The clockwork girl felt the tightness in her springs loosen, as she realised she was conscious. With trepidation she moved her hand, hearing the welcoming clicks of her gears soothing her, the sound a signal that she could move.
Out of habit, she went to the bathroom and ran the tap on her hands. The water made the strange felt of her skin wet. She then passed the water to her face soaking it. She looked into the mirror at the strange effect of the water on her body. It had a slightly higher 'cooling' effect on her, as if it was like touching alcohol. Her skin had puffed up just a little, and she was a bit unsure how to squeeze out the water from her face.
Glancing at the side of the basin she found a hair dryer, and started to blow it across her skin. The hot air waved across her pearlescent hair, which made her stare at it again blinking as it changed colour by that curious motion though it didn't change where it still was. It was almost as if the tips of her hair were a blue fire.
She recounted the dream in her head. What struck her most of all was not the content of the dream, but her perspective. She was the clockwork girl on the stage, watching her old self. But... why did she dream of her old self trying to... to touch this body? Her body? It was so alien to the imagination that she didn't know how to feel about it. Was the dream a manifestation of fear? Or expectation? Did she- could she like this body?
Her face was still a little wet as she went back to her room. Maybe putting water on this 'skin' was not a good idea. She touched her face a bit more and tensed a little at the feeling of something hard and smooth under it that supported her skin. It was too light to be metal, she was certain of that. She feared she was made of porcelain but hoped she was made of something at least as strong as bone. Still she felt so...
so... fragile...
... What was she going to do? Could she... really live like this?
Thinking of the dream though, she had one other thought. Something that made her wonder, as she stared at the wall, in perfect pose, motionless except for the gentle ticks of her gears deep within.
"Am... I... a... bad... person?"
Melanie was looking inside the shared cupboard of her sister. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but... knew it had to do with 'school'. Unlike Jenny, Melanie's clothing was a little more limited. Partly because her presence was unexpected and secondly... she didn't understand the point of clothing, other then as a means to protect oneself from the elements.
She glanced at Jenny as she slept, then back to the task at hand. This was a lot harder then it looked, especially getting her clothes past the strange crook of her insect legs. She wondered why it would be difficult, but then she was made with human thoughts, and humans didn't have legs like these. She was glad though to be able to walk in them, even if it was awkward at times.
She put on a black shirt, feeling a little... calmer. Dark colours are what she desired, the non-reflective, the hidden, the un-provocative. Simple and harmonious nothingness. She put on her black pleated dress, and examined herself in the mirror with a curiously neutral expression.
Jenny woke up at this point looking at her sister. "Um- What you doin' Melanie?" She asked curiously, flicking her white hair aside from her eyes.
Melanie looked to her. "I am ready for School," she stated.
"Huh?" Jenny said blinking.
Further explanation was needed. "Mother said I was not ready before. But if I wear these clothes I am ready?" She couldn't help it. Her statement had become a question. This world was so strange. She didn't want it to be a question!
"Um-" Jenny began.
"-Yes. Melanie is ready." said Melanie. Answering her own question brought it back to being a statement of Truth. That was... a relief.
"It's just-"
"I have observed interactions." Melanie said interrupting her feeling the need to explain even more. "I am capable of understanding my tasks. I have simulated the expectations of those around me. I should go to school."
"Well-" Jenny tried again.
"What more do I need to do?" The insect girl said with a faint whimper. Why... did it feel like she had somehow failed at something. Why was Jenny looking at her so pathetically. That look hurt her, and she didn't understand why.
"You can't go to school Melanie," said the white haired girl quietly. She bit her lip a bit glancing awkwardly.
"Why..." asked Melanie feeling the weight of defeat. It was so heavy she collapsed, folding her insect legs onto the ground. Was she not good enough?
"It's... it's Sunday," said Jenny.
Melanie glanced up. "sun-day?" the insect girl asked even more confused. "It is always sun-day." This statement was confusing. Of course day time 'implied' the sun was up, therefore every day was sun day.
"No No- look um-" Jenny got up from bed and showed her a simple diary. It had a calendar with the occasional note in one. "See? Tha's a day in the week. An' that's a month, an' that's a year. We are... here." She explained.
Melanie paled. Her reaction was even worse then her reactions to the dolls. "You- You name... time?" she said confused. All so suddenly she could feel the definitions of time become part of her. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years... She felt herself gasping for air. No No no no! "S-Sun-Sunday... Sunday... it's .. its Sunday..."
Jenny nodded and held her sister's hand. "Uh huh. An' here see? We go to school on Mondays to Fridays. So we ain't got school usually on Sundays.
This was confusing Melanie so much. How could one day be any different to the next? What made one day any more special then the other? Why? This made no sense! She tried to find some kind of consensus to this system from her old existence.. There was something similar... this had to be a method of 'synchronisation'. Still, this was a rather extreme way of doing it, naming the eternal tick, instead of utilising safer means. Did this world not understand Nothing?
Melanie took off her clothes quickly, feeling silly. If this task had some kind of 'sync' requirement, she would have to wait for the correct moment. She would have to observe when it was 'time' for certain activities.
She felt herself shudder at that.
Lilly woke up from her strange dream. Her cat Sakura was sleeping on her stomach. She cuddled the cat quietly. She wasn't completely sure where she went to in her dream, but it felt... nice. She looked to her cat stroking its ear. "You wanna know how I changed Sakura?" she asked quietly. "It's a secret though... you gotta not tell anyone," she said with a faint sigh. If her parents found out... well... she just didn't want them to know.
Lilly thought back to it... to that moment."Stacy lost her ball up a tree... an... I said I could get it. She begged me not to try but I said I could do it..."
It was a stupid thing to do. Part of it was just male bravado. Also she was sure she could do it... "So I climbed up the tree... but... I fell. I got hurt in my head. I remember I was so dizzy. I heard Stacy screamin' my name- but- I can't remember that name no more."
Sakura gave Lilly a little lick of her fur. It felt... nice and warm to her.
The little squirrel girl leaned her twin tails on either side of the bed. They were so long and bushy, and in the morning were definitely in need of a heavy brushing. She sadly neglected that job, and her mother though concerned was more concerned to just let Lilly do whatever she felt comfortable doing. "Next thing I knew, Stacy was a dinosaur... an'... I became a lot smaller... an'... I was also no longer hurtin'." She said a little bemusedly. "Mum thought I was Stacy at first, cause I was cryin' so much."
The cat continued to lick the squirrel, the action was grooming her fur.
"I- I guess I was lucky the sun changed..."
She stroked the cat gently.
