CLICK- Chapter 12

It was almost lunch time. I sat in my dull cubicle, spinning in my chair while dangling a pen from my cold fingers (freaking cheapo’s needed to up the budget and get a heater). I looked up at the ceiling and sighed. What a boring shade of gray. Bored bored boredddddd. Even more boring now that Anjali wasn’t there to tease. I really didn’t care if she was gone. That sleazebag could be dead for all I cared. She had probably taken a vacation. Honestly, I had no idea why people were so hyped up about her absence, to the point where they had issued an investigation. After all, it wasn’t like she was, you know, kidnapped or anything.

I blinked. My eyes had become dry from staring up too long. My thoughts were broken when a mass of red jumped up from behind my cubicle wall. Cally Whitworth, the imbecile.

“God, I’m so worried about Anj! What if she’s really not okay? What if she’s hurt? What if she’s dying? WHAT IF IT’S CANCER AND-”

I looked up lazily, swinging one crossed leg over the other. I gave her a look that said, “frankly, I think you’re a jumped up bunglicker”. Cal didn’t get the hint though.

“Geoffreeyyyyyy! Come on!!! You have to help me look for her! The last time I saw her was when she ran after you that night at my party.”

“No, I don’t have to help you look for her,” I said. “Honestly, do I look like your slave?”

“Yes.”

“Shut up.”

“MAKEE MEEE! Geoffrey Indiko, you are a right foul custard bunion. You are going to help me look for her, or I swear to God that I will make your life a living hell!”

I laughed breezily. “Alreadddyy is one with you in it, darrlinnggg!”

“Okay. Fine. Then I’ll come to your house with a baseball bat and break your mirror so you can never gaze longingly at your stupid fat face again!”

“I happen to be under the impression that my face is rather spectacular looking, as you seemed so enamored with it just a few days ago,”

“SHUT UP! That was before I knew how stupid you were and how much product you put in you hair, stupid!”

“I put barely any product at all. What you see is in fact just a byproduct of my awesome-ness.”

“Stay right there. I’m going to find a stapler to bash your head in with.”

I gave her a slight bow. “Very good, milady,” I added sarcastically.

Then, out of nowhere, an actual stapler came flying at my head. A huge, black, metal one. I ducked but....not in time. Damn thing hit the side of my head.

“WHAT’D YOU DO THAT FOR??”

“I told you I was going to do it!”

I groaned, gingerly feeling the side of my skull. “You twit! I’m bleeding!”

“Oh, don’t be a baby.”

“HARK WHO’S TALKING!”

“ME? LOOK AT YOU! TOUCHING YOUR FACE ALL THE TIME, BENDING OVER TO STICK OUT YOUR ‘CHISELED’ BUTT, ALWAYS COMPLAINING ABOUT HOW EVERYTHING’S TOO COLD, MAKING LEWD COMMENTS ABOUT OUR BOSS-”

“Ahem. I understand that you are...clearly occupied...but it would be appreciated if you two would take your rather boisterous conversation outside, or even better, elsewhere.” Our annoying boss stood by the doorway. Irritated, I stood up. I did not say lewd things about our boss, Jesus Christ! (Okay, so maybe she was particularly bodacious and- BUT I DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT)

“No problem! I was getting tired of speaking with this IMBECILE!” I emphasized the “imbecile”. Cal looked outraged.

Pushing past my boss, I stormed outside, slamming the door behind me, also attracting the attention of a few young children.

“What are you looking at?” I snarled. This caused them to flee into the arms of their mothers, who in turn gave me a look of disgust. I just felt so frustrated! Why did everyone expect me to help find Anjali???? IT WASN’T LIKE IT WAS MY FAULT THAT SHE GOT HERSELF KIDNAPPED OR WHATEVER!

And why should I? She was a freaking killer!

Well, so was I...

Whatever.

I still had in my hand a letter opener from when I was working in the office.

Wouldn’t hurt to go for another round with some unlucky idiot...

The lights of the dinky little apartment (well, like I said, it was more of a ...shack, if you will) were all off. Kent must be asleep. All the better. I was drenched in blood.

I had been out for a couple of hours. Think it was 3 a.m. It had been three days since I left the office in a storm. The police hadn't found out anything about me, couldn't figure out why. Of course no one got much further on Anjali’s case either.

Sometimes Kent commented on my absences in the morning, but I was mostly still asleep. I had the feeling we were growing more and more distant. Sometimes I could almost see the frown on Kent’s face behind my closed eyes. I felt bad but...now I learned not to care. Killing made me feel good.

Quietly, I unlocked the door, inching it forward, everything, even the dead wood, tense. Closing it behind me, I walked further into my apartment. Crashing straight into the bed sounded good. But washing up and burning the bloody clothes should be taken care of-but it was so much work.

I took a quick scan of the apartment. Didn’t hear anything, didn’t see anything... the coast was clear. Couldn’t see anything, really in fact. It was that dark. Wasn’t scary though. It was comforting. Good thing the place was so tiny- it was easier to memorize. The living room’s carpet was beat up and stained, and pretty much felt like matted fur on an underfed dog. The kitchen was horribly messy and smelled like trash half of the time, Kent probably had half of his stuff lying around rotting somewhere or whatever. I mean, besides the bathrooms, our house had pretty much only four rooms. Feet still padded by socks, I started to make a dash for the washroom. Bloody architect. Who in their right mind would honestly make a house in which you have to cross the family room, living room, and kitchen to get into the bathroom??

Oh god, I sincerely hoped Kent would not wake up. What if he found out about my...”late night sprees”? That would put him in a compromising situation- he would be torn. Tell the police or let his roomie go free and let innocent people die? I couldn’t do that to him. I couldn’t! And it would be such an awkward situation to explain, and he would never look at me the same way again, he would kick me out of the house...

More importantly, I would’ve let him down.

More than anything, I couldn’t do that.

The floor creaked under my weight. Jeez. Kent, please, please do NOT wake up. Oh god. I tentatively placed another foot on the cold wood. No creaks this time. Breathe. I was holding in my breath. Hadn’t even realized it. I breathed out, huskily, trying to even out my nervous, sporadic, and very loud breath.

Then something brushed my leg.

OHMYGOD. OHMYGOD... My heart plummeted and I felt about 30 degrees colder. Every inch of me clenched together and at the same time felt like exploding into a, a oh god I don’t even know oh god this was how it was going to end I was going to throw up all over this bloody floor and pass out in it and this thing, the thing brushing past my leg what the heck was that oh my god it was definitely after me and it was taking it’s sweet time, teasing me, killing me slowly and driving me insane, and I was and going to be carted off to prison and Kent, oh my god Kent-

It brushed my leg again and it was all I could do to not to let out a muffled whimper when I bit down on my lip and clasped my frozen hands against my mouth.

...And then the thing mewed.

Mewed?!

I wasn’t given enough time to ponder this. Footsteps fluttered down the hallway to my right. Kent.

Oh god. Kent. Did I have enough time to hide? The kitchen was really messy, maybe there- but I was much too tall to hide behind anything, except the counter. And even then, I would make too much noise trying to clamber behind it. Kent was coming closer...

There was no way I could explain my way out of this one. Oh geez. I wanted to scream, to cry, to just vaporize all together on the spot and die over and over just not to face Kent!...

It was too late. I was done for. I was over. I couldn’t face Kent. I was facing the wall, so he would see my back side first.

The lights clicked on. No peaked gasp of breath. No sound of shock at all, in fact. Nothing I could register.

“Kent?”

He didn’t move for a second.

Sound of movement. I saw him through my peripheral vision, walking ahead of me. He bent down, and picked up a kitten (that’s what it was?!). All without looking at me. I wanted to scream.

LOOK AT ME DAMMIT. KENT PLEASE. JUST LOOK. I’M A MESS. I’VE LET YOU DOWN. I CAN’T. DO YOU SEE WHAT I’VE BECOME. A MONSTER. I’M HORRIBLE. I’M WORTHLESS. LOOK AT WHAT I’VE DONE TO YOU.  I’M UNLOVEABLE. LOOK AT ME AND ACKNOWLEDGE MY BETRAYAL AND SHAME, EVERYTHING. GET IT OVER WITH ALREADY. I CAN’T TAKE ANYMORE OF THIS. KENT, PLEASE. PLEASE LOOK AT ME KENT.

...Look at me and tell me everything is going to be okay...

Because by now, I’m willing to believe in any lie, just to believe in something.

Kent slowly pivoted around, looking at me directly, in the eye.

“Kent, say something.” Silence. “Please.”

His eyes sank deeper into mine, pried into me, took a good look at exactly all the filth that I was and had been in.

I cautiously, slowly, walked over to him. Would he be okay with that? I was a bloody mess. Did he even like me anymore? Even regard me as a person anymore?

“Kent, oh god, I’m sorry, I-”

“I knew what was going on. It’s okay Geofferey.”

I stumbled back. “What?”  His reply was not at all like...him.

“I know why you’re missing every night. Why you’ve skipped work. And why you’re covered in all that blood.” I searched his face. Was he furious? Disgusted? No, he just looked disappointed. Like I had let him down.

“Kent, buddy, what the hell are you saying? Go to bed. You’re tired.”

“No, no. Hear me out. D’you remember anything from when you were little? Like, five, maybe.”

“No...” Come to think of it, I couldn't remember anything starting from about two years ago.

“Can’t remember anything from two years ago and back, can you?”

The hell- “Kent, the heck, what’s going on-”

“Shh. It’ll make sense. Just listen. You know Anjali, and you know Daphne. This is how you know them. When you were young, like maybe, ten, you met them. You guys were friends.”

I backed away, frantically shaking my head.

“No no no no! You’ve got it wrong, Kent! I never knew Anjali up until a few weeks ago. I hate Anjali, for God’s sake! No way we were friends! I--”

“Geoffrey, just listen. You guys were all kidnapped by the MEM. They wiped your memories. That’s why you don’t remember anything.”

“Kent, shut up. Memory wiping? What the hell, are you from the future? I think not!”

“No. I’m your friend-”

“But I don’t remember you, ohhh I see,” I shot at him sarcastically. Kent was freaking crazy. I was going to bed. This was all dumb sh-

“Right,” Kent said, passing right by all the sarcasm. “But I can help you remember.”

I sighed. “Okay, say I did get wiped. What now? Huh Kent? What crazy stuff are you gonna try on me now?”

“Close your eyes.”

“The h- What for??”

“Just listen to me. Do it.”

So I closed my eyes.

Then Kent farted in my face.   

“KENT WHAT THE F-”

Kent was laughing hysterically. “OH GOD THAT WAS TOO GOOD TO PASS UP OKAY I’M SORRY BUT SERIOUSLY JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES.”

“NO! NOT AFTER THAT YOU MORON-”

“Stop being a party pooper and do it you baby.”

“Ugh. I hate you man. Fine.”

Kent started talking.

“You were about three. I think you told me you were just playing on the sidewalk, and then somehow or another you blacked out and woke up. Somewhere weird. Somewhere foreign. Somewhere where no one could ever find you.”

“You were in the desert. Middle east-ish. You were surrounded by people in gray, all the time. It was a strange little camp. Everyday these people would force you to do whatever they wished, and you did it. Not out of love. Out of fear. If you didn’t obey, you didn't’ have any food for perhaps three days, or you were chained to a post, surrounded by rats, or you were beaten.”

“For the most part, you obeyed. What other alternative did you have? You couldn’t remember the warmth of a touch, or a kind face, or what a smile looked like. The memory of your parents was barely even there. That changed though. You met me. You were about seven. To be more accurate, I met you. You didn’t know me at all. I blended in with the rest of them. I was kidnapped, like you. But the kidnapped had turned to be the kidnapper, as I was forced to keep you in control.”

“One day, you forgot to attend to someone. Nobody can blame you. You were in servitude for four or five years by then. But those guards-they were strict. They chained you up in one of the bigger outhouses. You hated the dark. It was so smelly and stinky and....”

Kent’s voice started to fade away. I realized I was starting to remember. I was back there again...

“PLEASE! Let me go! I promise I won’t do it again, I promise, I swear, I’ll do anything-”

Someone in the darkness just laughed. I heard something swish and-

The snap of pain across my back wasn’t like anything I experienced before. I couldn’t stop screaming. I screamed and I screamed and I screamed and I kept getting more and more hurt and the blood was caking all over or oozing slowly down and everything was so horrid and stars started appearing at the corners of my vision and I was fading in and out of consciousness and the worst part was hearing the swish and bracing for the impact and the thing slashing further and further I was probably going to get an infection and ughh my raw skin being chafed against the rope and I wasn’t sure how much more I could take-

“STOP!”

No more swishing sounds.

“The hell, Pete! Go back to your quarters! Not done with the boy yet!”

“You are now,” the voice said quietly.

“Ahhh, shut up.”

The swish noise again! I became tense, waiting, waiting-

But nothing.

I heard it crack against something else...

I heard “Pete”, apparently, groan. “Ahhh...” he stopped with a sharp intake of breath. Then a gunshot. My captor had been killed.

“Good thing I decided to smuggle this-expensive thing, MEM doesn’t even like guns. Can’t see why. It was so much faster this way.” He was panting. “Geoffrey, go! Before they come back!”

I didn't say anything. I couldn’t. I scrambled to my feet and ran.

That wasn’t the end of it though.

A few nights later, one of the guards came up to me. He was smiling. That wasn't a good sign.

“Hey Geoffrey! We’re going to see a little something special tonight! I know you’ll like it, little baby,” he grinned savagely.

He dragged me along, to one of the horses. He trundled me up, blindfolded, while we rode  for perhaps ten minutes or so,. As we got closer, I could hear someone crying out. The more we rode, the worse it became. The screams were unbearable. I felt myself being slid off the horse, blindfold undone.

What I saw was....

Peter was there, tied against a post. The cries were his. He was being whipped.

“See that there? He’s doing it in your place. We found him, all right- ass tried to high tail it. We asked him- ‘We’re giving you a nice choice here, Pete. Either you whip the boy or we whip you,’ and of course he chose to get whipped in your place! Ha, nice people. They’re so stupid.” the guard said.

“Let him go,” I whispered.

“He’s been here, say, maybe three days now. First he was silent. Didn’t cry out at all. Now he’s been a real nuisance! Won’t shut the ‘ell up! Keeps passing out too, and puking all over the place. ‘s disgusting,” he chuckled.

Crack. Another scream.

I couldn’t watch him and leave him there. I had to do something!

“LET HIM GO! LET HIM GO LET HIM GO LET HIM GO” I screamed, running toward Peter. I didn’t exactly have a plan, except to run. Or something. I got as far as almost untying Peter’s bonds when the guards decided to act, dragging me away, hauling me like a sack of potatoes over one shoulder.

I was forced to watch Peter’s torture, while I hit, kicked, and bit the guard and sobbed at them to let Peter go.

“Geoffrey! Snap out of it!”

I woke up, startled.

“How long have I been out?”

“Ten minutes. Ish. Screaming bloody murder.”

“Of course I was! I had to relive- relive that! Kent, they called you Peter, and- and oh God, Kent, it was horrible how are you still alive??”

He shrugged. “Not so sure myself. Not too long after you came around they finally had enough of me...Anyway, I’m not done. I’ve got to keep explaining to you-”

“Kent, no way, I’m not done talking about this, they nearly killed you-”

“Yeah yeah yeah. Okay. Anyway, so there you were, the little torment toy. After our incident, they decided it wasn't safe to keep you there anymore. We might’ve been in cahoots. Some head guy bosso honcho decided to move you to some little pansy place- there, you would have some school and crap or whatever it was you guys did, actually have real food, and dress up in some prick uniform-”

“Wow, tell us how you really feel about the place, Kent-”

“I kid you not! Geoffrey, I never forgot you. Never. Even after you left I watched out for you,”

I was about to chip in some snide remark about how stalkerish he was, but...looking at him, I couldn’t do it.

“That place was so crap, Geoffrey. Compared to what you had been through? You were going to school with a bunch of pansies. I don’t know how you could stand it. Me? I would’ve went insane. No one to understand you, no one at all. And then there you were, learning the ABC’s from some prissy fat teacher, when you were probably getting debilitating flashbacks from your time back at Camp Lots-o-Fun!”

Everything was dark.

When I woke up, I was sitting in a chair. A very soft chair, more comfortable than anything I’d ever sat on. I was dressed in a white uniform. Across from me an elderly man sat with a pipe between his fingers. Once he noticed that I was awake, he smiled at me.

“Well, well, it seems that you’re alright. Well, Geoffrey, m’boy, welcome to your new home! Here you will be trained everyday, and you will go to school. Your term starts tomorrow. For now, the guards will take you to get your ID.” With that, he left. What? My mind was buzzing. School seemed like such a foreign concept. And training? More training? Whatever, at least I was gone from that other place. They couldn’t hurt me anymore. But I was so confused. Who was that man? Was I still going to work for the MEM? The guard grabbed me by the elbow and pushed me through the door, in what seemed to be a completely metal hallway.

We walked and walked, passing a large window. I was astonished to see more kids like me, playing outside. Having fun...

After walking for what felt like hours, we reached a dead end. Or more of a station. I could see that that was where I would get my ID. While I walked up to it, through the corner of  my eyes that there were two figures huddled in the corner. I turned my head, and looked at two small girls. The smaller one with brown hair was holding the older one’s pants. Her eyes sparkled with interest and childishness. I somehow felt myself aching, wishing that I could be as free as her. But when she backed away, I knew at once that my eyes were just dull and dead, like my spirit, and that they couldn’t be free. I looked up at the older girl, the one with black hair and almost golden skin; instead of fear I saw curiosity. I stared at her, silently daring her to say something. But she stared back, holding my gaze. It wasn’t until the guard pushed me that I continued walking.

I met her again, during lunch, and what was my first real meal. Clearly she didn’t like me. And I didn’t like her either. But I discovered that the younger girl was called Daphne, and at first I thought that Daphne and the other girl were sisters. Rather, they were friends.

Our fates must have been intertwined, because later that week, she saved me from a bully. Of course, she also passed out from the sight of blood, but I had made a new friend. Her name was Anjali Izumi.

Years passed on. Daphne became my ...well, more than just a friend, and Anjali was my right-hand man...er...woman....or girl.

We were an inseparable trio. But then one day, something changed. Daphne was absent from lunch. Anjali went to go look for her, but hours passed and she didn’t return. So I went to look for both girls.

My heart stopped when I saw my Daphne on the floor. It was Anjali.

I remembered that moment so vividly. Like it was yesterday. I shot her. I shot Anjali. I killed her. And that was all I remembered.

“It wasn’t her.” I was startled to see Kent standing over me.

“What?”

“She didn’t kill Daphne. Anjali loved Daphne more than she loved you. You killed the wrong person.”

I stared down at the table. It wasn’t Anjali. I shot the wrong person. I shot the wrong person. I killed my precious Anjali, my best friend. But-

“How is she still alive?”

Kent laughed at me.

“Stupid, the MEM can do anything. They just slowed down her death time, gave her some stuff, and shipped her off to her parents  house. It was easy, especially since you had helped them speed up the termination process. But they didn’t count on her living. And you. They had to deal with you. They wiped your mind, and sent you here.”

“B-b-but...Daphne?” I instantly regretted my words. Kent wore a look that I was not accustomed to seeing. I could feel chills resonate through my body. He looked like he could kill.

“Daphne? DAPHNE?! JESUS CHRIST, GEOFFREY! IS THAT ALL YOU CARE ABOUT? DAPHNE IS GONE YOU IDIOT! NOW ANJALI’S THE ONE MISSING!!! AND YOU’RE SITTING AROUND KILLING POOR BLOKES! HOW ABOUT, INSTEAD OF WALLOWING IN SELF PITY, YOU DO SOMETHING AND GO LOOK FOR ANJALI??? SHE LOVED YOU SO MUCH! IT’S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT SHE’S GONE. GOD. I KNEW IT. YOU ARE SUCH AN ARROGANT PIG! I’VE HAD IT. I’ve been patient enough. I waited for you to do something, and be the old Geoffrey, the one who would just be WAITING to take action. But now I see that you’ve changed. You don’t care anymore. I’m done, Geoffrey, I’m done.” With that outburst, he turned around, heading towards his bedroom, leaving me close to … nope. I was a man. I WAS A FREAKING MAN AND I WOULD NOT FREAKING CRY.

He was right. I didn’t want to admit it. But it was true. Daphne was in the past. I still had Anjali. But she was gone too. And yes, it really was my fault. If only I hadn’t left her at the party. Kent was right. The old me would have immediately done whatever I could to get her back...but...is there really anything called an old me and a new me? Aren’t I just...me? I had come to a decision.

I put my hand on Kent’s shoulder.

“How about you help me get back that Wimp Girl?”

Kent turned, and flashed me the biggest smile I had ever seen.

“Glad to have you back, Jeffy-Jeff.”

To read chapter 11 click here --> http://www.thetellury.com/2012/12/18/click-chapter-11/

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Click- Chapter 11

Code blue, four sixty-seven....code blue.....467....blue...codes.......AJHDKASJHFAJHJASHFSAJ!!!! My brain was completely messed up. I had no idea what was what. Code blue? What the heck was that? I didn’t know, but it must have triggered something in my body, because instead of continuing my rant on Mr. King, I was sitting as quiet as a rock. Yes, a rock. Mr. King had left the room a loonnnnnngggg time ago, leaving me alone. He had removed all sharp objects, which was probably a good idea as I had, minutes before, looked like I could kill. So I sat on the desk, twiddling my thumbs. Hmm, I guess I was gonna miss the appointment at work.

I wonder what Geoffrey was doing? He had been so....normal back then. All those years ago. We had been friends. Us and Daphne. Daphne, my baby sister. Well, not really. But she was as good as since I had no family. I laughed silently, thinking about how I had changed so much. I had once been a lethal killing machine. Yes, me the clumsiest girl alive. You see, the MEM had started as a group of scientists, looking for ways to enhance human abilities. But along the way, they had gotten carried away. They had started taking kids from families, injecting them with a special serum while they were still young. Some kids died immediately, and others grew to be miniature FBI agents. Geoffrey and I, we had been a part of that. Funny. He had once been so serious. And now, I’ll admit, he was pretty weird. And I can’t believe I’d liked him...maybe love comes once in a lifetime, because I sure didn’t like him now. In fact, I was pretty pissed that he had tried to kill me.

And although it had been years, there was still a hole inside my chest. Daphne had been my best friend and sister. How could she have just gone? How? How could a person be alive and laughing one minute, and then lying motionlessly on the ground the next minute? Why was the world so cruel?

Another tear slid down my face. I looked down blankly staring at my feet, my mind empty. I helplessly observed the room. A stool. A giant cord attached to a computer. Some test tubes. Weird colored liquid. A window.........a window? A window! Immediately, I perked up. Jumping off of the desk, I ran to the window, peering down. The distance to the ground wasn’t very far...I quickly pried open the window. Thankfully it wasn’t locked. Grabbing the computer cord, I attached it to another desk that was attached to the floor. I walked to the edge of the window, standing on the sill, tightly holding the cord, I crouched. Though I was scared out of my wits, I felt no uneasiness. Looking around once more...I jumped. I fell and fell-

And landed on the soft grass. I jumped up, looking around. Woah. I had done it! I had done it! I had-

“Well, well. It seems like once a MEM agent, always a MEM agent.” A very cold voice stopped my inner glory. I slowly turned around, gasping. A very tall girl stood towering down at me. But it wasn’t just any girl. She had long, brown locks pulled back into a ponytail. Wearing dark sunglasses, an outfit that looked like it had come out of G.I Joe, and holding a gun, she looked like someone that was not to be crossed. She grabbed her glasses, pulling them off. Her eyes pierced mine, a fiery green against her porcelain skin. Though it had been so long, and she had changed so much, I knew who she was. But how was it possible? How-

“I trust you know me?” she said with a very nasty grin. What a stupid question. Of course I knew her. How could I forget? How could my brain ever erase my angel, the one and only, 

Daphne?

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Christmas Vacation

It's almost here. You can almost hear it. See it. Taste it. Feel it. Live it. That's right.

Christmas is nine days away.

And with that comes a beautiful, extraordinary thing described often as, "Christmas Break." For some unlucky few, none will ever experience such a paradise. For others, this small relief lasts only a day or week. But for most, and for me, Christmas Break is a glimpse of what heaven on Earth would be like, lasting an entire 14 days.

So what will you do?

Vacation in the Bahamas? Climb Mt. Everest? Meander through the streets of Italy?

Or stay home, watch T.V. all day, lie on your couch, think about what other people are doing, eat ice cream, order pizza, wear the same clothes for the next two weeks, try to hang out with your friends only to find out that you can't because most of them are in France eating crepes in the Eiffel Tower or are eating dumplings as they breeze along the Great Wall of China?

Do something special. Don't just do the plain old boring things that you've done every single Christmas.

If you've already visited France, go tour England! If you've already blazed through the wild Amazon, relax in Hawaii! And if you've already louched around at home for the several past Christmas', go adventuring someplace else!

It can be several blocks down your street, 30 minutes bus drive away, or 3,000 miles distant from your home place; it doesn't matter, just go, have fun, and do something special.

Now some people may laugh,"Haha. That's funny. I wish I could do that except I don't have the time/money/guts/money/experience/money/money/money. I would do that every day if only I had the time/money/guts/money/experience/money/money/money."

To these people, I must reply,"You don't need any of that to vacation outside your comfort zone, certainly not money! If out of time, then I'm sorry that you can't do the things you love. But no one needs money to have an adventure. Just do it!"

Christmas is still nine days away. That's plenty of time to plan out your next escapade. Go hear it. See it. Taste it. Feel it. Live it. That's right.

Go have some fun!

T_L

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CLICK (A Drama) CHAPTER TEN

I didn’t have any money.
So when I called for a cab...well, all I had was a nickel. Or something.
I had to walk home.
All fifteen miles of it.
I suppose it could’ve been worse.
Needed the excersise anyway.
At least it gave me time to think.

I knew only this much for certain:

• I had lost my memory. How or why? Not the foggiest.
• I used to love a girl- Daphne.
• Anjali had killed Daphne. Didn’t know why though...
• I had killed Anjali.
• Anjali was back from the dead??

Aaaand then there was also the tiny little fact that I had killed someone. God nope. I couldn’t think about that. Not now. Later. Later was good.

Geez. What was I going to do now? Walk home, sleep, wait to get arrested? I mean, the body...I didn’t even hide it. I just left it there. What was I thinking?! I had to go back. Burn it, chop it up into little pieces, juice it in a blender, feed it to a mob of hungry squirrels...I HAD TO GO BACK.
...But my feet kept walking towards home.
Geez maybe it was fate. I’ve just been forever doomed to go rot in jail. Whatever. I was going home.
Maybe equally as worrying was how Anjali was still alive. I know I pulled that trigger. I watched her collapse. I even checked her pulse after I saw her stop breathing!
...She couldn’t be like, one of those ghots people right?! Comes back from the dead? HAUNTS THE GUY THAT KILLS HER OR SOMETHING...
I laughed.
Sounded like a fart from a donkey’s left butt cheek.
A really loud fart from a donkey’s left butt cheek.
I don’t know whether I was laughing because that idea was so ridiculous or if I was laughing because I really half believed that I was probably going to get skinned alive and tossed in a toilet bowl by some demonic girl and heck I was scared the way a nerd was when the internet suddenly crashes.
God, it was hot. It was night time and it was still as muggy as a hippo’s armpit. What time was it anyway? I left Cal’s party pretty early. I did end up coming a bit late...Maybe something like, ten? Spent another hour and a half wandering around and oh, killing someone, then maybe half an hour at the park. I had been walking for an hour. I didn’t feel like walking fast at all. Sometimes I just sat down and stared at the cracks in the sidewalk. But anyway, that meant it was.. what? Only two in the morning? IT FELT SO MUCH LONGER...I thought it was, I dunno, four?

Suddnely, it occured to me: why not track down Anj? She couldn’t actually be a psychopathic killer. Maybe she knew more about this whole mess than me. And if she didn’t, well, I could at least find out how she came back to life. Because, y’know, stuff like that is a pretty big deal.
...But first I was going to home, sit in the corner and wait for someone to arrest me.

“Hey Geoffrey.”

I nearly screamed like a prepubescent tween girl who picked at her spots. Geez! I thought it was the police or something and in some weird stalker-ish way they knew my name and-

“Er, hello Kent. How’d you find me?”

“Easy enough- I followed the trail of misery and angst.”

“Ahhhh...”

“Just kidding. I just saw you while I was driving back home. Get in! I dropped off Kat and Wendy already.”

“Yeah, yeah sure. Okay.”

I got in Kent’s car, sinking back into the worn out seat. I sighed. It felt good to be able to rest. Not just physically- with Kent, I felt...I felt safe.

The car bumped over the road comfortably (Kent’s driving was truly a menace to all living things- I must’ve been exhausted, because there’s no way Kent’s driving could be defined as safe), the radio station tuned into some soporific classical music station, and the weather was fairly warm. I fell asleep.

But, the next morning, I woke up in my own bed. Kent was across from me, at my desk, reading.

“What’re you doing in here?” I asked, groggily. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. “Nevermind; Did you carry me in here from the car??”

“Well you certainly didn’t carry yourself- mm, by the way. Geoffrey. Do you know what happened to Anj last night? After the party? Your office called, the police are conudting an investigation- she disappeared apparently. Hasn’t been seen since ten last night. It’s about two o’ clock now, I let you sleep through the day. She was supposed to have an appoinment with some customer from work, but she never showed up. Strange, isn’t it?”

chapter 11: http://www.tellury.com/2012/12/click-chapter-11.html

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2010, 2011, 2012... Will There be a 2013?

            Each sunset and sunrise signifies the passage of time. As with the passing of each day, the crisp, vibrant leaves that fall away from their trees and powdery snow that delicately blankets the roofs of neighborhood houses are both signals that tell us that the winds of change are sweeping through our country.
            It seems like just yesterday when the beaches were crowded with the vivid coloring of bathing suits and the sun was focused on tanning the innocent people who strolled by. Looking at my calendar, however, the word “December” is stamped in bold, black letters across the paper. It is already the last month of the year.
            Yet, this year, 2012 is a special year. In 2007, José Argüelles, an American author, coined a certain theory that proceeded to convince the rest of the world that Earth would be destroyed in the year 2012. Argüelles’ theory sparked a chain reaction: the birth of thousands of other theories that elaborated on possible deaths of the world. Ultimately, they all led to one day: December 21, 2012, the day the world would cease to exist.
            Almost everyone has heard of the 2012 theory at one point. Countless science fiction films have also been produced over the years, exploring the countless events that could eventually lead to the demise of humankind. But what exactly is the 2012 phenomenon, and how did it come to be?
            When the man who started it all, José Argüelles, began receiving “prophecies” from ancient Mayan priests, he became convinced that the world would soon end. With the help of other religious men, their theory became a thickly woven prophecy.
            Although they all agreed that the world would end on 12-21-2012, their theories differed. The most famous and most publicized idea, the Mayan Theory, focuses on the Mayan calendar. A highly sophisticated and technologically advanced race, the Mayans created an accurate calendar that, despite the extinction of their ancient civilization around A.D. 900, continued on for thousands of years. That is, until the date, December 21, 2012. After the 21^st of December in the year 2012, the Mayan calendar reverts back to the beginnings of time, August 13^th 3114 B.C. It is hypothesized that December 21 marks the end of time, or possibly the end of the world.
            Another prophecy, the Galactic Alignment Theory, suggests that the world will end due to the alignment of the sun and the Galactic equator. The December solstice sun (when the sun is one-half of a degree wide) is predicted to be perfectly in line with the Galactic equator (which is the line that divides our galaxy, the Milky Way, in half). This only happens once every 26,000 years. The next time it is supposed to occur is December 21, 2012. Due to the disruption of the gravitational force of the sun in the middle of our galaxy, a massive black hole is predicted to open up. The disruption is suspected to throw off the gravity that pulls the moon to Earth, causing larger, monstrous tides. Subsequently, Earth will become flooded. Other natural disasters, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, are supposed to vanquish the remains of life on our planet.
            Yet another theory deals with volcanoes. The Super Volcano Theory reflects back about 74,000 years. Back then, a huge volcano had erupted, blocking out the sun and wiping out two-thirds of life on Earth. That catastrophe also marked the extinction of the dinosaurs. Due to geological changes and the ever-moving tectonic plates, many people believe that the “super volcano” in Yellowstone is long overdue for a big eruption. After analyzing scientific research, these people predict that the volcano will conveniently erupt on December 21^st and wreck havoc everywhere.
            The theories listed above are just three of the millions of theories out there. It is up to you to judge whether December 21^st will be Doomsday, filled with terror and death, or a day when the disbelievers of this theory sit down and laugh at the rest of the world. Are these theories realistic and all-too-possible or are they silly and imaginative sci-fi tales? The facts and science is laid out in front of you. It is up to you to judge the truth value of these theories.

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CLICK (A Drama) CHAPTER NINE

Great. Just great. I was standing in front of a lunatic. A raving lunatic. After some ghost like creature had taken me from my wonderful cage in the forest, I had ended up in some sort of lab. So here I was, sitting on a table, wearing a hospital frock, pipes protruding out of my skin, and a crazy man in front of me. This man was nothing short of a mad scientist, constantly claiming that he was the CEO of some company called the MEM, whatever that was. Apparently, we had met before and I was actually a highly-trained agent. Of course, clearly this was all false considering I couldn’t even look at the color red without vomiting. So, I interrupted his mad rant and asked him some questions.
“Soooo...mister...exactly where am I? And why am I here? Oh, and also, why do you keep saying I’m special?” The man looked at me in disbelief.
“Goodness gracious, Izumi. Your memory loss proved more fatal than I expected. Oh well. You’ll just have to wait a while to get answers. But don’t worry, by the end of this day, you’ll find that...ah....your answers were always right there in your head.” With those cryptic words, he left the room, leaving another man with me. He was elderly, and didn’t look as deranged as the “mad scientist”.
The old man hobbled up to me in a lab coat, and looked at a test tube filled with a strange brown liquid. He smiled at me.
“Hello, Anjali. I trust you remember me. It’s good to see you again.” What the? WHY DID EVERYONE KNOW MY NAME????? First Geoffrey, then the lunatic, and now this old man. What was going on? Now I was desperate for answers. As if reading my mind, the old man nodded his head.
“Don’t worry, dearie, you’ll know in just a second. In a second, you’ll remember everything. Oh and, clearly since you don’t recall, my name is Mr. King.” With that, he filled a syringe with the brown liquid and positioned the needle just above my arm. Before I could protest, he injected me with the liquid. All of a sudden, strange things filled my head.
I was no longer at the lab. I was standing in a room with a little boy with blond hair and blue eyes and an even younger girl with dark brown hair and green eyes. The boy was sneering at me, and the little girl was laughing. I heard myself speak, and mentally gasped when I saw, instead of my older hands, two small hands push the boy to the floor. He glared up at me, and then burst into laughter. The scene changed, and I was in a dark room filled with obstacles. Before I could stop, my legs charged ahead and I twisted and turned, jumped and flipped, ran and slid through the whole course. Oh my goodness! I had no idea where this was coming from! But I couldn’t stop moving. A spinning disk came flying my way, and I unconsciously dodged it, spinning and landing on a wooden platform. The boy from before stood in front of me, looking a lot older. He started clapping and then pulled me into a hug. A strange sensation filled my stomach, as if all my intestines were bouncing around.
The scene changed once more, and I was sitting across from the young girl from before. Except now she looked older, like a goddess. I marveled in her beauty. How in the world did I know this girl? I found myself singing a birthday song to her, and she beamed at me before blowing the candles that said 15 on a chocolate cake. A boy came out from the shadows, holding a big present. I gasped, but once more no sound came out. The boy was Geoffrey! He placed the present on the table and leaned down, kissing the girl on the lips. In a second, my heart felt like it shattered. But strangely, I found myself smiling at the two.
“Get a room,” I said. And then, everything changed again. Now I was in an empty classroom, except for myself, Geoffrey, and the other girl. Geoffrey and I were sitting on top of the desks, looking down at the girl. She was crying, holding a paper.

“W-w-what if I’m kicked out? W-w-what’s g-g-oing to hap-p-pen t-to meeee?” she wailed, tears streaming down her flushed face. Geoffrey gave her a hug, and once again I felt the feeling usually connected with the vile thing called jealousy.

“Shhhh! Don’t cry. It’ll be okay.” He spoke into her chocolate hair, and at his touch she calmed down. Just a bit. I felt better when instead of responding, she looked up at me.

“Daphne, you won’t be kicked out because you failed Italian, stupido. You’re the best agent here. No one’s gonna kick our best weapon’s master out because she’s an illiterate Italian...even if that is your native tongue,” she glared at me, “and if they do, they’ll have to go through me and Jeffy-Jeff here.” Her glare turned into a half-hearted smile, and then a giant one as she pushed off Geoffrey and leapt onto me, embracing me in a suffocating hug. Geoffrey looked offended.

“HEY! I was the one comforting you first!!!” I felt myself smirk.

“Yeah, but she met me first. And besides, I’m like her sister.” He began to wail.

“BUT! I’M NOT LIKE HER BOYFRIEND! I really am her boyfriend!!!” Daphne and I giggled.

The setting changed for the last time. I came face to face with an all too familiar scene. One that I remembered. I knocked on the door. No answer.

“Daphne? Open up! We have to go!”

Still no sound. I pushed the door, and it slowly creaked open.

I gasped. My head reeled. My beautiful angel lay sprawled on the floor, her chocolate curls spread around her in a pool of revolting blood. I ran to Daphne, kneeling beside her. I picked her up, and cradled her still body in my arms, tears threatening to slip. What was going on? Just this morning she had been laughing at her own joke, bubbly and full of life. I sniffed and looked around. Had she eaten something wrong, and fallen? I saw no weapon, or food. How had this happened?

Daphne moved.

“An-An-Anjali...” she whispered. I leant in close, hugging her tighter.

“What? What is it? C’mon Daph, get up. I’ll take you to the infirmary.” I was becoming frantic. What was happening?

“N-n-no. Just....take...care...of-” She paused. Her eyes closed and she inhaled sharply.       

“What? Who? Take care of who?” No answer. I shook her, shrieking her name.
She breathed deeply. Some blood was dribbling out of her mouth. “I love you. Mmmkay Anjali? I haven’t really ever told you that properly.” The blood was seeping out faster now, it was all over her.

“And...don’t...Geof-” She seized up, hacking. It was horrible. Each pained cough brought up more blood, and it splattered all over her and she looked so horribly-

She was gone...

She was gone. Her eyes had glazed over just as her eyelids drooped down into their final resting position. She went limp in my arms and suddenly, she became much heavier.

“Daphne! Daph! Wake up! Hah ha! This is not funny kid! WAKE UP!” But, to my dismay, she didn’t obey my orders. My tears cascaded down my cheeks, falling upon her closed eyelids. The only one I had ever considered as family was gone. Gone, just like the others. I whimpered. I had to get out of here. There was no reason for me to stay anymore. But why? How did my little angel die? Why? I would get whoever did this. Just the thought of someone touching Daphne made my insides churn, and I growled through my clenched teeth.

Footsteps pattered near the door. I froze. The metal door slowly opened. I turned to look at the face of a very astonished person.

“W-w-what is this? WHAT IS THIS? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?” His face reddened, marring his beautiful features. I shook my head repeatedly.

“No no no no. I-i-it wasn’t me. Geoffrey, I swear, it wasn’t me. I found her like this!” My voice broke.

Geoffrey didn’t answer. He collapsed at Daphne’s side and tore her slack body away from me. “Don’t. TOUCH HER.”
Whimpering (and I never whimper), I tried to hold onto her..but I got shoved away. Dangit Geoff. Dangit! Why was he being so stupid? I was there by her side all along! I was her friend as well as he was! I love Daphne too! But..maybe he needed some time too...maybe some time alone... I backed away.

I tried to look away. I mean, this was personal. But I had never seen him so insane. Broken, yes. Angry, yes. But he was absolutely...crazy. His face was buried in her lump of a body and he was crying. At least, he looked like he was. His shoulders heaved and he sure sounded like he was. But I don’t think he had any tears. His face was covered in her blood, as were his hands.

Geoffrey licked his lips and smiled maniacally. He breathed gruffly a couple times and said, “Daphne, don’t be an idiot. WAKE up! Dammit Daphne! Wake up NOW!” When she didn’t respond, he  gripped her face between his hands and growled, “Daphne, you listen to me right now. You’re going to get up DAMMIT okay YOU’RE GOING TO GODDAMN GET UP!” Maybe he really expected something would happen this time he said it. I dunno. Maybe he really, seriously thought that just by listening to him, Daphne would miraculously wake up. Because when she didn’t, the wall of his sanity broke. He let her body drop, crumpled to the ground. He stood up stiffly, and jerked around. He narrowed his eyes at me and said, “You. You LIAR! You couldn’t stand us together, could you? So you got rid of her!” He whipped out a gun from who knows where. My eyes widened, and I began to shake.

“N-n-no! Believe me! Daphne was like my sister. I loved her as much as you did! Please, just listen to ---” He was grinning sinisterly, almost in a carefree way. He waved around his gun, eventually training it on me.

“Ohhh, Anj, I should’ve seen it earlier! Of course it was you, the whole time! How could I be so stupid? Well well, silly me. It’s time for you to die to, Anj!”

I heard a Bam! I looked down at my white uniform, a red mark blooming from my chest. I looked up in disbelief, and then, a dark curtain shielded my eyes.

I opened my eyes to the sound of screaming. As hot liquid trailed down my face, I realized that I was the one screaming. I fell to the ground, shrieking, absolutely hysterical. I remembered it all! Everything! Every last bit! I knew why I dreamt of Geoffrey shooting me, why he looked familiar, why he knew my name. I knew who Daphne was, what she was to me! I knew who I was. But I didn’t want to know! I didn’t! I didn’t! I leapt up and ripped the pipes from my arms. Mr. King backed away.

“WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME? JUST LETTING A PERSON GO INTO SOMETHING LIKE THAT! AFTER ALL THEY’VE FORGOTTEN! DO YOU KNOW HOW PAINFUL THAT WAS?” I was hysterical. the shock- just too much-

“Look, Anj, there’s not a lot of time to explain- WE NEED YOU IMMEDIATELY. We had to get your memories up to par and this was the quickest way-”
“OHHH, I see it now! I’m just an object to you, aren’t I? Fannnnntastic!”

“Now Anj, calm down-”
“NO, I WON’T CALM DOWN! You wanna know why? BECAUSE YOU JUST MADE ME RELIVE MY BEST FRIEND’S DEATH, ALL OVER AGAIN! BECAUSE WHO DOESN’T WANT TO DO THAT, HUH? HUH?” I wouldn’t cry, I wouldn’t cry, especially not in front of some monster like this guy, no way I WOULD NOT CRY

Mr. King took a deep breath. He didn’t try to calm me down, he didn’t try to console me, he didn’t even yell at me.

“Code blue, four sixty-seven.”

My eyes widened.

My mouth went dry.

I had to sit down, for crying out loud.

I understood.

Code blue, four sixty-seven

Some serious stuff was about to go down.

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