Warrior Games

Chapter Nine: Haunting Whispers

Were you actually just insulting me?

"No."

Your mind's telling me differently.

"Sometimes my mind lies."

That's total nonsense.

"Not to me. You'll come to know I'm different."

Like damn mad?

"Did I say I'm mad?"

No, you didn't. But that one's not hard to deduce.

"Well, my dear MAIA, your deduction may be close, but I'm certainly not mad."

No, you're not. I think you are already past mad.

"What?! And you're not? After being inside my head?"

I'm immune to your madness, Kyle.

"You know, I actually wonder where you get your courage. I'm your damn master."

A harsh laughter sounded in Kyle's head. Master? Oh boy, someone's trying to play master here. Is it you, Kyle?

Kyle bit his lip. "You know what? Forget it."

Annnd, you're sorry for insulting your beloved AI?

Instead of apologizing, Kyle actually wanted to dump her beloved a** into a deep pit. If he could.

I saw that.

"Y-You saw..." Kyle really wanted to start bawling like a baby. Where was his freedom of thought? "Look. How can I block my thoughts from you?"

MAIA snickered. And you think I'll tell?

He blinked innocently. "Won't you?"

That one, boy, you figure out yourself.

"Stop calling me that. I'm practically your senior by sixteen good years."

Last time I checked, you just clocked sixteen this May.

"And so? I still. . . Wait, did you just say, May?"

What about it?

"How. . ." He sat down stiffly on the bed, holding his head as broken memories came to him. His mother's smile as she tucked him into bed; her voice, sweet and pleasant, as she sang him to sleep. . .

Then the explosion resounded in his head like thunder.

Kyle screamed in pain as he held his head, falling to the floor as a wave of nausea and dizziness hit him.

Whispers, a thousand of them whispered in his mind. Whispered and whispered till it became a roar, like the mighty waves of an ocean in a storm. It assaulted his mind from all sides, bombarding his head with a splitting pain that had him rolling from side to side on the floor and shouting in agony.

Then his mother's voice, whispering and broken, suddenly filtered through his mind: "Kyle!"

And with a gasp, his eyes flew open.

Panting heavily, Kyle just stayed there on the white floor, his eyes threatening to pour out tears. The headache was gone. The whispers were gone. But he embraced the broken memories of his mother, held them tight, secured and locked in a part of his mind where it would never escape again.

Even though the memories had brought him pain, to him, it was worth it. It was worth it to receive back a few memories of his mother.

Frowning, he recalled what had been the catalyst for all this. May. . .May. . . Not that he hadn't known his birthday, but Kyle couldn't explain the strange feeling that something important had happened in May. Something that had changed his life.

But what was it exactly?

He tried delving into his memories and instantly fell into the usual blank space that was ever present in his memories. That blank space that felt as if his memories had never even been there. As if he didn't have a past.

Sighing, Kyle picked himself slowly off the floor, staggering a little as he stood up fully. Step by step, he told himself. Step by step, he would recover his memories, even if it took him his whole life to do so.

Isn't that too extreme?

It took Kyle some moments to remember that he was technically not alone and was with a mind-reading AI to boot.

"Stop that, " Kyle whined. "It's creepy."

MAIA chuckled. Yeah? Like I was the one suddenly holding my head and screaming like a banshee.

"I'm not. . . I did not. . . I'm not a banshee!"

I totally believe you.

Kyle was surprised. "You do?" he asked warily.

MAIA was silent for some moments then she cracked up. Of course not, dummy. Didn't you learn sarcasm in school?

Kyle rolled his eyes, then suddenly turned serious. "How did you know my birthday?"

Abruptly, the laughing stopped. Kyle found it strange but he thought he felt her nervousness in his head. It was fleeting though. Then, as if some kind of spell was broken, MAIA laughed again.

Kyle frowned. The laugh was almost girly. If he didn't know any better, he would think it was another human communicating with him telepathically.

"Kind of you not to take me seriously," he growled.

No. No, MAIA wheezed. I'm just laughing at your stupidity.

"What do you mean by that?"

You're a dummy, aren't you? How many times must I tell this thick skull of yours that I'm a 'mind-reading' AI?

"You didn't tell me," Kyle mumbled. "That one I deduced myself."

MAIA cracked up again, the surprisingly sweet sound music to his ears. Or mind. Or. . .Whatever.

Exactly! All the more reason why you're a dummy. I mean, duh, you deduced it yourself! How could you not know how I knew your birthday?

Kyle mentally flipped his middle finger. "You're a pain."

The laughing finally stopped, though Kyle had a distinct feeling that she was smiling. Did you just raise your middle finger at me, boy?

"You know the answer."

Ahh, yes, I do.

Kyle shivered. Somehow he found her tone a little. . . Scary. Then he checked himself. Scary? What could an AI possibly do to him?

A sinister chuckle sounded in his mind. Oh, I can't do anything. But I can do this though.

Kyle's vision suddenly changed. Instead of seeing the white walls of the room, he was seeing a very large hand. The fingers were all folded, except for one that stood tall:

The middle finger.

Kyle's eyes widened. "What the hell?"

****

He knelt closer to the rune, studying it's spiral golden shape, all the while frowning in concentration. How could tracing a rune open a chest? Was the damn AI lying to him?

He rubbed his eyes. He still couldn't believe he had been flipped the birdie. By an AI who claimed to be his helper no less. How the hell has MAIA even done that?

Kyle grinned. "I'm sure you heard my thoughts. Give me an answer.

A light chuckle sounded in his head. I'm not telling. Trace the rune, Kyle. No time.

He rolled his eyes. "And who's the boss here?"

Why, it's me. Who else is qualified?

Not replying, he turned back to the task at hand. It was no use arguing with the loudy-mouthy AI.

He hoped she heard that thought.

I did. Satisfied? Now trace the rune.

With a large dose of skepticism, and a little anticipation, Kyle traced the golden spiral emblazoned at the top of the chest almost too eagerly, in a let's-just-get-this-over-with-and-see kind of way. After tracing it, he waited for several seconds, his skepticism growing after nothing happened.

Finally, he sighed and palmed his face in exasperation. "I should remember to stop trusting loudy-mouthy AIs."

Can't you cultivate the art of patience? At least, just for one minute?

"What! Patience?" Kyle protested, throwing his hands to the side for emphasis. "MAIA, I'll have you know I'm a very patient. . ."

His words got stuck in his throat, and his mouth hung open as his attention was riveted back to the chest. If it could even be called that anyway. Kyle forced his mouth to close, and swallowed as he watched the entire rim of the aforethought chest give a burst of golden light that illuminated the entire room, washing the bland, white walls with dazzling golden colours.

A small "wow" left his lips as the golden colours reminded him of those religious pictures of heaven he used to admire in Mystic Falls. Who would have thought he would one day feel like he was in heaven?

Suddenly his whole fantasy disappeared as a mocking voice filled his head: Oh, c'mon, Kyle. Will you stop lying to yourself? The voice laughed. Heaven. Really? Do you want to go there so badly?

Kyle pictured giving the middle finger. "Damn you. You could have at least let me enjoy the moment," he said gruffly.

Then he noticed that the lid of the chest—or whatever it was —had opened, sucking away the majestic gold colours in its mysterious mouth.

Moving himself in a position where he could see clearly into the open space, Kyle almost drew back because, although he was curious to know what was in it, he also knew that the what could very well be something he was better off not seeing, or knowing. Or worse, it could be something that had the power to end his li. . .

Kyle closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Don't think about it. . . Don't think about it. . .

I've never seen a more paranoid bastard in all my years of existence. MAIA sounded almost amused.

Kyle rolled his eyes for the zillionth time that day. "Hate to remind you, but your life is still counting in days. Not in months, and definitely not in years."

MAIA didn't give a response, but Kyle wouldn't have heard it anyway. His mind was on what could be inside that open space.

Good—Kyle swallowed—or bad.