New Power Labs 19

"I had them custom made." Marina explained. She was sitting on the ground with her back against the couch. Her long black hair falling over her shoulders and chest and her violet eyes staring off into space. "I loved them then and I love them now. They're so warm. And when I Iook at them, I feel all warm and childish inside." She smiled, staring down at her feet, which had black and white panda slippers on them. "Who's she talking too?" Sarah asked stepping into the room. " Her parents. Marina, come here and meet Sarah." Alastair called to her. "I don't socialize with people who I don't know." She responded turning her large violet eyes on him. "That's the point of socializing my dear. To get to know people you didn't know before." Alastair explained to her avoiding her sullen gaze. "Your parents were very social." He put in,hoping to bring her over. "My parents are dead." She declared bluntly before turning back. "I don't have a problem with Mac. He's a nice guy. I don't like strangers. They're all like children" She explained, leaning back against the couch. "How is it possible her parents are dead if she's talking to them?" Sarah asked, confused. "And... wait.. Mac? Alastair MacBeth? You couldn't be. He's dead!" Sarah proclaimed. "And that Sarah, as I was about to say for Marina, is an interesting story. Sit, and I'll tell you. Of Mick and Faith. Marina's parents. As you see it all began with a favour. A favour asked by a woman who, I regret has passed on, and a favour by me." He began, sitting down in the chair. "I'm sorry what?" Sarah asked, sitting in the chair across from him. "Olivia Talons asked my parents a favour and that favour involved talking to Mac and then Mac asked them a favour" Marina sighed, rolling her eyes. "Well,yes. As Marina puts it, is the truth. Olivia Talons, This is important to the story, assisted a young boy's escape. When Mick and Faith came to tell me I already knew. I was aware of the shady goings on, and was unable to do anything. And when they approached me, I was being threatned. Dr.Tumms, you know him? Yes? Good. Well,he was threatning me. So, of course I told Mick. He told me to fake a heart attack, I agreed and off we went." Alastair leaned back and took a sip of water. "You faked a heart attack?" Sarah asked, leaning forward. "Yes. So, Mick and Faith, came to report to me what I already knew. I then 'had a heart attack' for the camera's you see. Mick disabled them, and then I asked my favour. The favour they tell everyone I'm dead. Make it believable. My 12th time dying. I almost cried when they started telling people, that's how sad it was. Anyway, the camera's showed me about to ask a favour, and then die. Mick was very convincing with his dive. So,no one questioned and I can move on. Live again if you will." Alastair smiled. "But,wait. How can you just die and then live again? Wouldn't someone notice?" Sarah asked, leaning back in her chair. "They haven't noticed me being alive for 600 years, why would they notice me dying 12 times? The thing is, humans don't like to notice things out of the ordinary. I died and came back, so clearly, we never met and I didn't die. You all try to rationalize what you can and ignore what you can't. I wear blue pants, you turn away and now they're green? Well, in your mind I was always wearing green pants. Because in your minds, Pants don't just change. You were just wrong before. It's a flaw in your genetic makeup. Now where was I?" Mac scrathched his beard, "Oh,yes. We fast forward a little bit to 'the plan'. Now,you're probably wondering, what is/was the plan and why? Well, the plan was something Mick and Faith devised. Planned it for weeks. It started as something quite different. But when it became apparent that Tumms was looking for an arrest, well, Policemen carry guns. And dead men tell no tales. So,Mick staged it perfectly. Even got them to leave his hands uncuffed. And while they were distracted with Mick. Faith and I met up at her house. About 8:30, it was raining. I showed up and she gave me a letter, a key and a baby. Because, you see 'the plan' was never really focused on them. They were the smoke screen. A smoke screen no one saw through. But really, 'the plan' was to make up a fake plan, pass it off as 'the plan' and give me the time to escape with Marina." Alastair adjusted himself in his chair before turning back to Sarah. "Any questions so far?" He asked, his eyes twinkling under the light. "Yeah... Marina. If she was their daughter she'd only be like 8 years old. The woman there is at least 21....." Sarah trailed off, looking confused, narrowing her eyes at Marina. "Another interesting story. Marina. Stuff of legends. When Leena spilled the serum on Faith it did something very odd. It mixed with Faith's D.N.A and created an unusual world to Marina, It made her exist seperatley. She doesn't walk among the people of this world, she's halfway ascended. She exists between this world and the next, because if her parents had been anyone else she would have died. But because of Faith having O negative blood and alien genetics, and Mick being, well Mick, she survived. Kind of." Alastair explained to her, crossing his legs and looking at Marina. "So,she's like a zombie? Not alive but not dead?" Sarah asked, now very bewildered. "No,not quite. Marina was never alive, so she can't die, but because she was born and technically lives she's alive. See? Marina is an anomaly. Her existance is well,wrong. The way she see things even.. which brings me to how she is talking with her parents when they're dead. When you die, the energy that makes you you, leaves the body, and as science will tell us,energy can neither be created or destroyed. So,the energy remains. And this energy goes all sorts of places. For Marina,she sees it. Sees dead people if you will. When in actuallity, she sees the energy left behind. She sees this because she exists in the world,of the forgotten. This is why Marina sees things differently. She sees enery, everything in it's simplest form. And so,she can talk with her parents. Although from what I can gather, it's difficult to convey meanings. Diffiuclt to understand each other all the time when you communicate between realms." Mac smiled, shifting again his chair. "But,how come no one noticed?" Sarah asked,leaning forward. "Noticed what?" Mac asked, scratching his big beard. "Well,you and her. She aged so rapidly for awhile. And, Mick and Faith? They were plotting and no one knew, and what about Olivia?" Sarah asked, struggling to wrap her head around everything. "Well, Me and Marina, that is where our story comes to next. Where you come in. I met you.. three weeks after moving here. And you didn't know about Marina until recently. That's 5 years. I didn't go out much,I kept her hidden, until I was sure she was done aging, and even after as people tend to question her,and she has Mick's temper. She appears one day and everyone assumes, I've had her for twenty years and she just hates the sun. Do you understand?" Alastair asked, smiling warmly. "Yes, please continue." Sarah declared, finally understanding. "Well,Mick and Faith. They started planning and no one knew. How? Because they acted normally. They went to work and they only talked about it late at night,where no one would hear. They went about their bussiness and no one asked questions. Because in this day and age,it's become a 'ask me no questions,i'll tell you no lies' society. No one asked,and they never told. Kinda makes you lose faith in humanity. But you can regain some when you think of what they all went through for protection. Although,I do regret that Leon has been looking into the foster system. I worry he might find Jecklyn.... she's so much like her mother... But I digress. And to answer your final question Olivia. That is a question,that is difficult to explain. Soley because I don't understand what Marina sees. I can tell you she sees Oliva, I can tell you Olivia died for a cause, And I can tell you how much she loves her children. I can also tell you, that they're never alone." Alastair, winked standing up. "Now,Can I get you something to eat?" He asked standing up,lending Sarah his hand. "Yeah... She only smiles here. Why?" She asked,standing to look at Marina who was petting a slippper and grinning. "Them." Mac whispered, "She lives with me and I think she likes it, but,her parents are the only ones who can make her happy...." He trailed off as he led Sarah to the kitchen, leaving Marina alone in the room.

"You should get out more." Mick declared, sitting up from the floor. "I don't see why." Marina declared, pulling her knees into her chest as she watched Mac and his bimbo girlfriend walk away. "Besides, who would I go see?" She asked, turning her large eyes onto her father. "John. Or Leena, Audrey,Ruben,Ace. You could go see Jecklyn. Get to know her. You like her mum." Mick smiled, placing a hand on her knee. "I like being with you guys." Marina muttered looking down. "You can spend all the time with us you like." Faith smiled, sitting next to her to wrap her arm around her shoulders. "I don't... like the real world." Marina remarked, watching the shadows of the dead breeze past. "Me either. They look down upon sudden nudity and sex in public" Mick laughed, winking at Faith. "Eh,dead people aren't allowed to have sex." Marina laughed, shoving him back. "Sez you!" He growled leaning forward to kiss her forehead and Faith's lips. "Yes. You died. Go do dead stuff." Marina laughed,pulling him next to her so she could lean her head pn his shoulder. "Your mom's dead" He winked, squeezing Faith's hand. "Not in front of the child!" Faith laughed, placing his hand back in his lap. "Get out more honey?" Faith asked,brushing the hair from Marina's eyes. "All right. I'll get out more." Marina sighed. She knew she didn't have too much longer today with her parents. They disappeared sometimes. Their words got all garbled and then then they'd fade before disappearing. She hated when it happened as it seemed to increase when emotions were running high. Mostly when Marina tried to express her love for them. Faith muttered something Marina couldn't understand, Mick responded and then faded slightly. The other ghosts got more noticable. She could see Olivia, She was talking to Boris about her daughter. They were watching Jecklyn and Harvey. "They're getting so big" Marina heard her say, Mick and Faith blinked out of sight. Marina sighed and leaned down on the floor. She watched the spirits around her, some were sad,others happy, some watched loved ones and others haunted. Marina smiled slightly, her violet eyes haunted and far away. "...Will tell how their fore father's saw, the red blaze of freedom in Erin go bragh..." She sang, closing her eyes.