Torments of Night (NC-17)

Briana hadn't meant to get so upset. She had just never been asked about what she had seen so soon after the event, or really ever at all. In her mind, the memory of the vision was drawing to a close. Just as she was coming to the end, she felt a hand on her shoulder and felt herself get pulled slightly, an arm wrapped around her. Her muscles tensed for a moment or two before she relaxed, and removed her hands from her face, tucking them between her pulled-up legs and her chest. As she slowed her breathing, the magazines stilled and Silus' words reached her... Don't think about it, just let it go...live in the present, right here...let go of the past and forget the future...just..be right here....

This was new... Comfort wasn't something she was used to when her visions caused this kind of reaction. Leaning into his side, she took a deep steadying breath and wiped her wet cheeks with the cuff of her sweatshirt. "I'm sorry.... I'm so sorry, Silus. I didn't mean for that to happen..." she whispered softly. She felt foolish, embarrassed, weak... The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was just another crying girl. She hadn't told him every detail of the vision, just what she could bring herself to talk about. "I envy that you don't remember your nightmare. It would be nice to not remember these vision... Especially the graphic ones like this.... Seeing two people destroy one another isn't something I like to remember...." she said with a sigh.  Briana had been with this power for six years, and she still didn't have control over it. Quite the opposite.... It controlled her...

Well this is precious. Wonderful, just what Silus wanted to do... comfort someone when he had NO idea how to do that. He just kept quiet for a moment, and thought about what she had said. Yeah, he was pretty fortunate for not being able to recall the events. But honestly...he would rather suffer the consequences of knowing who he was. Who his parents were. He wanted to know if he had a mother, if he had a father, or if he had any siblings. He had so many questions, and no answers. His mind was just fog.

    "Yeah...no memory...it's a blast." He said. There was no real emotion, or volume to it. He suddenly felt a hundred times worse about everything, and sighed, trying to connect his thoughts. He'd have plenty of time to brood sand feel like crap for himself later. For now he had to straighten up this mess. "Then think about a good vision...take a notebook or somethin' and keep a record of the good visions you have. They aren't all bad are they? I mean if you even have one good one, keep thinking about that one. I dunno, I'm not a genius or anything." He said, dismissing the idiotic idea that formulated in his mind a moment ago. He rubber her back as reassuringly as he could, trying to take his own advice and not focus on not having any memories, but rather focus on the good memories he's made since... then he remembered there were only a few of those.

Briana lifted her eyes for a moment, not that she could see him when she did, as she thought about what he just said about not having any memories of his past. She felt badly for him. Even though her past wasn't perfect, far from it actually, she still had lots of good memories. Silus... All he had were the memories he's made from the time he can remember. "Maybe one day you'll be able to remember. Whether you let the professors help you or not. I had a friend at school before I came here that used to say that your mind locks things away until you are read for them. Maybe you just aren't ready for the memories of your past..." she offered soothingly in an almost dreamy voice.

They aren't all bad are they? Silus offered Briana good advice. Focus on the good visions and try to not dwell on the bad ones. Easier said than done, but it was do-able. "They aren't always bad. Like, one vision helped me to come here. I had heard about this school for people like us and I looked it up. When I saw the building, I remembered a while ago that I had seen this place, saw some of the people that were here, heard and smelled things all tied with this place," Briana told him as he rubbed her back. It was a favorite memory. The first glimmer of a place to belong to. "I should keep a record of them. I never thought of that before. For not being a genius, you are full of wisdom and good ideas," she said lightly.

"What's a favorite memory you do have, Silus?" she asked curiously, covering a small yawn.

What favorite memory did Silus have? He thought about it for a minute, and he honestly didn't have a clue. He remembered wandering around forever, searching for something he could never seem to find. Eventually his mind decided that it felt like working and he gave off a little hum. He paused realizing that he didn't have too many good memories...many of them were of him being bullied, or him growing up and beating a bully. Though he did have a favorite the more the thought about it.

The day Silus put Bri up to her little "task" to prove his point, there was a black haired girl who asked him what had happened to him. That girl was actually one of the three people there when Silus was found and brought to the institute. It was Silus, Marie, and Jack and the three were inseparable for the first couple years. Silus was bullied and got sick of it...Alexander and Marie...they were kinda...left behind when he made a name for himself. He was never good at making friends...but he was even worse at keeping them.

"Probably...when I first got here." Silus said, a smile already forming on his lips. "I was...probably fourteen...been living alone for a year I think. Here I was, this little ratty kid covered in dirt, torn clothing that was starting to get small on him, and who didn't know anything about his past. I walk in, and there was this professor there who had THE worst look on his face. The guy says 'What smells like it died in here!?' and he looks at the three new kids that were basically 'found'. He looks at me and basically looks like he figured out it was me. Even back then I had a mouth on me. You got little me just look at him with a smart-alak smile and I asked him "I dunno, anyone seen your personality lately?". Needless to say they had me take a shower...for the first time since I could remember... so they put me in this place, and tell me to take a shower. After about twenty minutes of fiddling with the shiny little knob I got it to work, and freezing cold water hit me. So I stood in the water...FREEZING, for like five minutes when I step out, and get dressed. I walked out, and Alex looks at me and he says 'dude...did you shower or jump in a lake?' then he smelled me and he started laughing at me because I still smelled. Long story short they had to show me that I needed to use shampoo and all this other stuff. It was a disaster, and it was SO embarrassing...it's just funny to look back on now ya'know?" He laughed a little before letting out a little nostalgic sigh. He was too young to be going through this crap.

He yawned and he dropped his head off to the side and his tongue lulled out as if he were playing dead. "I will not be able to sleep until tonight...and I don't have any morning classes...it Suuuuuucks." He groaned trailing into a chuckle. "Was that guy your brother?" Silus asked, remembering the man who had just been there moments before him.

Briana listened intently as Silus told her of one of his favorite memories and absentmindedly rested her head against his shoulder. She couldn't help but laugh when he told of his comment to the professor, his attempt at a showed after not remembering how to take one, and what happened afterwards. "Quite the first impression you made there, huh?" she teased lightly. Echoing his yawn, Briana thought about what he said about not sleeping and there not being a reason to be up so early. "So there is no hope for you to catch a few more zzz's before your first class?" she asked. Thinking about her own schedule of classes, Briana thought she was in the same situation with not having anything until later that day, but she wouldn't be for sure until she checked the paper that listed her classes. All she did know was that she wasn't going to be sleeping again tonight, either.

Was that guy your brother? Briana smiled and shook her head a little. "No, no. That was Vitalè. He's a prospective professor. He's a wise man.... Like us only....different....somehow," she said. Truthfully, and she didn't know why, Vitalè made her feel safe....comfortable. If he taught like he just spoke to her, she would be happy to be one of the first to sign up for his class. "No, my brothers haven't looked for me since I left. At least, I don't think they have..." she added quietly.

"Absolutely zero hope whatsoever. I am up until I pass out tonight." Silus said very matter-of-factly in his tone. Sadly once Silus was up...he was up for good. It made it very difficult some nights, but honestly he's been doing it so long that four hours or five hours of sleep is actually a decent night of rest.

"Oh so he's not related to you...Good. Thought I might offend you if I said he looks like something out of a Sherlock Holms movie." Silus said, bringing up the obvious oddity of the prospective Professor's attire. He hated himself for bringing up siblings though... did he not just listen to her mention her family? Briana was talking like this "Vitalè" guy was apparently all that, which was fine but honestly Silus....really didn't care. He was ultimately just glad that She was feeling alright, other than that... the guy could have been an eight headed dog that shot out rainbow lasers from his mouths for all he cared. But she seemed to like the guy...so Silus could bear it for now.

"Right...sorry." Silus said nervously, feeling guilty about the slip.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Silus," Briana commented when he told her that he was up until it was time to sleep tonight. It had to be rough. Granted, sometimes she was in the same boat. "I think sleep is useless for me tonight, too. Don't want to see what I saw when I close my eyes again for as long as possible," she said with a sigh. Normally spending time alone when she couldn't sleep, having someone to talk to to help while away the hours was a nice change.

Thought I might offend you if I said he looks like something out of a Sherlock Holms movie... Thinking about how Vitalè looked, now that he brought it up, he did look like just that, someone out of Sherlock Holms. Shaking her head a laughing she said, "Even if he was related to me, I wouldn't have been offended... Everyone dressed in their own way. Some just a little more out there than others." Did she sense a little tension in his voice as he spoke about Vitalè? "Have you not met him before?" she asked. The fire gave a small sputter, and, looking over at it, Briana noticed that it was in need of more fuel. Tilting her head, her mind lifted a log from the stack next to the fireplace and placed it on the others. The flames licked the wood and the fire grew stronger once again.

Confusion touched her features when Silus said he was sorry. Leaning forward so she could look at him, her grey-green eyes searched his face as her brow furrowed slightly. "Why sorry? You said nothing wrong," she said giving that little head shake of not understanding.

"No, but I guess I'm just not the friendly typ. Unlike you... ya butterfly" Silus said with a teasing smile. He leaned his head back as the fire cracked and began to dim down. He sighed and started to think of the day that was coming up ahead soon. He really wasn't looking forward to it, and he honestly wasn't looking forward to any more of these stupid classes. School just started recently and he was already missing summer break. The hours he ran on during break was just....so awful. He was practically nocturnal during the summer and winter breaks. Not wanting to see the same thing was understandable, Silus certainly knew that feeling...even if he couldn't remember what he didn't want to remember

"I guess I'm just sorry for putting you up to that stupid idea the other day. I guess I was just too obsessed with proving a point...nice trick by the way." Silus said, indicating at the log at the end of his sentence. With a sigh he sunk back into the couch and rolled his neck like he was a mental case. He laughed at his stupidity a little, his extremely tired mind didn't help him in taking anything serious at this hour anyways.

"Oh God...what time is it, and do we have Inner-Mind today?" Silus asked Bri, hoping she was keeping track of what day it was. Silus didn't normally know what the day was until he looked at his cell-phone. Of course he left the damned thing in his room, so now he was clueless.

Briana gave a small yawn with a light laugh underneath it at Silus' comment about her being a butterfly. A social one, no doubt. "You can be friendly when you want to be," she said lightly brushing a few stray hairs out of her face. When he wasn't so busy being a rough and tumble guy, that is. Briana thought that, but didn't bother saying it. Silus wanted to be seen as the bad boy, and she wasn't about to change him. If he changes at all, it will be on his own.

Hearing his form of an apology for putting her up to the task of allowing him to show her just why is was as bad as they come, Briana looked up at him, a small glimmer in her dual-colored eyes. "It's ok, slick. You wanted to make a point and I let you. I could have said no, but I didn't. So, it's just as much my fault as it is yours," she said quietly. Looking away into the fire she spoke of something she tended to not speak of. "I saw the one I needed for your test, anyways. Well, pieces of the one that was going to be your subject... I also knew that I was going to get a little banged up from it, just didn't know what or how," she said looking back at him, "I could have backed out at any time..." Normally, Briana didn't bring up past visions, but she felt like maybe her telling Silus that she was just as much to blame as he was would help him not feel so bad about putting her up to it. She didn't hold it against him. Nice trick, by the way... Seeing him looking at the fire, she grinned to herself. He had seen her put the log on the fire with her telekinesis. "Thanks. That power comes in handy every now and then," Briana mused.

When he suddenly asked what time it was and if they had Inner-Mind class that day, Briana pulled up the cuff of her sweatshirt and flipped her wrist over to see the watch face that rested on the underside of her wrist. Showing it to Silus, it read 4:30am. Had that much time passed already? Thinking about what day it was, Briana concluded that it was a school day, sadly. "I think we might...." she answered with a shrug. She was having a hard time keeping all her classes straight still, since she started later than everyone else. Really she wouldn't know for certain until she checked her schedule pinned up in her room.

Ah great. Inner-Mind was today. Everyone knew how much Silus LOOOOOOVED that class. It made it even worse when he realized that it was the first time he'd see the professor since that accident with the whole 'clubbing' thing. speaking of clubbing, Silus felt like a dang Seal at this point, and the news was the club. Bye-Bye little Silus-seal. He let out a drawn out sigh, thinking to himself that it was already four thirty in the morning. Soon there would be a ton of people up and about, and Silus was most certainly ready for that catastrophe to happen.

"I don't wanna go to school...but I can't go home 'cuz look where that puts me." He stifled a little laugh. The noises became a little louder in the halls as the kids began running back the other way, their little mischief games over most likely. Silus just ignored them, and decided upon his own will that he would use this current "half-awake" status to try and get ready...maybe think of a way to try and skip Inner-Mind and not get in trouble. He wasn't going to leave just yet though. HE was too comfy sitting there anfd talking to...well the closest thing he had to a friend. With a yawn he began to look around. "I am seriously waiting to find a leprechaun running through the halls at this hour." He snickered as he cracked his neck and looked into the fire.

"Don't want to go to school, or to Inner-Mind?" Briana teased as she looked over his shoulder as the younglings that rand back the other way from the way they had gone the first time before returning to how she was sitting before. 4:30 am and soon everyone would be up and about. "I personally don't want to go. Something about Lucid Dreams just.... I don't know.... I deal with dreams enough almost every night. Not really something I want to delve into in class...." she said resting her head against Silus' arm. She didn't think about the action, it was just comfortable since they were simply talking. "Why do you say that?" she asked in regards to his comment about leprechauns running about with a small chuckle as she watched the flames dance.

"Lucid dreaming? Pffft. That's pretty useful things. You see, Lucid dreaming is just the ability to recognize that your sleeping. You gotta be careful though. Like for example, if you try to lucid dream for a couple years, like I did... and you finally realize you're dreaming one night... you might get excited and accidentally wake yourself up. But if you can manage to eventually get the hang of it, you can do so many cool things with it. From what I can gather I think your precog comes from the subconscious mind. The part of your mind that is the most "active" when you're asleep. Funny thingis...did you know that you subconscious mind rememberes ever single thing you've encountered since birth? It also has the development of a 3 year old child. Your subconscious wants to please you, it wants to make you happy and so it begins to influence your conscious mind in times of sleep. That's why when you see those "pretty girls" who keep telling themselves they're fat and ugly, that they actually perceive themselves that way. They say it for so long that their subconscious actually influenced their waking minds. A human spends roughly 1/3 of their life sleeping. IF I'm right...learning to Lucid dream could actually keep you from having the visions...I mean occasionally you might not be able to realize you're dreaming...but still...you'd have the visions a LOT less. If I were you...I would be all over that." Silus said. Now he envied her.
     
      He knew how to Lucid dream, but his wasn't a problem of the subconscious mind. He simply remembered in his sleep, wether he entered REM sleep or not. He sighed and laughed, smiling like a little kid at Christmas. He looked back to Briana. "You might be able to stop the visions. In Lucid dreaming you can influence your dreams, dream about anything you want....heck you might even be able to Influence your precog and see visions you WANT to see, give it direction maybe. You know what I said about the dream journal? KEEP ONE, write down every vision and every dream you ever have and read them over, TRY TO REMEMBER them. Also, use reality checks. Like uh.. if I use a black marker and put an X on my hand. I'll check that X EVERY fifteen minutes. Then I'll pinch my nose shut and try to breath. I do this so it becomes ritual, and my subconscious recognizes it as natural, or ritual. BUT when I'm dreaming, when I check my hand I won't have the black X, or when I pinch my nose I can still breathe, and it reminds me I'm dreaming. Then I can enter the state of lucid dreaming. I-I am just so Psyched for you...This is awesome. I mean, if nothing else I'd say try it. It'll take a good while to master, but still!" Silus practically cheered. He was excited for her...if he truly understood this, then Professor Giotelli was going to have her in control of her powers in no time. Maybe she wouldn't wake up as often in the nights. That made him happy, but it only served to remind him of his own inability to conquer his nightmares...even with lucid dreaming. He nodded with that happy grin still on his face as he looked at the fire.

     "Oh uh...I said that mostly because I see some of the craziest stuff around here. People throwing fire...time-traveling teachers....girls who see the future....I think I even saw James Moriarty in the commons room." He joked as he gave a slightly "derp" face and rolling his eyes. HE really did meet the strangest assembly of people here.

As Silus explained about Lucid Dreaming and what he knew of the mind, Briana wondered if he might be on to something with dreams, the subconscious, and her precognition power. IF I'm right...learning to Lucid dream could actually keep you from having the visions... Briana's eyes grew wide as she looked up at him at the thought of his theory. As he smiled and spoke out his theory of how Lucid Dreaming could actually help her to control, lessen, or even halt her visions, her eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope that maybe there was a way to gain control over this uncontrollable power of hers. "Oh, Silus.... You really think this could help?" she asked. At his suggestion, Briana decided that she would begin to keep a record of her dreams and visions. Even if it didn't help her gain control of her power, it would allow her to keep a record of things for later.

Seeing the excitement on her friend's face and hearing him say how excited, actually excited, he was for her made Briana smile happily. For the first time in a long time, a smile of pure happiness touched her face. Shaking her head in almost disbelief, she dropped her gaze slightly. "This might actually work... I know that I can't turn it off completely, but maybe it's the key to learning to control it," she thought out loud to herself.

Silus' explanation of his leprechaun comment made her giggle slightly. "I know what you mean. There certainly are an odd collection of us around here," she mused. While she knew that there were a vast array of mutants running around, it's always a surprise when you are put in the middle of a vast sea of them, each one different in their own way from the next. Like him, she had run into her share of oddities that she had never expected to see. "Not just those.... Those who are both hot and cold.... A professor that seems to control electricity.... Others who are more powerful than they think," she said with a playful shrug.

Briana's mind quickly shifted back to the theory of Lucid Dreaming and it being the answer to getting a hold of her Precognition. It was such a simple solution.... And, if it worked.... If it worked! Briana felt her own excitement at the possibilities begin to fill her up. Without even thinking, she said, "I'm still baffled by your theory of the connection between Lucid Dreaming and my power... Silus, you are brilliant!" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. Freezing as soon as the action was done, a bright red blush colored her cheeks as she looked away, utterly embarrassed.

Brilliant? Not the words Silus would have used to describe himself, but sure we'll roll with that. It made Silus feel a little good about himself though, but to him these...thoughts...these "ideas" were just second nature, For as long as he knew he thought like this...but there had to be some point where he didn't think like this, right? He found himself under attack, and he found that Bri had kissed his cheek. His face burned a little and he looked to her with an arched eyebrow. Well this was officially awkward. She seemed to notice that and looked away, blushing. Not like Silus was calm and collected either mind you...but he was rather...confused.

Silus had some brains, he knew objective information, but PEOPLE...he could NEVER figure out how people worked. This being the primary example. Did she kiss him instinctively like how people kiss something that is their "key" to fixing a situation? IT was probably the latter...or did she like him? Silus was suddenly uncomfortable by the way he was over thinking everything. He needed to respond in some way, but he had to do it somehow. He had an idea. He let out a little chuckle.

"eeeew. C'mon you got coodies." He jokingly whined as he laughed. No one...well, not in a long time had ever done that to him...or even showed interest. This was probably stranger for him than it was for her...because he had no idea what to do.

Briana was afraid to bring her eyes to meet Silus as a silence filled the room after she kissed him. Why did you do it? Was it because she was truly excited for the idea, or something....more? Waiting for what seemed an eternity, Briana just wanted Silus to say something, anything to break the silence. When he finally did, teasing her, she dared to bring her dual-colored eyes to look at him. "Coodies? Pretty sure I've been de-cootied," she teased back, her cheeks cooling slightly. Simply taking a moment to just look at Silus, she smiled softly. "I don't think I've seen you that happy before, slick. Happiness looks good on you," she said. Then looked back at the fire, "Sorry about that." Briana wasn't sure how he took the kiss she gave him. He teased her, which could mean that it was no harm no foul, as he said. But then again....

Okay, the awkward moments were becoming even more frequent. Silus yawned and rubbed his eyes. He looked to Bri and smirked when she said about him looking good with happiness or whatever that was abut. Sadly it was a little lost on him when he tried to remember the time he was happiest. Happiness never ended well for him, he could never help it either. "You too Bri." Silus said. He sat leaned forward and sighed when he decided to stand up. "Alrighty... I am going to get ready and hit the shower, then get food...then find an excuse to miss inner mind most likely. I-uh...I'll see you around?" He asked her, still slightly a smile.

When Silus leaned forward and then stood, Briana moved and set her bare feet on the floor. He told her of his morning plans and she smiled, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I should do the same..." she said giving her arms and legs a stretch before getting to her feet. "Since you think Inner Mind might be helpful for me, guess I should go. Ummmm... Yeah. I'll see you around. Oh, Silus.... Thanks.... For everything," Briana said, sticking her hands into the pockets of her sweatshirt and returning his smile. As she headed to the stairs that lead her back up to her room, Briana was glad here wasn't a telepath nearby....Way to go, Bri... Nice job turning that into a giant mess... she scolded herself.

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