Silence 06.15.15

Note: This installment contains hurt/comfort Skilene. Ironically, since the first Skilene installment, every fourth one has contained it. That was not intentional.

— § —

“No . . . No, stop . . .”

“Marlene.”

“Stop! Let me go!”

“Marlene!”

“You’re hurting me!”

“Marlene!”

“Ah!”

Marlene sprung awake in her বিছানা in a cold sweat. Skipper was above her, gripping her arms.

“Marlene, it’s all right,” he ব্যক্ত comfortingly. “It was just a nightmare.”

Marlene looked at Skipper as if ensuring she was actually awake. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck, digging her claws into him as if he might leave.

“Skipper! I’m sorry I woke আপনি up!” she cried. “It was so real!”

Skipper stroked her back, ignoring the sting from her claws. “It’s all right, Marlene. I was already awake, anyway. This storm’s keeping everyone up. The boys and I were checking on everyone when I found you,” he explained.

As if on cue, a round of thunder resounded overhead.

Marlene finally started to calm herself down and she released Skipper, pushing herself to the edge of the বিছানা to sit. Skipper sat পরবর্তি to her.

“You wanna talk about it?” Skipper asked after a few মিনিট had passed and Marlene’s হৃদয় rate had returned to normal.

Marlene winced. “Not really,” she ব্যক্ত quietly.

Skipper studied her. “I’m not gonna make আপনি talk, but I hope আপনি know আপনি can always confide in me,” he told her. আরো thunder cracked overhead.

Marlene reluctantly looked at him. “I know. I appreciate it.”

Skipper held eye contact for a moment, and then he nodded slowly. “Some of the other জন্তু জানোয়ার took refuge in the Zoovenir Shop. আপনি can too, if আপনি want,” he said.

Marlene nodded, but she didn’t respond verbally. Skipper decided she wanted to be alone and stood, but stopped at the sound of her voice.

“Wait,” she said. Skipper stopped and looked back at her. “Could you—stay? For just a minute?” she requested.

Skipper sat down again.

“I just—ever since I met her, I’ve been having nightmares about her,” Marlene said, looking down into her paws.

Skipper’s brow lowered. “Her?” he inquired.

“My feral side,” Marlene clarified.

Skipper nodded in understanding, but then became confused again. “But I thought আপনি ব্যক্ত meeting her made আপনি feel better since আপনি were able to control it,” he said.

“I did—at first,” Marlene replied. “But then I got to thinking. She was . . . insane. No one ever told me the whole story of what she did those few times I went outside the zoo.” She looked at Skipper like she was expecting him to tell her now.

“Well,” Skipper ব্যক্ত with a sigh, “she sure put up a fight, but there’s honestly not much left to tell. No one was seriously injured.”

Marlene hugged her knees to her chest. “But she’s nothing like me. How could I turn into something like that, something so—violent?”

Skipper shrugged. “Everyone has a side to themselves they never knew they had,” he said.

Marlene looked at him. “Really? Even you?” she challenged.

Skipper nodded slowly. “Affirmative.”

“What is it?” Marlene asked.

Skipper shifted uncomfortably. “That’s, uh, classified,” he ব্যক্ত without meeting her eye.

Marlene looked down. A moment passed before she said, “What if she comes back?”

Skipper looked at her. “I doubt she will. আপনি faced her. আপনি know how to control her.”

“You sound so sure about that,” she ব্যক্ত shaking her head.

“Because I am,” Skipper replied. “You have nothing to be afraid of, Marlene.”

As if to mock that statement, a loud bang! of thunder broke the sound barrier, causing the two to jump. Marlene gripped Skipper’s flipper. As their হৃদয় rates calmed, Skipper pulled his flipper free and wrapped it around her protectively, looking up at the ceiling as if the storm were about to crash through it.

“How about I take আপনি to the park tomorrow? অথবা when it stops raining,” Skipper offered. “I’ll prove to আপনি that she’s gone for good.”

Marlene swallowed. “I don’t know . . .”

“Marlene,” Skipper ব্যক্ত tipping her chin, “I’ll be with আপনি the whole time. At the first sign of her return, I’ll rush আপনি back to the zoo,” he promised.

“What if you’re too late?” Marlene asked.

Skipper smiled reassuringly. “Me, late? It’s like আপনি don’t know me at all, Dollface.”

Marlene smiled and rolled her eyes. “Fine. I guess we’ll give it a shot,” she agreed.

Skipper nudged her. “There’s the Marlene I know,” he ব্যক্ত proudly.

Marlene laughed. “Am I always scared out of my mind?”

Skipper shook his head. “Everyone’s scared of something. It’s অভিনয় in spite of that fear that makes আপনি brave,” he told her.

Marlene smiled gratefully, but then she frowned. “Is that what আপনি do?” she asked.

Skipper’s smile faded and he looked at the floor. “Yeah,” he ব্যক্ত softly.

“But . . . what are you afraid of?” Marlene asked with surprise.

Skipper made that face again, as he had earlier when she’d asked about his “other side.” He refused eye contact. “Also classified.”

Marlene thought for a moment, and then she tried to meet his eye. “I’m not gonna make আপনি talk, but I hope আপনি know আপনি can always confide in me,” she ব্যক্ত with a small smile.

Skipper looked down at her and smiled back. “I know,” he said.

Marlene sighed. “Still not gonna tell me?” she asked doubtfully.

Skipper looked away again and took a breath. “What am I afraid of? I’m afraid of losing the people I care about. I’m afraid that one দিন there’s gonna be nothing I can do to prevent something bad from happening. I’m afraid of—of—” They finished together— “losing control.”

They looked at each other as silence passed between them. A sense of understanding passed between them as the storm continued to rage outside. Despite the pitter-pattering of rain, all they could hear was the sound of their own breathing and heartbeats. There was another crack! of thunder and they were snapped out of their trance.

“Heh,” Marlene ব্যক্ত looking up, “maybe we should go to the Zoovenir ভান্দার now.”

Skipper nodded. “Right. Let’s go.”

— § —

Note: I didn’t realize this until I was just about finished with it, but this kind of seemed like a retelling of Dream (installment six). I debated just completely omitting অথবা rewriting it, but I just really liked how it turned out. I promise I’ll avoid doing that with any other installments, however.