The Journey
PG. Unfinished. 03/07/2001.

"Between the swimmer in the skies
And the watcher from the water
Something is reached
For a moment, acknowledged
Lost--or is it shelter?"
--"Conversation By the Body's Light," Jane Cooper

"Still--Clad in your Mail of ices--
Thigh of Granite--and thew--of Steel--
Heedless--alike--of pomp--or parting"
--"Ah, Teneriffe!" Emily Dickinson

"Where do you want to go next?" She flashed her million-dollar smile at him, and he felt a small flash of guilt. How could he ever deserve her? She was light, and gold, and perfect, and what was he? Just another problem kid. A statistic.

She sighed. Damn, Gabriel thought. She heard me. He tried to pull his shield closer around him, like a blanket.

I don't think those'll work anymore. There she was, in his head again. She was right. If he reached out now, he could feel her thoughts, a beacon of love and warmth. He tried to reciprocate.

"Did you even hear what I just said, Gabriel?" From anyone else, it would have been harsh, but patience radiated from her. Get a grip, he said to himself. What was with him today?

"Um, yeah... Sorry, I got distracted. Why don't we just stay here?"

"Here" was Yosemite National Park, in Northern California.

Kaitlyn made a thoughtful little frown.

"No, I mean it, Kait. We could rent a cabin and stay a few days. I know you're dying to draw Half Dome." He could tell she was holding back because of him. She thought he wanted to be in a big dirty city, listening to live grunge bands. But he'd rather be here with her. Just the two of them. Yeah, he'd grown up in the city, but lately... lately all those minds pressing in on him could easily become too much. The effects of Zetes' crystal had been reversed when it was destroyed last year, but it couldn't change what he was. What he'd been born as. He still didn't think it was good to take from her. No matter how good it felt. She was a very strong psychic--as strong as him, if not more--but no one had infinite energy reserves. Not even Kessler. And certainly not Kaitlyn.

Her strange blue eyes looked back at him from the driver's seat. Suddenly he wished that damn storage compartment wasn't between them. He wanted to be closer...

"Okay, Gabriel, then let's go." She started the car up again and they returned to the road, following a sign directing them to campgrounds.

He shivered, and looked up. A storm was brewing.

End of fragment.

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