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 Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 4:40 am
The first sensation Elle felt was cold. She was freezing and soaking wet. Her legs and hands hurt but not as much as her arm did. And her body was shaking. Not trembling, shaking. Elle opened an eye and stared blankly at the door in front of her. Sunlight covered everything outside and it hurt her eyes.
"Uurrrgh." Elle climbed to her hands and knees with a low groan, using a chair for support, and groggily tugged on a top that she'd folded neatly on the table. She could see the mess around her but she ignored it, focusing on the soft bed in the corner. Bed. She wanted more sleep, she hurt.
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 4:47 am
Luna wasn't exactly certain what drew her to Elle's home that morning, but whatever it was, it was urgent. Urgent enough for Jokeph to feel as if every hair on his body were standing on end.
But what a way to test to see if her new blocking abilities worked. Luna's mind was already shielding itself as she drew near.
Door. Door. Right, door. Open, knock, open?
No... this wasn't a time for pleasantries. Luna's hands flew to the door and gave the knob a hearty twist--
-- and stopped short.
Damn! Locked!
Twist. Twist twist twist twisttwisttwisttwisttwisttwist...
Panic surged through Luna's veins as she whirled helplessly toward Jokeph, who simply nodded in return.
It was time to get the hell out of Dodge.
Luna stepped to the side just in time to avoid a flash of blue, red, and gold hurtling toward the door at top speed.
Kee-RACK!
There wasn't much of a door left once Jokeph's shoulder was done with it, but there were plenty of wood shards flying into and out of the shack.
And then, Jokeph did something Luna didn't expect. He froze in horror.
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 4:54 am
Elle had managed to drift back into a near-sleep, peaceful, full of nothingness and no dreams and with only a slight awareness of the room around her. It was like floating in black. She clung to a pillow and it was almost like she felt like she was back with...
She shot up in shock when a loud noise startled her out of the half-sleep. Elle clung to her pillow and her blanket to her chin, staring dumbly at Jokeph, still ignoring the mess she'd created as if it just didn't exist.
"...there is a key?" Was Elle's feeble and confused greeting.
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 4:58 am
Jo?! Jo, what is it?! Perhaps the shield worked a little TOO well. Letting her projections out, but nothing in. But perhaps that was the way it should've been.
Jokeph's eyes darted nervously from the mess in the room, to Elle, and then back to Luna. And when Luna stepped forward to see, he resolutely reached out to stop her.
"KYA!" Luna shrieked, surprised by a very firm and a quite-uninterested-in-her-chest hand precisely there. "Doh!" JO!
Jokeph wasn't budging.
"NnnnNNNN! Ehhhrlll!" Let me through! Elle! ELLE!
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:05 am
"...what's wrong?" Elle stared at Jokeph, still clinging to her blanket as she climbed out of her bed and wrapping it around herself. She felt so cold. But she stared blankly at the door only, not wanting to let her mind connect the dots.
Was Luna nearby? She almost felt like she'd heard her but it was like Luna was speaking through a pillow. A mind pillow...?! "Is Luna somewhere near?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:10 am
"JO!!!!!" Luna finally shouted angrily, desperation somehow making that one word manageable. She'd heard Elle in there, and knowing she wasn't dead, she wanted in. And she wanted in NOW.
Jokeph bit his lip, slowly coming to realize that if anyone was going to be able to help Elle... it was Mistress. And as much as it pained him...
He slowly lowered his hand and braced for what was to come next.
Luna ducked under his arm, wholly unprepared for the scene in front of her. But Jokeph was prepared for Luna. When she screamed, he quickly swallowed the bile he felt rising in his throat at the prospect and grabbed her, whirling her around into an awkward embrace while struggling to keep his skin from crawling.
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:18 am
It was really strange how they were acting, she thought, as if they saw a ghost. Or a UFO. But wait, they'd already seen a UFO. It said it was Luna's mum.
Mum. Mother. Blood, everywhere. Last night.
Elle's legs gave way under her and she fell onto the chair, going pale. She'd bitten someone. And she'd bitten herself. Elle held up her own arm and gazed at the ugly mess she'd created. She was hungry again too, she hadn't fixed the problem... she'd only delayed it. It didn't consume her again. But she could still feel the taste of that man and it made her mouth water. Elle felt so ashamed and guilty. She shut her eyes and kept them shut... maybe they'd be gone when she opened them and she could go back to sleep.
"...Um."
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:20 am
When Luna's mind had adjusted itself to the scene, she allowed herself to push away from Jokeph, swallowing hard.
Elle? Elle, are you all right?
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:23 am
"I'm fine." Elle lied to Luna, perhaps for the first time, though she felt far from fine. She had hunger and she had guilt and shame... but the worst part was that she felt desire for it to happen again. It was there, and it was ...no, it wasn't. She only felt shame and guilt. And sore.
"Just a bit sore."
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:24 am
Luna's eyes narrowed. Though she said and projected nothing, the expression on her face was clear.
She was calling bullshit.
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:28 am
"I don't know how I am. I ...don't understand it." She rubbed her eyes, and tugged the blanket around her tighter as if it was going to protect her, "Can we go outside?"
Now that she couldn't block it anymore, it was all she could see, red everywhere. Dark red, some of it dry but some of it still in dark red shiny puddles. And it covered everything. It made Elle feel strange but how was she supposed to tell Luna what that felt like?!
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:30 am
Luna's body seemed to move of its own accord as she took a mechanical step forward. And then another. And then another. And then, she was crossing the room and kneeling on the bloody floor, gathering Elle in her arms.
"Sssssh. Sssssssssssssh."
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:33 am
Elle clung to Luna for a few minutes, starting to shake again, till she became aware of Luna... and Luna's skin. And how it was right there, right ... Elle pushed Luna away as gently as she could. She didn't have any desire to bite Luna but still risking it made her feel bad.
"I don't know... what ...it's hard to explain. I didn't mean to do it."
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:36 am
It's okay, Luna projected, swallowing her own apprehension. She snuck a glance at Jokeph, nodding faintly. It was all right. She knew what Elle needed. It would be all right.
Go ahead. If it'll help. You're shaking.
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:42 am
"I fed. See?" Elle raised her arm, then dropped it again to her side. She didn't feel like she'd fed... and really, she hadn't, it was just taking it out and putting it back again. She didn't want to hurt Luna either, and she knew it hurt, she'd tried it. "I can't hurt you."
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