Beyond Time (closed)

[heartofcourage]

Dylan lashed out as that metal locked down over her wrist. She had never hit anyone, let alone a cop, but she found herself socking him hard in the face before she forced him away from her. She ran through the ruined doors of the studio, nearly begging Ashien to be there for her.

 

[KieranSoares]

The other officer immediately bolted after her, grabbing Dylandra when she managed to corner herself. He forced her to the floor with her hands behind her back, clipping the other cuff in place. "You're under arrest for the assault of a police officer. You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence."

Keeping her pinned with his knee on her back, he leaned down. "Are you ready to calm down? We'll get you the help you need and we won't file charges if you just cooperate, okay? You don't need to go to jail for this."

 

[heartofcourage]

"How can you arrest me for this?! This is my home!" Dylan yelled again as she was tackled to the ground, her hands cuffed behind her back as the police officer read her her rights. "My name is Dylandra Jennings. I live here!"

 

[KieranSoares]

Both officers picked her up, thinking to themselves what a shame it was that such a beautiful woman had lost her mind. Taking her arms between them, they took her down the ramp and she could see a construction site being set up, fences being put up around the property, and equipment being readied for when the building would be demolished in a month's time. The two officers put Dylandra in the back of the police cruiser and drove away from the site into familiar 2013 London. But some things were a bit different. Her grandfather's favorite tavern wasn't on the corner of 52nd and Wells Street. The little daycare she'd spent a summer working at as a teenager wasn't next to the old church. The church itself wasn't the same, not a humble little Lutheran gathering place, but instead a very small but soaring Catholic cathedral. The police station wasn't even in the same place, now over three blocks south.

The car pulled into the station garage and the one called Mark, his name pin reading 'M. Orthorn,' took her out of the back and brought her in to be registered and to be put into an in-station cell to calm down before anyone would talk with her.

 

[heartofcourage]

Nothing made sense in the world any longer. Dylan saw sights that were familiar, yet all together different. Leaving Darkwood Manor for the city nearly made her break down completely. Ashien wasn't coming to save her this time, it seemed. The band was still on her finger, telling her that the wedding that morning had most certainly happened.

Once she had been placed in a cell, she paced the confines of it, struggling to figure out just what had occurred. "Come on, Ash. Just give me a sign, something to know you're alright." She murmured to herself, running her hands through her thick blonde hair as she waited as patiently as she possibly could.

 

[KieranSoares]

No sign ever came. Rather, an hour later, a tall and thin man in his thirties arrived outside her cell, a briefcase in his hand and a kind smile on his face. "Hello, miss. You must be Dylandra." He offered a hand through the bars to shake. "I'm Doctor Casey Elm. I'm a psychiatrist. Officers Orthorn and Eriksen said you might need someone to talk to and sort things out. May I come in and sit with you?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan shook the man's hand, confused as to why the cops had called in a shrink to talk to her. Did they really think that she was crazy?

"Dr. Elm, I appreciate you coming in to talk to me, but there's nothing to talk about. This is all a horribly misunderstanding." Dylan said as she stared at him through the bars of the cell. "I was just confused and scared when the officers showed up."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I would be too if I woke up in a ruin with a police officer staring down at me. You told them it was your home. Would you talk with me about that? The officers said you could go free if you agreed to talk with me. They might not know you, but they're concerned for your well-being. So am I. What do you say? We'll get you some more comfortable clothes and sit down for coffee and lunch." She was still in her dress, but it had faded to a dead grey color even if it still felt just the same.

 

[heartofcourage]

"If it gets me out of here I'll agree to anything." Dylandra said, knowing that she needed to get out of there in order to go back to Darkwood.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Alright, then. Just give me a few minutes." Dr. Elm left her cell and before long, another officer came to open up the cell and escorted her out to the front desk where Dr. Elm was waiting. He was just finishing some paperwork and he asked her with a smile, "Whereabouts would you like to go? I hear Angie's has pretty good fish and chips." She knew the place. It was an old little tavern and diner that her friends had loved to go to when she was just a teenager.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Angie's is fine." Dylan said, still so incredibly confused by what had happened.

Her gown was no longer bright and vibrant, but the silver band on her finger was still shiny and new. It looked just like it did when Ashien had placed it on her finger earlier that morning. She wondered just how concerned Ash was and if he was searching for a way to reach her. He and Van were probably worried sick about her.

 

[KieranSoares]

Dr. Elm let her be alone with her thoughts for a while, stopping off at a store to get her some more suitable clothes which ended up being a pair of jeans and a button-up shirt. When they were finally sitting down to eat at the tavern, he folded his hands in front of him while waiting on their food. "Tell me about Darkwood Estate, Ms. Jennings. I'm a bit of a history buff if I do say so myself, but the officers said you refused to leave the place. Why is that?" He was genuinely curious as to why she was so attached to the place.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Dylan said, looking down at the table in front of her in the clothes that had become so unfamiliar. "I lost someone very important to me there. I was hoping that he would come looking for me, but it seems that he's just as lost as I am."

 

[KieranSoares]

"My job and my passion is listening to what no one else will believe, miss. I don't think you're crazy, just lost. You speak far too rationally to be insane as far as I can see." Seeing her so forlorn, he changed the subject a bit. "Where are you from? I only know of one Jennings in the area, but he passed away some time ago. Bertrand, I believe his name was."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm from London. Bert was my grandfather." Dylan said, looking up at the doctor across the table from her. "He only died last year."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I didn't know he had children, much less grandchildren. He spent most of his life trying to buy Darkwood from the historical society. His own grandfather sold it when he went bankrupt, but it hasn't been whole since... since before America split from England, I believe." So things really had changed. The timeline of Darkwood had been warped and it had fallen to ruins centuries ago.

 

[heartofcourage]

"We lived in Darkwood Manor when I was a child. It wasn't in ruins then." Dylan said, looking at the doctor as he told her the history that had so wildly changed since she had been gone. "He took pride in maintaining it. Everything from the paintings on the walls to the piano in the ballroom."

 

[KieranSoares]

Dr. Elm raised an eyebrow then as they came upon the difference between Dylandra's experience and what had really happened in his lifetime. "No one's lived in Darkwood since 1750 according to the historical society. And Bertrand Jennings was an architect. He could never make enough money to buy Darkwood. The way I heard it, he saved up most of his life for it but then the economy crashed and the price more than doubled." He became fairly interested, though. "Who was it you were waiting for there? And how did you get there?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"My husband." She said in a quiet voice, looking down at the ring on her finger as he posed that question to her. "And I don't know how I got there. When the officer woke me up, it was the first moment I realized just where I was."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Where were you before? Before you fell asleep. Or maybe you passed out?" He seemed more concerned for her safety then. "Do you think someone just left you there? If you're in any kind of danger..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Dr. Elm. I have to be honest with you. I am Dylandra of Darkwood. I married Ashien Ghis only this morning and I somehow got lost between our times. I am desperate to get back to him but the only way to do that is for me to go back to Darkwood." She said in a completely serious tone.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I thought your name sounded familiar," he mused, his expression not registering whether he believed her or not. He then leaned a little closer, and asked softly, "So... The piano really does cross time? It's not just a children's story?" Still, he wouldn't show if he believed her. There was far too much to consider.

 

[heartofcourage]

"It use to work." Dylan said softly. "When I tried it this morning, it wouldn't even make a sound. There still has to be a way though. I know Ashien won't give up on me and I'm not giving up on him. I will see him again."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Doesn't it only work on the full moon, though? That won't be until... Saturday, I think." He then chuckled softly, "I used to think I was the crazy one, thinking magic really existed... but you've seen it work. I can see it in your eyes. Well, Mrs. Ghis, if you'd be willing to talk with me until then, I'd be willing to do what I can to get you back in there Saturday night and see if it'll work." There was some doubt as the piano was most certainly not in working condition anymore and hadn't been for over two-hundred years, but he didn't let that show for the moment.

"You see," he murmured, "I was originally going to be a historian, and I've been obsessed with Darkwood most of my life. I'd love to hear what it was like. What Ashien Ghis was like."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I don't know if it'll work even during a full moon." Dylan said, letting out a sigh as he seemed to believe her. "It was in horrible condition when I got close to it. It wouldn't make a sound."

"Ashien is one of the best men that I've ever known. I love him deeply. He loves me the same way." She said as she looked up at the doctor. "He's an excellent horseman and an even better painter. I suppose none of his paintings have survived."