UNSPOKEN: Undone Realms Book 3

Ch. 12: Everything They Want

(Almost 5 years into the Ban)

Avie studies the space between her bed and the door.  This is the spot where she would open the Fold, if the Fold did such a thing as open anymore. 

She should try again.  She thinks about it constantly, telling herself it's both necessary and not as dangerous as it seems.  If the Fold doesn't open, there's nothing for the authorities to trace—no other realm matter, no evidence whatsoever. 

And if it does open... Avie has a plan: she'll journey to Clara's realm, stay there as long as possible, then journey back to her home world at a point in time somewhere in the future.  This plan carries serious risks, so much so that both Marcella and Vira warned her against it before they left. 

The trajectory of her realm is dark.  She may very well wind up in a time far more dangerous than how it is at present.  Still, Avie sees little choice.   She'll do what she needs to do to be with her daughter again.  Besides, no one's future is certain--Avie knows this better than most.

Sometimes, when she's absolutely sure Troi is somewhere far from her room, she closes her curtains and sends her fingers floating through the air, drawing out formulas just as she'd taught herself to do as a young girl. The air is alive with movement, her hand a bird dancing and diving through the sky. 

Nothing happens.  Nothing ever happens.

The day following Avie's phone fact-finding mission comes and goes with no opportunity to attempt realm work.  Troi lingers nearby morning till night as she works, as she eats, as she brings the hotel's deposit to the bank. She tries not to show her annoyance at his constant presence.

Back in Troi's room, Avie drapes her arm over his shoulder.  "What's wrong?"  She has to remind herself to breathe, fearing she's what's wrong.  Had he stirred last night without her realizing and noticed her act of betrayal?  If that's not it, well, she's certain he hasn't seen her attempt to open the Fold.  She's been careful.

 Troi leans into her touch; her mind eases slightly.  "It's just work stuff.  Stressful, you know?"

She moves behind him, placing both hands on his shoulders and begins massaging them.  "I do know.  But you're here now.  On leave.  What could your boss possibly be bothering you with?"

Troi moans as she works his stiff muscles.  "He's—not happy with me at the moment."

"Why?  I know you aren't able to tell me exactly what it is that you do—for the security of the nation and all that.  But I can't imagine you underperforming.  You're so sincere and invested."

Troi flips himself around, hoisting Avie onto his lap.  "I think he feels I'm a bit too invested in one particular aspect of my work."  He nuzzles against the divot between her neck and shoulder, planting a series of kisses there.

Avie gasps, a response Troi misconstrues entirely.  He rubs his hand up and down her back.  "And what particular aspect are you too invested in, Troi?"

His lips move in a smile against her skin.  "I'm afraid that's a matter of national security."  He nibbles on her shoulder and then lifts his head so that his face is even with hers.  "Let's forget about all of that, now.  I'm beginning to feel way less stressed, anyways."

Avie responds to Troi's touch.  She performs, as does he.  They are both acting, carrying out their various missions, but while Avie is meticulously keeping her spy-self and her true-self separated, it disturbs her that she can't tell for sure if this is the case for Troi.  He's playing her, yes, but to what extent?

"No matter what," his whisper skims across the back of her bare shoulders as they lay in bed that night, "this is you and me Avie.  Tonight, right now, there's no one else."

Avie doesn't know what he means, though this is the sort of cheesy line she's come to expect from him.  Her skin prickles where it touches his.  After silently debating, she says what she believes he wants to hear, words she can only hope are the right ones for getting her through the Ban unscathed... safe and sane.

"I love you, Troi."

He presses himself against Avie's back, a deep sigh escaping him.  After his breathing has regulated, she curls herself away from him.  Laying on her own side of the bed, she plans out what the best time tomorrow will be to attempt to open the Fold.  As long as she performs her realm work well away from Troi's watchful eyes, Avie will be safe.  She has to be.  Vira's words come back to her over and over again.  Things will change when the Ban lifts.  Something will be set right. 

Whatever that something is, Avie intends to be there to see it.

#

(Time and place unknown)

He's told he should be grateful because they brought him back.  He should be thankful that he's alive.

He tries to be.  The problem is that he isn't sure what being alive really means to him, but he's certain it isn't this.  Gratefulness feels like a ship that departed for fairer shores a long, long time ago.

He's forgotten a lot of things and after a while, he's forgotten that he's forgotten.  That's when living gets a little easier for him.  It's so much simpler to accept the horrible things happening to you when you have no memory of another life much better than this one.

His life, now, is this: four grey walls, a cot with no bedding, a series of nameless people who tell him they're Callers and that they're there to help him.  He'll just need an injection, or to be strapped to a machine that measures the electrical activity in his brain. Maybe he needs to take these pills they've concocted for him.  Maybe he needs to take them twice a day every day. He also might need to lie down and let them strap him to a gurney while they ask him questions he doesn't understand and can't answer.  They want to know who he is, but he isn't anyone. 

He isn't anyone and never was.

They never get mad at him, but they are relentless in their pursuit of knowledge he doesn't have.  We'll get our answers, they tell him. 

Eventually, whether he wants to, whether he knows it or not, he's going to give them everything they want.

A/N: Today's somewhat ominous chapter is brought to you by the letter O... as in "Oh crap, what is happening here?!"  I'll leave you to theorize, but will just say this: up until today, we've had one POV per chapter, distributed evenly among three characters.  While it will still be like that some of the time, we're going to see a lot more jumping around now, as well as interjections from our mystery man.  Should be exciting!

@AutumnJewel is Chapter 12's fabulous dedicatee.  I've highlighted her story DRAWN TO TROUBLED WATERS many times.  And that's because it's completely AWESOME!  You guys, this is a paranormal/mystery/romance story you don't want to miss.  AND she just posted the last chapter, which means you can have the pleasure of binge reading it from beginning to end.  I suggest that you do!

Today's media curtesy of Ars Electronica, Flickr Creative Commons.