The Puppet's Nightmare (Zeb)

[Rachel Kells]

Rachel hadn't meant to fall asleep in the common room. She really hadn't. That didn't mean she didn't though. She had orignally been down there working on her final project for english. It wasn't going well, and she had fallen asleep with the television on. Besides can you blame her? The couches were comfier than her own bed. She still hadn't gotten the matress cover yet, but she was waiting to get it as soon as her allowance came in.

Anyway, Rachel was sleeping on the couch in the common room. She was also dreaming. It wasn't a happy dream, but it felt real. So very, very real. In the dream she was dressed in an all black tutu, black tights and her hair was pulled up into a tight bun.Her arms were wrapped tightly in white bandages, blood staining them as she moved. Her fingers, wrists, and ankles had chains on them as she tried to move about freely, but couldn't. She was being controlled again and she shook trying to get the chains off. In the background she could hear the tune she would be playing for the night.

Sensing her struggle the chains only tightened, as they began to cut into her wrists. They pulled her from one activity to the next, without letting her stop. They had her performing pirouettes, and Penchés going from one form to the other. if she missed a step her body was slammed into brick, led by the chains. She had to be better As this happened Rachel continued to move according to where the chains lead her.

First Ballet, then it was onto piano. At the piano she was forced to play the same melody over and over again. The melody was seemingly simple but she continued to make the same mistake. Every time she did she felt another cut on her arm, and another bandage wrapping it. The cuts were to control her, just as the chains were.

From the piano, she was dragged to the violin stand. Here she was to play the same melody she had played on the piano, over and over. The keys moved around on her and she could feel the cut digging into her skin as if it was yet again a reminder of her failure. She was the monster. She was the one who made him hate her.

Suddenly the butterflies came. They surrounded her she tried to tell them no. Each was made of a very sharp metal, and as they flew towards her their wings began to cut into her skin, some chopping off her hair, others, well others just landed on her. Those were the worst. Those ones held the most significance, and were the ones whose touch hurt the most.He hates me for being a meta. The chains pulled her again, back to the ballet studio.

This time, the words came out of his mouth. "Freak, Meta. You stole my daughter." She began to practice again, keeping the forms consistent. "I never loved you" She lept high in the air, feeling her arms crumble."Monster. Die." She tried again as she moved to the Piano. Just practice, you'll make him love you again.

That was what she needed to focus on, and she would. Practice would make the puppet perfect. The puppet would be loved again if she practiced. Rachel continued the cycle as she missed more notes than ever. This was her nightmare.

[Zebadiah Hayes]

Zeb didn't make a habit of invading the dreams of the students at Hammel. At least he tried not to. But his powers weren't exactly always under his control. And there were times when it seemed a student's dreams called out to him in the night. Especially the nightmares.

And since Zeb lived to be the hero, it might have been subconscious, but either way he wasn't so quick to back out when he wandered into a nightmare.

As usual, Zeb found himself in the edges of the dream. He could see Rachel dragged around by the chains and it tore at his heart. He wasn't as close to Rachel, but he knew little bits of how life was for her and that there were issues with her father. And being here in the dream only helped him understand more because now he could get inside her head too. He didn't have to poke around for long to know more. And his emotions went from sadness to rage in an instant. He wanted to storm out and rip the chains off, but for a moment he hesitated, trying to think of a way to keep hidden in the sidelines and not scare the girl even more.

And then the butterflies came. Zeb could see where they cut into her skin. The pain they left. Even greater was the pain the words gave from the mouth of her father.

Enough was enough.

Using his power, Zeb focused first on the booming voice, he softened it into none existance, filling the silence it left by increasing the melody that had been playing. Though the music was a bit more upbeat now.

Next the butterflies. Zeb kept them, though their wings lost their sharp edges. And he brightened their colors.

He paused in the manipulation to see what would happen. Sometimes he put the steps in motion, a dream would start to follow his lead without him having to over-exert himself and change every last detail. And he didn't want Rachel to catch him invading her privacy, but he also didn't want to leave her chained in this nightmare.

[Rachel Kells]

It wasn't like Rachel wanted to be here, in this place where her mind's worst fears came out. In fact she had taken to not sleeping. To staying up until she would pass out. That helped. She didn't remember those dreams.

Or maybe it was because she wanted to escape. She knew who she was here. Here she was a monster.

The cycle was continueing itself, the chains dragging her, the missing of the notes, the butterflies turning thier wings against her. She knew they were trying to help in thier own way. She had to be perfect. if she was perfect the butterflies would stop. They would take and heal her. She just knew it. Instead as she missed notes and missed steps they only hurt her more. This was all her fault.

She screamed as another butterfly landed on her finger as she played the piano. "No, you are right. Wrong note. Wrong note, Wrong note!" Rachel felt the pain of the butterflies on her fingers. They needed to correct her. Fix her.

But according to the voice she was unfixable. "Idiot, you've missed again. Try harder monster."

As the cycle continued Rachel suddenly noticed how the voice changed. Before when it was booming, loud, occupying all her thoughts, now it was whispering. She could hear it right in her ears, a sinister sound that chilled her to the bone. "You thought you could mute me. Now I'm stronger." The voice seemed to flutter in and out of her thoughts, before it slowly but surely began to pain Rachel. "Monster. Why haven't you just died already?"

Rachel's eyes widened as she began to play faster. She was now required to play faster, without missing any notes. The tune had changed but at the speed she was being required to play, her fingers were almost broken. She hoped that the music would slow down, but then chided herself. "No no, you are right daddy, the music should be faster. I should be better."

Rachel didn't know why but the butterflies began to change color. They also lost thier sharp edges and she didn't know why. She didn't know why until they all began to spin around her as the chains moved her around. Visually, it was if she were viewing photograpghs from her past in the butterflies wings. They were just a reminder of what could have been. Until she ruined it. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry." Rachel began to cry as the photos flashed in the cyclone of butterflies that surrounded her.

"I'ts all my fault."

[Zebadiah Hayes]

Zeb didn't like making his presence know in other people's dreams. The one exception to that rule had been Monroe. And that was only because the young man had a similar ability and understood what it felt like to worry about the invasion of privacy. Even then it had felt odd and wrong.

There were instances when he threw out that rule. After all, it was better to deal with an angry student than stand there on the edge of a nightmare and do nothing as he watched them in torment.

And now was such an occasion. Zeb had hoped that his minor prodding would be enough to shift the mood of the dream, but the was no such luck. And although Zeb knew that not only was Rachel sure to see him, but that he would be exhausted in the morning it was worth it.

So he stepped out from the shadow. "Enough!" he yelled out. Not that his voice was needed to stop the nightmare. But it felt right. And he needed to get his anger out.

The chains dropped from Rachel and disintegrated before they could hit the floor. The voice cut out mid-sentance before it could pour out any more hatred. In fact the whole area around them was fading. The music was gone, the lights were coming up, and the butterflies were calming.

Soon enough Zeb found himself standing in an open field. The sun was shinning. The flowers were blooming. And he'd even pumped up the color saturation. There were still one or two butterflies floating around on the flowers, but they had calmed. The only sounds were a bird now and then and a whinny from a horse in the field next to them. Zeb slumped to the ground. It was a dream, but he could still feel the mental exhaustion. He looked over to Rachel, wondering how she was going to feel about this invasion of privacy.

"Are you okay, Miss Kells?" he asked, hesitantly.

[Rachel Kells]

Rachel knew that the entire world around her was her fault. It was her fault the butterflies were working so hard, and that they seemed to be exhausted. It was her fault the voice that whispered into her ear was tipped with hate and animosity. She knew that she was the problem. She was the monster.

There really wasn't any other way to put it, she was monstrous. That was what her power, no, her curse was. It was a burden and she should have just disappeared with it. The power wasn't the thing that was keeping her alive, it was the fact she had to make things right. She wanted, genuinely wanted her father to love again. She knew he just might if she tried hard she might just make everything better. At least that was what she kept telling herself.

In reality she knew that her father would never love her again. She was the very thing that had betrayed him so long ago. She was the one thing he hated enough to make him cast her out and away. She knew that, and believed it from the bottom of her heart.

Maybe that was why she was crying so hard, why the bleeding hurt so much, why she had so many headaches, and the time just seemed to stand still. In this dream world, at least things were in motion. At least she knew that she was acting, was trying. She also knew that in this world what mattered most was perfection. Thus the girl was caught in the whirlwind and she knew that the butterflies were right. She knew they were what was keeping her from HIM.

Rachel was so caught in her own thoughts and the nightmarish cycle, that she barely registered someone yelling 'Enough'. All she knew was that everything was suddenly quiet. Coming from something that was so catastrophically cacophonous, the quiet was very startling to Rachel. She honestly was barely registering anything.

Slowly she stopped crying and looked around slightly. To her this world was too bright. It reminded her of the person she used to be, such a naive little idiot. She gulped before looking at herself,and the bandages, and slowly removing them, one by one. her arms were raw, and the blood still trickled out of a few of the cuts. She knew that they were a form of control and smiled a little cruelly at them. She still didn't recognize anything. This was so vastly different from what she had been used to. Scoffing Rachel looked around and shook her head. This was much different from what had just happened and for some reason Rachel had the undeniably urge to laugh.

Just as she was about to however, the girl turned and say one of the dorm monitors, Zeb, she thought his name was, and tilted her head. "Of course I'm okay. I just feel like laughing at the stupidity of this all." Rachel didn't quite realize that the person she was talking to was actually talking to her. She thought it was just a manifestation of some sort. "Isn't it all sickeningly sweet? The chirping, the meadow, even the chestnut bay?" At the sight of the horse Rachel outright laughed. "What is this supposed to be? A happily ever after? Those don't exist." Was Rachel outing her true personality to this figment of her imagination? Yes.

After all, it was only a dream right?

[Zebadiah Hayes]

Zeb still felt a little nervous about revealing himself so much in a student's dream. Of course Rachel's nightmare had been too much for him to stand by and do nothing. And yet, he tried so hard to not be invasive and intrusive in his student's dreams. Especially when he wasn't invited. He knew how it looked from the outside. At least he could imagine. And he worked so hard to have his student see him as an open, inviting guy who his student could come to with anything. But also as a guy who understood that students needed to be able to be kids too and to have some privacy. So he didn't want them to worry that their dorm monitor was prying in their thoughts and dreams

And yet, even after he had changed the dreams, wiped it all clean, he couldn't help but approach the young girl.

But she wasn't freaking out about him being there. So Zeb figured she probably thought he was just a part of the dream.

Yet, there was something about her. She was acting so...honest. And Zeb's heart ached as he realized how much work she must be putting into herself daily as she tried to act like everything was wonderful. He wondered for a moment if he should come clean, let her know he wasn't just her dream. But at the same time he really needed for her to tell the truth. He needed to know how she was really feeling. It was the only way he could help.

"They do." he said, simply. Afraid that if he argued to in depth she would realize he was real. "Really, Miss Kells, they do."

[Rachel Kells]

Rachel knew that happy endings didn’t exist. She knew that they were only for people, precious people, not monster’s like her. It was her fault that she was who she was and desperately she would give anything to change it. She would always want to be that eleven year old girl, who her dad still loved and her mom had time for. She could barely remember her.

This dream world only reminded her of that girl. That stupid idiotic girl who didn’t know better but should have known.

She should have known that her dad hated her from the moment she was a meta. She should have known that she was a monster, she should have never told him.

She should have told her mom, should have kept it from her dad. But like the little idiot she was she told him. Now she had lost everything. She was now this horrendous little monster. Looking at the wizard, she shook her head and began to laugh a cruel little laugh. “Even in my dreams I have to keep up this farce.” Getting up she bowed to the wizard. “Care to dance? Maybe the butterflies will come back and the voice will reappear. Or maybe you will get cut too.”

Was it a little harsh? Yes. Was it necessary? Yes. She knew that the wizard would understand. He was apart of her dream after all. Instead of smiling at him now she shrugged and her body language definitely came off as aggressive. Especially when he addressed her. “Oh really? Then why haven’t I been cured? Why have I been cursed? Why am I a monster?” On the word monster she smiled a cruel disturbing smile and shook her head. “You of all people should understand. You should know that we are dangerous, and that we should be hidden away. People hate us." She smirked. “Or me, you are just a figment after all.”

Tilting her head she looked over at the wizard again. “I certainly hope my persona is enticing, and real to the outside world.” She grinned before continuing. “I’m such a pretty happy little doll over there. I’m so good at it too. No one suspects a thing.”

It was all a hoax after all.

[Zebadiah Hayes]

Zeb was taken aback by the cruel laugh and for a moment he had to pause and compose himself. He had to be careful with his own emotions while in someone else’s dream or he might start to manipulate things without meaning to.

“They won’t come back. You’re safe now,” he said, calmly but with force. He held her gaze.

“Because you’re not the sick one,” He paused. “Your father is.”

He didn’t want to push too far, too fast. Didn’t want to upset her. To break the peace of the dream he had created for her. Or make her realize that he wasn’t just another part of it.

“Do you really think your classmates are dangerous? That they deserve anything less than love and acceptance?” He couldn’t help it. It was getting to him. He could feel her pain. Could hear it. Not just in the thoughts she actually voice, but also the once she didn’t say. He managed not to cry, but the sky in the dream started to mist up. Even while the sun shined, it started to rain through the light. A light spring rain. Maybe a healing rain.

“Why not let someone help you?”

[Rachel Kells]

Rachel could only laugh more when she saw the wizard looked taken aback at her. He didn't even know what she went through, what a horrible reality she had lived in. He had no idea who she actually was, or who she intended to be in the actual reality. It was a little sad actually.

At his words Rachel gave a smirk and tilted her head in disbelief. "You don't get it. They were teaching me control. If I was good enough I would be able to control them." Grinning she held up her arm. "See? I can control when they cut me." She smiled darkly and slowly as she showed the wizard her arm. "Safe is a relative term." Especially for her.

Rachel grinned at the man when he tried to tell her she wasn't sick. "Yes I am. I'm sick, this, being a meta, makes me sick. I hate it." She really truly did hate it, as it represented everything she had ever done wrong. Gritting her teeth in anger Rachel shook her head. "My father hasn't done anything wrong!" In this she was adamant. She was the one at fault here.

He had to see that, this wizard. For some reason it was really important that the wizard understood that the one at fault was her, and her actions had caused this disease.

Rachel visibly flinched at being asked the question. She knew she was a monster, that being a meta made her a monster. "I think that being a meta makes them dangerous. It makes their inner self ugly and awful." She slowly grinned up at the wizard. "It's pitiable how they don't see it. How they convince themselves that it is a good thing, some even think they were blessed." Rachel shook her head with fury as it started to rain and her cuts started to heal. "Don't they see themselves as monsters?" Giving the wizard a toothy grin Rachel tilted her head and let her hair fall out of it's bun. "I do."

She shook her head at the wizard's final question. "Help me? There is no help. There is no cure." She rolled her eyes thinking of Dr. Neville. "Help isn't telling me that I'm wrong. Help isn't talking to me about how being a meta is a good thing. Help isn't trying to convince me that my father is an evil idiot." Rachel began to cry a little thinking of the many awful things people were saying about her dad. "Help would be finding a cure, or finding control." Suddenly Rachel's eyes went a shade darker than normal. "Helping me would be to end me. Get rid of the monster."

After all, that was what she was.