Tori's eyes didn't linger for long on her mother's diary as it
clung, smoldering, to the sides of the hobo's lit trash can. She nodded her
thanks to the homeless man and continued down the road she'd walked these
past year.
She followed the signs for West Bridge. She'd never walked there before, only gotten a ride when she, Bug and a few friends went to go watch the ships come in and get high. Finally the street lamps glittered off the bridge shape and the rain streaked road. Tori breathed out a puff of white breath, needing a cigarette.
There was barely anyone in sight, just a few cars passing here and there, their head lights like beacons. Tori walked to the bridges slop, looking around for any sign of Second_Sight. She twisted an earring and waited.
She heard a noise behind her and whirled around quickly. The man from Sphere had appeared as if by magic. His spiked blonde hair shone orangey in the lamplight. His black leather trench coat and dark sunglasses in the dark gave him an eerie look.
Tori took a nervous step towards him, then remembered herself and strode up more confidently. "What's with all the rain checks? To nervous to meet me face to face?" she teased. The man looked down at her. She couldn't see his eyes through the black shades.
"You were being tracked." He said. "Let's get moving." He stepped back, out of the light so that it shone on another black form beside him. A limousine with tinted windows that looked brand new. He reached for the handle of the back door and pulled it open. "Get in."
Tori slid into the back seat. Everything was black and leather. With the car lights turned on she could see other figures in the car, others in black and sunglasses. Before she could turn and get out of the car the man had slid in next to her and the doors had locked with a satisfactory click.
The car began to move. Tori didn't say anything as the lights dimmed. The man turned them back on, illuminating the faces of the other people in the car. There was a young woman sitting across from Tori. Her hair was a dark, shiny auburn and fell in ringlets about her oval face. Then there was another girl. She looked a few years older that Tori's fake age. Her long pale blonde hair was the same as the man from Sphere's. She had it twined in a long, stylishly messy braid over one shoulder and was cracking her knuckles in front of her black leather corset.
"You a pimp or something?" she asked the man, who cracked a smile for once.
"No." he said. "You're searching for something, of course? What we discussed?" Toriye nodded solemnly.
"The Matrix." She whispered hoarsely.
"Do you still want to know what it is?" the man asked her. Tori nodded again. "Are you sure?"
Tori tried to distract herself from his question. She nodded towards the blonde woman in the corner.
"This someone you want to tell me about?" she asked with a flirtatious smile. The man looked undeterred.
"Do you still want to know?" he repeated. Tori looked at him, trying to see his eyes through the specs, but it was near impossible.
"Yes." She hissed. The girl in front of her with the ringlets opened up a clipboard she'd had on her lap.
"These are people you need to know, Victoria." The man said. "This is Abry." He nodded to the girl with the clipboard. "And this is Lara." He said with a rare smile at the women with the braid.
"Who are you?" Tori asked after a pause.
"Glance." He said. "Second_Sight." He was quiet after that and Abry addressed her.
"Name, Age, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Mother, Father and Known Siblings?" she asked. Her voice was pretty, but husky. It took Tori a moment to realize what she wanted.
"Tori Evermorse." She started.
"No." Abry said sternly. "Your /I name." Tori sighed.
"Victoria Everest. Twenty-one,"
"Your /I age." Glance corrected.
"Fifteen." Tori said annoyed. "The twenty-third of October, 1988. Born in Oxford, United Kingdom. Mother was Awiya Haliman of the St. Louis Cherokee Reservation. Father was Richard Ian Everest." She listed. "No known siblings." She added with a heavy sigh. Abry wrote it all down on the clipboard and then put it on her lap again.
Tori looked out the window, as the snow beginning to fall.
"I know what your thinking." Glance said. "Will you ever see it again?" Tori looked over her shoulder at him.
"Will I? I hate it so much... but it's the only home I know." She said.
"You will see Albany again. But not in the same light." Glance said, turning to look out his window. The car drew to a stop. Glance, Lara and Abry got out quickly. Tori followed their example. A taller man appeared. He was bigger and darker than Glance. Tori realized he'd been driving. The group didn't seem to speak. They all went into a building in military like lines, Tori tagging along behind.
They went into an elevator. Lara pressed a button for the top floor. As soon as it began to move she pulled on the emergency stop and the doors opened again. They filed out, Tori still unsure what was happening. Since they were wall silent she decided to follow suit.
They went to a room. It was dirty and wooden. Only two red leather armchairs and a table with a box on it stood in the very center. The tall man who had been driving sat down in one of the chairs, Glance stood nearby. Lara and Abry exited through a door Tori did not even notice.
"Sit down, Victoria." The tall man said, signaling for her to sit in the opposite chair. Tori did so, nervously.
The man reached for the box on the table and opened it. He turned it to face her so she could see the contents. A red and blue pill, lying side by side.
She followed the signs for West Bridge. She'd never walked there before, only gotten a ride when she, Bug and a few friends went to go watch the ships come in and get high. Finally the street lamps glittered off the bridge shape and the rain streaked road. Tori breathed out a puff of white breath, needing a cigarette.
There was barely anyone in sight, just a few cars passing here and there, their head lights like beacons. Tori walked to the bridges slop, looking around for any sign of Second_Sight. She twisted an earring and waited.
She heard a noise behind her and whirled around quickly. The man from Sphere had appeared as if by magic. His spiked blonde hair shone orangey in the lamplight. His black leather trench coat and dark sunglasses in the dark gave him an eerie look.
Tori took a nervous step towards him, then remembered herself and strode up more confidently. "What's with all the rain checks? To nervous to meet me face to face?" she teased. The man looked down at her. She couldn't see his eyes through the black shades.
"You were being tracked." He said. "Let's get moving." He stepped back, out of the light so that it shone on another black form beside him. A limousine with tinted windows that looked brand new. He reached for the handle of the back door and pulled it open. "Get in."
Tori slid into the back seat. Everything was black and leather. With the car lights turned on she could see other figures in the car, others in black and sunglasses. Before she could turn and get out of the car the man had slid in next to her and the doors had locked with a satisfactory click.
The car began to move. Tori didn't say anything as the lights dimmed. The man turned them back on, illuminating the faces of the other people in the car. There was a young woman sitting across from Tori. Her hair was a dark, shiny auburn and fell in ringlets about her oval face. Then there was another girl. She looked a few years older that Tori's fake age. Her long pale blonde hair was the same as the man from Sphere's. She had it twined in a long, stylishly messy braid over one shoulder and was cracking her knuckles in front of her black leather corset.
"You a pimp or something?" she asked the man, who cracked a smile for once.
"No." he said. "You're searching for something, of course? What we discussed?" Toriye nodded solemnly.
"The Matrix." She whispered hoarsely.
"Do you still want to know what it is?" the man asked her. Tori nodded again. "Are you sure?"
Tori tried to distract herself from his question. She nodded towards the blonde woman in the corner.
"This someone you want to tell me about?" she asked with a flirtatious smile. The man looked undeterred.
"Do you still want to know?" he repeated. Tori looked at him, trying to see his eyes through the specs, but it was near impossible.
"Yes." She hissed. The girl in front of her with the ringlets opened up a clipboard she'd had on her lap.
"These are people you need to know, Victoria." The man said. "This is Abry." He nodded to the girl with the clipboard. "And this is Lara." He said with a rare smile at the women with the braid.
"Who are you?" Tori asked after a pause.
"Glance." He said. "Second_Sight." He was quiet after that and Abry addressed her.
"Name, Age, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Mother, Father and Known Siblings?" she asked. Her voice was pretty, but husky. It took Tori a moment to realize what she wanted.
"Tori Evermorse." She started.
"No." Abry said sternly. "Your /I name." Tori sighed.
"Victoria Everest. Twenty-one,"
"Your /I age." Glance corrected.
"Fifteen." Tori said annoyed. "The twenty-third of October, 1988. Born in Oxford, United Kingdom. Mother was Awiya Haliman of the St. Louis Cherokee Reservation. Father was Richard Ian Everest." She listed. "No known siblings." She added with a heavy sigh. Abry wrote it all down on the clipboard and then put it on her lap again.
Tori looked out the window, as the snow beginning to fall.
"I know what your thinking." Glance said. "Will you ever see it again?" Tori looked over her shoulder at him.
"Will I? I hate it so much... but it's the only home I know." She said.
"You will see Albany again. But not in the same light." Glance said, turning to look out his window. The car drew to a stop. Glance, Lara and Abry got out quickly. Tori followed their example. A taller man appeared. He was bigger and darker than Glance. Tori realized he'd been driving. The group didn't seem to speak. They all went into a building in military like lines, Tori tagging along behind.
They went into an elevator. Lara pressed a button for the top floor. As soon as it began to move she pulled on the emergency stop and the doors opened again. They filed out, Tori still unsure what was happening. Since they were wall silent she decided to follow suit.
They went to a room. It was dirty and wooden. Only two red leather armchairs and a table with a box on it stood in the very center. The tall man who had been driving sat down in one of the chairs, Glance stood nearby. Lara and Abry exited through a door Tori did not even notice.
"Sit down, Victoria." The tall man said, signaling for her to sit in the opposite chair. Tori did so, nervously.
The man reached for the box on the table and opened it. He turned it to face her so she could see the contents. A red and blue pill, lying side by side.