CHAPTER ELEVEN: Consider the Possibilities PART THREE…Free to Fall …

Joseph nodded helpfully through her descriptions and listened to the dream. Whenever she faltered, apologizing for boring him, he shrugged it off and asked questions to get her to divulge more. Her dream was strange and intricate, unlike those he had had and those he had heard of. As she poured over the drama, he noted her composure, and that she shed not a tear even during such parts that he felt she should. Much of what she said was fantastical, while others reminded him of crappy movies. And there were a lot of details about colors and sounds and faces.

At one point, Joseph interrupted for clarification. "Why were you scared of them, if you couldn't see them yet? Did they have weapons or something?"

"No," she had replied. "They were going to hurt me, is all."

"How, exactly?"

Vanessa shrugged with her blank stare, perfectly calm. "I'm not sure, but probably they would beat me. Or rape me. Both, maybe," she answered, and then continued her story as if it were natural.

When the tale was through, Vanessa mentioned that it was late and she needed to get back. Joseph watched her exit, calling, "Quite an imagination you have."

The moment the door slid tight, he shook his head. She must have few friends, to share something so personal with someone she barely knew.

OXO

"Salem? Hi. How's studying going. Yes. Yeah, me, too. Maybe all night. Really? Uh huh. Well, okay, goodnight."

Meryl clicked the communications line closed, but checked that it was off several times before Millie knew it was safe to speak.

"Just like you planned, huh? Gosh, Meryl, you're awfully good at this stuff."

Meryl waved her hand dismissively. "It's just the obvious, is all. I mean, the man has tests tomorrow. Of course he'd stay at his own place tonight. Besides, I'm not lying completely; I will do a little studying tonight."

Millie nodded. "I felt kind of bad when I had to lie, though. I guess it wasn't lying so much, but just not telling the whole truth. I hope I did it right, though. I really don't want to mess things up for you."

"Thanks, Millie. I appreciate it." Meryl moved to the bathroom to do her hair as Millie stood in the doorway. "Sorry you have to bend your morals to do it."

"Just as long as it's to help my friends be happier, it's not so bad." In truth, Millie questioned this whole escapade. After all, wouldn't this make Miss Vanessa sad, even if she didn't really know? And besides, it'd seemed that she already kind of knew anyways. Tessla wished her dad would get away from Miss Vanessa. But Mr. Vash, did he really want this, or was it just Meryl being, well, assertive? Did the happiness of several really outweigh the unhappiness of one? Or maybe Miss Vanessa didn't want to be like she was, and maybe she wanted a new start, and maybe this was the perfect way out for her, too.

"What time will you be back?" Meryl asked.

"Um," Millie thought, probing for another lie. "I'm staying with a friend tonight, so don't worry about me." In truth, she would likely stay up worrying and studying in a quiet area, so as not to interrupt Meryl and Mr. Vash's meeting.

Meryl smiled. "Thanks Millie. You're a lifesaver."

OXO

"Been to Joseph's?" Vash asked with a grin as she entered.

Vanessa walked over to the couch and plunked down. "Yep." She heard the sounds of Vash washing up in the bathroom behind her, and noted that the room was rather dim. "Tessla's sleeping over, after all, is she?"

"Yeah, I told her that would be alright. Is it?"

"I suppose so." She scratched at her scalp and listened to his sounds. "Late night study session, hmm?"

He paused and resumed his motions. "Yeah, I'm not sure how late it'll run. You'd better not wait up for me. But I brought dinner, with some special fruits from the luxury shop – they're on the counter."

Vanessa nodded to no one. "Thank you, Vash."

"You're welcome. Um. May I ask you something, though? What was that nightmare about?" Vash asked. It'd bothered him, why she had said such odd things to him last night.

Hesitating, Vanessa stared off at the wall. "It's not important. It'll upset you."

"You already gave me hints last night, so you might as well clue me in the rest of the way, right?" he noted, sitting a foot away from her on the couch.

Vanessa sighed and thought. "Okay. Well, it's rather complicated. There were a bunch of unimportant things, but the end of it was the nightmare, really.

"I was crouched on a narrow walkway, and there was a drop on either side. I looked down and there were stairways and pits, and a lot of nothing. I stood up slowly and pebbles rolled off of me. I felt wet all over, and cold. The whole place was cold and eerie. I wanted to get out, but the path was narrow and winding, like a labyrinth with pits instead of walls. There were chains and vines, but I couldn't reach them, and I could hear breathing and murmured conversations in the distance. I started to walk, but it was hard to keep my balance. On this walkway, I passed other people, but they were chasms away. I started to smell inviting things, and I walked faster. I couldn't feel my toes, because they were frostbitten. That made it easier to move.

"I knew a lot of the people. I didn't call out to them because they were missing parts of their bodies and because they were people that don't like me. And some people were on the same paths as others. There were even some on mine, ahead of me. I could hear them. They were laughing, waiting for me to get there. I was afraid of them. I knew what they were going to do to me.

"So when I saw you, I smiled and called out to get your attention. You offered to help me. You told me not to be afraid; that you'd protect me. You were wearing that red coat, only it was longer and it waved around you really strange and heroic. I fell to my knees and waited, but I realized your path wasn't connected to mine, and you were too far away to reach. So I told you I was wrong, and I changed my mind, that I was free and didn't need your help.

"You didn't believe me, and kept spouting this heroic stuff, so to prove it I walked on ahead, and your voice faded away. I kept walking proud and upright even though I could see them ahead of me and…they were…I…couldn't…" At that point, she broke into tears. As she had rarely done in the last half century, she bawled incoherently. The violence and horror of her past flowed back in one rush, reducing her to the quivering mass that was nearly oblivious that Vash was holding it.

He clutched her as she shook, knowing the moment was rare and genuine. He knew it was best to let it out. Crying made him feel better, too. He'd often thought that Vanessa needed to cry more, to help her loosen up.

But after a while, her body softened and she grew tired. It was time for Vash to go to Meryl's anyhow. He waited until she was still and whispered, "Are you okay, now? Do you want me to stay with you?"

"No," she choked out.

Vash handed her a cloth to wipe away the tears and mucous and such that resulted from a good cry. Her face was all red and puffy. He figured she wanted to be alone, so he stood.

She didn't have the chance to interpret the dream for Vash. She felt she knew it now, since the second time around the tale was clearer and without frivolous detail.

Suddenly remembering the little black case she'd brought from Joseph's, Vanessa pulled forth her new eyeglasses and carefully set them upon her nose. She had been wondering what her first sight should be with them, and had waited until this moment. Turning towards Vash, she opened her itchy eyes, trying to focus as the suddenly sharp shapes shocked her vision. But all she caught was the sight of his back as the door closed behind him.