Chapter 7: Running Headlong
A/N YAY an update to the evil cliffy! This is a nice, long chapter that really gets into the plot, so I hope you all enjoy it! R/R!
Lyra jumped as the door opened, finger poised over the funny little button that made the dinging sound. Pan, who was as interested as she, jumped too, nearly falling off her shoulder. Lyra grabbed her daemon, at the instant that Will stuttered out, "Lyra? Is. . .that you?"
Lyra looked at Will, really looked. He was as handsome as she remembered; tall and strong with the same black hair and jutting chin. Kirjava was behind him, peering around his right leg.
For a moment, Lyra could say nothing, as her feelings of anxiety and wonder heightened to incredible levels. Now that she was actually here, standing before Will's door, seeing Will in person for the first time in over ten years, she could hardly believe it was real. Finally, she choked out, "Yes, Will. It's me, Lyra." In the background, sounds of yelling issued from the television as Phoebe jumped in front of a tranquilizer gun to protect Ross' monkey.
"Oh my God," Will muttered, completely tuning out the TV. "Lyra, how the hell did you get here? Why are you here?"
Lyra didn't answer for a moment, as her attention shifted to the television. "What . . .what's that box, with the moving pictures?"
Will glanced behind him. "Oh, that's a television. It's . . .something we use for entertainment. Why don't you, uh, come inside?" He stepped away from the door to allow her to enter, still shaking his head and feeling like he was hallucinating. Lyra walked swiftly by him, and sat carefully on the couch, watching the TV in fascination.
"D'you want a Coke or anything?" Will asked nervously, and then remembered they didn't have any Coke, only decaffeinated pops like Orange Crush.
Lyra, remembering what Coke was, twisted around to peer into the kitchen. "Coke? That's the fizzy drink with the bubbles, right? The one with the tab that you have to pop up to open?"
Will nodded. "That's the one. We - I mean, I - don't have any Cokes, but we - crap, I - have some Orange Crush. It's still fizzy, but it tastes like oranges." He handed her the can. After a few moments of fiddling with the tab, she figured out how to open it, and began to sip gingerly. "Mmm! That's good!"
Will took a Crush for himself and sat down beside her. They both drank in silence for a few moments, before Will asked shyly, "Um, Lyra? How exactly did you get here?"
Lyra looked at him, and then, without a moment's hesitation, launched into her story, beginning at when she had waited for him in the Gardens. As she finished that portion of the story, she frowned and stopped in mid- sentence. "Why weren't you at the Gardens that day, Will? I waited for over an hour."
In the split second of silence that followed, Will was torn. Should he tell her about Emily? Perhaps she knew already . . .no, knowing Lyra, she would have said something. But . . .he didn't want to spoil this amazing moment of joy that he could see her again. Finally, he said, "Oh, I had to attend something else. A wedding, very important." There, it wasn't a lie. He'd just left parts out, that was all.
Lyra frowned, and then nodded slowly. "Okay then . . .well, anyway - " and she continued with her story, ending with when she had knocked on his door. When she finished, Will leaned back, tilting his head towards the ceiling and closing his eyes. He couldn't believe it. Xaphania had found a window, so close to them . . .they'd only been an hour's travel away from each other, for all those years. So close, and yet so far away.
Lyra was thinking the same thing, but finally, she turned to Will and said, "Oh, Will, it'll all work out now! The window's real close - we can just go back and forth between the worlds, and it won't make us sick. And since the window isn't made with the knife, it can stay open forever, and ever!" Full of joy that her dreams, her longing, had finally come true, she laughed with mirth.
Will wasn't so happy. The prospect was wonderful, and there was nothing he wanted more than to do simply that, but there was a problem.
And at that moment, the problem presented itself to the world. The door opened, a foot stepped in, and a clear voice called out, "Will, dear! I'm home!"
A/N Yay another cliffy to keep everyone guessing! R/R, and we'll see Lyra's reaction to Emily, and vice-versa.
A/N YAY an update to the evil cliffy! This is a nice, long chapter that really gets into the plot, so I hope you all enjoy it! R/R!
Lyra jumped as the door opened, finger poised over the funny little button that made the dinging sound. Pan, who was as interested as she, jumped too, nearly falling off her shoulder. Lyra grabbed her daemon, at the instant that Will stuttered out, "Lyra? Is. . .that you?"
Lyra looked at Will, really looked. He was as handsome as she remembered; tall and strong with the same black hair and jutting chin. Kirjava was behind him, peering around his right leg.
For a moment, Lyra could say nothing, as her feelings of anxiety and wonder heightened to incredible levels. Now that she was actually here, standing before Will's door, seeing Will in person for the first time in over ten years, she could hardly believe it was real. Finally, she choked out, "Yes, Will. It's me, Lyra." In the background, sounds of yelling issued from the television as Phoebe jumped in front of a tranquilizer gun to protect Ross' monkey.
"Oh my God," Will muttered, completely tuning out the TV. "Lyra, how the hell did you get here? Why are you here?"
Lyra didn't answer for a moment, as her attention shifted to the television. "What . . .what's that box, with the moving pictures?"
Will glanced behind him. "Oh, that's a television. It's . . .something we use for entertainment. Why don't you, uh, come inside?" He stepped away from the door to allow her to enter, still shaking his head and feeling like he was hallucinating. Lyra walked swiftly by him, and sat carefully on the couch, watching the TV in fascination.
"D'you want a Coke or anything?" Will asked nervously, and then remembered they didn't have any Coke, only decaffeinated pops like Orange Crush.
Lyra, remembering what Coke was, twisted around to peer into the kitchen. "Coke? That's the fizzy drink with the bubbles, right? The one with the tab that you have to pop up to open?"
Will nodded. "That's the one. We - I mean, I - don't have any Cokes, but we - crap, I - have some Orange Crush. It's still fizzy, but it tastes like oranges." He handed her the can. After a few moments of fiddling with the tab, she figured out how to open it, and began to sip gingerly. "Mmm! That's good!"
Will took a Crush for himself and sat down beside her. They both drank in silence for a few moments, before Will asked shyly, "Um, Lyra? How exactly did you get here?"
Lyra looked at him, and then, without a moment's hesitation, launched into her story, beginning at when she had waited for him in the Gardens. As she finished that portion of the story, she frowned and stopped in mid- sentence. "Why weren't you at the Gardens that day, Will? I waited for over an hour."
In the split second of silence that followed, Will was torn. Should he tell her about Emily? Perhaps she knew already . . .no, knowing Lyra, she would have said something. But . . .he didn't want to spoil this amazing moment of joy that he could see her again. Finally, he said, "Oh, I had to attend something else. A wedding, very important." There, it wasn't a lie. He'd just left parts out, that was all.
Lyra frowned, and then nodded slowly. "Okay then . . .well, anyway - " and she continued with her story, ending with when she had knocked on his door. When she finished, Will leaned back, tilting his head towards the ceiling and closing his eyes. He couldn't believe it. Xaphania had found a window, so close to them . . .they'd only been an hour's travel away from each other, for all those years. So close, and yet so far away.
Lyra was thinking the same thing, but finally, she turned to Will and said, "Oh, Will, it'll all work out now! The window's real close - we can just go back and forth between the worlds, and it won't make us sick. And since the window isn't made with the knife, it can stay open forever, and ever!" Full of joy that her dreams, her longing, had finally come true, she laughed with mirth.
Will wasn't so happy. The prospect was wonderful, and there was nothing he wanted more than to do simply that, but there was a problem.
And at that moment, the problem presented itself to the world. The door opened, a foot stepped in, and a clear voice called out, "Will, dear! I'm home!"
A/N Yay another cliffy to keep everyone guessing! R/R, and we'll see Lyra's reaction to Emily, and vice-versa.