Chapter 2: Weapon of Choice Along the Astral Plane
Alyssa stared. Then stared some more, and, just to add a bit of variety, she gawked. "How?!" She managed to splutter out eventually. She stared at her friend, as she sprawled across her purple bed sheets, whilst a number of pens and erasers danced above her up stretched hand. Red barely noticed Setsuyo's blue eyes narrow in concentration, and finally close, with the realisation that she didn't need her eyes to see with her mind. Agitatedly she brushed some of her short, dyed red hair from her face. The distraction sent the objects falling around her. Setsuyo laughed, "It was worse when I tried it with a hard back book!"
Alyssa blinked. "How do you do that?" She eventually managed, awed.
Setsuyo sat up and shrugged. "Dunno… I just- can." She ended lamely. She laughed at the expression on Alyssa's face. "I'm also 'empathic'." She grinned, I've figured that this is why I can pick up so many emotions…"
"But, how did you discover you could?"
"Oh, by accident… Like you do." Setsuyo said vaguely, trying to deter Alyssa. She didn't really want to let her friend in on the fact that Amanda and her gang had been 'at it' again. It would only worry her. Alyssa worried too much about everything. She needed have worried about Alyssa digging further in that direction, her face was now alight with enthusiasm. "Can you read minds?" She started. Setsuyo laughed as a trail of questions followed. She held up her hand, "stop!"
Alyssa looked sheepish, but brightened when Setsuyo said she'd try to read minds. She shook her head as Setsuyo labelled her the guinea pig. "Guess I asked for that."
"You did indeed." Setsuyo informed her. "Now, concentrate on a thought."
Silence, or as near to silence as anywhere could get, descended on Alyssa's room. The clock ticked softly on her bedside table, and outside a farmer got vocal, and swore repeatedly at his dog. The joys of living in the country, Alyssa mused pointlessly, before forcing herself to focussing sharply.
"Well," she asked at length.
"You're tickled green, you wanna be able to do this!" Setsuyo grinned.
"Oh yeah!"
"I'll warn you know, before you start wishing, it drains you terribly quick!" Setsuyo muffled another yawn.
"You where yawning all the way here." Alyssa pointed out.
"Now what do you think I was doing all night?"
"Screwing A-"
Alyssa shrieked as a pillow flew up and hit her on the face. "Oy! Abuse of powers!"
Setsuyo smirked. Alyssa glared. Ten ticks went by before they burst out laughing.
"You poor babs." Alyssa giggled. "Wanna cuppa?"
Setsuyo nodded. "Tea! I must. Have. TEA!"
"Good job I knew you where coming and boiled the kettle huh?"
Setsuyo nodded as Alyssa went downstairs to through teabags into cups and whatnot. She settled down into the comforter and closed her eyes again, and concentrated on her newfound ability. She reached with her mind, and felt it go beyond her skull, and the muscles of her face. It felt unpleasantly tingly for a second, as it lodged there, reluctant to leave, and Setsuyo was out, with no direction. Before she'd been aiming for Alyssa's mind; that shone brightly, and was familiar to her. But now… She felt distant panic, but pushed herself on.
Below her minds shone like jewels against the backdrop of night. Sheep, rabbits, mice. She hit the village. People, busy, bustling or lying still, like a ghost world, they talked. She followed the fast moving ones, always liking speed, and travelled above the faint impressions of a car, accelerating forwards, then switching lanes.
Wrapped up in the thrill of it, the excitement of it, she forgot everything; just the mutterings of the body bound minds letting her know she wasn't alone. She gasped, or would have gasped, or thought 'gasp' when she reached a city.
Minds, millions of minds. So close and bright they all blurred into one supernova, dimming even the outline of their bodies, the mutterings reaching a wordless, meaningless roar. Setsuyo's 'ears' hurt. She turned her back to it and fled, trying to find her way back, panicking… Where was back? Out of desperation, she headed for the loudest voice.
She realised her mistake as she got closer; the voice was male, commanding. His mind blazed like the sun amongst the night sky. And his voice was far clearer for her to hear. She listened.
"Fools! I'll have revenge! I'll have Jareth's blood sown to the fields! That would make them fertile… King of Goblins is he?! Morons more like!! Though he can't fight my weapon… How could he? He won't suspect a thing, and she'll murder him!"
For the second time, in the time warp she was in, Setsuyo flew. She absconded from the pure malice in his tone, the sound, and the feel she knew would be forever etched in her memory. She struggled on, her mind weaker now, terror keeping her going.
But all she found was alien minds, millions of minds that echoed…
*
Bromiar's eyes snapped open. The glow of red slowly faded, before morphing into an average brown. His smile twisted, and displayed his cruelty to the mirror. He met his own eyes in the silvered, polished glass and grimaced.
A human psychic. How rare. How quaint. Powerful enough to steer herself through the astral plane, project her mind and probably to see auras. But not skilled enough to hide her passing. How convenient. It would make her downfall to be insultingly easy. All the better to give his new weapon of choice a trial run. After all, he couldn't allow the human psychic to bumble around after having eavesdropped into his thoughts. No. Sarah needed some confidence in herself, something to live for.
He'd send her out tonight.
*
Blue, cerulean, dusky, cadmium, ochre, brown, silver, speckled, eaten at, marbled…
They flew by her in a daze. She was looking, for she was lost. She could barely remember what she was looking for…
Ultramarine, lemon grass, sap green, blinding, swirling colours. Dizzyingly sickening, like lights on a walzer. Until finally, finally, she stumbled on a red mind, hovering over a blank body in the middle of sheep, rabbits, cows……
She woke up slowly, lights blurring until they resolved to a face which cleared further to show Alyssa's worried gaze. So much for not worrying her. She worked out what she was saying, just as her hearing started to work. Setsuyo held up a shaking hand. Alyssa shut up. Setsuyo realised she was wet, she'd had water thrown on her, been shaken…
"I think…." She said hesitantly. "I think I just heard a murder plan."
