Chapter Five

The girl rested her hands on her cheeks pouting. Lydia starts to grumble and mutter about her predicament, looking to the balcony door. In silence she gets up and goes to open the door to the balcony. The sounds of the city streets below her in a now dusk twilight poured in throughout the sitting room. She goes to the ledge and looks down at the street contemplating. 'I could jump maybe to the next apartment over. Maybe climb onto the roof…suppose I slip and fall?'

The girl gulps looking at the distance between her and the ground. 'There's chance this might not work…but I can't just sit here waiting for that freak to hurt Mom. I need to get out of here.'

Lydia walks back inside to the sitting room and stops at the front door of the apartment unit. She closes her eyes and places a hand on the panel to the front door. The girl opens her red eyes to see the pitch black void from before echo the swooshing of the sliding front door.

"Am I really about to do this?" the girl asked out loud looking down at the bottomless void. In her hands she clutches a butter knife from the kitchenette. She crouches down and starts poking at the air to show no ground below her feet. "This is crazy! I can't just walk out of here! How can I even-"

Lydia's eyes dart to the shimmer of two pink orbs floating around the black void. The girl watches them in awe recognizing the spooky orbs. "Why am I seeing those things from my dream?" A few more orbs appear in front of her floating like gentle waves, shimmering in her red eyes. The orbs swiftly move away from her. "Hey wait! AH!" Lydia clutches the door for dear life, dropping her butter knife when she feared she would fall through. The knife, what should have fallen for infinity, simply clanks on a hard surface three inches away from the door.

The clanking sound echoes throughout the void with pink waves following the sound. With timidity, the girl gets up and puts one foot out the sliding door. She opens one eye to see her foot remain level with the door, never falling through. Then the girl takes a leap of faith and throws herself out of the safety of the door. Lydia is greeted again by the spooky floating pink orbs, which danced around her like a happy pet. "This has to be another dream," Lydia whispered seeing the aura of pink float away from her. The girl calls out to the floating orbs, her feet creating passive ripples of pink waves floating around them. Whether a dream or not, Lydia laughed and smiled at the amazing unlikely source to get to her mother.

"Holy crap! This is amazing!" The void was like a rave of pink ripples floating everywhere as she ran through the void in a dreamlike state. The echoing of her steps ringed like crystals hitting a hard surface, her mind using the tempo to think of what direction to run. Faithfully she follows the strange waves of pink auras floating, almost guiding her on where to go. While running forward she spots a figment of a new hue in the distance drawing closer and closer to her. 'Is that…green light?'

The girl continues to run forward and slows down as she gets closer to the green light. Lydia gets close enough to see two shapes, a rotating object sitting on the floor and what looked like the figure of a man. "What, is that thing?" The girl walks gingerly towards the glowing object, her face illuminating by the greenish blue hue projected from it's spot on the floor. Her whole body was illuminated by the object's glow as she stopped to stare at it up close. The light barely shines creating the reminisce of a shadow behind her and the second person.

The girl studies the second person standing beside the glowing object with his eyes closed. His white hair framed and covered parts of his face with relaxed shoulders, keeping her from seeing some of his face. The girl looked at him with a curious eye until she gasps. 'That's the guy from the park. But why would I be thinking of some stranger?'

The man stood beside the object appearing to not acknowledge the girl. Lydia steps back and looks at the object in front of them. The glow from the object was ominous, yet somehow felt inviting for her to gaze upon it. Images could be seen through fragments of light swirling inside the rotating square. The girl turns her eyes to the meditating man standing beside her. She nods to herself and moves her hand towards him.

"Hey. Excuse me, but what's going on? Where are-"

As soon as she taps on his shoulder, the space around them morphs into a cozier setting. The man had disappeared in a blink, the girl now alone in what looked like somebody's office. The lights in the office were dim from the room being vacant, the object and the stars around her illuminating the dim room. 'What…what just happened?'

She stares with shocked and cartoonish eyes looking around the pyramid shaped office. The ground below her feet felt different from a city apartment floor, the newer floor polished and slick like ice. It was shrouded in shades of blue grey with minimalistic furniture in some parts of the room. Lydia couldn't recall ever being in a place like this. But how did she get here? Unless…

"Oh shit! I accidently teleported from Fifth Jerusalem! Okay, okay, calm down! Uncle told you panicking is the worst thing to do in this situation. Um, uhhh, okay! I need to call mom, and tell her where I am. Fuck! Where am I now?!" The flustered Lydia paces the floor for signs of where she was. She knew she was in some corporate office, the girl darting her eyes to see a lovely Vector Industries insignia etched into the polished floor.

Next the girl rushed to one of the windows placing her face on the glass to look at the outside. In the silent office she could see parts of a ship move into a rotating motion outside. There were monitors set up near the office door, as well as the console for a holographic computer screen on the desk. Lydia starts to gawk at the space around her noticing all the stars floating past them through the surrounding windows. "Oh fuck…I'm in space. I teleported myself into space. On a giant ship I've never been on, in god knows what part of the galaxy…"

Lydia stands around bug eyed, about one trigger away from going into a full on panic attack. The girl gradually starts to turn blue the longer she stands still in the office. Pink auras start to float under her feet as she begins to hyperventilate. She suddenly swallows a large gulp of air and shouts, "Ahhh! Calm down Lydia! Having a panic attack is not going to save you! God damn it, I need to find a phone or video console."

The girl dashes to the computer on the desk and starts to tap on a button to wake up the machine. She knew with how panicked she was she wouldn't be able to use telepathy that well. Not that it worked for her when she was even calm.

A screen pops up asking for a password. The girl starts guessing passwords looking at spots around the office for what it could be. When all her attempts don't work, she bangs a hand on the desk growling. 'Okay, that didn't work. Maybe I could look in the next room and find a phone.'

"Here use mine," says a raspy voice beside her.

"Oh thanks," Lydia tenses and turns slowly to a white gloved hand holding out his phone. The white gloved hand was attached to the body of a man dressed in all white with a matching white mask. Lydia hops back with a startled scream seeing the creepy fucker again.

"Dear god, do you have an entire closet filled with those outfits?!" screamed Lydia.

"Excuse me? I think I look pretty good in this. Adds a bit of mystique to me," smirk the man in white. He suddenly stops smiling after eyeing the school girl's clothes. "Wait a second, who are you supposed to be?"

Lydia stammers when another man materializes into the room.

"Hey newbie! What the fuck are you shouting for? I'm trying to take a nap," yells a man appearing into the office space. It was now the man in blue who first talked to her. His outfit matched the man in white, but with exception to his eyes looking crossed behind his mask. Lydia starts backing away from the two of them in shock. The man in blue spots her and curses to himself, then glares at the man in white.

"Albedo, what did you do?!"

"Me? I didn't do anything. Which one of you pedos brought this chick here," mocked Albedo.

"Oh, you're one to talk!"

Lydia backs up towards the middle of the room when she hears two more voices materialize into the office. She jumps back to see two more men in cloaks.

"I warn you Winnecot, something isn't right about this situation. These programs here can be very deceiving when entering into another person's subconscious," a man with a very deep voice acknowledges the shocked blue and white cloaked men by the desk looking at the other side of the room. "What's with you two now?" sneered the man in red. The two turn around and stare with quiet shock at the girl behind them.

Lydia gawked with an inaudible gasp at not one, not two, but now four weirdos dressed up in costumes. Their faces were hidden under intricate masks befitting plague doctors, almost belonging on a morbid catalog of scary costumes to buy on Halloween. The four men gawk back at the inconceivable standing in front of them, with the ones in red and blue staring mouth agape at the girl. The one in black appeared unphased by the feat, while the one in white appeared indifferent to the surprise visitor. Lydia suddenly becomes blue and starts shouting in a horror fanfic fashion.

"…there…there's more than one of you?! God dammit this is a cult thing! Mother, what did you do?!" The young woman sprints off down the hallways screaming and tripping over herself.

"Apparently the wrong man…" mumbled the one in black.

"Was that a sex joke?" scoffed Albedo. The red cloaked man shakes his head as he and the man in blue start moving after the screaming girl. The man in red notices the other two sluggishly move. He scowls and pulls them behind him with annoyance.

"Don't just drag your feet, we have to stop her!" Yelled the incredulous man in red.

Meanwhile, the girl sprints down the halls trying her hardest to calm down. She attempts teleporting and finds herself reappearing only a few feet from where she disappeared. No matter where she went or who she shouted out for, no one was around to hear her. Well except for the creepy dudes in matching outfits chasing her. Made it a lot easier to find her.

When the four men caught up to her, she would teleport or throw random household items at them. "Ah! That was my nose, you stupid brat!" growled the man in white.

The cycle continued to repeat itself until the men ended up with either being bit, being smacked with random bursts of pink energy hitting them, or tripping over themselves trying to grab her. Eventually the four men managed to corral the girl back into the office, cornering her into the window by the desk. The four men finally resorted to telekinesis as they held up some of the objects she threw at them earlier. When the men were about to strike, she impulsively lifts the paperweight on the desk. The four men stop in their tracks with terror dropping everything. Lydia looks bewildered by the sudden look of fear on their faces and starts to lift the paperweight over her head to throw it. "NONONONONONO," The men shout and flail their hands hastily prompting her to stop. The girl in all her wisdom freezes and lowers the object to her chest, but doesn't let go of the paperweight.

"Now L-Lydia…. let's not be rash here. You don't need to resort to this," the man in red steps forward in slow motion as the others gawk in horror.

"Talk," the scared girl growls.

"Ok, how about we start with the weather? It's such a great day out in- "

"Give me some answers now, or I break it!" She growls at the red cloaked man. He backs away from her to his colleagues holding out his hands in a non-threatening manner.

"Whoa, whoa, there's no need to do that. We just got off on the wrong foot is all, Lydia. You like to be called Liddy, right? I assure you we mean no harm to you. But you-you shouldn't be here. Perhaps if you come with us, we can sort this out in a calm diplomatic matter." The man in red explained in the calmest panicking voice.

"Why should I trust you people?" Lydia replies and starts to lift the paperweight up again.

"THERE IS NO NEED TO PUT LIVES IN JEOPARDY!" shrieks the man in black.

"Seriously, that is NOT necessary!" exclaims the man in blue.

"Lydia, please! We know you're scared, but you have to see reason here. We're only interested in your mother. Our master needs to find your mother before she compromises everything! Please, g-gently put down that artifact and we can call your mom to come get you."

"Like hell I trust you! You weirdos tried to attack me!"

"Look, I don't wish to harm you. But if you keep acting like this, you won't leave me any choice," the man in red argued with a firmer voice.

"Okay, you know what? Take this you motherfuc-"

Lydia drops to the ground like a ragdoll. She appears stupefied by an unknown force, seeing stars everywhere. Behind her was the figure of a man with slowly straining patience. The four men were staring at him bug eyed before relaxing in his presence. Half of them look away embarrassed while the other two lower their heads in silence. The man examines the disheveled appearance of his lackeys and his cluttered office before looking down at the girl to get a good look at her. She lets out a few incoherent mutters before falling back into unconsciousness.

This is what he got for forgetting to check up on her. He leaves her alone for two days, and suddenly she goes ballistic, and tries to murder his men with a fake Compass of Order and Chaos. Aside from the impressive stunt of recreating a place she never had been to, the man lets out a simple 'tsk' in discontent over her little outburst.

How this girl ever survived past the age of her predecessors was beyond his wisdom. The white-haired man shakes his head and crouches down to her level on the ground. The girl was already starting to drool on herself after being knocked out. The man responds by gently bopping her upside the head with a large paper fan and says, "Bad girl."