Singapur

Chapter 7: Mental Out

Katherine woke up with a start. She felt out of breath, and icky for some reason.

Everything felt out of place.

Maybe it was various foreign scents assaulting her nose that made her feel weird. The familiar scent of lavender replaced by a weird artificialish smell. Maybe it was the fact she felt heavier for some reason. As though someone had added weights to her arms causing them to move slower

These issues, however, paled in comparison to the overwhelming sense of emptiness she felt deep down within her. The vast abyss threatening to swallow her whole. It felt as though her friends and family were all far away from her, like stars in the night sky. Leaving her trapped in this foreign room, scared and alone

"Mama Papa wo bist du?"

wake up

Silence. There was no one answered

"Mama Papa, wo bist du?" Katherine says again, more urgently this time. She looks around frantically, hoping that her initial gut feeling was merely a trick of the mind, that her ever jovial dad would appear around the corner to embrace her warmly. She yearned for the ever-familiar sound of her mom's voice as she raises hell all across the ward, indignant for her daughter's treatment. Heck, she even hoped for the ever-boisterous Jacobine to show up. Despite her peasant ways and her undignified mannerisms, she was a familiar face and a friend, who could without a doubt dispel the fear in her heart.

Yet despite how hard she prayed, the room remained as quiet as ever. It's grey walls looking at her with mere indifference to her pleas. If this continues Katherine knew that she would soon be brawling her eyes out. The once-proud daughter of the Oriental Junkers reduced to a mere sobbing mess in the corner of a foreign room.

No! Katherine yelled to herself. You cannot cry, you are a German, a Herrenmenschen. What would your countrymen think of you, crying away doing nothing? You either take the bull by its horns or die trying.

"Ja!" Katherine shouted, her voice echoing back at her greatly reassuring her. She knew what she had to do.

With the fire of determination burning in her heart and a clear goal in mind, she lept up on top of the bed, intending to immediately march over to the door and to break free of her confinement.

wake up katherine wake up!

However, something was off. Despite how hard she pulled, her right hand refused to move along with her body, a mysterious force pulling it back. On closer inspection, she realised her hand was securely cuffed to the metal portion of the bed preventing her escape.

With that in mind, she felt the once burning fire in her start to dim, slowly smothered by the forces of circumstances. The hope she had once held so dearly slowly starting to slipping out of her and into the darkness around. She knew that if not for a miracle, she would soon revert to the scared kid she is. Dishearted and alone.

Then she heard the door click. Her initial shock was quickly replaced by excitement. Was her parents finally her to get her, Jacobine, maybe even the Teutonic knight of her dream coming to whisk her away and make her his bride?

Katherine watched cross-legged on the bed as the knob slowly turned, her spirits rising ever still. For the first time since she awoke, she felt a sense of joy, of hope. Finally, she could finally be out of this whole conundrum back to her peaceful, mundane life!

After what seemed like an eternity, the knob reached its limit of rotation.

Katherine watched with bated breath, the fires of joy dancing within her eye.

With a resounding ping, the door pops open. 

Only for a man in a dark blue suit to stride through the door, accompanied closely by a lady clad in white. Katherine was devastated but she knew better than to let it show. The less he knew about it, the less he could potentially take advantage of her. Sucking her emotions deep into her heart she decided to do what she did best, analyze.

While the man himself wasn't anything out of the ordinary, Caucasian, male and about 30 plus give or take, barring the usage of sunglasses indoors, the woman on the other hand was. She was dark skin, and thus more than likely of the Malaiisch race and while it wasn't uncommon for there to be highly educated people of that race it was present nonetheless. Weird but not uncompromisingly so.

"Good afternoon," Mr. Smith says before realization dawn on him "oh sorry you can't tell can you," He smirks "Surprise I guess. I should really give them feedback regarding the whole transparency issue here."He chuckles, laughing at the ingenuity of his joke, "That aside, let me introduce myself, my name is Mr Smith, a detective on behalf of Interpol," he says pointing to a badge on his chest, it's logo unfamiliar to Katherine, "Currently, you are being investigated on allegations of theft and other misdemeanors. As such your cooperation would be much appreciated." Mr Smith said, a smile lightly plastered on his face. Something in his voice made Katherine feel that he wasn't one to take no for an answer.

"Now," Mr Smith said as he took out the hourglass from under is clothes "Sit still mam it would all be over soon." Mr Smith says as flips the hourglass midair before resolutely slamming it back down onto the table.

ENERGY LOST SIGNIFICANT

"Well," Mr Smith chuckles, a mixture of glee and melancholy briefly flashing through his eyes, "Looks like you and I are going to have to spend more time together."

"No it can't be, no no no it can't be, please.... please get me out of here!"

KATHERINE WAKE UP

"Blurh" I yelled out as I jumped out of the bed.

Wha..what the heck was that!? Was..Was that a dream?

Despite the clearly outlandish nature of it all, I just couldn't shake the feeling that it was indeed 100% real and it wasn't for the lack of trying...

But if that's the case, who..who the hell was Mr Smith, and why the heck does Interpol give a shit about a kid from Singapore. Actually, wait a second....

My mouth slowly contorted to a pout as my eyebrowed furrowed. Did Jacobin leak my internet history?! I opened my mouth letting out a laugh. Nope that ridiculous even by my standards. But then what could it be....

"Katherine, let's go we don't have time. If we wait any longer I won't be able to do my etching" Jacobine says, gently shaking my arms, pleading with me.

"Oh Jacobine," I say, the drain from all that mental shenanigans finally catching up to me, "I am a little tired why don't you..."

Before I could say another word, Jacobine leaps over and tackles me. Me, shocked at this total 360 in personality and already mentally drained could only watch as she tussled me to the ground before pinning me down with her bodyweight, her two knees flanking either side of my body.

"I said let's go now Katherine," She says insistently, the sharp end of whatever tool she was holding inching ever closer to my face. "You do know friends don't usually threaten each other right." She says again, softer this time probably afraid the nurses might catch her.

"Yeah I know but you didn't really tell me where you are going either did you."I said already resigning myself to my fate "and fine let's go do whatever stuff you want to do. Sleep is for the weak anyway am I right."

"Huh," Jacobine says, eyebrow raised " I thought you would have known about my etching by now. And how to speak proper English" she squints before shrugging it off "maybe the radiation did have some permanent effects. Oh come along now don't be a pussycat and let me show you," she says as she rapidly recoils her fingers, urging me to follow her.

I ofc was less than happy to oblige but obliged anyway. As far as I could tell my body was now trapped in a room in God knows where and since I am trapped in this body, might as well do some side quests for her. Maybe that way I might finally advance the main story.

I chuckle.

Yeah right as if that's the case.