Room 239/240

[notcalledlizzie]

Elizabeth is lying, curled up on her bed with a stuffed bear.

A small, neatly wrapped box is sitting on the bedside table.

She's trying to read; the same book she's been reading ever since she was in the library after Speech class.

Her mind keeps flashing back to the trip she made to Mali and the Ivory Coast. She can hardly believe how young and naive she had been. How back then she thought that she could help change the world.

She seems to reread the same paragraph over and over again

"A tumble? Oh, yes - out of the swing," said Katy, as it all came slowly back to her. "Did the rope break, Aunt Izzie? I can't remember about it."

She always reached for books from her childhood whenever she felt down.

Comments

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth snickered. "You look like a rabbit!"

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"Thanks," Sam said. "I've been practicing my bunny faces in the mirror."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth snickered. "Is that something you want to be admitting too?"

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"Probably not," Sam said, grinning. "But you're amused, so that's enough."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth smiled at her gratefully. "Thanks, Sam. Again."

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"Anytime. Seriously. 3 am, knock on the door."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

She giggled. "I might, if everyone's decided to kick me out of bed."

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"In this room?" Sam rolled her eyes. "Don't count on it."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth snickered. "No, I wasn't, but stranger things have happened."

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"That's certainly true," Sam said.

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

"Or you could stay down here? It's not as if we're short of space..."

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

Sam ducked her head. "If I could sleep in a bed, and not in the closet, maybe."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

"We only slept in the closet once!" Elizabeth protested, before thinking back that sentance and shaking her head.

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

Sam starts laughing. "And that makes it okay, huh?"

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

"There were extenuating circumstances."

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"And an alien virus..." Sam said, giggling.

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth also giggled. "Well... there was vodka in my case. Which is almost as good as an alien virus!"

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"Better...you don't have to go through quarantine and a full medical for vodka."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

"I don't know... any more and I might have to have done," she joked.

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"Have you gone through one of Janet's medicals? Ugh." Sam shuddered theatrically. "You need the vodka."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth snickered and winked. "Not of the medical kind, no."