Awakening

Chapter 10 - The Hub (4/5)

It struck her forcefully--a sudden bomb of cold ice in her bloodstream, originating from her stomach. It was an intense sensation. It was powerful enough to make her freeze. But Eelaya wasn't sure if it was the coldness itself, or her awareness of what she can do with it.

Did you touch the coldness, the voice of DR.Rief echoed in her head. The sight...

She focused. Breath still inside and tension building up as the coldness spread over her body. They mixed together in her system, swirling around and confusing her.

It was a river. Melted ice poured from her abdomen and splashed out to the rest of the body. She was the conductor. She was tapping her tree of life.

We always do, she thought.

Breath still in, she stretched her thoughts--not towards the coldness, but towards the tree. She was in the Forth. She was a wisp of soul. She touched the veins, sucking information from them like a vampire ravaging his prey. She could see her tree. She was...

Deaf.

The sound escaped the place. It was as though she was in space again, facing the ruthless silence of it. Back in her dream. No more chatter around. No clanking of glasses nor humming of the vents above their heads. Not even the gentle purr of the waitresses' grav-wheelers.

She opened her eyes.

It was still the hub, but something wasn't right. Everyone was moving slowly--each grimace built up as if frame by frame. The waitress behind her and Ameer was rolling with a tray full of Bev and some plates. The full tables around them and the woman at the bar who looked as though she had enough for tonight and was ready to go--straightening her posture bit by bit.

The sight...

The waitress came nearer, one of her hands behind her grasping something. It was odd enough seeing her rolling so close, but her stare was fixated on... on...

Ameer!

She was rolling closer--too close--and began to extract something from her back. Her motions were slow and full of intention--eyes locked on her target.

It made no sense--grasping something behind the back while rolling to serve. And the eyes. The stare. Her tension. It was as though she...

Everything froze.

No! What's in your hand? What's the...

The cold sensation began to recede briskly. The scenery was moving backwards as if the world was sucking back the content of its creation. The waitress reversed away to whence she came, still not revealing what's behind her back, and the woman at the bar sat on the stool.

Just like it sparked, it vanished. A headache and fatigue replaced it; but Eelaya knew what she had to do. She knew what's coming next.

It could be a knife...

She drew in a breath.