Bridge's Restless Dream
They're all sprawled around the living room of Xander's apartment, now that the last of the movies on the list has been watched. Nadia is standing at a canvas, concentrating on her painting- which is actually a set of stickfigures, but she's taking it *very* seriously regardless. Willow is on the couch, flipping through the Fandom High Student Handbook and occassionally highlighting things. Dawn, Mel and Buffy are engaging in some sort of dance-off, Isabel acting as the judge while River and her fiddle provide the music to dance to. Meanwhile Sam and Alec argue over the remote control.
Bridge is doing a handstand in the middle of the room, deep in thought. And suddenly, he understands.
"I've got it! This is brilliant!" he exclaims, flipping back upright. There's a pause as everyone stops what they're doing and stares.
"What is?" Sam asks finally.
"It's no coincidence," Bridge says. "That we're all here."
More staring.
"Sorry man, I think you've lost us." Sam shakes his head.
"No, think about it!" He tries to explain. "We all have powers, abilities, we're all here, in Fandom, at Xander's apartment... the odds are astronomical!" he ticks each of these off as he walks over to Nadia.
"Maybe we were picked because we have these abilities," Nadia says, her paintbrush paused mid-stroke.
"Yeah, but why the *eleven* of us?"
"I'm confused," Buffy admits.
"Hello?" Alec rolls his eyes. "Bridge is talking?"
"Back *off* him, Alec," Dawn snaps, shoving his shoulder. "I think I get what he's saying. How is it that we all ended up here, at Fandom High? Is it a part of some bigger plan?"
"Face the facts," Alec retorts. "Every one of us, especially Bridge, is a freak of nature."
"Hey," Isabel frowns at Alec. "That's a little out of line, don't you think?"
Whatever Alec's response to that is, it's drowned out by Principal Washburn's voice on the loudspeaker.
"Attention students, we are being invaded by demonic lawn flamingoes. Everyone please report to the gym in a calm and orderly manner, and we will organize strike teams from there."
The others all rush out the door and down the hall. As Bridge reaches the door, it slams shut. No matter how hard he pulls, he can't open it.
From the kitchen comes a crash. Worried, Bridge goes to investigate. There's a man standing over the stove. He picks something up off the frying pan with a spatula.
"Would you like any grilled cheese? It's buttery." He asks, wiggling the fingers of his other hand.
"What?" Bridge blinks. "No! I have to find my friends, there's flamingoes and I need to help... I think I've got it figured out..."
The man frowns in disappointment, but leaves the kitchen, brushing past Dream as he enters.
Dream walks over to the stove and picks up the sandwich. "He does cook well, you know," he says.
"I don't have time for lunch, though," Bridge frowns. "There's too much to do."
Dream cocks a questioning eyebrow at Bridge and takes an elegant nibble of sandwich.
"I'm so *close*," Bridge says, "I have the answer, it's right *here*, I know it is. I can help everyone if I can just make them understand."
"One might wonder," Dream says, swallowing the sandwich, "why this is your concern."
"What's the use of having powers if you can't help anyone?" Bridge says reasonably.
At that moment, a stuffed green frog comes hopping in to the kitchen.
"Hey there," Bridge says, picking up Notzilla. "Where'd you come from?" The frog remains silent.
While Bridge's focus is elsewhere, Dream places the frying pan and spatula in the sink and vanishes, leaving him alone.
"Fine," Bridge grumbles. "I have ways of making you talk, you know."
He juggles Notzilla over to the crook of one arm, and then attempts to undo his gloves so he can get a reading. No matter how hard he pulls, they won't come off.
He hears footsteps behind him. "Hey," he calls out, thinking that it must be one of his friends, or even Professor Dream or the weird cheese guy. "Can you give me a hand with my, uh, hands, here?"
When he turns around, it's not one of his friends. It's a figure dressed in rags, her face painted white and black. She watches him intently for a few moments, then in one quick motion, reaches for his hands and tugs the gloves off to reveal there's nothing underneath.
"You think you know," she hisses, as Bridge stares in horror at where his hands are supposed to be. "Now you won't, not anymore."
"I can't feel anything," Bridge realises, as the numbness in his wrists slowly begins to spread through the rest of his body. Notzilla just stares sadly up at him from where he's fallen on the floor.
Restless Table of Contents
Where it all begins
Willow's Dream
Xander's Dream
Bridge's Dream
River's Dream
Izzy's Dream
Nadia's Dream
Alec's Dream
Dawn's Dream
Sam's Dream
Mel's Dream
Buffy's Dream
Where it all ends
Bridge is doing a handstand in the middle of the room, deep in thought. And suddenly, he understands.
"I've got it! This is brilliant!" he exclaims, flipping back upright. There's a pause as everyone stops what they're doing and stares.
"What is?" Sam asks finally.
"It's no coincidence," Bridge says. "That we're all here."
More staring.
"Sorry man, I think you've lost us." Sam shakes his head.
"No, think about it!" He tries to explain. "We all have powers, abilities, we're all here, in Fandom, at Xander's apartment... the odds are astronomical!" he ticks each of these off as he walks over to Nadia.
"Maybe we were picked because we have these abilities," Nadia says, her paintbrush paused mid-stroke.
"Yeah, but why the *eleven* of us?"
"I'm confused," Buffy admits.
"Hello?" Alec rolls his eyes. "Bridge is talking?"
"Back *off* him, Alec," Dawn snaps, shoving his shoulder. "I think I get what he's saying. How is it that we all ended up here, at Fandom High? Is it a part of some bigger plan?"
"Face the facts," Alec retorts. "Every one of us, especially Bridge, is a freak of nature."
"Hey," Isabel frowns at Alec. "That's a little out of line, don't you think?"
Whatever Alec's response to that is, it's drowned out by Principal Washburn's voice on the loudspeaker.
"Attention students, we are being invaded by demonic lawn flamingoes. Everyone please report to the gym in a calm and orderly manner, and we will organize strike teams from there."
The others all rush out the door and down the hall. As Bridge reaches the door, it slams shut. No matter how hard he pulls, he can't open it.
From the kitchen comes a crash. Worried, Bridge goes to investigate. There's a man standing over the stove. He picks something up off the frying pan with a spatula.
"Would you like any grilled cheese? It's buttery." He asks, wiggling the fingers of his other hand.
"What?" Bridge blinks. "No! I have to find my friends, there's flamingoes and I need to help... I think I've got it figured out..."
The man frowns in disappointment, but leaves the kitchen, brushing past Dream as he enters.
Dream walks over to the stove and picks up the sandwich. "He does cook well, you know," he says.
"I don't have time for lunch, though," Bridge frowns. "There's too much to do."
Dream cocks a questioning eyebrow at Bridge and takes an elegant nibble of sandwich.
"I'm so *close*," Bridge says, "I have the answer, it's right *here*, I know it is. I can help everyone if I can just make them understand."
"One might wonder," Dream says, swallowing the sandwich, "why this is your concern."
"What's the use of having powers if you can't help anyone?" Bridge says reasonably.
At that moment, a stuffed green frog comes hopping in to the kitchen.
"Hey there," Bridge says, picking up Notzilla. "Where'd you come from?" The frog remains silent.
While Bridge's focus is elsewhere, Dream places the frying pan and spatula in the sink and vanishes, leaving him alone.
"Fine," Bridge grumbles. "I have ways of making you talk, you know."
He juggles Notzilla over to the crook of one arm, and then attempts to undo his gloves so he can get a reading. No matter how hard he pulls, they won't come off.
He hears footsteps behind him. "Hey," he calls out, thinking that it must be one of his friends, or even Professor Dream or the weird cheese guy. "Can you give me a hand with my, uh, hands, here?"
When he turns around, it's not one of his friends. It's a figure dressed in rags, her face painted white and black. She watches him intently for a few moments, then in one quick motion, reaches for his hands and tugs the gloves off to reveal there's nothing underneath.
"You think you know," she hisses, as Bridge stares in horror at where his hands are supposed to be. "Now you won't, not anymore."
"I can't feel anything," Bridge realises, as the numbness in his wrists slowly begins to spread through the rest of his body. Notzilla just stares sadly up at him from where he's fallen on the floor.
Restless Table of Contents
Where it all begins
Willow's Dream
Xander's Dream
Bridge's Dream
River's Dream
Izzy's Dream
Nadia's Dream
Alec's Dream
Dawn's Dream
Sam's Dream
Mel's Dream
Buffy's Dream
Where it all ends