Chapter 2
"Don't let her wake up...Don't let her wake up..." voices screamed and whispered at her. Sydney saw formless faces, heard silently shrieking voices. Then, she saw a man appear out of the chaos. It was the same man from her daydreams. She was so happy to see him for some reason. He came towards her and extended his hand for her to take. She turned to grab his hand, but her fingers barely touched his when she started to fall into infinite darkness.
Sydney woke up with the sun shining on her face. She touched her head. How come she couldn't remember what had happened last night? The last thing she did remember was the note and the strange thing that happened with her computer. Her head hurt. She could hear the blood pulsing inside her veins in her temple. Her breathing became ragged and short. She wanted to sleep again. She sank deeper into her pillow and fell asleep again.
When she woke up, she glanced at her watch. She looked at her calendar. 'Oh, Thank God. It's Saturday,' she thought. She went downstairs to make some food for herself. She sat and ate in front of the TV. There was a small report on some girl who had run away.
'How sad...I wonder how the parents are feeling. Where's the girl? Why would she run away like that?' Suddenly, her cell phone rang. Who would be calling her cell phone if her parents knew she wasn't out? She hesitantly picked it up.
"Hello?" she asked. She started to sweat again.
"Hello, Sydney," a man's voice said. Sydney's eyes widened in fear and surprise. She didn't know how, but she knew who this was. This was the man from her dreams. This was Neo.
"Neo?" she asked in a very breathless voice. There was silence for a moment.
"Yes...You must be careful. They are going to try to kill you. Be very careful." Then, he hung up.
"Wait! Who's going to kill me?! WHY?!?!?!" she screamed into her phone. She threw it into a cushion in frustration. She wanted to scream. What was happening to her?! Or more importantly, WHY was this happening to her? She wanted to know. She picked her phone up again to see if she could find the number. She couldn't. She put her head in her hands and closed her eyes. She took a few deep breaths. She had to calm down. She knew it had to do with this "Matrix". Too many questions, yet so little answers.
She decided to go for a jog. It was such a nice day. She had too much excess energy. The rhythmic beating of her feet against the pavement, her breathing, and the fluidity of her movements calmed her. She closed her eyes and let the wind wash over her. She stopped at a nearby park to rest. She stretched to relax her muscles and then sat down on the grass.
She watched little kids playing with their dogs. It was so idyllic. The little girls wore pastel coloured dresses with lacy collars. The little boys wore white shirts with beige shorts and the like. They were all smiles and giggles. Even the dogs seemed happy. Their shiny coats glistened in the sun. That was all mixed in with the green grass and the shady oak trees. Their branches extended far, as if they were protecting the children and their innocence. Sydney couldn't help but smile a bit. They were so...well, innocent. It was kept inside them. But, eventually, they would lose that innocence and become tainted with the rest of the world.
Suddenly, she noticed a moving figure behind the children. It was covered partly by the shade of the trees. But, when it stepped out into the sun, it caused her to jump. A man came forward. He stood out so sharply because he was the opposite of the scene in front of Sydney. He was tall, wearing dark clothes, and sharp looking. Sydney frantically stood up. It was the man the man with the dark cloak had been fighting! She turned and saw another coming from the other direction. Again, she turned. There were more. They were coming. Suddenly, her cell phone rang. Should she pick it up? She did.
"Run." Sydney didn't need to be told twice. She took off in a random direction. She hoped she wouldn't run into any of them.
"What the fuck is going on?!" she shrieked into her phone.
"This is no time for questions," Neo said simply. God! He was frustrating her. She kept running. She weaved in between people, yelling into her phone. She accidentally knocked over an old lady.
"Listen, buster. I am running for my life here. I demand to know what is going on!" She looked behind her. She could see the old lady struggling to get up. When she did, she turned into one of the men and he started chasing her.
"What the hell?!"
"You will know what you need to know when the time is right. Turn right." Sydney made a sharp right turn and found herself in an alleyway between two houses.
"Stay there." Sydney breathed through her mouth to prevent any noise. She crouched down behind an air conditioner. It whirred loudly in her ears and she breathed heavily to catch her breath. She saw the two men run past the two houses. She sighed a huge sigh of relief and put the phone to her ear. He had hung up. Sydney sat there for a long time, wondering what the hell was going on with her.
Meanwhile, the agents were talking to each other. One of them, clearly the leader, was angry.
"How did we lose her? We had her!" he yelled at the others.
"She ran faster than normal humans could."
"How is that possible?" The other agents didn't answer.
Sydney took a long route home. She walked through alleyways, behind trees and between large buildings so she wouldn't be seen. She was extremely paranoid now. She just needed to know. She hoped this Neo would call her again. Because she needed answers. And she needed them now.
"Don't let her wake up...Don't let her wake up..." voices screamed and whispered at her. Sydney saw formless faces, heard silently shrieking voices. Then, she saw a man appear out of the chaos. It was the same man from her daydreams. She was so happy to see him for some reason. He came towards her and extended his hand for her to take. She turned to grab his hand, but her fingers barely touched his when she started to fall into infinite darkness.
Sydney woke up with the sun shining on her face. She touched her head. How come she couldn't remember what had happened last night? The last thing she did remember was the note and the strange thing that happened with her computer. Her head hurt. She could hear the blood pulsing inside her veins in her temple. Her breathing became ragged and short. She wanted to sleep again. She sank deeper into her pillow and fell asleep again.
When she woke up, she glanced at her watch. She looked at her calendar. 'Oh, Thank God. It's Saturday,' she thought. She went downstairs to make some food for herself. She sat and ate in front of the TV. There was a small report on some girl who had run away.
'How sad...I wonder how the parents are feeling. Where's the girl? Why would she run away like that?' Suddenly, her cell phone rang. Who would be calling her cell phone if her parents knew she wasn't out? She hesitantly picked it up.
"Hello?" she asked. She started to sweat again.
"Hello, Sydney," a man's voice said. Sydney's eyes widened in fear and surprise. She didn't know how, but she knew who this was. This was the man from her dreams. This was Neo.
"Neo?" she asked in a very breathless voice. There was silence for a moment.
"Yes...You must be careful. They are going to try to kill you. Be very careful." Then, he hung up.
"Wait! Who's going to kill me?! WHY?!?!?!" she screamed into her phone. She threw it into a cushion in frustration. She wanted to scream. What was happening to her?! Or more importantly, WHY was this happening to her? She wanted to know. She picked her phone up again to see if she could find the number. She couldn't. She put her head in her hands and closed her eyes. She took a few deep breaths. She had to calm down. She knew it had to do with this "Matrix". Too many questions, yet so little answers.
She decided to go for a jog. It was such a nice day. She had too much excess energy. The rhythmic beating of her feet against the pavement, her breathing, and the fluidity of her movements calmed her. She closed her eyes and let the wind wash over her. She stopped at a nearby park to rest. She stretched to relax her muscles and then sat down on the grass.
She watched little kids playing with their dogs. It was so idyllic. The little girls wore pastel coloured dresses with lacy collars. The little boys wore white shirts with beige shorts and the like. They were all smiles and giggles. Even the dogs seemed happy. Their shiny coats glistened in the sun. That was all mixed in with the green grass and the shady oak trees. Their branches extended far, as if they were protecting the children and their innocence. Sydney couldn't help but smile a bit. They were so...well, innocent. It was kept inside them. But, eventually, they would lose that innocence and become tainted with the rest of the world.
Suddenly, she noticed a moving figure behind the children. It was covered partly by the shade of the trees. But, when it stepped out into the sun, it caused her to jump. A man came forward. He stood out so sharply because he was the opposite of the scene in front of Sydney. He was tall, wearing dark clothes, and sharp looking. Sydney frantically stood up. It was the man the man with the dark cloak had been fighting! She turned and saw another coming from the other direction. Again, she turned. There were more. They were coming. Suddenly, her cell phone rang. Should she pick it up? She did.
"Run." Sydney didn't need to be told twice. She took off in a random direction. She hoped she wouldn't run into any of them.
"What the fuck is going on?!" she shrieked into her phone.
"This is no time for questions," Neo said simply. God! He was frustrating her. She kept running. She weaved in between people, yelling into her phone. She accidentally knocked over an old lady.
"Listen, buster. I am running for my life here. I demand to know what is going on!" She looked behind her. She could see the old lady struggling to get up. When she did, she turned into one of the men and he started chasing her.
"What the hell?!"
"You will know what you need to know when the time is right. Turn right." Sydney made a sharp right turn and found herself in an alleyway between two houses.
"Stay there." Sydney breathed through her mouth to prevent any noise. She crouched down behind an air conditioner. It whirred loudly in her ears and she breathed heavily to catch her breath. She saw the two men run past the two houses. She sighed a huge sigh of relief and put the phone to her ear. He had hung up. Sydney sat there for a long time, wondering what the hell was going on with her.
Meanwhile, the agents were talking to each other. One of them, clearly the leader, was angry.
"How did we lose her? We had her!" he yelled at the others.
"She ran faster than normal humans could."
"How is that possible?" The other agents didn't answer.
Sydney took a long route home. She walked through alleyways, behind trees and between large buildings so she wouldn't be seen. She was extremely paranoid now. She just needed to know. She hoped this Neo would call her again. Because she needed answers. And she needed them now.