Gen Four- Chapter Eight

The coming of the new morning eased in so gently. I didn't recognize the moment where the dreams stopped and reality returned. My sluggish brain just relaxed and listened to the words, the comforting sound of a pleasant conversation that came from nowhere as the wafting warmth of a calm, sunny morning drenched me as a blanket.

     "...and she naturally hasn't noticed, as you can tell," the first woman's voice spoke. I could almost recall it from somewhere, but no answer came.

     "Are your family members mediums or something?" This time Jazzy spoke.

     "Not that I know. My grandmother apparently had seen a ghost though. My father said he saw strange lights in a place where fairies were said to roam, and my aunt said she saw a fairy directly. I had an experience myself where there was ghostly activity in the hospital I was staying at, although it happened while asleep. I'm, again, naturally more prone to believe some of that was real."

     "Not believing now is what would mark you as insane," Jazzy laughed. "You're one dedicated woman. Tell me more about this whole manipulating luck thing you do."

     "It's difficult to describe, but the best way to say it is I see these pulses of aura around her. The good surrounding her is light, and the bad is dark. I found after a certain time I can just...push some of the dark away. When I do, a vision of what I've dispelled flashes into my mind. This takes a lot of energy though, and, unfortunately, the darkness is growing more by the day while the light keeps shrinking."
     "Still, that's amazing! I wonder if I could do something like that."
     "I'm not sure. I'm here as I am because I willed myself to stay for a specific reason. Why did you decide to stay?"

Quiet took hold for a long moment, to the point where my sleepiness nearly made me forget about the conversation entirely.

     "I think..." Jazzy eventually mumbled, "I think that's because, like most of us, I was angry and upset about what happened. I didn't want to accept it."
     "I can understand that. Such a desire was what nearly what formed me. If I hadn't─" The voice suddenly halted. "Oh, she must be waking. We're weakening. I don't have much influence when she's awake."
     "You should─"

I sniffled as I snapped my head up. My eyes heavily blinked open, my body still tempted by the lure of more sleep even as it came to consciousness with the full energy of a good, deep rest. Yawning, I glanced around for Jazzy. She was nowhere to be seen. Strange. Hadn't I just heard her voice?

Gen Four- Chapter Seven

This time I ran without caring who gave me a funny glance. If the walk light turned red or there was no option to dash across the sidewalk without being hit by a car, I turned the corner of the block until the chance to move on presented itself. A giant tumble of emotions crashing against the cage in my chest kept me bolting, but the way I lived up until now was what drove my mindless run on the most. My brain could barely think. Thus, it defaulted to a state familiar enough. I was to run until I could barely run anymore. To reach that fine line between a good workout and pushing my body too far. If I could reach that point, then I should be safe. The skyscrapers taunted me with the endless sea of them, but I finally worked my way to a lower area of the city where the crowds and buildings were less. My legs began to tremble, so I scattered towards the first place that looked to provide a semblance of shelter.