Hello peeps!! I'm updating!!! I hope you're as excited as I am, haha. Thank you so much for all you're reviews! I appreciate all the positive feedback, and am loving how you guys are guessing what's going to happen next! It helps me know how you interpreted everything. Keep it up!
Stories to check out for the week: Of Gangs and Groceries by my one and only sister, Gwydo!!!! I mean, Gwydion, haha. It's really funny, you better read it, or else! Come Home to Me by my good buddy MT! She updated! YAY! This fic has a unique twist in character personalities. Also, MT's Perscription for Love is one of my all time faves, and she FINALLY updated after 2 months! Maybe if you review her, she'll update again soon…::wink:: Her story is about our favorite Esca crew in college, I think you'll adore it, check it out! Crazyquirks by Japanimejo…all I have to say is HILARIOUS! You'll die laughing or your money back, haha. Hail the almighty stilettos! Down with the 80's! ::ahem:: Ya just gotta read it! Next on the list are three stories posted by Seeress…Petals (not for Allen haters), Memories Long Forgotten, and A Promise Fufilled (these last two are one shots…very moving!!).
Alright, enough with my comments…on with the show! Here comes Chapter 2! Enjoy! (Words to my reviewers in my closing notes!)
***Esca-lover
**********
Previously on 'Whispers of the Mind'…
Project Dreamer came to life six years ago, in 2018, as a result of a government inquiry. Their request was not a simple one, for the U.S. desired a machine that could see into a persons' mind.
***
"Good morning Jayda," Millerna whispered and placed a hand to the glass. "Did you dream?" The young psychologist turned to the printer connected to the visionary device. In it's tray lay two images. The first picture showed a pair of hands holding a thin chain of some sort. The second displayed a young man's face.
"What do you make of them?" The biologist asked, leaning over her shoulder.
"I'm not sure…I'll have to see the video footage."
***
"Millerna, any news?"
"Nothing yet, but I'd like to take a look at last night's video footage. From the scans I received a few minutes ago, I'd say she's clearly trying to remember something important from her past."
***
"This is all taken from Jayda's perspective, right?"
"I believe so," Millerna stated. "While some of this vid-clip should look familiar, we've never viewed the first images of the memory before. It's like she's rewinding her thoughts and going over them more thoroughly."
"I agree," Celena added. "We've seen the envelope before, but only from it's spot on the floor."
"Plus, we now know how Jayda obtained the piece of jewelry," Amano commented.
"I'm not so sure that that's the whole story. Yes, she pulled it from an ancient envelope that was found in a drawer. But was it her drawer? Her mothers? Was she keeping the item safe by stashing it there?"
"Perhaps she had lost it," Jajuka offered. "By the way Jayda was clutching it, it seemed to have some importance."
***
As a young woman remained motionless in her watery prison, a single tear escaped from her closed eyelids.
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems,
Got to open my eyes to everything…
Visions swirled in her mind, but one thought was felt with every heart beat:
Bring Me To Life.
**********
Chapter 2: 'Whispers of the Mind'
**********
Millerna strolled into work at 7:40am, twenty minutes early. Luckily, the security guard at the front of the building was there to let her in. Since the work day didn't officially begin until eight o' clock, only several other dedicated employees were at their desks getting ready for the shift. The blonde hadn't slept well the previous night due to unsettling dreams, and decided that she might as well get a head start on decoding the new image scans that would be waiting for her. She entered Lab 139 and was surprised to find that all the main lights were turned off.
'Woah, I even beat Celena here…what kind of freak am I,' she thought to herself as she clicked on the lamp at her desk. Millerna stashed her purse in it's usual place under the desk and turned her gaze to the visionary device in the middle of the floor. The chemicals emitted a greenish glow from inside the holding tank, giving the machine an eerie presence. The psychologist shuddered slightly, and shook off her uneasiness as she approached it.
"Well Jayda, what do you have for me today?" she spoke softly, glancing first at the young woman floating inside the glass, then to the computer beside her. Suddenly, a confused look spread across her face. 'Well well…what have we here?' Millerna sighed as she glared at a flashing red light coming from the printer. "Out of paper? Come on, just my luck," she grumbled and refilled the machine. "There. Ya happy now?" The printer lurched to life and began processing the first scan. "Might as well start the coffee," the tired woman muttered to herself. 'This is going to be a long day, I can feel it.'
**********
"Wait! Stay put, Yuki!" Amano pleaded as he put the car in park and jumped out of the drivers seat. The red head giggled and waited patiently as her co-worker raced to open the passenger side door for her.
"My Prince!" she laughed and stepped out of the car. "I thought I was a goner when my Honda broke down! I'm glad you had your cell on ya, or I might not have made it to work," she smiled brightly, pausing to fix her patchwork skirt and check her hair in the car window. "My buns even?" The engineer blushed immediately, his mind interpreting the situation in entirely the wrong way.
"Uhh…umm…"
"My HAIR, ya perv!" the quirky girl winked, gently taking the poor guys hand into her own. Upon feeling her touch, Amano relaxed slightly. With his free hand, he slowly brushed the bangs from her eyes.
"Perfect," he whispered, a soft, unreadable look on his face. The outside world seemed to stop as the two locked eye contact. Their hearts were pounding with curiosity and indecision as the tense seconds flew by. "Yuki. I-…" he stammered, unable to find the words he was searching for. This time, it was Yukari's turn to color fiercely.
"Come on, you," she teased, and began pulling him in the direction of the office building. "We're going to be late the way it is!" Knowing his moment had passed, Amano sighed in resignation.
"Alright, alright! Geez, don't take my arm off!"
**********
The two walked quickly through the front doors, said some casual hellos, and wandered into the lab to find a scene of pure chaos. Papers everywhere. Dryden was yelling orders while the rest of the crew was scrambling to pick up the mess.
"It's about time you guys got here!!" the headmaster barked. The girl tried to explain.
"Sorry Boss, I had car tro-…"
"NO EXCUSES!" Fassa roared at the frightened secretary. Noting her fear, Dryden sighed heavily and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Look, I'm sorry for getting so upset. Would you two please just get organized and help out?" They both nodded quickly and jumped into action. Millerna was in the center of the mess, hopelessly trying to straighten up. Amano knelt down next to her and gave the young woman a confused glance.
"What happened?" he whispered, hoping not to draw attention to himself. The blonde groaned inwardly, unanxious to tell the story for the third time.
"I got in early this morning, hoping to get a head start on analyzing Jayda's new scans, when I realized that the printer was out of paper. I refilled it, left the room to fill the coffee pot, ended up chatting with some guy down the hall, and when I got back, there were papers everywhere! The machine was spitting them out so fast; it's a wonder that I was able to keep them in order. The others arrived and started to help, but the scans just kept coming…" she paused to glance at Jayda's floating figure. "She's become so restless mentally, I hope everything's alright." The young man placed a comforting hand on Millerna's shoulder.
"Don't worry Milly," he assured her. "Maybe she's just trying to get her point across, ya know?" A small sigh escaped the girls' lips.
"You're probably right…Thanks, lover boy."
"Hey! What was that for!"
"Oh come on, Amano! I know you like Yukari…heck, the whole team knows you're crazy for her!" Millerna teased.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Is what obvious?" Yukari piped in, handing the psychologist a small stack of papers. The engineer froze, obviously panicking, and looked to the blonde for help. Millerna couldn't help but smile.
"We were just commenting that you've obviously got a lot of organizing to do now that I made a mess of everything," she covered smoothly, and laughed as the secretary stuck out her tongue.
"Well at least I don't have to analyze it!" And with that, the red head skipped over to her desk and whipped out the infamous cell phone. The rest of the group had piled the image scans onto Millernas' desk and went back to work, each of them checking to see if their part of the machinery was in tact.
"Ms. Aston, if you need any help, just let me know, alright?" Dryden said casually. "It looks like you have a long day ahead of you, so I'll leave you alone for now. Fill me in on the details later." The young woman exhaled deeply and wearily approached the stack that was awaiting her.
"Yes sir."
**********
A pair of hand's clutching a piece of jewelry.
A young man's smiling face.
Two nearly identical children playing indoors.
Policemen.
A pool of thick, dark liquid.
A black limousine parked by a red fire hydrant.
A small, dimly lit room.
A burning cigarette.
A gun lying on the floor, underneath a shadowy object.
A single ivory rose.
**********
There were exactly twenty-two copies of each image; some of which were blurry and faded, while others remarkably clearer. Millerna chose the cleanest of each scan, and had been studying them for at least three hours past closing. By now she was tired, and her nerves worn thin. The rest of the crew had long past called it a day, and had urged her to leave as well, but her stubborn curiosity had refused to budge without further study. Unfortunately, the more she viewed the images, the less she seemed to understand them. 'What do they all mean…? There's no connecting factor among them,' Ms. Aston groaned mentally, frustrated with her lack of results. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she had hardly eaten all evening. Sighing heavily, she straightened up the files cluttering her desk, gathered her belongings, and clicked off the lamp.
"Goodnight Jayda," she murmured as she turned off the main light and left the lab. 'I hope she'll sleep better then I will.'
**********
Click. Whirrrrrr. Click.
"She's gone."
"About time." Two voices spoke in hushed tones as they entered the lab.
Click. Whirrrrrr. Click.
"Would you shut off those d*** cameras already?! I hate knowing he's watching," the feminine voice hissed at her male coconspirator.
"Can't. Orders."
"What are you good for, anyway?" With gloved hands the two trespassers thumbed through several files, took photographs, and downloaded all the new Project Dreamer information from the main computer onto a disk. Luckily, none of the data had been encoded.
Click. Whirrrrr. Click.
"We got what we came for, let's go." The woman glared at the figure floating behind the glass before leaving the room. "A pity you can't speak, girl," she smirked wickedly. "Until next time." The man simply shut the door behind them, tired of the routine.
'You'd think she'd get sick of this,' he thought to himself. 'Women.'
Click. Whirrrrr. Click.
**********
Millerna entered her small apartment and glanced at the clock: 9pm. She mumbled something about getting a new job and rummaged through the freezer for a frozen dinner. After eating, the psychologist decided a long, hot, steamy bubble bath was just what she needed to relax herself, mentally and physically. She started the water, lit a few candles, turned on some soft music, and poured a glass of wine. As she slipped into the tub, all her worries seemed to melt away. 'Finally…'
**********
While Jayda's body remained motionless, her mind was reeling. Could no one hear her plea? Could no one help her?
Bring Me to Life.
Her heart felt like it would burst from her chest, pure adrenaline and fear running through her veins.
Without a voice,
Without a soul.
Don't let me die here…there must be something more…
Inside, her thoughts were screaming for freedom. She would try one more time…it had to work.
**********
Feeling like a new woman, Millerna lazily got out of the tub and dressed in her robe, tying it loosely around her waist. She sighed happily as she towel dried her hair and gazed at her reflection. 'Soap can do wonders for the soul,' she giggled mentally and began brushing her teeth.
'Wake me up inside…' a quiet voice whispered.
Millerna froze, the toothbrush still inside her mouth. She quickly dismissed the noise and decided that she was just tired and needed sleep. The blonde rinsed her toothbrush, flossed, and searched the drawer for a hair tie. After putting her mass of wet locks into a messy ponytail on the top of her head, the young woman threw on her pajamas and crept into bed. Her eyes closed wearily, but the voice returned.
'Wake me up inside…'
The woman's eyes snapped open as she held her breath, thoroughly disturbed by the sounds that were echoing in her head.
"Who's there!!!" she yelled to the darkness as she clutched her sheets. No reply. "Answer me!" Suddenly, Millerna's thoughts were bombarded with pleading statements.
'Wake me up inside.
Call my name and save me from the dark.
Bid my blood to run,
Before I come undone.
Save me from the nothing I've become…'
"Please…" the terrified woman begged. "Please stop…please." She was cradling her head in her hands, trying to stop the whispers in her mind. As the words repeated over and over, images began to flash rapidly through her brain. A pair of hands clutching a piece of jewelry; a young man's smiling face; two nearly identical children playing indoors…these were Jayda's visions…Jayda's dreams.
"Jayda…? Is that you?" Millerna spoke, her voice trembling. The whispers stopped. The images ceased. "Jayda???"
'Millerna…
Help me, Please.'
**********
Dryden Fassa crept into bed, and closed his eyes. He had gone out to dinner with some fellow co-workers and was now thoroughly worn out. They had discussed everything from food to politics, and argued over opinions the whole night. Not that Dryden was opposed to that…he actually enjoyed deep conversations, not to mention the bottle of wine they had consumed while talking. Now, slightly hung over and very sleepy, the man was extremely happy to be home. That is…until his phone rang. The scientist cursed loudly and looked at the clock. 12:14am. 'Who the heck would be calling me at this hour!' he thought angrily.
"Whadda ya want!" he spoke, his speech slurring slightly.
"Dr, Fassa…I'm so sorry to call you this late…but I'm worried about Jayda."
"Ms. Aston…is that you??"
"Yes sir. Please, she contacted me. We have to go to the lab right away." The young woman on the other end of the phone sounded scared and nervous.
"Calm down Millerna. Wha…Jayda contacted you? How?"
"In my thoughts…I think. Something like telepathy. I know it sounds crazy, but I heard her, I know I did!"
"Look, can't we talk about this tomorrow? I'm sure she'll be fine…" Dryden was loosing his patience, as well as his consciousness.
"No! She was asking for help! Please, we have to go now! I need your keys to get into the building. Meet me out in front of your place in 10 minutes."
"But-…"
"No buts!! This is serious! I'm already in your driveway. Please Dryden, you won't regret it," the blonde begged, clutching her cell phone.
'I doubt that…' Fassa thought to himself before agreeing to meet his frazzled psychologist. He hung up the phone and sat up slowly. His head was pounding while he dressed and walked out the door and into the night. 'This had better be good…'
**********
YAY! You like? No like? Let me know!! For all you Van lovers, yes he is in this story…be patient!! Thank you to all my reviewers!!! I will be addressing you personally in my next chapter update, promise! Hope you enjoyed this. Have a great night everyone! God Bless!