Instead of waking up the next morning or having a dream, Erick found himself in a dark expanse of something. He called out several times and walked around but found no one.

"This is weird." Erick said aloud.

A female voice answered which startled him.

"That's what I said the first time I came here."

Eric spun around and instantly recognized Montayva standing behind him with her hair flowing freely and her siren mark glowing.

"What the hell is this place and am I awake or asleep?" Erick asked.

"We are inside your head; specifically the area where you see your dreams when you sleep."

"Why am I not dreaming then?"

"You are not dreaming because I want to show you my new power."

"I don't mean to be rude, but it doesn't look like much, Monty."

"Just hold on a sec. Ever since you came along, our siren powers have been developing further and becoming easier to control."

"And you think I caused that."

"We are fairly certain you did."

"Alright," Erick shrugged, "what are your new powers?"

"Well…Lilith can teleport larger objects with greater ease, she can also control fire much like you control your lightning. Maya is now able to phaselock multiple enemies at a time and can actually move inanimate objects with her phaselock."

"What about you?" Erick asked.

"I am more sensitive to peoples' emotions, which is why you gave me that headache. I can also access your 'dream world' while you are asleep and allow you to play back memories as dreams."

Erick paused for a few seconds to absorb the information he had just received.

"Well, how do we get this started?" He asked curiously.

"Concentrate on a memory you want to see again." Montayva instructed. "Preferably one you don't mind me seeing. Then, just tell me when you're ready."

Erick closed his eyes and quickly found his memory. He signaled Montayva who told him to concentrate on his memory.

When Montayva said it was okay to open his eyes, he was back home on Earth. There was a man in the living room that was about 6'3" tall. He was well built and had dark hair with a touch of gray.

"Dad!" Erick exclaimed as he stepped forward.

Montayva held him back. "He can't hear you. We are only spectators."

Erick stepped back as his father feverishly packed items into a duffel bag. A younger looking Erick burst in through the front door.

"Dad, why are the MP's chasing me? I thought I wasn't joining the military."

Erick's father zipped up the bag and turned to his son. "They're conscripting you anyway, which is why I'm finally allowing you to go to Pandora."

Erick ran down the hallway to his room for several minutes. When he returned, he handed his father a sealed envelope.

"Can you make sure this gets to Syrena?" Erick asked.

Erick's father put the envelope into his breast pocket. "I will get it to her. Right now, you need to leave. Here are your tickets but you need to get to the launch facility in Sydney."

"Australia?"

"Yes, all of the American facilities are watching for you."

Erick slung the bag over his shoulder and inserted the tickets into a side pocket. He turned toward his father as if to say a few words in parting but could only say 'goodbye'. He then turned and walked out the back door.

Everything faded back into the darkness that was there before.

"What is happening?" Erick asked.

"You don't know what happened with your father after you left." Montayva explained. "We would be able to see more if we followed you. Did you want to?"

"No, I'm fine. I just wanted to see my father again."

"Alright. Erick, do you mind if I ask a personal question?"

"Go ahead."

"Who is Syrena?"

Erick shuffled around for a while since he knew he could no longer avoid answering this question; especially since he couldn't hide anything from Montayva. He then decided to quit stalling.

"Syrena was the best friend I ever had. I guess I should start at the beginning though." Erick paused to gather his memories.

"When I got my power, I also gained an increased metabolism, and the constant electrical stimulation toned my muscles. So, I wasn't always this pretty. Syrena had been my friend for a couple years until she actually asked me out on a date to the school dance. It was a big deal to me because for the first time, I realized there were girls that like me for who I am and how I look. We talked a lot during that week that led up to the dance and I decided I was going to ask her to be my girlfriend when we went to the dance."

"What happened?" Montayva asked when she felt Erick's sadness.

"The day before the dance, she said she thought of me more as a friend. I completely understood because I knew she had her heart broken pretty badly in the past. To me, it was as if she was afraid to have her heart broken again. The next day, we went to the dance and had a good time. But-" Erick paused again to get his emotions in check.

"But at the beginning of the next week I found out she was dating someone else."

Erick paused for a third time and Montayva could tell this was very difficult for him.

"You don't have to continue if you don't want to." She said sympathetically.

"No, Erick protested, "I have kept it in for too long. I haven't even told Ari."

"Alright, if you're willing to talk, I'll listen."

Erick sat on the ground with crossed legs and Montayva did the same.

"That is when it started hurting." He continued. "When she broke my heart. I kept asking myself what I did wrong and other questions like that."

Montayva reached out and grabbed her brother's hand. "She probably had feelings for the other guy and didn't know how to tell you with out hurting you."

"She should have just told me straight out." Erick said.

"Well," Montayva said, "when we are trying not to hurt someone we care about, we sometimes hurt them the most. How did you keep it together for so long?"

"I realized that Syrena was a very good friend that cared about me. I didn't want to upset her because of what happened. I also didn't ask questions I didn't want to know that answers to."

"You care too much about others' feelings, Erick. Sacrificing your own happiness to keep her happy."

"I don't want to seem selfish either. She is the best friend I ever had and has taught me many things to which I am eternally grateful for. I don't know what I would do if she wasn't in my life."

Montayva and Erick remained silent for a short while until Montayva wrapped her arm around Erick's neck.

"Look little bro," she said, "I understand how much you care about people you love. You also don't want to appear weak which is why you didn't even talk to Ari about what happened with Syrena."

"I just don't want to be a burden to anyone. I want to be that one everybody can depend on."

Montayva tightened her arm around Erick's neck. "You are not a burden, we- Ahhhhh!"

Montayva was suddenly pulled into the distance by an invisible force. Erick rushed to his feet but could not see her anymore.

A raspy voice came out of the darkness. "She is gone. It's just you and I."