This was an accident
Not the kind where sirens sound
Never even noticed
We're suddenly crumbling
— "Show Me Love," by t.A.T.u.
Monday, 4/7/14
Everything in the room is a rich blue color—which would turn me off any other time, but I found it to be strangely comforting now, like an old friend. The décor reminded me of something out of a concert hall with rows of empty seats below a lit stage. A piano that seemed to almost whisper to me was in one corner of the stage, and on the other side of it was an older gentlemen dressed appropriately in a black suit and tie. He smiles when we lock eyes, and despite the buzzing of questions inside my head, I feel myself smiling back. For some odd reason, I felt comforted by this man's presence (as if I had seen him before—which was absolutely crazy, because I would've immediately remembered someone so noteworthy), and completely forget what I was doing before.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." He greets me as I approach, gloved hands folded underneath his chin. Not a very clever name, was it? I nod my understanding, and sit down at the table in front of him when he prompts me to. Soft music plays in the background, and it adds to the overall ambience of the place. "It's been awhile since we've last had a guest, and one with such an intriguing destiny, as well... I wonder, where will your journey take you...?" My journey? He chuckles lightly to himself, "Ah, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Igor... I am delighted to make your acquaintance."
"Likewise..." I start to say, a bit unsure. Had he been expecting me? "Um... Where am I?"
"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... It is a room that only those bound by a 'contract' may enter..." As soon as he finishes, a leather-bound book appears before me, along with a bottle of black ink and a quill pen. I cock my head to the side, and reach out for the pen first—the feathers are cool and soft against my fingertips. "Before we continue, why don't you introduce yourself...?" He gestures towards the empty book, and I take the hint, quickly scribbling my name down on the yellowed pages.
~ Rιsα Yαмα∂α
My penmanship was a bit rusty, but hopefully it was still legible to the eye.
"Very well..." I drop the pen back into the ink bottle, and both that, and the book disappears with a snap of his fingers. In their place is a faced down deck of cards, arranged in a nine card spread; they weren't normal playing cards, though. What were they, I wondered... He notices me staring at them, somewhat mesmerized, and the smile across his lips widens. "Do you believe in fortune reading?" I offer a shrug in reply (because honestly, I had never been a spiritual person—I relied on logic and statistics to guide me), and he flips the bottom right card over—on it was a picture of an antique clock surrounded by two silhouette creatures. I watch his features harden for a fleeting moment, before settling back into what I deemed to be his usual expression. "The Wheel of Fortune in the reversed position represents bad luck. It seems that an unfortunate circumstance will befall you in the near future... Let's take a look at the next one, shall we...?"
I bob my head wordlessly in reply—suddenly eager to hear more—and he flips over the card on the opposite side. This one was facing upright, and featured a cluster of golden stars. "The Star in the upright position represents "hope" and "renewal"... I see... It seems there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and as long as you remember that, you will be able to overcome your ordeal." Interesting.
So much was going through my head right now (what was this unfortunate circumstance, and would I really be able to overcome it? Hope was such a fragile thing, after all), and just as I'm about to open my mouth to speak, Igor cuts me off.
"Do not worry... I, along with my assistant, will provide as much assistance as possible to see to it that you will preserve." While speaking, he gestures to the person beside him that I embarrassingly failed to notice before... Had he been there the entire time? Perhaps his all-blue attire made him blend in, and that's why I missed him. A likely enough conclusion, one that I would support for the time being. "This is Lucas. He is a resident of this place, like myself."
Upon further inspection, he looked quite young (a few years younger than me, anyway) with messy silver locks, and large, expressive blue eyes, ones that looked as if they were etched into his face as an afterthought. He waves at me cheerfully from his seat—an action that doesn't fail to spark a slight warmth within me. Briefly puzzled… I realize this is because Lucas is… Cute to me; a thought that I had been most unprepared for. I could feel the beginnings of a blush rise up my cheeks, but I quickly scuff out the feelings like a small campfire. After all, there was no need to get worked up over something so insignificant.
There are certainly guys whom I've found attractive in the past, but I've never gone after any of them or even acted upon those thoughts. Love has always been just another word to me—a series of letters that may hold some meaning to others, but not me. I've convinced myself that I would be fine without ever finding it.
"Hey, I'm Lucas!" His voice, I find, is very light and airy—the epitome of child-like innocence. "You're my first guest, so please go easy on me!" Igor shoots him a sharp side-glance, and he immediately straightens up, clearing his throat. "Err... Pleased to meet you, Miss. My name is Lucas. I'll be Mr. Igor's assistant for the duration of your time with us." I smile, and bow my head in acknowledgment, finding his little slip-up amusing. Lucas reminded me of a little brother, not that I had one myself, as I am an only child. But I've read enough to know what having one would be like. My gaze returns to Igor when he starts back up.
"I know you must have more questions, but alas, I cannot hold you here any longer. Time still marches on in your world." What did that mean? That I was dreaming? Suddenly, a key drops into my hand; it's silver in color, and gleams when the light catches it. For some reason, it also felt warm pressing into my palm, like it had a life all on its own. "Hold onto this... With this key, you may come visit us whenever you like... We shall attend to more details the next time we meet. Until then, farewell..."
My visions begins to darken after that, until I can no longer see either men, or the completely blue room.
I jolt awake when the car hits a particularly nasty bump in the road, and my mother behind the steering wheel offers me an apologetic smile in reply. Had that all really been a dream? It felt so real... I don't even remember falling asleep. Normally, I'd dwell on it more, but I was much too tired to form a coherent thought right now. How I yearned for a cup of coffee to stimulate my senses—extra cream with two sugars. I let out a long, unlady-like yawn, rub any sleep that was left in my eyes, and stretch out my arms high above my head, stopping only when I hear that familiar crack. We'd been in the car for a good few hours now—Sumaru to Omiya was a lengthy drive, 300 miles, I'd wager—and my body felt pretty stiff as a result. I couldn't imagine the state my mother was in, but then again, it was hard to tell behind all the make-up she wore so well.
According to the brochure I read, Omiya is a relatively small town smack dab in the middle of everything. It's dedicated to a lot of hobby shops, like the metal works store behind the Maizono manor, and offers a great view of the ocean, but tourists typically use it as a stepping stone to the more prominent, industrialized cities some miles away. It's a nice enough place to live in, and despite the size, there's still a lot to see—the shopping plaza in the center is where most of the locals flock for the latest gossip, and Kasugami High School is apparently home to a lot of starving artists. But we drive past all that, and pull up onto a dirt road where a rustic-looking building I didn't recognize from the pamphlet slowly comes into view.
I rip my gaze from the car window long enough to take in my current surroundings. As far as I can tell, the building wasn't connected to the rest of town—in fact, it seemed rather closed off with the high, wired fence on all sides, and the way it was perched on the very top of the highest hill. I give my mother a cross between a worried look and a curious expression, and she counters with her ever-present, bright smile.
"Oh, Risa-chan, I know how badly you've been feeling lately, and what kind of mother would I be if I let you suffer?" I watch as my mother's delicate, freshly manicured hands—the same ones that used to tuck me in at night, and promise me that Omiya would be the perfect place for us to start all over—sweep across the expanse of land behind us, the smile never leaving her face. "Then I heard about this place while shopping the other day! The nice men here promised me they'd fix you right up~"
"I don't need fixing." I manage curtly through gritted teeth, not liking the way she had phrased that, like I'm some broken toy you can duck tape together, and bam! Good as new. Lately, I had been having restful nights—nightmares and snippets of voices that didn't belong to me—sometime after my dad left us, and we decided to pack up everything, and move to Omiya. They would only last for a day, however, and usually wouldn't resurface for another month, so I didn't give them much concern. Nightmares, no matter how terrifying, are something that everyone eventually has to go through. I was perfectly healthy.
A frown touches my mother's lips, and it's so unlike her typical character, that I know this must be more grave than I previously imagined.
"Honey, you're sick." She stresses with a bit more bite than I'm used to. I recoil at her tone. "Two weeks, that's all I ask." I weighed my options for awhile, recognizing that I didn't have much of a choice (I could try to run, but where would I go? I didn't have many friends or living relatives that would be eager to house me for an extended period, and I was sure she would find me soon enough). When she put it that way, two weeks wasn't that long... Maybe she was right, and this was a good thing. It might be nice to get a second opinion, to make sure that my body truly was in working order.
"Alright..." I give in, not even bothering to conceal my obvious displeasure to this. I wish she had at least told me about this before time. I felt a bit betrayed the way she had strung me along, making me believe I would have a normal life as a normal teenage girl, going to a normal high school where my only concern would be the piles of homework I receive. But she was still my mother, and I knew she only had the best intentions for me. Because of that, I was willing to trust her. Two men dressed in light blue medical scrubs help me with my bags, and escort me to the entrance, where a sign, previously hidden to me by the local shrubbery, reads: Omiya Insane Asylum.
What I didn't know was that I would be there longer than two weeks... And that I would never see my mother or that town again.
A/N: So, here it is, the first official installment of Sirens! The last time I worked on this was... I think early summer?
Of course, I've gone through laptops since then, so I lost the original file. Some of this stuff I made up, but it's close enough to the original, I think... I also ended up tweaking the protagonist's personality, so she's quite different from the original conception. I hope all of you enjoyed, anyway~
By the way! Would you guys want to see cameos from characters of other Persona games? Let me know who in the reviews, and I'll consider it!