Cognoscenti: 2nd Draft - Chapter 1
Thursday, April 24, 2008 by Lindsey
I sat at my computer, as I'd done for the past ten months solid. Or so it seemed. Monotony. What had been "temporary" turned into a permanent state of existence. What is existence? I questioned myself. Where the hell was my life going? No, this wasn't brought about by the break-up. I refused to allow myself to believe that. I just needed to find myself.
A knock at the door. Again.
"Yes?"
"Are you going to make lunch because Mom said that if you weren't going to then I could go ahead and make it because we're all hungry."
I rolled my eyes "I'm going to make lunch."
"When?"
"Soon."
Why did I feel so annoyed? I should be happy. I had every reason to be happy. I had a good relationship with my parents, every opportunity in the world. I was intelligent, fairly good looking. Why then, did I feel so confused? This wasn't me at all.
I sighed and heard the little "pop" of an IM on my slick little laptop. I didn't have many people in my Instant Messaging list any longer. I used to, but most online friendships had faded in the past few months. Not sure why.
It was someone I didn't recognize.
ArachnidShield63: Hello, Honor.
Honor.Isabel89: Hi...
ArachnidShield63: How are you today?
Honor.Isabel89: I'm okay. I'm sorry, I'm sure I should know you but I can't seem to remember you at all.
ArachnidShield63: Oh, no. You don't know me. No need to be embarrassed. I do know you though.
Honor.Isabel89: Oh? Through my blog?
ArachnidShield63: You could say that.
Honor.Isabel89: I'm...sorry?
ArachnidShield63: Are you seeking something?
Honor.Isabel89: Nah, I guess not.
ArachnidShield63: I think you are.
Honor.Isabel89: Who are you?
ArachnidShield63: I am Barak, an associate with a program called "The Labyrinth" and we believe that you are an ideal candidate. We've been profiling you for a very long time.
Honor.Isabel89: Is this a joke?
ArachnidShield63: No, it's an opportunity. I think the one you've been looking for. Maybe it's your destiny.
Honor.Isabel89: Hah, destiny.
ArachnidShield63: Yes.
Honor.Isabel89: Okay...so, what?
ArachnidShield63: No, I will not tell you any more here. Go to Starbucks in two days. April 11th. 2:00 exactly. I will be waiting there to talk with you.
Honor.Isabel89: I have a feeling my parents will be a little concerned about me meeting some strange guy at Starbucks.
ArachnidShield63: No. They won't. I'm going now.
Honor.Isabel89: Wait.
ArachnidShield63: No. Have a nice day.
-ArachnidShield63 is Offline-
Great. More drama and complexity added to my life. I sighed and printed off the chat transcript. I attempted to add my mysterious "friend" to my instant messenger contacts, only to be met with an error message.
-This username is not registered.-
I pulled the paper out of the printer and folded it neatly, matching each corner. I related the odd conversation to my parents, who seemed to have a hidden insight into the situation and encouraged me to be at Starbucks.
The next two days were some of most surreal I've experienced. Everything dragged, I was restless and yet also very subdued. The day finally arrived and I left half an hour early. My little motorcycle stuck to the road as if I were driving through molasses. I pulled into the parking lot of the small, commercial looking coffee shop down the road and chained my vehicle to a lamp post.
I probably would have stayed home had I known what walking into that Starbucks at 1:42 PM signified. I wasn't a very brave or daring person, and while I talked of grand adventures...my nature was to remain safely at home. In this instance, however, my curiosity got the best of me.
I ordered a hot mocha and cinnamon latte and sat in the table, in the back corner, swishing it slightly. Every man that walked through the door caught my eye, old and young. The twenty minutes I sat there waiting seemed a lifetime to my anxious nerves, as I got increasingly more twitchy from the caffeine.
I waited with my hands nervously shaking on the table, and finally...the table creaked and I looked up to see a young man sitting across from me. He was sharply dressed in crisp blue jeans, and a casual button-down shirt.
"Hi." I said, my voice wavering with excitement. I hadn't the courage to look him in the eye so I continued to stare into my coffee lid.
"Hello, Honor." He replied. His voice was ominous, and a little intimidating.
"Are you-" I began, trying to decide how to continue, and drag words through the hurricane of questions sweeping through my head.
"Don't ask questions. Let me explain." he interjected.
"Alright." I finally mustered the courage to look up into his face. His eyes were black...or, some sort of dynamic slate grey. They were piercing, and frightening, yet at the same time strangely captivating. I stared on with a driving intrigue.
"As you know, my name is Barak. I work for the Labyrinth program. There are a lot of qualities you do not know about yourself. Some of these things will be revealed to you, should you accept my offer. Some you will discover on your own, and others will remain dormant. I'm not at liberty to disclose as much as I'd like to, at this time. But one thing you should know, is that you are different from others. Everyone has gifts, but you have been called to a higher purpose. The labyrinth program is designed to help you discover and develop these gifts. The program has been developed individually for you, and others like you. For your whole life, as you are aware of it, a labyrinth has been developed for specifically for you. The questions now, however, is would you like to be a part of it, and use the gifts you’ve been given? Or would you like to go back to your life, and lose your purpose?”
He looked at me sincerely, waiting for my reply.
“What would it entail, if I were to choose to develop my gifts?” I asked while my brain wrapped around the concepts he’d introduced.
“The Labyrinth is a one year program. You would leave everything behind for one year, to come and live at our center.” He broke the solemnity with a laugh, “I say a year…I’ve been with the labyrinth program for five. We all have different callings.”
Stunned, I sat pondering. “A year…no contact with my family?”
“Sacrifices must be made, for a purpose to be fulfilled. Your parents have been completely informed, and it is your choice alone. Unfortunately, you’re required to make the decision now.”
“Now?” I asked, bewildered.
“Yes, today.”
“Can’t I wait a few years? Maybe after college? I don’t really understand the urgency.”
“Sometimes, Honor, you have to take things in faith without understanding or explanation. The time is now, your purpose will diminish quickly if you waited.”
Silence. I stared at a crushed straw-wrapper on the table for nearly an hour. He sat patiently next to me. He must have been deep in thought, but it wasn’t evident. He suddenly seemed two dimensional, without movement or breath. I was immobile. Finally, as if probing my thoughts, Barak looked me in the eye and broke the silence. “You’re ready to decide now.” He said resolutely.
“Yes,” I replied, confident in my decision. “I am. I’ll go.”
I don’t think he would’ve come, had he doubted my answer. In retrospect, he was very considerate to give me time to come to the decision on my own. Had I known what I do now, I would have made a different decision. Stood and returned to my monotonous life. At that time in my life, however, it seemed like just the purpose I had been looking for. It was “right.”
“I will be at at your house to pick you up in three days. You can say goodbye to friends and family, but you cannot discuss the nature of your absence with anyone. You are allowed one bag of personal items, you won’t need clothes.” He said abruptly before briskly making his way out of the door.
I sat puzzled for several minutes, and finally took the next logical step. I walked to the counter, and ordered a slice of lemon pound cake.
A knock at the door. Again.
"Yes?"
"Are you going to make lunch because Mom said that if you weren't going to then I could go ahead and make it because we're all hungry."
I rolled my eyes "I'm going to make lunch."
"When?"
"Soon."
Why did I feel so annoyed? I should be happy. I had every reason to be happy. I had a good relationship with my parents, every opportunity in the world. I was intelligent, fairly good looking. Why then, did I feel so confused? This wasn't me at all.
I sighed and heard the little "pop" of an IM on my slick little laptop. I didn't have many people in my Instant Messaging list any longer. I used to, but most online friendships had faded in the past few months. Not sure why.
It was someone I didn't recognize.
ArachnidShield63: Hello, Honor.
Honor.Isabel89: Hi...
ArachnidShield63: How are you today?
Honor.Isabel89: I'm okay. I'm sorry, I'm sure I should know you but I can't seem to remember you at all.
ArachnidShield63: Oh, no. You don't know me. No need to be embarrassed. I do know you though.
Honor.Isabel89: Oh? Through my blog?
ArachnidShield63: You could say that.
Honor.Isabel89: I'm...sorry?
ArachnidShield63: Are you seeking something?
Honor.Isabel89: Nah, I guess not.
ArachnidShield63: I think you are.
Honor.Isabel89: Who are you?
ArachnidShield63: I am Barak, an associate with a program called "The Labyrinth" and we believe that you are an ideal candidate. We've been profiling you for a very long time.
Honor.Isabel89: Is this a joke?
ArachnidShield63: No, it's an opportunity. I think the one you've been looking for. Maybe it's your destiny.
Honor.Isabel89: Hah, destiny.
ArachnidShield63: Yes.
Honor.Isabel89: Okay...so, what?
ArachnidShield63: No, I will not tell you any more here. Go to Starbucks in two days. April 11th. 2:00 exactly. I will be waiting there to talk with you.
Honor.Isabel89: I have a feeling my parents will be a little concerned about me meeting some strange guy at Starbucks.
ArachnidShield63: No. They won't. I'm going now.
Honor.Isabel89: Wait.
ArachnidShield63: No. Have a nice day.
-ArachnidShield63 is Offline-
Great. More drama and complexity added to my life. I sighed and printed off the chat transcript. I attempted to add my mysterious "friend" to my instant messenger contacts, only to be met with an error message.
-This username is not registered.-
I pulled the paper out of the printer and folded it neatly, matching each corner. I related the odd conversation to my parents, who seemed to have a hidden insight into the situation and encouraged me to be at Starbucks.
The next two days were some of most surreal I've experienced. Everything dragged, I was restless and yet also very subdued. The day finally arrived and I left half an hour early. My little motorcycle stuck to the road as if I were driving through molasses. I pulled into the parking lot of the small, commercial looking coffee shop down the road and chained my vehicle to a lamp post.
I probably would have stayed home had I known what walking into that Starbucks at 1:42 PM signified. I wasn't a very brave or daring person, and while I talked of grand adventures...my nature was to remain safely at home. In this instance, however, my curiosity got the best of me.
I ordered a hot mocha and cinnamon latte and sat in the table, in the back corner, swishing it slightly. Every man that walked through the door caught my eye, old and young. The twenty minutes I sat there waiting seemed a lifetime to my anxious nerves, as I got increasingly more twitchy from the caffeine.
I waited with my hands nervously shaking on the table, and finally...the table creaked and I looked up to see a young man sitting across from me. He was sharply dressed in crisp blue jeans, and a casual button-down shirt.
"Hi." I said, my voice wavering with excitement. I hadn't the courage to look him in the eye so I continued to stare into my coffee lid.
"Hello, Honor." He replied. His voice was ominous, and a little intimidating.
"Are you-" I began, trying to decide how to continue, and drag words through the hurricane of questions sweeping through my head.
"Don't ask questions. Let me explain." he interjected.
"Alright." I finally mustered the courage to look up into his face. His eyes were black...or, some sort of dynamic slate grey. They were piercing, and frightening, yet at the same time strangely captivating. I stared on with a driving intrigue.
"As you know, my name is Barak. I work for the Labyrinth program. There are a lot of qualities you do not know about yourself. Some of these things will be revealed to you, should you accept my offer. Some you will discover on your own, and others will remain dormant. I'm not at liberty to disclose as much as I'd like to, at this time. But one thing you should know, is that you are different from others. Everyone has gifts, but you have been called to a higher purpose. The labyrinth program is designed to help you discover and develop these gifts. The program has been developed individually for you, and others like you. For your whole life, as you are aware of it, a labyrinth has been developed for specifically for you. The questions now, however, is would you like to be a part of it, and use the gifts you’ve been given? Or would you like to go back to your life, and lose your purpose?”
He looked at me sincerely, waiting for my reply.
“What would it entail, if I were to choose to develop my gifts?” I asked while my brain wrapped around the concepts he’d introduced.
“The Labyrinth is a one year program. You would leave everything behind for one year, to come and live at our center.” He broke the solemnity with a laugh, “I say a year…I’ve been with the labyrinth program for five. We all have different callings.”
Stunned, I sat pondering. “A year…no contact with my family?”
“Sacrifices must be made, for a purpose to be fulfilled. Your parents have been completely informed, and it is your choice alone. Unfortunately, you’re required to make the decision now.”
“Now?” I asked, bewildered.
“Yes, today.”
“Can’t I wait a few years? Maybe after college? I don’t really understand the urgency.”
“Sometimes, Honor, you have to take things in faith without understanding or explanation. The time is now, your purpose will diminish quickly if you waited.”
Silence. I stared at a crushed straw-wrapper on the table for nearly an hour. He sat patiently next to me. He must have been deep in thought, but it wasn’t evident. He suddenly seemed two dimensional, without movement or breath. I was immobile. Finally, as if probing my thoughts, Barak looked me in the eye and broke the silence. “You’re ready to decide now.” He said resolutely.
“Yes,” I replied, confident in my decision. “I am. I’ll go.”
I don’t think he would’ve come, had he doubted my answer. In retrospect, he was very considerate to give me time to come to the decision on my own. Had I known what I do now, I would have made a different decision. Stood and returned to my monotonous life. At that time in my life, however, it seemed like just the purpose I had been looking for. It was “right.”
“I will be at at your house to pick you up in three days. You can say goodbye to friends and family, but you cannot discuss the nature of your absence with anyone. You are allowed one bag of personal items, you won’t need clothes.” He said abruptly before briskly making his way out of the door.
I sat puzzled for several minutes, and finally took the next logical step. I walked to the counter, and ordered a slice of lemon pound cake.
