The Sum of Us
By: Writes with Block
***
Disclaimer: Its not mine. If it was I wouldn't be broke.
***
Chapter Five
"Cy!"
Cyprus looked up and a small smile sprung to her lips. "Hi Link. What's up?"
"You were talking to yourself again."
Cyprus nodded softly. No one knew about Pren and so no one knew that he could travel with her. Years ago she had developed a fiber optic patch that, when adhered to the spot just behind her ear, allowed Pren to speak to her where ever she went.
"Trying to figure out that problem with the Achieve."
"Everyone's going to think you're crazy. Talking to yourself like that." Link wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leading her to a low bench. "Eat lunch with me."
Cyprus smiled. Everyone that she had a personal relationship with treated her like this. They were over protective.
Link always went out of his way to make sure she ate properly. Morpheus always brought her books, most often poorly bound, on subjects he thought would interest her. People who her parents were friends with would stop her and ask how she was.
It drove her insane.
"Eat up," Link said, pushing a plate of flat breads and crackers to her.
She ate some even though she wasn't hungry. It was easier than trying to convince him she didn't need to.
"Why don't you just tell people about me?" Pren whispered.
Cyprus ignored her frog companion. He could be annoying and was most of the time but it was better than being alone all the time. Allot better.
"Have the repairs finished?" Cyprus asked, half out of a want to be gone from Zion and half in an attempt to make small talk. She never was any good with people.
"Almost," Link replied with a grimace. "It wouldn't take so damn long if Morpheus hadn't flipped damn the ship." Link paused. "Don't tell your mom I was cussing around you, okay? She'll have my head."
Cyprus shrugged. "My dad says worse things when I'm around."
"But your mom won't kill him. She'll just make him sleep in your room."
Cyprus wrinkled her nose. "He hogs the covers."
"So I've heard." Someone called his name and Link waved a greeting. "I'll talk to ya later, okay kid?"
"Yeah sure."
Link got up and tousled her hair. "Eat something," he tossed over his shoulder as he walked off.
Cyprus rolled her eyes and straightened her mussed hair. Why did everyone insist on doing that? She broke off another bit of cracker and put it in her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully, listening to Pren sing a nonsense song about a cat and a fiddle.
"What's a fiddle Pren?" she asked under her breath.
"A musical instrument consisting of a wodden frame, strings, and a bow."
"Like a guitar?"
"A bit but its much smaller."
Cyprus nodded her understand and ate a small piece of bread. The distinct feeling that someone was watching her washed over her suddenly and she lowered her head.
"That's the one I was telling you about," someone whispered.
The young girl almost winced. They were talking about her. People were always doing that, pointing at her and whispering to each other under their breath. It was never quite enough though and she always heard them.
"She's the daughter of the One. Looks like him, doesn't she?"
"She sure does. Is she as weird as they say?" another female voice whispered in return.
Cyprus' cheeks burned red hot and her mouth went painfully dry. She hated it when people stared and even more when they talked.
"She sure is. She doesn't have any friends."
"Why not?"
"The other kids don't like her. They say she's really weird. She talks to herself all the time and she's always getting sick. Most of the time she just hides out in her room. I think her parents make up all that stuff about her being sick. I think they're just hiding her cause she really is crazy and they don't want people to know."
Cyprus ground her teeth together, her cheeks stinging and tears of humiliation welling her in clenched eyes. She forgot to breath, her chest on fire with shame and embarrassment.
"No," one of the women breathed, giggling and frienging disbelief.
"Its true," the other answered, giggling as well. "She's crazy and they don't want her around other people. That's why they spend so much time away from Zion." The woman tsked under her breath. "Imagine that girl keeping her father from the people who need him the most."
"Its a shame," the other woman replied, her voice self righteous.
Their words faded as they walked away, their attention now on something and someone else, Cyprus dismissed from their minds. It wasn't quite as easy for Cyprus to forget as her stomach churned with sick cramps and hot, shameful tears escaped from her eyes.
"Just forget them Cy," Pren said, his voice sympathetic. "She doesn't know anything. She's just like the rest of them."
His words fell on deaf ears as Cyprus heaved a ragged breath. A strangle sob managed to escape her lips and she whimpered as tears coursed down her face. Clenched fists hovered near her chest, strangling the material of her shirt as she tried to force the pain away. She sputtered and whined, a whimpering peal of pain escaping her lips. Her nose ran and her chest burned, screaming for oxygen she suddenly couldn't pull into her lungs.
Her father's cheerful laugh fell on her ears and she looked up, her eyes full of desperation. His face was blurry as she tried to look at him through tear clouded eyes and then things went gray.
***
Cyprus sat in her room at her computer, morose and silent. Breath wheezed out from slightly parted lips. After waking from her latest attack of ill health she had been told sternly by her mother to remain in her room and rest. She had no intention of doing anything else. She couldn't take any more humiliation.
So she sat at her small table, her shoulders hunched and a pair of goggles pulled down over her eyes. She wasn't working on anything, just staring out into the void that existed between the Matrix and the Construct. Blakc-purple swirled in front of her eyes and she stared at it listlessly.
"Hi."
The corner of Cyprus' mouth twitched a little. She had heard stories before about voices in the void of the empty Construct. Voices that sang and laughed and screamed and, sometimes, spoke coherently. She'd always believed it was nothing but rumors. After all the time she'd spent plug-in she'd never heard anything.
At least until now.
"How you doing?" The voice waited for an answer and continued when she was silent. "Feeling any better?"
"How did you know?" Cyprus mumbled, her voice weak.
"When you spend all your time out here you learn allot of stuff. I'm Souris."
"I'm Cyprus."
"Wanna see something cool?"
"Yeah. Okay."
******
Author's Notes: Oi. Its been a while. I'm so good at writing filler chapters but this one does have a point cause it builds up some plot. I wasn't even going to work on this story. I meant to work on one of my original works but I'm kinda blocked so I wrote this instead. Sorry for the wait. ^___^
And a very big thank you too:
Allie (i'm still full of romance and big dreams)
Chris (I love characterization ^_^)
Jessilea (Thank you very much)
ChibiRaihaHK (Glad you like it)
Cassie (that was my favorite part too)
Ryanne (I'm glad you like it)
AND
Bren (i'll try to update more often)
By: Writes with Block
***
Disclaimer: Its not mine. If it was I wouldn't be broke.
***
Chapter Five
"Cy!"
Cyprus looked up and a small smile sprung to her lips. "Hi Link. What's up?"
"You were talking to yourself again."
Cyprus nodded softly. No one knew about Pren and so no one knew that he could travel with her. Years ago she had developed a fiber optic patch that, when adhered to the spot just behind her ear, allowed Pren to speak to her where ever she went.
"Trying to figure out that problem with the Achieve."
"Everyone's going to think you're crazy. Talking to yourself like that." Link wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leading her to a low bench. "Eat lunch with me."
Cyprus smiled. Everyone that she had a personal relationship with treated her like this. They were over protective.
Link always went out of his way to make sure she ate properly. Morpheus always brought her books, most often poorly bound, on subjects he thought would interest her. People who her parents were friends with would stop her and ask how she was.
It drove her insane.
"Eat up," Link said, pushing a plate of flat breads and crackers to her.
She ate some even though she wasn't hungry. It was easier than trying to convince him she didn't need to.
"Why don't you just tell people about me?" Pren whispered.
Cyprus ignored her frog companion. He could be annoying and was most of the time but it was better than being alone all the time. Allot better.
"Have the repairs finished?" Cyprus asked, half out of a want to be gone from Zion and half in an attempt to make small talk. She never was any good with people.
"Almost," Link replied with a grimace. "It wouldn't take so damn long if Morpheus hadn't flipped damn the ship." Link paused. "Don't tell your mom I was cussing around you, okay? She'll have my head."
Cyprus shrugged. "My dad says worse things when I'm around."
"But your mom won't kill him. She'll just make him sleep in your room."
Cyprus wrinkled her nose. "He hogs the covers."
"So I've heard." Someone called his name and Link waved a greeting. "I'll talk to ya later, okay kid?"
"Yeah sure."
Link got up and tousled her hair. "Eat something," he tossed over his shoulder as he walked off.
Cyprus rolled her eyes and straightened her mussed hair. Why did everyone insist on doing that? She broke off another bit of cracker and put it in her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully, listening to Pren sing a nonsense song about a cat and a fiddle.
"What's a fiddle Pren?" she asked under her breath.
"A musical instrument consisting of a wodden frame, strings, and a bow."
"Like a guitar?"
"A bit but its much smaller."
Cyprus nodded her understand and ate a small piece of bread. The distinct feeling that someone was watching her washed over her suddenly and she lowered her head.
"That's the one I was telling you about," someone whispered.
The young girl almost winced. They were talking about her. People were always doing that, pointing at her and whispering to each other under their breath. It was never quite enough though and she always heard them.
"She's the daughter of the One. Looks like him, doesn't she?"
"She sure does. Is she as weird as they say?" another female voice whispered in return.
Cyprus' cheeks burned red hot and her mouth went painfully dry. She hated it when people stared and even more when they talked.
"She sure is. She doesn't have any friends."
"Why not?"
"The other kids don't like her. They say she's really weird. She talks to herself all the time and she's always getting sick. Most of the time she just hides out in her room. I think her parents make up all that stuff about her being sick. I think they're just hiding her cause she really is crazy and they don't want people to know."
Cyprus ground her teeth together, her cheeks stinging and tears of humiliation welling her in clenched eyes. She forgot to breath, her chest on fire with shame and embarrassment.
"No," one of the women breathed, giggling and frienging disbelief.
"Its true," the other answered, giggling as well. "She's crazy and they don't want her around other people. That's why they spend so much time away from Zion." The woman tsked under her breath. "Imagine that girl keeping her father from the people who need him the most."
"Its a shame," the other woman replied, her voice self righteous.
Their words faded as they walked away, their attention now on something and someone else, Cyprus dismissed from their minds. It wasn't quite as easy for Cyprus to forget as her stomach churned with sick cramps and hot, shameful tears escaped from her eyes.
"Just forget them Cy," Pren said, his voice sympathetic. "She doesn't know anything. She's just like the rest of them."
His words fell on deaf ears as Cyprus heaved a ragged breath. A strangle sob managed to escape her lips and she whimpered as tears coursed down her face. Clenched fists hovered near her chest, strangling the material of her shirt as she tried to force the pain away. She sputtered and whined, a whimpering peal of pain escaping her lips. Her nose ran and her chest burned, screaming for oxygen she suddenly couldn't pull into her lungs.
Her father's cheerful laugh fell on her ears and she looked up, her eyes full of desperation. His face was blurry as she tried to look at him through tear clouded eyes and then things went gray.
***
Cyprus sat in her room at her computer, morose and silent. Breath wheezed out from slightly parted lips. After waking from her latest attack of ill health she had been told sternly by her mother to remain in her room and rest. She had no intention of doing anything else. She couldn't take any more humiliation.
So she sat at her small table, her shoulders hunched and a pair of goggles pulled down over her eyes. She wasn't working on anything, just staring out into the void that existed between the Matrix and the Construct. Blakc-purple swirled in front of her eyes and she stared at it listlessly.
"Hi."
The corner of Cyprus' mouth twitched a little. She had heard stories before about voices in the void of the empty Construct. Voices that sang and laughed and screamed and, sometimes, spoke coherently. She'd always believed it was nothing but rumors. After all the time she'd spent plug-in she'd never heard anything.
At least until now.
"How you doing?" The voice waited for an answer and continued when she was silent. "Feeling any better?"
"How did you know?" Cyprus mumbled, her voice weak.
"When you spend all your time out here you learn allot of stuff. I'm Souris."
"I'm Cyprus."
"Wanna see something cool?"
"Yeah. Okay."
******
Author's Notes: Oi. Its been a while. I'm so good at writing filler chapters but this one does have a point cause it builds up some plot. I wasn't even going to work on this story. I meant to work on one of my original works but I'm kinda blocked so I wrote this instead. Sorry for the wait. ^___^
And a very big thank you too:
Allie (i'm still full of romance and big dreams)
Chris (I love characterization ^_^)
Jessilea (Thank you very much)
ChibiRaihaHK (Glad you like it)
Cassie (that was my favorite part too)
Ryanne (I'm glad you like it)
AND
Bren (i'll try to update more often)