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Since I might not be on later this weekend - happy early birthday, Elizabeth. I promised you chapter two. Instead, you get three scenes, one of which is actually from chapter three. Why? Because I can, that's why. Also: behold my first LJ cuts.
It was even more of a shock when they woke up and realized that, somehow, they had fallen asleep in the Guildmaster's office.
Jen opened her eyes and wondered why it was so dark. She had a searing headache, and had only vague memories of the previous night. Sitting up made everything worse, including the sharp pain in her back and the numbness in everything else.
She soon discerned that she was on the floor. Note to self: never sleep on the floor again. She groped for a wall, found one, and felt along it until she found the light switch.
The third thing she noticed was that she was in her father's office. The second thing she noticed was her watch, which informed her that it was eight o'clock A.M.
The first thing she noticed was Zacharias, who was sprawled over the swivel chair and did not appear to be suffering because of it.
"Zac," she hissed, and went over to poke him. "Zac, get up." The headache, though still dreadful, took a backseat to the necessity to escape. "Zacharias!"
His pretty hazel eyes fluttered open and he stared at her, uncomprehending, for a moment. "Ow," he finally said. "My back hurts."
"You're asleep in a chair. My father's chair. We have to go, he could be here any minute..."
Zacharias sat up, groaned, and looked around blearily. "Is this a hangover?"
"Apparently."
"Hurts like the devil. How'd we get in?"
"I don't know!"
"It would be nice to know how we bypassed the system," he said wistfully. "I suspect I shall be sick soon. Where's the nearest bathroom?"
When Adam found out, he berated them both, mainly for not including him.
"You ever play a suicide game, Jenny?" Zacharias asked suddenly. "You ever felt the rush of falling, the intense heat of the dragon's lair? You ever run through glass?"
"Of course not. Ew."
"Then you don't understand. Until you can understand Adam's obsession with knives, or why someone plays a suicide game, or why it's so wonderful to stand on a cliff when you're scared of heights, you'll never understand why the price of being silent isn't too much to pay."
"Are you trying to tell me something?" she asked suspiciously.
Zacharias smiled thinly, and in that moment she understood exactly why her roommates when on and on about his beauty. "Yeah. I'm trying to tell you to lighten up. If you think this is bad, well, you ain't seen nothing yet."
It was so silent here, downstream. The occasional shout from the academy, and the wind in the trees. Yet it seemed the snow dampened all sound, and here, with her best friends, Jen wondered why she didn't spend more time with them. There was so much she didn't know, and it was never more obvious than at times like this, when they spoke of things she didn't understand.
"Tell me about Sandglass."
She surprised even herself with that one.
"I thought you hate virtual reality," Adam said suspiciously.
Jen shrugged. "Usually. But I get the feeling Sandglass is different."
Zacharias slipped and fell, landing on hands and knees. He coughed hard, and then pushed a stray wisp of pale hair away from his face. "Yeah. Different."
"Um," Adam said, "I don't think we should talk about Sandglass..."
"No, no, it's okay. I'm all right." Zacharias struggled to his feet, linked his hands behind his back, and began to skate in a circle. "Sandglass is a nightmare. It's everything you ever woke from screaming in the middle of the night. It's a spin cycle of grief and despair and sheer hopeless pain, and the magnitude of it all could send you mad."
His voice was steely and harsh, and Jen's was timid when she queried, "So why do you play?"
"'Who fears the night, the night must face.'"
Adam smiled shakily. "'And lift the fallen into grace.' That's what Sandglass is. Facing your fears, being victorious over yourself. It's damn scary, though. I take it you've never drowned?"
"No," Jen said softly. "I take it you have?"
Adam held up two fingers, which somehow caused him to overbalance. He hit the ice hard and winced. "Twice," he gasped, as if it weren't obvious. "And I've been burned at the stake. Oh, and one time, I bled to death. He stabbed me." Adam pointed an accusing finger at Zacharias.
"It was dark," Zacharias said defensively. "At least you haven't - " He stopped himself abruptly, and stumbled. Jen caught hold of his arm without thinking.
"I say again - why do you play?"
The blond shook her off and skated back upstream, toward the lights and the yelling and humanity. Adam stared after him.
"I think," the younger boy said hesitantly, "I think something happened. In the game. He doesn't sleep, he hardly eats, and he almost faints whenever someone mentions it..."
In conclusion: Dude, you're in my sewing class.
It was even more of a shock when they woke up and realized that, somehow, they had fallen asleep in the Guildmaster's office.
Jen opened her eyes and wondered why it was so dark. She had a searing headache, and had only vague memories of the previous night. Sitting up made everything worse, including the sharp pain in her back and the numbness in everything else.
She soon discerned that she was on the floor. Note to self: never sleep on the floor again. She groped for a wall, found one, and felt along it until she found the light switch.
The third thing she noticed was that she was in her father's office. The second thing she noticed was her watch, which informed her that it was eight o'clock A.M.
The first thing she noticed was Zacharias, who was sprawled over the swivel chair and did not appear to be suffering because of it.
"Zac," she hissed, and went over to poke him. "Zac, get up." The headache, though still dreadful, took a backseat to the necessity to escape. "Zacharias!"
His pretty hazel eyes fluttered open and he stared at her, uncomprehending, for a moment. "Ow," he finally said. "My back hurts."
"You're asleep in a chair. My father's chair. We have to go, he could be here any minute..."
Zacharias sat up, groaned, and looked around blearily. "Is this a hangover?"
"Apparently."
"Hurts like the devil. How'd we get in?"
"I don't know!"
"It would be nice to know how we bypassed the system," he said wistfully. "I suspect I shall be sick soon. Where's the nearest bathroom?"
When Adam found out, he berated them both, mainly for not including him.
"You ever play a suicide game, Jenny?" Zacharias asked suddenly. "You ever felt the rush of falling, the intense heat of the dragon's lair? You ever run through glass?"
"Of course not. Ew."
"Then you don't understand. Until you can understand Adam's obsession with knives, or why someone plays a suicide game, or why it's so wonderful to stand on a cliff when you're scared of heights, you'll never understand why the price of being silent isn't too much to pay."
"Are you trying to tell me something?" she asked suspiciously.
Zacharias smiled thinly, and in that moment she understood exactly why her roommates when on and on about his beauty. "Yeah. I'm trying to tell you to lighten up. If you think this is bad, well, you ain't seen nothing yet."
It was so silent here, downstream. The occasional shout from the academy, and the wind in the trees. Yet it seemed the snow dampened all sound, and here, with her best friends, Jen wondered why she didn't spend more time with them. There was so much she didn't know, and it was never more obvious than at times like this, when they spoke of things she didn't understand.
"Tell me about Sandglass."
She surprised even herself with that one.
"I thought you hate virtual reality," Adam said suspiciously.
Jen shrugged. "Usually. But I get the feeling Sandglass is different."
Zacharias slipped and fell, landing on hands and knees. He coughed hard, and then pushed a stray wisp of pale hair away from his face. "Yeah. Different."
"Um," Adam said, "I don't think we should talk about Sandglass..."
"No, no, it's okay. I'm all right." Zacharias struggled to his feet, linked his hands behind his back, and began to skate in a circle. "Sandglass is a nightmare. It's everything you ever woke from screaming in the middle of the night. It's a spin cycle of grief and despair and sheer hopeless pain, and the magnitude of it all could send you mad."
His voice was steely and harsh, and Jen's was timid when she queried, "So why do you play?"
"'Who fears the night, the night must face.'"
Adam smiled shakily. "'And lift the fallen into grace.' That's what Sandglass is. Facing your fears, being victorious over yourself. It's damn scary, though. I take it you've never drowned?"
"No," Jen said softly. "I take it you have?"
Adam held up two fingers, which somehow caused him to overbalance. He hit the ice hard and winced. "Twice," he gasped, as if it weren't obvious. "And I've been burned at the stake. Oh, and one time, I bled to death. He stabbed me." Adam pointed an accusing finger at Zacharias.
"It was dark," Zacharias said defensively. "At least you haven't - " He stopped himself abruptly, and stumbled. Jen caught hold of his arm without thinking.
"I say again - why do you play?"
The blond shook her off and skated back upstream, toward the lights and the yelling and humanity. Adam stared after him.
"I think," the younger boy said hesitantly, "I think something happened. In the game. He doesn't sleep, he hardly eats, and he almost faints whenever someone mentions it..."
In conclusion: Dude, you're in my sewing class.
