Chapter 2: Deja vu, "vision or memory?", the Number changes
Lilith stood by the entrance to the room. The walls, floor, and ceiling were identical to the room before; pure white, almost blinding to look at. There were four pillars, black, with glassy surfaces. Each of them was a few feet taller than her without reaching the ceiling, and each of them was equally close to the center of the room and one of the corners. There was a large blue painted circle on the floor in the center, its outer edge about a foot away from each of the pillars.
~[WELCOME TO YOUR FIRST CLASS. PLEASE STAND IN THE CENTER OF THE ROOM, THEN WE CAN BEGIN.]~
Without warning, an intense wave of deja vu slammed into Lilith. She rocked on her feet and bent over in a bad surfing stance.
("Why is this so familiar? Have I dreamed of this?")
She walked to the center of the circle and stopped. It still felt like she had done this before. She wasn't surprised when Mr. Logic spoke, nor shocked by the thunderous difference in the sound levels she heard.
~[PLEASE TURN TO YOUR LEFT.]~
Lilith did so. A projector hidden in the ceiling flickered on, plastering a wide image on the wall she was facing. It showed a black silhouette of a generic female body.
~[FOLLOW ALL MOVEMENT DIRECTIONS TO YOUR FULLEST POTENTIAL.]~
The silhouette of the woman raised her arms out to her sides, circling up until they pointed to the sky. Lilith followed suit. The projection displayed the word HOLD in green letters with a ten second countdown.
("This isn't just a feeling...I've done this before. Why am I so certain I have?")
The countdown ended. The silhouette brought her arms down, then bent over to touch her toes. A 45 second timer appeared. Lilith bent forward and reached her toes. In a few seconds, her back relaxed further, allowing her to place her hands palm-down on the floor. She hadn't bent her knees.
("I've never done that once before coming here. I've never been this flexible. Why do I still feel like this happened before?")
With the projection and Mr. Logic's instruction, Lilith went through sets of different leg and arm stretches, each time performing better and pushing herself farther than she ever had. Yet it felt routine, like she didn't expect her abilities to be anything but this extensive.
~[ROTATE YOUR HEAD TO THE RIGHT UNTIL YOU FEEL RESISTANCE. HOLD FOR 15 SECONDS.]~
Lilith followed the instructions. Just as her chin started to pass her shoulder, a vision flashed in her mind.
In the vision, she had rotated her head completely backwards with a loud snap. Her body became numb and unresponsive. She fell over, unable to breathe, able to see her body spasm but unable to feel it or stop it.
The vision lasted a fraction of a second. Lilith was still standing, head turned remarkably far back, and held it for 15 seconds. She thought she could have gone further, but the vision made her wonder.
("Was that my own overactive imagination?")
When she turned back, she followed the diagram and turned her head the other way. She realized that the feeling of familiarity was gone. This exercise was a mirror of the last one; yet, for the first time in this room, it felt foreign to her.
("What was that vision? Or was it...a memory? But how? What is happening here?")
Lilith made it through the remainder of the stretches. The feeling of deja vu never came back. The screen flickered off as the projector shut down.
~[CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING YOUR FIRST CLASS. PLEASE ENTER THE NEXT CLASSROOM, THEN WE CAN BEGIN.]~
Lilith turned to see the next door slide open to another dark room. The display above the door lit up. The timer had 6 minutes and change left. The number had changed. It was now 499.
("First 500, now 499. Is that how many more rooms I have? Oh please God just give me some answers.")
Lilith turned, feeling energized and anxious, and walked into the next room.