After (Wolves of Mercy Falls Fan Fic)

Chapter 28

The next morning, I could barely remember anything. My head felt groggy and I groaned as I sat up. I was in bed (which was a good thing. Last time that happened, I was in the middle of the street when I woke up). I faintly remembered getting up in the middle of the night after I couldn't fall asleep but everything else was blurry. I rubbed my eyes and looked around my empty room. I tried to remember the events from last night but nothing came so I got out of bed and decided to go look for Lila.

I found her in the living room, curled up with a book. A button up sweater over her shoulders. She glanced up at me and smiled. I leaned against the doorway and my smile was full of sleep. "Hey," I said. She waved slightly. "Did you bring me back to bed last night?" I asked.

Her smile kind of faded and she nodded, looking back down at her book. I tilted my head a little then walked to her. I tried desperately to remember what I did. "Everything okay?" I asked, sitting next to her. She nodded again, her face was blank and she "read" her book.

The sun shown off her hair then, making it golden and the memory of her standing in the moonlight came flooding back. I remembered my daydream about light and dark, but that's all. There was nothing there that she would be upset that I forgot... I sighed and leaned my head against the couch. My head was throbbing. I could feel a migraine coming on. I felt the couch shift as Lila stood up. I peaked out from under my eyelashes to she what she was doing but she was already gone.

When she came back, she held a pain pill bottle and a glass of water, I sat up as she handed them to me. I took two and washed them down with the water. I sighed again, "Thanks, Lila." She nodded and sat back down. I glanced over at her. She still had her pokerface on. I took her hand and kissed her wrist. Lila sighed and closed her eyes. I pulled her closer, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

I took the book out of her hands and read the cover aloud, "Athem by Ayn Rand. Student edition. 75th Anniversary Edition." I looked down at Lila. She had closed her eyes and pressed her nose to my neck. I turned to the page she was on and began reading:

"''Your eyes are as a flame, but our brothers have neither hope nor fire. Your mouth is cut of granite, but our brothers cringe. You walk, but our brothers crawl. We wish to be damned with you, rather to be blessed with all our brothers. Do as you please with us, but do not send us away from you.'

Then they knelt, and bowed their golden head before us.

We have never thought of that which we did. We bent to raise the Golden One to their feet, but when we touched them, it was as if madness had stricken us. We seized their body and we pressed our lips to theirs. The Golden One breathed once, and their breath was a moan, and then their arms closed around us.

We stood together for a long time. And we were frightened that we had lived for twenty-one years and had never known what joy is possible to men.'"

I stopped and looked at the pages. Still focused on the pages, I asked, "So, the word 'I' isn't in their vocabulary, right? Or any form of it?" Lila nodded. "So when the main character says 'we' he's talking about himself and the society?" Lila nodded again. I nodded slowly.

I turned to the first page and continued reading from the beginning. I learned that 'we' was Equality 7-2521 and the Golden One was a girl that he had met one day when he was doing his job as a street sweeper. Her name was actually Liberty 5-3000 and she called him the Unconquered. They lived in a communist society and it was a great sin to be different. But Equality 7-2521 was extremely different and extremely curious. A whole bunch of things happen and the book was only 12 chapters long!

By the end, the book was on my top 20 favorite books. I looked at Lila who was staring up at me already. I smiled. I remembered what had happened the night before.

I set the book down and touched the tips of my fingers to her cheek before tracing the pattern with my nose. Her breath became unstable as I slid my lips over the corner of her mouth. This time she kissed me first. I smiled and kissed her back.

I heard my parent's door open and I pulled away, pointing up to the ceiling. Lila blushed and snuggled into my chest. I switched on the TV and that's how we stayed.