Overlap

Chapter 36-A: Personal Reality

<01/04/2011 - 06:59 | 1010 Link Street, Austell, GA, USA>

From head to toe, all of me stood outside quivering and cursing at what I was doing to myself. I went ahead and checked the temperature outside before finishing my morning routine to leave, but even with the coat and a spirit of will, it was impossible not to freeze off in this 44oF weather. I kept trying to convince my brain that this new environment was a good thing, but the total lack of heat around me was a stronger motivator for my body to shiver and my skin to develop cold goose bumps.

I wasn't exactly thrilled to be this cold myself, but I had good reason for desiring this cold weather in the first place, a reason I chose to pursue once I was only twenty feet from the house enroute to the bus stop. I stopped in my steps, panning my face up to the sky and closing my eyes to try and concentrate again. Despite some lingering exhaustion, I tried my hardest to tap back into that telepathic power as I did before. The ability to contact Lumina was quickly becoming more familiar to me each time I went to activate the ability, and easier to use than the time before.

Being mentally alert was not as difficult with how cold it was outside either. There's just something about the cold that snaps my mind awake, even if it is initially uncomfortable, but it was not totally effective this time. At least to a small proportion, part of me was still asleep from the morning grogginess. So when I attempted to contact Lumina this morning, I really had to give it my all.

"Reed! That's what I was waiting for. Give me a sec to stabilize the connection." Lumina then took the few seconds she needed to ensure the connection would passively remain active. Apparently, it's possible for the two of us to talk to each other via telepathy without a perfectly stable connection, though it would be choppy and unstable, warranting her process.

"Hi Lumina," I greeted as my jaw got caught in another loud yawn. "Ugh. I'm still a little tired." Not only am I not a morning person, but these super early school times really make it more difficult for me to come alive again.

"That's okay... As long as you are doing well."

"I know. I'll be fine today." I really wasn't thrilled that seconds into our connection, Lumina would bring up such a rough topic, something I don't even want to think about right now.

"You sure? Because you did have another UAD attack last weekend."

I knew she wouldn't let it go so easily. UAD attacks; the bane of my existence since last month. If I get one at all, I'll enter a psychological rage attack from which there is no coming back from, until I collapse to the ground mostly paralyzed from the after-effects of one. "I told you, I'm fine. I know that I keep getting them, but I promise they are getting better now. All I have to do is keep my mind busy when I know I need to."

I let my assurances sink in, giving both of us some silence to consider how much has changed in such little time. I managed to get some critical advice from Laura not too long ago about what to do with these UAD onsets. The only thing I really need to do is keep my mind busy. The issue is determining a strategy for special, mentally stimulating projects I can work on when I am destined to get bored. I've been trying to come up with a few things, but it takes time. So naturally, I'm bound for a few more until I can get it together. Once I start on my new book, I can likely say goodbye to UAD forever. The thing is, I need Lumina to quit worrying about it too. "Luckily, I have you in my head. Most of the times it did happen, it was because you weren't there to keep me interested in anything. Of course, I'm working on launching something that will keep me busy even in your absence."

"Good. And in any case, I'm here with you now, and I'm always ready to share the day with you."

Just hearing her say that lifted my mood some more, since it reminded me of a profound principle to everything I've been experiencing lately. I let this sensation seep inside me, bringing me to a new level of awareness I craved since this morning. "The funny part to that is, we've actually been sharing our days in a literal sense. We go through life, talking to each other and hanging out, and not one person around me has a clue. Nobody else in the entire world has any idea that it's going on." By now, I was already at the bus stop, my footsteps taking me there while my mind remained busy with Lumina. Oddly enough, I could already hear the roar of the bus engine in the distance, proof it was arriving early today.