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HOW TO DISAPPEAR (2) :

A FAIRYTALE THE KIDS WILL LOVE

THERE are no stops from oklahoma to arizona, save for the occasional snack and bathroom breaks.

you managed to nap for the greater part of the sixteen hour trip, but two-bit’s eyelids start to sag at about 11:30 at night, leaving the task of convincing a determined, cranky keith mathews to turn in for the night, to you.

“two, there’s a motel up ahead— just pull over.”

“that’s...not a motel. the sign says ‘OTEL.’” keith mathews is damn near falling asleep.

“keith, i’ll be damned if i die in a stolen corvair in the middle of who-fucking-knows, arizona. pull.over.”

he turns sharply into the dark parking lot outside of the one story complex, lit only by a single flickering lamppost and the dying red glow of the sign.

you’re out of the car barely before its stopped moving, and you look back at two bit, still unmoving, expectantly.

two bit turns to you, his gaze slowly sobering and alert.

“well, here we are. ready to dig into our savings so you can die at a glorified haunted, cockroach-infested sex rendezvous? you’re right, it suits you better.”

you roll your eyes as he slowly steps out of the car, locking the door as he does. you can only think that if somebody did try to steal two-bit’s beat up junker, they probably needed it more.

the motel lobby smells of cigarettes and fry grease the moment two-bit opens the door. dust lies caked over the top of a barely-standing small wooden bookcase, and the room is truly topped off by the stain variety on couch.

all is quickly explained at the sight of the concierge. He’s an older man, the white hair on his head quickly vacating, and he looks like he could be in his mid-fifties if life as a skeevy motel attendant hadn’t aged him so much. he might be 5’8 and intimidating if his back wasn't so crooked and his shoulders not hung so loose.

two-bit remains unfazed as he approaches the counter, and you follow close behind.

“a room please,” he asks.

the man remains aloof as he licks the pad of his index finger to flip the page of an old magazine.

“double or single beds?”

you’re almost flattered that he didn’t automatically assume you were an escort, or here to fuck two-bit mathews. you chime in anyway.

“two singles.”

he sighs, still not making eye contact. “damn shame, i’ve only got doubles.”

he looks up for the first time, eyes shifting between the two of you.

“unless you’d like to bunk with some other folks,” he flashes his teeth in what looks to be a half-smile. “I know a couple tenants who wouldn’t mind…guests.” he wheezes when he laughs.

keith shoots you a side glance before doubling down.

“a double’s fine.”

the man turns his focus back onto the magazine, but still reaches a limp arm under his desk to grab a key.

“do make sure to pay tomorrow morning. i’m a greasy hick with a gun, and prison sounds like a nice vacation from the place i’ve got,” his smile is half threatening as he wheezes.

you both turn towards the door, gripping the handle when he speaks again.

“and young man,” he swallows hard, serious this time. “clean up after yourself….maid only comes once a week.”

it’s two-bit’s turn to roll his eyes as he holds the door for you, sharing in your disgusted look as you leave the lobby behind.

“you know what, two? i liked him.”

he chuckles half heartedly.

“you would, it’s that same taste in men that got your mixed up with dallas tucker winston.”

the thought of teasing dallas makes you smile and you nudge keith’s shoulder.

“you shouldn’t be speaking ill of the dead.”

you know it’s a mistake as soon as you say it, and two-bit stops in his tracks, turning to you.

“he’s not dead. we’re gonna’ fucking find him, alright?”

he keeps on walking, frustrated, but his words pin you to the ground.

“keith, wait—,” you call out to him, and he turns toward you from a few feet away.

you glance at the motel two blocks down the road.

“you want to get a drink?”

he breathes deeply, burying his face in his hands. “we’ve got a long day tomorrow, we shouldn’t.”

you put on your best “kicked puppy, pity-me” expression, which most greasy girls never did, and most greasy guys never fell for, but it always worked on two-bit, when it came to you.

he bridges the gap between you two, caving.

“just one.”

———————

your vision is hazy, speech-slurred, as you and two mumble incoherently on the walk toward your shared room. his arm is fixed around your shoulders as you help keep his balance, the only thing stopping him from plunging to the asphalt.

the door is unlocked, and neither of you is sober enough to assess the dangerous implications of that fact. instead you only lock the door behind you and crash onto the double bed you’d booked, which had caused an uproar at the front desk earlier, but was now starting to look very promising.

you feel a heavy weight on your chest, but still manage to worm onto your side to look at two-bit.

even with his eyelids heavy and hair tousled from a late night of drinking, he wasn’t hard to look at by any means. he was at least six feet tall, his shoulders broad and sturdy. for most greasy girls you knew, he was a total catch.

but looking at him now, your head foggy and dream-like, you notice the way his features move softly with each of his expressions, not quite as angular as dallas’s were. are. the conflict between the two tenses is almost enough to make your eyes mist over.

when your vision refocuses, you notice he’s staring back at you, too. he’s your best friend. you begin to wonder what would happen if—

you come together slowly, his hand moving to cup your face, warm and supportive. his lips are on yours and the kiss is chaste and innocent. much different from what you’d prefer, perhaps in a different situation, with someone else.

you both stare at each other quizzically for a moment once you’ve released each other.

“no,” he says after a few seconds, shaking his head and turning back to face the ceiling.

“agreed.” you shift to sit cross-legged on the bed. “i think you need more practice.”

he looks up at you, nose scrunched in mock offense.

“i’ve had plenty of practice.”

“you kissed me, hotshot.” your eyes narrow as you stifle a laugh. “i don’t think we should sleep in the same bed, frankly.”

“agreed,” he retorts, and with a single pulse of strength, shoves you off the bed and onto the carpet. you land with a thump. “i think you should take the floor.”

“did you just knock a lady on her ass, keith mathews?”

his laugh is quiet and child-like as he apologetically moves over to make space for you on the mattress. “fine. but no funny business, got it?”

you just roll your eyes and crawl under the covers beside him, finally flicking off the lamp’s assaulting yellow light.

“you’re all of i’ve got,” he says after a pause, cutting through the silence.

‘i love you’ goes unsaid, but echoes throughout the room regardless.

———————

all sleep is uneasy when you’re dating a dead boy.

you pull the sheets off your body and swing your legs off of the bed, not too worried about waking two-bit. he was a deep sleeper.

you grab a lighter from two’s jean pocket, and take a few smokes from the pack lying on the vanity.

there are no signs of life in the motel parking lot in front of your room, save for the occasional wind chill.

your mind is never yours at four in the morning.

it always belongs to them.

when you close your eyes, leaning against the concrete wall, you can almost see johnny cade. you remember the way he smiled, his jacket loose on his shoulders, purple-black bruises on the high points of his cheeks.

sometimes you still found yourself looking over your shoulder, a habit from when you had to check to make sure johnny was still there, behind you.

the next gust of wind reminds you of dallas.

you feel the ghost of his long, pale fingers tracing the length of your spine, drumming on your shoulders when you’d lie on his chest, tugging at your hair.

you only open your eyes when the cigarette burns out, and it’s dim light is replaced by the burning gaze of two very familiar eyes, from the alley across the street.

ashing your cigarette on the wall, you turn back toward the room, your fingers only grazing the handle when a hand flies over your mouth, stifling the instinctual scream.

in the window, a harrowing reflection.

a pale-faced girl and her dead ex boyfriend.

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Faded land: Chapter 12

The morning sun shined upon a war torn canyon upon the lakeside, reminisce of a once proud city left as nothing but bits and chunks of pavement and stone. The nuclear wastes resting along the bottom illuminates a green hue that pierces through the waning twilight. Crawling throughout the sides of this war torn city, Clara rides atop her mutant steed up one of the many inclines of the civilization left behind, her attention kept upon the lime green glow below. Best to gain as much high ground as possible from such hazardous residue. It’d be a dangerous drop indeed if either were to lose their precious grips upon the stone. Angelo might serve a better chance among the radioactive wastes, but who knows what might transpire if the scientist were to dive head first. It’s doubtful such a venture would land Clara a sweet set of superpowers, more along the lines of a cruel case of cancer, or worse.

Speaking of Angelo, the scientist notices her arachnid companion to be a bit on the sluggish side as of late. That and the mix of all her gain girth sparks hints of worry in Clara’s consciousness. Poor girl’s been slowing down quite a lot lately. Wonder what’s got in such a lethargic rut? Perhaps the burns that were inflicted upon her have yet to fully heal, although all the gained weight on the other hand proved to be an unsolved mystery.

The scientist had been pretty persistent in preserving their rations since last time, holding them ever so closely to her person so that her steed may not partake in mischievous midnight snacking. A fact that she is certain of upon checking her bag to find not a single can out of place. So where did all her access girth come from? In any case, it might be best for them both to take a quick rest atop this next column of rock, the scientist hearing Angelo’s weary breath. The ursa arachnid seemingly on the brink of passing out any given moment.

Both soon arrive at the top of the column, the bear spider plopping herself on the cracked pavement. The flat concrete proved itself to be stable enough to rest upon. The perfect spot to gauge the view of the lake overlooking the horizon. The waters reflecting the rising sun among the vast, seemingly endless sea before them made itself the perfect divide to the rivaling nations. Its a pondering mystery what awaits the scientist on the other side of this vast blue ocean set before her. Only hints of the Canadians society have managed to reveal themselves up to the point of this journey. Their transportation, their technology, even their weaponry, all proving to be far superior then Clara has ever dared to face before. If those hints of their forces were enough to instill such overwhelming shadow in the heart of this once proud homeland, its only a wonder what civilization might have risen in the wake of the war. Among these pondering questions, the one burning among them all is how she would even cross into the land of leaves and maple. Throughout her journey, rumors of their ruthless and impenetrable borders have come up from time to time. Tales of how next to nobody managing to even set a single foot within the country to the north alive have ingrained themselves within Clara’s memories. But no worries grasp her thoughts more so then what fate may have befell her colleague, Arthur. Still so many questions go unanswered upon the subject. Where did you go? Where did they take you? What might they be doing to you? But the one she desires to be answered most of all would be why. Why did you do all this?

Such thoughts swirling within the anxious scientist mind can’t help but make a sigh of worry escape from her lungs as she combs through the contents of her bag. Perhaps breakfast can manage to take the edge off this tense brainstorm. Even a minute would prove to make great relief. A beaming smile draws across the scientist face as she pulls something out from the depths of her pack. Huzzah! A can of healthy and hearty chicken noodle soup! The brew of noodles and poultry never fail to lift ones vigor, even in the most harrowing and disparaging of times. Couple this with a cup of calming tea and the anxieties will melt away in no time.

But before either woman or bear could dine upon the superfluous elixir, the earth beneath them quaked. The scientist swiftly takes her stand, curious what might have made the ground tremor so unexpectedly. A quick gaze in the depths of the canyon below showed nothing but the radioactively lime luminescence weakening against the coming sunlight. What a peculiar occurrence? Wonder what could have caused such a sudden shake. Worse matters is that the piece of dangling road both her and Angelo have taken refuge on seems to be on the verge of crumbling. Best course of action to take as of now would be swift retreat from the precarious rock, but the mutant steed shows herself to be too exhausted to even lift a single leg. No other option left but to wait for the chimeric arachnid to regain her strength, all the while remaining careful not to tip the balance of the unstable pillar they rest upon. Not the most exciting of endeavors, what else can be done besides take utmost caution. Oh well. At least the refined flavors of the chicken noodle soup can still perk the old spirits.

Not even a single inch do either of them move before the earth quakes once more. The tremor this time enough to make the tall column beneath give way, the slate the perched themselves on sliding down the incline. The only thing left for the scientist to do now is hope that they stay atop the sliding slate, holding onto her mutant steed in hopes of keeping the exhausted bear spider on board. Off a curved stone they go, careening across the canyon airs and soon to plummet towards the awaiting bottom of the radiation ridden quarry below. Upon impact with the earth, the lime green ground gives way, the duo descending down into the depths of the earth.

In their descent down, the scientist finds a massive body of water awaiting them at the bottom, a lime green light mixed with the morning sun reflecting in the waters. A course of action must be taken soon, else the pair might make the last splashdown of their lives. Desperately, the scientist rapidly pats the tired ursa’s back, hoping that Angelo jolts awake from her slug long enough to save their hides. Halfway down towards the cavernous waters and her steed still refuses to awaken from her exhausted slumber. Come on, girl. Time to wake up. Gotta get that spinneret of yours a good workout, preferably before we hit water.

Thankfully, all the repeated padding awakens the fuzzy arachnids instincts, Angelos backside squirting out a long stream of silk that rockets up towards the roof of the cave. Clara’s gaze quickly ventures to the strings rise through the caverns, hoping the webbing would reach the ceiling before they take the big swim. Much to her joy, the web attaches upon the side of a stalactite, both woman and bear yanked from their wet grave. Dangling several yards from their watery grave, the surrounding debris and can of chicken noodle ripple the waters below.

That close call saved, the scientist lets a breathe of relief escape from her lungs, her gaze leading up through the string as her body relaxes. Its then she notices the lime illumination all across the rocky roofs of this damp hollow. Seems the radiation above is leaking through the earth and shining down upon these ill indigenous caverns. Perhaps that would explain the abundance of massive stalactites littering the ceiling, the numerous glowing holes leaking from the rock suggesting something happening within. But then what’s the case with the numerous lines connecting all of them together. Too far up to gauge what exactly they might be, but they don’t look like part of the caverns natural formation. Wonder what they could be then?

Before the scientist spends much time dwelling on such a mystery, the sound of splashing water reaches her ears. Odd. Could swear the last of the rubble fell down along side her. Taking in a quick gaze downwards, they bares witness to a serpent like shadow streaking through the lake waters, an obvious warning that both need to start the trek upwards immediately. Clara attempts to awaken her steed in hopes of beginning their ascent quickly, however Angelo proves to be far too exhausted, not even batting an eye. Come on, don’t do this now! We gotta get moving! No matter how desperately she tries to motivate the mutant, Angelo fails to snap out of her slog. The lake below disturbed by the passing of the dwelling water serpent, it might not be long before the duo are chomped into human/spider chum chunks.

Amidst her panic, the scientist begins to take note of their gradual ascension from the waters of the cave, a glance up showing the string being tugged upward towards the roof. A look towards her bear spider showed the steed to be as tired as always, so the questions sprouts in Clara’s head. What might be pulling them up? A question that is best left on hold as the scientist hopes they can escape the potential grasp of their awaiting predator.

Halfway through the climb, she takes notices of the waters below swirling about, the shadow circling their vicinity. From those waters, a massive leviathan breaches the lake surface, rocketing towards its dangling prey with its gaping maw primed and ready to bite. The scientist braces herself for their potential demise, fearing the distance between her and the beast to be far too short for escape. A calming breath passes through her lips once the contrary is proven otherwise, the lake behemoths clamping teeth mere inches from their ascent. The sea giant, failing to dine upon their flesh, sinks back into the briny depths of the lake, watching as its unseized catch rises from its grasp. Quite the heart attack inducer indeed, but non the less a very close call.

That horrifying situation having been averted, her eyes venture upwards in wonder of who her saviors might be. Her gaze takes in the site of the stalactites among the surrounding green luminescence, the holes along the stone proving not to be leaking radiation, but instead artificial light. A strange site to behold, but none more amazing then what her gaze catches during their climb to the top. Surrounding them in their ascent, she finds the bizarre lines she spotted earlier to be bridges and tracks of steel, serving to connect the numerous formations along the cavern. People and carts alike travel across the steel pathway, their countless eyes fixed on both the rising duo and the hole they left in their wake. The mix of the lime glow alongside the natural twilight pouring out from the hole they’ve entered reflecting upon the metal of the tracks. The scientist could not believe what her site was partaking in, the rising view of an underground civilization, an entire settlement living within the stalactites under the city. It’s...It’s so…gorgeous, the mixture of lights, the twirling bridges and tracks, the numerous rocky pikes, the seemingly calm lake. Truly a site one can only dream of beholding, one that serves to be quite distracting as well. Upon the scientists awe of the scene before them, she proves herself far too occupied to take in the upcoming top of the hole in time as it hits her head, drawing her unconscious as both woman and bear are pulled within.

Clara’s consciousness arising once more, she’s finds herself welcomed by a soft sensation underneath her resting person. A comforting feeling that only the plush material of a bed would be able to mimic. The scientist fails to remember the last time she was able to properly bask in the warmth of a pillow top and almost drowns herself in the entrancing warmth. But terrifying thoughts of what happened last manages to jolt her from her lulling daze. She rises from the sheets of her bed, finding herself in the furnished confines of a small room of rock, a single bulb illuminating overhead enveloping the room in a soft glow. A quick scan through her newfound dwellings, she finds her bag resting upon the other side of the room. The scientist swiftly jumps out from her bed and retrieves her bag, a quick glance within the pack showing everything within remaining untouched. Cans, cup, compass, it was all there. Good, nothing got stolen. Be kinda screwed if the stuff in here just wound up disappearing.

Before she has the time to question her whereabouts, her nose detects the pleasing scent of a cooked meal. A scent that her nostrils had not partake upon in quite some  time. The smell leads her gaze towards the nightstand, her site resting upon a humble dinner set upon the side of the bed. Approaching the meal, she could already taste the simple, but delicious cooked chicken through her mouth. Such a meal of poultry would more then make up for the hearty elixir Clara had lost. Without a moment of hesitance, she begins to dig in, but the sound of the door make the hungry scientist halt in her track. Wielding the fork in her hands, she points the utensil forward and warns whoever might be awaiting to: “Stay back! Another step and I’ll pstab your eyes out. I swear I’ll do it.” Before her stood in the doorway a tall woman garbed in thick uniform like attire, reminiscent of a sort of armored mechanic uniform, urging the bellicose scientist to: “Just relax, kay. I ain’t gonna do anything to ya.” “Doubt that. What did you do with my steed?” “The bear spider thing? Resting out here. Take a look.”

Out from the room the woman leads the scientist, presenting Angelo resting alongside the side of the dorm doors as she dines on fed chicken. Clara watches as a couple people stop their walk through the hall to stare upon the feeding mutant. “Yep, sure was quite the shock when you two fell into our lives like that. Lucky we pulled y’all up in time. Moment sooner and you two mighta wound up as bloody sea chum chunks.” “Wait, you pulled us up?” “Me and a bunch other folks hangin around. Good thing your string came up on our window, huh?”

A scan of her surroundings revealed an assortment of lime green pipes running throughout the dormitory roof, similar to the roof of the caverns she gazed to not a moment ago. The machines above the doorways raised a sense of familiarity to the scientist. Although significantly much smaller in size, they looked to be the kind of machines used to regulate and stabilize nuclear energy. What kind of operation might these people be running here? A nuclear power plant? These kinds of observations combined with what’s has seen so far makes the scientist want to ask her host: “What sort of weird place did I fall into?” “Well, see here. You landed yourself smack dab in the heart of-”

Before Clara’s curiosity could be quenched, a sudden alarm blares from above. “Oh, what is it now!?” the woman barks upon the alarm. From across the hall, the voice of an approaching person gradually pierces through the sound of the alarm. They scream out for someone by the name of: “Trexy! Trexy! Trexy!” Upon this name, the scientists host turns towards the nearing individual, wanting them to give her a: “Statues report!” “It’s the reactor core. The tremors from earlier caused it to go haywire. We could be having a meltdown on our hands.” “Ah, son of a bitch! Tell the crew at the reactor I’m on my way.” With her workers departure, the woman turns her site towards the scientist and apologizes with: “Very sorry about cutting our little introduction short, but I gotta run. Be with you real soon.” That having said, she bolts through the halls of the dormitory.

A nuclear meltdown, eh? Haven’t faced such a situation in a long while. But the old instincts still remember how to quell such a potential disaster. A genius in nuclear fission herself, her aid might do a heap of help. Lets hope there’s still time to catch up to her hurrying host.

With swiftness in her step, Clara hurries through the halls of the dormitory in hopes of catching up to her host. Down the flight of stairs, she jumps, the passing people ducking under her as she makes her leap. Landing upon the marble floor at the bottom of the steps, she quickly makes the turn. One more flight of steps she goes down is when she finds herself within the wide, packed chambers of a cafeteria, the mixed scents of various foods filling her senses. Through the entire closure do the people scatter upon the blare of the alarm above, dropping trays of food in their quick traversal. Forcing herself through the scared mob, the scientist apologizes for every bump and bruise she causes. “Sorry. Excuse me. Pardon.” Atop one of the tables does Clara take her stand, gaining enough height from the panicking masses to partake in the view. Taking the elevated line of site, she manages to spot Trexy leaving through the opposite doors. The scientist wastes no time in following her lead, jumping across table after table so as to avoid the shifting crowd below. Making one final leap across the masses towards the exits, she burst through the exit doors of the eating facility, taking in their view of her host exiting ahead.

Pursuing her rushing rescuer, Clara finds herself standing upon one of the many steel bridges connecting the numerous stalactites together, several people rushing past in her search as she takes in the full view of the underground city before her. Among the passing people, she manages to spot Trexy in the distance, her gaze locked downwards. Perfect. Seems the scientist managed to catch her in the midst of a suddenly convenient stop. Just gotta hurry before she decides to pick the pace back up.

On the approach, the scientist witnesses her host take a daring leap off from the side of the bridge. Whoa! What the hell! What is she thinking? Quickly, she scuttles over to where Trexy had jumped, gazing down to where she might have wound up. Oh god! Why would she just jump like that!? Does she want to wind up deep in the den of the deadly lake beast!? Things might be going south, but there's no need for that. Frantically, Clara scans below, hoping to catch even a glimmering sign of the stupidly brave woman. Much to her relief, she catches the site of her host riding atop a moving cart, grinding across the steel of the tracks. Man, today’s just putting the scientist through the paces, ain’t it? Having gotten that emotionally draining scare out of the way, she watch as the cart Trexy had boarded enters a distinctively large stalactite in the distance. Best for Clara to pick up the pace herself if she wants any chance of stopping the nuclear nightmare in time. With that on her mind, she makes haste towards the entrance at the end of the bridge. Not really knowing if she could pull off such a daring stunt herself, she figure it be the safer option to haste on foot.

Bursting through the doors of the stalactite, the scientist rushes through the halls with but a single thought on her consciousness. How the hell is anyone supposed to keep track of where they're going in this rocky settlement? Every turn she makes was nothing but factory lines and metal molds on all her sides. Swimming against a stream of escaping employee’s, the constant barrage quickly begins to make Clara lose her sense of direction. She need to find refuge from this chaos real quick so best to figure out where to go.

Out from the river of passing factory workers, she leaps onto a nearby conveyor belt. The scientist evades and dodges machine parts and mechanical arms, hoping to find someplace to gauge her surroundings. Grasping the arm of an electric drill, she rides the mechanical appendage towards the catwalk above. Once landing firmly upon the steel walkway, she pulls out the compass from her pack, the needle displayed pointing east. When last glancing, the needle was set on south. Calculating from that and the path Trexy took leading out from the dormitory, she wagers the way her host went was...northwest maybe? Her direction set, she follows the compass through the catwalk, the steel echoing each step she runs. In her hastes, she takes in the view of the flood of workers she was once submerged in passes the halls like a naturally formed river, struggling to escape from the threat of radioactive annihilation looming over them. Such a site urging Clara to hurry, before to worse comes to fruition. Nearing the exit of the factory, she leap out from the dangling safety of the catwalk and into the ground floor, pushing past several employees coming in.

Upon reaching the outside, she finds herself standing upon steel once more, leading to the left from her desired destination. Questioning how she managed to end up on the wrong side, she wonders if the calculations she took might have been off. Not enough time to retrace her steps. Gotta find another way over. A glance down the bridge, she notices another below leading into the stalactite she saw Trey enter near the tip of the rock, past that, a several hundred foot drop into monster infested waters. It doesn’t take a genius like her to figure out what to do next.

Daring not to throw caution in the wind, she takes a moment to gauge the distance from the bridge below. Once the measurement in her head has been set, she takes a step back to give herself a running start. Hope calculations aren’t off this time. Without any more preparations to take, Clara sprint across the width of the bridge, the people around her looking on in horror as she takes her daring leaps.

The dive down proves to be an accelerating experience for the scientist, her hair blowing in the cavernous winds as she rapidly descends down towards the bridge. Sticking her arms out, she grabs on the bridge once in reach, the sudden force almost making her loose her grip. Although a tight call, she manages to pull herself up upon the suspended steel platform and hurries within not a moment sooner.

Up a flight of steps she climbs, racing to the top just in time to witness Trexy alongside several other people surrounding the glowing core. Rays of radiation leak out from the reactor, some of the people zapped by the passing beams, with Clara barely dodging death herself. With nothing but a wrench in her grasp, the work woman blocks the blasting beams from her person. Pushed back form the force of the blast, she curses: “Dammit! Can’t even get close to the thing! Won’t have time to make any repairs!”

A glance across the room, Clara notices a working panel on the other side of the reactor. Perhaps there, she could control the core and give it a chance to cool. Wasting not another moment, she rushes towards the console, gaining her hosts attention as she sprints forth. Dashing across the room the scientist goes. Jumping, ducking, and dashing over whatever gamma rays shoot towards her direction. Truly a recklessly risky dance of radiation.

Once the scientist gets her mitts on the control panel, she immediately gets to work, hoping the same process she performed time and time again would apply to this kind of technology. Lets see...Redirect cooling, lowering city wattage, lowering output, halfway there. Watching Clara working on the panel, Trexy notices the reactor beginning to calm from its maddening meltdown. Just a couple more moments of cooling bliss and it should be calm from its maddening meltdown. Upon nearly quelling the raging reactor, a dangerous discharge makes its way towards the scientist. Right when she notices the oncoming blast, its proves to be far too late to evade. She closes her eyes, bracing for the inevitable blast of radioactive rays. When she fails to feel the sting of the scorching stream of nuclear power, she opens her eyes to find her host blocking the beam. “Hurry...up” she urges in her struggle. With but a few more keystrokes, the reactor halts in its raging ray rave, the alarm still blaring its warning overhead.

Not a single moment does Trexy hesitate to lunges towards the core, Clara watching as her host jumps towards one of the pipes on the side. Her wrench making contact with the end of the loose pipe, she flips the screw tightly back in place, the heat from the machine beating against her armor. The pipes screwed firmly in place, she soon makes her way to the next set and repeats from there.

Captivated by the show of acrobatic repair, Clara begins to snap out from her distraction upon realizing the core still needs to be kept cool. Shit, that right. Still gotta cool things down. The scientist turns back to the panel, typing away command after command to calm the catastrophic core.

Once the pipes along the side of the core had been tightly screwed in place, Trexy makes her way to the reactor itself, patching and screwing the walls of the machine and preventing any further rays from leaking. A screw, a turn, and a press is all that’s left to end the threat of the murderous meltdown, the alarm calming upon the cores cooling.

The ease soon setting into the scene, people with medical equipment soon rush in alongside, tending to the workers that were caught in the reactors wrath. The scientist taking a curious peek to them herself, she bares witness to the freshly charred cadavers left in the disasters wake. Ain’t no way anyone would stand a chance after taking a face full of uranium waves. To think if her host hadn’t stepped up to save her skin, she would have wound up just the same. A glance towards the woman in question shows her approaching one of the med staff as they ready to rush the casualties out. “Whelp, what’s the statues report?” “Not looking good chief. Several facilities and homes have already lost power. We’re looking at a 62% power loss.” “62%!? Dammit! Fifth time this month things almost went nuclear. Swear that beasts tantrums are making things worse every damn day. Battle sub better be ready soon, else we might not make it to the end of the year.”

The sound of the scientist soon reaches her ears, turning about to her guest with a hearty: “Oh, sorry about all that. Didn’t mean for all this to happen during our talk. Been having this sort of problem for a while now. Thanks for the assist. Gotta say, didn’t figure you for an expert on nuclear engineering. Though coming with that getup, guess I shouldn’t be surprised.” The compliment drives Clara’s face to flush, scratching the back of her beat red head. “We’ll, uh. You don't get to earn a Ph.d in nuclear physics for nothing. Eh he he….” The curious question she wished to know coming back to her, the red vanishes from her cheeks. “Oh, um. Back at the dorms, You never told me what you were about to say.” “Ah, right...Shoot, what was you’re question again?” "Where am I?" “Well, let me tell you, my little nuclear physicist. You found yourself smack dab in the heart of New Erie.”

“See, back during the heat of the war, lots of bombs were dropped on the city above by our neighbors up north. All that explodin and shaken going on made the tunnels below collapse, eventually hollowing out into a huge underground cave. Happening alongside all this, the waters from the lake began busting in, flooding the caves and overtime filling the hollows bottom into its own underground pond. Though the people in the city above have long since passed, many a others from different reaches of the land gathered. The over abundance of nuclear residue burnt into the ground gardened quite a crowd. People wondered what to make of it all, thinkin how it could help them survive the harshness of the outside world. That’s when my great grandpappy had the greatest idea. It took alotta sweat, alotta grit, and alotta blood, but he had everyone help him hollow out the stalactites littering the radiation soaked ceiling and figured out a way to use all that power just hangin on the ceilin. And though many lives where lost, our homemade society grew and grew, eventually becoming the rocky city you see today.”

Taking a casual stroll through the bridge between stalactites, Clara takes in the view of the underground city of Erie once more, gazing in as the passing driving along the tracks venture through. A society within the rock below the surface alongside the dangerous lime glimmer they so harness for survival, reflecting off the deep waters they suspend themselves so. Thousands of feet above a watery grave mixed with the awaiting jaws of death. A fearless lifestyle one must truly commit themselves too. Truly a society built upon irony.

The scientist begins to loose herself to the very site, but the echoes of her hosts voice begins to pull her back to reality. “Hey?...Hey?...Hey?” Trexy leading her attention once again, Clara turns her gaze to the chief of this subterranean settlement. “Uh, ye-yeah...” “Alright. Now that I’ve explained myself. Best you do the same. What caused ya to crash into our lives?”

A walk through the dormitory, Clara had just finished relaying her journey up to this point and what brought her here to New Erie. “Ooh wee. Knew you’ve might’ve been beating the old horses trial, considering your odd choice in steed. But I’d never figure you gone through all that and a sack of hay.” “I’ve been through quite a lot. Haven’t I.” “All of it ain’t gonna come close to getting over those borders to the north. Patrol there’s supposed to be mighty lethal.” “I’ve heard.” “Well, til ya ready to hit the trail again. Why don’t ya stay here? Hate to have ya out there unprepared.” “What? Really? No, I couldn’t do that to you guys. Ya guys need to save up you’re rations.” “Oh, it ain’t no big deal. Farms and factories we have around here keep all of us mighty stuffed. Besides, least I do after doin your part in stoppin the meltdown."

Stopping at the door at the scientist dorm, Trexy had one final piece of advice before she hit the hay. “Now you best rest up now so you can catch breakfast in the morning. Cafeteria downstairs gonna be servin breakfast burrito’s. My favorite.” With that, the chief of the caverns leaves both Clara and Angelo to the business of her dorm.

Although Clara attempt to drift off into slumber, the constant thoughts on her mind prove the task to be in vain. Only staring upon her bed, gazing into the dim, lime glow of the light above. And while she is only left to process all she has learned today, a much more promising plan cooks within her thoughts. The scientist ponders how the incredibly deadly leviathan that almost swept her from the hands of life came within the waters of this underground society. Perhaps an unsuspecting sea creature found its way through a tunnel formed when the bombs dropped upon the unfortunate city above. To that end, there might be a way in the land of leaves and maple crossing through the lake of Erie. This battle sub that Trexy had mentioned earlier should prove itself the capable vessel for such a venture. Maybe if she helps these subterranean dwellers further in their endeavors to end the terror of the deep that plagues to end their lives, she could persuade them to lend her a ride across the waters above.

In the midst of these thoughts, the scientist takes in the site of her chimeric steed, at a wonder how Angelo may fit in this underwater journey across the waters of Erie. Her involvement entirely depending upon the sheer scope of the ship in question, she’s considers if she should even go through with her idea. Might have to ask where the sub is stationed come morning.

It’s here that Clara begins to feel a haunting sense of familiarity, as if a similar thought process had once crossed her consciousness. Struggling to recall the moment that these steps of planing have shown themselves before, the memories suddenly hit her. Oh...That right…Last time a similar dilemma like this occurred, a poor, unsuspecting child met with its early demise. Might not be the greatest idea to insert herself in the plight of these people in fear of history repeating itself. The only option left on the table now is to depart from these lime green caverns come morning. Best not to waste anymore time then she has.

The stroke of dawn soon arrives, the morning twilight shinning through the holes alongside the nuclear deposit. Mounted atop her mutant steed, Clare prepares for her leave from the stalactite city, determined to seek another way into the country up north. A slow gallop across the dorm halls, she catches ear of passing workers, happiness and eager in their tone. “Come on. Those breakfast burrito’s are gonna run out if we don’t pick up the pace.” “I’m hurrying! I can smell the eggs from here.”

The passing mention of the breakfast wraps makes her pause, the growling of her stomach tempting her to stay so that she may dine upon such promising meal. A quick peak of her bag showed her supplies generously restocked. Got plenty of cans for the road ahead. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to consider the prospect of staying in this settlement just a moment longer, long enough to indulge in the morning cuisine. Gotta keep supplies plentiful after all.

A quick stop down the stairwell, she stops within the cafeteria she zoomed by the day before. Seated upon the marble seating of the lunch table, she cannot help but stare into the majesty of her breakfast wrap. Even if the food before her seemed a bit uniformal, the welcoming scent is more then enough to engulf her senses in pleasure. She grasp the side of the wrap with both hands, inching the compact meal ever closer to her drooling maw. After one swift bite, the tastes of the fully balanced breakfast submit themselves to the scientist tastes, enrapturing her in a maelstrom of greasy yolk, such tastes the scientist hadn’t felt in ages. Never did Clara once thought that the flavors of bacon and eggs would draw a tear from her eye.

In the process of enjoying her hearty meal, the scientist is surrounded by the mingles of the people around her. “Mind if I give you some news, Chief.” “Lay it on me, pal.” Among them, she hears a familiar southern draw reach her ears, gazing around her vicinity in wondering where the voice might originate. “We got reports of the power spread doing a number on some of the equipment in Sector 7. The tools won’t run optimally at the rate you desire. If we can’t get enough power, I’m afraid the construction on the battle sub will be delayed.” “That ain’t gonna cut it. Tell the people down at the reactor to reroute the power towards the lab, on my order.” “Boss are you sure about that? Powers spread pretty thin as is. The tracks might not work. “I’m as sure as sunshine. Drain power from all non vital area’s and redirect them towards the laboratory. I want that beastie lurking beneath to die as swiftly as possible. The quicker we get this over with, the better. Several more quakes like that and we won’t make it to the end of the year.” These words reaching her ears, Clara is taken a curious ponder towards the notion of the sub.

“So where were you when it happened.” she hears to her left. Aside from her seat, a pair of gentlemen were engaging in a form of conversation, the man across the table answering with: “I was hanging around the hospital when the quake struck. Shook the patients up real bad. Everyone thought the whole place was gonna fall into the lake.” “I hear ya. Kids over at the school got really riled up. Screaming and crying like the world was gonna end.” “Can’t blame any of them. Already lost 5 small stalactites in the last 2 months. How long do ya think it’ll be before a big one takes the plunge.” “Don’t know. It’s been giving me nightmares ever since this whole sea serpent shit started. That I’d be in bed cuddling up with my spouse. Soon feeling a sort of falling sensation before hearing a big splash. Next thing I know, water starts flooding are rooms and I’m forced to watch Mikey drown. I’ve had that same dream so many times, I can’t tell what’s real life anymore.” “Whoa, calm down. Sure the chiefs got something going on to take out that terrifying tyrant of the deep.” “When, huh? When will, she actually do something about it? It’s been several months since that thing under us slithered its way in the lake. How much longer are we gonna have to live in fear like this?” “Easy. I’m sure she’ll deal with it soon. Just you wait.” The scientist inches away from the pair, not wanting to be anywhere near when the man beside her eventually cracks like an egg in her burrito.

Along the steels bridge does the scientist traverse through, her mind distracted pondering where the seventh sector might dwell in these subterranean caverns. It could be anywhere within these rocks for all she knows. There ain’t exactly any kinda signs pointing the way. Only course of action to take is to ask where the sector she seeks might be. It never hurts to ask for directions.

Wondering within the stalactite before her, Clara wonders inside and spot a line of young children following a woman across the opposing hallway. A peek within reveals kids and teens of all ages traverse throughout the halls entering and exiting the doorways. Flickering lights littering the ceiling of the lime lite corridors. Venturing through herself, she passes by tykes from her feet and some jocks towering her head. Doubt any of them know where the scientist is supposed to go. Perhaps someone of older stature may teach her the answer she seeks. “Excuse me.” she tries to greet a couple of teenagers, her words unfortunately falling to def ears. “Hello.” the scientist hopes to greet some kids, them simply ignoring her. “Hey.” she interjects, but like before, her words are ignored. Much to her dismay, any attempts to garter the children attention prove to fail as most of them either ignore her or simply can’t hear her words.

The halls show themselves nearly empty, Clara begins to run out of chances for answers. Its not until the rambunctious dash of a passing youth does an opportunity show itself. A lone woman runs across the hallway moments later in pursuit of the hyperactive kindergartner. A turn around the corner showed a branching hall, split into three separate paths. A sigh escapes the woman lips, knowing full well that she has lost the chase. In her moment of defeat, the scientist approaches and draws her attention with: “Everything okay.” “Yeah, just...The constant quakes have got the kids all wound up. But this ain’t nothing to the fights that broke out this past month.” “That bad, huh?” “I-I just don’t know what to do. I keep telling them that everything’s gonna be okay, but even I’m starting not to believe my own words. All the shaking, all the screaming, and all the panic. I’m not sure how much more I can take. I-...Hang on a second. Who- Who are you?” “Oh. Um, I-I literally just came here to ask for directions. You happen to know where sector 7 is at?” “Ugh, at this point, I don’t even know which direction north and south is. Just go through sector 2 and you’ll soon find you’re self at sector 7.” “Kay, thank. I’ll let you get back to your uh, child chasing, whatever.” With that, the scientist leaves the distressed teacher to her search. Sounds like this dilemma’s got everyone wound up tight. Seems like anyone around here could go off like a pack of dynamite at any moment. Might wanna bail fast before she feels the blunt end of an unsuspecting emotional explosion.

She follows the ladies directions to a tee, making sure to interact with very little as possible. With all the tension and stress in the air, a single nudge might just set anyone off. The scientist had shown to be lucky so far to come across the very least stable people, but she doesn’t wanna risk making a scene and causing a domino effect. The directions Clara had taken from the overwhelmed teacher proved to fault as she ends up nowhere near her desired destination, the flickering lights and random spouts of blackouts throughout the mall proving the notion. Ugh, haven’t these people ever heard of maps! Easy, Clara. Just relax. There has to be a better way to navigate this subterranean city. Let’s see, Trexy order to reroute the power to the town towards sector 7. Then all that needs to be done is find the stalactite with the brightest light. She dreads the trek she would have to take in accomplishing such a task, wondering in leaving her chimeric steed back in the comfort of her dorm room was an okay option to take. Poor girls been acting really tired all the time lately. She needs all the rest she can get. She just regrets how the incident the other day had disabled the tracks. And the carts looked so fun to ride.

Using her own method of navigation, Clara travels through the stalactite city, the power of the facilities being her guide. But her search begins to falter the further she traverses, making her question her own sense of direction further. Seems that talking to one of the emotionally volatile citizens is looking like a gambit the scientist is going to have to take. She begins to approach one of them, the woman looking on the burst of tears. In all honesty, she fair more favorable then the rest of the people around her. On the cusp of casting the dice and tapping her shoulder, she notices a radiant light bursting from one of the holes. A departure from the sorrowful women and a glance out the rocky window shows a bright stalactite in the midst of the city, its hole illuminating the most brilliant lime light among the entire scene. Not even a single bet is placed and the scientist had already hit the jackpot. With next to no haste, Clara pursues the light filled rock.

Among the brightly lit corridors of sector 7, Clara fancies herself a glances through the glass of a door, taking in the full view of the lab within. Just look at all of it. Machines and gizmos galore, batteries and steel abound, buttons and notches alike. The site of it all brings a sense of nostalgic euphoria to the scientist as she remembers the simpler times of conduction little more then temporal mathematics and nuclear equations. Collage sure was a blast, wasn't it?

What takes her attention the most however was the sizable piece ofsteel behind a set of boxes and metal parts, several cable and wire suspending the big chunk of unknown steel upon the roof. No doubt the battle sub the scientist surely seeks. Even from behind all the clutter, she can tell how sizable the vessel proves itself to be. Still, her view doesn’t show much. So many variable have yet to be accounted for. Best to sneak in and take in a closer view. A try of the knob reveals the doors to be locked. Seems these guys don’t want just anybody waltzing in. Fair enough. But there gotta be another way in. Maybe picking the lock might work? Nah, they might hear that. Come on, Clara. Gotta think of something. Hmm.

A lone mechanic opens the door, standing in the doorway while looking inward as a question escaping his lungs. “Going down to the vegi eats to get me some stir fry. You guys want anything?” “Nope.” “Naw.” “Nothing.” The denial for a meal reaching his hears, the worker absconds from the workplace for a bite to eat, the door behind him slowly closing. The door to the lab tempts to shut back, but a foot from the outside halts its eventual closing. Her entrance within secure, Clara sneaks within the confines of the laboratory, quietly shutting the door behind her. Once successfully inside, her first form of business is to hide from any prying eyes. Don’t want anybody to catch her taking a peek of their super weapon. Might get the wrong impression.

With swift foot, she delves behind a set of sizable wooden crates, just big enough to conceal her crouching person. From behind them, she takes another peak towards the ship under construction, this time with a much more generous view of the vessel as they work on the weaponry installed around the hull. Oh yeah. That steel puppy’s proving real huge. But that’s just mentioning the side of the ship. Wonder how much junk in the trunk there is? Another sneak across the lab does Clara take, shifting through machinery and big equipment to evade any of the employees gaze.

From behind a console does she manage to take in a view of the back, the behind of the sub proving to be quite wide indeed. Big enough to cram, say 29 people within the cabin. A mutated bear spider should be no problem making a cozy fit. Still, its a wonder how durable such an underwater weapon maybe, curious how well it'd fair in case the Canadians catch wise to her undersea exploits.

Through the lab she sneaks through once more, delving behind whatever may camouflage her presence. The scientist makes her approach to the subs metallic armor, careful to avoid the shiny shell giving away her reflection. A light tap of the hull proves the material to be quite naturally hard. Given the properties of the steel shell, she wagers for the sub to be made of...Chromium?...Titanium maybe? Either way, it proves strong, might actually stand a chance against the monster of the lakes crushing sharp toothed jaw. But even with the hardest metal installed, its what lies within the shell that counts. Might be a good idea to take a peek inside and see what kinda juice this baby runs on. A sneak around the submarine and she eventually comes across the hatch leading in, a mechanic and scientist walking out from the deck. Once the coast was clear, Clara quietly sneaks aboard.

Within the interior steel shell of the ship housed comforting seating and technological consoles. Though most of the consoles functions seems to escape the scientist knowledge, some of them do ring familiar to her. Pretty safe bet to say this baby runs on radioactive energy if they got a nuclear balancer installed. Good old element number 94. What else would power this thing?

Amidst her inspection, Clara begins to hear the echo of approaching footsteps and swiftly conceals herself. From behind one of the seats overlooking above, she watches as the mechanic and the scientist from earlier walk back in, their conversation echoing throughout the steel cabin. “Another test, huh?” the mechanic questions. “Yes. We want to see if the functions of the ship operate once the battery is installed. Care to oblige?” “Sure thing. Just say the word.” The male scientist below Clara checks out from the hatch, finding a pair of mechanics inserting a lime green cylinder within a slot of sorts near the back. Upon the cylinders insertion, the consoles and panels illuminate, enveloping the interior in their glow. “Alright, begin testing energy output.” Throughout the interior of the ship, the roof protrudes light from the fixtures above, the buttons laid strewn about the panels begin to rapidly flicker in numerous patterns. With the metal surrounding the cabin reflecting the numerous lights, it almost looks like a light show's going off in here. The dazzling light show ends all too quickly as the scientist has other tests to contact.

“Good, battery power seems to be flowing through the ship like kiwi green blood. Right, onto the next test. Begin engine start up.” Upon the command, the sound of an engines roar echoes across the steel of the ship. The male scientist below examines the interior hull closely, his face mere inches from the steel. “No vibration.” Withdrawing his head from the wall, he continues is analogy with: “Engine sounding optimal. Just one more test.”

Those words reaching the mechanics ears, an excited gasps leaves his mouth. “You don’t mean…” “Oh I mean.” In unison, the mechanic and the scientist spout forth a jolly declaration that echoes through the cabin. “Gyroscopic seating mechanism!” At a wonder what either could mean by that, the scientist above watches as both fly into the available seat like giddy children excited to go to an amusement park. Once their seat belts were fastened and butts firmly in place, the chairs placed across the cockpit begin to spiral in place, including the one our scientist was hiding behind. Both the sounds of the mechanic and the male scientist cheer bounce all across the cabin, Clara herself enduring to not make a peep in the midst of her dizzying spin as she hangs on for dear life. Please let this swirling nightmare come to an end soon. She fears that if a sound wasn’t going to escape from her mouth, the burrito she had for breakfast this morning might. Eventually, the seats begin to slow in their rotation, the cheers of the boys below calming the closer their stop comes. Once the whirlagig ends, they unhook themselves from the seats with jolly laughter escaping their lungs. Upon their exit of the sub, the cheer in their voices escapes alongside them. “Never get tired of doing that.” “So glad we installed that.” Once their departure from the sub proves certain, Clara falls from the height of the second deck and onto the hard floor of the first. Even in her dizzy haze, Clara finds it best to abscond from the interior of the sub before someone spots her, or worse, perform anymore stomach churning tests.

With haste, she attempts to sneak away from the sub and out the door, averting the gaze of the other scientists from behind the cover of machines and crates. But her dizzy spell proves to last longer then she initially had hoped, as she makes a less then graceful fall face first upon an unsuspecting console, drawing the attention of everyone in the lab.

Recovering from her slip, they begin to surround the downed scientist, suspicious and irritation painted upon their faces. “Who’s this.” “Young lady. This lab is for authorized personnel only.” “What are you doing here?” “Why’d you sneak in?” The scientist mind races to think of an excuse, her consciousness going at light speed. “Um, Uh...I-I kept hearing alotta things about this battle sub and wanted to sneak a peek of it for myself. Think-think you got room on the team for one more?” “No!” all of the say in unison. “What, come on. I know my way around a nuclear particle accelerator. Just ask the people over at the reactor. Everyone here would be fried alive if I didn’t step in.” she tries to back up. “We’ve never even seen you before until today.” “She’s gotta be bluffing.” “I thought Trexy was the one that stopped the reactor.” Of course. Figured that someone that they’ve never seen before just waltzed into the city claiming “Hey, I stopped your town from exploding into a mess of radioactive slag.” would be a massive pile to swallow.

Right upon the fear of them kicking her out of the lab for good, a southern drawn voice speaks out. “I can vouch to that.” Everyone's gaze turns to the entrance of the lab, finding Trexy leaning in the doorway. “Chief!?” “Holy shit!?” “When did she come in!?” “Wait, what did she say?” From the door does the chief let herself in, approaching Clara’s side as she continues with: “That huge meltdown the other day was quite the doozy if a say so myself. Lost a couple good men trying to fight it back.” Clara blushes when she feels the warm touch of her hosts palm upon her shoulder, hearing her commending praise. "She just swooped in and took to the console like a hawk with Einsteins brain, cooling the core down long enough for me to make repairs. Don’t know how much worse it’d get if this young lady didn’t step in. Doubt I’d wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for her.” Mix of surprise and disbelief wash over the cavalcade of mechanics and scientist, each giving their own comment upon this newly realized statement. “Is she serious?” “She’s gotta be. It came from chiefs own mouth.” “This lady actually stopped the meltdown?” “Just who is she.” Hearing their once rejecting scorn take a sudden turn, Clara turns to the woman that spun their accusations around and wonders: “Uh, not that I’m not thankful or anything, but how did you know I was here?” A light chuckles escapes from the chief lips before she explains herself. “He he he, sorta figured you couldn’t resist taken a peak of the battle sub. Saw how giddy you were gettin just lookin through the door. You say you had a Ph.d or something in nuclear physics, didn't ya?" "Wait, are you serious? You actually want me to work on the sub?" "Course. With you on the team, construction should go by real smooth and quick. Subs almost complete anyway. What'dya say?"

Clara ponders for a moment before giving the chief of the subterranean city an answer. Wondering whether to take the gambit of working on the sub for her own benefit and potentially risk any more lives with her meddling, or to take her departure right now and not waste another moment in the lives of these stalactite dwelling settlers. Her mind sort of made up, she lets Trexy know her answer. "Nnn...Sure thing. I'm game." "Ha ha! That's what like to hear." Trexy's site turns to the mob of mechanics and scientists before the pair, them hearing their chief finish with: "Now,I'll be coming back to check up on ya'll and see how the subs doing. You treat this young lady right, ya hear?" With those words having been said, Clara watches as the chief takes her leave from the laboratory.

"So guys. Whatcha want me working on? Engine? Battery? Power balance? I'm up for anything involving iso-" Upon her turn back towards the crowd from behind, she finds while some have simply gone back to work, other await with contemptuous glares aimed right in her direction. "Topes...Um..,Something I said?" One scientist begins to take his approach towards the young lady before him, giving her a strict warning. "Listen to me and listen well. The submarine that you bare witness to has been the result of the combined effort of everyone's blood, sweat, and tears, crafting this underwater weapon planned to eradicate the menace that threatens out very livelihoods. The engine alone born from tireless months of development." The scientist shadow enveloping Clara in a vial of darkness, he finishes is omen with: "The responsibility in seeing the beast of the deeps destruction rest on our shoulders. The lives of every single member of this cavernous community is left in our hands. You'll be assigned to regulating the batteries power as testing occurs. So with all that in mind, I would suggest you be as careful as possible, for if you make all our efforts in vain, then we will personally see to it you take the plunge into the awaiting jaws of death." His ominous threat having been delivered, the scientist returns to his duties. Clara is left to ponder upon the mans omen, pondering if it was the smartest decision to apply to the team in such a haste.

Aboard the vessel, she is tasked with regulating the power of the ship, her site glued to the monitor as she watches the bars and numbers steadily fluctuate. Behind her, a mechanic mans the side of the ship, his finger ready at the button. "Okay, ready to fire laser cannons. You all ready to go back there?" "Ye-yeah." Clara confirms. Her confirmation reaching his ears, the mechanics fingers swarm the panel.

Outside the front of the ship, the headlight like devices begin to glow a lime green luminescence, their light aimed towards a slab of concrete. The others around start to cautiously stand back as the hum of the sub sounds off.

"Readying cannon." Clara finds the bars and numbers on the monitor to begin to rise, the scientist quickly regulating the power so as not to overheat. "Fire."

The headlights up the front of the ship shoot out a concentration of radioactive rays towards the stone slate, the intensity of the beam blasting the hard rock to rubble. Upon seeing the rock reduced to nothing but bits and pieces, cheers begin to echo throughout the lab.

"Cannon test, successful." The mechanic turning towards the scientist, he gives her is praise with: "Nice work Clara." "He he, thanks..." she responds with a hint of nervousness. Glad to see things going smoothly so far. Hope the rest of the day proves to be just as calming.

The hours of the clock tick by, Clara still stuck manning the battery console as a bored sigh escapes her lungs. Well, it's not like she didn't hope for this. But all this inaction is making itself to be quite the dull slog. Upon her boredom, a set of scientist and mechanics scatter through the cabin, our scientist jolting awake upon the sound of their combined footsteps. Each of the group prepare themselves on the various consoles and panels set throughout the sub. Catching the attention of a passing scientist, she wonders: "What's going on?" "We're testing the turbo drive. See how well the engine and battery withstand." His answer said, he prepares at his station, leaving Clara to worry with the upcoming task at hand.

Before the test could be initiated, the passing mingles of the scientist and mechanics nearby reaches her ears and can't help but listen. "Honestly, if you ask me. I'm kinda scared. What if all our work on this baby for the past year just isn't enough. That all of us are just doomed to descend into the watery abyss below." "Relax, it ain't gonna come to that. With all the weapons we loaded on this bad boy, that sea serpent down there won't stand a chance." "Yeah, but what if we don't finish it in time. What if the next quake hits us and we all end up taking the big plunge." "Look, construction is nearly finished anyway. All that's left on the table is just a few more tests. I grantee that this ship will be ready to hit the water by next week." "Hope so. Don't know how much longer we'll last." All this worry and doubt reaching Clara's ears, the thought of inserting herself in these peoples plight crop up once again.

In her pondering worry, she fails to catch one of the scientist announce to the entire cabin. "Okay, begin starting engine." The crew prepares for the test of the turbo drive to begin, the sound of the engines roar snapping Clara back to reality. Before her, the console shows the power output rapidly on the rise. The scientist balancing to accommodate for the sudden power increase. With her input, the numbers and bars begin to decline, showing the balance to be in place. "Output fully balanced." she announces. "Good. begin to activate turbo drive." Several button presses and clicks could be heard through the interior, the sound of the engine beginning to grow in intensity. Clara goes into overdrive to keep the turbo from burning out the engine and power, her fingers frantically racing across the panel. After a short while, one of the other scientists hears the engine revving at its loudest and declares: "Shut it down!" Upon those orders, the crew quickly fulfills them, the sound of the engine slowly dying down. The numbers on Clara's screen rapidly declining, an exhausted breathe escapes her as her head tilts back. Getting kinda rusty at this. Haven't gotten the chance to practice in awhile. As she rests, the rest of the crew await for the results of the test from the lead scientist. "Well done. Test of the turbo drive has proven to be a success." This declaration said, a wave of cheers echo through the cabin, Clara giving her own mild shout.

At last, the day has been burnt, the scientist returns to her dorm. She wastes no time in flopping down upon the bed, the soft top of the mattress being quite the welcoming relief. In her exhaustion, she feels the warm touch of Angelo's fuzz, glancing over to her side to find her steed six eyes to be staring at her. With a heart filled touched like that, she gives the ursa arachnid a soft smile and a loving head rub. Honestly with today, she could uses such a cute site. With the daunting task she likely has to put herself through, she wonders if she should just leave the job in more capable hands. Quite lucky she hasn't caused someones demise for how long she's meddled into their business. Don't really know how long that luck streak may last though. Chaos theory could still spring its ugly head any moment now.

Those paranoid thought rambling in her mind, she thinks that maybe she spent enough time dawdling around in these radioactive rocks. Lovely as the scenery may be, it might not be best to waste anymore time then she already has. These people might be able to kill the lethal leviathan below without her help. I mean the subs loaded with a radioactive ray gun for god sake. Once the morning springs, she'll climb out and it the trail to the north. Her mind set, she drift off into the comforting arms of slumber once more.

[alltimebestbooks]

Top 20 Books Impact my Life

Who Moved My Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life

With over 2.5 million copies sold worldwide, Who Moved My Cheese? is a simple parable that reveals profound truths

It is the amusing and enlightening story of four characters who live in a maze and look for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. Cheese is a metaphor for what you want to have in life, for example a good job, a loving relationship, money or possessions, health or spiritual peace of mind. The maze is where you look for what you want, perhaps the organisation you work in, or the family or community you live in. The problem is that the cheese keeps moving.

In the story, the characters are faced with unexpected change in their search for the cheese. One of them eventually deals with change successfully and writes what he has learned on the maze walls for you to discover. You'll learn how to anticipate, adapt to and enjoy change and be ready to change quickly whenever you need to.

Discover the secret of the writing on the wall for yourself and enjoy less stress and more success in your work and life. Written for all ages, this story takes less than an hour to read, but its unique insights will last a lifetime.

2. Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting What You Want in Your Relationships: How to Get What You Want in Your Relationships

‘A treasure’, ‘a bible’ and ‘an heirloom’ are some of the words used to describe the book that has saved countless relationships and improved innumerable others. Now repackaged to relate to a new generation of readers, this phenomenal book continues to carry its legacy of understanding and trust into the world.

Since its first publication, over a staggering 15 million copies of MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS have sold globally to single men and women looking for guidance on how to find the perfect partner, married couples seeking to strengthen their bond, and divorcees hoping to fathom where it all went wrong.

Gray’s insights into how to allow your other half to “pull away” like an elastic band, prevent your emotional baggage from polluting your current relationship, and translate the phrases of the opposite sex are as relevant now as when they were first published.

With straightforward, honest writing from that precious male perspective, Gray unlocks the secrets hidden in your partner’s words and actions to enable you both to reach true mutual understanding and a lifetime of love. Discover for yourself why thousands believe that MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS should be mandatory reading for everyone.

3. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

One of the most valuable skills in our economy is becoming increasingly rare. If you master this skill, you'll achieve extraordinary results.

Deep Work is an indispensable guide to anyone seeking focused success in a distracted world.

'Deep work' is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. Coined by author and professor Cal Newport on his popular blog Study Hacks, deep work will make you better at what you do, let you achieve more in less time and provide the sense of true fulfilment that comes from the mastery of a skill. In short, deep work is like a superpower in our increasingly competitive economy.

And yet most people, whether knowledge workers in noisy open-plan offices or creatives struggling to sharpen their vision, have lost the ability to go deep - spending their days instead in a frantic blur of email and social media, not even realising there's a better way.

A mix of cultural criticism and actionable advice, DEEP WORK takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories -- from Carl Jung building a stone tower in the woods to focus his mind, to a social media pioneer buying a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo to write a book free from distraction in the air -- and surprising suggestions, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored.

Put simply: developing and cultivating a deep work practice is one of the best decisions you can make in an increasingly distracted world and this book will point the way.

4. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

Marie Kondo will help you declutter your life with her new major Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.

Transform your home into a permanently clear and clutter-free space with the incredible KonMari Method. Japan's expert declutterer and professional cleaner Marie Kondo will help you tidy your rooms once and for all with her inspirational step-by-step method.

The key to successful tidying is to tackle your home in the correct order, to keep only the things you really love and to do it all at once – and quickly. After that for the rest of your life you only need to choose what to keep and what to discard.

The KonMari Method will not just transform your space. Once you have your house in order you will find that your whole life will change. You can feel more confident, you can become more successful, and you can have the energy and motivation to create the life you want. You will also have the courage to move on from the negative aspects of your life: you can recognise and finish a bad relationship; you can stop feeling anxious; you can finally lose weight.

Marie Kondo's method is based on a 'once-cleaned, never-messy-again' approach. If you think that such a thing is impossible then you should definitely read this compelling book.

5. The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Values, and Spiritual Growth

Confronting and solving problems is a painful process which most of us attempt to avoid. Avoiding resolution results in greater pain and an inability to grow both mentally and spiritually. Drawing heavily on his own professional experience, Dr M. Scott Peck, a psychiatrist, suggests ways in which facing our difficulties - and suffering through the changes - can enable us to reach a higher level of self-understanding. He discusses the nature of loving relationships: how to distinguish dependency from love; how to become one's own person and how to be a more sensitive parent.

This is a book that can show you how to embrace reality and yet achieve serenity and a richer existence. Hugely influential, it has now sold over ten million copies - and has changed many people's lives round the globe. It may change yours.

6. The Six Pillars of Self Extreme

Nathaniel Branden's book is the culmination of a lifetime of clinical practice and study, already hailed in its hardcover edition as a classic and the most significant work on the topic. Immense in scope and vision and filled with insight into human motivation and behavior, The Six Pillars Of Self-Esteem is essential reading for anyone with a personal or professional interest in self-esteem. The book demonstrates compellingly why self-esteem is basic to psychological health, achievement, personal happiness, and positive relationships. Branden introduces the six pillars-six action-based practices for daily living that provide the foundation for self-esteem-and explores the central importance of self-esteem in five areas: the workplace, parenting, education, psychotherapy, and the culture at large. The work provides concrete guidelines for teachers, parents, managers, and therapists who are responsible for developing the self-esteem of others. And it shows why-in today's chaotic and competitive world-self-esteem is fundamental to our personal and professional power.

7. The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success

Do you want success? More success than you have now? And even more success than you ever imagined possible? That is what this book is about. Achieving it. No gimmicks. No hyperbole. Finally, just the truth on what it takes to earn success As the central curator of the success media industry for over 25 years, author Darren Hardy has heard it all, seen it all, and tried most of it. This book reveals the core principles that drive success. The Compound Effect contains the essence of what every superachiever needs to know, practice, and master to obtain extraordinary success. Inside you will find strategies on:

How to win--every time! The No. 1 strategy to achieve any goal and triumph over any competitor, even if they're smarter, more talented or more experienced.

Eradicating your bad habits (some you might be unaware of!) that are derailing your progress.

Painlessly installing the few key disciplines required for major breakthroughs.

The real, lasting keys to motivation--how to get yourself to do things you don't feel like doing.

Capturing the elusive, awesome force of momentum. Catch this, and you'll be unstoppable.

The acceleration secrets of superachievers. Do they have an unfair advantage? Yes, they do, and now you can too!

If you're serious about living an extraordinary life, use the power of The Compound Effect to create the success you desire. Begin your journey today!

8. Becoming: Now a Major Netflix Documentary

In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era.

As First Lady of the United States of America - the first African-American to serve in that role - she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world. She dramatically changed the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and stood with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her - from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world's most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it - in her own words and on her own terms.

9. Meditations to Heal your life - Lousie Hay

Louise shares her philosophy of life on a multitude of subjects from addictions to fears to spiritual laws, and everything in between.

Her loving insights will enrich you body, mind, and soul, while giving you practical knowledge to apply to your day-to-day life.

10. The Power of Positive Thinking - Norman Vincent Peale

The book describes the power positive thinking has and how a firm belief in something, does actually help in achieving it. In order to live a successful and constructive life, one needs to know about the secrets of positive thinking says the author for it is the most important ingredient for a better and blissful life. The Power of Positive Thinking' will help you overcome negative attitudes, such as fear and lack of confidence and replace them with the traits of a positive thinker optimism, determination, patience and focus.Simple techniques of elevating low moods and energy levels by positive thinking also improve ones overall mental and physical health.This book will show you how you can deal more effectively with tough situations and difficult people and dramatically improve your performance and confidence. You must learn that the easiest way to an easy mind is to create an easy mind. This is done by practice and by the application such as "Believe in yourself and in everything you do", "Build new power and determination", "Improve your personal and professional relationships" and "Be kind to yourself" etc.

11. The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts

Falling in love is easy. Staying in love—that’s the challenge. How can you keep your relationship fresh and growing amid the demands, conflicts, and just plain boredom of everyday life?

In the #1 New York Times international bestseller The 5 Love Languages, you’ll discover the secret that has transformed millions of relationships worldwide. Whether your relationship is flourishing or failing, Dr. Gary Chapman’s proven approach to showing and receiving love will help you experience deeper and richer levels of intimacy with your partner—starting today.

The 5 Love Languages is as practical as it is insightful. Updated to reflect the complexities of relationships today, this new edition reveals intrinsic truths and applies relevant, actionable wisdom in ways that work.

Includes the Couple's Personal Profile assessment so you can discover your love language and that of your loved one.

12. Confidence: Think Big, Believe big, Achieve Big - Norman Vincent Peale

About the Book: Confidence Think Big, Believe Big, Achieve Big Believe that problems do have answers. And believe you can solve them. Lift yourself up in the face of conflict Finding ways to be enthusiastic in the face of difficulty Become a confident person that friends and loved ones can turn to In Confidence, Peale shares invigorating and confidence boosting ways to face your difficulty, conquer stress when it seems insurmountable. He will help you find new confidence and purpose in all that you do. Youll learn, among many things: how each problem contains its own solution how to never lose faith and gain a new heart when disheartened how to live a life full of meaning and be enthusiastic in your day-to-day life; and how to discover and fully realize Gods potential for you! About the Author: Norman Vincent Peale Norman Vincent Peale has published over forty best-selling books, including his most popular one, The Power of Positive Thinking, which has sold more than twenty million copies in 41 languages. For more than 60 years, Peale was pastor of Marble Collegiate Church, one of the oldest churches in America, located in New York. He was considered one of the most skilled Christian communicators of the twentieth century.

13. I can make you rich - Paul McKenna

If you've ever wondered why it is that some people find it easy to make money while others struggle, it's not because they are more intelligent, work harder or have better luck - it's simply because they think and act differently.

Do you want to make more money? Do you want to improve the quality of your life? Do you believe you can be rich? What if it was easier than you think? Over the past decade, Paul McKenna PhD has made a unique study of the mindset of people rich not only in money but also in happiness and quality of life. In this groundbreaking new book, he makes use of proven psychological techniques to help you install that same rich mind-set inside yourself. Soon, you will be seeing the world in an entirely new way, thinking and living richer than ever before!

14. The 21 Success Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires: How to Achieve Financial Independence Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible

Do you ever hear about a self-made millionaire in the news and wonder: how did they achieve it? In this book, Brian Tracy walks you through the hidden secrets of what makes self-made millionaires, and shows how anyone, no matter where they are in life at this moment, can become a millionaire. The advice in this book is based on Brian Tracy's twenty-five years of research, teaching, and personal experience on the subject of self-made millionaires. Tracy himself used these ideas to rise from humble beginnings to become a millionaire. And Tracy has discovered that all successful people practice these 21 success secrets, whether they're consciously aware of it or not. In The 21 Success Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires Tracy not only identifies and defines each success secret, but also reveals its source and foundation, illustrates how it functions in the world, and shows how to apply it in life and work through specific steps and practical exercises that everyone can use. Easy to read, easy to understand, and easy to apply, this book shows how anyone can cultivate the habits and behaviors that will enable them to achieve not just financial independence, but success in any area of life. Because, as Tracy writes, "The most important part of achieving great success is not the money. It is the kind of person you have to become to earn that money and hold onto it."

15. Relationship Goals: How to Win at Dating, Marriage, and Sex

“No matter where you are and no matter what stage of life you are in, Relationship Goals will be a game changer.”—Levi Lusko

Realer than the most real conversation you’ve ever heard on the topic, Michael Todd’s honest, heartfelt, and powerful teaching on relationships has already impacted millions of people in all seasons of life around the world. Now, in Relationship Goals, Michael tells his own story of heartache and healing, unpacks explosive truths from God’s Word, and tells it to you straight to help you win at relationships in every part of your life.

Where did the idea for relationships come from in the first place? Does God really care who I hang out with? Is it even possible to avoid relational train wrecks? From his plan for intentional dating in the age of social media to handling break-ups well to doing family instead of just being in a family, Michael tackles the questions we all have about relational success.

As he candidly examines our most common pitfalls in relationships and the start-today ways to get past them, Michael helps you align your longings with God’s awesome desires for your life. Now, that’s a good relationship goal.

16. 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell

What would happen if a top expert with more than thirty years of leadership experience were willing to distill everything he had learned about leadership into a handful of life-changing principles just for you? It would change your life.

John C. Maxwell has done exactly that in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. He has combined insights learned from his thirty-plus years of leadership successes and mistakes with observations from the worlds of business, politics, sports, religion, and military conflict. The result is a revealing study of leadership delivered as only a communicator like Maxwell can.

17. The New Psychocybernetics The Original Science of Self-Improvement and Success That Has Changed the Lives of 30 Million People by Dr. Maxwell Maltz and Dan Kennedy

With over 30 million copies sold since its original publication in 1960, Psycho-Cybernetics has been used by athletes, entrepreneurs, college students, and many others, to achieve life-changing goals--from losing weight to dramatically increasing their income--finding that success is not only possible but remarkably simple. Now updated to include present-day anecdotes and current personalities, The New Psycho-Cybernetics remains true to Dr. Maltz’s promise:“If you can remember, worry, or tie your shoe, you can succeed with Psycho-Cybernetics!”

18. Attitude Is Everything: Change Your Attitude ... Change Your Life!

Do you dread going to work? Do you feel tired, unhappy, weighed down? Have you given up on your dreams? The road to a happier, more successful life starts with your attitude-and your attitude is within your control. Whether your outlook is negative, positive or somewhere in between, Jeff Keller, motivational speaker and coach, will show you how to take control and unleash your hidden potential through three powerful steps: -THINK! Success begins in the mind. The power of attitude can change your destiny. -SPEAK! Watch your words. How you speak can propel you towards your goals. -ACT! Don't sit back. Take active steps to turn your dreams into reality. Soon, you will be energized and see new possibilities. You will be able to counter adversities and develop talents unique to you. Your relationships will improve, both at work and in your personal life. All you need is this step-by-step programme to change your attitude and your life!

19. I Hope I Screw This Up: How Falling In Love with Your Fears Can Change the World

A New York Times bestseller! In this irreverently funny, one-of-a-kind book, transformational comedian Kyle Cease shows you how to love failure and follow your heart, release the addictions of your mind, and live in a state of infinite possibility.

If Eckhart Tolle and Jim Carrey had a baby, that baby would be Kyle Cease.

After twenty-five years of achieving what he thought were his dreams of being a headlining touring comedian and actor, Kyle Cease suddenly discovered that the belief that “When something happens, I will be happy” is a complete lie. With nothing more than an intuition, he decided to quit his stand-up career at its peak, and now—as a transformational comedian, he brings his one-of-a-kind self-help wisdom to sold-out audiences in his Evolving Out Loud Live stage show.

In I Hope I Screw This Up, he disarms readers as he leads them to their own personal breakthroughs, helping them to recognize that actual happiness and fulfillment is available to them—not in some distant future, but right now. As he has shown audiences all over the world, when you embrace your pain, fear, and vulnerability instead of pushing it away, you will discover an authentic creativity and power that is truly unstoppable.

Using self-deprecating personal stories, hilarious observations on life, and poorly drawn illustrations, Kyle unravels the deepest issues standing between us and emotional freedom. From discovering the never-ending opportunities that come from playing—and going with whatever comes up in the moment—to learning to let go of what feels heavy in our lives, this book is a journey into the endless possibility that can appear if we just dare to let go of our fear of screwing up.

20. The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Thomas Cleary

Compiled more than two thousand years ago by a mysterious warrior-philosopher, The Art of War is still perhaps the most prestigious and influential book of strategy in the world today, as eagerly studied in Asia by modern politicians and executives as it as been by military leaders since ancient times. As a study of the anatomy of organizations in conflict, The Art of War applies to competition and conflict in general, on every level from the interpersonal to the international. Its aim is invincibility, victory without battle, and unassailable strength through understanding of the physics, politics, and psychology of conflict.

This translation presents the classic from the point of view of its background in the great spiritual tradition of Taoism, the origin of psychology, science, and technology in East Asia and the source of the insights into human nature that underlie this most revered of handbooks for success. Translated from a standard collection of commentaries on Sun Tzu's text by eleven interpreters, the work has been edited by Thomas Cleary to bring out the meaning of the principles of strategy. In addition, the translator provides an extensive introduction discussing the content and background of the book.

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This week, critic at large Todd VanDerWerff (who hasn’t read any of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels) and culture writer Constance Grady (who has read the first one) got together to discuss the first two episodes of HBO’s adaptation of the first book in that series — My Brilliant Friend. Beware! Spoilers follow!

Todd VanDerWerff: As someone who’s never read the Elena Ferrante Neapolitan quartet that inspires the new series My Brilliant Friend, what most surprised me about the series’ first two episodes was how borderline pulpy they were.

Don’t get me wrong. This is still a show that puts its best “coming of age story” foot forward. It is, above all else, the story of Elena and Lila growing up as poor girls in an out-of-the-way Naples neighborhood. But mixed in there are darker, pulpier elements, like murder and horrifying cellars with strange shadowy figures in the corner and hints of organized crime. I’m starting to see why these books were such a phenomenon — they both capture certain truths about female friendship that aren’t always well portrayed in culture and they wed those truths to storytelling elements that carry an air of popcorn fiction.

I mean, I assume! Again, I haven’t read the novels. And every single one of the pulpy elements I’ve listed above turns out to have a completely logical explanation that mutes it somewhat. That shadowy figure in the basement? Just the local pawnbroker! Though as you learn about said pawnbroker, you start to realize that he, too, is a story in and of himself.

That sort of realization is what the first two episodes of My Brilliant Friend evoke so well, I think. When you’re a certain kind of literary-minded kid, everything that happens to you feels like the start of some fantastical story or voyage. Elena and Lila are that kind of kid: intelligent, but also too young to fully understand every aspect of the world around them. So they fill in the gaps with stories. What they don’t yet realize is the most important story they’re involved in is the one centered on their friendship.

Constance, you’ve read the book that My Brilliant Friend’s first season is based on. One thing that some critics who’ve read Ferrante’s novels have said about the show is that it can occasionally feel like a perfunctory adaptation — taking bits that sang on the page and literalizing them onscreen in a way that works for those who don’t read much, but falling just a little flat if you know what’s coming. How do you feel about the series’ adaptation choices? And can we talk about how remarkable its child casting is?

Run, Lila, Run: A film by Tom Tykwer HBO

Constance: I am ready to talk about those child actors all day. You get such a strong sense of their personalities from the way they’re shot, and the continuity between the child actors and their teen counterparts is honestly astonishing.

In terms of the adaptation: I think that the pulpiness you pointed to is actually one of the biggest changes we see from page to screen. On the page, Elena describes the murder and violence and horror around her so matter-of-factly that it doesn’t quite register as violence.

We know that Elena is afraid of Don Achille, for instance, and that she thinks of him as a monster — but she writes about that fear as though he’s just a creepy old neighborhood man who the local children have made up some stories about. When I was reading the book, it wasn’t until Elena was well into her teens that I finally put together that oh, okay, Don Achille is a local crime boss who got rich off the black market during World War II. He runs the neighborhood like it’s his private fiefdom, and he is ultimately killed by another local crime family who want to get rid of the competition. In the book, Elena just doesn’t think of her neighborhood in such terms, so I didn’t either.

But the TV show makes it clear who Don Achille is almost immediately. There’s a kind of doubled vision here: We see Don Achille as Elena and Lila see him, as a fairy tale ogre who goes around stealing dolls and putting them in a black bag — but we also see him as he is in “reality,” as a petty crime boss.

The TV show also makes the rest of the violence around Elena and Lila a lot more vivid and concrete. There’s a scene in the second episode in which Lila’s father throws her out a window in a fit of rage. Onscreen, it’s horrifying: You hear voices shouting and crescendoing, and then you see Lila’s tiny child’s body crashing through the window to thud painfully on the ground, shards of glass everywhere. It feels like a monstrous act of violence.

But on the page, the violence of that scene is muted. You have to dig for it. It’s almost comic: “Suddenly the shouting stopped and a few seconds later my friend flew out the window, passed over my head, and landed on the asphalt behind me.” Listen to how peaceful those verbs are! Lila is flying, passing, landing; you don’t get a strong sense of brutality from this language. The horror here is subdued, below the surface, and it only dawns on you gradually how terrible and violent the thing you just read was.

As a result, the TV show feels a lot bleaker and more harrowing than the book does in its beginning. Elena and Lila still have their sense of childish wonder and delight at the world, but now overlaying it we can always see the reality of how terrible their world is, and how difficult it will be for them ever to escape. In the book, you have to work for that realization. The shift in emotional register isn’t necessarily bad, but it is noticeably different.

Todd: That’s really interesting to me! As more and more acclaimed novels are adapted into TV shows instead of movies, and as those TV shows tend to streeeeeeetch everything ooooouuuut, I’ve been thinking a lot more about how onscreen depictions have a tendency to make everything blunter than it would be on the page.

To be sure, that’s not always the case. No Country for Old Men is magnificently blunt both on the page and on the big screen. But your highlighting of Ferrante’s verb choices makes clear that a mini-arc within the book must be Elena’s slow realization of how the world around her actually works, as she loses her childhood innocence and observes more nuance as she gets older. (Obviously, this is something all of us experience.) That’s difficult to portray onscreen, where a small girl flying through a window is hard to depict as anything other than brutal and horrifying, unless you’re deliberately going for comedy.

That also speaks to another adaptation problem I think My Brilliant Friend gets around beautifully — namely, even though Elena is the point-of-view character and one of the two leads of the story, she doesn’t really do much throughout the first two episodes, which makes Lila feel like the more dynamic and engaging character.

I sometimes think of this as the Harry Potter problem. In the first few books of that series, Harry is the point-of-view character, which means that we’re getting a fairly vivid portrayal of the wizarding world through his eyes. But onscreen, the point-of-view character is almost always going to default to the camera. A skillful director can change the audience’s relationship to point-of-view (as Alfonso Cuarón did in the third Harry Potter film and Chris Columbus… pointedly did not in the first two), but they’re always working against the way the audience on some level just wants the camera to be an impartial, unseen observer. So how does My Brilliant Friend avoid this issue?

Well, director Saverio Costanzo (as well as writers Ferrante, Costanzo, Francesco Piccolo, and Laura Paolucci) is always cognizant of how we understand the world through Elena’s point-of-view. When she first becomes aware of Lila in class at their school, Costanzo films the revelation in close on actress Elisa del Genio’s face as it cycles through frustration, irritation, and intrigue. Who is this person? Who does she think she is? And more importantly, when we see Lila, it’s from the perspective Elena would see the girl from — seated at a desk.

Costanzo returns to these filmmaking tricks throughout, at moments of emotional importance, so that we are firmly with Elena. Even when we see things that Elena couldn’t possibly have seen — like the murder of Don Achille — they’re presented almost abstractly, as a small child might imagine them. (The murder is revealed via a knife popping in from offscreen to sink into a neck that gouts blood. Not only does it obscure the identity of the murderer, but it also underlines the way a little kid wouldn’t quite understand how all of this works.)

Adult Elena is telling us this story via narration, which also shoulders some of the point-of-view burden, because we’re always reminded that these are her memories. Elena’s narration also subtly frames the story as something of a mystery about who Lila is. (It would seem something bad happened to Adult Lila in the present.)

When Kid Lila takes those dolls and pitches them down the chute into the cellar, it’s presented as impetuous and rude, but also as something almost impossible to understand. The moment underlines one of My Brilliant Friend’s themes, and one of the reasons point-of-view is so important to its success: No matter how well you know someone, they’ll always be a mystery to you on some level.

This theme also extends to how the little plaza where the girls live is presented almost as an entire fantasy kingdom when they’re kids, full of odd nooks and crannies and adventures just waiting to be uncovered. How do you feel about the “world-building” of the show, for lack of a better word? And do its places match up to the ones in your mind’s eye from the book?

Elena and Lila enjoy reading Little Women, another realistic fiction novel that employs wonderful world-building as it follows girls from childhood to adulthood. HBO

Constance: The world-building is another great example of how My Brilliant Friend has to reconcile the reality of the larger world with Elena’s childish understanding of it. In the book, the neighborhood doesn’t really register as filthy and squalid until Elena has a chance to get out of it and catch a glimpse of the rest of Naples; she’s just living her life in the only place she knows. And we see that onscreen, we see what it is about this neighborhood that would be fun for a kid to play in. But we also see that it’s cramped and impoverished and the light is always gray — and in a way, that raises the stakes. We want these girls to go to school so that they can leave this place, before it seems to have fully occurred to them that they might like to.

One of my favorite things about the friendship between Elena and Lila is just how much of it revolves around their shared desire to escape. Elena first decides to befriend Lila specifically because she can see that Lila is smart enough to get out, and if Elena follows her, she’ll be able to leave as well. She won’t live the life her parents lead, and, as she puts it, her mother’s limp will stop chasing her. (What an image that is!) And Lila, in her turn, seems to be drawn to Elena both because she can see that Elena is the only one in the neighborhood who is almost as smart as Lila is, and because Elena has an ability to please the people in charge who can be useful to Lila.

Their teacher, meanwhile, deliberately sets them against each other as friendly rivals, because she can see that they motivate one another to do better — and when it becomes clear to her that Lila is a lost cause, that her parents will not allow her to go to middle school, she drops Lila, and encourages Elena to do the same.

So much of this friendship is built around utility, around the idea that this person, this one, can be an escape route, a way out of the neighborhood. But what’s fascinating is that even as it becomes clear that even if both Elena and Lila are getting out, they’ll be taking very different paths, the friendship never quite curdles. There are moments of profound resentment — that scene where it becomes clear that Lila orchestrated Elena’s punishment for going to the ocean in the hopes that her parents would be too angry to send her to school is just heart-stopping — but there is never any question of the friendship breaking apart.

They mean too much to each other for that to happen. Each one is the other’s “brilliant friend,” and so their bond keeps evolving and mutating but stays forever intact.

Todd: In my review of the season overall, I described Lila as the “brilliant friend” of the title and was met with a degree of pushback from readers who feel that each of the girls is the other’s “brilliant friend.” And, yes, that is obviously where the series is heading (though it feels to me like it will take several seasons for Elena to get over her Lila-themed inferiority complex), but it also strikes me as something very true about friendships between kids and teens.

We’re so often drawn to people who mirror the things we value most in ourselves, and we’re so often drawn to people who — to us, at least — seem to do those things just a little bit better, to the degree that we can make it to adulthood and still be racing against our childhood best friend just a little bit. I mean, I’m sure there are some people who don’t have this complex, but Lord knows I do, and lots of the people I know and love do as well.

Every brilliant friend, on some level, is also a brilliant rival. Elena and Lila seem to have a pretty good balance right now, but I wonder how that will change as the two are separated by their parents’ decisions, by aging, and by time. They can make each other better, but they can also make each other worse. That dynamic is bound to pay dividends the deeper we get into the show.

My Brilliant Friend airs Sundays and Mondays at 9 pm Eastern on HBO. Previous episodes are available on the network’s streaming platforms.

Original Source -> How HBO’s My Brilliant Friend translates Elena Ferrante’s beloved book to TV

via The Conservative Brief

[princesfitness]

New Post has been published on My Fitness and Nutrition Store

New Post has been published on http://myfitnessnutrition.princefamily33.com/2018/04/25/simple-steps-to-a-new-and-better-body/

Simple Steps To A New And Better Body

TIP! Increase your fitness level by walking. To maximize the effort that your calves put out, you should be walking heel to hoe.

The information in this article will help you become educated in all aspects associated with fitness. You need to know the right fitness information before you exercise; you don’t want to hurt yourself or do a lot of things inefficiently or needlessly. Learn a little something before you hit the gym!

TIP! I

You may need a personal trainer at first because you may not have the self-control to push through your first couple of workouts. If a trainer is good, he will be able to show you how to do certain exercises, help you make goals and recommend a good fitness program for you. Your first gym workout might be a bit harrowing, but you can make it less so by enlisting the assistance of a personal trainer. After doing this, you’ll be ready to begin a new plan that works for you.

TIP! Setting goals for your fitness level is a wonderful motivation. When you have a goal in mind, you tend to concentrate on getting past difficulties instead of letting them hamper your progress.

Depending on your ultimate goals, you may schedule more or less strength exercises during your workout routine. Training less often will let you achieve larger, stronger muscles. For muscles that are leaner and defined, perform strength training more often.

TIP! A person can maximize any benefits they get from exercise by varying their exercise activities. If someone normally exercises on a treadmill, they can go running around their neighborhood.

Conquer the exercises you don’t like by doing them more often. This is because people tend to stay away from exercises they are particularly weak in. Conquer any such exercises by doing them regularly until you’re great at them.

TIP! An excellent method of getting in good shape is selecting exercise routines that firm up your body’s muscles and improve their flexibility. Look for local classes.

Take a piece of paper and establish a schedule for yourself. Evaluate your schedule and set a concrete number of days every week that you will make yourself work out. If something happens and you do have to cancel your workout, make sure you schedule a make-up day, and give it equal weight on your calendar.

TIP! If you want to work your triceps, pushups are the way to go. However, rather than doing normal push-ups, your triceps can be targeted by turning in the hands until the fingertips face each other, which is around 45 degrees.

When doing moves that involve lifting weights over your head, contract your glute muscles on each repetition. This will firm up your rear while also ensuring that you are keeping good form. This will also help to stabilize your spine as you lift the weights.

TIP! Mix up workout routines with plenty of different exercises. This helps to avoid boredom from too much repetition and will also maintain your level of motivation.

Making sure you have the right equipment for the workout is important and your shoes are no exception. Evenings are the best time to shop for athletic shoes, as your feet get slightly bigger throughout the day. Be sure that you have a half-inch space in between your big toe and the shoe. You should be able to wiggle your toes.

Research Supports

TIP! If you are unsure of how to setup a plan, hire a personal trainer. Not only can a trainer have expert information, but trainers are notorious for keeping clients stay motivated.

When you are exercising stretch your muscles between sets. A stretch should last about 25 seconds. There is a lot of research coming out about stretching and the different kinds of stretching that you can incorporate into your workout. Some research supports stretching the same muscle group in between sets as a way to increase strength. Other research supports resting in between sets and reserves stretching for before and after workouts. Doing stretches can also protect you from injury.

TIP! Get the most out of your workouts by making them more “dense.” The more intensity that you put in during a workout, the more fat that you will burn.

Getting fit is a wide open process; there are all sorts of ways to exercise, and just as many places to find the necessary motivation. It is important that you find out what works for you. The good thing about a fitness program is that you can tailor it to meet your needs. This is why it is always best to learn as much as you can about fitness and exercising.

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[westlondonconcrete]

Concrete Supplier Harrow | West London Concrete Ltd

concrete Supplier Harrow provides you with the best-in-class concrete and other construction materials. Harrow is a preferred concrete supplier in London to offer their customers good-quality concrete and other related materials at a reasonable cost. Ready Mix Concrete, Onsite Mixed Concrete, Onsite Mixed Screed, Line Pump, or Boom Pump, We are the best choice to meet your requirements. Whether you are building roads or bridges or renovating an old place, you need the services of an excellent concrete supplier in London.

[westlondonconcrete]

Best Concrete supplier Harrow | West London Concrete Ltd

Concrete supplier Harrow provides you with the best-in-class concrete and other construction materials. Harrow is a preferred concrete supplier in London to offer their customers good-quality concrete and other related materials at a reasonable cost. Ready Mix Concrete, Onsite Mixed Concrete, Onsite Mixed Screed, Line Pump, or Boom Pump, We are the best choice to meet your requirements. Whether you are building roads or bridges or renovating an old place, you need the services of an excellent concrete supplier in London. We are customer-oriented. Our goal is to offer you the best of all products at a reasonable price, ensuring you build a healthy customer relationship.