Evelyn Farrell
Ireth
Liam, Liam, b?m I gc?nai I do theannta...
Posts: 60
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Post by Evelyn Farrell on Jul 29, 2010 21:58:21 GMT -5
It had been several weeks since Evelyn had last borrowed Liam's body for a chance to get out on her own. She'd been growing increasingly restless during that time, unsatisfied with the limitation of only being allowed to go out at night. Over and over she had wondered, what was this place like in the daylight? But she had never gathered the nerve to see for herself.
Until now.
It wasn't really bad, she told herself as she steered Liam's body out to the vacant courtyard. She wasn't breaking any rules -- in fact she was breaking less rules than before, since now she didn't have to worry about breaking curfew. As long as she didn't run into anyone she didn't know -- which, admittedly, was most of the school -- and need to talk to them, she'd be fine. It had been awkward enough when she'd met Jonathan and Aramis, and they'd heard her voice coming from Liam's mouth.
She settled down on an empty bench, looking up at the overcast sky. It reminded her a lot of Ireland, but the very thought of home made a lump form in her throat. She shut her eyes as waves of longing broke over her, longing for the things she could never truly have again. All because of some gun-toting bastard who thought she'd be good for target practise. Who did he think he was, anyway?
Agitated now, Eve stood up abruptly and began to pace, trying to calm down. There was no use getting upset over what couldn't be changed.
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Post by Michael on Jul 29, 2010 23:07:36 GMT -5
The silhouette of an eagle made a shadow on the ground, passing over the bench once, then back in the other direction.
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Evelyn Farrell
Ireth
Liam, Liam, b?m I gc?nai I do theannta...
Posts: 60
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Post by Evelyn Farrell on Jul 29, 2010 23:12:04 GMT -5
Evelyn looked up as a bird's shadow caught her eye, drawing her gaze. An eagle was flying overhead. She watched it curiously, recognizing it as the groundskeeper, whose name she couldn't quite remember. Something beginning with an M.
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Post by Michael on Jul 30, 2010 20:17:12 GMT -5
There was something strange about this... person. Had Smoke mentioned something?
He swept down into the forest for a long few minutes, then back into the courtyard, dropping a fresh, shining apple in front of the child and then alighting on the back of the bench.
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Evelyn Farrell
Ireth
Liam, Liam, b?m I gc?nai I do theannta...
Posts: 60
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Post by Evelyn Farrell on Jul 30, 2010 20:29:14 GMT -5
Eve jumped and stood still as something fell out of the sky, narrowly missing hitting her on the head as it landed in the grass in front of her. Curious, she bent down and picked the fallen object up, brushing it off and looking at it.
An apple. From the sky. How random was that?
She looked up, then around, seeing no one and nothing nearby but the eagle-who-was-really-the-groundskeeper. It was possible he could have given it to her, but for what reason, she had no idea. It was nice of him, though.
"Thank you," she said to him, and inwardly froze up a little as soon as the words left her mouth. Whoops. How would he react to hearing a girl's voice in a man's body?
Then again, she thought, relaxing, there were probably things here that were just as weird as her. One of the other male freshmen went around in drag, for crying out loud. And here she was talking to a bird. Just another day at Dunehelden.
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Post by Michael on Jul 30, 2010 21:38:21 GMT -5
Interesting effects. Unusually thorough.
Michael tilted his head at what seemed to be a girl walking around in a boy's body, curious as to how such a thing came about.
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Evelyn Farrell
Ireth
Liam, Liam, b?m I gc?nai I do theannta...
Posts: 60
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Post by Evelyn Farrell on Jul 30, 2010 22:23:14 GMT -5
Evelyn smiled as the groundskeeper-bird tilted his head at her, then walked back to the bench and sat down a polite distance from him. Crossing one leg over the other, she leaned back against the back of the bench and took a bite of the apple.
Which was not an apple at all. Her teeth sank too easily into the soft flesh; the juice and pulp that spurted across her tongue tasted unmistakeably like peach. She gasped in surprise, and started coughing as a piece of unchewed pulp slid down her throat. Managing to dislodge it before she choked, Eve chewed the mouthful carefully before swallowing it properly.
This was quite possibly the most delicious peach she had ever tasted. Go figure. She ate slowly and savored each mouthful, careful not to waste so much as a drop of juice, until she had licked the pit clean. Sucking the last of the juice from her fingers, she sat watching the groundskeeper-bird in silence, wondering what, if anything, to say.
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Post by Michael on Jul 30, 2010 22:41:02 GMT -5
Michael preened his feathers rather than watch the child eat. It seemed vulgar.
"What are you?" he asked when they were done.
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Evelyn Farrell
Ireth
Liam, Liam, b?m I gc?nai I do theannta...
Posts: 60
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Post by Evelyn Farrell on Jul 30, 2010 22:49:57 GMT -5
Evelyn opened her mouth to speak, then shut it again when she found she didn't know what to say. What was she? Did she still count as a person, when she didn't even have her own body? She was more than just a soul, she thought...
"I... don't think I know," she answered after a pause. The very question was making her uncomfortable, and she looked away.
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Post by Michael on Jul 30, 2010 23:27:08 GMT -5
Michael ruffled his feathers.
"Would you like to find out?"
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Evelyn Farrell
Ireth
Liam, Liam, b?m I gc?nai I do theannta...
Posts: 60
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Post by Evelyn Farrell on Jul 30, 2010 23:31:52 GMT -5
Evelyn looked at him in surprise, with a hint of confusion. "I... well, yes... how would I do that, though?" she asked warily.
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Post by Michael on Jul 30, 2010 23:39:33 GMT -5
"I don't know," said the bird, "but I could attempt to find out. It is curious..."
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Evelyn Farrell
Ireth
Liam, Liam, b?m I gc?nai I do theannta...
Posts: 60
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Post by Evelyn Farrell on Jul 30, 2010 23:50:02 GMT -5
"You've got that right," Eve murmured. "I think I know how this happened, but I don't know what it's done to me. I wasn't always like this... I was alive, I had my own body. Then I died, and I became this, whatever I am. Hiding in a borrowed body like a stowaway on a ship. I can commandeer it every so often. but it's never mine, never will be. I want my own body back. I want to be free."
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Post by Michael on Jul 31, 2010 0:41:16 GMT -5
"Lives are strange things." Michael's voice had a hollow ring to it, which made it even stranger coming out of the throat of a bird. "They can stop and start in so many strange ways."
He fluttered his wings again, and nipped at an itch on his back. "I will consider this question."
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Evelyn Farrell
Ireth
Liam, Liam, b?m I gc?nai I do theannta...
Posts: 60
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Post by Evelyn Farrell on Jul 31, 2010 0:53:21 GMT -5
Evelyn nodded and smiled, somewhat unnerved by the sudden hollowness of the groundskeeper's voice. He seemed polite, in an aloof kind of way, but not exactly cold. "Thanks, I appreciate it."
Well, this was turning out to be an interesting day. She sat in silence for a while, pondering things. What was she, really? How could it be found out? And what if she didn't like what she learned?
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