Shinigami-cat: Well… now time for more stuff. Just to let you all know I was listening to the Taylor Swift song Safe and Sound while writing this… I OWN NOTHING!

Inside the Mind

Cold. Where he was right now was cold. He was sitting on a flat patch of grey earth under the grey sky. He had no energy to move, nor did feel the need to. Matthew just felt drained both emotionally and physically.

'Where am I?' He wondered. 'This place is so weird… It's strange.' He slowly blinked a couple of times, very slowly. He half hoped that if he did that something would change. It never did. With a sad sigh he fell backwards and closed his eyes.

He didn't know how long he stayed like that, but the feel of something damp against his face made him open his eyes. A big, black, wet nose was nudging him. Matthew blinked in surprise and slowly sat back up. Looked down at him was a giant polar bear. "W-who are you?"

The bear tilted it's head a little. "I'm Kuma. Who are you?"

"K-Kuma?" Asked Matthew in shock. "You got big."

The polar bear shrugged and grabbed Matthew by the back of his shirt, pulling him into a standing position. "I know I'm Kuma… The question is who are you."

Matthew chuckled a little at this. He was glad Kuma was with him. "Matthew… My name is Matthew."

"… Okay. Follow me. I don't like this place." Kuma turned and started to slowly trudge away across the barren landscape. With no other option, Matthew had no choice but to follow the bear.

"Where are we going?" Asked Matthew curiously. There didn't seem to be an end to this vast landscape.

"We're going to see her." Said Kuma happily.

"Who?"

"Your grandmother."

Matthew stopped walking, his eyes widening in horror. "G-grandma? But she's… Am I dead?"

Kuma looked over his shoulder at Matthew and shrugged. "Are you? Are you dead or are you just sleeping? Reality it just what you make it… After all you made this place didn't you? You made this place out of nothing… How must you be feeling if this place is nothing but empty and grey?"

"You're here aren't you?" Asked Matthew, slightly confused.

The bear shrugged and kept walking. "Perhaps… perhaps not. Who can tell? Isn't it as clear as crystal? Let's keep going… Jacqueline hasn't seen you in so long. She misses you."

The rest of the walk was relatively quiet. The silence was only broken by their footsteps and the soft singing of a woman. When the woman got into view Matthew was surprised. She didn't look like an old woman at all. She looked like a beautiful young woman with flowing blond hair that seemed to float in the air while she hovered inches above the ground in a white robe. Whatever she was singing sounded like it was in some kind of made up language.

Matthew was hesitant to approach the woman, but Kuma happily walked up to her and gently rubbed his head against her hand. The woman chuckled a little and gently patted him. "Hello Kumajiro, how are you?"

"I'm good." Said the bear. He yawned a little and curled up on the ground. "He's here."

The woman turned around and looked at Matthew with a warm smile on her face. She approached him and embraced him on a hug. "Matthew… My precious grandson… You turned out so beautifully… I'm sorry about the pain you suffered. Not even I could have foreseen such events."

"So are you really my grandmother?" Whispered Matthew quietly.

The woman chuckled and pinched Matthew's cheeks. "Of course it's me you cheeky little stick. Hasn't Samuel been feeding you or have you just refused to eat? Get more meat on your bones." She looked over at Kuma and frowned. "You were meant to be his guardian! What happened?"

Kuma shrugged and rested his head against the ground. "I did what I could with the powers I had… I'm just trying to make him happy now. He has a boyfriend."

Jacqueline's eyes widened a little. "Oh, a boyfriend? How wonderful! Love is love no matter what gender." She giggled. "I remember my younger and wilder days… I did like to experiment… But enough about me." She turned back to Matthew and smiled warmly. "Is there anything you need to talk to me about dear?"

Matthew nodded a little. "Y-yeah… Am I… Am I a psychic?"

The woman nodded happily. "Yep. As soon as your mother was pregnant I could just tell you were something special… Kind of upset that Samuel doesn't believe, but there's nothing one can do with sceptics is there?"

"What kind of psychic am I?" Asked Matthew quickly. He was a little excited about this.

Jacqueline frowned a little and crossed her arms. "Why do you want to know that? You're a psychic. Isn't that enough for you?"

"But I need to know!" Cried Matthew. "If I don't find out what kind I am I can't stop that thing from killing me!"

"I see… so you want to save your own skin. That's pretty selfish of you."

Matthew shook his head. He was becoming frantic at this point. "B-but it might kill someone else after it kills me! I-I don't know if it's killed before me, but no one else needs to die because of it!"

Jacqueline contemplated this for a moment and sighed a little. "Matthew… It has murdered many times before it tried to kill you." Matthew's eyes widened in shock. "That ghost stabs young men and women to death and leaves their bloodied and mangled corpses in shallow graves. It's the ghost of a girl who died a violent death while her lover hung himself because he was overcome with grief. As a consequence every ten years or so two people Cutter Valley die. Both are murdered, but one always looks like suicide."

Matthew just looked at her in horror. "S-suicide? But no one… no one's even attempted suicide! N-not that I know of any way…"

"Really?" Asked Jacqueline. She obviously didn't look like she believed him. "The suicide victim is always someone very close to whoever gets murdered… Who is the closest person to you?"

He didn't even need a moment to think about it. He knew who it was. 'Gilbert… But how? What the hell? When did he try? There's not one time when he could have unless…' His eyes went wide with realization.

"Do you know who was meant to commit suicide this time?" Asked his grandmother calmly.

"Gilbert… After I got attacked by that thing, Gilbert smashed all the windows in the school and hurt some people. He broke into the science lab and he threw acid everywhere… I think he was meant to drink it and die that way… But he didn't because I wasn't murdered!" He started to hyperventilate a little. "But since I'm here and he's there it will get Gilbert! I have to save him! He's going to die!"

He turned around and started running, but stoped when he realized that he had no idea where he was, how he got there or how he could even get back. He felt a pair of arms around His shoulders. "Matthew… Do you really want to go back there? If you go back there you might get killed. If you stay here with me you'll always be safe and sound… You'll be alright and never have to face those problems again."

Matthew shook his head. "No. I need to get back there… Gilbert has protected me for so long… it's my turn to save him."

Jacqueline pressed a kiss into the back of Matthew's head. "That's better. Much less selfish… So you wanted to know what kind of psychic powers you have?"

"Oui."

"Good boy." Jacqueline turned Matthew around to face her and smiled warmly at him. "Now, first of all do you know if you have tapped into your psychic powers yet?"

Matthew shook his head sadly. "No… I've never… I haven't used them…"

"Lies." Said Jacqueline coldly. "If you can see a ghost that doesn't want to reveal its self to you that's a psychic power… Most children have this power because they are innocent but lose it later on in life. Admittedly women tend to keep this ability into their young teens while boys seem to lose it by the time they are around eleven, but there are exceptions… Either way. The point is if you can see spirits that's a power."

"But that's useless!" Cried Matthew. "How can I use that to get rid of the ghost? What am I going to do? Stare it to death?"

"Of course not!" Snapped his grandmother. "But you saw it so you know how to defeat it! Study what it looks like and find out how to get rid of it! Look through my old notes and see how I worked. You must do research on when, where and how the person died! Only then can you figure out what you need to do to get rid of it."

"But how the hell can I do that?" Growled Matthew in frustration.

Jacqueline chuckled a little. "Well I did just tell you to check my notes and go through all my old stuff… Some of your grandfather's stuff is there too. He has lots of things to banish spirits. He had lost of connections in eastern countries."

Matthew sighed a little. "Okay… So what now? Is there any possible way to leave here?"

"Yes and no." Said Jacqueline. "Yes there is a way back for you but there's no time for that now… Not while your mind is in such tattered pieces." Matthew gave the woman a confused look so Jacqueline decided to elaborate. "You see… everything around you, apart from Kuma and myself, is part of your fractured imagination. Your mind has been attacked and misshaped so many times it's impossible to tell what it is anymore… As a default your mind has become a blank landscape. It's both a beautiful and scary thing because this means you can become canvas. New things can grow here and you can become whatever you want… You just need to plant the right seed."

She took Matthew's hand in hers, giving him some kind of plant seed. Matthew frowned a little and looked down at the seed in his hand and frowned a little. It was a small speck of black in the palm of his hand. 'What?'

Noticing his confusion his grandmother sighed a little. "It doesn't matter what the plant is. All that matters is how it's nurtured and raised. Neglect it and abandon it and it will die. Love it and nurture it and it will become big and strong."

Matthew sighed a little and planted the seed in the earth. He wasn't sure what he did that for. This was all so weird to him. This place was unexplainable. After a few moments of nothing happening Matthew looked up at his grandmother in confusion. "And? What's supposed to happen?"

His grandmother sighed a little. "This would have been so much easier if you were raised by your mother… Strong emotions. Love, hate, fear… Those are some of the emotions that shape your personality… What place do you fear the most?"

"… The forest." Whispered Matthew quietly. In an instant a tall tree shot out of the ground where he planted the seed. Then another and another until he was surrounded by hundreds of trees. He was back in that unforgivable forest. He could feel his heart racing painfully in his chest. "No… This isn't funny grandma! Get me out of here!"

"Why do you fear this place?" Asked Jacqueline. Her voice sounded distant.

Matthew gulped. "B-because that thing lives there!" He started to quickly look around in a panic. He needed to find his grandmother soon.

"And why do you fear it?"

"Because it almost killed me!"

"But why didn't it? What stopped it?" She asked. "It's killed hundreds of people before you. Why couldn't you die? What makes you special? How could you stop it if you had no psychic abilities?"

"I… I don't know…" Whispered Matthew quietly. "J-just… just get rid of this place… I-I hate it…"

"Don't hate what you fear." Said his grandmother calmly. "Your fear is masking your true nature. You have to just learn to control it. That creature isn't going to be out there if you don't believe it will be. Control your fear. It's never as bad as you think it is…Besides, you're my grandson! If you can't save yourself from a forest you made in your mind you are quite pathetic. It's only dark and scary if you make it dark and scary. It's all about perspective."

Matthew shook his head quickly. "N-no… I don't care. Please… Just stop this! I want to go home! I want to go home already! I hate it here! Please! Please just stop this!" His ears were met with silence. "Grandma? Kuma? Anyone?"

He shivered a little and gulped. 'I-I'm all alone again… But this time I'm in the forest. It's not fair! Why am I always alone? I guess… I'm always going to be alone… It's just… It's just not fair…' He sat down and sniffled a little. 'This… what am I meant to do?' He picked up a rock and looked at it. 'So I'm a psychic? How do I do this? Do I just concentrate on it and make it float or something?'

He stared at the rock in his hands for a little, imagining it floating just above his hand, but it wasn't working very well. All he got for his trouble was a headache. With a sigh, he put the rock down and looked around a little. His eyes widened a little at the amount of floating objects around him.

"I… I guess I did it…" He moved his hand a little in a sweeping motion. This made the twigs, leaves and rocks shift a little in the air. "I… I can do this… I can do this!" With a small wave of his hand he could move them in any direction he wanted. It was amazing. Being able to move these inanimate objects with his mind was oddly calming. He felt more in control and less afraid. Even if it was just a little bit.

His grandmother chuckled a little and sat next to him. Kuma sat on the other side. "Good job." Said Jacqueline. "Feel a little better now?"

Matthew nodded and patted Kuma. "Yeah… I guess. Can I go back now?"

Jacqueline nodded. "Yes… But you have some other powers…" She leaned over and whispered into Matthew's ear. Once she was done she pulled away and kissed his cheek. "Now when you go back there's a possibility that you'll forget about everything. It's only natural for people to forget about their dreams… SO I've planted a subliminal message in your head so that you'll remember what happened here… So you can save yourself and your boyfriend. If you fail, no one will judge you."

"What's the subliminal message?" Asked Matthew.

Jacqueline grinned. "Sorry, but if I tell you it won't work… Now close your eyes and think of your home… Your family is so proud of you and loves you so much. We are proud of you. Stay safe."

Matthew chuckled a little and smiled. "Thanks Jacqueline… Even though I only knew you for a few years, I'm glad to have met you… You're an amazing person."

He could have sworn the older woman blushed a little. "You're so silly Matthew… Just close your eyes and count a little. You'll be back home in no time… It might be a different day though… It's hard to tell how long one stays here…"

"I see…" Said Matthew as he closed his eyes. "So when I wake up I'll forget everything that's happened now?" His ears were met with silence. "Grandma?"

XoXoXo page brake oXoXoX

White light and the small of disinfectant were what struck Matthew first. When his eyes adjusted better to his surroundings he realized where he was and groaned inwardly. 'A hospital? Really? How long have I been here?'

He really didn't know or care too much. In all honesty he just wanted to get back home to Gilbert. All he could remember was how worried Gilbert looked before he lost consciousness.

TBC

Shinigami-cat: Yeah… anyway please review?