Beyond - Legends The Time Has Come - OC "Dear Diary" Challenge Response - Entry 14 up 11/23

Entry Eight:

Dear Diary,

As you suspected, life has been pretty hectic lately. As I mentioned in the previous entry, work has been taking up most, if not all, of my free time. This entry will most likely be pretty short for that reason, but I felt the need to update this and say a couple things about life lately.

Strassi, as I suspected, didn?t stay normal for long. Or rather, played ignorant for long. After all, she is eleven standard years old, and very inquisitive. She has been very strong after what happened, and I?m so proud of her for that. Out of the three of us, I?d venture to say she?s the strongest. My still silent mother has only decreased in the amount of sentences she will speak to me, and if I didn?t have a demanding job I?m sure I?d go crazy too. But not Strassi, she is as vibrant as always. However, she did say a peculiar thing the other day. Several actually.

The first did not bother me too much. She asked why our father left. It was late one night, I had just gotten home from a long day of doing nothing but staring at a screen full of data and numbers without break and wanted to do nothing more than collapse into my bed and another night of dreamless sleep. On my way to my bedroom, Strassi emerged from hers. She was supposed to be asleep at this late hour? She called my name softly, and with her big crimson eyes, asked me the question that has surely been on all of our minds since that fateful morning.

?Where did father go?? Her voice was so soft, so absent in her usual animated tone, I could say nothing to comfort her. I myself had no clue. My answer was lacking for sure, but what else could I say? For the first time in my life I had the sickening realization that I had absolutely no answer to a very real, and very damaging question. She looked so hopeful at that moment, as if I knew something that she or mother did not know.

I hated to shoot down her hopes. ?No,? I answered, putting a hand on her shoulder. ?I don?t know where he went, or why. But we?re going to stay strong, right??

She shocked me with what she said next. ?We?ll do it together Dusty?don?t give up hope.? Weird. When did my little sister get so wise?

Another thing that shocked my brain lately was something I saw in town yesterday. It was an early day at work?the orders had been placed, all customers and cargo shipments for the day had already visited, and there was no more work to be done, so I gave myself a treat and took half the day off. After packing up and locking up, I set out for my long walk home. Nibbling on a rather hard fruit and wistfully wishing that we had a speeder again, I heard a large ruckus coming from a nearby street. I turned, expecting to see a group of my peers wrestling or a scuffle between buyers about a purchase, and was appalled by what I saw.

It was policemen arresting a man.

Normal you may think, just the officials doing their duty? but since when do officials beat their criminals in front of the whole town? And for what? From the small auto part clutched in his hand, I assume stealing.

It was a bloody, brawny, loud mess in the street. Everyone nearby could see it. From the way their eyes shifted to one another and whispers crackled lightly in the dead silence, everyone else was thinking the same as me: Is this what our government officials are here to do?

I still can?t get that image out of my head. It was an auto part for deity?s sake! Probably cost a couple dozen credits, probably less from the looks of it. Things like that make me believe, or just want to believe, that this Rebellion thing might be real. Didn?t we just ?escape? from the horror that was the Empire? That did one hell of a lot for sure? we didn?t even know until 6 months later. And here we are again, tormented by those higher up than us. Powerless to do anything else.

--Dustin

 

Ah, the resilience and wisdom of youth--too bad it's at the sacrifice of childhood and innocence

The scene at the end resonates strongly with me, Myriad. A couple months back, there were scandals in a nearby county about law enforcement officials brutalizing persons who weren't violent and weren't putting up a fight; the one that sticks in my mind was a man in a wheelchair who was arrested for a driving violation and they tumped him over out of his wheelchair during the investigation and the one who did it and the ones who just stood around are under investigation. Shocking!! I've always found it repulsive when racially motivated brutality occurs, but when even that's not an "excuse" as in Dustin's entry, you really do have to wonder--are these people bastions of justice and peace?

Bravo for the thought-provoking entry. I have a feeling Dustin's going to be "ready to rebel" now.

 

So, I got very behind on this... I'm sorry! [mumbles]Stupid school! Always interfering with fanfic[/mumbling] LOL!

But all the updates have been so wonderful! I love Dustin!

And here we are again, tormented by those higher up than us. Powerless to do anything else.
What a powerful line! Very beautiful!

Wonderful job! I look forward to more!

 

Poor Dustin! His life is crumbling around him at home, and the society is starting to crumble around him outside. He has too many burdens for a young man. His sister is wise, but she is still so very young. Dustin is away at work, and their mother is broken. What will become of Strassi?

It's so sad what the loss of his father has done to the family. One person makes such an important difference.

Great updates! I'm sorry I missed one.

 

Jade_eyes: That's terrible, isn't it I've heard stories simliar to that in the past, and with the elections coming up it really has me thinking about just how much of an influence the average person has on those higher up, and it's pretty small. I'm glad it was "thought provoking", and I hope you continue to enjoy!

mavjade: No problem, glad to see you again I love Dustin too, and I'm glad you're enjoying!

divapilot: I am so mean to him I don't mean to be, but the muse keeps telling me how fascinating it is to write...


*PM list is same as always


EDIT: Nevermind tis working now

 

That's even more frustrating/mystifying than that "no message" thingy a while back--still don't know what that was LOL Hope it straightens out

 

Entry SOMETHINGOROTHER::

Dear DIARY!

Hi everyone! Or not really everyone, because no one reads this because Dustin's a loser... No wait, I read this!!!

THis is DUstin's sister STRASSI! *dramatic drumroll*

HELLO fellow Chiss and aliens of all species, this is Pohskad'strassi'norian! So Dustin thinks he's so cool writing in his little diary every once and awhile, and thinks no one knows. He comes home from work and most of the time the light goes off in his room after a few minutes or so, but sometimes it stays on for a lot lot longer than usual, and then I know he's writing. I've seen this holojournal a couple times and its pretty nifty. Guess where he hides it-- guess! No, you'll never guess because it's just sooooooo secrative: under his PILLOW! I'm writing this while Dustin is still at work...

Hahaha like we all haven't seen that before! Oh well I suppose I should stop making fun of him because the next time he opens this he'll read this and be uh.. well kinda mad.

I mean goodness Dusty you are SO boring! This thing is almost as high-tech as the new datapad we bought dad for his birthday last year... *sigh* Wonder what happened to that.

aNyWaY you can do SO many c00l things with this! It has bold and italic and all sorts of pretty colors! Pink and green are my absolute favorite colors, though neither of them ever match my skin. That's why it stinks to have a skin color that clashes horribly with all colors, I mean who wants to match neon green with ocean blue? Ugh. just think of how much prettier your diary would be if you used decorations!!!

Teehee now that I've raided your journal I'm going to write you a poem, then I'm going to run as fast as I can because your coming home soon! *gasp*

Twi'Leks are red,
Chiss are blue,
I'm really awesome,
and so are you!

.. most of the time =D

OKay i have to go now! Hahaha I found your diary, I found your diary!

LOVE,
STRASSI!!!

PS. I'm telling mom you said k-t-a-h!

---

[u][b]Entry 10:[/b][/u]

Dear Diary,

Well that was embarassing.

Why am I not suprised it would be Strassi to find my diary. I mean, I didn't even think she knew that I had one! Okay, so leaving it under my pillow was not the best idea in the world... but how was I supposed to know she was going to come looking for it! From now on I'm going to try and be a lot more careful. Sure I haven't written anything really bad yet, but still I'm already wierded out that I'm even keeping one, and then my little sister goes in and reads it. Isn't this what little 8 year old siblings do? Sigh...

I love her to death, I really do, and it makes me happy to see her bright and cheerful again. But please, stay out of my stuff!

And why don't I use bold and colors and those sorts of features? Because without them this looks much more professional, like a businessman's log or travelers journal. Not that I'm much of a business man or do any sort of traveling, but it's still feels more sophisticated.

I had a few more serious topics I wanted to discuss but now I feel a little less dismal. I suppose her raiding of my diary wasn't [i]so[/i] bad. I needed a bit of cheering up.

--Dustin

 

That was so creative Myriad! I loved it!

I really enjoyed how you did all the 'internet' things like aNyWaY and c00l... they really made her part of the entry!
And the poem... ! It was great!
.. most of the time =D
ROFLOL!

I also glad it cheered Dustin up instead of really ticking him off!

Wonderful job!

 

Strassi's half was absolutely adorable and fun!!!! I can so see Dustin thinking of trying to be all dignified with his diary style LOL So glad he and his little sis are having fun with each other again

Huggles!!!!

 

Hahhahahahaahahahahahahhaahhaahahahahhh!!!!!




Girl, that was hysterical! So true to life too...gosh. You know how to do it, darlin'! I couldn't figure out at the beginning why Dustin had a sudden stroke of color creativity and such...then it made sense and I was grinning like a idiot! hahahahha....wonder what that "serious" stuff he has to write is, though?

Love it girl! Keep it up,
Irish

 

Nice updates! I loved the message from Strassi.

She's a hoot!

very, very cute.

 

Dustin's sister is so cute! It was a great idea bringing her into the fold like this. Extremely creative, methinks. Great little update! I really enjoyed it.

 

No I don't have the next update, but it's long overdue Maybe review replies will spur me to get on it

mavjade: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it! It was as much fun to write as it was for you to read it!

Jade_eyes: I love the contrast between the two of them, it's so funny Brother and sister can be totally different species...

Irish_Jedi_Jade: Thanks cuz, glad it made you laugh If Dustin suddenly started writing his entries like an 11 year old girl I'd be worried too LOL

divapilot: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

Ceillean: She is cute isn't she

Mira_Jade: Aww thank you I loved the part about ktah too, seems like something an annoying little sister would say


*PM list is as always

 

Entry Eleven:

I haven?t written in months. Four, actually. Everything has been so confusing lately I don?t even know where to start.

Most of the things I?m about to say don?t make nearly as much sense in writing as it does in real life, and most of what I?m saying should not be written down in the first place. The past four months have been a jumble of so many things. Life is going so fast in so many directions I?m not even sure where to start. The beginning, I suppose.

Four months ago this week was a normal day, by most standards. After dad left life fell into a sort of rhythm, something I could count on again. Work, come home, sleep, repeat. Strassi was turning back into her regular self, and Mom was speaking to me again. She still wandered the house with a blank look on her face, and often didn?t eat, but things were slowly sliding into perspective and, just maybe, becoming the new ?normal? in my life. It worked, and that?s all that really mattered.

Work that day had been had been normal, tedious? boring. That?s how most of my diary entry stories start. My mother had told me that she and Strassi would be in town buying food before the storm came in, and I could meet them there after my shift. Strassi had the week off from school for holiday and she had been begging my mother or me take her out shopping. My original reaction was no?why would I want to take my little sister shopping? Out of the many things I could be doing on my easy work day (hanging with friends, eating, sleeping) shopping for a 12 year-old?s clothes was the last on my list. Besides, town hadn?t been the same in awhile? the people were different lately. But she begged and begged, and finally I conceded it wouldn?t really be too bad, would it?

I should have said no.

I closed the shop door as usual, sliding the key card through the slot and watching the green light turn to red on the front panel. I hadn?t had much on my mind? perhaps a way to sneak into a store before Strassi and my mother showed up to get a quick gift or two for the upcoming celebration, or what my next meal would be. Random, inconsequential thoughts.

I should have been quicker.

Just down the road I was in the process of wrapping a maroon scarf about my neck, a scratchy awful thing that my mother would lament had I not been wearing it, when I heard yelling from nearby.

It?s sad to think this way, but I thought almost nothing of it. Like I said, my town was not what it used to be. Policemen were either everywhere at once and watching like hawk-bats, or eerily absent when all went wrong. So naturally, my ears perked and I walked just a bit more cautiously.

I should have known.

Passing the roundabout in the center square so usually devoid of people, I began to scan the crowd for my sister and mother. You would think that in a sea of all blue skin and black hair that everyone blends together? but surprisingly they don?t. Over the heads of several frantic shoppers I thought I glimpsed her?a short, bouncing figure on the complete opposite end of the center.

I called out her name, which was nearly a complete failure. It was too loud. But I was feeling lazy, so instead I just waved my arm above everyone else and continued to yell her name. I might have looked like an idiot, but it got her attention.

Breaking away from my mother?s grip on her hand, she ran in my direction. Her eyes lit up with a joy that will never leave my memory. The events that followed I can barely even comprehend, even to this day. The sheer coincidence and bad luck makes my head spin, and?

As Strassi began to sprint at full speed towards me, screams broke out to my right. The crowd parted as if to let a large vehicle through, and gunshots rang out. A chilling silence fell over everyone, and all I could see as if through a vacuum was Strassi?s face. The pure bliss faded within an instant to a glassy, fear-controlled expression, which soon distorted her angelic features into agony. She fell hard on the pavement, clutching her stomach tightly.

This is the

 

Wow. Myriad. Poor Dustin and Strassi and oh, wow. I'm stunned speechless. You really know how to deliver an emotional punch--but that's because your characters "live" and "breathe" off the screen... have all along. I just BET Dustin will be haunted, grief stricken, and half guilty though of course he couldn't have seen that coming or stopped it either. Sounds like the city's being run by gangstas

 

Oh, man! Rip out my heart!

Poor Dusty. That's too much for one soul to bear. How quickly his life has turned to tragedy.

As your beta I knew this was coming, but to see it posted is to make it real.

The quiet left behind when a bright, vivacious life is cut short is unbearable.

Beautiful and touching.

 

I've been procrastinating Update to follow soon!


Jade_eyes: Thank you so much, though I'm sorry I had to make it so sad! Yup, Dustin's in for a real ride after this...

divapilot: Poor Dusty indeed, I really do hate doing this too him... thanks for looking this over

Mira_Jade: LOL I didn't really mean to butter you guys up with the entry before this, but I really did want you to get to know Strassi's place in Dustin's life before she died... I'm glad you're enjoying, despite all the things I'm throwing at you guys!

 

Entry Twelve:

Dear Diary,

It took me nearly a week to finally tell my friends every bit of what happened. They started to get suspicious after my mom moved in (temporarily?) with her sister, and I started working tons of overtime hours at the business. Or maybe it was the way I flinched every time they mentioned her name. I couldn?t help it.

They knew Strassi died, but I was not myself. After my father left I went back to ?normal? pretty quickly. When my uncle died a few years ago I was ?normal? after a month or so, regardless of the fact that we were pretty close. But my sister's death changed me.

So finally I told them the whole story. I was originally going to keep it to myself. It took me months just to be able to write it down in my diary, no less explain it in detail to all my friends, the people I try so hard to impress and have a good time with. They all seemed generally curious, even caring. With the exception of Delpha. She?s been more and more obsessed with this Rebellion with each passing day. If there is a rumor within a parsec of Csilla, she knows about it. As soon as I said that Strassi?s death was by a police officer, here eyes glowed an even brighter red.

They were all eerily silent throughout the story. My account was told nearly identitcal to my journal entry. I could almost picture the words on the data screen, to stop myself from trembling. For the most part I?ve kept my grief to myself, barely showing emotion or weakness. It?s part of being a Chiss, but for me it was a way to escape the memories in my nightmares.

Delpha approached me. ?Do you think it was on purpose?? she whispered. I had no answer for her. I wanted to believe it was an accident. Then again, why would security fire at will in a square full of people, a week before a holiday no less? I could only shrug my shoulders.

?Are you going to do anything about it?? Joeb asked.

?You should talk to someone," Delpha added

?Who, the police??

?No? the rebellion.?

?Like you know where to find them!?

I listened to my two friends argue for some time, my mind mulling over the possibilities. It never occurred to me I should talk to someone about it. The only people we told about this were the funeral service and the records department to handle the death. Beyond that? it was out of the question.

?Don?t be ridiculous,? I interrupted them, my voice sounding strange even to my ears. ?What?s the point? It will just cause more trouble.?

Both of them stared at me. Delpha looked once more at Joeb, then at me, and left.

I slumped down on a nearby storage box, it?s metal lid beginning to crack with ice cracks. Joeb sat down next to me, and I sensed he had more to say. I never forsaw what he told me next.

?I was waiting until Delpha left? you know how she is with this Rebellion stuff??

Holy deity, I cursed. Why was everyone so determined to keep talking about the karking Rebellion! ?Joeb if this is??

?No, listen to me,? he growled, finally facing me. ?I know where the Rebellion hides. I know where some of their meetings are held.? He paused, and I prepared myself for what I knew was coming. ?I?m going to join them.?

A long argument followed that I can?t recall most of. After awhile I stopped listening to what he was saying, and instead realized what he was asking. He wanted me to know he was going, and asking if I wanted to come too.

That was out of the question. I have a job to keep, a mother to take care of, a life still left to live. I wasn?t about to drop everything I have just to fight for some cause I didn?t think was real until a year ago. What would my mother think?

On the other hand, what do I have to lose? Most of my family is either dead or missing; my mother is safe with my aunt. The business? well, the business could be put on hold. And as for school, I suppose I could talk to someone about...

Wait, why am I even considering this?

Or rather, how am I even considering saying yes?


Dustin

 

Very fine update I can see Dustin still trying to adjust and mulling over the Rebellion and whether he should join or not--he's right, he doesn't have much to lose and participating in a worthy cause--a great way to reconnect to others and care again, plus do something for the greater good.

 

I got behind again! Sorry!

Entry 11 was just heart breaking!! Poor Strassi! Poor Dustin!!

Entry 12 was great! It scares me a little that he is considering joining the rebellion, that he may get too angry if you know what I mean. But then again it could be a great thing for him! I guess I'll just have to wait and find out!

Great updates!! I look forward to more!!

 

I think Dusty has fallen into that "nothing left to lose" situation. His sister's death has no point, unless it's purpose is to spurn him into doing something that would prevent such a thing from ever happening again.

I really like how you write this character, Myriad. He acts very real and his reactions are completely in character. He weighs the responsibilities he has against the anger he feels. Nicely written!

 

Jade_eyes: Indeed it would be a good change for him, being able to actually do something instead of letting it build up inside him. But who knows where it will take him...

mavjade: No problem, catching up is fine It is a bit scary of a prospect, what will happen once he is actually put in a difficult situation. You will have to wait and see

divapilot: When you've got nothing to lose, you're willing to sacrifice so much. His sister's death could become something more than just sorrow - it will spur him into action

---

[i]*PM list is as always[/i]

Update to follow soon! Half way!

 

Entry Thirteen:

Dear Diary,

Well, I was right. I ended up joining this "Rebellion". If you want to be technical it's not called the Rebellion by most people, turns out that was just Delpha's name for it. I believe she was confused with the Rebellion against the Empire at first, and then just stuck with the name. Anyway I can't tell you the name of the real rebellion for two reasons: First and most practical, this holojournal doesn't allow for most Chiss characters, so the result would be a jumble of symbols and nonsense. And also, in case the police find this journal it would give away so many of us. So for now I'll refer to it as the Csilla Rebellion.

It's a weird thought that from now on out, everything I do and posses could become possible evidence in a case if I was ever tried for being in the Csilla Rebellion. I mean I've never committed a crime in my life, save for that one time I stole a trinket from a shop when I was eight for a Festival gift. I was young, I didn't know better. End of story. Still, everyone here is so careful about his or her belongings and what they give away it is hard to be relaxed. Not that we're doing anything illegal at the moment anyway...

For the past five or so hours I've been doing nothing but sitting here. Not really waiting, just sitting. I came here to this base (again, can't say the name) late last night on a whim. It was rather interesting, really. There were a series of tests and people I had to go through to make sure I was not a disguised officer or detective. After I told them my first name, reluctantly, they seemed to lighten up. Perhaps they know me, and I do not know them? I suppose I will find out in time.

For right now I am just waiting. There is supposed to be a meeting later, and I'm invited. Joeb will be there, and I'll finally learn more about this whole business from just Delpha's rumors. Oh Delpha, what would you think if you knew your two best friends sat in a Csilla Rebellion base at this very moment, in your very own town? The thought is amusing... to an extent.

Anyway I just remembered something? Today is my lifeday.

Yup, that's right. I am eighteen standard years old today. I have been keeping this diary for an entire year! What an accomplishment, I thought I would never make it past a month!

Then again, I have not been the most prolific of journal writers. I write sporadically, and sparingly. Most of my entries are random or are of no consequence. After all, an entire year cannot quite be documented properly at the rate I have been keeping it. But hey, I've still lasted an entire year and not given up!

While I was waiting here in this nearly empty room, devoid of all furniture but a rickety couch and desk, I decided I'd go back and re-read some of my older entries from when I first received this journal. Boy was that a stupid idea! I've changed so much since my first pathetic entry. Just look at it: all I did was brag about my job, pretend to have a fun social life, and stumble over my wording. I acted as though it all mattered so much, if I sounded important and suave in my journal my life would correspond accordingly. What a joke. I was immature, and almost snootish. A true Chiss is proud, not vain.

And that bar story I said I would retell... would I sound empty-headed if I told you I don't even remember the story? I remember going to a local bar to have some fun, but the events evade me. I'm sure it was fun at the time, but now... it doesn't really matter. What was the point of it all?

The part that seems strangest to me now is how normal I was. We were the example of a stereotypical Chiss family? four-member family, wealthy, proud, and uneventful. A father who was stoic and successful in business, training his oldest son to take over. A mother with a sharp beauty and near silent disposition, a daughter to follow in her footsteps... it was all so perfect. So naive.

How in the world did just normal Dustin become a family-deprived, Rebellion-joining eighteen-year old? I used to know my future