Detailed Roleplayers discussion
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Once Upon A Time and Jasmine
Aaliyah recalled what Alec said he was having a hard time going without the fumes too. Things had to get better for them. A couple hours into her sleep she stir a bit. Nightmares started to flood her mind which was very common for her. After seeing her parents die in the rebellion, she didn't know they were perfects, nightmares of that night always stayed inside of her mind. Her eyes flashed open she was distorted on where she was. Minds she could sense so many minds. Her heart was beating fast. Her mind went back to the fumes she wanted so bad. Sweat dripped down her face. A pain started to go through her body. Her body and mind started to withdraw from not having the fumes nor taking the minds. Instead of waking up Alec like she should have done she went back to sleep or tried too, but the nightmares haunted her. Alec needed sleep too and if she didn't pay attention to it might go away.
Morning came quickly being an early riser pretty much her whole life. She got up from the bed still covered in sweat. She felt like her whole body was on fire. None of it went away if anything it was so much worse. A lost human founded their way to this isolated location of the compound. Her eyes widened as she quickly took the mind. A smile appeared upon her face.
Newborn perfect was like a toddler at times they made mistakes like this. They acted on instinct. They through tantrums. In the government city that was okay, but she wasn't there. With her being completely lucid her body was internally having a battle with itself at all times. "I need more minds." she whispered. "I need the fumes." Her mind felt a shocked and she let go of the human.
The rebel leader walked in without even knocking "I am glad you are being truthful with yourself. But you aren't allowed to control human minds. Every time one controls minds in the compound a sensor goes off and notify me." He looked at her sternly a brief sigh escaped his mouth she was going through withdraw. He wondered how long the Alec would last before the symptoms started showing up on him. "You need to ground yourself back in Aaliyah."
"NO. I need the fumes. I need minds." Tears started to go down her face. "Please I need them. Alec tell him I need them. Don't you need them to." Her words were laced with compulsion.
The rebel leader swore under his breath. She obviously was going in out of lucidness. It was to be expected she was a newborn who had all of her memories. "If you don't ground yourself right now we will put you in isolation. That will be worse than this, you have Alec right now." He could easily take her down right now, but he wanted to see what Alec did.
Alec slept through the night without so much as stirring. He hadn't realized just how exhausted he was, but everything that he had been dealing with had finally caught up to his body. He woke up with a groan, forcing himself up into a seated position and stretching his arms over his head before ever really opening his eyes. He knew that he needed to move or else he would go right back to bed. He was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes when a human wandered into the compound. Alec was instantly alert and he snapped his head in the direction of the human. He could feel the urge to take over the human rising inside of him but fought it as best he could, but he knew the moment that Aaliyah took the human's mind.
"Aaliyah, stop," Alec practically growled. It was hard for him to be calm and collected when he was struggling too. He was getting a splitting headache as his body tried to cope without the fumes and he grit his teeth together, his gaze darting towards the rebel leader as he walked in.
He let out a long sigh through gritted teeth and pinched the bridge of his nose before opening his eyes and answering her. "Neither of us need them, Aaliyah," he said quietly. It was taking everything in him not to storm out in a fit of rage or blow up at Aaliyah even though he knew that this was out of both of their control. "You need to stop. I need you to stop, okay?" Alec didn't want to admit it but he wasn't sure how he could possibly help keep her grounded when he was having trouble himself, and knowing that she was so much worse than him almost made him feel like he was hopeless in the situation.
Alec rose from his bed, ignoring the shooting pain that coursed throughout his body as he did so, and walked over to where Aaliyah sat on her bed. He knelt down so that they were closer to eye level and he couldn't help but sigh. "You don't need any of it, you want it. There's a difference. What you do need is to ground yourself. Don't let them take you away where you'll be by yourself Aaliyah. It'll be miserable. We can fight this together."
Aaliyah looked down at Alec tears rolled down her cheeks. Part of her felt guilty sensing that Alec was having a hard time too. The other part of knew she didn't have to deal with things on her own anymore. "It hurts, so bad." she whispered quietly. "It feels good to let go. I don't have to worry about anything or remember anything." Heavy bags under her eyes. "I fought every single day for most of my life making sure my brother was okay. I never get much sleep and one I do nightmares seep in," she paused for a moment, "I am so tired." Most recently she had been having a hard time to stay lucid. To stay herself. It frightened her that she would completely lose it. All of this was too much for her more than she could handle. The rebel leader looked at her. "Fine I guess we could take you back to the capital. We don't want people who aren't wanting to fight. You have so much potential Aaliyah to become a great leader, but obvious you're tired. Don't you think we are all tired. This fight has been going on years before both of you were born," he said coldly. Shaking his head at her. "You are pathetic I can't believe it. You are a disappointment to your brother, parents, and Alec," He snapped at her.
Aaliyah turned her head slowly at this leader. She was furious he had no right saying any of those things to her. "I am perfectly well aware on how tired everyone is. You don't understand anything I went through." Anger mixed with power coursed through her body. "They took everything from me my family, myself, my best friend. I watched my parents get murder. I was on my own with my brother. None of the other rebels wanted to help two kids we were too much of the risk." It started to storm outside the wind was howling. "I am not disappointment to anyone. I don't need anyone my brother."
The rebel leader smiled everything was going as he hoped. He had a feeling that if he made her angry enough then maybe she would start to ground herself. "You are a disappointment to your brother for giving up. Maybe even to Alec." He shrugged his shoulders. "Giving up because you're tired means you are letting them get away with everything. Lesson 2 is over." Pivoting his feet he started to walk out. "Until you earn your right to be here, call me Jacob." Then he shut the door and walked away.
Aaliyah bit the inside of her cheek he was right. Did he do all of that to teach her lesson? The storm outside reflected her emotions within. She wasn't sure how to calm down. She was furious at him, but he was right in the end. Inhaling and exhaling slowly several different times before the storm stopped. Suddenly she was exhausted and still in pain. "Alec do you think you could hold me like you did in your apartment. Something about it made me feel calm." she whispered softly.
"I know you're tired," Alec sighed, resting his hand on your leg. "But you have to keep fighting." He wasn't really sure if Aaliyah had even heard him because before he had finished speaking the rebel leader had started. Alec looked back at the man, a look of shock and confusion on his face. He couldn't understand why this man was being so harsh. The last thing Alec was going to do was let Aaliyah go back to the capital - she would be able to become the government's greatest weapon and possibly lead them right to this camp that they were at. Alec could feel it as Aaliyah's body tensed up and he knew before she even spoke that she was beyond mad. He couldn't blame her for feeling that way either, as the rebel leader had gone pretty far. He couldn't help but groan as he noticed that it started to storm outside and Alec stood, leaning against the bed post as he watched her and the leader, wondering what his plan really was.
"Jacob," he said quietly, more to himself than to Aaliyah. He watched as the door closed behind the man but kept his gaze on it, watching the storm through the window. He didn't have to look at Aaliyah to understand what she was feeling as she was displaying it all through the changing of the storm, and when it finally seemed to be coming to an end he turned to look at her.
Alec was surprised when she asked him to hold her, but he nodded and moved to sit beside her on the bed. He draped an arm around her shoulder and gently pulled her towards him, encouraging her to lean into him. "You're going to get past this, you know."
Aaliyah leaned into him and relaxed a little bit. "I know." she whispered softly to him. The pain felt like it was dying down a bit, but not much. What was it about him that made her feel so calm? It didn't matter what it was at the moment. She closed eyes and fell into a deep sleep.****************************
One week later it was her first training session, with humans. Until she could get past not controlling humans she couldn't move to where the rest of the perfects. It scared her how much power that she contained. Being a Perfect scared her in general. Aaliyah sat on the ground looking at Alec and Jacob, waiting for them to release the human.
The whole week she protested this. Jacob insisted that there was no other way to train, but with real test subjects. As the human walked out her heart was racing. The mind was so easy to take for hers she tightened her fists into balls. She was struggling not to take the mind. Jacob let another human walk in her eyes widened. Why was he doing this? He only said one human until she could handle it. To her it was obvious that she couldn't handle one human let alone another one.
It was suffocating her not to tap into the powers she had. Her knees started to shake. They were trying to break free. "Please stop I can't. This is too much." The humans walked closer. Aaliyah closed her eyes tightly. "Please stop."
Jacob shook his head. "You aren't fighting the urge to take the mind. You are fighting the urge to use the powers you have. You must learn how to use your powers. Not using them will make it worse. That's what you are now." With a snap a finger another came out.
That was just enough to push her over the edge. She snatched the minds effortlessly. The same feeling as before rushed through her this time it didn't work. Her powers were contained for a week until now. Jacob swore under his breath not expect her to be able to fight off the shock. "Aaliyah let go of the minds, you may be a Perfect, but that doesn't make you like them. You're a fighter. So fight this."
Right now there was so many mixed emotions rushing through her. "Jason and my parents." she whispered to herself. "I need to fight for them. I need to make sure this doesn't happen again to some other family." Aaliyah let go of mind easily, but the other two she struggled to let go of.
((Not a response but an update: I promise I haven't forgotten about this! I spent the past week packing and getting ready to come back to school. I am at school now but I have training for the next 10 days, so I am probably going to drop off the face of the earth. I should have some time tonight so I'll try to write up a response, but after that don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for a little while. Just wanted to let you know! I hate to just up and leave people hanging haha))
((Okay, I understand. I am actually leaving for school next Friday and won't be on much like twice a day if that. I am shooting for twice a day, but who knows lol. Thanks for letting me know I hate people hanging too and was about to tell you the exact same thing this morning as well as all my other rps))
((Ugh, I am absolute trash. Promise I still haven't forgot. The first week of school kicked my butt a little bit and I've been slowly getting around to all the responses i need to write. Sorry it took so long!))Alec squeezed her arm gently and leaned his head back, letting it rest on the post behind them. He wasn't surprised as he felt Aaliyah's body tense as she fell asleep. He let out a soft sigh and closed his eyes, resigning himself to letting his thoughts wander to everything that had happened in the past few days. His mind tried to make sense of it all until eventually he gave up, resigning himself to the fact that he would never truly understand it all.
*********
One week later and Alec stood beside Jacob, chewing nervously on his bottom lip. It was finally time for Aaliyah to start training with humans and Alec was a little nervous for her. He knew that she was strong enough to fight against them, but he also knew that she wasn't aware of this fact yet. She still thought that she needed to do it, and until she was able to get over that mindset she wouldn't make it past this stage in her training.
He was surprised that Jacob was letting out more than human, and he watched Aaliyah nervously, his body tense with apprehension. Alec's eyes never left Aaliyah, and so he noticed it as she struggled to maintain her composure.
"Aaliyah, you can do it," Alec said firmly, his voice carrying out across the way. He could tell it was hard for her and he was just hoping that she wouldn't break.
He was surprised as she managed to maintain her composure with two humans, but when the third human came out he wasn't surprised when she broke. It was hard even for him to resist the minds, the lack of gas still having a slight effect on him.
"You can do this," he repeated, a smile evident in his voice. He was proud as he could tell when Aaliyah released a human mind, and he wondered how quickly she could let go of the other two.
((It is okay I haven't been on at all. The first couple of months of college is something that I am still adapting to. I will respond shortly))
((No worries! I completely understand. How are you enjoying college so far?))
((Hey girl! Just a quick update that I'll be able to be on more regularly in the next week-ish as the semester is coming to an end. Hope things are going well for ya!))
Aaliyah heard Alec's voice echo through her head, however, she unacknowledged his sentence. She avoided him whenever she could throughout the week because she was afraid of feeling what she did for him. The power she felt flowing through her made her afraid too. Aaliyah felt herself slipping away into the power. "I....have. . . t-t-t-o ..take them to the government." Tears trickled down her wrinkled face. Squeezing her eyes shut, and she fell to her knees. "You two leave now." Commanding the humans to walk out the training arena. I have to fight for my parents and brother.
"Send more humans in," whispered Jacob.
Aaliyah eyes widened. "No please no. Stop it." She threw Jacob mentally on to a tree. "No more humans for now. No more training," she snapped at him the wind started to pick up.
Alec hadn't failed to realized that Aaliyah had been avoiding him but he hadn't said anything about it, wanting to give her the space that she needed; however, he couldn't help but watch during her training sessions and see how she was doing. He was more than proud when she let go of a single human's mind but felt his smile drop as she struggled to release the other two. "Jacob, please stop," Alec said seriously, his grey eyes widening.
Alec could see that Aaliyah was losing control and she needed a moment to gather herself. The last thing that they needed was a large storm. Alec was nervous to run over to her, given that she had been avoiding him, and decided to walk towards her slowly. "Aaliyah, focus on me," Alec said. "I know you can calm down. You can do this. Just breathe."
Aaliyah glanced up at him, and blinked. Tears were coming down her cheeks. "No more humans, please not today." she whispered softly. She hated that she was unable to control the urges to take over humans. She hated that she was helpless. As she was focusing on Alec the wind started deceased and Jacob was let go. "Alec. . . thank you." Aaliyah got up and walked back to her room. Jacob sighed. "I kept tabs on her over the years. There was a guy in her, who she cared and loved deeply. She never confessed her feelings before he got turned into a perfect. This guy was her childhood best friend. But her main focus was her brother." Jacob ran his hand through his hair. "Alec, I can tell she likes. I can also tell she's been pushing you away because she is afraid. If you like her as I think you do. Go after her because we both know there is a big chance she could wake up and not be lucid at any given moment," Jacob said softly looking down. "She's fighter, but this battle she can't fight on her own."
((Just letting all my roleplays in advance from January 16th-January 21st, I will be on a short hiatus. I am doing formal recruitment for the sororities on campus; and won't have time to respond.))
((Ohh, that's exciting!! I hope you're able to join a sorority you really connect with :) ))"No more humans," Alec agreed. He wasn't sure why he said it as he wasn't the one controlling operations around here but he said it anyway, and he could only hope that Jacob would follow suit and put an end to her training for the day. Aaliyah was strong but he was working her hard and Alec didn't want to see her break. He had come to care for her too much for that. He offered her a small smile when she thanked him but she had already turned away and was making her way back to her room.
Alec turned to Jacob as he began talking. His grey eyes widened slightly upon learning that someone she had loved had been turned into a prefect - it was no wonder she hated them. It was no wonder she hadn't wanted anything to do with him and was now pushing him away. Alec vaguely wondered what she would do now if she found her old best friend - leave him and enjoy life with someone she had known and loved before? He shook his head as if to shake away the thought - he needed to focus, not be insecure.
He looked at Jacob thoughtfully and nodded slowly, knowing that he was right. It didn't matter that Aaliyah was trying to push him away, he had to help her. This wasn't a battle that she could fight on her own. He wondered if Jacob had any idea that this was hard for him too, but decided it didn't matter. He was doing better than Aaliyah was, so he could worry about himself later.
With another nod at Jacob, this one more curt, Alec began making his way towards Aaliyah's room in the cabin. It had enough beds to house more than just the two of them but he hadn't really seen anyone else using the same cabin. It was for this reason that he knocked on the door, leaning against the doorframe. "Aaliyah, can I come in?" Seeing as he slept in there too, Alec knew he could go in. But he wanted permission from her to show her that she still had control over something.
(( Thanks :) ))Aaliyah glanced up at the door. "Of course, you live here too," she whispered softly. She was still a little shook up from the preceding events. As she sat on the bed she brought up her knees until they were touching her chest. "Alec, you don't have to worry about me. I know it's hard for you too." The girl Alec first met that day he took her in had a fire that dance in her blue eyes; but through everything that fire dimmed.
Water glazed Aaliyah's eyes. "I am tired of fighting. With all the training we been doing it's draining me. I hate not being able to catch on quickly. I feel that everyday I am loosing myself, and I hate it." She could taste the salty water on her lips.
Aaliyah's feet started to move her towards Alec. Her eyes really took him in for the first time. His grey eyes looked like the storm that she was struggling with inside. Recalling that day she got caught, where was that girl, she thought to herself. How to find that girl? An idea popped into her mind. She pulled a dagger out of her boot. With full forced she slammed Alec against the wall.
Aaliyah was no longer crying. "I seem to remember, you saying I couldn't take you on as a human," she whispered softly against his lips. "But right now I used the element of surprise, and nothing dealing with a perfect to pin you to the wall," she smirked. "Alec, forcing myself to act like how I used to isn't helping like I thought." Her heart was pounding in her chest they were so close. "But maybe that is okay because the old me wouldn't do this," she quickly kissed him.
A realization started to sink in pores, maybe she wasn't supposed to become her old self again. Her old self was so focused on her brother, but he was safe now. Being, so close to Alec made her stomach do flips. He was the only thing she was sure about right now.
((No problem :) ))Alec slowly walked into the cabin, shutting the door behind him as he did so. He still remained by the wall wondering whether or not he should join her on her bed. He settled for walking closer, standing near the foot of her bed as he looked at her. She was still the same yet she was drastically different; the fight had gone out of her eyes. Yet he was surprised when she acknowledged his own internal struggle. "I'm managing," he said shortly with a grim smile; it wasn't nearly as hard for him as it was for her.
As she teared up Alec fought the feeling to go near her and wipe the tears from her eyes. While he wanted to something told him that she needed this. She needed to feel all of this if there was any shot at her breaking through. "You're going to get there," Alec said softly. He didn't say anything else. He didn't need to. His conviction, his belief in her, was clear in the firmness of his voice.
He watched as she walked towards him, wondering what was going through her mind but not feeling scared. He had gotten accustomed to the Aaliyah that desired to take over his mind and he could tell that this was not her. This was simply Aaliyah, as he knew and liked her. Alec was confused as she reached for her boot and understood it all too late - he was slammed against the wall of the cabin, his grey eyes wide with surprise.
Alec couldn't help but smirk as she spoke just as he couldn't help but notice that her lips were brushing against his own. She had never gotten this close to him on her own. "I was distracted," he breathed. It was a poor excuse and he knew it, and he knew that she would now it too. He could hear the pounding of her heart but before he could ask what she meant to do her lips were against his and his thoughts faded away.
Alec didn't even have to think. He tangled his hand in her hair and kissed her back eagerly, bringing out a feeling in him he almost couldn't remember. He broke the kiss and breathed deeply, keeping his forehead pressed against her own; given that he was still pressed against a wall he couldn't really pull his head back. "I-I got a bit carried away," Alec stammered, heat rushing to his cheeks as he blushed. She had no idea how long he had wanted to do that.
Aaliyah felt her heart start to race faster as he kissed her back. Her surroundings started to melt away quickly. The kiss felt like it lasted forever, but it left her desiring more. There was no desire to pull away from him. She didn't even really hear what he said. All she could hear was her heart smacking against her chest. Did Alec say something? Words she had to speak. "I-i-i." she unpinned him away from the wall, but didn't move. The only thing going through her mind was Alec kissing her again and again. Images of him just holding her. Tears ran down her cheeks, she was afraid of this feeling. For the longest time she made her brother's safety was the most important thing. She tried pushing Alec away, but it was futile.
It was all so new for her, and part of it was seemed too good to be true. Was Alec a safe place to fall after all these years? "That's a lame excuse being distracted," she said through the tears."Unless if I am the distraction, but the only way to find out is if we kiss again." she whispered softly against his lips. She bit her lip unsure if she was flirting the right way or not.
Just being this close to him drove her crazy. It's time for me to let go. Even the toughest people need help sometime. Even the toughest people have feelings. I don't want to be the girl who pushed everyone away. I want to be a new an improve Aaliyah. After all I can never go back to that girl. She's died the day I got turned into a perfect, but that's okay because she really wasn't living. And I want to live. She thought to herself, and hopefully soon she could share this resolve to Alec.
Alec couldn't help but smile at her stuttering and though she unpinned him he didn't move; he didn't want to move. He was perfectly content right where he was at. He wanted to ask what she meant, what she had been trying to say, but decided to stay quiet. His eyebrows pulled together slightly as she began to cry and lifted his hand, gently wiping away her tears. "Aaliyah," he murmured. "Why are you crying?" He hoped that she hadn't regretted kissing him. Hoped that his reaction hadn't bothered her. He tried going through every possible reason in his mind before she began speaking again.
"You're right, it is a lame excuse," he chuckled in response. He wasn't going to tell her that she was the distraction but he had a feeling that he didn't need to. She kissed him again and Alec kissed her back, though this time he was more gentle. Using the same hand he had used to brush away a tear he cupped her face gently. While he certainly still had the desire to kiss her as wildly as he had the first time he felt this was more appropriate. This time he didn't pull away and instead waited for her to.
Aaliyah couldn't believe he wiped the tears off so gently. He was so nice to her, and it made her feel warm. She didn't want to explain to him that she was afraid of these feelings. It wasn't him, maybe kissing him again would reassure him.Everything around her disappeared again, until a knock at the door. She didn't want to pull away, but did. Her mouth formed a frown. "Yes?" It was Jacob.
"We are going on a raid to another city. You two are coming with us." Jacob said and started to leave.
"I am not going. I am not ready to go another city. I am more than happy to help, once you get back, but I am not going." Aaliyah said firmly. He ruined a perfect moment.
"Aaliyah your parents have joined the cause at this city." Jacob said. "We leave in an hour. Maybe seeing you will jog their memory. Not all perfects, who join have the memory of their past lives." Jacob turned and started to walk away.
"I am still not going." She snapped. "I am not ready to go back there. My parents are gone. I saw them die. They are dead." Tears rolled down her face. "I will help when you get back, but that's it." Slamming the door violently. "He ruined the best moment I had in ages." she whispered softly. "I made the right choice?" She looked up at Alec.
Alec frowned as she pulled away as well but he didn't protest. He listened to Jacob, lips pursing as he listened to what he said. It seemed odd to him that Jacob would want them to accompany him and his team on a raid. He wasn't surprised when Aaliyah denied it. He wondered what sort of game Jacob was playing at. He had seen how Aaliyah had acted with only three humans present. She was getting better but she wasn't there yet. What good would their presence be?
Upon hearing about her parents Alec's face paled a little bit, though he hoped that Aaliyah wouldn't notice it. Jacob hadn't told her. He hadn't told her and he dropped a bomb on her casually as if she had known this entire time that he parents were still alive. What the hell was he thinking?
When Aaliyah asked her if she made the right choice he wasn't quite sure what to say. "Do you think you did?" he asked in response. This wasn't something that Alec could decide, he realized. Only she could.
Aaliyah looked up at Alec. "I know I am not ready to leave That's just too much of a risk." She was trying to process what he said. "I saw them die. I saw them die," the words escaped her mouth coldly. "Unless someone messed with my mind before hand." Aaliyah felt her knees collapse from under her. "I would of remember seeing them get taken away. Right?""What was he thinking asking me?" It was more of a rhetorical question. She soon started to cry uncontrollably. "Alec, can you please hold me." Everything was going perfect today, well semi-perfect. Aaliyah was happy and then this bombshell. "I started to cry early because I am afraid of what I feel towards you, but right now all I know is you make me feel safe, and happy" her voice was shaking.
Alec nodded at Aaliyah in understanding. To be completely honest, the thought of going on a raid worried him as well. He had been hopped on adrenaline and the need to protect Aaliyah the last time. He wasn't sure how he would fair without that surge of emotions. He hadn't been expecting her to drop to the floor and he looked at her in alarm, dropping down beside her. "It's possible someone messed with your mind beforehand," Alec said slowly. He didn't want to tell her this but he had to because it was true. With perfects almost anything was possible.
Alec didn't need to be asked for him to hold her. The moment she started crying he felt compelled to do so. He nodded in response and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him. "Maybe he didn't realize," Alec said uncertainly, trying to give Jacob the benefit of the doubt. He didn't really believe it though. "Maybe he thought the shock would help you."
Alec was quiet for a moment as Aaliyah cried, his eyebrows drawn together and his lips pursed. "If what he says is true...do you want to see them?" he questioned softly, not entirely sure it was the right thing to ask yet feeling like he had to ask it.
Aaliyah curled into him and started to calm down. "You always seem to calm me down," her voice was barely audible. Did she want to see her parents? "I don't know. My brother has to know," she sighed. "Alec how are you doing?" Despite everything she was genuinely concerned for him. She looked up at him. She was avoiding the million dollar question on what did the kiss mean? Were they boyfriend and girlfriend? Or was it too soon? The only other person she felt this way before was her best friend, and he was gone.
I really like him, but. . . I don't know anything about him. He knows everything about me almost "I know nothing about you." she blurted out, and her face turned a deep red. "I mean who would mess with my mind? What perfect would want to make sure I didn't know my parents were alive? What perfect wouldn't turn my brother and me in at a young age?"
Alec smiled sadly at her and found that he wasn't at all surprised by her answer - everything came back to her brother. He was, however, surprised when she asked him how he was doing. His grey eyes widened a bit and he shrugged. "As well as I can be, I suppose," he answered, his tone laced with confusion. He hadn't even stopped to ask himself how he was doing. "It's strange being here without the gas and it is hard with the humans, but I find it's not impossible. I trained myself to resist the urge to control them a few years ago. It's my body's reaction to not having the gas that's bothering me the most."He shrugged again, this time as if to say, what can ya do?, and dropped the subject. He chuckled lightly at her outburst and nodded his head in agreement. "You're right, you don't. Ask me whatever you want to know, Aaliyah. I'll tell you." She already knew his biggest secret - what was a few more questions?
Alec shrugged in response to her other questions; he had been wondering the same things himself. "What perfect would try to save a captured human boy and flee to a human settlement?" he countered, raising an eyebrow. "We're not all bad."
The gas she forgot about the gas. She was so focused on training that the immense amount pain she was experiencing seemed small. "With training I forgot about the gas." It was the partial truth thought; a deep part of her decided the pain was something she deserved. Aaliyah blinked for a moment. "Hmmmmmm do you remember anything from your past? And why didn't you turn me in? Also what's your favorite color? What exactly does the kiss mean for us?" She was shocked she even asked that last question.
Her eyes darted to the floor, "I am not saying we are all bad, but if a rebel perfect messed with our minds they could have saved us Alec, we wouldn't have lived the life we did. I could have been a kid. I may have experienced things girls my age are supposed to. Aaliyah bit her lip, "But if they I would not have the power to change the government. I would not have met you."
He wasn't surprised that she had forgotten about the gas. "Gas withdrawals are more painful but training is more mentally taxing," he said in response. He didn't have training to distract him and as such had been getting splitting headaches for days. Alec shook his head, his lips tilting down into the smallest of frowns. "I don't remember a damn thing," he admitted. "I know whoever I was put up one hell of a fight, but I don't remember the actual memory, if that makes sense. Maybe with time it can come back if I really try." He was quiet for a moment before looking at her again and proceeding to answer her other questions.
"I didn't turn you in because as soon as we realized you had another power, an extremely powerful one at that, I knew that you couldn't go to the government. I recognized myself in you, Aaliyah. Only I struggled through my second power alone. I wanted to help you and I wanted to protect you from our corrupt government.
"I'm not sure what my favorite color is," he admitted, "I've never really given it any thought. As for the kiss...what do you want it to mean?" he asked quietly. Alec knew what he wanted it to mean.
"I don't know why they did what they did," he said quietly, "and you might not ever get the answer to that question."
"Well maybe you and I should start training. I haven't had a proper scrimmage in awhile. Plus it never hurts to stay up to par." shrugging her shoulders.Aaliyah instantly felt bad for bringing it up. "I am sorry I shouldn't have brought it up. My best friend put a fight, it's all my fault. I just watch him get taken while my brother and I hid quietly," she whispered softly. "Of course you would put up a fight. You seem like a stubborn person."
She smiled. "I am glad you want to help me." Her eyes darted up to his grey eyes. "I asked your favorite color for an easy question." she giggled. "Well, I really like the kiss, a lot actually. And it would be nice if we could do it more often, but like a couple. Sorry, I am not use to sharing my feelings to anyone."
Alec grinned at her, delighted by the suggestion. "I haven't either," he noted. It would probably be a good idea for him to start training again. After all, he was on the side of the rebels now. He shook his head at her as she apologized. "Don't apologize. I don't mind you bringing it up. Besides, I had a feeling you would ask sooner or later. I've just been a perfect for so long that a lot of it has faded, but certainly not all of it. At least, not all of the feelings." He was quiet for a moment as Aaliyah told the story and he pulled her closer to him, not sure what to say. "You had to protect him," Alec said softly. "I'm sure he understood." Alec didn't mention that he knew Aaliyah had feelings for that friend.
Alec smiled at her answer; he felt like he was smiling like an idiot but he couldn't stop himself. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so happy. "Aaliyah, are you asking me to be your boyfriend?" he teased lightly with the raise of an eyebrow. He worried she would take offense to his teasing - or take it the wrong way - so he quickly answered before she could. "I would love to be your boyfriend."
((I will respond in the morning. I am tired))
((No worries. I'm actually heading to bed lol))
Aaliyah pulled away from him. She wanted to see Alec fully. Before she could say yes a different set of words left her mouth. "I mean training might be difficult if your girlfriend is there. Being a distraction," she whispered against his lips. "But I guess I could talk to her ,and tell her not to be a distraction. I am really good friends with her." These words didn't sound like her,but maybe that was love. It didn't cross Aaliyah's mind that she was slowly becoming less lucid. "She's a lucky girl having a sweet caring person, like yourself." It took every fiber in her body to pull away from being that close to him. Aaliyah smiled. "I think she is quite found of calling you her boyfriend."
She wanted him to kiss her. The idea of everything melting away. "Alec you should kiss me. You should make everything melt away." Her voice was laced with compulsion; Aaliyah didn't realize what she was doing. "Please Alec." She took his mind subtlety. "Kiss me. You don't want to resit it."
He couldn't help but chuckle and was once again exceedingly aware of the fact that her lips were brushing against his own. Something in her had changed - she seemed bolder and more confident and Alec liked it. It was a stark contrast to the defeated girl he had been seeing for the past week. "I think I can manage," Alec answered with a grin, leaning in closer to her. He wondered - briefly - if he should be worried by this drastic change in behavior but tried to tell himself that it was just Aaliyah coming to grips with and accepting herself. Alec shook his head slightly at her second statement, a smile still playing on his lips. "I'm glad to hear it," he answered. But he had noticed something different in the way she looked at him. Alec pulled back slightly, his eyebrows pulling together.
He shook his head at her as she spoke again and grit his teeth, closing his eyes. "Aaliyah, don't do this." For a moment he had been able to forget that she had been struggling at all, but now with her reaching for his mind again Alec was all too aware. It was harder than usual for him to resist because he really did want to kiss her again. Alec wanted nothing more than to spend time with her wrapped in his arms, her lips pressed against his. But he didn't want it like this.
Alec made the mistake of opening his eyes and looking into hers and instantly his fight was gone. He leaned in and kissed her gently, his lips pressing against her own. The kiss was almost hesitant as though there was still a part of him fighting and he wasn't quite sure what to do.
What did Alec not want her to do? His mind was so easy to take, but he was struggling. "Don't struggle," she whispered softly. This time when he kissed her it felt different, and not in a good way. Something was off, she pulled away from him. Aaliyah saw Alec he seemed different, his mind. "I have your mind." All the color left her face. She didn't want him to kiss her when he wasn't under his own free will. Aaliyah blinked. "I want to let go of your mind, but I like it." Her words chilled her to the core. She slowly started to come to her senses, and let go of his mind "I am so sorry, I didn't even feel myself slip away." The words barely came out of her mouth. "What's happening to me?" She was holding back any tears from escaping, too many were shed today.
Then it dawned on her, she was losing lucidness. No it wasn't that she was fighting being a perfect. It was killing her slowly. Her eyes darted to the floor, she didn't want to look at Alec. "I been fighting being a perfect since day one. When Jacob said I had to accept it, I thought he meant realizing there was nothing I could do about it, but that's not what he meant?" It came out as question, but it was a statement. "The pain I was feeling wasn't from the gas it was from me fighting it off. I was killing myself."
"What I was felt back there felt right, besides taking over your mind. I felt like myself again, but better. More confident and ready to take on everything. I wasn't hiding emotions. I felt free." Her eyes slowly made movement up to Alec's eyes. "I am afraid of being a perfect. I am afraid of loosing you and my brother. I am afraid of myself." Aaliyah knew she couldn't hold out much longer, so she stopped fighting it off. Her body relaxed as she started to collapse. She was done fighting being a perfect. Before everything turned black she noticed Alec getting taller and the ceiling getting further away.
As Aaliyah pulled away he was momentarily confused as to why her face had gone pale but then she let go of his mind. Alec took a shuddering breath and dropped his gaze, looking down at the floor for a moment as he gathered himself. He needed to be more careful - they both did. "I know," Alec said quietly, bringing his gaze up to meet hers again. "You're still learning to control it all. Nothing is wrong with you."He noticed as her gaze quickly dropped but he didn't press her, giving her the time that she needed to think. "You've been overworking yourself since the beginning," he said quietly, thinking of the time she had nearly burnt herself out in his apartment. She had almost died then and he had been worried about her safety ever since - her safety from herself. "The change isn't easy."
It wasn't much but it was a true enough statement. He could vaguely recall fighting being a perfect himself and the toll that it had taken on his body and mind. Now he was watching Aaliyah go through the same thing. He regarded her curiously as she brought her gaze back to his own and held it. "You don't have to be afraid," he said firmly, but he wasn't sure if she had heard him at all.
As Aaliyah collapsed Alec made sure to catch her. He lifted her up and moved to put her in bed knowing that she needed to rest. She was finally coming to acknowledge and recognize her feelings and Alec felt nothing but proud for her. She was going to fight this, he knew it, and she was going to come out on the other side stronger and alive.
Aaliyah felt and overwhelming warmth cover her body like a blanket. Her body started to automatically heal itself as it was fragile from her fighting off the change. She curled into the bed, and went into a deep sleep. It was one of the best sleeps she had in a long time. Aaliyah slowly opened her eyes, confused on exactly what happened. She felt different and energized though. It had been so long since she felt energized that she couldn't remember the last time this feeling was in her body. Sitting up slowly, Aaliyah realized it was dark outside. Her lips curved downward. I must have slept for awhile These words echoed in her head as she took in her surroundings. Sight and sound in her cabin seemed amplified by ten.
"Alec, what happened? I remember training with Jacob, and everything after that is fuzzy." she whispered softly. Alec kissing her felt as if it was a dream, so she didn't bring it up because if it was a dream then it would be embarrassing. "Everything is so heightened. What's happening?" It didn't matter what was happening, it felt nice. Aaliyah touched her feet to the floor and stretched. It didn't cross her mind that he could be sleeping because it was dark outside.
As Aaliyah fell into a deeper sleep Alec let out a soft sigh and sat in the bed beside hers. He watched Aaliyah for a little bit and when it became evident she wasn't waking up anytime soon he got up and left the cabin. He didn't want to stay gone for too long - not knowing when Aaliyah would wake up or what state she would be in when she did - but he did need to get food. He wasn't out long, getting the food that he needed and making small conversation with some of the humans he came across while doing so. On the walk back to the cabin Alec wondered how many perfects were at the camp - if there even were any others. He made a mental note to ask Jacob about it the next time he saw him.
When Alec made his way back into the cabin he threw himself down onto the bed he had been sitting on earlier and let himself drift off to sleep. He was a bit drained from the days events and his body was still dealing with the loss of the gas, making him more exhausted than he normally would have been.
During the night Alec was woken by Aaliyah's talking. Despite the fact that she wasn't talking particularly loudly he had been able to hear her. He groaned and peered over at her, his eyes narrowed as he still worked to completely wake up. "Aaliyah," Alec rasped, his voice scratchy and still laced with sleep. He propped himself up on his left elbow, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes with his right hand. "I have no idea what you were saying. Can you repeat?" He still sounded tired but his eyes were at least fully open now, giving Aaliyah his full attention.
Aaliyah tilted her head realizing she had awakened Alec, and instantly felt bad. "I am sorry." she whispered softly. "Go back to sleep. It's nothing that can't wait till morning," she insisted him going back to sleep. There was doubt in her mind that sleep could grab her ,and whisk her away to a dream state. "I'm just confused on what happened the last thing I remember was the training session with Jacob, and everything is so heightened. I don't know what's happening." Even though she assured him it could wait till morning, Alec always had a way of making her feel better about anything. Despite feeling energize there was a high chance her body was still recovering from the past week. "You always have a way of making me feel better. I didn't meant to wake you." Alec looked completely exhausted he needed rest. He also had cute bed head, and she smiled to herself about that. A yawned escaped her mouth. "Why am I yawning I felt so energized a minute ago?"
Tears started to form in her eyes. She was so confused, and tired all of the sudden. Aaliyah's blonde hair shined perfectly at night. The star's light hit her body that highlighted her best features. Her eyes wandered outside the window, and landed on the moon. Aaliyah didn't want Alec to see her crying again this week. It seemed like Alec only ever seen her crying, not happy.
"It's fine," Alec said, trying to reassure her that he didn't mind being woken up. He waited a moment, having a feeling she might open up despite having told him to go to bed, and listened intently when she did start talking. "After the training session you came back here and we talked. Well, really you pinned me against the wall and kissed me," Alec amended with a grin. "After that we talked. We talked about quite a few things. Then your powers started taking over again and you freaked out. I tried explaining what was happening but you passed out."He took a deep breath for a moment, pausing to see if Aaliyah had any questions before he went on. He had no intentions of describing exactly how she had struggled with her powers - he didn't want to make her more upset. "You had been slowly killing yourself by resisting the change and resisting being a perfect. Now that you've slept for so long your body is finally healing itself and the change is completing itself. If you so quickly feel drained of energy then it's probably not done recovering yet. You did a lot of damage to yourself," Alec told her softly.
Alec got out of his own bed and walked over to her, sitting at the foot of her bed. "I'm here for you, you know. I know what you're going through and I understand."
Aaliyah looked askance for a second. "So kissing you wasn't a dream?" she asked softly. The events were still blurry, but kissing him was the one thing that was clear in her mind. Her eyes shifted back to Alec. "Thanks for filling me, but I still don't remember anything clearly." she gave a grim smile. "I guess it's okay though."Aaliyah crawled over the foot of the bed. "Alec can you hold me, while I sleep?" Another yawn manage to breath free. While she was sleeping she forgot about ever resisting being a perfect. "The change is completing itself," she began to sound drained again. Her right hand moved wiping the salt water off of her face. "Why don't I remember every resisting being a perfect?" Her blue eyes glistened with tears. The amount of confusion she was feeling, was overwhelming to her.
Sleep sounded good. Her eyes started to droop. "I'm still recovering." the words barely came out before Aaliyah's body gave out on her again. Alec was right she did do a lot of damage by fighting the change.
((Sorry it's so short my laptop died, and I am on my phone.))
((No worries!))"It wasn't a dream," Alec chuckled. He wanted to tell her that it was better than any dream could have been but decided to keep that to himself - it wasn't the most important thing either of them needed to concern themselves with at the moment. "It's not surprising that you don't," he said, nodding as he spoke. He would have been surprised if Aaliyah had remembered most of it. She hadn't been in the best state.
He smiled at her question and nodded, scooting up on the bed so that she could lie down comfortably and be beside him. He placed a hand gently on her shoulder and pushed her down to lie on the bed beside him, knowing that if he didn't she would end up falling over when her body gave out again since she was still recovering. "You did it without thinking about it," Alec told her, "and you did it a lot. You'll remember more when your body is fully healed."
Again, Alec wasn't sure how much of his answer she comprehended - if any at all - as he knew she was close to crossing over to sleep again. He decided to let himself drift off to sleep as well and hoped that neither of them would wake up before the morning.
As if it was a reflex Aaliyah curled into Alec's body immediately. He was so warm, and smelt good. A lips curved upward, as she fell into a deep sleep again. She could get used to sleeping near Alec. Throughout the rest of then night that warmth came back and covered her in a blanket. For the first time in forever, Aaliyah felt safe and relax. The thought of how long it could last dance across her mind.The moon disappeared behind the Sun. Birds were chirping in the trees, and animals scurried around the forest floor. Aaliyah opened her eyes hearing the busy morning of the forest. She turned to face Alec and smiled. He was adorable when he was sleeping. She buried herself in his chest inhaling his scent. Hearing his slow relaxed heart beat, put a smile on the face. Everything was perfect in this moment.
Her stomach growled. Aaliyah didn't want to wake up Alec, but he knew where the food was. "Alec where's the food? I am famished."
((If my response is a bit short it’s because I’m replying on my phone!))Alec slept easily throughout the night after that and didn’t wake up until he heard Aaliyah speaking again.
He opened his eyes slowly, a smile making its way onto his lips as he heard the birds chirping and felt the warmth of Aaliyah beside him. “If you wait a few minutes for me to wake up I’ll take you to it,” Alec mumbled, closing his eyes again and lying back on the bed. He didn’t intend to stay there for long but wanted to take another moment to relish in the comfort of the bed.
With a groan he pushed himself off of the bed, his feet touching down on the cold floor. He hadn’t remembered shoving off his shoes but he clearly had. “What I want to know is where I can get more socks,” he mumbled to himself, pulling on his socks and shoes.
Alec stood and smiled down at Aaliyah, quickly rubbing the remaining sleep out of his eyes. “Shall we go?” he asked, holding out a hand towards her.
((No worries :) ))"I'm sorry for waking you up again." Aaliyah looked at him with a smile. "You're really cute when you're sleeping."
Aaliyah shrugged her shoulders. "Jacob will know," she didn't really remember that he went on raid or anything about her parents. "Now that I finally accepted being a Perfect do you think I can see my brother?" Realistically she knew there was a long ways for her to see her brother safely, but she didn't want him to think she was a monster.
She smiled again and took his hand. Aaliyah started to intertwine her fingers with his, and blushed. Standing on her tip-toes she leaned in and gave him a kiss. "I'm glad that wasn't a dream." she whispered across his lips. "Did you sleep well besides me waking you up twice?"
((Ugh going through major writers block and I have no idea why))"No worries," he assured her with a smile, trying to ignore the blush that spread across his cheeks at her compliment - was it a compliment? It didn't really matter.
Alec nodded and told himself he would have to ask Jacob when he got back from the raid. At her question Alec's brows furrowed and he chewed lightly on his lower lip. "I'm not sure," Alec said slowly. "I think we should do a little more training just to make sure."
He hoped that his answer didn't upset her but he wanted to be absolutely sure that Aaliyah was able to control herself before taking her to see her brother - it would be safer for both of them that way.
Alec smiled as she slipped her fingers between his own and leaned forward to kiss her. "I am too," he murmured, his lips still curved up into a smile. He pulled back slightly to better look at her before answering. "Besides you waking me up, yes, I slept wonderfully."
((That's okay :) )) Aaliyah nodded her head she understood why she couldn't see her brother. She sensed a familiar presence enter the camp. It wasn't Jacob. Before she could finished answering Alec she bolted out the door and into the camp. She saw trucks entering the camp. Jacob must have went on a raid yesterday, she thought to herself. She noticed two familiar faces getting out of the truck with Jacob.
Running up to Jacob. "What is the meaning of this?" she asked.
Jacob glanced to her and then to her parents. "As I told you yesterday." Jacob didn't realize that she had no recollection of yesterday. "These are Elaine and Matthew two of the Rebel Perfect leaders in the city."
"This isn't funny Jacob. They're dead. I saw some them die." Aaliyah snapped the storm clouds started to form. Her parents were obviously confused because they didn't remember neither her or her brother.
Alec didn't know why she bolted but he felt the presence of someone new entering the camp as well and figured that must've been why she had went out. He recognized Jacob's presence immediately but didn't know who else had come inside the borders. He followed Aaliyah as she ran up to Jacob and the previous days conversation flashed through his mind - these must've been her parents. He placed a hand on Aaliyah's shoulder and shook his head at Jacob as the man talked, hoping that he got the message. "Aaliyah, I need you to calm down," he said in a low voice, keeping close to her. He didn't know how on earth he was going to be able to calm her down this time but he couldn't let her feelings get out of hand when she couldn't control her powers yet.
Alec looked nervously between Jacob and Aaliyah, wondering how he hadn't anticipated Aaliyah potentially forgetting the conversation. Even if she hadn't forgotten, he wondered how Jacob thought she would've been able to take kindly to everything she thought she knew about her parents death being a lie.
"Excuse Aaliyah she's a new perfect." Jacob said under his breath. "A novice perfect? Jacob how and the hell are we supposed to win against the government. With a novice perfect?" Matthew hissed through his teeth.
Jacob sighed for a moment. "I guess I felt sorry for her."
Aaliyah backed up into Alec. It started to snow. Tears ran down her face. The day her parents died it was snowing. She saw the snow turn red. How were they alive? Jacobs words stung her. Her mind couldn't process all of this information at once. "Mommy daddy." It was James' voice that brought her back to reality.
Aaliyah ran to her brother and stopped before he could any closer. He looked a little frightened. "I'm not going to hurt you." she assured him. How did she explain any of it to her brother? She was shaking not because of his mind, but it was too much for her to process. "They don't remember us."
"Back away from him." Jacob said.
"You've seen me smile. I think," Alec said, trying to think. These past few days had been such a whirlwind that he honestly wasn't sure what had happened. But he thought that surely he had smiled at least once while he had been with her - her stubborn nature, while at times annoying, was also amusing to him.
He nodded as she talked, a resigned expression passing onto his face. His lips were curved down and his grey eyes seemed sad. "Your body is addicted to it, you can't help it." He hesitated for a moment before saying softly, "I want them too." Despite all the effort he had put into fighting the gases and all the progress that he had made, he had never actually been away from them before, and his body was craving them more than he'd like to admit.
Alec walked slowly beside her to make sure that nothing happened to her. He knew that she was likely more exhausted than he was, and with all the power that she had been exerting lately he wasn't convinced that she wouldn't collapse before they made it to the cabin. The rebel leader had given him permission to be in the same cabin as her for the night and had said that they would figure out more permanent arrangements later. Alec was grateful to be put with her at all, not trusting to keep her out of his sight. He thought she seemed a bit unstable but wanted to give her some distance, so when she came crashing to the ground he wasn't fast enough to catch her.
Alec cursed to himself before gently picking her up and carrying her into the cabin, setting her down on one of the beds. He didn't want her to sleep with her shoes on so he swiftly untied them and placed them at the foot of her bed, hoping that she wouldn't mind. After draping a blanket over her Alec lied down in the bed closest to hers, sighing and quickly drifting off to sleep.