Echo's Destiny (Edited/Rewritten Version)

Five - What's in the basement?

The college that Felicity and Echo went to was a series of old stone buildings. Each building housed a different department each equipped with it's own specialist library. The only time that students from different departments got to socialise with each other was at lunch or if their breaks matched.

Echo and Felicity separated at the entrance of the arts department promising to find the other later. Echo wandered through the crowded corridor of the arts department looking for her classroom. Her mother never understood why she chose photography but it was something that Echo enjoyed.

Today the class was going on a trip to the Waterscape. It was an amazing place to take photographs. Plus as it was a joint trip with the plant biology students she would get to see her new friend there. Inside the classroom, her classmates sat ready and waiting, her lecturer stood in front of the whiteboard impatiently. "You are late!"

"Only by 5 seconds." Echo said under her breath.

"What was that?" Her lecturer demanded to know.

"Nothing miss." She replied louder this time.

"Take a seat Echo." Echo sat in an empty seat near the back of the class. "As you know class today we are going on a class trip to the Waterscape. I hope you all are on your best behaviour. And remember our purpose there is to take some landscape photographs that we can then edit tomorrow. The bus is waiting out front, I want you all to walk smartly through the college. Off you go."

Silently the class filed out of the room and down the corridor. Echo followed quickly in hopes of sitting next to Felicity on the bus. Once outside she found her way around the crowd of students to stand next to her friend. Nodding in greeting the girls waited to board the bus. Echo's lecturer eyed her wearily but said nothing as she sat next to Felicity on the bus.

Once the bus had left the college the students started chatting excitedly about the Waterscape. "What do you think it's like there?" One student asked.

"My cousin works there" Another said "He says it's very green with beautiful flowers growing everywhere!"

"My mum's friend's daughter works there." Felicity said absentmindedly staring out of the window. The bus was speeding through the city, colourful signs that Echo passed everyday had turned into rainbow blurs.

"Cool, maybe we will see her."

"Maybe... Echo? Do you have a feeling something bad will happen?"

Echo thought about it. She knew something bad was happening in the city but she also thought that if it was really bad then they wouldn't let them go on a trip. "No, the lecturers and the scientists will protect us from anything bad." Felicity nodded, her fringe falling into her eyes. Echo kept quiet, even words right now wouldn't reassure her friend.

The rest of the journey passed quickly without the two girls saying a word to each other. Cars and lorries flashed by in bright technicolour streaks. People walked on the paths wearing a variety of outfits, some casual, others formal. Echo wondered what their story's were. Where were they going? What was their family like? What was their personalities like? It amazed her that no two people were the same.

The two girls didn't speak again until they were inside the laboratory reception. The receptionist looked at the group with wide eyes. Echo's lecturer went to talk to her. Felicity and Echo caught glimpses of the conversion. "We canceled all visits to the Waterscape." The receptionist explained.

"We were not told." The lecturer complained. "What do we do now?"

Echo grabbed Felicity's hand "Come on, lets go explore."

"You heard what she said the Waterscape is dangerous we cannot go there."

"We won't leave the building, come on, we'll be safe I promise." Echo pulled on Felicity's hand. Felicity sighed but allowed Echo to pull her off down a corridor. They passed door after door until they reached the end of the maze. At the end was a staircase leading down several floors. Echo lead Felicity down to the very bottom. The corridor at the bottom had no natural light and was lit by a single flickering florescent light. Dusty shelves lined the corridor. Felicity faltered.

"It looks like no one has been down here in ages" She whispered "We should go back."

Echo laughed "I want to see what is behind that door. Then we can go back. Okay?" She pointed to the only door in the corridor. It was a heavy metal door that took both of them to push open. What was behind it the girls had no time to see. The moment the door was open there was a flash and both girls crumpled to the floor unconscious.