i think i'm rather fond of her after all
hurrah! i would've liked to clear 2,500, but this isn't too shabby at all... i can live with this just fine. ^^
Chapter 1
Ophelica limped gratefully into the Rail shuttle as the doors hissed open. She caught a glimpse of her reflection against the back window as she stepped inside. Her hair was a wild tangle that fell just below her shoulders and her eyes red-rimmed from crying. Too tired to really even care, she simply found an empty row and slumped down.
Blindly, she wrapped a hand around the metal pole beside her and watched the night slide by outside the windows. It was late at night and only a few people were around at this hour, a fact which she was dimly grateful for. Not that it would have really mattered. Everyone minded their own business on the STS.
The STS, or the Rails as it was locally known, was the Santigo Transportation System. Not quite a train, but not a series of buses either. It was more like an above ground subway. In certain sections of the city the Rail actually rose off the ground and circled above the city. This was one of them.
Ophelica usually loved this section of the Rails. She liked being above the City of Lights, liked the emptiness between stops at various buildings and relaxing into the invisibility of being just another person. When she was younger, she would beg her fa-
She winced. Even her thoughts weren’t safe tonight. It was always like this, whenever she and her mother fought. They would scream and throw things and verbally tear at each other until she was fed up and stalked off into the night. And still her mind would fume, would drift and every silent word would draw some sort of blood. It had never been like this when her fa--. There she went again. Straight into those painfully happy memories.
Exhausted, she leaned forward and rested her head against the cool metal pole. With some effort she just… stopped. Stopped trying to think, stopped trying to not cry or to smile. She allowed her eyes to slide half-shut, to unfocus and rest in their own way. In the quiet shuttle where people silently entered and left, she found a fragile sort of tranquility. It was tenuous at best and badly pieced together, but it was there nonetheless.
This was why she came here. Because anonymity was the standard and she could just let things be. Because, in this empty night, if no one tried to touch her, then she wouldn’t See…
~~~
She couldn’t have said exactly when he first got on. She only knew that she slowly became aware that there was someone else in the shuttle with her. First, she saw his reflection in the window. It took her a few minutes to register that there was something new in her line of sight. She found herself studying a pale, partially obscured profile and black hair that seemed to turn into a pair of …wings?
It took her even longer to slowly turn her head to look at him in reality.
He was… well, she supposed he was beautiful. Pale and dark and so full of silence that she felt unwillingly drawn. It took her barely an instant to ascertain that he had no wings on his shoulders; that it had only been an illusion created between his long hair and longer coat. And then she made a mistake. Because, as she let herself quietly sigh, he turned his head and their eyes tangled together.
And Ophelica felt the world shift on its axis.
His eyes were green. The dark green of a pine forest, and bright enough that she could see them even from where she sat. And, and here she faltered. She saw wings in his eyes.
~~~
Before either of them could do or say anything else, the shuttle hissed to a stop in front of another station. Somebody stepped inside, breaking the contact between them.
She shook her head, at first disoriented and then, once she got a good look at the new person, surprised. The newcomer was tall and looked hard, but that wasn’t what surprised her. What surprised her was his long hair. It fell half way down his back with artfully chosen strands either braided or beaded, and it was green. Not as brilliantly green as the dark man’s eyes, it was a softer, more thoughtful green. Even the eyebrows framing his eyes were green. The green man’s eyes were a darker green, closer to the dark man’s but not quite as brilliant. Strangely enough, his skin was as dark as the other man’s was pale.
They knew each other, of course. She could see it in the way the lines in the air between them moved, in the way the newcomer’s silent question was answered by a shake of the head.
She felt things moving in that languorous way that they do in dreams, and felt herself opening her mouth in spite of her common sense.
“You have wings.”
Her words fell like stones into the quiet of the shuttle, and she couldn’t help the small smile that curved her lips at the surprise on their faces.
All her life she had Seen things, odd things, in the reflections and shadows and sometimes even in the real. It was her father who had realized it first. That she saw the secret things, the hidden things, and sometimes the strongly felt things. It had gotten her in trouble until she had learned how to not talk about it. It had made her depth perception questionable for even longer and earned her the reputation of being clumsy. And it confused her because she didn’t always know what she saw.
Sometimes, though, sometimes she knew exactly what she was seeing. And there would be a rush of power and knowledge that blinded her, made her giggle madly inside at all the lovely secrets under her fingertips. It frightened her because of how it made her feel. It made her feel confident. It made her feel safe. And when she was herself, it frightened her because it made her more than just the sum of her parts in a way that make her long for it all the more. But when she wasn't herself, when she knew what the reflections in her eyes were telling her; it was like being in love.
And here she was, smiling until her bottom lip split. Because she knew she was right. And because this was one secret that she didn’t have to keep.
The green man looked first surprised and then worried. And the dark man? His expression didn’t change. But she could feel him. Could feel the dark roll of emotions that he held too close to his heart for her to see.
“You don’t have to worry,” she went on. She could feel herself slipping into babble mode, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. “There’s no one that I could tell, even if they would believe me. And I’m sure he,” she thrust her chin at the green man, “isn’t going to tell anybody anything you don’t want him to. Besides,” she blinked with the sudden insight, “you keep them locked up so tight that I can only see them in your eyes.”
She could feel herself running out of words, thankfully, and let the silence settle back in. She was busy considering what she had just said and was surprised when he, the dark man, opened his mouth.
“You’re wrong. I don’t have any wings,” his voice was smooth and softly tenor, not what she was expecting from this man with so many edges to cut himself on. The green man stepped back a little to lean in the doorway, swaying with the starts and stops of the shuttle and staying silent.
“You don’t have to lie to me,” she watched him through her clear, cinnamon-edged eyes.
“I’m not,” and he gave her a funny sort of a half-smile.
“No,” she replied wonderingly as she felt herself drowning in his eyes again. “You’re not.” And, amazingly enough, he had answered honestly. She wondered if he didn’t know or if he had forgotten. Made himself forget, for how could anyone accidentally forget something as wonderful as wings?
Without really registering what she was doing she stood up. She supposed that she should have doubted what she had seen, but she didn’t. Something told her, inside where she had always trusted to tell her the truth, that she was right. And for all the strange ways that her vision twisted, she didn’t notice the green man tense and then relax at a finger flick from the dark man. She didn’t notice her knees sway and brace against the speed of the shuttle as it finally fell off the sky loop towards the earth. She was far too focused on the dark man.
She made her way over to him step by step, until she knelt in front of him. She tilted her head back to study him more closely, not sure why. No, that wasn’t true. She knew why. It was because he was an enigma, even to himself. He was so full of shadows she couldn’t see through and ice and some strange, bleak honor that she couldn’t breathe. She wondered how much he let himself dream, and if he ever knew what his secret heart told him in those dreams. She wanted to give him something. Something real and not at the same time.
But the shuttle finally pulled into another station while she stared at him and groped for words and he rose to his feet. He looked down at her for a long moment, as if wondering what to say to such a strange girl, and then he left without looking back. The green man studied her for a moment before following him.
Ophelica saw the green man’s questions in his shadow as he walked by, but she didn’t move. She knelt on the dirty floor, with one hand on the seat where the dark man had sat, feeling the warmth, and she smiled a secret smile.
Total Word Count: 2,039
Chapter 1
Ophelica limped gratefully into the Rail shuttle as the doors hissed open. She caught a glimpse of her reflection against the back window as she stepped inside. Her hair was a wild tangle that fell just below her shoulders and her eyes red-rimmed from crying. Too tired to really even care, she simply found an empty row and slumped down.
Blindly, she wrapped a hand around the metal pole beside her and watched the night slide by outside the windows. It was late at night and only a few people were around at this hour, a fact which she was dimly grateful for. Not that it would have really mattered. Everyone minded their own business on the STS.
The STS, or the Rails as it was locally known, was the Santigo Transportation System. Not quite a train, but not a series of buses either. It was more like an above ground subway. In certain sections of the city the Rail actually rose off the ground and circled above the city. This was one of them.
Ophelica usually loved this section of the Rails. She liked being above the City of Lights, liked the emptiness between stops at various buildings and relaxing into the invisibility of being just another person. When she was younger, she would beg her fa-
She winced. Even her thoughts weren’t safe tonight. It was always like this, whenever she and her mother fought. They would scream and throw things and verbally tear at each other until she was fed up and stalked off into the night. And still her mind would fume, would drift and every silent word would draw some sort of blood. It had never been like this when her fa--. There she went again. Straight into those painfully happy memories.
Exhausted, she leaned forward and rested her head against the cool metal pole. With some effort she just… stopped. Stopped trying to think, stopped trying to not cry or to smile. She allowed her eyes to slide half-shut, to unfocus and rest in their own way. In the quiet shuttle where people silently entered and left, she found a fragile sort of tranquility. It was tenuous at best and badly pieced together, but it was there nonetheless.
This was why she came here. Because anonymity was the standard and she could just let things be. Because, in this empty night, if no one tried to touch her, then she wouldn’t See…
~~~
She couldn’t have said exactly when he first got on. She only knew that she slowly became aware that there was someone else in the shuttle with her. First, she saw his reflection in the window. It took her a few minutes to register that there was something new in her line of sight. She found herself studying a pale, partially obscured profile and black hair that seemed to turn into a pair of …wings?
It took her even longer to slowly turn her head to look at him in reality.
He was… well, she supposed he was beautiful. Pale and dark and so full of silence that she felt unwillingly drawn. It took her barely an instant to ascertain that he had no wings on his shoulders; that it had only been an illusion created between his long hair and longer coat. And then she made a mistake. Because, as she let herself quietly sigh, he turned his head and their eyes tangled together.
And Ophelica felt the world shift on its axis.
His eyes were green. The dark green of a pine forest, and bright enough that she could see them even from where she sat. And, and here she faltered. She saw wings in his eyes.
~~~
Before either of them could do or say anything else, the shuttle hissed to a stop in front of another station. Somebody stepped inside, breaking the contact between them.
She shook her head, at first disoriented and then, once she got a good look at the new person, surprised. The newcomer was tall and looked hard, but that wasn’t what surprised her. What surprised her was his long hair. It fell half way down his back with artfully chosen strands either braided or beaded, and it was green. Not as brilliantly green as the dark man’s eyes, it was a softer, more thoughtful green. Even the eyebrows framing his eyes were green. The green man’s eyes were a darker green, closer to the dark man’s but not quite as brilliant. Strangely enough, his skin was as dark as the other man’s was pale.
They knew each other, of course. She could see it in the way the lines in the air between them moved, in the way the newcomer’s silent question was answered by a shake of the head.
She felt things moving in that languorous way that they do in dreams, and felt herself opening her mouth in spite of her common sense.
“You have wings.”
Her words fell like stones into the quiet of the shuttle, and she couldn’t help the small smile that curved her lips at the surprise on their faces.
All her life she had Seen things, odd things, in the reflections and shadows and sometimes even in the real. It was her father who had realized it first. That she saw the secret things, the hidden things, and sometimes the strongly felt things. It had gotten her in trouble until she had learned how to not talk about it. It had made her depth perception questionable for even longer and earned her the reputation of being clumsy. And it confused her because she didn’t always know what she saw.
Sometimes, though, sometimes she knew exactly what she was seeing. And there would be a rush of power and knowledge that blinded her, made her giggle madly inside at all the lovely secrets under her fingertips. It frightened her because of how it made her feel. It made her feel confident. It made her feel safe. And when she was herself, it frightened her because it made her more than just the sum of her parts in a way that make her long for it all the more. But when she wasn't herself, when she knew what the reflections in her eyes were telling her; it was like being in love.
And here she was, smiling until her bottom lip split. Because she knew she was right. And because this was one secret that she didn’t have to keep.
The green man looked first surprised and then worried. And the dark man? His expression didn’t change. But she could feel him. Could feel the dark roll of emotions that he held too close to his heart for her to see.
“You don’t have to worry,” she went on. She could feel herself slipping into babble mode, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. “There’s no one that I could tell, even if they would believe me. And I’m sure he,” she thrust her chin at the green man, “isn’t going to tell anybody anything you don’t want him to. Besides,” she blinked with the sudden insight, “you keep them locked up so tight that I can only see them in your eyes.”
She could feel herself running out of words, thankfully, and let the silence settle back in. She was busy considering what she had just said and was surprised when he, the dark man, opened his mouth.
“You’re wrong. I don’t have any wings,” his voice was smooth and softly tenor, not what she was expecting from this man with so many edges to cut himself on. The green man stepped back a little to lean in the doorway, swaying with the starts and stops of the shuttle and staying silent.
“You don’t have to lie to me,” she watched him through her clear, cinnamon-edged eyes.
“I’m not,” and he gave her a funny sort of a half-smile.
“No,” she replied wonderingly as she felt herself drowning in his eyes again. “You’re not.” And, amazingly enough, he had answered honestly. She wondered if he didn’t know or if he had forgotten. Made himself forget, for how could anyone accidentally forget something as wonderful as wings?
Without really registering what she was doing she stood up. She supposed that she should have doubted what she had seen, but she didn’t. Something told her, inside where she had always trusted to tell her the truth, that she was right. And for all the strange ways that her vision twisted, she didn’t notice the green man tense and then relax at a finger flick from the dark man. She didn’t notice her knees sway and brace against the speed of the shuttle as it finally fell off the sky loop towards the earth. She was far too focused on the dark man.
She made her way over to him step by step, until she knelt in front of him. She tilted her head back to study him more closely, not sure why. No, that wasn’t true. She knew why. It was because he was an enigma, even to himself. He was so full of shadows she couldn’t see through and ice and some strange, bleak honor that she couldn’t breathe. She wondered how much he let himself dream, and if he ever knew what his secret heart told him in those dreams. She wanted to give him something. Something real and not at the same time.
But the shuttle finally pulled into another station while she stared at him and groped for words and he rose to his feet. He looked down at her for a long moment, as if wondering what to say to such a strange girl, and then he left without looking back. The green man studied her for a moment before following him.
Ophelica saw the green man’s questions in his shadow as he walked by, but she didn’t move. She knelt on the dirty floor, with one hand on the seat where the dark man had sat, feeling the warmth, and she smiled a secret smile.
Total Word Count: 2,039