back
to him? She had only known him for a short time.. only a day. Yet,
somehow he had influenced her so much that she couldn't help but not think of
him. He had said that he thought that he was falling in love with
her. With her.. of all people, that kind and loving person had said that he could possibly love her. And when she
had used her magic in front of him, she had only expected horror and disgust..
and instead she had received only more love. To top everything off, Joshua
risked everything for her.. he gave his life protecting her. Someone had
died protecting her when that was supposed to be her job.
Within the first week that Lisette had been in Traverse City, she had
quickly looked up Joshua in the phone book... and was happy yet sad at the same
time to discover both a number and an address. Joshua wasn't lying when he
said that he lived in Traverse City, Michigan. Actually, that was the reason that she had chosen this place out of the rest of
the cities in the world... because Joshua had been from here. After a few
nights of debating, Lisette finally gathered her nerve and went to his house
during the dark of the night. His house was beautiful, located on the top
of one of the many hills that overlooked the city and the bay. On nervous
feet she had walked through that house.. empty of all inhabitants. With
tears in her eyes, she had fingered the many photos that filled the beautiful
home.. pictures of a smiling Joshua and his family. Happy photos of a
happy time. She didn't even know if his family knew yet of their son's
death.. Joshua had guessed that they were somewhere in Australia.
Troubled, Lisette wiped the single tear that had trailed a wet trail
down her blue cheek and changed directions until she was flying high over the
bustling nightlife. She had many choices of places to go on such a clear
and beautiful night. She could continue her patrol further inland to the
south and view more of the city -- the Grand Traverse Mall, the bustling stores
and shops that were bound to still be doing business, the large and beautiful
homes, the quiet neighborhoods. Then again, she could also head to the
east and sit atop the beautiful Grand Traverse Resort, the tall building that
dominated the Traverse City skyline. A modern wonder that was lined with
glass and light made a great point from which to view the city. Instead,
Lisette found herself turning away from all of these sights as she soared over
the city and headed west. Soon, her favorite spot of all of those to be
found in the city came into view.
Smiling, Lisette wondered at that. When she had the choice of
seeing the beautiful wonders of the area and the quiet and peaceful streets, she
instead chose a quiet and isolated street that crested along a curve in a
downward spiral to the right that overlooked the more wooded western side of the
city. As graceful as a ballerina dipping in her partner's hands, Lisette
glided down to the hill and landed softly in the green grass. Sighing, she stepped away from the black topped road and a little way down the side
of the hill, away from the prying eyes of any people who happened to drive down
by this route. There, she settled down onto the soft bed of grass and drew
her knees up against her body. Even though she felt no cold in her
gargoyle body, Lisette wrapped her pale blue wings around her shoulders and
shielded her body from the gently blowing wind.
She knew why she had come here, to this isolated yet beautiful
spot -- she needed to think without the chance of being interrupted.. without the
chance of suddenly being called into action. Shocked, Lisette sat straight
as that thought twisted in her mind. She chose this spot so she could have
time to herself? So that she wouldn't have to help another? Shaking
her head, Lisette felt her confusion build. Could this be? Was she turning selfish? Then again, that was why she came here.. to think
on that very topic. For even though Lisette was decidedly half human, she
was in no way gargoyle. Therefore, she did not live by the rules that the
gargoyles lived.. she didn't need to devote her life to protection. Still,
any chance of living a different sort of life was trampled down in her younger
years when she was raised in a beautiful chateau that housed a brave clan of
gargoyles.. her clan. How could their sense of protection NOT be instilled
in her?
But if that was the case.. if this idea of protection was so much a
part of her, then why was she beginning to run from it now? The thought of
losing the one thing that she had left of her clan.. the one thing that they
gave her filled her with horror. She couldn't lose her need to protect...
she couldn't! But that was what she was doing here.. wasn't it?
True, at first she just wanted to see the place that Joshua had lived.. but
now? Why had she stayed as long as she had? She was not needed in
this beautiful place, not when there were so many other places out there in the
world where they were being overridden with violence and crime. She was
needed in those places. She was doing nothing but sheltering herself from
the world in this beautiful place.
Sighing, Lisette knew it was true. "I must leave this
place," she whispered, her soft voice surprising herself. It had been
awhile since she had heard her own voice.. a while since she had spoken to
another person. That was something that needed to be fixed as well.
"But not yet..." she continued quietly, a puzzled frown creasing her
full lips. It was true. Even though she knew that she should stay no
longer in this place, she also felt that there was one thing more yet to be
completed by her.
Suddenly, a screech of tires and the roar of a loud engine broke her
solitude. Surprised, Lisette turned quickly and watched as a pair of
headlights came over the hill. Sighing, she was about to turn away when
she noticed that the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of a speed.. a VERY
high rate of speed. With growing horror, Lisette quickly jumped to her
feet and stepped back into the sheltering of some nearby trees as the vehicle
attempted to make the sloping right turn. Attempted could be the only word
for it as the vehicle, a truck, it seemed, flew past the turn and roared down
the side of the hill before colliding with a large oak tree.
Gasping, Lisette quickly brought her hands up to her face to shield it
from the shards of metal and glass and the explosion that was sure to
follow. When none of that happened, she slowly lowered her hands and
proceeded to stare in amazement at the wreck. The truck no longer had a
front end, now only an accordion of twisted metal. Suddenly, the
overwhelming stench of fuel filled the night. As the fumes burned her
eyes and caused her to gag, Lisette quickly jumped into action. She may be
relatively new to this modern world, but she did know that where there was fuel
and a wreckage, fire was soon to follow.
Spreading her wings, Lisette quickly allowed a cool breeze to lift her
into the dark night sky and propel her towards the truck. As she landed
gently on the metal roof, a small spark caught her eye towards the front of the
truck. Gasping, Lisette quickly reached down and grasped her razor sharp
talons along the cold edge of the roof and pulled back with all of her
strength. With a loud screech of ripping metal, the roof gave way under
her gargoyle strength and pulled back like an open sardine can.
Climbing over the sharp metal, Lisette looked quickly down into the
truck and scanned the compartment. Sitting in the driver's side of the
smashed vehicle was a young man, unconscious, with his seat belt holding him up
and his face cushioned against an inflated air bag. Knowing that she
needed to act and fast, Lisette nonetheless sat and watched in amazement as the
boy's features shifted until they resembled Joshua's. Blinking quickly,
Lisette watched as the vision disappeared. While the likeliness remained,
it was quite obvious that the young man she observed was not the man in
question. Instead, he looked somewhat similar with dark blond hair
covering his head as opposed to Joshua's brown with the same strong jawline.
Shaking her head, Lisette turned and saw a young woman sitting in the
passenger seat, a seat belt holding her up with her head lying against a smashed
window, blood running down her face and staining her blond hair. Gasping,
Lisette closed her eyes against the sight of the large quantities of
blood. She had to hurry.
Wasting no more time, Lisette quickly reached into the truck, wary of
the sharp steel, and reached for the young man. Leaning forward, she
quickly snapped through the thick material of the seat belt and then hefted the
young man out of the truck. Being extremely gentle and wary of hurting him
further, Lisette gently cradled the human in her arms and glided a distance from
the truck before gently laying him on the ground. Just as she was about to
turn away, a hand reached out and grabbed her own firmly. Startled,
Lisette turned back and looked into the hazy eyes of the young man.
"Jenny..." he whispered quietly before his eyes rolled back in his
head and he went unconscious once again.
Sighing, Lisette realized that Jenny must be his companion that was
still in the truck. Turning quickly, she rushed back and jumped onto the
roof of the truck, heedless of the sharp edges this time. Knowing that
time was of the essence, Lisette quickly reached inside of the truck and
shredded the young woman's safety harness. With a grunt of exertion, she
quickly pulled the woman from her seat and lifted her in to her arms.
Turning quickly, Lisette jumped off of the truck, her wings stretched out to
glide them to safety when a loud roar filled her ears. Gasping, Lisette
didn't even have time to react as a ball of flame shoved her forward through the
air and tossed her hard to the ground, the young woman shielded protectively in
her arms.
Groaning, Lisette slowly rolled herself off of the girl and looked in
shock at the inferno that was the truck. Suddenly, a wave of pain washed
over her, starting at the base of her wings. Crying out, Lisette knew
without looking that the delicate membranes of her wings were in tatters... she
could FEEL the stickiness of her own blood as it pooled beneath her burnt
back. As the tears of pain washed down her face, Lisette knew that she
would be traveling no more on those wings that night, and with the last of her
energy, Lisette changed back into her human form. As the green mist formed
around her once more, Lisette felt her singed loin cloth be replaced by an
equally singed pair of shorts and a tank top. Gasping, Lisette wondered
how she could of thought the spell so easy before as the magic drained her of everything and as a
darkness greater than any she had ever known crept over her watery eyes.
******************************************************************************
Groaning, Lisette slowly began the difficult climb up from the black
hell of unconsciousness. Ever so slowly, she felt the battle move in her
favor as her eyelids slowly beat against her smooth skin before raising
upwards. As the light rushed her eyes, her eyelids snapped shut
reflexively. More cautious this time, Lisette slowly peeked one eye open
and then another, slowly allowing her eyes to adjust to the harsh glare of
light.
"John, look! She's waking up!"
Wary of the strange voice, Lisette focused on her surroundings.
From the pale decor of the room, the noisy yet hushed sounds, the gleaming
machinery, and the anesthetic smell, it was an easy guess as to her
location. "Why.. why am I in a hospital?" Lisette whispered
slowly, pausing to lick her cracked lips. Turning her head slowly, she
focused on the two people that were in the stark hospital room.
"It's alright honey.. you're gonna be just fine," a woman
with long brown hair murmured quietly as she left her position at the door and
stepped closer to Lisette. She was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a
Central Michigan University sweatshirt.. yet, the plainness of her outfit did
nothing to dilute her obvious beauty.
"You don't remember?" the man asked as he too stepped forward
and wrapped an arm around the woman. From the way that he looked at her,
it was obvious that she was his wife and he her husband.
Squinting her eyes, Lisette stared at the man's wavy blond
hair -- blond
with soft streaks of silver down the sides. He and the woman looked
familiar somehow... Shaking her head, Lisette focused on his
question. "No.. not really," she murmured quietly.
"There was an accident," the woman spoke up quickly, her
bright blue eyes shining with tears. "Our son, Eric, lost control of
his truck and it hit a tree..."
As the woman spoke, the memories of the night slowly returned to
Lisette. "An explosion," she murmured quietly, a
thoughtful frown pulling at her lips.
"Yes," the man continued quietly. As he talked, Lisette
couldn't help but notice the lines that filled his young face.. lines of
worry. "Someone called 911 and the paramedics found our son, his
girlfriend, Jenny, and you lying on the ground beside the burning vehicle."
At his words, pictures of the young man's glazed blue eyes and the
girl's hair matted with blood came to her unbidden. Cringing, Lisette felt some of the color drain from her
face. "Are.. are they alright?" she asked quickly, her voice
trembling.
"What? Oh.. oh yes, Eric just had a mild concussion and was
released the next morning. Jenny had a severe laceration on the side of
her head, but she's going to be released tomorrow," the woman answered
quickly, a brief smile lighting up her face.
Smiling herself, Lisette began to nod her head slowly when the woman's
words pierced through the foggy haze that filled her head. "How long
have I been here?" Lisette asked quickly, shock filling her voice.
"You've been unconscious for three days.." the man said
quietly, worried about how the girl would react. "You were burned
pretty badly on your shoulder and back," he said quickly, deciding to push
right ahead. "But the doctors say that you should be out of here in
no time and that there will be no permanent scarring. Sighing, she seemed
to contemplate his words. "What were you doing there?" he asked
again, his eyes shining in curiosity.
Groaning, the man's wife elbowed him sharply, obviously annoyed that he
had asked the question.
Smiling, Lisette shook her head slowly. "It's all right.. I
was going for a walk when I saw the accident..."
"You pulled my baby to safety, didn't you?" the woman asked,
the tears slowly sliding down her cheeks.
Embarrassed by the woman's tears, Lisette slowly nodded her head.
"Yes.. I managed to get.. Eric," Lisette said, remembering the young
man's name, "out of the truck, but it exploded while I was getting Jenny to
safety."
Smiling, the woman quickly rushed forward and took Lisette's hand in
hers. "We've been waiting for you to wake up so that we could thank
you for what you've done," she whispered fiercely, her face twisted with
emotion.
Not knowing what to do or how to respond, Lisette turned pleading eyes
on the man.
"I'm sorry.. we.. we just lost
our other boy a few weeks back,"
the man explained, trying to hold back his own tears.
"We never would have made it if we had lost both of them!"
the mother cried out fervently, her eyes shining.
Nodding her head knowingly, Lisette smiled sadly at the two.
"I'm just glad that I could help," she whispered honestly, a small
thought tugging at the back of her mind. Turning, she focused her bright
blue eyes on them. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice stronger.
Smiling, the woman blushed at that. "I suppose that we did
forget to introduce ourselves," she replied, her voice light.
"My name is Kathy Erickson and this is my husband John."
At the woman's words, Lisette felt her world crashing in on her.
It all made sense now.. the boy's looks.. the mother and the father.. they all
resembled her Joshua. And they had lost a son recently.. Joshua
Erickson...
"And what's your name?" John asked, a small smile on his
face, not aware of the turmoil that the young woman was in. "You had
no identification on you..." he said, trailing off as a guarded look
entered Lisette's eyes.
"Ah oui.. uh, my name is Talia Seul," Lisette replied
quickly, saying the first name that popped into mind. It was fitting
somehow.. for Seul was the French word for alone.
"You.. you are French," Kathy said numbly, the accent that
she had been trying to place finally clicking. "Our son died recently
in Paris.. his name was Joshua," she said sadly.
So it was true.. standing before her were Joshua's parents... she had
saved Joshua's little brother from being killed...
"Well, I suppose that we should let you rest," John said
quietly, finally noticing the haunted look that the young woman wore.
"Thank you once again for what you did.. we can never repay you
enough."
Smiling, Lisette forced the tears that were clouding her eyes
away. "It was my pleasure," she murmured as the two people
slowly backed from the room. As soon as they were out of sight, Lisette
quickly focused her thoughts on her hotel room and then vanished in a flash of
green light.
******************************************************************************
Once safely in her own room, she quickly changed out of her hospital
greens and into some of her own clothing, wary of the aching burn on her
shoulder and back. "A day of stone sleep will take care of
that," she reminded herself as she quickly set about the task of
packing. It was time to go.. her deed here was done. In a way,
her coming here had been a resolution to her feelings of dread.. to her feelings
of guilt. Joshua had given his life to protect her. Now, she was
able to repay him in some way by saving the life of his brother. It was
time to leave the protection of the beautiful city and offer her skills to those
who needed it. But to where?
Shaking her head, Lisette slowly drifted over to her balcony and
watched as the sun began to rise over the horizon. Closing her mind to
everything but the soft wind and the sound of the waves crashing on the pure
white beach, Lisette let the sounds and rhythm speak to her -- speak through
her. "It's time to head East," Lisette murmured, a small smile
playing on her lips. "Not too far East though.. in the United States..
perhaps.. the state of Pennsylvania?" Nodding her head slowly,
Lisette somehow knew that was where she had to go. She knew that was where
she was needed next.
Smiling, Lisette hurried back to her bags and quickly finished her
packing. For some reason, she had the feeling that soon enough, she would
no longer need the name Talia Seul... alone no longer.
THE END
