Psych Wars

3. Introducing the Time Transmitters

It was 6 am and my phone alarm was playing "True you" like it did every morning. I grumbled into the phone, "Go back to sleep." The phone didn't listen, but I didn't expect it to. Ugh, I hadn't gotten to bed till 3 am, and now I had to get ready for work. It took me three tries to get the math problem correct in order to shut up the alarm. Then I rolled out of bed and stumbled my way to the bathroom. When I thought about how cold and wet I would be after taking a shower, I decided to skip it today. After brushing my teeth and hair, I pulled on my warm and soft black sweater with blue jeans. I loved the sweater because the fabric was so soft it felt like someone giving a hug. Anything that added some comfort to the day was a plus.

Once I made my way downstairs, I sat on the couch, turned on the morning news, and sipped a hot cup of coffee. I liked my coffee black with sugar-free sweetener to avoid extra calories. A nutty aroma wafted from the cup to my nose. My ears tuned in to the morning host going over comments on News Chat. Most of them were expressions of love or hate for the host.

@Beauty - Norm, I love the piece you did on the endangered Boro Monkey.

@Trinity - Norm, you are totally biased toward Streetwater. Where is the unbiased reporting?

Then I heard the following.

@FaithGuides - A year ago, I lost my little girl Jasmine to a miscarriage. Her death was a terrible tragedy that could have been avoided...

My arms went limp as the coffee cup dropped from my hand. Coffee splashed down my pants then onto the couch. Damn it. I didn't know if I had another pair of jeans. Now, I needed to get the coffee out of the couch too. As I rushed to the kitchen for a cold wet sponge, my thoughts started to batter my brain again. You killed your daughter. Armed with the remote, I turned off the TV. How dare you blame your parents for what you did? I sponged most of the stain was off the sofa, then blotted it with paper towels. Why did I pick green fabric? I should have bought leather. That distracted me a little but one more notion came to mind. What if they come after my parents? Trying to ignore myself, I ran to my dresser and pulled out a pair of beige pants. They're going to murder doctors. I quickly changed pants. As I ran out the door, I grabbed my purse. Sissy's is in danger.

Things didn't get much better at work. My mind was still plaguing me to the point where I couldn't concentrate. Sissy will die, and it's your fault. Your parents will be brought up on charges, and it's your fault. Jasmine died, and it's your fault. These screaming thoughts were followed by an idea which was soft as a trickling stream. You can fix this. Then there was panic. I don't know how!

Tom screamed "Fire!" and my trance broke. Once again, I was in the here and now. I watched Tom rush past me with a fire extinguisher. There were flames burning my lab coat, which was carelessly laid on the table. Next to it, I must have tipped over a Bunsen burner. A white foam started to smother the flame. How could I have been so stupid? Another couple of minutes and my sweater would have caught fire as well.

My manager, Tom, looked like he was conflicted with emotions. He took on the voice of a worried parent, but angry at the same time.

"Faith, are you ok? What's your lab coat doing on the table next to an open flame? After you knocked over the burner, you didn't respond when called. What's going on with you?"

"I'm sorry Tom, I guess I don't feel well," I replied.

Somehow, I didn't think Tom would understand the thoughts, almost like voices, ringing in my head.

Tom responded. "You're not up for lab-work today. Go home and rest. You've got some sick time. For God's sake use it for once. That's what it's there for."