Distorted Wonderland

Noriko

Halo Ten: Noriko:

Her dreaming is starting to overlap into her daily life. Not just her nightmares anymore.

Bright lights swirled around her head above. Noriko opened her eyes surrounded by loud pounding music. She noticed people walking towards this huge gold and red tent up above. The girl squinted for a better look.

What's going on here?, she thought. Noriko tried to figure out the whole setting around her. She tilted her head the puzzled look on her face deepened.

I feel like I've been here somehow...

"Noriko-chan?" someone asked in real life, "Noriko-chan?" The girl looked up to see Shimamoto-sensei looking at her from his desk. The girl blinked at him.

"What?" she asked.

"Your guardian," he said, "We can't seem to reach her. Is something wrong?" Noriko frowned as she realized what was going on in real life.

"No," she replied.

"Do you know where she is?" the head therapist asked. Noriko snorted.

"No," she hissed. Shimamoto-sensei raised an eyebrow at her.

"I detect some bitterness at my questioning," he said.

"You think?" Noriko wanted to ask, but instead, she say, "Can I please go?" The man dropped his shoulders.

"You are dismissed," he said, "Just have your guardian give me a call." Noriko rolled her eyes and walked out the door. No sooner had she walked outside, another put of her dream overtook her mind.

This time, a huge crowd of people stood outside the mayor's office with signs and angry shouting. Noriko looked around as she had seen this nightmare one too many times. Suddenly, she felt a strong arm grab onto hers. The girl looked up to see a man determined to break through. Noriko expected the next part to follow accordingly.

"Come on, dear," he said, "Let's go." Noriko only nodded at him though she didn't know why.

"Right..." she said in a tiny voice. Suddenly, she and the man dashed through the unruly crowd. Noriko shut her eyes as she then heard one woman scream just behind her. Everyone looked up to see a blackened girl of fifteen dragging her feet with a dark ghostly train behind her. Some of the demonstrators dropped dead to the ground while others tried desperately to run away. The man at Noriko's side squeezed her in tight to his body.

"Stay close to me, okay dear?" the man asked.

"Yes," the girl mumbled. The man holding her did his best to make his way through the chaotic crowd. However halfway through, the pair got separated and those people started trampling her. Noriko tried to scream out the man's name, but her own voice was drowned out by the endless screams.

"Miss, are you okay?" someone asked in real life. Noriko returned to see an old man staring at her with concern in his eyes. The girl could barely speak as she tried to catch her breath. The old man raised an eyebrow at her.

"You were just standing in the road screaming, are you alright?" he tried to ask her again. The girl shook her head and ran away as fast as she could.