08-24-2018, 10:54 PM
Kerlian "˜Alternative Education' Camp
"She's only half conscious, see, she's slipping away again already..."
"... have the Maximusian girl pay her a visit? She'll be easier to convince sedated..."
"...going to live. But it was a damn close one. If Councillor Hale wants this one alive, we'll need to take her out of phase two."
Leonie drifted in and out of consciousness. She wasn't quite sure where she was, but she felt so relaxed. She couldn't remember feeling so relaxed. There had been pain. Awful, terrible pain. Why was there so much pain?
"Leonie Bennett? Can you hear me?" came a voice.
"I'm up, I'm up, I'll be ready in five minutes," Leonie mumbled. "I won't be late to school again."
"Damn, if she doesn't snap out of this soon, the Council will send us to Hell," a second voice said.
"If Bennett dies, I'm going with her," said the first voice. "Far less painful."
Leonie began to feel so, so sleepy once more...
*
Myriam walked with Helena along the corridors to the medical wing. The Kerlians wanted the pair to talk to Leonie, try and snap her out of whatever trance she was in. Myriam hadn't been in a hospital setting in years, and didn't quite know what to expect. She knew the Kerlians would give Leonie the best care, even if it had been Leonie's own fault she was in this state.
They crossed the threshold into Leonie's room and Helena rushed over to sit down on the chair by Leonie's bed. Myriam froze as she walked through the door.
A memory, old, so very old, flashed past her eyes.
She was five? Four? Young, anyway. She was with her parents in a hospital room similar to this one. Her grandfather lay on the bed. He gestured to her and she nervously walked over. He took her hand in his.
"Hello Myriam," he said. "I have something very, very important to tell you. And I need you to remember this for me, okay? You are so special to me, and to everyone here. You can do whatever you want, never let anyone tell you different. I know you're going to have an amazing life."
His grip on hers faltered, and his eyes slid closed. Her mother yelled for a doctor, and her father picked her up and carried her out of the room.
Myriam grabbed the doorframe in the present day and gasped. She hadn't had any memories of her life before Kerlile in many years.
"Are you okay?" Helena asked, worried.
"Yeah... yeah," Myriam said. She was fine. Yeah, she was fine. Except... the memory made no sense. Her grandfather, a man, had told her she could do whatever she wanted. In Libertas Omnium Maximus. But men back there always told girls they were worthless. That is what she knew. The memory didn't fit.
She tried to shrug the memory out of her head, but it lingered there all the same.
*
Helena sat by Leonie's bedside for hours. Myriam had left, had gone to talk to the other film club members about something. Leonie had been sleeping the whole time, until she suddenly yawned and opened her eyes.
"Hey, Leonie," Helena said.
"Mmm..." Leonie murmured, turning over slightly.
"Are you okay?"
"I had a dream," Leonie said.
"What was your dream?"
"I dreamed that we were back in Lauchenoiria... and we were being driven further and further and further... north, here, like what happened. But then we stopped."
"Stopped?"
"And suddenly the doors opened and there was a woman and she saved us all. There were others too... they stopped the Kerlians," Leonie said, tapping Helena's arm and giggling. She had clearly been given a large quantity of drugs.
"The Kerlians only want what's best for us women, Leonie."
"We were fine, and all was well. It was God's plan."
"I thought you were an atheist? If you really wish to worship a deity though, film club members can go to the temple of the goddess."
"But there was another god, who told the first god... or goddess, yeah, okay, goddess... who told the goddess that it was boring, and the world needed to be more interesting. And so now we're here and you're gone."
"I'm not gone, I'm sitting right in front of you."
"You're gone," Leonie insisted, and met Helena's eyes. "You're gone and gone and gone."
Leonie shuddered slightly and then fell back asleep. Helena was taken aback by Leonie's sudden religious rant. She felt something inside her tighten at the thoughts Leonie had shared.
And then she shook her head, and went to report them to the Kerlians.
"She's only half conscious, see, she's slipping away again already..."
"... have the Maximusian girl pay her a visit? She'll be easier to convince sedated..."
"...going to live. But it was a damn close one. If Councillor Hale wants this one alive, we'll need to take her out of phase two."
Leonie drifted in and out of consciousness. She wasn't quite sure where she was, but she felt so relaxed. She couldn't remember feeling so relaxed. There had been pain. Awful, terrible pain. Why was there so much pain?
"Leonie Bennett? Can you hear me?" came a voice.
"I'm up, I'm up, I'll be ready in five minutes," Leonie mumbled. "I won't be late to school again."
"Damn, if she doesn't snap out of this soon, the Council will send us to Hell," a second voice said.
"If Bennett dies, I'm going with her," said the first voice. "Far less painful."
Leonie began to feel so, so sleepy once more...
*
Myriam walked with Helena along the corridors to the medical wing. The Kerlians wanted the pair to talk to Leonie, try and snap her out of whatever trance she was in. Myriam hadn't been in a hospital setting in years, and didn't quite know what to expect. She knew the Kerlians would give Leonie the best care, even if it had been Leonie's own fault she was in this state.
They crossed the threshold into Leonie's room and Helena rushed over to sit down on the chair by Leonie's bed. Myriam froze as she walked through the door.
A memory, old, so very old, flashed past her eyes.
She was five? Four? Young, anyway. She was with her parents in a hospital room similar to this one. Her grandfather lay on the bed. He gestured to her and she nervously walked over. He took her hand in his.
"Hello Myriam," he said. "I have something very, very important to tell you. And I need you to remember this for me, okay? You are so special to me, and to everyone here. You can do whatever you want, never let anyone tell you different. I know you're going to have an amazing life."
His grip on hers faltered, and his eyes slid closed. Her mother yelled for a doctor, and her father picked her up and carried her out of the room.
Myriam grabbed the doorframe in the present day and gasped. She hadn't had any memories of her life before Kerlile in many years.
"Are you okay?" Helena asked, worried.
"Yeah... yeah," Myriam said. She was fine. Yeah, she was fine. Except... the memory made no sense. Her grandfather, a man, had told her she could do whatever she wanted. In Libertas Omnium Maximus. But men back there always told girls they were worthless. That is what she knew. The memory didn't fit.
She tried to shrug the memory out of her head, but it lingered there all the same.
*
Helena sat by Leonie's bedside for hours. Myriam had left, had gone to talk to the other film club members about something. Leonie had been sleeping the whole time, until she suddenly yawned and opened her eyes.
"Hey, Leonie," Helena said.
"Mmm..." Leonie murmured, turning over slightly.
"Are you okay?"
"I had a dream," Leonie said.
"What was your dream?"
"I dreamed that we were back in Lauchenoiria... and we were being driven further and further and further... north, here, like what happened. But then we stopped."
"Stopped?"
"And suddenly the doors opened and there was a woman and she saved us all. There were others too... they stopped the Kerlians," Leonie said, tapping Helena's arm and giggling. She had clearly been given a large quantity of drugs.
"The Kerlians only want what's best for us women, Leonie."
"We were fine, and all was well. It was God's plan."
"I thought you were an atheist? If you really wish to worship a deity though, film club members can go to the temple of the goddess."
"But there was another god, who told the first god... or goddess, yeah, okay, goddess... who told the goddess that it was boring, and the world needed to be more interesting. And so now we're here and you're gone."
"I'm not gone, I'm sitting right in front of you."
"You're gone," Leonie insisted, and met Helena's eyes. "You're gone and gone and gone."
Leonie shuddered slightly and then fell back asleep. Helena was taken aback by Leonie's sudden religious rant. She felt something inside her tighten at the thoughts Leonie had shared.
And then she shook her head, and went to report them to the Kerlians.
LIDUN President 2024 | she/her | Puppets: Kerlile, Glanainn, Yesteria, Zongongia, Zargothrax