Missing
Missing
Chapter Three: Adrift Amongst the Stars
He hated him! To hell with Robert! If it wasn't for what that waste of life did to Vicky then she would never have become the twisted creature he had grown up knowing. Timmy thrashed about in his cold bed, racked with a snarling wrath which screamed to be let loose into the world. He hated her! He hated everything she loved! He hated everything that made her the way she was! Hate, hate, hate!
"I hate you!" his cracking voice shouted into the unyielding darkness. Yet his living chains surrendered not to the power of the boy's detestation. "Let me go! Vicky! I'll never belong to you! You hear me?! Never!"
He had lost track of time again, but at least he knew this interval with out her had gone on infinitely longer than the last time. He also had no hallucinations brought on by lack of food and drink to break the immeasurable amounts of time anymore. He was always hungry, but never starved; always thirsty, but never dehydrated. His muscles tingled when not in use, he had noticed too. Timmy did not know how long it took him to figure out what this all meant, but he did figure it out none the less. She was keeping him alive and able bodied, seemingly through the power of fairy magic.
Timmy was going mad now. Why did it have to be like this? Trapped in a cold dark cave for god knows how long? It was unbearable. His senses were becoming dull from lack of use. So long ago did it seem when he last ate food. That too was given to him by Vicky, wasn't it? He laughed aloud. How fitting it would be that his last meal was an unbeknownst gift from that damned she devil.
His hearing remained just fine, but that was only because he would succumb to fits of yelling himself horse, followed not too far after by hours and hours of crying. Well, they felt like hours, anyway. Might have been days or weeks for all he knew.
Then there was the sense of sight. In a blank darkness such as this there was little use for it. He knew were the walls were from when Vicky had visited him last, but now that distance might as well have been miles father than mere feet. Though he could not see the stone he could imagine many things. Colorful vegetation was his favorite to think about. But he could not recall the texture or the smell. He so terribly missed the sensation of another person's touch as well. Hell, even if it was just Vicky hitting him then at least it was human contact. How fucking long had he been trapped in this god forsaken cell?
When he became frustrated or angry his thoughts usually came back to either Robert or Vicky with out fail. Both were sick bastards, but as far as Timmy knew Vicky had never laid her hands on a child in that way. He would find himself hating the older male more than he hated Vicky. Sometimes, seemingly for days on end, Timmy would dwell on this hatred for all it was worth. If anything it at least let him feel somewhat alive. Vicky had definitely not deserved what he had done to her, what he stole from her. He wondered if she would have been a better person if it had never happened at all… but if that was true then he would have never obtained Cosmo and Wanda… though continuing on that note Vicky would have not been rewarded Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda and he could still be free. He wondered which he loved more, his godparents or his freedom?
Tossing and turning, crying and screaming. His only escape was his own thoughts, but the constant pain of thirst and hunger that was never quenched kept him firmly planted in the hellish cell. To hell with the undying hope he promised himself he would hold onto, if he could just die then at least he wouldn't be suffering anymore. He had tried biting off his tongue numerous times in the hopes of bleeding to death, but every time he tried the living metal leash, which Vicky had him strapped to from so long ago, would descend upon him from the dark depths of the tall room with lightning speed and choke him until he passed out.
He was unable to tell in recalling all of this if he was actually recalling it at all, or if was happening right then and there and he was only remembering the last time… Time… what was time anymore? He couldn't stand not knowing it. It was definitely more than months that had passed since Vicky's last visit, he was sure of that… wasn't he? Struggling did nothing, so why was he trying again? Why go on? There was no point to it, existing like this… was it even existing? Did he exist? This he didn't know either. Damn it all, he wanted to yell again!
"I wish I was dead," he called up into the ignorance of his little world, "Do you hear me?! Dead! I don't want to live anymore, just kill me! Vicky! You bitch! Kill me already and get it over with!" Where his eyes opened wide or shut tight as he screamed? More details he was unsure of. "I'll never be your lieutenant, so you might as well kill me!... Please, just kill me… I don't want to live like this, please…"
Except it was all said already. He had sworn, made sure not to give in. He said he could not be broken in that part of his resolve, for it seemed worse than death to give up and let her have her way. But as he looked at his options now that old resolve had become a faded crook of the past; he would gladly give up some of his dignity now if it only meant a stroll out of this hell hole again. Maybe a little sunlight, perhaps? A sandwich of any variety sounded marvelous too. Oh, and possibly a glass of strawberry lemonade! Good god it would be of plentiful value in exchange for his soul at this point, no question about it.
Timmy had come to tell when he was sleeping every so often, it was when the various pains disappeared. That factor was the only distinguishable difference between his dreams and waking fantasies. Though he wished that he was conscious enough to truly enjoy them for what they were worth. Another dream it was then? Sun shine, small winged people zipping about a city in the clouds. No doubt about it, this was Fairy World. Walking through the city he saw so many familiar faces. Binky, Big Daddy, Mama Cosma, Jorgan, The Tooth Fairy, Mr. Sandman, The April Fool, Cupid, Wandisimo Magnifico, and finally his beloved Cosmo and Wanda with their bouncing baby, Poof.
Timmy hugged everyone, kissed who he could on the cheek. It was pure, unfiltered love. Love; which he missed with so much of his heart. Love; the need and want of another who needs and wants you. Love was loved, and he loved to be loved. He was crying, suddenly. Why? What was the matter? Was it too good to be true? It was… No! It wasn't! He shouldn't have thought that! They were all drifting away, dissolving into blackness.
"Don't go! Please!" Timmy cried with outstretched hands, "I need you! I love you! Don't leave me! Please don't go!" He shot strait up! He was awake again, and dreadfully thirsty. Little white hot tears were flowing down his face. He did not even have the heart to wipe them away. What would have been the point if he had? There was no one to hide them from. And if there was he would have them remain, for he so desperately wanted to be comforted.
He played the dream over and over again in his mind countless times, going over every minute detail until he know it by heart and was sure he could never forget it. He had done this with every memory he had, the good and the bad, the real and the imaginary. It helped him believe he was who he was. How many dreams had he had since he was left alone in the dark? Hundreds? Thousands? At least one hundred… two hundred? There was no point in keeping count, so he did not know.
Pain; pure and unleaded. A hot blinding sting in his eyes. It was light! Light and the strange vibrating sound of stone melting. Vicky had come back! Though this should have meant fear he instead felt excitement and relief! Timmy sat bolt upright much like a pet dog would do for their owner coming home. Her ominous steps seemed musical to the boy, soothing almost. His eyes had just adjusted to seeing again when he was met with her image at the base of the stone stairs. The signature pony tail was gone, he first took in. Now she wore her hair down, all the way past her shoulders. And no green in her clothing attire, but instead a deep purple colored light over coat and violate tank top beneath. Her pants were still black, though her boots had been switched out for dark purple as well, which was even darker than her button up coat. Though he hated to admit it, and perhaps it was because she was the first person he had seen in what seemed like eons, she looked damned stunning.
"Vicky!" Timmy shouted as she set down a large traveling bag onto the ground, all hate for some reason running away from his heart.
"Ah! What? Oh, you're awake," hadn't she noticed he was sitting up? No, she seemed distraught some how, mind preoccupied, "That's good, it means you aren't dead then."
Timmy tilted his head at these words, which caused the red head to laugh. Could he be dreaming again? No, the pain of thirst and hunger were still with him.
"I was actually
kinda worried you wouldn't make it, but he said you are stronger
than you look. I guess he was right, huh?" She stretched on the
spot and yawned, wide mouthed like a lioness. The sight of her
intrigued him like he had never been before. There were other
variations which were new to him about her. Her body had filled out,
hips and bust now supporting the full proportions of a grown woman.
And there was a change in her voice. It was still Vicky, but a little
something like Nicky spiced the words.
"Hey, twerp! Your brain
dead or something?"
"What?" he snapped out of staring at her, "Oh, I'm sorry, it just feels like its been so long since I've seen another person…" though he still kept his eyes on her.
"Uh huh… I guess so…" she seemed to be calculating his strange behavior.
"How… um, how long have I been down here?" It was a question he needed to be answered, even if it meant getting beaten over.
"You mean since I saw you last?"
"Uh, yeah… please?" it didn't seem to hurt to ask politely, though anything but natural.
"About two years now," she stated simply.
"Two years?!" The boy screamed in brash astonishment, "What?! No, wh-… Why two years?! Why?!"
"Shut you mouth!" Vicky snapped in vicious contempt for the noise, "I'm not in the mood for yelling at this time in the night. I'm tired, it took me a long time to get here you know." She sat down on the bottom step and began removing her boots.
"You mean… they didn't poof you?" Timmy asked, still jarred about the length of his lonesome interval.
"Poof? You mean transport? That sounds so stupid, poof. Ugh, no, Cosmo, I mean my Cosmo, hasn't been answering my summons. And just when I need him most too, the bastard," she sighed and scratched her head some, "I'm kinda on the run right now and this is the only place I could think of to hide out. Well, it is pretty much perfect. Even if anyone knows where the cave is they still can't find this little divot, now can they? And even if they have the slim possibility of magic on their side it won't be of any help." She stood up again before making her way toward the bed.
"On the run?"
"Scootch"
"Wha?"
"Scoot over or get off! I'm lying down."
"Oh! R-right!" he tried to obey her, but the restraints still got in her way, over lapping the bed with their heavy linked bodies.
"Give me a break…" she huffed while removing her jacket and tossing it aside. One of her slender hands reached out toward Timmy's. It petrified him somehow, this approach of a well endowed female. One of her fingers slid across the soft metal of his wrist clasp, causing it to shudder before releasing him and slithering away.
With out much more of a warning she crawled into bed next to him, body curling into the fetal position and facing away from the boy. His heart was racing. Was this fear or excitement? Both, perhaps? His lack of human contact for years on end was filling him with the urge to touch her. Feel what her skin felt like beneath his fingers. Would she mind? Of course she would, hell, if he tried anything she didn't approve of she would beat him royally. But then that was okay too, wasn't it? At least she would be affirming his existence… what was he thinking? Oh, but the great insistence to place his hands on her was excruciating, he had to find a reason, make one up as his hand was moving toward her upper arm. The lights were disappearing as he inched closer and closer. That was it! The darkness!
"Hey, Vicky?" Timmy asked just as his fingers grasped her flesh. It felt phenomenal! The way it yielded to his pressure, how soft and warm it was to the touch. The way it pushed against the rest of its kind around her bones to make a small home for their guests, his fingers. He noticed the little soft hairs, which he could not remember ever seeing before. He wanted to grip it hard, her flesh, her skin. Wanted to smell it, taste it, put his lips and teeth against it, bite and suck on it. He was glad then that there was no light for her to see by, for his face must have been monstrous.
"What?" The older girl groaned, obviously not taking notice in his pleasure of her physical presence.
"Can we, umm…" What was he going to ask again? Oh yeah, something about the dark, if it could be taken care of, "can we please have some of the light? I think… I think I've grown scared of the dark…" this last part he wasn't making up, the absence of light did frighten him now… especially now.
Vicky rolled over to face him, only there was no light to see by. But in doing so he was forced to let go of her arm, which pained him deeply. A new hunger began to stir with in him self; one to go along with his others that suddenly gripped his urges, the touch and feeling another.
"You're sure acting bold, twerp. Didn't I let you know how tired I was?" Her hands where around his neck unexpectedly fast, causing him to reconsider pain being the releaser of suffering he had measured it to be, "You want lights, you say? Then how about I make you see stars?!" she tightened her grip momentarily, then slackened it just as soon, "See stars… huh… I wonder if I could." Her hands removed themselves from his throat and he could feel her sit up in the bed, "I did make this entire room to bend to my will with out limitation. So maybe it is possible. Huh… oh, but Timmy, if I do this for you then you have to promise me something, okay?"
"P…Promise?" he asked, unsure if it was what he wanted. Was she still mad? One moment she's about to strangle the life out of him, and the next she's offering a gift.
"Mmhmm" she confirmed happily, fake happily, "I'll create for you the most beautiful night light in the world, but only if you promise to actually try to see things my way. What do you say?"
Timmy thought hard. Would it really be such a terrible thing to give her a chance? Sure, she had trapped him here in this silent hell cage for two damn years. And it was true he hated her with all his guts. Oh, and he couldn't forget all the times she had beat him over and over again just for asking honest questions. Or even chocking him a moment ago… But there was also the fact that she had not let him die, which Anti-Cosmo seemed to want, or at least thought would have been an easier way to be rid of him. And she did seem desperate for someone to hear her out, to listen to her for once. What was the line from one of his games? "I want you to look at me!... Nobody ever looks at me!" Yes, that was it. Could all of this mayhem and suffering he had experienced just be the elaborate way of a girl, who had become twisted throughout her life, crying out for just a small piece of understanding? Did she feel Timmy was her last hope to prove she was worth knowing? Worth existing? Perhaps she was trying to make him feel the way she did inside; trapped, alone, and missing from the world. Or maybe he was just thinking too hard, maybe she was just a cruel and vindictive bitch who wanted her way and her way only. Whatever her reasons, if he agreed then he would be given light and probably even another lesson, which meant he could leave this cave again! His mind about that aspect had already been made up, had it not?
"Yes, I promise, I'll give you a chance. I mean… a chance in my heart that is. I'll try to see things like you do."
She considered his reply for a minute, and then laughed gently to herself. "You cave in so easy now, twerp. Okay, I'll give you this one gift for behaving so well, keep it up and you might be rewarded with more, hmm? Behold, Timmy, the universe."
The deep blackness of the room seemed to rush away. From all directions around there came stars. Millions upon millions of stars! And entire galaxies of every color he could imagine, and then some. These celestial bodies surrounded them and their bed; it was like they were flying through the heavens themselves! But once this breathtaking view came to fully rest in encircling them amongst its sea of unbelievable jewels, the rushing stopped. Now all the great lights just slowly meandered. No hurry. They all looked so… so gentle, so peaceful. Like waves leading their continuous ebb and flow against the foam soaked beaches in the full moonlight. Only there was no pulling back in these waves, instead they flowed on indefinitely.
Timmy wept. He could not, would not help it. The sight of it all, the concept, it overwhelmed him. This is truly all he ever wanted, to feel like he was apart of the infinite universe, that he had a purpose and a place in it all. He loved the stars, and suddenly Cosmo's name made sense to him, it was short for Cosmos! The cosmos! The most elaborate yet simply beautiful entity ever to exist! Oh how lucky he was to be named after such a thing as this.
"Why are you crying, Timmy?" Vicky solicited. She was staring at him, genuine wonder filling her large, rose pink eyes which glistened in the star light. "Is my gift not to your liking?"
"Of course it is!" Timmy was offended by this, but quickly realized who he just spoke against and made abrupt amends, "This is, I mean, oh god why won't the tears stop? It's so beautiful, I can't explain it. How did you do it?"
She smiled, more to herself than to him, "Come now, you should know that if I told you it would ruin the magic. I'm envious of you right now, you know, because I understand how this is all being shown to us."
"Then this isn't real?" he wished he had not of asked that. Why did he have to ask that? If it was all just a made up illusion then he knew he would be severely heart broken. "Wait, don't-"
"Of course it's real, twerp. Just not in the way we think of reality. Cosmo could explain it better, my Cosmo, that is. Oh, don't get out of bed, unless you want it to be ruined." Timmy watched as Vicky lay down again, assuming the same sleeping position she had tried before, only now she was facing him. "I'm glad this worked out, it means I can stay down here and teach you your next lesson."
"Another one?" the boy asked with slight worry as memories of how horrid the last one had been packed his brain. But why did this seem like such a bad thing? He wanted another one to break up the obstinate monotony, did he not?
"Yeah, another one," she confirmed, causing him to gulp, which in turn made him realize how thirsty he was again, "which reminds me, you should get your sleep too, we have quite a day ahead of us tomorrow."
"Umm, Vicky?" he had noticed something and now had to ask, though he knew it was probably just another way for him to shoot himself in the foot.
"What?" she sighed irritably, "And make it quick, I want both of us rested up." Didn't she know he had been 'resting up' for the past two years?! The nerve!
"I just wanted to say, well, I notice you've changed."
"Changed? Changed how?"
"How should I say it? Well, you aren't yelling as much, or attacking me as much as last time either."
"Oh, no, that isn't it twerp," she was laughing to her self again.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I haven't changed at all. I'm pretty much the same as last time. It is you who has changed, Timmy."
"Me?" His eyes widened, this thought had not occurred to him.
"Yes, you have hardly given me a reason to attack you, that's why I haven't. And you obey me a lot more, that's why you were given this reward. I'm not being any nicer; it is you who are being less disobedient. Get it? Good night, kiddo, you better sleep well." And with that she closed her tired eyes and drifted off into a comfortable looking sleep.
That had to be a lie, it had to! She was just messing with his head! There was no way he had bent to her will, not after all that time cursing her name and existence for simply being what it was, a cruel mistress. He wanted to hit her suddenly, but the thought had left his mind with the taint of impossibility right away… Oh god then it was true! No! Why was it true!? He couldn't think strait. He tried imagining going against her wishes only to feel like it was stupid and ill advisable. How had she done this? Was it leaving him yearning for another so long that when she was the one to answer his prayers he felt indebted to her? Damn it all, he just didn't know.
He stared out into the stars, such unobtainable splendor. They calmed him, set his mind to rest, and made him docile. His body curled up much like Vicky's was, but he faced away from her; not so much because he didn't want to see her, which part of him did not, but rather he wanted to enjoy an unobstructed view. His eyelids grew heavy after what felt like hours of star gazing, the vision began to blur. Eyes became closed.
"Welcome to the astral," greeted the pluck of a nonexistent harp, "do you know much or have much to know?"
"What?" his plasmatic body spoke with an all over voice.
"The astral, where all souls travel when separated from their living bodies,"
"How did I get here?"
"You wanted to be here, or needed to be here, or wanted and needed to be here. Which do you think is right?"
"Umm… neither and all of those, I guess,"
"Correct,"
"What am I doing here?"
"Astral projecting,"
"What's that?"
"Exactly what you imagine it to be. Limited only by your limitless imagination,"
"Is that right?..."
"Always and never,"
"I don't get it, but at the same time I do,"
"That is why you can be here, you can believe in all things and no things. Do you believe me?"
"I guess so, sort of,"
"Precisely!"
"Who are you? Why do you sound like a harp?"
"Do you not like harps?"
"No, that isn't what I meant. I mean I love harps, I do. But why?"
"You have just answered your own question,"
"I have?"
"Yes, I sound as a harp would sound if it could talk because the music a harp creates is the most beautiful to your ears."
"Then you are not a harp?"
"I am all things and no things. I am an enigma wrapped with in a paradox that has infinite solutions to which no single being can discover."
"So… wait, I don't get it, but some how it makes sense."
"Exactly,"
"Are you an angel? God? A spirit guide?"
"I have been referred to as all of the above, and many, many more entities."
"Than what would you say you are?"
"I wouldn't,"
"Why not?"
"Because none of those definitions quite fit what I am,"
"Which is?..."
"Nothing and all things."
"So what would you call yourself?"
"If you wish to refer to me by a name, I see that the one you would accept the most now would simply be Presence,"
"Presence?"
"Yes, Presence. I am fond of it too, for you are fond of it."
"I am. It feels… it feels fitting."
"The one you call Vicky also feels this way."
"She's here too?"
"Yes, why would she not? Everyone is allowed here."
"But she's evil! She's a bad person!"
"What you feel is evil others can find just. What you think of as bad others can just as easily see as good. In reality there is no such thing as good and evil, demonic and angelic, monstrous and sanctified. There are only points of view, and these too have no real meaning outside of the mind they develop from. Something you feel strongly about with all of your passion may not even register as something worth wild in the mentality of another. And the same goes for how you see their aspirations."
"So there are no certainties? There is no truth?"
"You worry about your belief in karma, it has wavered. A belief only exists for those who believe in it. For instance, you find it fitting when a person you perceive as bad is punished. To you they have received their just rewards. But when someone like Vicky goes all of her life with out ever facing what you feel are the consequences of her cruel actions, you become angered. Vicky does not believe in the notion of karma or in destiny either. So for her these concepts do not exist, and have no effect on her."
"That isn't fair though!"
"It is fair enough for her."
"But not to me! Not to everyone she has ever trampled over!"
"Have you perhaps ever considered trying to fit Vicky into your notion of karma?"
"You mean…"
"Yes, go on,"
"You mean that… I think I feel that you mean she could just be a tool of karma, something to bring punishment to those who have done badly. Am I right?"
"You can never be wrong or right here, always remember that. All you have done is followed one of the many trails of thought I laid out in front of you to follow, and you took the path which you wanted most to be true."
"So… what is Vicky then?"
"She is as you are, just another human being with an endless line of questions."
"She's the worst person I ever met though,"
"And she feels the same about you, only when she defines worst it is filled with the meanings you associate with best."
"What is she asking about right now?"
"The exact same as you just did; she inquired what you have asked of me right when you inquired the same of her."
"Wow… why does that feel both unsurprising and unexpected at the same time?"
"To answer you both, because here your minds are free to limitless possibilities, if only you would allow for such a chance."
"So what happens when two people who believe in completely different things come together?"
"That would be the essence of a conflict."
"Yeah, but I mean when they have conflicting beliefs, when… when someone who knows in their mind that karma is true clashed with someone else whom knows that karma isn't true. What then?"
"You wish for me to put your mind to rest, and only here can that happen. The result of this proposition would be that both people would find in their minds a justification befitting the rules of their beliefs. But you already knew this."
"I did… does that make my beliefs invalid?"
"Not in the slightest. Your beliefs are just as valid as Vicky's are."
"Is that because all things and no things exist? And it's all just a matter of perception?"
"Indeed."
"So there is no ultimate rule of the universe? No absolute judgment and power to face up to?"
"Not for all people, no. Only for those who want to believe in such a thing."
"So a person who spent their entire life hurting others could get into heaven?!"
"To them what they have done was not evil, so it makes sense for them to go to a heaven in which they believe is true."
"But that isn't fair!"
"Timmy, there is no overall consensus in the universe on what is fair and what is not fair, only that there are an infinite amount of beliefs to choose from concerning the concept of fairness. Vicky already knows this. And you too can comprehend this. That is why both of you are here right now."
"Because we can comprehend all things and no things?"
"Precisely."
"And for some weird reason I get it."
"As does Vicky."
"Can I see her?"
"All you have to do is think on her and you will."
He did. He imagined her long red hair and crystal pink eyes. And suddenly there she was, facing him. They weren't wearing cloths, but neither were they naked. They were just beings, expressions of themselves and recognizable to each other. He felt no such thing as malice emanating from either of them toward the other, just an unattainable understanding.
"Though the two of you feel like the opposites for one another," Presence spoke in its wonderful music chorded voice, "the questions you have both asked of me were essentially the same, and you both came up with virtually the same responses, almost on par with one another."
"Really now?" Vicky mused, this did not seem to anger her, only amuse.
"So is this all just some kind of dream?" Timmy asked aloud.
"Your bodies are at rest, holding onto one another in an unconscious attempt to find comfort, as humans usually do. So in that sense, yes, this is some sort of dream."
"But at the same time it isn't, right?" Vicky asserted.
"Of course not," Presence confirmed, not at all phased by Vicky's brash antics, "This is the astral, a plane of existence beyond the physical."
"Then if we returned to our bodies we could always come back?" Timmy needed to know.
"Yes, only as long as your mind continues to be able to comprehend all things and no things, reality and fictions, truths and falsehoods," it assured him.
"Well that's good to know," Vicky said, "because I really need to get back to my body, Timmy too."
"What?" Timmy interjected, "Why? I want to stay here awhile."
"But you are always here, Timmy," Presence comforted, "All you have to do is find your way back."
"See?" Vicky asserted while taking hold of his individual with her own, "We can come back whenever we want. Now let's go, you have a lesson to learn."
"Thank you for discovering the astral, please come again when ever you can."
A feeling of flying through his own body came over his being; the world was a solid place again. He was awakening now, inside his hurting body once more. The stars he was so fond of were gone, he could tell before his eyes fully focused. A warm pressure was pushing against his face, soft and smooth, though not too smooth, though at the same time smooth enough to feel delightful. Something similar was on the back of his head and torso as well. Oh, and he could feel a heavy weight of the same substance over his legs. What was this? Why did it make him feel comforted? Make the dream he had just experience seem so unimportant now?
A waking groan issued from Vicky, and suddenly he knew, she was holding him in her arms. Good god and he was wrapped around her too. Where was the remaining chain? Unattached? Yes! She must have removed it in the night. Was it night? It felt like morning, none the less. She opened her eyes, and they met his own. How long were they staring at one another? He lost track.
"You can let go of me now, you know," She said with out a care.
"Oh, right," they untangled themselves before separating. A part of Timmy did not want to, it felt wrong to do. But he was just being stupid; she was a nice warm body to him, which was all. And it was probably the same for her.
She sat up before the notion ever entered his mind, and yawned wildly in conjunction with a well animated stretch. She just about screamed when she finished it off. He wanted to ask her about the dream. Had she really been there too? Or was his imagination just running rampant again? He didn't know. Hell, there were so many things he did not have answers for, it seemed.
Vicky looked back at him, a slow consideration betraying her features, "What did you dream about last night?"
"Huh? Oh, umm… well, it was kinda weird."
"Was I in it?" she demanded straightforward.
"Err, yeah, you were."
"And was there a voice that sounded like a violin?"
"A violin?" Timmy asked.
"Guess not, forget about it," she waved here hand back and forth through the air.
"No, no," he tried to continue, only to be met with his captor's ferocious gaze, he had to make it quick or else face being hurt, "It wasn't a violin for me, I heard a harp."
"A harp? You really are a little twink, aren't you?"
He didn't have a response for her, instead he only hung his head in the shame she was making him feel. But he really did think harps sounded beautiful.
"So… I guess we did have the same dream, didn't we?" She was scratching her belly while staring off at nothing in particular at all now; Timmy wanted to scratch it too.
"I guess so…"
"What the hell was that all about anyway?"
"I don't know, but I felt like I understood it fine."
"Huh, well, whatever, it was just a stupid dream. We have a long lesson today, so get up."
Timmy did his best to stand to his feet. A strange sensation it was to him now, standing. Had it really been two entire years since he last used his own legs? Good think for Vicky demanding that he remained able bodied, or else he doubted he could have stood, none the less walk.
"Well take a look at you," Vicky pronounced, almost proud, "I think I like you better with longer hair, we aren't cutting it. Aaaaand," she drew out, now stepping up to him to compare their height, "you seemed to have grown some too, though you're still not as tall as me. Good thing, because I would have had to chop off your legs if you had." She laughed aloud at herself, but in all honesty he couldn't tell if that had been a joke or not.
She summoned the leash again and wrapped it about his neck. He did not fight this, what would have been the point? To prove that she could not conquer him? Stupid, he could keep those thoughts inside his own head and avoid a thrashing.
"Are we going to travel through time again?" Timmy asked awkwardly.
"Sort of," Vicky allowed to him as she rummaged through her traveling bag she had brought in last night. Then pulling out her time traveling belt and slipping it on she said, "You'll see when we get there."