Nightheart

[Kiki]

All there is is darkness. All she could see was nothing. It wasn't there. It was like she didn't even exist. Nobody could help her. She didn't know anyone. She didn't even know herself.

It was the first time she had ever been awake. The only time she had seen anything. But the darkness was all there was. She could do nothing about it. She knew nothing, but that she wan'ted out. That was all she cared about.

Pressing, all around... The liquid bubbled. She couldn't see the bubbles, but she could feel them. How she knew they were bubbleds, she didn't know. How she was aware of anything, she wasn't sure. All she could feel was panic. But how did she know what it was called?

A strange sound met er ears and she looked over. Light. A soft purple light was what she could see. The bubbles coming up through th eliquid. It was all she could see. No. There was darkness outside the light, In the shape of a human. What were humans? How did she know all of this?

The liquid drained and she dropped to the ground, crying out. Everything hurt. Pain. Searing. All that was she could feel. Screaming. Fire. Pain. Darkness.
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She snapped awake. That dream. Again. For the third time that week. She couldn't remember how many times she had had it in the past years. That terrifying abyss of nothing but darkness and pain. But that softness coming from the figure. It was almost like she was coming home.

She threw her blankets aside and gently sat her bare feet on the cool floor. It was the middle of the night, per usual, when she woke up from the dream. Her namsake, Night. It was the only time she felt safe.

Night slipped out of the window and onto the fire escape with only her nightgown on. It was so out of lace in the modern world, but it was how she had been brought up. Theo had taught her everything. Theo....

She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, looking up. The city was an awful place, but the only place she was safe. They always found her if she wasn't around a lot of people. They almost always knew where she was.

She couldn't stand Them. She just wanted to be herself, be free. TO fly freely into the cool, black sky and become one with it. But They couldn't allow that. She knew it.Nothing like her had ever happened before.

[Kiki]

She sighed as the air swirled around her. It was so stale and smelled completely awful. All she had really known was the smoggy air of the city, but she knew there was cleanear air out there. She'd tasted it before the couple of times she'd been alowed to fly by Theo. Theo... Her only protector, the only one that knew she existed...

She sighed as she wrapped her arms around herself, not liking this. It was the first night she'd been left alone. Theo had left her. It didn't make sense why he had. All he had said that was he had buisness to attend to and she didn't like it one bit. Being alone meant the possiblity of being discovered by Them. They could easily find her without him there. Why had he left her?

"Night?" She looked toward the window and saw his head poking out the window. The golden light from the window illuminated his sandy blonde hair and Night breathed a sigh of relief. It was only Theo. It wasn't Them.

He climbed out the window and stood next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder loosely. This was a nightly rigtual, standing outside as they looked at the few visible stars and the city below. It was dangerous because of Them, but she had to get out of the apartment sometimes. "Something on your mind, Night?" Theo's voice was soft as he breathed into her ear and she flushed a bit.

"Just...that dream again." She looked away and he nodded. He knew what she was talking about and she couldn't stop it. She kenw it hurt him to know about the dream, but it wouold have hurt him even more to not know about it. She shivered a bit and he draped his coat around her shoulders. It was July, but she chilled eaisly if her wings weren't out which was all the time. She couldn't cahnge it.

Theo kissed behind her ear and she sighed as she leaned against him, resting her cheek against his. She knew what he wanted from her, but she refused to give it to him. She didn't know what would happen if it happened, but she felt it could be bad. Unlike humans, she always trusted what she felt inside. They were so foolish to not trust what they called intuation...

Night slipped out of Theo's arms and went back inot the aparment. Golden light spilled across the floor from the hall light. He hadn't turned her light on so as to not alert anyone to that he had been out. This was late for him to be awake and They always had eyes wherever she could be. They had probably already seen her, but They weren't making any moves. At least not as of yet.

"Try to get some sleep, love," Theo said quietly as he kissed her cheek. She nodded, but knew it would be impossible unless she was in his arms. But she didn't want to sleep in the same bed with him tonight. For some reason, she flet that being alone would bring answers that she had sought so long. She didn't know anything about her past and wanted more than anything to discover more about herself.

"Good night, Theo." She closed her window and pulled the curtains across it. She really didn't want Them to find her, not yet. Theo took his coat back and kissed her cheek again, closing her door.

Night was left alone in complete darkness and sat on her bed. She didn' tthink anything of the darkness becaue of her namesake. It didn't bother her one bit to be alone in the darkness; in fact, she found it comforting.

Feathery black wings sproudted from her back and she wrapped themnaround herself, warth radiating from them. Oh, how she wanted to stretch them through the deep black sky of night, but it was very unsfae...She closed her eyes and pure silence envolped her. Most humans didn't know how to block out sounds they didn't like but she could do it flawlessly. It was so easy...
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Night soon found herself back in the tube with the figure standing in front of her. The purple liquid had drained completely from it and she flushed hotly at realizing she was completely naked in front of them. But it didn't feel wrong in this memory. Her wigns were out and everything felt fresh and new. Nothing was familiar yet it was at the same time. She couldn't understand it. She'd never been here before, but it felt like she'd been here forever.

The figure approached her and she tried to stand up, but her body refused to respond. She was trapped in a memory from long ago, like she was watching a movie. She was in her own body, but she had no choice but to follow what had happened in the memory.

The figure started to wrap somethign around her, but she shied away a bit, not knowing what it was. The memory self and normal self were on the same plane at that moment. "I won't hurt you," the figure said softly. The voice was female, familiar somehow. "I'm going to get you out of here, child. Please, trust me."

"I can trust no one." Her voice was harsh and raspy, her throat aching as if she'd never used it before. PErahs it was the first time she had... "All only wish to harm me."

The figure shook her head, holding out the thing that she had tried wrapping around Night. It was a blanket, but her memory-self didn't know it. The memory-self was going through at least a thousand thoughts a minute literally, trying to make sense of everything going on. Little flashes of past memories were coming through, but they weren't long. The memory-self only wanted to escape.

"Just trust me, child. This is a blanket. It will keep you warm." The meory-Night looked at the blanket and figure, trying to determine if tshe could be trusted. Real-Night knew she could somehow, but memory-Night didn't. Memory-Night slowly nodded her head and the figure wrapped the blanket around her. Memory-Night gasped as her wings disappeared and an extremely cold chil swept through her body. "It will be some time before youre used to that. Now we must go before anyone discovers you missing."

The figure wrapped her arm around Night's shoulder, supporting her as they walked through a door. Memory-Night started to look around, but the figure gently pushed her head down. "Don't look. You won't like what you see." The figure sure had that right. What little bit real0Night had seen, she hadn't liked. Humans and other creatures at various stages of developments, flatign in different colored liquid like she haed been, obviously on life support. A government labratory.
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"Night, are you okay?" Theo was standing above her as she opened her eyes. What had happened to her? Pale light was streaming through the tiny gap in her curtains. "Night!" He shook her a little and she looked at himand he let out a sigh of relief. "You scared the ghost out of me when you screamed like that."

Night blinked. She had screamed and loudly at that? She paled at the thought. The neighbors would know about her and they would have to flee as fast as possible. If the neighbors knew about her, They would probably be coming soon...

"Thank goodness I decided to put up a soundproof spell last night..." Theo let out a sigh as he let out a sigh and wrappped his arms around her. She snuggled against him, closing her eyes. Why had she screamed? She ahdn't liked what she had seen in the lab, but nothign that had made her scream... Perhaps her memory was covering up something it didn't want her to know yet or was just too terrified to remember.

Theo ran his fingers through her long black hai and she sighed. That always made her feel better. Her heart was pounding as if she had just flown eight hundred miles while being chased by a swarm of angry bees. What had happened to her in that memory? She thought it would bring answers and it had brought a couple, but more questions than answers.

"Theo, was I...created?" Her coice was soft as she spoke. She had often asked him about her past since he seemed to know everythign about it. He always remained tight-lipped about it and he was pursing his lips together now, clearly thinking. She was desperate to know anythign about her past from him.

"Yes. My mother rescued you." Night blinked. That was who the woman was in her memories no doubt. That must be why she felt so caring. But why would Theo's mother be one of Them.|? It idn't make any sense; he was against Them... "I promise I'll explain later, Night." He kissed her head as he continued to stroke her hair. She nodded and he continued to stroke her hair. So many questions but not enough answers from him...