You And I Walk A Fragile Line [open]

[abraham kip winters.]

"Well, yes," Abe said, shrugging in a so-so way. "Usually I'd say there's nothing you could do since, well... there's nothing you can do. In this case, it just so happens that a position has just opened up."
Mentally, he was still chewing over a thought, all the while analysing the girl in front of him. It was quite as though she had suddenly transformed into a mathematical equation that he was determined to solve.
"No, that's silly." He said eventually, shaking his head and waving a dismissive hand. "You're an empath, not a killer."

He turned his back on her again and took a few careful steps away. His voice was still deep with thought when he spoke into the night.
"You said it yourself, I'm the only one who can stop him. I did it before on my own when I was eleven. I'm sure I can outsmart him again. Besides, I think involving another human will only... complicate... the..."

His words slowed, and then came to a halt. Evidently, a thought had hit him mid-sentence. When he turned on his heel, he swiveled in such a smooth way and with such a glint of genius in his eyes that it was almost unsettling, if it hadn't been captivating by nature.
"Say," He said, his voice now slow and careful, "You're female, right?" It was an odd question. Perhaps the one that succeeded it was even stranger. "How is your skill at acting?" And, even weirder, his next question was put to her in the most delicate and calculated way. "Do you think you could act to save your life?"

[lucia marie newman.]

Lucia twisted a curl absently around her finger, the moonlight catching the golden strand and turning it silver. While he talked, she was mentally analyzing what she could do. She certainly wasn't a killer, like he said. Lucia doubted she could kill anyone if her life depended on it. Except, by the way Abe was speaking, her life might actually depend on it. She shoved that thought away. She'd cross that road when she had to – she certainly hoped that she wouldn't have to kill him. That'd be a terrible way to start things off.

And he was right. She was empathic, not a killer. She had no idea what killing someone else might do to her. She remembered when her aunt had passed away in the hospital from a car accident and shivered slightly at the memory. It had been terrible, and she had ended up passing out from the strain. No, Lucia vowed to try and help Abe in a non-violent way. Thank you very much.

“True, I'm no killer. And I doubt you'd actually want me to kill you, anyways. And I have full confidence in you that you can do it again, but since you are older and smarter, wouldn't it stand to reason that he's older and smarter too?” She hazard a guess. She honestly didn't know if that was true, but, hey, it couldn't help to ask, right? When he sudden posed his question about her gender, her eyebrows rose. She looked down at herself and smiled dryly.

“Well, last time I checked I was female. Yes, I can act well, I've been in several plays.” She said slowly. She had no idea where this was going. Then again, Lucia never seemed to know where anything was going with this boy. EVER. She cocked her head to one side again, brows furrowed. “Why?”

[abraham kip winters.]

A smile found its way onto Abe's face. He lifted his hands up to his face, forming his fingers into a square shape and peering through them at her, much in the same way that a director might when deciding how to shoot a film.
"Mercy." He said to himself. "You know, that might actually work..."
He folded his arms over his chest and looked at Lucia again. Then he nodded decidedly.
"Oh," He said, "You're probably a bit confused by now, aren't you? Allow me to explain..."

He backed off a short way, and for a second it look as if he was going to burst into interpretive dance. Thankfully, he didn't, though while he spoke he did move constantly, either pacing or circling, as if trying to keep up with his own story, which ensued...

"My power, the reason that I'm here at Power's Academy, is to control dreams. Of course, everyone, given practice, can control their dreams, but my gift is to control and enter others' dreams also. I was eight when I found my power. It was that same year that I first met Cain.

I met him on a beach, in my dreams. We were both confused as one another, but when we realised that we were brothers, it was like a miracle. I had been an only child up until that point, not the most social of children, and quite lonely in my day-to-day life. Now, suddenly, I had someone who was just like me, who shared the same likes and don't-likes, who could play and talk with me every night, and give me advice and help when I needed it. The two years that I spent in the company of Cain were two of the happiest I have lived.

Unfortunately, nothing lasts. Not in this life, anyway. I started to face bullies at school when I was ten. Cain was always there by night to console me, but, slowly, I found that his helpful advice was becoming something else... it was more like he was dropping clues as to how to cause pain, exact revenge. Being an impressionable and frustrated ten-year-old, the day came when I almost went too far by following his twisted orders.

He was outraged when he discovered that I was too weak to take revenge on my tormentors. I was scared by his reaction, and pulled away from him. For some time, I distanced myself from my brother, and while I worked to hone my ability and cleanse myself of sins, he became all the darker, his thoughts of anger and hate festering away.

I decided that I should find him, one night, and make up with him. I missed the days when we were inseparable. When I found him... he tried to kill himself.

When you die in dreams, you usually wake up. Killing yourself, while aware that you are dreaming, is a sure-fire way to enter the waking world. But when two people are sharing the same dreamspace, as we were, the one who awoke would take over the body, while the other would be trapped within dreams, as Cain had been for three years. He had had enough of watching me live my life how I wanted to - innocently, without causing pain or spreading fear - and he thought he could do a better job. He was ready to take my physical form from me. Luckily, I killed myself in my dream before he could, and awoke safely in my own body.

After that, now that I knew that he wanted my physical form to control as his own, I had to find a way, to plan a plan that would allow me to keep him securely in my dreams, with no danger of him getting out. Being very clever, I came up with something particularly bright. I spent days without sleeping, instead walking around the village where I lived and taking mental replicas of every detail - the bricks of every house, the trees in the woods, the number of clouds that passed in the sky, everything. I prepared to create a setting in my dreams that was absolutely accurate to real life. Finally, I crafted a weapon. A sword, that I designed to pierce flesh, but never to kill.

When I confronted Cain the next night I slept, it was on the beach. I positioned the crafted sword in the sand, and pretended to race him for it. I let him reach it before I could, and, thinking to kill himself and awake once and for all, he stabbed himself with it. That was when I sprung my trap. I shifted our surroundings, using every bit of my power, and created the replica village in a second, so that Cain was convinced that he had awoken in the village in my body.

Since that day, I have kept him there, trapped in a dream-fishtank. Every night I spent in the dreams of others because he occupied my own, and I only watched him from without. I continued to craft details into his fake world, keeping him sure of his surroundings. Unfortunately, he began to get suspicious that the people around him (as people are much harder to create in dreams than places) seemed empty, hollow. To that end, I created a girl. Her name was Mercy, and I designed her to be Cain's constant companion, a person as real as I could make. She kept him real. Over the six years that I had Cain confined, Mercy and he became friends, extremely close. He trusted her more than anything. More than himself. Everything was going just fine... until recently.

There was an... accident. I won't go into details, but Cain saw me and things unraveled. He realised that the village he had been living in for six years was a replica, and when he realised that, it shattered around him. When he realised Mercy was a figment of my imagination, he destroyed her too. Now he is back to trying to wake up in my body. If he does so, I can only imagine the revenge he will exact on my life for what I did to him..."

At this point, the teenager raised a distressed hand to his face, passed it over his eyes, and then, pulling the movement off as a nonchalant sweep through his hair, carried on as well as he could.

"I have just formed a plan." He declared. "If I can create a new Mercy, and have her talk to Cain, convince him that when he saw me, he was actually just dreaming, and that his life is as real as it always had been... I can keep him trapped. Perhaps for another six years, perhaps for a lifetime. The only problem is that this Mercy will have to be convincing enough to prove the reality of a dream. She will have to be..." He looked to Lucia again pointedly, "Real."

((OOC: Uh... sorry about the word count... kind of... got away from me...))

[lucia marie newman.]

OCC: Oh, wow, haha, I noticed. XD It's okay though. -nods- Mine's going to be no where nearly that long haha.

As he framed her, she cocked her head again, wondering what on earth he was doing. Mercy? What did mercy have to do with anything? As far as she could tell, mercy was going to help no one in this situation. This brother of his sounded dangerous, so how would mercy help anyone? Puzzled, she noted that the way he said the word, it was almost a title, or a name. She started slightly when he asked his question, and she shook her head. “No, I don't.” she said quietly. Her eyes never left him as he backed away and began his story.

Lucia sat down at the base of the tree, legs crisscrossed, listening to him somberly. Photographic memory meant that she wouldn't forget anything that he was telling her, but this was important nevertheless. Lucia felt a twinge of sympathy for the boy as he spoke. She had grown up with a sibling that was closer to her than anyone ever could. Rosie was her twin, her other half. She had had her own problems, of course. When Lucia was little, she could never go outside in crowds, or even go to school. Everyone's emotions pressed against her without her able to control it, crushing her, often sending her into hysterics. For the longest time, her parents had feared her insane, and didn't know what to do. That confusion and worry made it worse. Her parents' emotions rubbed against her like salt on the wound, and she had ended up locking herself in her room when she was ten, refusing to come out.

For three days she had kept herself in that room. The only person who she could stand to be around – who was the only person who's emotions didn't torture her – was her twin. It had been Rosie who had convinced her to come out of the room. Rosie's emotions actually soothed her. Lucia wasn't crazy, well, no more than the next person, but she had been through a lot. It had hit her harder than anyone when Rosie disappeared. Vanished. Without a trace. Her parents declared that Rosalind had run away, but she couldn't believe that. Lucia knew her twin. She wouldn't just up and run away. In that one day, she had lost her best friend and only confident.

Lucia had been different than the others, coming from a rich family. School had been hell for her, until she came to Power's Academy. She could relate with Abe in many ways because of it. Except it wasn't in her nature to hurt others, despite being hurt herself. Lucia sighed softly, eyes narrowing, when he got to the part about Mercy. Now she knew almost exactly what he wanted her to do. When he finished his story, Lucia straightened slightly, resting against the tree. “So, you want me to be your Mercy?” she asked. This amount of distress this was causing him made her chest ache, but she said nothing more.

[abraham kip winters.]

"Precisely!" Abe exclaimed, glad that Lucia was able to grasp the basic shape of his plan immediately, and perhaps even more pleased that she didn't reject it straight away.
He raised a hand in objection to a thought she might have been having.
"Don't worry," He said, "I'll be there with you the whole time. Hidden, of course, but I'll need to be there to project Mercy's original appearance onto you. After that, it'll be pretty much down to you to convince him that he's just imagining that his fake reality is anything but real. Once he's certain of that lie, he'll start sustaining his the dream on his own again. We can leave, and I can replace you with a copy of the original Mercy. Everything will go back to normal, and you never have to visit my dreams ever, ever again." He promised.

It was a big ask, but the way he explained it was as if it was nothing more than a brief favour that wouldn't take a few minutes, to which there was no risk at all.
The fact of the matter was that he was extremely hesitant to ask this of her, even if he didn't show it. Even if he didn't mind involving another person in this twisted inner-war he was waging, it was still putting a total stranger in considerable danger. And why was he doing it? For his own benefit. He wanted saving, but Lucia didn't even know him. Why should she be obligated to risk her life to save him?

As this thought dawned on him, a change came over his face. It went from being bright and almost excited, an expression that appeared when his plan had come to him, to being very serious, solemn, and quite grave.
"No," He said, his tone totally different to the optimistic one that he spoke with before. It was strong though, as he continued. "On second thought, I... I don't want your help. You should stay out of it. Yes, if you know what's good for you. Stay back." He himself took a couple of shuffled steps backwards, rustling the leaves on the forest floor.
"I know my concern upsets you, being an empath, but that sensation must fade if you get far away from me. If you know what's smart, you'll do just that. Forget you saw me, forget what I told you."
He shook his head before she could even argue.
"I know what you're going to say. I won't risk your life for mine. I don't know what I was thinking. That's it - I still must be slightly disorientated by my delirium. I'm sorry."

He retreated back a few more steps, beginning to speed up, clearly thinking of running back in the direction of the Academy.

[lucia marie newman.]

“That makes sense,” she admitted. Lucia nodded to herself, speaking slowly and thoughtfully. “I can definitely play the part, although you have to tell me what Mercy was like. And what Cain is like, too. The way you've described him, he is quite.... driven.” She smiled at his promise, laughing slightly. “Don't worry about it, I'm glad to help.” she said. And it was the truth, too, and not just because she wanted to help. Lucia didn't do anything that she didn't want to do, and she truly did want to help. Not just because of her empathic abilities, either, but because she actually liked Abe, even though she didn't really know him all that well.

She more felt that saw the change come over his face, and sighed. She had expected this. Lucia knew that most people would hesitate at putting someone's life truly in danger. Lucia wasn't stupid. She knew that she could end up getting hurt – or worse – in this venture. It wasn't like she was trying to play hero, or that she had a death wish. Because, despite her ragged past, she really didn't want to die. But it wasn't in her nature to abandon people, especially when they needed help. If she didn't help Abe, who would? He looked like he was coming to pieces, and she couldn't bear to see that happen to him. His words angered her more than anything, though.

“Don't play me for a fool, Abe,” she said, her voice quiet. “I realize the amount of danger I am in. I'm not stupid. But I'm also not the type who is going to back down when someone needs my help. Sure, I may be a total stranger to you, and I'm probably making this my business when I really have no right to. But I can't and won't just stand back and let you try and fight this on your own, especially with what you've told me.” Lucia hadn't spoken that much in a while, and she took several steps towards him, blue eyes snapping in the moonlight.

“You know what? I have seen people tear themselves up from the inside, felt their pain and anguish. I've seen them, felt them, lose inner battles. And you know what? Your concern will never leave, no matter how far I get.” Surprising even herself, she reached out and touched his arm, trying to stop him from leaving. “You aren't asking me to risk my life, I am volunteering. I am the one who put myself into this mess, who wants to help you. And not just because of my empathy, either. Because I care about you.” Lucia swiped angrily at the tears that had sprung out of no where. It had been a long time since she had done something like that, and she dropped her hand, looking pale and exhausted.

“I won't leave. And I'm not going to hurt you,” she said softly, looking down at the dead leaves at her feet.

[abraham kip winters.]

Abe stared back at Lucia as she said her piece. He said nothing while she spoke, and didn't try to argue back. Even after she had finished, he stood in silence and watched her. He had stopped moving away when she had touched his arm again, and now he just looked at her.

It was true. She really did care about what happened to him. This wasn't a decision she was taking lightly, but he could see she really wanted to help him. And it wasn't just because of her ability, as she said. There was something else.
Abe's own blue eyes softened when he realised what it was. She was just like him. He knew that if the tables were turned, if Lucia was the one in trouble, it wouldn't matter that she was a stranger. He was the kind of person to put his life on the line for the benefit of another too. Maybe, for once, it was okay to let someone else do the same.
Up until now, he had looked at her as if he was an alien from a faraway world, studying a strange human creature that he couldn't quite understand but that fascinated him. Now he suddenly saw her as something more like himself. He understood something about her.

He carefully raised a hand and it hovered over her shoulder, as if he were about to place it gently down in a thankful gesture, but instead it he simply nodded and removed it again. He looked at Lucia and the electricity came back into his eyes in the look that made him an unforgettable presence to the people he met at the Academy.

"We're on a deadline." He told her, "We've got as long as I can stay awake to teach you how to be someone else, convincingly enough to lie to a psychopath. Memories, too. He'll want immediate proof that you're who you say you are, so I'll have to tell you about a few of the experiences that Mercy and he shared that he might demand you to recall as evidence." He stopped, as he came upon a side-note that he wanted to add. "If you do, for any reason, change your mind about that, though," He said, "I can find another way. Just so you know, I won't blame you if you back out."

He retreated from her touch again - he always seemed to be just a little out of reach, like a forgotten dream himself - and threw his arms to the side excitedly. He clearly knew the danger that they were both facing, but there was an unmistakable element of anticipation in his words.
"But aside from that possibility, we've got a lot to get through. Where to start? Ah, that's the question..."

[lucia marie newman.]

Lucia was never one to back down from a challenge. Perhaps it was her innate stubbornness that refused to let her turn her back on something that was inevitably going to end up hurting her. She didn't care if it'd hurt her, she'd been hurt before. But it was more likely the fact that she cared too much. Others were a very important part of her life, despite her attempts to distance herself from them. She simply cared about everyone and everything. It wasn't to say that she was foolhardy or anything like that. Risking her life was a bit much for her, but at this point... well, she wasn't about to turn her back on Abe.

Because it had been the truth. She cared about him. He seemed so worried. And not just for himself. He had told her to leave because he cared about her own safety. That was all fine and good, but how could she live with herself if she just turned her back on him? He was a person, someone whom she hoped she could actually befriend. She didn't have a lot of those, and she wasn't about to let someone fall because of her own selfish fears. She cared because, well, how could one not? Her blue eyes met his, relaxing slightly when they softened. She had reached him.

Lucia was surprised that he reached out to touch her, and looked at him quizzically for a moment. She didn't touch people, almost as a rule. The fact that she had touched him – twice – was a surprise in and of itself. He didn't actually touch her, but she gave him a smile. She leaned back on her heels and waited for him to speak again, watching the life come back in his face. She relaxed – he was going to let her help indeed.

“All right, that does make sense. You'll have to teach me Mercy's mannerism, too. I can lie and everything like that, but I don't want to do something un-Mercy-ish and end up getting you hurt.” She said, running a hand through her curls. Lucia was a good actress – she had to be, in order to keep her parents from freaking out. The girl made a face at him. “I'm not going to back out.” Her voice was firm, her arms crossed over her chest in an almost petulant manner. She had promised she wouldn't leave him – and she wouldn't.

Lucia couldn't help but laugh at his excitement. Even though she was putting her life in danger, she was also excited. This was much like a game – a game in which the loser would probably die, but a game none the less. She pushed back a strand of hair. “Why don't you start by telling me what Mercy's like?” she suggested.

[abraham kip winters.]

Abe seemed to contemplate this for a moment, though it was undecided whether he was contemplating how to explain Mercy to Lucia, or if he actually wanted to. Everything with him seemed to be a big secret. He supposed that he was going to have to give up a lot of his secrets for this thing to work.

"Innocent." He said suddenly. "She always had this innocence about her, like the most harmless creature on Earth, like she couldn't hurt a fly, you know? She always seemed fragile to me. Like if something scared her, she would just fall apart like broken china. But she was so clever, too, she always... had all the answers." He smiled as he described her, clearly very fond of this person. He seemed to recall her like a distant memory, but one that he had kept close for years. "I created her to keep Cain convinced that he wasn't dreaming, but I think I... I think he actually needed her to keep him in check. He wouldn't do anything bad in front of her. Nobody would. That's kind of person she was. You wouldn't ever want her to be mad at you, not because she was scary or mean, just because..." He stopped, apparently deciding how to word it. He clicked his fingers and smiled when he realised what it was. "You never wanted to see her sad."

Pausing, he realised that he sounded a bit too caring about Mercy, whom he had described as being entirely his own creation when that might not have been totally true. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and tried to pull off a nonchalant shrug.
"Or something like that, I dunno." He said, and looked off into the dark spaces between the trees of the forest.