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"Chapter Eight: Dreamscapes"
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Such a strange place. Almost like...
Hilda couldn't seem to describe it, and yet, it seemed somewhat familiar. She looked down at herself and saw that she was no longer standing in the strange gateway. Nor was she wearing her own clothing. Skin-tight pants had replaced her loose khakis, and a long sleeve, white shirt had replaced her top. Strange strips were on her skin and clothing. Almost like what you would find in a computer.
Suddenly, she could see a figure in the distance... floating towards her. The figure was slim and petite, obviously a woman. She looked like she had wings, but not those of an angel. She had the wings of a butterfly, and they glowed, a warm orange color that reminded Hilda of the sunlight. Tears formed in her eyes as she recognized the figure. It looked just like her mother.
As of the woman has read her thoughts, she smiled and placed a loving hand on Hilda's cheek. "I am the half of Melfina that stayed with the Leiline. I am not the mother that you grew up with, although her and I were still connected. I know you as you know me, through her. I knew you would come," replied Melfina, drawing Hilda into her embrace.
Hilda had to stop herself from sobbing. With a few deep breaths, she tried to speak. "But...w-why? Why am I here?"
Melfina drew back a bit and smiled. "Because it is your legacy. You are the guardian of the Leiline, or a part of you is. Now, you have desire that the Leiline can grant you. Anything that you wish will be yours, but think carefully."
Hilda blinked a few times, a million wishes rushing through her head. I want to see my father, I want my parents back, I want to be with my family, I want to be rich... and so on, but her mouth opened, and when she spoke, she was amazed at her own words. "I wish that Harry McDougall were to be made whole."
Leiline Melfina stopped for a moment, staring at her daughter. "What do you mean?"
"After everything that has happened to him, all he has survived. He has been put through so much. He deserves to have a happy life. Wipe his slate clean. Erase every evil deed he has done from his memory. Make whole what the maddness has fragmented."
Leiline Melfina thought for a moment. "We can heal him, heal his mind, but memories cannot be erased. He will have to live with what he has done." Melfina smiled when she saw her daughter nod. "There is just one more thing. I know that your wish wasn't one for yourself and I know what you would wish for yourself. So this is my wish, for you. A gift to my only daughter."
Hilda was about to ask what the wish was, but the area next to her began to shimmer. A form appeared, and if Hilda hadn't been floating, she would have dropped in a dead faint when she saw who it was. "Impossible."
"That's my line, but here I am. Not for long, though. The barriers of life and death are not easily crossed, and only precious time is utilized on the other side." Gene Starwind stood before his daughter, a loving smile on his face and pride in his dark eyes. Without saying a word, he wrapped his arms around his daughter and held her.
Hilda broke down and cried. It was as if she was a young child again. She was now held in the one place she ever felt truly safe to be herself and hold nothing back. "Oh Daddy, I missed you so much."
"Hilda, I'm not sure how or why I'm here. All I know is that I am so proud of you. You've grown so much. You blossomed out of that tomboy five year old that I knew into a beautiful woman, even if you are still a bit of a tomboy. And I am so sorry that I couldn't be there for you. I was watching, but it's not the same."
She shook her head and pulled back a bit, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "No, Dad you have always been there with me. Right here," she placed her hand over her chest, over her heart. "You were my inspiration." She laughed slightly, pointing to the scar on her face. "See?"
He smiled, running his hands over the thin scar. "Yep, I see that." He glanced up at Melfina and sighed. "I have to go. I just want you to know that I love you. And I always will."
She nodded. "I know Daddy. I know. I love you to."
He smiled, and suddenly he began to fade. Hilda couldn't help the tears that fell from her eyes as she watched him vanish. Then she turned her eyes back on Leiline Melfina, but she too was gone. "Now, you must go," said Melfina's voice. "Good bye."
Everything around Hilda began to fade to black. And her clothing, her whole body, began to glow blue. Again in the distance, she saw a figure coming towards her. This time though, it looked like... Hilda!
The mirror image flew up until she was face-to-face with Hilda. The other Hilda glowed the same soft orange color that Leiline Melfina had been emitting. "What is this?" asked Hilda, confused at the appearance of a woman that was her exact duplicate.
The other Hilda offered her a small smile. "I am the part of you that belongs to the Leiline. My place, is here, with the Leiline. With you, this knowledge ends...they're will no longer be a way to find the Leiline, so do not fear for any children you may have. You must leave now. You're place is out there, with the ones that love you."
Hilda nodded, and watched as the orange figure vanished into the darkness. "Now, I wanna get the hell outta here."
Z
"Where is she? Where is she?" murmured Aisha, her ears twitching slightly as she tried to patch up Jim's side. They were still inside the Outlaw Star, now floating next to the Shangri-La. They had seen Hilda go escape from the ship and head into the Leiline. Jim had insisted on letting her go alone, but Aisha was getting worried. Suddenly, the engine in the Shangri-La fired up, and they turned and took off. "I wonder what sent them off
like that," murmured Jim.
Suddenly, the alarm went off. Aisha ran to the cockpit, and was amazed to see that the control board had reactivated. A thick, white smoke exploded into the cockpit, and when it cleared, Hilda sat in the pilot's seat. "All right guys," she cried. "Let's go! We're getting out of here!"
"You have no idea how good it is to see you!" announced Jim, jumping into his seat.
"I was worried," announced Aisha, as she climbed up into her own seat.
"I thought the Ctral-ctral didn't care about anyone," joked Suzuka, as she slid into the seat she'd claimed when she'd first joined Gene so long ago.
"Cut the joking. When we're out of here, then we can all have a good laugh," snapped Hilda, flipping switches across the board. "Gilliam? You ready to split?"
"Yes, ma'am."
And with that, the Outlaw Star escaped from the Leiline. From a distance, the watched the Leiline vanish. The only thing visible was the vast expanse of starry space that Hilda had grown up with. She couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face. She had found something, and lost a part of herself in this adventure, but, all in all,. she felt that she had come out on top, and that's what mattered. This time, no one would be able to find
the Leiline, and everything was as it should be.
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