The Last Step
The letter appeared without anything to announce it. Cookies and milk accompanied it, as if to dissuade the news it brought. I gulped them down and opened the letter. A picture was included along with several pages of text.
Jason
My little sister screamed, but I hushed her. It was hard, being in hiding. If we so much as whispered, the light would find us. Whoever the light took never came back.
Normally, Mirda might have been more composed, but the light had been next doors to us, and I didn't blame her. I hoped beyond hope that the light would overlook a frightened child. No such luck. The blinding white hesitated then floated to our window. Mirda trembled in my arms. "I'm sorry." She whimpered. I didn't stop her. The light was here, and it had come for us.
I felt a streak of insane stupidity and bravery. "Run." I muttered. "Get away!" I smacked her head with my palm and thrust her through the open door. "Run and shut up! Don't let it find you!" I shouted over her sobs and turned to face the light. It was so close, only an arm's reach away. I shook, frightened. Even if Mirda made it out, how would she survive without the money I made? "Go away. Please." I prayed to the blinding light that would sniff me out. I shouted. I wouldn't let it find anyone else tonight. "Take me then! Go on!" The blinding light charged me, and I screamed. I was falling, tumbling down stairs that seemed to go on forever. Then blackness.
The first thing I heard were voices. "Do you think the boy's alright? He fell harder than the others." The voice seemed to care. The next one did not.
"Bah. The others fell just as hard. If he's a weakling, he might as well be sent off to an orphanage immediately." The floor was hard against my face. I held still and felt my energy surge back into my blood. "If you want, I'll send for a cab." I kicked out at the voice and got a satisfying thunk of my boot against his flesh. I struggled to my feet, but arms wrapped around me, forming an iron prison. I shouted, but a piece of cloth was pushed into my mouth. I suddenly felt very sleepy. The atmosphere fell on me, crushing me to the ground.
I collapsed. Before the drug knocked me out, I heard the kind one say, "He's different. I can see."
The first thing I saw was a blue ceiling. Turning my head, I saw that the walls were painted like the ocean. The carpet was a sandy color. I dragged myself out of bed, for a bed I was in. I hadn't slept in one since my father died in a drunken stupor, leaving our estate to someone we didn't know. I examined the place, then looked out the window, which looked out at the ocean.
The door opened, and I groped for something to defend myself.
"Easy!" It was the kind voice. Nevertheless, I held the seashell patterned lamp above my head, ready to throw. "There's no need for that." The man was carrying a tray with what seemed like a mountain of food. I was wary, but my hunger overruled my head. I lowered the lamp and spoke.
"Who are you? Why do you use the light? Why won't you leave us alone?" The man appeared startled, as if I had said something wrong. He soon regained himself.
"Eat." He placed the tray on the bed. "My name is Jon. We use the light to explore the other dimension." I gave him a blank stare. I knew that dimensions were other worlds supposed to be made by choices we could have made. It seemed wrong to say 'THE' other dimensions when there should be trillions.
"Did my sister get away?" I asked, grabbing at the food, which was tasteless to a starving boy. "I'm Jason." I added.
The man was startled again. "How many live in your dimension?" He asked. I was seriously worried about this guy's mind, but I answered.
"I dunno. Billions. Trillions. We live on Earth. Where is this?" I was being sarcastic, but this guy didn't seem to think so.
"You're still on earth, just another dimension. We'll take care of you."
"My sister. Did she come through?" I asked.
"No. We only took you out. You'll be fine." I felt anger well up in my eyes.
"What about her? She's only six! How will she live without me?! Do you even care?!" My shouts made him shake, like he couldn't stand up to an angry fifteen year old. "Take me back! I need to find her!" I nearly screamed.
"I can't." The man said. He looked utterly ashamed. "It's a one way hole. You can't go back." I didn't care. I sat down and started to cry. "If you want, you can meet others who were taken. In fact, Tom is pulling another one out right now."
"What?" I whispered, horrified. What where they doing, pulling us through that... white? It wasn't fair to terrify everyone. I ran to the door and opened it, despite Jon's alarm.
Liesel
I froze when the light found me. I thought I was dead. I didn't even scream. I might even have stepped to meet it. I don't even recall that well; it was so scary. Blank air met me, and I fell, too numb to call out, down a rough staircase. Ivy swirled around the room, and, for a moment, I held a sneaking suspicion that I would spend all eternity trapped here. I pulled myself up using the ivy entwined banister and stared up the stairs. They led nowhere, just to the ceiling. I stifled a sob. Where was I?
I was worried for the first few moments that I would be trapped forever, but a door opened, and a dark silhouette was outlined by light from somewhere behind. I had never fainted before, but I couldn't help it. My knees buckled, and I fell, my arms turning to noodles. My vision dissipated as the boy, my age, ran to me, horror written on his every move. Two men appeared behind him.
Then another man appeared, more formidible. He made me quiver, shaking my consciousness away.
The picture showed the ivy room, the pointless staircase, and the boy at the door. If I squinted, I could make out the red headed girl collapsed on the floor. As I stared, The picture shifted. At the top of the stairs, a man appeared, as frightening as the girl, Liesel, had written.
Scrawled at the bottom of the letter were twelve words.
He'd always known about the staircase. It simply hadn't been time yet.
….
Anya
Okay, that was the wierdest prank letter ever.
Those were my first thoughts as I folded the pieces of paper, placing them back in their envelope. I dusted off the crumbs from my lap, but I couldn't dust off that constant, nagging foreboding. The cookies I had eaten had been hot, as if they just came out of the stove. Someone had broken into my house to put this note here.
I checked all the rooms in my apartment, looking for anything out of place, but everything was as it should have been. Except the pantry. The ingredients for the cookies were missing, and so was a large portion of milk from my gallon. This was getting pretty creepy. I scanned the note again, but there wasn't anything different.
Maybe I should tell you a little about myself. My name is Anya, and I'm about seventeen years old. I say 'about' because I can't remember anything except the past two years. Some social workers found me and helped me find a high school, then a college. I'm actually pretty good, and I have plans for my future. At least, I did. That's getting ahead of myself. Back to the story.
The creepiest thing about the entire situation was that, if I looked long enough, the girl in the photo looked like me. Same fiery hair, wearing the same clothes I was when I was found. I still have those, if only for memory's sake. Thing was, I felt like the cartoon princess Anastasia when I looked at this picture, because I could just feel the memories clawing at my brain, trying to be released. Something held them back. I don't know what.
I must've stared at that photo for half an hour, but I eventually decided to do something. The photo was authentic, I could tell that much, and I needed to find out who had sent it. I grabbed my backpack- I never carried a purse- and my car keys.
Okay, my car isn't the coolest. Some people say Mazdas are bad cars, but my little two seater had served its purpose for the past year and a half, so I was pretty attached to it. I drove with the top down, deciding to listen to the rushing wind instead of the radio. In about two hours, I pulled up next to my social worker's place. There was a black van pulled up by it as well, but I payed no attention.
I hesitated before knocking. Maurice was the guy who makes you feel like a complete idiot, no matter what you do. Knock I did, however I hated the prospect of meeting this guy again. He opened the door, and I could tell a snide remark was on his tongue. Then he looked at my hand, the one holding the envelope and paled.
"Excuse me; I'm in the middle of dinner." He tried to close the door, but I blocked it. What kind of an excuse was that? I expected better from Maurice. It was only three.
"Maurice, there's something I need to talk to you about. Something really weird happened to me today." I began.
"Cookies and milk." He breathed. I stared, shocked.
"How did you know about that?" I asked.
He wailed. "I knew this day would come! Come in! Come in! We're both in terrible danger!" Okay, this was the strangest day ever. I was totally creeped out. I followed him into his living room.
"What's going on?" I asked, in my 'tell me now because I'm freaking out' voice. "What is this letter all about?" Maurice snatched it from me and scanned the contents, as if he was hoping to find something else. He was disappointed.
"What do you see in the picture?" He demanded. "Tell me!"
This was definitely un-Mauricelike. I answered in a frightened tone, scanning the photo. "There's a room covered in ivy. The floor and ceiling are white, and there's a pointless staircase that goes to the ceiling." Maurice was trembling. I continued. "I'm on the floor, collapsed, and there's a boy at the door, maybe fifteen, about the age I look in the picture. If I stare long enough, a man -the freakiest guy ever- appears at the top of the stairs."
"And the last few words?" Why couldn't he read them for himself? And couldn't he see the picture?
"He'd always known about the staircase. It simply hadn't been time yet." I quoted. Maurice grabbed my arm and yanked me into a windowless room.
"I'm going to tell you something, Liesel, and you have to listen." He spoke with urgency.
"I'm Anya." I choked, recognizing the girl's name from the note.
"Liesel, you are from New York. Not this New York, but you are from an alternate dimension. You have to find Jason-" He was cut off as a knife sprouted from his chest.
I screamed and ran to him, hoping to staunch the bleeding, or do something. It was too late. He had been killed almost instantly.
An iron arm wrapped around my waist, squeezing me. I screamed again, but a large hand covered my mouth, cutting off the sound. My hands struggled at the hand while my legs kicked uselessly, although I managed to knock him off balance. He bumped against a reading table, knocking the lamp and books to the table. He regained himself and became a brick wall. My waist was released for a split second, and I felt an instant of relief, but it was only so that my attacker could place a rag into the hand clutching my mouth. The iron grip returned. The hand on my lips twisted so that the rag covered my mouth and my nose. I tried holding my breath, but I couldn't hold out forever. My struggling became weaker as my body cried out for air. Finally, I couldn't stand it. I breathed heavily, accepting my fate.
My body numbed, my nerves losing control over my limbs. I collapsed, and the arms caught me. My lips were finally free, but the drug had been utterly effective. I couldn't even move those. My eyes darted wildly. The man wore a face mask that had only one eye slit, and his build was slight yet strong. A strand of black hair covered one of his eyes. His showing eye was blue, purely blue. He looked back at me, examining what kind of person he had captured. Satisfied, he slung me over his shoulder.
He carried me to the black van I had passed on my way in. I tried to struggle, but I couldn't move. He placed me lying down on the back seat. "Don't worry." His voice was deep. "As long as you don't do anything stupid, you won't die." That was encouraging. How was I supposed to know his definition of stupid? I somehow managed a frightened whimper. He caressed my cheek then left the backseat for the driver's seat, which was closed off from me by a tinted window. I had a suspicion he could see my every move, so I didn't try to move, speak, or struggle. I fell asleep on perhaps the fifth hour of our drive.
….
Jason
"Jason! You'll be late for college!" My mom's voice echoed in my ears. Technically, my foster mom. I was adopted when I was about fifteen. Anything before that is a blur to me; I simply can't remember it. I groaned and shifted in my bunk. On the top bunk, my younger brother coughed. He almost always had a cold of some sorts.
"Mom, I don't think I can go to my Spanish class." He tried. "It's really bad right now." He sneezed, and I could picture him wiping his nose on his sleeve. My mom came in and put her hand to his head.
"You're fine. Get dressed. Jason, I can't pick Jack up today. He'll be waiting in the student lounge, okay?" I mumbled something in my sleep. "Promise you won't forget him again." I opened my eyes sleepily.
"I promise, Mom. I won't forget my homework." I said, just to frustrate her. She apparently had gotten used to my antics, because she grabbed my pillow and smacked my head with it.
"Your classes are out at three, and you can hang out until four. At the latest, be back at five. Okay?" Mom went to my brother's dresser and yanked out some clothes. I could hear Jack groaning. Mom thought that the clothes in style today were clothes from the eighties.
I got out of bed, if only to reassure myself that Mom wouldn't be choosing my clothes today. I picked out an orange hoodie and a pair of jeans that fit me instead of drooping to my knees. I had yet to figure out how those ever came to be in style. I picked out my puma running shoes and pulled my backpack on. I didn't get to laugh at Jack today. Mom had actually picked out something that went well today.
I crammed some cereal down my throat and headed to the door. "See you later, Mom." I called, picking the Honda keys off the hook.
"Bye!" Jack added, following me to the car. My mom waved at the door, then ran back inside in a hurry. Probably to save the breakfast bars from burning. Mom always saved us some, but I would rather have eaten those fresh baked lemon bars instead of the corn flakes I'd scarfed.
I pushed the keys into the ignition and started the car.
About half an hour later, I arrived at the college. My brother was fifteen, and was taking Spanish three, so he would be out of class perhaps an hour earlier than me. I spent my first class in a sleepy haze. It really didn't matter if I listened. If the teacher got annoyed and asked me to do a complicated math problem, I could do it in my head. It was kind of scary, being smarted than all the other kids, but I didn't let anyone know about it. Instead, I'd walk up to the board and pretend to have trouble for about five minutes before solving the equation. It was a bit harsh on my teachers, not being able to punish me because I knew whatever they asked me, even when I hadn't been paying attention. In my defense, I was pretty tired.
I had about ten minutes in between Math and Gym, so I stopped at my locker to get ready. I put in the code and opened the locker.
It had been cleaned. Not emptied, just organized. My gym stuff was clean and fresh, which was a marvel. Even the newspaper clips I kept on the door were straight and seemed in mint condition. On top of my folded gym shorts was a plate of three cookies and a glass of milk. An envelope was tucked between them, not labeled or anything. I had plenty of time, because I was a fast reader, so I enjoyed the cookies, and sipped the milk, reading the letter.
I suppose you don't want an exact copy of Anya's letter, but that's what it was. I'm just saving you time by telling you. I don't want the trouble of describing it to you again. Okay, back to the story.
When I reached the picture, I glanced at it in shock. It was me. I was pushing a little girl into a hallway. Horror was inscribed on my face. A blinding light was moving towards me. It was only a photo, but I knew that it was coming towards the boy in the picture. I stared a moment more, and I could see through the white. Inside the light was a staircase entwined with ivy. Two men stood at the bottom, waiting. Then, a third appeared behind them. His smirk was terrible. It felt like he would destroy me without blinking if he felt like it. An ominous feeling crept over me. I just stared at the photo.
Written below were the twelve words you have already read numerous times. He'd always known about the staircase. It simply hadn't been time yet.
"Jason! Get into your clothes! We've got to go!" My buddy Will Taylor grabbed my arm, pulling me from my mind.
"Go on, Will. I... I have to do something. Tell the coach I'm sick if he asks." Will didn't question me. I must've sounded pretty shaken up.
"Okay." He patted my shoulder. "Make sure you're here tomorrow. I need you on my team." He grinned nervously, then left.
I began to hyperventilate. What was going on? It was all coming back to me, those years after my dad died, me and my little sister trying to survive. And the light. It brought me here. I tried to remember further, but it was blocked. I had to find the person who had sent this to me.
I went to the security office first. I told them that someone had broken into my locker and that I needed to know who. I watched the security videos, one by one, hoping for something to pop out.
There! I found it. A guy walked up to my locker an hour before school started today. He put the envelope into my locker and walked away. "Zoom in on his face, please." I asked. The security officer did, and I was shocked. It was one of the guys from the photo, not the scary one, but the pleasantly round one. I pulled my IPhone out of my pocket and took a few snapshots. "Thanks, can you find his license plate number?" The man looked at me stiffly, then switched tapes to the parking lot. It wasn't hard to find his car. Other than the few teachers who got up early to prepare their classes, there was a old fifties Rolls Royce. The guard zoomed on the plates, and I got some pictures of those as well. "Perfect. Thanks alot." The guard looked at me, as if I were crazy then went back to sipping his cofee.
I drove Jack home early. He was kind of surprised that I was skipping classes, but he shrugged and let it go.
At home, I checked the plates on the web. They came up for an address just fifteen minutes away. The webpage began to flutter, and when it stabilized, the plates were no longer there. No matter. I'd memorized the address.
I told Jack I'd be back soon and I got back into my Honda. I was itching with anticipation. This guy could answer my questions!" I went about five mph under the speed limit. I wasn't eager enough to get nabbed by a cop. I pulled up at the address. No other cars were parked anywhere.
I knocked on the door. The chubby man answered, and seemed pleasantly surprised to see me. "Hello, Jason." He said. "I'm ready to answer your questions."
….
Anya
I groaned, a chill running up my back. My limbs still wouldn't obey me, but I seemed to have gained control over my mouth. I slit one of my eyes open. The guy with the black hair had a Wendy's fast food bag and was eating with the car door open. He wasn't wearing his mask anymore. Why should he? If he wanted to appear innocent, he had to look normal.
"I know you're awake." He said. I jumped. "You can tell me if you're hungry."
To tell the truth, I was famished. I hadn't eaten anything since the cookies and milk at noon. Now, it was sunrise, and I didn't know if a day had passed, or a week. I succumbed to my stomach. My eyes opened, and I was sure fear shone through them. "Who are you?" I asked. My throat felt like a bunch of wasps had nested in my mouth. He grinned and propped me up.
"I'm Jason." He turned to face me. My eyes must've bugged. He only had one eye. Besides, Maurice had said to find Jason. But why would Jason kill Maurice?
"Why did you kill him? He was just an old man." He frowned.
"An old man who knew too much." He put a bacon burger to my lips, and I chewed it hungrily. "I saved you from the others. They sent you the letter. They want to stop the staircase from operating. We can't let that happen. There are so many in suffering who could make a better life here."
"I... I don't understand." My head felt like someone had replaced my brain with helium. It felt like the only thing keeping me from floating was the weight of my clothes. He chuckled.
"I might explain when the drug wears off, but I suppose we'll be there before that happens." He reached out to touch my hair. I shook it away, surprised that I could muster that much movement. His fingers withdrew. "Everything I've ever done was to protect you." He said, glaring at me as if I had slapped him. "There is no need to fear me. Little sister." His words jogged something in my memory, an image of me as a five year old, with my brother, black hair, pure blue eyes, the same countenance. We were opening presents under a Christmas tree. My mind blocked off anything else that I might have remembered.
Jason must be my brother. I thought absently. All I had received was an image, not names. I wouldn't know my brother's real name until later. For now, all I knew was that he was Jason. "What's going on?" I sounded scared, and weak. I was. He pulled me next to his chest.
"It's okay. We'll get you to our leader. He'll answer your questions." He rocked me as I silently sobbed. I didn't know him, yet I knew he was my brother. Wasn't that enough to allow me to trust him? No. He'd killed someone who had been about to answer my questions, yet he said he was taking me to someone else to answer them. I wanted to trust him, but I knew I couldn't. "Shhh." He placed me back in the seat and exited, closing the door. I heard the driver's door open, but the tinted window wouldn't let me see into the front.
I tried to remember the landmarks we passed, but my mind was helium, my head, hollow. Slowly, I regained movement in my hands, then my feet. Soon, I could weakly move my arms. My legs were less helpful. They felt like noodles and refused to comply. I could turn my head side to side, but my vision was limited to the upholstery and the landmarks I saw one moment and forgot the next.
My eyelids drooped, gradually sinking lower and lower...
SLAM.
The driver's door closed. I could hear voices outside, but I couldn't distinguish them. I tried to move, but I found that my arms had been tied behind me and my legs were hardly helpful. My spine refused to straighten, and when I tried to sit up, I got so dizzy I sank down again. After a few minutes, my door opened and Jason brought me out. He propped me against him in a protective way, helping me walk along as if I were less than a year old.
I tripped on the third flight of stairs and Jason picked me up lightly, taking me up to the fifth. He opened the seventh doorway on the left and placed me on the bed. My surroundings blurred as I fought to stay awake.
"You should be fine when you wake up." His voice seemed to be coming from down a long hallway. "Just a little dizzy. Use the phone when you're ready." I barely understood. My eyelids closed again, and my wrists throbbed from the rope. Why would he tie me up? I thought as my mind sank again.
I was unbound when I woke. My limbs felt like straw. I looked around before struggling out of bed. The room had been painted a violent shade of red, tinted with orange. Patterns of flames were etched around the walls, and everything appeared to be on fire. At the foot of the bed was a dress, and a pair of new shoes waited on the floor. I felt terribly dirty. I had no idea how long I'd been out. After finding a bathtub in the bathroom to the side, I bathed, drying myself with a warm, fluffy towel.
The dress fit perfectly. It went to my ankles in warm, thick, soft fabric. The sleeves were elegant and fashionable. The neckline was a little embarrassing, but not as embarrassing as wearing my dirt encrusted clothes. The shoes were soft and well fitting. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and remembered what Jason had said, to use the phone when I was ready.
I picked it up, tried to dial 911, but I got room service and asked for Jason. The lady thought I was mistaken, but then realized who I was talking about. She said he'd been waiting for a while for me and he'd be up in a moment. I hung up and sat on the bed. I was no longer tired, and I planned to stay free of that drug for as long as possible. I would not wind up the human sack of potatoes again.
In about five minutes, Jason opened the door. He was holding a PB+J sandwich. "Hey, are you hungry?" He wore a crooked grin that made me want to smile as well, as if I hadn't been kidnapped. He was wearing a pirate eye patch, which somehow seemed to suit him.
He passed me the sandwich and I chewed it slowly. "What's going on?" I asked. I had a thousand questions, but I was going to ask them in the most orderly fashion I could.
"Here, I'll take you to Him. He'll tell you what you need to know." He grabbed my arm, and tugged me to the door in a way that felt like he was an eager child, showing his best friend his coolest toy.
….
Jason
"I'm Jon." The chubby man said, passing me a chocolate chip cookie. I was probably rude, but I said plainly,
"You've changed." The Jon I remembered and read about was skinny, not chubby. He was still tall, though. Jon saw my gaze and chuckled.
"Yeah, I've put on a few pounds. As I said, I'm ready to answer. What do you want to know?" His calf-brown eyes reflected the chandelier light.
"Umm..." I hadn't thought of what to ask, really. After a moment, I said, "Explain the letter in my locker. It was my handwriting, except the last part, but I don't remember writing that." Jon nodded.
"When He arrived -The scary man- we barricaded ourselves in the basement. Tom and I, we had you and Liesel write two copies of something from your life to jogg your memory. We explained that when He got in, taking your memory would most likely be His first action. After he broke in, He managed to suck your memories, but Tom and I saved us all. We put you in foster homes, separate, of course, so if He found one, we still had the other. I was in charge of watching over you, Tom over Liesel. In case you didn't know, I was the social worker who took you to the Taylors. We recently sent you the notes because we can't wait any longer. We need you and Liesel to stop Him."
"I don't get it. According to the letter, you pulled out tons of us. What's so special about me?" Jon bit his lip.
"Well, there are a few of you, only a few, mind you, who are different. I'm one of them."
"You were sucked through?" I nearly shouted. He winced.
"Yes, yes. Five years ago. No need to shout. At least, I'm different in the way that I can spot the ones who were exposed. Who are gifted."
"Exposed to what?" I asked.
"I'm not sure. I was exposed at one point, but I don't know what I was exposed to. The people whe were exposed can do things better than the others. In the smallest case, the person could jump ten feet high. I've seen some who could shape air into material objects, have fire licking their bodies and not die, stay submerged underwater for hours, ride the earth like a conveyor belt. It's normally separated into those catagories, and a few others, like persuasion, hightened physical abilities, and I have a totally unique one. I can tell, just by looking, who has been exposed."
"So, I have a super power. Do you know what it is?"
"Water." He said, unblinking. "Remember the room you wrote about? It was based on what I saw your talent to be."
"And this other girl, Liesel, what about her?" I was pretty curious about this other kid who was like me.
"Fire. I'm sure she has no idea, but I am just as sure that He knows about her and her abilities. Tom is keeping an eye on her."
"So, I get to meet her soon, right?" I had hopes that I might be handling this better than her, so I could feel superior. Sounds jerky, I know, but I was feeling a little out of my league. Okay, a lot out of my league.
"I don't know. Tom reported giving the letter to her a week ago, but I haven't heard from him since. I'm worried that something has gone wrong, that He has interfered."
"Who is this guy you're talking about? For all I know, he's just an intimidating figure." Jon sighed and rubbed his temples.
"I'm not sure. All I know is that He can travel in between the dimensions at will. He doesn't need the staircase to get Himself through, but He needs it to get others through. That day you came through, he decided to attack. He took over the mansion. And the staircase. He would've gotten you too, if I didn't remember the secret exit."
"So, we need to get the stairs back. We'll close it, right? No more sucking people through?"
"Yes. It should have never started. We must stop it."
"Good. Let's get Liesel and stop Him. Where does she live?"
"Maine, in an apartment. If that doesn't work, then He has her. I hope that hasn't happened. If we can't find her or Tom, they'll be in the mansion, the place with the stairs."
"Where's the mansion?"
"New York. I'll order our tickets." I just had one more question.
"What about my mom, my dad, my brother?"
"I'll patch their memories. They won't remember you. Your car will have been 'bought for your brother in advance', your parents will think the only reason they have two bunk beds is because it was cheaper than a single bed. I'll send over some workers to take your stuff out so they don't have anything left. No pictures or photos. I'm sorry, but that's just how it has to be."
I felt anger well behind my eyes. "My family needs me! I'm a key part of our family!" I blinked, and the fire sprinklers went off. They didn't shower gently, though, they flew in a wild, hard torrent right towards Jon. It freaked me out so much, I forgot about being angry and pushed against the water. It avoided Jon and sloshed to the floor. We were ankle deep in water. "Sorry." I said weakly. It was my fault, though I didn't see how. "You're right. Knowing would just put them in danger."
"No problem. You're a useful addition to our team. Welcome aboard."
….
Anya
His hand never relinquished its grip on my wrist. Maybe it was because he wanted to make sure I was still following. Maybe it was to make sure I didn't get away.
It was a bit too late for that. I needed my questions answered. I thought that I had just been taken to a large house, but when Jason took me outside, I saw that I was in a community of maybe fifty people. There were several other buildings, but I could tell that they were situated around the one I had just come out of.
Some five year olds were playing with a ball right in the open, right by a mermaid fountain that gushed rainbow mist. Several teenage boys a couple of years older than me strode right up, all comfortable, and tried to talk with my brother.
"We haven't seen you in two weeks! Where have you been?" The tallest asked. He had brown eyes and hair that naturally stuck straight up.
"Traveler sent him on a mission." A short guy elbowed the lanky one. "What did he send you to do?" He directed at Jason.
"Look guys, I'll talk to you later. I have to talk with Traveler, okay?" He slipped easily out of the circle of attention. "Come on, Liesel."
"I'm Anya." I protested. I knew that my real name was Liesel, but I liked Anya better. I remembered being Anya. I started to follow him, but the lanky guy stopped me.
"You've been traveling with a girl?" He sounded incredulous. Jason appeared at my side.
"Leave. My. Sister. Alone." He enunciated every word carefully. I was glad he was on my side. He took my sleeve and guided me through them. I could hear grudging grumbling from the boys. Some made cat calls and faces aimed at me.
"Cyclops." One word stood out. The lanky boy's voice had spoken only slightly louder than the others, but I could see my brother tense up. Without looking behind, he suddenly clapped his hands above his head. I couldn't believe my eyes. The dirt under their feet swirled, turning to goop. The gang fell neck deep in seconds. Then the earth went back to normal. I could see their heads struggling, trying to free the rest of their bodies. A useless attempt.
"Groundhog." Jason muttered. He took my wrist again and guided me to the closest building. The voices of the gang shouted for release.
"When will you let them out?" I asked.
"I won't. I'm the only earth elemential here. They'll be dug out. I hope someone sticks a spade in one of them. I won't let anyone hurt you. Anyone."
"What about, 'as long as you don't do anything stupid, you won't die'. Where did that go?" He grinned his lopsided grin.
"Crowd control. If you knew I wasn't going to hurt you, you might've tried to get away as soon as you felt your strength returning. You even tried to punch me in your sleep." That explained my hands being tied.
"About that. How long was I out?"
"You woke up only twice. We were on the road for a week." Before I could protest, he raised a finger. "The drug I gave you is really strong. First, there's numbness, then sleep. You shouldn't have woken up at all during the trip. Your body fought it better than most. I gave you water in your sleep, but I couldn't feed you as effectively as give you water. Your stomach should demand food for a while, so try to eat normally, and it will go away in a few days. If you try to fill it immediately, you'll be puking everything up."
"Where is this place?" I asked.
"New York."
"But that isn't a week's travel from Maine." I protested.
"Confession. I got here as slow as I could so that you'd be fit as soon as you got here. It's often useful to make a good impression, and I didn't want to be carrying you in front of everyone."
"You still carried me up the stairs."
"No one saw."
"You near enough carried me. I had to hold onto you to stay upright." I added.
He grimaced. "Okay. You have me there. Still, normal people usually take longer to fight off the drug. You showed you had a better immune system, and determination."
"The elevator would have been faster."
"I wanted to test your endurance." This time, he used the elevator, pressing the top floor button. He finally dropped her hand, and walked to the far door, opening it. "Coming?"
"I've got nothing better to do." I adopted a casual air, even though my heart was pounding double time.
He waited for me to walk through then closed the door behind us. The room was black, not dark; everything was painted black. The walls were sheer, not bumpy like the ones in my apartment at home. Light made almost no difference. I could hardly see a thing.
"We may yet have a chance." I jumped at the voice. Sitting on a padded black sofa was the man from the picture, the one at the top of the stairs. "We now control half of the elements, though I didn't expect you to be related to... Jason." He said the name as if it was unfamiliar, which gave me the feeling he held Jason in very low esteem.
Jason explained. "I didn't know until I saw her. It's Liesel. I'd recognize her anywhere. You didn't tell me she came through the passage!"
"I could hardly know. You two don't look alike, exactly." It was true. Jason had tanned skin, startling blue eyes, and pitch black hair. I was deathly pale, had fiery red hair, and had stormy eyes flecked with gold. But there was something about our faces that was similar. I couldn't put my finger on it.
Jason nodded, conceding the point. "Forgive me. I thought I would never see any of my family again." Traveler stood, walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer, tossing it to Jason. I was about to protest that he wasn't twenty-one, but I stopped myself. He probably was.
"Now then, Liesel-"
"Anya." I interrupted. Jason held his breath, as if I had done the worst thing possible. Traveler just laughed.
"Fine. Anya, have you controlled fire yet?" I had some idea that I was supposed to be able to, so I answered seriously.
"No. Not yet."
"We have never had a fire user before, though we do have a training program for you. Soon, you will master it. Jason, I had my doubts. I even thought it might be best if we exterminated the liability." Jason's fists clenched. "But Anya seems capable of helping us, not hindering us. Take her to the training grounds and show her around. She's welcome in our community." Jason let out a breath I was certain had been held.
"Thank you." Jason bowed, and my eyebrows rose. He looked meaningfully at me, so I bowed as well, remembering too late that girls curtsey. Traveler laughed again, that deep rumbling sound.
"Go on. I expect you to be able to control it within the week." I didn't know if it was a deadline, or an opinion, so I said,
"Okay." Jason looked at me strangely and opened the door again. We left.
"Was that supposed to be important?" I asked him.
He looked at me again. "Only life or death important. You were lucky; you survived." I gulped.
"Why didn't you say so?" He gave me the 'you haven't picked it up yet?' look.
"Tom's murder, you being drugged, and my trying to make you look strong weren't hints enough?" He said in a chiding tone. There was relief in his voice as well.
"I guess you're right." I returned his cocky grin.
….
Jason
Jon made me knock on Liesel's apartment door, claiming that a creepy old man would just psych her out. I didn't believe him. He was obviously nervous about something.
No one opened the door, but it was unlocked, so I went in. Everything was neat and tidy, which was more than I could say for my room at home. Ex-home. I looked around, calling out Liesel's undercover name, Anya. No one was home.
Her room was organized, and the kitchen was absolutely pristine. I closed my eyes and focused on finding anything out of order at all. I opened them, and something caught my eye. I walked over to the sink.
Propped next to the sink were a plate and cup, still dirty with cookies and milk. That was all the information I needed. I went back outside to Jon.
"She's not home. Everything's clean except two dirty dishes. She had cookies and milk." Jon's eyebrows raised.
"Then she's gone to Tom! Get in, let's get going!" I raced to get into the car, for Jon had already started to move.
"Wait up for me!" I shouted.
After a freakishly long drive, we finally got to Tom's place. There weren't any other cars around, but I kept my eyes open. This time, Jon got out with me, and he knocked. We waited for five minutes. No one answered. Finally, Jon raised a shaking hand and inserted a key into the lock.
Inside, the walls were coated with bookshelves, each shelf overflowing. A layer of dust covered everything, and the first room we came to looked like it had existed during the civil war. Antique furniture and a stone fireplace were the main features, but there were about a billion other items of probably priceless worth.
Jon walked past everything, calling Tom's name. We split up, searching. I found a locked door, and immediately grew suspicious. I called Jon and swept the door mantle, finding a complex, antique key. This guy should've lived decades ago.
A sickly sweet smell floated out of the room when we opened the door. Jon let out a cry and ran forwards before I could process what I was seeing. A dead guy was sprawled on the floor, a knife in his chest. A table was knocked over, a lamp broken, but it was on the other side of the room. There was no way Tom could've knocked it over in a struggle.
Jon was really upset, but he pushed his emotions away. "She was here." He said, closing Tom's eyelids.
"How do you know?" I asked. He pointed to the knocked over table, as if that explained everything. He stooped and picked up a browned rag, dry and stiff. Holding it a good distance from his face, he sniffed it.
"Night's Dream. She was drugged." He stuffed the cloth in his pocket. I was about to protest that he was meddling with evidence, but stopped myself. The cops would never find who did this. "There's only one place they can be now. It's time to call in our other elemential." He said.
"Where's that? Who?" I asked.
"We need Kayla, our air elemential." He paused, as if for dramatic effect. "And we need to get Liesel from the Mansion."
….
Anya
Okay, so they would have killed me if I posed a threat. That thought was daunting enough. But they didn't. That little voice that wants me to trust everyone says. Their training program was really cool too. Jason even showed me how to use it.
There's this huge room that is paneled black, undecorated, no windows, nothing. The only light is from the door when you open it, but once you're in, it's pitch black.
"It reads the memory synapse in the brain." Jason tried to explain. "I'm not sure exactly how it works, but it triggers your emotions in the right way to access your elemential abilities. Here, let me show you." He looked straight ahead. Not that I could tell; it was pitch black. "Earth Elemential training, level fifteen. One observer." He said. It reminded me of Star Trek, the holograph rooms.
The room shifted, and we were in a muddy pit. Several gangsters came near with loaded guns, aiming them at Jason. As they pulled the triggers, Jason pulled earth from the sides of the pit, creating solid rock shields between them and him. Using these as steps, he jumped up as bullets were blocked around him. He reached the top, and with a wave of his hand, rock shot up around the gangsters and swallowed them, leaving crude pillars behind.
"Your turn." The holograph ended, and I could see that the room had expanded, panels coming out of the walls to make the steps he had used. I wondered how it would work for fire.
"Um." I hesitated. "Fire elemential training, level one." Jason gave me an encouraging wave of his hand. The room shimmered then came back to normal.
"Fire elemential reading must be ingrained into the system." The computer said in a pleasant voice.
"Wow. When traveler said you were the only one, he meant it." I shrugged, not understanding a word he'd said. "The computer has to analyze an elemential before it can train it. It doesn't have the memory synapse yet."
"Okay." I looked around, feeling weird. "Um... begin fire elemential reading." The room shimmered again, and I felt torn in two. Then, the feeling ended as every memory I'd ever had was torn from the veil that hid them and thrust in front of my face. I remembered my happy childhood, until my father died. The scrounging for food, Jason protecting me every step of the way became painfully visible. Wait. His name wasn't Jason. It was Tyler. I felt anger, but my memories kept whirling before my eyes.
Then, I recalled that frightening night Tyler had been taken by the light. We'd all taken different hiding places, so it wouldn't find us all if it found one. We'd joined a gang that scrounged for food, giving everyone an equal share at the end of the day. Several were hanging out at an abandoned apartment with us, hiding from the light. Tyler had braced himself behind a crate with a blanket over him. He'd pushed his back against the wall so hard, he kicked the crate an inch when his foot slipped. The blanket fell, leaving half of him exposed. The light zipped towards him, and disappeared with him.
I wanted to cry, but then my own experience so similar came back to me. Jamie, a little sickly kid, had screamed when an older kid kicked him, defending his pile of scraps. Jamie had attracted the light and, though we hid, the light came, creeping closer and closer to Jamie. I'd jumped out in wild desperation. Jamie had a big brother, I couldn't let the same scene repeat itself with them as it had with Tyler and me. I remembered how the light had disappeared along with Tyler when it took him. I breathed hard, and shouted at it, distracting it totally from Jamie. I froze as it came towards me, slowly, dangerously near. I was so scared, I might have even walked towards it.
Then, I fell down the stairs, seeing the boy run to me.
"Jason, stop!" One of the men ran towards him. So this was Jason. The boy ignored him, picking up my head.
"She's bleeding! Who's stupid idea was it to make the staircase under the opening?" His eyes radiated pure rage. Jon appeared behind him. I was surprised I knew the name, but, somehow, I did. Then I got the shock of my life as Maurice came too. Not Maurice. Tom. Thomas. I remembered blacking out as Traveler appeared.
When I opened my eyes, we were in a basement, pounding coming from the trapdoor ahead. "Find it already!" Thomas hissed. Jon was scrabbling under some dried leaves, moving antique barrels around.
"I could've sworn it was here somewhere!" Jon was sobbing in fear. Jason noticed me first.
"She's awake, guys!" They both showed visible relief.
"Water alone wasn't enough to best him!" Thomas cried. "But with two elementials, we may yet have a chance." He tossed me a pencil. "While we're waiting, write something to help you remember, in case he takes your memories. I'm Thomas, and this is Jon." I took it and scrawled out the letter I'd received with cookies and milk. Almost as soon as I passed it to Tom, Jon found it, a secret passageway. We raced to get through it, but the trapdoor burst open, Traveler jumping into the cellar. We were in the passageway, but it was taking its own sweet time closing.
"Use your fire, girl! And you, boy, use your water!" I didn't have a clue as to what they wanted of me, but I thrust out my arms in defense as Traveler reached for me, a stern, frightening look on his face. He stepped back in surprise, looking down at his arms and body, which had been scorched to a crisp. He got angrier, healing on the spot. "Jason, girl whose name I don't know, work together!" Thomas insisted. Traveler grabbed Jason's arm, pulling him out of the passageway. Jason was struggling, but he was getting weaker and weaker, as if the life was being sucked out of him. I grabbed his other arm to pull him back.
"No, girl!" Jon shouted. I slowed Traveler down enough, so we were in the entrance of the passageway. His brow furrowed, and I could feel my memories being sucked out, leaving a hollow void. Sweat appeared on Traveler's face, and, as my last memory disappeared, he stumbled, dropping Jason's arm. We both tumbled back into the passageway, just as it slammed. I couldn't remember a thing, not where or who I was. Jason had a similar expression on his face.
"Come, Anya." Tom said.
"That probably isn't her name." Jon began.
"Who cares? A new beginning deserves a new name. Besides, I've always liked that choice." Jason looked like he was about to beat these guys up if they posed a threat. I'd felt like whapping them, just because they wanted me to follow them when I didn't even know what had just happened. With no other choice, we did follow them, however.
They took us to their alternate place, wiping our memories again, implanting us in normal life.
I collapsed, and Tyler caught me. "Reading complete. Allow time for memory sync." The computer spoke happily.
"You okay?" Tyler asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Tyler." I accidentally used his real name. He looked like I'd just punched him.
"How did you..." He began.
"We need to talk. I need to know what's going on."
….
Jason
Okay, so we were in Maine, right? New York is just a few miles south, so it would only make sense that we get Anya first. Alright, I admit. There was absolutely no way I could've got her by myself; I needed the other elemential Jon had mentioned. Still, I was a little angry when Jon insisted that we rent a hotel and wait for the air elemential.
"Why not?" I asked. "I can take them! I've been practicing!"
"The more powers we have on our side, the bigger the chance that we'll live to see tomorrow. You'll like her. She's a nice kid." He kept insisting that everything would be great, but I was skeptical. We needed to get Anya out of there as soon as possible.
"Kid? How old is this..." I floundered for the name. "Kayla." I found it.
"Well, she's really talented, and she's one of the best elementials I've ever trained, so you should be grateful that she's on our-" My stern gaze broke him off. "Seven. She's seven years old."
"So we're waiting for a seven year old so we can take her to a place where we're going to kill people and pull a rescue operation. How smart does that sound?" Jon winced, but his vulnerable expression hardened.
"She's a lot tougher than you, that I know. Have you ever handled throwing axes, kives, rifles, shotguns, uzis? We pulled her as a baby, and she's known about this operation all her life." His tone scolded me.
"So you trusted a baby with knowledge, but you couldn't trust me or Anya?" I was being unreasonable, I know, but after finding a dead body and having our workload doubled, I wasn't in an amiable mood.
"You know we only did it to protect you." He sounded wretchedly hurt.
"I'm sorry. I'm just... Argh! As soon as we get here, everything goes to a whole new level! This is insane!" Jon smiled weakly.
"No more insane than alternate dimensions, superpowers, and deadly seven year olds." I had to laugh. Jon knew exactly what to say to lower the tension.
A few hours later, a taxi pulled up to the building, and a little girl with long, blond pigtails and a school uniform payed him generously. She came into the hotel and immediatly focused on us, though, instead of walking straight to us, she took the elevator.
"Come on." Jon urged me. He guided me to the other elevator, and we entered. "We can't have them seeing her with us; they'd get suspicious. Here we are." The elevator dinged pleasantly and we entered our hotel room.
Waiting on the bed was the little kid. She'd dumped her barbie backpack in the corner, and was strapping on a boot knife, tying a throwing axe under her jacket. My eyes widened.
"I guess this is the water guy, right?" She said. It was weird to hear such a girlish voice talk in such a grown up manner. "I'm Kayla. Nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand, and I shook it.
"I'm Jason." She dropped my hand.
"Jon, really? This foster family wanted me to be the PERFECT little angel. No midnight outings, no surveilance. They painted my room PINK for pete's sake!" It was so strange, I had to hide my mouth behind my hand and pretend to cough. She glared at me. "Next time, be sure to pick a family that appreciates my talents."
She dumped the contents of the pack on the floor, throwing the pack into the fireplace. On the floor were several guns, a couple of bowie knives, three cans of pepper spray, and nun-chucks. I picked up the latter and swung them around a bit.
"Amatuer." She said. I bit my lip. "You do it like this." She took them from me and pulled a long sequence of deadly moves. I'd always thought that nun-chucks were easy to use, but when I saw her, I instantly changed my mind.
This was going to be a long trip.
….
Anya
I insisted that Tyler explain why he had taken Jason's name, why he'd lied. "You can't just shake your head like that! I need to know!"
"No, you don't. I just-" He broke off, waving his hands in frustration. "I lied to keep you safe. When Tom said for you to find Jason, I needed you to join us, not Jason."
"What? I don't get a choice! How do I know that this is the right place for me? What if I really do need to find Jason to figure this out?!"
"Don't say that. Traveler will change his mind about letting you live!" I bit my lip.
"What's going on? Why do you need me so much? Is there a fight, or a war, or something?" Tyler squinted, like everything was switching over to the worst case senario.
"Look, there's a staircase, right?" I nodded. "We aren't from here. We came from the top of the stairs, the other world. Personally, most of us want to get back. Traveler is going to help us. Those who don't want to go back join the rebels. The rebels want to close down the staircase for good, no coming or going anymore. They don't want us to get back. They say that the curtian that holds this dimension from that one fades each time someone crosses. They sabotauged the staircase. We're trying to fix it, but we need four willing elementials."
"What if the rebels are right?" I dared.
"They aren't. Traveler says so."
"How does he know?" I asked.
"He just does! He knew my name, he knows secrets, some say he doesn't age. He'll get us home."
"Wait." I said. "I have a life here. From what I remember, we were street urchins. I don't think I want to go back!"
"Don't say that!" He shouted, silencing me. I felt lost and confused. After a few moments of silence, I spoke.
"If you want to go back, I'll help you. I just-" I broke off. "I can't leave my life here. I'm acing my exams in college, I have a future."
"And now that you've skipped a week of school? What happens now?"
"I don't- I'll explain I was kidnapped, and I somehow got away. I'll show them Maurice, Tom, whoever, and everything will go back to normal."
"No, it won't. You're an elemential. I'm the only one who can teach you, keep you safe." He put his arms around me.
"I don't need you!" I pulled back, stumbling over my feet and falling on my rear. I scrambled up to regain my dignity. "I've survived for two years on my own here, and also for years back in our dimension. I can keep myself safe!" I was pretty much on the verge of tears; my voice was warbling and I kept blinking rapidly.
He probably noticed, for he put his hand on my shoulder in a comforting way. I didn't want to go away, confirming my decision, but I couldn't submit and do whatever my big brother asked.
I shrugged off his hand. "I can't-" My voice broke and I rushed out of the room. I didn't want him to see me cry. I heard him calling my name, but I kept going.
Maybe he thought I was leaving for good. Maybe he was desparate to get to know me. Maybe he was simply loyal to Traveler.
I heard him running after me, and I hoped he was going to say everything was going to be fine. I hoped that he'd comfort me, or say that he absolutely understood. I turned around just as he reached me, only to gasp in surprise as he thrust a drugged rag against my mouth.
I woke in the same room he'd brought me in the first place. I couldn't help but realize that bars had been placed in the window. When I tried the door, it was locked. I suddenly remembered the phone, but it had been removed.
I felt vomit rise in my throat. Traveler definitely knew I didn't want to go along with him. What would happen to me now? Tyler had said that I was lucky to have gained his approval in the first place; was he deciding my fate right now? I sat down on the bed and cried.
….
Jason
We sat in the car, Kayla in the backseat. Turns out, she'd been shopping for the 'perfect gifts for your allies' on the black market. She gave me an upgraded uzi that held much more ammo than a normal one would. Jon got a cell phone that had a Taser implanted on the top. A knife extended from the side.
"Maybe having you on the team isn't such a bad idea." I said. She grinned and patted my arm.
"I thought you might say that." She grinned, her mouth full of baby teeth. My head shocked, and I remembered my little sister Kayla reminded me of Mirda!
"Wow. I just had the extreme flashback." I said. Both Kayla and Jon looked at me expectantly. Well, Jon had to keep his eye on the road, but he looked at me as well as he could while watching the road. "I saw my little sister. She looks almost exactly like you, Kayla. She was holding a picture up to my..." I choked. "My mom. Mom put it on the fridge."
"Lovely." Kayla said, and I knew she wasn't joking. "I don't remember my family. I was taken from the cradle."
"Don't you... Don't you ever want to go back?" Jon gave me a sharp look, but Kayla didn't see.
"Sometimes. I've heard people talk about how much their parents loved them, and I wonder if anyone ever loved me that much. I wish I had just one memory." I was pretty shocked; this was the girl with all the guns. Then again, she was only seven.
Jon spoke. "You can't go back; the fabric in between the world weakens every time someone passes through. If Traveler can access the staircase, we're in major trouble."
"Okay. If anyone actually understood that, raise your hand." I said. Kayla raised hers. "Great. The seven year old is smarter than me."
"Not really. I had it explained to me when I was about three. Every time someone goes through, the thing holding the worlds apart deteriorates. When enough people have passed through, the worlds will collide, and life as we know it would cease to exist."
"That sounds like Star Trek!" I complained. She grinned.
"So, we're going to get Liesel? It's about time. I've been waiting for two years!" She pulled a knife out of its scabbard and started to clean it.
"You shouldn't do that in the car." I told her.
"What?" She asked.
"Pull a knife. If we get in an accident, you could get skewered." Jon nodded from the front seat.
"Kayla, you know he's right. You can't tell what'll happen in a car." She groaned.
"Fine, Jon." She put her knife away. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Ever heard of video games?" I asked, passing her a DS. "Want to play multiplayer?" I pulled my own out of my pocket.
….
Mirda
Mirda ran through the streets, away from a rival gang she'd just stolen from. Sure, she'd tresspassed through the Mink territory before, but it was still a thrilling experience. The footsteps behind her kept growing softer as she wound down different alleyways and backtracked. Normally, the Minks were skilled enough to track down anyone despite these tricks, but she'd been using them for the past two hours one after the other. Soon, she wound up onto her own territory, Weed territory.
Clutching the valuables the Mink had stolen, she lowered her pace down to a steady jog, making her way to an old, abandoned apartment complex. She knocked on the door and whispered into the drainpipe, "It's me, Mirda." The door opened to a scrawny fifteen year old boy with a bad case of acne. "Hey, Fox." She said. Everyone called him that because of his flaming red hair.
"Hey, Mirda. What did you get this time?" She grinned her baby teeth grin, pulling out a gold plated pocket watch, a small mink wrap, and a WWIII helmet.
"Where'd you get all that?" He gasped, his eyes wide. Her smile widened.
"Mink raiders don't guard their loot well enough." This, of course, was untrue. They had about a dozen of their bulkiest kids guarding the place where they kept their stuff. They just didn't have that much protection on the raiders themselves. Mirda had slipped unnoticed right into their raiding party and rooted out the best things right away.
Fox laughed and pulled her inside to a fire in the middle of the dirt encrusted floor. "You are amazing. Every time you go out, you bring back enough to feed the whole gang for a week!"
About two dozen kids were huddled around the fire, trying to keep themselves warm. "What did you bring this time?" A stocky nineteen year old asked, peering down at the girl half his height.
"Some spoils from the Mink. You guys can sell them. I'm off searching." She waved, glancing once at the roaring fire and turning to the door. Fox cleared his throat and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Mirda? The light dissapeared two years ago. It has never shown up again. You shouldn't hunt it. I know it took your brother, but maybe it's time to move on." He looked at his toes sheepishly.
"Shut up!" She swallowed a lump in her throat. "He's still alive! He is!" She turned and ran out the door. No one could match her for speed, so they all just stared at the open door.
"Way to go, Fox." A dirty blond girl snickered. "Let her live her fantasy, so long as she helps feed us all."
Mirda ran, hardly caring where she wound up, her eyes dripping tears and scanning the buildings frantically. He can't be dead! Her mind screamed. He'll be there, right over that next hill. All I have to do is find the light. What then? Would the light kill- no take. Jason wasn't dead. Would the light take her as well?
She desperately fell against a crumbled brick wall, crying her eyes out. Fifteen minutes later, she was back at the Weed apartment complex, dry eyed, yet with no smile or laughter for anyone. She just scrambled for a place by the fire and sat, entranced by the dancing flames.