Chapter 2 - Voices and Greetings
Sayako Nightbringer
I sat at my computer at four in the morning, one of my freak occurrences where I'd wake up an hour or two before my alarm went off. It was a miracle that I had gotten to sleep in the first place. I hadn't dreamed about anything to my dismay. Anything would have been better than the woman's warning ringing in my mind. Sighing, I turned off my computer and went into my still-dark room.
I laid on my bed with my arms tucked underneath me so I could stare at the ceiling. Today was Saturday, but we wouldn't be seeing my Dad because he had called yesterday to say that he was still sick from the cold he had caught earlier in the week. Mom would be doing DJ stuff so it was just me and my brother.
...ey...
What?
I sat up, glancing around. Had I imagined that? Pain shot through my head, my hands shooting up to grip the sides of it in response.
Hey!
My eyes snapped up to my desk in front of me. Nothing was there, so I glanced to either side of me, but nothing was there either. Had I imagined th-
I know you can hear me!
That stopped my internal rant cold. Because the voice had come from my head, not from around me.
Finally, you get it! I've been trying to get your attention for about an hour now. Considering the pain in my head wouldn't leave me alone.
I sat still, hoping that if I somehow kept my mind blank, the voice would go away and I could pass off for sane again. A shiver went up my spine after a moment and I whimpered.
'Are you glaring at me?' I thought back to the odd voice-in-my-head.
Gah! That's only because you're ignoring the problem here!
'And what would that be, oh-so-powerful mind-buddy?' I taunted, not in the mood to be insane just yet.
That we can hear each other? Are you really that blind? The voice huffed. But I wasn't worried about them being mad. It was the way their tone hit that sentence that had caught me off guard.
'Um...' Yeah, very brilliant reply. The voice sighed tiredly.
So I'm dealing with another idiot. As if the newcomers weren't enough. You just had to show up now...
'Hey hey hey! You're not the only one confused here! I've got some selfish person in my head who can't be cooperative for more than five seconds.' I hissed back, glaring at my ceiling. 'And I didn't just "show up" as you put it. For some reason our minds connected.'
Well if you know why, then fix it! I've already got a headache.
'Well excuse me! I'm sorry for not knowing how to fix this mess!' I stood up and paced on the small stretch of clean floor that I could pace on. My mind-buddy kept ranting tiredly at me while I tried to think of whatever could have caused this. An unfamiliar weight on my neck caught my attention for the first time since last night. My hand reached up and touched the necklace softly, earning a yelp from the voice in my head.
What the HELL was that? I assume you did something because something touched my neck! The voice yelled. Instead of arguing though, I did the opposite.
I started laughing.
What's wrong now? I just asked you something!
'Of course...' I thought, laughing with relief. I wasn't crazy.
"Of course" WHAT?
'Did you have an odd dream a couple of nights ago? Where you were at a lake with lot of snow?'
How does this relate to my problem?
'Our problem. Anyway, just answer the question.'
I did. Now tell me what this has to do with... WHY are you laughing? The voice snarled at me. It must have been early in the morning for them too.
'Because I had the same dream. I assume it had been you I had talked to. But I got a strange necklace there. But it had been left behind when I woke up. But last night, and old woman showed up and gave it back to me.' I decided to leave out what the woman had told me. I didn't want to worry my mind-buddy. Even though I shouldn't really care with their attitude. But I did.
Okay... So how does this relate to the pressure I felt on my neck?
'Because I touched it.' I replied matter-of-factly. I touched the necklace again, earning another startled yelp.
Don'tDO that! Ugh. Can I go back to sleep and forget about this?
'I doubt that will work, but I'll stop bugging you.'
Whatever. The voice grumbled before my mind went silent. I smiled and sat back down on my bed. More sleep sounded nice. I moved to the other side of my mattress next to the wall and let my head fall onto my pillow.
"We'll need more than luck to get out of this..." I whispered, letting sleep claim me again.
-x-
When my older brother woke me up at noon, I was less than refreshed. I glared tiredly up at him. He shrugged, as my glares were nothing new, then left my room. I sighed and sat up, wrapping my arms around my upraised knees. The conversation a few hours ago was still fresh in my mind. I don't know if the link wasn't strong enough or something like that, but I couldn't tell whose voice it was. Or if it was male or female for that matter. Most likely my mind buddy didn't know me either, but I wasn't about to ask them.
I stared at the wall across from me, just letting myself blank out for a bit. It was odd, but something I couldn't tell anyone. I'd worry them if I did. Only Angel would believe me most likely. I sighed and laid my forehead on my knees. This was complicated, and I had all of today to myself. The thought of questioning my mind-buddy was entertaining, but I kept myself from it. Probably make them mad.
My silence didn't last long. After a while I caught a stray thought from my mind buddy. You've got to be kidding me... I just met the idiot and he's trying to be friends?
I giggled, not able to keep myself from responding. 'Is he blond?'
I didn't get a response for a few seconds. Do you mind? You startled me! It's hard to cover that up around people you know! I shrugged, temporarily forgetting they couldn't see it.
'Does it look... um, sound like I care?'
I got an angry scoff from my buddy. Just be quiet while I deal with this moron. I'll deal with you later. They snarled. I just laughed a little out loud then waited. It took about fifteen minutes before I heard my buddy again.
Finally. Now, why are you here again?
'Because we can't fix this separately. I'm sure we've gotta fix this together. And I'd like to know your name if we're gonna be stuck like this for a while. I'm not gonna call you mind-buddy this entire time.' I told them. There was a small silence before I got a reply.
Fine, but then you tell me your name. It's Leon.
I was shocked at first, thinking that the name belonged to a character I like. But I shot that possibility down quickly. 'Got a last name with that?' I asked, wanting to make absolutely sure that he wasn't-
Magnus.
I froze. I don't know if I lost track of time or what, but I heard his voice again after a little while.
Oi. Did you finally decide to disappear? He mocked. I coughed.
'Um... no, I'm still here.'
What's your problem? I need your name. I told you mine.
'Erica,' I responded after a tense moment. 'Erica Karsath.'
Alright. Now be quiet so I can deal with the idiots. He went silent, leaving me to myself. I just sat there, staring at the wall in a shocked daze. It was him! I took a deep breath, trying not to royally freak out.
It took half an hour to somewhat shake off my stupor enough for me to face my brother. He looked at my startled expression with a confused look before shrugging and looking back at his computer screen. I walked over to my computer and sat down, just staring at the blank monitor. I knew Leon was going to contact me again once he was done dealing with Stahn, Mary, and Rutee. I was sure now that it was them.
Eventually nerves took control and I left my brother alone to hide back in my room, curling up under the covers and staring at my phone which lay beside my pillow.
Sayako: I don't own Leon! I swear! *hides*
*Pokes head out* I own myself though. Leon and the others belong to Namco.
