Dree's arrival
Characters: Dree Brooks-Donovan (and a figment of her imagination, to keep her company on the ride)
Rating: PG
Time Period: Modern Day
Location: Helicopter and the drop-off area, castle grounds
Relative Date: sometime after the party, one week after El'Ari's arrival
Status: Finished
Dree's grip on the edge of the seat tightened and the helicopter rolled slightly. She hadn't thought about what she was climbing into at the time and, now, the claustrophobia and fear of heights was pressing down on her with force. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she was trying to will herself deaf, just to shut out the noise from the propellers.
'Four hundred and eighty and you're still afraid of heights?' that little voice in her head chided. 'Oh, just shut up,' Dree mentally snapped back. She wanted out of this infernal contraption; she wanted to be on solid ground and she wanted to find Elly. "You really should open your eyes!" she heard over the racket. "You're missing quite a view!"
Dree pressed her lips together, squeezed her eyes tighter and shook her head. She knew Max wasn't really there, even though she could hear the glee in his voice. Max loved all kinds of airplanes, ships and, really, anything that could fly. He got that from his father and El. "Come on, Mom! You should take a look!"
Ignoring what the pilot would think, talking to herself, Dree turned her head toward the empty seat and opened her eyes. Sitting next to her, grin spreading across his face, was Max, teenaged and carefree. She glared at him and shouted over the hum of the blades: "I will not and don't you start with me, young man!"
"Young man?" the figment of Max laughed, and he glanced out the window. "You really need to chill out, Mom."
"I will chill out," Dree spat, "when I find your mother and not a moment sooner. You got that?"
Max just shrugged. "You walked out, Mom." Dree glanced at the floor and huffed. "Not a 'be right back', a 'see you at home'. Nothing... just-" he trailed off, waving a hand toward the front of the helicopter.
Dree knew she needed to apologize to El, for so many things. She hadn't expected to be hit so hard with losing Max - he was 121 years old, for Ozma's sake - but the second she saw him lying in that hospital bed, talking to her like he was five again... something inside her just broke. Once he was gone, she felt everything closing in. She pulled out of El's hold and just started walking.
She gasped as the cabin lurched again, knowing that they must be coming in for a landing - it was a similar feeling to the shuttles, when they touched down in the bay or on the landing pad. She really hated that feeling. Grasping on to anything within reach, Dree tightened her hold until her knuckles turned white, squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, waiting for the second thump to let her know she was on the ground.
It seemed like an eternity - but really only lasted a few seconds - before the helicopter was on the ground. Once she was certain they weren't moving, Dree opened one eye, then the next and looked around. The pilot was looking her way, and she could see grass just outside the front window. She flinched slightly as two small objects were tossed at her, both of which she caught, and, before she could begin to wonder why she'd just been given two identical cellphones, Dree jumped a mile as the door next to her opened quite abruptly.
It took a moment for her to unbuckle herself - whether from the shaking of her hand from stress or the fact that she'd pulled the harness so tight it should have crushed her lungs - but Dree finally managed to get out of the seat. Her feet had been on the ground for a whole second when the helicopter took off again and she ducked to shield her eyes from the grass and debris being kicked up.
Dree watched as the helicopter lifted higher and higher then dropped her gaze to take in her surroundings. There was... nothing. Well, there was something. She could see a castle off to one side; water and trees, everywhere else. Just ahead, though, she spotted a road. Shifting the cellphones to one hand, she reached into her pocket for her PADD and tried to contact El. "Damnit," she muttered, seeing no signal, and lowered the PADD.
Everything about the place gave her a creepy feeling; not witch-creepy but, well... creepy-creepy. She considered yelling but, without knowing where she was, she didn't want to attract any more attention than the helicopter would have. Well, any more attention than a helicopter and a tall blonde in a bright pink sweater.
Glancing around again, Dree let out a slow breath and mumbled, "All life's answers can be found along the Old Road..." With that, she started walking.
Rating: PG
Time Period: Modern Day
Location: Helicopter and the drop-off area, castle grounds
Relative Date: sometime after the party, one week after El'Ari's arrival
Status: Finished
Dree's grip on the edge of the seat tightened and the helicopter rolled slightly. She hadn't thought about what she was climbing into at the time and, now, the claustrophobia and fear of heights was pressing down on her with force. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she was trying to will herself deaf, just to shut out the noise from the propellers.
'Four hundred and eighty and you're still afraid of heights?' that little voice in her head chided. 'Oh, just shut up,' Dree mentally snapped back. She wanted out of this infernal contraption; she wanted to be on solid ground and she wanted to find Elly. "You really should open your eyes!" she heard over the racket. "You're missing quite a view!"
Dree pressed her lips together, squeezed her eyes tighter and shook her head. She knew Max wasn't really there, even though she could hear the glee in his voice. Max loved all kinds of airplanes, ships and, really, anything that could fly. He got that from his father and El. "Come on, Mom! You should take a look!"
Ignoring what the pilot would think, talking to herself, Dree turned her head toward the empty seat and opened her eyes. Sitting next to her, grin spreading across his face, was Max, teenaged and carefree. She glared at him and shouted over the hum of the blades: "I will not and don't you start with me, young man!"
"Young man?" the figment of Max laughed, and he glanced out the window. "You really need to chill out, Mom."
"I will chill out," Dree spat, "when I find your mother and not a moment sooner. You got that?"
Max just shrugged. "You walked out, Mom." Dree glanced at the floor and huffed. "Not a 'be right back', a 'see you at home'. Nothing... just-" he trailed off, waving a hand toward the front of the helicopter.
Dree knew she needed to apologize to El, for so many things. She hadn't expected to be hit so hard with losing Max - he was 121 years old, for Ozma's sake - but the second she saw him lying in that hospital bed, talking to her like he was five again... something inside her just broke. Once he was gone, she felt everything closing in. She pulled out of El's hold and just started walking.
She gasped as the cabin lurched again, knowing that they must be coming in for a landing - it was a similar feeling to the shuttles, when they touched down in the bay or on the landing pad. She really hated that feeling. Grasping on to anything within reach, Dree tightened her hold until her knuckles turned white, squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, waiting for the second thump to let her know she was on the ground.
It seemed like an eternity - but really only lasted a few seconds - before the helicopter was on the ground. Once she was certain they weren't moving, Dree opened one eye, then the next and looked around. The pilot was looking her way, and she could see grass just outside the front window. She flinched slightly as two small objects were tossed at her, both of which she caught, and, before she could begin to wonder why she'd just been given two identical cellphones, Dree jumped a mile as the door next to her opened quite abruptly.
It took a moment for her to unbuckle herself - whether from the shaking of her hand from stress or the fact that she'd pulled the harness so tight it should have crushed her lungs - but Dree finally managed to get out of the seat. Her feet had been on the ground for a whole second when the helicopter took off again and she ducked to shield her eyes from the grass and debris being kicked up.
Dree watched as the helicopter lifted higher and higher then dropped her gaze to take in her surroundings. There was... nothing. Well, there was something. She could see a castle off to one side; water and trees, everywhere else. Just ahead, though, she spotted a road. Shifting the cellphones to one hand, she reached into her pocket for her PADD and tried to contact El. "Damnit," she muttered, seeing no signal, and lowered the PADD.
Everything about the place gave her a creepy feeling; not witch-creepy but, well... creepy-creepy. She considered yelling but, without knowing where she was, she didn't want to attract any more attention than the helicopter would have. Well, any more attention than a helicopter and a tall blonde in a bright pink sweater.
Glancing around again, Dree let out a slow breath and mumbled, "All life's answers can be found along the Old Road..." With that, she started walking.