Hidden Mysteries

The Bright Lights

AN: Warning for blood, mentions of character death and a bit of violence!

It took Test Tube a moment to register her surroundings before opening her eyes. She grumbled quietly, pushing herself up and blinking harshly. Why was she in bed? She didn't remember going to sleep. Well, she thought she didn't. Her memory was hazy, almost as if someone had removed big chunks of it altogether.

"Ngh, my head," Test Tube muttered, fumbling around for her glasses. "Gee whiz, what happened? I feel all funky...now where are those glasses?" Her fingers finally curled around one of her glasses' temples, the green-haired girl picking them up and putting them on, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

She nearly passed out once she got a good look at the room she was in.

It was huge, everything colored in various shades of green; chartreuse, emerald, olive, even juniper. The bed she was on top of a loft, a set of marble stairs (with a pale green stair runner, of course) leading down and into a large area below. Multiple bookshelves were full of science journals, sci-fi books, and fantasy novels, a pile of beanbag chairs and stuffed toys in one corner, and even a set of smaller shelves on one part of the wall that displayed a collection of various succulents and small plants right next to a beautiful stained glass window with a cute little window seat.

"Oh, my golly gee!" Test Tube hopped out of bed, rushing down the stairs with wide eyes as she stared at everything. "I-I don't believe this! My dream bedroom, here?! And right down to the exact details!"

"Amazing, isn't it, Test Tube Pinker?"

Test Tube turned her head towards the source of the voice; a tall-looking man with short black hair and a strange robe draped over his shoulders, covering most of his body. Something about his mannerisms and appearance seemed eerily familiar to Test Tube, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Oh, pardon me. Where are my manners?" The man extended a hand toward the girl. "You can call me Shivani. I'll be your guide through the mindscape, my dear."

"Huh? Mindscape? What's that?" Test Tube didn't take the hand, backing up slightly. "I don't understand. How did I get here? I can hardly remember anything at all! I remember leaving with my friend Fan to go somewhere, but it's just...all blotchy after that."

"That isn't important now, my dear," Shivani purred, opening the doors of Test Tube's room. "Come, look at this."

Test Tube pattered over, glancing around before taking a glimpse out a large window, gasping softly. There was some sort of college campus right outside, people in sleek white lab coats running around, carrying books and boxes, some reading or writing things as they walked along. The campus was huge as well, with large, fancy-looking buildings and a beautiful fountain with a statue of a cardinal and a raven in the center of it all.

"Holy golly gee willikers!" Test Tube gasped, her eyes widening in delight. "Look at everything down there! That's got to be one of the top campuses for science-based curriculums, gee whiz! It's amazing!"

"Indeed it is," Shivani nodded. "This is what the mindscape is. Somewhere where dreams can become a reality."

"Really? That's incredible!" Test Tube exclaimed, before wincing softly, placing a hand on her head. Vague images flashed through her mind, everything seeming oddly familiar to the young girl. "What the...that's weird..."

"What is it, Test Tube?"

"It's nothing, just...I feel like I'm missing something. Something...important."

"Hm? Oh, of course!" Shivani pulled out a keycard with Test Tube's picture and name, handing it over to the green-haired girl. "Your lab key! You can't get in there otherwise, after all!"