The Generators

17. Campion

Hey guys! Sorry, I know it's Thursday and not Wednesday but I've been so busy. I hope that you are all staying safe, and are with people you love. 

I hope that this story can bring a smile to your face during these trying times. 

This is the last Campion chapter of this "chunk", Magdalenea is coming back. It's importantly that you've been paying attention, now more than ever, all of the chapters are connected. 

This was a super fun chapter to write, there are a bunch of surprises, trust me. This is a good one. 

Happy Reading!

---------

And then all at once, there was silence.

Must've drifted off. I opened my eyes. I could see...the stars? I sat up. I could see my body again. I wasn't in my room. I wasn't at CIVINST. There were skyscrapers around me, rain drizzling on my face. I looked down. My body was back, that was good. But where the heck was I?

I stood. It was dark and foggy, lightning crashed above my head as the sky seemed to open up and dump the ocean onto me. I was soaked.

HONK! I jumped out of the way, plastering my back against the nearest building I could find. I'd been in the middle of the road, almost been hit by a taxi. But how had I not noticed that before? There were cars everywhere, the street I'd just run out of was nearly gridlocked, traffic was so tight.

I slipped into the nearest alley, trying to figure out what was going on. It was night time here or at least evening. What time zone was this? What time zone was CIVINST in? I quickly realized that I had no idea where I had been. I'd been taken and dragged all the way there with a sedative in my system and a hood over my head. I don't think I had jet lag, but then again those first few days I was out of it anyhow.

CRASH. I ducked low as I walked further into the alley. Probably a bad choice, but maybe it was someone who could help. Standing a dozen yards from the mouth of the alley was a little girl. No, not little, she wasn't less than 13, she was just small. She held her arm close to her body as if it was hurt, as I got closer I could hear her sobs.

"Excuse me?" I asked tentatively, walking up to her. She didn't look up. "Excuse me?" She couldn't see me. I wasn't invisible, at least, I didn't feel invisible. And what about the taxi? The taxi could see me, why couldn't she?

She wasn't okay, I couldn't just leave her like this and her hand. She was bleeding. Badly. I couldn't just leave her like this. The longer I stood next to her, as she climbed up onto a dumpster and curled her knees to her chest and sobbed, the sadder I felt. The madder I felt.

Wait. Why was I sad? Tears were rolling down my cheeks, there was a lump in my throat. Why was I mad? My insides burned, not like before, this time with hopelessness, pain, and anguish. But mostly loneliness. I sank to the ground next to the dumpster and wept. It seemed like the sadder I felt and the harder I cried, the louder the storm became.

They lied to me. They lied to me and now I have nothing, I am nothing. Why me?

That wasn't me, which meant these emotions weren't mine to feel and these tears weren't mine to cry. I was sure of that. I stood up, tears mixing with raindrops, and coating my skin. The girl on the dumpster was drenched, I would have time to think about it later, now I just had to go get help.

I took off running in the way I'd come. In the sky there was a bright blue light, I ran towards it. It might've been a hospital or something, people. People who could help.

There was a man with an umbrella, a dark shape moving quickly towards me. He could help.

"Help!" I shouted, picking up speed. "Please, help!"

"What's going on?" He wore a black raincoat, boots, and had a flashlight tucked under his arm. When he put his hood down and looked me in the eyes, I was taken aback. I knew him.

I opened my mouth to speak. "-!"

"Don't say that name here." he cut me off. "Campion?" he was genuinely surprised to see me.

"Yes, it's me. It's been years." I was dumbfounded. How could he be here? He'd left years ago, and now, by some strange act of God here he was standing in front of me. His parents, did they know? After all this time?

"What the heck are you doing here? In the middle of the city, soaking wet, no less" he said ushering me under the umbrella.

"I'm not sure, but there's this girl-"

His eyes grew wide. "What did she look like?"

"Um, I couldn't really tell she was drenched in rain. Longish-hair. Not sure what color. I couldn't really see her eyes. Her hand is all messed up though. She's in a lot of pain. Emotionally, mentally. And the storm, I think-"

"Yes, I know. The storm is hers."

"Doesn't she realize she's raining on the whole city?"

"She has no idea who or what she is." He looked stressed and sad, and maybe angry?

"Who?"

"Don't worry about it."

"I'm not sure what her name is, I tried talking to her but-"

"She can't see you." He clarified, beating me to the punch.

"I got that, the question is why." Maybe he had some answers, he always used to. They all did. It made me feel homesick.

"Well kid, based on your inappropriate rain-wear and that wide-eyed expression, I'd say you ended up here. Which leads me to conclude you're an astral projection."

"If I'm just a projection why can I feel rain, why could the taxi driver, who almost hit me, see me?"

He shook his head. "It doesn't work like that. You're on a plane of space above this one. You can feel the rain because it's hers. It's probably raining in all realities that closely resemble this one. The taxi driver couldn't see you. He could sense something, and his brain filled in the rest. Probably thought you were a squirrel or a wayward pedestrian."

"Look I've gotta go, which way did you say she went?" he put his hood back up and switched on his flashlight.

I pointed him in the right direction, and he started to walk away. Then he stopped. "Campion?"

"Yeah?"

"You know they'd come looking for you, they'd come to get you if they thought it would help."

I sighed, now the rain was a little too fitting. "I know."

"You can't blame them, they did everything they could, and I mean everything."

"I know." I couldn't think about it. About them. About my past. It was too hard, and it wouldn't help anything. He was right, he always was. I knew what was happening was for a reason, gosh, I'd known since I was old enough to understand. Probably before that. But that didn't make it hurt less here and now.

"You'll see them again bud. We both will." I'd forgotten he had her green eyes. There they were looking at me, killing me.

"I know."

"Goodbye Campion." he said as he disappeared into the night, calling "Bean! Bean!" I wondered when I would see him again. I wondered when I would see anyone again. I wondered when I would finally be able to go back home. 

------

WOAH!

Who was the man with the umbrella, how does Campion know him? What was the girl crying about? 

I told you it was going to be a good one, didn't I?!

all the best, see you next week!

xoxo. 

G.A