Chapter 7 What's Happening and What's Going On?

Rachel

April 21st, 2013

11:03 PM

5 Miles From Arcadia Bay

Dark Room

I had been out for over an hour and I begin to wake up with the drug dosage still aching through my blood veins. My eyelids slowly peel open and body is posed against the white screen so I sit up straight while I'm asleep. I can still see the flashes of Jefferson's camera taking pictures of my body.

The camera flashes blind me a little making it harder for my vision to clear as I regain consciousness. Even when my vision does clear, my body is still numb from the drugs Jefferson injected me with and still tied up and bound like an animal.

"You know something, Ms. Amber," Jefferson began. "Until now, I've tried my hardest to find the worst possible shot I could take of you. But I can't. You know why? Because your the best figure I've had yet in this room. You really are."

I had no idea why this was happening or who Jefferson was to drug and kidnap me here, but this was sick. Best figure? What was wrong with him?

"Why are you doing this?" I ask with my numb voice. "What's happening...and what's going on?"

This psycho mentor of mine kept taking pictures of me. This could not be happening. Not at all.

"You should be asking," he began. "What's been happening and what should be going on. What's been happening is that every now and then you come to me and ask 'Mr. Jefferson, I want to be a star someday. You should make me a star one day.' What should be going on is the beginning of your dream. That's what's happening and what's going on."

Jefferson takes another shot of me during his delusional conversation with me. The beginning of my dream? Really? Whatever this psycho mentor was doing, it certainly wasn't my dream.

"You call this a dream?" I mutter. "I've never dreamt of being drugged, kidnapped, and tied up like an animal by the one teacher I always looked up to. How is this the beginning of my dream?"

"Now that's a great question, Rachel. This is my gift to you. My little surprise to you to begin our long journey ahead of us. That's how."

I couldn't believe a word this psycho with the glasses and goatee was saying. What was I to him? His manikin? His doll? What kind of mentor have I chosen to guide me to what I've always wanted to be for a life time?

Somehow had I known I had a pedophile or porno-man for a photo master at Blackwell, I would've stayed away from his psychotic ass. I also wonder why Nathan would be in on this too. I had know him for a few years now. Why would he help Jefferson do something so deceptive like this?

"We never agreed to anything like this," I say. "Why did you never say anything about this if this was how it going to be?"

"Like I told you," Jefferson began. "This was all my special surprise gift to you. The gift of greatness. The gift of beauty. The gift of serenity. Had I told you, it would no longer be a surprise. I never give away spoilers before the big show. And here I am giving you the best dream gift you've always hoped. Yet here you are repaying me by acting like a spoiled and ungrateful child."

I cringe a little at the next shot he takes of me, but not enough so I'd ruin his shot. I stare at the man with the camera taking shots of my bound body like an episode of "Dexter". This psychopath was just straight up sick and I couldn't take it any more.

After everything Jefferson promised, after everything I've done to trust this gentleman, this what I get for trust a guy in a goatee. I wonder how Nathan feels about this. If he's still cares about me, I can't imagine him being cool about all this. Any of it at all. I tear rolls down my cheek once I hit the definition of insanity.

"Is that a tear I see?" asks Jefferson. "I asked you a question, Rachel. Is - that - a tear I see?"

Jefferson leans himself towards my head waiting for an answer. I spit my own saliva on his face when he's close enough. Then he spanks me across the face twice as hard. Now I've really pissed him off.

"God dammit, answer my fucking question!" he snarls, holding my chin tightly. "Is that a tear I see?! Answer me!"

Now I break down completely and tears leak out of my eyelids. My face is read from sadness and the slap in the face. I give Jefferson a light nod to answer his question.

He releases me from my chin and I sit there with my rist and ankles tied together sobbing and whaling like a tiny baby. The psycho artist stares down at me in disgust.

"This is pathetic," he mutters. "You used to be my best student. The greatest and most notorious Blackwell attendee I could've ever wanted in my class and this how you repay me?! You know what, I'm done with now. Perhaps Nathan ought to be mature enough to capitulate more with my scheme. What a waste. I'm going out now. Until then, you sit there and wait for me. I expect you to behave like a grown young woman when I'm back."

"Fuck you!" I whale. "I never asked for any of this! I wanted any of this! All I wanted was just to live my dream of being a star in LA. I wish I never met you! I want to go home. Just let me go you fucking psycho!"

And then pissed him off even more. He rushed his way over to his cart and snatched a roll of duct tape. Then he stomps his way over to me and tears out a piece of tape to gag me with it.

"If you got nothing good to say you little shit!" he snapped. "Don't say anything at ALL!"

The man roughly conceals my lips with the duct tape and I'm silenced for good. I whimper a little as the tape is on. Then Jefferson storms his way out of the room and leaves to go find Nathan.

The tape over my mouth feels like gum stuck to the ground. I whimper a little more to fight it. No use struggling. I was now alone in the Dark Room. Tied, gagged, and bound like a present wrapped in silver. You all know the cliche. Silence is golden. Duct tape is silver. The silver beat me to it. That's what was happening and what was going on.

Note: So yeah. I made this chapter into another flashback with Rachel in the Dark Room. You'll have where we left off last chapter in the next few chapters. You know it.

About last chapter, I may have a little more explaining to do incase I didn't explain enough. By now you might be scratching you're heads saying what is this Project Cyclone when this episode is called Project Elysium? Let's just say this episode will get there later in this part of my fiction. Similar to how the Dark Room reveal in episode 4 of season 1 wasn't till the end. That's why it had been the longest episode of that season. I did once mention this episode of my fiction would be the longest. So don't expect Elysium to play role till somewhere around end if you know what I'm saying.

For those who thought I could've come up with something more subtle than Project Cyclone to be what created the storm, this is terrorism we're talking. There's no subtlety in that. No offense. Sorry if I sound defensive. It's next time, stay golden.