Katherine looked at her wrists and slumped to the floor… “Someone call 911! Thomas yelled…
Macon yelled for someone to call the paramedics.
And Victoria lay alone on the back porch embracing and releasing the darkness that had encircled her, all of her young life.
Chapter Eleven
During the night all three slept in their hospital beds, and they dreamed… They dreamt of the past and they dreamt of each other. In the dream they met face to face and shared an unknown bond. Victoria was terrified to be left alone. Annabelle and Katherine knew of no way to find her. As they dreamed Katherine had an idea… An idea of a pact… One that could be sealed with blood… This way they would always feel connected and never again really ever be alone. Victoria reached into the darkness of the dream and produced a knife glimmering in the light. She was the first to slice the tender skin of her palms… Allowing the blood to pulse slowly over the blade. She then handed it to Annabelle, who proceeded to do the same… Annabelle gave the razor sharp knife to Katherine. With extreme slowness, Katherine clenched her teeth and pushed the knife into her right hand, then her left… Wanting to cry out in pain, but she did not…
They clasped hands, forming a circle, and with the warmth that embraced them they promised to seek each other out and be together. Their dream ended and they continued to Asleep.” In the night their beds became saturated with blood, yet the nurses could find no cuts, except for Victoria’s and her cuts had clotted. There was no explanation for their unconsciousness or the bleeding…
Chapter Twelve
“Mr. and Mrs. McCallaugh, there is no physiological reason to explain this, this phenomena.” The doctor tried to explain to the nearly hysterical parents of Katherine. “What do you mean there’s no reason, doctor?” Katherine’s father had calmed down considerably since last night. “When your daughter first arrived, we tried to stop the flow of blood. Naturally, we thought it was some sort of cut. We first applied direct pressure, but the flow continued. The nurses applied pressure to all the major arteries that would affect the wrist, but the blood would not stop. The x-ray technicians ran several test but found nothing wrong from internal pictures taken. No cuts, no abrasions, no broken bones, no internal bleeding, nothing… The blood finally stopped on its on, then suddenly last night the blood again began to flow this time from their palms. I have consulted every physician in this hospital and no one can came up with any ideas as to what is happening to your daughter…”
“Doctor, what is wrong with our daughter?”
Annabelle’s father begged the doctor to explain. “All we know is that Annabelle felt very faint, someone went to get her a glass of water. When this person returned, Annabelle was unconscious and her wrists were slowly beginning to bleed. They called an ambulance and she arrived here. We ran every test in the medical field. There is no logical or even illogical reason for the state that your daughter is in…
Chapter Thirteen
“Ashley, something has got to be done about Katherine’s condition.” Scott was trying to explain to his wife that there had to be some reason for all the things that had happened to their daughter. He wanted to know before things got drastically worse and they lost her forever. “I don’t know Scott. I just don’t like the idea of sending her away without us. There’s no telling what those doctor’s will do to her. Think of the strain all of those test will put on her…” Ashley was trying to rationalize why they couldn’t send Katherine to the Institute. “What about the strain of everything that has already happened to her that no one can explain, at least the doctors will be able to explain to her what they are doing and that they are trying to help her find out what has been happening to her.” Scott was determined to send Katherine to the Institute.
Thousands of miles away in California, Madeline and Ian Douglas were having a similar conversation about their daughter, Annabelle.
Neither parent wanted to send their daughters away, but they did not want to see their daughters die for no reason either.
In Tennessee, Tess and Jonathan Smith were arguing. Neither wanted to make any decisions concerning their adopted daughter, Victoria. They didn’t want this child and they did not love her. They had only took custody of her for the large sum of money that they would be endowed with yearly. Since neither would make a decision on what to do about Victoria. They both went to pick her up at the hospital, with no idea or concern about Victoria.
Mr. and Mrs. McCallaugh finally decided. They would visit the Institute, then decide if Katherine should stay.
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas decided. Annabelle would go to the Institute next week.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith did not care.
Chapter Fourteen
On June 1
Katherine and her parents walked through the doors of the Institute and into the office of Doctor Alfred Cline, who half stood as the trio entered. He gestured toward the leather chairs in front of his desk and said, “Please, have a seat, Mr. and Mrs. McCallaugh, Katherine.”
“It’s really difficult to explain in layman’s terms exactly what we do here. We naturally run a number of physiological and psychological tests. The results from each test helps us to determine what other tests are required. One test will check Katherine’s clairvoyant powers. In this test, cards with various symbols will be face down on a table, Katherine will then try to picture what each card is and tell us. We record her answers as well as physiological reactions such as respiration, brain waves, heartbeat, blood pressure, temperature etc. Another test is telepathy. This test is very similar to the clairvoyant test, with the exception that a person will be looking at the cards and she will attempt to read the image from the person’s mind. All the physiological measurements will be recorded in this and every test that we perform.” The doctor continued his explanation of even more complicated experiments that involved REM sleep and dreams. “These machines, will they be very uncomfortable or even dangerous,” Katherine’s mother asked, fearing that something could go wrong. Katherine sat silent and intrigued as they spoke. “Some of the machines will be slightly uncomfortable, but none of them can harm her. Some of the equipment that we will be using are the same one’s that your doctor’s at home may use on you when monitoring someone in the hospital, such as EKG’s, respiration monitors, blood pressure and temperature monitors. I think that she will adjust to them rather quickly.” The doctor continued to explain even more complex monitoring systems, which went way over the McCallaugh’s heads. “Katherine, how would you like to see the rest of the gardens and libraries we have here, while your parents and I speak privately?” The doctor had Katherine's file and did notwant to disclose information that she may not know about. “Sure.” Katherine knew that something else was going on that they didn’t want her to know about. “Good…Good. Ms. Snowden will you show Katherine the grounds.” Dr. Cline paged his secretary to take Katherine for a tour.
After Katherine had left the doctor began. “I see from Katherine’s files that she is adopted. Does Katherine know?” Katherine’s mother gasped, thanking God that Katherine had left. “No we have never felt that it was something that she needed to know about. We love her as if she was really our child.” Her father explained. “Do you know anything about her real family, medical history or anything? Her mother or father’s history, or if she has any siblings?” Dr. Cline asked. “No.” They answered in unison. “This could drastically affect some of the test results. Is there any way for you to find out about her family?”
“I’m afraid not.” Ian reluctantly answered. “Uh…we don’t have access to any of that information. Are we going to be able to keep it from her that she is adopted?”
“We will keep it from her for as long as we can, if that is your wish, but it would probably be more beneficial to her as well as the doctors here that she is told. If it becomes necessary to tell her we will call you and allow you to tell her.” Dr. Cline could tell that these people really loved their daughter. After their lengthy conversation D
r. Cline gave them a tour of the Institute and they later met up with Katherine in the library. The McCallaugh’s decided that they would leave Katherine their in Dr. Cline’s hands. Katherine’s luggage was placed in suite 203E (second floor, east wing).
Soon after Annabelle and her parents arrived in Connecticut. Mr. and Mrs. Douglas met with the other head doctor, Samuel Skinner, who told them basically the same thing that Dr. Cline had told the McCallaughs. Annabelle’s luggage was taken to Suite 203W (second floor, west wing) while they toured the grounds and ate in the cafeteria with Dr. Skinner.
Chapter Fifteen
The first week of testing revealed nothing from Katherine. In the second week however, she began to have dreams of the small town in Tennessee. The dreams had always been there, and they had always scared her, but she could never understand them, and know it seemed that perhaps she would finally learn the meaning of everything.
Each night the doctors monitored her REM sleep, pulse rate, blood pressure, temperature, and brain activity. They were amazed at the results. On most of the nights Katherine would awaken terrified, yet for a frightened person her pulse rate and blood pressure was extremely low for some one in her mental state. Brain activity would be erratic as if she were fully awake, where as the brain activity of someone sleeping is far less active. Her “rapid eye movement” was almost nonexistent, which is inconsistent with someone who is dreaming. Katherine would awaken screaming but she could never remember more than scant details.
In the other wing, Annabelle had moved in but testing had not yet begun. Annabelle was also having the dreams, but no one knew and she could not bring herself to tell the doctors quite yet about the odd visions. The dreams were like before, but they were growing in intensity and it was beginning to drive her completely insane. She, unlike Katherine, always remembered every detail. Still she had no clue to who these people were other than first names and that they lived in a mountainous region. She also knew that they were very real and that she hated them. She didn’t understand why she felt this way; she just knew that she did.
When she wasn’t dreaming of the mountains, she dreamed of being tested her in the institute, but in a different place and by people she had never met. Annabelle didn’t understand this either. She had so many questions to ask, but she was unsure whom she should talk to.
In Tennessee, Victoria and her parents were arguing more than ever. She wanted to go on a trip but they refused to even listen to her reasons. Since they would not allow her a small vacation, Victoria decided that she would not do any of her assigned chores. For this her and Jonathan got into fights every night. The things that he did to her now did not compare to what he had done to her in the past.
“To thine ownself be true.” Hamlet William Shakespeare
At night he would finally leave her alone and she would silently cry herself to sleep. She dreamed of what Jonathan had done to her. Victoria would then awake in a cold sweat, but remember nothing of that night’s fights or of the dreams. Victoria also had strange dreams in which many unusual tests were run on someone. Although this was a strange, new and medical place, she actually felt safe when she thought of this place.
Considering that no one knew about Katherine’s dreams, because she could not remember them, and Annabelle had not yet told any one about them, no one at the Institute could connect them to each other… And no one even knew about Victoria so there was no one that could reach out to her and help get away from Jonathan and Tess. With each day passing things grew worse.
Chapter Sixteen
“There have been times… times when I thought there’s something missing in me, some tiny piece that’s an essential part of being human. I’ve felt different from other people, almost as if I’m a member of another species… and it’s… tearing me… apart.” Dean R. Koontz The House of Thunder.
Victoria could take no more. She was terrified of Jonathan, and Tess was no help. She decided to go North, where her dreams seemed to originate from. She had over $300 that she had saved that no one knew about. While Jonathan was at work she called the airport and reserved a seat in coach for $150 to Connecticut. Victoria didn’t know why Connecticut, but it seemed right. Hours later she arrived in Connecticut with no place to go. Since she knew no one outside of Tennessee she decided that she would walk around for a while. Thirty minutes later she found herself in a park, sitting on a bench, watching the children play and the squirrels chase the pigeons away from the breadcrumbs that had been left for them. She didn’t know what was happening… only that she was almost safe.
As Victoria sat on the bench she slipped into a trance like state. She couldn’t see or hear anything in the park. What she did see was a doctor with a lot of machines, just like in her dreams. They were running more tests on someone, but she couldn’t see who. It was as if she were looking at the doctors through that person’s eyes. Victoria knew that the person was in no harm, yet she felt an urgent pull to this place. As she sat in the park appearing to watch squirrels in the distance, but instead she was looking much farther away into a place that she must go. But how could she get to a place that she didn’t know the name of.
The doctors and nurses never mentioned a name only “The Institute.” Victoria continued to search for some kind of a clue. Finally someone with a blue identification badge came in. It read: “Tracey Stephens, RN, Security Level 2, Schleswig Institute.”
As she saw this badge a child threw a Frisbee right into her stomach. The vision vanished but she remembered everything. Especially the institute’s name… Schleswig. This was the place in her dreams that she felt safe. She gathered her leather backpack and rushed to the nearest telephone booth for a telephone to find an address for the institute. Immediately she hailed a taxi and headed for the Institute 35 miles away. Instead of telling him the exact location she told him the street name. The taxi stopped, she paid the cabby and stepped out. She looked around saw a large white building. Victoria had never been here, yet everything was familiar to her. For a while she just stood, looking around.
Chapter Seventeen
Victoria began to walk around, trying to decide how to get in. She thought about talking to one of the doctors, but decided against it. As she walked, she passed a gate that led to a beautiful garden. She tried the handle, but it was locked… She made the decision that if something had drawn her to this place, then no locked gate was going to keep her from it, so she squeezed through the bars of the wrought iron fence.
Annabelle was on her way back to her suite from the library when she felt compelled to go to the garden. As she entered the garden she realized what a sunny clear day it was, so she went to the bench that was under the dogwood tree.
Katherine was in her suite when she slipped into a trance and had a vision of the garden. She was seeing everything as if she were sitting on the bench under the dogwood. Katherine rushed to the garden, unable to understand the vision, and hoping to find out if she was really seeing through someone else’s eyes…
***
As the girls approached the tree from separate sidewalks, they stared at each other curiously. They knew that each had never seen the other before and yet they seemed somehow familiar. Into each girl’s mind memories came, and with the memories came names… Memories of all the nightmares and yet now, now they didn’t seem so terrifying. As the memories washed over them, the girls began to understand that they had shared these dreams, and then the girls knew… They knew who each was and why they seemed so familiar. They had lived each other’s lives through the dreams. Without a word they reached for one another… Silently remembering the promises… “Annabelle, Katherine…” Victoria whispered. “I know now… I remember everything… I understand…”
“We know Victoria, we’ve known for a long time.” Katherine and Annabelle said in unison. “But we didn’t know who we were or why all of this has happened to us, until now…” Katherine began to explain. “Now we are together and the cycle is complete… Throughthe reunification all ha
s been revealed… And never again shall we be apart. Never again will we be alone.”
Annabelle began to speak as they clasped hands… Their hands grasped each other longing to replace those missing centuries of not understanding why they had always been different… As their minds seemingly became one, their hands began to bleed… Symbolizing their sacred promises to each other…
Victoria knew now that in their past she was not the only one to suffer. At times they were together, yet only they knew that they were different from the others around them, but they never understood why. All the memories flooded their minds. But it was to much for them, and they passed out, slumping to the ground in the garden.
Chapter Eighteen
An hour later one of the hospital attendants came out to the garden to eat his lunch in the warm Connecticut sunshine. Like almost everyone, and certainly the girls, his favorite spot was among the dogwood trees. As he worked his way along the crooked maze of bushes, he saw ahead of him three teenage girls who all looked alike. One of them he knew to be a patient, but which one? Immediately he dropped his lunch and ran back to the main building to get help…
In less then five minutes doctors, nurses, and attendants were in the garden with stretchers. They could not break the embrace, and locked hands that the girls had on each other, so they had to place them all on one stretcher. The attendants hoisted them up and took them to one of the examining rooms…