dREAMSEEd

Volume 2: DARKSIDE OF WONDERLAND

By Terryll Preston

It had been a long time coming, but Niimara Arisu was finally leaving her small town of Nagemura and heading to the Toshiyuki OrCHARD for Transhuman Growth and Improvement; one of a series of special academies located all over the world that were created to train gifted people like her. Those who are known as Transhumans. She would finally be able to trade in her dull, everyday life for the adventure and excitement she knew was awaiting her at OrCHARD.

During her train ride to the academy, Arisu meets the shy and mousy Shiza Tomoko with whom she forms an immediate connection. They are soon joined by the sisters Kiome Kitada and Kanna, whose initial appearance is almost more than Arisu can handle. But the sudden arrival of two Rorschach seeking to kill Kitada soon turns everything upside-down. By the time it is all over, Arisu is shaken to the core by not only what has happened but the fact that Tomoko is also a Transhuman and seems to wield a power too closely connected with her tragic past.

Feeling alone and out of place, Arisu is comforted by Minazaki Mio; a Fourth Year student at OrCHARD who explains to her a few truths about who and what she is. When Arisu begins to question her humanity, Mio reassures her that she is still who she has always been. Afterwards, she confesses her conflicted feelings about Tomoko to Mio who listens and offers her a shoulder to cry on.

Following the fallout of the Rorschach attack on the commuter train, the faculty and students headed to OrCHARD are split into teams by the teacher in charge, Ajutoki Nami. Arisu and the rest are told that they will engage in a minor ‘training exercise’ and hike to the OrCHARD campus to protect the non-Transhuman passengers on the train from any further attacks. This reunites her with Shiza Tomoko, someone she was hoping not to confront again until she could sort out her feelings toward her. Arisu also ends up with Adam Cowling and Tamiyaji Roko; the former an American-born teen she doesn't get along with and the latter a handsome older man that she finds herself immediately attracted to.

During their journey, a worried Tomoko decides to speak with Arisu to find out if she is doing okay. The initially pleasant conversation quickly descends into an argument that sends Tomoko running off aimlessly into the woods and Arisu regretting everything she had said. A brief confrontation with both Adam and Roko forces her to face a horrible truth offered by her repressed memories. Racked with guilt and anger, she rushes blindly to the aid of Tomoko after hearing the girl scream; only to be faced with her unconscious body and the bear jealously guarding it. Blasted by a torrent of uncontrollable feelings and unrelenting memories, Arisu unleashes a power blacker than the night upon both herself and her unsuspecting teammates.

And now, two days after the tragic events that transpired in the Ando Woods; the truth of what happened on that dreaded night stands to finally be revealed…

“Arisu’s NIGHTMARE I – The Garden of Live Flowers”

The polished sandstone chamber always gave Adam Cowling the same uncomfortable feeling, no matter how many times he’d been summoned to it in the past. Perhaps it was that strange, inherent coolness that never seemed to dissipate no matter how warm or hot it was outside. Or maybe it was the ominous marble, four-person desk that sat in the very center of the well-lit assembly room – even now occupied by the same number of people; none of whom looking too particularly thrilled to be sitting in the high-backed chairs resting behind the desk’s rectangular, dark-gray form. The sight was not helping to settle Adam’s unease about what he was being forced to do.

Standing there rigidly, adorned fully in his white with blue trim, formal TO uniform, he waited impatiently for the four people behind the large desk to acknowledge his presence as he tried to keep himself from twitching about nervously. It wasn’t like he was ignorant as to what was happening; the secrecy of this hastily called Investigative Hearing, the fact that it was being headed by three out of the seven OrCHARD Gakubusōshiki Kanrishoku along with the Gakuchō herself, and lastly, the presence of representatives from both the Japanese Ministry of Transhuman Interactions and GRAVEL? And if he wasn’t mistaken, the small collection of Americans who were arrayed just next to the large desk’s left-hand side with the light-blue, flag-like pins in the lapels of their high-priced suits were from the United Nations. If not from the Transhuman Initiative like Adam was thinking, they may have been official delegates from either the Transhuman Oversight Committee or the sub-group attached to it, the Active Registry Commission. The only group missing from the gathering of officials were the members of the academy’s Plenipotentiary Committee and, considering the topic to be discussed, that was a surprise to Adam. But still, there were more than enough ‘suits’ for his tastes. More than he figured there should be, in any case. Yes, there was much more to this late afternoon assembly than just giving a statement about a Rorschach attack on the train. And Adam was sure that he was not the only one who knew that.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out as slowly as he could manage, Adam resisted the urge to tuck a finger beneath his uniform jacket’s high-necked collar in an attempt to loosen it up some. He often found himself wishing that he hadn’t been ordered to wear the formal academy uniform – which was often relegated for official or ceremonial Toshiyuki OrCHARD functions, such as the upcoming Opening Ceremony and New Student Orientation that he had been tapped to help prepare for – and could've instead put on his casual school uniform which would've made him much more comfortable. More and more, since he first received his Order of Summons and had arrived at the Assembly Chamber, the collar seemed to constrict around his neck; growing taut and confining. It was a perfect example of how he was feeling about the promise that he had made. A promise that was forced – rather rudely – upon not only himself, but the only other person who’d had the unfortunate pleasure of being involved it the situation that had taken place in the Ando Woods not too far from the outskirts of the TO campus. Just thinking back on what he had seen almost made him cringe. Had that really been the girl he was joking and arguing with earlier on that night? With all the violence and rage that she had shown, it hardly seemed like the same person to him.

“You may approach the bench, Mr. Cowling,” the man sitting at the left end of the marble desk uttered coolly in a measured, British-accented voice.

Adam didn't hesitate. Moving himself from his position near the open doorway that led into the Assembly Chamber, he took long, careful steps toward the official OrCHARD Academic Crest engraved on the floor just a few feet away from the elongated desk; sitting behind which were the four people about to question and judge him. It was a rather humble design; a tree growing out of a seed being cupped in two hands, all of which was encircled by a thick, gold ring with words inscribed within that read: “Development through Growth. Growth through Guidance. Guidance through Trust.” That last set of words almost made Adam lift his hand to his throat in a sudden desire to loosen his collar yet again. The abrupt clearing of a throat from one of the people seated before him halted his thoughts of that action.

“That’s far enough, Herr Cowling,” one of the male members of the Inquiry Board spoke out rudely. The German accent was so thick; the InTrans in Adam’s left ear began an immediate translation of his words. “There’s no need for you to be any closer than that.”

Adam quickly paused in his approach toward the dark, marble desk; ominously coming to rest atop the OrCHARD Academic Crest. If he was uneasy before, he was practically on the brink of total anxiety now. How was he going to do this? How could he do this? How could he violate the very words that he stood on even now? Why was he being forced to do this? Just what had been running through the mind of Ajutoki Nami when she roped him into this mess? Guidance through Trust. Guidance through Trust. Guidance through Trust. Those words were still echoing guiltily through his mind when the stern, yet composed voice of OrCHARD’s Gakuchō, Sobatori Rinko, rang out against the silence within the Assembly Chamber.

“You do understand the purpose of this Inquiry, Cowling-han,” the middle-aged woman questioned in her native Japanese tongue, which held the barest trace of Kansai-ben in it. Kyoto-ben or possibly even Keigo, if he had the right of it, seemed to be the dialect she was actually speaking. Leaning back in her chair, she steepled those long neatly manicured fingers a few inches in front of her face. “Correct?”

Adam stood rigidly in the center of the OrCHARD Academic Crest, doing his best to ignore the words that kept repeating themselves over and over in his head. A thin sheen of sweat was forming on his forehead despite the obvious coolness within the large chamber.

“Yes,” he stated loudly before her words were converted to his own language by the InTrans. “Yes I do, Sobatori-sama. I understand completely.”

The kind-faced woman with light streaks of gray running through her black hair nodded her head gently before stating, “Very well then. This Inquiry into the events of April 2, 2041 shall now begin. Henceforth, none outside this chamber shall be made aware of any and all information subsequently revealed during this hearing. What is spoken here will be held in the utmost of secrecy and confidence, sealed to the Records and made available only to those of the OrCHARD Faculty who possess the clearance to do so. Secure transcripts will be made available to our guests from the honorable Ministry of Transhuman Interactions, GRAVEL, the Transhuman Initiative and the Active Registry Commission after the prerequisite five days have passed. Now, if there are no further questions or statements; we shall proceed on. Heinrich-han, you may begin with your questioning of the student.”

The German who had told Adam to halt his approach to the marble desk nodded once to the woman seated beside him, cleared his throat and addressed him with that same, earlier rudeness still present in his thick voice.

“For the Records, will you state your full name, identification number and academic rank here at OrCHARD?”

Adam again resisted the urge to tug at the constrictive collar around his neck. Why did it feel like it was growing tighter?

“Cowling,” he began in a crisp, unflinching tone that nearly surprised him. “Adam Ryan. Student ID 631096364-Alpha. I am a ROOT and fifth year student, leader of Academic Team 3 and my major is Scientific and Theoretic Relevance of Applied Quintessence. My hope is to graduate from the required curriculum of OrCHARD with a high GPA, pass the entrance exams and continue my studies as a GARDENER; thereby earning the right to gain admittance into the first Gakubusōshiki, the Quintessence Exploratory Studies Team.”

The German’s stony gaze didn’t alter itself even once. But then, Walter Heinrich, the head of the very Gakubusōshiki that Adam had just professed interest in, was never known for any other expression besides that one. ‘Old Stone-face’ was what all the other students of TO had termed him and even some of the other faculty members themselves had taken to using the nickname. But if Heinrich was bothered by it, he was one to never let it be known by anyone else. That was just how the man was, hard as rock.

“Oh,” the rigid voice of Heinrich began. “So you have an interest in joining up with QuEST do you? Well, let me tell you this right here and now, Herr Cowling. The people within QuEST are not only experts in their fields of study, they also possess high degrees of personal honesty and a stiff devotion to upholding the rules and regulations that drive them. Seeing you standing there makes me wonder if you are that type of person; someone who puts his own personal honesty above that of his loyalty to friendship and similar emotional bonds. You see, Herr Cowling, liars and deceivers never make it very far in QuEST. And that is something you need to understand if you truly wish entry.”

Adam’s face never once flinched through Heinrich’s long-winded statement, his body remaining still and unwavering. But the same could not be said of his insides. Within his chest, Adam could feel his heart beating so hard that he was almost sure that everyone in the chamber could hear it. His stomach was churning so bad, he could have sworn there were a dozen eels squirming around in it. His knees felt ready to buckle him to the ground and an oppressive weight had centered itself squarely on his shoulders. In his mind, Adam’s thoughts were conflicting heavily with one another – instilled values of honesty and adhering to the rules warring mightily with those very emotional ties that the hard-faced German had been going on about just a few seconds ago. What was he going to do? Could he really lie about what had happened back in those woods? Just the thought of it forced Adam to suppress a shudder that tried to work its way up his spine. Trying hard to calm his thoughts, he refocused his attention on the man questioning him…and, indirectly, his integrity.

“Do you understand, Herr Cowling?” the heavy-set German asked. He seemed unsatisfied that he hadn’t received the quick response he was pushing for. “Do you understand the need for such adherence to veracity and duty?”

Adam could feel himself instinctively swallow hard. The tightness of the collar at his throat only made it seem that much more difficult to do so.

“Yes,” he stated with just the slightest bit of waver in his voice. “Yes I do, Herr Heinrich.”

The furrowed-browed, gray-haired German nodded once to himself as he opened his mouth to say something else. A small hand coming to rest on his forearm halted his words.

“Don’t you think it’s time we got back to the matters at hand, Mr. Heinrich?” the short-haired, blonde woman at the right end of the desk said lightly as she gazed at the man beside her with a pleasant expression. “I mean, I believe that finding out whether he’s qualified to be accepted into QuEST is all fine and good. But in the end, the only thing that interests this board and all the representatives present are the events that took place on the night of April 2nd. Don’t you agree?”

To Adam’s momentary surprise, the stony-faced German looked taken aback by her words then quickly shook it off and nodded his head curtly.

“Yes, yes,” Heinrich replied hurriedly, waving his raised hand in a dismissive gesture. “I understand, Frau Ashton. I…apologize for my…eagerness.”

Lindsey Ashton, the youngest among Toshiyuki OrCHARD’s three Kanrishoku present merely closed her light blue eyes, cocked her head slightly to the side and smiled. The ability of the woman to end heated arguments and debates with her smooth, calming words never ceased to amaze Adam. The joke around the campus was that Lindsey Ashton’s smile could end a war before it even got started. To him, it didn’t seem too far from the truth. Many a time, he had witnessed the young American woman walk into the middle of some brewing conflict between students or other faculty members and end them with a few words and a bright smile. Lindsey Ashton was simply gifted when it came to settling disputes. It sometimes made him wonder if she even realized it herself.

“Oh no,” she returned suddenly with one of her famous, wide smiles followed by a brief laugh. “You don’t have to do that. It’s totally unnecessary! Sometimes it’s just really easy to get carried away, that’s all! I’ve done it myself on more than one occasion. So it’s perfectly understandable to me.”

Heinrich just gave the blonde a quick grin that really didn’t help to change his features much, if any. The man just could not bring himself to smile, not matter what the circumstances were. Sometimes Adam wondered if Heinrich was afraid his face would crack and split apart if he did. But before the gray-headed German could open his mouth and give her a reply, Sobatori Rinko cleared her throat abruptly.

“As much as I appreciate the candor,” she began austerely. “This situation is a serious one. And there are questions that we must have answers to. So, if we could continue…Heinrich-han? Ashton-han?”

Both the German and the American stiffened slightly, nodding their heads once and then returning their full attentions to Adam; much to his growing dismay.

“Cowling-han,” Sobatori began, taking the lead once again in the questioning. “According to the incident report you filed, in addition to the ones submitted by Ajutoki-sensei and Tamiyaji-han, it states that after disembarking from the train due to an unexpected Rorschach attack – and in order to protect the civilian passengers – Ajutoki-sensei initiated a motiveless ‘training’ mission that had all the students present separate into groupings of first and second year SEEDs intermixed with third, fourth or fifth year ROOTs. Am I correct in this interpretation so far?”

Adam tried hard not to make his discomfort obvious. But the sweat trickling down his back and that damned collar around his neck was making it extremely difficult. Could he really get away with this? Damned the promise that woman had forced him into! Even though he understood Ajutoki-sensei’s orders perfectly, and even understood the reasons for them; why could she have not just done what was right and contacted GRAVEL after they had finally managed to subdue Arisu? He liked the odd Japanese girl well enough, but what she had done was a clear violation of the Branch Accords and all that both the Transhuman Initiative and the other OrCHARDs were founded on. And though her ignorance of what she had done could be used as an excuse, the fact was that Arisu still should have been reprimanded into GRAVEL custody. There was no other way around it. The situation had definitely warranted such actions, in his eyes. And he wasn’t the only one there that night who felt that way. But then, it shouldn’t have come as any kind of surprise to him that Ajutoki Nami was willing to hide things. Especially with the bitter past he shared with the woman; a past that had been dragged freshly back into his mind during his harrowing encounter with Niimara Arisu. It was a past that he had not wanted to remember.

“Cowling-han,” Sobatori Rinko spoke out suddenly and curiously. “Am I correct in my interpretation of your report or not?”

Adam could almost punch himself in the head for being as stupid as to getting lost in his thoughts and guilt while being questioned by four of the nine people in all of Toshiyuki OrCHARD that pretty much made and enforced the academy’s policies.

“Yes,” Adam answered in a faux tone of certainty. He tried to bury the nervousness that was slowly creeping up into his voice. He wasn’t too sure that he completely succeeded. “Your interpretation is correct, Sobatori-sama. Please forgive my lack of response. I just have…a lot on my mind right now.”

The Gakuchō frowned slightly.

“As well you should,” she returned with the barest hint of annoyance in her words. “Afterall, this Inquiry is a very serious matter indeed. Do remember that before the next time you decide to let your mind wander off. Am I understood, Cowling-han?”

Adam took a deep breath that he was sure everyone within the unusually cool meeting room noticed.

“Yes, Sobatori-sama.”

Leaning back in her black-on-black chair; the salt and pepper haired woman steepled her hands again. Her ebon eyes locked on Adam in a gaze clearly indicating that she would brook no more foolishness from him or any others inside the Assembly Chamber. It was a look that didn’t help to settle his growing fear of what he had to do.

“Good,” she stated simply. “Now, let us resume the review of your report. Upon further reading, it is stated that afterwards Ajutoki-sensei broke you up into teams; of which yours consisted of yourself, PLANT and sixth year student Tamiyaji Roko-han, and two first year SEEDs; Shiza Tomoko-kun and Niimara Arisu-kun. Correct?”

Adam quickly nodded his head to indicate to the older woman that he was paying attention and not letting his mind wander again.

“So,” she continued, almost without pausing, “and this is as described in your report; the incident began when one of the members of your team went missing due to conflict with another?”

“Yes, Sobatori-sama.”

“Well Cowling-han,” Sobatori Rinko pressed as she gave separate gazes to each member of the three-person panel seated along side of her. “I would like to hear, in your own words, what happened on that night in the Ando Woods. This means remembering each and every detail that you can as to confirm that your report is accurate and without error. You may begin at any time.”

Adam could feel his heart pounding loudly in his ears. This is what he had feared since the moment he had walked into the Assembly Chamber’s uncomfortable coolness. Over the sound of his heart, he could hear those words echoing out in his mind again. Guidance through Trust. Guidance through Trust. Guidance through Trust. They forced Adam to take in another deep breath, this time through his nose, and exhale it slowly in an unsuccessful effort to calm himself down. He had to make sure he got his facts straight. Otherwise, when Tamiyaji Roko and Ajutoki Nami were interviewed later on to confirm the report that they had written as well and their facts didn’t match up with his; it would be something that could land them both in a lot of trouble with not only TO, but with the Ministry of Transhuman Interactions and GRAVEL as well as the ARC watchdogs from the United Nations’ Transhuman Oversight Committee. And he couldn’t forget that the Transhuman Initiative had their eyes and ears there as well. He had to be thorough with this. He couldn’t let himself slip even once.

“The time was about seven o’clock when Ajutoki-sensei broke us up into our designated groupings,” Adam began precisely and expertly. I can’t screw this up. “We had just received a torch and a map, both of which had been requisitioned from the train. Our task was to hike through the Ando Woods as a test of our basic survival skills as well as a test of ROOT and PLANT student’s leadership capabilities. At around 7:26 p.m., my group arrived at…”

And as the lies slid out of his mouth one after the other, the truth of what really happened that night began to replay itself as clear as day in his head.

© 2006 Terryll Preston