"I am your Guide,
to this land of Wonder, Wonderland;
Be warned, be wary, be wise,
for the lies bear the truth,
but the truth may be lies."
-Song of the Fool,
Faith in Wonderland
by Amanda Wong
Cybersix smashed against a brick wall, pressed down by the creature's huge claw. It growled at her, as it crushed her face against the wall. With a sudden burst of strength, she threw him off and began to run away. It picked itself up and chased her, shouting that she could never escape from Von Reichter. Cybersix panted, running faster and faster and faster...but oh! he was catching up! She hated herself then, that she was hunted almost at a regular basis, if not by superstrong freakish creations, then by the Fixed Ideas. She wanted to be a normal human woman, to love and be loved, to laugh, to eat at restaurants...
She would not let them catch her! She'd die before letting Von Reichter win, or worse, joining him in his mad quest for global domination. The beast's enormous arms were almost upon her....one of them barely missed her leg...suddenly she was jolted back. It caught her ankle! She dangled above the streets as he grinned horribly at her from the rooftops. She struggled, kicking at it with her free leg. In the process, she banged her head against the building hard. Ow! she winced. It hurt. Her vision blurred.
Suddenly she felt like she was lurched, or rocked, but not physically, no, not by the monster. It was from the inside...she pressed a hand to her head, eyes closed, feeling very, very dizzy..as if from a ride through time and back again...
She awoke with a start.
Awoke? I wasn't asleep...was I?
She closed her eyes again, counted to ten, and opened them. She was not outside. She was not in her black outfit. She was staring at the dots and cracks of her ceiling. Where am I?!
She was home. In her bed, in her apartment, safe and sound. She sighed in relief. A dream...it was just a dream!
She checked the clock that was above her table from her bed. 8:30?! I'm going to be late for work! Frantically she grabbed at her glasses.
They weren't there.
She got up, and looked under her bed. Sometimes she knocked her glasses under the bed. They must be under the bed. Why weren't they under the bed??!!
Oh well. It would be okay. She brushed back her hair, hoping that it would be enough to fool them at school. She looked in her closet.
There was her black outfit at the back of her closet. But where were Adrian's clothes? In her closet was dresses, including the red one she had coveted before she met Terra, jeans, shirts with a distinctly feminine shape... Just then she looked at herself. She was not wearing her usual black outfit, or Adrian's blue, striped pajamas. She was wearing a soft flannel nightgown...a nightgown! If anyone saw her..!
There was knocking at the door. She looked up frantically. Don't ask to come in, please don't ask to come in!
"Can I come in?"
"Um, give me a minute." What, are you stupid? "I mean," -Clearing her throat, she deepened her voice- "Give me a minute."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
"Is there anything wrong, Cybersix?"
She was quiet for a moment. "What did you call me?"
"Cybersix." The man was puzzled. "Can I come in?"
She sat down on her bed. Too weird...this is just too weird! "Who is it?" she asked weakly.
"Lucas. Are you sure you're all right?"
Cautiously, Cybersix walked over and unlocked her door. She peered out.
It was Lucas. But how did he know who she was?
"Lucas?" she asked awkwardly.
"Hey," he said, smiling at her. He stepped into her apartment.
"Is something wrong? Come on, you can tell me."
"But..uh...b'duh..." Cybersix was flabbergasted.
"Shh." Lucas put a finger to her lips. He brought his face closer to hers, eyes closed, and gave her a long kiss.
Is this a dream? It doesn't feel like a dream
Then...
I don't want it to be a dream!
Fortunately for Cybersix it wasn't. But eventually, it was she who broke away.
"What...? I'm sorry, I..."
She hesitated.
"I hit my head a few days ago. I'm a little confused, that's all."
TO BE CONTINUED...
