Waiting by Erin Dennington ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 80 Once Stella "fell back" into herself, she opened her eyes and felt immediately dizzy and nauseated. The emotions she had experienced and the actual physical toll of the trip itself had begun to wear her down. She did not think she could manage any more of those "trips" that she had been taking, because they seemed to take their toll upon her at the end of them. She felt Davis' touch upon her arm and finally managing to open her eyes a little bit, she saw that he was close to her, crouching at her side. "Are you alright?" he asked and she nodded. "It's just been a rough day," she said, "and I know it's not over yet. That trip was horrible. However, I did learn some things on my little trip that should help us." She gave her head a mental shake to try to clear it out. Davis made a noncommittal sound deep in his throat and gently stroked her hand. "Maybe you should keep it to yourself right now?" he asked. "I was with you the entire time you were gone and I know that you definitely experienced some things you are having a hard time handling. I saw what happened to you, your physical body here, at least. I don't want you to get hurt." She sighed. "It's a little too late for that now," she replied. Looking down, she stared at her hands in her laps. She plucked at a thread on her sweatshirt and, twisting more so to stay occupied than to remove it, she continued. "I know who Matthew's accomplice is. I know where Christina is. I know how I am involved in all of this." Davis said, "Well I think you definitely win for making the largest discovery." Stella knew that she had to tell Davis all of what she had seen while she was gone but was unsure where to begin. She finally settled on telling him what she had seen, in the order in which she had seen it. "First of all, I had a flashback to my childhood, to the day my family was killed and my home destroyed. I was only five; a five year old precious child who wanted nothing more than to be able to stay at home all day and play outside. The fact that I am alive today shows that I was either incredibly stupid or incredibly lucky; when I saw the men kill my brother, I ran out into our fields and somehow managed to escape detection. The rest of my family wasn't so lucky. My dad was taken hostage by a group of men who I had never seen before, led by a man that I came to fear. I didn't remember this stuff until I went on that 'trip,' as you so aptly described it. I suppose my mind was trying to protect me by hiding all of this information. Anyway, it appears that my dad was involved in a secret governmental plan that involved scientific research. He tried to hide his involvement by running his own farm and market, but I think that, even then, when I was a young girl, I knew that something was going on. After all of this happened, my grandparents sent me to America, where I was adopted by the people that I live with today, friends of my father." Davis appeared at a loss for words, but motioning for her to continue, he put his arm around her and gave her a big hug. "I think I discovered where my newfound abilities to cure people came from, too. Apparently I was bitten by an insect while I was playing outside just before my family was killed. My grandmother told me that I was lucky to have survived that bite, since no one ever had before me. She told me that it would all make sense to me later in life." She saw Davis' incredulous and stunned expression and smiled briefly at him. Patting him on the arm, she stopped her narrative for a moment so she could gather her thoughts. After a few minutes, she continued. "Anyway, after I had that flashback, I realized that the man who had taken my father away and ordered the death of my family was none other than Matthew. I don't know how my father met Matthew, but I am sure it was through their mutual American friend, my adopted dad. When I got into the laboratory, I saw Marty talking to a man who appeared to be able to see me, who appeared to know that I was there. I know that was impossible, but if I can be invisible and leave my body behind to make these trips, why can't it be possible that he saw me, you know?" Her voice cracked a little at the question and she had to pause again in order to gather her wits about her. "When he looked at me, I knew that I had to do everything that I could to help y'all, even though it's going to cost me greatly. The man in the laboratory that Marty is talking to is none other than my adopted dad, the man who I grew up with. I guess this all explains our family's sudden trip to Washington, Dc, and why Dad kept hounding me about my medicine and such. He wasn't concerned with my wellbeing, but with the wellbeing of his master's project." She realized that her voice sounded bitter, so she worked at controlling the tone of it, and when she felt that she could once again speak, she continued. "Right after I realized that he could somehow sense that I was there, I discovered that Christina was hidden in the laboratory. She's knocked out cold, hands tied behind her. She looks okay but her body may be sore tomorrow. She's on the floor, underneath a desk where another man is sitting. This man I believe is Matthew. I can't be sure for certain, since I wasn't able to catch a glimpse of him before I got pulled back here. But it has to be him, for he was watching Marty and my dad talk by using a security camera. And I guess that I should tell you the worst thing -- I think my father is still alive and in cahoots with Matthew. Whereas before I think he was an unwilling participant, I think he is more than willing now. I could feel his presence in the room with me and I think the shock of feeling him there in the same room as me was what forced me to return to my body so abruptly. Right as I was leaving, I noticed that the lights went out. I don't know why." Davis slowly nodded, digesting everything that she had said. Finally he stood up, and extending a hand to Stella, helped her to her feet. "What should we do now?" Stella asked. "I think that Bill and Marty were running into a snag, since the lights are now out in the laboratory. I'm not sure what this does to your plan." "Never fear, kind lady," Davis replied, "I always have a back up plan. Come along. We shall help the boys out and deal with this Matthew fellow once and for all. He's had enough chances to do good and he's finally played his last hand." Cautiously, Davis opened the door and stuck his head out into the lobby. The coast appeared to be clear, so he guided Stella out of the restroom. They hurriedly walked over to the door that led to the rest of Kramer Institutes, not pausing to check their surroundings in their haste. As they passed by the coatroom nook, a shadowy figure stepped out and silently followed them into the laboratory before the door shut behind them. Neither Davis nor Stella noticed, as they found themselves completely in the dark once they entered the laboratory. Waiting for their eyes to adjust, they groped their way forward until Davis' foot knocked into a case that was lying on the ground. Muttering softly, he dropped to the ground and brought Stella down with him, feeling his way around. The man behind them paused in his walking when he heard the two in front of him stop. He did not move until they again stood up and continued on their way. 21:13 - 11.30.02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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