1 Start

~~~~~~~~~Adam Void POV~~~~~~~~~~

I wake up stricken with fear, my face as pale as death itself. Beads of sweat roll down my face as my eyes get wider and wider with each passing second. A sharp pain erupts from my palm, not realizing I'd been clenching them so hard that blood starts trickling out.

I start performing the breathing exercises that the psychologist gave me.

***10 minutes later***

After calming myself down, I jump out of bed to wash up.

I stare at myself I'm the mirror, trying to see where it all went wrong. Huge black bags line the bottom of my gray eyes, which you can't see due to the curtain of black, dishevelled hair. I wash my face once again, hoping it's only a dream but to much of my dismay it isn't. The anger inside of me is boiling up and I punch the mirror.

"Dammit" I murmur.

I look at the mirror once again and it is covered on cracks. Seeing my face in this sorry state, I can't remember what it was like before. Before everything.

Its been consuming my life, making it worse, made those that care about me; leave me. I wish I didn't start having those dreams...

At first I thought they were like any other dream, except it would be in someone else's perspective, I thought that was really strange, but i chose to ignore it, how stupid of me but after each dream I'd be thinking about it all day and I could remember each and every little detail.

I've had a really bad memory all my life. After several painful weeks,I decided to go to the doctors, in all the dreams up to here; The people suffer huge amounts of pain and once I wake up, I suffer the pain they experienced throughout the rest of the day, and it never seems to go away.

Once telling the doctors this, they say I have mirror-touch synesthesia, and this is related to the activity of the mirror neurons.

Imagine seeing someone dancing and you copy it, that's exactly what happens, but with pain and their emotions and you can't control it. After numerous tests, they found out I have an etidetic memory, this explains why I still experience the pain after its long gone, and if it still feels like your still there, the brain will stimulate the mirror neurons and I'll experience the pain, after hearing this I had thought about suicide, but I knew that'll only hurt the ones that cherish me.

A 16 year old boy being told that he'll suffer pain for the rest if his life, isn't that good, I had the rest of my life ahead of me, good grades, a loving family and wonderful friends but after several years that all changed.

My father and mother were afflicted by a disease never seen before, and on their death beds my Mother said "I'll always love you, it's not your fault" and my Father said "I know it's not the best time, but you were adopted, we found you on our doorstep one night with only your name and that medallion that has that beautiful crystal on that no one could identify. Don't worry, it's not your fault"

The ringing of my phone, the Sapple, brought me back to reality.

"Hello? Who's this" I ask

["Thank god, I've phoned you twenty times already, I thought something happened to you"] The woman on the other side replies, her voice full of worry. After a second I realize who it is; Maisie. The only friend I have left, she's the only reason I still live. She gave me a reason.

"So what can I do for you, my lovely?" I say, teasing her.

["Stop teasing me, well I was going to phone you earlier to check up on you,but I got dragged into an emergency meeting, I tried protesting, but *sigh* unfortunately, it required my presence"] She replied with a rather flushed voice at the start but turned into a rather serious tone towards the end. I could imagine her face beet red after I said that. Rather cute.

"Who with? Your company? Or General Dad?"

[" Don't call him that!.. it was with both..."]

"Why? Your dad Is one of the most important figures in the army, why would he be in a meeting with your company?"

["He was told to seize our research on 'The Lens' however, being my dad, he made a ruckus saying ""My daughter put her life into that research and your just going to seize it"' and all sorts of other things. Eventually, the Army and Government conceded, however, we are 'required' to report all our research and information on it to them. So it's basically them watching us, and then them making their own, which I don't like. This is going against them, but I'm not giving them the blueprints to build it."]

She mimics her dad voice which makes me laugh

"Should you be telling me this?"

["Not really, no. But it could be beneficial to you, it could help you, it could get rid of your mirror-touch synesthesia and I'm willing to take that chance, even if it means I lose ny life"]

"..."

["'The Lens' is similar to one of those virtual reality machines you read in those Web novels that you like to read. When your put in, you experience a different life. It takes your conciousness and puts it into the machine, obviously your conciousness is protected by many safe walls that are impossible to break down, the code in them are changing all the time at an impossible rate for someone to hack into, it changes once every 0.0000000000000000000000001 seconds Phew that was long. This means that when your experience it, even though you have etidetic memory and mirror-touch synesthesia, it won't register with your brain, as it's in a different body. given enough time, it could, COULD cure you, there's a 47% it will, this is a good opportunity for you, if you're willing to take it."]

["in 3 weeks time, there will be test to be a part of it, I advise you as your friend to take it. It will be at my company headquarters and it will be announced in a weeks time, obviously with different information regarding it and I will give you 'till then to make up your decision. You can participate in the test IF you want, you don't have to as I can allow you to participate in it without taking the test."]

"Thank you! I'll consider it and will get back to you soon" I had to get off the phone as quickly as I could, as I couldn't let her see me in this state, warm tears, tears of joy gently roll down my face and a huge smile is plastered onto my face. For the first time in years I've smiled.

I already know my decision, I'll just phone her tomorrow though. I can't get it out of my head, what she said "'I'm willing to take that chance, even if it mean I lose my life"' Why doesn't she care about her life? she should. I care about her

~~~~~~~~~Maisie Smith POV~~~~~~~~~

'Adam, oh Adam, why do you do this to yourself? You know what I'd do for you. When I see you like that, it makes me cry. You don't deserve this, you deserve better. You're so sweet and charming, someone that cares about other people's happiness more than your own. I know you've suffered countless years to make those around you happy, you've been suffering in silence for so long. I've watched as your family and friends have left you, your dreams torn right in front of you and your life turned upside down. Even though I'm the only one that stands by your side at the moment, I know they'll be many more in the future. You need to stay strong untill 'The Lens' arrives'

"Maisie, why do you push yourself so much, at the moment your so fragile and weak, we need to find a way to get rid of those 'dreams'."

"But with these 'Dreams' I can help those in need, Adam doesn't realise it yet, but those 'Dreams' he has are more important than mine and with his, he can change the past and the future."

"We've found three more 'Dream-seekers', two of which are but mere babies"

"They've awakened this early? We need a better name for 'Us'"

"With each passing year, more and more are awakening, I don't think that only the 'Chosen' get them but mankind's evolving. Everyone wishes that they could change something, or if they knew they wouldn't have gone there/done that and so on, so mankind's evolved to tackle this, I've been meaning to ask this, but why haven't you told Adam? If he's who you say he is, then a huge calamity is going to befall us soon."

"Interesting hypothesis and the reason I haven't told him is because, if he knew, he'd end his life and once the calamity befalls us, there won't be anyone to stop it. If you look at it from a different angle, it clearly shows a 'Dream-seeker', with darkness oozing out of him, but is it coming out, or is it going in?"

"That's a possibility, whens 'The Lens' going to be finished, with it, it'll boost mankind in more ways than one, in many generations to come, it'll still be beneficial."

"3 weeks, well, it couldn't have been done without your ability codename: Forsaken"

"You know, I have no idea how you found that out, out of all the Dream-seekers there are only a handful that i don't know the 'codenames' of and that know mine , as you call it, I think it's more realistic if it's your secret name, my reasoning is because in my experience, it's what your life is and all your experiences, however, if anyone were to gain it, they'll have some power over you, that's why it's a secret."

"Interesting"

"So what is your Secret name,you always know your own"

"That's why it's a secret"

"You know Adams don't you?"

"Of course, there are more ways than one to gain it"