April Flowers Bring December Showers
Running. Always the running. Dizzy was running through the forest,
running away from somebody. She kept looking over her shoulder at
someone who wasn't there, but still she pressed on. She knew she had to.
She tripped over a tree branch and stumbled to the ground, panting.
That's when she heard it; the inexorable patter of footsteps coming up
to her, slowing down, coming to a stop. She looked up.
"I've been looking for you, Dizzy," said April. A bare sword, gleaming
in the forest light, caught Dizzy's gaze.
"April... why... please..." began Dizzy, still short of breath.
"I don't want to hear anything from you!" April yelled suddenly,
bringing up the sword for a downward slice.
"No!" Dizzy cried, squeezing her eyes shut.
Something warm was trickling down her arm. Dizzy was afraid to open her
eyes, even though she already knew what was going to be there. The
spectacle was garish in the otherwise sunny forest; April standing
there, sword over her head, face frozen in a mixed expression of shock
and anger; her hand, morphed into a claw, thrust directly into April's
chest. Blood was pouring out of the fatal wound, covering Dizzy's arm.
Dizzy pulled back her arm in shock, and April slumped to the ground.
"No! Oh no, April, please no," whispered Dizzy, babbling. April looked
up at her, eyes glazed, wheezing. With her last breath, she whispered
out: "Monster..."
***
Dizzy woke with a scream, tossing the covers off her bed. Yes... it was
a dream. A dream that she had had three times this past week. Sweat
soaked her clothes, and she was panting just as heavily if she had been
running through the forest. But no, she was in her room aboard the
Jellyfish, safe and sound, at least physically.
She hoped she didn't wake anybody with her scream. The dream was always
the same, though. It was always the expression on April's face at the
end, the look of pure hatred, that hurt her the most. It had been two
weeks since April had kissed her in this very room. So why was Dizzy
having these dreams?
"Trouble sleeping, love?" said a familiar and not unwelcome voice.
Dizzy's gaze found her, the miniature figurine on top of her desk. She
was a little blue woman, long hair also blue, dressed in a blue version
of the Jellyfish uniform. A concerned look was plastered over her face.
"Undine..." Dizzy breathed. What else could she say?
"I told you, I'm not exactly Undine. But close enough. What's wrong,
dear?"
"I..." Dizzy began, but she didn't know how to end. Why were these
dreams bothering her?
"I'm a part of you, you know," Mini-Undine said. "I know about those
dreams."
"Then why!" Dizzy said suddenly, raising her voice more than she
intended. "Why am I having them? They don't make any SENSE!" she said,
more quietly.
"Regrettably, that's something I can't answer," replied Mini-Undine. She
levitated off the desk, floating through the air, eventually coming to
rest on Dizzy's shoulder. "I'm sorry, dear. I know it's tough." With
that, she hugged Dizzy, or rather hugged her cheek.
"Thank you, Undine... I just wish I knew why I had these."
"Have you talked to April about them?"
"I... no... what would she think? I wouldn't know how to explain them."
Mini-Undine folded her arms and assumed a pensive look. "And why not?
Obviously she's the focus of your dreams. I think if you talked things
out with her, it'd be a great help."
"B-but, I can't do that, Undine!" sputtered Dizzy. "What am I supposed
to say? 'I had a dream where you tried to kill me, and I killed you,
what does it mean?' I'd be lucky if she didn't hate me straight off."
"Oh, I don't think she'd do that," said Mini-Undine. "You're her friend,
right? You're MORE than her friend. She'll listen to you."
"But... I don't know that! How do I know that for sure?"
"Ah-ha! So the truth comes out!" said another voice. Upon hearing this,
Mini-Undine just gave a disgusted look and sighed. "Oh boy... here he
comes again."
Over on her chair, there was a miniature figure, this time dressed in
dark green pirate clothes. A green cowl covered his face. Dizzy noted
that somewhere along the way he had picked up an eyepatch and a pegleg.
"Arrr! Didja miss me, savvy?" Mini-Necro said, then laughed. "Anyway,
*I* know precisely what your problem is! So stop talking to that second-
rate therapist over there and listen up."
"Second-rate what?" begin Mini-Undine, but Dizzy shushed her.
"Let's not fight again, please," she said. "Why, what do you have to
say, Necro?"
"It's not what I have to say, it's what YOU have to say," said Mini-
Necro. He opened his mouth again, but this time the voice that came out
sounded exactly like Dizzy's. "But... I don't know that! How do I know
that for sure?"
"And how is repeating things supposed to help?" asked Mini-Undine.
"Patience, geez. My special brand of genius takes time." Mini-Necro
harrumphed and rolled up his sleeves, then began to speak. "Simply put,
you, Dizzy, are Insecure, with a capital I. You should know better. You
SHOULD know that April cares a great deal about you. Maybe even loves
you. People don't normally go around kissing people they hate, you
know."
Dizzy flushed at the memory of the kiss. It had happened, and it was
wonderful... but nothing more had come out of it. April was still her
cheerful old self every day, but Dizzy felt that something was
fundamentally different between them now.
"If that's true... then... why hasn't she done anything since then? What
if it was just a big mistake?"
"Did it feel like a mistake to you?" asked Mini-Necro. "Come on, really
now. If you ask me, she's waiting for some signal from your side."
"My side?" asked Dizzy.
"Yes, your side," said Mini-Necro, starting to look a little
exasperated. "Look, you kissed her, she kissed you. Great. Wonderful.
Now where do you go from there? I bet you April's wondering what to do
next. She's wondering if she's crossed the line with you. What you need
to do is let her know that she HASN'T crossed that line... unless of
course, you think she has."
"Of course she hasn't," said Dizzy. "I... I care a lot about her."
She sighed, stood up from the bed, and began pacing her room. "How
do I do that though? How do I let her know?"
"Isn't it obvious? Do something for her in return. She tricked you into
kissing her, and she kissed you back. Now all you have to do is trick
her into your bed somehow, tie her down, and give her the most
savage..."
"Whoa whoa whoa! I KNEW this was going somewhere bad," said Mini-Undine,
hopping off Dizzy's shoulder and landing next to the Mini-Necro. "And
I was starting to get convinced for a second! I should've known it was
just Mr. Horny Pirate over here trying to get you to do something for
his own enjoyment."
"I take offense at that accusation," said Mini-Necro. "I'm not doing
ANYTHING for my own enjoyment. This is all for Dizzy!"
"Right, and so you're telling me if Dizzy went ahead and f... f...
had her way with April, you wouldn't be sitting back and enjoying the
show?"
"Oh, of course I'd be enjoying the show!" said Mini-Necro. "Unlike
you, I ain't frigid." He snickered. "Get it? Frigid? Heheh."
"Shut up."
"Besides, *I* might enjoy it, but I warrant SHE'D be enjoying it more.
Wouldn't you, Dizzy!"
"What!" said Dizzy, flushing. "I... I don't know."
"Ah ha! And you should always try everything once, that's my motto. So
you should try it!"
"Now just wait right there!" interjected Mini-Undine. "Dizzy, don't
listen to this moron over here. While I have to admit - with a great
deal of regret, mind you - that he's probably right, at the base level
anyway, that's not how you should go about things."
Dizzy sighed. Another typical conscience fight in the works. "What do
you suggest then, Undine?"
"I still think you should TALK to her about it," said Mini-Undine. "Your
dreams are disturbing you. It's because of how you feel about her.
You're insecure about her. What you need to do is go to her. Tell her
exactly how you feel about her, and hope that she'll tell you exactly
how she feels about you."
"But what if..." Dizzy began, gulping. She was unable to finish the
sentence.
"What if what you hear isn't what you want to hear? Then I'm sorry,
dear, but you'll have to accept it." Undine folded her arms again and
gave her an encouraging glance. "But at least you'll know, right?"
"Hogwash," said Mini-Necro. "Look, Dizzy. You're not a human. You're
BETTER than human. Humans are inferior to you, you hear me! Sure, some
of them are nice enough not to try to kill you on sight. But that
doesn't mean that you shouldn't take what you want if they won't give
it to you!"
"I really don't think..." began Dizzy, but Mini-Undine was faster. "What
is wrong with you! Get it through that thick skull of yours!" she said,
knocking Mini-Necro on the head. "Oh, I forgot. Skeleton. There's
nothing in there!"
"Go ahead. Insult me, just because you can't refute my arguments.
Typical!" snorted Mini-Necro. "Don't forget, Dizzy, you DESERVE more.
You've gone through such hard times already. Don't you think it's time
you enjoyed the world a little bit? Enjoyed what it had to offer?"
"It's that attitude that got the Gears hated so much in the first
place!" said Mini-Undine. "Take take take! Why not just kill the people
that get in your way, then?"
"I don't see what's wrong with that," huffed Mini-Necro.
"See? Listening to him will get you nowhere," said Mini-Undine. "I
think you know what you have to do, Dizzy."
"Do I?"
"Yes, dear." She sighed. "I know it's tough, but you really need to open
a line of communication. Let each other know how you feel. That'll help
you get over your insecurity. That's what I think."
Dizzy nodded to herself. "Thank you, Undine.
"Don't tell me you're going to listen to her?" said Mini-Necro. "I'm
warning you! It'll only end in sadness for you!"
Dizzy stopped in her pacing and bent down to be face-to-face with the
Mini-Necro. "Well, when that time comes, Necro, maybe I'll take your
advice. But on this one, I think she's right." With that said, Dizzy
stood up and walked over to the door. "Wish me luck!" she said.
"Good luck dear!" said Mini-Undine, waving. "Yeah, yeah, don't screw
up," added Mini-Necro.
The hallways were deserted. It was late, but not that late. Outside the
sun had just finished sinking under the horizon, leaving a marvelous
purple haze to the whole view. Dizzy gazed out over the clouds for bit
and thought.
"Father... mother..." she thought, remembering her foster parents in
that village. It seemed so long ago... "I'll do my best. Please continue
to watch over me..."
She climbed up the two decks to where April's room was. Stopping just
outside the door, Dizzy noticed light spilling out from under the door.
Good, that meant April was still up. Dizzy steeled herself, took a deep
breath, and then knocked on the door.
"Hello? April? It's me, Dizzy," she said.
"Just a sec!" she heard her friend say, then footsteps, and the clanking
of bolts as the door was unlatched. The door swung inwards, creaking on
its hinges, to reveal April standing there, looking somewhat surprised.
"Dizzy! I'm glad to see you. Come in!"
April motioned Dizzy into the room. Dizzy followed, the words catching
in her throat. She wanted to speak, but April started first. "Are you
okay, Dizzy? You look terrible! What's the matter?" An look of concern
appeared instantly on April's face.
"April... I..." began Dizzy, but she couldn't finish. Before she knew
it, tears had started welling out of her eyes, and she stood there
sobbing quietly.
"Dizzy!" exclaimed April, momentarily at a loss. Then she embraced her
friend. "Shh... it's ok... it's ok."
Dizzy hugged the shorter girl back, still unable to speak.
"You look terrible," April repeated. "What's wrong? You look scared
senseless."
"I... I had a dream..." Dizzy said, choking out the words. April's frown
of concern deepened.
"Hush... it's okay. I'm here for you," April said. She motioned over to
her bed. "You shouldn't be alone now. Lie down."
Dizzy obeyed, still sniffling, as she walked over to April's bed. She
lied down on one half of it; April circled to the other side and sat
down on the edge of the bed. "Do you want to talk about it?" she began.
"It's not that important... just..." Dizzy sniffled again, wiping her
eyes with her sleeve. "April... I think I'm in... in love with you,
and..." Fresh tears overwhelmed her.
April started momentarily, surprised by the change in the conversation's
direction, but she took it in stride and smiled. "I'm very happy to hear
that, Dizzy," she said, looking Dizzy straight in the eyes. "I love you
too."
"B-but... are you sure?" said Dizzy. "I... I-I'm not even human! How can
you l-love a m-monster like me?"
April put her finger to Dizzy's lips, shushing her. "Shh... don't ever
call yourself that, you hear! You may not be human, but you are someone
I love. Shouldn't that be enough?"
"I..."
April swung her legs around and suddenly lied down, putting her head on
Dizzy's chest. "A-April?"
"Shh... listen," said April. She took Dizzy's arm in her hand and put it
to her own breast. "I can hear your heart beating, Dizzy. Can you feel
mine?"
Dizzy nodded wordlessly, trying to make sense of April's words. "I can
feel it, Dizzy. Hear that heartbeat? It's the same as mine. Do you think
that's a monster's heartbeat?"
"I..."
"Dizzy." April propped herself up, moving up the bed, looking straight
down into Dizzy's face now. "I. Love. You. There, I hope I said it
clearly enough. Do you understand me? I can't make you love me, or feel
better about my loving you, but that's the plain truth. Okay?"
Dizzy gulped, looking up into April's face. She was beautiful... and
deadly earnest. Her brown eyes seemed to be piercing into Dizzy,
searching for an answer. "Y-yes. Thank you, April."
April broke out into a grin, a simple act which flooded Dizzy with
happiness and relief. "Good, Dizzy. Now don't you ever worry me like
that again, do you hear?"
She lowered herself onto her elbows and kissed Dizzy. Dizzy returned it,
hesitantly at first, then eagerly. She brought her hands up, rubbing
April's back, then running her hands through April's hair. April gave a
contented grunt, still kissing Dizzy, as she stopped supporting herself
on her hands entirely and fell on top of her friend. She brought one
hand along Dizzy's cheek, caressing it; the other she ran through
Dizzy's hair, brushing against her ear.
April finally broke the kiss, lifting her head, then gasping lightly for
breath. Dizzy looked up questioning momentarily, then smiled.
"It's late," said Dizzy. "You should get some sleep. I should, too." She
paused for a beat, then: "Can... I stay with you tonight?"
April was all grins. "Of course, Dizzy. Let's have a good night. Then
tomorrow..." She let the unspoken go, and grinned wider. She bent down,
kissing Dizzy once more, and then rolled over to the other side of the
bed. "Good night, Dizzy. I love you."
"I love you, April."
***
Running. Always the running. Dizzy was running through the forest,
running toward somebody. She kept looking forward, looking for someone
who wasn't there, but still she pressed on. She knew she had to.
She tripped over a tree branch and stumbled to the ground, panting.
That's when she heard it; the inexorable patter of footsteps coming up
to her, slowing down, coming to a stop. She looked up.
"I've been looking for you, Dizzy!" exclaimed April. She extended her
hand, helping Dizzy up.
"April..."
"Dizzy," April said, embracing her friend. "Let's go home."
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