Turning, Kalli rolled onto her side, trying to find a comfortable position. She lay in stillness for a moment, then turned again. 'I guess it's useless,' Kalli shifted, twisting so she could face the ceiling. She draped one hand over her face, hiding the sleeping body in bed next to her from sight. 'I can't sleep, I can't get her out of my head.' No amount of drink, of distractions, of lovers would change that. Kalli knew it, even as she continued to try.
Dawn spilled over the edge of her vision, the first silvery-peach rays reaching desperately over the horizon, shining through the thick glass. A soft wind tumbled in from the balcony, bringing with it the smell of salt water and leaves.
Nightmares of her past had plagued her dreams, waking her from sleep, hours before. She'd spent hours, tossing and turning, trying to empty her mind of her past, her present, and the horrible knowledge of her future. It seemed it would be filled with arguments, pain, and lovers that couldn't fill in for something she was missing...
'What is it about Mae that drives me insane?' Kalli stood, throwing off the covers and wrapping her naked body in a robe. 'No, I don't want to think about Mae... but if I don't think about her...' Mae's painfully beautiful features were run over by thoughts of her dreams, even as she fought to hold them back...
Screaming... she was screaming. Not in fright, or horror, but in anger. His voice thundered even louder than the screaming, his words stinging like pinpricks. She would never live like this... Never BE like them... Never feel this again... There was a shimmer of something silver: a knife. He had pulled a knife on her, even as she begged... "Never again..."
Kalli shook off the memory, moving around to distract herself. The cold, hard floor was painful and welcome at the same time. She turned to look out of the window, wishing she was alone. But she knew even if she woke the man sleeping in her bed, Ry would still be on the other side of door. The walls seemed to be closing in around her, and she was powerless to stop it.
'I have to get out.' Kalli threw on a dress, slipped on a pair of shoes and left, slipping out the window and into the dawn light. Her claustrophobia dissipated as the smell of the rising day bombarded her senses. She slid down the trellis out of her window and ran.
And she didn't care at all where she was running to.
And it's not just Mae... Kalli's kind of selfish. She irks me. :eye twitch: Anyway...
I'm so glad you're enjoying this, Inky. I worked really hard to get the Throne Room as perfect as possible. :grins wildly: This is so much fun! It's a lot of pressure. It's kindof like... writing an essay about someone else's work while they're reading over your shoulder! It makes it more exciting; it certainly makes me THINK before I write. I pay much more attention to detail. And not to mention all the time I spend rereading Rise of the Dawn for information.
Oh well, this is going well. I have books on Egypt and the Nile all over my bed and my floor, right next to the massive collection of art history books and the smaller collection of books on Roman and Greek gods, myths and lifestyles. Ahh, my many research projects. The Art History and Egypt books are for Second Landing, the Roman books are for Clockwork Sky. It's very enjoyable. Oh, and I'm also reading a book on sexual reassignment failures. Which, after that human sexuality class this semester, is very very interesting.
And as to the question of my birthday: I turn 20 on June 5th, 2005. So you guys gotta send me e-cards and stuff. :ROFL: Anyway, thanks for reading.
Mina