all_inclusive | Entries tagged with zz: wanderer

Any entries earlier than this were pre-reboot.

113 years of isolation and hard work seemed to have paid off in the form of this beautiful facility and the realization of a pipe dream to have the Sanctuary network completely unfettered by any government. They were well and truly independent, able to operate as they saw fit, and were a neutral safe haven for any and all Abnormals who might come to them.

It was the one thing that Helen's father had always wanted and now, long after her own life should have been over, had been achieved by his daughter. She had ever been her father's daughter and this seemed like the culmination of his work and a gift that she only wished he could see for himself; Helen missed him every single day.

Now that everything was in place and running smoothly, it was time to reveal this surprise to those she held dearest. She had already said her goodbyes to most people and planned only to introduce a very few into her new life - Will, Henry, Kate. Will was first, of course, as her protege and Helen was nervous for the first time in a very long time. Would he be able to forgive her? Would he understand her need for secrecy and subterfuge, would he be able to forgive the seeming betrayal and embrace her once more? Helen didn't know. She did not know how many times a person could flip sides without losing another person's trust irrevocably and she hoped that she hadn't gone too far this time.

She took in a deep breath and pulled open the door that led to the surface, ready to welcome Will down to her new Sanctuary and, hopefully, his new home but instead of a dingy Old City street, she saw the soft carpeting and low, warm lighting of what appeared to be a hotel. Helen had experienced a great many strange things in her life but she had never opened a door expecting one thing and found another thing entirely. Was it some sort of Abnormal creating an illusion? She had, in fact, experienced a very in-depth hallucination within the last year that made her think she had a whole other life but even that illusion had held to the rules of logic in some ways. This was not logical at all.

Leaving the door propped open so she could still see a sliver of her old world behind her, she pushed into this new world, determined to find out just precisely how it was that her Sanctuary led to this hotel that she'd never seen before. Perhaps it would be better if she were armed but one could never be in a perfect position for adventure, could they?

Nothing to do but press on.

safeashouses

In the interest of full disclosure, I haven't actually done much to assimilate into the Nexus. My sister loved it here and loved everything about being in the hotel but I didn't trust things I didn't understand and I had just gone from one crazy bottleneck to another without being able to see my family in between. It was disorienting and confusing and I spent most of my time trying to figure out a way to get back to the caves and back to my brother.

I wasn't successful.

I had read somewhere once that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same result and now, finally, after two months of trying and trying to get back home I was finally giving up. Done. That was it. I was just going to embrace my new screwy life in the hotel and just enjoy the fact that I did have Wanderer and Nick even if I couldn't get back to Jamie and the others. I just wished I could open the door once, just long enough to shepherd my family and friends into safety before closing it again permanently. It wasn't meant to be.

With my newfound lease on life, I decided it was high time I finally got a job. I had been subsisting on the buffet and trying my best to make everything I had last as long as possible but now I wanted to work. I wanted something I could put my hands on, something to help me work out the stress and frustrations of the day. I tried my hand at waiting tables but it turned out that I was terrible at it. I don't really have a memory for orders and working quickly didn't come easily to me. After throwing my tray down and storming out, I wound up joining the maintenance and grounds crew. That was something I was good at. I liked fixing things and I had a decent knowledge of minor repairs after so long on the run. I could hack that.

That was what found me outside just before dawn started pinking the sky, laying mulch in one of the many gardens at the Nexus. It was easier to do this before the sun got high in the sky and it was hot and I wanted to take advantage of it.

safeashouses

July 1st, 2014 | Nexus Hotel

Melanie turns up in a hotel straight from an island. It's an upgrade, especially with friends and family around.

In Progress | All Ages

tenthlife

I had to admit, gardening at the hotel was much easier here at the hotel than it had ever been on the island. As soon as I'd seen the lush gardens here I knew I wanted to be a part of working on them and when I'd found a plot suitable for the herbs I loved to grow, it felt like a perfect fit.

Or as perfect a fit as possible in the strange place I'd found myself.

Gone were the days of scrounging whatever I could find on the island as far as gardening tools went, the same was true for seeds and food for the plants. It reminded me of how life in the caves had changed after I'd started raiding with the humans. Food, clothing, vitamins and medicine had all upgraded from barely getting by to a form of luxury most of the humans hadn't known since before the Souls arrived on their planet.

And I enjoyed working with my hands, providing a service to the others at the hotel. Apart from again being the only alien in a dwelling full of humans, I felt more like myself - fulfilling a calling that would benefit the community.

I couldn't stop the smile when that line of thought reminded me of Eric. Even though I knew that Nick wasn't happy with my choice to help him, I'd stood my ground with him and he'd stopped glaring so much about it. Or at least, he'd stopped glaring where I could see him do it. I was glad to find him here, a familiar face among so many new humans, as well as one that knew me, and knew Mel.

I stopped my rambling thoughts when I realized the basket I'd been placing my cuttings in had been filled to the brim. I stood and gave my back a good stretching, pulled off my gloves and put them in my pocket. It was time to take these back to my room to separate out what needed to be dried for medicinal use and which bundled and dropped off at the kitchen.

"Not bad for a few hours work," I said to the gardens around me and started for the door back into the hotel itself.

Find Wanderer either in the gardens or in the hotel on the way back to her room with a basket filled with greenery

tenthlife

After another night spent asleep on the sand, I thought it might be a better idea to go to the Compound for a shower before heading back to the empty hut filled with memories of the sister I'd lost. Again. I wanted to be happy for the time we'd been able to spend together on the island - time to get to know each other face to face rather than consciousness to consciousness. Maybe someday I'd find that feeling. Now, though, there was too much sadness and loss mixed in to find anything positive. There was a part of me that longed for other lives long past where emotion, if it existed, was more muted. I hadn't had any at all as a flower, or a bat. Existence had been very simple there.

But I also remembered how unfulfilling it had been and how, as my host's life-term had neared, I knew I wouldn't be remaining on those planets but moving on again. Then I'd found out about Earth while rooted to the sea forest on the water planet and knew I'd be going there. Here. Little had I known then just what I was in for on Earth. I had mobility again, something I missed more than I'd realized, but emotions as well. I remembered them from the Mists planet and wanted to experience them again. Little did I realize at the time just how much...more human emotions could be. They were overwhelming to my new life at first, even discounting Melanie's manipulation of them at first.

It was strange, I knew, that the very emotions I'd come for had been the reason I'd nearly left my host body behind and gone to another body, or another planet. I wondered, as I walked towards the Compound, if my life wouldn't have been simpler if I'd done just that. It would have been. No fear, no anger, no sadness. Just a peaceful existence on Earth like the rest of the Souls. Fulfilling my calling as a teacher at the University, doing my part of help with the upkeep of the community, living out my host's short century life term before moving on yet again.

Yes, it would have been simpler. I would have missed out, though, on what it truly was to be human. And though the sadness still choked me at times, I could find happiness that I hadn't skipped. That I'd stayed and seen far more than the other Souls on Earth ever would.

With that in mind, I pulled open the door to the showers, stepped through...and stopped.

The air was different. Cool, dry. Not dry like the desert, dry like the buildings I'd been in on raids. Everything else was different, too. The furnishings, the carpet, all of it. I'd never seen anything like this on the island. I thought, for a moment, that whatever force changed things here might be behind the new area, so I tried to go back out the door I'd just opened. It didn't open, the doorknob didn't turn so much as a fraction in either direction.

I shrank back against it and looked around. Was I back in my own time again? I didn't think I'd ever been in a place like this - not before I ran away, not on any of the supply raids with the humans. Pet's fragile heart pounded in my chest and I had to work to control my breathing.

I heard the sound of someone approaching and looked around wildly, thinking of nothing but hiding until I could discover where I was. Or who was here. I found nothing but a small decorative table that had no chance of concealing me. Resigned, I did the best I could.

"Excuse me," I said, my voice softer than usual but still carrying. "Could you tell me where I am?"

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