{dream}
"speaking"
*thinking*
PRELUDE; THE DREAM
{The dark only seemed to increase the faster she ran, but, too horrified to slow down, she continued to flee from her pursuit. Branches snapped behind her, spurring her into an even more heightened sense of terror. Her breaths coming in short gasps, her legs burning and wearied by her long flight, she finally collapsed, unable to go any farther. The sounds of pursuit slowed, her stalker knowing that she could go no farther. Fear gave her senses heightened perception as the hunted turned to face the hunter. She could see no sign that her pursuer had exerted any effort in following her in her mad flight of terror. His breathing was shallow, and, though his face was in shadow, she knew that no drops of sweat blurred his vision as it did hers. Summoning the last of her courage, she raised her chin in defiance. The dark figure, seeming amused by her futile gesture, reached a hand out as if to tough her cheek. She recoiled, and the figure seemed disappointed. He spoke, his mocking voice sounding like he was standing a great distance from her, instead of directly over her. "You still don't understand, do you?" She flinched, as his unknown, yet familiar, voice reached her ears. "Fleeing is useless when you run towards what you fear." Swallowing the lump in her throat, she demanded him to step into the light. His laughter sent chills down her back. She couldn't understand how a sound that represented happiness could sound so cold and evil. She shuddered as he spoke again. "But I like the dark. And besides, don't you know me, Jaya?" She gasped in surprise as the figure uttered the nickname that so few knew, then, trembling, looked at the shadowed face with growing dread and whispered one word of question. "Why?" Again the ominous figure laughed, then answered her. "Because you failed." "No," she cried in denial. "You're wrong!" "Am I?" the figure asked. Unable to answer, her sobbing seemed enough of an answer to the shadowed figure, who slowly faded into nothing. As she continued to cry and her surroundings grew darker, she could feel the pain of loved ones dying, their calls for help. She saw her brother holding onto the edge of a cliff, calling to her, his eyes pleading. At her shoulder, she could feel the presence of her dark pursuer. She felt torn between the life of her brother, and the unspoken promise of the presence beside her. Her brother began losing his grip, and she started from her trance-like state in horror. "No!" She ran to the side of the cliff and reached, too late, to grab his hand. The intense look of disappointment in his eyes broke her heart when his fingertips slipped from her desperate grasp. She stared, incapable of looking away, as her brother fell farther and farther into the dark chasm of.}
"No!" Tears running unheeded down her face, Jaina Solo woke to find her self in her own room on the planet Coruscant, far from the jungle setting of her terrible flight. *It was just a dream*, she thought to herself, *Just another dream.*
PRELUDE; THE DREAM
{The dark only seemed to increase the faster she ran, but, too horrified to slow down, she continued to flee from her pursuit. Branches snapped behind her, spurring her into an even more heightened sense of terror. Her breaths coming in short gasps, her legs burning and wearied by her long flight, she finally collapsed, unable to go any farther. The sounds of pursuit slowed, her stalker knowing that she could go no farther. Fear gave her senses heightened perception as the hunted turned to face the hunter. She could see no sign that her pursuer had exerted any effort in following her in her mad flight of terror. His breathing was shallow, and, though his face was in shadow, she knew that no drops of sweat blurred his vision as it did hers. Summoning the last of her courage, she raised her chin in defiance. The dark figure, seeming amused by her futile gesture, reached a hand out as if to tough her cheek. She recoiled, and the figure seemed disappointed. He spoke, his mocking voice sounding like he was standing a great distance from her, instead of directly over her. "You still don't understand, do you?" She flinched, as his unknown, yet familiar, voice reached her ears. "Fleeing is useless when you run towards what you fear." Swallowing the lump in her throat, she demanded him to step into the light. His laughter sent chills down her back. She couldn't understand how a sound that represented happiness could sound so cold and evil. She shuddered as he spoke again. "But I like the dark. And besides, don't you know me, Jaya?" She gasped in surprise as the figure uttered the nickname that so few knew, then, trembling, looked at the shadowed face with growing dread and whispered one word of question. "Why?" Again the ominous figure laughed, then answered her. "Because you failed." "No," she cried in denial. "You're wrong!" "Am I?" the figure asked. Unable to answer, her sobbing seemed enough of an answer to the shadowed figure, who slowly faded into nothing. As she continued to cry and her surroundings grew darker, she could feel the pain of loved ones dying, their calls for help. She saw her brother holding onto the edge of a cliff, calling to her, his eyes pleading. At her shoulder, she could feel the presence of her dark pursuer. She felt torn between the life of her brother, and the unspoken promise of the presence beside her. Her brother began losing his grip, and she started from her trance-like state in horror. "No!" She ran to the side of the cliff and reached, too late, to grab his hand. The intense look of disappointment in his eyes broke her heart when his fingertips slipped from her desperate grasp. She stared, incapable of looking away, as her brother fell farther and farther into the dark chasm of.}
"No!" Tears running unheeded down her face, Jaina Solo woke to find her self in her own room on the planet Coruscant, far from the jungle setting of her terrible flight. *It was just a dream*, she thought to herself, *Just another dream.*