Jewely and Cherie

Cherie and Jewely

"So what are the rules?" Cherie asked.
"What do you mean?" Jewely replied.
"I mean, there's always someone who knows the rules--in vampire or fairy or even zombie stories." Cherie asked.
Jewely coughed up a little of her coffee. "This isn't a movie, love. This is real life. Much like with everything else in life, there is no rulebook, no one answer.  If you're asking how to defeat the tyrant, if I knew, don't you think my sisters would have done it already?  What are you really saying?"
Cherie stabbed at her eggs.  "You mean, you introduce me to your little dream world, make me love you and your friends, and yet you have nothing for me? Not a shield or an ancient book, a magic potion or a cloak of invisibility? So I have to solve all of my problems, not to mention yours, with what? My good looks?  That's awesome. Thanks. So much."  Cherie took a long gulp of tea.

Julie got up and tried to put her arms around Cherie's shoulders, but Cherie shrugged her off.  Too late to hide her tears, Cherie stared into the gulf. Julie walked over to the railing, looking out into the setting sun. "I know you feel as though you've been dragged into my world, and that you alone must solve all your own problems, but neither are true.  My world is your world; you dreamed in California.  You were tied to the other dream walkers where you lived. I can't control that you never remembered your dreams. As for this, now, well we are connected to the world we live in, awake or not." Her eyes darted over to Paul Carlo's sleeping form in the hammock below.

Cherie point toward the hammock. "That's just what I mean! How can you tolerate that killer under your roof? Why don't you just kill him in his sleep?"

Jewely turned to face her, mouth wide open. "Do you really see other people as just a commodity to be expended if they prove to be no use to you? That tyrant  is a scared little boy in pain. What would you have me do? Ban a depressed disabled boy form the only haven he knows? That would sentence him to even more ridicule and pain at the hands of his brothers. What do you think would happen to Summerlin then? Would he be kinder?  No, for all I know, the sanctity of Genesis house is the only reason he hasn't sent his army to set the whole forest aflame.  If you can't see that, maybe you're too young, too naive to help."  With that, Jewely opened the slider and went inside.