Love; Breakdown Ch.7 - When Things Changes , Tom's POV
I saw her. Anna. The best friend I had during my first years. Until she left me alone with our other sisters, they are nice - but they aren't Anna.
But she's back again, she's been here, she visited me.
I sat here as usual, at Sandrine's, when suddenly the door opened.
I didn't even bother to look up at first, the person who came in was probably B'Elanna or Harry, and it hurts so much to look at them, so I didn't.
After a very quiet minute or so, I started to think that I only imagined that someone came in, she began to speak. That voice, that special voice that only could belong to Anna Paris, finally made me look up, though it sounded like it came from far away.
"Tom..."
And it was Anna. It really was. She looked the same as the last time I saw her alive. Only her clothes were different. She was encircled by a pulsing orange glow. It might have been my dazed senses fault, but it made her look so present, so there.
Like she'd never been dead.
Ugh! I don't like to put the name 'Anna' together with the word 'dead', but I'll have to.
Cause she is. At least she's been for two decades.
But how could she come back to me then? Out here?
"Tom. Now you'll have to listen to me, I know you don't like to listen, but you'll have to, cause I'll only say this once. Once! You have to get a grip now! You can't end up like this, like a dipso! You should be at the Bridge, you should be there right now, saving this ship."
"I can't, Anna. Everybody hates me."
"No they don't! They want to help you get through this. You just have to let them."
She opened her mouth once more, at the same time the glow began to chance from orange, to green, to blue and she began to fade away.
"Anna! Stay with me! Stay!"
I remember how panic gripped me, the thought of losing my sister again made me nauseous.
I also remember how I stood up, too fast. Everything went black before my eyes, I could hear a glass fall to the floor, very far away it seemed, though I knew it had to be my glass falling inches from my foot.
When I got my blurred vision back, Anna was almost gone. Like she'd been beamed away from me. I could see her fighting to say something, and in the same moment she was completely faded she managed to form a few words.
"Let them! I love you!"
Then everything suddenly got very quiet, the bar felt very cold, and I felt very, very naked and alone. I could hear an old clock tick somewhere.
I must have been staring at the spot where my sister Anna had been, for hours.
I could hear the clock announce an half-hour, an hour, another half-hour, another hour.
I didn't manage to rip myself from it until B'Elanna came in.
'Listen to them, Tom. They want to help you. Let them!'
Okay, Anna, I'll listen.
And I did.
"Tom, listen to me."
I nodded. I would listen.
"I'm so sorry! I do love you! I always will! You have to understand! It was all a prank!"
That's when I got a total blackout.
I saw her. Anna. The best friend I had during my first years. Until she left me alone with our other sisters, they are nice - but they aren't Anna.
But she's back again, she's been here, she visited me.
I sat here as usual, at Sandrine's, when suddenly the door opened.
I didn't even bother to look up at first, the person who came in was probably B'Elanna or Harry, and it hurts so much to look at them, so I didn't.
After a very quiet minute or so, I started to think that I only imagined that someone came in, she began to speak. That voice, that special voice that only could belong to Anna Paris, finally made me look up, though it sounded like it came from far away.
"Tom..."
And it was Anna. It really was. She looked the same as the last time I saw her alive. Only her clothes were different. She was encircled by a pulsing orange glow. It might have been my dazed senses fault, but it made her look so present, so there.
Like she'd never been dead.
Ugh! I don't like to put the name 'Anna' together with the word 'dead', but I'll have to.
Cause she is. At least she's been for two decades.
But how could she come back to me then? Out here?
"Tom. Now you'll have to listen to me, I know you don't like to listen, but you'll have to, cause I'll only say this once. Once! You have to get a grip now! You can't end up like this, like a dipso! You should be at the Bridge, you should be there right now, saving this ship."
"I can't, Anna. Everybody hates me."
"No they don't! They want to help you get through this. You just have to let them."
She opened her mouth once more, at the same time the glow began to chance from orange, to green, to blue and she began to fade away.
"Anna! Stay with me! Stay!"
I remember how panic gripped me, the thought of losing my sister again made me nauseous.
I also remember how I stood up, too fast. Everything went black before my eyes, I could hear a glass fall to the floor, very far away it seemed, though I knew it had to be my glass falling inches from my foot.
When I got my blurred vision back, Anna was almost gone. Like she'd been beamed away from me. I could see her fighting to say something, and in the same moment she was completely faded she managed to form a few words.
"Let them! I love you!"
Then everything suddenly got very quiet, the bar felt very cold, and I felt very, very naked and alone. I could hear an old clock tick somewhere.
I must have been staring at the spot where my sister Anna had been, for hours.
I could hear the clock announce an half-hour, an hour, another half-hour, another hour.
I didn't manage to rip myself from it until B'Elanna came in.
'Listen to them, Tom. They want to help you. Let them!'
Okay, Anna, I'll listen.
And I did.
"Tom, listen to me."
I nodded. I would listen.
"I'm so sorry! I do love you! I always will! You have to understand! It was all a prank!"
That's when I got a total blackout.