3WW Taking Liberty -- Part 25

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Without a shadow of a doubt, we're close to the end now.  After the events of last week, that caught even me off guard a bit, there's not much I can do to put off the face off between Elizabeth and Liberty.

But now I'm in a dilemma.  Do I post the climax in one big scene or in several smaller ones?

I know that I usually don't bother when I open a page to a wall of text, so I want to avoid that if possible.  I guess we all get to wait and see how wordy I get in this last stretch.

If you'd like to catch up on exactly what's going on, please check out my Taking Liberty page.  It has links to each individual episode, as well as brief summaries if you want to get an overview of the story.

Liberty's eyes grew wide at the sound of the floor creaking.  Even though she was looking at me, I could tell Liberty's mind was elsewhere.  She took a tentative step forward. I could hear the rustling of her clothes against her skin and the soft whisper of her feet on the floor.

She was staring at her feet and hands, discovering them again, like a newborn.  For a moment, she had forgotten that James and I were in the room.

"James." I whispered.  James didn't move or look at me.  "James--" I tried to say louder, but my voice was still barely more than a sigh.

I turned to him, reaching out a hand to touch his arm.

My movement breached Liberty's calm reflection.  She looked up at me.

Her face was no longer calm, but a searing ember of fury.

"One way or another, this ends now."

Well, Liberty's made my choice for me.  One way or another.  For the next few days, I'll be working on the ending of Taking Liberty sans the inspiration of 3WW.  I'll still be posting new segments on Thursday (however many they might be), but expect more than the little nibble we had today.

After today, it's serious business.

Hope you come back next week for the beginning of the end...for Liberty or Elizabeth (or even James), I'm not sure.

3WW--Taking Liberty Part 24

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Well, one more step closer to the end.  I've been putting off writing this one, because I haven't really had any idea where to go from here.  The dangers of writing without planning, I suppose.

If you need to catch up, please check out my Taking Liberty page for all the links and brief summaries of the parts so far.

Wish me luck. Hopefully it'll live up to what I put into place last week!

Liberty stood grimacing on my stairs, her chest heaving with effort. With each noisy breath, she became a little more solid, a little more real.

James was slowly inching toward me, whether for my protection or his, I couldn't tell.  Liberty's eyes followed his movement for a moment before turning to me.

"Before all . . . this" she shrugged her shoulders, "before whatever this is, you know I used to admire you?  Not very often, but every now and then, I really wished I could take a piece out of your life."

Her voice quavered and she looked away from me.

"Liberty, I'm sorry.  I wish I had known.  But this, it can't go on."

She smiled a little at me.  The smile you give a child when they talk about Santa being real.

"You're right, it can't.  Look at your hand, Elizabeth."

I heard James groan behind me as I turned my head.  My hand was holding the towel on my cut, but for some reason the towel was slipping out of my grasp.  For a moment, I couldn't wrap my mind around it.  Then there it was.

I was looking through my hand at the towel.  I jerked up to face Liberty.

She took a step onto the hallway floor, and it creaked under her.

Not quite where I had planned for this to go, but I think it's an interesting twist.  What do you think?  This episode was short and a bit talky, hopefully next week we'll get to some action.

3WW--Taking Liberty Part 23

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I hope I didn't lose too many of you by playing hooky last week.  Work got really busy, and I think I'm getting a bit nervous about sticking to my guns and finish this thing.

I have to say, this whole writing without planning thing is getting a good bit harder now!

When we last left the story, Elizabeth was trying to break the news to James about her "guest," and we found out a surprising reveal about James and Liberty's relationship.

(If you need to play catch up, please check out my Taking Liberty page for summaries and links to previous episodes)

"Let me out of here, you bitch!" Liberty screamed inside my head.

The sound of her voice impacted me like a body slam, and I fell to the floor.  I crashed down into a console table with my arm, and barely missed the corner with my head.  Somehow I felt that my trajectory wasn't a complete accident.  Even locked away in the prison I made, she was getting stronger all the time.

James rushed to my side again, but this time I was able to get up on my own.

"She doesn't want me to tell you."  I said, gasping for breath as I blinked away the stars in front of my eyes.

"She--wait, you mean, she's in there with you?"

I nodded and reached my hand down to rub my elbow.  The stinging I felt there rendered into a deeper burning  when I felt a deep cut and a steady flow of blood.

"Jesus." I heard James say as he sprung to the kitchen.  He returned and started wrapping a towel around my arm.  "You might need stitches."

His voice was fading as I stared at the blood on my hand.  My brain itched with some thought triggered by the sight.  And the burning in my arm was spreading.  The sensation was pooling in my chest, building until I was sure my rib cage would crack open and eject some awful monstrosity.

Like a flipped switch, the pain cut off.  I must have jerked with surprise, because I heard James muttering apologies as he tied the towel tight around my arm.

I looked away from my hand to watch him, and saw movement out of the corner of my eye.  James saw it too, because he glanced up.  He let out a strange hoarse yell and backed into the wall.

I looked where I had seen the movement.

Standing at the base of my stairs was a shadowy figure.  As I stared, it began to take shape.

It was Liberty.

She looked furious.

Sometimes our subconscious works out problems for us.  While trying to figure out what to do for my final climax, I realized that some of the groundwork had been laid in previous episodes.

Now to just take this germ of an idea and see how this ends for everyone.  I really want a happy bunny ending for everyone involved, but I'm just not sure how it'll believably happen.

What do you think?  Should everyone get what they want, or should they get what they need?

3WW- Taking Liberty Part 22

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Thanks for all of you who've come back and stuck it through. For any new readers, I'd recommend you check out my Taking Liberty page to read all the episodes, or to read a quick summary.

Every week, I take the words supplied by ThomG at 3WW and write a mostly unplanned segment of the larger story of Elizabeth and Liberty.

When we last left, Elizabeth had gained some control over Liberty and was getting ready to let James in on her interesting situation.

"What type of things?" James furrowed his brows.  The wonder in his voice had left.  "What does this have to do with. . . her?"

The door in my head rattled a little louder.  It couldn't be more obvious that I was racing against time to get the story told than if there was a countdown clock hanging over my head.  I couldn't ease into this, it was all or nothing.

"Why did you jump into the lake to save Liberty?"

James took a step away from me.  From the way he stumbled a bit, I wondered if his legs were as weak as mine were.  They must have been, because he sat down on the stairs before answering me.

"I--" He swallowed, "I used to be friends with her, when we were little."  He crossed his arms and leaned back on the stairs, his eyes focused somewhere behind me.  "We went to daycare together, before her dad left.  She was different then."

I walked over and sat next to him, putting my arm around his shoulder. He leaned his head against me and continued, his voice dulled by trying to hold back tears.

"She wasn't as . . . sad, angry.  She was just a kid." He picked up his head and looked at me, a small smile on his face. "And she was really funny, too.  When I saw her in the water--" His voice faltered again.

"I know." I said, hugging him closer to me.

We sat in silence for a while, and I stifled a yawn.  I felt James pull away and look at me.

"You never answered my question.  What does all this have to do with Liberty?"

"That day, by the lake.  After you tried to save her, she got inside my head."

In the distance, I heard the door rattle again and a guttural scream echoed faintly.

 "Really deep inside my head."

So not quite the fireworks I had expected, but now I think we can see why Liberty attached herself to James.  It makes Liberty seem a little bit sadder to me, instead of the angry force of nature she was becoming.

But I don't think she's happy that Elizabeth has spilled the secret.

3WW-Taking Liberty Part 21

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Do you get the feeling we're in the home stretch on this?  I do.  I have to admit there are times that it's very hard to restrain myself to sticking to this schedule.  I might have to include some bonus entries here soon.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out my Taking Liberty page for links to all the parts of the story, and a quick summary if you're short for time.

When we last left the girls, Liberty had just asserted more . . . control over Elizabeth.

"No, Liberty!  You can't do this to me." I screamed, pushing myself backwards off the wall.  Echoing through my bones, I heard the crash of a door slamming shut.

I collided with James, his eyes even bigger than before.

"Lib--"

I pushed my hands against his mouth, cutting off the name.  I could already feel her stirring inside, and I wasn't sure if his voice would summon her or not.  My knees were starting to shake and my hands were trembling as I slowly eased them off of James.

"Don't say it."  I said, leaning back against the wall.  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Somewhere deep inside my mind, I could feel her squirming, wondering what was going on.  I thought about the door I had heard.  As I remembered the noise, I could see a large oak door in my mind.  There were boards nailed across it and even a padlock or two.

She was behind that door. The door I had made.  The knob rattled, and I could hear her banging on the other side, but she was in there.  And I had done it.

For now, I was free of her.

I opened my eyes and looked at James.  He was gaping at me, arms limp at the sides.

"Your hair, your eyes, they're. . . different again."

I looked at the mirror behind me.  I looked like my normal self again.  A more exhausted version, but myself.  Turning, I tried to find the strength to look James in the eye.

"I might have omitted a few things about our . . . relationship." I said.

Crap!  I guess next week will be the moment of truth.  I have to figure out how James will handle the big reveal.  I'm glad Elizabeth is taking control, even if it might be just for now.

And I bet Liberty will be pissed when she finds a way out from behind that door.

3WW-Taking Liberty part 20

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Thanks for coming back.  If you're not familiar with what I'm doing here, I'd check out the Taking Liberty page for a breakdown of the story so far.

Taking Liberty is a serial story that I've been writing using the help of the folks at Three Word Wednesday.  I've made it so far into the story with minimal planning, and I sense that we're getting close to the end of our journey.

Let's see what comes next.

I couldn't make the words come, even in my mind. I felt myself eroding away under each wave of pain that hit me.

"That's what I thought."

Suddenly, I was released.  Before I could even grasp the concept, the scream that the torture had been blocking ripped from my throat.  I felt James' arms tighten around me.  I looked at him and tried to speak again.  He shook his head and started stroking my forehead.

"I'm going to call 911.  We need to get you to a hospital."

I felt a tightening around my heart and wondered if I might be dying or if Liberty was still making a point.  Caution was called for.

I shook my head, "No, I just need to rest a bit."

James stared at me a long time. Not the loving gaze I had been treated to earlier, but the keen observation of a scientist studying a lab rat for odd behavior.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded again and he helped me to my feet.  He put his hands on my shoulders to steady me.  My legs were still weak and I fell into him.  I looked up, trying to think of something funny to say to break the tension.

He stared again, "I really think you should go to the hospital, this is weird."

"It's nothing, I just fainted--"

"No, Elizabeth.  Your eyes. There's something wrong with them. Didn't they used to be blue?"

I pulled away from him, trusting my legs to get me to the hallway mirror.  I planted both hands on either side and leaned in, looking at my reflection.

"And your hair" James' voice trailed off.

In the mirror stared back a girl that definitely wasn't me, but could have been my sister.

My sister with brown hair and brown eyes.

If this was a traditional ghost movie, this is the point I would start yelling at the screen, "Get out of the house now!"

But what's Elizabeth supposed to do, the house is her body?

3WW--"Taking Liberty" Part 19

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While the fire may have faded on this one, the fact that I hadn't finished "Taking Liberty" was one of the things that spurred me on to get back to writing and blogging.

If you're a newcomer or have a terrible memory, like me, then let me fill you in. The great ThomG at Three Word Wednesday posts three words every week to use as a writing prompt for poets, essayists, and other writers to use.

I started way back in last September with a little character sketch of a nameless little girl.  That character stuck in my brain, and started bugging me to write about her.

Shortly after I started the experiment of "Taking Liberty" a serial story that uses the 3WW words every week as a starting point.  I've managed to make it this far without any real planning and enjoy the writing by the seat of my pants pressure to keep me going.

As far as my plans for the story go, I will continue to post new sections each Thursday (to give me a little more breathing room to get the story up) until it is finished.  After that I plan on taking it through revisions and eventually self-publishing the final version.

In future posts, look for ways to win a free copy of the final version.

But before we get to that point, I have to finish.  If you need to get caught up, you can find links to all the parts and a synopsis of the story so far on my Taking Liberty page.  Let's see where this takes us today!

After a long moment, I looked down at my feet, breaking James' penetrating gaze.

"I'm not sure what to say." I mumbled.  "I just--"

I'm not really sure what I had planned to say just then, but apparently Liberty didn't like the direction I was going.

The breath caught in my throat, and a roar filled my ears.  My legs trembled and dropped my weight to the floor. The light around me started to grow dim, but this was different than when she usually took over.  This was pain.  I felt my hands clutching at my shirt and couldn't stop them.  I was shaking all over, my feet slamming into the floor. 

I could hear James yelling something. I could sense him on the floor, dragging me closer to him, trying to hold my body steady.

Suddenly every muscle in my body went rigid.  I could feel my back arch to the point that I felt like I was going to break in two.  Everything around me went silent and black.

"Do you see what I can do to you?  Do you really want to fight me on this?" Liberty growled inside my skull.

Holy cow, Liberty's starting to freak me out now, too.  So now Elizabeth has to find a way to deal with this situation, but without letting Liberty catch on.  What do you think, was this episode all mental, or do you think Liberty actually has the power to kill Elizabeth from the inside?

Stay tuned for next week, and we'll both see what happens!

3WW-Taking Liberty Part 18

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Taking Liberty is a serial story that started with the inspiration of 3 Word Wednesday.  Each week Thom posts three words and I run with it.

I've managed to make it this far with virtually no story mapping, often cursing myself at the end of an installment because I've painted myself into a corner.  This week is no different.  After the big realization of what Liberty has been using her body for, Elizabeth is faced with the decision of what to do now.

If you need a refresher, check out my Taking Liberty page.  You can find links to all the individual installments, or read the summaries at the bottom of the page.

"It's my body!" I screamed into the air.

"Oh, come on, you think I didn't see how you were looking at him at the funeral?  You know you would've jumped him too if you had the guts." Liberty's deadpan voice was infuriating.  How could she be so calm about this?

"It doesn't matter!  It's my body!" I volleyed back.

"Too."

Her voice was just a soft whisper, barely audible, even though it was coming from inside my head.  My confusion must have reached her, wherever she was.

"It's your body, too.  You're not a single person anymore, you're part of a dual person."

I was about to scream something back to her, my brain stuck in that panicky place when I heard a knock from downstairs.  I glanced in the mirror to make sure I was presentable.  As I walked downstairs, I wondered if my room was always that dim in the afternoons, my hair had looked a couple of shades darker.

I looked through the peep hole and saw James leaning against the railing on the porch.  For a split second, I thought back to all the warnings my mom had given me in middle school about not letting strangers in the house.  I heard Liberty's low chuckle somewhere in the back of my mind.

I closed my eyes and pushed her to the back of my mind.  I could still hear her laughing, but it was as if she were in another room now.  Then I opened the door and tried to put on a welcoming and not terrified because my world was coming apart smile on my face.

When James turned to look at me, I had a feeling the two looks were identical. Any residual anger in his body language melted away and he rushed and put his arms around me. 

"I'm sorry I stormed off like that." He said as he kissed the side of my face. 

I melted into his arms and clung to his neck, only barely keeping my resolve not to cry.  He held me for a long moment, his strong arms so tight around me that they were on the edge of pain. He let me go and then held my face in his hands, staring into my eyes.

"You're so weird, Lizzy.  It's like there's two of you, and I never know which one to expect."

Poor Elizabeth's really going to have to tell James sooner or later.  I really want him to be a good guy, but I'm not sure he'll believe her.

So what do you guys think?  Would anyone believe her, or is she on her own now (well, except for Liberty)?

3WW-Taking Liberty Part 17

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Thanks for stopping in and checking on Elizabeth and Liberty.  I skipped last week, basically because I felt that I've painted myself into a corner.  This whole write by the seat of my pants thing was/is fun, but it makes writing some days really hard.

If you need to check in and see what you've missed or refresh your memory, stop by my Taking Liberty page.  Now, let's see if I can get myself out of this writing jam.

My body was still on high alert, and I could feel my hands trembling a little.  I stared at James and cursed Liberty for getting me into this.

As I stared at him, everything clicked in my mind.  His behavior to me, the strange little jumps Liberty gave when he was near.  I closed my eyes and sighed.  "Idiot."

James mumbled something in his sleep and threw an arm over me.  His skin was warm and smooth against mine. I watched his face as he settled back to sleep and realized that my hands had stopped shaking.  I felt a lazy smile creep onto my face as I yawned and settled into bed. 

I had to admit it felt like a nice place to be.

Something sharp was poking my leg as I shifted.  A dainty stab that was more annoyance than painful.  I reached down and grabbed at it.  It crackled in my hand, and I pulled it out from under the covers.  It was a Trojan wrapper. 

For a long moment I stared at it, refusing to fully process what was going on.  The knowledge haunting the back of my mind, but I forcibly held it there.  Even though my ability at denial and ignoring the obvious had grown exponentially since Liberty had come into my life, I couldn't deny this any longer.

I jumped out of bed and ran into my bathroom.  Skidding in on my knees, I felt my stomach lurch its way into the toilet.  As the nausea subsided I sat against the wall, taking deep breaths.  Knives of panic were shooting through me, and I knew it wouldn't take much to push me over the edge.

"Lizzy?" I heard a voice call from the other room.  I could tell James was trying to sound sexy, tantalizing. But all I could hear was the voice of a man I never wanted to face again.

Muffled creaks and sounds of movements let me know that I wouldn't have the luxury.  I stood up, washed my mouth out and grabbed an oversized T-shirt out of my hamper, pulling it on backwards in my rush to beat the door opening.

He tapped on it gently. "Lizzy, you ok?"

I breathed a sigh of relief that I had another second to fix the shirt and take a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm fine.  I was just. . ."

I opened the door a crack and peeked at him.  He had put his boxers back on, but was still shirtless.  I had to admit that for a second I felt my goofy grin start easing its way back. 

I looked down at my hands bracing the door, as if I might have to slam it shut at any moment.  Slowly, I forced myself to let go of my death-hold on it. 

"We should get dressed.  My mom might come home for lunch or something." I said.  Even though it wasn't true, she never came home, it was the quickest way I could think of to get us out of my bedroom. 

I saw James clench his jaw.  He spun around and started scooping up his clothes. 

"Don't worry.  I'll get out of your hair.  I've gotta get back for practice anyway." 

He was dressed by now and stomped his way across the room.  I could hear his footsteps pounding down the staircase and out the front door.  With a window rattling slam, I knew he was gone.

I slumped back down to the floor.  "What the hell do I do now?" I sighed into my hands.

Right now Elizabeth and I are on the same page.  I feel that things are coming to a head and the story will be wrapping up fairly soon, but that big climax is still too distant for me to know what will happen.

3WW-Taking Liberty Part 16

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Thanks again for stopping by and checking out my Taking Liberty serial story.  Last week some pretty big stuff went down, so in my typical pattern, today will probably be more of a short transition piece.

The story is definitely inching closer to the pressure cooker between Elizabeth and Liberty exploding (I think I can hear it begin to whistle).  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, or would like to catch up on the story so far, check out my Taking Liberty page.  You'll find links to all the parts of the story as well as summaries if you're short on time.

As I floated in blackness, faint tremors floated down to me. I could hear groans and whispers that I couldn't make out. They hung in the air like juicy apples on a branch just out of my reach.  Images and figures danced across my field of vision, bare arms and legs in a tangle. 

The blackness around me began to heat up, and I felt as if I was being folded into a tiny version of myself.  Around me, the blackness turned to a dark red, like seeing a light through tightly held eyelids.  The pressure of being squeezed into a tiny ball was beginning to be too much.  I was afraid with the stress on my joins I would never be able to unfold myself.

Suddenly wave after wave of pressure hit me, causing me to cry out.  With each cry of my voice, the darkness began to melt around me.  The noises and feelings were becoming more real. 

Instead of pain, warm, comforting softness surrounded me.  The light became gentle, and I could hear music playing somewhere.  I felt like a butterfly uncurling from the cocoon. 

I opened my eyes and saw that I was in my bedroom, in my bed, the covers molded to my naked body.  Snuggling down into the covers, I froze when I felt a hand slide around my stomach and pull me close.  Heavy, even breathing stirred the hair on my cheek. 

I started to scream and jump out of bed, when Liberty's voice tugged at me.

"Don't freak out.  I'm just leaving the cuddling to you.  Not my scene."

I turned my head slowly and saw James sleeping peacefully beside me.

So maybe more went down today than I thought.  I'm not sure how Elizabeth's going to handle this one, or explain to James why suddenly she's so shy.  Guess we'll have to wait until next week and see what the words hold for us.

3WW-Taking Liberty Part 15

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I've gotten a few new followers since the last installment, so let me explain a little of what I'm doing.  Every week, Thom at Three Word Wednesday releases three words.  For several weeks now, I've been using the words as the jumping point for a serial story titled Taking Liberty.  I haven't done any long term planning, but instead treat it more like a free write.

As with any writing, the characters have been surprising me, and I hope surprising the readers as well.  If you'd like to catch up and read the previous installments or read a brief summary of the story so far, please stop by my Taking Liberty page.

Somehow we managed to make it out of the parking lot without anyone noticing us.  I had a feeling that James had done this before.

He turned his head and looked at me, then laughed. "You can sit up in the seat.  We're all clear."

I hadn't noticed I was slouched down, but quickly scooted up.  I watched the school slide past as we turned onto the main road.

"First time ditching, huh?"

I looked at him and nodded, then quietly said, "Yeah."

He must have heard the quaver in my voice, because he said kindly, "Don't worry, you're not missing much.  Most of the time we just go grab something to eat and then go to someone's house and play video games."

I smiled, "Life in the fast lane."

He nodded, "Something like that." We pulled up to a red light. "So where'd you like to go?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "You're the experienced one here."

He gave me an odd look, and then made a right turn.  We sat in silence for the rest of the drive.  I didn't know where we were going, but I was glad to be away from everyone.  I leaned my head back and closed my eyes for a few moments.

I felt the car stop and opened my eyes.  We were at a small cafe on the artsy side of town.  It was nowhere I had been before, and didn't look anything like what I had expected James to pick.

Half laughing, I asked, "So what's the occasion? Why the fancy place?"

He blinked at me, and then frowned.  "Well, I thought that after we..." his voice trailed off.

I frowned back at him.  His face turned red, and he stared into his lap. 

"I just thought that after we, you know. Well, I thought I'd take you out on a date." He looked up at me.

Slowly, he reached out a hand and brushed the hair from my face. He leaned in and brushed his lips against mine, gently. 

I felt Liberty stirring inside, and I pushed James away, taking a deep breath.  I closed my eyes, and forced Liberty back to wherever she had been hiding.

"You don't know me at all, why would you want to take me on a date?"

He stared at me, and I could see the embarrassment replaced with hurt. "Look, you're the one that snuck into my room the night of the funeral. You're the one that said you wanted to thank me.  I just thought that maybe..."

Suddenly, I felt Liberty break free from her constraints.  My hands and feet started tingling as I felt myself receding into the background. 

Before everything faded to black, I could hear myself say, "Of course it meant something to me.  I just wasn't sure it meant anything to you."

James leaned toward me, crossing miles of dimming tunnels, and I felt his lips once again. 

Distantly in my mind, I could hear Liberty sigh.

Poor James caught in the middle of these two. I have a feeling it's going to turn real ugly here in a while.

So what do you think of the new twist? How do you think Elizabeth will react once she is at the steering wheel once again?

3WW-Taking Liberty Part 14

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Well, I felt that part 13 was a bit of a dud, but I'm hoping that this week will get the ball rolling again.  There's been an idea itching in the back of my mind for a while now.  I'm not sure if it's going to be unveiled here or a bit later, but I think its time is fast approaching.

So let's all hold on and hope for the best! If you need a quick reminder, make sure you stop by my Taking Liberty page.

Today's words are abrasive, handful, and loss.

As the nurse closed the door behind her, I looked one last time at James.  He comforted me in a way that surprised me.  We had only spoken a handful of time, but here I was literally and figuratively leaning on him for strength.

"Ok, honey.  What did you take this morning?"  Even though her southern drawl was still firmly in place, the sweetness was lacking.

I stared at her for a long minute. "What?"

"What types of pills did you take this morning?"  Her foot tapped against the rough carpet.

"I don't know."  I thought back on the morning.  Was it possible that I had taken something?  Or rather, did Liberty take something?

The morning was fuzzy, but I thought I had been in control, if not completely on top of things.  I looked at the nurse and shook my head.

"Look, you're about to pass out right now, but your pulse is racing.  Honey, you're strung out.  Now what did you take?"

Her cute drawl was becoming harsher and more clipped, abrasive to my ears and distracting.  I couldn't focus on what she was asking me.

"Pills? I didn't take any--"

"Then get out of my office."

I stared at her for a long moment and then shifted my weight.  The paper on the examining table crinkled.   "What?"

"If you're not going to be honest with me, I can't help you.  Your loss.  Just go home and call 911 before you black out."

She walked to the door and opened it.  Her foot started tapping again.  Something about the sound grated on my nerves and I could feel Liberty stirring somewhere.  I forced myself to my feet and walked out the room.

James was already standing, with my bag slung over his shoulder.  I walked over to him and heard the loud thump of the door closing.  He took my hand and smiled at me.

"Don't let her get to you.  Heard she's going through a divorce or something." He led me to the hallway, where he looked both ways, like some secret agent or something.

"What do you say we get out of here?" He smiled at me again.

Something about his smile calmed me, and I could feel my heart, well, if not stop racing, at least ease the pace.  I nodded, feeling like a mute fool, and followed his lead into the parking lot and into his car.

Ok, so not this week, but maybe the next.  Groundwork is being laid, though, and I think it's safe to say that I'm probably about halfway through the story.

Any thoughts on what might happen next?

3WW-Taking Liberty Part 13

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If you're just joining us, Taking Liberty is a serial story I started with the inspiration of 3WW.  Each week (well, maybe not each week), I write a new, and completely unplanned segment of the story using the three words provided by 3WW.

The story of Elizabeth and Liberty has gone in a direction that has surprised me, but has been a ton of fun to write.  If you need to catch up on the story so far, check out my Taking Liberty page for summaries and links to all the segments.

Lucky number 13?  I think Thm is trying to kill me with today's words: conniption, janky (really?), and scooch.  Let's see what I can do with them.

Mrs. Herrington clucked over me as James led me through the door.  I could tell that she was probably going to let the class have it when we were in the hallway.  The class could tell, too by the whispers I heard.

Psycho...weird...janky...slut.

I didn't understand the barrage of hatred that had come my way since Liberty's funeral.  Even Dena had distanced herself from me, saying I was different. As James took my hand and put it on his arm, I wondered why he of all people was now being so nice to me. 

"Are you feeling any better?" He asked, slowing his steps to match my pace.

I nodded, not trusting myself to form a complete sentence.  My brain was starting to feel fuzzy again, and I could feel Liberty's presence like the dull roar of machinery in the background.

We walked in silence.  I noticed James looking at me every few moments.  By the concerned look on his face, I assumed he was watching to see if I was about to pass out or maybe puke all over his shoes.

I must have faded away, because the next thing I knew, I was sitting in a chair in the nurse's office hearing James and the nurse yelling in the other room. I started to stand up, but my head swam and I flopped back into my chair.

The nurse walked into the room and handed me a juice box.  James was right on her tail.

"Can't you see there's something wrong with her?" He yelled after taking one look at my face.

"Don't have a conniption, honey.  You need to calm down.  It's probably just her sugar is low."  She pushed my hand with the juice box toward my face.  Dutifully I began drinking.  "Did you have any breakfast, sugar?" She asked in a grandmotherly voice that didn't fit her young face.

I tried to remember that morning, but it was all a haze.  Taking the straw from my mouth I said, "I'm not sure.  I think I did."

She frowned at me and took my wrist.  Looking at her watch, I could see the frown become deeper as the seconds ticked away.  She looked at James and then back to me.

"Why don't you scooch into my office and we'll check you out?" 

I pulled myself to my feet and started to follow the nurse into the office.  As I passed James, he took my hand, giving it a tight squeeze. 

"I'll wait for you out here."

This was a really hard segment for me to write.  Sorry if it was a little boring.  I'm not sure why James is being so nice to Elizabeth when the rest of the school has turned on her.  I have a few ideas though.  Guess we'll have to wait and see what words come next week!

3WW-Taking Liberty Part 12

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Sorry that I've been skipping out on Liberty and Elizabeth's story lately.  After the long hiatus, I'm hoping to get back on schedule. Or at least something that bears a passing resemblance to a schedule.

I'll be honest, I had to go back and re-read the last entry (and some of the older summaries), so feel free to visit my Taking Liberty page and refresh your memory, or jump in the game if you're just starting the journey with us.

Liberty is starting to take an even darker turn than I thought she would when I first started.  It'll be interesting to see where it goes from here.

Today I'm actually combining two week's words.  I started writing the post a couple of weeks ago when the words were taint, willing, and plausible.  I'm keeping that going along with adding today's words of descent, kill, and surreal.

I mean, really, I can't pass these words up!

For days after the incident, I still was in such denial that I couldn't admit it was a murder, I could still feel the knife in my hand and the sticky taint of the blood on my fingers. The rest of that day was still a blur, and I knew that for most of it Liberty was in control.

But after that day, for weeks, Liberty willingly stayed in the background, letting me go about my daily life without her presence hanging over me.  It seemed that killing her mother, or rather using me to do it, had satisfied some need in her, and there was no reason for her to show herself.

I knew that I should be feeling better with Liberty keeping to her own space in my head, but the surreal situation I was in had me shaken.  People started to notice that I wasn't myself.  I started feeling tired all the time, almost constantly nursing a headache.

"Elizabeth?" A voice cut into my daze, and I jerked my head up, looking around.  A few titters of laughter raced around the room. Mrs. Herrington was looking at me, her eyebrows furrowed in concern.  "Elizabeth, are you ok?"

I opened my mouth, but no sounds came out. I shook my head no.  The laughter had stopped, and I could now feel everyone's eyes on the back of my head.  Next to me, Dena rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you take your things and go to the nurse's office?"

I looked down at my heavy backpack, weighing the plausibility of me making it down the hall with it.  Shakily I stood up and bent to pick it up.

"I'll go with her." A guy's voice said from the back of the room. Even without looking, I recognized it as James'. 

Mrs. Herrington nodded, and he walked up to me and swept my backpack off the floor.  Slowly, I started making my way to the door.  Even though I was avoiding everyone's eyes and staring at the floor, I didn't notice the foot that shot into the aisle in time. 

I stumbled and started to fall.  Laughter erupted from several directions and I raised my hands to try and stop myself.  A strong arm slid around my waist and stopped my descent.  James was now looking at me, not quite smiling, but not as serious as he usually was. 

"Don't worry.  I've got you." He said.

My heartbeat quickened, and deep down, I could feel a stirring of Liberty's interest.

3WW-Taking Liberty Part 11

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There are some weeks that I think the words are out to get me, and some that are out to stump me, but this week falls somewhere in the middle.  I left Liberty and Elizabeth on a huge cliffhanger last time, so let's see where it goes from here.

If you're just joining this little experiment, or need to brush up on what's happened in the past, feel free to check out my Taking Liberty page.

The words for this week are: educate, object, and silence

I stood, staring at the blood pooling around the woman's feet.  I couldn't tell where it was coming from, but I knew it was more than she could lose and still be alive.

I managed to make my mouth and brain connect and said, "My god, Liberty, what did you do?"

My voice broke the heavy silence in the room, making me jump in my skin.  I could feel a wave of disgust from Liberty, and couldn't tell if she was disappointed in my reaction or still thinking about her mother.

"Just get us out of here." she said dully in my head.

"No, we need to call the police.  We can't just leave her here."

I quickly turned and started looking for the phone.  I bumped into the couch and felt something wrong with my hand.  I looked down and saw that I was gripping an object tightly in my hand.  As soon as I noticed it, the muscles in my hands started to cramp, screaming at me to release it, but unable to loosen enough to let it drop to the ground.

In the dim light it was hard to see, but a glint of light made me recognize it.  A knife.  A big one, covered in a thick, gummy substance.


"What the hell?" The words flew out of my mouth, even though I knew what was going on.  My stomach started revolting against me as I thought about what was covering the knife.

"Do you see why you can't call the cops? Do you need me to educate you on the system? Now, get us out of here, and bring the knife with you.  We can dump it somewhere."

Liberty's voice had taken on a commanding tone, and she started moving me toward the door.  I took one last look at her mother, and followed her.

I didn't know what else to do.

Sorry for the kind of non-event entry this week.  But I think it sets up some important things about Liberty that will come to light later.  Checkov's loaded gun, so to speak.

3WW-Taking Liberty Part 10

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Sorry it's been a while since my latest installment.  I hope I haven't lost whatever momentum (and readers) I've gained over the last few weeks.

If you're new or (like me) you may have forgotten some of the things that have gone down with Liberty and Elizabeth's story, you can check out my Taking Liberty page and refresh your memory.

Thank you again for sticking around with me on this ride.  I still don't know where it's going or how long it will last!  Hope you enjoy the ride!

Liberty's mother wrapped her arms around me, squeezing with surprising strength.  The smell of alcohol made my stomach turn.  I kept waiting for Liberty to come to the forefront, take over, and as her mother led me into the trailer, I was ready to hand over the reigns.

But Liberty stayed quiet, wrapped in the safety of my subconscious.  I felt that she was watching and waiting.

I was pulled to a worn out and cracked leather sofa and almost pushed into a seat.  Liberty's mom sat down beside me and took my hand.

"I knew you'd come back to me one day.  The cops came and told me you were gone, but I knew they were wrong. Could feel it in here." She placed a palm on my chest where my heart was.  Her hand was cold and it sent a shiver through my body.

I gently took her hand and moved it.  "I'm sorry, but you're mistaken.  My name's Elizabeth, I was friends with Liberty." The words felt awkward in my mouth, and I could sense Liberty's slight resentment at my choice of words. "I just wanted to check on you."

She stared at me, her eyes turning into barely visible slits of concentration.  Leaning back in her seat she crossed her arms and then burst into a hoarse laugh. "You think I can't judge my daughter when I see her? I know Liberty's there with you. Aren't you, sugar?"

She leaned toward me until our faces were almost touching.  My eyes were watering from the fume of her breath.

"Aren't you?" She whispered.

***

I opened my eyes, confused and lost.  It was pitch black, and the windows were all dark.  It must be past nightfall.  I pushed myself up and banged my elbow and a table.  My eyes were starting to adjust to the dark, and I saw that I was on the floor of the trailer.

Standing up, I tried to work my way to the wall so I could find a light switch.  Something wasn't right, and I could feel the unease building.  I heard a noise behind me and turned.  

For a moment, I saw a ghostly shape standing before me.  It rushed toward me, and I instinctively flinched back.  It wasn't until it overcame me that I realized for a few brief moments I had been alone in my head.  Liberty had left.

But now she was back.

"Just leave." She said softly inside my mind.

"What just happened?" I asked her.

"Just get in the car and take us away from here."

I turned and started walking out.  When I reached the front door, I could see the switch next to it and reached out my hand. I could feel Liberty fighting the motion and trying to keep us moving forward.  Slowly I was able to touch the switch and turn on the lights.  

Liberty gave up the fight and I stumbled with the strain I had been using.  Turning around I looked at the room.

In the corner as if she had been trying to reach the next room was a woman.  It was Liberty's mother.  I took a hesitant step forward, thinking she must have drunk herself into a stupor.

Then I saw the blood.

Hope you enjoyed this dark turn. I don't think this surprised me; the mother was doomed from the start.  Did it come as a shock to any of you?

3WW-Taking LIberty Part 9

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I never thought that this experiment would go this far, and I'm not sure how much further I'm going to take it.  I feel like I'm just really starting to get started.  Hopefully I'm wise enough to know when I've reached the end of the story.

Thank you all for sticking with me this far, and welcome to any new readers. If you're new, I'd recommend checking out the Taking Liberty page to catch up on what's been happening.  I've been really surprised and greatly humbled by the kind words all of you have said.

Let's see if you're still with me after today.  The words for today are a bit of a conundrum today: clutch, delight, happy

The rest of the ceremony went by in a blur to me.  I think there was a song or two, and then Liberty's aunt said a few words. 

However, I could feel Liberty listening intently, clutching at every word. I felt awful, like an eavesdropper, listening in on her terrible roller coaster of emotions.  I wanted to do something, make some gesture, but what do you do for someone at their own funeral?

***

I was saying goodbye to Dena, the tentative, tear filled goodbye that accompanies any funeral, when I heard Liberty's voice speak up.

"I want to go home.  I want to see my mom, she wasn't here."

I watched Dena walk away, and then turned,searching the parking lot for my car.  Seeing it several spaces back, I started walking to it.

"I want to go home!" Liberty shouted in my ear, loud enough to freeze my steps and make me cringe.

"I heard you." I whispered, "I'm just not sure it's the best idea."

"I don't care what you think.  I want to see my mom, see what was so important that she didn't show up."

I unlocked the car and sat in the seat.  I had two choices: take her of my own free will or fight her for control of my body and go anyway. Wasn't much of a choice after all.

Liberty was so highly strung that it was bleeding over to me, and my hands were starting to shake as I followed her directions to a scrubby little trailer on the far end of town.  It was on a small plot of land that was overgrown, climbing roses covered the ground, and flowers overflowed their beds.

I could feel Liberty's nerves settle into a steely silence as I picked my way across the yard and knocked on the door.  I could hear a rustling inside.

"So what now?" I asked Liberty in the confines of my head.  I was getting better at this, and it almost felt natural now.

A woman opened the door about a foot.  She was painfully skinny, but beautiful in a fragile way.  Liberty clearly got her beautiful black hair from her mother.  The woman reeked of liquor. 

Slowly a childlike, delighted smile flooded her face.

She flung the door open and cried in a happy voice, "Liberty, you've come home!"

Ok.  Now I officially have no idea where this is going.