Dear Mrs. Ariadne Smith,
My name is Jameson Larson. You may recognize my last name as the same of your former therapist, Brady Larson. My brother and I are researchers, conducting experiments on the creation of different worlds. What I am about to tell you, you may or may not want to believe, but believe me when I tell you:It is all true.
My brother and I created a world with the Titans. Everything you know of that world was created. With the exception of a few items we took from our world and inserted them into that one to make it more believable. We did intend for you to experience memory loss of our world while you were there. That was a part of the experimentation.
The world you left three years ago after being there for a year still exists. By far, that world has been the most successful as far as we can tell from the reports you, your husband Erwin, and several others gave to us.
As we are aware you may have already gotten settled into this world in the three years that have passed, my brother and I would like to offer you (and your husband) this: a chance to go back to that world.
It is entirely up to the both of you. If you would like more information, please call the number at the bottom of the page to set up an appointment to talk it over with Brady and myself. Please consider this is a heavy choice the two of you (or one of you) may make.
Hoping to hear from you soon,
Jameson Larson
Erwin stared intently at the letter as he read and re-read it. "What should we do?" I asked him once he set it down on the table.
He sighed deeply. "Make the appointment to talk to them," he stated. "That's the only way to figure out what's going on with this." I could tell he was as troubled as I was. It disturbed us both. Erwin rubbed his chin. "I wonder who else they talked to. To get their reports, I mean."
"What line did you get that from? I don't remember reading that," I said, taking the letter and skimming it to find the line.
"There. That one," he replied, pointing to the middle of the page. By far, that world has been the most successful as far as we can tell from the reports you, your husband Erwin, and several others gave to us.
I put the paper back on the table. "Who, indeed," I muttered, half to myself. Espyon? (If she was even alive in this world, I thought sadly) Hanji? Levi? It could be a number of different people that we either knew or did not know.
Erwin stood and unplugged my phone from the charger in the wall. "Give them a call. Tell them we'll meet them later this week. I'll get off work for Thursday. We can go then."
I took the phone from him and stared at the keypad, wondering what exactly I would say. Erwin left the room, presumably towards the nursery where Michael had started to cry. I sighed then dialed the number. A couple of rings later, a woman's voice answered.
"Hello, this is the Larson's Research Office. How may I help you?" Her voice sounded high and chipper.
"Hello, this is Mrs. Ariadne Smith," I replied. "Um, I received a letter from a man named Jameson Larson. Could I speak to him, please?"
"One moment, please. I'll connect you."
"Thank you."
A minute or so later, another voice sounded over the phone. "Hello, this is Jameson Larson." His voice sounded rough and deep, as if he had been smoking for a good portion of his life. "My secretary told me this is Ariadne, am I correct?"
"Um, yes. That's me." I fiddled with the hem of my shirt with my free hand. Erwin returned, sitting down across from me and holding Michael in his lap. "I received your letter the other day. The envelope had accidentally been sent to my friend Dr. Wyatt instead of to me. Why is that?"
"Ah. I apologize for that," Jameson replied. "After you left your sessions with Brady, you disappeared without a trace. Dr. Wyatt's was the closest address we could find."
"Oh."
"Anyway, I assume you called to set up an appointment with me and my brother, yes?"
I nodded even though I knew he could not see me. "Yes, does Thursday work for you?"
"That will be perfect. I'll pencil you in for 2 o'clock." He paused. "Is your husband coming with you?"
"Yes."
Another pause. "Do you need the address for how to get here?"
"No, I have it on the envelope."
"Alright then. I shall see you soon, Mrs. Smith. Good bye."
"Thank you. Good bye." I hung up and leaned back in the chair. "I hope this isn't some sort of a cruel joke," I stated, setting the phone onto the table.
Erwin shook his head. "The way he sounded in his letter makes it seem like it isn't a joke." He bounced Michael lightly on his knee, his hands protectively around his middle, making Michael laugh gleefully. I could not help smiling, but it soon disappeared. The realization that I had been forced into a purposefully created world was only beginning to settle. I also realized I was dreading Thursday. Even though I was less than a week away to some answers about this mysterious letter and the world I had left, I did not have a good feeling about what I might hear.
As I sat thinking, I did not notice that even Erwin had stopped playing with Michael to contemplate what our Thursday meeting might hold. Michael did not seem to notice the tension in the room. The rest of the day passed in relative silence throughout the house (with the exception of Michael squealing in laughter at pulling Marcus's tail). We did not mention the last part of the letter, informing us of our chance to return to the other world.
The remainder of the week, I had horrific nightmares whenever I slept, some of the worst I could remember having. Erwin could not sleep either, forcing him to call in sick for work the whole week. I would awaken from a nightmare and find him awake with the lamp on, sitting on the edge of the bed, his face in his hands. I never knew Erwin to be a praying man, but once or twice I awoke to him kneeling beside the bed with his face hidden behind his fingers, muttering inaudibly. The whole situation troubled us both. Even more so because we could not find comfort from each other like we normally would.
When Thursday arrived, we freshened ourselves up as best we could. By the time we were done with showers and getting dressed, we looked only half as tired as we felt. I could hardly stomach any breakfast. Michael still did not notice the heavy tension at the silent breakfast table, which was understandable as a baby, but it still bothered me for whatever reason. Eventually we piled into the car, dropped Michael off at a sitter's, and then made our way towards the Larson Research Office.
Erwin put the car into park outside of a large building covered in glass windows. We sat in silence staring out the car window at it. "Are you ready for this?" he asked me softly.
I looked down at my lap and then at him. His eyes struck me with their startlingly intense blue and concerned gaze. "As ready as I'll ever be," I said, trying to sound confident.
He took my hand and squeezed it lightly and then exited the car without another word. I soon followed suit. We entered the building and were soon directed to an empty waiting room before we could go into the Larson's office. As we sat waiting, I kept noticing a young man who walked past us multiple times, going in different directions every time. He could not have been much older than 17 or 18, but he looked so familiar. His short blond hair was tied back into a tiny ponytail. His arms were usually full with boxes and big envelopes. His red sneakers squeaked on the linoleum floors. His blue eyes darted towards us every time he passed.
Finally, he passed another time with nothing in his arms. He approached us, looking nervous. "C-Commander Erwin?" he said unsurely.
Erwin immediately looked up from the magazine he had been skimming. "Cadet Arlert?" he said astonished. I sat gaping and staring at him, wondering how I did not recognize him earlier. Erwin shut the magazine. "What are you doing here?"
Armin visibly relaxed when Erwin said his name. "Oh thank goodness it is you, Commander. I wasn't totally sure." He cleared his throat. "I work here, sir. I deliver the mail." Armin looked to me. "Ariadne! Long time no see!" He smiled brightly. "How are you both?"
Erwin blinked. "How long have you worked here?" he asked directly before I could reply, seemingly ignoring Armin's question.
"A little over a year, sir," he replied. "I couldn't find a job anywhere else after everything that happened."
Erwin nodded. "I see." He opened his mouth to continue talking, but was soon cut off.
"Mr. and Mrs. Smith?" A woman's voice echoed across the waiting room from an office doorway. I recognized her voice as Jameson's secretary. She was wearing a crisp, brown business suit. Her lips were a bright red that I could easily see from the far distance. Her skinny body was supported by a pair of high heels that made my own feet ache just looking at them. "You're welcome to come in now."
"Well, I better leave as well," Armin told us. Briefly he saluted Erwin, his right fist over his heart and his other hand behind his back.
"Arlert, no need to do that here," Erwin chastised him, after his initial surprise.
Armin's cheeks flared with embarrassment. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir! I don't know why I did that… I guess it was impulsive…"
"Don't worry about it, Armin," I told him. "It was nice to see you again. We'll see you later, okay?"
"R-right." He quickly turned and walked away as the woman cleared her throat rather loudly, getting our attention.
"If you would please," she said, stepping aside to let us through the doorway.
We entered an office with large bookshelves lining nearly every side, but oddly enough, they were mostly empty. Uncomfortable looking chairs sat in front of a large oak desk with plenty of papers and stationery sitting atop it. Behind the desk was a tall black chair with a stumpy looking man sitting in it. If it was not for his wide body, the large chair would have made him look like a small child. His head was mostly bald and his face was clean shaven. A cigar was hanging from his mouth while a small stream of smoke rose from the burning end, the stench filling the room.
He stood when we entered the room, carefully setting his cigar in the mostly full ashtray. "Welcome! Welcome!" he greeted, shaking both of our hands. "You must be Ariadne and you must be Erwin! My name is Jameson Larson. It's so wonderful to meet you both in this world! Please, have a seat. Would you care for anything to drink?"
"Water is fine," I replied, taking a seat and confirming my thoughts of the chairs being uncomfortable.
Erwin sat in the chair beside me. "I'll do the same," he said with a nod.
"Excellent," Jameson replied. He pressed a button on the phone on his desk. "Miranda, would you please bring in three glasses of ice water?" A high-pitched yes came in reply from the speaker. Minutes later the secretary returned with the glasses of water, swiftly leaving moments after.
Jameson took a sip from the glass and set it on the desk, clearing his throat. "Now, I'm sure you both have some questions for me. I apologize Brady could not be here today. Some unavoidable events popped up, so it's just me today."
"It's not like we would not get the same information," Erwin replied. I could tell he was on edge, unnerved with the situation, irritated even.
Jameson laughed and picked up his cigar. "Yes, yes, I remember. You're all business." He took a deep draw from the cigar. "Of course though, what else could you have been there?" Before either of us could respond to his blatant remark, he continued. "Now, I'm sure you're wondering, why? Why did we create that world of Titans?" The smoke from his cigar left his mouth as he spoke, making me grimace in disgust. He went on, ignoring my obvious repulsion, "As you know from the letter I sent you, my brother and I created that world as an experiment—"
"Where did the Titans come from?" Erwin interrupted suddenly. "I understand your brother and you created the world, so you don't need to explain that. I only have two questions, where did they come from and why were we sent there?" He stared intensely at Jameson, making him squirm under his gaze. After he recovered from his shock from Erwin's obviously angry tone of voice, Jameson went to take another draw from the cigar, but Erwin reached across the desk and snatched it out of his hands, extinguishing it in the ashtray. I jumped, alarmed at the sudden action. He asked a third time, "Where did the Titans come from?" He sat back down in the seat with a heavy thump, glaring at Jameson.
"Well, uh." He was still recovering from the shock of Erwin's outburst. "The Titans are humans." He put up his hands before Erwin could do anything else. "But," he continued, "all of them were criminals on death row. Their execution was as a Titan in that world. I promise you, all of them were murderers and rapists and pedophiles. They deserved the death they got."
This revelation did little to ease the tension in the room. Erwin leaned back in the chair, his face covered by his hand. I sat silently, unsure of what to think. Even on the expedition outside the walls, I did not kill any Titans, even when I had the chance to. I had been too scared. I was conflicted as to whether or not I should have killed any now that I knew what they truly were.
"I understand you may be feeling no better than the murders right now," Jameson started, "but think of the favor you have done our modern world by eradicating these people."
"You're correct in saying I feel no better than the murderers," Erwin said flatly, "but I have done no one a favor." He stood up to leave.
I grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Erwin, wait," I commanded softly. "He still hasn't answered your second question. Nor any of mine." Erwin sighed irritably and hesitantly sat back down. I kept hold of his arm, feeling the tense muscle underneath my grip.
Jameson cleared his throat again and loosened the collar of his shirt. "Well, tell me again of what your second question was?"
"Why were we sent there?" I reminded him before Erwin could reply. "Also, since it relates to it, why specifically us? If there is any specific reason we were chosen for your…experiment."
Jameson glanced warily at Erwin before answering. "Well, as you now know, the Titans were created from criminals who were on death row. We had permission from several country's governments to get rid of their worst convicts for these experiments." He took another sip from the glass of water. The ice had half melted by now. We left ours untouched. "This of course led to the issue of whowas going to do the executions. We did not originally plan for just anyone. We were running out of volunteers, and mind you we were recruiting from all over the world. We needed people, like you, Erwin, who had military experience, and you, Ariadne, who had scientific knowledge. When your accident happened, Ariadne, we wanted both you and Dr. Wyatt to go, but the process doesn't always work." He adjusted his fat little body in the high-backed chair. "When you were to go into that world, you would have memories of a past we created for you. Since the machine malfunctioned, it didn't work right away, which is why you slowly lost your memories of being here."
I was intrigued as to how intricate the whole process seemed to be, but something nagged at me. I frowned. "So then was it your experiment that made Dr. Wyatt paralyzed?"
Jameson shook his head briskly. "No! No! Well, yes, I suppose. That was a horrible accident." He looked longingly at his crushed cigar, probably wishing he was still smoking it. "The machine we later used to send people to that world malfunctioned and exploded like it did. Which is why he was hurt and only you were sent. I sincerely apologize and I realize that there's not much, if anything, that I can do to make up for it."
"What about the people who were killed by the Titans?" I asked, changing the subject. This was the question I was dreading to ask. I wanted to know, but at the same time, I wanted to be kept in the dark.
"They are immediately woken up in this world. With, of course, the exception of the Titans. They don't come back alive." I felt Erwin relax under my hand at these words. I noticed my shoulders were not as tense as before. "I understand there were many under your command, Erwin, that died from the Titans, but they are all still living in this world; living normal lives like you and your wife, I assure you."
We did not say anything as this sunk into our minds. If this is true, I thought, then Espyon's alive somewhere! I sat up in my chair a little straighter, crossing my legs, my hand still on Erwin's arm. "But wait," I said, breaking the silence. "Brady told me that one of my best friends was just a projection of my mind to get me through that world. Are some of the people not real?"
Jameson intertwined his fingers on the desk. "It's possible," he answered. "I can't know for sure."
"Since you found us in this world, would it be possible to find other people?" Erwin asked much calmer than he was earlier.
The stubby man nodded. "Most likely."
My head was reeling with all this new information. It waspossible for me to find Espyon. Or even Mary Kat. I had already found Joseph and Armin. Who else would we happen to run into?
"Now," Jameson said, interrupting my thoughts, "is that all the questions you have for me?"
Erwin and I looked at each other. "Yes, I believe so," Erwin replied.
"Excellent," Jameson exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Now that we have that out of the way, I would like to get on to the bigger part of this meeting." He put his hands on the desk in front of him again, looking business-like. "Since I have answered all of your questions, I have one final one for you both: Would you like the chance to go there again?"
I know I haven't been updating as much as I typically do, and I swear I haven't forgotten you all! I've just been extremely overwhelmed with homework this quarter. I'm also going to Washington DC this week so I was trying to get this chapter out before I left. So I apologize for anyone who was upset with me for not updating.
I hope I have made it easy for you guys to understand when I'm talking about the Titan world and our own. If not, please let me know so I can do better in the future!
Thanks for sticking around and waiting patiently for me! That means so much you don't even know.
Please feel free to leave a review and thanks for reading!