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Description
Jack, Jack. Get up.
Jack breifly wondered why his alarm clock was stage whispering to him so early in the morning and then remembered that that was, One, impossible and two,that the voice sounded eerily similar to Anouks. This idea was reinforced by coarse hair tickling his face and the strange absence of smell that followed the girl around.
Jack was reluctant to open his eyes.
He had been having a good run of sleep lately and he didn't like it when these clear patches were interrupted. So many of his nights were shortlived now.
"Jack."
"Nooo." He moaned, still keeping his eyes closed as he thrust his head into his pillow. He felt the mattress dip.
"Yesss" Anouk parroted. "There isn't much time, I need you up. Now." Then almost as an afterthought. "Please."
"No."
Now he buried his head under the pillow. This muffled everything wonderfully. Then he felt small fingers at his nape. Tickling fingers.
Why did he tell her he was ticklish?
His whole body clenched and squirmed and he shrugged his shoulders to trap her hands but she didn't stop. He managed to stop himself from laughing, although a voice in his head told him it was more giggling than laughing and girlish giggling at that, but had to open his eyes to
address the problem at hand. The problem that was giggling too as she attacked without mercy.
He flipped his pillow off with a hand and with the other tried to protect himself. It was very dark, very early, but he could see the white of her nightie and her hair easy. He could also see his assailant grinning quite madly. He couldn't help returning it.
He scrabbled at her hands with neat nails and found his legs kicking out in the air, almost flailing. Anouk managed to avoid the blows.
"Stop! Stop, please!" He was breathless now.
"Not until you get up, Jacky. As I said, I need you up. It seems that tickling you is the only way." Her voice was steady and her tone reasonable, both of which belied the little smug smile that curled her lip.
She stopped for a moment, allowing for an answer. Jack took three deep shivering breaths before finally replying boldy.
"Never."
"Then my wrath will be tenfold!" she anounced grandly and pulled her hands into small claws. She began to raise them in the air, as if to pounce but stopped. She smoothed out her claws back into hands, lay them on her lips
shhh
and pulled her legs neatly beneath her. He decided, while she was being quiet, to get up from his vunerable position and sit up against the head board.
"Now," she said after a lengthy pause. This was slightly muffled as she still had her hands over her lips. She realised this and put them down before starting again. "As I said, I need you up. You have to help me."
Jack glanced to his left. His alarm clock was saying it was 2 in the morning. At least 5 hours until there would natural light. Whatever she wanted doing would need light, and at least one nurse would be walking the halls, doing the nightshift. Lights on before at least 6am was frowned upon and depending on the worker on shift, could get the perpetrator a range of punishments.
She saw his glance.
"It doesn't matter about the nightshifter, we don't need a candle, I know the way."
She was certainly eager.
"But what is it you want to do?"
"We need to get to the woodpile, quickly. The one outside?"
Jack was still confused but at least knew what she was on about now. Some of the trees in the back gardens had been cut down. They were detrimental to the foundations of the house apparently, the roots were creeping in. They were unsafe, so big boss brought in some blokes to cut three of them down. the remains were still sitting in the garden in a huge pile. The children had been forbidden from going near it. Some inmates weren't even allowed outside, in case they got themselves into trouble.
This included Anouk.
He didn't bother mentioning this.
"Why? what's wrong with it?" he crossed his arms over his tucked legs. "Sumthin' bad?" he snorted softly "Is there a troll in it or something?"
"Course not."
"Then why?" He began to pull a loose blanket over his legs. "Get Dolly, she'll do it. Easy." His eyes were beginning to feel heavy. If he went to sleep now, he might get a couple more hours in. "Sorted."
"She can't." he felt the shape that was Anouk move fowards, closer. "She's scared of the dark, you know, and she's small and she's not strong enough and she doesn't get it."
Closer.
"She sees the world as safe. Safe and Rosy and in Bristol Fashion. safe things and soft things. Even the things I show her, the scarier things even, are safe because she isn't alone. She knows that there will be someone there, to pick her out of the pit when it gets too dark and much and into warm arms. Out of the sadness and weeping.
"You get that the world is darker and sometimes death isnt worthy and honourable and that usually you can't help these things and you often don't even want to try.
You get that the world is thirsty for more than blood, Jack. That's why I woke you up. So don't go back to sleep, kay?"
Jack thought she sounded sleepy herself, underneath the steel of her words. Not the heavy sleepiness but that dim away-ness that came through months of wakeful nights.
Perhaps years.
"Now will you get up?" Her voice came, insistant.
With a great, dramatic sigh, Jack threw off his blanket and let his legs dangle over the side of his bed. He tried to catch the girl's eyes in the dark, hard to do but he thought she got it.
"fine -oof!"
Anouk had bashed into him with a small shoulder in her glee. He heard her crow triumphantly.
"C'mon then! We have a dryad to save!"

All mine my dearios, my darling.

Description
Jack, Jack. Get up.
Jack breifly wondered why his alarm clock was stage whispering to him so early in the morning and then remembered that that was, One, impossible and two,that the voice sounded eerily similar to Anouks. This idea was reinforced by coarse hair tickling his face and the strange absence of smell that followed the girl around.
Jack was reluctant to open his eyes.
He had been having a good run of sleep lately and he didn't like it when these clear patches were interrupted. So many of his nights were shortlived now.
"Jack."
"Nooo." He moaned, still keeping his eyes closed as he thrust his head into his pillow. He felt the mattress dip.
"Yesss" Anouk parroted. "There isn't much time, I need you up. Now." Then almost as an afterthought. "Please."
"No."
Now he buried his head under the pillow. This muffled everything wonderfully. Then he felt small fingers at his nape. Tickling fingers.
Why did he tell her he was ticklish?
His whole body clenched and squirmed and he shrugged his shoulders to trap her hands but she didn't stop. He managed to stop himself from laughing, although a voice in his head told him it was more giggling than laughing and girlish giggling at that, but had to open his eyes to
address the problem at hand. The problem that was giggling too as she attacked without mercy.
He flipped his pillow off with a hand and with the other tried to protect himself. It was very dark, very early, but he could see the white of her nightie and her hair easy. He could also see his assailant grinning quite madly. He couldn't help returning it.
He scrabbled at her hands with neat nails and found his legs kicking out in the air, almost flailing. Anouk managed to avoid the blows.
"Stop! Stop, please!" He was breathless now.
"Not until you get up, Jacky. As I said, I need you up. It seems that tickling you is the only way." Her voice was steady and her tone reasonable, both of which belied the little smug smile that curled her lip.
She stopped for a moment, allowing for an answer. Jack took three deep shivering breaths before finally replying boldy.
"Never."
"Then my wrath will be tenfold!" she anounced grandly and pulled her hands into small claws. She began to raise them in the air, as if to pounce but stopped. She smoothed out her claws back into hands, lay them on her lips
shhh
and pulled her legs neatly beneath her. He decided, while she was being quiet, to get up from his vunerable position and sit up against the head board.
"Now," she said after a lengthy pause. This was slightly muffled as she still had her hands over her lips. She realised this and put them down before starting again. "As I said, I need you up. You have to help me."
Jack glanced to his left. His alarm clock was saying it was 2 in the morning. At least 5 hours until there would natural light. Whatever she wanted doing would need light, and at least one nurse would be walking the halls, doing the nightshift. Lights on before at least 6am was frowned upon and depending on the worker on shift, could get the perpetrator a range of punishments.
She saw his glance.
"It doesn't matter about the nightshifter, we don't need a candle, I know the way."
She was certainly eager.
"But what is it you want to do?"
"We need to get to the woodpile, quickly. The one outside?"
Jack was still confused but at least knew what she was on about now. Some of the trees in the back gardens had been cut down. They were detrimental to the foundations of the house apparently, the roots were creeping in. They were unsafe, so big boss brought in some blokes to cut three of them down. the remains were still sitting in the garden in a huge pile. The children had been forbidden from going near it. Some inmates weren't even allowed outside, in case they got themselves into trouble.
This included Anouk.
He didn't bother mentioning this.
"Why? what's wrong with it?" he crossed his arms over his tucked legs. "Sumthin' bad?" he snorted softly "Is there a troll in it or something?"
"Course not."
"Then why?" He began to pull a loose blanket over his legs. "Get Dolly, she'll do it. Easy." His eyes were beginning to feel heavy. If he went to sleep now, he might get a couple more hours in. "Sorted."
"She can't." he felt the shape that was Anouk move fowards, closer. "She's scared of the dark, you know, and she's small and she's not strong enough and she doesn't get it."
Closer.
"She sees the world as safe. Safe and Rosy and in Bristol Fashion. safe things and soft things. Even the things I show her, the scarier things even, are safe because she isn't alone. She knows that there will be someone there, to pick her out of the pit when it gets too dark and much and into warm arms. Out of the sadness and weeping.
"You get that the world is darker and sometimes death isnt worthy and honourable and that usually you can't help these things and you often don't even want to try.
You get that the world is thirsty for more than blood, Jack. That's why I woke you up. So don't go back to sleep, kay?"
Jack thought she sounded sleepy herself, underneath the steel of her words. Not the heavy sleepiness but that dim away-ness that came through months of wakeful nights.
Perhaps years.
"Now will you get up?" Her voice came, insistant.
With a great, dramatic sigh, Jack threw off his blanket and let his legs dangle over the side of his bed. He tried to catch the girl's eyes in the dark, hard to do but he thought she got it.
"fine -oof!"
Anouk had bashed into him with a small shoulder in her glee. He heard her crow triumphantly.
"C'mon then! We have a dryad to save!"

All mine my dearios, my darling.