Chapter 1
“My dude?” The sitting room door opens and a head pops out.
Jada looks up from her phone, a neutral expression on her face. Her face softens a little as she sees her favourite person. “What’s up?”
“Nothing much, just glad I could get away from the gathering.” Eloise gestures behind her, and Jada hears the loud, excited chatter of people from the kitchen. Eloise carefully closes the door and squashes in beside Jada. She points to the open tab on Jada’s phone. “Dream Psychology. Tell me what you’ve gotten so far.” Eloise unties her hair and runs a hand through it, while she props her legs up on Jada’s lap.
“There are many different theories as to why we dream. One theory is that it serves as “decluttering” the mind and wiping the slate clean for the next day. Another says it helps consolidate memories. Still others say dreaming serves as an internal and external stimuli processor. But, according to Freud, it’s a palace of repressed desires, unfulfilled wishes...basically a space for the id to go wild,” Jada says, spurred on by passion. She clasps her hands and continues to speak, while Eloise nods and listens in amazement at Jada’s rare enthusiasm. She occasionally interjects to clarify a few things, while Jada excitedly explains them. When Jada stops talking, Eloise sighs contentedly and locks her hands around her head, leaning against the arm of the couch in her sitting room.
“It is so fascinating seeing only a segment of your mind. Seeing you so fired up about the complexities of life is just..” She shudders with excitement. A corner of Jada’s mouth curls into a smile. “You’re really, really intelligent,” Eloise whispers. Jada leans her head on Eloise’s shoulder. “Analyze me more. And I don’t care if it’s subjective, I can’t trust my mind right now,” Jada says.
“Well..” Eloise starts, pushing up her wire-rimmed glasses (an unconscious thing she does when she’s nervous), “You are beautiful, but in a dark, quirky way.You are introspective and so inquisitive, always willing to dig into the unknown. You’re articulate; you have such a cohesive, logical answer for even the most intricate of subjects. You squash female stereotypes with your razor-sharp mind, tomboyish nature and radical attitude towards improvement. You are one of the few teenagers who can command power by wearing black. You’re not afraid to be authentic, and that radiates an inner confidence that makes you glow. You have extremely good writing skills that surpass most teenagers I’ve known. The world hands you labels like a “depressed teen,”a “goth,”“nerd” or “strange,” but your pensivity, and continuous processing of the world around you makes your individuality shine beyond those boxes. You’re a philomathic misfit, my dude. And you know what?” Eloise faces Jada and stares at her intensely. “You don’t have to follow trends to be epic, because you just..are. All on your own.”
Like a stream of water, those positive affirmations flow into Jada’s mind and flood her Mind Palace with renewed energy and power. She sits up suddenly, but not without mouthing “Thank you” to Eloise, following a grateful grin. Eloise shrugs and holds up the “peace” sign.
Jada is about to ask to analyze Eloise, when the moment is interrupted by an adult calling the teens’ name for the official start of dinner. Jada frowns and Eloise rolls her eyes. “Back to reality,” Eloise sighs. She hoists herself up. “Come on, let’s get this over with.” Jada opens the door and pauses for Eloise to re-tie her hair and smoothen her shirt. She then walks out, with Eloise right behind her, their faces impassive.
