07-26-2007, 01:17 PM
In the central gardens, Mathis sat under a willow tree, lost in thought. He felt that something big was going to happen to their nation and that they'd be unprepared for it. But sharing his feeling would simply result in him being reminded that he didn't possess the ability to see the future and that he should simply stick with his role as messenger. How he hated being a messenger! His thoughts turned toward his last day with West.
She had been standing on a bridge, looking down at the stream of water underneath and her face had held the strangest expression, but when he tried to ask her about it, she dismissed him and told him she couldn't say. When he had pressed, she had become angry. He had never seen her react that way, especially not to him.
"West, where'd you go?" he asked aloud. "Don't you know your replacement's a fraud?" Of course, she couldn't know that. No one could see that except for him. But he was stuck, just waiting to do what he was told, his hands tied from doing anything else.
Or were they?
He jumped up from where he sat and walked resolutely back to the apartment he shared with his brother. Dunn looked up with question as Mathis walked right past them and into his bedroom. He pulled out a bag and began to pack.
"Um...what are you doing?" Dunn stood in the doorway.
"Packing."
"To go where?"
"To find West."
Dunn laughed. "Seriously? Come on, Math. You don't have the foggiest idea where she might have gone. And didn't she say not to try to find her?"
"She's the only person I have ever connected with. I can't just let her go because then who do I have?"
"Me," Dunn said, his face growing very serious. When his brother didn't respond, he repeated, this time louder, "Mathis, you have me. Your brother. Your other mental half!" Mathis closed the bag and gave his brother a strange look and Dunn exclaimed, "You're going over there, aren't you? To Numbers?"
Mathis didn't answer. He simply walked past his brother and looked over his shoulder. "I'll come back."
"Mathis!"
But Mathis was out the door. He felt the familiar mental tug and heard his brother's voice in his mind. Don't leave! It's not safe for you to go and we need you here. We've never been apart for more than a few days. Don't-- Mathis cut his brother off by doing something he had never done before, something he hadn't ever thought he actually could do...he severed the link.
|