Enterance

She still had nightmares. There was the dirty white school cafeteria, with over-washed white linen sheets to divide the men and women. The flame clung to it, slowly eating its way upward. She tried searching through the spaces, but all she could see were green and white streamers flashing into black cinders above the bright magenta and purple and gold figures flurrying below. She could hear gun shots above the screams, but the sounds came from behind the the wall of fiery white. Her father pulled her out through a mass of grey and white dressed men, all pushing in opposite directions. She could barely breath through all the confusion, and suddenly her lungs burned from the strain. The world became dizzy, and she could feel the wet of the ground seeping through her clothes. Through the haze, she saw a figure with his back to her. That part of her dream would often freeze; seeing that figure running away from her, the color of night around the white and flamed doorway, around a man forever running away from her.  

Stay here, she thought. I'll go instead. I'll save you both.

And the dream ended. Without a jolt, so used to this dream was she that she merely stared at the ceiling, repeating the words several more times in her head before she went back to sleep.  

I'll save you both.

.......

Her day job, the one that paid the bills was to sit in a giant wooden room listening to idiots.  She just needed a few more on her side. Just one more, she thought. Her face was expressionless as she scanned the room, and the American flag caught her eye. Ironic how something so vibrantly bright and geometric could hang so lifelessly above the heads of the council members. Tom Lipold's commanding voice grated on. "Conglomerated Cement has failed us. We need to look for a new company that can better meet the needs of the people." Yeah, his company, she thought bitterly. Mayor Lipold was a scumbag.  She knew all of his dirty little secrets...well, most anyway. She wondered how many people would buy into his parading this time. Some of the council members looked over at her to gauge her reaction. Her face was expressionless as always, but serene, and with one powerfully soft turn of her head, she made it known that she did not agree. She could count on their vote. If only I could get one more.

It seemed every meeting was a struggle between those who wanted power, and those who wanted change. How often power won.

......

When she arrived home, a slick black dog came bounding at her. It was quite a sight to see her stoic appearance affronted by a bounding live-wire. A small smile slinked onto her face. "Heel" she said calmly but firmly. And he healed, though his tale belayed all internal energies. She seemed to soften a bit as she knelt down to touch his head. He rose happily to put his paws on her knees and seemed to calm a bit as he smiled at her caress. The two made a pair, dark and slick, and eyes that reflected the serenity of the moon.

 An older man, with dark skin entered the room.  His black tailcoat and white gloves matched the colors in his shiny longer cut hair.  "How was your day master?" said the older man, wearing tailcoats and white gloves.  She rose, and he helped her out of her overcoat. "As usual, Ashaad." "That bad, Master? Shall I be preparing your usual dinner?" "Quite right." And with that, Ashaad revealed two boiled eggs on a silver platter, and a cut of long, black, iridescent fabric on his arm. Within 30 minutes, she finished her dinner, dressed, and found herself on the roof of Mayor Lipold's balcony office.......