Participants:
| Scene Title | Open Your Eyes |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | It's not something that Eve wants to do.. at all. |
| Date | January 13, 2011 |
????
Drip drip drip drip
The sound of water dripping somewhere on the roof snaps Eve out of whatever trance she was just in and she turns her head as the wind blows raven dark strands of hair into her face. Horns blaring and even the sounds of a couple or two arguing can be heard as the woman sighs and lets her head drop back to stare up at the moonless sky.
A few candles are lit, illuminating what Eve was doing. Painting a portrait of something, a few outlines of people can be seen and half of a face seems to be completed a female. The white wisps of smoke waft up and then over the portrait as Eve inhales deeply and closes her eyes. She sets the paintbrush down gently and walks over to the edge of the rooftop, her eyes scanning the Ruins of Midtown below her.
Home.
Dots of lights litter the ruins, those being the trash cans with flames in them to warm people that are homeless and gathering together, the sounds of laughter and even music can be heard below and the woman smiles gently as she sits down on the edge of the roof and lets her bare feet dangle over, the tattered edges of her dark blue shimmery dress fly in the wind, some pieces flaring behind her, like smoke trailing up from a flame. Eve hums softly to herself watching the scene below her, feet swinging.
The seer’s light grey eyes alight with happiness at the sounds of joy below her. Then the dark clouds that hid the bright full moon slide away, gradually illuminating everything around her and below.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Calls a voice, feminine and as the words in Italian reach Eve’s ear, the candles around her all blink out. Lights being turned off by their switch, one by one. The singer’s back stiffens as she hears the voice and she doesn’t look behind her, not yet. Eyes widen and her fingers curl tightly around the edge of the roof.
“You haven’t visited me in so long, I guess you forgot your manners. Family is important, need I remind you? I told your father, to marry a real Italian woman. She would have taught you right, Eva.” is said and Eve’s face contorts into vicious anger, turning her head to growl out to the speaker. “It’s Eve, grandmother how many times do I have to tell you?”
The woman in question comes from within the shadows, dressed in light grey colors. Her dark red hair with grey strands here and there trails down to her waist and she tilts her head as dark blue eyes, study her granddaughter. “You don’t tell me anything.” the older short woman shrugs her shoulders to which Eve scowls and shakes her head.
“What are you doing here, huh? You told me not to come back again, after you learned what I could do.” Eve looks hurt and she looks away from her grandmother, back down to the scene of the happy people below. If only she could feel the way they were right now.
To Eve’s shock and amazement, a white light blooms in the middle of the Ruins. The crowds of people gathered below frozen in awe as the light slowly envelopes them all. As Eve covers her eyes with a pale skinned arm and cries out, she falls back from the roof and onto the surface near her grandmother’s feet. A rainbow of colors swirl behind her closed eyelids and she feels a toe nudge into her shoulder hard. “Open your eyes, little one.” All talk of why Eve hasn’t been to see her ignored.
“I simply came to see you and your progress. Look at all that has happened.” To which she does in fact open her eyes and her grandmother’s face peers down into hers, “Go on, look.” The younger woman obeys her grandmother, peeking over the edge of the roof. Below, illuminated by the moon is a giant forest or jungle some would say. Birds chirp even under the moon and Eve stares down in wonder at the scene that she would never see again. Something she hadn’t seen since the first time she met Gillian..
“Was this future.. a good one you think? Was it worthy of leaving unchanged?” The question makes Eve wince and she looks up towards her grandmother. “Is that a real question? No future is totally good. It’s not the way things work.” Is Eve’s reply to the question and her grandmother nods her head. “Well what about this one.//”
The seer’s grandmother sweeps her hand across the Ruins and Eve cries out in horror as water crashes in from every direction, knocking down trees and quickly beginning to overtake the forest that was created below. Darkness this time, enfolds Eve and when she see again, the moon lights up the scene below her.
Waves crashing around the Ruins and seagulls can be heard under the bright light of the full moon. Eve covers her mouth and shakes her head. “So many things change Evie.” The grandmother kneels next to Eve and smoothes back a bit of her hair. “It’s never the same, you can’t keep it any one way either.” The dark haired woman shakes her head at her grandmother’s words.
“You can’t change everything grandmother.. but why.. why would I let things stay the same if I see things like this.”
Is said in desperation as Eve gives her grandmother a look. To which the woman shrugs her shoulders. “You want to be exhausted and overextended, fine Eva.” All traces of the warm grandmother gone as Alda speaks to her granddaughter now in cold tones in English now, walking away from the younger woman.
“What am I supposed to do? Let people die?! Let everything sprawl out from the balance?!” Eve grabs the side of her head and shakes it. “You can’t change everything but you can change a few things. It’s true.” As if begging her grandmother to understand will change anything.
“Eve. Stop stressing yourself out, not worth it.” Says a new voice, this one male and the sound of this man’s voice causes all of Eve to shudder, closing her eyes tightly refusing to say anything or even to look at the man who is speaking to her.
“Eve, don’t you hide. Face this, face him. Spoken in Italian again to her granddaughter, Alda’s voice calls out to her.
“Come on Eve, don’t stay mad at me.” Eve shakes and she slowly opens her eyes to see the man known to her as Cameron Spalding looks out to the waves roaring below them. “Kind of peaceful though, don’t you think?” He asks the woman, who slowly gets to her feet and looks for her grandmother but the older woman seems to have disappeared for now.
“I guess.. if you like the smell of sea salt all damn day.” She says softly to which Cameron chuckles and turns his face to fully face the woman and that’s when she screams and backs away. For Cameron’s appearance is something reminiscent of Two-Face. While the one side that Eve was talking to before was handsome and had the smooth skin that she remembered, the other is decayed and desiccated. Handiwork of Kazmir Volken. Eyes glowing a deep golden color.
“Oh yeah.. sorry about that.” He says a bit sheepish, scratching the back of his head before he looks at Eve with a serious expression, reminding her of missions debriefs in the time of PARIAH. “Look Eve, the war is raging right?” Eve has no answer for him as below her now, explosions can be heard and seen above the water. Fire raining down to the waves below. “Time to get serious, so what if we failed for registration. One battle lost.” Though knows that usually Cameron probably wouldn’t have spoken of this, she nods her head gently. Watching the scene of an unlikely battle taking place.
Two ships can be seen hurtling towards one another across the waves of the ocean and gunfire and all manner of warfare Evolved and tech can be seen being used. Just who are those ships, Eve cannot see. Though she strains her sight too.
The faces of Elisabeth Harrison and Richard Cardinal, the one from her timeline can be seen along with the other, older Richard Cardinal. The dark hair of her best friend Gillian Childs rippling in the waves, many other faces appear in the water. All without light in their eyes, as if they are ghosts or zombies. As their faces appear in the water one at a time, they each stare up at Eve, as one. Their mouths open to speak in unison.
“Open your eyes.”
“Gilly..” is uttered softly and it’s as if Eve wants to jump out in open air and plunge down to her friend below. “What if they aren’t really the enemy? I mean.. what if everyone’s getting so worked up for nothing.” Cam shrugs his shoulder softly and Eve’s grandmother appears again, beside the young man.
"Who is the enemy?" Eve asks of the two people before her, but neither of them answers.
“You’ll never know for sure will you though?” Comes the question from her. “You’re currently walking this one as blind as I am.” she laughs softly before that quickly turns into coughs that leave her bent over and Cameron awkwardly patting her back. “Open your eyes Eve.” Comes from Cameron as she watches the battle below her.
“And family is important, Evie. Don’t blame him forever, he made mistakes.” Alda’s voice can be heard in Eve’s ears, as her grandmother rubs her granddaughter’s shoulders.
Thee two boats clash in an explosion of gunfire and explosions and soon both boats are sinking beneath the surface of the water. The singer cries out as the boats are soon submerged under the surface. Soon, a dark red color blooms from down within the waters.
Blood. A real blood sea, the water now thick and smelly as Eve holds her nose and looks to Cameron and Alda.
“You have to look deeply, make sure you don’t lose sight o-.” Cameron stops as a dark figure steps out from behind Eve. Sensing something behind her, the younger woman turns and backs away from the shadowy figure smoke trailing behind it. White teeth grin widely at the woman as it advances on the trio.
“Run little one, run.” Alda says in fear and the door leading down from the roof bangs open so that a terrified Eve can barrel through to the stairs and take them two at a time before she trips and rolls down the rest of the way. As she tries to catch her breath, she feels something land on top of her and her eyes snap open.
The shadowy figure glares down at the artist before wasting no time in plunging a knife into her belly.
With a scream, Eve wakes up. Screaming and grabbing fistfuls of blankets. She’s in her room.. at Mas Mechanics. The beginnings of the sun starting to rise. After a moment or two of deep breath, she slides out from bed. Legs weak and body drenched in sweat from the dream. Padding softly through the warehouse, Eve Mas comes outside to find the gate open and the ground wet. As she makes her way out to the street barefoot, her eyes squint in the dark red sunlight.
It’s when she almost spills in a puddle that she realizes what she’s walking in. Dried blood, or mostly dried blood. Caking the streets, as if someone pulled the thing clogging the drain of the blood sea. A look of horror crosses Eve’s face as she looks down at her feet, drenched white nightgown whispering in the wind as Eve spots a figure not to far in front of her. Unable to make out if it’s a man or a woman. Much like the shadow figure that stabbed her earlier.. stabbed?
Looking down, she sees blood blossom around the wound as she tries to make her way towards the figure covered by the sun and she slips and falls onto her shoulder, groaning with pain the woman supports herself with one hand before the voice of Cameron whispers in her ear. “Open your eyes, Eve.”
Those words echo in her head as eyelids flutter and she finds herself in her bedroom at Mas Mechanics again. This time in the real world.. how more of a safe place that is to be for her..
Tears roll down her cheeks as she stares up at the high ceiling, content to just weep in bed. Weep until there’s nothing left.. Curling up in a loose ball she does the opposite of what Cameron told her..
She closes her eyes again.