Stage 6: Patient Responds to Stimuli
Immersion

“Come on! You’re gonna be late!”
“I wouldn’t be running so late if you hadn’t taken so long in the bathroom!”

As her little sister thundered down the stairs, Lorelai grabbed her homework and her backpack. Her school had uniforms, so at least she always knew what to wear. Her sister Rebecca hadn’t really taken all that long in the bathroom, Lorelai had just overslept. She’d been having such a weird dream. The people in her dream had been speaking in a language she couldn’t really understand. It was oddly musical, with lilting syllables and in a higher octave than English.

Everyone looked so happy, as if they actually liked coming home after work to their families. That was the weirdest part; people here, wherever here was, were actually happy. The other thing Lorelei noticed right away was the sunlight. It cast a warm, innocent glow over everything. As Lorelai glanced upward, she was astonished to see dual suns illuminating a cobalt blue sky unblemished by any clouds.

“Come ON Lore!”

Snapped from her daydream, Lorelai dashed down the stairs and out the door. During the whole walk to school, Lorelai was lost in thought, remembering her strange dream. She didn’t know why, but she wanted to see that place again in her dreams tonight. Lorelai and Rebecca parted ways, Lorelai heading to the sanctity of the upperclassman’s part of the building, as Rebecca trudged off to whatever it was eighth graders did these days.

As Lorelai wandered into her first class, she realized Ms. Stevenson had already started. Her teacher was prattling on about something unimportant and time consuming. She decided to doodle in her note book; that seemed like a great way to spend her time. It’s not like I’m going to learn anything today that I don’t already know, Lorelai thought to herself. A quick study, Lorelai had already surpassed the next semester’s worth of homework. As she doodled, her head started to droop.

The next thing she knew, she was back in her dream. Oops, she thought. I guess Ms. Stevenson was especially dull today. Lorelai was back in the marketplace. She was determined to notice more than the sunlight this time. She looked at what the people were wearing, hoping that her school uniform wouldn’t stand out too much. Surprisingly, most of the girls around her were wearing uniforms; pleated skirts and all. As Lorelai walked down the street, she saw what must have been a school.

No wonder no one had looked at her strangely; she looked like she was one of them. Lorelai saw no reason why she couldn’t stay here. Her only problem was the language...

She walked up to a man patrolling the streets and tugged on his sleeve; maybe he could explain things to her. He whirled around faster than she could have imagined. She didn’t even see the club in his hand. The next thing she knew, she was waking up with what felt like a split skull. Something jerked back, and she winced as the light hit her eyes.