Aberrant: Dead Rising - The Hardest Choice [Complete]

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

May 9th, Afternoon to Evening; Leads in May 10th, Afternoon

Kristin sat on top of the partially completed defensive wall, looking down at the length of rebar held in one of her small, strong hands. She was alone here, just Myfwany's plea and her own terrible thoughts.

Please, wait, think about it. End it, now - they didn't deserve to live, and neither does anything that came from them. There are other options. It'll hurt, you'll scream, and it'll be over - nothing that hasn't happened to you for the last few months. You're the-

Originally Posted By: Hana

“Is that her? On the wall?”

Hana's high, piping voice cut through the turmoil of her thoughts, and Kristin flowed to her feet, looking down on the young girl and her cousin from the height of the wall. She couldn't face Ashley, not like this, not now. In Paradise, she had been the strong one, taking everything they had inflicted to spare her cousin. But outside Paradise, it seemed Ashley was the resilient one, while she had been broken. Freedom weighed on her, link by link, a hellish chain binding her forever to Paradise.

She fled, powerful legs letting her leap yards at a time, propelling her with the speed of a galloping horse. Ashley and Hana had no chance in keeping up, but they were persistent, so Kristin keep moving, running, eyes searching for a place to hide, a place where no one would see if when she did what she had to. She still carried the iron length of rebar.

Kristin dodged between ragged tents, shadows lengthening with the setting sun, the roofs of a circle of RVs and campers painted a vivid orange from the sliver of glare. It was quieter here, the sounds of grief-stricken women somehow belonging to this place, almost comforting - she wasn't the only one crying. She leapt to the top of an RV to get a better vantage point, distraught eyes of jade green refusing to meet any gazes turned her way, ignoring their calls of concern. If they saw her eyes, they would know, and that, she couldn't allow. This was her chain to break, in pain and blood. Pity would destroy her resolve.

Finally, she found somewhere that might serve, a clear space between tents, blocked off from view by a mound of opened crates. There were few people here, and no way to be seen by a casual passerby. It would do.

Kristin scampered down from the RV, oblivious to the curses thrown at her, then jogged a circuitous route to the desolate ground she had chosen for her foul deed. Kristin surreptitious climbed into her hidden sanctuary, than sat down in the dirt, legs spread before her, knees in the air.

She contemplated the blunt, three feet of iron in her hand, her breathing deep and rapid. Her muscles tensed, bulging, tight with the rage and sorrow and fear coiling within her.

She had to be strong, willing to suffer, just one last time...

[z016]

A shadow passed over the her hiding spot and felt something impact one the crates, a weight settling down from the sky. "Um...are you okay? And....uh....could you help me get down? I kinda missed my landing spot."

Gabrielle smiled down at the girl, apparently oblivious to Kristin's thoughts or dark mood. "I didn't expect someone to be here. Usually I can practice not planting my face in the ground when I land over here without people freaking out on me." She was perched precariously on one of the crates, attempting to keep her balance in spite of the uneven tug of that great white wings that sprouted out from her back and only marginally succeeding.

She frowned at the crowbar; it was an odd thing to be carrying around inside the refuge, and Kristin's pained expression was starting to register. The teen angel tumbled rather gracelessly into the secluded spot and sat down next to the overly-fit refugee, tugging her own knees up to her chest. "Hey, you okay?"

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

Kristin's mouth dropped open, speechless at the sight of the luminous angel teetering atop the pile of crates, the setting sun painting her glossy white wings in shades of rose and vermillion. She was young, only a little older than herself, and gloriously beautiful, but not in the unearthly, overwhelming way that Violet's was. The angel possessed a pulchritude that was pure, innocent, ephemeral, approachable, despite the wings.

Kristin felt her shame surge anew, spiced with rage, running down her limbs. It seemed singularly cruel and unfair. Her prayers to God had gone unanswered in Paradise, and yet, right as she was building up the nerve to remove the stain of that place, He sent an angel.

She wasn't stupid, she new the girl wasn't really an angel. She had seen some of the others from the Refuge use their powers or do other amazing things, heard them talk. However it happened that they, and her, had these powers, it wasn't divine or supernatural. Kristin wasn't a Slayer, Violet hadn't stepped out of a teenaged boy's wet dream, and Gabrielle wasn't an Angel. Probably.

Kristin blinked, shaking her head at the thought, and found the winged girl sitting next to her, frowning at the crowbar she held. Kristin's face went red with guilt and fury as she belatedly hid the iron bar behind her back, quickly averting her gaze so the teen angel wouldn't see the dark intent looming in her eyes.

She was about to mumble something about being sorry for being here, she had been looking for someplace to be alone, and would move on, when Gabrielle asked her simple, little question.

Originally Posted By: Gabrielle

"Hey, you okay?"

The genuine concern in the angel's voice undid her, her rage and fury melting away, leaving only tides of self-pity and shame to lap at the shores of her soul. The crowbar hit the ground with a ringing tone as her arms crossed her waist, defensively low.

"I'll just - I want - I'll be f-f-fi..." Kristin couldn't finish, couldn't bring herself to lie to the sympathetic teen. She tried to maintain a stoic expression, but a tear slid down her cheek, hidden by glossy, pale gold hair. There was a bone-weary sorrow in her voice.

"I thought leaving Paradise was gonna make everything better."

[z016]

Gebrielle pulled the girl into a hug, her wings fluttering around the two of them. She couldn't -didn't want to- imagine what that prison had been like for a person as attractive and young as her. She'd already heard enough horror stories, and healed the proof, from other women that had been rescued, but this girl was just...a girl! A kid, probably not any older than Gabrielle herself. She held the girl and her natural inclinations took over, her power reaching out to Kristin like a warm blanket of sunlight and love that didn't erase the pain or the anger or the fear, but made it something far away if just for right now.

After a moment, Gabrielle asked softly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

She didn't want to hear, didn't want to spend the next few nights when she was resting having those images chasing through her mind, but her discomfort was nothing to the pain and need she could feel radiating off of the impossible fit teen. The Lord provides.

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

Kristin tensed and grew rigid as Gabrielle offered her embrace, not wanting to be touched, not wanting weep in front of yet another person. The darkness enshrouding her heart, the pain and anger and fear, flared at the intrusion, then subsided under the angel's empathic regard. For now, at least, it was alright to let go, relax, and cry, without any shame or self-loathing.

Kristin let herself accept Gabrielle's tender hug, her face pressed to the hollow of her throat, and finally let herself cry about what had done to her, and the enduring consequences thereof that Myfwany had revealed. Her sobs started off soft, sharp and restrained, and Gabrielle could feel Kristin's taut muscles writhing like steel serpents beneath silken skin. But soon, they grew more intense, a torrent of release, her arms and back growing slack for the first time in months, as she soaked Gabrielle's shirt with her tears.

After a long moment, Kristin sat back, drained of tears, but the grief and rage felt far away too. She scrubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands, then rested her cheek on her knees, gazing at the other blond teen in mild wonder.

Originally Posted By: Gabrielle

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Kristin flinched, sickened at the thought of sullying this girl, this angel, with the horrors of Paradise. That she seemed genuinely willing to share her emotional burden just made her stomach roil even more.

"I... can't. They... Not yet," Kristin said, shaking her head slightly, her large, jade eyes sliding shut. "It's too raw. And after what Dr. Shattuck told me..." She sat in lingering silence for a several minutes, her breathing deep and even, before she spoke again.

"I'm pregnant." The revelation was spoken in a bare whisper, resounding with an emotional weight that no amount of physical strength could bear.

[z016]

Gabrielle nodded; Emma had talked to her about this sort of thing being an issue once the women were rescued from the prison; her eyes darkened at the thought that men could be so cruel, but her expression was only sympathy for Kristin. She scooted a little closer to her and asked, "Do you know what you're going to do?"

She pressed her lips together and fought the urge chew on them; it was a bad habit her mother had always tried to break her of. "I mean, I'm sure the people here will help you out. And Myfwany - Dr. Shattuck- she's a healer and doctor...well, y'know what I mean. She can help you out." She laid her head on her knees, mirroring Kristin. "I can too, if you want. Not on the knowledge side, like a real doctor, but on the healing side. And as a friend."

She smiled softly, trying not to spook the traumatized teen. "You don't have to go through this alone."

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

"I want it gone," Kristin said, her disgusted vehemence clashing with Gabrielle's soothing presence. She trembled, face pale, lips twisting as if she was trying to avoid being sick. "I can... It feels like they are always touching me now, all the men, in- With this thing in me, growing, I'll never be free of them. It would forever be a reminder to me of Paradise." Her face grew stony with the effort of not screaming, and she raised her head to thump it against the stack of crates she was backed against.

"I talked to the Doctor already - she wants me to wait, to think on it." The tight jawed teen grunted. "That means a 'no'." Gabrielle eyes widened in horrified understanding as she watched Kristin's hand reach for the crowbar, but she stopped before touching it, hand balled into a tight fist, tendons standing out in stark relief. "I'd - I'd thought I could... I want to... take care of it. Myself... But - but I... There is this tiny voice telling me - telling me... it might be wrong."

Suddenly, Kristin twisted to the side, vomiting pancakes and dogfood with body wracking heaves, then shuddered when there was nothing left to come up but bile. She settled back down, face red with rage at her weakness, her fist pounding the ground, cracking the asphalt with the force of her blows. Disconcertingly, the stunning, muscular teen still looked as clean and fresh as if she had just stepped out of a salon.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! 'S'not fair! How can it feel wrong, wanting to be rid of something they had hand - a cock - dozens of them! - in the making?"

[z016]

She ignored the puke but picked up the crowbar and moved it away from the two of them. She could make that the focus of all the dark emotions and thoughts that she wasn't quite sure how to deal with, and moving it away gave her the psychological calm to try and help Kristin. She wisely didn't try to get between Kristin and her asphalt-breaking emotional release. "Because," Gabrielle said softly instead, "what they did was evil, but it's not your fault, and it's not the baby's fault, either."

"I can't tell you what to do, and I wouldn't even if I could. I don't want to imagine what you went through or how you feel right now. All I can do is try to help. What you choose, that's between you and God, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Not even Myfwany." Her sky-blue eyes were sad but resolved as she continued on. "But I do want you to think about a couple of things, if you can. First off, Myf probably can't give you an abortion, if that's what you want. She's a doctor, she took oaths and stuff, and she doesn't have a hospital to work in or whatever they need to do....that....safely. She'd be putting you in a lot more danger than you'd be in going through with the pregnancy. Second..."

The angel trailed off for a moment, her eyes far away as she stared at the crates. "There's already been so much death in the world. So many people have lost their family, lost mothers and fathers and sister and brothers....and children. Killing another person, even a tiny person that's going to make you morning sick and bloat up like an inflatable beach-ball in the next few months, that just seems...." her voice dropped to a sad whisper, "wrong."

She glanced back over to her, "If you don't want to keep the baby, I don't think there's a person here that wouldn't absolutely understand. And I don't think it'd be all that hard to find someone that would take the child in." She bit her lip and gave a slight shrug, "If no one else would, I would. Everyone that's alive today, they deserve a chance to live."

Kristin could feel the sincerity and conviction of the angel; not the bright, flashy light of a fanatic, but the slow and steady resolve of a person that truly believed in what they said. She was pleading for the child of one of Kristin's rapists, maybe even Hornsbeck's himself. No, it wasn't fair.

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

"Not everyone."

Kristin's cool rejoinder was terse, judgmental, and echoed with her own conviction. Not the conviction of steady resolve and faith, but the conviction of experience, of one who had witnessed and suffered the worst that man was capable of, and was no less valid for it. Though she almost glowed with superhuman health and vigor, not a flaw or blemish visible, the free-spirited farmgirl Kristin used to be was buried beneath the scar tissue of her memories, some wounds to her sense of self - her soul - still suppurating.

Kristin flowed to her feet, restlessly stalking their small clearing like a caged tiger, muscle bunching beneath her tanned skin. She ran a hand through her hair, lips writhing as if she was muttering to herself.

"We went to church every Sunday, I know what the priests and my parents said about abortion being wrong. I never thought about having a baby, didn't even ever have a real boyfriend, let alone have sex, before... before... I didn't chose this!"

Suddenly, the buff blond girl threw her head back and laughed. It was a terrible sound, pealing with utter bleakness that brought tears to the caring angel's eyes. No laughter should ever have sounded like that.

"Only... I did chose this! I let them do all those things to me, 'cause I thought it'd spare my cousin. And I didn't even do that! It was that damn Simon who saved Ashley, not me! Everything has consequences."

Kristin hung her head, her back to Gabrielle, fingers gripping a crate with the creaking of breaking wood, her voice soft, broken. "I wish they'd killed me."

Her slight fingers pried at the old wood, pulling a nail free. Facing Gabrielle again, she casually bent small, sharp spike of steel into a fish-hook, studying it with a desolate smile. Without warning, before Gabrielle could open her mouth in protest, Kristin plunged the nail into her wrist, bicep bulging as she forced it to pierce her surprisingly resilient skin. Raising her broken grin to the winged girl, Kristin pulled, ripping a long, shallow gash down her arm.

Gabrielle could see the blood welling, the bright crimson river flowing down and around the crease of her bent arm, to drip from her elbow with faint plip-plops upon the thirsty ground. Before Gabrielle's eyes, she could see the red thread thinning, then ceasing all together, fleshing knitting with inhuman speed. Already, the gash was only a vivid pink line, and that was fading.

"They never tried hard enough. Want me to tell you what being crucified is like?" Kristin shook her head and flicked the nail away, the rusted bit of metal disappearing in the growing gloom. "I don't think I have to worry about the doctor putting me into too much danger."

Kristin's strong shoulders slumped, defeated by at least a fragment of the angel's reasoning. "You're... you're about one thing. It isn't the baby's fault. I'm just not sure yet if it's going to pay the price anyway."

Kristin sighed, weary to the depths of her soul. It was too much. Freedom should have been liberating, but all she felt were more shackles. She shivered at the sound of remembered chains.

"I'm sorry for dumping all this on you. I meant to be alone. Dunno if you showing up stopped me from making a mistake or doing something that needed to be done, but... thanks." She shyly glanced up at Gabrielle, one jade eye peeking at her from behind her mane of golden blond hair, a faint smile on her lips. It was the first genuine, content smile Gabrielle had seen on the overly fit, overly pretty girl.

"I'm Kristin."

[z016]

"Gabrielle," she answered easily and shrugged, her wings shifting as she did so. "And it's not a problem. We need to be there for each other. And I'm here because I am. I know why I think I am, but it doesn't really matter unless you want it to, y'know?"

The harm the girl had done herself had been shocking and Gabrielle worried that the emotional trauma she was going through wouldn't be taken seriously by the others simply because she didn't have the scars to go with it. She peered at Kristin and smiled, "You're....changed. Like me.....only, able to still wear t-shirts."

She laid a hand on the girl's arm, her expression sincere, "And if this Simon kept your cousin safe, how is that a bad thing? It doesn't mean what you did was pointless, it just means that Ashley was doubly safe, and that's what you wanted."

"And....if you're going to try to abort the baby, promise me you won't try to...to do it like this. Alone. You might heal really quickly now, but that doesn't mean you can't be hurt, or even killed. You don't know that, and your life is precious." Her hand tightened on Kristin's shoulder; she could tell that the idea of abortion truly bothered the golden-hued teen, but also that she was trying to respect Kristin's decision on the matter. Even if she could never agree with it.

"Do you have somewhere you and Ashley are staying? I've been trying to get around the Refuge and meet people and see what's here, but....there's still a lot of chaos around and that makes it hard to get much of a grip on things."

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

"Oh, me and Ashley have a place to stay, for now. Violet - she's... Have you seen her? Erm... yeah, she's still nice though and gave us and another girl a room to share at the stri - her place." Kristin gave a shrug - she was grateful for the room, but her nightmares and memories still cast a pall over it. "It's nice enough, anything's better than Paradise. She made pancakes and I was able to take a shower!"

Kristin struggled against flinching from Gabrielle's gentle hands, privately craving a comforting touch, one that didn't lead to pain and shame. Hesitantly, she raised a hand, then looked a question at the winged girl. At Gabrielle's nod, Kristin's small grin grew a trifle wider and she ran a hand along the soft, silky feathers of a wing.

"I know Simon helped Ash, it's just, every time I see him, all I see is a guard from Paradise," Kristin said absently, still enthralled with Gabrielle's snowy wings. Kristin's smile grew wryly amused. "You're the second girl who's said I've changed like them, only I haven't grown wings or boobs as big as basketballs. I only added, like, thirty pounds of muscle."

Kristin took a step back and raised her arms, flexing. Gabrielle could hear threads fraying as her undersized shirts strained across her powerful shoulders and biceps. Gabrielle could tell Kristin's muscular and toned physique was one that shouldn't have been possible for a fifteen year old girl, let alone one displaying and retaining such womanly curves. "About still being able to wear shirts, well, I think I need new ones."

"What's it like, flying, I mean?" Kristin's smile grew wistful, imagining how liberating flying must be. No chains would be able to hold you. You would be able to leave all the pain and grief behind, forever.

[z016]

Gabrielle's face grew reminescent and dreamy. "Amazing. Really scary the first time, though. There was this other man, different like us though his different was more like yours. I mean, it wasn't quite as....cothes-changing as my wings or Violet's breasts." She seemed to have no self-consciousness about referencing the overly-proportioned woman's anatomy. "He came to St. Magdalen's to find out about us and because he'd heard about me...sort of. It...we..." she shook her head, old shadows chasing over her expression.

"Anyways, Han came and he offered to teach me how to fly. He can fly, but he doesn't have wings. I didn't either, then. He took me outside and way up. He showed me how to gather up all the energy or whatever it is that we have and keep it in. And then he dropped me." She grinned up at Kristin. "He caught me, but I was terrified. We did it over and over again until...I don't know....something changed. I passed out halfway down and he caught me again, and everything was covered in feathers." It was obvious to Kristin that Gabrielle was bit smitten her levitating benefactor.

She pulled a loose feather out, a pinfeather that had fallen out but hadn't worked itself out the wing yet, and ran it over her face. "It hurt and it was cold, but it was worth it." She held the feather up for Kristin to take if she wanted, a pure white and perfectly formed feather that seemed a complete representation of the angel herself.

She frowned just a touch as she remembered her conversation with Jasmine a little while earlier. "And....I'd be a little careful around Violet. She can be...codependent or something. She needs friends, but she has a tendency to lean on them pretty hard for emotional support." Her expression softened, "It was really nice of her to open up her home for everyone coming from the prison. I hope she can continue on in that vein of community service and responsibility."

She walked around Kristin, taking in the impossible musculature and curves, "As for your shirt, I think Caleb might have some tee's that we raided from around Hayes that would fit you. Want to hunt him down and see if we can't get you more of a wardrobe?"

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

Kristin listened to Gabrielle describing flight with rapt attention, a wistful envy growing inside her breast. Flying sounded so... freeing. At the proffered feather, Kristin smiled with shy gratitude and accepted it with near reverence. She brushed its silky length against her cheek, almost giggling as it tickled her ear.

"Thank-you for this, Gabrielle, very much." Kristin absently continued rubbing the white feather against her cheek, glancing diffidently at the teen angel through her lowered lashes. "I don't know what you mean about the 'energy' or what all, but maybe... you can try teaching me to fly? If it can be taught. I mean, you said you were taught, but I'm not sure how you teach someone to grow wings, y'know?"

Kristin shrug self-consciously at the mention of the overly voluptuous Violet. "Violet seems nice, if sorta... I dunno... weird? She looks at me funny like." Kristin leaned a little closer to Gabrielle, dropping her voice as if she was sharing a great revelation. "I think she's a... lesbian. Not - not that there's anything wrong with that, of course." Kristin straightened quickly, picking at some dirt on her jeans. "She has a really nice voice," Kristin added softly. Gabrielle was pretty sure she hadn't meant to say that out loud, if her flaming cheeks were any indication.

The offer of some extra shirts that didn't feel like they were going to explode was greeted with an enthusiastic nod. "That'd be great. I gave most of my old clothes to Hana - that's the other girl me and Ash are sharing our room with. She's about the size I was, well before, so I don't have much to wear anymore. Though Violet did have some stuff that fit and was okay." Kristin pursed her lips into a slight grimace. "I don't like dresses."

As Gabrielle led Kristin to the area where her enclave had set up, the buff blond girl continued, "I'mma gonna have to head back after this. I... gotta talk - tell Ashley about... things." Suddenly, Kristin froze shock still, her jade eyes wide.

"Caleb?" she asked with a rising intensity, heart fluttering with something that might have been hope. "Has he been with you long? How old is he? What does he look like?"

[z016]

Originally Posted By: Kristin Mackenzie

"Thank-you for this, Gabrielle, very much." Kristin absently continued rubbing the white feather against her cheek, glancing diffidently at the teen angel through her lowered lashes. "I don't know what you mean about the 'energy' or what all, but maybe... you can try teaching me to fly? If it can be taught. I mean, you said you were taught, but I'm not sure how you teach someone to grow wings, y'know?"

She grinned. "I can try, but you really don't want the wings. They get in the way of everything and you're forever leaving a trail of feathers. I can't ever sleep on my back again...." She shook her head, "Nah, you'd be better off to fly like Han and Fox and Dan do. Just sort of levitate, I guess. I can try to show you what Han showed me, but I'm kinda hoping I can get in contact with him again and then he could teach you.?"

Originally Posted By: Kristin Mackenzie

"Caleb?" she asked with a rising intensity, heart fluttering with something that might have been hope. "Has he been with you long? How old is he? What does he look like?"

"Um...he's been in the community a little longer than I have. He's kinda tall, blond, blue eyes. I think he said he grew up on a farm somewhere in Iowa." She watched Kristin to see if those details matched up with whoever the amazon-esque girl was thinking of as they crawled out of the circle of boxes and headed towards where Gabrielle's people were camped.

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

In Kristin, that thing that might have been hope was strengthening as Gabrielle described Caleb until she revealed he had blue eyes and was from Iowa. Though she tried to hide it by keeping her shoulders square, the sympathetic seraphim saw the light dim in Kristin's eyes as she kicked a fist sized rock skittering away into the shadows.

"Oh! I thought maybe... It doesn't matter. It was a silly idea." Kristin scrambled agilely over the crates, then turned and helped Gabrielle, supporting her weight with effortless ease. She brushed a hand through her golden hair and followed Gabrielle to where her people were camped, eyes drawn again and again to those wings, white as snow.

"If you think 'Han' whoever would be better to teach me... Wings don't seem like that much trouble." Kristin glanced away as they approached the circle of trailers and RVs, giving a shudder, her posture slightly tense, defensive. The thought of trusting a man to catch her after dropping her from the sky almost made her vomit. It took a moment before Gabrielle realized all the other examples she gave for flying were men.

[z016]

She linked her arm through Kristin's, and for a moment both teens looked just like they were best friends strolling through the halls of high school. She smiled and murmured, "I said I'd try. I will. I just....I'm still getting the hang of things myself, so I thought maybe you'd want someone that knows what they're doing a bit better than me."

She squeezed the arm, "It's up to you, though. I don't know that I'd be strong enough to catch you, though. Ummm....hmn. Maybe we could make up a big landing pad of blankets and pillows and mattresses and stuff. We'd have to go back to Hayes or somewhere else to get all the stuff, but we might be heading there or somewhere else as a group soon anyways. We're gonna have a big meeting with everyone and get people to put up representatives so there can be a council to decide what's done."

"Sorry," she made a face, "I'm a little distractable right now. There's just so much stuff to figure out all the time right now. I guess I haven't found an off-switch for my mind since....well, since I changed. How about you? Um, do you sleep anymore? Or....or eat?"

The last questions were asked tentatively, but this was the first time in a while that Gabrielle had someone to talk to close to her own age that seemed to act like a teenager at least some of time. Jasmine was great, but she acted so grown up all the time that Gabrielle had a hard time remembering that they were the same age. And she was always hanging around Bond since Gabrielle got to Fox's.....

Kristin could feel the stares and catch snatches of whispers as they wound their way through tent city and towards the RV that had about a dozen dry erase boards set up next to it and people's names and daily duties scrawled out on them. A tall blond man who did look suspiciously like an Iowa farmboy was sitting on the steps of the trailer and directing the people that were still coming and going in every direction. No one seemed to get in the way of their leisurely but distance consuming stroll, though whether that was happy happenstance or some sort of finely tuned social cue was unknown. The man stood up and the others that had been clamoring for his attention quieted immediately.

Gabrielle smiled at him, "Hey Caleb. This is Kristin. I was wondering if we had any clothes left to share that you thought might fit her."

One of the women near him, a plainfaced thirty-something, piped up with, "Good Lord, girl! Who put you in that? They might have well dressed you in a bathing suit. Come on, I'm in charge of the extra supplies right now. We'll see if there's anything there, and if not, I know a couple of girls your size that can spare some shirts and unmentionables until we can make a raid on a clothing store."

Caleb relented with only a, "Y'know, you might want to give her your name," while Gabrielle chuckled.

The woman flushed but never stopped in her advancement on the super-powered pair of teens, "S'ry. Names Maggie. Maggie Alders. Over here." She ushered the two of them over to a set of trucks that had supplies of all kinds piled neatly in the back of them. Maggie began rooting through what looked to be Target bags of underwear and bras and waved Kristin towards the piles of shirts. "Just grab what fits and what you like if there's enough of what fits."

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

Kristin was surprisingly comfortable walking with Gabrielle. She hadn't had a friend in a long time, not more than her cousin, really, and in Paradise, she barely got to see her. Her idea about making a landing pad was greeted with more enthusiasm than waiting for Han or whoever to teach her, though her attention began to fade when Gabrielle started talking about the politics of the two enclaves. She hadn't really paid attention to politics before and didn't see that much of a point now either.

Originally Posted By: Gabrielle

"I guess I haven't found an off-switch for my mind since....well, since I changed. How about you? Um, do you sleep anymore? Or....or eat?"

Kristin looked at Gabrielle, astonishment in her large green eyes. "Of course I still sleep and eat. I don't need as much sleep as I used to, but I eat even more now. You... You mean that some of the fre - some of the changed people don't have to do that?" At Gabrielle's reluctant nod, she saw a haunted cast pass over Kristin's jade eyes as the hyper-fit teen shook her head wonderingly. "I wish I didn't have to sleep or eat the - the stuff they fed me," she added in soft, shaken voice.

Kristin hunched her shoulders at the stares and whispered comments, especially from the men, but Gabrielle's ease and cheerfulness went a long way to mollifying her anxiety. At the first sight of the tall, blond guy, Kristin thought Gabrielle made a mistake, but then Caleb turned around and she saw that there was no way it was the youngest of her older brothers, the only one that might have been still alive. She kept a careful step behind Gabrielle and gave him a small wave.

Originally Posted By: Maggie Alders

"Good Lord, girl! Who put you in that? They might have well dressed you in a bathing suit. Come on, I'm in charge of the extra supplies right now. We'll see if there's anything there, and if not, I know a couple of girls your size that can spare some shirts and unmentionables until we can make a raid on a clothing store."

"I dressed myself," Kristin said defensively, "they're the only clothes I had. They fit before... I changed. I gave most of them away now, to another girl about my old size."

Kristin let herself be prodded over to the supply truck and began rooting through the shirts, while keeping an eye on Maggie as she began choosing bras and stuff for her. Though the older woman's choices were simple and plain white, for which Kristin was grateful, her eyes widened at the size of the bras. Then she blushed as she remembered the letters on the tag of the fuchsia bra that Violet given her. Right, I'm not a member of the itty-bitty-titty committee anymore.

She found several shirts that she liked, though finding something that fit across her shoulders and bust properly meant that they usually hung long on her five foot two frame. She didn't mind, at least they didn't feel like they were going to burst if she breathed or flexed too hard. She didn't seem to realize that even with the more relaxed fit, her shirts still clung flatteringly to her pronounced curves, if not so blatantly. When she held up a pair of rugby jerseys, Maggie smiled and said she could have both of them.

Showing her a trailer where she could change, Kristin peeled off her too tight shirts and put on the white and green rugby jersey, the hem hanging pass halfway down her thighs. She also changed the frilly bra Violet gave her for a plain sports bra, stuffing the fuchsia garment deep into the bag Maggie had given her for her clothes.

When she had been changing, Kristin had caught of glimpse of herself in a small mirror, a sudden lethargy afflicting her when she considered her tight, rippling abs. There was a baby growing in there, and soon enough, if she didn't do something about it, it would start to grow, to show, and everyone would know where it came from. She didn't want to think about it anymore, at least tonight. She stepped back out into the deepening shadows and found Gabrielle and Maggie.

"Thanks for these, Gabrielle, Mrs. Alders. I... I don't need the charity though, I can trade for them. Well, if you're willing to take some high-yield crop seeds for 'em. I have lots of those." Kristin looked up at the darkening sky, then gave Gabrielle a shy, tentative grin. Though she tried to hide it, Gabrielle and Maggie could see the bleak resignation Kristin was struggling against, a weight that should have bowed the shoulders of any young woman, a girl, really.

"It's getting late, and I... and I have to tell my cousin... stuff. Is it alright if I come back tomorrow or the next day? I'll bring the seeds, whatever kind you want, and maybe we can just talk some, or something?" Maggie frowned and Gabrielle felt a thrum of sympathy at the curious note of hope for such a little request, which Kristin seemed fully expecting to be denied.

[z016]

Quote:

Kristin looked at Gabrielle, astonishment in her large green eyes. "Of course I still sleep and eat. I don't need as much sleep as I used to, but I eat even more now. You... You mean that some of the fre - some of the changed people don't have to do that?" At Gabrielle's reluctant nod, she saw a haunted cast pass over Kristin's jade eyes as the hyper-fit teen shook her head wonderingly. "I wish I didn't have to sleep or eat the - the stuff they fed me," she added in soft, shaken voice.

Gabrielle bit her lip, but didn't say anything else.

Quote:

"Thanks for these, Gabrielle, Mrs. Alders. I... I don't need the charity though, I can trade for them. Well, if you're willing to take some high-yield crop seeds for 'em. I have lots of those." Kristin looked up at the darkening sky, then gave Gabrielle a shy, tentative grin. Though she tried to hide it, Gabrielle and Maggie could see the bleak resignation Kristin was struggling against, a weight that should have bowed the shoulders of any young woman, a girl, really.

"It's getting late, and I... and I have to tell my cousin... stuff. Is it alright if I come back tomorrow or the next day? I'll bring the seeds, whatever kind you want, and maybe we can just talk some, or something?" Maggie frowned and Gabrielle felt a thrum of sympathy at the curious note of hope for such a little request, which Kristin seemed fully expecting to be denied.

Gabrielle smiled and nodded, "Of course. Jacob and his wife have been in charge of cataloging the seeds we've found around Hayes, so we should start with them when you come back. And you're always welcome over here. I don't know how long we're going to be here, or what's going to happen after the big meeting we'll all be having in a few days, but you're welcome anywhere we are."

Maggie pushed herself into the conversation, "And we've got some extra sleeping places, if you and your cousin need. We offered them out, but people either don't want to leave where they are or don't trust us yet. They're not much, some bunks in some of the trailers, but they've got blankets and pillows."

Kristin nodded but demurred, even sharing the room with two other people, the beds at Violet's were decadent compared to what she'd seen around the Refuge.

"Well, alright. Just come by when you're ready tomorrow," Gabrielle said, giving her one last good-night hug. "If I'm not immediately around, someone should be able to point you to where I am. The wings are kinda a give away." She laughed and waved to Kristin as the other blonde picked her way back through the Refuge and to the relative safety and comfort of Violet's.

************************************

Afternoon the next day found the two girls neck deep in clandestine operations. Having filched what was left of the unwanted clothes, any bedding the could borrow, and the bits and pieces of ruined furniture pads and other sundry soft items, they'd built up a respectable landing pad out in a mostly unoccupied corner of the Refuge; far enough away from Tent City not to freak out the people there, but still well within the safety of the wall.

Gabrielle was sitting with her legs tucked up under her, hands held out palm up. "Okay, when I heal, which is about the only thing I really do that isn't just....y'know....having wings, it's like this warm heat, like sunlight, all inside me. I touch someone, and the light and the warmth and the...the healing...it goes from me to them. When Han was teaching me to fly, he had me gather up all that heat that I could and hold it inside myself while I fell. The first couple of times, I just panicked and it went streaming everywhere, but as I got to trust him, and got used to the feeling of falling, I was able to hold my concentration better. And eventually I got really full up of the warmth and then...." She twitched one of her wings as explanation. "So, let's start with that. You heal really fast, we know that, and you're like super-fit. Anything else? Anything that you kinda have to push to have happen?"

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

The next day found Kristin looking forward to time spent with Gabrielle, trying to learn to fly. Last night had been... difficult, and it was somewhat of an effort to be in a chipper mood. Gabrielle could tell something was bothering the buff, blond teen, but Kristin clearly didn't want to talk about it, so she let it go. Kristin handed Jacob a large ziploc bag of seeds, then the two teenaged blondes left to assemble their improvised landing bad.

Kristin sat with her knees pulled to her chest, chewing on a lip as she listened to Gabrielle explain how flying worked, at least for her. It really didn't similar to anything she could do, she just... did what she did.

Originally Posted By: Gabrielle

"So, let's start with that. You heal really fast, we know that, and you're like super-fit. Anything else? Anything that you kinda have to push to have happen?"

"I don't... not really," Kristin said softly, looking down, a finger worrying at a button on an old mattress. "I mean, I'm really strong and tough. But that, like the healing, it's just there - even if I didn't want it to." Kristin's lips tightened, eye growing hard with pain for a moment, before she relaxed again.

"I don't have to push or anything. I guess I can run real fast too - that's sorta like pushing, maybe, but not really. It feels no different than going from jogging to sprinting to the, uh, next level." Kristin looked back up at Gabrielle, jade eyes rueful. "That's not very helpful, is it?"

[z016]

Gabrielle bit her lip and thought. She reached out took Kristin's hand, pressing their palms together. The younger blonde could feel heat, like the sun on summer's day, pass from the angel to her and spread to suffuse her body. "That's what it's like for me. Heat and light. Han just called it power and said everyone was different about it. I think...."

She glanced at the makeshift padding, "I think that until we figure out how you do what you do, that flying may not be something I can teach you. I mean....other than just dropping you and see if it happens. Which we can do, but I don't know that it would really accomplish anything yet." She grinned, "Other than being kinda fun."

She made a face, still thinking things over. "Maybe we could start with like meditation or something?"

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

Kristin let her palm linger against Gabrielle's, basking in the warm touch. It was maybe the nicest thing she felt since getting out of Paradise - only Violet's soft hands were comparable. Kristin gave a one shouldered shrug as Gabrielle pondered meditation, eying the mound of padding with a small grin.

"I dunno about the meditation, if it'll work, Gabby. I mean, when I... I changed, I didn't have to think about it or anything." Gabrielle could see sinews ripple across Kristin's muscled forearms as she tense, recalling that horrible event, but Kristin continued, her small grin still on her lips. "The zombies got me, and then I got up, like this. Mostly. It just happened."

Kristin flowed to her feet, bouncing a bit on the padding, getting a feel for it. "Being carried in the air and dropped seems like a lot more fun and exciting than just sitting around and thinking about making something happen. I figure, if I got suddenly strong and tough when I needed it, I might suddenly fly or grow wings or whatever, if I need that too. That make any sense?" Kristin cocked her head at the winged teen, her smile a little hesitant, but still eager for the experience.

[Dawn OOC]

A shadow passed over them seconds before a dark figure set down beside them. The boy - he appeared to be around their age, or maybe just a touch older - had wildly curly dark hair and pale skin. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, but his smile was warm and his manner relaxed. "Hey, Gabrielle," he said.

The angelic super's face lit up and she stepped forward to hug the newcomer. "Han," she said, her voice animated, "we were just talking about you!"

"Hmm, explains why my ears were burning," he replied easily, hugging her back. Keeping an arm over her shoulders after the hug, he asked Kristin, "Who are you?"

"Kristin," the blond said warily. For all that Gabby had waxed on about him, he was still a man.

"I'm Han," he said, then chuckled a little sheepishly. "But you probably got that from Gabby. So. What's up with the move, Gabby?" He looked down at her, his wrap-around glasses still hiding his eyes. "I wasn't sure I'd find you."

[z016]

Gabrille smiled up at her friend, happy he was here even if Kristin was tepid on his gender. "Some of my friends here came to visit us in Hayes and told us about a rescue mission they were planning. I remember how the Ref-...um, well, it seemed like they could use some help here with what they were talking about, so we raided a Target and a WalMart and set up camp here to help out."

She looked up at him speculatively, "Actually, we are talking about maybe making the move more permanent. Merging the communities and trying to find the safest and most intact place to move everyone to. Any ideas? You said that you have a place with your own own people, and the more we get together the more likely we all are to survive..."

She let that trail off, not wanting to push but the thought now of being able to help Han as well making her flush with a pleased glow. "We were talking about looking for like a large college or somewhere that I can modify a power plant like I did in Hayes. That way we'd have sustainable electricity for the forseable future and hopefully a nice large library to be able to keep up our knowledge. I know the whole health craze was all about back to simplicity, but I don't think the 1200's is exactly what they were talking about."

She realized that she was babbling just a bit; she was excited to see her friend and share all the stuff that had happened since she'd seen him last. She ducked her head to hide her blush. "Sorry...I've been going full steam for a couple of weeks now, guess I'm sorta spazzed out. Anyways, we should take you to meet Fox and the others. Visitors are supposed to go through quarantine, but you're obviously not infected with the z-virus, so we should just let him know you're here."

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

Gabrielle's talk about what the different communities were doing and going to do didn't really interest, she was having enough problems just getting used to being free again. Lotsa problems, she thought sadly. Gabrielle seemed so happy to see Han, standing close to his side, but she felt herself growing anxious again. Surreptitiously, she withdrew several steps, bouncing a bit on their improvised landing pad.

"Gabrielle, if you're gonna show Han around, I... guess I'll just stay here, maybe see about.... umm... practicing myself. Meditation or... something." Kristin looked around, searching for high points she could jump off of, when her head snapped back to Gabrielle, something she said surprising her.

"Gabby, you know how to modify power plants? Wow!"

[Dawn OOC]

"Oh, no, we can wait to go meet the others, Kristin," Han remarked. "I'd rather not run off and leave you alone." His grin was infectous, even for someone who wasn't mildly 'into' him. "In fact, we can really try to get you to fly." At Gabrielle's glance, Han grinned sheepishly and touched an ear. "I heard you well before I got here, m'dear. One of my gifts."

He turned to Kristin. "What do you say? I did it for Gabby. I may not be able to, because not everyone can do it, but maybe I can replicate my success and get a second flier. I'm certainly willing to try." He lifted off the ground lightly and crossed his legs, waiting for her answer.

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

She really wished that Han hadn't said he could wait to meet the others, even though the conservative curve to her lips unintentionally broadened in reaction to Han's easy grin. She glanced at Han, legs crossed above the ground, anxious at the thought of being carried in the sky by a man. But another lingering look at Gabrielle and her wings, and she knew she wanted to try. The prospect was just to enticing. Leave all my cares away...

She straightened her shoulders and deliberately stepped closer to the levitating boy, refusing to bow to her instinctive apprehension. She could do this.

"Okay. I want to try."

[Dawn OOC]

"Alright," he said, his voice still warm. "First, let's try the exercise that Gabby mentioned. What do your powers feel like to you?" Seeing her look, he smiled and tried again.

"What do you feel when you use a power? Do you have any that activate, or are you an instinctive user?" He appeared to be patient as could be, as if they had all the time in the world.

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

"What do mean 'feel'?" Kristin replied, exasperated. She'd just tried to explain this to Gabrielle, already. But Han didn't seemed offended by her tone, and his grin was encouraging, so she tried to give him her own smile. It barely curved her lips, but for a moment, the unnatural perfection of her face softened into a sweet innocence.

"How do I explain this? I just do it. What does it feel like when you lift weights or run fast? It might burn a little if you really push it, but other than that..." Kristin shrugged a thick shoulder, her prominent bust shifting distractingly. "Being tough and healing quick... I guess it hurts sorta, 'cause I have to be damaged for them to... uh... work, y'know what I mean?"

[Dawn OOC]

"Well, we can let this go, try to fly without you pushing yourself, or we can damage you and see what it feels like," Han said. He'd kept his voice very soft, even gentle, but it was still there: a man wanted to hurt her again.

Then he managed to allieve her concerns a bit. "It's your choice," he said sincerely. "I won't do anything to you without your permission." He rolled onto his side, stretching his legs out and propping his head up on his hand. He looked like a teenage boy who was more interested in lounging in bed than hurting her.

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

Kristin's eyes hardened to green steel when Han suggested hurting her. How'd you like it if I damage you? she thought, but he was just laying there, hardly dangerous at all. Ashley's safe, I could snap his neck before he even got up. Feeling no threat from the older boy, Kristin stayed calm, eyes softening to a gleaming jade.

"No hurting. Like I was telling Gabby, I think bringing me in the air is best," Kristin suggested, plopping herself down on the padding with a fluid movement. "I got strong and stuff when I needed it, when... when it was needed. I don't see why this would be different. Just carry me up and then drop me. Either I'll grow wings or whatever, or I'll fall and land on the padding. At worst, it'll be fun."

[Dawn OOC]

Han considered her for a moment, his sunglasses throwing her distorted reflection back at her. "Fun it is, then," he said with a laugh as he twisted himself into an upright position. "Gabrielle... be my wing woman?"

With a charmed giggle, the angelic super agreed, spreading her wings a little to show she was ready. Han smiled at Kristin. "Come on, Kristin, let's get up in the air. With Gabby, I put my hands on her waist - you have stronger arms and we could just hoist you by your hands. Sound good?"

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

Kristin gave Han a small, blushing grin. She was still getting used to being thought of as pretty, she was noticing all the eyes straying to her chest and bum, but this was the first time it sounded like someone was admiring her arms. And she much preferred holding their hands instead - having his arms around her waist would have been intolerable, and holding his and Gabby's hands gave her control of when she was dropped. She doubted they could break her grip.

She skipped forward, crushing the trepidation that swelled, and placed herself between the two flyers, offering each of them a hand. "That... sounds good to me. You - you'll give me a warning first, before you drop me, right? Just so I'm ready?"

"Of course we will, Kristin," Gabrielle assured her with a warm smile and Han nodded, gaving her an encouraging grin. They each grabbed her wrists in both of their hands, Gabrielle's wings flapped, the backdraft fluttering Kristin's shiny golden hair, and then her feet were off the ground and they began ascending in the air.

At first, Kristin's heart caught in her throat as she watched the ground grow further and further away, then she began to giggle, then laugh out loud at the sensation. It was almost like being on an amusement park ride.

[z016]

Gabrielle laughed with Kristin, flashing them both her impossibly innocent smile. This is fun. I've needed this. I love my community...but someone always needs something from me, even if it's just being there for them. Always being something for them. It's nice just to be able to...have fun. Her cheeks flushed a little at the selfish thoughts, but no one was being hurt by her weakness right now so she just let herself enjoy their slightly irresponsible fun.

They wheeled higher and higher, taking a circuitous path upward in deference for Gabrielle's need for an updraft. At about three stories up Gabrielle glanced down to Kristin, "This high enough for your first go?"

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

Kristin's heart pounded in her chest as she looked down at the padded landing, the thirty feet or so only seeming far when you counted the distance vertically. It's like jumping off the very top of the roof of home... Maybe a bit higher. "Okay! Do it! Drop me!" Kristin cried, raising her voice a little as the wind blew a somewhat harder up in the air.

Gabrielle gave Han a look over Kristin's blond head, sharing a smile, then they silently counted to three with bobs of their heads, pulling their passenger a tad higher in anticipation. Then their hands sprang open and Kristin dropped, arms and legs splayed wide, tummy starting to do flips.

"Whoa- Weeeee-!" Kristin was just beginning an exuberant cry when she hit the landing pad hard, pillows and padding flying up in the air with her impact. Kristin followed with a solid bounce of her own, somersaulting gracefully in the air and landing smoothly on her feet at the edge of the landing pad.

"Hahaha! Again!" Kristin laughed up at the two other teens still flying above her. "Higher this time, twice as high. T'wasn't scary at all, hardly. I was scared the first time I changed, I gotta be scared again, some at least, I think."

With shocking grace and speed, immensely strong legs propelling her, Kristin sprang and bounded to shame a parkour master, reaching the top of the partially completed wall, well-muscled arms above her head, ready for Gabby and Han to grab her for another go.

[Dawn OOC]

Han laughed as he watched Kristin's joy. Turning to Gabby, he said, "Like a small child, asking to be swung again. Shall we, fair lady?" His grin was irrepressible and Gabrielle found herself returning it easily. Together, they ducked down and caught Kristin up again, hoisting her higher into the air.

Over and over they went, lifting the young woman higher and higher. Han never objected to the height or the danger, and Kristin seemed fine after each drop. It was surprisingly fun, dropping people from great heights.

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

The three teens, breathless with exuberant laughter, were having such fun that they weren't paying attention to just high the drops where beginning to get. At the latest height, the landing pad looked awfully small so far below, but with heart-pounding exhilaration, Kristin urge Gabby and Han to release her. She had almost forgotten why she was doing this in the first place.

The wind whistling the silken gold of her hair, Kristin screamed in tense excitement, when suddenly the feeling changed to one of frantic panic, her arms and legs waving in distress. This time, they had been to high, she was falling to fast and the pounded landing pad suddenly looked very adequate.

Kristin fell with tremendous velocity, hitting the landing pad with a shockingly loud, wet crouch, cushions and padding scattered by a force they weren't meant to handle. Gabrielle looked down, her hand over her mouth, gasping in horror at the sight. The curvaceous, well-muscled teen was eerily still, limbs bent in ways they were never meant to be.

[z016]

Gabrielle's eyes went wide in horror and she fairly plummeted to the ground herself, skidding into the strewn padding as she reached for Kristin. Healing power flowed in waves of warmth out of the angel, but the buxom teen was healing well before the angel got to her. A little help never hurt, though.

"Kristin? Kristin! Are you okay? Lord, we shouldn't have gone so high!" The panic in the young girl's eyes was mirrored in her voice.

[Dawn OOC]

Han wasn't as worried, though he did follow Gabrielle down rapidly. He knelt next to Kristin, his hands gently straightening her limbs to aid in the healing. "Well, we know your limits," he said, and his voice was light, as if they'd just learned that Kristin couldn't run six miles without throwing up.

[Krysti-Lynn Magnussen]

"Don't touch me!" Kristin spat, flinching from Han's helpful touch. She sat up and scooted backward, biting on her lip to stifle a groan as the bones in her left arm and leg shifted back into place with a liquid crackle. Gabrielle watched in horrid fascination, Han with appraisal, as a bloody gash at Kristin's temple knitted before their eyes, even most of the blood withdrawing below the writhing flesh. With unwanted instinctive concern, Kristin's hand went to her abdomen, immediately snatching it back, hoping neither Gabby nor Han noticed.

"I think we should stop now. I don't think Imma going to be learning to fly," Kristin admitted in a small voice. A silent moment later, Kristin stood smoothly, a few strategic rips in her clothing the only sign of her ordeal. Her flawless, immaculate appearance was remarkably uncanny to see moments after a landing that should have landed someone in a body cast, if not the grave. "S' not your fault, Gabby, I told you to keep going higher. I... I think I should go now. I'll talk to you later, 'kay?"

[z016]

Gabrielle nodded, hoping Han wouldn't take offense; she'd try to explain it to him after Kristin had left. "Yeah," she said in a small voice, "if you need to....."

Her eyes flicked down to where Kristin had touched her abdomen; she kept her expression neutral, but mentally thrashed herself for having got so caught up in the idea of teaching Kristin to fly that she'd forgotten that she was dropping a <span style="font-style: italic">pregnant</span> woman over and over. "If you need anything....you know where we are. Anything, Kristin, even just to talk."