Post by citizenmike on Dec 25, 2009 12:39:35 GMT -5
Part One...
Eight in the morning, a Starbucks. It was how Veronica and Emma Roth started their day. It had been their routine since college; wake up, get a cup of coffee, talk a bit, and then head, respectively, back to their separate lives.
“I don't understand it.”, Veronica began as she took a seat on the cushioned arm chair opposite to Emma. “When I got up this morning, I just felt so tired...”, Veronica added. “It was like I was asleep for hours, maybe days.”.
Emma sipped her coffee as she looked down at her sister. She listened to her, but kept her gaze for the most part on the bench outside. She was craving a smoke and this wasn't the kind of place she could flip her pack of Winston's out and start smoking away. “You wanna go outside?”, Emma asked.
“What's wrong in here?”, Veronica answered with a question of her own.
“Nothing.”, Emma replied. “But I could use a smoke”.
Once Emma had a lit cigarette between her lips, she drew her back against the bench and unbuttoned her jacket. Exhaling, she asked, “So, tell me about this dream of yours?”.
Here they were, a picture of the Roth sisters. Emma, 35, and Veronica, 32. A three year age gap that hardly meant anything to them. Emma was the taller one who sported her mother's features, for the most part: curly hair, dark brown, and striking blue eyes. Veronica was the shorter one, who resembled both parents; the light brown hair and chin that she inherited from her father, and brown eyes that would often tingle a touch of green. They were two women, sisters who enjoyed each others company; two bookworms who dressed the part.
Veronica remembered waking up as if she was suddenly sprung out from a nightmare. It had been years since she woke up that; God, she must've still been a child when it happened last. “I don't remember anything.”, Veronica replied. “It's all still pretty vague to me.”.
“Dreams do that.”, Emma said as she brought the cigarette back to her lips.
“That's the thing.”, Veronica paused as she sipped her coffee. “I still feel it. Despite everything, I feel that dream.”
“What do you feel?”.
“Loss.”, Veronica replied. “Complete loss and longing. I feel like I'm missing someone... Or something.”.
“It's not Jacob is it?”, Emma asked.
“Not that I feel.”.
A grin grew across Emma's face. “Another man, perhaps?”.
Veronica smiled. It was that undeniable smile she'd put on when something fancied her. Emma caught it quick and smiled back, pointing her fingers. Veronica knew what it was and shot back, “It's nothing. It's just a dream.”.
Emma kept her grin and said, “Oh, I'll bet it was.”.
Veronica reached for the pack of Winston's, reclined as she slipped a stick off the pack, lit it, took a drag and replied, “I'm sure you do.”.
Silence fell between the sisters. It was all part of their routine; they'd stop talking for a couple minutes and enjoy a coffee and a smoke as they gathered their thoughts together. Emma thought of the patients she had to tend to later that day- it was a drag, really... The same self-absorbed stories she had heard over and over. If she didn't care, she'd have given them up by now... Damn it for caring. In the back of her mind, her thoughts lingered over that dream Veronica had. More specifically, that man Veronica dreamt about.
Veronica kept her sights on the college kids making their way inside the store, watching them as they made their orders. Veronica alternated between small little sips and long drags off the cigarette. She could still feel it. She didn't know what it was or what it meant, but she could feel it. Inside her. Whatever loss she felt must've been real to her at some point during that dream. Closing her eyes, she channeled the emotions and saw only vague images... Snapshots really, of a city. An empty, desolate city, lost and faded in time and space.
Emma smiled she dropped her chin on her palm and watched her sister; what could she be thinking?
Veronica kept her sights on the kids inside as she murmured, “Animus.”.
Emma asked, “Animus?”.
“Animus City.”, Veronica replied as she turned to her sister.
“What's Animus City?”.
“I think it could have been the city I've been dreaming about.”.
<***>
There was a look of shock across Jacob's face when he got home. Veronica couldn't pin down what exactly it meant, but she knew enough that it was not good.
“You're home.”, Jacob said smiling as he dropped his bags; his hands closing the door behind him.
Veronica took the laptop off her lap, placed it on the coffee table, and walked up to Jacob with a peck on the lips and an embrace. “Welcome home.”, Veronica said as she motioned back to her spot on the couch. “How was Seattle?”.
Jacob took a seat beside Veronica and reached for her pack of Marlboro's. “It was alright.”, Jacob replied as he held the cigarette between his lips and lit it. Flipping the pack onto the coffee table, Jacob leaned back and added, “Same old stuff, you know.”.
Veronica placed the laptop back over her shoulder and said, “I know.”.
They had nothing to say to each other. It wasn't uncomfortable, it was just numb, like they didn't even care. Veronica immersed herself back to her research. It had nothing to do with work, but it had a lot to do with that dream she had. On Google, she found very little on Animus City. All she found were traces of a city, most of the descriptions were rather vague, leaving out where it was and what happened to it. All that was left were public records of international transactions that went on in the city. The closest thing she could gather were conspiracy theories and if there's anything she loved, it was a good conspiracy.
Jacob motioned off the couch, took his bags and looked at Veronica as he said, “I'm gonna take a shower.”.
Veronica looked up at him and nodded, “Alright.”.
Jacob motioned towards the bedroom and looked back at Veronica as he added, “Let's make love tonight. It's been awhile, I've missed you.”.
Veronica knew enough that the words meant nothing to him. She put on a smile and said, “I can't wait.”.
Jacob approached Veronica and pressed his lips against hers. Veronica opened her lips in turn and kissed back. Jacob pulled away with a smile and headed to the bedroom.
<***>
It was close to five in the morning, a Saturday morning when Veronica rang Emma's door. Emma stayed up after she called and waited for her. This was all Veronica told her, “I left Jake, can I come over?”. What else was Emma going to tell her? Of course she could come over.
Veronica arrived with a suitcase and the messenger bag that kept her laptop. Veronica didn't say anything, she didn't even cry, she just plopped herself onto Emma's arms. Emma caught her and held her tightly, kissing her on the forehead, she whispered, “It'll be alright.”.
Veronica went inside as Emma lingered by the door and watched her sister. Veronica dropped herself on the couch and began to lie down.
“Like hell I'm going to have you do that, you know?”, Emma said.
“What do you mean?”, Veronica asked.
“If you're going to be staying with me, dear sister, you're going to have to do it right.”.
Emma led Veronica to her room and tossed her one of her pajamas. Crossing her arms, Emma smiled and said, “Put it on.”.
Veronica gave her that look her mother would... That damned look of question, tearing a hole right through her soul asking her, “You must be serious right?”.
“Were not teenagers anymore.”, Veronica said as she caught the pajamas in her arms.
“Does it matter?”. Emma asked.
Veronica didn't answer.
Emma nodded and said, “Thought so. I'm going to the kitchen and when I get back, I better see you in those jammies. Ok?”.
Veronica grinned, she couldn't help it. Rolling her eyes, she answered, “Fine.”.
Veronica watched as Emma left the room. She held the pajamas close to her chest and slowly, she shed tears. Veronica wiped away the tears with her fingers and chuckled; thank God for Emma.
When Emma returned, she couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Veronica in the pajamas.
“You're enjoying this aren't you?”, Veronica asked.
“You...”, Emma paused. She couldn't help herself from chuckling. “You just look really cute right now.”.
“I bet I do.”, Veronica quipped, sarcastically.
Emma set the tray on the bed and sat beside Veronica. Reaching for the tray, she handed a mug to Veronica and set an ashtray between them.
Veronica took a sip, looked at Emma and asked, “You have got be serious?”.
Emma took the other mug, leaned back against the headboard, and gently placed the mug between her hands and replied, “Come on.”, Emma said. “A little hot chocolate won't hurt.”.
“It won't.”, Veronica said. “I just feel a little...”, Veronica paused and rolled her eyes as she struggled to find the right word. “Juvenile.”
“Being a little juvenile doesn't hurt sometimes.”.
Both sisters placed their respective mugs on bedside tables that stood on opposite ends of the bed. Reaching out for the individual purses, they withdrew their own packs of cigarettes; Emma had the Winston's and Veronica had Marlboro's. Once again, they alternated between sips and drags. It was their routine all over again, and it came at a time when one of them really needed it.
“So are you going to tell me what happened?”, Emma asked.
Over the course of twenty minutes, Veronica told her everything. The way Jacob came home with that unexpected look, like he didn't expect seeing her there and how he tried to rectify things with sex. Being the supportive wife, what else could Veronica do? So she did it... It was nice, but it felt different. It isn't like it didn't feel right, but she just knew that something was off... Out of place; like they didn't belong there. And it ended the way it always did, with a grunt and Jacob falling asleep. It was there when Emma stopped things and asked, “Who grunted?”. It shocked Veronica, as she answered, “Who else?”. Then Veronica told her about how she just couldn't sleep. How she'd toss and turn, but she had too many things on her mind... The dream she had last night and the useless excuse she had for a fuck. And that's where it happened, that's where she crept out of bed and checked the messages on Jacob's phone... There was another woman. Granted, she felt upset and disappointed, more than anything she left numb. Like yeah, it hurt, but that's it. So, Veronica woke him up and he got all upset about it, rather prissy, but they needed it. And right there and then, they had a talk that was a months overdue. Apparently, it had been going on for a year and a half, they met in Seattle- Veronica wasn't surprised. He'd be gone for weeks at a time, and there was hardly anything up there. And then Veronica asked him what he wanted, he didn't answer... Or he couldn't, from what Veronica saw. She took her clothes, some of the things she cherished most, gave him back the ring and said, “Take everything.”. And here she is.
Emma sat there and listened. There wasn't anything she could say, going through a divorce herself, it made the two of them. All she said was one thing, a question; “So, that's it? You're giving him everything?”.
Veronica nodded and replied, “There's nothing else for me there. I just don't care anymore.”.
<***>
A month passed when their father died. During the funeral, outside of relatives they barely knew, let alone showed interest to, it was just Emma and Veronica, and maybe three or four of their father's old colleagues, the same people they'd see around their house during their childhood. They greeted them both and sent them their condolences. There wasn't anything else to say outside of, “I'm sorry for your loss. You're father was a great man.”... That was it.
On the ride back, Veronica and Emma didn't say a word to each other. They just kept the windows down so they could smoke as they listened to that old Natalie Merchant album they owned on cassette. Emma rose the volume when “The Painted Desert” came on; Veronica, where she was, kept quiet. She had her arms crossed as she looked at the New England countryside and smoked.
“You're awfully quiet.”, Emma said as she placed her cigarette on the ashtray.
“I've just got a lot of things on my mind.”, Veronica replied.
“Is it about dad?”, Emma asked.
“A bit.”, Veronica replied. “It's about everything, really. It's just all come so suddenly. I've been having those dreams again.”.
“The dreams about the city?”.
“Yeah. Animus City. It's just so surreal, that dream. The more I sleep, the more it comes back to me.”.
Emma took one hand away from the wheel as she reached for her cigarette and took a drag. Exhaling as she placed the cigarette back on the ashtray, she asked, “Do you remember anything?”.
“It's all still pretty vague to me, but I saw things.”.
“What kind of things?”.
“People, strange creatures, and I knew them all. It was as if I knew them my entire life. I was strange.”.
Emma looked over at Veronica and asked, “Dream of anyone interesting?”.
A grin grew across Veronica's face as she turned her head and gazed out towards the side of the road.
“Who was he?”, Emma asked.
“Who was who?”, Veronica asked, still grinning.
“That dream stranger who's making you all giddy.”
“No one.”, Veronica replied.
“No one... That's it?”.
“Yeah.”, Veronica replied. Reaching out for another cigarette, Veronica stuck it between her lips, lit it, took a drag, and kept her gaze out as she added, “Besides, its just a dream. They hardly mean anything for the most part.”.
<***>
It was half-past nine in the evening when Emma and Veronica reached their father's old house. The plan was to pack up their father's belongings, spend a couple days, and maybe figure out what their were going to do with the house.
It was a strange thing to walking to the house, empty, and without hearing their father call out, “My two girls are home!”.
They spent the better part of the night cleaning out his bedroom, deciding to give away what had little-to-no value to them, outside of a couple shirts, his notebooks, and a few other things as keepsakes. The girls decided it was best to do what they could and just sleep for the better half of the following day, maybe go out for drinks the following evening before heading back in the morning.
It was when they reached the library that they found the letter waiting for them in his desk. Emma switched on the lamp as Veronica read the typed-letter aloud: “To my daughters, Emma and Veronica. I pray that you two inherited you're grandmother's uncaring distance in your mourning.”. Veronica paused to laugh as she wiped away a small tear. “ There's nothing to miss about me, really. For I will always stay alive in your thoughts and in the things I have taught you both. You girls have grown into respectable, hard-working women and I could not be any prouder. That said, there are things that I was never quite able to share with the both of you. There are things, learned during you youth, the years I've raised you both, that I know full well you understand completely... The mysteries of life and the very fabric of the universe that surround us. The balance, the Chinese called the Ying and Yang, the very essence of fate and destiny, and the notion that everything is possible... There is no right and wrong, only perception. For years, I've watched you two girls and I know, in every choice you've made, no matter how distant and reserved, I know you know these things somewhere deep in your hearts. I am only here to cast light on what you both already know.”
“I'll be completely honest here. I've never been frank with you girls, and for that, I apologize. I am one of a few people on Earth known as an Individual. Individual's is a moniker to those who have unlocked and understand the mysteries of life, the universe, and all its complexities. This world isn't what it seems, there are things out there that we can not see or can not touch, but it is with us, it moves among us and it binds us.”
“Take the very space you read this over. Within the boundaries of your immediate perception, all you see is this letter, the words contained in this letter, and the room you inhabit... The furniture, the lights, the scent in the air, and the people who may or may not be around you, but there are other things you do not see. For instance, the very spot where you read this could very well have been inhabited by dinosaurs millions of years ago, and through space and time, they walk among you today. You don't see it, you don't feel it, but they are there! Walking, living, and breathing, and through the mysteries of life itself you can channel them.”
“Perhaps, I might sounds like a mad man. But these things I give to you are the very product of years, decades, of research. Now that you know, its up to the both of you to take what I know and apply it for yourselves. Again, there's no right or wrong. Just as long as you get it and everything about it. The books and items I have in this library may provide you girls with guidance, but these are things you must learn for yourselves and yourselves alone.”
“Outside of your inheritance, I leave you girls with items, Objects. Don't be fooled with their common appearance, these things hold so much and the things they can do will shatter your very concepts of “reality”! Take these things and be on your way. Lots of love, your Father, Leland K. Roth.”.
Veronica placed the letter on the desk and held herself for a moment.
“You know what's freaky?”, Emma asked, cutting the silence.
“What?”.
“For a moment there, you actually sounded just like dad.”.
Veronica didn't mind Emma as she drew herself to the other side of the table, nor did she even reply. Veronica opened the drawer and withdrew two manila envelopes with their names on it.
“How did you know that was there?”, Emma asked.
Veronica shrugged and replied, “I just had a feeling.”.
Almost simultaneously, both sisters reached for their respective envelopes, opened it, reached their hands inside and withdrew what was in it. For Emma, she withdrew a pocket watch; Veronica, she withdrew a charm bracelet. Emma and Veronica both held up their respective items and looked at it.
Looking over at the charm bracelet, Emma smiled and said, “That's really pretty.”. Smiling coyly, she asked, “Care for a trade?”.
“No.”, Veronica replied with a coy smile of her own.
Emma walked over to the couch on the other end of the room and laid down. Looking at the clock, she pressed the dial and as she did, everything around her stopped. Veronica stood frozen in time as she placed the charm bracelet through her hand, the cigarette smoke kept afloat despite its fade. It was as if time just stood still for her.
As instantly as it happened, Emma caught up with time and jolted her back to the present. Emma jolted back against the couch hard and convulsed.
Quickly, Veronica motioned off the desk and approached Emma, asking, “What's the matter?”. Emma looked up at Veronica and pressed the clock again, and it happened. Time stood still. Emma rose from the couch and touched Veronica; she was as hard as rock. Emma walked towards the desk and took a pen from the open drawer.
Time caught up once again as Veronica reanimated and turned around, surprised to find Emma where she was.
“How did you do that?”, Veronica asked.
Emma gave herself a moment as she suffered from a mild case of dizziness. Looking at her sister, she replied. “The watch.”
“What do you mean the watch?”.
“You're not going to believe it, but it stops time.”, Emma replied. “For a few seconds.”.
Emma caught the look of question upon Veronica's face and tossed her the watch. “Try it for yourself if you don't believe me.”.
Veronica caught the watch and pressed, and as time stood still for her, she could do nothing but look at everything around her in wonder and amazement. Not long after, she snapped back into reality and dropped to her knees.
“Believe me now?”, Emma asked.
“I do.”, Veronica replied. “But I can't. How is this possible?”.
“Let's ask dad.”, Emma replied. “His notebooks.”
