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Dr. Stacy Hanson sat across from Eve with her clipboard firmly in hand. A small knowing smile was framed by her blonde shoulder length hair, and her crystal blue eyes shimmered with a life of their own. "Ahem. This is serious, Eve. If you want to be reinstated, you need to, well, focus on the questions at hand. Your aura spikes whenever I mention Tohmas, and your after glow? *Wow!*"
"What?" Eve had a look that was all wide-eyed innocence, though she broke it with a grin. "I *am* focusing, Doc. I want to be reinstated. Being on the sidelines is boring." The young woman followed this with a shrug. Her dark chocolate curls were pulled into a ponytail, and she wore jeans and an orange shirt that warmed her fair skin a little. "So ask me again?"
... Okay, so it was a little hard to focus, but she *had* to get back into this. It was the only way she was going to be able to get back to work.
"How are you feeling?" It was simple and to the point, but it was the type of question that would branch off to more, depending on how she answered it.
"Good. A touch off, given that I seem to be back to square one with having to relearn most of my abilities, but otherwise ... not bad." It seemed like such a simple question, so why was the answer actually a lot more complicated than just that?
"Okay, so ... I'm still worried about Evan, concerned about the Daemon threat (or seeming lack thereof) and everything, but I'm managing a little more sleep than I used to." Whether because she was better at sublimating everything or because other ... factors were helping to tire her out, she wasn't sure.
"And your take on all that's happened? It's a lot to deal with for a former coffee shop employee." Nodding slowly, she jotted a few notes here and there, nothing that required long notations. That was a good thing, right? "This isn't exactly normal on any level, right?"
"No, it isn't. But you know ... everyone says that. 'Coffee shop girl,' or something like that. Not to be picky or anything, but that's not how I'd like to be thought of all the time."
A shrug, lips pursing gently, thoughtfully. "I mean, no one ever says anything like, 'former supposed lunatic' or 'former aspiring dancer' or anything." Realizing that she was meandering, Eve took a deep breath, and smiled a little sheepishly. "... But no, it's not exactly normal ... and yet it is. I guess it sort of depends on your idea of normality."
"And accepting it is just par for the course for you?"
"I prefer to be flexible, Doc. I can be rigid and not accept the changes and let them drive me completely batty, or try to get my head around it all and go with it."
"Well, off the record? I'm the last person that should be giving this test to you. I *died,* Eve. It still haunts my dreams, almost to the point where I don't want to sleep. Sometimes I swear I see ... things inside my bathroom mirror." Her voice dropped to almost a whisper by the time she was finished.
Eve had gone quiet, watching the other woman with a gaze that was nearly unreadable. "Are you dealing with this okay? And, um ...*things*, or a *person?*"
"A person I think. A girl. It's like she's just beneath the surface, waiting. Gawd, I feel like I belong in one of those Ring movies." She gripped her clipboard that much tighter. It provided some sense of comfort, to have something tangible between her fingers. Drawing a deep breath, she looked down at the notes. "I don't see why you can't be cleared. This is all smoke and .... Heh, mirrors." Signing her name to the collection of forms attached, Stacy looked back up at Eve. "I don't think it's over. Evan, Jara, even Tohmas. All of them are ... Different."
She was watching the other woman closely, before she nodded slowly, watching the other woman sign her name. "Yeah. We all are to some degree, but I guess that varies with each of us. I just hope the changes are for the better, though I agree - I don't think it's over, either." There was a second of quiet, and though Eve tried to squash the question, it just wouldn't leave her alone. "She doesn't have eyes, does she? Maybe even looks really familiar, but you can't place her?"
Biting her bottom lip, Stacy nodded slowly. "They were so dark. Black, like a void. Wait ... She's not the same one you used to See?"
"I wouldn't know for sure unless I Saw her." Eve shrugged gently. "For a little while, when everything was all wonky, I didn't See her. Now ... I don't know. I haven't ... I haven't looked to See if she's back." Shaking her head gently, the young woman smiled a little. "It's kind of childish, you know? It's like being six and being afraid of the bogeyman. But that *sounds* like her."
Stacy's voice suddenly dropped to a whisper. "Look ... Jara - her gifts are slowly killing her. She's having visions that predict another's death, and the side effect is that she *experiences* their death. Evan - he either won't stay in the material realm, or he can't any more. Here. Look at these pictures ..." Evan looked ... Haunted. Like someone that didn't sleep, dark circles under the eyes, and that empty eyed look was burned onto his face, his skin even more pale. "Tohmas - he's having severe memory lapse issues, and they're getting worse. And me, with my nightmares. It's like something is happening to everyone that remembers ...."
Going still, her eyes widened a little, and her chest suddenly felt tight. Jara was ...? And Evan ...? Tohmas' memory issues didn't surprise her so much, but the fact that they were getting worse ...
Something was happening to everyone that remembered? Eve stared at Stacy for a moment, opened her mouth to speak, then had to start again. "Everyone?" Then what was happening to her? She posed the question without actually doing so; the only oddity she was aware of - for now, that was - was being out of touch with most of her abilities.
Naturally, she couldn't help feeling guilty and a little sick; she'd been out, partying and having fun with Tohmas, and not really aware of what was going on. She should have been trying to get back into work sooner!
"What I just told you was classified, but you're the only 'normal' one not affected." A small smile, however brief. "At least your premonition ability is up to par. Look at the clock." What was Stacy talking about? ... Wait, the date on the clock - it was a year from now!
"Time's ticking." The voice didn't belong to Stacy, and when she looked back, Stacy wasn't there. The room wasn't there. It was dark, and she was in bed.
"... Babe? You okay?" The voice came from beside her, and Steele raised up to his elbows after turning on the lamp on the night stand. A quick glance about the room provided several hints: familiar place, and clothing scattered on the floor. The same attire they'd each worn to the Crimson Tryst. Inside their bedroom?
The time on the clock was 5:38 AM. It felt real enough. Steele's body still had lingering traces of body spray. Was it real?
The sharp intake of her breath seemed incredibly loud to her ears, and Eve caught herself looking around the room, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Was that ... was that real, or just some weird concoction her brain had come up with?
It took a few seconds longer for her to realize where she was, and that it was just later the same night. After eyeing the time on the clock for a heartbeat, she turned to Steele, sitting up in the bed. He's having severe memory lapse issues, and they are getting worse. A chill ran through her, but Eve nodded. "Yeah ... just ... screwy dreams." At least your premonition ability is up to par. Words echoed inside her head, and she reached up to rake her finger through her hair. "Sorry if I woke you."
"Either you're cold, or just happy to see me." A lazy grin, and he turned onto his side to face her. "I guess no more mixed drinks for you, rookie." He nudged her. "And you can wake me any time, Ms. Lizt. You alright?" The smile shifted to a more serious expression. "It's been awhile, but I've seen that *look* before. You had a vision, didn't you?"
Eve settled back into the bed, tugging the sheets back up and propping one arm under her head. "I'm always happy to see you." Followed with the prod of one foot under the blanket, and a little smile. It faded quickly, pushed aside by what was floating through her head. "Yeah, I think maybe I did. Things aren't ... they aren't right, still. At least, I don't think so." She bit her lower lip gently. She *really* wanted to talk to Jara first before saying anything about her, but she figured there was one way to help her figure out if it was just a dream or not. "Tohmas? Do me a favor." She turned on her side to face him, studying him closely for a few seconds. "Tell me what you remember?"
"You know what I think? You're getting tested later today, and you're concerned about making the team. Remember?" A perplexed look. "About what?" He reached up to brush aside a lock or three of hair from her face.
"About everything that happened before, Tohmas." She was very serious now, but had a slight sinking feeling. "What's the last thing you remember before you woke up from the coma?"
"Mmm. You having to, um ... Reboot the Realm by ...." He let his voice trail off.
"By ... ?" Eve watched him, then shook her head gently. She'd propped her head on one hand, and moved the other over to rest on his arm. "You don't remember, do you?" Softly.
"You, babe. It was by you. I remember the look on your face, the tears in your eyes. I just didn't want you to have to hear me say it again. What's going on, Eve?"
Okay, that was a bit of a relief. At least he seemed to remember *that* part. She let out a slow breath, then shook her head lightly. "... I don't know. I'm trying to decide if it was just a dream, or more than that. I mean ... you've given me the impression that there might be a few gaps in your memory, but ..." It just sounded so ... so *silly* once she'd given it voice. Groaning softly, Eve rolled onto her back, covering her face with her hands to rub her sleepy eyes for a moment. "Basically, the dream took place like a session with Stacy, reviewing me to see if I'm ready to go back to work." At least she pulled her hands down to talk. "She told me a few things off record, and your memory was one of the things mentioned." The image of the clock flickered through her mind, making her brows crease for a few seconds.
"Babe, it was only a dream - a crazy one due to you having a little too much to drink. Combine that with the fact that we actually had an event free evening? You do the math. Not that I'm blowing your dream off, but just think about it. Things have been going way too quiet for us, and maybe your subconscious is tossing out some random vibes we talked about back at the club. Serves us right for breaking that vow about not talking business, hmmm?" Reaching over, Steele pulled her to him, so that her head rested on his chest. "It's the price we paid for all we went through."
She wanted to believe that it was just a dream. Eve really did, and though she relaxed against him, and mentally relaxed a little, she wasn't quite stress free yet. "Yeah. I hope it was just a screwy dream. I've been known to have them before, but it's been a while. I'm still gonna have to talk to Jara in the morning, though." ... Given that Evan wouldn't - or couldn't - talk to her, it was the best she could do.
Her lips quirked into a brief grin. "Besides, it's hard for us *not* to talk business. We did well to keep it from taking over the fun."
"Hey, if it'll make you feel better, I'll get Doc Hanson to check me out first free chance she gets, okay?" He flashed her his best grin. "Try and get you some shut eye, okay?"
Looking up at him, Eve was still a little unsure, but there wasn't much she could do about it now - could she? Relaxing into him, she lay her head back down. "Mhm. You'll be lucky if I don't drag you in with me tomorrow." Her lips curved into a smile with the mostly idle threat. She figured Hanson would be too busy trying to decide if she was a head case or not to check him out.
Several hours later, Jara was sitting in the kitchen, working on her third bowl of Lucky Charms, and typing away on her laptop. Steele was already up and out, doing his usual morning run before heading into work.
She'd managed a shower and to get dressed before padding lightly downstairs, partly in search of Jara, partly in search of something to eat. She wasn't disappointed. "Morning." Reaching into the fridge for a bottle of juice, she eyed the cereal, then took out a bowl for some of her own. "What are you up to?"
Flashing her a full mouth grin, she held up three fingers, assuming that Eve was inquiring about how many bowls of cereal she'd had so far. But it was the gleam within those eyes that spoke volumes, and the only thing that was saving Eve was the fact that her mouth was still full. Make that semi full, and very soon to be empty. "Well look at you, all rested and stuff. Nice after glow you sportin', cuz!" She waved her spoon at Eve before dipping it in for another scoop.
"I want details, and you're *not* leaving this table until I get them!" Typing a few more things into the laptop, she then closed it, and gave Eve her full attention. Save for when she was eating.
Three bowls? Why was Eve not surprised? Milk added to the cereal, she settled and opened her bottle of juice for a drink before getting into the cereal. Look, she even had an appetite this morning, even though she liked cereal at nearly any time. "Sorry sweetie, I don't kiss and tell." Nevermind the fact that a lot more than mere kissing had gone on. "Oh, and, um ... thanks for the private party room, by the way." Accompanied by a perfectly wicked, perfectly sweet grin.
"Sweetie? Hells bells, my girl went and joined the ranks! That is so Legen - Wait for it - Dary! High five! And you are *very* much welcome. Money well spent! Sorry about the cereal. I'll buy you some more. Hell if this stuff isn't magically delicious - bloody more like addicting! " And like a little kid, when she was done, up went the bowl as she drank the milk.
"Sooo, today's de day you rejoin de fray?"
She was slower with eating, though she seemed to be enjoying the sweet, crunchy bits before they got soggy more than the marshmallows. "Mhm. I have an appointment with Stacy today. Speaking of which ..." Eve went from looking down at the bowl to up at Jara. "Has anything strange been happening to you? Anything ... out of the norm?" If it was anything near truth, she was hoping Jara would come out and say it. If not...
"Funny you should mention it. My visions have been a little too intense since *coming back.* Hanson thinks it's partly because of this new bod of mine. I have to retrain all the motor skills, yadda yadda yadda. You having some trouble, too?" Getting up from the table to place her bowl and spoon inside the dishwasher, Jara snagged a banana on the way back.
"Mhm. I'm having to pretty much relearn how to use most of my abilities. The only things that seem to be coming through on their own are the Sight and Psychometry." She paused for a long drink of her juice. "You haven't been Seeing ... oh, say ... people die, have you?" Oh, no. Jara wouldn't noticed *that* question or think it weird, would she?
Getting a seriously startled look, Jara went all wide eyed. "Well, sometimes, late at night? I see ... *dead people!*" She threw a dish towel at Eve. "Why would you *even* wish something like that on me?"
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She'd lost her appetite as far as the cereal went, and pushed the bowl aside. Folding her arms loosely on the table, she eyed Jara closely. "I'm not wishing it on you. But would you seriously tell me if you *were* experiencing something out of the ordinary?" Eve thought she would, but ... she just wanted to make sure. Something just wasn't setting right with her, prodding around the edges of her consciousness.
"Would you tell me what you and Tohmas did in the VIP room?" Flashing her friend a wide grin that lasted all of 10 seconds, then she noticed Eve was quite serious. "Okay, Eve. What's going on? You wouldn't ask me that, unless -"
That line of thinking earned Eve a double take, and caused Jara to slip back into her native accent. "Ye had a bleedin' vision, didn' ye?"
Eve arched a brow slightly at Jara. No jokes, no blushes, no shyness. She didn't blink as she regarded the other woman, but seemed quiet intent on the answer. "I don't know. I'm not sure if it was a bad dream or a vision - but Hanson told me, and the time and date on the clock was a year away." A shrug. "Tohmas seems to think it was just a dream, and I hope it was, too." A shrug. "But I'm paranoid, I suppose."
"A year?" Jara shivered. "Look at this." Going over to where her laptop sat, she clicked on what she'd been researching. The image on screen was that of a Death Clock. "This is the latest in thing at all the parties, and I was looking into it on a whim. Mebbe it's nothing to do with your dream, but ..." Her voice trailed off, her gaze shifting away from Eve.
"I tried it out. I die a year from today." Jara tried to smile, but failed big time. Instead, she closed the laptop once again, just staring down at it.
"That's ... that's pretty creepy." Eve didn't like that. Not at all. It made the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, and she just surpressed a shiver. "... Maybe we should mention this to Tohmas." A shrug. "... Or Stacy, at least. I mean, she also said that Tohmas' memory lapses started getting worse, too." Her brows drew together at that, and she looked at the laptop, fingers curling. Death Clock? Who in their right mind came up with *that?*
"Eve, I'm not having your boyfriend look at me all crazy because of some new party craze. Who came up with it? Hmmm ..." The laptop was slowly opened once again, and Jara pulled up the needed information. "Say, you didn't tell Tohmas that, did you? I swear, just when things were getting back to normal! ... Ahh. The Clocks were created by a company located near - Oh you hav' t'be bloody kiddin' me!"
Jara walked away from the laptop at that point, throwing her hands in the air. The location was California - Death Valley, California.
Eve caught herself staring at Jara. Had she asked the who out loud? Her lips pursed gently, and she let it slide - for the moment. "No, didn't tell him that part. I asked him about his memory, and he promised me he'd get Hanson to check him out soon, but ..." A shrug. "I wouldn't say things were getting back to normal. I don't think that's possible, really." Softly, thoughtfully.
Eyeing the information the laptop, she had to look at Jara again. "Death Valley? I didn't think that was populated." ... Or maybe it was just because the name was so ominous.
"Ugg. First the Clock, and then you be comin' in wit' dis vision o' me seein' dyin' folk? I'm goin' back to bed. Go see Hanson will ye, before ye spook yerself off o' the team!" Jara didn't mention the name of the company for a reason; it was called Shattered Glass Inc.
Before she could swallow that last tidbit, Eve's cell phone rang. Steele was on the other end, but it was hard to make out what he was saying, as if there was a bad connection.
Opening her mouth to say something, she cut herself off abruptly. Eve couldn't help it; it gave her a little flashback to her early teens, when everyone generally told her to stop creeping herself out. "Yeah. Great." She didn't sound very happy with it, and getting up, she did away with the last of her soggy cereal and capped the juice bottle off, putting it away. She needed to get out and about. She needed a run, a swim, *something-*
A glance at Jara as her phone went off and she picked it up, pausing as she tried to listen.
"H-- -o- t--re? Damn phon- -- o- the fritz! G-- J--a -- ge- d--n -- th- --d, o--y? Eve? Dammit!" And Steele hung up.
Bits were clear, but pieces needed to be filled in. She had to stop and think about it, but it didn't take much - get Jara and get down to the PSD. A chill slid down her back and she closed the phone up. "C'mon. We gotta get down to the PSD. I think something's going on." She made a quick dash upstairs for her shoes, then came back, jacket in tow.
Jara was already on the move, and was soon in the seat next to Eve. There was no witty banter coming from Jara during the drive. No, instead, she just looked out the window, with a worried expression.
That expression remained as the pair arrived at the PSD. It was gone, as if it never existed!
Steele's mustang was there, but he was nowhere to be found. The sun was glinted off a small object several feet in front of his car. Jara was too busy trying to cope with the missing PSD. "It's ... it's gone." In it's place was nothing more than a large field.
It was a shock - the PSD was just ... missing. Gone, as if it had never stood there to start with. Eve was first out of the car, and she stood still for a few seconds before moving forward, toward Steele's mustang. "Tohmas?" Spoken, before she called it once more, louder. Her eyes caught on the gleaming object, and she came closer, eyeing it carefully.
It was Steele's phone! It was still flipped open, but apparently had no power. That was when it hit her - The sickening sensation of being turned inside out.
Suddenly, she found herself standing beside Steele. "A field. A fucking field. You have to be fucking kidding me."
Steele knew the answer to that one, but sometimes it was worth a shot to ask the question aloud, in hopes of making some sense of it all. His instincts knew that it was too good to be true - things were going too smoothly.
But after all they had went through? Maybe, just maybe, the fates were balancing the scales for a change, giving them a much needed break.
Right.
The writing was on the proverbial wall all this time: The missing Daemons. The lack of their presence should have sent warning bells a-blazing. No; they were given the ultimate distraction of all ...
Their hearts desire.
Eve had had a vision of some kind, the first in a long time since ... he wasn't sure when. The abilities that she possessed had been pretty much inactive since their return to the supposed *normal reality.*
"A field. A fucking field. You have to be fucking kidding me." Oh yeah. That comment? It was due partly to a small minor detail that the PSD was gone. Poof. Vanished. Didn't exist. Steele found himself standing at the entrance to a field.
"T-tohmas? What ...? Where ...?"
The troubled and slightly scared voice belonged to Stacy Hanson, Empath. She stood before him now, minus her white lab coat, instead a typical looking 18 year old, very confused girl, on the verge of tears.
"I w-was in the middle of a session with Evan when I felt sick to my stomach. Everything want screwy for a second, and next thing I knew, I was standing out here ...In the middle of nowhere."
Something caught Steele's attention then, taking his focus off Stacy. Then .... Nothing.
Holding the phone in her hand, the vision hit with the force of a blow to the chest. One-second she was there ... the next, she was elsewhere - or rather, she was *before.* She came back to herself with a sudden gasp, fingers tight on the phone. Flipping it shut, she tucked it in her pocket, looking around. Her pulse was quick, and her nerves were electric. Half-twisting, she looked back for Jara. "Stacy was here, too. I just ... I dunno where they went."
The door of Eve's car where Jara had been standing was still open, but she was nowhere to be seen. A small breeze blew, the only movement in the immediate area.
"Jara?" Eve looked around, turning as she did so. "JARA!" ... What was going on here?
"Revenge." Simply stated, by the Daemon Lord that suddenly stood before her. "Revenge." Simply stated. And he too was gone.
