[Or] Fountain

For those wondering about my story, if you choose to read it, I got it from a dream I once had. If you see any similarities to anything in my story, you're imagining it. And I named it "Fountain" because I couldn't think of anything to name it, but this works.
COPYRIGHT 2006 to Sarah/Artisticnstuff/sjr12. Please don't steal, edit, or copy this novella. Thank you.

Edit: And from reading, and thinking, I give everyone permission to comment on my story as much as they want.

Prologue:

Somewhere in a strange land, a land that has no continents and only one ocean, a land where the night sky overpowers day, a tower stands. This tower, made of dark brick, is as high as the human eye can see, or seems to be so. In reality, it's only a few stories above the surface of the waves on which it stands. The rest of the tower is hidden beneath those waves, seen only by the creatures of the sea and the beings that dwell within the structure. And as far as history has told, there hasn't been any beings wthin that structure since the beginning of time. (109)

One thing always remains the same: the tower stands tall, and on a small ledge that sits attatched to the side, a fountain spews icy water, far clearer than any of the frothy salt the ocean tries to compete with. There lies a mystery in this fountain, carved with intricate designs never before thought of, sparkling and never aging, never stopping. This mystery has yet to be discovered, for no person has ever traveled to the tower nor left it. That is assuming there are people within it. (88)

However, pretending that there is indeed a person looking within this fountain, admiring the soft flow of crystalline water, having the need to drink from its glory, watching the constant curve with which it falls, that person just might be unfortunate enough to discover the mystery of the fountain, and be brought upon a curse. (45)

This person-- and yes, there indeed was once a person -- would begin to fel an eerie sense of his or her body dissolving, merging, flowing, into the fountain. They would begin to see themselves change form, becoming one with the sapphire water, losing the humanoid shape with which they were given. They would never again recall any memories they once had as a humanoid being, and it wouldn't seem like they had ever been one at all. They would be transformed into an aqua sprirt, one who roams within a liquidy area until the fateful day with which his or her curse could be broken. (104)

Because there has never been anyone to record such a discovery, history had yet to reveal its wonders. And because maps do not chart this strange land, no one would ever be able to undo the curse of the fountain, let alone ever find the place, even by accident. This person was doomed to an eternity of living within a fountain, a seemingly innocent and beautiful fountain, for all of his or her days, never breathing, eating, drinking (being made of water), or loving. (84)

All the while, something keeps the fountain spewing the crystalline water, which in turn keeps the trapped person from dying, which in turn keeps the person suffering. Something-- or someone --always monitors the actions of the fountain, cleansing it, keeping track of the life force by which it runs by as to not let it run out. But how can that be, when there are no beings within the tower? The one trapped person, she, always thinks about such things. (80)

She is nameless, having forgotten her name. She is lifeless, having been trapped for an eternity. She is formless, having ben made into water. She is souless, having never interacted with another soul since her rebirth. (36)

And all the while, she is monitored. She is watched be some unknown force. She is kept suffering by some unknown will. And she despises it. She wants nothing more to know what it is to walk on land, to breath the salty sea air, to maybe even attempt to climb the tower, brick by brick. She wanted to feel emotion, to have her senses tingle again with the cold air, or with excitement. She wanted to be free. (69)

Once, in her eternity of longing, she attempted such a feat. She tried to put her formless foot, if you could even call it a foot, outside of the fountain. She succedded all right, but to only have her "foot" drip down the side of the fountain, never again to be a part of her. After seing her mistake, and howling with the pain that comes with a part of your body being lost, she flinched back into her corner, to never agin try to escape the fountain. (88)

You may wonder, how in all her lifelessness and formlessness, she could still be considered female. She still had the features one would notice on a female, but you could only notice them when she chose to assume such a form. Being made of water, she could take any form she wished, but she would always take the feminine side. For example, she could take the form of a centuar (quite difficult, as a centuar would not be able to fit inside the small fountain), but she would still have the curves of a woman. (95)

She, however, chose to remain in a state rather similar to a blob. She had room to move in that form, and she could, in a sense, "disappear". As a blob, one could mistaken her for the many bubbles that surface as the water fell. You would have to have the sense to realize that she was the only bubble not surfacing. (62)

You also may wonder how this girl came upon the well. No one really knows, not even she, her memory having been erased. There is a method, however, to finding out. The curse would have to be broken. Once broken, she would recall all of her memories before the curse took place, and she would forget all of the momories within the fountain. The fountain, in turn, would no longer have such a power. It would no longer be able to captivate a person's soul, and it would then begin to age and wither away just like everything else of the world. She would not be able to tell her story. The person who removed the curse, however, would. (119)

And the girl did roam free after an eternity of longing. She was indeed set free by a brave individual. She has passed on now, having only lived a few years after her escape, but they were good ones, filled with life, soul, and love. And the story of that brave individual, a girl not quite yet an adult, not yet understanding of her soul or purpose; her story of how she came upon such a place, by accident or by fate, can be looked upon as a tale of inspiration. (91)

(1070 words, hand counted) (28,930 words to go)

Hey look. I retyped it. Yay.

Hannah made her way through the masses of students blocking her from reaching her next class. She tripped and nearly fell when her shoe got caught on someone’s untied shoelace. Brushing herself off she looked up to find a particularly good looking girl making out with a particularly good looking guy. Right in front of her. Right in her way. How rude.

Although she was irritated by their thoughtlessness, she couldn’t help but wonder what it felt like to have not a care in the world, only knowing that you were in the arms of your beloved. Being only a Freshman in highschool, Hannah was still considered a “8th grade wannabe”, and she felt like one at the moment.

Her brain was sent twirling back to reality when the final bell rang, and the masses of students waved and hugged (and kissed) their goodbyes, all entering the classrooms they had stood in front of. All but Hannah. Hannah had still more than halfway’s walk across campus to reach her remote classroom, a portable where only the dumbest students had to attend. Of course, her meaning of the word “dumb” took on a whole other role in itself.

Her school was considered among the biggest in the state, and was quite well known around the country. Her single mother had sent her there to get a “valuable education”, as she liked to word it, and worked a heavy three jobs to afford it. Not only was the school big, but it was one of the only schools you had to directly pay to get in to. This set Hannah and her hardworking mother to live in a small apartment in the middle of a dumpy neighborhood, where kids wore baggy pants and talked like they had never watched any other channel other than MTV.

And Hannah felt ashamed of her neighborhood, her mother, her worn-down clothes, her dull shoes. Her friends, try as they might, could not get her to understand that she was only on of many kids who were going through the exact same situation as she was, and that no one really cared how plain she was, or how poor. They cared for her spirit, and how she made them laugh with her clumsiness. Playfully, of course.

But today, man, today Hannah felt depressed. She felt like ditching her stockpile of homework that sat in her book bag and her crummy portable classroom and just go sit under a tree somewhere for an hour and a half and watch the clouds roll by, enjoying life for a change. And now, especially as she hopelessly to get to class on time, those thoughts magnified.

She inhaled deeply as she finally reached the classroom door, and turned the handle, feeling the weak support of the ramp creak as she stepped in. Many pairs of eyes flicked to her direction. Mostly girls in the class. Few boys, but whatever. Her attention wasn’t centered around the boys.

Her teacher, Mrs. Lainey, clucked with disapproval as Hannah set her stuff down next to the nearest empty desk, which happened to be on the opposite side of the room, in the farthest corner. Across the class she walked, and across the class all eyes followed. The awkward silence, the one silence everyone dreaded, was laughing in her face.

“Miss Bailey, you’re late. Any excuses?”

The dark brown eyes of Mrs. Lainey were dead set upon Hannah’s, and Hannah could only look down at her feet and shake her head.

“No, Mrs. Lainey, no excuses ‘cept that I was blocked off by a ton of kids that wouldn’t let me through.”

The dark brown brows of Mrs. Lainey furrowed, and she frowned.

“So, take another route next time. I assure you, there are several leading to this classroom.”

The self conscious Hannah looked around to find most students either looking in Lainey’s direction, bored, reading under their desks, or drawing in the corners of their papers. None of them had the look of someone who gave a hoot. In a sense, this made Hannah even more aware of herself. Didn’t they care?

“Take your seat, Bailey. You don’t need to stand there looking so unsettled. This is a classroom. N ext time, just come more prepared. And on time.”

Hannah complied. There were no nervous giggles as she would have expected. There were no spit wads shot in her direction. She was not given any looks so as if anyone even gave a hoot. And with that, Hannah scowled.

Had the movies been wrong? Had what her mother told her been wrong? Where was the popularity competition? Where were the cliques? Where were the obvious borders between a prep and a nerd? Where had Hannah been placed? Who was placing her?

In her blur of ridiculous thoughts, Hannah barely noticed the prompt tap of a few fingers on the back of her shoulder. A girl, just as bored looking as everyone else, was waiting for her to pass back the handouts Lainey had given her. Could she get any more impatient?

The class ended an hour and a half later. Hannah left feeling tired and bored, just like everyone else, but uniquely of course. Dumber unique. And that was it. The end of fourth period. Hannah silently thanked her school’s system of block schedule and headed off toward where the busses stopped to take her home.

Getting there, she saw such a large mass of students you would wonder if the busses could supply such a load, let alone the school itself. She found her route, number 23, stuck all the way in the front, and greeted the bus driver while showing him her bus pass.

Her driver was an old German guy, wrinkled from years of hard labor and suffering, and Hannah had always wondered how he had come to get the job of busdriver. She took her seat and wondered about that subject all the way home, looking out the horribly filthy window, filled with the re mains of breath and bug guts, and out onto the street with its numerous cars, until the bus finally reached the corner by her local grocery store where she got off. And so she got off.

1040 words plus 1070 words = 2110 words in total.

27,890 words to go.

Hannah walked in the direction of the store, and the bus followed down the road. For a moment, the two moved at the same speed, and the left over passengers stared down at Hannah, exhausted. The bus quickly drove ahead and on, far away from Hannah before she could reach the crosswalk.

Hannah pushed the crosswalk button, listening to the sound of busy cars motoring away, to and fro, all around her. It was noisy, living in a poor place. Most of the cars, jalopies to be precise, had their radios blasting higher than the average human ear could stand. The music always happened to be dirty, swearing rap. She disdainfully listened to it, waiting for the walk icon to change. It took a bit; there were so many cars driving by. Finally, she was able to cross.

She had to walk aside a dead looking field, and she could see the shed skins of rattlesnakes and the carcasses of poor little jackrabbits on the sides of the road. The weather was cold, and so she wore a blue hoodie, but the air still sent shivers through the cotton. She expected a storm to hit anytime, for there were clouds in the sky. This was Winter. This was January. This was the one time of the year that Hannah hated.

The field in the distance, she could see graffiti sprayed along the brick walls of the side fences, mostly around the shopping areas. She tried to make out what they said. Mostly crude curse words or Bible teachings. All in that same bubble print. She liked the art form, but it was so twisted in its meaning that she had to look away.

She walked the last few blocks toward her neighborhood, where the old houses sat, molding and falling apart, and where her apartments stood. She passed a teenage girl chatting rapidly on her cell phone. Hannah had seen how many kids carried those things around at school. It was horrendous. It seemed like there was no teen in existence without one. Hannah didn’t have one, of course, so she knew it couldn’t be true, but still.

She walked in through the driveway, past the broken down gates, into the property of Maywood Apartments. She walked past the front ones, past the pool that no one swam in, past the apartment of the old hag that still believed War World 2 was on, and up the steps to number 231, and fumbled with her keys.

The door opened before she could find the right key. Hannah’s mother, dressed in a red sweater and sweats, greeted her with a smile. She looked clean, recently showered and dried, and smelled of perfume.

“Han! Hun, I know I’m home early today, but it seems as though there is good news ahead for us!”

Hannah looked sideways at her mother, her dark hair, her hazel eyes. They all shone with excitement. Hannah wondered what could be so exciting about their lives.

“What, mom? I don’t even walk in the door and you’re already all chatty.”

Hannah’s mother, Lauren, frowned. Her excitement faded.


“Well, I guess since you’re so prissy today then I shouldn’t tell you about my big promotion, then.” She looked over her shoulder, noting the change of expression in Hannah’s face. “Go clean your room. It’s a mess. Clothes everywhere. Come on, just because it’s a teen thing to be unclean doesn’t mean you have to be one of those teens.”

“You got promoted? Which job?” Hannah set down her backpack, flung her keys on the end table, and sat down on the sofa. “Mommy, come on! I’ll clean it later. Which job?”

“Clean your room and I’ll tell you. How about during dinner. You can tell me about your day when I’m through.” She said everything as a command, and walked off towards the little corner which was their kitchen. Hannah in turn grabbed her backpack and walked the few feet from the living room to her bedroom. She could never get over how small their apartment was.

“Hey, Googles.” Hannah’s orange beta fish blubbed around in a small bowl. She had the roundest eyes Hannah had ever seen on a beta fish, and so she had begged Lauren to buy her. Now she swam in circles happily in Hannah’s mess of a bedroom, mostly blowing bubbles out of boredom.

“Googles, today was one of those days. I tripped, I was late, and I was called emo again.”

Hannah set her face against the side of the bowl, so her breath created a fog where her mouth settled.

“Do you think I’m emo?”

Googles simply blubbed. Hannah giggled.

“I thought not. See, I’m pessimistic, but not emo. I don’t wear those tight pants like they do, and I don’t cut myself.”

She clumped up her dirty clothes scattered around her room, and dumped them on top of the already huge pile of other clothes that sat on her bed. She then picked up a few wrappers from tootsie rolls that she had eaten the night before and tried to throw into the garbage, but missed. Those she placed inside the garbage, without throwing them this time.

“And those emos are so weird. They always hang their heads and wear all black. It’s like they’re too shy to be a person.”

Hannah looked down at her blue hoodie, and found that her pants were a shade of light black jeans, and her shirt happened to be a black one. She laughed.

“I’m still not emo.”

She looked around her room. Clean enough. Her tan carpet had a few stains in it, from when she was little, and a juice drinker. Her closet had no door, and there were several hangers unoccupied. The walls were painted white, and there was a spider in the corner of the room. That was ok. Hannah didn’t mind spiders, just as long as they didn’t crawl into her mouth while she slept.

Hannah fed Googles some fish pellets, and trotted back into the living room, turning on the TV. The only modernized piece of equipment in the house that they owned. A wide-screen TV, which Lauren had won by answering a question on the radio. It was their pride and joy, and it was also the reason for their high electricity bill.

She flipped through channels. Football, ew. American Idol, eh. Cartoon Network, there was one heck on a TV station. Cartoons always beat some goofy cop drama.

The smell of Spanish rice, cooked with minute rice of course, the cheapo stuff, drifted to Hannah’s nostril, and she sniffed. Mexican food was alright; she preferred Chinese, but Spanish rice was ok. As long as there wasn’t that much chicken. She always felt bad about the chickens being slaughtered for the sake of human consumption, even though it was part of life.

1145 words.

plus 2110 = 3255 words in total.

26,745 words to go.

Lauren hummed as she sprinkled a bit of salt on her Spanish rice, mixing it around for flavor. She loved the taste of Mexican food; she grew up with it. Her father, Hannah’s grandfather, had once taken a trip to Mexico and then developed a love for the food, bringing it home and passing that love to Lauren. She hoped that some love would eventually go to Hannah, but it had yet to happen.

Lauren worried about Hannah. She was always so pessimistic, especially after her father had walked out on them. That completely vile man had caused them all so much grief. The only good thing he had ever done was help make Hannah. Lauren loved him for that, and that only. But ever since then, Hannah had taken everything so hard. She had begun to adopt some of her father’s old personality issues, and that scared Lauren. The last thing she wanted for her precious daughter was to sink to his level.

She gave the rice one last mix with her large spoon, then turned off the stove. The bubbling of the food instantly ceased. It smelled good, and Lauren was proud to have cooked such a nice smelling meal when she was always so tired. She worked too hard for her own good.

Just then, the oven beeped. The bread was done, freshly baked and golden brown. Hannah loved freshly baked bread, and so Lauren had made it special for her. The Spanish rice, not so much. It was the momma’s treat for her big promotion of the day. She couldn’t wait to tell Hannah. Hannah would definitely be excited that they were moving. Hannah would get to be in a better school even.

She brought out a knife, and carefully sliced the bread into even portions, admiring how the steam rose up into the golden smell. The Spanish rice made its way into a large bowl, and the bread into a basket with a small cloth draped over it. Together they were sent to the table, a round wood piece with a lovely white and stained cloth as a decoration. By then, Hannah had already left her seat on the couch and had drifted over to where Lauren was now setting the table. She noticed how at ease Hannah always was at dinnertime. Heck, she got to eat. It was
understandable.


Hannah watched her mother set the table. She was hungry, and her mother was too slow. That was what happened when you were happy. You forgot about other people. You were too happy to realize that other people needed things done, and done fast. Like setting the table so Hannah could eat.

That was it. Hannah took the plate from her mother’s and, grabbed a few chunks of bread, poured a bit of the rice next to it. She went inside the fridge after setting her plate down and grabbed a couple of Mr. Pibs from the shelf, handing ne to her mother. She then sat down with her drink and fork, and began to eat with haste. She only ate fast. She didn’t like the way food was all squishy when chewed for too long.

She waited to swallow, then finally spoke.

“So, mom, which job?”

Her mother broke out into a smile. You could see the excitement in her every expression. She was eager to tell.

“Well, hun,” She became direct. “Oh for Pete’s sake, I got promoted to a position of director of the institute. Isn’t that great?” She was ignoring the food completely and grinning from ear to ear.

Hannah swallowed another mouthful. “So, what does that mean? Higher pay? Can I get a Gamecube now?”

Lauren laughed. The television blared with cartoonish laughter at that exact moment, and so it looked as if she was laughing like a cartoon character. Hannah was amused.

“No, silly. No Gamecube. Those things kill brain cells, whatever it is. Gaming system, right?” Hannah eyed her mother strangely. “Oh hun, you know I know nothing about that stuff. But, back to the topic at hand. My promotion has won us a permanent vacation in New York! We’re moving!”

Hannah’s mouth stopped dead. “Moving?”

No. It couldn’t possibly be that way. What about her school? What about her friends? What about her life? It wasn’t true. Her mother was kidding. She wouldn’t pull her away from the life she knew and, well, knew.

It wasn’t fair. But it wasn’t true either. She would laugh about it with her friends the following day. She could still listen to her music like nothing was wrong. She could still eat knowing that she would always eat at this very table, in this very room. Yes, that was how it was.

“Yup. We’re moving next month! Isn’t it exciting? We get to see all the tall building of New York City! Imagine! All the lights and splendor! How would you like to be able to walk anywhere you chose? Be more independent? You can do that there. You will have all the opportunity on the world. I’ve already accepted the job position, and I’m leaving my two other jobs. This new pay will not only be doubled from what I earn now, but it will be more. We’ll finally live in a decent place. In the city!”

Hannah was frozen. Maybe it...was true....

“Moving? To New York City? But...”

No. No no no no. Sure, the independence sounded tempting, but Hannah could have that here if she really wanted it. She just chose to sit in her room all day. She didn’t do it because she had to. Now she was moving. All her friends would be left behind. She would be alone once more. Once more...

“Mom, I don’t feel well. I’m gonna go eat this in my room now. You can have the TV.”

And so she took her plate with her to her room, and scarfed down the rest of her rice and bread, and downed her Mr. Pib, and then sat staring at her fish for the longest time. Maybe Googles would like it there. Yeah, think of the bright side. Maybe she could persuade her mom to buy her a Gamecube...or a DS...or even better, a computer with Internet. Now that was something to look forward to.

But it was her only comfort. As much as she hated her dingy apartment, it was her home. She had lived there since she was little. She lay curled up in her bed, clothes still on, and sighed. Maybe the man of her dreams would be in New York. Yeah, just maybe...

1105 words.

Plus 3255 = 4360 words in total.

25,640 words to go.

Lauren was confused.

Her daughter was feeling sick? Oh no, it wasn’t because of moving, was it? Maybe it was the bread. Yeah, it was the bread. Too much yeast. Maybe she should go talk to her about it. Maybe she didn’t realize the possibilities. Lauren knew how hard it must feel to know that you would be making a big change, but it was for the best. She could make new friends. She could be happy.

Hannah had always said how much she hated this apartment. She always complained about wanting to move away. She always stated how much she despised her school. She always whined about having stupid friends. She was never satisfied. And when comes this grand opportunity for satisfaction, she runs. Lauren could understand everything she was doing, but she wasn’t sure if she realized exactly all the factors.

Lauren quickly spooned up the rest of the rice and put it in a plastic container, sealing it with a lid, and placing it on the fridge shelf. The bread she wrapped up. She walked down the mini hall to Hannah’s shut door. The sign, “I’m closed.”, hung on her door. She had drawn it herself. It showed a stick figure holding a book in front of her face. It was a horrible drawing, but it got her point across. Lauren knocked anyway.

When there was no answer, Lauren opened the door to find her daughter fast asleep, probably to overwhelmed to stay awake. All her clothes were still on. She hadn’t even bothered to brush her teeth. Lauren kissed her goodnight and turned off her light as she left, making sure that her baby was covered and tucked in. Then she went to take a nap herself.


“Moving, no way ”

Hannah and her friend Kelly were walking down the school halls in passing from first to second period. They had their next class together. The sky had looked stormy when Hannah had woken up that morning, and she had the feeling as if she had overslept. She could barely concentrate in first period, and she could barely concentrate now.

“What? Oh, yeah. Mom says next month. I might be gone for a few days soon so I can pack.”

“Where are you moving to? Tell me ”

Kelly had those gorgeous blue eyes than Hannah had always wanted. Her hair shone a type of golden brown that could normally only be attained by professional highlights, but no, her’s was natural. It sparked a bit of unwelcome jealousy in Hannah, but not enough to make her change her opinion on the girl. To Hannah, she was a bit pf an airhead, but whatever.

“New York. Here’s the class.”

Kelly stopped and dragged Hannah back outside of the classroom. She just wouldn’t let it go. Hannah was moving. End of story. Get over it. Did it matter that much?

“Hannah, that’s New York City, right? You’re crazy I’d be ecstatic if I got to move there? Where’s your enthusiasm?” Kelly raised one eyebrow. She held her hands out in a confused gesture. She was so animated; Hannah wished that she could be animated.

“I have none. I don’t want to move. Class is starting.” And with that, she moved inside the classroom, already mostly packed with students, and took her seat next to Kelly. She took out her Geometry binder made to take out her homework when she realized that she had fallen asleep. She hadn’t done her homework.

“Crap,” She stated. Kelly noticed the blank piece of graph paper marked with the required problems, and snorted. It didn’t matter. Her year would still be filled with promise. Hannah would transfer right in the middle of the year, so there was no point in homework anyway.

The teacher, Mr. Mike as he liked to be called, turned on the overhead, and from there red pens flew as the students corrected their finished homework. All except Hannah’s. And so Hannah drew a picture.

She drew a picture of herself, a stick figure, on the empty piece of graph paper. She was surrounded by immeasurably high buildings, and cars flew in the air above her. She looked up at the cars with a skeptical look. She drew a simple speech bubble with the words: “The city is only a ton of heavy metal airheads”.

Hannah continued to space out all during Geometry. She was able to jot her homework down, and she made a mental note to actually get it done this time. And with that, she continued to be out of it during PE. At least she scored six minutes on her cross-country–not a bad time at all.

And back to fourth period. With the crazy Mrs. Lainey, and her non-sensical teaching method. Hannah couldn’t even remember what class it was, it was so off topic.

She was able to get there on time today. She didn’t trip in front of some stupid couple. There was no cluck from Lainey this time around. It was all good.

‘No. No books. It’s better when we talk as a class. Discussion without facts will help you all understand. Leave the bookwork for homework.” Lainey smiled at Hannah. “This is a creative writing class. Use your imagination the way that you are best at, not by some idiotic method described by a book.”

Hannah wasn’t sure how to take that in, but she closed her writing book, just as everyone else did. All the bored looking students. They cleared their desks and sat listening intently for Lainey’s new introduction.

‘Today we will conduct a mind search. We will clear our brains of all thought, feeling, emotion, and saerch for creative inspiration. Once you have found it, then you may let your feelings come into play.” She paused for a moment, making sure that each and every ear was open to the sound of her voice. “Good. What I will do is put you all under a type of hypnotism I–“

“Mrs. Lainey?” One girl sitting in the middle raised her hand. “Isn’t that, well, against school regulation to do something like that? I don’t think it’s ok to be messing with our minds like you intend to.”

Lainey laughed again. “No no, youngling, it’s quite alright. I have the county’s permission, the district’s permission, the school’s permission, and even the state’s permission to preform hypnosis. I can have you out of the state in less than a second, my dear. I am giving you all the option for wether or not you want it.”

A pause. A few people who were scared raised their hands. They did not want to be hypnotized.

“Well then, those of you who do not want to be hypnotized can instead wait for further instruction. For now, relax.. The rest of you, however, must close your eyes...”

Her voice began to soften, and Hannah listened to the rhythm of her chanting, slow and true, and so she began to feel lightheaded, almost non-existent. Thoughts and emotions filled her brain, urging her out of her peaceful state. But she would not allow it. She loved being so...spellbound.

“Do not let your feelings in the way of your thoughts. Remember, clear your mind. Listen to my voice. When I count to three, you will all be under my command. I will not be the cause of any inappropriate behavior or silly action, do not worry. You are all safe in this zone. Now...one., sleep, your eyes are closed...two, you body is becoming similar to a rag doll’s, limp and lifeless...three ”

The students watching stared, eyes wide, as each and every body fell lifeless on top of their desks. They still breathed, but slowly, comfortably. They looked as if they all were asleep. One or two of them began drooling. And one of the watching guys, a brave one, drew close to his classmate and poked him, curious to see if he stirred. He did not.

“You three who are not under my trance, come up here. You will aid me in my technique.”

Lainey gestured to the three awestruck students to come up to the front of the sleeping class, and stand side to side with her. She looked radiant, yet so very strange, with the light beaming to her dark eyes at an odd angle. The students, one by one, came forward, and settled themselves a respectable distance away from each other. They looked at each other nervously, then back toward the class. They could not keep their eyes off of them.

Lainey turned to the bewildered three, and patiently explained what they were to do.

“I need you three to create a scenario. Picture anything out of the ordinary. You will put your hypnotized classmates through an adventure. Nothing perilous, but think out of the box. Use your minds and work together. You are to spark creativity in yourselves, and in your classmates. With your scenario, they will all use their creative genius to transform it into something that represents their personality, and so they will all leave their state knowing a unique version of it. They will all end up with their own tale. That’s why it is your very important jobs to create an inspiring plot, characters, and an opportunity for interaction. Do you understand?”

The bewildered three simply stared at each other, minds already quick to take action, and nodded.

“Good. You have five minutes. Get going ”

They scrambled off to an uninhabited corner of the room, forming a group with three desks, and scribbling ideas on their papers. All th while, Lainey played her unusual game of hypnotism with the rest of the class, giving them forewarning of what they were about to undergo. Not one of them stirred, and it was hard to tell if they could even hear what she was saying. But Lainey remained confident with her speech, and she called back the three after five minute’s passing.
The students crowded over to Lainey, now as excited as ever, and told her their idea.

“Wonderful!” She exclaimed. She allowed the students to sit down and watch as she fed the rest of the class’s minds their brilliant idea,

“You will embark on a journey, young ones. You will begin in a pool of water, wearing a snorkel and with a pack of air that will last you thirty minutes. Your job is to collect the ten starfish scattered around the pool before your packs run out, or in this case, before I wake you. Whoever can collect them first will win a prize.” Lainey smiled a devious grin. “There will be obstacles, of course, that will block you from the starfish. Puzzles created by your own thoughts will test your personality. It is your job to pass this test. And if you do, you get an A for the day.”

The three looked at each other, beaming with pride at their idea. It was rather video game-ish, yes, but it was a fun way for them to stock up on creative juices. And they were excited. They had been told to write down this adventure, and so they were already guaranteed an A today.

“Now, “ Lainey straightened, and held her hand high. “When I snap for the third time, you will all begin your adventure.” She snapped once. “You are feeling restless; your minds are awakening.” She snapped again. “Your creativity is ruching through your system, like a surge of adrenaline.”

Third snap.

The entire class, except for the three, started to life. They all began breathing heavier. They all began to fidget in some ways. Their minds were a blur of racing thoughts and emotions, and they were on their journey.
Lainey watched, proud, as her students all experienced their first dose of inner investigation. She walked to her storage closet, allowing her three to believe that she was getting her prize out, but instead she closed herself in. She smiled.

I think I shall give my gift to the winner of this contest. Yes. The winner of this contest will be bestowed upon my greatest achievement. I just hope for that person’s sake that they will be able to handle it.

2035 words.

Plus 4360 = 6395 words in total.

23,605 words to go.

Oh god. Where was she? She was in a giant pool of water. Fish completely surrounded her. There were hoops everywhere, large yellow and red hoops. Arrows lined the walls as if they pointed her through those hoops. What kind of adventure was this? She had a red snorkel in her mouth, and she wasn’t used to it. Hannah nearly spit it our before she realized that she was in hundreds of gallons of water, and would have no other way to breathe. Lainey had said something like this would happen, but she had sounded so distant. Even now, in this underwater world, it seemed more than a dream than any real life experience.

Hannah looked down at herself. Her hair gracefully moved about with the current, and she wore a diving suit. Her goggles made it so that the water was crystal clear. And then there were the plastic hoops. They just floated there, no strings attached. And the next thing she saw was...a giant yellow starfish?

It just stood there, turning in a rapid circle. It was rather like something out of a Mario game. It was so similar to the yellow coins that you had to collect. So this was what Lainey had meant. Hannah had to collect those...things.

Hannah wondered, what happened if you were the fist to collect them? Would you wake up automatically?

Hannah realized, there was a time limit! A giant digital clock stood in the middle of the pool, clicking down her minutes. She had already wasted two thinking! She hurried off, attempting to walk, but finally swimming across to where the nearest loop floated.

The starfish stood right outside of the loop. Hannah completely ignored the ring and reached for the star. Her hand hit, rather hard, an invisible wall. What the heck? She looked, puzzled, at the fish. It still circled, but only within the limits of the wall.

Oh! It hit her then. She had to go through the rings to reach her prize. Easy enough.

She swam over to the ring anf went through, trying hard not to touch the sides. Her hand extended towards the starfish. Bingo. She had it in her hand. It disappeared with a small ping!, and that was that. She had nine more to find.

The loop behind her disappeared as well. Ahead of her, another ring formed, no, two rings. Not only that, but a big statue head rose out of the ground. It did nothing for a second, but when Hannah tried to get close, it reacted with a burst of flame.

Flame? Wasn’t this not supposed to be perilous?


Lainey creaked the door open again and watched in amusement. The girl who had been late the previous day–Hannah was it?–was showing the most vigorous activity. She was sitting upright, her brow furrowed as if in thought. Lainey wondered if this girl, the one who glowed with such a dull aura, could really show such imagination. It was possible. She acted as if she could. But her aura, it just didn’t match what activity she showed at this particular moment. The other students, excluding the helpful three, all sat as if sleeping, even though their minds were racing. What was it about this girl?

She propped her hand against her chin, thinking. There had only been one other who had puzzled her this much. That poor girl was now long gone, her soul trapped within another dimension. She had been bestowed upon the eternal gift, and she had misused it. Where she was now, Lainey had no idea. A missing person’s report had been filed, and Lainey had been charged with kidnap and murder. But that was all so long ago. None of these little students need know such things.


“How in the heck do I get that fish?” Hannah asked herself. She was irritated. Every time she tried to get close to the rings, that fire-breathing statue head would try to fry her. It wasn’t cool anymore.

Hannah wondered if there was any way to turn off the statue head. Maybe there was a switch or something. She swam behind it. Only hard stone.

An idea rose in her. What if she found something to block the flames? Like a stone. Something non-flammable. It could work, it would work, and so Hannah paddles around the many fish, (all of which were avoiding the fiery area entirely) and saw it. A large stone. Perfect.

Now another problem arose. How was she to carry such a large stone? Surely her puny arms couldn’t even budge that thing. There was no way.

Could she roll it? She pushed. It didn’t move. She kicked. Nothing but a hurting foot.

She needed something that would propel it across the pool. Hannah looked every direction. Nothing. She rested against the rock. So far, she was losing against everyone else, trying so very hard to catch a few starfish.

She noticed something shiny near the base of the rock. It was script, golden script, engraved so it almost blended in with the sand below it. Hannah jumped, or rather, floated, and she read it.

“Ye who wants to know how to disrupt the flame, simply answer the truth.”

What the hell.

Answer the truth? What did that mean? A question? Hannah was even more confused. Was it like a sort of truth or dare thing?

She waded closer to the flame spout, and looked for similar text. One question flashed across a dark globe positioned in a crevice on top of the statue’s head. It read:

“Be it the truth? Or be it a lie? Are you afraid to cross thy flames and die?”

Hannah stared at it. Of course she was afraid! It was a flame. Why would she want to go and cook herself? It didn’t make sense. She had said her truth. What other truth was there? That it wasn’t a flame? That it wouldn’t hurt her?

Ding! A chime sounded through her mind. The flame was fake. It wouldn’t harm her. Oh.

Hannah swam towards the statue, and it blew flame to her. Surprisingly, it wasn’t hot. She gulped, closed her eyes, and plunged through. She emerged through both hoops, through flame, and straight into fish number two.

Ping! The bell sounded a little higher pitched this time. The loops were gone, as was the statue, and above her, another loop formed. It pointed upward. There, a starfish was above the waters of the pool.

Oh, Hannah was supposed to do some sort of dolphin dive and grab it?

She was fed up. This was ridiculous. This was her adventure. No way was she going to go through all these obstacles to collect some starfish. Hannah concentrated. She closed her eyes a tightly as possible. Her nose wrinkled. She thought of all the remaining starfish flowing towards her hands. They were drawn to her. They wanted her to find them. No, they wanted to find her.

And they came. One by one, each starfish came with a ping into her hand, and as soon as the last one came, she awoke.

The pool was gone. The water was gone. Her snorkel was gone, and so was her giant timer. She had spent twenty minutes, she noticed, looking at the clock. She immediately drew in a huge breath. Ahh, oxygen.


Lainey started when she saw Hannah stir. Her eyes opened instantly, and she frantically looked around for a clock. Then she drew in a deep breath. She looked absolutely relieved to be back in reality. Lainey was surprised, though. Why had she woken up so early? She couldn’t have found all the fish already. It was impossible to get all the fish. Even if you managed to get nine, the tenth one would never appear, unless...


Lainey was looking at her funny. Why was she looking at her so funny? She had awoken, yes, but Hannah was sure that she had done everything right. She was awake, wasn’t she?

“Hannah, “ Lainey whispered, “Why are you awake? What happened?”

Hannah wasn’t sure if she should whisper back, so she did. “Um...I kind of...willed the fish to me?” She smiled, unsure.

Lainey gestured toward the door she was half standing in, a look of utter anxiousness on her face. Hannah walked over, being careful to not trip over any stray legs that had rolled out to the side as all the sleeping students dreamed. So that was what it looked like to be hypnotized.


The bewildered three looked at Hannah as the door shut closed behind them both. The boy, Justin, was agape.

“Is she supposed to be awake?” He asked the two girls with him.

“I have no clue, “ one answered, Brittney. “Obviously not, because she wasn’t supposed to get all the starfish. We designed the plot so they had to be stuck in the pool for the whole thirty minutes.”

“Yeah, but she’s awake,” the third said, Katelyn. “I don’t get it. Maybe she was faking the hypnotism.”

“No,” Justin replied, “That isn’t possible. She was out like a light. I saw her fall. She was really...fidgety, though.”

All three of them looked at the closed door, wondering what was happening on the other side. They all agreed that it wasn’t anything normal that Hannah woke herself up from her trance, and so they discussed their explanations.

1,566 words.

Plus 6,395 words = 7,961 words.

22,049 words to go.

“Hannah, do you have any idea what you have accomplished?” Lainey looked utterly astonished, even more so in the dim light of ths storage closet. She had a silly grin on her face, and was shaking her head happily, hand on chin. Her restlessness almost caused a few of the glue bottles on the shelf she leaned on to come crashing down.

“What do you mean? I finished it. Didn’t I?”

Hannah was getting the feeling by now that she had either done something horribly wrong, amazingly right, or maybe something even extraordinary. The look Lainey was giving her made it hard to tell. She felt the nervousness creep up on her, the self consciousness that always enveloped her every time she thought she was being given attention. And at that moment, she was being given attention.

Lainey laughed, a joyful yet fearful laugh. “Little wonder, you managed to un-hypnotize yourself. That takes a great deal of skill with conscious mind control. Have you ever thought about going into the field of the Paranormal? Hypnotism, perhaps?”

Hannah replied, almost with a giggle of her own, “Eh, hypnosis? I don’t think so. That type of thing is, well, cheesy.”

Lainey’s unique laugh filled the room once more. Hannah found that it made her ears hurt to listen to it. Her laugh was loud.

“True, but it can be useful. Anyhow,” Lainey rummaged around in the shelves. “I think I have something even better for you to try.”

“What’s that?” Hannah felt a strange confidence arise in her. She was curious, mainly because she was afraid she was in trouble, but a small part of her was genuinely interested in what her strange teacher had to say. She couldn’t help it. She had put every student of her class into a sleep, after all. She was obviously special.

“Ahh, here it is.” Lainey produced a small sphere from her shelf, dusty from being hidden behind countless school supplies. She tapped it with her nail, and mumbled a single word. Instantly, it burst into life, the dust springing form it’s round mass and falling away. The sphere filled with a purple misty substance, and a picture slowly formed inside it. Hannah couldn’t make out exactly what the picture showed, but it looked like a tower. But at second glance, it was more like a prison; there were no windows.

Lainey handed the sphere to Hannah. It was cool to the touch. She could clearly make out the picture now, and it was indeed a stone tower. And at the thought of the mist clearing, it dissipated, leaving a clear image of the night sky.

“What, is this a crystal ball or something? Am I supposed to tell the future with this thing?” Hannah asked, puzzled with her unexpected gift.

“No, little wonder, you have a much bigger reward. This will undoubtedly unnerve you , but I think you will be able to master it in time.”

Oi. Hannah was being given more work, another task. Better ready the fire extinguishers. Hannah hadn’t mastered one skill since the day she became a pessimist. Not only was her courage and hope gone, she felt like she was in deep trouble. Here, she had been given some strange spherical thing that got cloudy and showed the sky. Whoop-di-doo. Well, the thing was pretty, but what use did she have for it?

“Hannah, “ Lainey became grave now. She motioned toward a fold up chair nearby, and so Hannah sat. Lainey was tapping her foot, thinking of the best possible way to explain herself. “Hannah, what you will end up doing might seem scary at first, but believe me, you will uncover the deepest truths through this process. With this sphere, the Purlieus, you will not only be able to leave your body, but with your freed spirit, you will be able to travel the dimensions.”

‘What.” Hannah stated it more than questioned it. It was ridiculous. Dimensions? Psh, this lady was a kook. “How in the hell is that possible. You’re just...weird.”

And Hannah wasn’t afraid to say it, either. She was weird.. Even her smile as she had said so made her believe so even more. When Hannah tried to hand back the Purlieus, Lainey only pushed it away.

“It’s yours now.” She said with a smile.

Hannah was about to protest when the girl of the three students that hadn’t been hypnotized popped inside, looking around with interest. When he realized that there was nothing going on, except for the peculiar giant sphere Hannah held, he said.

“Mrs. Lainey, some kids are waking up. There’s only fifteen minutes left for class. They’re wondering what they should do.”

He gave Hannah one more analytic look, and thumbed toward the outside. Lainey made her way to the door after him, giving Hannah a wink and one last instruction.

“Just hold the Purlieus, close your eyes, and concentrate. Then you will discover your potential.”

And with that, Hannah was left alone in the storage closet, holding the Purlieus. That wouldn’t do. She walked out, utterly perplexed, and took her seat. She was greeted by many pairs of eyes, once again. They knew that she had been the one to wake up early. Apparently, the three had already spread the gossip.

Going home that day was peculiar to Hannah. She sat on the bus, got a few looks in the direction of the Purlieus, and examined the sphere as if it were a star in her hand. She was frightened to no end of it, yet extremely fascinated by what it showed her. It previewed the tower, and the ocean, royal blue and clear, yet so dark. The night sky, slightly cloudy, was filled with many constellations that Hannah had never seen before. It looked so realistic. It was nothing like what Hannah had been expecting in that closet.

She continued to watch the images swirl in the Purlieus while she walked home from the grocery store. She didn’t even notice the girls with their cell phones this time, of the crude grafitti covering the walls. She even forgot about moving for a while. She wa completely centered around the object in her hand.

She could barely unlock and open the apartment door, having only one free hand, but as soon as she got it open, she saw her mother sitting at the dining table sorting through some bills. She wore her happy grin, and was all dolled up as if she were going out on her first date. What was wrong with her these days?

“Hey, baby! How was school?” Lauren beamed at her daughter. Hannah couldn’t fel the warmth of her beam, so she just grunted and headed for her room, seeing her mother’s usual head shake and grin through the mirror as she began her assortment of bills once again.

In her room, Hannah immediately threw her backpack down and stared at the Purlieus. It glowed, Hannah noticed. It was a soft sort of glow, and it never got hot or sweaty in her hand. It seemed like such a holy object, the way it was crowned with the halos of light on all sides. Hannah marveled at it for some time, wondering if she should try the “process” of which Lainey spoke of. She decided against it; Hannah was just too afraid. She didn’t believe the whole “crossing dimensions” story, but it peaked her interest it anything else.

She took out her homework, and began working on her math. Not too much tonight, she saw. She was happy about that. She got about halfway done when her mother appeared at her door, carrying a pile of folded boxes.

“Han, I went and picked these up today. I want you to start thinking about how you’re going to pack your things. Start sorting them into groups, then if you want, you can start loading them into these boxes.” Lauren dropped the boxes near Hannah’s bed. The landed with a plop. “I’ve already started on my bedroom. I’ve loaded in a lot of things I wouldn’t use normally. That’s where you should start. Leave the things you know you will need.”

Dangit. Her mother had to remind her of the move. She had been so excited about her Purlieus, but no, her mind was set back to reality. She glanced from her math to the numerous boxes on the ground.

1,402 words.

Plus 7,961 = 9,363 words in total.

20,647 words to go.

“Go ahead and start whenever. You still have plenty of time.” Lauren kissed her daughter on the cheek, then left the room, closing the door to where it was.

Hannah shoved the boxes under her bed. She didn’t want to have to look at them while she tried to figure out her math homework. But she couldn’t concentrate, no matter how hard she tried. She looked over at the Purlieus, the beautiful glowing sphere. She had already grown fond of it. It was her only treasure.

Shoving her math away, too tired to try and finish it now, Hannah took hold of her treasure. She felt how smooth the surface was, and how her fingerprints never even left a mark. It was if the sphere was magic. But how could a sphere the size of her palm have magical properties? There was no such thing as magic.

Yet, she still felt that tingling presence there when she held it. It allowed her to vent her thoughts and feeling freely, and she soon found herself crying once again. The tears came easily, long and wet. She sobbed quietly to herself, cradling the Purlieus to her chest. It made her feel safe, as if there was still hope for her. There was an escape.

Once her tears were dry, Hannah decided that she must find a secret place to hide the Purlieus, so that it would never be taken from her. It was her special treasure. No theif could take that away from her. She had developed such a strong bond with the object in such a short time, she questioned if the thing had itself put a trance on her. She didn’t care if it did; she was happy.

And so she threw her clothes around, thrashed her way through her closet, emptied her drawers for the perfect place to put her sphere. There was none. The best thing she could find was a spare pillowcase hidden in a corner of her bottom right dresser drawer. That would have to do. It wasn’t like she would uncover a velvet pedestal or anything, but it would have been nicer than a pillowcase.

Hannah carefully placed the Purlieus in the pillowcase, then wrapped it around the lump so it would be cushioned from any outside force. She then hid it safely on her bed, where she could see it, but where no one else could. There was a secret drawer at the foot of her bed that blended in to the wood, and she had placed everything precious in there. But until today, she had had nothing precious to place inside.

Hannah stuffed a few old shirts between the lump and the walls to make sure it wouldn’t roll around unnecessarily, and she finally was satisfied.

But just to be sure, she drew her comforter a little more down so as to hide the spot even better. Then she sat against the drawer, thinking more about how her life would twist inside-out with her upcoming transition. She had never moved before. It would be painful. But maybe, just maybe, this might be a good thing.

The following days were strenuous for Hannah. School work was beginning to pile up on her, and her grades were dropping. She had abandoned doing math homework altogether, although she still studied for her tests and class work. In PE, she trying as hard, often finding herself daydreaming about the Purlieus. When it came time for finals, a week later, she wasn’t as prepared as she should have been She had been lying to her mother about her grades, and her mother had been asking more and more often since she was home from work more often. It got to be that Hannah would come home to an enthusiastic Lauren every day, rather than the peace and quiet that she loved.

During every one of those days, Hannah had debated wether or not to leave the Purlieus at home or take it with her to school. She mostly decided to take it; if she left it at home, a greedy neighbor might steal it, especially since her apartment neighbors couldn’t be trusted. Hannah brought the Purlieus with her, tucking it carefully at the bottom of her book bag. She didn’t care how much heavier it made it. She knew that she had to keep it safe at all costs.

It soon came time, during those days, to visit Lainey’s creative writing class. For the most part,she ignored what had happened with the hypnosis and did not preform it again. Instead, Lainey had everyone read out of the book, puzzling the students, who had been so eager to experience another interesting class time rather than book work.

After countless days of coming home to a bittersweet mom, Hannah began to skip going home and walked to a nearby park, sat on the swing, and examined the Purlieus like usual. It was quite peaceful, and she continues to sit until a man decided to try and bribe her treasure from her for fifty dollars. She had to decline several times before the man would let her leave.

The days flew by afterward, night to morning, morning to night, and the move came ever closer. Lauren had already packed a lot of their possessions in boxes, and had an apartment picked out just down the street from where she would be working. Hannah had yet to remove the boxes from under her bed, and they haunted her in her sleep.

The days grew colder, windier, rainier, as Winter took its course. The night of a particularly rash storm, hannah awoke from the howling of the wind. She tried covering her ears, playing music, but nothing could get the howling dull enough to fall back asleep. So, hannah decided to consult the Purlieus.

“Purlieus, why does the wind have to blow so hard tonight? I wanna sleep!”

To her astonishment, the shpere glowed a bright blue in her hand, and it grew warm. Hannah instantly felt drowsy as a sweet scent passed under her nose, and she could no longer hear the wind or rain so harshly. She closed her eyes, and drifted off, Purlieus still in hand.

“Little one, I have noticed how careful you handle me.” It spoke to her in her dreams. “I find you to be a fitting mistress. I have one simple question for you, Hannah: What is it that you seek?”

Hannah spoke, although she slept, she spoke back to the spirit of the Purlieus. Her mind was subconsciously being controlled by her spiritual self.

“I seek...a very many things,” Her spirit replied, “ I wish to find, maybe, love someday, or even get married and have children.”

“Good.” Purlieus responded, “tell me more, young one.”

“Well,” Hannah’s spirit thought for a moment. “I do believe that I want acceptance, and to not be cast away like I am. I might be accepted by my friends, yes, but I fear they only accept me because they pity me. I am not the luckiest girl...”

“No, not another word.” Purlieus came to comfort her at once, and Hannah was instantly happier. “You cannot continue to think such things. You are a wonderful person. I have witnessed it. Perhaps all you need to realize it is some soul searching.”

1,220 words.

Plus 9,363 = 10,583 words in total.

19,417 words to go.

I find your writing to be very good. I'm not sure if you were going for a surreal effect throughout the entire piece so far, but that's what I feel when I read it, as if it could almost be real, but there's a thin layer of fantasy blocking it. I enjoyed your use of hypnosis and spirituality (I found some in accuracies in your dealings with hypnosis, but I'm an obsessor of the weird and I'm pretty sure noone else will notice.) I look forward to reading this to its end. IMHO there could be a little more character development, but that's just me.

"Soul searching...what do you mean?" Hannah asked.

Purlieus sighed, a happy sigh, and scooped up Hannah in her dream. It carried her through many images, large and wide, through the ages, undefinable things that could not be described, being only a dream. It deposited her on a cloud, soft and fluffy would be the best way to describe it, and the sky around her was a soft pink. Hannah gasped at the soght around her, and realized that it was no longer a dream. It was reality.

"Where am I?" She asked breathlessly. She couldn't help but feel like she would fall through the mass of cloud she sat on--it had no feeling. It was like sitting on air. Purlieus, sat in front of her, and what she saw made her eyes grow wide.

In front of her no longer was a spirit of any sort, well, maybe it was, but it had taken the form of a man. He had soft green eyes, dark hair that reached to his shoulders, and a muscular build. He was quite handsome, Hannah quickly realized. She felt her cheeks growing hot.

"I have taken you to a far away place. Here you will be whisked away by the wind of decision, and it will take you to the very place wherd you can discover your soul and deepest desires." He paused, waiting for Hannah to reply. When she gave only a confused look, he continued. "Little darling, I wil not be there to support you. I am only the boat that carries you across the dimensional sea. You are no longer in the world you were born into. You are between all of time and space, the inter-dimensional void."

Hannah was shocked. Not only did she not believe what this gorgeous man was saying, she couldn't believe anything that was happeneing to her. This must be a dream. She would wake up to find herself back in her dumpy apartment, no shere cuddled to her body, and the storm still storming away outside her window.

She pinched herself. Hard. And it finally dawned on her: this was real.

She rubbed the red spot where she had pinshed herself, and then stuttered her next question, barely able to form the words.

"D-dimensional...void? H-how is that possible? You gotta be kidding me! What about my home, my mom, moving, all of those things? What'll happen to me?"

Purlieus chuckled, a sweet laugh that gave Hannah shivers. He looked kindly at her, which gave her even more shivers. And Hannah realized that there was no weather where she was, no air, nothing. She wasn't even really breathing, yet she was alive.

"I know how fightening this must be. But do not fear," Purlieus explained, "When I remove someone from the dimension of which they were born into, that dimension stops, or rather, pauses, for the time given. By the time you return to your world, nothing will have happened. Only you will have changed. And you will be ready to face your reality."

"My reality?" Hannah was completely numb. Nothing made sense. How was this possible? How come she had been picked for such a transition? This was no way to face reality. This was pure fantasy, right here. "Explain a bit more. I'm a little more than frightened right now. I'm scared out of my mind!"

Another chuckle. Purlieus looked at Hannah with such kindness and love that Hannah felt that complete feeling of warmth once again. She knew it would be all right.

"Do not worry, love. Everything will reveal itself in due time. For now, just rest. Be prepared to be thrust into a harsh reality, something completey different from what you are used to. You will meet someone of great importance. And one more thing, you will not be alone. It will seem as much, but I will always be watching over you."

Hannah shouted after Purlieus, but he was gone, a wisp of nothing in the blink of an eye. Hannah was alone, cold even without cold air to cause discomfort, and completely scared.

Hannah laid down on her cloud, wondering exactly where she was and what was to come. She found that she could breathe again, but the air she breathed had no temperature. She curled up ina ball. The wind of decision, or whatever, would take her to the new dimension. Psh, this was all bull. Hopefully, the new dimension would have somewhere safe for her to sleep. Hannah was exhausted.

Hours, or minutes, it was hard to tell, passed. She tried to sleep, but sleep wouldn't come. her cloud simply floated in place, and the pink sky around her drifted by. The sweet aroma from the beginning still filled her senses, and it was lovely. Hannah wondered how her mother was doing, soundly sleeping in her bed. If time had really stopped back home, then when she came back, it would be like she had never left.

At some point in time, or whatever you called what she was in, Hannah began to sing to herself, softly, so she could concentrate away from the current situation. She improvised her tune, and it was quite off key, but she didn't care in the least. It was something to do.

A moment later, Hannah's stomach growled. She was hungry. She wondered how she sould eat here, and how long she would be here without food or water. She couldn't survive here. Her human body couldn't survve with nothing. That notion frightened her even more.

"What the heack IS this?" She screamed, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "I just want to go HOME! Is that so hard to accomplish?"

With no answer, Hannah let go. She began to sob into her cloud. She was done for. She would never get home. She was lost in a fantasy place, interdimesional whatever. And she despised it. She despised the Purlieus for bringing her here. She despised Lainey, who was a complete and total madwoman. She despised everything. And she wanted to go back.

Once her tears had dried, and she hadcompletely lost track of all time and feeling, she stared, unblinking, at the sky around her. She felt no emotion. She was nothing. She barely noticed how the color of the sky slowly transitioned from a light pink to a dark red, and how wind formed and that she was shivering to the bone. She barely noriced the rumble of thunder, so deafening that her ears throbbed, and that she was racing through the sjy on her now black cloud.

The one thing tat awoke her was the flash of lightning in front of her. She shrieked so loud, and covered her eyes. She sobbed and shook, gripping on to anything she could find. And since there was only cloud to grip, she sobbed even harder.

The wind was blowing in all directions. She felt it all at once, whipping her hair every direction, forcing her eyes closed. She couldn't hear herself any longer. It threatened to puch her off the cloud, and she felt herself being lifted up. She screamed, ear piercing, like one would scream while being tortured. She was blown away, and Hannah knew that this was the wind of decision, and it was swallowing her into its abyss.

Around and around she went, and she soon lost conciousness. The last thing she knew was the howling of wind, and the sound of a giant train coming in her direction. She had been sucked into an interdimensional twister.

1,238 words.

Plus 10,583 = 11,821 words in total.

18,179 words to go.

Ooh, the stars are gorgeous. Just look at that sky! Oh my god, is that a planet? My god...so many stars...I've never seen so many stars before. They look like white sparkles...hee...how nice. I wonder what part of the universe I'm viewing. I don't recognize that planet at all. It has, like, a billion rings. More than the Milkyway's planets have. I wonder...

Hannah awoke. Her mind had been racing with thoughts. She could barely remember what had happened, her own name, anything. She did know that she was fairly bruised, though. Her entire body ached from heat to toe. She didn't dare move, in case something was broken. She just laid there, eyes closed, too scared to even make a sound.

She tried listening. She could hear wind...and waves. The ocean? When did she arrive at the ocean? It all seemed so unfamiliar. She had only heard the ocean once, as a child, when her mother brought her on a trip to California's coast. She remembered finding a crab and naming it Avalanche, because the house she had made for it, out of sand, had caved in on the poor thing. Not only did she hear the ocean, but she heard a creak, no, two creaks, and she felt her body being shoved around.

After a few minutes of rolling about, shivering, and listening, Hannah opened her eyes for the fist time. The first thing she did was look at her hands, to see if they were still attatched. They were, as was the rest of her. She didn't see any signs of cuts or bruises, but she ached all the same.

Her eyes averted to her surroundings, and she completely jumped at what she saw. The night sky, endless, filled with glory, starry, gorgeous. Hannah laughed. It was the prettiest thing she had ever seen. It comforted her, in more ways than she had anticipated.

A large wave bumped her upward, and she came crashing down onto wood. She sat up, and realized that she was floating in the middle of the ocean in a small sailboat. She had been rolling around from the waves uderneath, and now she found that it was incredibly hard to keep balance. At least nothing was broken, she thought, but it still occurred to her that she had no food, clean water, or shelter. And it was extremely cold. She was shivering like mad.

Although she sat in a sailboat, there was no sail. The boat just tipped and rocked in place, and the waves carried her wherever they wanted. She wasn't getting anywhere fast. And she couldn't see anything around her for miles.

"Why can't I get a blanket or something?" She shouted at the sky. She hated being cold. She was cold often. And the freezing wind wasn't helping at all. She huddled in the center of the boat, trying as hard as possible to not slide around as the waves rocked her. She rubbed her arms and legs furiously in an attempt to stay warm. She was no longer worried about being scared, she was worried about staying alive.

She was tired from all the crying before, and so she wanted right now to just sleep. She prayed that there was something on the boat that even resembled a blanket. She walked around the entrance to the cabin, looking behind it for something. She found the anchor sitting in the middle of a coil of rope, and a rusty old lanturn. She grabbed the lanturn, hoping to god there were some matches nearby and she could maybe give herself some light.

She then entered the cabin, so small that it could only fit one person. There was a barrel of some kind of pawder in the corner, and she guessed it could be used for flame. She took a bit of it, sprinkled it lightly into the basin of the lanturn, and breathed onto the stuff. She hoped that her warm breath would be enough to start a fire with it, and was happy that her rubbing fingers hadn't sparked it.

She continued to breathe on it for some time, harder and harder. She didn't notice any change in the temperature, and then wondered if this was indeed gunpowder. So instead, she put the lanturn in a corner, to prevent it from being moved and falling over in at least two directions, and went in searh of some kind of stick she could use for a match.

There was a splinter of wood that had fallen off of the boat next to the barrel. She picked that up, went to the corner where the lanturn had been resting, and scraped it on the side. she scraped and scraped, and the friction became more and more tense, until finally, it burst into flame.

"Yes!" She shouted, and nearly dropped the burning stick. It was hot in her hand, and so she quickly lit the lanturn and blew the stick out. It wasn't gunpowder that she had sprinkled, and she was happy about that. She might have just killed herself if it was.

Whatever the stuff was, it was warm, and so she huddled in the corner and hung the lanturn on a nail that stuck out of the cabin wall. She then took the piece of scorched wood and jammed it on the other side, to prevent the lanturn from falling off. Thankfully, it was close enough to her to give her heat enough to rest.

Before attempting to sleep, she lowered the intensity of the flame to a point where it could last longer, and then laid her head on her arm. She felt warmer, without the wind and with the small fire next to her. And in the cabin, it was easier to keep balance. She finally began to drift, and eventually fell asleep.

Hannah awoke to find that the sun had not risen, although she was a lot less cold than she had been. The flame still flickered, but it was much smaller than when she had first lit it. She stood up, weary, and went outside on deck to check where she had drifted while she slept.

It was quite the same as when she had arrived, except that the waves weren't as large,and she could see some sort of building in the far distance. It looked to be some sort of tower, very tall, no windows, and no accessible entrance. Next to it was a smaller tower. She was not close enough, however, to see any other detail.

With those towers being her only ray of hope, Hannah sat down and stared in their direction, and whimpered.

"Purlieus...? Are you there?"

The water seemed to swirl in front of her still boat, and a face appeared out of it-- the face of Purlieus.

"You called, little one?" He said to her, his face expressionless in the form of water.

"Purlieus!" Hannah shouted. She wanted to hug him. "You're here!"

He chuckled. "Yes, of course I'm here. I did tell you that I would be watching over you, did I not?" Hannah's relieved look was answer enough for him. "Well, I see that you have already sustained a hard ordeal. I am not exactly sure why the winds were so cruel to you, but you survived. You could have easily been shredded to bits by the winds' indecision."

"That's nice to know," Hannah muttered, irritated. "So, how exactly am I to get to the place where I'm supposed to be, since I have no sail and no more wind?" Before Purlieus responded, Hannah added, "Oh, and I'm cold. Can you use your magic and give me a jacket?"

Purlieus smiled, which looked quite odd. You don't usually see the water smiling at you. "I'm afraid I cannot give you anything more, except that you will reach your destination. Once you are there, however, I cannot speak to you anymore. It will be up to you to find all the answers to your questions."

"Well, can you at least give me a small push to that tpwer over there? Please?" Hannah was begging. She was tired of being thrown about like she had been. She just wanted some peace.

"Tell you what," Purlieus said, "I'll give you two oars. It will then be up to you to row yourself across these waters to the stone towers, and to find a place to dock. You can manage that much, and the work will also provide warmth. Agreed?"

Hannah was more than willing to accept his offer. "Agreed, thank you so much."

She had no past experience with rowing, but she figured it had to do with the timing. She did know that it was a circular motion. She did not know it would be so hard.

As promised, two oars clincked on deck from the depths of the ocean, wooden like the boat, the handles made out of fine leather.

"Remember, from now on, I will not be able to help you. I now bid you farewell."

The water inwhich his face had been swirled back to its calm form, and Hannah looked at the two oars now sitting in front of her. She showed no hesitation to grab them and settle herself in the middle, placing one in each hand, and preparing her muscles for a workout.

She attempted to row. The paddles hit the water. Hannah was not prepared for the force it took to submerge them and then emerge them from the water, in the circular motion. Her arms were aching all over again.

After countless tried, much grubling, and almost losing one oar to the water, Hannah finally had it down. She had established a pattern of thrusting, pushing, circulating, and heaving, and had the boat moving at a reasonable speed. Her arms hurt from thw work, and she had even developed a sweat, but she did not stop. She had to make it to those towers. She would have time to rest then.

She heaved, and heaved again. She furrowed her brows and concentrated on the rowing. She was halfway there. The towers got bigger and bigger the closer she got, and she was darn proud of herself for getting ths far already.

Finally, after countless measures of time, and so much sweat that Hannah had resorted to wiping it off her face, she finally reached the wall of the tower. Looking up at it, Hannah could see that it reached up to the tiny clouds that had formed in the sky. It was humongous. Not only that, but she didn't spot anywhere nearby where she could anchor. And her arms hurt terribly. She could barely move them.

It took quite a deal of effort to get herself moving again, and a great deal more to get the hang of turning the boat around the tower. It was huge in width, and it seemed like forever before she saw the ledge, an isolated piece of stone attatched to the tower by a narrow walkway. It was a large stone, and she could see that it lead around the rest of the width from where she had started. Had she gone the other direction, she would have reached it faster.

Ignoring this, Hannah eagerly made her way to the side of the ledge. She put the oars aside once she reached it, and ran for the anchor. She didn't even notice the protesting of her arms as she attempted to pick up the heavy anchor and drop it into the sea. She wondered while doing this if it would sink the boat, but she didn't care. She didn't care that sailboats didn't usually have anchors, or maybe they did. But once Hannah got it into the sea, and the boat didn't sink, Hannah climbed onto the ledge and collapsed, hugging the smooth stone on which she lay.

1,946 words.

Plus 11,821 = 13,767 words in total.

16,233 words to go.

I would like to say that it might be innaccurate when it comes to the boat. Oh well. Pretend that the words are correct, please.

"I have detected a presence on the cliff ledge just by the fiftieth floor of the tower, at sea level” A mechanical voice spoke into a microphone. It sounded quite monotone, and was much like what one would hear from a computer. The carrier of the voice examined the screen in front of it, and a red dot beeped near the corner of the radar. A gloved finger reached up to touch the screen, and it automatically soomed to where it had been tapped. A girl was lying on her stomache, openly weeping on the ground.

“Give me your feedback, Kleo. Let me see the invader.” Another, deeper voice answered through the speakers, and the machanical voiced Kleo responded with a tap of a nearby button. A face appeared above the radar, on a transparent screen. It was shadowed, but one could tell that this was a person of authority.

“This girl,” the deep voice said, “Do you know where she came from? Or who she is?”

The girl got up, and stumbled to the wall of the tower, briefly looking up at its size, and the collapsing back to the ground, where she immediately fell asleep. She looked worn and tattered, thouroughly damaged. She might need a check up.

“No, sir. I have not a clue about this one. I have not a clue how she got outside the tower, either. Do you want me to scoop her up for inspection? Or shall I leave her out there to rust? She looks like a broken subject.”

“No,” the other voice replied, “Bring her to me. She is abviously exhausted. She was probably accidentally disposed of with thedaily metal scraps. We may find a use for her yet.”

“Agreed.” Kleo pressed a few moer buttons on the large keyboard in front of him, and tageted the girl for pick up. “It is done.”

The screen flashed off, and Kleo continued to monitor the cameras.


“Oh GOD! I’m tired!” Hannah whined as she slumped against the brick tower. She closed her eyes instantly, and slpet for a good long time. She only awoke when she felt a tugging on her arm.

“Knock it off.” She murmured, but the tugging never ceased. She felt her arm being lifted, and her eyes opened. She saw a metal contraption before her, hanging like a crane would, and it was playing with her left arm in an attempt to get her attention. It had worked. Hannah screamed and yanked her arm away from the metal claw. the eyes of the contraption, red and blurry like a bug’s, blinked in confusion, and reached after her.

Hannah jumped to her feet and backed away. She saw that the machine was a sort of transportation device, and it reached all the way to the middle of the tower. that was high abover her head. She turned to run, but the matal hand caught her around the waist before she could move.

“Let me go, dangit!” She screeched, and flailed miserably from side to side. She wastched helplessly as she was lifted up off the ground, and her feet dangled. One shoe slipped off, landing hard on the ground. Higher and higher she was lifted, and more and more she screamed. She was deathly afraid of hieghts.

She could feel the wind strengthen the higher she got, and she was freaful that the metal thing would drop her to her death. But it held, and blinked at her curiously. She glared back. Her heart was racing once again. This adventure of hers was never going to end, was it?

It stopped about midway up the tower. Hannah guped as she stupidly looked down, and began to feel dizzy and nauseated. The machine made a sudden jerk away from the tower, and Hannah was thrown back by the force. It made her waist hurt, let alone make her scared out of her skin.

The machine suddenly stretched itself to it’s fuul length. If Hannah were to then fall, she would hit the ocean from hundreds of feet up in the air. She tried not to think about it.

With a quick thrust, Hannah was sent hurtling toward the wall of the tower. Hannah screamed for dear life. She braced herself for the immense white pain she would feel from her bones breaking from the impact. She squeezed her eyes closed and sobbed. And she hit.

She opened her eyes. Not only was she no longer outside, but she was riding a conveyor belt. She turned around. She wall of the tower was still rippling from where she had gone through. How she had done it, hannah had no idea, but the main thing to think about was that she wasn’t dead. Yet.

She looked around her. Countless body parts, arms and legs and heads, wer all around her. It was like some robot factory. She sat on the conveyor belt filled with heads. The wores stuck out of their ears and eyes, and disappeared into an opening. A screen showed what was being done inside the opening. The heads were being taken apart, then smashed.

“Crap.” Hannah whispered. She quickly stood up, fell off the conveyor belt, and ran around the machines. Every part of the factory was made of metal, but there were no people working the mechanisms. She saw a door, and dashed to it, pressing the open button as many times as her hand would let her. When it slid open, she cam e face to face with one of them: an assembled robot.

She watched, horrified, as the head of the robot slowly turned in her direction. The eyes glowed a fierce red, and it reached for her, but only fractions at a time. It got close, walking toward her when she backed away. Then before it could get her, the eyes slowly dimmed and flashed off, and the robot feel to pieces before her.


“Kleo, is she within the premesis?” The authority figure asked once again. Kleo looked at the screen now shimmering above the computer. He nodded.

“Yes, sir. She has been deposited in the waste section of the factories. Shall I lock her there to prevent any further damage?”

“That would be wise, yes. I think she might be damaged beyond repair. She is acting ever so strangely. Her movements are so much more fluent that our normal bots, and she has tha capability of speech. She must be one of the new products our scientists have prepared, gone awry.”

“She does not appear to have a model number on her back, sir,” Kleo argued, “And I do not believe I have ever seen her structure around the tower at all. She doesn not look familiar to me in the least.”

“I will trust your judgement, then.” The man said, “But I would prefer if you kept a close eye on her. Keep her from wandering the premesis, and locking her into the wastes department sounds like a good idea. Good work on scooping her up.”

“It was not hard,” Kleo replied, “She put up some resistance, but it was no match for the machine set to action.”

“Good. Resume.” The man of authority vanished, and Kleo watched the main screen, the screen that contained the girl.

“Whoever you are, cyborg, I doubt that you will stay alive for long.”

And with that, he puched the button for total lockdown of the waste department.

1,215 words.

Plus 13,767 = 14,982 words in total.

15,018 words to go.

As much as Hannah was disturbed with the dismantled robot in front of her, she knew that she would have to step around it to get to the door. She tiptoed on the parts of ground not covered in wire or robot juices, and prayed that a hand wouldn’t grab her ankle as she walked. The thought was just too frightening to think of, like those many horror movies that she had watched in the past where the girl is murdered by some mad man. As soon as she reached the other side, she looked quickly at the thing for reassurance that it was dead, and only when satisfied did she turn to leave the room.

Just as her right foot reached the inside of the door, the doors began to rapidly close on her. She was barely able to retrieve her foot before it was doomed to an oblivion of being crushed. She reflexively flinched away and stood huddled against the wall, shivering and thankful that she wasn’t in the white hot pain she just might have endured. She squeezed her eyes shut, and an alarm began to go off. Red lights flashed from different spots about the room, signaling a disturbance: her existence within that room.

“Total. Lock down.” A mechanical female voice sounded through hidden speakers. Hannah jumped at it, even though she should have expected it from the red alert. One thing she knew for sure, though, and it was that she was locked in this room. At least until they came to retrieve her, and do what they will with her.

They. Whoever “they” were, Hannah did not want to know. She couldn’t help but imagine numerous hordes of cyborg-ish robotic people marching in her direction, rather like toy soldiers do, with their red eyes flashing and their hands transforming into metal chainsaws that wanted to slice her in half. Hannah cursed her active imagination.

Having nothing else to do, Hannah cautiously looked around her, to find out if there was an alternate exit nearby. She could see that this particular part of the factory dealt with wastes, empty metals and useless robot parts. They were carried by the conveyor belt to the opposite part of the wall where Hannah had been deposited, and out they went, through the rippling wall and into the endless ocean below, where the fish could decide if they were useful or not.

It took a great deal of effort to keep herself from puking out whatever food she had left in her stomach. With the recurring noise, bright red flashing, and robot parts all around her, anyone would get sick. Instead she preoccupied herself by examining one of the mashing machines. Maybe she could find something to defend herself with.

She sifted through the various arms , hands, and fingers, until she found the one thing she had been hoping for: a transformed body part. It had been crushed on one side and sharpened, making something rather close to a sword with no hilt. Maybe she could combine it with something to make a hilt for herself, and find dome rope to hang it with. She felt like one of the heroes from the video games she used to play when she was younger, with her plans of escape and her weapon at her side.

She looked at the ceiling. Too high to climb. And there was no vent in sight. How was that possible, to have it so cold and have no air vent? She felt the walls. Nothing, and she couldn’t tell if any spot was weak or not. She was completely trapped. She scanned the floor, for a hatch of some sort. It was only metal tile nailed together. Hardly helpful.

“Having fun, little one?” A voice threw Hannah off, sending her looking frantically about the room, searching for the source. She couldn’t place it, but she had noticed that the flashing and red alert had stopped. It was her against this voice.

“No, not at all.” She growled. “You have no idea what I went through to get here, and you lock me in?” Hannah was about ready to burst, and so she did. “I freaking went through hell, without knowing it, and I get thrown into this...factory, where you harass me with a bunch of robots!”

“If you would please,” the voice continued, ignoring her rant, “take off your ridiculous clothing and show me your model number on your back. I need to know who created you and why that person allowed you to escape, so I can dispose of him or her.”

Hannah was shocked.”Excuse me?” She asked, offended, “You are talking to a person here, with skin. No way am I gonna strip for you, pervert! I have no number. I am no doll. I am a living person, so back off!”
Hannah was surprised with herself. Normally, she would have been freaked out, and ran to hide or something, stuttering. But she was so fed up with the drama that she had stopped caring long ago. It was time to toughen up.

“Arguing will only cause grief,” the voice replied. It was deep, husky, like those voices on radio stations. It was mesmerizing. “I know you are one of my cyborg creations. You couldn’t have entered this factory otherwise. Please state your product number, or show it.”

When Hannah didn’t move, the voice became angrier. “Do as I say, filthy piece of metal. You have no business being here! I must know your number so I can dispose of you! All robots have been programmed to follow my orders. You are no exception! ”

Hannah couldn’t believe her ears. “Look at me!” She retorted, “Do I look like a robot? Do I sound like a robot? Do I act like a robot? I don’t even move like them! I have no mechanical features on me at all. I’m a human girl, obviously. My body is made up of organs, tissue, blood, bones, and all the rest of that. I have no wires in me, except for the time I got braces, but even then they were only temporary, and not inside of me. Figure it out!”

There was a few seconds of silence. The voice was thinking, hard. Hannah could be sure that he was thinking about what she had said. Did he believe her?

"...If so that is true, then you wouldn't have been able to enter this tower. It is protected by a barrier of sorts that does not permit admittance or exit. No one has ever came or left. The only time a human girl was able to exist in this world, her spirit was captured and tortured for all eternity. If you are indeed human, then your sould may also be of that danger." He paused once more. "But you are not human. You are a machine. My machine, and your data has been tampered with. I'm currently sending for guards to escort you to the dismantlement chambers. You can no longer stay existant."

Metal rings emerged from the floor and wrapped themselves around Hannah's ankles. Hannah tried desperately to move her feet, but they were trapped. She couldn't move. She yanked at them, and her nails scraped against the surface of the metal, causing shivers to run down her back. She continued to pull, and almost fell face first, having no balance.

"You are now in my possession," the voice continued, The escorts will arrive shortly. If you try any means of escape, the metal rings will electrocute you, buring out your circuits and ending your life. I suggest you stop the pointless struggle. You are bound to me now."

Hannah whipped her head around and immediately ceased her tugging. The sound of heavy feet could be heard through the door. She was amazed at how loud of a sound they gave; the door looked soundproof enough, and solid. It slid open, revealing two men clothed in silver body suits. They were completely different from the robot from before, much taller in height and very muscular. Their suits were covered with flashing buttons and wires, and so they looked like they were run with electricity. Over their eyes they wore a type of visor, and that flashed different colors as well. You could see words communicating to them, giving them readings of their surroundings and their target: Hannah.

The two men said nothing, and promptly took hold of either of Hannah's arms. Their grips were strong. Their hands were massive, passing completely around the width of Hannah's arm, gloved and cold. Hannah felt a chill pass over her. They radiated no heat. They were not living.

"Take her away," the voice commanded. The men pulled Hannah, and the metal rings binding her feet released. Hannah had barely enough time to regain her balance before she was being hauled out the door and out into the narrow hallway. Their grips never lessened, and soon red, painful hand marks covered her arms. She groaned at them in protest, struggling against their size and strength.

Their expressions never changing, the men's faces looked set in stone. They each had no facial hair, but shapely chins and noses. They stepped in perfect unison, creating the loud clack noise, but this time amplified. Their boots caused such a ruckus that Hannah felt the need to cover her ears, except she couldn't. her ears throbbed, and she whimpered.

"Purlieus," She whispered, but he did not come.

Down the long hall the two men dragged her, boots clinking, Hannah sobbing. After what seemed like hours of painful jerking, they finally came to a tall elevator,circular and very advanced looking. The door opened for them, and one man gave Hannah a hard push inside, quickly follwing and once again taking hold of her arm. The other man touched part of the wall, and it turned, revealing a set of buttons. He tapped a few, and the doors closed. He resumed his spot guarding Hannah. Hannah tried one more time to struggle as she watched the elevator doors slide shut, hoping beyond hope that maybe they would let go. They didn't.

The elevator rose at such a fast pace that Hannah was barely able to remain on her feet. It was as if the elevator was malfunctioning, that the breaks had failed. Hannah feared that she might be squashed, and didn't want to know what it felt like going down. She'd surely be thrown up to the ceiling, then come crashing down.

The doors of the elevator were made of a type of crystal glass. It was a pretty transparent, and what Hannah saw through it amazed her. Levels upon levels of working people went about, examining expreiments and taking notes. There were giant tubes of green liquid, and inside some of them floated mechanical heads with flowing brown hair. It was eerie, the way they floated there with their eyes closed. It was as if they could pop alive at any moment. Others were horrible, having to do with disection and some of the worst things you could think of, some being self-mutilation.

She did not have time to fully comprehend what went on outside before the elevator came to a surprisingly smooth stop, facing yet another hall. Gravity resumed itself, and Hannah was soon being pulled once again down the narrow metal hallway, gritting her teeth against the hard grip with which she was encaged. They turned through a door halfway through, and Hannah was immediately surrounded by a large crowd of the people. They eyed her with the same mysterious glance, wide-eyed and curious. Some of them were dressed in the typical white coats of scientists. Others were clothed in the same body suits as her guards. All of them vore visors over their eyes.

She was taken to another hall, but this one was down a slope, and considerably dimmer in lighting. There, in the very back, stood a cell. o the right of it stood a door bearing the words "Dismantlement" in gold. It was her destination. One man raised a leg and kickeh Hannah hard into the cell door. He gestured toward it, not saying a word, and let Hannah free from her kick. Her back hurt where the hard boot had hit her, and it felt sore and hot. She thought she felt a trickle of liquid.

She entered the cell, and it closed. Immediately all lights turned off, and she was in pitch black darkness. Hannah kneeled down in pain, clutching her arms and rubbing her back. She had bruises, large ones, and she was indeed bleeding where she had been kicked. With the doorclosed, and no light to see with, and no way of communicating to anyone, Hannah felt miserably alone. She huddles against the wall, and cried herself to sleep, wondering when they would let her out into the dismantlement chamber.


Lauren woke up from her nap, awake and ready to see what she could do for her daughter. She had dreamed about taking her to Disneyland, giving her cotton candy, making sure she was as happy as she could be. She had bought her a bracelet for rides, and a cap visor to keep her head from burning in the sun. She had gone for the biggest coaster imaginable, and come off with a huge grin on her face, hair wild, cheeks flushed with pleasure. And that dream had given her that idea. Before they moved, they shoudld just have some vacation time, Lauren and Hannah, both of them together with no worries and only the entertainment to keep them company.

Lauren rushed to Hannah's room, brimming with excitement. She opened the door. "Hannah, guess what? I--"

Hannah was gone. Where she should have been sleeping was a wrinkled spot on her bed, still warm. Her bedspread was thrown off. The window hadn't been opened, and Lauren would have known if she had walked out the front door. Wouldn't she?

"Hannah?" She asked the emptiness again. She went into the bathroom. Empty. "Hannah?" She asked again, more frantically. She checked the living room and kitchen. She was nowhere to be found. Lauren checked her daughter's purse. It was still lying on the dining table, untouched. She would have never lwft without that purse, Lauren thought. She became worried.

Lauren ran to the phone and called Heather, the mother of Hannah's friend. "Hello? Heather?" She asked once she had hold of her on the other line.

"Yes? Who is this? Lauren? Good gracious, honey, what is the matter?" The urgency in Lauren's voice had caused Heather to drop what she had been doing, dishes, and turn her full attention to the phone. "Tell me."

"Heather, is Hannah with you right now? Did she come to your house? Have you seen her?"

"Whoa, Lauren, calm down there. Hannah is not here, no." She got a look of concern across her face, furrowing her brows. 'Is she not there with you? I haven't seen or heard of her since yesterday. Is she all right?"

"I have no idea," Lauren whimpered, "She isn't home. Her purse is still here, along with her keys. I have no idea where she is."

"Hold on," Heather soothingly said, "I'll ask Kelly."

Lauren bit her lip. She was in no mood to wait. All she wanted was to know that her precious baby was safe somewhere, not in the clutches of some psychotic pedophile. She wouldn't even let herself think of such a thing. Hannah was a smart girl. She could take care of herself. Yet here was her purse, her keys, her everything. She didn't even have a cell phone. Lauren cursed herself for never buying her daughter a cell phone. She might have needed it in a crisis like this, but it was too late now.

When Heather's breath could be heard back on the other line, Lauren immedeiately was fuul of questions once again. "What did she say? Has she seen her? Does she know where Hannah might be?"

"Lauren..." She stopped, never a good sign, "She said she had no idea where Hannah was, and that she couldn't help you. She hasn't talked to her since school earlier today. I'm sorry."

Lauren was on the verge of tears. Oh no, she thought, my baby is gone, and I have no way of finding her. Lauren started to cry. She cried for what might be happening to her daughter. She cried for all the trouble she had cause her, what with the move and the sudden change of plans for them. She cried because she loved her daughter so much, and she couldn't be there to hold her in her arms.

"Thank you for your help, Heather," She sobbed, "I appreciate it." And with that, she hung up the reciever. She slumped on the coush and stared blankly at the television. What had just happened? She cleared her mind, then her throat. She picked up the reciever once more. She dialed tha dreaded three numbers, the three numbers every parent feared over anything. She took a deep breath when the other line came up, with a strong man answering.

"Hello?"


Hannah awoke to the door sliding open for her. A woman proceeded to enter the room, clothed in a red body suit with silver shimmers. She had beautiful long curly brown hair, and strong blue eyes. "Up." She ordered, and pulled Hannah up as she struggled to her feet, worn out and tired with herself. She followed the woman wordlessly to the dismantlment chamber, and stepped inside.

Inside the chamber there was a single chair. There was so many lights that it blinded Hannah momentarily as she walked in, being used to the dark for so many hours. The woman pointed to the chair and said another simple command. "Sit," and Hannah sat. She was immediately constricted to the chair, hands bound to the arms, legs bound to the bottoms. Hannah was so out of it that she barely noticed two masked men in white jackets come out behind her and tilt the chair so she was now laying down. They had some sort of instrumental tool in their hand, close to a pair of scizzors. Hannah knew what they might do to her, but she no longer cared. She had accepted her fate back in the cell. She wa done for. they would rip her to shreds. She closed her eyes, and waited for the procedure to begin.

3,040 words.

Plus 14,982 = 18,022 words in total.

11,978 words to go. (I think)

The Purlieus watched from a far up cloud, looking over the tower. "She isn't doing so well," he observed, "Oh dear."

He watched as Hannah was wheeled under a machine type object, and it lowered over her head. Her eyes closed, and she fell unconcious.

"I feel that it is time for me to intervene," Purlieus sighed, "But I cannot interrupt a person's search for their soul. I wonder..." Purlieus glanced to the side, near the top of the lower tower. On top sat a gorgeous fountain, filled with clear water. In it sat an irregular lump, water filled. The lump formed into a girl with long flowing hair. She wore a long white dress. She stared miserably at the night sky, eyes blank, face expressionless.

The Purlieus drifted off his cloud onto the platform of the fountain. He sat down next to the water girl, and smiled at her.

"So, how are we today, Irina?" He asked, sweetly. He watched her rather like a father would his daughter, with love, and full attention. The water spirit, Irina, slowly turned her head to look at him mouth dropping, eyes still blank. "Can we not answer, love?" He asked her. She simply shifted her eyes onto his, and her head went down. "Ah, I see." He put his hand on his chin. "I might be able to help with that, love. But you have to promise not to wate it like you did last time."

She looked straight up at him, eyes aglow. Her mouth closed, and she seemed to become a bit more solidified. She was hopeful.

"Yes, I know my dear. You will have your voice back. But remember, use your mind this time. So not let yourself become overwhelmed with the depression of this curse. It can be broken, as long as you find your equal." He moved close to her and put his hands on her shoulders, laying them gently against the liquid skin. He did not let his hands slip and fall within her body. He was steady. "Are you ready?"

She did something she hadn't sone in many years. She smiled. And she smiled for a good while. Purlieus smiled back, and he hugged her, another thing that hadn't been done to her in a great many years. And his spirit merged with hers. They became one. Irina looked around. She saw air, sky, felt cold. And she laughed. She laughed harder than she had ever laughed before. She cried. She weeped openly.

"It's time to find her." She told herself, and she evaporated into the air, drifting to the neighboring tower where Hannah was being held, ready to fight.


Hannah opened her eyes. Had a voice just spoken to her? She had heard something, wether it was in her mind or not. She looked up. Above her was the two doctor people. She screamed at them, effectively startling them out of their conversation. Yes, you can do it! A voice screamed in her mind, Scream at them. Make them believe that you're hurting. They won't know what to think. Cyborgs do not feel pain!

And with that, Hannah screamed until her throat felt as if it was spilitting in half, until she knew she would no longer have a voice afterward. She screamed as if she was being chopped into peices, bloody murder, and the people, no, the cyborgs covered their ears. Their concentration was cut off. The connection between their orders and the orders that bound Hannah to the chair, snapped. She was free.

Hannah continued to scream as she ran. The cyborgs had partially recovered, and were bounding after her. Hannah never stopped screaming. She ran and ran, down the halls, across the huge room, past the expressionless sxperimenting cyborgs, down a staircase. And all the while, they ran after her. Their eyes flashed reddish orange in fury.

Keep running, Han! Run to the sound of my voice! Don't stop! You were meant to escape!

Hannah ran towards a wall, to where the voice had carried her. She stopped to look, breathing hard. The metal looked hollow. She kicked and pounded it, making small dents where her fists had collided. She looked to her left. Another wall. She looked to her right. A strange looking device hung from the ceiling. She grabbed it, and pulled. The wall rose. She pulled harder. The wall rose higher. She pulled with all her strength, and the wall flipped for a second, but it was long enough for her to crawl under and the wall to flip back around, throwing off the cyborgs and them running down the opposite staircase.

Hannah ran down that hidden hall, out of breath and barely breathing, until she reached a door. She opened it. There, in front of her, was a largely narrow walkway leading to the lower tower. She could see a fountian of water across. It looked so inviting. It was if it knew that she hadn't had water in hours. She tiptoed across, the walkway being so narrow she could easily fall off, and made her way across.

A wind blew her hair around, but it was quite humid. She heard the voice again. I will not let you fall off. Keep going. Feel free to drink out of the fountain.

Hannah fell to her knees. She submerged her head completely under the water. It felt cool, clear, delicious. Ans she drank. She drank until she couldn't breathe. Then she lifted her head, took a breath, and drank some more. When she had finally had her fill, she wrung out her hair and placed it behind her, enjoying the feeling of being wet.

I'll bet that was refreshing. Let me introduce myself.

The voice, or rather, the wind, formed itself into a girl. She brushed her glowing hair aside, and strode into the fountsin. She immediately turned into water, her body becoming crystalline and pure. She smiled a bright smile at Hannah. "My name is Irina. Lovely to meet you. I think we'll find much in common.”

“We will?” Hannah replied, confused. She was captivated by the girl’s beauty. She had a look of age to her, yet her skin was as smooth as a child’s. Although, it was hard to tell, considering that she was entirely composed of liquid. “My name’s Hannah. Nice to meet you too.” She nervously braided her hair, looking behind her to ensure that the guards were not catching up to her.

“No need to fear, Hannah. I already have knowledge of youe name, and how you came to be here. The cyborg, grotesque things they are, will not find you here. You are under my protection.”

1,100 words.

Plus 18,022 = 19,122 words in total.

10,878 words to go.

Hannah looked around. "Ok, what?" She asked, confused. "How in the heck did you turn into water? What, are you my new guardian or something?" She shook the wet part of her shirt and sat on the ground, breathing deeply to catch her breath. "I'm exhausted," She murmured.

Irina sat near the edge of her fountain, elbows leaning on the sides. Water trickled from where she was, but she didn't seem to notice. She was watching Hannah quite intently. The air around her was quite humid, and it created a sort of misty effect between the dry air and herself. She looked like she was glowing.

"My story, if you so wish me to tell it, might be confusing to you who isn't used to the unnatural," she sighed, "And yes, I guess you could say I am a guardian of sorts. Given the right time, you might begin to see some similarities in me with people that you've met in the past. I have ben waiting for you."

Irina threw some sweet cool air toward Hannah, and it closed her eyes. "Rest, sweetie. I will explain everything to you as you drift. You will need your strength to win against these creatures. Now listen."

Hannah slept. She slept as if she was back home in her comfy bed. She dreamed of a misty park, and on a bench sat a girl with brown hair, styled to a slight flip and layered. She had those blue eyes that Irina had. They actually looked quite the same. The scene looked to be somwhere in the olden times, back when there were castles and such, but people had become civilized but ladies hadn't yet diecovered pants. It was serene, without the hustle and bustle of everyday life. All the same, the autumn trees were a perfect addition.

A woman sat next to the girl, and she looked up and smiled. She offered one of the cookies she was eating, but the woman refused. They chatted pleasantly for a moment, both at ease. Then the woman turned her face in the diraction of Hannah. She smiled. It was Mrs. Lainey. Her smile gave her away.

She mouthed something in her direction, but it was hard to decipher. In this dream, Lainey looked younger, sweeter, and very differnt at the same time. She still had the same smile, but her face was different. It was...brighter.

Lainey removed a chain from her neck and handed it to the girl who looked like Irina. She accepted it, eyes bright with excitement. She questioned what it was. It was a necklace, and a bright silver jewel rested in the center, surrounded with violet fluids and ribbons. It lit up the face of the beholder, and the Irina girl stood, thanked Lainey, and skipped off toward home.

The scene shifted, and next it showed the Irina girl entering a gorgeous Victorian house, filled with portraits and chandeliers lining the ceiling. She ran up the winding staricase and into her room. There she cleaned the necklace with a silk cloth from her bedside table, and lowered it over her head. She looked at herself in the mirror and twirled, her dress spinning.

She was satisfied. She nodded her approval and trotted back downstairs to show her mama and papa at dinner, taking her seat at the long table in the massive dining room. Her parents, richly clothed and happy with themselves, thanked the men who came to wait on them, bringing out platters of steak, soups, and bread for the family.

The Irina girl squealed happily, and held up her new necklace. The mother gasped, admiring the detail of the pendant. The father looked shocked, and asked where his daughter had gotten such a treasure. She answered, saying that a nice lady had given it to her.

Both parents looked at each other. The mother got up out of her seat and went to her daughter, gently lifting the necklace and taking if from her.

"Dear," she explained, "I do not think you should trust this woman. If you do not know her and she is giving you gifts, then I do not think it is a good idea if you come in contact with her again."

The Irina girl pounded the table in protest, reaching for the necklace back. The mother handed it to one of the servants, directing him to place it in her room for safe keeping. She then resumed her seat and they ate, silently.

The scene shifted again, and this time the Irina girl was sneaking out of her bed. it was late at night, perhaps two or three in the morning. She quietly opened the door to her parents' bedroom and grabbed back her pendant, placing it once again around her neck. She hopped quickly back to her bed and snuggled with her gift, dreaming a sweet dream.

And within a few hours, the winds began to howl. Clouds formed over their house. Cold air mixed with hot air, and a funnel cloud formed. It grew quiet, too quiet, and the family slept on. Suddenly, the tornado hit, and the girl woke up with a scare, her pendant glowing. She was being pulled toward the storm by some unknown force. Her parents ruched into the room and grabbed their daughter, struggling against the puul. They sobbed, reached, but they could not get to her in time. Their little girl was sucked up, never to be seen again.

In the next moment, the little girl was lying on her back, on top of a tower. She got up and clutched her head. Her pendant had flown off in the storm, and now her head ached. She stumbled up, in search for something to drink. She spotted a fountain, the fountain, and sipped a bit of its cool water.She washed her face with it, unable to stay away from the glory of it's purity. She climbed in and soaked, enjoying the fresh sensation.

All at once, the fountain engulfed her. She could not escape it. She soon fell unconsious, unable to breathe. And her body went limp.

Hannah awoke. She was shivering, once again. She rubbed her arms. Irina was swimming around joyfully before she noticed that Hannah wad woken. She jumped up, splashing Hannah a bit. Hannah brushed the water away, annoyed.

"That was a weird dream," Hannah commented, "It ended up with the girl dying. Actually, she looked a lot like y--."

Hannah watched as Irina looked down, tears pouring down her face. Hannah wondered how water could cry, but down the tears fell. She wiped them away.

"That was my story, how I came to live here in this fountain," she whispered, "I was entranced by the fountain's curse, and I became the host in which the water flows. I am the source of power for this whole community, and if I try to escape, I die." She sighed, hiccupping, "I have only recently acquired the power of evaporation, but I can only do so for small periods of time. I am cursed, Hannah. That is why you are here."

"..Are you serious?" Hannah asked, worried, "I dreamed your death? Whoa!" Hannah's heart raced. "..You really died hard, didn't you? Suffocation is really brutal...I'm sorry."

Irina smiled, despite her obvious dismay. "It is all right, sweetie. You can break my curse. Then I will be free, and you will have your ticket home."

Hannah rubbed her eyes. This was way too dramatic for her. "I'm about ready to believe anything at this point, so, sure, I guess I can break your curse. Especially if it gets me home." Warm thoughts enveloped Hannah's mind. She remembered her mother, her room, her school, her friends. She missed it all terribly. She then realized--she loved her life. She would never trade anything else for it. She would rather come home to her dingy apartment that she adored than some mansion in the Bahamas. She was desperate.

"I'll do anything," She stated, "I'll break your curse, and we'll both go home. Just tell me what I have to do."

The Voice roared in frustration. "You let her get away?" He bellowed, furious. "She is my machine! How could she have gotten away? Where did she attain such brain measures?"

His servants, the highest ranking cyborgs, clothed in red, bowed.

"Our deepest apologies, sir." A woman said, meaning it. "She was able to find our weakness, somehow. I believe the fountain had something to do with it. The air felt wet, and it slowed our functions."

"Impossible!" the Voice retorted, "The fountain girl has been inactive for centuries! She hasn't even said a word since she was cursed! How could she have helped her?"

"I do not know," the woman replied, "But it is so. I have not felt anything of the sort since the last time she invaded, five hundred years ago. She has returned, more advanced than before."

The Voice sreeched, punching the wall he stood next to. A large crach was sent flying to the other end of the room, and a ruble rippled through the floor. The cyborgs said nothing, but endured it silently. "Get out of my sight, failures!" the Voice spat. He sat in his desk, massaging his temples. "Be warned, girl. I will catch you, and rid my home of your filth. Beware of me, the Rage!"

1,537 words.

Plus 19,122 = 20,659 words in total.

9,341 words to go.

"I can't find my daughter anywhere." Lauren whimpered into the reciever. "I think she's missing. "

"So, your daughter may be missing? Wait a few seconds while I direct you to the proper person for this situation." The man clicked off.

"Damn, they put me on hold!" Lauren muttered. She paced around the room, unable to stay in one spot. She waited and waited, watching the wall clock, anxious. It took a good en minutes before a woman answered once again.

"Ma'am, we will need you to give us your name, and the name of your daughter, as well as the time she went missing." The woman was brisk, probably used to handling cases such as these. Lauren didn't want to put up with that.

"What took you so long? Were you getting coffee while my daughter might have been kidnapped? Don't you people care?" Lauren burst out. "Her name is Hannah, and she is my baby! She went missing only a few hours ago, but all of her things are still here! She wouldn't leave without them!"

"Hold on ma'am." And the phone went silent again.

How dare they! Thought Lauren. They put me on hold twice! Its was bad enough one time, but twice? She taped her foot impatiently. "This is ridiculous," she scolded. She was about to slam down the reciever when the woman came back on.

"I apologize for that, ma'am. We had another phone call. false alarm."

Oh, and that's more important than my daughter? Lauren thought angrily. "That's all right." She managed to say.

She had to answer to a series of wuaetions, such as their names, home adress, Hannah's social security number, telephone number, and the sort. It became too lengthy for Lauren to handle, and oin the end, they said they couldn't file a missing person's report until that person had been missing for at least twenty-four hours. lauren was outraged.

"I'll find her myself, then!" She roared, and she dropped the phone, racing down to her car to look for her daughter.

She drove around to the park, and looked there for a minute. It was dead silent. She searched the perimeter of the apratment buildings. Everyone was inside for the day. Night had fallen, and so it was mostly dark. Lauren drove to the nearby shopping center where Hannah usually got off of her bus. She wasn't there.

She drove and drove for hours, and eventually she gave up. She was too exhausted. She collapsed on her bed, sobbing into her pillow.

"God, please protect my baby," She whispered, and cried herself to sleep.


Hannah had a mission. It was to march her way back into that factory and claim her ticket home. She had to break the curse the Rage had put on the fountain, the curse that had trapped Irina's soul. That was why Hannah had felt so empty in the past. Part of her soul had been trapped. It was her job to free it, to discover her other half, to become one again. Her mission was to free herself, and to accept herself.

Before she had bravely walked back toward the building, however, Irina had given her a gift. She had bestowed upon her the ability to withstand temptation, and to overcome the barriers the cybprgs might throw at her. How she wouls use thus, Hannah didn't know. She didn't think she could use such a thing. Irina had simply touched her shoulder with her hand, and Hannah had felt energized since. Then they had smiled at one another, each half of themselves, before departing.

Hannah pushed the wall back, and it flopped over, revealing the staircase she had fled down earlier. She now climbed confidently back up, no guards in sight. She reached the top, and walked down the hall back to the elevator. She was surprised that there were no cyborgs around to fight her; actually, the entire place was ampty. How strange.

She pressed against the elevator, and it opened for her. She stepped in, and tapped the spot where the hidden buttons were. She typed in the very top floor, where the Rage waited for her.

She held on to anything she could while the elevator rose. She was lifted off her feet almost, but the elevator slowed to its smooth stop. She exited. In front of her was a long hall, embroidered with golden patterns and tapestries on the walls. Instead of metal tile, there was royal red carpet. It looked like something out of a castle, and Hannah realized: it was the hall from Irina's house. The hall from her dream.

She walked down nervously. No cyborgs to hinder her. Nothing stopping her. No barriers to speak of. It was all too easy. Had he expected this? Was she walking into a trap. Did it matter. No, Hannah decided, it didn't matter. She had come this far, and she wasn't turning back.

She slammed the large wooden door open, and stood there, a smile curling her lip.

"I'm here!" She announced, and a chair turned to face her, the face of the Rage held her eyes.

"Mrs...Lainey?" Hannah choked. How could that be? Lainey wasn't a man! She had a womanly voice! And anyway, she couldn't be the Rage. She just couldn't! "How...what..." She couldn't form the words.

Lainey laughed, that shrill, ear piercing laugh. Then she spoke in the voice. The voice of the Rage. "It is I, Hannah. I am the Rage. Surprised?"

Hannah wasn't just surprised. She was confused. "...Why? Why did you bring me here?" She stuttered, "You caused all of this? You gave me the orb! You brought me to to this forsaken place! You caused me this pain!"

"That's right." Lainey replied, ghostlike. "I am the cause of all your pain and suffering. But You came here to defeat me, did you not?" She, or he, it was hard to tell, smiled. "I would like to see what you have against me, Hannah. If you truly want to go home, then you have the power to do so. Do you accept my challenge?"

Hannah waited, asking only one question. "...Why did you call me a robot, if you knew that I was human? And where did you get these cyborgs from? Can you explain it to me?"

Lainey laughed again, and leaned forward on her desk. "I only made you believe that I was a different person by my actions. It was part of the deception. And the cyborgs are spitits, you could call them. They are reincarnations of lives that once were. I am borrowing them from the afterlife. Once their purpose has passed, they will return at peace."

"You borrowed them?" Asked Hannah, "Isn't that a little bit wrong, though? I mean, they were at rest. You disturbed them. That's..wrong."

"Not really," Lainey said, finger going to her mouth in thought. "I have the power to do so. I might as well use it."

"What happened to you?" Hannah screamed, "You were so much better before this! Now, all of a sudden you're...evil. What the heck?"

"Hannah, figure it out!" Lainey returned, "I mean to be this way for you! This si your challenge!"

And with that, Lainey rose, glowing the purple that Hannah was familiar with. She rose above her desk,. hair flowing behind her, robe shifting around. It was as if there was a strong gust blowing her around, but no. Hannah felt it soon enough. Her hair began to whip around her hair. It became hard to keep her eyes open. She raised her hands to cover her face. Nothing, it didn't help. Hannah was pushed to the ground with the force of the wind. It howled in her ears, making them ache. And she could not get up. She only managed to look up at Lainey, who was grinning madly.

"See if you can defeat the wind of decision, girl! See if you can rise within all your troubles, face your fears, accept that you are merely human!"

Hannah tried to rise. Her head was filled with thoughts of her mother, her father, leaving the family, her apartment, never as good as her freinds', her fish, probably dead in his bowl. She thought of death, and how inevitable it was. She could only think of the negative times in her life, and it made it ever harder for her to try and think of the positive.

Han, remember. You are not just fighting for you here. You are fighting for me. My spirit is at risk as well. I am your other half. I am your ticket home. Fight!

The voice rang loud and true in Hannah's head, and she thought of the time when she went to the town carnival. She had been able to ride her fist coaster. She had puked. Hannah laughed. These were the good times of her life. this is what she wanted to return to. In New York, these times could return. She needed this. And with that, she fought.

She struggled to her feet, and the wind puched down harder. She didn't let it overpower her. She kept on rising, no matter how hard it was or how much it hurt.

"Lainey!" She screamed, "I accept your challenge! I am a much bigger person than you'll ever be! And I won't let you disrupt any more lives anymore!"

She began to walk forward, toward Lainey. She brought up all the anger, all the resentment, all the passsion, and finally, all the love she felt for everything, and she threw it at her. It came out of her in the shape of energy, and was sent hurtling. It hit Lainey square in the chest, and she let out a screech. She had done it. She had won.

Irina felt the tingle in her spine she had felt the day she was encased. She felt rejuvenated. Her body rose up, and she looked down to see all the water dripping away, back into the fountain. Her skin returned to its normal glow. Her eyes resumed their green color. Her hair became the flowing brown that it always was. She was back.

The fountain, in turn, began to bubble and creak. Irina spat at it.

"Cursed thing," She muttered, and kicked it with all her might. It shone, bright with the flame of defeat, and shattered, the shards of stone flying in each direction. Each shard then started back to the cyborge, returning to their owners.

The cyborgs came to life. they were no longer beings of slavery. They were now living souls, with hearts and minds, and they drifted back to their home, back to rest in slumber.

Hannah awoke. Where was she? She was in a dream? Or was she in reality? She couldn't tell. All she saw around her was the light pink, soft glowing cloude. She floated in the middle of it all, and sniffed the wonderful scent that she loved. She was back in the place of coming.

"I am very proud of you, Hannah." A voice spoke in her ear. It tickled, and Hannah laughed.

Hannah felt whole now, as if she had found the missing piece of her puzzle. Her body felt different, stronger, more beutiful. She wasn't afraid of herself any longer. She knew that it was okay to be her. And she knew that it was okay that some people didn't like that. She didn't have to like them either.

The Purlieus appeared by her side, beaming from ear to ear at her. he placed a big kiss on her cheek, and held her face in his hands.

"Little lovey, you have accomplished exactly what I had hoped. You have discovered yourself. You have accepted everything about you. I know now that you are ready to move on. nothing can hinder you. And because of that, I want you to have this."

He took the necklace from around his neck and gently placed it around Hannah's. It was made enitirely of gemstones, but a sort of gemstone you wouldn't imagine. It was..mystical, almost unreal the way they glowed. It was warm against Hannah's skin, and she sighed happily.

"Thank you." She whispered, and she drifted back to her bed.


Lauren sat in a chair in the police station, barely able to sustain herself. She had called enough times to almost get her arrested, but instead they had decided to comply with her wishes and send a search team out for Hannah. And for three hourse Lauren had waited, nervous, jumpy, irratable, and just plain exhausted.

from the moment dhe had woken up that morning, she had jumped out of bed, clothes still on from yesterday, and looked around town all day. She had been on the phone for hours afterward, unable to fall asleep of even close her eyes without worrying. She simply sat and stared at the floor, hands clenched, praying.

One of the guards came to sit next to her, and he put his hand on her back, rubbing it sympathetically. She turned to look at him, ready to say something harsh, but instead met his eyes. Hers filled with tears. She leaned close to him and sobbed harder than she had ever sobbed.

Just then, the phone rang.

"Momma?" Hannah'a voice was like an angel's. Laured reached the phone before anyone could move, and she was babbling into it faster than most people could follow.

"Hannah, baby! Where were you? Are you okay? My baby girl, I'm so glad you're all right!"

"Momma," Hannah whimpered, and together they cried into the phone, letting everything go. "Momma, I'm so sorry for everything. I want to move, I really do. I'm fine. I'm at home now. I...went to find out something. I found it all right, and now I'm ready to see you again. I want you, mommy!"

"Oh baby!" Lauren wailed, "I want you too! I'll be right home, don't panic. I'm on my way now!"

Lauren gathered her coat, said a wuick goodbye to the policemen, and raced with her car back to her apartment, stumbling across the sidewalk and into the house, right into her daughter's arms.

"Momma," Hannah whispered.

"No no, shh." Lauren whispered back. She cradled Hannah in her arms, rocking her from side to side. they sat together on the couch, getting as much from each other as they could. They didn't let go.

"Momma," Hannah continued, "I was so mean to you before. I'm sorry. I was confused is all. I'm not anymore. I love you, so much!"

"I love you too, baby. I love you more than life itself." Lauren replied, squeezing her daughter tighter.

That night they curled up in their beds, Hannah more than grateful to get a good night's rest, Lauren sleeping better than she had in years. The next day, they went out for breakfast, stopping to eat out at the faciest restaurant they could find, and Hannah scarfed down as much food as her stomach could hold. She hadn't realized how hungry she had gotten.

They talked for a good while, and they agreed that the move was indeed a good thing. Hannah areed that she would be better to her mother, and listen to them more often. Lauren agreed to listen to her daughter more as well, and to not be so oblivious to what was going on around her. They got home that day, and they starte to pack, blasting the radio and singing their lungs out, off key and everything.

2,531 words.

Plus 20,659 = 23,190 words in total.

6,810 words to go.

Hannah's following days at school were eventful. Her entire attitude toward the world had changed, and her classmates began to find her much more attractive. She improved in her behavior towards her freinds. Her grades instantly shot upward. She had never been more confident. Her world was right where it needed to be. And so it came time to reuinte with Lainey.

Hannah was nervous at what she might find. Was Lainey dead? Had she killed her? Did she even have a teacher anymore? She pushed the questions out of her mind, took a deep breath, and strode into the portable, smiling brightly.

Lainey stood up and walked over to Hannah, a large grin covering her face. She looked the same as she had looked before, with that ageless look and her outstanding makeup. They embraced, the rest of the class looking at them with confused looks. Hannah cought a glimps of the bewildered three, having become freinds, giving the same judgemental expressiona as normal, but Hannah simply waved to them over Lainey's shoulder, smiling. They smiled back, overcome with Hannah's winning love.

"Welcome back, Hannah," Lainey whispered in her ear, and she walked her to her seat.

They wrote furiously all that day, Hannah hving no trouble at all with her creative juices. They were instructd to write about the most influencial even they had ever had happen to them, in great detail, remembering as much as you could concerning it. Hannah had a good six pages done before the end of the period, writing passionately about her story and how she grew as a person, and she handed them in, Lainey nodding with approval as she read. She marked it with a stamp, signifying that it was ready to be turned into a filna draft, typed and perfected, but the story was as good as it could get.

On her way home she was happy. The sun was bright, with just the right amount of clouds in the sky, giving the creative variety she loved. She looked out the bus window, barely noticing the dirt and grime, and stared at the puffy clouds. She could have sworn she say Irina's face looking down at her. All the while, Hannah stroked her necklace, the glowing shell pearls that people marveled at. Hannah hadn't removed the jewelery since she had recieved it. She never got tired of talking about it to those who asked about it. Her mother had questioned it, but Hannah's excuse at that time was a boyfriend. She giggled at the thought ot it, the more she thought about it.

"Hannah, you want to go out for ice cream?" Her mother asked her when she got home, her hair freshly blowdried and folding laundry. Darks. Hannah noticed a few new clothing items in the pile as well. "My treat. Let's go out and do something! See a movie? It'll be fun."

"Mom, that sounds great." Hannah smiled, and she rushed to her room, putting her book bag down and changing her clothes. She brushed her hair and her teeth, and they both walked to the car and chatted about girly things, such as past relationships and heartbreak as they drove to Ben and Jerry's.

They licked their ice creams happily, flirting a bit with the young man who had served them. He had such a nice smile. Lauren elbowed her daughter after he left back to his job, and they laughed. Hannah blushed, enjoying the view. Too bad, he was too old for her anyway.

They ended up seeing the newest movie to come out, and they bought a whole purseful of candy with sodas. They drakn up everything and empied the purse by the end. They commented the whole movie through, just like old freinds, sighing at the good looking male actors and scowling at the female actors who got to kiss them. They sat forward at the action scenes, and even waited out the credits after the movie had finished, noting the new actors and actresses and watching to see the director's name.

Later that night, once they were nice and settled back home, most of their boxes packed and only simple things left over, such as their beds and the television, Lauren watched "The View" while Hannah read a book. She closed it, happy and still in the magical place that books take you to.

"Purlieus," Hannah whispered, holding her necklace and cuddling into her pillow in her bunny pajamas. "How are you?"

He materialized near the roof, his jewelery clinking and his bright smile lighting up the room. Hannah wondered if her mother noticed the irregular blotches of light emerging from her bedroom door as he decended, and snorting at the thought of how she would react to a ghostly figure in their house, especially one as close to her age and good looking as he was.

"I'm wonderful, love, thank you." He replied, drifting to a stop on top of her bedside table, sitting cross-legged. "How are you, now that you are whole?"

"I'm great.," Hannah replied, giggling, "Me and my mom have really gotten close. I'm actually really excited about the move. It's in two weeks now." Hannah sat up, leaning her elbows on her pillow, facing her guardian. "Purlieus, are you like a guardian angel or something?"

Purlieus laughed, a gentle chuckle. "I supppose you could say that. After all, I was sent to you by the great Master of all that is living. Maybe he is who you call God. You children have so many diffferent names for him now."

"I call him God." Hannah blinked. "I never really thought about believing in him before, though. I mean, I'm not all that religious, and I don't go to church at all. Is that bad?"

"Not necessarily, love. He forgives all of his children, wether or not they go to church or if they don't believe in him. It is when you try to take his place, when you try to control who is born and who dies, then that is when he will be unhappy."

"He sounds...mighty," Hannah commented, "But I won't get to meet him, will I?"

"No, not unless he chooses to have you meet him. It is not your time. Now, love, it is time for you to rest. It is the weekend tomorrow. You will have plenty of time to ponder about such things. Goodnight."

He kissed her on the cheek, and disappeared into the air. Hannah sighed, and fell deep asleep, dreaming of happy things, and her guardian keeping her safe.

When Hannah returned to school a week later, a day before she would be leaving the place for good to continue packing, her friends came and presented her with gifts during lunch to remember them by when her time came to leave. Hannah cried, as did they. She realized then that they never had pitied her. They had truly loved her as their freind, and had wanted to know her, the true her. Hannah sadly remembered how she had put them off, grumpily snapping at them while they had patiently tried to make her feel her best. She regretted not realizing what had been right in front of her face: true freindship.

They all embraced and cried together, eventually forming a chain and singing in their broken voices songs that reminded them of home. They all sang the lyrics with passion, meaning every word. They sang loudly, so that even some other kids who preferred quiet yelled at them to shut up. They couldn't help but giggle.

She bid farewell to everyone that day, including Lainey. But theirs was a silent and understood goodbye, as if it wasn't really a goodbye at all. They would see each other again, and they both knew it. Someday, maybe when their lives had changed for the better, when Hannah became a woman and maybe even got married and had children, they would meet again. And then Hannah could pass on the knowledge that Lainey had taught her, even if it was taught in the most adventurous and dangerous way possible.

They had everything packed, three days later. They had dinner with the new family that would be purchasing their apartment once they left, explaining to them what to expect from the landlord and how to handle the neighbors. Hannah specifically told them about the senile old woman that she adored, and how she always made Hannah smile with her crazy intuition that they were being bombed by the Japenese. That woman was fierce, and even though she wasn't fully with it anymore, she had sparked creativity inside of Hannah. She would miss her.

The new apartment dwellers were a yound couple, freshly married, and it was all they could afford. But it was okay. They would make it, just as Hannah and Lauren had. Hannah could see how much they cared for each other. they would risk anything for their spouse. A true companionship. Lauren couldn't help but comment on it. They loved hearing it, and they said warm goodbyes to each other when they all left for home. Hannah knew that their dingy old arpartment would be in good hands.

They moved two days later, stressing the drive to arrive on the airport on time and reaching the correct gate. Their bags of things to do while in flight were searched, as was necessary, and they were free to roam. Hannah had never flown before, and she was excited as all get out. She could barely sit still in her seat once she nad her mother were done exploring the airport and they had boarded.

Soon, once everyone was settled, it came time to take off. The captain spoke into his loudspeaker, and the 'seatbelts on' sign flashed. It was ready. Thge engine had been double checked, the wheels were great, the breaks, everything. It would be a smooth flight, perfect weather and hardly any delay.

Hannah asked how long they would be on the plane, for the fourth time or so. She felt like a small child, constantly asking "Are we there yet?", as excited as could be. Her mother only laughed, her excitement becoming more and more apparent with every given moment, and reminded her. 5 hours. Not to bad, but long enough to get in a nice nap.

The plane began to roll, faster and faster it went. Hannah leaned forward as much as she could, feeling the sensation similar to the butterfly in the pit of your stomache when you were about to drop on a roller coaster. It went faster, ever faster, and fianlly, the plane rose. Hannah was in a diagonal position, and it thrilled her. Once they were in the air, it felt as if they were still on the ground. It was normal, but Hannah was nowhere near disappointed.

They chatted with the kind old women behind them, business women who were looking for opportunities like Hannah's mother. They enjoyed a well worded conversation, and even Hannah enjoyed herself. They commented on how beautiful hannah was, and how she remeinded them of their own grandchildren. They showed off the baby pictures. Hannah and Lauren simply sighed. They were indeed beautiful babies.

About two hours in flight, a woman came through with a tray of sandwhiches and other goodies that you could eat, and of course, the traditional plane cashews. Hannah hugrily ate her sandwhich. It tasted surprisingly fresh, deli-delicious and oh so yummy with the cheese and ham and lettuce and tomatoes. Perfect for her tummy.

Lauren fell asleep. A baby in a seat near the front started to cry, probably from the many altitude changes. Passengers got up and down to use the restrooms. And then it all came. The plane was covered in white puffy smoke. They had flown in the middle of a cloud.

It was magnificent. Hannah could only imagine before now what the inside of a cloud looked like. The windows got foggy and damp. Although all you could see was the white, Hannah was as overjoyed as ever. All these new experiences had put her in the best mood of the year. She knew then, she was positive, that she would love New York.

2,012 words.

Plus 23,190 = 25,202 words in total.

4,798 words to go.

They landed about an hour later, Hannah exhausted and unsure of the time, Lauren taking charge and wheeling the suitcases around. Hannah carried her backpack only, but even that was too much. She hadn't slept the entire flight, unlike her mother, who had been as hard to wake as Hannah had been to stop smiling. They took off toward the baggage claim from the gate, and waited for the rest of their things to spin around. Once they had found them, and thankfully they had found them quickly so no one would mistake them for their own, they went outside to wait for their taxi.

It was windy outside, a bit cloudy, and cold. Hannah cuddles close to her mother for body heat, and they waited and waited. The traffic was horrible. There were cars everywhere, and it would take them forever to get out of the airport. Finally, after about a half hour, their taxi stopped and waved them in, and Lauren told the driver the address of their new home.

Just as expected, it took nearly another hour to escape the stampede of cars coming in and out of the airport. And even driving outside of the airport was horrible. There were just so many cars, honking their horms at each other, building rage. Hannah, almost drifting off, wondered how often road rage occurred in New York. Probably more than it should, she concluded.

They reached their apartment at some point, apparently, because the taxi stopped and Hannah's mother paid the driver a good twenty dollars. They took their thingsout of the trumk, and the taxi sped away, leaving the two to look up at the towering building that would house them. They looked at each other. This could mean only one thing, and one thing only: stairs.

Hannah hoped that there was a good elevator inside, and there was. They boarded, but not nefore letting out a crwd of others leaving from within. This would be a much newer experience than they had anticipated, but it was already purchased, and it happened to be on the fifth floor out of eight.

Once they did find their apartment and unlocked it, they looked around in awe. It wasn't the best apartment they had ever laid eyes on, but it was at least twice as big as their previous one. And it was well kept! The carpet was a nice blue color, and the walls were a respectable white. It looked presentable, much unlike the ugly brown carpet and yellow walls they had once put up with. There were no stains, no bugs, and no furniture except for a leftover couch. It smelled of fresh paint, and it had been recently vacuumed. Hannah already loved it.

They had to wait until the truck carrying the rest of their things arrived, and until then, they planned out where they would place everything. Hannah wandered into her new bedroom, with a window overlooking the street. She looked through. People walking fast, cars barely moving, and a whole lot of buildings. Yup, this was New York.

The truck arrived a few hours later, surprisingly quicker than they had expected. They unloaded and lifted, carried and and hauled, and then dropped, going back for more. They had help from two men, and eventually, some freindly neighbors came to their aid as well. One was a man with startling green eyes and dark hair, and he was gorgeous. Hannah thought that he reminded her of Purlieus.

Lauren, however, was entranced. She smiled at his bright smile, flipped her hair a bit more than normal, gave her walk more of a swish. It took Hannah everything she had not to laugh. her mother liked this guy. That was sll right with her. he was nice, and cute too.

Hannah proposed inviting him over for dinner. Her mother blushed. It was classic. He agreed, being the good man that he was, and walked Lauren back to their apartment, promising them that he would drive come seven thirty.

Until then, Hannah unpacked while Lauren sighed.

"He's such a nice man," She commented over and over again, dragging furniture around and watching Hannah put together her bed. They had decided to start with her room first, and it already looked great, with her dresser being set up and her bed halfway together, and it still had much room to spare.

"I know. Why do you think I invited him out to dinner?" Hannah elbowed her mom, "You were drooling over him, mama. You like him!" She lengthened the word "like" as she said it, amking her mother laugh.

"Lucky thing he's the one driving us somewhere, honey. I don't know this place well. We only arrived today!"

"And you're already getting dates." Hannah returned, twisting in the last screw. "I'm ready for the matress, now. Help me lift it."

They together lifted the matress into it's position, and pulled on the sheets and comforter, finid\shing with Hannah's two pillows. Her room looke great. They moved on to her mother's room.

"Mama, you're gonna help me put together this bed." Hannah said flatly, "It's big, and I'm tired from the other one."

"Why not ask the help from that nice man?" Lauren replied dreamily, "What was his name? Paul? How lovely. You know, he's got a son, Han. Evan, he said. He's your age. Who would've thought?"

Hannah managed to put the bed together, with some help from her mother, who was busy unpacking her clothes into her dresser and wondering which to put on. She came in and out of the master bathroom, in different dresses and different skirts. Hannah wondered where she had gotten so many clothes.

Hannah continued to make the most of herself, setting up the furniture all day, and Lauren showering and fussing with herself. Hannah had never seen her act that way. She was used to her being the responsible one, getting things done, while Hannah was the one who usually sulked and was lazy. They had reversed rolls.

There was a knock at the door, and Hannah looked through the tiny glass hole to check who it was. It was a teenage boy, looking about sixteen or so, and he looked nervous. She opened the door. He had those green eyes, and that dark longish hair. He must be the son of Paul.

"Hey, um, yeah. My dad sent me here to help you guys with setting up and getting aquainted and all. So, here I am." He waited for a reply, but Hannah only gave him a skeptical look. "Um, your mom said it was ok, so, yeah."

Hannah allowed him to walk in. She sniffed the air as he passed. He smelled good, and had that look of someone who kept good hygene. Hannah smiled at that. She loved a nice smelling guy. But he was obviously not interested in her. He walked in, looked around, and immediately spotted a table that needed putting together. He set to work without a word.

"Well all right then." Hannah mumbled, and she went to report the news to her mother, counting the steps it took for her to reach the bedroom. 25. Oh yeah!

"Hey mom,"she said, poking her head around the door frame, "Evan's here, so, yeah. Did you say he could come over?"

Lauren looked over at her from where she was making her bed. She had a large grin on her face. "Yes, I did, Han. Keep him company, ok? Don't make him feel unwelcome."

Too late for that, Hannah thought. She went back into their lovely living room and noticed that he already had the table together and had started on the entertainment center, hooking up their small television.

"Um, you need help?" Hannah asked, unsure what else to say.

He looked at her. His eyes were gorgeous. Just like the eyes of Purlieus. "Um, sure. If you could turn on the TV, just so I can make sure that all of the cords are in their right slots, then that would be cool."

She bent down to press the on button. She smelled his scent again. So nice. He was wearing jeans, baggy enough to be masculine but not enough to fall off of his ass. His sweatshirt was navy blue, and it fit perfectly with his hair. He was quite a sight.

"Ok, now." He said. Hannah switched on the television, and on it came. He crawled out from the back, moving the hair out of his eyes. "Thanks." He mumbled, and then set off to the kitchen. Hannah followed.

They opened the boxes labled "kitchen", and began opening cupboards, placing the bowls and plates in one and the cups in another. It was lengthy. Hannah decided to create more conversation. She decided to mention the Purlieus.

"So," she started, "Do you believe in angels?" She placed a plate on top of the other, reaching high enough to her tip-toes.

"Um, I don't know," Evan answered quietly. He was obviously nervous, but for what, Hannah wasn't sure. Did he like her? Was he just quiet? Did he not like her? Had he even wanted to come and help?

Stop asking yourself questions, Hannah scolded herself silently. Had she not learned anything in the past few weeks?

"Umm, ok." She continued, "Soo, I'm going to *Washington Highschool. Is that where you go?"

"Yeah," he grunted. He finished with the cups, and started on the silverware.

"All right, enough." Hannah had gotten bold in the past few weeks, hadn't she? "What's wrong with you? Do you not like being here or something? Or what? Hm?"

She had no idea why she felt so open at this moment, but something in this boy brought out a side of her she didn't know she had. She was being honest, in that spur of the moment sort of way. He turned to her, having completely not expected her to burst like she had. He was thinking of a reply.

"No, it's not that," He said. He had such a clear voice, thought Hannah. "I'm just shy, that's all. Yeah. I know that's a little weird, but I normally only talk to people if they're introduced to me directly. I guess you're introducing yourself then, arent you?"

That made Hannah smile. "Yes, I am. Name's Hannah. Call me Han, but not Anna. Either Hannah or Han. Choose." He gave his expressive look again. "Nice to meet ya," Hannah quickly added with her smile. THey shook hands. His was warm. They fit nicely together. Hannah decided at once--she liked this boy.

Later that night, at dinner, Hannah talked openly with Evan. Lauren talked openly with Paul. Both had obtained good friendships within that day. They laughed and discussed al topics, from the lame weather to the War on Terror. But that was mostly Paul and Lauren. Hannah was having Evan describe her new school to her, and explaining a bit about her teachers for her classes.

"And so for Math, you have Josey. She's pretty fun, but she can get nasaly at times. She always sounds like she has a stuffy nose, so be careful of that. It makes my throat feel...anyway."

He talked on and on, and Hannah listened intently, chewing on her chicken and smiling brightly. She even had him smiling as well. He had a lovely smile.

"And what about creative writing? That's my favorite class."

"Oh, CW, yeah, you have...um...well, I don't know. I haven't taken that class yet. I was thinking next year for me. Junior year."

So he was a Sophomore. Even better.

They ate and talked, but mostly talked. Neither women found themselves having much of an appetite for anything but the deep sounds coming out of their mouths. Hannah had a thought. If Her mother married Paul, then she couldn't marry Evan, right? It would be...weird. Uh oh. They would have to fight. Hannah giggled at that.

Once they had driven them home, they waved goodbye to each other, each walking off to their apartments. Evan gave Hannah an extra smile before he left her, and she had butterflies that entire night afterward.

Hannah had to go to school that following day. She got prepared, and set off to walk. Evan had explained to her before that it was easier to walk than take the bus. She had no idea where to turn, but he had said he would walk her there that morning. And so she waited, prepared to go. He arrived moments later, his backpack looking small for him, but still cool.

They walked for nearly twenty minutes, keeping pace with the rest of the people walking about. It was a fast pace, close to a run. Hannah found herself huffing and puffing by the time she arrive, but she was early enough to catch her breath. Evan showed her to her first period class. She sat in the front, hoping that there wasn't any assigned seats. There weren't.

She had a bit of trouble all though her classes, starting with English and then Math, and then came lunch. She found Evan with a few of his buddies, and she sat with them. They cracked jokes about her at first, but when she countered with a witty comment, they accepted her with respect. Afterward, she had Creative Writing and History, no problem, escept that she was behind and she had massive amounts of homework that day. And her Creative Writing teacher wasn't nearly as good as Lainey had been.

Her project for Creative Writing did surprise her. She was to write a small novel, or novella, consisting of thirty thousand words by the end of the semster. She knew exactly what to write about. It would be lovely. She just needed a title. Something that would catch the eye. She brainstormed on her bed, thinking hard. Nothing came up. She settled on "untitled" for the time being.

It took her few weeks to write her novella. Her mother purchased a brand new computer to put in her room, and she had started writing madly the moment she had it hooked up. Evan stopped by frequently to see her, and he helped her out as much as he could. He brought pver one of his old radios and a few burned CDs, playing them, so the room was blasting with rock music. Hannah was happy, typing furiously about the Purlieus and stroking her necklace as she thought of him. She hadn't spoken to him in months, but that was all right. She didn't need him anymore. She had progressed.

By then the apartment was nicely furnished, and Lauren had done superbly at her job. She loved it, and they had more money then before. Hannah even got the Gamecube that she had wanted, with MarioKart or something like that. She and Evan loved to race each other, even though he was better than her at the game, she still loved being in his company.

Once her novella was done, she still had no title. Nothing had come up. Everything either had sounded corny or just hadn't fit with the plot. She had tried "The Robot Factory", "Irina", "Water Spirit", "Tower", but it didn't work. She was missing a key element.

2,492 words.

Plus 25,202 = 27,694 words in total.

2,306 words to go. *note that I have no idea which schools are in NY. I totally put whatever came to mind first.

The novella still had a month to go before she turned it in, and so she and Evan often would walk around town, searching the streets and places for inspiration. They went to public places of course, no hidden nooks and alleys, even though it was quite easy to find those. She looked around constantly, and Evan would take her hand, giving her warmth and confidence.

“Evan,” She asaid, “I just don’t know. I haven’t found a good title for my book in two weeks. Where can I go that will give me the information that I need?”

He thought for a moment, sitting on a bench and pulling Hannah next to him. He looked at the people in front of him crossing, thoughtful. He finally looked at her with his dazzling eyes and mentioned his idea.

“You said that it had a fountain in it, didn’t you? Well, there’s a really big fountain in the park nearby. Why don’t I show it to you?”

Hannah liked this idea very much. He led her across the street and to the park, holding hands the entire way there, avoiding the crowd and stepping over little wrappers. When Evan hopped, so did Hannah. They looked rather like two bunnies. Hannah laughed at that thought. So did Evan.

They reached the park, and Hannah stared at how amazing it was in the Winter. Tiny bits of frost covered the green grass, and the trees were bare, but beautiful all the same. She felt something about this park, something familiar. She felt like she had been here before, but she hadn’t. Deja Vu? It must be, but how could it be?

“This place...it’s so strange,” Hannah whispered. Evan lead her to the middle of the park, walking on the soft grass, wetting their shoes. He brought her to the fountain, and Hannah’s eyes grew wide.

“Evan! Oh my gosh! Evan, this is it! This it the fountain!”

Evan was caught up in Hannah excitement. He smiled just as she did. “Are you serious? Wow, that’s kinda creepy.”

“I know,” she breathed, “I was brought to this fountain. Here,” She gestured towards the other side, where a puddle happened to drip, “Here is where I sat and talked to Irina. She would sit inside the fountain and talk back.”

She sat down, and Evan sat next to her. She smiled, feeling the patterns of the fountain, feeling the stone surface, letting her hand drop into the cool water. She stared around at the trees. She noticed a bench nearby, with a few pigeons sitting on it, pecking at the remains of breadcrumbs. The trees surrounded it, and she felt that familiar urge once again. She followed.

Hannah went to sit on that bench, and she flashed back. She flashed back to the scene with Irina and Lainey.. This time she was Irina. She looked through her eyes as she skipped to her house, her mansion, east of the park. She opened the door. The flashback ended.

“This way,” She called, and set off at a run. She ran and ran, and Evan caught up with her, having longer legs and being generally better at activity. She ran down the street, through a flock of waddling pigeons, through the trees, past a few houses, and up to the gate of the old mansion.

Hannah pulled at the gate, but it was locked by a large metal plate. They only rattled from the pressure of her tiny hands. She wiped the grime on her jeans.

“No way in.”

Evan backed up a bit, and ran forward, jumping high enough to grab his way up the gate. He climbed up, putting his foot on the bar on top, and leaped back down on the other side, laughing. He turned to Hannah, wiping the hair out of his face.

“Your turn.”

Hannah laughed. She backed up just as Evan did, and leaped up, grabbing onto the gate and slipping a bit. Evan held her foot up through the bars and pushed her up, helping her climb. She managed to get over without her jeans ripping, but she had a few blisters forming on her hands.

“That hurt!” She pouted, but Evan just ran forward, giving her no choice but to follow happily.

They ran through the front gardens, the flowers having grown wildly out of their spots and vines having taken over the grass. The bushes were overgrown, and it looked quite old and prickly. If you looked close enough, you could see a family of sqirrels hiding there, having lived in peace for years and years. Bugs frolicked everywhere. This place had been abandoned a long time ago.

“Um, where are we, if I may ask?” Evan looked around curiously. “Some old mansion? Why’s you run here? What is there to do here but, well, explore?”

“Explore.” Hannah replied happily. She opened the door with a creak. Her conclusions were finalized. This was the house that Irina had lived in. The very house. It looked to be about fifty years old, with dust everywhere and the furniture just laying there, covered in blue plastic sheets.

Evan peered over Hannah’s shoulder, his breath tickling her cheek. “Looks dusty,”He commented. They entered.

“I’m surprised the door opened,” he continued, “Normally they keep these old abandoned places locked to prevent intruders. Maybe somebody broke the lock before us?”

“Maybe,” Hannah said. She wandered around the main room, breathing th dusty iar that made her cough. She opened the hall door to fins a rat scuttling out of it. She shrieked, regained her composure, and climbed the steps.

‘What are you trying to find?” Evan called up to her, following as she ascended.

“I’m not sure. Maybe a diary or something, but I just had a feeling that I had to be here. I know it sounds strange, but I had a vision of this place.” She turned to Evan just as he reached her. They were the same height when she was at a step higher than he was.

“I’ll help you look, anytime.” He said quietly, and smiled at her. Hannah blushed, and smiled back.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

They both entered a bedroom, probably the maid’s quarters, and began to wander around, uncovering the furniture and peeking inside drawers. Most were empty, except for the occasional stray nail or screw. One drawer did contain a piece of paper with no markings on it, and they left that alone.

They both decided not to take any jewelry that they may find. It wouldn’t be right. It didn’t belong to them. They didn’t find any anyway. The place had been picked clean way before they had discovered it. There was nothing left to find, but that hardly discouraged Hannah.

“If not in here, then try the master bedroom.” She declared, and Evan followed her as she led the way across the hall.

This room had plenty of secrets, she could tell. Inside, the bed was covered, and there were many drawers to search. She looked at herself in the tall mirror positioned in the corner, and saw Evan come up behind her. She turned quickly and started to look through the inside of the wardrobe.

She found a few old coats, and tried one on. It was full of dust, and it made her sneeze. Evan pulled it off of her and threw it back to the wardrobe, laughing. She laughed too, which was interrupted by another sneeze. This made tham laugh harder.

Hannah checked the other drawers, and found a simple golden dress. It looked to be her size, and it was embroidered with the most gorgeous pearls that had ever seen. She felt her necklace. The pearls were the same.

“Try it on!” Evan insisted, and Hannah had to comply. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door, slipped off her shirt and jeans, and pulled up the dress. It fit nicely, but was a little big around the waist. No matter. She zipped up the back and came out, completely embarrassed to be showing so much skin to Evan, but he smiled that smile at her.

“You look beautiful,” he commented, approving.

The searched for more things, finding mid arm length silk gloves, which Hannah adorned, and a silk white hat. With all of that on, Hannah truly looked like a fifties woman, and Evan clapped. Hannah curtsied.

They left he master bedroom and came upon Irina’s room, the room Hannah had really wanted to explore. She rushed in, and threw a few toys off of the bed. It looked the same as it had been in the vision, and the window was still broken in the same place where Irina had crashed through. She looked outside. You never would have guessed that a raging windstorm had destroyed that part of the gardens. The vines had grown over the damage.

“Is that where...?” Evan stopped as Hannah looked at him, and she nodded gravely.

“Yes,” she said, “This is when Irina was sucked up by the wind of decision. She was brought to the horrible place and trapped in the well in the park, but in a different dimension. We are standing in her house, or in that dimension, the tower.”

There was a thoughtful silence after that statement, a state of awe. Hannah had discovered the true purpose of the tower when she had seen that window. It was a broken window. It symbolized how there were no windows in the tower. Irina had been brought back home, yes, but only in a different dimension. Now, she was free, her spirit was free. She could return back to the afterlife, her body having died many years ago in the storm. And with this knowledge that she was indeed at peace, Hannah had found what she was looking for.

“We can go now.” She stated quietly, and she exited the room, moved into the bathroom, removed the dress and donning her jeans, shirt, and sweater, and leaving them neatly on top of the dresser. Evan quickly followed her down the steps, and together, they exited the house, climbing back over the gate and not looking back.

“I take it you found what you came for?” Evan asked. They were back in the park, sitting on the very bench that Irina had sat on fifty years ago, enjoying the breeze.

“Yes,” Hannah said. “And I think I know what I want to name my novella, too.”

“What’s that?” Evan asked again, sliding closer to Hannah.

“I think I’m going to name it ‘Fountain’. It seems right, because of how much that fountain has affected me, and Irina. Yes, ‘Fountain’ it shall be.”

“Sounds great, Han.” Evan said. He smiled at her. She smiled at him, and leaned her head on his shoulder. They sat there together for a good while, enjoying each other’s company and not moving, not making a sound, but just enjoying the natural beauty that only Winter could bring them.

Whatever became of that alternate dimension was never to be found by Irina or Hannah. Hannah grew up to become a novelist, marrying Evan. They had two children, a boy and a girl. They named the girl Katherine, the oldest, and the young boy Derek, who was a wild young one. They loved their children as much as they could, and lived happily together. Eventually, they purchased the old ruined mansion, rebuilding it and living together within it. They made sure that the one bedroom was never used, in case the wind of decision ever wanted to take away one of their children. It wasn’t up to wind to decide their children’s fates. It was up to them.

The dimension, for all we know, ceased to exist. The Purlieus, even now, watches over Hannah as her guardian, until the day comes when she will pass on the necklace to another individual, and his guardianship will pass with it. And even as she grew old, and handed down her treasure, he still loved her as his child, and even visited her from time to time.

The fountain’s water never ran dry, but the curse was broken. Since then, there have been no more disturbances between the dimensions to speak of.

Lainey had grown very old, and passed on. Her spirit lived in peace in the afterlife, with Irina, and they made sure to keep the rest of the living safe.


Apparently I miscounted up there.

But, either way, I'M FINISHED!!!

30,129 words in total.

Comment as you like, everyone!

Congratulations, sjr12! I haven't had a chance to read it, but I wanted to pop in a give you my hearty applause for accomplishing a lofty goal. Well done!