Sequel: Escape the Madness ›
Status: Completed ^-^
Method to the Madness
Strange Encounters
I lay there on my bed for quite some time, just thinking about the way I was feeling. The midnight puppy was fast asleep beside me, cuddled up at the top of my pillow by my head, offering me no comfort in sorting out these feelings that were becoming increasingly cloudy in confusion.
I liked the way that his fingertips felt against my skin and that I felt so comfortable being near him. My heart beat faster whenever he was near me, but I had to stay away. He was a forbidden love, especially because he was a Guardian and I a Selva – but he had also been my best friend in a past life that I couldn’t remember. Worst of all because of that… I was a memory of his past that was breathed new life into and transformed into something new. His eyes showed it; just as soon as I was getting close, he would pull away - whether remembering he was a Guardian or that I wasn’t the girl that he wanted, I wasn’t sure.
I collapsed off of a wooden bridge into the abyss of confused emotion just as the static speaker that was connected directly to each Selva’s room for private conferences started spewing a mechanical melody before the likenesses of Crimson’s voice sang through the undertones.
“0074?” Her voice sounded even more demanding and vicious when I couldn’t see the form of expression that her face was holding. Without waiting for a response, as if knowing I were there flinching at the sound of her voice, she continued: “0074, I need to see you in my office here immediately. It’s important and we need to discuss quite a few things about your future!”
The last sound that of the mechanical static announced her exit, waking the dog and proving that this was indeed an order and not up for discussion.
“Stay here, Binx!” I whispered, placing a kiss on his little wet nose before walking tenderly to approach Crimson’s office – which resembled more of a torture chamber than what was the preconceived notion of an ‘office.’ I was certainly in no rush to get there, feeling as if I was possibly getting the last lecture of my life before she cut off my head or something for knowing too much about my past. I was more worried about what would become of Elias really, though I knew that if he were with me he would’ve smiled at me sarcastically as he would say that I should be more worried about myself than him. He was in charge of my protection, not the other way around.
“Hey, 0074,” I almost collided with Mouse in the hallway. “How are you? Magic classes going well for you?” She turned around from the hurried way that she was pursuing walking the other way and fell into step with me; her eyes had an evil glint in them that took every effort in me not to cringe. She had never been so bubbly around me before, and I was quite worried as to why she chose to be now.
That didn’t last long though, as if she were only holding the pretense up for a few seconds. As soon as I had gotten a “fine” to work its way out of my mouth amidst fighting that urge to cringe, she turned back around and walked the other way. How strange was it, the way that she regarded me? Elias seemed to show his approval for her as a friend and I had tried to get to know her so that I could be a bit friendlier when she hung around Elias; no, I still couldn’t help but hate the way that I always found them together, even though they were simply friends.
“0074!” Cat announced not long after, as I was approaching closer to the torture room. It seemed like it was just my day for run-ins with the people that I didn’t want to see. Cat was my mentor, and I couldn’t say I really hated her, but I knew she hadn’t been exactly approving of me after my weak performance in the magic class earlier. I also knew that she had every right to be discouraged by my efforts, and I felt kind of bad to have to face her when I was such ashamed of myself for it as it was.
Her eyes were glinting in a weird color and she looked kind of anxious. Instead of looking at me with the disproval that I was expecting, she seemed relieved to see me – for what, I was unsure.
“Have you been with Elias?” She questioned, a weird question considering she was the one who had suggested spending as much time as possible with my Guardian to be comfortable with one another.
“I was a little while ago. He left for training after that.” I answered. “I can’t really talk right now, though. I’ve been summoned to Crimson’s office, and I was already held up with talking to Mouse.” I tried to push past her.
“Wait, Mouse was talking to you?! That little – “ I pushed past her while she seemed to boil over with the unkind adjectives that she was threatening to use on Mouse.
“I’m sorry,” I called as I hurried away. “We’ll talk later!”
Two weird encounters in the short walk down the hallway… That was, of course, just a prime marker to tell me that things were going to get worse with Crimson…
~~~
Crimson shifted through papers as I sat there nervously, wondering what exactly it was that I had been summoned so quickly down here for and now she was slowly sorting through things as if we had all the time in the world. I cleared my throat and she finally gave me some sort of answer.
“Listen, 0074, I have to be the bearer of bad news.” She started, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “As your head Selva, I have to be the unfortunate one to inform you that we are pairing you with a new Guardian.”
“What?!” I exclaimed, standing up so quickly that the chair I had been sitting in tipped over.
“Yes, I know that it’s a lot to handle right now but it is for the better. You’ve grown close with your Guardian – as we all do – but he isn’t doing well.” She explained, the slightest amount of pure concern clouding her smoky eyes. “He is absolutely failing at his trainings, and your protection could be at stake here! We need someone who can truly be there to protect you, and his mentor has informed me that he just doesn’t think that he will improve before you are called upon to go on your missions.”
There was the faintest glimmer of a smirk in her eyes and it took everything in me not to call “liar.” She was trying to tell me that he was doing poorly, but he had sworn that he would do everything he could to protect me, had he not? Had she found out about us? This seemed like quite the most conservative of punishments, if she had – and I seriously didn’t think that was possible.
“No!” I protested. “You take him away from me, and I’ll leave! I’ll escape this crazy institution and never come back! You won’t get any more work out of me as a Selva!”
She seemed fairly convinced – or at least enough to comply with my wishes. “Fine! I will talk with all of the directors and have him reevaluated before we make any final decisions. If he can’t clean up his act, he will be displaced as your Guardian.”
I spun on my heel and went to leave before she could find any piece of argument to counteract my wishes.
“Oh, and 0074?” I spun back around on my heel and was quite surprised to find her right behind me. “Give Elias one piece of advice:” she brought her lips close to my ear and snarled, ”Don’t do anything stupid…”
I liked the way that his fingertips felt against my skin and that I felt so comfortable being near him. My heart beat faster whenever he was near me, but I had to stay away. He was a forbidden love, especially because he was a Guardian and I a Selva – but he had also been my best friend in a past life that I couldn’t remember. Worst of all because of that… I was a memory of his past that was breathed new life into and transformed into something new. His eyes showed it; just as soon as I was getting close, he would pull away - whether remembering he was a Guardian or that I wasn’t the girl that he wanted, I wasn’t sure.
I collapsed off of a wooden bridge into the abyss of confused emotion just as the static speaker that was connected directly to each Selva’s room for private conferences started spewing a mechanical melody before the likenesses of Crimson’s voice sang through the undertones.
“0074?” Her voice sounded even more demanding and vicious when I couldn’t see the form of expression that her face was holding. Without waiting for a response, as if knowing I were there flinching at the sound of her voice, she continued: “0074, I need to see you in my office here immediately. It’s important and we need to discuss quite a few things about your future!”
The last sound that of the mechanical static announced her exit, waking the dog and proving that this was indeed an order and not up for discussion.
“Stay here, Binx!” I whispered, placing a kiss on his little wet nose before walking tenderly to approach Crimson’s office – which resembled more of a torture chamber than what was the preconceived notion of an ‘office.’ I was certainly in no rush to get there, feeling as if I was possibly getting the last lecture of my life before she cut off my head or something for knowing too much about my past. I was more worried about what would become of Elias really, though I knew that if he were with me he would’ve smiled at me sarcastically as he would say that I should be more worried about myself than him. He was in charge of my protection, not the other way around.
“Hey, 0074,” I almost collided with Mouse in the hallway. “How are you? Magic classes going well for you?” She turned around from the hurried way that she was pursuing walking the other way and fell into step with me; her eyes had an evil glint in them that took every effort in me not to cringe. She had never been so bubbly around me before, and I was quite worried as to why she chose to be now.
That didn’t last long though, as if she were only holding the pretense up for a few seconds. As soon as I had gotten a “fine” to work its way out of my mouth amidst fighting that urge to cringe, she turned back around and walked the other way. How strange was it, the way that she regarded me? Elias seemed to show his approval for her as a friend and I had tried to get to know her so that I could be a bit friendlier when she hung around Elias; no, I still couldn’t help but hate the way that I always found them together, even though they were simply friends.
“0074!” Cat announced not long after, as I was approaching closer to the torture room. It seemed like it was just my day for run-ins with the people that I didn’t want to see. Cat was my mentor, and I couldn’t say I really hated her, but I knew she hadn’t been exactly approving of me after my weak performance in the magic class earlier. I also knew that she had every right to be discouraged by my efforts, and I felt kind of bad to have to face her when I was such ashamed of myself for it as it was.
Her eyes were glinting in a weird color and she looked kind of anxious. Instead of looking at me with the disproval that I was expecting, she seemed relieved to see me – for what, I was unsure.
“Have you been with Elias?” She questioned, a weird question considering she was the one who had suggested spending as much time as possible with my Guardian to be comfortable with one another.
“I was a little while ago. He left for training after that.” I answered. “I can’t really talk right now, though. I’ve been summoned to Crimson’s office, and I was already held up with talking to Mouse.” I tried to push past her.
“Wait, Mouse was talking to you?! That little – “ I pushed past her while she seemed to boil over with the unkind adjectives that she was threatening to use on Mouse.
“I’m sorry,” I called as I hurried away. “We’ll talk later!”
Two weird encounters in the short walk down the hallway… That was, of course, just a prime marker to tell me that things were going to get worse with Crimson…
~~~
Crimson shifted through papers as I sat there nervously, wondering what exactly it was that I had been summoned so quickly down here for and now she was slowly sorting through things as if we had all the time in the world. I cleared my throat and she finally gave me some sort of answer.
“Listen, 0074, I have to be the bearer of bad news.” She started, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “As your head Selva, I have to be the unfortunate one to inform you that we are pairing you with a new Guardian.”
“What?!” I exclaimed, standing up so quickly that the chair I had been sitting in tipped over.
“Yes, I know that it’s a lot to handle right now but it is for the better. You’ve grown close with your Guardian – as we all do – but he isn’t doing well.” She explained, the slightest amount of pure concern clouding her smoky eyes. “He is absolutely failing at his trainings, and your protection could be at stake here! We need someone who can truly be there to protect you, and his mentor has informed me that he just doesn’t think that he will improve before you are called upon to go on your missions.”
There was the faintest glimmer of a smirk in her eyes and it took everything in me not to call “liar.” She was trying to tell me that he was doing poorly, but he had sworn that he would do everything he could to protect me, had he not? Had she found out about us? This seemed like quite the most conservative of punishments, if she had – and I seriously didn’t think that was possible.
“No!” I protested. “You take him away from me, and I’ll leave! I’ll escape this crazy institution and never come back! You won’t get any more work out of me as a Selva!”
She seemed fairly convinced – or at least enough to comply with my wishes. “Fine! I will talk with all of the directors and have him reevaluated before we make any final decisions. If he can’t clean up his act, he will be displaced as your Guardian.”
I spun on my heel and went to leave before she could find any piece of argument to counteract my wishes.
“Oh, and 0074?” I spun back around on my heel and was quite surprised to find her right behind me. “Give Elias one piece of advice:” she brought her lips close to my ear and snarled, ”Don’t do anything stupid…”