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Post by Anna K. on Mar 28, 2017 16:24:23 GMT -6
Most part of the way she watches the view, the buildings, a park, people. Anna loves to watch people wondering how their lives are. The couple, the women. From time to time her head moves so she can see him as he drives. For sure he knows that but they were in silence all the way. When the car stops the first time she observes Rick but says nothing, then they go inside and to the elevator and their bedroom. It is ruge, she admires it for a moment as Rick places all the stuff on the floor and over the bed. She smiles and goes to the chair as he takes her hand, she sits down, to be honest she is really nervous with the silence, the situation. As he sits in front of her, her heart stops, his words so soft as she tries not to think about anything, her breath as well can be heard, she's really nervous, she trembles as their knees touch. She blinks as she observes him, his eyes locked with hers, it is almost impossible not to think about anything, but then..she gets lost into those eyes, so bright for a moment so deep, all she could see now was a light , strong , the same that was covering her in the shower, the song is back, filling her ears. Inside his eyes she can see a forest, the wind is warm and reaches her face, a great feeling, so calm and relaxing. Sudenly the night comes like magic and a woman appears close to a tree, she climbs it easily and in a blink of an eyes there is a beautiful and black panther over the tree, the woman was gone, a man appears and looks up and smiles, a beautiful smile. The man watches her , his eyes so blue, like Rick's. Anna smiles as well watching then, the man lifts his arms and the panther goes down, but it is the woman he holds. Then both moves their faces over Anna and smile. The woman stands her hand but when Anna was going to reach it...A black mist surrounds them and the man is gone, all he says is "Helena", as a whisper, the woman looks at Anna with terror inside her eyes, and she cries but there is no sound, a cold, strong wind pulls Anna back as she tries to reach the woman's hand, Anna's eyes were wide open and the magic fills her body, one of her eyes is clear blue and the other is clear green, just like the woman in front of her, but the wind pulls her back even more strong. Anna eyes sudenly close... "Who's Brandy?" Rick's voice bring her back , all is gone, she stands and looks at Rick.."Who's Helena?" They say it almost at same time. Anna as well raises an eyebrow and bites her lips.."They took him away from her" she says in a whisper.."Why?" And then tears fall down over her face, she cries and she doesn't even know them..."We need to help them Rick.." her eyes so different now returns to the normal color as they are lost inside Rick's eyes.
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Rick Holmes
Junior Member
That's interesting...
Posts: 62
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Post by Rick Holmes on Mar 28, 2017 16:37:48 GMT -6
The memories that were trying to surface were so very confusing. Several different faces overlapped with Anna's own real one, each evoking a different intensity of a single feeling, that of love. Some were familial, others with a general feeling of tranquility that comes from acceptance both given and received, as between racially diverse beings that treated one another with respect and dignity. There were two, however, that the love felt for their images were tinged with both passion and nostalgia. He tried to bring them into focus, to put names to their faces, but was frustrated by their shifting away to form other images, or just into Anna's teary-eyed expression.
Shaking off the confusion, he decided to lay all the cards on the table with Anna. He explained, in detail, the events and words spoken in both his vision and his dream. Everything, from Kai, all the way down to how the flashes of insight he'd gotten from time to time (that he now knew to attribute to the soul of the Guardian) would save his life on more occasions than he could have survived without. He did so, hoping that Anna would reciprocate, that she'd explain to him what had happened to her. "The name "Helena"," he said to her, "does sound familiar. When I think that name, and that of "Brandy", it causes some intense memories of passion and love for two women that bore those names."
He shrugged, then gently reached out to wipe away a tear from Anna's cheek. "Tell me something. You've been having visions too, haven't you? What are they about?"
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Post by Anna K. on Mar 28, 2017 16:59:21 GMT -6
As Rick tells her everything her lips slowly open in surprise. She blinks as he askes her about the visions, she nods, "I...yes" she looks inside his eyes...for a moment trying to understand what is going on there. She is shocked, surprised, amazed....what is she? she is not able to understand the feeling..she smiles slightly and touches his face with the tips of her fingers, close to his eyes..."Yes, Rick" Somehow her lips moves but her voice is a whisper..."I ..he....you are ...your eyes..." she blinks and then shakes her head trying to move away the feeling about the man in her vision and the man in front of her...does he know that they are the same? or better saying, that they have the same eyes...she pulls her hand away and it falls to her side she gives some steps away and looks outside.."Everything was alright until the night we run away..."She turns to look at him..."That night , in the plane, I wasn't feeling good and fell asleep, there was a song in my dreams, strong, a flute...but then you woke me up...it happened again in the shower, this time thou there was a strong light over me, it was covering me and all around was dark, like...hum..there was a spotlight over me, but then it was gone as well the song...from the flute. In the bathroom, at the restaurant, some voices told me "We are almost there" whispers and now I saw them, a couple, they loved each other so much, but them a black mist took him away...the woman was terrified looking at me. I'd tried to reach her hand, I wanted to, when a strong wind pulled me back, was so frustating Rick...the despair inside her eyes...so sad..." she sighs trying not to cry again, even thou drops are alredy rolling down her cheeks...drying them with the palm of her hand she shakes her head.."I don't understand, what all this has to do with me..I don't know her, don't know Brandy...why is it happening to me? To be honest Rick if we were related somehow in the past or even now, but we know each other, what....three days? I am really confused.."
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Rick Holmes
Junior Member
That's interesting...
Posts: 62
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Post by Rick Holmes on Mar 28, 2017 17:45:27 GMT -6
Gently, he laid a finger on Anna's lips to silence her, smiling faintly. "One thing at a time. If these flashes are, as I am beginning to think more and more likely, suppressed memories of another lifetime trying to surface into our conscious minds, then we need to proceed rationally, to try and piece them together one at a time into a coherent line of progression. We also need to remember that there's literally nothing we can do to amend or even prevent the things that we "remember", as they seem to have happened long ago, perhaps even centuries in the past. All right?"
He stood, taking her by the hand and raising her to her feet. "Come on, I have an idea," he said as he led her to the bathroom. Pointing to the controls for the bathtub, he said, "There's a button right there, labeled as "Deprivation Therapy". What it boils down to is that it encases the tub in a sensory deprivation chamber, removing all physical sensations that distract the mind. It's usually used for "down-time" if an agent is feeling particularly bothered by a mission's events. It can help a mind get past the horrifying feelings following a traumatic experience, if the person using it has a strong enough will to do so. I will admit that, on an extremely rare occasion, usually in someone whose will has been broken or eroded to the point of uselessness, it has caused full-blown PTSD to occur. But, that's only been in less than one percent of the times it's been used. I think it might help you to start to put your thoughts in order. I was going to use it on myself, but it seems you have the more difficult time of acclimating than I am."
He stepped around Anna and stood in front of the door, facing inward to her. "I'll be just out here, and there's an intercom that stays on when you push the button, so if you need me all you have to do is call for me, I'll hear. All you need to do is get undressed..." he looked slightly embarrassed about that, amending, "...er, after I leave...and get into the tub, then push the button. The chamber will close around you, shutting off all exterior sound and light. The tub will fill with a slightly thicker-than-water liquid that will support your body and let you float without any effort on your part. All you have to do is lay on your back. The temperature of the water and the temperature of the air will be exactly equal, as will the pressure of the air and the liquid, making it impossible to tell which type of matter, gas or liquid, is touching which part of your body. There are a few embedded speakers inside of the shell that will close around the top of the tub, they'll emit "white noise", further dampening all external sound. After a few minutes, if the program detects your eyes are closed, there are red lights that will come on and flash in a particular sequence. This will cause your mind to go into "vision mode", one that you can utilize to finally figure out what is going on in your mind. It's a last-resort measure, one that I hesitated to bring up until I realized that there was more going on than could be accounted for by simple mental trauma and fatigue. If I'm right...."
With that, he trailed off and shrugged. "Well," he said, "it doesn't matter what I thought or not. This, I think, will answer our questions once and for all, if you choose to go through with it. You can try it, or you can just take a relaxing hot bath and try to forget your troubles for awhile, turn on the underwater jets to massage away sore muscles..." He shrugged again, then flashed a smile at her before going back into the work area, pulling a file from the overnight bag he'd brought up with them, opening it and studying the pages within as he sat down at the desk.
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Post by Anna K. on Mar 28, 2017 19:07:21 GMT -6
Anna blinks at the touch of his finger on her lips, she says nothing just nods. As he took her by her hand over to the bathroom and explains her all that "thing" was able to do she raises her eyeborw and looks at him...she sighs and nods again smiling slightly in return. "Alright" as a whisper was all she said. She watches him as he walks out over to the work area and looks around as the door closes behind him. "Let's do it Anna..." she slowly undresses herself and goes into the tub. She presses the buttom and then it closes around her and starts to fill ...she closes her eyes and waits till the water starts to cover her body ...the warmth is relaxing indeed. She smiles and breaths slowly, thinking about Rick, the way he treats her, his kindness, they barely know each other but he is a gentleman, right? that's what gentleman guys do, and she is not used about it....her eyes are closed and she slowly moves going on her back and she is floating, as he said before the red light invades the place...slowly she relaxes a little afraid thou..and then it starts..."Anna....Anna....come ...come here..." a whisper calling her name, Anna opens her eyes but she was already inside a new vision, around her lots of trees again, she walks slowly following the voice..."I am here, where are you?" Anna replies, "I am here sweetheart, you must follow your mind..."..Anna keeps walking going inside the closed forest, when she looks back there is nothing but trees and bushes all around...she freezes.."I...I can't"....even she tries she can't move, the forest is dense and dark, but it isn't darker enough because of one hole and another between the branches, the drops of water that fall from the humidity of the leaves.."Anna my dear...you must to be strong....you are strong, aren't you girl?". she looks around desperate, "please, please....leave me alone, who are you?" and then he appears...a man, handsome man, half naked wearing just leather pants, long hair, amazing and bright blue eyes.."Rick..." she whispers...He smiles and shakes his head dening it...."Well...actually, not now sweetheart.." Anna is paralyzed...she is trapped there.."Who are you?" she whispers...she tries to breath and remais calm..."What do you want?" ...the man smiles, gently, he doesn't look like a threat.."I want you...you are a piece of her, I moved some chopsticks and made him to find you."..Anna blinks.."Why?"..."I told you already, you are a piece of her..."...."Her...Who?" , the man smiles and when he is about to speak a weird and loud scream fills the sky, like a monster, a roar, she could swear it was a wolf...or a bear..she's not sure and then she closes her eyes for a moment and when she opens it, the man is gone and coming over her is two bright and red eyes running over her when it comes as a dark shadow covering her she screams so loud her throat hurts... Anna's eyes are opened and she is inside the water, she jumps up and sits...trying to breath..."Rick.." she says his name but no sound comes out..she start to press all the buttons....as well she pulls a towel inside the tub and covers her body..."Rick..."
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Rick Holmes
Junior Member
That's interesting...
Posts: 62
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Post by Rick Holmes on Mar 28, 2017 19:24:14 GMT -6
Rick had only picked up the folder as a cover should Anna come right back out of the bathroom after he'd left. He dropped the folder and its contents onto the desk, already having committed the information inside of it to memory long before. He decided to take this opportunity to meditate himself. It had always been difficult to do without the sensory deprivation tank before, but he could sometimes achieve the mental state most conducive to clearing his mind of all thought.
He focused his eyes upon a nearby framed painting of a forest hanging on a nearby wall. He focused his gaze upon the image, letting it become the entirety of what he saw. His slowed breathing gradually became filled with the scent of the forest. Rick's mind seemed to leap into the painting, where he started walking along a path toward some voices he could hear somewhere in the thickest part of the green growth.
He tried to push his eyes into piercing the verdant foliage to try and see whom it was speaking, but it seemed as though the voices would suddenly be coming from a different direction every time he thought he could pick out the shadowy forms of a male and a female in the deeper-than-natural shadows, only to lose their position when the voices shifted to a new place. He strained his ears to catch some semblance of a recognisable word, but was confounded when the language they were speaking changed to one different than before, or being simply drowned out by the sound of the wind through the limbs and leaves that would persist only so long as he tried to concentrate on the voices.
He was suddenly snapped back to the real world when he could hear thrashing and splashing from the speakers in the room that allowed him to monitor what was happening in the bathroom. He heard the hum as the tank's cover was being retracted, and Anna's movements. Something sounded "off" about them, however. Despite not hearing anything overtly threatening, he got up and went to the bathroom door to check on her. Knocking on the wood, he called through it, "Anna? Are you alright in there? Do you need anything?"
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Post by Anna K. on Mar 28, 2017 19:58:30 GMT -6
Anna breaths slowly, trying to calm down, as she hears he is at the door already, she stands as the "thing" starts to open , she stands and covers herself with the soggy towel, she leaves the tub and walks over to the door as she opens it , she looks up at him and holds him.."Thank God you are here.." Gently she pulls away.."We have a problem..." One hand holding the towel around her body so it is not going to fall and the other pulling her hair away from her face as she walks walk backwards and forwards as she speaks..."We have a big problem...do you think it is possible that those people who were hunting me are able to come into my visions, like, my subconscious is bringing then and miking me believe they are still coming from another dimension..or whatever it is...because Rick...I am gonna tell you....they are hunting me here and in my vision...they want me no matter what....and I dn't want to leave with this fear...I can't even sleep anymore that they will be there hunting me..." Really nervous she keeps walking here and there and in circles as she speaks with him...not even thinking she she can't stop talking.."He said he is here because of me and he wants me and I am a piece of her ...Who is she, Rick?" she shakes her head.."A man, long hairs, your eyes..well you...He looked like you but it wasn't you...your eyes ...he was kind but at same time ....and then those red eyes...runnung over me, the roar...your were gone...I am mean he was gone..."...she stops and breaths as she looks at him..."Rick...the "you" from the past wants me because I am a piece of someone else..." she makes a tired face surrending herself as she sighs...."Are you able to protect me even in my visions?" her eyes are now different...blue and green are now looking inside of his eyes...
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Rick Holmes
Junior Member
That's interesting...
Posts: 62
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Post by Rick Holmes on Mar 29, 2017 15:42:13 GMT -6
Rick's mind went into overdrive, keeping up with Anna's stream of words. He didn't even try to calm her down, letting her blow off the steam that had been building up. Once she finished, he looked down into her eyes, taking note of their change, then pulled her into an embrace. "You're safe," was all he said for several minutes, letting her calm herself, breathing in a pattern similar to the one he'd used when he tried to hypnotize her earlier.
He held her out at arm's length, locking his eyes with hers. "It seems that my suspicion was right. Our meeting may not have been happenstance. For the both of us to be having similar signs at nearly the same time, that's too much of a coincidence for me. It seems Fate's fickle hand may have been playing a part, or perhaps some other agency. I am melding with my former existence as Kokukai...I am not losing my own identity, merely redefining it a bit. It seems that you have a former existence of your own that is trying to surface. Who she is, I don't know, but I think she may have some connection to Kai that will explain itself when she finally 'comes out', so to speak."
He led her over to the sleeping area, saying, "Go ahead and get dressed for bed. I'm going to go shower, give you some privacy. I don't know if I can protect you in your visions, but that's only because I don't know yet what the limits of whatever power Kai claims to have are. From what he said, it may be that there are no limits." With that, he grabbed a few items of clothing and his toiletries bag from his side of the room, smiled reassuringly at her, then disappeared into the bathroom.
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Post by Anna K. on Mar 29, 2017 18:39:59 GMT -6
Anna blinks at his words and nods...while he is around she feels save and comfortable, seems that the problem is when he is away , she feels like they are connected somehow as well. She can't live addicted to the fact that he needs to be around her. She smiles tired as he talks to her and she nods again, "Yes, I am going to try to rest for a moment" when he moves to the bathroom she takes her towel from her body and places it over a chair since it is too wet, she sighs and walks over to the box looking inside it trying to find something to dress and then she goes over to her backpack, there she finds her moleton pants and a t-shirt, she walks over to a place which looks like a closet and looks for something to brush her hair, after sometime she ties her hair up and walks over to the balcony, she looks around and then she looks over, trying to watch the city and the people. She sighs as the night starts to come, it seems is going to be warm and starred, she looks at the sky and then she tries to relax but all she could think was about her visions, the red eyes, the blue ones, the couple...her head is really messed up right now, she shakes her head for a moment trying to take the visions away...After all she is save from the bad guys for now and it brings her a good sensation, she remembers Paolo, their time together and her tiering eyes watches the night as she waits Rick to come back.
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Rick Holmes
Junior Member
That's interesting...
Posts: 62
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Post by Rick Holmes on Mar 29, 2017 19:04:10 GMT -6
Rick went through the motions of his shower, his mind filled with the thoughts of what had so far occurred. He thoroughly washed his body and hair, then shut the water off, drying while still in the stall. He stepped out onto a towel he'd placed on the floor before getting in, wrapping the first towel around his waist. Wiping his feet off on the towel, he stepped over to the mirror and wiped away the steam that had built up on the glass. He examined his face, then dug into his bag and produced from it a disposable razor and a small canister of shaving gel.
He applied the gel to his face, then began to run the razor along his skin. As he did so, he tried to think about some way to spare Anna the experience of seeing him during a sanction, let alone the danger of bringing her anywhere near the rogue agent's hideaway. Suddenly, he swore aloud as a streak of red showed through the white of the shaving gel's foam on his right cheek. He hadn't cut himself while shaving in a long time. He grumbled, then went back to shaving the rest of his face, careful to pay more attention to what he was doing.
Washing the remainder of foam from his face, then drying it, he pulled on his sweatpants and tank top. He looked into the mirror again, wincing as he looked at the various bullet and knife scars visible on his body for the first time. Those scars were why he tended toward wearing his suit virtually any time he was out in public. He had many, most still hidden by his shirt. Truth be told, the only part of his upper body that wasn't scarred in some way was the area exactly over his heart. It was perhaps the only reason he was still alive, despite having suffered so many of such wounds over the years in the Bureau.
He shrugged, recognizing that there's nothing for it, then exited the bathroom. He moved over to the balcony behind Anna, watching her as she watched the city. After a few moments, he asked softly, "Penny for your thoughts?"
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Post by Anna K. on Mar 29, 2017 19:54:18 GMT -6
Anna smiles and then she turns her head to look at him.."Nothing really, was just here, watching the night, the people, the life here. " she smiles again and turns away.."I like to imagine how people live , what they do...things like that..." she bites her lower lip.."I am not used to have a life, you know, so I imagine how their life is..." chuckles and shakes her head, "I am silly like that, Rick, you can't even imagine where you put your life into.." she smiles and then looks away again.." Taking away the part you live a crazy life, the other size of you Rick, is it a normal life? What do you do to have some fun?" she was trying to make it more realxing, trying to take a break for a moment, being away from the visions...She smiles again and looks at him as she approches a little bit and looks up... gently one fingertip touches his cheek.."did you hurt yourself shaving?" she cleans the little drop of blood away gently smiling at him...
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Rick Holmes
Junior Member
That's interesting...
Posts: 62
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Post by Rick Holmes on Mar 29, 2017 20:20:16 GMT -6
Rick glanced down at the streak of blood on Anna's finger, then chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I was distracted by something I was thinking about. Guess I should have realized that I had a razor against my skin and to be thinking about anything other than that was just plain stupid." He realized that he was avoiding her question about what he does for fun.
"Well," he said with a sigh as he sat on the edge of his bed. "This is pretty much it. When I'm on a mission, I'm in a hotel. When I'm not, I'm either in an office, training, or at my apartment, which is actually smaller than this." He chuckled and waved a hand at the hotel room in general. "A normal life is...never really been my style. I enjoy the constant changing of scenery and what my job actually entails on a nearly daily basis, but I also enjoy the grounding my simple off-duty living arrangements gives me. But, then I get bored with the mediocrity of that grounding and can't wait to get back out again."
He shrugged and looked down at some of the scars such a life had left him with. He ran a finger across the length of the largest scar, one running down his left side from the front of his shoulder down to his hip. It had been given by a sword, of all things, when he'd made the mistake of trying to take on the very man he would likely be rescuing tomorrow. "I got cut deeply here," he said. "Joseph's partner, the one that got kidnapped by the people I'm looking for, was the one that did it. I'd followed him after he had assassinated a CEO of a company that wouldn't work with the family. He nearly took my arm off."
He frowned a bit, unsure of where he had been going with that. "Each one of my scars tells a story, and the sad thing is that it's the entirety of the story of my life. I've...never really had much else to fill my waking hours with. No one to share them with." He shrugged a bit, then tried to smile over at her.
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Post by Anna K. on Mar 29, 2017 20:57:15 GMT -6
Anna leans a little her face to the side wondering what he just said, she gives him a smile and sighs.."Yeah, Rick. We all have scars, your of course we can't compare with mine. Mine are more like here", as she says it she points to her head, " I don't regret my life, just think I could have a different one, since it was not..." she shrugges and frowns. Gently her hand slowly moves as her fingertips touches the scar, it moves right over it as she was drawing it again in his body, that's a weird sensation feeling it, for a moment she stops and then she looks up at him again taking gently her hand away..."I can't even imagine having a scar, when I have one on my knee.." she chuckles..."Well...I am not a secret agent, so mine are more like me trying to run away from a dog my neighbor had" she smiles.."You know, if someday all this is over I will take you out to have some fun, no guns, no offices or training...we will dance.." she smiles even more enjoying the idea of having a normal night someday."I want you to know I am glad you are sharing this part of your life with me and I am here to hear whatever you want to tell me, that I am really glad I met you, just have a little patience, you are a man and I, well, I am still trying to grow up.." She leans gently and on her toes she gives him a kiss on the cheek. After that she smiles and turns away again..." I will teach you someday to watch people, I know you read them but you must to watch them from inside..." a little smile appears in her lips as she turns her head to look at him, she was watching him now and the kind of life she is imagining is really a good one.
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Rick Holmes
Junior Member
That's interesting...
Posts: 62
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Post by Rick Holmes on Mar 29, 2017 21:10:22 GMT -6
Rick smiled at her, picturing for himself the things she was saying. He chuckled and said softly, "I barely know how to dance, other than ballroom-style dancing." His smile spread wider at the kiss to his cheek, blushing a bit.
He got up from the bed, then went over to the light switches, turning off all but the bedside lamps. He then went back over to the beds, saying, "We'd better get some rest, Anna. Tomorrow's a busy day, and we have a few things to decide in the morning before I...go to do what it is I came here for. Once I report in, we just might have a night or two here before our flight back to D.C. Maybe we'll have time for that date." He smiled as he paused beside her and kissed her forehead, before getting into his bed and beginning to get settled for sleep.
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Post by Anna K. on Mar 30, 2017 14:13:57 GMT -6
She smiles in return and nods , she walks over to her bed and as well get settled, she unties her hair and lays down, covering herself. She turns to the side and closes her eyes, but she wasn't sleepy. But she thought was better to let him sleep, he will have a full day tomorrow and Anna isn't going to bother with her drama. She keeps thinking about all he said , all she saw, and all the things that had happened in these days. This is the first night she is able to really sleep in a warm bed since she met Rick, she smiles gentlty to herself thinking how life changes so fast. Turning om the bed but silently she now stares at the ceiling...After a long time she gets up and walks to the minibar and gets herself some water and then she goes to the balcony, she sits there it is dawning when she decides to return to bed , problaly she was afraid to sleep and the vision return. Then without notice her eyes starts to get heavy and the blinks long and she finally falls asleep.
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