Adia Costas (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
chiron_survivor) wrote2019-01-16 12:34 pm
chiron_survivor) wrote2019-01-16 12:34 pm
Entry tags:
Sweet dreams.
Every month, when the moon is full, Adia has the strangest dreams.
Not the vivid nightmares that she occasionally has of Caspar dying from a poisoned spear, or Atlantis falling under a malevolent attack. And not the more mundane dreams of being back in school, except for some reason she hasn’t attended classes all semester and she has a final paper due and she can’t remember her locker combination. Those are normal dreams, or at least normal for what she’s lived through.
No, her dreams during a full moon are of a different nature entirely.
She is in the wilderness: a forest, a beach, the rolling foothills of a mountain. It is always night, and the stars in the sky are so close that if she reached up, she is sure that she could touch one. The moon hangs low and bright like a lantern. Wherever she goes, it lights her way.
Sometimes there is a deer, pale and skittish in the distance. Sometimes she is the deer, running swiftly across the wild terrain.
She feels a pull from the moon above her. A gentle beckoning. Look at what I have to show you, it calls to her. Open your eyes and see.
When she tries to look, she catches the faintest glimpse of something. A tapestry made of endless silver threads, scrolling out into infinity.
But that’s all she gets before she wakes up.
~*~
Babysitting Hera was always a welcome break from Adia’s typical routine. She loved spending time with Karl and Sharon’s daughter, and though Hera had plenty of aunties and uncles to watch over her, it gave Adia a special warm feeling to know that she was one of Hera’s favorite caretakers.
It was probably because of the stories. Adia had started a tradition of telling elaborate tales about the Nexus to Hera. Keeping the Nexus a secret on Atlantis was taxing at times, so it was a relief to share what she could, albeit couched in the pretense of fiction.
She was wrapping up a tale about Princess Hera introducing a lightning-wielding king to hot chocolate, when the the little girl tugged at her sleeve, urging her to stand up. “Auntie, I want to show you something, okay?”
Adia smiled and obliged. “What is it?” she asked, expecting another hand-drawn picture.
The world around them shifted into the Nexus. Adia blinked and stared at the familiar sight of the Plaza, complete with couches, fountains, and vending machines. “Wh—“
“I’m projecting,” Hera said with a proud smile. “Like Mommy.”
Projecting. It was a skill that Cylons had of creating powerful mental images that they could share with other Cylons. But not humans. Their brains weren’t wired for it. “How… how am I seeing it, too?”
Hera’s smile grew. “You’re dreaming.”
Oh.
Wait, what?
Her wide-eyed stare returned to Hera, who suddenly didn’t seem anything like the little girl she knew. The expression on her face was far too mature, and her eyes were silver, nothing like their usual dark brown.
“But you don’t have to be,” she continued. “You can do this, too, Adia.” Her eyes shined like moonlight. “You just have to open your eyes and see.”
~*~
Adia woke with a start, her heart pounding in her chest.
What was that all about?
“Hey. You okay?” Caspar was lying next to her in the early dawn light, his expression alert. On edge. For a moment, she thought she could hear the crashing waves of the beach and smell the sharp tang of seawater. But when she blinked, the sensation disappeared.
“I’m fine.” She snuggled into the warm flannel sheets. “Just another strange dream. I was reading Hera a story and… then we were in the Nexus, I think? But… she wasn’t Hera, and then she told me something…”
Adia sighed in frustration. Why did these dreams disappear from her so quickly?
Caspar leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I’ll get the fire started,” he murmured, then left the bed to do just that. Anastasia quickly took his place, hopping up and finding a warm spot against Adia’s side. In moments, the kneazle dozed off again, purring contentedly in her sleep.
Adia smiled wistfully at the sight. If only it were that easy.
Not the vivid nightmares that she occasionally has of Caspar dying from a poisoned spear, or Atlantis falling under a malevolent attack. And not the more mundane dreams of being back in school, except for some reason she hasn’t attended classes all semester and she has a final paper due and she can’t remember her locker combination. Those are normal dreams, or at least normal for what she’s lived through.
No, her dreams during a full moon are of a different nature entirely.
She is in the wilderness: a forest, a beach, the rolling foothills of a mountain. It is always night, and the stars in the sky are so close that if she reached up, she is sure that she could touch one. The moon hangs low and bright like a lantern. Wherever she goes, it lights her way.
Sometimes there is a deer, pale and skittish in the distance. Sometimes she is the deer, running swiftly across the wild terrain.
She feels a pull from the moon above her. A gentle beckoning. Look at what I have to show you, it calls to her. Open your eyes and see.
When she tries to look, she catches the faintest glimpse of something. A tapestry made of endless silver threads, scrolling out into infinity.
But that’s all she gets before she wakes up.
~*~
Babysitting Hera was always a welcome break from Adia’s typical routine. She loved spending time with Karl and Sharon’s daughter, and though Hera had plenty of aunties and uncles to watch over her, it gave Adia a special warm feeling to know that she was one of Hera’s favorite caretakers.
It was probably because of the stories. Adia had started a tradition of telling elaborate tales about the Nexus to Hera. Keeping the Nexus a secret on Atlantis was taxing at times, so it was a relief to share what she could, albeit couched in the pretense of fiction.
She was wrapping up a tale about Princess Hera introducing a lightning-wielding king to hot chocolate, when the the little girl tugged at her sleeve, urging her to stand up. “Auntie, I want to show you something, okay?”
Adia smiled and obliged. “What is it?” she asked, expecting another hand-drawn picture.
The world around them shifted into the Nexus. Adia blinked and stared at the familiar sight of the Plaza, complete with couches, fountains, and vending machines. “Wh—“
“I’m projecting,” Hera said with a proud smile. “Like Mommy.”
Projecting. It was a skill that Cylons had of creating powerful mental images that they could share with other Cylons. But not humans. Their brains weren’t wired for it. “How… how am I seeing it, too?”
Hera’s smile grew. “You’re dreaming.”
Oh.
Wait, what?
Her wide-eyed stare returned to Hera, who suddenly didn’t seem anything like the little girl she knew. The expression on her face was far too mature, and her eyes were silver, nothing like their usual dark brown.
“But you don’t have to be,” she continued. “You can do this, too, Adia.” Her eyes shined like moonlight. “You just have to open your eyes and see.”
~*~
Adia woke with a start, her heart pounding in her chest.
What was that all about?
“Hey. You okay?” Caspar was lying next to her in the early dawn light, his expression alert. On edge. For a moment, she thought she could hear the crashing waves of the beach and smell the sharp tang of seawater. But when she blinked, the sensation disappeared.
“I’m fine.” She snuggled into the warm flannel sheets. “Just another strange dream. I was reading Hera a story and… then we were in the Nexus, I think? But… she wasn’t Hera, and then she told me something…”
Adia sighed in frustration. Why did these dreams disappear from her so quickly?
Caspar leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I’ll get the fire started,” he murmured, then left the bed to do just that. Anastasia quickly took his place, hopping up and finding a warm spot against Adia’s side. In moments, the kneazle dozed off again, purring contentedly in her sleep.
Adia smiled wistfully at the sight. If only it were that easy.