Shards of A

(Takes place 16.12.2006)

Morning after she went away

When he opened his eyes the room was already filled with faint light from the outside. If the morning was this far he had slept way more than he had intended. Andre sat up rubbing the sleep sand from his eyes and let the morning drowsiness settle. Piece by piece the reality made itself known once again.

He looked around the room. There was no one else in there. Oh yes, Nadia had left yesterday morning on her quest of self-discovery and would be away for who knew how long. The separation hadn't gone all that well and for the first time in months Andre was horribly aware of the fact that his future was uncertain.

For months at first he had known for an unalterable fact that Nadia would be there with him. Then she had said she would leave him once they found the other Nadia that she was a copy of. Certainties, even if directly opposite. All this had behind the conscious mind shredded his meager sense of trust and confidence. When Nadia was leaving all his doubts had surfaced with a vengeance and he found out just how thinly he was now stretched.

He wanted certainties, guarantees of the future. A simple promise from the woman who said she loved him and would be with him. A promise she couldn't give. So she just walked and left him with his doubts and terrible feeling of emptiness.

Now the future was unknown territory. No promises. No certainties. Just possibilities and probabilities that shifted as events took place, even unexpected events. Especially unexpected events. Unexpected feelings. He buried his face into his hands and listened.

Clatter of plates. Music, or maybe singing? There was an aroma of freshly made coffee in the air. He got out of the bed and slipped into the civvy clothes. Then he pulled the bedroom door open.

"Good morning.", the woman said smiling happily.

Finally the most recent events from the last night flooded back. "Morning, Melanie.", Andre replied.

_________________
- Coile * The Silent Tempest
"There is nothing really supernatural at it but it is extraordinary that a schoolgirl can do it so good." -description of Love Angel

(Takes place 19.12.2006)

She's not my date, just a friend

Another evening together. Another night, as well. Another morning with breakfast.

Andre was unsure what to say and nibbled the toast absentmindedly. Things had not so much spiraled out of his control than plummeted far beyond salvage. A week ago things had been so very different. A kick caught his ankle. "Hey, I woke you up already once this morning. Looking for an encore?" He became again aware of the presence of Nightsparrow and tried to comprehend what she just said. The woman broke into a smile. "Geez Coile, we talked about not getting all uncomfortable afterwards, whatever happened."

"Sorry Melanie, just a lot of things on my mind.", he said quietly. She huddled a coffee mug between her hands and leaned forward. "Is that so?" She had found a perfect shirt that conferred to the 'dress decently' rule while allowing maximal exposure of her natural assets. "You didn't by any chance get any thinking done during the night?", she asked.

A half-eaten toast was hanging from his fingers as he searched for an answer that he could give. Melanie snapped her fingers. "I have your attention now which is good but eyes up here when I talk to you." His only reply was a querying, "What?". The vigilante woman snapped her fingers again. "Look into my eyes when I'm talking to you and leave my boobs alone for a second. Or otherwise I have to put a quota on how much you can spend time with them. I asked you something."

After a night with too little time for sleep his mind was always stiff in the morning. Finally a sluggish train of thoughts arrived at a station. "No, sorry. I really have to, you know, go and bury Kitia first. I guess she meant more to me than I thought and I just have to close the childhood chapter finally. Then it's time to think what I'm going to be." After a quiet moment he added quietly, "And who I'm going to be with."

He actually wanted to break the eye contact, for two reasons. Talking about Kitia was getting him emotional again and the burning sensation behind the eyes was a sign of an outburts of grief that he would rather have avoided. He also was not entirely comfortable with all the things that had happened since they met for the party last night. Talking about possible futures. About feelings. Admissions of them, even. Using one word definitions about lasting commitment in a two person relationship. Andre blinked but just could not look away.

If Melanie was ready for a marriage she was more certain of herself and her feelings than Nadia had ever been. Why else, reasoned Andre, would she refuse the last step, time and again? Once more his facade of composure began to crack. No wow of commitment would stop this now. When Nadia had walked away his world had collapsed. Now he would take his time to rebuild it, all on his own. As he had explained to Melanie, he could not be with anyone before he could be with himself. That is why he was going away and leaving his old life behind.

She held the gaze without mercy and his eyes in it. "Remember, I won't wait forever."

_________________
- Coile * The Silent Tempest
"There is nothing really supernatural at it but it is extraordinary that a schoolgirl can do it so good." -description of Love Angel

(Takes place 27.12.2006)

Moving out

Christmas-related junkmail littered the floor like dead leaves an autumn street near a lush park. Coile kicked them around enough to bulldoze a semi-free trail from the front door to coat hangers. He hung his quilted jacket and untied the boots and then set to take a look around his Talos Island apartment. Well, not exactly his, which was the point of this. It was Nadia's apartment which she rented. She owned what was inside and his possessions could be stuffed into one sizeable suitcase which was more a portable trunk.

He was well into this activity when the doorbell rang, It was Diana who had already visited home and disposed of her considerable amount of luggage. The first thing she did even before getting inside was starting to gather the mail into a neat pile abd only after clearing a neat way in she pulled the door close. The mail which was exclusively just colourful ads for last minute pre-Christmas sales was set in an orderly fashion on a small hall table and only after she removed her shoes.

"So, this is where you live? This is surprsingly tidy." Diana looked around appreciatively. A spacious, clean apartment which was tidy and orderly. "I clean it often.", was Coile's reply as he checked once more over the place to see if any of his belongings remained. He caught Diana's surprised look. "She goes to the office in the morning. I keep the place clean about daily before I head out to bash baddie heads:" Everything seemed to be packed.

Diana assumed a pre-defiant posture by crossing her arms and staring sternly at the older guy, older by a little bit more than three years. "Now, what are your exact plans? You promised to come back to look after me and I promised to watch after you. So, when are you going, where, and when are you going back?"

One more glance was just as futile that the last one. Everything that he owned and had kept here was now stashed into his suitcase. "I'll go now meet Kacey, have scuba lessons tonight and tomorrow, and then day after head to Jamaica. I'll come back right after the new year's."

"And where will you sleep? Obviously not here. And you can't come over, mom will be home." She was still convinced that poor Coile would do something silly. Something so silly it would prove dangerous. He was not still in a fit state of mind, not by far. "I don't know, maybe in base. I'll see. I really can't stay here you know."

She sighed and nodded. He could be so stubborn with these things and it would not gain anything to argue about it. How much trouble could he land into just by sleeping someplace? She shuddered. A lot, that's what. Coile handed her a key. "Please water the plants, daily if possible. Especially that one by the big window, it's special to Nadia." Diana closed the key into her hand. "The plants will be fine while you're gone." She hoped that also Coile would be.

He kissed her cheek and smiled. "Thanks Diana, you're an angel." He picked up his suitcase. "I'll see you around, and stay in contact. Maybe even tonight, depends on Kacey and training." He walked to the door and got boots on. "Sky goddess watch over you." He closed the door behind himself and headed to Independence Port.

_________________
- Coile * The Silent Tempest
"There is nothing really supernatural at it but it is extraordinary that a schoolgirl can do it so good." -description of Love Angel

(Takes place 29.12.2006)

Seasons in the sun

The first thing to hit him when Coile got out of the plane on Kingston airport was the intense sunlight, and right after that the tropic humidity slammed him on his face. He was grateful to Kacey who had adviced to wear light under the seasonal clothing fit for late-December Paragon City. Just by removing the excess wintergear on the plane secured a comfortable feeling without the risk of a heat stroke.

He followed the white-skinned and -haired companion of his through the customs and finally to the streets of the Jamaican capital. However there was no time for sightseeing. Kacey caught a cab and in they went with their rather light luggage. Well before he grew bored of watching the exotic acrhitecture the streets were left behind and the scenery took a more nature oriented form. Tropical green dominated all around as the cab headed towards their destination near Morant Bay.

Kacey kept smoking most of the trip and watched the Jamaican countryside roll by. When a mountain got into a view briefly she pointed it out to Coile and nodded approvingly. "If we had more time on this trip we could also go see local caves and sinkholes." Coile was reminded of one of Kacey's dreams. Well, not dreams since she more planned in advance than dreamed. Her intent was to decent far into the Earth. He had no idea if the local caves went deep enough or not, or what would be sufficient for her.

Nor did he have the attention span to care. He was on an adventure to dive underseas to experience the wonders of the sub-marine world. He hoped that the expedition surveyors had found a sunken ship that they all could go look and see. Even if both were awaiting the coming days filled with scuba and exhilarating moments within the deep blue there was one fundamental difference. For Coile this was an adventure, a deviation of his mundane life and a break into something different. For Kacey this was a chosen lifestyle.

Albeit he didn't know his travel companion well at all Coile had already from the chance meetings throughout weeks in Paragon City gathered an image of a daredevil woman who held no care nor responsibilities. She just lived on top speed regardless of the action. Now it was diving, a while back it had been hiking through some rarely-trodden part of the world whose name he had already forgotten. She was no stranger to mountaineering, skydiving and probably to most extreme manifestations that tickled the fancy of thrillseeking mankind. Next on her list was live, active volcanoes. Coile didn't know if she intended to climb the inside wall of one but would not have been surprised if it was so.

He was very grateful indeed. The day before he left for Kitia's funeral he had once again met Kacey, this time in Pocket D. She had unceremonously recruited him to race with skiis in the chalet and a little to his amazement he had agreed. There was something relaxing in the way she treated him. Everytime they got to the bottom of the slope she told him how many gates he had missed and that was it. There was no smuggness or judgment and she had congratulated him when he finally got all the gates and even beat her in the race.

Now that he was thinking of it Kacey was treating him as one of the guys. Which could have been seen as a funny thing as she herself was a woman but there was a lack of sexual tension between them and that filled him with relief. That tension was one of the things he was running from. When she had first proposed that he could join her on this trip the only thing that had deterred him was his intent of spending time after the funeral on the farm. His plan had been to stay there even when Diana would go back home after Christmas. However there had been things that made staying home more or less impossible. He needed to be elsewhere and Kacey's offer of New year's in Jamaica was spot on. So, here he was.

The hotel was of the smaller kind and well away from the main chunk of Morant Bay. A perfect location for the gathering Coile had by invitation become a part of. Outwardly it was a motley crew from all over the place covering many nations and probably most of the continents. If not all, Coile mused. If any group anywhere would have a natural born Antarctican in their midst this was it. He had understood that this was a sort of leisure gettogether of all the extremist lifestylers and was sponsored by one firm or another. A little further away he spotted a camera crew of a Japanese sports channel. Coverage to the masses was the price of the sponsorship that none present seemed to mind paying.

Inside the hotel Coile followed Kacey who got a key and went to the second floor. She opened a door and went in. He stood in the doorway and looked both ways. "So, which is my room?" Kacey threw her bag on the bed. "If you didn't get one, you don't have one."

He stood there in a mild shock. "What?" Kacey kicked her bag on the floor, threw herself on the bed and lit a cigarette. "If you didn't reserve a room, you don't have one. Additionally, I doubt you'll get one from this hotel anyway. I booked mine in October and I know people who have to stay in bigger hotels further away." All he could do was stand still and blink. She shot him a smile. "I didn't fry your nuts so far which means you don't snore. You can bunk here. Or go to an expensive hotel ten kilometers from here."

Unexpected turns of events had previously left him in disarray before but somehow being free and just on his own let his mind reach conclusions quicker. He didn't have any money of his own. How could he, he had never worked for pay in his life. Since arrival to Paragon City their upkeep had been paid by their father and not too many days ago Coile had decided to cut that lifeline too. So, this offer was the best he was going to get. "Okays.", he said.

"Two conditions man. I smoke, and I can watch telly without anyone whining." She kept a level stare. He shrugged and stepped in. "No problems." Then he looked around with a small worry starting to manifest on his face. The room was small. The bed was once again one of those that was less than double but more than single. Trying to fit two such beds into this one room would be impossible. He looked at the floor, and sighed. The woman whose skin pigment would have allowed her to play the lead role in any Snow White production grinned. "I can share the bed if you don't have cold feet. Otherwise it's fry time."

There was a time not too long ago when such a suggestion would have made Coile want to fly out of the window in a fit of panic. To share a bed with a woman he wasn't involved with. He recalled how awkward it had been sharing a tent with Nadia on their trek to Khan Tengri before they became a couple. The first instinct was to decline outright but a recent example was nagging at him. He had slept with Diana in the same bed for all but one night on the farm and nothing questionable had taken place. He was, if he wanted to, capable of sharing a bed. Was not the idea of this whole trip to find his true limits rather than to fall back to the box he so desperately was crawling out of? "Okays.", he said again.

The day was spent by the water and in the water. The group grew slowly bigger as more and more people flocked to the place. Old acquaintances were renewed, stories were swapped and equipment was carefully tested. The real deal would kick off the following day. Coile was introduced to quite many people and he spent two hours diving with Kacey and others in the relatively shallow waters near the coastline. The water was clear and he was enjoying himself tremendously.

As the night fell the troupe disbanded and each headed to their respective resting places. There was no reason to be knackered in the morning when full strength and concentration was needed. Part of living it to the full was getting a decent rest so that the experiences could be appreciated for real. Coile entered the small lodging they had having gone to the loo and was stopped dead on his tracks just as the door behind him slammed shut.

Kacey was already in bed, as expected. The small television was displaying a local show of some sort with voice on and his bed buddy was reading some hang gliding journal she'd got from some friend of hers. None of these things so much as touched his mind. There she was, on the bed, stark buck naked. Her skin really was completely white all over. All over. Even if he was looking for new challenges finding a naked woman in his bed unexpectedly made him blush. Kacey just glanced at him.

"Hop in, I'll hit the lights in ten max after I finish reading this piece." Then she smiled, noting the somewhat horrified look on his face. "Relax. I know you got skirts waiting for you back home, Miss Boobs and all. Besides I'm not in a mood for some bang tonight anyway. Now get in bed and start sleeping, we have an early wake-up call coming." She focused back to her magazine.

To sleep in the same bed with a woman who was barely an acquaintance, that he could do. But she had no clothes on! The anxiety attack was looming in him. How in the blazes was he supposed to relax in these conditions? Let alone sleep. Then again, what were his options? Quick round of elimination left his alternatives slim. And, if he really thought of it, what would be the worst to happen? If she wanted to put some moves on him she could have done that even if wearing bra and knickers. Her offer seemed to be a genuine one. 'Sleep next to me, because it's the smartest move under the conditions.'

Something gave in, some fundamental piece in his persona. The crack was inaudible to an ear but would have been plain to an eye if anyone was looking at him. Time to let go of the old. His old life with Nadia was over. Having spoken to Diana about Emmily had vanquished some ghosts leaving only the concrete nausea and fears. What was he going to be like for the rest of his life? Let the fears rule him forever? He smiled and sat on the bed and laid himself down. "Okays.", he said, and added as a afterthought, "Good night, Kacey."

"Night man. Remember, no snoring." She folded the magazine and shut the lights.

_________________
- Coile * The Silent Tempest
"There is nothing really supernatural at it but it is extraordinary that a schoolgirl can do it so good." -description of Love Angel

(Takes place 2.1.2007)

It's my life

The darkness had already long since evaporated with the sunlight. Andre stared out of the window at the new scenenery outside his new home with his new girlfriend who had new plans for their new future. A penthouse. Their own penthouse. In Founders' Falls. Fully furnished. For a short while his future had been uncertain, full of possible destinations. For a brief moment in time his life was what he would make of it. That window had flickered into existence and out again. He had chosen. One path had solidified while all the rest had vanished like wisps of fog.

He thought of Nadia, half a country away. Alone, hurting. It would have been the road of least misery. Sparrow would have just missed the chance to be with him. Now Nadia was facing a reality where their ways separated for real. For good. Still he could not bring himself to return to her. The fears that had plagued him were still there and they held him in their grip. Being with Nadia had only intensified that inner terror. When it had ended he had noticed the difference. He had been a very selfish man and set his own happiness in front of everyone else's. When he had decided to be with Melanie it had gotten better still.

Better. He was more at peace. Calmer. More balanced. The price of it was a new family, a new future. They had been together for less than a day before Lady Cobra had gifted them with a penthouse. Not just an apartment, small or large. A whole floor of a skyscraper. The topmost floor. It was a long way down to the streets riddled with Crey's workers, Rikti soldiers and other menaces. A safe distance for them, and for their children. Two or three of them, maybe more. And later on grandchildren. One of them would grow up to be a vigilante like her grandmother Nightsparrow.

Rubbing the eyes did not make him see any clearer. There was a dark future ahead where Melanie's consciousness had been converted into artificial intelligence. It would have been just fiction to him if only he had not come face to face with that exact situation in his own life just recently. All the ND-units that had looked after him and Andrea all their life, they were no mere robots programmed by their father. They each had housed a larger and larger chunk of their real mother's persona with each passing upgrade. When Melanie had told of that future he had promised to never inflict such a fate to the woman he loved.

Loved. His life was insanity. How could one love die like that? How could a new develop so fast? He remembered back across months when Xan had inquired if Andre had feelings towards Dawn. It had been so clear then. Even if he thought Nadia dead he still firmly loved her and Dawn was just a friend. Now Nightsparrow who had been just a friend was sleeping in their bed in their bedroom in their penthouse. This was wrong, so wrong.

How could he be so happy? Nadia was not. He had hurt the woman he had for months vowed to protect from all harm. He had failed. Nadia was hurting, Coila was dead, Kitia was dead. He claimed to be a protector, not a soldier. Some protector. And yet he could not just give up. There were matters he needed to tend to, matters that spelled disaster. In two hours he would be going to see his father and ask about who his real mother had been, and what had happened to ND-4, the latest model. And there was Emmily.

He had told Melanie what Emmily had done. All the twisted things that he had submitted to. There was no other word for it. Was he not a man trained in physical combat for years now? Surely stopping a girl from hitting him was not a feat at all. Hitting? Beating up. Severely. All the time. Beating and committing other things that had sent Melanie into a fit of rage, and a ventilation duct into scrapyard. Now it was time to wrap that part of his life up, confront Emmily and make the final offer for genuine help. She needed help so badly.

Melanie would go with him. Originally he had planned to go there all alone, after Jamaica, but Melanie's phone call had disrupted the flow. Her confession of deep love over long distance call had directed his intentions, formed his wishes, enabled him to see that one future with clarity. In that future he was happy. He made a leap of faith.

Now he stood looking out of his own penthouse. Theirs.

Steps behind approached. Hands wrapped around him and a bare chest pressed against his back. A kiss landed on his neck. "Good morning, dearie. Have you been up long?" Melanie pressed her head against his back and just held.

Andre blinked and looked outside once more. The dark possible future faded from his mind. This was now, this was theirs now, the house, the future, the destiny. He was a selfish dirty traitor who was going to face his fiercest demons and yet he was happy. So very happy. He put his hands over hers and closed his eyes. This was his life now.

_________________
- Coile * The Silent Tempest
"There is nothing really supernatural at it but it is extraordinary that a schoolgirl can do it so good." -description of Love Angel

Last edited by Coile on Thu Jan 04, 2007 10:45 pm; edited 1 time in total

City of Madison, Wisconsin, 29/12/2006

The dark skinned woman was staring at the idle lake. Her heavy clothing was shielding her from the slight breeze and fresh air. Temperature was almost freezing now and snow was expected for the coming week.
By summer, there is almost always a horde of students there. Tables and chairs, placed outside the university cafeteria, close to the red tiled roofs of the dormitories. An ideal place to spend time chatting, relaxing, flirting.
The lake was now empty of the usual ballet of sailboats, white dots over blue water during the warmer months.
A lot of people come here to have a change in mind. Years ago, she was coming too, to observe birds or walk, at that special place called Picnic Point, one of the most popular spot in summer. You just had to walk from the university bay until you arrived at that green, scenic, place.
But today, in the late days of December, none of this. The sky was partly cloudy, the sun couldn't warm the earth, the students found their haven inside the cafeteria and there was no sailboat.

She was sitting, having taken a chair just for her alone, by the lake shore, on the terrace of the cafeteria. Nadia came to Madison to think about her life and what she truly wanted, what she considered she could accept.
Madison is a peculiar town. How did she become fond of the place is quite a mystery, even for her. She not even had spend a whole year of her life there, barely nine months, six years ago. But those months were happy, without worries and the town is far from being a bustling nest of metropolitan activity.
Someone once told her that Madison look a lot like European towns. No towering skyscrapers, shops in downtown, quite packed and not spread out all over the countryside.
She never went to Europe and to her, Madison looked like many other Midwest medium sized towns.
Still, the first word when she thought about the place in the later years was "cozy".

Preparing for the coming winter and its harsh climate, the town was slowering its activity. Less people outside, the ones you could see were rushing from one place to the other, it was nighttime by 5pm. Snow was already occasionally falling on the northern half of the state. Her friend Kelly talked about having a trip to Christie Mountain, to change her mind. But she preferred Madison and its numbing environment.

Kelly. Kelly Baker. Actually not even a friend two weeks ago, at best an old acquaintance, stored into memories of those nine months here.
She was surprised to meet the blonde woman again, it was so unexpected.
Kelly was a student like her, back to those days, aiming at a doctorate of juridical science when Nadia was studying legal institutions. They didn't really get along by then., only acknowledged each other existence, having common friends.
When Nadia arrived at Madison, she headed to the university, trying to find the peace of mind in a place she knew and appreciated. And Kelly was here.
Kelly was coming from Barrington, an obscure small town in Illinois, in the distant Chicago suburb. She was a true Midwesterner and kept reminding each time she could that Abraham Lincoln came from Illinois. And she was a fan of the Chicago Cubs.
Nadia was quite the opposite. Coming from Paragon City metropolis on the eastern coast, she was used of not seeing farther than a mile away at best because of tall buildings.
Kelly was Caucasian and blonde, Nadia was Afro-American. Kelly liked jelly and watching "The Young and the Restless", Nadia couldn't stand any. The blonde was collecting boyfriends, Nadia was hiding her gaze behind sunglasses. One was skiing every winter when the other was afraid to go to Perez Park alone.
And Kelly stayed at Madison when Nadia went back to Paragon City. For one of them, the Rikti invasion was mostly TV news and occasional lights in the eastern sky, for the other, it was a day to day struggle to survive amidst ruins.

They both met again in the university cafeteria. Kelly recognized Nadia as the later had already renewed her habit of drinking hot coffee by the window bay while reading book. Same place, same habit, same sunglasses.
Kelly had become a teacher at the university of Wisconsin. She never completed her doctorate but loving the university life, she applied and finally made her way in the Wisconsin education system.
The meeting was odd for Nadia as Kelly welcomed her as a long lost friend just coming back home. So far, it was still nice to find someone to discuss with and speak about the old times.
So it came naturally. Nadia and Kelly talking, exchanging news about what they became since. And that's how Nadia was immediately trapped again by her problem.

Nadia Forester, also known in Paragon City as the Sword of Truth is a heroine, a sword wielder, fast and holding her principles high.
But Nadia life also became a whole mess of uncertainties when she slowly discovered she was only a clone. A clone of the original Nadia, the original Sword of Truth, a woman who fell in an avalanche, to be later detained by a paramilitary and criminal organization during a cross-dimensional war. She discovered she was only that. An experiment, a project. Her existence only reduced to an operation codename, the Trojan Queen.
Indeed, the operation didn't go exactly as planned. Another hero, Andre Kraft, also known as Coile, a mighty mutant able to unleash bursts of energy, came and rescued his love, the original Nadia.
Rather, he saved the one who he believed to be his love. And the irony was the clone herself wasn't even aware of her own artificial nature and tailored, programmed, memory and mindset pattern.

When Kelly came to hug Nadia in that cafeteria, the problem showed its ugly head again. Either Nadia was going to tell she was only a clone of the person Kelly met years ago. Either she was leaving Kelly believe she was the original.
The decision should have been taken before. It was, indeed, even the purpose of Nadia trip : finally deciding what behavior to adopt and how to react to the original's friends.

But it was settled in a second. Nadia let Kelly hug her and even returned the hug. The damage was done. Nadia was lying by omission to Kelly.
It was the easy way. The clone living the life of the original. Nadia the clone was having exactly the same memories than Nadia the original.
Where was the harm then ?

In the cafeteria, that day of December, Kelly was believing to meet again someone she knew. Indeed, the clone was so similar to the original that it didn't matter. For Kelly. It couldn't matter until Kelly was made aware. But if the truth was kept hidden, no harm would be done on Kelly. Save the lie.
Indecision was ruling Nadia life. The clone couldn't choose between accepting to live a life, have friends, have love, that she didn't deserve.
On the other hand, it was the only life she knew, the only friends she had and the only love she ever felt.
Nadia friends in Paragon City became aware of the situation, eventually. They were heroes and heroines, used to hear, see odd things. None of them rejected her after learning her true nature.
Which was the second problem.

During her trip to Madison, Nadia was able to put a name on her problem. She called it the "syndrome of the clone".
Her deepest desire, being an artificial creation destined to mimic perfectly a true being, was to be recognized as a different individual. To be more than just a copy, to have her own identity, to be certain she was appreciated because she was unique.
Yet, when Nadia friends told her they didn't mind, they appreciated her, the clone understood it as "you are so close to the original we don't see a difference. And as we liked the original, we like you".
The offered friendship, tolerance to her nature, was a deny of her as an individual.
To Nadia, the clone, if the original was coming back to get back her right place, it wouldn't change a thing for her friends.
The inability of her friends to acknowledge her as an individual different from the original made slowly her universe collapse.
But who could blame them ? The clone was hoping to hear she was different from the original. Yet, she couldn't be different. The creation proved to be flawless. Every single second of the clone life was lived according to the original reactions and memories.
The syndrome of the clone : I want to be different but I can't.

So Nadia lied to Kelly, didn't tell her she was a clone.
What was different, still, was Kelly wasn't a true friend of the original. Kelly was a figure, known, seen, but not really a friend.
Going from simple and almost forgotten acquaintance to a surprisingly quick developing friendship. Kelly and her finally went immediately well together, found more topics to discuss now than they ever could have imagined years ago.
For the clone, it was like a revelation. Yes, Kelly came to her because she knew the original. But they weren't friends back then. And they were becoming friends fast, now.
So, they were both building a friendship, one the clone could claim as being hers.

Like with Andre, the original Sword of Truth love.
Andre and the original Nadia met months ago. The young man, newly arrived in Paragon City, pursued the original during weeks, more or less openly declaring his love. Tumultuous, sometimes thunderous, their relationship never went to the point of both of them being lovers.
The original had feelings for Andre. The clone was aware of that, having the exact same vivid memory of those days.
But it was the clone and Andre who turned it into a blossoming love.

Facing her true nature, the clone was devastated, there again believing she didn't deserve to have the love of Andre. But the man, patiently, slowly, convinced their story was theirs only.
That he might have love for the original but this love evolved into something greater that only the clone could be proud of.

Finally, maybe it was what all her friends were telling : "we appreciate you, even if you're a clone because what we are living us all is ours and only ours".
The main difference was only Andre made that kind of full statement.
Why Nadia didn't understand that earlier and left to Madison then ? Sometimes, it's easier when a complete stranger is telling you what your friends are telling.
And here, Kelly was that stranger. The clone couldn't suspect her to try to ease her discomfort of being a biological construct.
Nadia was overwhelmed by emotions, memories, mortally afraid of losing what she knew and at the same time unwilling to accept it even when freely and sincerely offered.

Leaving to Madison was a good idea. She foresaw she needed a break from Nadia life. Each day in Paragon City was forcing her to behave as the original. She needed a place to think.
Fortunately, she met Kelly and the process was speeded, like a super fast forward move. Or maybe Nadia had already reached the same conclusion. She just needed someone else to tell her.

Leaving Paragon City became an issue when Andre asked her to marry him.
Marriage…
Nadia couldn't be more jaded about marriage. She was happy enough to live with Andre, like any couple, without having that formality coming between them. She wanted something spontaneous, free, without obligation, without a legal frame to remind you signed for a married life.
She had seen many older couples, like her parents, staying together beyond reason just because of that paper.
Living with someone without constraint was the most beautiful gift to do, to her eyes. There, no reason to worry if someone stay with you because of a paper. Because with no legal constraint, you know love is sincere.
Andre became angry because of her refusal. He was aiming at stability, reassurance and marriage was a pillar for him, something to rely on.
She had trouble to understand why he went so angry. She told him she just needed a time away from Nadia fast moving life, that she wasn't going to vanish and will stay in contact. It was as if Andre was afraid she wouldn't come back, ever. He was so comprehensive even two days before her departure and suddenly made it an issue.
Maybe he had some hidden fear, wound, or someone scared him about the possibility Nadia wouldn't come back ?

It was inappropriate, not the moment, at all, to discuss marriage when she was heading away to think about her future. She left him in their apartment on Talos ialand, in Paragon City, angered, frustrated. She had hopes he would tell her goodbye with a smile and a kiss. It didn't happen.
Nadia knew it would be difficult to explain Andre why she was seeing a marriage almost as counter-productive in their relationship. Added to that her own difficulties to voice her thoughts when she was angered, the next weeks promised to be full of long discussions.

After a common friend funeral where Nadia and Andre were present, he gave her a letter. She was quite disturbed by his tone and comments. She was pained that none of the words written was "love" but she could understand. Andre, left alone, needed also time to think about what he wanted.
Attending the funeral was a difficult time. Nadia made the trip for the occasion, from Madison to the somewhat close Dakota state. Then came back.
She thought staying at Andre father's farm and trying to start talking with him. But at that time, she wasn't yet certain of her own thoughts. So instead of entering a confused discussion again, she went back to Madison again.

Christmas had passed. Kelly invited Nadia at her home. The now teacher at the Wisconsin university lived at Shorewood Hills, not far from the university itself. Just Campus Drive and University Avenue to go along.
Her place was nice and peaceful. And she had a kid.

Kelly married and divorced the same year. Not an uncommon thing in modern society. She kept her kid boy, a three years old redhead called Tom with a charming smile. The kind of smile who makes women hearts melt.
Nadia felt guilty of abandoning Andre on that night, of being away.
Indeed, so preoccupied with her thoughts, she even didn't notice the calendar coming to the end of the year. When she realized she was moving away from their home one week before christmas, it was too late.
At least, she knew she would be back for the New Year.

Nadia the clone couldn't be something different. She couldn't go against her nature, her being, her feelings and love.

The New Year. The time to start new things and change old.
It couldn't be a better moment for a renewed life for Nadia. Even if she was a clone.

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- The Sword of Truth * Silent Tempest

( Morning of 11.5.2007 )

Coile wandered idly along the streets of Founders' Falls. For a brief moment in time this warwalled zone had been his home. His future had been in here. Now it laid scattered in ruins, or locked away in a crypt in Astoria as it was.

The cool morning breeze could not get to him. The jacket kept the wind at bay which sadly did not prevent him from feeling cold. It was Melanie's old vigilante jacket, released from police evidence storage and refitted to suit him by Love Angel. The thought brought a small smile on his face. His life was not all bad. A pessimist would have remarked that it only meant that things could get worse and probably would too.

Once upon a time he could have just flown around but those days were in the past now. Strolling around was what he now did and this time it was on doctor's orders. To get some excercise but do not strain the left shoulder. It did not even occur to Coile to disagree or defy those orders. They had been given by Jane Bright, the most strict and uptight person that he had ever met. His doctor in this case, and Love Angel's mother. It was only a matter of time before someone would jokingly call Jane his mother-in-law. People seldom had a clue what they spoke about if he was the topic.

His aimless steps had brought him to Wayne Towers. For a moment he thought of entering the place. Maybe trying to look for those two winged people from last night. Song Thrush and Wavekite. Coile had a nasty feeling that he had swamped them with gloom and doom, Seeing what all had happened during the last year, well, throughout all his years, maybe his life was the poorest topic he could impose on others.

Then again, maybe he would meet them again, and could talk about other stuff. If he did not meet them again, maybe it made no sense to apologize. Lots of maybes. He fidgeted by the doors unsure what to do. Just as he was turning away to go he spotted three parchments attached to the doors. Being a little curious by nature he went to take a look.

Aria. Leaving. But only a little while ago she had still been here, assisting against the Crey and some nefarious plan of theirs to gas people. Coile took the parchment in his hand. Was she going for good? For now at least. Same as Subaiku. They were both elves or fairies. Maybe there was some faery war starting. And he was powerless to assist.

Carefully he rolled the parchment up and held it in his hand. If he did not meet her again at least he would have this one memento.

"Sky goddess watch your path, Aria.", he whispered into the wind. "Until we meet again."

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- Coile * The Silent Tempest
"There is nothing really supernatural at it but it is extraordinary that a schoolgirl can do it so good." -description of Love Angel