Status: rewriting.
Imagination
27th October 2012.
Unmerciful eyes studied the exhausted subject that sat before them, her breaths weak and irregular. The presentation being given held the interest of the whole room, the audience's eyes barely moving between the speaker and his subject. What appeared to be an iron headdress adorned the ghost of a girl, her dead eyes flickered this way and that. Wires were attached to her skull, leading towards a computer and projector so as to prove the speaker's argument.
The subject looked out into the crowd, unable to decipher their true emotions towards her, perhaps some felt sorry for her, merciful. It was unlikely. Looking out at the back of the hall the girl thought of the sun, the warmth that had once graced her features and the happiness she had felt when it had. Freedom can sometimes be taken without gratitude; the girl knew she had been one of those people. She wanted to cry, but her eyes had run dry. There was no amount of pleas that would falter the audience before her, she was their guinea pig filled with the information they so desperately sought. The scientist that walked around her as he gave his presentation made her squirm; he would get too close to her, too personal when he would interrogate her. He smiled when she felt pain, but no amount of pain would get her to speak out, she had lasted this long, she wouldn’t give up now.
When the girl closed her eyes she forgot about the events that were unfolding around her, she imagined she was outside, something she had not been able to do for several years. She smiled to herself when she considered the feeling of being around nature, perhaps when she was released from her cell she would spend days on end amongst the beauty of the earth. She only hoped that the world had not changed significantly since she had been a part of it. To think of life outside of this building made her feel lost, she had become so accustomed to life amongst these monsters. But what she did not forget was her promise to him, the man who she was chosen, by God, to protect. At first she had not realised that her life was on a set path but then she began to believe, something which would have been frowned upon had her family discovered it. Nicholas had been the one to teach her.
She was brought back to reality by the sound of the scientist’s voice, closer than it had been before. She felt her skin crawl as he spoke of the man she was protecting and refused to talk about. Sebastian had given her a new life; she wouldn’t relinquish his for the sake of leaving this dreadful place. Perhaps once they’d believed she had no information to give them then she would be released. Then again, she had hoped that for the past 7 years. The Scientist felt his heart beat against his chest, he had tested out his experiment on a number of occasions but now he wasn’t so sure it was going to work. His employers would not have been pleased if he’d failed them after taking so long to reach this point. His palms were sweaty as he feigned confidence, the concentrated audience refused to surrender their glare at him and his subject. He took a deep breath before continuing his lecture.
"We can't forget what has brought us here, to discover the truth behind the myth. In this very room history will be made," the sleep-deprived scientist offered, holding his congregation in the palm of his hand. "This woman, Dahlia Talbot, has been in our research lab for several years now. At first it appeared impossible to prove the existence of Sebastian Dalburn, but now with our advanced technology it can be discovered."
The scientist walked over to the quivering girl, turning a switch on the metal cage surrounding her skull. A dull drone ensued and the projector screen flickered to show a fragmented image that was difficult to decipher. The scientist prompted the girl to think of the man in question and after a moment the fragmented image came together to form a clear picture. A young man was visible, his kind hearted smile and dishevelled hair looming over the silent audience. This was the man who didn't exist, the man who was said to be dead. Despite past mistakes, Dahlia Talbot would keep his secret safe no matter what those scientists did to her.
The subject looked out into the crowd, unable to decipher their true emotions towards her, perhaps some felt sorry for her, merciful. It was unlikely. Looking out at the back of the hall the girl thought of the sun, the warmth that had once graced her features and the happiness she had felt when it had. Freedom can sometimes be taken without gratitude; the girl knew she had been one of those people. She wanted to cry, but her eyes had run dry. There was no amount of pleas that would falter the audience before her, she was their guinea pig filled with the information they so desperately sought. The scientist that walked around her as he gave his presentation made her squirm; he would get too close to her, too personal when he would interrogate her. He smiled when she felt pain, but no amount of pain would get her to speak out, she had lasted this long, she wouldn’t give up now.
When the girl closed her eyes she forgot about the events that were unfolding around her, she imagined she was outside, something she had not been able to do for several years. She smiled to herself when she considered the feeling of being around nature, perhaps when she was released from her cell she would spend days on end amongst the beauty of the earth. She only hoped that the world had not changed significantly since she had been a part of it. To think of life outside of this building made her feel lost, she had become so accustomed to life amongst these monsters. But what she did not forget was her promise to him, the man who she was chosen, by God, to protect. At first she had not realised that her life was on a set path but then she began to believe, something which would have been frowned upon had her family discovered it. Nicholas had been the one to teach her.
She was brought back to reality by the sound of the scientist’s voice, closer than it had been before. She felt her skin crawl as he spoke of the man she was protecting and refused to talk about. Sebastian had given her a new life; she wouldn’t relinquish his for the sake of leaving this dreadful place. Perhaps once they’d believed she had no information to give them then she would be released. Then again, she had hoped that for the past 7 years. The Scientist felt his heart beat against his chest, he had tested out his experiment on a number of occasions but now he wasn’t so sure it was going to work. His employers would not have been pleased if he’d failed them after taking so long to reach this point. His palms were sweaty as he feigned confidence, the concentrated audience refused to surrender their glare at him and his subject. He took a deep breath before continuing his lecture.
"We can't forget what has brought us here, to discover the truth behind the myth. In this very room history will be made," the sleep-deprived scientist offered, holding his congregation in the palm of his hand. "This woman, Dahlia Talbot, has been in our research lab for several years now. At first it appeared impossible to prove the existence of Sebastian Dalburn, but now with our advanced technology it can be discovered."
The scientist walked over to the quivering girl, turning a switch on the metal cage surrounding her skull. A dull drone ensued and the projector screen flickered to show a fragmented image that was difficult to decipher. The scientist prompted the girl to think of the man in question and after a moment the fragmented image came together to form a clear picture. A young man was visible, his kind hearted smile and dishevelled hair looming over the silent audience. This was the man who didn't exist, the man who was said to be dead. Despite past mistakes, Dahlia Talbot would keep his secret safe no matter what those scientists did to her.
♠ ♠ ♠
Edited. Comment and subscribe.