In The Land of Twilight Under The Never Ending Moon:421Please respect copyright.PENANAfj0P0uXLWt
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One year, one full year had passed since the loss and the addition to her detest towards the holiday meant for love and couples with happiness. The echoing sound of her fingers gently tapping and softly brushing the smooth plastic keys of her computer seemed like her only comfort. Pushing back a loose strain of black hair that continued to wish to continue play with her nose the young woman narrowed her eyes on the blue glow of the screen in the softly lit study room. She didn’t understand why the others living in the country seemed to mostly turn down technology for the older ways of doing this. It baffled her as did the notion that a soul living should go and visit stones representing the souls of the dead.421Please respect copyright.PENANA1EWtiGFeGy
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This thought lingered growing her frustration and quickening her fingers and her eyes narrowing with the repeated failure of ceasing her thoughts over why mortals did as they did both physically and emotionally. Those closes knew it was the one year anniversary since the loss and knew it had been hard but though that was known some who knew still insisted on attempting bringing closure and bringing some comfort. This was something she didn’t want and didn’t see as an absolute need as she viewed it as but a simple waste of energy.421Please respect copyright.PENANAaJsENU6NgU
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Soon the reflection of words being typed reflecting in her eyes began to jumble with her quickening speed and her frustration with her own mind. Finally she released a frustrated yell lifting her hands before slamming them down hard on the keys causing many random lines of text to appear before it stopped and remained silent besides the quiet computer motor fan blowing out the hot air aiding with the machine not bursting into flame from long hours to days of use. It was too much it was too much. Those thoughts in her mind wouldn’t stop the memories of the past, the knowing of what those she knew would try to show they cared it was too much on her mind.421Please respect copyright.PENANAYPaNo6Mn1w
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Was it too much for her to ask to be allowed to focus on her work on a rare bloom that flourished in the shadows, unfolding and showing blooms of purple with small red and white spots which glowed seeming to be home to fireflies when small orbs of energy stored by the plant would start to rise from its petals and its center where four tongues stood out like delicate little feathers or wobbly antenna’s seen on some cars that had withstood one too many storms.421Please respect copyright.PENANAD2S7TSiu8n
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When she had raised her hands and slammed them down her body had lifted itself to a strong footed standing position eyes glaring down at the screen with hate and breathing heavy. Why her breathing was heavy she wasn’t sure but it simply came out in this manner. Maybe it was her body venting the pent up frustration or it was simply some way to try and calm herself down and cool off as the fan of her computer did by speeding up its blowing when required before slowing back down to a quiet soft hum.421Please respect copyright.PENANAOoYhFvucGE
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A computer…maybe that could best explain the human body and emotions to her, right? Staring at the glaring screen glowing with its white light appearing a soft blue on her soft peach colored flesh her hate filled eyes began to slowly soften before closing their blue hues inhaling deeply then exhaling with her head hanging lower with the exhaling breath. This was stupid. It wasn’t logical behavior in the slightest to become frustrated or annoyed at simple thoughts produced by the mind that was ever working in all humans aware or not. It was a never stopping machine that continued every second of every minute of every hour of every single day up to the day the life of the soul ended and then the body would wither a fear she held inside and tried not to show.421Please respect copyright.PENANA3yzEDhhAuR
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Listening now to the quiet song hummed out by her computer, a machine she felt closest to a calming feeling began to slowly creep over her. Just listen to the machine’s song she told herself. It would sooth her she told herself. It was comforting and yet her body though calming felt like something else she wanted and the something was also something she was not a large fan of: touching others. Stupid? Perhaps but what else could she come up with to explain the bit of emptiness lingering in the quiet song provided by the one thing she felt closest too?421Please respect copyright.PENANA7R4rrJHNQk
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Slowly she opened her eyes to gaze back into the soft glowing screen with its flashing indicator of where her line had ended with its text. It flashed blinking like a person with something stuck in their eye with a steady pulse almost like a heartbeat instead of an eye blinking. She began to start feeling her mind feeling lost with hazy thoughts staring at this blinking line. As the world began to fade around her into nothing but blurred shadows her mind was roused, snapped away from its dazed trance causing her head to whip around to the sound of racing shoes in the hallway.421Please respect copyright.PENANAAyBMwNE5b2
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Looking up and over she saw her study door of heavy wood be thrown open quite hard by a young man and two females one younger and one about his age standing behind him. “Come on you coming? We’re heading out with mother. You want to come along this time? You missed the visual when it happened so you ready to come now and pay respects?” His words quick and meaning well sparked a bitter taste in the young woman’s mouth her body tensing as she took a breath slowly to pick her words very carefully and to control her temper with him.421Please respect copyright.PENANAGo9rdv2IbD
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“No, brother, I am not going. You go with the rest of the family. I am staying here to finish my study.” The answer from the young woman was flat toned and withholding her annoyed feelings towards his interruption.421Please respect copyright.PENANA4OxNTgheQV
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“But all you’ve done since Grandfather passed away is study and work on plants and research them. You need a break. You can’t hide from what happens, Alisia.” The young man’s words brought more tension to enter her muscles tightening and her fists slowly closing resting on her laptop keyboard.421Please respect copyright.PENANAdd6YhiRnyp
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“Maybe that is because it is my job as a researcher to research how plants that are new to us react to certain types of clement, lighting, noise, and other variables.” Alisia’s words had become tense with her body which began to straight in her turning to stand and face her brother fully.421Please respect copyright.PENANAeggJR4qKW0
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“Only because you accept it all by volunteer and they don’t turn you down because they are willing to let you toil away at whatever you want because of your temper. Now come on you know this will help y-“421Please respect copyright.PENANAdX3yw82kdU
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“No it won’t!” her sudden shout cut him off before he could finish bringing a stunned look into his hazel eyes. “It won’t help me, do you understand? Going to some stupid land dug up and recovered is not going to help me.” Now her words left her lips in a low growl as her fists tightened further starting to turn white with her resisting the growing urge to hurl something at his head.421Please respect copyright.PENANAfUS1DBf9wU
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“…Fine you want to wallow and do nothing? Then do that but just know you are just running from what happens here in reality to hide behind your stupid plants.” Hearing the words stupid plants from her brother triggered a response traveling down her arm causing it to reach behind her back and under her shirt with eyes unmoving off her brother.421Please respect copyright.PENANAD4D8AyIIqM
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“You want to repeat that?” Alisia hissed coldly the soft click noise of metal to metal echoed softly before the metal reflection began to show itself in her tense hand lowering to her side now holding her favorite gun. “I have this because you know why? Because technology allows me to and thanks to it I don’t fear wild animals nor do I fear other humans or beasts with some level of intelligence. Insult what I do again and we’ll see how bulletproof you are, little brother.”421Please respect copyright.PENANAXx8yDFnuyd
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The cold tone, uncaring for his safety brought his heart to quicken with the gleam of the guns polished metal catching his eyes. He tried to swallow with his throat tightening not looking back to see their two sisters step back and the one leaving with the younger one. Silence besides the fan of the computer blowing its hot air out into the open space of the room.421Please respect copyright.PENANA3lFOGPIbxu
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Her brother didn’t respond just watched his older sister almost waiting to see if she would really try to shoot him as she was keeping the gun down something he appreciated. He opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it when another voice entered the silent air cutting through the tension easily with authority.421Please respect copyright.PENANAO39i7mj3RU
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“Jalo! Did I not tell you to leave your sister be? I told you she was busy with work. Why do you continue to disobey?” the woman’s sharp voice scolded the body of a woman youthful face with smooth skin but could be seen she was at least in her forties if not older.421Please respect copyright.PENANAWBPHLrtqvF
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“Um…sorry mother I just thought Alisia might-“421Please respect copyright.PENANARdsipOrfsk
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“Might what? Stop what she is doing to visit a gravestone? You know she is dedicated to improving the plants in Flora so we might flourish and grow our finances to survive better without relying on Indu’s Royal Family.” The scolding sharp tone of the woman’s voice was enough to make Alisia’s jaw to tighten and grip to not loosen upon her firearm as she saw her brother hang his head in defeat of their mother.421Please respect copyright.PENANAmTzmGb52U8
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She wouldn’t respond until she saw her brother and mother leave, not without a cold glare from her mother then after her door was closed with some force by her mother there was silence, deafening silence to fill her ears only disrupted by the computer’s fan. Moments passed slowly by as she stood still as stone, her body not easing from its tensed state.421Please respect copyright.PENANA77F9Yp5RaG
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She had seen her brother be scolded for interrupting her research. It felt good yet at the same time it didn’t. He was trying to help but the help wasn’t right for her and she knew this, didn’t she? She understood these simple things, right? She was sure she did. No one had to tell her how in one way of logic he meant well by his intentions even if they were wrong for her in her view.421Please respect copyright.PENANAda9Vs91Msb
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She knew herself better than him she was sure of that much but if that was so why was she still feeling so angry inside? Her fingers gripped the unbending metal tighter bringing her hand then arm to start trembling from the strain her muscles were experiencing. Suddenly her gun holding hand whipped up and opened fire releasing ten of the fifteen rounds in the chamber. Each bang from the barrel was followed by a small recoil to her outstretched out held out and up without her other to help support it.421Please respect copyright.PENANABbLuAqdHH5
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The jolts each one felt nice if not a bit uncomfortable. Once she had unleashed ten rounds of bullet cartridges into her thick wooden door her once trembling arm and hand had ceased their trembling and her breathing became audible inside the stilling air. Smoke rose from the barrel without a sound just a soft smell of hot gunpowder and hot metal that had buried its way into the thick wood and good the door had been thick as the bullets had stopped before exiting the hardened wood.421Please respect copyright.PENANAajP20Y7HJx
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Breathing in and out, trembling in the stilling air and soon the ringing in her ears from each of the shots began to cease being replaced by the soft sound of the only running machine in her study. Alisia didn’t move nor take her blue eyes off the door standing still as stone with the only movement coming from her rising and falling chest. Why? Why? Why was she so angry? This wasn’t a new occurrence. She had seen her mother get after her siblings before when they interrupted her work in the floral research field to improve the flowers and create new species of flowers for Flora to produce and sell.421Please respect copyright.PENANA7iGlQKgUDV
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Then…why was she so angry? Why was she so frustrated? A minute ticked by then a second minute before her arm with gun in hand slowly began to find its mobility and lowered to rest at her side. Shifting her weight she turned with fluid movement her back to the door now decorated by ten bullet shots, shells included and made her way over to her far wall opposite of the door.421Please respect copyright.PENANAs1cTwhXvZ2
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The room was simple enough with its shelves for the flowers in their pots, containers with fake or dry creatures that were a force to be dealt with, some books on the many flower species known to Flora’s soils in their sub country residing inside Indu, and an area where seeds were kept for growing and testing so to find out if crossing one flower with another resulted in a new flower for use in cooking or medical purposes.421Please respect copyright.PENANAm2mvBkqPoU
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A bed rested along one wall as did a couple tables and on one table was a small picture frame made of wood with metal embedded for design. Her fingers wrapped around lifting and during this motion her body turned and placed her warm back against the cool metal of the wall opposite of her study room’s door. It felt nice the cold steel against her flesh through the layer of cotton fabric making up her long sleeve shirt.421Please respect copyright.PENANAe177h9rtXl
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Blue eyes closing with her body slipping down till her bottom clad in denim jeans was greeted by the cold hard ceramic tiled floor. Legs bent to angle so to best help her hide her face behind her own body the young woman opened her eyes drawing the image closer to rest it on her lap staring at the picture of a man in military garb proudly carrying Indu’s national symbol. A soft clatter came as her hand holding to her gun began to unwrap her nimble fingers from the metal casing to let the deadly weapon rest at her side on the floor having cooled so her now free hand could trace the photograph gently along the glass surface protecting the inked image.421Please respect copyright.PENANAPdtLQIErol
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Staring at the photograph in silence save for the blowing soft roar of the computer’s fan she stared in the dim lights of her study save for the reflecting light off her computer screen still housing the same pulsing line ready for words to be typed so it may move to a new location making words appear as if by magic on its illuminated screen.421Please respect copyright.PENANAi2L8GCx5c2
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Sadness welled inside her heart, stirring like a quiet storm trying to find its proper way with eyes fixated on the picture. One year. It had been one year since he left them. She hated the thought that someone she saw as invisible and unable to die would die one day without warning to anyone. Perhaps she should have expected it but was still hard to understand and take. It still did not feel real.421Please respect copyright.PENANAkdaeJQhnqU
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Her lips parted mouthing a word but what came out was no sound of her voice but a sound of white noise for the second of her word was spoken. Alisia seemed not to notice this or was ignoring it as she stared at the image behind glass held by the wood and metal frame. “I miss you…” she whispered softly barely audible as another sound of white noise came.421Please respect copyright.PENANA99EtytWDNq
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After some moments tears began to come to the edge of her lower eyelids threatening to fall and, as this happened, the picture frame was pulled closer to her chest along with her bent legs while her front leaned forwards to hide her face with tears starting to fall into her knees. It hurt inside but showing this was not something she wanted to do. She didn’t want sympathy. She didn’t want pity. She wanted to be left alone to deal with her own emotions in her own way even if that meant ignoring them and trying to keep herself from using them by keeping herself immersed in work.421Please respect copyright.PENANAeKkj4jpXwO
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Doing her best to keep her tears quiet and breathing steady so not to give notice to anyone possibly outside her door anything was wrong she took no notice with her eyes hidden into her knees and their being closed with her mind on memories of the past year with then without the one she had seen as invincible of the flower on her desk she had been studying began to have its red and white dots on its purple petals beginning to glow. It wasn’t a bright light but a soft light that seemed to spread to more of the dots on the soft petals smooth like rose petals as sadness filled Alisia’s heart and memories tears falling with silence.421Please respect copyright.PENANATlHe1yWs70
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As the dots glowed their soft light orbs began to slowly rise being taken in by the tongues of the flower absorbing them down like a meal it was longing for. As more orbs began to rise from it one tongue turned its wobbly self towards Alisia drawing from her side then back and arm small tiny orbs of energy beckoning them closer and as they came closer fed on the energy it had now began to draw off her emotions with all its red and white dots lit and glowing, orbs of its own floating up and some starting to float over and even help guide and draw energy from the young woman to bring to the rare flower.421Please respect copyright.PENANAFz9Daiembr
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Drawing in the energy from Alisia and feeding on the energy it had stored itself the purple shade on its petals began to shine and shimmer, gaining beauty and a youthful life the longer the minutes ticked by of its feeding.421Please respect copyright.PENANATprpvLTuej
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Nearly twenty minutes had passed before finally Alisia would fall asleep clutching the photograph close to her chest and five more minutes passed before the plant was unable to beckon to it energy from the young woman. I shame to it as it was enjoying the new energy with its pain and sorrow had been very delicious to it. The flower stood straight in its pot, the red and white dots on its now more gorgeous purple petals, appearing to have almost a scale like shimmer to them, slowly began to allow the dots to cease their glow to return to a dormant state so to preserve the energy it had gathered as long as possible.421Please respect copyright.PENANAMd7HpxSF1p
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The room was now quiet, dimly lit with the bright blue hue coming off the white screen of the computer still running with fan blowing its soft melody hum into the noiseless air. Void of life besides the plants, seeds, and Alisia, sitting on the floor away from her desk and the door with her gun at her side and in her arms clutched close to her heart a photograph of someone she had been very close to and now had survived one year without. Immersed in her study she was focused to stay busy on her work unaware of the abilities to feed off sadness and negative energy of the plant sitting on her desk with petals appearing crafted from dragon scales.421Please respect copyright.PENANAQFSzGiF8uj
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The blinking icon on her screen began to move making its letters as if by digital magic appear in black colored font one letter at a time spelling two names: Lanet Silverlight. After the two names came seven black periods then nothing as the flashing icon like a beating pulse or blinking eye to remove something from within it causing discomfort ceased to leave its place after the seventh period.421Please respect copyright.PENANAjcMRbHo5ZJ