Peace
The pang spread through her stomach as she lay helplessly on her bed. It sapped away her energy like the greedy, gnawing force it was, but drove her to the same goal as one peoples. The beast within her growled, unsatisfied with the energy of her flesh. It wanted more as she wanted more, needed more. She was hungry.
Selene looked out through her cleared windows, however, and saw still only the black of pre-dawn. Sighing in frustration, she pulled at her silvery hair and stared back up at her blank white ceiling.
It was beyond stupid, she thought; she should be able to eat whenever she wanted.
She sighed again and swung herself off the bed, unable to face the blankness of either the black or the white. Her little body paced back and forth, both her hunger and the night refusing to ebb away their presence.
Did she dare? Selene's eyes flickered toward the door. No, she thought, she had been lucky enough the time before. No need to push it.
She looked back at the empty night resting beyond her windows.
Oh, but she was so hungry.
Making up her mind, adrenaline for the moment overpowering hunger, Selene marched over to the door. Her fingers digging into the handle, she slid it open with a barely perceptible hiss. The corridor was dark compared to the shining room behind her, but this did not daunt her. She stepped out and quickly closed the door. Without pausing, Selene starting padding off to her right, her bare feet silent against the hard carpet. Although her fingers still tingled with nervousness, the mute darkness of the corridor, of her home, calmed her as she set out. It told her that this night was her own, that she had nothing to fear.
She looked to her left, out of the arched windows that expanded so far into the walls she sometimes forgot they existed. It could then be beautiful, in those times, but tonight she might as well have been staring at a wall, painted over with black. She looked away.
On the other side stood hardly discernible doors, beyond which lay her slumbering sisters. A bit of guilt seeped into her calm at this thought, but there was no point turning back now. Selene reached the door for the staircase, a plain white one just like the ones she had passed. Just as if the night outside actually held the light of day, she slid the door open and entered what lay beyond. The stairs began immediately, and only habit saved her from tumbling down in the darkness. Habit, however, didn't prevent her from making sure to close the door before continuing her journey.
Selene walked down the stairs with a regularity that was breached by the blank blackness. Torches were usually lit by dawn-time, as the staircase lacked windows, and the absence of their hush flickering also disquieted her. She only had three flights of stairs between her and her goal, however, so despite her creeping fear, she bravely trembled forward. Using the walls on either side to guide her, Selene eventually reached the final step, and with that, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She made it!
Selene saw before her the open archway, revealing the living room. Although it was still shrouded in night, she could now make out the shadowy counterparts to its usual occupants. Selene steeled herself to navigate this new obstacle, but then spun around in the opposite direction.
What was that?
Blood rushed in waves through her ears and she was frozen in fear. Thoughts no more distinct than oh no oh no oh no oh no raced through her mind, and though she stepped back at the ever-approaching sounds coming up the stairs, she did so as if her body had quite separated from her paralyzed mind. Then suddenly, they snapped back together with one frantic thought: get away. Stumbling backwards, Selene rushed into the living room and immediately ran into the back of a couch. The thump, to her, thundered in the silence of the night. Truly panicking now, Selene thought to abandon the living room and sprint back upstairs, and she flew through the archway with this half-formed plan when her body connected with another body. They both crashed down the wrong staircase, both of them crying out in surprise and pain as they hit and slid down the narrow steps. They were stopped at the first flight of stairs by tumbling abruptly into the opposite wall, and they gave another shout of pain at this crash.
Oh no, Selene thought as she struggled to untangle herself from the person. Oh, she's definitely going to report me now. “I am so sorry,” Selene managed to say, trying to repair some of the damage.
“You just-you're sorry? Why'd you burn me then?!” said the person, pushing her away.
Her voice jarred Selene; she sounded unlike anyone she had ever known before. “Burn?” Selene repeated blankly. Fire? There was no fire.
The girl answered quickly, “Forget it.”
Selene noticed the girl shifting away from her in the trickle of light, and she saw the girl even looked jarring, her black hair shaggy but short, her face less roundish, her eyes an odd amber, her arms muscly...like...like...“Are-are you male?” Selene asked in disbelief. “What?” She sounded angry. “Yeah, of course I am!” Selene felt her mouth fall open.
Was this a trick? One of her sisters teasing her for breaking the rules? But she – no, he – matched all the pictures she had seen of boys, and that voice...it was very different. “Impossible,” she breathed, her eyes wide. He (he!) opened his mouth furiously, coming towards her. Seeming to think better of it, however, he withdrew. “You're a gray sage,” he said instead, flatly but with poorly hidden curiosity. “Yes,” Selene replied, “And you're male.”
“Yeah.”
How lucky she was! “Would you like to come with me?” she asked excitedly, lingering adrenaline adding to her fervor. She wanted to find out everything about this 'male'. They had sounded way too much noise earlier though – someone was doubtless coming to check.
He looked at her suspiciously. “Why? And why are you here? Why'd you attack me?”
'Attack' – he had used the word burn earlier...and he was male. She looked now at his black hair and clothes, remembered the rough dullness of those shirt and pants. He's underground, she concluded suddenly. Another mystery.
“Please, will you come with me? I promise to answer you once we're in my room,” she said desperately. He perhaps didn't want to acquiesce, but Selene suddenly noticed faint flickering light coming from the staircase below them. She pointed at it silently but fervently, trying to plead with her eyes, not daring to speak. Also glancing toward the shadows, he nodded.
At this, Selene sprinted forward with him following behind, and the light disappeared. It took little espionage then to walk through the empty corridor and reach her room, but she could barely breath for fear. Being caught now was not an option.
Selene silently opened her door and they walked through. She let out a breath of relief once the door had been closed, and suddenly allowed herself to delve again into her brimming excitement. She faced the male, who contrasted oddly with her stark white room. “How are you called? I'm sorry, I forgot to ask earlier,” she said, feeling bolder than usual. He shook his head. “You answer me first.”
“I-” his abruptness brought her up short; were all males like him? “But can I at least know how you're called?” she said. “Tell me what you promised,” he replied obstinately.
“But we should know how to call each other before then; it's only courteous,” she said back. “See, you can call me Selene, so I'll call you...” She motioned for him to supply the word.
He sighed and said, “You shouldn't trade your name so lightly...I'll tell you my name, I promise you that. But just answer the damn questions first.” He paused here and hesitated before adding, “Selene.” She paused too, hesitating at the intimacy he placed in her address. “You don't have to tell me your name,” she finally said, “I just want to know your address. I'm sorry that you misunderstood.” “My...address?” He stared at her blankly. She stared at him just as blankly. “Address – how people call you,” she said to him. Did he not have an address? That was odd...then again, everything about this person was odd.
“I'm a gray sage,” she said, making up her mind. “You told-” She interrupted, saying,“I'm answering your questions.” Warily, he fell silent. She continued, “I live here, so I have to follow the rules. One of them forbids us to rise before the sun. We have windows in our rooms, so we know when we're allowed to leave. But I was hungry this morning, so I sneaked out, and that's how everything happened. I'm sorry I ran into you.” After a beat, she added, “Also, Selene isn't my name. That's my address. A name is different here.”
He cocked his head and smiled a bit at that. “No,” he said, “I think it's the same.” But that glimmer of a smile quickly faded, and his next words spilled out, reluctant. “But once I tell you my name, tell me yours. It's not fair, I only made that promise because I thought that was your name.” Selene felt uneasiness wash over her at this request, but she brushed it off. “Please, you don't have to tell me,” she said, backing away now, “I don't want to know that.” He seemed shocked at her words, and uneasy himself. “Are you sure?” he asked. “Yes.”
She thought of the names her sisters sometimes called undergrounders, and smiled. “Then if you don't have an address, may I give you one?” she said, excited again. He stared at her for a second like a stranger, but then he replied, “Yeah, fine.” “Then I'll call you Shadowman,” she said swiftly. “Shadowman?” he repeated. Selene smiled at his skepticism.
“Because you live in shadows.”
Selene looked out through her cleared windows, however, and saw still only the black of pre-dawn. Sighing in frustration, she pulled at her silvery hair and stared back up at her blank white ceiling.
It was beyond stupid, she thought; she should be able to eat whenever she wanted.
She sighed again and swung herself off the bed, unable to face the blankness of either the black or the white. Her little body paced back and forth, both her hunger and the night refusing to ebb away their presence.
Did she dare? Selene's eyes flickered toward the door. No, she thought, she had been lucky enough the time before. No need to push it.
She looked back at the empty night resting beyond her windows.
Oh, but she was so hungry.
Making up her mind, adrenaline for the moment overpowering hunger, Selene marched over to the door. Her fingers digging into the handle, she slid it open with a barely perceptible hiss. The corridor was dark compared to the shining room behind her, but this did not daunt her. She stepped out and quickly closed the door. Without pausing, Selene starting padding off to her right, her bare feet silent against the hard carpet. Although her fingers still tingled with nervousness, the mute darkness of the corridor, of her home, calmed her as she set out. It told her that this night was her own, that she had nothing to fear.
She looked to her left, out of the arched windows that expanded so far into the walls she sometimes forgot they existed. It could then be beautiful, in those times, but tonight she might as well have been staring at a wall, painted over with black. She looked away.
On the other side stood hardly discernible doors, beyond which lay her slumbering sisters. A bit of guilt seeped into her calm at this thought, but there was no point turning back now. Selene reached the door for the staircase, a plain white one just like the ones she had passed. Just as if the night outside actually held the light of day, she slid the door open and entered what lay beyond. The stairs began immediately, and only habit saved her from tumbling down in the darkness. Habit, however, didn't prevent her from making sure to close the door before continuing her journey.
Selene walked down the stairs with a regularity that was breached by the blank blackness. Torches were usually lit by dawn-time, as the staircase lacked windows, and the absence of their hush flickering also disquieted her. She only had three flights of stairs between her and her goal, however, so despite her creeping fear, she bravely trembled forward. Using the walls on either side to guide her, Selene eventually reached the final step, and with that, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She made it!
Selene saw before her the open archway, revealing the living room. Although it was still shrouded in night, she could now make out the shadowy counterparts to its usual occupants. Selene steeled herself to navigate this new obstacle, but then spun around in the opposite direction.
What was that?
Blood rushed in waves through her ears and she was frozen in fear. Thoughts no more distinct than oh no oh no oh no oh no raced through her mind, and though she stepped back at the ever-approaching sounds coming up the stairs, she did so as if her body had quite separated from her paralyzed mind. Then suddenly, they snapped back together with one frantic thought: get away. Stumbling backwards, Selene rushed into the living room and immediately ran into the back of a couch. The thump, to her, thundered in the silence of the night. Truly panicking now, Selene thought to abandon the living room and sprint back upstairs, and she flew through the archway with this half-formed plan when her body connected with another body. They both crashed down the wrong staircase, both of them crying out in surprise and pain as they hit and slid down the narrow steps. They were stopped at the first flight of stairs by tumbling abruptly into the opposite wall, and they gave another shout of pain at this crash.
Oh no, Selene thought as she struggled to untangle herself from the person. Oh, she's definitely going to report me now. “I am so sorry,” Selene managed to say, trying to repair some of the damage.
“You just-you're sorry? Why'd you burn me then?!” said the person, pushing her away.
Her voice jarred Selene; she sounded unlike anyone she had ever known before. “Burn?” Selene repeated blankly. Fire? There was no fire.
The girl answered quickly, “Forget it.”
Selene noticed the girl shifting away from her in the trickle of light, and she saw the girl even looked jarring, her black hair shaggy but short, her face less roundish, her eyes an odd amber, her arms muscly...like...like...“Are-are you male?” Selene asked in disbelief. “What?” She sounded angry. “Yeah, of course I am!” Selene felt her mouth fall open.
Was this a trick? One of her sisters teasing her for breaking the rules? But she – no, he – matched all the pictures she had seen of boys, and that voice...it was very different. “Impossible,” she breathed, her eyes wide. He (he!) opened his mouth furiously, coming towards her. Seeming to think better of it, however, he withdrew. “You're a gray sage,” he said instead, flatly but with poorly hidden curiosity. “Yes,” Selene replied, “And you're male.”
“Yeah.”
How lucky she was! “Would you like to come with me?” she asked excitedly, lingering adrenaline adding to her fervor. She wanted to find out everything about this 'male'. They had sounded way too much noise earlier though – someone was doubtless coming to check.
He looked at her suspiciously. “Why? And why are you here? Why'd you attack me?”
'Attack' – he had used the word burn earlier...and he was male. She looked now at his black hair and clothes, remembered the rough dullness of those shirt and pants. He's underground, she concluded suddenly. Another mystery.
“Please, will you come with me? I promise to answer you once we're in my room,” she said desperately. He perhaps didn't want to acquiesce, but Selene suddenly noticed faint flickering light coming from the staircase below them. She pointed at it silently but fervently, trying to plead with her eyes, not daring to speak. Also glancing toward the shadows, he nodded.
At this, Selene sprinted forward with him following behind, and the light disappeared. It took little espionage then to walk through the empty corridor and reach her room, but she could barely breath for fear. Being caught now was not an option.
Selene silently opened her door and they walked through. She let out a breath of relief once the door had been closed, and suddenly allowed herself to delve again into her brimming excitement. She faced the male, who contrasted oddly with her stark white room. “How are you called? I'm sorry, I forgot to ask earlier,” she said, feeling bolder than usual. He shook his head. “You answer me first.”
“I-” his abruptness brought her up short; were all males like him? “But can I at least know how you're called?” she said. “Tell me what you promised,” he replied obstinately.
“But we should know how to call each other before then; it's only courteous,” she said back. “See, you can call me Selene, so I'll call you...” She motioned for him to supply the word.
He sighed and said, “You shouldn't trade your name so lightly...I'll tell you my name, I promise you that. But just answer the damn questions first.” He paused here and hesitated before adding, “Selene.” She paused too, hesitating at the intimacy he placed in her address. “You don't have to tell me your name,” she finally said, “I just want to know your address. I'm sorry that you misunderstood.” “My...address?” He stared at her blankly. She stared at him just as blankly. “Address – how people call you,” she said to him. Did he not have an address? That was odd...then again, everything about this person was odd.
“I'm a gray sage,” she said, making up her mind. “You told-” She interrupted, saying,“I'm answering your questions.” Warily, he fell silent. She continued, “I live here, so I have to follow the rules. One of them forbids us to rise before the sun. We have windows in our rooms, so we know when we're allowed to leave. But I was hungry this morning, so I sneaked out, and that's how everything happened. I'm sorry I ran into you.” After a beat, she added, “Also, Selene isn't my name. That's my address. A name is different here.”
He cocked his head and smiled a bit at that. “No,” he said, “I think it's the same.” But that glimmer of a smile quickly faded, and his next words spilled out, reluctant. “But once I tell you my name, tell me yours. It's not fair, I only made that promise because I thought that was your name.” Selene felt uneasiness wash over her at this request, but she brushed it off. “Please, you don't have to tell me,” she said, backing away now, “I don't want to know that.” He seemed shocked at her words, and uneasy himself. “Are you sure?” he asked. “Yes.”
She thought of the names her sisters sometimes called undergrounders, and smiled. “Then if you don't have an address, may I give you one?” she said, excited again. He stared at her for a second like a stranger, but then he replied, “Yeah, fine.” “Then I'll call you Shadowman,” she said swiftly. “Shadowman?” he repeated. Selene smiled at his skepticism.
“Because you live in shadows.”