Aqua opened her eyes and found herself in a sort of medical ward. Propped up on a table-bed, she looked around. All she could see were walls, a stark white, and a small door in the corner. Slowly, she got out of the bed and moved towards the door. She reached for it, but before she could touch it, the doorknob began to turn. Worriedly, she jumped away. She peered around the room frantically, and rushed back to her bed. She settled herself in, and closed her eyes just as the door opened.
She heard footsteps coming up behind her. "I know you're awake, Aquamarine," came a voice. She opened her eyes and shot up, to see Prof. Broom standing beside her. "Professor," she began. "I... I'm sorry if I, erm, passed out. You see, this is all so sudden, and -" she took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. "I understand, Aqua," said Prof. Broom. "You'll get used to it in time. Now then," he said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "it's time that you meet the rest of our team, here. You will be working with them, after all, it's only proper."
Aqua seemed confused. "Team?" she repeated. "What's this team do?... If I might ask, of course," she added in a hurry. Prof. Broom smiled at her. "In absentia luci, tenebrae vinciunt," he said. "In the absence of light, darkness prevails." He continued, "there are always these things that go bump in the night, Aqua. And we," he said, gesturing between himself and Aqua, "bump back."
"Now, then, Aqua," said Prof. Broom, opening the door. "You've already met your mentor, Abraham. Allow me to introduce you to the rest of the team. Shall we?" She nodded, and followed along behind him.
After a few minutes of walking the halls, someone stopped them. "Broom, there you are. I've been looking for you. This is the new girl, is that right?" Out from the shadows, walked a man whose demeanor was all but casual. His face was sunken and craggy, almost as though he'd never a happy thought in his head. By that token, his head was also quite bare.
Aqua was taken aback. In his mind, she could see that he wasn't the friendliest type. She got the sense that he mistrusted her; thought, perhaps, she was too young. "Manning," she murmered. "Is that your name, um, sir?" He glanced over at her, his eyebrow cocked. "So, you're a telepath, are you?" He asked, with a touch of annoyance in his voice. How rude, Aqua thought to herself. She looked down, only to find a rug underneath his feet. With a plan in mind, she returned her gaze to him and smiled. "That's right, sir," she said deviously. "And I can also do this!" With her mind, she gave a mental tug to the rug beneath him. With a start, he stumbled, backing up quickly to avoid being pulled over. "Hmmph," he snorted indignantly, brushing himself off impaitenly. "So, you're a telekenetic, too, then." Broom stifled a snicker.
"Now, now, Manning," he said. "We must be going; Aqua needs to meet Elizabeth and Hellboy, after all. She is going to be working with them, you know." Manning scoffed, and walked away. With a passing glance, Aqua smiled as she watched his shoelaces slowly tie themselves together.
"Good one, Aqua," commended Broom. "No one has dared pull a prank on Manning, before. But," he said, his tone suddenly becoming more serious. "You should not so such things to our collegues." Aqua looked up with minor regret in her eyes. "I know," she admitted. "But he was being so rude to me! What's wrong with teaching him some mannars?" Prof. Broom nodded. "Even so, you shouldn't be so naive. These powers aren't to be taken lightly." Aqua nodded once more, dropping her gaze. Suddenly, she realized that they were approaching a large door.
"Ah, here we are," said Broom. He knocked on the door, and a woman answered. Her hair was black, cut into a razor-sharp bob. She was clad in what appeared to be a cat suit, which was a black of equal measure to her hair. "Aqua," Prof. Broom turned to her. "This is Elizabeth Sherman. Most of us here call her Liz, and-" Aqua inturupted him. "She's a pyrokinetic, isn't she? She has the ability to command and control fire."
"Well, well," said Liz, with a smirk. "We have a telepath on our team, huh?" Aqua nodded. She had the feeling that she would like Liz - at least, when compared to Manning. "Elizabeth," interjected Prof. Broom. "Where is Hellboy?"
"Oh," said Liz, turning to him. "He's inside." She gestured them in. "Come on in," she chuckled. "But watch the floor." Aqua followed them inside, and quickly realized just why Liz had warned them. On the floor were all mannar of things: casset tapes, candy wrapers, cat food - and indeed, the cats that would enjoy said food. They swarmed Aqua's feet. She bent down on her knees to pet them. "Hey, Hellboy!" Called Liz. "Come see the new meat!"
Aqua looked up from the floor and saw Hellboy. For a moment, she thought he looked like an ape - large, burly, and... red. His eyes were golden, and the top of his head was bare. As her moved closer, however, Aqua could see that he did, in fact, have hair; if only just. Perhaps the strangest of all, were two factors: two large, sawed-off horns, and one seemingly rediculously large hand which looked like it had been carved out of stone. "Oh," she said, standing up. "You must be Hellboy, then? I'm Aquamarine. I'm, um, as Liz put it, the new meat."
Hellboy smirked, his Brooklyn accent obvious as he spoke: "Heh. Nice to meet'cha, Aqua... marine, was it? Yeah. And I also saw what'cha did to Manning out there. You got spunk, I'll give 'ya that." Aqua smiled smugly. "Why thank you. I don't know why people put up with his disrespect! He deserves what he got from me."
"Ah, I see that you're up, Aquamarine." She heard, from behind. She wheeled around to find Abraham, a strange collar around his neck. Aqua hesitated. "Oh, Abe, erm... Listen, I'm sorry for, well, passing out before." Abraham nodded. "Yes, well, these things happen. Now that we're all aquainted, shall I show you to where you'll be staying? I've a bit of a surprise for you, there." Feeling a bit ashamed, Aqua bid her goodbyes and followed Abraham. while they walked, she couldn't help but wonder about that strange device around her neck. Before she could ask, Abe answered her question for her. "It's a breathing apparatus, you know." He said, turning his head to her. "It allows me to breath outside of water." Aqua's eyes widened. "So, you're telekinetic, I hear. Would you be surprised to hear that I am as well?" Abe smiled - and to Aqua, it almost looked as though he had never done so before. "I had heard from the Professor preceeding your visit. Tomorrow, you'll be training with me. We'll start slow, so that you may get used to it, but I warn you - don't think we'll go easy on you." Aqua scoffed proudly. "Bring it on, then! I may be young, but for a ten-year-old, I'm tougher than anything you can throw at me."
When they finally reached Aqua's lodgings, Abraham directed her inside. "My room is right next door," he said. "So if you need anything, feel free to come in and see me." Aqua nodded quickly, and walked inside. She was momentarily dazzled - her living space was... on the beach? The carpet was like sand under her feet, and her walls were a seafoam green, decorated all around with the paintings of exotic fish. Her bed, in the center of the room, was rounded, reminecent of a clamshell - a golden one, at that. Next to the bed was a door, which she found herself drawn to. She opened the door, and was once again amazed; it was the bathroom. It almost seemed to be made out of shells. The tub looked almost like a conch, and next to it, was a closet - all her old clothes had been moved into it - and, much to her surprise, were a few new ones as well. She drew out a nightgown and got dressed. She then settled into her bed, antisipating the day to come. But before she fell asleep, she glanced over at the table next to her. On it was a music box - and on top of it, a note. She drew herself up and snached the note. It read: "Dear Aquamarine, Your mother mentioned that you were fond of the beach. So, we made your room into something of an oceanic paradise for you; as well, I also thought you might appreciate this music box. It's already wound - listen to it, if you find yourself sleepless. Welcome to the Borough of Paranormal Research and Defense. Signed, Abraham Sapien."
Aqua smiled, and opened the music box. Inside was a mermaid, sitting atop a rock spinning round and round. The music was peaceful, and Aqua soon found herself drifting off to sleep. Just before she fell asleep, she reached out with her mind. "Thanks, Abraham... for everything." As she closed her eyes, she heard a faint reply: "You're welcome. Goodnight, Aquamarine, and sweet dreams."
A/N: Sorry for a long wait! I had just a bit of writers' block. But we're back in action, baby! Anyway, if you want a sample of that musicbox tune, head on over to and type in "Kate the Great 19". From there, click on over to Musicbox from Silent Hill 2. Now, hasta lavista! Enjoy, and remember to review!
