Nineteen Eighty-Four {Anja}

[rhyszacher]

The concert hall was empty, which was exactly why Rhys had found it to be a suitable place to get out of the rain. He had been outside, reading a book on the lawns when it suddenly started to pour, but now he had retreated indoors, to avoid getting his book wet. He wasn’t an avid reader, and for the most part didn’t even enjoy it, but he had decided that since he had nothing better to do, he might as well. The book he was reading was one he had stumbled upon a year or so before, and had thoroughly enjoyed, so he found it in the school’s library and was now reading through it once more. George Orwell… he had a gift: a way with words, where he could string them together and show the world just what he thought of it. And his thoughts were intriguing, entertaining, and in a sense, scary. But luckily, 1984 turned out nothing like Orwell’s book.

A small puddle had accumulated beneath his feet. His hair was also dripping, and his clothes were pretty wet, but by putting his book under his shirt he was able to keep it dry. Now, he was sitting on the edge of the stage, with his feet dangling off and one hand holding Nineteen Eighty-Four in front of him. He was already over half way through with the book, but it was getting hard to concentrate on reading, since he was wet and uncomfortable. He considered going to get a change of clothes from his dorm, but decided against it, since he didn’t feel like possibly encountering a roommate. He had avoided them thus far, and didn’t feel like risking it.

As his mind wandered from the page he was on, he started to think about what he knew was going to happen towards the end. He wanted to remember exactly what it was Julia had told Winston... something about self-preservation… he flipped towards the back of the book, and skimmed the pages until he found what he was looking for. After the two had been threatened with their worst fears, after the mental and physical torture, they couldn’t stand it anymore, and ratted each other out. They were lovers, and friends, and... as he read the short conversation between the two, he couldn’t help but imagine himself in the same situation. It was a terrifying thing to imagine. No, he wasn’t a people person, but he didn’t hate them, either. And, if a person ever meant that much to him, would he rat them out, or die first? Hopefully, he’d never be put into a situation like the one depicted in the book... just the thought…

He shook his head, cleared his mind. It was all just fiction, no need to get so worked up… maybe he needed a break from this morbid story. So, he put the book down beside him and laid down on the stage, listening to the rain pounding against the roof.

[Anja Boujinsky]

A cool breeze has turned into a heavy wind, and the scent of an oncoming storm wafted through her nose. It was a mellow scent, that she was sure might have come from her shift. It was a scent, really, that she couldn't explain. Maybe it was a feeling, more than anything, but nonetheless, it was coming and it was time to take cover. She moved quickly, her steps echoing as she made way from the green house and straight towards—Wait, had she just missed her door? She stopped, her quick walk had come to an abrupt stop and she once again realized she had lost herself in the new surroundings had led her astray. A sigh of annoyance and she turned back towards the door, only to realize she was on the wrong side of the dorms.

Another sigh and she took a deep breath. It seemed everything was only piling on more and more and if she didn't deal with it soon she'd end up exploding, again. She moved slowly, feeling the wind against the back of her head. Her hair bobbed on the back of her head, slowly unraveling from the once neat bun. She quickened her pace, making her way around other wary students. By the time she had reached the auditorium, she heard the noise. It was loud, and it was quick. Thunder. ThuuBoom! She stopped where she lay, and felt the first drops of rain coming down. Within seconds it became a downpour, and she could feel herself almost instantly. Rain poured down her head, and traveled over her chest and down the nape of her neck. It trailed through her shirt and down the inner bend in her back until it reached her jeans. A deep breath and she took in some of the rain.

She felt a snap of her sanity, as if something had broken inside her head. Yes. What a fantastic idea. Come to a shifter school especially given that you helped eat the corpse of your own father, that you later found yourself naked and next to. Yes, let's go towards the only thing in this world that terrifies you more than death itself. YES. Let's do stupid shit and get sent to a place that you don't belong at. Where you can run into people that bring it up every F*CKING day. As if it's a natural conversation to have. Yes? Hello? Oh, I'm Anja Boujinsky and I shift into a mother f*cking blowfly. What about you? A tiger? A lion? Are you going to fucking shift and attack me too? WELL, GO FOR IT!

Her thoughts seemed to have come out at the very moment they didn't need to, when she was angry. Though, that seemed to be the best of times for them to pop out, didn't it?

“WELL, GO FOR IT!”

Her voice fell just as the thunder shook, and it was as if the rain had brought on everything that had happened in the last few months. She could feel the ache in her arm from the clawmark of her own teacher. It had all been an accident, but it had all been too much. She could feel her own tears mixing with that of the rain water that had drenched her to her very flesh. Her steps were slow, but she made her way towards the door of the concert hall. She shoved the door forward weakly, feeling the heaviness slam back into her. One more push, she put her body weight and opened the door in a slow fashion. She paused only as she entered the large room, stopping to watch the water dripping from her body. Slow tears fell, and she didn't notice the other being in the room. If any noise had been made it was overpowered by the storm, and thus she walked towards the back where she intended to sit and cry for a bit.

“Take this kiss...”

Poe. You are always so right.

“Upon the brow, and in parting from you now... thus much I avow. You are not wrong to deem...”

That my days have been a dream.

[rhyszacher]

Rhys couldn’t hear the sound of the door opening, or the wet footsteps in the almost empty concert hall over the sound of the rain pouring onto the roof, but his instincts told him he was no longer alone. He raised his head, spotted Anja, then propped himself up on his elbow. She either hadn’t noticed him, or was ignoring him, but he guessed it was the latter.She appeared to be mumbling something to herself as she walked towards the back of the hall, and she looked distressed, although he couldn’t tell that she was crying. It seemed like she was in here because of the rain as well, but his cat-like curiosity wouldn’t let it go there; he wanted to know the story behind this girl.

He hopped off the stage, and before he realized what he was doing, he was practically stalking her, like prey. He had worked his way around the hall, then started to come up behind her, low to the ground, taking silent, quick steps towards her… but when she was finally within pouncing distance, he straightened up, snapped out of it. Still resisting the urge to jump her, or do something else that was innately feline, like maybe lick himself dry, he forced himself to stop walking after the girl. Once he was stopped, he could hear the unmistakable sound of crying…it was soft, but still noticeable at this distance.

Rhys was wearing a gray tank, with a black over shirt. The sleeves were rolled up, since the tropical weather would be unbearable with them down, but he suddenly decided to take it off. It wasn’t so wet anymore, since it had been dripping dry for a while. He took a step after Anja, hesitated, then turned around, putting his over shirt back on as he started make his way towards the door. He guessed she wanted privacy… why else would she have come here, of all places? He was going to offer her his shirt, to either wipe her eyes or dry off, but something inside him kept him from approaching her.

He managed to let go of his curiosity as he made his way across the concert hall, assuming she wouldn’t see him, since she seemed quite wrapped up in whatever was upsetting her. He reached the door, swung it open, then stepped out into the rain… completely forgetting his book…

Word Count: 435