Revised Monday here!
*****
It was Monday. Like all Mondays, Skye was dreading her first client. It was going to be a long day and she knew it. The rain hadn’t let up at all for the past three days and showed no sign of letting up. She knew that living on the coast like this was expected weather, but it still got to her. She quickly washed up and dressed in a blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Her short, self-cut hair glistened with a darker shade of milk chocolate brown due to a quick shower to wake her up. A comb ran through her split bangs, and two strands of hair framed her face with a bubblegum pink. She quickly started to pack her gym clothes into a large black duffel. After a moment, she suddenly realized she had no clean top for that day.
“Damnit,” she muttered under her breath. “Joan!”
“What?” a woman shouted back, sounding very groggy. Skye had clearly awoken her.
“Did you do laundry yesterday?” She heard muttering and watched a black-haired woman in a long t-shirt emerge from the room next to hers.
“I don’t think so…” The woman rubbed her head. “Why?”
“Because I don’t have a clean top for the gym! It was your week to do the laundry anyways!”
“Me?!” Joan replied. “I thought it was your week!”
“Whatever! I gotta get going or I’m gonna miss the buss!”
“Okay, okay… Borrow one of mine!”
Skye sighed. “Biggest one you have! Last time I borrowed one of yours the front zipper kept slipping.”
Joan had already gone and soon returned with a sports bra. She tossed it to Skye, who caught it with one hand and stuffed it into the back while she was running out the door.
Her boots clomped on the stairs to the lobby. The elevator had been broken yet again and Skye found the stairs to be a good warm-up for her time at the gym. She rushed out into the rain with a string of swears. Her keys! She’d locked herself out! No time for that though. The bus was pulling away.
“No, no, no, no!” she shouted as it went. With a huff, she tried blowing her left bangs up, but they were already far too soaked. “Fuck!” Skye held her bag over her head to try and stay dry, but a car rolled by and went through a muddy pothole. Dirty water splashed and Skye found herself soaked to the bone. Skye swore again and almost flipped the driver two fingers. A few minutes later though, the bust arrived and she climbed on, flashing a bus pass to the driver.
*****
The Donegal Athletic Club was one of the better gyms the city had to offer. Skye had just been lucky her father and the owner were good friends. If not, she doubted Gabriel would’ve hired her in the first place. Skye pushed the door open and looked over the place. It was the same as always. The front desk to her left, a stairway to the pool to the right; treadmills and ellipticals past the desk and stairwell, in addition to numerous weight machines, and of course, the door behind the desk; Gabriel’s office.
“You’re late, girl,” a gruff voice said. Skye glanced over to the desk to see Rick, the burly orc from Wales and former Olympic fencer. His dark green skin, large nose and the mess of teeth forming a nasty underbite was a dead giveaway. He looked up. “Damn girl! You look like a drowned rat!” What happened?”
“I missed the damn bus, okay?” she snapped. “This day is just startin’ and I know all hell will break loose before it’s over!” She grabbed a clipboard that was on the front desk.
“Sal took Erin from you because you were late.”
“Good.” She flipped the paper up and skimmed it. “Least I don’t have lifeguard today.”
“Yeah. Pool’s chems need to be leveled out anyways. Someone busted the chlorinator too.” Rick shook his head. “You don’t put shock in the damn chlorinator! Lucky the thing doesn’t need to be fixed!”
Skye slipped the clipboard under an arm and headed down the stairs to the locker room. It was going to be a long day. The locker room was fairly empty right now, so she was able to change quickly. Stuffing everything else into the locker, she slipped out and quickly warmed up. Her first client of the day would be there soon and she had no intention of making that mistake again.
*****
The day was more or less a blur. She worked with four separate people before she got her own time. After about another hour, she packed up, finding that the showers had broken in the time she’d been there. Changing back into her damp street clothes, still grubby and sweaty, she walked up the stairs. Rick was still at the desk and typing up tomorrow’s schedule. She looked over it.
“You have tomorrow off,” he said.
“Thank god,” Skye replied. “I need some time off.”
“What do you mean ‘need some time off’? You have Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays off!”
“Just long days, that’s all…”
“Alright girl. See ya Wednesday.”
“Yeah…” She pushed through the front door and left. Skye grumbled as she walked back into the rain again. She checked her watch soon as she was down the street. It still read that it was 7 in the morning. “Jesus Christ… Another thing I have to worry about…” Skye looked to the clouds and started as she walked to the bus stop. She didn’t notice the step up from the curb though and hit her toes. With a wince, she buckled forward a little. “Damnit!” Skye tried to keep from dropping her bag, but failed. It landed in a puddle. She got up and grabbed it before holding it back over her head to act as an umbrella. Her head started to throb as she reached the stop. People bustled about in the rain and went about their business. Thunder cracked in the sky and she felt the pain grow even more. Memories of her childhood started to play in her head… But there were other memories that were not her own. Glancing back, she saw a man hug a woman. In a flash, she saw them dating, but the an was cheating on the girlfriend. At the same time though, the woman was doing the same. She saw their lives and wherever she looked, she saw other memories and dreams of others… The pain was getting even worse in her head. In fact, it felt like it was going to explode! But it couldn’t. She collapsed onto the pavement clutching her temple.
*****
The quiet beep of an EKG machine woke her from a dreamless sleep. The grey skyline of Donegal was visible from her pillow. The pitter-patter of rain continued and showed no sign of letting up. Skye sat up and looked around. Outside the room, she heard Joan talking to someone. The door opened and she saw her doctor and Joan enter. The doctor she recognized too. His name was Ekleson and had been the family doctor for almost 20 years now. His hair was graying now, but Skye remembered when it was thick and kept back in a ponytail when she was fifteen.
“Well Skye,” He said. “You are one lucky girl.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You had… An aneurysm.”
She blinked. “An aneurysm?”
“Yes, which is odd, as your family has no history of them. Stranger still, I can’t find any trace that was what it was…”
“Did I have one or not?”
Ekleson flipped a paper. “I don’t know…”
“You think it could be magical in nature, doc?” Joan asked. “My professor says even though it’s been here since the beginning of time, we’re still learning about it.”
“I thought about that. The apothecary is still running tests. We’ll let you know.”
“Thanks,” said Skye. She started to get up. “I’m assuming I can go home?”
“I would prefer you stay here for the night, but you are fine.” Ekleson leaned against the wall, clipboard in hand.
“Good.”
“We’ll be in touch. If something happens though, call my office immediately.”
“Right.” She kicked her legs aside.
“Your father would berate me if something happened to you.”
“I know, you said that at the funeral.” She said it with little to no emotion.
“Skye…” Joan started.
“I don’t wanna hear it.”
“It’s been five months. You still…”
She exploded. “Damnit Joan! YOUR parents weren’t in that accident!”
“…I just thought.”
“I’m not over it as you’d put it! Alright? Don’t bring it up again.”
“Calm down. Until we’re sure of what happened today, I don’t want you doing anything too stressful,” Eklson’s voice said. It was calm and cool as a professional should be. “But if their deaths are still bothering you, as your physician, I advise you seek help. The stress could have triggered it. Uh… A Welshman named Rick mentioned you had a bad day.”
“Yeah, yeah…” She searched the room, finding her bag of clothes. “Can I change now? I think just a day off from work and nothing to worry about would be some good medicine.”
“Just don’t do anything too stressful. Your body needs to recover.”
“I have tomorrow off anyways. Only plan on droppin’ by Alex’s to get my bike. Haven’t seen him in weeks anyways, so it’ll be good.”
“Alright.” Eklson looked at Skye as he stopped leaning against the wall. “In that case, I’ll have a nurse finish checking you out. Joan will take you home then.”
*****
Joan pushed the door to the loft open. It still looked a little messy especially with a half eaten pizza in its box sat on the couch. In front of them was the kitchenette. Down a hall to Skye’s right was the two bedrooms, a bathroom and laundry room that connected to a small patio.
“What a day…” Skye groaned.
“Head still hurting?” Joan asked.
“A little.” She rubbed it. “I’ll be fine though.” Skye tossed the pizza box onto the small table in front of the couch before lying down. Her face went right into a pillow with a moan. “Any calls?”
“I think so. Just relax and I’ll handle them.” Joan walked to the kitchen. Her skirt swayed with her hips as she went up the two steps and behind the counter. “Want anything?”
“Just water.” Skye sat up a little and pulled the pillow to her chest and saw the phone on the charger. She reached for it and pushed a button on it to play the messages.
“Hey Skye,” a man said. “Alex here. Bike’s all fixed and ready for you to pick up.”
“Good,” she said. The machine beeped.
“Joan? Kael here. I got your money. I hope your roommate doesn’t find out too. You said she explodes about tit. I’ll get it to you tomorrow, all 150 euro.”
“JOAN!” Skye sat up and got to her feet. Her roommate had left the kitchennet. “Damnit Joan!”
“What?” The Frenchwoman shouted from her room.
“Who the hell is Kael and why’d you lend him 150 euro?!” She was already at her roommate’s door and looked ready to kick it in. She could too if she wanted. Skye was plenty strong and the only really secure door in the loft was the front one.
“He’s… A friend!”
That pause had been a mistake on Joan’s part. “Jesus Christ! You slept with him!”
“Skye!” The door opened. “That was my money to do with what I please, and he’ll pay me back!”
“You haven’t paid your half of the rent yet!” She threw her arms up. “No wonder I had a fucking aneurysm!” The door rattled as someone knocked. “Stay put.” She went to it, and looked through the peephole. A young man stood there, fidgeting nervously. Skye could see him run a hand through short shaggy blond hair and his long elegant ears. She undid two of the four locks, leaving the chain ones in place. He looked pretty harmless, but Skye didn’t want to take the chance. “May I help you?”
He looked up at her. Before Skye could react, she saw flashes of his memory and thoughts… She saw flashes of Joan in some too. Skye faltered back a little. It hadn’t been something she’d imagined. She shook her head and looked at him again.
“Um… Is Joan in?” he asked.
“You’re Kael, aren’t you?” She just knew who he was! She couldn’t explain it, but she just knew!
“Y-yeah…” he gave her a nervous smile. “Is she in?”
“You got her money?”
“Yeah.”
“Skye! Joan shouted. “Let him in! He’s harmless!”
*****
After a shower and Chinese food from the local restaurant Ming’s, Skye went to her room with a book. Joan and Kael were in the other room and Skye ahd learned he was her latest guy. She shook her head, finding it scary how many boyfriends she’d had in the past six months. Skye had only three serious partners since Junior Year of high school. One had been Joan’s brother, Aaron. All three of them however, had been pricks. Aaron in particular had turned her into a very bitter young woman. Her perception of most relationships had been twisted by one bad experience after another. Skye slipped on her sleepwear, consisting of a camisole and baggy grey pajama pants. It was only 9 in the evening, but Skye had a habit of being up at six to get to the gym by seven for work. Right now though, she was content to just read her new book. As she did though, her mind started to wander back to what had happened that day. She’d seen things over and over that weren’t her own thoughts. It had happened a few hours ago when she looked Kael right in the eye. She wondered how it had happened, but more importantly, was she going crazy? It felt that way. Maybe seeing Kael there and looking worried had just made her assume it was Kael. Maybe not though… Something didn’t fit right with all that had happened. It had to be something with this aneurism. She’d never experienced one before or what it was exactly…
Maybe Joan’s suggestion was right. Maybe it was magical in nature. Magic had been in the world ever since the beginning, but centuries, even millennia after the first humans, orcs, trolls and elves, they were still learning and making discoveries in it. It flowed everywhere and through everything. There were such things as magical ailments, but they most often appeared in elves, because of their stronger connection to it then humans. If it had been some magical ailment, she knew it could have been even more trouble. She glanced over at her laptop computer, contemplating whether to turn on the thing and searching for the possible solution to her accident. A yawn stifled the idea though and she tossed the book aside her alarm clock and a picture of her with her parents.
Her parents… They’d always been there and incredibly supportive. Her father’s name had been Mitchel. Mitch, her mom called him. The picture showed him in his fifties, almost sixty. His hair was graying, from a once dark brown. Skye stood in the middle, looking almost identical to how she did now. On her left was her mother, Helena. She had long blonde hair and jade green eyes, just like her. However, even in this picture her age showed. She’d aged gracefully and Skye hoped she would too if she lived that long. This whole incident had left her wishing they were still there. Still in that small house in the suburbs of Donegal. Still teaching at the local elementary to young children or chemistry at the same high school Skye had graduated from in 2000. They were gone now though. That picture had been taken a day before their deaths. Skye closed her eyes, fighting back one or two tears.
Her mind still wandered a little. What would they have done? Skye knew. They’d do their own research. They’d look through everything they could and find just what had happened to trigger it. Eklson was working on his end with his own knowledge. Maybe she could find something on her end. She could check the university’s library after seeing Alex. She slipped back and under the covers, before flipping the light out.
*****
So, more or less if you're interested take a peek at the two versions and share thoughts.
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Total wordcount: >.> I don't do total wordcounts... If I had to take a guess, I'd say... 10-15k an episode. Season 1 will consist of 6 episodes, so a total of 60k-90k
