The mental images came back for the first time during Thalassa's stay at the JCDC (Jagrebian Central Defense Center). The usual panic as the storm rolled in, the fire spreading rapidly, and the heart wrenching screams of the people who would be doomed. Thalassa jolted awake, trembling at what she had just witnessed. She took several soothing breaths, and after reassuring herself that it was just another dream, she drowsily got to her feet. She stretched her arms over her head, and glanced around the room. Still in a slight daze from fatigue, she wondered vaguely where everyone was. She was used to being the first one to rise, beating the Defenders to the showers time and time again. There was something extremely odd about the room, although she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She thought hard for a moment, picturing what the room looked like when the Defenders finally DID get out of bed each morning. Suddenly, EUREKA! She realized that each and every bunk in the room was neatly made. In fact, the room was completely spotless. The first thought that raced through Thalassa's mind was "OMIGOSH is it inspection day today?" She quickly dismissed that notion, deciding that someone surely would have woken her up, for fear of KP duties if her living space wasn't in tiptop condition.
Thalassa froze as she entered the dining hall, out of shock from what she was seeing. There in the hall, along with the Defenders, were about 14 girls, ages ranging from 16-22. They were dressed in the finest of clothing, wearing bright, vibrant colors that accentuated each other as they sat around the table. The look on the Defender's faces was that of a child's, when they watch an ice cream man pile scoop after scoop of the smooth, cool, delicious substance onto a crispy, sugary cone.
"Hey! Welcome new chicas!" Thalassa chirped in a good-natured way as she walked into the Hall. The girls all turned simultaneously to look at Thalassa, each one sporting a bitter look on her face. Thalassa plopped down in her usual chair, and folded her napkin neatly on her lap, trying to at least look slightly proper. The silence was deafening. Trying to make conversation, Thalassa asked "So, what brings you chicas to the JCDC?" Once again, all of the girls turned to look at a woman, probably in her early thirties who was sitting next to the Commander. "We have come from the faraway planet of Kiloquia." She stated. Thalassa noticed that her eyes flickered ever so slightly when she said this. "We are traveling to Jagrebian to try to settle a coalition to unite against the Cardiophlobians. Our spaceship had to land in an emergency procedure on the outskirts of this… what is it? JCDG?" "JCDC." Thalassa tried to put in, but was stopped by an angry glare from the Commander. "My name is Simone, and these are my faithful handmaidens." She gestured around the room at all of the young ladies surrounding her. Once again, her eyes flickered. "Well, my name's Thallie," Answered Thalassa, she sat up a little straighter, "I suppose you've met the Defenders?" She asked with a very false smile upon her face. One of the handmaidens spoke up for the first time. "Oh, yes we've been introduced. They've been EVER so gracious towards us." She gave Fabian a little smile, who blushed and ducked his head. "I'm sorry, I seem to have suddenly lost my appetite." Thalassa announced with disgust. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the training wing." She emphatically stood up, and marched across the room, her chin up. She slipped a crescent roll into her pocket as she walked past the tray, she didn't want to go hungry for the sake of making a scene! As soon as she exited through the tall, mahogany doorway, she doubled over, and made a loud gagging noise, hoping that it would be heard through the heavy wood. She slouched along the hallways, and banged through the double doors leading into the gym. She sat down on a stationary bike, and started peddling as fast as she possibly could. The bike began to wobble dangerously back and forth as the speedometer needle inched slowly to the right. Suddenly, the bike tipped too far, and flipped over, the wheel still spinning madly. Thalassa cursed and struggled to lift the heavy bike off of her legs. She managed to slide them out from underneath, creating severe scrapes on the backs of her knees when they rubbed against the carpet. The raw, red skin began to sting when she touched it gingerly with one finger. She cursed once again, and limped over to the living quarters to dig out some antiseptic.
Thalassa stopped with her hand on the doorknob to the sleeping quarters. She had cleaned the scrapes with alcohol wipes, and was in a great deal of pain. All that she wanted to do was have a nice long nap. However, she could hear lowered voices wafting through the door, so she stopped to listen. "You need to stop changing the plan Bridgette!" Came a muffled voice. "Just get the information, and stick with our original orders!" "Alright! And stop calling me Bridgette! My name is Simone!" This was followed by more whispering, and then a sudden scream that cut off at the highest pitch. Thalassa backed away from the door, wondering about what she had just heard.
Thalassa was just about to turn and leave, when the door flew open, and Simone burst out, glaring wildly in all directions. She stopped to sneer at Thalassa, then rushed down the corridor in the direction of the Great Hall. Thalassa curiously peered into the room. The scene that met her eyes caused her to lurch back in shock. Cautiously, she crept into the room, staying pressed against the wall. There, spread out in front of her, was a scene she had only seen in the worst horror movies, and in her darkest fears. Lying in the middle of the floor, traumatically broken like a porcelain doll when it shatters into thousands of tiny shards, was the handmaiden that had spoken up at breakfast that morning. Her silky, almost unreal ebony hair was draped limply over her dainty face, as her body lay crumpled in a heap, too folded to possibly be comfortable. Drops of maroon blood could barely be seen soaking through her once beautiful hair. A small stone basin that had originally been in the corner of the room was lying at her side, a large red stain across the bottom of it. Thalassa took a deep breath, and tiptoed over to inspect the girl. She lifted her hair to look at her face. Her eyes were glassy and wide open, unblinking, unmoving. Her skin was pale white with a bluish tint; the blood was draining from it fast. Thalassa suppressed a gag, and reached to feel for a pulse. There was none. The girl would lay still for all of eternity. Tears welled up in Thalassa's eyes. It wasn't fair, this girl still had the rest of her life ahead of her! And for Simone/Bridgette/whoever she was to cut it short, that was just pure evil! Something had to be done! Thalassa realized that she was dealing with a murderer, and that villain was loose in the main defense of the Planet Jagrebian! Thousands of peoples lives were at stake! She had to warn the Defenders! Thallie took one last look at the broken figure lying on the floor, and stood to face the door. She froze, as she saw the outline of all 10 defenders, the handmaidens, and the Commander clustered at the doorway. Thalassa stammered an explanation, which none of them paid any attention to. Suddenly, Simone elbowed her way to the front of the crowd. "There she is!" Thalassa shrieked. "She's the one that killed this girl! Take her away! She's evil!" The defenders stared at Thalassa for a moment, then Griffin and Rando came forward. They each grabbed Thalassa by the arm, and steered her out of the room. Thalassa could hear the muffled whispers that spread through the crowd. As they walked down the corridor, she could feel every pair of eyes burning into the back of her head. "Where are you taking me?" She asked. Neither Griffin nor Rando answered her. They just shook their heads. Thalassa sighed and trudged along, hoping for the best. They came to the Spacecraft Chamber. "Oh no," she said quietly. "You don't mean…?" "Orders from the Commander." Rando muttered, avoiding eye contact. "You're to be expelled from this place." "Oh so you're taking me back to earth. That's good, I thought you were going to ditch me on the streets of Jagrebian or something." She gave a nervous chuckle. Hearing no response, she turned to look at Rando. He turned away. "Griffin…?" she asked hopefully. He didn't answer.
An hour later, she was standing alone on an unfamiliar bustling street. She had nowhere to go.