Memories II
Mar. 20th, 2007 05:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
reluctant_gargoyleWhen last I left off, I'd been permanently turned into a Gargoyle and was, needless to say, not happy about it. The sun had just risen, turning me to stone.
It was both forever and no time at all. And the dreams. Oh God, the dreams.
I caught sight of my own reflection in the glass of the clock face. I hadn't actually seen my face since I'd changed. Hadn't seen a lot of how I'd changed. I was surprised at how much I still recognized myself. Fangs, wings, the tail, talons, pointed ears, a light ridge in place of eyebrows, even a change in skin tone... My face was still very much the face of Elisa Maza.
"What aren't you telling me? You know something, don't you? Dammit, Goliath, she's my partner!"
Matt's angry remark shocked me out of my introspection. I knew what I had to do. I got to my feet and stood in the doorway. Goliath was between me and Matt, hiding me from view. "I'm right here, Matt."
"Elisa? What's going on?" He started stepping around Goliath. "Where have you... Oh... my... God!"
"Yeah. Kind of my reaction too."
"What happened?"
"Magic. Demona. Puck. Mirror. Screwed up... Damn... " I started babbling, tears falling down my cheeks. I had to look away.
"Oh, Elisa..."
"What?" I growled. I didn't know it then, but it was Gargoyle instincts trying to work their way through my thoughts. Reactions that were stronger. Emotions that ran hotter. Real Gargoyles know how to better focus it. I didn't.
Matt took several steps back, caught off guard. "I... I..."
"I'm sorry," I said.
"Tell me what happened."
I was human again, riding in Goliath's arms as he swooped over the city. I looked up into his face, and he smiled back at me.
"Happy?" he asked.
"When I'm with you?" I said. "Always." The words I'd dare not speak before. The thoughts I'd dared not even consider.
And suddenly, I wasn't being carried, but was gliding right alongside him, are hands locked together. "Wait..." I said. "This isn't right. This isn't how I'm supposed to be."
He let go of my hand. "But it is the only way for us to be together."
And suddenly I was falling, falling into darkness...
The darkness was all around me. I couldn't move. I was trapped! I couldn't breathe! I tried to scream, but instead I roared!
Stone chips fell to the ground around me and I found myself unsteady on my feet, suddenly faced with the vision of being so high up. I started to fall forward, but strong hands grapped me around my middle, pulled me safely back. Goliath.
It was all I could do not to break into tears. "I can't do this," I cried.
I looked into the faces of the others. It was the saddest I'd ever seen them. Even Bronx seemed to sense something was wrong. "I just can't."
"It's... it's not so bad," Brooklyn started to say.
"Brooklyn!" Goliath snapped.
"What? Demona said she wanted Elisa dead! You want that?"
"You know I do not. But that does not excuse your insensitivity..."
"No..." I started to say. "No, he's right. Better this than being dead, right?" I couldn't bring myself to actually say what had happened to me. Not yet. "Please... just no fighting."
"I am sorry, Elisa."
"Yeah, me too."
Anything else I could say was cut off by the sounds of someone inside the Clock Tower. Since I was outside with all of them, it could only have been one person: Matt.
I moved quickly off to the side, crouching down. "Don't... don't let him know I'm here," I hissed. Goliath nodded solomly and led the others inside. I could already tell this was going to be hopeless. The guys were hardly the world's best actors. No way they'd be able to hide that something was wrong.
"Guys!" I heard Matt say. "Have you seen Elisa?"
"Not since... last night," Goliath told him.
"Great."
"Is there something... wrong?"
"Nobody's seen her since last night. No calls, no checking in, nothing. That's not good."
Great. Just great. I hadn't even thought about what going missing for a whole day might have done. At least Matt hadn't been up there while I was still 'sleeping.' Matt, my parents, everyone...
"Happy?" he asked.
"When I'm with you?" I said. "Always." The words I'd dare not speak before. The thoughts I'd dared not even consider.
And suddenly, I wasn't being carried, but was gliding right alongside him, are hands locked together. "Wait..." I said. "This isn't right. This isn't how I'm supposed to be."
He let go of my hand. "But it is the only way for us to be together."
And suddenly I was falling, falling into darkness...
The darkness was all around me. I couldn't move. I was trapped! I couldn't breathe! I tried to scream, but instead I roared!
Stone chips fell to the ground around me and I found myself unsteady on my feet, suddenly faced with the vision of being so high up. I started to fall forward, but strong hands grapped me around my middle, pulled me safely back. Goliath.
It was all I could do not to break into tears. "I can't do this," I cried.
I looked into the faces of the others. It was the saddest I'd ever seen them. Even Bronx seemed to sense something was wrong. "I just can't."
"It's... it's not so bad," Brooklyn started to say.
"Brooklyn!" Goliath snapped.
"What? Demona said she wanted Elisa dead! You want that?"
"You know I do not. But that does not excuse your insensitivity..."
"No..." I started to say. "No, he's right. Better this than being dead, right?" I couldn't bring myself to actually say what had happened to me. Not yet. "Please... just no fighting."
"I am sorry, Elisa."
"Yeah, me too."
Anything else I could say was cut off by the sounds of someone inside the Clock Tower. Since I was outside with all of them, it could only have been one person: Matt.
I moved quickly off to the side, crouching down. "Don't... don't let him know I'm here," I hissed. Goliath nodded solomly and led the others inside. I could already tell this was going to be hopeless. The guys were hardly the world's best actors. No way they'd be able to hide that something was wrong.
"Guys!" I heard Matt say. "Have you seen Elisa?"
"Not since... last night," Goliath told him.
"Great."
"Is there something... wrong?"
"Nobody's seen her since last night. No calls, no checking in, nothing. That's not good."
Great. Just great. I hadn't even thought about what going missing for a whole day might have done. At least Matt hadn't been up there while I was still 'sleeping.' Matt, my parents, everyone...
I caught sight of my own reflection in the glass of the clock face. I hadn't actually seen my face since I'd changed. Hadn't seen a lot of how I'd changed. I was surprised at how much I still recognized myself. Fangs, wings, the tail, talons, pointed ears, a light ridge in place of eyebrows, even a change in skin tone... My face was still very much the face of Elisa Maza.
"What aren't you telling me? You know something, don't you? Dammit, Goliath, she's my partner!"
Matt's angry remark shocked me out of my introspection. I knew what I had to do. I got to my feet and stood in the doorway. Goliath was between me and Matt, hiding me from view. "I'm right here, Matt."
"Elisa? What's going on?" He started stepping around Goliath. "Where have you... Oh... my... God!"
"Yeah. Kind of my reaction too."
"What happened?"
"Magic. Demona. Puck. Mirror. Screwed up... Damn... " I started babbling, tears falling down my cheeks. I had to look away.
"Oh, Elisa..."
"What?" I growled. I didn't know it then, but it was Gargoyle instincts trying to work their way through my thoughts. Reactions that were stronger. Emotions that ran hotter. Real Gargoyles know how to better focus it. I didn't.
Matt took several steps back, caught off guard. "I... I..."
"I'm sorry," I said.
"Tell me what happened."
