~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wow, this is the first time I've had a review for this story before one for "Why Can't I?", that's good stuff. Thanks to the person who reviewed, I'm glad everyone is taking such an interest in my story. Here's yet another chapter and Design is going to be in motion in the next chapter or two. Thanks again!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Twelve
Never Sleep, Never Die
Stone-faced, Amanda turned to glare at her daughter just as the car slid into the cluttered garage; the sides of the vehicle brushed against rusting metal shelves which contained the gardening tools that Amanda used to tend to her garden when the mood was in her. Altessa pretended not to notice that her mother was looking at her but she made no move to get out of the car.
"Was that woman harassing you because if she was then-" Amanda started, but Altessa could see through her concerned mother act.
"She wasn't harassing me, Mother, we were just talking." Altessa snapped shortly, wishing that she was back in the police station with Kimberly, or anywhere but in the car with her mother. She had felt like Kimberly had understood her, had actually cared; she hadn't felt that feeling in a long while.
Amanda didn't seem too pleased by this answer and she continued to press on, unaware that she was pushing her daughter even farther away. "I don't want you talking to her again, understand me?" She commanded, forcing her daughter to look at her.
"At least she talks to me." Altessa snapped, narrowing her eyes at the woman. "What do you have against her anyway?" She questioned, honestly interested in what her mother would say.
She wasn't surprised when Amanda didn't have an answer and she didn't wait around for one; Altessa undid her seatbelt and slipped out of the car, slamming the door behind her and ignoring her mother's commands for her to "get back here this instant!"
Altessa rushed into the kitchen, opened one of the bottom cabinet drawers, one not used for cooking utensils of any kind and pulled out the worn phone book. "Please...please." She mumbled to herself, tossing the pages back in a fury as she searched through the book.
Just as her mother came bargaining into the kitchen, already screaming at the teenager, Altessa stood up and tore a page from the book. She didn't even look at her mother as she brushed past her, rushing from the kitchen and the house, running down the sidewalk.
Amanda considered going after her daughter and wasn't exactly sure what kept her in the kitchen. She crossed to the phonebook, picking it up and seeing that the COL-COR page had been torn out. With a scream of rage and grief, Amanda threw the book across the kitchen and silently dropped to the kitchen floor, hating herself for being inwardly glad that her daughter was out of the house.
* * *
Kimberly and Thomas had just arrived home when they heard a incessant knock on their apartment door. Thinking it to be one of their bothersome neighbors, Thomas grudgingly agreed to answer it and was surprised when he saw who was standing on the other side.
"I know this is weird and a surprise and all of that but...can I come in?" Asked Altessa Adams, staring up at the surprised police officer with wide eyes, speaking in volumes the pain and fear that she was feeling.
Thomas stepped aside, allowing the sweat-streaked teenager to enter, brushing her long black hair behind her shoulders and taking a deep breath. It was clear that she had run from her own house, wherever that may be and was only now feeling the fatigue taking over.
Motioning for Altessa to sit on the couch, Thomas slipped into the kitchen, where Kimberly was searching through the refrigerator for something to eat. "Kimberly, you'll never believe who's here." He whispered to her, bending done so that they were both looking into the refrigerator.
Kimberly blinked, looking over at him with a look of confusion on her face. "Who?" She questioned, though she felt like she already knew what his answer would be. She knew that when she and Altessa had parted ways in the police station that it was going to be the last time that she had to hunt the teenager down. From then on, Altessa would find her.
"Altessa." Thomas answered, though from the way he spoke, he seemed to know that Kimberly knew what he was going to say.
They both stood, Kimberly closing the refrigerator, both turning to face the living room; Altessa sat silently on the couch, staring down at the floor, ignoring everything else around her.
She only looked up when Kimberly and Thomas entered the living room, sitting down on either side of the teenager. Even though she wanted to say so many things, Kimberly remained silent and waiting for Altessa to say the first sentence.
Finally, Altessa locked eyes with the brunette and said, "I need to understand, I need to hear more. It feels like you're the first person for as long as I can remember that actually...understands..." She trailed off, looking sheepish but trying hard not to appear that way.
Kimberly nodded once, a slight smile on her face. "I do understand." She muttered simply, glancing over at Thomas out of the corner of her eye. "We have to figure out how to beat the Design." It seemed like jumping right into the most pressing topic would serve them best. That was, after all, why Altessa had come in first place.
Altessa blinked once. "But I thought there was no Design, since everyone died at once." She pointed out, cocking her head slightly.
"Well, there's no set Design but that doesn't mean that we can't figure one out." Kimberly said, though she didn't really believe what she was saying. The only way to make a Design would be to write down the order that everyone died in, unable to save them until it was far too late. Both Thomas and Altessa seemed to sense this was the case but neither of them said anything, waiting for Kimberly to continue. "We all have to look out for the signs but you especially Altessa." She continued, waiting for Altessa's nod of understanding.
"Signs? What signs?" Altessa questioned instead, knitting her eyebrows. She felt like she should know what the brunette was talking about but she honestly had no idea what her words were supposed to mean.
"Signs...like something completely ironic, something so out of the blue that it's just got to mean something." Thomas answered before the brunette had the chance to, though he looked at her to elaborate. She always understood those sort of things much better then he did and knew it was best to leave such explanations to Kimberly.
Kimberly nodded, smiling slightly at her police officer boyfriend. "Right, an in your face kinda irony." She added, quoting the words that Clear had told a year ago. "Like seeing the house explosion but on a much smaller scale; a reflection of pigeons where there are none, a shadow creating something other then what's making the shadow, that sort of thing."
Altessa nodded quickly, understanding and knowing why she felt like she should. "Like the songs on the radio?" She questioned, thinking back to the previous when her father had asked her if she remembered a song from her childhood. She had felt like it had been trying to tell her something and she mentally kicked herself for not realizing it until just now.
"Right." Kimberly nodded, seeming to sense the girl's turmoil. "You can't ignore those things, they could mean the difference between life and death."
With a sigh, Altessa dropped against the back of the couch, not meeting the eyes of either of the people sitting beside her. "I don't understand, why is this even happening to me? Why did I see the explosion before it happened?"
That was a question Kimberly had asked herself more then once but still hadn't found an explanation. "I don't know, I still haven't figured that out yet. But I know that if we work together we can beat Death once and for all. There has to be a way." She said, speaking out of desperation and praying that she was right.
"But how? We don't even know who's going to die next." Altessa asked, trying to ignore the hopelessness she heard in Kimberly's voice. She had to believe that Kimberly knew what she was talking about and knew enough to get them all through it, because she sure as hell didn't.
Kimberly didn't have an answer for the teenager, who simply closed her eyes tightly, before opening them again. "Every time I shut my eyes I always see the explosion or my brother...Death before my eyes." She muttered the last part, as though she didn't even understand herself what she was talking about. "I'm so scared." She confided, looking up at Kimberly and Thomas.
Kimberly rested a reassuring hand on the teenager's shoulder, wordless saying that she felt the exact same way. "We're going to beat this." This time she spoke with more conviction.
"Altessa, have you ever heard the expression..." Thomas began, pausing to collect his thoughts. "Never sleep-"
Altessa cut him off before he could finish the sentence, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Blankly she muttered, "Never die."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, so the title and a few of the words from this chapter (actually, only Altessa's words near the very end) come from the Evanescence song "Whisper." Evanescence is the best band ever, no joke, you guys need to go out and buy their CD right now; how fitting that they were just on MTV's "Hard Rock Live" as I was writing this chapter. Okay, anyway, please review and expect more soon!
Wow, this is the first time I've had a review for this story before one for "Why Can't I?", that's good stuff. Thanks to the person who reviewed, I'm glad everyone is taking such an interest in my story. Here's yet another chapter and Design is going to be in motion in the next chapter or two. Thanks again!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Twelve
Never Sleep, Never Die
Stone-faced, Amanda turned to glare at her daughter just as the car slid into the cluttered garage; the sides of the vehicle brushed against rusting metal shelves which contained the gardening tools that Amanda used to tend to her garden when the mood was in her. Altessa pretended not to notice that her mother was looking at her but she made no move to get out of the car.
"Was that woman harassing you because if she was then-" Amanda started, but Altessa could see through her concerned mother act.
"She wasn't harassing me, Mother, we were just talking." Altessa snapped shortly, wishing that she was back in the police station with Kimberly, or anywhere but in the car with her mother. She had felt like Kimberly had understood her, had actually cared; she hadn't felt that feeling in a long while.
Amanda didn't seem too pleased by this answer and she continued to press on, unaware that she was pushing her daughter even farther away. "I don't want you talking to her again, understand me?" She commanded, forcing her daughter to look at her.
"At least she talks to me." Altessa snapped, narrowing her eyes at the woman. "What do you have against her anyway?" She questioned, honestly interested in what her mother would say.
She wasn't surprised when Amanda didn't have an answer and she didn't wait around for one; Altessa undid her seatbelt and slipped out of the car, slamming the door behind her and ignoring her mother's commands for her to "get back here this instant!"
Altessa rushed into the kitchen, opened one of the bottom cabinet drawers, one not used for cooking utensils of any kind and pulled out the worn phone book. "Please...please." She mumbled to herself, tossing the pages back in a fury as she searched through the book.
Just as her mother came bargaining into the kitchen, already screaming at the teenager, Altessa stood up and tore a page from the book. She didn't even look at her mother as she brushed past her, rushing from the kitchen and the house, running down the sidewalk.
Amanda considered going after her daughter and wasn't exactly sure what kept her in the kitchen. She crossed to the phonebook, picking it up and seeing that the COL-COR page had been torn out. With a scream of rage and grief, Amanda threw the book across the kitchen and silently dropped to the kitchen floor, hating herself for being inwardly glad that her daughter was out of the house.
* * *
Kimberly and Thomas had just arrived home when they heard a incessant knock on their apartment door. Thinking it to be one of their bothersome neighbors, Thomas grudgingly agreed to answer it and was surprised when he saw who was standing on the other side.
"I know this is weird and a surprise and all of that but...can I come in?" Asked Altessa Adams, staring up at the surprised police officer with wide eyes, speaking in volumes the pain and fear that she was feeling.
Thomas stepped aside, allowing the sweat-streaked teenager to enter, brushing her long black hair behind her shoulders and taking a deep breath. It was clear that she had run from her own house, wherever that may be and was only now feeling the fatigue taking over.
Motioning for Altessa to sit on the couch, Thomas slipped into the kitchen, where Kimberly was searching through the refrigerator for something to eat. "Kimberly, you'll never believe who's here." He whispered to her, bending done so that they were both looking into the refrigerator.
Kimberly blinked, looking over at him with a look of confusion on her face. "Who?" She questioned, though she felt like she already knew what his answer would be. She knew that when she and Altessa had parted ways in the police station that it was going to be the last time that she had to hunt the teenager down. From then on, Altessa would find her.
"Altessa." Thomas answered, though from the way he spoke, he seemed to know that Kimberly knew what he was going to say.
They both stood, Kimberly closing the refrigerator, both turning to face the living room; Altessa sat silently on the couch, staring down at the floor, ignoring everything else around her.
She only looked up when Kimberly and Thomas entered the living room, sitting down on either side of the teenager. Even though she wanted to say so many things, Kimberly remained silent and waiting for Altessa to say the first sentence.
Finally, Altessa locked eyes with the brunette and said, "I need to understand, I need to hear more. It feels like you're the first person for as long as I can remember that actually...understands..." She trailed off, looking sheepish but trying hard not to appear that way.
Kimberly nodded once, a slight smile on her face. "I do understand." She muttered simply, glancing over at Thomas out of the corner of her eye. "We have to figure out how to beat the Design." It seemed like jumping right into the most pressing topic would serve them best. That was, after all, why Altessa had come in first place.
Altessa blinked once. "But I thought there was no Design, since everyone died at once." She pointed out, cocking her head slightly.
"Well, there's no set Design but that doesn't mean that we can't figure one out." Kimberly said, though she didn't really believe what she was saying. The only way to make a Design would be to write down the order that everyone died in, unable to save them until it was far too late. Both Thomas and Altessa seemed to sense this was the case but neither of them said anything, waiting for Kimberly to continue. "We all have to look out for the signs but you especially Altessa." She continued, waiting for Altessa's nod of understanding.
"Signs? What signs?" Altessa questioned instead, knitting her eyebrows. She felt like she should know what the brunette was talking about but she honestly had no idea what her words were supposed to mean.
"Signs...like something completely ironic, something so out of the blue that it's just got to mean something." Thomas answered before the brunette had the chance to, though he looked at her to elaborate. She always understood those sort of things much better then he did and knew it was best to leave such explanations to Kimberly.
Kimberly nodded, smiling slightly at her police officer boyfriend. "Right, an in your face kinda irony." She added, quoting the words that Clear had told a year ago. "Like seeing the house explosion but on a much smaller scale; a reflection of pigeons where there are none, a shadow creating something other then what's making the shadow, that sort of thing."
Altessa nodded quickly, understanding and knowing why she felt like she should. "Like the songs on the radio?" She questioned, thinking back to the previous when her father had asked her if she remembered a song from her childhood. She had felt like it had been trying to tell her something and she mentally kicked herself for not realizing it until just now.
"Right." Kimberly nodded, seeming to sense the girl's turmoil. "You can't ignore those things, they could mean the difference between life and death."
With a sigh, Altessa dropped against the back of the couch, not meeting the eyes of either of the people sitting beside her. "I don't understand, why is this even happening to me? Why did I see the explosion before it happened?"
That was a question Kimberly had asked herself more then once but still hadn't found an explanation. "I don't know, I still haven't figured that out yet. But I know that if we work together we can beat Death once and for all. There has to be a way." She said, speaking out of desperation and praying that she was right.
"But how? We don't even know who's going to die next." Altessa asked, trying to ignore the hopelessness she heard in Kimberly's voice. She had to believe that Kimberly knew what she was talking about and knew enough to get them all through it, because she sure as hell didn't.
Kimberly didn't have an answer for the teenager, who simply closed her eyes tightly, before opening them again. "Every time I shut my eyes I always see the explosion or my brother...Death before my eyes." She muttered the last part, as though she didn't even understand herself what she was talking about. "I'm so scared." She confided, looking up at Kimberly and Thomas.
Kimberly rested a reassuring hand on the teenager's shoulder, wordless saying that she felt the exact same way. "We're going to beat this." This time she spoke with more conviction.
"Altessa, have you ever heard the expression..." Thomas began, pausing to collect his thoughts. "Never sleep-"
Altessa cut him off before he could finish the sentence, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Blankly she muttered, "Never die."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, so the title and a few of the words from this chapter (actually, only Altessa's words near the very end) come from the Evanescence song "Whisper." Evanescence is the best band ever, no joke, you guys need to go out and buy their CD right now; how fitting that they were just on MTV's "Hard Rock Live" as I was writing this chapter. Okay, anyway, please review and expect more soon!