Envision

Chapter 7- Violet

Professor Wright stands up in anticipation and looks to me.

"Well, come on now. We can't take all day for this. Follow me please," he says cheerfully.

I glance at Avery and try to catch his eye but he remains aloof against the wall. I sigh and reluctantly follow him to a side room. Once inside he clicks the door shut and flicks on a light switch. Blinding light fills the room, shortly stunning me, and reveals a whitewashed room padded with mats along the walls. Sitting in the center is a silver dentist chair with blood red cushions and a small black box sitting next to it.

"Um if you don't mind me asking, could you tell me why this room looks like something from an insane asylum?" I inquire numbly.

"There's no need to worry Miss... Hill, is it? They're only safety precautions to the trance state. Some people have reacted rather violently so we don't want anyone to be hurt." Well that sure makes this more appealing.

"If you say so," I say aloud, "so what do we have to do?"

He smiles saying, "it's simple really. You'll sit over there, we'll induce a dream like state on you, and then we can go in the locked parts of your mind to figure out what you can do."

HA! How fun strangers exploring my mind!

"I guess that'll be fine," I say.

I'm so going to regret this.

"Fantastic! Then let's start." He moves forward, guiding me toward the chair and sits me down. He bends down sliding off the lid to the box and pulls out a headset and a few electrodes. I sit as still as possible as he reaches across me to connect the electrodes to my collarbone and wrists. He then fits the headset to me with a focal point on each of my temples. Next he pulls out a device that looks like the cross between a phaser in Star Trek and TV remote. Professor Wright punches several buttons the puts it up against the headset before finally activating it.

A low buzz begins to sound in my ears and the room starts to twist and fade. Everything begins to settle and I find myself now in a barren desert with the sun looming overhead. I look out across the shifting sands and spot a tall sand dune that would serve as a better vantage point. I move toward it but almost immediately stop because the sand sucking at my feet covering them completely and holding them in place.

Oh of course there already has to be a problem.

I sigh in frustration and swat at the sand with my hands. After several failed attempts, I take a breath to relax myself and yank my foot back. It slides from the sand with sudden ease as if it was never trapped in the first place. Confused, I tentatively set my foot back down and start running toward the one sand dune. As I run the distance seems like it starts to grow bigger.

No you can't stay out of my reach forever!

I push forward, more determined, and I'm up the hill in a matter of seconds. I slump down at the top, feeling the heat catch up with me sending a wave of exhaustion over me. I look around for sources of water to sustain me. But desert sand was the only thing stretching away for miles. Slowly, I close my eyes and refocus. I needed to find an oasis or something and quick. I open my eyes again and green explodes out in front of me. I shake my head but the lush grass and trees remain. I stand up and walk into the cool shade of the palm trees. I take a slow spin to look at the towering palm trees, the small trickling stream flowing through a bed of soft, round stones, and the ankle deep grass littered with flowers.

How did this get here? It shouldn't be this easy.

Nothing made sense. It's as if I could just create whatever I wanted. But that just wasn't possible. This whole test would be pointless if I could. They wouldn't be able to learn anything about me. I sigh in frustration and kick at the grass, sending up small pollen spores. Recoiling, I cover my mouth but can't help inhaling the pollen. I begin choking on it and end up in a coughing fit, while stumbling around trying to find fresh air. I brace against a tree to steady myself, and finish coughing up the rest of my lungs. After I finish, I stay there refusing to move and simply just stare at the bushes. Suddenly, the hair on the back of my neck stand up and a chill runs through my body. Two glowing eyes appear out of the bushes long, frilled leaves.