1) Paper Snowflakes (the original, isn't a sequel)
2) To Dance In An English Garden
3) A Night To Remember
4) The Trick Is To Keep Breathing
5) Life In A Heartbeart
6) With Me (the last in the series)
 

She'd rested her head against the small glass window, and now sat staringout it without seeing a thing. Having enough, she pulled down the shade.Nothing but clouds, she thought with a sigh, then frowned. What else wouldthere be outside an airplane? She'd been looking for something, that muchwas certain, but couldn't for the life of her think of what it was.

Everything felt odd, she suddenly thought. Quiet, too quiet.She shruggedit off and closed her eyes to nap. Just nerves.

~~~~~~~~~

She pushed open the front door and flung her keys onto the table nextto her. Grasping around, she finally came across a switch and flicked itup, flooding the living room in light. Without a thought, she walked rightthrough, heading towards the bedroom; a thought in the back of her mindsuggested making a drink first, but she didn't even bother to considerit long enough to stop.

She stood in front of her closet, quietly choosing between the clothesin front of her. The pale blue pajamas were her favorite, but the silknavy nightgown was closer-fit, an appealing thought for some reason. Anothermoment of debating, and she grabbed the nightgown, slipping it on thenmoving on to the bed.

~~~~~~~~~

She walked into the Centre, immaculately dressed as ever. Her heelsfell hard against the tiled floor, as she continued down the long hallways.Turning a corner, she passed an elevator, the elevator, but didn't pause,didn't flinch, didn't even feel the customary shudder. She heard the metaldoors sliding open, and turned back to look. There in the elevator stooda young boy, no older than six, looking up at her with tearful blue eyes.She saw her hand reach out to him, wasn't consciously doing it, and watchedin neutral interest as he in return reached out to her. Then, without asound or moment's warning, the metal doors slammed shut, barely missinghis tiny fingers, and there were horrible vibrations underneath her asthe elevator fell, floor after floor down the shaft.

She opened to her mouth wide, screaming in panic and fear, but no soundcame, and as she looked down, she found that she was in her nightgown again,but tiny black spots were appearing on the silky cloth, then spreading,faster and faster, until she was completely clad in black silk. She spunaround, desperate to run...

...And found herself in a cemetery. To her right lie an open

mahogany coffin, surrounded by dozens of wilting flowers. Slowly, thesame child sat up in the casket, and turned to look at her with sad, accusingeyes. His lips moved, and though no sound was audible, she knew with theutmost certainty that he was placing the blame of his death on her. Yetshe felt no guilt or fright. In fact, it was as if she felt nothing atall. In state of perfect calm, she walked right past him, further intothe cemetery, and as her hand loosened, a white rose she didn't even knowshe held slipped from her fingers. As the flower fell, it slowly morphedinto a dove, flying up and away from her.

The ground under her bare feet began to change, from the warm thickgrass to cold, hard marble. She blinked, and the scene began to melt away,revealing a dark chapel. She looked around calmly, observing the intricatedesigns and paintings of the obviously old room. She stopped, and couldn'tfigure out why, until she noticed the candles, row after row, steadilyfloating in front of her, just at eye level.

Looking down, she found a slim, white candle in her hand, burning slowly.Before she even knew what she was doing, she was lifting the flame to thewicks of the candles, one after another, until four were lighted. And,as each one began to glow, out from the shadows, as if from behind a thickmist appeared the figure of someone she loved. Sydney, Broots, the sameyoung boy -she somehow now knew that this was her brother- and Jarod, allpale and barely visible, quietly staring at her. And instead of confusion,she was suddenly struck with understanding, as silent words wafted throughher mind: Dead. All dead. Because you weren't there to watch over them...toprotect them. Why she hadn't been there, she didn't know...Wait, she didknow, the explanation was practically on the tip of her tongue, but itstubbornly held back.

She stood, looking at them, grasping for the explanation just beyondher reach, as they stood staring back, when the other candles rapidly beganto light, one after another, of their own accord. And now children, somelittle more than infants, were appearing, as solemn as the others, standingclose together, and observing her with wide, innocent eyes set in equallypale faces.

She wanted to reach out, to hug her friends, and rub the children'slittle hands to warm them; she wanted to stand defiantly between them andwhatever menace had brought them to this state. But her feet wouldn't move,and her arms were frozen to her sides, and no matter how she tried, theemotionless tone remained set on her face, and no words could be forcedpast her lips. She couldn't even speak to them...

Speak. Sound. There was no sound, she realized. It was as if she wastruly numb. Not an echo, not a footstep, nothing, for as long as she couldthink back.

Then, without warning, the candles all simultaneously blew out, andit was turning darker suddenly. The shadows were growing, hungrily swallowingup the dull light of the chapel and once again hiding the others, untilshe stood, alone, without even the feel of the marble between her toes,and nothing but black all around her. She looked down, and noticed withvague alarm that even she was disappearing into the shadows. Everythingwas disappearing, and her first true sense, exhaustion, was taking overwith heavy force. Sleep...she just wanted to sleep...

Wait. Wait? Why wait... WAIT. No. Just sleep. Weak, weary. Just sleep...NO. WAIT. She looked about her in tired confusion, not even caring thatshe could now move. It was the sound that was attracting her, like a magnet,pulling her out of her haze. She tried to pinpoint it with her ears, butit seemed just beyond reach.

No, no, wait, there it was, barely. It was so faint. It came from noparticular direction, but in fact from every direction. Like the ricochetingecho of a murmur from high above, at the rim of a chasm. But not just amurmur. No, it was growing louder and louder, more distinct, every wordsuddenly clear, until the sound was like a hammer in her mind.

"...hear me Parker?!" Parker, who was Parker?

"Fight, damn it!" It was a wonderful voice, deep and expressive. Shethought that it must be wonderful to hear that voice laugh. A comfortingfamiliarity. But why familiar...?

"God, breathe, Parker, please!" Parker. Her. She was Parker. And thatvoice...Jarod. A thousand pictures were suddenly rushing past, as thoughshe were on a subway train looking at the passing ads. Then stopped, pullingher with it, and she was facing a scene, just visible despite the darkness,of two children kissing.

"Fight, Parker!" The scene was gone, and the exhaustion was back, yankingher further and further down into the darkness. But...

"Fight!" That was it. She had to do what he told her to. He should know,after all, right? The genius. The lab rat. Wonderboy. The pretender...Shewanted to sob, and she was tired, god, she was so tired, but he was tellingher to fight.

So she fought. She was running, pushing against the incredible force,while the darkness stuck resolutely to her. But she was stronger. A Parker.Daddy's angel. A daughter. A friend. A lover. A confidante...

Weeping, pushing, she tried harder, and Jarod kept pounding in thosedemands, but god, he didn't know how hard it was. And she didn't know whatto do. Didn't he understand she just wanted to sleep? Sleep. Peace. Rest.Just give up. Too futile...

"Fight, damn it!" No. She began to push again, weaker than ever. NOTfutile, something insisted. He wasn't giving up, neither would she. Butit wasn't working. God, this wasn't working. Why wasn't it working? Therewas something to do, there had to be something more to do. And still, thedarkness dragged her deeper. She couldn't see her own hands anymore...

"Breathe!" And it made sense, so much sense. She understood, she finallyknew what to do. She could no longer push, there was no energy for that,and she would have collapsed if there'd been any ground to fall to, butthat wasn't what she needed...

Stopping, just stopping. Without a push against its pull, the darknessand the exhaustion came quicker, but there was time for what she neededto do. There had to be. And so, even as her mind grew numb and her eyesshut, she did the only thing she could think of. She forced her mouth open,and she sucked in air, despite the empty vacuum of the darkness.

~~~~~~~~~

Pain. Pain everywhere. Oh god, the pain. Her thoughts were growing,rushing up, and with it pain coursing through every vein, but it was awelcome sensation, because she was actually feeling it.

It was still dark, so dark, but it was okay. She could hear a voice,back to its inaudible murmur, but there all the same.

She wanted to open her eyes. There were weights, heavy, heavy weightspulling the eyelids down, though. She tried, kept trying, but soon acceptedthat this wasn't something to struggle against. This force, trapping herin the darkness, was there for a purpose. What purpose, she wasn't sure,but a purpose just the same.

Knowing that this darkness was here to stay, at least for the time being,her mind began to paint a scene. For comfort, for sanity, she wasn't surewhich, but it came just the same. The dark above her softened into a velvetymidnight blue, with hundreds of tiny yellow points. Stars, she smiled.And below, and around her, the darkness morphed, took shape and solidified,leaving a true picture. Ruins, worn smooth by time, surrounded her, andthere was thick green grass beneath her.

Shining brighter than the others, there was a star that continuallygrabbed her attention, and she gave a small smile as she recognized it.

Then, with the assuring murmur in her ears, Parker curled up on theground in her blue nightgown, one hand resting on the charm at her neck,and finally slept. A safe sleep, a sleep she knew she would wake up fromeventually, when the time was right. She knew she would wake up. Afterall, she had faith in him...
 

Please send any feedback to: angelheart15@hotmail.com
 

With Me