The Long Road Ahead

Act II

Episode II

Who was Bethany Reed?

That was a first night in a long time that Tessa had gotten any measure of a good night's rest. As she stood in the small shower still half asleep, arms against the walls just underneath the shower head, Tessa let the water come down over her. Small droplets of water broke off from the main stream and made small paths across her face. She stood there, motionless. Her body felt like it had been renewed. The steam from the hot water rose up off the shower's floor. Tessa could smell it in her nose. When she opened her eyes everything in her private bathroom was a haze from the grey-white water vapor that swirled around her and over the shower's door in the rest of the room. Tessa took in a deep breath through her mouth. Her tongue could taste the water that saturated the air. The moist air filled her lungs as she drew the air in slowly. Closing her mouth she held it all in for a moment before letting it all out through her nostrils. Tessa close her eyes and breathed in and out again. It was early morning now. Kurz and Melissa were long sense gone. No doubt they were still asleep. They went their separate ways after that evening. It must have been knowing now who David Reed actually was that caused her to slumber so peacefully. So Teletha Testarossa was now alone. Her mind seemingly blank of all thought besides the feelings of the hot water running over her skin that melted everything else around her away. The job wasn't done, not by a long shot. But at least, for those brief moments in that steam filled shower, Tessa could gain some small measure of peace and comfort.

Tessa reached for the shower knob, the one that controlled the water. Eyes still closed her slender hands grabbed it softly and turned. She turned it until it stopped. The warm water that came from above ceased to pour from the shower head. Leaning up against the wall again, Tessa didn't make any rush to open up the shower door. What water remained on her smooth skin slowly dripped away, falling onto the ground, moving along the floor and into the small drain in the middle. Steam began to settle around her. It stuck to the walls and pieces of metal of the bathroom. Finally, with one final long and drawn out sigh Tessa turned her body. Her hand grabbed the shower door and slid it open.

Pulling the faint tan colored towel snuggly around her body, Tessa looked herself in the mirror. Just like she had countless times before, she readied herself for the day. Leaning against the pearly white sink she began to brush and dry her hair, combing it out neatly to be presentable. Teletha grabbed another smaller towel and wiped down her still damp face. Reaching toward a tiny container under the mirror, she grasped a small cylinder of lipstick. Tessa put it on her lips. The captain looked in the mirror. The young woman was pretty much set for the events of the day. It was rather refreshing to have such a slow morning. At least for now, there was no trouble, no hassle of information to shift through, and no Council breathing down her neck. In that tiny moment in time it was only Tessa and the sight of her clean self in the mirror.

She then emerged from the steamy bathroom half-dressed. Tessa tossed the tan towel to the side. Bare feet gracefully strutted toward her closet. The soles of her feet made little noise against the cold floor. Her pace was quick. Tessa would've rather avoided someone seeing her half-naked in case a random Mithril worker barged into her room. The young woman remembered an alcohol induced experience where she had wandered about the base wearing just she had now. Thankfully that time only Sousuke Sagara had seen her. He thankfully never told anyone what happened. But all that was water under the bridge. That happened years ago. Sousuke was with Kaname now. Yet, it was something she would rather not repeat anytime soon. Reaching her closet the Mithril officer began to swiftly dress herself into her uniform. It was the same style suit she had worn yesterday. It was the same style of suit she will wear tomorrow. White, tan, and dull. Once she was fully dressed, Teletha Testarossa shut the wooden closet doors with a click.

Her eyes drifted lazily toward the clock above her bed. Tessa had a few minutes before she had to report anywhere. The captain let out another sigh, more time to kill, more time to sulk and think. She missed the old days. Tessa wanted things to go back to the way they were years ago when it was just her and her friends. She wanted to go back to the time when she went to high school in Japan with Sousuke and Kaname. Back then those few years ago everything just simply simpler. When Tessa was there she really never had to worry about anything than fitting in. It was during those days when she was a regular person, not a captain, not a soldier or officer…just normal…

Tessa fell back onto her soft bed. Her body immediately sunk into the sheets and mattress. Still there was more time to kill. Lazily, her head nodded off to the side. Teletha now stared across the room. Directly in front of her was that briefcase. It was that dame damn black leather briefcase that she kept with her during her time back in the states with David…But there was something else, something was sticking out of the messy buddle of papers that seemed to burst the briefcase at the seams. David's notebook, the worn cover stuck out like a sore thumb. She jumped at the chance. Scrambling frantically out of the bed she reached out and nabbed the notebook between her index finger and thumb. Tessa gave it a swift yank. The notebook came free with ease.

"Finally…" Teletha whispered softly under her breath even though she was the only person in her room.

David must have lost it in her piles of papers that night in the hallway when he helped her up off the ground. It seemed strange to Tessa why David would forget such a thing. Everything else he had brought with him to the base he had taken with him when he escaped on the plane. Something about it was off. He seemed too attached to such a thing to really forget it in the Mithril base…Then again…The thought crossed Tessa's mind that maybe, just maybe, he had left it here for a reason. David didn't place it out in the open or anything to be found easily. Instead, it might have been that he gave it to Tessa for a reason. David perhaps knew that Tessa would find it in the briefcase…Yes that was it, David had placed it there for a reason.

She turned over the stiff cover of the notebook a looked at the first mostly blank page. It was all white, save for a bunch of handwritten text in the center of the page.

It read…

"Property of Bethany Reed"

"Bethany Reed!" Teletha Testarossa gasped to herself. She nearly let go of it. This little stack of papers held together by wire was David's Sister's notebook, not his. Something told Tessa to turn the page. As if seeing that name seemed to be the key to a locked door that she always wanted to get into…Like if the name on the page had put her into a trance, Tessa Testarossa flipped to the next page.

The first page read the following short entry written in a bright purple pen. All this scribbled writing was coming from Bethany's point of view. Tessa picked out a fair amount of text from the faded ink…

Journal Entry #1

"David left today. He said he got a new job somewhere on the east coast. No matter how many times I asked him, big brother would never tell me. But from the look on his face, I guess it was important to him. Dad seems pretty proud of him to. I probably should be as well…"

"I really don't want him to leave though. I don't have many friends at school."

"I'm proud of you, David…"

"He took me to a baseball game in Chicago before he left though. That was nice. The Cubbies didn't win, but I guess that's ok. They never do well, but people always love them. Sometimes they do really badly, but everyone cheers anyway… I always liked it when David played baseball in high school. We took a picture together at the stadium. Sometimes I wish he would've stuck to that. Big brother was always so good at hitting it over the fences when it really mattered…"

"But later, he gave me this little notebook to write in. David told me to write stuff down; he says it will give me something to do while he is away… He also said he would make sure to send letters when he could…"

"I'll miss you big brother…"

Clearly, Tessa knew from that little bit of writing just how close Bethany and David once were. In addition, she also knew now when that picture was taken…Without any hesitation, Teletha turn the next page over. It was in different ink this time, dark blue, slightly less faded. Some time had passed since she had written. Yet now there was a letter taped into the page, a letter from David. Bethany must've taped it in there.

Tessa then noticed a few small circles of wrinkled paper. They looked like dots where water had once fallen. Tear marks. Tears had fallen onto the page from a little girl's eyes.

This next entry was even shorter than the last…

Journal Entry #2

"David set his first letter today. I thought it'd never come."

"Dad and I read it together. David said he was happy where he was, but that he misses us too."

"I'm not feeling too well."

"I have a headache."

"I think I'm going to bed early tonight…"

"Strange…" Tessa mumbled to herself. She had a faintly confused look upon her face "…That was rather…short." The fact that Bethany had mentioned her headache also was a bit amiss.

Turning the page again, there was another short entry. It was scribbled frantically in the same dark blue ink as the journal entry before it. To Tessa, something about this next entry seemed a little off. The pen marks were quick and skittish. Bethany had written in the notebook pretty quickly, trying to get something down in a rush…

Journal Entry #3

"Dad quit his job tonight."

"I don't know why he would do such a thing. I thought he was happy where he worked. He would sometimes take me to see the big machines he worked on. Daddy said that these big robots were made with the help of some really smart people."

"I heard him on the phone with someone. At first I thought it was David, but it wasn't. I listened to him talk about me over the phone. I guess I was mumbling something in my sleep, something about math and words I don't understand. Daddy was pretty energetic on the phone. Was he talking to a doctor about it?"

"I hope I'm not crazy. I don't want to leave home. I want to wait for brother."

"I'm just going to go to bed. Hopefully…maybe…it's all just in my head."

"I'm going to bed."

P.S – "I still miss you David. Please come home soon."

The last entry perked Tessa interest a tad bit. Something about what Bethany was saying seemed a little off. That poor little girl must have been so afraid. Without David around, her brother, Tessa could only guess at how Bethany was getting along at the time she had written it all down. Yet still, the mention of her mumbling something in her sleep did sound an odd bit like…it couldn't be…Maybe it all was just a small emotional episode. People talk in their sleep sometimes when they are dreaming. Perhaps all that happening was Bethany was having a little trouble adjusting to her brother's absence.

Tessa still could shake the thought of the slightest possibly of what Bethany might be out of her head. It was a long shot, and she didn't have proof. And not having proof at this point, with all the events swirling around her, wouldn't bode well for her future.

The Mithril Captain turned the next page over…There were a couple of colorful drawings in crayon. They weren't anything too notable, just plain scribbles and stick figures. One image stuck out like a sore thumb, a roughly drawn sketch of David and Bethany. David seemed to be holding a baseball bat in his hands.

Journal Entry #4

"Daddy took me to see some people today. He doesn't seem right to me anymore…Just…Off…"

"I think they were doctors. They asked me questions about what I was saying in my sleep. I really didn't understand their questions. I couldn't give them an answer…But they still seemed interested in me anyway. They said they could help me…And I could help them…"

"Dad must've videotaped me one time. He showed them that. I never saw it. I saw him messing around in my room with a camera before I fell asleep one night. But they came back and said that they could help me or something."

"I don't like them. Their eyes look really mean."

"I really wish David were here…"

The words written on the lined paper sent more shivers down Tessa's spine. Bethany's writing, however short, was packed with emotion. Each letter was scribed with a child-like panic. It was as if she was writing when she was having some sort of horrific dream. Even the comments about how Bethany was sensing her father's change in emotion. If maybe Bethany was what Tessa thought she might be, it would only complicate things. This little girl, all alone by herself, was backed into a corner. Each little mention of David made it seem like he was her protector and guardian angel. David seemed like such a kind on honorable person in these pages. But most everything he had done proved otherwise. Yet, Bethany could only write about how she missed him during these events record on the pages. David could do nothing. At this time he was gone, not in any way able to help his little sister.

Even so, the thought of Bethany's condition recorded in the test by her own hand never left Tessa's head…Could she be a Whispered?

Tessa flipped the page…The entry was very short and to the point.

Journal Entry #5

"Some men from Daddy's last job came to the door today."

"They were dressed in black suits. Their faces looked mean, just like the men my dad took me to see. I didn't like them one bit. At first I thought they were coming to tell us something about David…Boy, was I wrong…"

"They started talking to Dad, something about being accused of something. They wanted to take him to jail, I think…"

"I guess we have to go somewhere now. Dad wants me to leave the journal here."

"I have to pack my things…We are going now…"

"David…Why have you not come home yet? I'm scared…Really scared…Something isn't right here."

Information from the night before came flooding back to Tessa like a raging flood. Bethany was mentioning the accusations against David's father. She remembered this well. He would be found not guilty. It was all in the files. Tessa's stomach began to twist. She really was starting to hate reading through this little journal. It was as if she was diving deep in this little girls head and her thoughts. Bethany was spilling her mind and emotions onto the pages, even if the script was short and childish. Each little image that was drawn told a story about how much she truly did care for David. Her thoughts drifted back to the start of all this madness, to the night of her and David driving down the road at night when Tessa first asked about the picture on the dashboard. All the details about how David spoke, how he carried his thoughts and shared them with her, told Teletha Testarossa that something was not fitting right in this puzzle.

David had spoken as if his sister was still among the living. Yet, the file Mithril had assembled said otherwise. Bethany was believe to had passed away when her father's car was in an accident…But…It was also stated the body was never found. Was this little girl alive just as David had said? And if so, where is she?

The clock on her wall was ticking onward.

Although Teletha knew how this all was going to end. The Mithril captain wasted no time flipping over the next page…

Journal Entry #6

"We finally got back from the city…It feels good to be home."

"David still hasn't gotten my letters. They keep sending them back to my house. I hope he doesn't believe I forgot about him. Talking with him would really make me feel better right now."

"Daddy is also getting more and more strange. Ever since we got to the city he was always on edge. He looked like he was looking out for someone, or someone was looking for him."

"Why did Dad have to quit his job?"

"…Wait…is it all my fault? I started talking in my sleep and he quit his job. He became obsessed over me. Did I do this?"

"I've started to write things down now. I'm starting to remember things from my dreams and from my sleep, I guess. Numbers and lines and letters I don't understand. They are all in this random order that only seems to make somewhat sense to Dad. He really likes it when I draw these things…I'm really starting to think this is my entire fault."

"He said we have to go on a drive now. Daddy said he doesn't know when we will get back."

"David…I really miss you…Why did you have to leave. I want you here."

"I put some things in the back of this book for David when he gets back…Maybe he can figure-."

Tessa Testarossa was jolted from the journal and thoughts when a voice blasted over the intercom within her room. The speaker boomed as the volume was turned all the way up. She slammed the journal shut and stuffed it under her pillow in surprise.

"Captain Testarossa, Sousuke Sagara's plane has just landed!"

Scrambling up off her bed, the Mithril officer made her way toward her door with as much speed as she could muster. If they had called in Sousuke, things were taking a turn for the worse…And maybe, just maybe, Sousuke had brought one of Tessa's old friends with him…

Author's Note:

Here you go guys, another episode! Lots of stuff happening here!

PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE, if you would be so kind, leave a review and tell me what you think It would mean a lot to me to hear what people are thinking of the story. Reviews are really the things that keep me going and motivated. So if you have time, please drop of review. It'd mean a bunch!

That's it for now! Remember, I'm always open to PMs if you have any questions!

As Always,

Mr-Watch

P.S. – PM me if you find any errors, and I'll fix them ASAP!