Post by tinare on May 10, 2011 20:12:11 GMT -5
The unlikely pair walked through the unknowing crowd. The teeming scores of teenagers and families alike were like a living sea of mass confusion. Still the large figure, known only as Griffin pushed through. Behind him the girl that followed grumbled under her breath. She cast a wary wave to a few family members that noticed her but no one moved to strike up a conversation, nor ask why she was following the strange man. They were outdoors, in a wooded area. The scent of pine in the air almost overpowered all of the mingling scents of the humans around them. Every now and then a rogue squirrel would pummel a person with an acorn. To be perfectly honest the girl had no clue why they were all assembled. Nor did she care.
Coming to a stop Griffin began to converse with a group of young adults. The girl with him, Samantha, was too angry to make a show of listening to their conversation. Instead her sapphire eyes were busy roaming endlessly over the wooded area they had gathered. People’s faces were blurs. Nothing more than nameless nobodies and she knew it. That fact only worsened her mood further. By the time Griffin motioned that they were going to continue on Sammy had shoved her hands in the front pockets of her jeans and merely tromped along behind him.
Griffin made no effort to hide his annoyance at his companion’s mood. His eerily calm and commanding voice spoke to her as they drew farther from the people. “This is for your own good. Perhaps you should stop acting like a child and accept the simple fact…”
His sentence was cut off by Sammy’s sullen laughter. She lifted her gaze so that she could look him over but couldn’t see much other than his broad shoulders and thick back. “I don’t have to accept anything. You could just be lying and out to get me.” Even as she said it she didn’t believe the words. He was beloved by everyone he met for reasons she never understood. But then, everyone thought he was some sort of hero. He had a way with other people, people who didn’t know what he really was. But then she wasn’t even sure what he really was. And none of it would matter come morning.
Griffin’s heart heavy sigh could be heard after Sammy’s little rant. It struck him in a very personal way when she was like this. It could be expected but it still stung. He knew that he was not the one she had hoped to see here. They neared a small building; it looked like a fancy out house out in the woods. The walls were concrete, with dirty white paint on them. A few lingering people saw them and took off out of respect. And if anyone noticed, a handful of shadows would seem to withdraw as well.
Sammy’s heart sunk when she looked up to see the building. Her demure hand instantly reached out and snatched hold of her escort’s rough hand. It was strange, the apprehension she felt overpowered anything else that might have bothered her about this meeting. Like a child she inched closer to Griffin, keeping him just barely in front of her. A small and meek request came from her as the door was opened. “Please… I don’t wanna go in there. I don’t want to do this.”
He lowered his head in shame but led Sammy inside the building. Inside was dimly lit, the paint was even dirtier. It looked like a bathroom someone had neglected for ages. Smelled like it too. Griffin snorted and stopped once they had made it to the center of the small room. The door they had come through closed, and only a doorway leading to stairs remained an option. “You can stop. But you’ve come this far. And I need you to do this. Every one needs you to do this. You know what happens if you don’t. THEY will win. You saw how easy it is to reach them, all of your loved ones. I can’t protect them all on my own.”
A soft whimper broke from the girl but she bit down hard on her bottom lip. Her grip on Griffin’s hand only tightened. She would see this through, but not without him. In answer, Sammy only looked up at him, gave a weak smile and nodded. It was all that was needed. Laughter filled the room, and it was not from either of them.
The duo walked down the short flight of stairs until they reached a second room, this one even darker. Sammy couldn’t tell if the walls were painted or not, but she strained to see through the thick air in the room. Suddenly the room began to spin: she let out a groan and nearly stumbled into Griffin. She knew someone else was in the room but everything was getting blurry. “Griffin? Something’s wrong.” There was unabashed terror in her tone.
The figure still laughed and seemed to take Griffin in his confidence. But Griffin sought to soothe Sammy. “Shhh it will be fine. Be strong. You won’t remember any of this.” He cast a steely glare at the figure which silenced the laughing and they began talks to reach some sort of an agreement. Time passed strangely in this place. It felt like hours but in truth was no more than fifteen minutes.
But all of this was lost on Sammy; she could not make out any of their words. And it wasn’t until she felt the figure within inches of her face that she realized Griffin was no longer anywhere near her. She sensed him ascending the stairs and looked just in time to see his saddened face before he left her. On her own now, Sammy’s breath caught in her throat and she turned to stare into the being’s eyes or the crimson orbs where there should have been eyes. There was something alluring about this being but she figured the handsome features were nothing but a façade. Strangely enough, fear had been replaced in the girl, she was too angry to let such a feeling prevail.
As they stared each other down the figure spoke, his voice was annoyingly calm like Griffin’s usually was. “We will see each other again soon, to finish this.”
Sammy’s hands clenched into tightly balled up fists and answered his words with a cold and emotionless response. “D@mn. You.”
Bolting upright in bed Sammy awoke, gasping for breath. The sheets around her were damp with sweat. Tears of frustration welled up in her eyes and with a defiant throw her pillow crashed into the dresser across the room. She sat there, fuming at the outcome of the dream. After all… one couldn’t converse with demons and the dead in broad daylight. And these ones had been able to alter what she remembered. Nothing but the barest of details remained anymore and those she quickly jotted down on a pad of paper near the bed. Even the validity of those details was in question. But something was certain. A deal had not been reached yet.
Many weeks passed without further occurrences leaving Sammy to go about her life wondering if she would see either of the dream’s villains or heroes. To be honest she didn’t want to, but a nagging feeling made her realize she would have to. The memory of how easily her family and friends could be reached wouldn’t be dismissed easily. But life gets busy. And distractions are a blissful break from such nonsense.
It happened quickly, Griffin came to talk to her. His hulking form loomed over Sammy as they once again walked along. The day was sunny, not too hot though and it had to be mid afternoon. He cautioned her, “I am being called away. Whatever happens I can’t come back to help. Others need me as well.”
Not once did Sammy bother to look at Griffin as he spoke. She knew he was trying to make the situation better but nothing he could say would help. Her eyes remained on the dusty dirt road they walked on. As they neared a downward hill she heard spoke softly to him, “I’m not your concern. You have a job to do. Thank you for all you’ve done but… I’m not stopping. Not now. I’ll be ok. You can ease your conscience. You aren’t ditching me. You will see me again.”
It was to reassure him more than anything that Sammy spoke. Deep down she knew that Griffin did have some interest in the out come concerning her but she had no idea what his interest could be. He was not her guardian. He held no deep feelings for her. In fact he very well could be an enemy for all she knew. But, she really couldn’t bring herself to leave things badly between them. Before she had even realized, he was gone. With a deep sigh Sammy started down the dusty trek towards a run down building.
This time the building was very obviously a former business. It had glass windows in the front and around back was a dock for semi’s to unload. Sammy decided to make her way to the back and have a look around. She strayed off the dirt road and through overgrown grass until she found the back of the building. It was unremarkable except for a fidgety little man who was working tirelessly to convert the cracked and crumbling concrete of the paved dock into something like a mini maze.
Sammy sat on a wall that held back the hill’s dirt from filling in the dock area and watched the nervous man go about his work. He looked like hell, balding, no more than five foot, and scraggly. A horrid stench came from either him or the building but she didn’t really want to find out which it was.
The troll like creature was aware of the watchful eyes on him but didn’t slow in his meticulous work. He moved one piece after another of crumbling concrete. Sometimes going back and moving the same piece many times over. Constant mumbling came from his lips and sweat poured down the sides of his face. After a few minutes he shouted at Sammy “You could help. I have to get this right you wretched girl. It’s your dang fault you know.”
Indignation caused Sammy to rise to her feet and jump down onto the jigsaw concrete below. “My fault? What the...? I just got here. It’s not my fault you little freak.”
The creature bubbled with maniacal laughter at her protests and shooed her off of his work with swift gestures of his hands. He replaced a few pieces that she had knocked out of place, only to put them right back where she had dislodged them. “You should have been here hours ago. He’s been waiting. And now he’s angry. When he’s angry no one is happy. We’re all going to die. You must be careful girlie. Watch. Listen. Learn from mistakes. And stop getting in my way d**n it.”
Sammy was staring at the odd little man, unsure if she should help, run or burst out laughing. She really couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not with everything he said and did. Something about him though touched her in a way she couldn’t explain. Almost instinctively she gave up the idea of going into the building and began to help him with his placement of the rocks. At first he seemed to like the idea even smiling a sickly little smile and telling her where to place the stones. But it wasn’t long before things went wrong.
“Run girl!” The scrawny man exclaimed. She had her back to him and looked up just in time to see molten rock begin to swallow the concrete they had been aligning. Sammy took one step on the unsteady stone to make her way towards the troll when he screamed. Fire shot up to block her view from him and she jumped back from it. The heat was intense and immediate. She scrambled up the wall and ran to get a better view of where he had been. By the time she made it he was surrounded by a pool of molten rock and fire had badly burned much of his body. His gravely voice reached her even as the fire swallowed him from. “Don’t give up girl.”
Once again Sammy awoke with a start. As she gasped for breath she quickly shut her eyes again. There was no way she was losing this chance. Not again. She wouldn’t let that man die this way. It had been too horrible. And she refused to let it happen like that. This time she would enter the dream world on her own terms.
In no time at all Sammy found herself at the top of the hill, on the dusty road again. This time Griffin was not there. She began to run for the building at the near bottom of the hill and didn’t stop until she had come to the front door. It was made of glass and as she opened it and went in the air changed in the building. The air had grown heavier and dense with unseen particles but Sammy pushed through undaunted. She didn’t have far to go. Once inside there was only one more door to be opened before finding the falsely handsome figure from their meeting before with Griffin.
It was he who spoke first. Neither of them seemed at ease. “Shall we try again? You’ve done much better this time. It’s a wonder Griffin even bothered to escort you the first time. You could teach that old fool a thing or two.”
His words reached Sammy; they were like sweet honey but held a terrible resonance that made the hair stand up on the back of her neck. “I still have no freaking idea what the hell you’re talking about. But I want this over with. And that man outside. I want him to be unharmed.”
Her demand brought out a genuine laugh from the unnamed man. It was a rich sound but echoed with its emptiness. “First girl you don’t tell me what you want. I don’t care what you want. But my colleague will be perfectly fine if you make the correct decisions. And give me what I want.”
Sammy glared at the figure but nodded her head lightly. “Fine. Just.. can’t you stop messing with my memory. I don’t want to agree to stuff and then have no idea what I’ve agreed to.” She rubbed her hands down the sides of her jeans, wiping them dry of the sweat that was building up on them. This was grating on her more than she was willing to let him know.
The man grew solemn and shook his head in what seemed to be real dismay. “That, I can’t do. And you know it. You have a knack for remembering far more than you should as it is. Now then, this will be over soon…” he stepped forward and placed an icy hand up on Sammy’s cheek.
The girl’s eyes grew wide in shock the second he made contact with her skin. It neither hurt nor felt pleasant but filled her mind with a rush of muddled scenes. She was rooted to where she stood as his cold dead eyes gazed into her very soul. Deep within Sammy could feel his cold touch but it felt like he had a hold of her heart rather than her cheek. She flinched and fell back from him as her eyes snapped shut tightly as sweet oblivion washed over her.
Sammy’s eyes slowly opened, marveling at how bright the sun over head was. She felt the grass under her hands and blinked in surprise as she bolted up. No longer was she in the building but outside of it again. Near the back where the troll like man had been before. Her head was still in a fog as she made her way back to where he should have been.
The man’s eyes lit up the second Sammy stepped into view. “Why, hello girl. Look it’s finished.” He gestured to the magnificent design that had been created where the former mess of broken concrete blocks had been. It had all been swept away, made new with a garden of beautiful detailed sand designs and well placed rocks. It was serene and peaceful with a handful of fresh blooms springing up.
The girl jumped down and rushed over to the man, immediately noticing differences in him as well. No longer dirty and nervous, he seemed calm and was well groomed. He even had a bit more hair she thought. He prattled on and on, smiling and even laughing warmly for what seemed like hours. Sammy listened intently as he told her secrets to the dream world and even of the real world. It was the most wonderful way to spend an afternoon. As they sat on the wall around the garden Sammy looked around with an accomplished smile. The man looked over to her as the sun began to set. With a sparkle in his eye he winked and chuckled. “You do know you won’t recall any of this when you wake don’t you?”
Sammy’s smile faded her spirits dampened a bit by his words. “Really? I... I hoped this would be the exception. You’ll be okay won’t you? Will I see you again? Or the other ones?” Panic had begun to take hold in her tone and she spoke rapidly.
The man only smiled as he replied and took up his work once more, “I will be as I am now. Your business is done but not even I can tell you what will happen later on down the road. But I have the feeling you will find your way back someday.”
As the sun plunged below the horizon Sammy pulled herself back to consciousness. In her own bed, in her own home she hugged her stuffed teddy bear tightly. It didn’t matter what deal had been struck. Nor did it matter who was a good guy or a bad guy. The adventure had been enough. And next time. She would smack them all around a bit until they let her in on the whole big secret.
Coming to a stop Griffin began to converse with a group of young adults. The girl with him, Samantha, was too angry to make a show of listening to their conversation. Instead her sapphire eyes were busy roaming endlessly over the wooded area they had gathered. People’s faces were blurs. Nothing more than nameless nobodies and she knew it. That fact only worsened her mood further. By the time Griffin motioned that they were going to continue on Sammy had shoved her hands in the front pockets of her jeans and merely tromped along behind him.
Griffin made no effort to hide his annoyance at his companion’s mood. His eerily calm and commanding voice spoke to her as they drew farther from the people. “This is for your own good. Perhaps you should stop acting like a child and accept the simple fact…”
His sentence was cut off by Sammy’s sullen laughter. She lifted her gaze so that she could look him over but couldn’t see much other than his broad shoulders and thick back. “I don’t have to accept anything. You could just be lying and out to get me.” Even as she said it she didn’t believe the words. He was beloved by everyone he met for reasons she never understood. But then, everyone thought he was some sort of hero. He had a way with other people, people who didn’t know what he really was. But then she wasn’t even sure what he really was. And none of it would matter come morning.
Griffin’s heart heavy sigh could be heard after Sammy’s little rant. It struck him in a very personal way when she was like this. It could be expected but it still stung. He knew that he was not the one she had hoped to see here. They neared a small building; it looked like a fancy out house out in the woods. The walls were concrete, with dirty white paint on them. A few lingering people saw them and took off out of respect. And if anyone noticed, a handful of shadows would seem to withdraw as well.
Sammy’s heart sunk when she looked up to see the building. Her demure hand instantly reached out and snatched hold of her escort’s rough hand. It was strange, the apprehension she felt overpowered anything else that might have bothered her about this meeting. Like a child she inched closer to Griffin, keeping him just barely in front of her. A small and meek request came from her as the door was opened. “Please… I don’t wanna go in there. I don’t want to do this.”
He lowered his head in shame but led Sammy inside the building. Inside was dimly lit, the paint was even dirtier. It looked like a bathroom someone had neglected for ages. Smelled like it too. Griffin snorted and stopped once they had made it to the center of the small room. The door they had come through closed, and only a doorway leading to stairs remained an option. “You can stop. But you’ve come this far. And I need you to do this. Every one needs you to do this. You know what happens if you don’t. THEY will win. You saw how easy it is to reach them, all of your loved ones. I can’t protect them all on my own.”
A soft whimper broke from the girl but she bit down hard on her bottom lip. Her grip on Griffin’s hand only tightened. She would see this through, but not without him. In answer, Sammy only looked up at him, gave a weak smile and nodded. It was all that was needed. Laughter filled the room, and it was not from either of them.
The duo walked down the short flight of stairs until they reached a second room, this one even darker. Sammy couldn’t tell if the walls were painted or not, but she strained to see through the thick air in the room. Suddenly the room began to spin: she let out a groan and nearly stumbled into Griffin. She knew someone else was in the room but everything was getting blurry. “Griffin? Something’s wrong.” There was unabashed terror in her tone.
The figure still laughed and seemed to take Griffin in his confidence. But Griffin sought to soothe Sammy. “Shhh it will be fine. Be strong. You won’t remember any of this.” He cast a steely glare at the figure which silenced the laughing and they began talks to reach some sort of an agreement. Time passed strangely in this place. It felt like hours but in truth was no more than fifteen minutes.
But all of this was lost on Sammy; she could not make out any of their words. And it wasn’t until she felt the figure within inches of her face that she realized Griffin was no longer anywhere near her. She sensed him ascending the stairs and looked just in time to see his saddened face before he left her. On her own now, Sammy’s breath caught in her throat and she turned to stare into the being’s eyes or the crimson orbs where there should have been eyes. There was something alluring about this being but she figured the handsome features were nothing but a façade. Strangely enough, fear had been replaced in the girl, she was too angry to let such a feeling prevail.
As they stared each other down the figure spoke, his voice was annoyingly calm like Griffin’s usually was. “We will see each other again soon, to finish this.”
Sammy’s hands clenched into tightly balled up fists and answered his words with a cold and emotionless response. “D@mn. You.”
Bolting upright in bed Sammy awoke, gasping for breath. The sheets around her were damp with sweat. Tears of frustration welled up in her eyes and with a defiant throw her pillow crashed into the dresser across the room. She sat there, fuming at the outcome of the dream. After all… one couldn’t converse with demons and the dead in broad daylight. And these ones had been able to alter what she remembered. Nothing but the barest of details remained anymore and those she quickly jotted down on a pad of paper near the bed. Even the validity of those details was in question. But something was certain. A deal had not been reached yet.
Many weeks passed without further occurrences leaving Sammy to go about her life wondering if she would see either of the dream’s villains or heroes. To be honest she didn’t want to, but a nagging feeling made her realize she would have to. The memory of how easily her family and friends could be reached wouldn’t be dismissed easily. But life gets busy. And distractions are a blissful break from such nonsense.
It happened quickly, Griffin came to talk to her. His hulking form loomed over Sammy as they once again walked along. The day was sunny, not too hot though and it had to be mid afternoon. He cautioned her, “I am being called away. Whatever happens I can’t come back to help. Others need me as well.”
Not once did Sammy bother to look at Griffin as he spoke. She knew he was trying to make the situation better but nothing he could say would help. Her eyes remained on the dusty dirt road they walked on. As they neared a downward hill she heard spoke softly to him, “I’m not your concern. You have a job to do. Thank you for all you’ve done but… I’m not stopping. Not now. I’ll be ok. You can ease your conscience. You aren’t ditching me. You will see me again.”
It was to reassure him more than anything that Sammy spoke. Deep down she knew that Griffin did have some interest in the out come concerning her but she had no idea what his interest could be. He was not her guardian. He held no deep feelings for her. In fact he very well could be an enemy for all she knew. But, she really couldn’t bring herself to leave things badly between them. Before she had even realized, he was gone. With a deep sigh Sammy started down the dusty trek towards a run down building.
This time the building was very obviously a former business. It had glass windows in the front and around back was a dock for semi’s to unload. Sammy decided to make her way to the back and have a look around. She strayed off the dirt road and through overgrown grass until she found the back of the building. It was unremarkable except for a fidgety little man who was working tirelessly to convert the cracked and crumbling concrete of the paved dock into something like a mini maze.
Sammy sat on a wall that held back the hill’s dirt from filling in the dock area and watched the nervous man go about his work. He looked like hell, balding, no more than five foot, and scraggly. A horrid stench came from either him or the building but she didn’t really want to find out which it was.
The troll like creature was aware of the watchful eyes on him but didn’t slow in his meticulous work. He moved one piece after another of crumbling concrete. Sometimes going back and moving the same piece many times over. Constant mumbling came from his lips and sweat poured down the sides of his face. After a few minutes he shouted at Sammy “You could help. I have to get this right you wretched girl. It’s your dang fault you know.”
Indignation caused Sammy to rise to her feet and jump down onto the jigsaw concrete below. “My fault? What the...? I just got here. It’s not my fault you little freak.”
The creature bubbled with maniacal laughter at her protests and shooed her off of his work with swift gestures of his hands. He replaced a few pieces that she had knocked out of place, only to put them right back where she had dislodged them. “You should have been here hours ago. He’s been waiting. And now he’s angry. When he’s angry no one is happy. We’re all going to die. You must be careful girlie. Watch. Listen. Learn from mistakes. And stop getting in my way d**n it.”
Sammy was staring at the odd little man, unsure if she should help, run or burst out laughing. She really couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not with everything he said and did. Something about him though touched her in a way she couldn’t explain. Almost instinctively she gave up the idea of going into the building and began to help him with his placement of the rocks. At first he seemed to like the idea even smiling a sickly little smile and telling her where to place the stones. But it wasn’t long before things went wrong.
“Run girl!” The scrawny man exclaimed. She had her back to him and looked up just in time to see molten rock begin to swallow the concrete they had been aligning. Sammy took one step on the unsteady stone to make her way towards the troll when he screamed. Fire shot up to block her view from him and she jumped back from it. The heat was intense and immediate. She scrambled up the wall and ran to get a better view of where he had been. By the time she made it he was surrounded by a pool of molten rock and fire had badly burned much of his body. His gravely voice reached her even as the fire swallowed him from. “Don’t give up girl.”
Once again Sammy awoke with a start. As she gasped for breath she quickly shut her eyes again. There was no way she was losing this chance. Not again. She wouldn’t let that man die this way. It had been too horrible. And she refused to let it happen like that. This time she would enter the dream world on her own terms.
In no time at all Sammy found herself at the top of the hill, on the dusty road again. This time Griffin was not there. She began to run for the building at the near bottom of the hill and didn’t stop until she had come to the front door. It was made of glass and as she opened it and went in the air changed in the building. The air had grown heavier and dense with unseen particles but Sammy pushed through undaunted. She didn’t have far to go. Once inside there was only one more door to be opened before finding the falsely handsome figure from their meeting before with Griffin.
It was he who spoke first. Neither of them seemed at ease. “Shall we try again? You’ve done much better this time. It’s a wonder Griffin even bothered to escort you the first time. You could teach that old fool a thing or two.”
His words reached Sammy; they were like sweet honey but held a terrible resonance that made the hair stand up on the back of her neck. “I still have no freaking idea what the hell you’re talking about. But I want this over with. And that man outside. I want him to be unharmed.”
Her demand brought out a genuine laugh from the unnamed man. It was a rich sound but echoed with its emptiness. “First girl you don’t tell me what you want. I don’t care what you want. But my colleague will be perfectly fine if you make the correct decisions. And give me what I want.”
Sammy glared at the figure but nodded her head lightly. “Fine. Just.. can’t you stop messing with my memory. I don’t want to agree to stuff and then have no idea what I’ve agreed to.” She rubbed her hands down the sides of her jeans, wiping them dry of the sweat that was building up on them. This was grating on her more than she was willing to let him know.
The man grew solemn and shook his head in what seemed to be real dismay. “That, I can’t do. And you know it. You have a knack for remembering far more than you should as it is. Now then, this will be over soon…” he stepped forward and placed an icy hand up on Sammy’s cheek.
The girl’s eyes grew wide in shock the second he made contact with her skin. It neither hurt nor felt pleasant but filled her mind with a rush of muddled scenes. She was rooted to where she stood as his cold dead eyes gazed into her very soul. Deep within Sammy could feel his cold touch but it felt like he had a hold of her heart rather than her cheek. She flinched and fell back from him as her eyes snapped shut tightly as sweet oblivion washed over her.
Sammy’s eyes slowly opened, marveling at how bright the sun over head was. She felt the grass under her hands and blinked in surprise as she bolted up. No longer was she in the building but outside of it again. Near the back where the troll like man had been before. Her head was still in a fog as she made her way back to where he should have been.
The man’s eyes lit up the second Sammy stepped into view. “Why, hello girl. Look it’s finished.” He gestured to the magnificent design that had been created where the former mess of broken concrete blocks had been. It had all been swept away, made new with a garden of beautiful detailed sand designs and well placed rocks. It was serene and peaceful with a handful of fresh blooms springing up.
The girl jumped down and rushed over to the man, immediately noticing differences in him as well. No longer dirty and nervous, he seemed calm and was well groomed. He even had a bit more hair she thought. He prattled on and on, smiling and even laughing warmly for what seemed like hours. Sammy listened intently as he told her secrets to the dream world and even of the real world. It was the most wonderful way to spend an afternoon. As they sat on the wall around the garden Sammy looked around with an accomplished smile. The man looked over to her as the sun began to set. With a sparkle in his eye he winked and chuckled. “You do know you won’t recall any of this when you wake don’t you?”
Sammy’s smile faded her spirits dampened a bit by his words. “Really? I... I hoped this would be the exception. You’ll be okay won’t you? Will I see you again? Or the other ones?” Panic had begun to take hold in her tone and she spoke rapidly.
The man only smiled as he replied and took up his work once more, “I will be as I am now. Your business is done but not even I can tell you what will happen later on down the road. But I have the feeling you will find your way back someday.”
As the sun plunged below the horizon Sammy pulled herself back to consciousness. In her own bed, in her own home she hugged her stuffed teddy bear tightly. It didn’t matter what deal had been struck. Nor did it matter who was a good guy or a bad guy. The adventure had been enough. And next time. She would smack them all around a bit until they let her in on the whole big secret.