A deep breath for focus.

A calm mind for the chaos of others.

Her eyes fell shut, consuming her world in darkness until she opened them to the light.

    The sterile white walls seemed vivid, even the tiles that matched, and the chemical cleanliness of the air was almost vivacious. Every sense was doused in the vibrancy of the world for her, even in this facility of unfriendly footsteps beyond the vent she hid within.

“I missed our anniversary again.”

“Subject four is showing signs of depression again… what a bother.”

“Fifty-three, twenty-nine, zero, four… ugh. ”

“Damn… I wonder if I’ll see Ruby again...”

“Meeting at three, then the other at four. I hope Chad doesn’t screw it up again.”

“This company… gods… why do I work for this company?”

    She closed her eyes again, looking for a bit more clarity to the voices she opened herself to before she paused with a nod as she confirmed her stealth in their thoughts. Quietly and swiftly she pushed out the cover, keeping it in her grip until she could escape the vent and set it back in its home. She broke into a jog, with her sneakers landing softly over the tiles. The voices in her head grew louder, and she paused at the corner. Footsteps sounded beneath the voices as they drew near, but they faded just as quickly with their thoughts quieting, and she resumed her pace.

“The only reason Rachel got the promotion over me is ‘cause I won’t sleep with the asshole.”

“Am I a monster for doing this?”

“Can’t wait to get home and shower.”

“Did they change the codes yet?”

    Each thought was never spoken aloud, but she heard them clearly in her clairvoyance. It was as though existence was hers to read. Often she could tell of the future, but only because people usually think of what they will do next. She understood their emotions, as well as the way that they would flow among one another. She was not a seer of the future, but she was clairvoyant beyond her own mind.

    The thoughts guided her through the maze of hallways, avoiding every soul that walked them and the cameras that guarded them until she reached an office. Quietly she slipped inside, closing the door behind her before facing the room.

    “Who are you?” 

    She froze as her eyes met a glare of blue.

    “Not a thief?” she answered in moderate confusion.

    “Don’t move, I’m calling security.”

    “No!” she blurted while reaching towards him, and a burst of panicked energy crashed into him, dilating his pupils.

    “Wh-Why not?!” he blurted back as anxiety consumed his rationality, and a soft sigh of relief left the woman. “Wha-what’s going on?! Who are you?” 

    “Here, just take this! Hurry!” she rushed to him while handing him a pill from a bottle she had pulled from her pocket, “It’ll make everything better!” She stayed with his energy as his anxiety continued to strangle his mind, and he swallowed the pill without question. 

    “I-I-...” he started to sway while she watched him, and her calm became apparent as he fell to his knees.

    “Just sleep,” she guided his slowing mind as he hit the floor, and she moved to his computer.

    “Y-You won’t get away with this…”

    “With what?” she questioned while plugging in a thumbdrive, and she typed away for a moment while he struggled to gather his thoughts.

    “I… I don’t know…” he breathed, and she knelt down beside him, placing her hand on his head.

    “I am a monster, you thought about yourself,” she hummed with flecks of light starting to shimmer in her eyes, “Then you went into your drawer, and…” she spun the story as she opened his desk, fishing around until she found a bottle, “And you drank all your...” she frowned as she looked at it, “White out… Okay… sure…”

“Not… the white out…” he mumbled into the floor before he fell from consciousness, and she shook her head while opening the bottle.

The woman grabbed his face as the flecks of light faded from her eyes, and she poured some of its contents in his mouth.

    “Good enough,” she informed herself, laying his head back down so it spilled out of his mouth, and she tucked the bottle under his hand before returning her focus to the computer.

    Time crawled until it finished its task, and she ejected the drive. She focused on the thoughts and began her escape, avoiding their eyes by listening to their minds.

“I hope the next shipment comes in soon… The last trial made these ones useless.”

She gritted her teeth, feeling the agitation of the thoughts scratching at the back of her mind.

“I need to see about fixing the sound proofing… Their crying is so… ugh.”

Her stomach was sick as she listened to the thoughts of those she fought against.

“At least I get to see little Jay-Jay when I get home.”

She hated how human they could be when all they did was dehumanize their subjects.

“I can’t wait until we finish the trials… and we can ship back home.”

There was nothing left to stop the organizations that set their roots in her war torn continent of a home. The protective regulations were lost when the fighting nearly destroyed all of the life in Elaecia years ago; even the continent’s bordering seas were tainted. The woman struggled not to drown in the mess the grand generation left, clinging to whatever hopes she may find like the fresh air that now graced her lungs as she escaped the building. 

The world was vibrant before her with grass, greener than any other could see, waving in the gentle breeze that whispered of better places. Her two-tone gaze swiveled to the building of concrete behind her before she broke into a jog away from it. 

The laboratory of unforgivable offences laid behind her as she moved into the pocket city it funded. Her eyes couldn’t help but climb their way to the shimmering shield of a broken defence that surrounded the city, climbing high to extend over its tallest buildings, but the dome was shattered from the war. It was a lost protection that was still invaluable. So many of the enchanters that erected it were lost to death or fear, and those that remained hid their truth more often than not. 

She shook her head clear as her eyes focused forward again, and she pulled off the black knit cap, unleashing her sunset locks down the back of her shoulders. She shook out her hair, running her fingers through it before pocketing the hat, and she relaxed her steps. 

The breeze brought her a sweet flavor, and the whispers of too many voices. She shook her head, shifting her mind's focus, and the world dulled. No more thoughts beyond her own reached her, and the vibrant sense seemed almost grey now with a soft sigh leaving her lips.