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Series: Broken World
Prompt: Nightmares
Synopsis: During the day Matilda has the whole world fooled; Helen knows the truth.
A heavy collar enclosed around her throat, cold metal biting her skin. Shackles bound her arms and legs. They were too tight. She was going to lose circulation, but they didn’t care. Her captor jerked at the chains. She fell to the ground and it scraped her palms and knees.
no no dont make me do this please they didnt hurt anyone
Rough hands clipped something onto the collar. Her badge. The one she lied to get, so she could hide under their noses. How clever she had thought herself. As if she could beat the system all on her own, change the world just by thinking a step ahead. The game had been rigged the whole time. Another tug on the chains. There were three people in front of her.
please please dont make me
Jason’s head was bowed as if in prayer, though she knew he didn’t. His mind was calm. Meditating. They had done it so many times, preparing themselves to go into a world that was too noisy and bright and got noisier when they mentioned it and how were they supposed to know that was wrong? But if they made her do this the world would go silent for him, silent and still and dark. Could you prepare for that the same way?
Rachael hid her face in Jason’s side. They looked enough alike that no one had raised eyebrows when he called her ‘daughter.’ If her eyes were a bit too knowing, if she spoke too eloquently for a child, few noticed. She was precocious, quick, clever clever just like Aunt Mattie and look how that had turned out im so sorry
The last stared at her with wide, betrayed eyes. No. No, she couldn’t do this. She couldn’t take that light, not hers not ever no matter how much the chains bit and pulled her into hell that was entirely of her own
matt, what are you doing? The hurt eyes begged. mattie, please. whats wrong? matt!
“Matilda!” She gasped as the dream fell away and she found herself in Helen’s warm embrace. There were no shackles, though she still felt their ghostly weight on her wrists. Jason and Rachael were safe, at home. No one was going to hurt them, not tonight. And Helen was here, holding her tight and reminding her what was real. Helen’s hair was damp against Matt’s cheek, and she smelled like that flowery soap she liked. Her skin was warm and smooth. Home. Safe. Calm. her mind said.
“It’s going to be all right. I’m here. I’m here, Mattie,” Helen was saying into her ear. Matt took another gasping breath and held her close.
“I don’t know how long I can do this,” she whispered. “They’re going to find me out.”
Helen pulled away just enough to look her in the eye. In real life her eyes weren’t scared. There was a hint of worry at the edges, but that was nothing new. In daylight hours they joked that Matt was a source of constant worry. Still, even in the dim light of the room Matt could see the stern look of determination on Helen’s face.
“If they do, then we’ll run,” she promised. Helen gripped Matt’s hand. “Both of us. We’ll run like the goddamn wind. You hear me?” Matt nodded and rested her head against Helen’s shoulder again.
“What about Rachael?”
Helen’s free hand ran through Matt’s hair. “In that case? They’ll be the ones running.”
Prompt: Nightmares
Synopsis: During the day Matilda has the whole world fooled; Helen knows the truth.
A heavy collar enclosed around her throat, cold metal biting her skin. Shackles bound her arms and legs. They were too tight. She was going to lose circulation, but they didn’t care. Her captor jerked at the chains. She fell to the ground and it scraped her palms and knees.
no no dont make me do this please they didnt hurt anyone
Rough hands clipped something onto the collar. Her badge. The one she lied to get, so she could hide under their noses. How clever she had thought herself. As if she could beat the system all on her own, change the world just by thinking a step ahead. The game had been rigged the whole time. Another tug on the chains. There were three people in front of her.
please please dont make me
Jason’s head was bowed as if in prayer, though she knew he didn’t. His mind was calm. Meditating. They had done it so many times, preparing themselves to go into a world that was too noisy and bright and got noisier when they mentioned it and how were they supposed to know that was wrong? But if they made her do this the world would go silent for him, silent and still and dark. Could you prepare for that the same way?
Rachael hid her face in Jason’s side. They looked enough alike that no one had raised eyebrows when he called her ‘daughter.’ If her eyes were a bit too knowing, if she spoke too eloquently for a child, few noticed. She was precocious, quick, clever clever just like Aunt Mattie and look how that had turned out im so sorry
The last stared at her with wide, betrayed eyes. No. No, she couldn’t do this. She couldn’t take that light, not hers not ever no matter how much the chains bit and pulled her into hell that was entirely of her own
matt, what are you doing? The hurt eyes begged. mattie, please. whats wrong? matt!
“Matilda!” She gasped as the dream fell away and she found herself in Helen’s warm embrace. There were no shackles, though she still felt their ghostly weight on her wrists. Jason and Rachael were safe, at home. No one was going to hurt them, not tonight. And Helen was here, holding her tight and reminding her what was real. Helen’s hair was damp against Matt’s cheek, and she smelled like that flowery soap she liked. Her skin was warm and smooth. Home. Safe. Calm. her mind said.
“It’s going to be all right. I’m here. I’m here, Mattie,” Helen was saying into her ear. Matt took another gasping breath and held her close.
“I don’t know how long I can do this,” she whispered. “They’re going to find me out.”
Helen pulled away just enough to look her in the eye. In real life her eyes weren’t scared. There was a hint of worry at the edges, but that was nothing new. In daylight hours they joked that Matt was a source of constant worry. Still, even in the dim light of the room Matt could see the stern look of determination on Helen’s face.
“If they do, then we’ll run,” she promised. Helen gripped Matt’s hand. “Both of us. We’ll run like the goddamn wind. You hear me?” Matt nodded and rested her head against Helen’s shoulder again.
“What about Rachael?”
Helen’s free hand ran through Matt’s hair. “In that case? They’ll be the ones running.”
