Glitches
Chapter 6
Someone was in my room. Even though it was pitch black, I knew they were there. The audio of the openness of the room had changed. They were off to my right. There in the corner somewhere. And it was completely unnerving me. I thought of glitching to investigate. But to be honest, I didn’t even know if I’d be able to throw a glitch at that moment. I was just too out of my mind with fear. It seems a stupid thing – but I had no idea what I was up against here. What powers were still out there to learn of? I just didn’t know anything still really.
The person’s presence was completely throwing off my inner ear now causing an overwhelming veritigo. Which caused me to panic even more. I started to hear the thumping of my heart deep inside my head like a war drum hammering out the approach of an oncoming assault. Which in turn made me even more freaked out.
I’d never been so afraid in my life and I couldn’t even tell myself that nothing was wrong. My mind had stopped receiving all input but the non-sound of the person standing across the way in the corner. By this point I had backed up into the corner of my bed, into the corner of my room. I was just completely besides myself in sheer horror now. The fear was tumbling down hill now. I couldn’t escape from it.
And without any warning at all… spontaneously I began screaming bloody murder. I couldn’t even close my mouth in an attempt at containing it. I found myself jamming my pillow into my face to gain some measure of control. There just wasn’t anything else I could do. Tears were streaming down my face and I was gagging on my own spit at this point.
I tried again to throw a glitch but this emotional barrage all around me was jamming my cognitive abilities. Eventually I was able to muster the strength to get the weakest and shortest of glitches out. But when I realized the emotional terror just intensified inside this timeless state, not lessoned, I couldn’t stay there long. Quickly, knowing I had very little time, I hopped out of bed and I began feeling my way around the room for the intruder. I was swinging my arms left and right this way and that in order to cover the darkness with as thorough a pattern as possible. Nothing.
So I doubled back the way I’d come, this way and that, searching as quickly as I could. I thought of turning the light on, but there was a part of me that was more afraid of turning the light on than leaving it off. It makes no sense now in the light of day reflecting back on it. But this was true. The light switch was very clearly evil at that moment. I was certain it was attached to a trip wire and a bomb. Or it would come to life and swallow me whole. All ravings of a completely unhinged madman I realize now. But I only say this to explain why I didn’t do the most obvious thing I should have done, which was to turn on the light. And then the glitch began to collapse, so I dove across the floor and back to my corner which was a relatively safe spot in this completely unsafe place. And with that time lurched forward again.
Hunkering down inside my own psyche I began searching for an explanation. The fear had completely incapacitated me physically but I dissociated from myself in order to think at all. Mentally I stepped back and away from my screaming self and began hunting for a reason this was happening. And as I was scanning my mind for something to go on I realized a certain part of my that was lit up like a Christmas tree. And so I mentally walked through this space – took stock of specific vibe and thrust back against this feeling with everything that I was.
At that I heard a cry of shock. There was a slipping sound and a thud.
And it stopped.
The extreme fear was gone. It completely vanished. I was actually able to breath again. It wasn’t a subtle disappearance of fear as if I was able to conquer it. Rather it was an extreme snapping that felt more like a switch was thrown or a hold was broken. Either way I didn’t care at that point. I was free of the horror and now was the time to act.
“Whoever is there, I mean you no harm. Can you please come out?” I said it in the nicest possible way I could think of. I had no idea if politeness or hostility would work best or if there was a right way to proceed. I was literally stumbling in the dark now. And I was wishing beyond all else that I had thrown the stupid light switch when I had a chance earlier.
A funny thing started to happen next. I began to feel like it was going to be ok. I just knew that I had the upper hand and that there was nothing going to stop me. This feeling didn’t stop there it progressed into a feeling of sublime peace. Tranquility at its most perfect. Visions of sugarplums were all but dancing through my head. Cal me slow, but by this point I began to catch on to what was going on. And I quickly began scanning my brain for the part of my cranium that was being barraged. Finding it similar to last time I hunkered down again and thrust out as violently and passionately as I could.
“Ah! Stop. Ok, stop.” I heard a woman’s voice say.
“Me stop? Seriously?” the nerve. I was so mad all of a sudden I didn’t quite know what to say. So I just sat and waited. I wanted to simply pause time, walk over and drop her out my eighth story window onto the cement below. Better yet I wanted to glitch this woman in a barrage of time fragments so shattered and disjointed that it broke her mind of reality. In that moment I knew I could do just that. I was imagining all kinds of terrible horrors to invoke.
“Yes. I just wanted to know for myself.” The woman’s voice responded.
“Congratulations. Yes. I am a frightened little child at the end of the day. We now both know this. We know that I can be manipulated by the weakest of touches and completely broken absolutely.” I didn’t know what I was saying I was speaking so quickly.
“You don’t understand. I…”
“Hahah… I don’t understand? Congratulations Monty, let’s show our guest what she’s won!” I was still raving I was so mad. Just unhinged to know that this creature had popped the hood of my skullcap and stirred with a spatula. That I’d lost and that I had been beaten like the little girl that I was. I was so angry at that moment I just knew I could rewind time again like before with Sumner. But there wasn’t cause for that now. I was out of immediate danger.
“The entire Cerebral community is talking about you. The councils have even made motions and decisions to not interfere anymore. To allow you to find your own path. And that if any council is found lobbying you the other councils would band together in solidarity against the opposing council.” She was whispering now. But the intensity of her words were clear.
“I really would like to just act like I knew what you were talking about or that any of this made sense… but it just doesn’t. I don’t know or understand any of it.”
“There isn’t time to start from the beginning or give you the detail you need to grasp the danger and the situation you are in. So I will just say this, just memorize my words and eventually definitions will sprout underneath them… and they will make sense. Every council wants you for their own and will do pretty much anything to manipulate you their direction now. Trust no one. Including myself.”
This I understood. I didn’t understand the why. I didn’t understand the impetus for these words. But I understood the basic gist now. So the question remained, do you trust someone more or less who has just told you not to trust them and that I am in danger?
“I think I understand what you are saying.” And after a full minute of nothing I asked, “What now? I mean, we can’t very well sit down for a cup of tea and scones after that little revelation of yours. Can we? I mean, with your powers you maybe manipulating me now. Impressive by the way. I thought my mind was going to snap clean from reality for good. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
“I agree. Neither have I.”
“What are you saying? You’ve never seen such an infantile response, the crying the gnashing of teeth? Sorry to disappoint.”
“Yeah, I wish. No, I’ve never met a true cross-Alchemancer before.” this was said mainly to herself as she was thinking something else through.
“An Alchemancer? Pardon me.”
“Never mind. You hit me with your Emp-shield.”
“Hahahah. I’m sorry, in English?”
“All Empaths can push and pull emotions. I am an Emp. I crashed your emotions with terror earlier. You remember this?”
“Oh do I remember it. I am sure you guaranteed extensive counseling for me for the rest of my life with that little love embrace. Thanks for that.”
“No problem. But Emps also have a shield that allows them to block Emp attacks as well, or other emotional barrages whether real or imposed. You used your shield to not only block the attack but blast me with it. I’ve never seen anything like it. I actually didn’t know that was possible.” She said resolutely enough.
“Oh.” Was the only thing I could think to say.
“Can I come close without you attacking? I won’t manipulate you in any way. I just want to do two things. The first, I’d like to smell you. The second, I’d like to touch you.” She said this like it was the most normal thing in the world. As if she went around smelling people all the time – and poking them with her finger as she inhaled. And to be honest, I didn’t know if I was making a mistake by letting her. Could she use this information against me in the future? What powers was she capable of?
But in the end I thought it easier to just agree. “Fine.” I responded. And then I added, “Don’t you dare terrorize me again, ever. That is my condition.”
“Oh, I can’t promise you that, but I can do my best to avoid it. That’s all I can offer. That will be more dependent on you though than me. So that choice is ultimately in your hands.”
“Fair enough.” And then after a moment I said. “Alright, do your worst.”
I heard light footsteps crossing the floor but even in the very dim light of the blackness in my room the shades didn’t change or move at all. I saw nothing moving but I knew she had just walked through the one smallest sliver of light coming through the window shade and I should have seen something.
“You are invisible?”
“Yes.”
“Drop it or leave. I thought we agreed no powers?” I asked surprised at this assumed betrayal.
“I promised not to ‘terrorize’ you, nothing else. But fine.” And then a solid shape appeared in the other shades of blackness. She was several feet away from the bed. That much was clear. A solid form now. “A smell?”
“Sure.” I could sort of make out her stepping my direction and then her shape dropped and I couldn’t see her anymore. There was a deep inhalation of air and I felt wind on my arm that slowly slid up my arm. She was close now, very close. The bed had depressed as she crossed over to the corner where I was still sitting. It stopped and then I could feel her smelling my hair. It sent a shiver through my spine and for a moment I thought she might be influencing my positive emotions again. And then I realized it was just the sheer proximity of this woman that was crashing my emotions and nothing else.
“Thank you.” This was a whisper and it almost sounded as if it was coming from inside my own brain. But it was just the nearness of her voice in my ear all of a sudden that caused this sensation. She wasn’t overtly using her powers to attack my emotions, but she was attacking my emotions all the same. I had to concentrate on something else to keep her from completely ruining me for good. I understood what she was doing wasn’t against our agreement, but I hadn’t really accounted for this.
“Now, a touch?” at this I could only nod. I had to assume she could see my outline enough to notice the approval.
And then she kissed me.
I can remember her kiss like it was yesterday. It was strong at first, determined, but as I responded the determination and resolution melted completely. Yielded. And in that moment we were one. Completely connected and alive. A silent part of me screamed this was stupid. But everything else inside me wanted nothing more than what was happening right now. I seriously considered glitching the moment to a standstill… but thought her retribution would be even more fierce than before. And then without warning she began backing away before disconnecting. Her body saying one thing and her lips another. Until the last part of her to leave were her lips.
As she receded to the other side of the room I watched as she went. Her form nimbly walking. And then her dark shadow vanished again. Then as my mind played the memory of her coming close back again I noticed the slightest of colors in the dark shades of black. It was the color red. I was a bit distracted before, but now I saw it clearly. She was the woman from the coffee shop. It had to be her.
“Are you that woman? The one I’ve been looking for? My gingered beauty? The one that tracked me that day in the coffee shop? That gave me the note?”
“Yes. That’s me.”
And with that I heard her slight footsteps leaving the room.
“Wait. What’s your name?”
A moment later I heard the front door to my apartment open and a second later it closed. And like that, she was gone.
