those in the light know we die [1-3]

[MARLENA CARTWRIGHT]

{AUSTEN RESEARCH CENTER @ BARRIE UNIVERSITY}

Marlena was reading. Now, most other girls just came to the research center to look at magazines or get away from their dorms or gossip or whatnot, but not her. No, she was content with just sitting in the horribly placed table that was shadowed by a bookshelf and not near enough to an outlet to carry a lamp. She had convinced the librarian to allow her to bring a candle to the secluded spot so she could read Shakespeare's Hamlet in peace. It was her favorite play of all time, and now she actually had an excuse to read it; it was homework for her literature class. Well... Macbeth was her homework, but she had already finished reading that, and they were talking about Shakespeare so...

To be honest, this was the way she preferred to read, by candlelight. It made her feel like she was actually in those times before electricity, when they certainly would have read by candlelight. Though moreso it made her feel like she was in the play itself. She could almost step into the characters' shoes, especially Ophelia. Always, she felt like she could relate to Ophelia, even before it happened. But she couldn't think of that now; she was almost finished with this part.

And flights of angels-

Wait, what was that screaming? She looked around and realized that the lights were all out. Though she still had her candle, so she finished the line.

sing thee to they rest.

Unlike most the other girls, Marlena stayed calm. Perhaps it was the fact that she had nothing to distract her from getting all worked up now, and was thinking of something she could do. So, she did what she always did when she was bored and not near a body of water or had something she hadn't just read.

She sang. Quietly, of course, but still loud enough to hear from behind the bookshelf she was next to.

I've written songs,
I've felt inspired,
I hide myself,
Used to be afraid,
Those in the light know we die,
in the dark, in the dark, in the dark, in the dark.

There's only artificial light here
My flaws hide well here
I used to be afraid of cluttered noises
Now I'm afraid of silence

Fill this space, idol words...

And she continued on, not waiting to be interrupted.

notes; This is kind of really awful. But whatever.
THIS IS HER OUTFIT, NOT THAT YOU CAN REALLY SEE IT IN THE DIM CANDLELIGHT
THIS IS THE SONG SHE IS SINGING, IF YOU MUST KNOW.

[JULIAN SORENSEN]

Axel was fond of reading, and the Austen Research Center, although occasionally a little overcrowded with students cramming for their exams, was more often than not a place where he could find a good book and curl up for a while once his work was done. He'd been doing that just now, reading a bit of A Winter's Tale to pass the time - one of the only Shakespearean plays he had yet to complete - and it was perfectly fascinating when, suddenly, there was no longer any light.

The Danish student blinked once, twice, wondering if he had suddenly lost a good deal of his vision, but no. It was quite honestly dark. The lights had gone out.

He looked up, to the sides. No. Entirely black. The power was out, then, probably all over the campus...hm.

Well...good thing he had that penlight attached to his keychain.

With a heavy sigh, he set down his book on the table at his side (he had to grope around a bit for it) before getting to his feet and pressing down on the penlight. It provided only limited light, but it was just enough to see by, and that was all the more he needed to get out of here.

But which way was out, again...? This was all very disorienting, and there were people screaming, why were they screaming, it was only dark! It wasn't as if there were a serial killer about or something.

Hm. Or what if there was? That would be interesting, he thought, with a slightly morbid chuckle.

He was about to find the screams far more annoying, but then he found that they were contrasted by a sound far more beautiful: a woman singing. Curious, Axel glanced in the direction of the sound and caught the glow of a candle.

Curious. Candlelight. It had to have already been burning...

Edging closer to the candle, he strained his eyes, which were still far too unadjusted to the dark.

"Hello? Who is that there?" he asked softly, not wishing to disturb whomever it was with such a lovely voice.

[MARLENA CARTWRIGHT]

Marlena continued to sing even as the screaming increased, unaffected by the honestly irrational fear.

I'm scared to death of light and silence.
Jesus, kill me inside this.
Raise me up to live again.
Like you did.
Like you di-

She stopped when she saw a tiny dot of light getting closer to her, along with a voice. "Hello? Who is that there?"

That voice... that voice was familiar to her. Normally she didn't take the time to remember faces, let alone voices, of people, because honestly she didn't need any friends. She was not the one to open up to people because in a way, she was afraid that some day she would just lost them. The only reason she talked to the swim team members was because... well, they were a team.

But this one was different. From the beginning, she had taken in every detail of this particular human being, from his dark hair to his near-black eyes to everything in between. Marlena didn't have the same precautious feeling as she did with everyone else, because losing this man was simply unbearable to think about. He had gotten her to open up, something she really didn't do to most people.

She was interested in him, and though she did fear her brother's reaction, this time she really didn't care.

"Axel?" she breathed, not meaning to say it in such a way. If she wanted, she could blame it on the fact that she had just been singing. That is, if he asked.

Wait. Had he not recognized her? It sent a hurt feeling throughout her being, something she didn't recognize because of her lack of experience in the whole 'love' part of normal life. "It's Marlena," she added, continuing to wonder, not realizing that he probably had never heard her sing.

notes; OHAI PLAY BY CHANGE AND NEW PICTURE LOVE.