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Description
It was on a Tuesday, when Anouk asked about his dreams. Jack remembered, just after four, after his session with Smith. Not long after, for it took him only 3 minutes to climb the stairs (2 flights) from the Office to his room and Anouk had been there, sitting on his bed, hands primly clasped together and spoke as soon as he had opened the door and stepped across the threshold.
"What are your nightmares about?"
Jack had paused then, taking his now too warm hand off the door knob. He wiped it quickly on his trouser leg and then placed it in his pocket. He made his face blank, with a smidge of confusion in his eyebrows. A face he had perfected over the years.
Sorry, I didn't quite catch that, again?
Anouks hands unclasped and instead clenched into two small fists.
"Don't do that."
He pretended not to hear.
Another thing he had perfected.
Jack found himself staring out of his window, the one that framed the front garden, with its slabbed paving, white paving, and few fading shrubs, quite beautifully. It was simple and symmetrical and Jack thought, some how sterilised. Like the rest of the place. Like this room.
He had chosen the colour, green but it was pale, more mint than anything, faded, washed. He had liked it before, much better than the sour white it had been but now it made him think of hospitals, of plastic gowns that opened at the back and of the cloying air. Thick air. No matter how many windows you opened, how many fans you waved, the air still felt thick and still and dead.
Dead.
Jack dimly heard Anouk stand up, making the springs in the bed rattle (the mattress needed replacing, maybe he should talk to Ali about that) and he felt the
(thick)
air move as she wafted towards him. Yes wafted, no footsteps. No thuds on the floorboards. He'd noticed that about her. Unless she wanted to, on purpose, to make noise, like when playing It with Dolly, he never heard a thing. He didn't think she could. And as she grew closer, he was sure he could taste the dusty smell that followed her around. Dust and paper and something else
(burning)
something like candles.
He was still looking out of the window when she stopped in front of him.
"You fool."
Jack looked down in surprise. The voice had been hard, unlike her at all. His jaw was agape when she spoke again.
"I hate it when you do that, that stupid mask you pull for the drones." An ugly sneer pulled at her mouth and her eyes were stones. "Even for Ali, who you claim to love as a mother-Yes I know that, who wouldn't, it's in your every movement and look, no matter how much you deny it Jack. And you won't even tell her about the dreams, the ones that pull screams out of you some nights, I hear it, don't think I don't and don't think I can't see. Every day you fade and I have to watch. I have to just sit here and pretend not to see it."
Jack just blinked.
Anouk's grim face was thrust into his own. It scared him. She looked older, her lips thinner and deep creases scattered on her brow and the strange sad grin made her look ugly, truly ugly, for the first time. Her small hands grasped the lapels of his jacket, hands that seemed bigger than before.
"I see it all the time, all the time and I hate it so I think you can give up your pride this once and just tell me!."
Jack couldn't avoid her eyes anymore and Jesus, they burned. They were almost all black. His mother would have called them Devil eyes. And they wouldn't stop.
Jack, in a moment, grasped both her wrists, unnoticing that they shrank in their grip, and thrust them away, thrust her away.
Anouk stumbled and almost fell and Jack found that today, he couldn't care less.
He also found that while the rest of him felt numb, that his legs worked perfectly.

I started writing a cute little fluffy thing and it turned quite grim xD Oh well, i'll write a fluffy next time. Hope you like.
Minee

Description
It was on a Tuesday, when Anouk asked about his dreams. Jack remembered, just after four, after his session with Smith. Not long after, for it took him only 3 minutes to climb the stairs (2 flights) from the Office to his room and Anouk had been there, sitting on his bed, hands primly clasped together and spoke as soon as he had opened the door and stepped across the threshold.
"What are your nightmares about?"
Jack had paused then, taking his now too warm hand off the door knob. He wiped it quickly on his trouser leg and then placed it in his pocket. He made his face blank, with a smidge of confusion in his eyebrows. A face he had perfected over the years.
Sorry, I didn't quite catch that, again?
Anouks hands unclasped and instead clenched into two small fists.
"Don't do that."
He pretended not to hear.
Another thing he had perfected.
Jack found himself staring out of his window, the one that framed the front garden, with its slabbed paving, white paving, and few fading shrubs, quite beautifully. It was simple and symmetrical and Jack thought, some how sterilised. Like the rest of the place. Like this room.
He had chosen the colour, green but it was pale, more mint than anything, faded, washed. He had liked it before, much better than the sour white it had been but now it made him think of hospitals, of plastic gowns that opened at the back and of the cloying air. Thick air. No matter how many windows you opened, how many fans you waved, the air still felt thick and still and dead.
Dead.
Jack dimly heard Anouk stand up, making the springs in the bed rattle (the mattress needed replacing, maybe he should talk to Ali about that) and he felt the
(thick)
air move as she wafted towards him. Yes wafted, no footsteps. No thuds on the floorboards. He'd noticed that about her. Unless she wanted to, on purpose, to make noise, like when playing It with Dolly, he never heard a thing. He didn't think she could. And as she grew closer, he was sure he could taste the dusty smell that followed her around. Dust and paper and something else
(burning)
something like candles.
He was still looking out of the window when she stopped in front of him.
"You fool."
Jack looked down in surprise. The voice had been hard, unlike her at all. His jaw was agape when she spoke again.
"I hate it when you do that, that stupid mask you pull for the drones." An ugly sneer pulled at her mouth and her eyes were stones. "Even for Ali, who you claim to love as a mother-Yes I know that, who wouldn't, it's in your every movement and look, no matter how much you deny it Jack. And you won't even tell her about the dreams, the ones that pull screams out of you some nights, I hear it, don't think I don't and don't think I can't see. Every day you fade and I have to watch. I have to just sit here and pretend not to see it."
Jack just blinked.
Anouk's grim face was thrust into his own. It scared him. She looked older, her lips thinner and deep creases scattered on her brow and the strange sad grin made her look ugly, truly ugly, for the first time. Her small hands grasped the lapels of his jacket, hands that seemed bigger than before.
"I see it all the time, all the time and I hate it so I think you can give up your pride this once and just tell me!."
Jack couldn't avoid her eyes anymore and Jesus, they burned. They were almost all black. His mother would have called them Devil eyes. And they wouldn't stop.
Jack, in a moment, grasped both her wrists, unnoticing that they shrank in their grip, and thrust them away, thrust her away.
Anouk stumbled and almost fell and Jack found that today, he couldn't care less.
He also found that while the rest of him felt numb, that his legs worked perfectly.

I started writing a cute little fluffy thing and it turned quite grim xD Oh well, i'll write a fluffy next time. Hope you like.
Minee