PERSONA: Overdrive [On Hiatus, Will Finish Soon]

Chapter 1: The Velvet Room Theater and the Mysterious Girl

Everything is hazy...

You found yourself standing in a dark place...

Your body is all numb.

Not only that... you can't move at all!

I mean you can turn around and move your body but it appears you can't leave the same spot you stand on.

The place has a weird feeling..

It's like it is too hot and too cold at the same time.

Where am I?  You thought.

Then suddenly... spot light turned on towards you.

Most of your surrounding suddenly became a bit clear.

The floor is made of wood. There's a blue velvet curtain behind you. In front of you seems to be lowered level of infinite seats.

The place seems rather familiar?

A  theater stage?  You thought.

Then another spot light turned on right at middle of the aisle.

There, a well furnished brown desk with quill and ink oh, and also a small office lamp on your left side,  on the right seems to be a thick stack of papers. A dark indigo executive's chair has it turned back from you.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room.." a voice slightly echoed from the other spot light.

The chair turned around. It's an old man...

Despite of you being light headed, you can see his features clearly.

An old man wearing a black formal suit and white gloves. His appearance is rather bizarre, having a long pointed nose, dead shot eyes, thick eyebrows, pointed ears and a crooked smile.

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter." He placed both of his hands on the desk. "I am Igor."

"And it seems you're rather interesting." He smiled, "Though you may find it confusing but as you can see.. the stage is all set."

"And it's up to you to give me a great show..." He smiled again, "Now if you don't mind, could you tell me your name?"

You're having a hard time processing what's going on...

You're starting to sweat heavily. Your heart is racing.

What the heck is going on?

"Hey! That's your cue!" another voice echoed from your left. "Have you forgotten your line already?"

A girl?

She is wearing a blue female military uniform. She has golden brown hair, glowing golden eyes and fair skin.

She is holding a black military baton on her right hand and what appears to be a script book on the other.

"Hey dummy!" she pointed her baton to you. "Just do it already so we can proceed to the next scene!"

"Now, now Safie..."  Igor intercepted. "Maybe he just has a little stage fright."

"Very well, Master." She bowed. "Be grateful of Master Igor's kindness, you maggot!" She shot a murderous look to you.

"Why don't talk some other time..." Igor said, "After all, I'm waiting for that story of yours."

He smiled and everything rippled vanished.

Was that a dream?  You thought as you straighten yourself from the backseat of a minivan.

"Good morning! We just arrive here in Big Global City, sleepy head!" says a guy seated behind the wheel. "I mean come on... are my basketball stories that boring to you?"

His name is Kurita Fujimoto. He's a tall Fil-Jap man who likes to wear a business coat over a anime printed shirt due to him being a branch marketing manager of a JPop culture TV studio here in the Philippines. He is your uncle and legal guardian after your parents sent you from Japan due to probation of a certain past.

"Hey, are you even listening Midori-kun?" Uncle Kurita said as he makes a left turn towards an underpass with no other cars around..

Oh, right. Your name is Midori Fujimoto.

A  teenage boy with brown wavy short hair, green eyes and rather thin and pale physic. You're wearing your favorite black denim jacket over your green shirt complete with cargo black skinny jeans and stylish red running shoes you got from your parents.

"Sorry." you said, "You got dragged into this."

You looked outside before the darkness covered everything as the minivan enters the underpass.

"Come on now," Uncle Kurita sighed. "Your father and I were in worse situation when we were at your age."

He looked at you with a comforting smile.

"Why don't we get some ice cream." he said casually, "My treat."

Your feeling a bit too old to be treated like a kid who can easily be cheered up by ice cream but hey, it's still ice cream.

"Sure." you said. "I want pistachio with cookie bits."

"Haha!" Uncle Kurita grinned, "You are my nephew."

You returned a warm smile.

Then suddenly, you felt hazy again.

As the minivan about to exit the underpass, a petite young girl wearing a school uniform suddenly jumped in front of the exit.

"Look out!" you suddenly uttered.

Your uncle immediately hit the breaks. The minivan stopped a few inches before it hit the girl.

"Hey, young lady! Be careful-" he was cut-off because at a blink of an eye, the girl disappeared.

"What the?" says Uncle as he step out of the vehicle to check. where the girl went. "I'm not the only one who saw a suicidal girl disappear into thin air, right?"

You just nod with agreement.

Then something flew from the shadows towards the light of the exit.

A bright yellow colored chubby creature about a size of a basketball flaps its wings before it vanished in the bright light.

Was that, a bird?

Just great. First day here in this city and it already creep you out.

The stage is all set!

The elfish man's voice echoed in your head.

= End of Chapter =