Indigo Whispers: The Collective

Sunlight kissed the tops of the trees, spreading its rays over the top of every dead branch, every aging trunk, every blade of grass. A soft breeze accompanied it, carrying the scent of a fresh rain. Flittering songs of birds, hints of new flowers under the earth - this was spring, and it had finally arrived at the ICS. In its midst, a figure could be seen lingering at a tree in the HQ's back area.

Jacquelyn decided they liked this tree. It was certainly aesthetically pleasing in their mind - bark in a rich shade of brown, branches angled without tangling. With a soft sigh, they touched their fingertips to the tree's side and gently ran them down. A comforting gesture. Jackie loved trees, especially leaf collecting, and this one just felt so peaceful that morning.

Yet something was... off. There was a reason they'd chosen to come here. Whenever they looked at this tree a knot appeared in their stomach. That distant, uncomfortable feeling of knowing something is wrong, something shouldn't be, and not knowing why. In light of that, they'd come down here to discover that why. Nothing seemed wrong. It was a delightful tree, minding its own business in the spring air. Shuffling their feet, Jackie shoved the right sleeve of their sweater in their mouth and chewed furiously, debating going back inside.

Then, in the back of their memory, something clicked. An image, one slowly growing clearer, like the sun peering out from behind clouds. Male laughter - the sight of a forest behind a sleepy suburb home - a hot summer evening - three boys and a young girl playing tag.

That's right. This tree looked almost exactly the one that used to stand to the right of the park in their hometown.

The feeling that flowed over them was one of painful nostalgia. So much so that they could feel their left arm throbbing slightly. That is to say, their psychic arm. The deformed blue appendage neither liquid nor solid, that resided where their arm used to be. You would think that the remembrance of a normal household such as Jackie's was pleasant, but for many indigo children it was not the case. This arm was the reason for all the trouble, and the reason for the arm rested with that word. home.

It was sickening to remember. To reminisce on falling from that tree and losing their arm. To remember their parents hiding them in the house like some shameful monster. To recall the feeling of being thrown in a shed for two months, while the brothers they loved did nothing. Jacquelyn was always an easy crier, and they certainly felt like crying now - oh, how they wished and wished they still had a family to love and be loved by. Above them the tree branches began to sway violently even though the wind was light - their ability's response to a sudden burst of emotion.

"Jackie! Hey!"

All at once Jacquelyn was brought out of their moment of reflection. They didn't even process what the new voice had said - only that it was a familiar voice. However, a quick turn around introduced a new figure into their sight. The colorful, happy sight of their friend Evangeline crossing the lawn.

""Are you coming, Jackie? We're gonna be late for breakfast!"

A lopsided grin spread over their face in spite of themselves.

Yes, it was true they had lost quite a lot in their first years of life. Their arm, their health, their family, their security among other things. But this girl approaching them now was one of the many indicators that things were better now. Smiling faces of friends, newly budding trees not tainted by trauma, a good meal in a home where they were finally loved. All of these were things that had become their new circle of familiarity and security. They had improved greatly since arriving at the ICS - and for once, just for a second, that was more important than what had happened in the past.

After managing to get over their delayed reaction time, Jacquelyn stumbled forward and whipped their sleeve out of their mouth, ready to go back inside.

"Yeah! I'm coming!