Chapter four! Finally! I took a short break after writing chapter three, but I finally wrote this one! This is supposed to be an autobiography of sorts, I suppose. I just realized that today when I wrote this! Oh well… I seriously made this chapter up as I went on, I had no idea how I was going to write it, what I was going to put in it (other than Holly), and most of all, how I was going to make it two-thousand words. But obviously, I managed it at the end.

Refloc: You really think it's original? I really don't know how I came up with the idea… I guess I just read the books over and the idea popped into my head.

Absolute power: I'm glad you like it. I hope you still think it's possible after this chapter; I had to fix it up after a while. You might want to read the notes I wrote at the beginning and the end, it should clear things up. I'm also happy you liked the part at the end of last chapter—that was the hard part to write for me. :D

You may not get this chapter, and its weird, but I messed around with it until it makes sense…sort of. Angeline is trapped in the time stop, and in her dreams is seeing what is happening on the outside. Then…dun dun dun… Holly comes in!

Hope you like this chapter…suddenly I'm nervous :)

Passing through Insane Lane

Chapter Four: Healing

The last thing I saw as I wavered among consciousness was Artemis I, smiling at me fondly and softly saying "I love you…"

My last words before I was napping like a log: "I love you too…"

This is strange… really strange. I'm asleep. But I'm thinking… in my dreams… I suppose.

The time in my sleep was… also strange. I don't know how I should describe it. I felt like I took my nap to extremes- seven or eight hours, I would guess. I felt comforted in my sleep, and safe. But I wanted to wake up hours ago. I feel trapped- the real me is trapped inside this insane me, who is trapped inside her own sleep. Ha-ha.

Sleeping pills aren't supposed to last that long. The new prescription I got the other day (Was it Tuesday, or Monday? Insanity really gets to your brain…) must have not worked somehow.

I know I'm not awake, I can tell. I can't move- my subconscious is apparently controlling that, as I toss and turn. Do I really sleep this restless?

But I dreamed… a strange dream. I dreamed that Artemis I rose from his grave—a terrifying sight, but I wondered how we got the body to began with. Then he began to walk closer to me, like those zombies you see in the movies (or that I used to see in the movies) with their arms all stretched out in front of them. And I stretched out my arms too, waiting for him to come back to me. But suddenly, Artemis II appeared out of nowhere! Then he had this gun-thing in his hand, and shot my husband in the shoulder! Then he fell, fell down into these black waters that made me shiver thinking about them, and I screamed… the water looked so cold. And then… I woke up. In a way. My next dream, if it is a dream, is rather boring. I see my room, exactly as it is. How tedious.

And now here I am, lying in my bed, pondering the last dream, and waiting for Juliet to come give me my dinner and wake me up. Living in your bed for a year really gives you a sense of time. I feel energized and refreshed- like I could just jump for no absolute reason other then… being hyper. But of course, I can't even move. I don't remember being hyper since adolescence.

In my sleep, I wanted something fun to do. My dream-eyes looked around the room, and my gaze lingered on a photo book of Artemis's baby pictures, lying on a pile of dirty sheets. I internally sighed, but then, I sensed the door creak open. What I saw, or rather my dream-eyes saw, made me forget about anything I had been trying to concentrate on.

I didn't move, and tried not to breathe either. As we all know, this doesn't work too well. I almost gasped, both for air, and in complete shock and surprise.

The strangest creature was creeping in my room. But what surprised me the most was appearance. With the door open, a little bit of light sneaked in the room and I could make out the creature's features. She was definitely not human—and I could tell it was a she—she had the wrong proportions for a child, and she was short, so she looked like a kid. Her skin was a coffee-like brown, and I could make out pointed ears behind short tousled hair. I couldn't tell much more, she was too far away. But I did see a dark green suit on her, and a couple dark shapes hanging from her belt.

She looked around my room suspiciously, and I saw her turn from my piles of clothes and knocked-over furniture, to my open bathroom door and the few glass shards on the floor that Juliet had failed to clean. I heard her mutter something under her breath, but all I could hear was, "Filthy Mud Men…"

Mud Men? Maybe she spoke another language, too. Either way, I immediately knew I had to do something. This creature looked rather angry, and I didn't want to know what it could do to me. Maybe she had a gun! That wouldn't be good. I don't want to die in my sleep, not like this!

I wasn't calm, but my subconscious was. As my breaths came out, long and relaxed, like I was asleep, which I really was, in a way, she quickly turned in my direction. Great, she had abnormal hearing, too. I relaxed and waited patiently. Well, more like impatiently, but still. At least I had no control over my body—or my heart would be beating like a rabbit. Imagine that, a new species on earth! I wonder what Artemis would say. Either I or II would be excited… but knowing Arty, he would have already discovered them.

Before I could exploit the possibility further, she walked over to the bed, hopping over random objects scattered all over the floor.

When she reached where I was, she leaned over me, studying me. I was afraid to move, but luckily I kept on breathing normally. When she was satisfied that I was sleeping, which technically I was, she started mumbling to herself as she made some space for her to stand properly on. I cracked an eyelid open and watched her move things. Then she picked up the photo album. I felt a burst of anger as I watched her open it. She sniggered slightly as she turned the pages, but then put it down and scowled. I heard a little bit of her mutterings.

"Stupid Mud Boy… I bet he won't even be grateful. Just shoo me out the door, is what he'll probably do. Not even a 'Thank you, Holly,' or better, 'Thank you, Captain', or even a thank you at all! He's too proud and stuck-up for that!"

She ranted on, but then switched to a different language. I closed my eye again and thought about what I had heard. I couldn't think clearly though for some reason, I assumed it was the insanity. It messes with your mind sometimes, as I said before.

But I was interrupted in my musing by the creature, which roughly shoved me so I was on my back.

What was she trying to do, wake me up? Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be asleep. I am asleep. Wake me up, wake me up! But a normal asleep person does something after a shove like that. I tossed and turned in the bed, hopefully on the verge of waking.

The creature said a word I'd never heard before: "D'arvit!" After a couple of seconds of that, I calmed down. She seemed to have calmed down too after seeing I wasn't going to wake. Then she did the strangest thing.

She placed her hand on my forehead. It was cool, and I instantly let go of any tension I might have been holding.

I had no solution for the action. Maybe she was a doctor that Juliet sent, or Artemis. Maybe she was just…different. But then my insane mind thought up a solution. This was just a dream, made up by my boredom. I was interrupted from my thoughts by her voice.

"Heal," she whispered slowly, letting the word sink into my mind. At that time I jerked about. I felt no pain, just mind-boggling confusion. Gradually, things were revealed to my mind's eye.

That maid—she had always been Juliet. How could I have been so stupid?

That stranger—he was Artemis II. Oh, how insanity had gotten to me!

Artemis I was never there. It was just my mind. Perhaps he is dead… should I believe it?

The consciences…they weren't there either! It was just my mind, playing tricks on me.

That girl, that creature, she wasn't normal. I knew that. I also realized that her name was Holly, that she was a Captain of some sort, and that she could speak another language. I then found out that Mud Men must be her name for the humans… and if she spoke of a Mud Boy, then that must mean Arty. Also if I understood my memories right, Arty had done something to make her heal me. For by now I had discovered that I was no longer insane. I had to figure something out. I had to talk to her…to get some answers! But she was leaving, and so was my energy. As I passed back into darkness, the last thing I heard was the sound of her footsteps, echoing down my room and back into the hall.

When I woke up, I would reveal something about this mystery. I had a strong feeling that that dream wasn't…just a dream.

END OF CHAPTER FOUR

Now I am stuck. Should I go on to make a fifth chapter in which Artemis I comes back? Or should I end it like this and just edit the story and take this note out? But wait, what am I thinking? I can't end a story like that—it would be a disgrace! Oh, just wondering, does Holly have red hair or auburn hair? Are they the same thing? I really don't have a clue…

If you are confused about the chapter: read this note below—

If anyone thinks that Angeline is psychic or anything, she's not. I just recently read a book about how the author thinks insane people have a 'connection' of sorts to…well I guess you could call it déjà vu, right? And anyway I wanted to experiment with the notion. This chapter was short… and also, if anyone wonders why Angeline figures the Holly-thing out so quickly, well I assumed Angeline to be smart, I mean, look at her son! I will answer any questions asked, because this chapter makes sense to me, even if it makes no sense to anyone else… Hey, I had to make it work somehow!

I had to really rewrite this chapter! At first I had it that the time stop is over when Angeline gets a visit from Holly, then I realized that then Artemis wouldn't have his great plan to escape the bio-bomb! So I had to make it that Angeline could see Holly in her sleep, cause if she doesn't see Holly, then the most fun part of the story to write is ruined! I managed to work the insanity into the weird explanation, though.