InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "really?"

beatrice; bee. (beatrice) wrote in zenithrp,
@ 2016-01-15 22:52:00

Entry tags:

#day 017, beatrice, madison

[who] Beatrice & Madison [COMPLETED]
[when] 10:30am
[where] Lounge
[what] Beatrice wakes up in the Mansion

An hour and a half had passed from the time she awoke, the dreamless sleep bled into a nightmarish reality. Beatrice had no idea how she arrived here, no where here could be on a map. In those first waking moments, with the IV taped to her skin, she had flashbacks of the hospital in Madison. Why dream of that time passed? But alas, it was no dream; not as the IV was removed and she took in the surroundings. The room was comfortable, quaint, and reminded the girl of home. But this was not home. Something was terribly wrong.

Eventually, slowly, but surely, Beatrice figured out her way around the room. A box of clothes sat on the floor with the baggy overalls, tank top, plaid blouse, ball cap, and old Converse shoes she had worn when she went to Madison. Yes, I went to Madison to make two deliveries. I was on my way back... Was I in an accident? After she dressed, Beatrice attempted the door. It was horrifying to think that she was locked in a room. She yanked on it a few times, pounded on the door with a fist, called out to anyone to open the door--but nothing happened. It took a moment two realize there was a computer in the room.

There was no access to email, though there seemed to be an online forum. What was on that forum was the sort of garage that people post on the Internet--namely things about other people that they would not say to one's face. A couple of scrolls and Beatrice stopped reading what she had found. But there was an indicator of a subject name. No sense could be made of any thing. To look at the window provided no clues as to her location, nor were there any indications in the room. The more time she spent in there, the uneasier she became. The room was perfect to her liking--too perfect.

I'm dead. I died. This is like Lost, and I don't think I'm dead but clearly I am in purgatory and this will drag out for six years before I come to terms. Beatrice was incredibly stressed. Her phone, bag, a necklace she had been wearing, among other things, were not in this place. In a fit of frustration, she tried the door again, surprised to find it opened with ease.

She was hungry, somehow tired, and most notably very confused. Outside of the door was something out of a Las Vegas hotel, a room much too posh for anywhere a down-to-earth farm girl would ever find herself on a... Sunday? Monday? It was all too much. Beatrice tore off past the lounging sofas, away from the glow of the modern art, and smack into a complete and total stranger. Unprepared and unaware, she went down and down hard to the floor.

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_burnbabyburn_
2016-01-16 09:25 pm UTC (link)

This morning had been full of pleasant surprises, one after the other. At first it had been the riveting stuff she had been allowed to read - every single questionnaire was out in the open, everyone's innermost honest thoughts about everyone else bared for everyone to see. After the feeling of togetherness of last night's community dinner, this could not have come at a better time. Whoever was behind this place really knew what they were doing, and if she didn't think she was just another cog in the machine Madison would have thought they had done it just for her. What little she could see of the reactions betrayed a lot of tension in the air, and the fact that everyone seemed quieter than usual on the network made Madison wonder if people weren't furiously sending private messages to each other. Incensed, she supposed. Oh, to be a fly on the virtual walls of that network. Although, perhaps soon she would get that wish as well.

Madison had been delighted to receive the message about participating in an experiment within the experiment, and in seeing the terms required her to do what came naturally already. She almost ran out the door to get an apple from the kitchen, but then decided not to look overeager, and stayed put, reading through the questionnaires and the network for some more time. Then, she messaged Damon, her fellow "candidate" for the other experiment, just to see where he stood on the whole thing. It really put everything into perspective to know there was a whole other group of people were watching her every move, reading her every private message, the first of which she had just finished sending. She truly hoped Walt wouldn't be too upset by the things she had said in the questionnaire, otherwise she might have a problem. But that was a bridge to cross when she got to it.

Once Madison got tired of sitting in front of the computer, she got dressed and out the door to get some food other than an apple. Alas, Madison couldn't take three steps before someone came barreling onto her and smack down on the floor while Madison herself stumbled backwards and hit the back of her knees against one of the chairs.

"Well good morning." She murmured, hissing at the pain in her legs. Looking down, she saw someone she had not seen before, not even at the dinner last night. Fresh meat, she thought, and offered a hand to the girl prone on the floor. "You okay?"

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beatrice
2016-01-16 10:33 pm UTC (link)

There was a sense of relief, after the initial impact with the floor. A hand reached down to pull her up and after a beat, Beatrice took hold. The first characteristic of the stranger was her voice. As she rose to her feet, she took in the woman's image from her feet up to the top of her head. It was a practice she had come to do much like breathing.

"Where am I?" Her voice was shaky and the tone teetered on a sob. It took Beatrice a moment to let go of the hand. The grip had almost been for dear life. "How did I get here?"

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_burnbabyburn_
2016-01-16 11:28 pm UTC (link)

Oh boy. The girl was visibly freaked out, and judging by the grip on Madison's hand, absolutely unconcerned about breaking any bones. Well, Madison had offered to be part of the greeting crew; and here was her first official chance. Calming, small words, she had said. Licking her lips, Madison took a deep breath and smoothed over her skirt.

"It's okay, you're okay. There's more of us here, but nobody knows exactly where we are beyond a mansion on the outskirts of an abandoned town." She paused before continuing feeling the need to amp up on the support. "No one knows how they got here, but we remember blacking out. Everyone was kidnapped, and everyone woke up groggy and with an IV. That's how you woke up too, isn't it? I'm sorry the explanation isn't more pleasant, but you're not alone."

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beatrice
2016-01-16 11:55 pm UTC (link)

Mansion. Abandoned town. Beatrice took a slow, deep breath, and tried to focus on information provided. "I saw some names on the network." She stopped reading when she realized the contents of the published post were originally private. Someone had made that post. Someone brought them here.

Her hands first rose to tuck her hair back behind her ears; a nervous habit. Beatrice then crossed her arms in front of her chest, shoulders hunched. It all sounded like some weird "--reality show. This is just..." Before she allowed herself to tear up, the sentence faded with a head shake. As she asked the next question, her stomach rumbled loudly. "How many of.. of us are there?"

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_burnbabyburn_
2016-01-17 12:28 am UTC (link)

"The town is apparently called Mount Zenith. And yeah, the network is how everyone talks to each other when not face-to-face, and how whoever's responsible for this communicates with us."

Madison motioned for one of the couches nearest to them. "Maybe you should take a seat, okay? This isn't easy to adapt to." She supposed. Madison had just taken it in stride but then again she had been interred in a place with a bunch of other people against her will before. "I thought reality show too, but it'd need to be on some real deep web levels. Whatever this is, and there are many theories, the town is walled off. Some people have been here for over two weeks."

Hearing the girl's stomach rumble, Madison thought she might have to take another one for breakfast. "You need food, don't you? Maybe we should get to the kitchen in a bit."

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beatrice
2016-01-17 12:52 am UTC (link)

The town was walled off. That fact, and her subject number, made her stomach twist. How did she end up in an experiment? She was never a second-shooter-on-the-grassy-knoll type, but this sounded like some plot for Jason Bourne's cousin. It was good to know that running was out of the question.

"Food would be good." At least we have food. "I'm Beatrice. Sorry I ran into you." Sorry we were abducted and are held here against our will. For a moment she let her gaze wander around the room. There were more doors, perhaps to bedrooms. It was then Beatrice realized she had no idea which lead back to her room.

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_burnbabyburn_
2016-01-17 01:24 am UTC (link)

"Madison. Come on let me take you to the kitchen." One more morning making eggs for a stranger. Fucking wonderful. "I was headed there for breakfast when you ran into me. It's okay, by the way."

"This place is huge and luxurious as hell. There's a theater and game room upstairs, gym on this floor, patio's through there," As Madison lead Beatrice out of the lounge and down to the kitchen she continued to point out the amenities. "Dining room and study that way, kitchen and living room this way."

Finally, they arrived in the kitchen. "You wanna cook, or do you want me to? There's every food you can imagine in here, too. Probably your favorite cereal. They know everything about us, it seems."

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beatrice
2016-01-17 01:50 am UTC (link)

The entire walk down to the kitchen, Beatrice trailed a step or two behind of Madison. The look on her face was a mixture of disbelief and as the kids say, WTF? Did a devote celebrity of some weird religion donate their mansion to their experiment-loving cult?

The perfection of style was more unnerving. Just as it was in her room, the place was made to make everyone as comfortable as possible. They want to keep us for a long time... The kitchen was gorgeous, of course. Every couple on Property Brothers wanted this kind of setup.

"I, uh, I'll take a look around." In the refrigerator were fresh fruits and berries, even Greek yogurt. She put containers on the counter and slowly began to explore the cabinets until she found the bowls. Adnittedly, Beatrice moved a little slow. This felt like a dream.

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_burnbabyburn_
2016-01-17 02:13 am UTC (link)

"Okay." Madison was contented to let Beatrice get acquainted with the kitchen, while she herself got some toast and coffee. Today wasn't an eggs and bacon day mostly because Madison wasn't in the mood to cook. There were a couple of jars of fruit jam in the fridge, and Madison got the blueberry one. She poured some coffee onto a mug, keeping an eye on the new girl as she moved about the place.

"If you need towels or anything, the utility room is through there, by the way." She pointed to the appropriate door as she rounded the counter to get her toast and a plate for it. The process of lathering it up with jam, then taking a seat with her toast and mug took a little while, but Beatrice seemed to be alright on her own so far.

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beatrice
2016-01-17 02:25 am UTC (link)

Beatrice realized she was over-stirring the berries and the yogurt and blinked to clear her mind a bit. The toast Madison made looked good and the coffee smelled better. For a moment, she thought to set the bowl aside but instead forced a few bites down.

"I was driving back home," She started softly. "Madison--er, from Madison, Wisconsin. I was listening to the radio... I don't remember if I went off of the road..." It was difficult to pinpoint the last moments she had from that day.

"You said some people have been here for two weeks. Do you know why I came today?"

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_burnbabyburn_
2016-01-17 02:41 am UTC (link)

It was in the middle of a bite of delicious toast that Beatrice began talking about her own kidnapping. Madison stopped eating for a beat, raising her eyes to the new girl. Funny, she was in Madison, Wisconsin, where Madison's own mother had originally been from. Hence the name, of course. And it was amusing how her kidnapping was similar to Madison's, having happened around a car. "Huh. I never made it into the car, actually." She took a sip of her coffee.

"No one knows much of anything about the specifics of where, why or what. All I know, is that sometimes people get...removed, and then others take their place. Which is what happened to you. I don't know which one you replaced, but two girls weren't accounted for this morning."

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beatrice
2016-01-17 03:25 am UTC (link)

Abducted. Removed and replaced. A fool's hope would be that the prior two girls somehow fulfilled whatever the controllers hoped to achieve and they were allowed to go home. But a fool's hope might be the best chance for Beatrice to make it through today, and tomorrow. Maybe this was a very temporary thing.

Her spoon scraped the bottom of the bowl before she realized her level of hunger. She folded her arms again and leaned on the counter for support. "Do people just hang out until they have a message from the network?" It was hard to read and fully appreciate the 'welcome' message on the computer in her bedroom while whatever was in her system wore off. But that little matter rose in her memory. "Are they more, um, socially or physically driven?"

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_burnbabyburn_
2016-01-17 04:38 am UTC (link)

"People get things to do, here. Tasks, tests, whatever you want to call it. But yes, when we're 'off duty', as it were, we're free to do whatever. Except, they're always watching." Madison ate some more as she let Beatrice digest the information. "It depends. Since I've been here, which hasn't been long, we've had to fill out questionnaires about everyone else that were promptly made public the next day. Which is today - so if you hear fighting, that's why. Every little thing everyone said about everyone else - out in the open. Do be careful what discussion you accidentally find yourself in the middle of." She advised, patting Beatrice's hand briefly.

"And I heard something about a creepy poem showing up on the computers, people hearing voices around the house...But I think they test you physically as well. It's a mixed bag, I guess. No one knows exactly why. But the word 'subject' before a number betrays a certain...nature. I feel like this is some kind of experiment. Social, most likely." Considering she had just been invited to participate in Experience B, Madison couldn't be that far off the mark.

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beatrice
2016-01-18 12:29 am UTC (link)

The questionnaire was the public post on the network that looked just as she believed. Psychological and social warfare. This was something to remember for the future, though they got it right in Bambi: if you don't have something nice to say, don't sat anything at all.

Beatrice was not prepared to be caught as the bystander of a survey confrontation. In fact, she felt more tired now than she did before she quite literally ran into Madison. Fatigue was both physical and emotional. It was time for Beatrice to retreat.

Both hands came up to press against her eye and then run down her face. "Um, would you mind showing me how to get back to my room? I think I need to... Yeah." An enthusiastic nod followed. Part of her secretly hoped this was all a nightmare.

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_burnbabyburn_
2016-01-18 12:36 am UTC (link)

The girl seemed overwhelmed, which was to be expected. She watched it all sink in very visibly in her face, and exhaustion take hold as Madison finished her coffee, calmly as usual. There was still a tiny piece of toast she threw into her own mouth, nodding at Beatrice's request as she chewed. "I assume you were coming from it when we...met? If so, it's close to my room. If you need anything, my name's on the door. I'll point it out to you when we get back upstairs." Madison stood up and took the dishes - hers and Beatrice's - and put them in the dishwasher.

"You're going to need clothes later, there's a clothing store in town. By now Chase has probably sent you the map on the network, it seems to be his MO. Come on, I'll take you back upstairs now." With that, Madison smiled and started towards the kitchen door and up the stairs, hoping Beatrice followed.

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beatrice
2016-01-18 02:46 am UTC (link)

Beatrice nodded in thanks for the offer of the open door, so to speak. The two exited the kitchen and as they crossed the foyer once again, Beatrice could not help but feel overwhelmed. The magnificence, the grandeur, was simply not something she sought after in her daily life. She did not go without as a child, but she also did not want for much. She was happy to have the things she did and to desire more seemed exhausting.

There may have been voices in the distance of the house but Beatrice was thankful that she thought no one other than Madison. When they got to her door, Beatrice had a strong urge to reach out to the stranger once more. She flinched momentarily before stuffing her hands into her pockets. It had occurred to her just then that these were the only clothes in the room. Suddenly, she was quite thankful that this was not the day she mucked horse stalls.

"Thank you, Madison," she began with a slight stammer in her voice. There was a desire to express more gratitude. There was also the building sensation that she would soon begin to cry. Even as she almost moved to hug Madison, the real person she wanted to hug was nowhere to be found.

And so, she would retreat into to pseudo-safety of her bedroom, under the watchful eye of unknown monsters. To hide from said monsters, she did what anyone would do: kicked off her shoes, climbed back into bed, and pulled the sheets completely over her head.

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