And then, after a week of solid writing, the blahs set in. Wednesday was so productive, then the very next day, I just didn't want to write this story anymore. That feeling never really went away, but I'm not surprised, since the story was a "chore" and I used NaNo to make myself write it. I was still very excited to win, but I dunno. This story was something I just wanted to get out of the way, for the information. I may go back and finish it someday, polish it up, but its definitely not a priority piece. And that ok with me. :) Not every writing has to be about the race to the end, the big finish.
9:09 11/7/13 crazy writers block like mad. I just dun wanna do it
The ride was a short one, just down Goode street a few blocks, and then a block back off that. Her mother had never cared too much about her hanging out down here, it's where the dance studio (that really needs a name) was, and Brooke tended to like to go out early rather than later, which helped soothe any parental misgivings.
But she'd never been this far into lowtown before, never seen this particular brick building with the big spider logo in the picture window. It read “Eight-legged Ink, Tattoos, Piercings and More.” She wondered about the more, and giggled a little hysterically at the idea of the more referencing magic or something. If Zig noticed, he didn't say anything, just pulled the Vespa into an alley that ended in a wooden fence.
“Here we are,” he said, cutting the engine. She got off the back, so he could dismount and open the gate. “Come hold this?” he asked, and when she obliged, he walked the Vespa in and tucked it just inside the fence. “I'll put it away later, let's get you inside first.”
She didn't know why he bothered telling her that, but he was glad he had. So much going on didn't make sense, she was glad to have something explained to her, no matter how simple. He opened a door her hadn't noticed in the side of the building and led them inside.
“This is shop proper, we live under it. I'll warn you, it makes some people dizzy, but Ceira told me you'd had some well water, so it should be alright for now.” He led them down a short hallway as he talked, past doorways that opened into workrooms with benches and various tattooing supplies. An equally tatted up boy was in one of them, resemblance to Zig apparent, even around the darker coloring and long black dreads. They were clearly brothers, or something. He smiled and waved as they passed, then went back to the sketchpad in his lap.
And then they were in the lobby, on the other side of the window with the big spider logo on it. Zig was moving to a nondescript wooden door on the wall that looked just like the one next to it, except the one of the right had a sign with the bathroom logo on it, and the one Zig was opening read Employees only.
For whatever strange reason, Brooke really didn't want to go down there.
Zig turned to look at her, confused. “It shouldn't be reacting this way, not to you. Maybe they didn't give you enough water...How do you feel?”
She answered automatically, eyes locked on the dark stairwell before her. “Apprehensive. I just don't wanna go down there, there's nothing more to it than that.”
Zig nodded and stepped more fully between her and the doorway. Brooke blinked and stared stupidly at him moment. “What just happened?”
“General warding. We have enough public in here, when we're busy, that we really can't leave this door just “open”. It discourages anyone who doesn't belong down there from wandering around. But it should recognize you, since they gave you some of Meliki's well water. Its a distilled form of her power, it should mark you as one of ours. Hmm....”
Zig tapped his chin a minute, thinking.
“Here, let's try this.” He closed the door again, and reached out for her hand. “I'm going to introduce you to the Underground, ok?”
She nodded and put her hand in his, swallowing hard as she stepped closer to the door. The aversion was gone, but plain old fear of the unknown had replaced it. He gave her hand a reassuring little squeeze and gripped the doorknob.
“I always feel a little silly doing this,” he admitted, the turned to face the door and gripped the knob, though he didn't turn it yet.
“Door, this is Rain. Meliki asked me to bring her to the Underground, so, uh.. let me?”
He pushed it open, and stared into the darkness, looking for some sign. “Any better?”
“No,” she whispered, and even took a step backward, feeling actively repelled.
“She's not thinking of herself right. The Underground thinks she's trying to lie to you.”
Brooke nearly jumped out of her skin when the brother spoke, from suddenly behind her. Zig spun around, also clearly startled.
“Jeezus Tripp! You have got to stop skulking around like that! Make some damned noise when you move, would ya?” He turned back to the door to study it again, muttering. “Ya damned ninja...”
When Tripp didn't offer up any other help, Zig sighed and turned back to him. “Alright, alright – what do you mean she's not thinking of herself right?”
Brooke was completely lost. Nothing seemed right, as far as she was concerned.
“She doesn't believe she's “Rain”. You told the door you were bringing Rain down, but as far as it can tell, this girl isn't it. She doesn't think of herself as “Rain”, she's still using her given name to identify herself in her own mind.”
He turned to her now, husky blue eyes soft and full of understanding. “That's a dangerous habit to have, by the way. Someone with a talent for reading minds could pick your name right out of your head, with how puny your shields are right now. Whatever secret is in the depths of your mind is shielded well enough, but all your surface thoughts are wafting around in the air like anybody's business. I can't read them, but I can see they're there, and I can see the “color” of them. You're thinking of water, but not Rain. Try focusing on that, and it should let you in.”
Brooke nodded, letting go off all the questions he'd given her, and focusing instead on rain drops hitting the pavement. She closed her eyes, and imagined the way they speckled everything until it all became wet, and even then, sometimes you could still see the drops hit.
“Better?” she head him ask, and she nodded, though she kept her eyes closed. There wasn't any urge to run, any pressure or foreboding, just the smell of wet concrete and the patter-patter-patter of the rain.
“Mmk, just hold that though, and imagine its your name now, cause it is. Whatever it is you're seeing, that's you, that thought is you. You are the Rain.”
She nodded, drawing in a deep breath. She could taste the water in the air, feel the stickiness of the air, thick with humidity. She could be this. Water that belonged to neither the earth nor the sky? Falling, falling, falling, rushing out of control to go splat on the concrete? Oh yeah, she could totally relate to that feeling.
“There ya go, Bro. You two should be all set now.”
“Thanks, Tripp,” Zig answered, annoyance plain in his tone. He gave her hand another squeeze and asked, “You ready to try again?”
“Yeah...” she said distantly, still enjoying the feel of the imaginary rain on her skin. She didn't want to open her eyes just yet, but she stepped forward anyways. She took one step, and another, feeling Zig catch on and move her forward.
“That's it, there ya go. One more step, okay, now step down.”
Brooke hesitated, foot hanging in the air. Her breath caught, and for a moment she forgot about the rain and all she could feel was falling, falling, diving to the earth-
She took a deep breath, pulling her rain back around herself, and let her foot fall forward.
Rain smiled when she felt the solid step beneath her. She opened her eyes and saw Zig, standing a few steps below her, one hand held out to catch her, the other holding her hand tight. His blue eyes were filled with concern, then warmth when she smiled at him.
“Way to go kiddo.”
Her smile broadened, and she resisted the urge to fist pump or something, but then Zig held up his hand and declared “High five!” She laughed and did so. She couldn't leave him hanging.
Of course, that threw her off balance a bit and she stumbled, but he braced her, pulling her close to his chest and pushing his hand into the wall to steady himself.
Break for bits already written, see Awakening except for proper reading
10:03 pm 11/7/13
Zig had held her till she'd cried herself out, finally understand why the coffee shop girls had named her Rain. Maybe it was because he was looking for it, but he could swear he felt the ice in her tears, and hear the winter wind blowing outside.
He'd helped her lay down, borrowed her closet door to open into the fridge and grab a bottle of water to leave on her night stand, then left quickly, feeling suddenly like he was intruding. He wasn't surprised that when he'd asked the door to make her a room, it had made a room she'd actually thought of as her own, but he just didn't feel right hanging around, looking into this girl's life while she slept.
1543 words 1 hour 10:07pm
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