Chapter 3! I'm on a roll here! I was thinking, and I've decided to include the songs in this story, or at least the ones that I can fit in. I don't think I can do all thirty. This chapter will contain Aquarius.
Thank you, Nat ( ) for your review! You were my first reviewer and I'm very grateful. Thank you for the suggestion, I'll look into it. So far, I'm good with the names, but I'll be sure to look at it.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters (except Rachel, Nikki, Dawn, Treck, and Lexi) and I do not own the song "Aquarius". I own only the plot.
Hair
Chapter 3
Aquarius
Abruptly, Rachel sat up from where she had been lying down. Tears streamed down her face from her eyes. Her blue eyes looked conflicted and pained. Crissy took a step back in shock. Rachel's face twisted and she stuffed a corner of the blanket in her mouth and Crissy heard her muffled screams. "What's wrong, Rachel?" She asked, placing a gentle hand on her arm. The blue-eyed girl looked up at her and she smiled bitterly. "I HATE visions." She said as pain crossed her eyes again. "What did you see?" Crissy coaxed gently. Rachel shuddered violently before shaking her head. Then she asked, "Where are Berger and Claude?" Crissy's brow furrowed then she smiled. "They're off scaring the tourists. I stayed to make sure that you wouldn't be completely alone when you awoke." Rachel smiled slightly. "Thank you," She whispered. Crissy smiled at her again, "Sure. It was my pleasure."
"Did the twins go with them?" Crissy shook her head and indicated the slumbering heap that was Nikki and Dawn. "You were close with them," Rachel's statement wasn't a question. Crissy sighed and she looked over at Rachel again. "They were... They were always so alive. They never let anything get them down, not until Jack got drafted. Then they started to fall apart. They stayed together for maybe three months. Then we got the news. Jack was dead and Nikki and Dawn... They gave up and became-" Chrissy looked back at them again. "That. Utterly destroyed and unable to do anything for it." Rachel shook her head. "This has to stop." At Crissy's confused look, Rachel amended, "The war. How many more families will this draft rip apart, Crissy? How many more? It's horrible, one day you have a dream and the next, the guy is just gone!" She shook for a few moments. Then a horrible thought struck Crissy. "You saw it didn't you? You saw them vanish and die." Her horrified voice made Rachel look up. There was so much pain in her eyes that Crissy needed no other answer. "Oh, Rachel!" She stepped forward and gave the poor girl a hug and heard her dry sobs. "How do you stand it?" She asked looking at her in sadness. Rachel simply trembled even more, and on a basic level, Crissy realized. "That's why you stepped between the loners and the bullies. You were trying to punish yourself." Rachel shook even worse in her arms. "I saw them die, I saw them all die and I didn't do anything!" She looked at Crissy, pure agony coloring her voice. "I saw my brother die, I saw my best friend die, I saw his brother die, they were all dead. All DEAD! AND I DIDN'T HELP!" Her scream of pain and desperation got to Crissy and she enveloped Rachel into another hug. "Oh, Rachel. What has this world done to you?" She muffled the words though, understanding that Rachel did not want, nor need pity. She needed help. It seemed like Rachel wept for hours, unable to stem the flow of tears about the guilt she carried about her brother and her friends. At long last, she was done and she sent a watery smile at Crissy. "Thanks," Her voice cracked slightly but Crissy ignored it. "Don't tell the rest of the Tribe?" The question was almost pleading in the tone and Crissy nodded. "I won't tell." Rachel smiled again, then pushed herself into half a standing position. Realizing what she wanted, Crissy hurried forward to help her up.
As soon as Rachel was on her feet, she gently shoved Crissy away. Rachel swayed, but remained standing. Then she tried to take a step forward and crumpled to the ground. She hissed slightly but made no other sound even though she must have been in pain, bruised ribs and all. Crissy reached out a hand, well aware that Rachel was just the type to refuse it. Cautiously, she reached up and grasped the extended hand. Crissy gently levered her new friend to her feet and back onto the mattress. Rachel gave her the first true smile that Crissy had ever seen from her and she realized that Rachel's face was completely transformed by it. Her eyes sparkled and Crissy couldn't resist smiling as well.
Rachel cocked her head to the side then asked, "Do you hear that?" Crissy blinked and listened hard. Her eyes widened. "That's Dionne." She frowned. "She's singing." Both girls strained their ears and caught the words.
"When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
The age of Aquarius
Aquarius!
Aquarius!
Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derision
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelations
And the mind's true liberation
Aquarius!
Aquarius!
When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
The age of Aquarius
Aquarius!
Aquarius!"
"Wow!" Rachel's voice was awed. "Dionne's got one powerful voice." Crissy nodded. "What was that about by the way?" Crissy thought over Rachel's question for a moment then answered, "Claude was born under the sign of Aquarius. 'Destined for greatness... Or for madness.' as he says. It's probably that and the fact that it's January again." Rachel's eyes unfocused again, "January?" She sounded confused. She repeated the word this time thoughtfully and her expression altered. "Of course!" "You forgot the month?" Crissy teased. Rachel shrugged. "I didn't have a calender to keep track and I didn't live outside either." Crissy's smile faded at the slight hint behind her words. I was too busy protecting everyone to think about it. "What did Jack look like?" Rachel asked and Crissy, realizing her desire for a new topic, let it go without complaint.
"Well... Jack had dirty-blond hair and it was kinda curly. He liked to tease everyone and he sometimes got chased all over Central Park by Nikki for singing a stupid song," Crissy thought for a few moments. "He was a lot like Dawn in that they both could make Nikki laugh." Rachel's brow furrowed. "Nikki didn't laugh?" "Not much, no." Crissy answered. "Not until..." She trailed off and Rachel nodded. "Did anyone else mourn Jack as much?" Crissy blinked and thought on it for a moment. "Yes. Treck. He and Jack were 'going-out' in that they almost always slept with each other. Before Jack died, Treck was a lot more talkative. Now-" Crissy didn't finish and Rachel interrupted, "Now Treck shuts his mouth and visits Jack's grave every day." Crissy gaped at her. "How did you-?" Rachel grimaced. "Visions. I saw someone that closely resembles your description." "What happened?" Crissy was hungry for anything about Jack and her eyes bored into Rachel's pleadingly. "He blew up." Rachel's voice was monotonous and cold and Crissy drew back, stung. "Sorry," Rachel said quickly upon seeing the look on her new friend's face. "It's just, I see so many of them. It's hard." Crissy berated herself mentally for being so stupid. Of course Rachel would hurt from having to tell someone about one of her specific visions. "I'm so sorry!" Crissy was mortified at what she had forced her into. "It's okay," Rachel gave her a half smile. "It's natural to want to know." "But I should have known better than to ask you about it!" Crissy sounded angry. "Crissy!" The shout did what Rachel had intended and Crissy looked back at her again. "It's okay; I should have anticipated it as soon as I told you what I saw." "That doesn't-" Crissy began to protest. "Crissy. You've been anxious for news about your friend. Of course you would ask. I don't mind, okay?" Crissy relented after scolding herself once more.
Low moans came from the bundle that was Dawn and Nikki. Crissy swiftly walked over to them and murmured soothingly. Within moments, they had subsided back to sleep. Rachel watched Crissy with sad and pained eyes, "They're lucky to have a friend like you. I can name very few people that would have stuck around with people that are almost always high to avoid grief." Crissy shrugged, "It's common humanity. Besides, the overly optimistic part of me hopes that they'll get better eventually." Rachel's expression clouded and her brow furrowed and when Crissy touched her shoulder, she nearly jumped a mile. "Are you okay, Rachel?" Rachel grimaced and shook her head in the negative. "I don't think I'm quite fully recovered yet. I'll sleep awhile." After that, she was silent and when Crissy next looked at her, she was either asleep or a master at faking it. Gently Crissy touched her friend's hair and murmured, "Sleep well, Ami." Then she tiptoed away to Dawn and Nikki, hoping to catch them at one of their more lucid moments.
Okay, if anyone asks me what Ami means, then you're not reading these Author's Notes, and that hurts. Ami is a short version of the Latin word for 'friend'. Please tell me what you think. Are the characters out of character? Do Dawn, Nikki, Treck, and Lexi sound realistic? I'm grateful for any feedback.