The Rising - Ennead 1

Scene 3 - 808s, Heartbreak and Legion; Act 1

Didn’t you know I was waiting on you?
Waiting on a dream that would never come true
Didn’t you know I was waiting on you?
My face turned to stone when I heard the news …

I should have fucking known that the memories of the past year were too good to be true. Too much fucking perfection is always followed by an even bigger shitload of bullshit. Their perfect New England house and trust funds. The smell of old money: hardwood flooring, stone facades and manicured lawns on grounds way too fucking big to be real.

        The feeling of inadequacy was bad enough. But didn’t they remember the crack addled little shit their daughter was before she met me? The worst part is that I know the blue blood she is going to be with: Trip Astor- hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of prep school and tutors; centuries of American blue bood heritage.

  …And my head keeps spinning,
Can’t stop having these visions …

         A vision of light is what she was, but she wasn’t always. Bitch looked a like a wreck when I first met her. First day of pre-law and she was as high as a kite.

        It was a philosophy class. She sat behind me and I could tell she needed help. But I didn’t give her any, not the first time, or the second or third time. I can’t recall the exact day ‘we’ started, but I remember every detail.

        Nobody in the lecture room thought it was odd that her head was on the desk, oblivious to what was going on in the lecture room. I guess people assumed she was on a downer, we had gotten used to her crazy shit.

 “Soldier!”

        The shock of a sudden sending made my body go rigid on reflex. My body had gone tense for orders that it assumed were about to given. My eyes widened when I noticed it was the Professor - Professor Cho, a tiny wisp of a woman. Almost two months of classes and I hadn’t noticed she was Society.

“Get her out and to the campus clinic now!”

        The word-picture she flashed made it clear who “she” was. I remember being impressed that such a strong force of command could come from such a tiny person.

        It wasn’t until I slung her over my shoulder that I noticed she was 5mm away from OD-ing. Her skin was clammy and cold. My heightened senses picked up the other signs too: slow pulse, odd breathing and a dozen other markers of a generally fucked up system.

        The TA had had to take over the class, puzzled, while the Professor and I took her to the clinic. Professor Cho only stayed long enough to explain the situation to the doctor. Then she turned to me.

“Thanks for taking orders. I just assumed you would, sorry if it was an inconvenience”

“Always glad to serve.”

She snorted, a smile flickered across her lips as she murmured, “So stiff.” Before I even asked, she added on, “Third Society, Seer and Speaker.”

        I almost saluted when she said she was both Seer and Speaker. Professor Cho was Candidate Level, Master of both halves of her path. The Prof was levels above a simple Berserker like myself. She left without saying another word.

        I ended up staying by the blue-blood princess’s bed till she woke up. Then I ended up helping her to her room. Then I got Reggie to take her to one of his support meetings, which took a great deal of convincing on both sides. We became friends and then rapidly became more. She and I became an item so smoothly I should have known it was too good to be true. And it was.