Splintered Lights

Darkening Whispers

AN: I know. I really should be finishing Lil Ballerina. But currently, I have no inspiration, and this story was dying to be written. It's been whirring around in my head for a while. Squirrely, since I know you'll end up reading this, and since you beta'd a good chunk of my other story, care to help me with this one? Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this! Love, Lyra

Disclaimer: I, in no way, shape, or form, own anything you recognize.

OOO

"Where is she?" Carly was pacing around the iCarly studio, obviously worried. "Sam's almost never late!"

"Well she better show up soon," said Freddie. "Show's starting in fifteen seconds!"

"Oh my God! Freddie, get in front of the camera!" Freddie set the wall camera for filming, and stood next to Carly, who was nervously chewing her fingernails. He looked at his watch. "Five. . . four. . . three. . . two. . ."

"I'm Carly!"

"And I'm Freddie!"

"And this is iCarly!" they said simultaneously, with very fake smiles.

"We're not sure where Sam is right now." said Freddie.

Carly continued. "But we're kind of worried! We hope. . ."

"You hope." Freddie rolled his eyes.

"WE hope that she'll come running through that door any second, screaming 'Tech boy! Get back behind that camera!' and we can have a normal show!"

"Great impersonation, Carly."

They continued on with the show just like normal. Or not. Sam's absence made the whole show somewhat awkward. They did a Messin' with Lewbert bit, Eat Emmett Eat, had a few viewers on video chat to ask questions (mostly about Sam), did a terrible play with Gibby, and had Gibby lick a Christmas Ornament for Hey, What am I Licking.

"So that's it for iCarly!" said Carly. "Thanks for watching!"

"Yeah, bye!" Freddie waved at the camera and went off screen to end the show. Before he pressed the button, a shirtless Gibby lept in front of the camera and screamed, "GIBBY!"

"Great show-" Freddie started his usual sentence, but was interrupted.

"What do you mean, great show? It was not! Sam didn't show up! Where is she?"

"I don't know, maybe she's sick or something. I bet she's downstairs right now eating soup and Spencer's making sure she's okay."

"Or maybe," laughed Gibby, "she fell off a cliff!"

Two pairs of fierce eyes met his. "Gibby!"

"I was joking!"

No one said anything, and headed downstairs to see if Sam was there.

"Spence," called Carly from the bottom of the stairs, "Is Sam here?" Spencer looked up from his sculpture of a dodo bird.

"No, wasn't she doing the show with you guys?" He took off his gloves and stood up.

Carly let out a small squeak. "Don't you watch the show? She didn't show up! I texted her before the show even started and she never replied!"

Spencer just stared at her for a moment. "Have you ever heard of calling her?"

Carly said nothing, and found Sam's contact in her phone. She pressed the call button and held it up to her ear. Gibby was in the kitchen with his shirt off and his PearPod earphones in, dancing to some Gibbyish song. Freddie was standing next to Carly, waiting for Sam to answer the phone.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.

It just kept ringing. Carly pulled the phone away from her ear and canceled the call. "It just keeps ringing. I'm gonna call her home phone."

She and Freddie sat down on the couch, and Spencer went back to his sculpture. Freddie pretended to be playing with an app on his PearPhone. He wasn't.

Sam, where are you? Carly and I are worried sick!

Seriously, Sam. You didn't show up for the show and you won't answer your phone!

Why are you ditching us? I'll buy you an extra large smoothie and a whole stick of burgers if you just talk to us!

Ohmigod, Carly says there's hot guy actors downstairs! Hotter than the European Fun Guys! Go see them, Sam!

Okay, I lied. Just speak to us!

When he sent the last text, Carly spoke into the phone. "Um, hi. Ms. Puckett, is Sam home?"

"Carly? Is that you? Uh, last time I saw Sam she said she was going to your place. That was this morning."

Carly was somewhat surprised Pam had actually kept track of where her daughter was. "Well, we haven't seen her all day."

"Maybe she went to the mall or something. I'm busy right now. If she doesn't show in a few days, call me back!"

"Um, okay." Carly put down the phone and turned to Freddie. "Her mom hasn't seen her since this morning. She said she might have gone to the mall."

"But Sam never goes to the mall unless you're with her. . ."

Carly bit her lip. "My point exactly. We wait until tomorrow night. Then we can really worry."

~oOo~

It was really, really fuzzy. Not soft, furry fuzzy. It was blurry. She couldn't see a single thing clearly. She could make out a gray road, and some tall yellow-green-brown grass around her, and maybe a few trees. She stood up, looking back and forth down the gray expanse of road, looking for a car to maybe get a ride to anywhere. She was wearing a huge t-shirt, big enough for a very large man. It was tied around her waist with a thin piece of ribbon, and went down to her waist, like a dress. Her feet were bare.

A small spot of maroon appeared on the horizon,and she decided to take a chance. She stood in the middle of the road, waiting for the car to get to her, notice her. She jumped up and down, waving her hands up and down. The spot got bigger and bigger, and it definitely was a car. It was getting close to her, and started to slow down.

It stopped, and someone got out. She couldn't make out their appearance, only khaki pants, a green shirt, and arms and a head.

"What are you doing in the middle of the road?" It was the voice of an elderly man.

"I-I don't know," she said, "I just woke up on the side of the road, and I don't know how I got there."

Though she couldn't see it, the man gave her a kind look. "Do you need a ride? We've got a phone at home, if you need to call anybody, and I'm sure my wife won't mind if you stay for dinner."

She didn't know whether to accept or not, but decided a chance is any chance, and this offer may not come again.

"Could I? Please? I have no idea how I got here. . ."

He walked over to the other seat of the car and opened it for her; and after a few stumbles, she walked to the car and got in. The man got back in the car and they were driving along the road with the windows down and wind whipping around them.

"So," said the man, to fill the silence, "What's your name?"

Then it hit her. She didn't know her name. She was nameless. Nothing. She thought hard, searching for something in her mind to remember anything about her identity. "I-I. . . I don't know." she choked it out, close to tears.

"You don't know? You must have gotten it bad. Do you remember where you were before you were on the highway?"

"No. . . the first thing I can remember is laying in the grass. And I couldn't see anything."

The man chuckled, for reasons she didn't know. "You went blind ?"

"No, no, it was just really blurry. It still is."

"Maybe Edith can get you some glasses."

"Edith?"

"My wife. I'm Cecil, by the way."

She giggled. "You two must be pretty old, then."

He burst out in laughter. "That's the truth, kid!"

She tapped her fingernails on the car door. "So where do you live?"

He smiled. "It's a tiny, tiny village. It's not marked on maps and it has about seven results if you look it up on the Internet. It's called Henrystone, Washington. Population eighteen. All farms. One store. You gotta drive about three hours for a hospital, or any normal places."

She had never been to the country, she knew that. She remembered a city. "I lived in the city. I don't know where, but I remember a city."

"Eh, all the city folks love the country. You'll see."

Exactly seven minutes later, Cecil turned onto a long dirt road that went uphill. There really wasn't much to see until. . .

The car was at the top of the hill, and it looked down onto a green-brown field with a shimmering lake at the the back. At the edge of the lake was a little blue cottage, with smoke rising up from the chimney There was a red barn, and she saw horses. There was a forest, colored in autumn's gold and red in the other direction, with another dirt road which seemed to wind through it. There were cornfields and vegetable patches and all kinds of other things were growing in other fields.

"Welcome to the farm."

The car bumpidy-bumped down to the house, and when the got out, she could smell ham. Suddenly her stomach grumbled, and the scent of ham was beckoning her towards the house.

Cecil poked his head into the house. "Edith, we got a surprise!"

She heard a muffled voice say something, and Cecil looked towards her. "Come on in!"

Watching the ground carefully, to make sure she didn't step on something in her bare feet, she walked through the door, which was held open by Cecil.

"Oh my word." A woman with gray and white hair put her hands up on her mouth. "What'd she do to her hair?"

"Uh," she said, "what do you mean?"

"Why did you die it that color? It's crazy!"

She took a lock of her curly hair to examine it. It was pink. Bright, magenta, hot pink, to be exact. "I don't know. I don't remember dying it. I can't remember anything past a few hours ago."

The woman put on some oven mitts and took a ham out of the oven. "You poor thing. Let me get you some clothes. You're wearing rags! What's your name, honey?"

Edith grabbed her hand and led her into another room. "I don't know. I can't remember."

"These were my granddaughter's. She keeps some clothes here for when she visits, and I think she's about your size." She held up a few shirts to her. "So, no name? I'll call you Candy, cause candy is pink and your hair is pink!"

"Not all candy is pink," said the now-Candy.

Edith put a shirt and jeans in her arms. "It is to me. I'll lock the door so you can change." With that she left, and Candy struggled to put the clothes on, but eventually she did, and came out into the living room.

"How do I look?" She smiled at the elderly couple.

"Judge for yourself!" Edith pointed to a full-length mirror.

"Hm. I like the color of the shirt, but I can't really see. . ."

Cecil interrupted. "I forgot! She's nearly blind. Bad eyes. You think you can drive her to town tomorrow and get her some glasses? Maybe see if she's on any missing persons fliers."

"Of course I will. Now, we've got to eat. I made ham!"

"I love ham!" shouted Candy.

Edith laughed. "Best meat ever, right? At least you remember something!"

She smiled, happy. The elderlies were taking care of her, she had a name (though it just didn't feel right), she was about to have a belly full of ham, and she was going to be able to see tomorrow.

~oOo~

"She'll never remember a thing."

"How do you know?"

The room was dark, but there were obviously only two people in it. They spoke in hushed voices.

"We erased her memory, we dyed her hair, ruined her vision, and we threw her in the middle of nowhere! Nothing can happen! She's gone. Sam Puckett no longer exists."