Enjoy!

I hear the whooshing of a breeze hitting my face.

"Mia, take my hand!" a familiar voice commands. I open my eyes, surprised what I'm opening them up to. Somehow, I'm surrounded by grey and below me is a gaping hole which I am falling to. Fortunately, I'm not alone, for there is another person across from me.

"Mia, take my hand!" Seth reiterates with his hand stretched out to mine.

"What're we doing here? Seth, I thought you-" I yell over the wind.

"Mia, take my hand!"

I extend my hand to him, eager to grasp his. We're getting nearer to the hole below-I don't have a lot of time. With a loud grunt, I squeeze his fingertips; his hand instantly locks around mine. Suddenly, we're both on our feet in a black void.

With his hand still holding mine, he says, "You did it Mia. Now you can come with me." Black plasma moves up his feet, gradually devouring his face.

"…Seth?" I try to pull my hand back, but it's stuck in his. "Please let me go. I don't want this."

He continues to grin as his whole lower body is swarmed with black muck. All that's left of him is his arm; the muck rapidly slithers down his arm, aiming at mine. I grunt as I try to yank my hand out again.

"Stop it Seth!" I cry out in vain.

As soon as the muck gets in my hand, my whole body is devoured by the darkness. The monsters with the yellow eyes watch me struggle ravenously in the darkness, waiting to make their move. My throat tightens-I can't breathe.

I'm going to die.

My eyes pop open and I gasp loudly. I'm no longer drowning in darkness with Seth-no, Seth wasn't with me. I was drowning in the darkness alone. Please, let this not be a troublesome omen of things to come.

"This isn't my bed," I realize aloud. Landing on my toes, I drop out of bed and glance around the bedroom, disheartened by the unfamiliarity of the bedroom. Please let this be a horrible nightmare.

As I explore the house in morning daylight, I close my eyes and wait to wake up. In the bathroom, I wash up, using a washcloth to wipe the dried dirt off my face. My bloodshot eyes tiredly look at my reflection in the mirror.

"This is…reality," the words come out more as a question than a statement.

Some part of me wants to burst into tears and whimper in the corner-the other part wants to venture outside this house and find Seth.

Something heavy bangs against the door. My heart nearly jumps out of its chest. What if it's the people who live here? They'll know I took the key…they'll think I tried robbing them.

Quickly and nervously, I step down the spiral staircase, racing to the banging door. Before opening the door, I take in a deep breath and exhale, preparing to face whoever it is on the other side of this door. Gently, I turn the knob and push the door.

"M-may I help you?" I ask the two people. There is boy who looks around the age of seventeen with a black leather jacket, decorated with a dozen brass bands and a red emblem on his chain and then there's a girl wearing a snug maroon spandex suit with shoulder-length hair.

The dark-haired boy seems surprised at me for some unknown reason, startling me. His expression shifts quickly to vexation.

"Why hi there," the girl in maroon spandex says, breaking the silence. "My name's Topaz."

"Good morning to both of you," I reply, avoiding the boy's terrifying glare. "Er, do you live here?"

"Course not," Topaz shook her head then looked at the boy. "Are you gonna say anything?"

He continues to glower at me.

"My name is Mia," I nervously say, shaking hands with Topaz. I extend my hand to the boy, but all he does is give me a scary look with his intimidating red eyes.

"Don't be shy now," Topaz nudges the boy's shoulder.

"We don't have time for this," the boy finally speaks. "Find us the Chaos Emerald."

It's my turn to be surprised. This boy is giving me a frightful feeling that he could possibly do bad things.

"Can you explain why you're here, please?"

"Tch."

"Well, we're looking for Chaos Emeralds, these really pretty, pretty gems that shine really bright, and you can sense them."

"How?"

"…"

"Beats me."

Why are these people coming to me to help them in the first place? They should be asking someone who knows these "Chaos Emeralds".

"I think you've got the wrong person. I'm sorry but I don't think I can help you-"

The boy takes a step toward me menacingly; his terrifying glare leaves me petrified at the door.

"You don't have a choice," says the boy with a sangfroid tone. My eyes shut as I turn away from his terrible gaze. Please, please, let me feel something, or else I'm going to die. Please…

In the midst of hoping this man doesn't do anything to me, an unfamiliar feeling in my head overcomes me. There's something very bright and…full of some energy. But it's far from here-is this the Chaos Emerald these two are talking about?

"…the poor girl isn't going to help us," Topaz's muffled voice gradually becomes clear. When I open my eyes, the boy is still over me and seems angrier than when I opened the door to him.

"I feel something really far away. Is that your 'Chaos Emerald'?" I mumble in fear that he might punch me for acknowledging him.

"It's not your concern. Just take us to where it is."

"Alright, we practically have a Chaos Emerald in our hands!" Topaz cheers behind him.