::sniffle:: nobody loves me ;_; the only person that's replied is aya.... ah well, anyway, so far I own everything that I've written ^^ yupyup! Aren't I special? And those of you who recognized Dr. Kocis' name in there congratulations! She was one of the only teachers I genuinely really liked in the upper levels of OLGC. Shame, really. Ah....so I haven't really decided where they should visit yet so I guess this chapter is just an explanation of what's going on... I'm also thinking about whether I should take out Lakin and Kali's conversation about anime. I wanted to introduce anime and stuff into the story, but it seemed kind of abrupt and sudden, and I didn't really like how that turned out, so any comments on that would be good. and I'll try putting the end of the last chapter at the top so you know what happened last and we'll see if that's helpful in any way...enjoy ^^

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*~Chapter 2~*

*~Crossroads~*

The light dimmed slightly and the creature spoke. "A proposition is to be made," the voice was light and breathy, and sounded faintly like the tinkling of glass bells. "A choice given by God's Last Children. Child of dark and the found treasure," Kali nodded, 'dark' was the meaning of her name, and Lakin followed suit a moment after, 'found treasure' being his, "have been given the choice to travel to any world designed by the minds of men."

"My name is Tharsis."

Kali drew air into her lungs slowly and murmured more to herself than anyone else. "Angel of life decisions and choices..." Tharsis turned his sightless eyes upon Kali, the milky whiteness in place of colored irises disconcertingly eerie. The light dimmed once again until the room was only lit enough to see by, and Tharsis chuckled. Kali shivered, the sound was melodious and soothing, but taunting and... somehow, full of sorrow, a paradox all on its own.

"Yes," Tharsis stepped towards Kali and stretched out his hand to touch her cheek, but stopped scant inches away, "I suppose that's what the Children here have come to call me." He backed up and smiled sadly. Shaking his head, Tharsis turned to face both Lakin and Kali. "Any questions you might have I will answer to the best of my ability and knowledge, though let it be said that I might not have the authority to answer all. When it is all said and done, I am but a messenger with limited knowledge, nothing more."

"Why?" The question cut through the air like a scythe, clear and void of emotion. Face impassive, Lakin crossed his arms patiently and awaited an answer.

Tharsis smiled at Lakin fondly. "Ah, yes. The age old question, 'why?'," he rubbed a strand of white hair between his fingers thoughtfully. "The best I can tell you is this: it is often in the interest of certain members of the hierarchy to grant a little something to the Children here every once in awhile. I suppose it could be considered a small matter of... charity in the land of the Last."

Kali gazed at Tharsis. Now that the light had been dimmed, he did not seem quite as alien or fantastical as before, but he still maintained a look of immense grace and splendid beauty. Tharsis' hair, white as moonlight, spilled freely down his back, resplendent against a loose, transparent shirt. "You talk about the 'Children' and the 'Last'. What do you mean?"

"God has created multiple life forms over the course of His existence. When He and the universe were still young, He created the First Children and gave them a home on earth. Then, after the minds of men began to build worlds with their own imagination, God created an alternate form of this universe to store these worlds. Because if a world is created and mass amounts of spiritual belief and love for that world exists, then that world will come to be." Tharsis gave his sad smile. "Learning from what He had done previously, God set out to create the Last of His Children. Some believe that He created the Last to act as an older sibling to the First, and some believe it was to rule over them. But whatever the case may be, there are always limits to power, and the Last have found theirs. Thus, three worlds can be counted, that of the First, the Alternate, and the Last."

Limits to power? Kali wondered. She wanted to ask what that might be, but had the distinct impression that that was one question Tharsis would not answer.

"What's the catch?" Lakin and Kali asked simultaneously in the same dubious manner.

Tharsis laughed at that, his voice full of mirth and surprised amusement. He gently wiped at the tears that had formed at the corners of his eyes and replied, "Many times I have presented decisions to people, and not often enough are they wary of things that lie within the shadows. I can still remember how it used to be that all of the First were suspicious of things given with seemingly good intentions, but now it is not so. I suppose things come too easily for them now and are taken for granted. It is refreshing to hear such caution once again; life becomes more interesting with it. But," a somber expression flashed across Tharsis' face, "there are times when trust must be given. Remember it.

"But as for 'the catch'. You are allowed to interact with the world as much as you choose. You are allowed to converse with the people and eat their food. But what you must not do is touch any being that is in any part human or human-like. That is the cost. The deal has been laid on the table. It is now up to you to decide."

To not be able to touch anybody? Presently, the choice was nothing. Kali would give anything to simply be able to talk to any of the characters she'd only experienced through pictures and stories. But would it prove to not be enough later on? It was hard to say. "What happens if we touch someone?" Kali asked slowly.

"You will be given three chances. If either of you touch someone inadvertently or advertently, both of you will be taken to a different world. There are exceptions, of course. Such as, if you were to be brushed against in a crowded street or caught while falling, you would not be penalized. And you two will also be granted one request each. I suggest you consult and think upon it before making a decision on what to use it on. Do not be rash."

"Can we... can we have time to think about it?" Kali asked finally.

Tharsis inclined his head, "Of course, you may have all the time you require to think upon it, but you must do so in the land of the Last. It would not do to let you spend too much time here with so much knowledge. It is simpler to keep watch over you from our land."

"Then would we forget everything once we'd finished with our three tries? And when that happens, how much time will have passed?" Lakin interjected.

"In answer to the first question, you will be allowed to keep those memories, but you will not be allowed to speak of it unless it is amongst yourselves. I will give you an elixir that will serve that purpose once we get to my land.

"Time passes more slowly here than in the Alternate, but only by a fraction. It might come to be that you will be gone for one month to ten years — it depends. In that time, your family will continue on as if you had not existed. If or when you return, life will continue as normally as if you had never left. Those around you will be subconsciously aware of what changes in you that might have occurred, but in most occasions different reasons for these changes will most likely have to be given."

"Is it alright if we can gather some things before we leave to go to your land, Tharsis? I'd like to get some things from home. We can meet back here in..." Kali glanced at her watch, "two hours, 6 o'clock."

Tharsis regarded Kali and Lakin in the same melancholy manner that seemed to be ingrained in his very bones. "I will wait here until then," he said finally. "I trust you will come."

Kali and Lakin ran out of the shed into the sunlight. Signs of the hail were completely gone. The sky was clear, and the field as smooth and dry as it had previously been earlier that day. They walked off the school campus in silence, and when they had reached the point where they had to part ways, Lakin spoke. "What are you going to do?"

"What I said I'd do," Kali replied flatly. "I'm going to go home, collect a few things, say my good byes, and go back to the shed within my allotted two hours."

"How can you do that?!" Lakin burst out angrily, his blue eyes flashing fiercely. "How can you leave everyone you love behind for this? Don't you understand? How could you leave your friends and family behind? They love and depend on you! Even if they don't remember, how can you leave them?"

"No, Lakin. I don't think that you understand. This is what I've been waiting all my life for. I doubt you would know; you didn't even realize I existed until today, and we've been in the same history class for at least three years now," Kali laughed bitterly. "What friends I have I keep at arms length, they would not grieve for me for more than a week or even a day. And my family, love them as I do, would understand, I think, if I made this choice. I have little to leave, Lakin, but what about you? What people can you truly call your friends—people who you can trust wholly, people who you will honestly miss? I go in search of something more than I can find here. I understand what you're saying Lakin, but I like to keep my options open. Anyway, Lakin," she forced a grin, "we are still only considering. There is always time to change your mind." Kali turned and walked away.

When Kali got home she could smell the aroma of her mom's cooking wafting through the house. Running up the stairs she yelled, "Hi, Mom! I'm home!" Kali heard a muffled response and continued into her room. There, she took from her bedroom shelf the katana her parents had bought for her in celebration of her seventeenth birthday and in congratulations for mastering the form of kendo she had been practicing. After an hour she had finished packing everything that she needed and shoved her window open. Kali dropped her things into a shrub outside and dashed down the stairs and into the kitchen. Seeing her mother, she gave her a hug and said, "Mom, I need to go back to school in about an hour for some archery stuff, ok?"

Kali's mom frowned slightly, but nodded, "Fine, but don't stay out for too long. Now, set the table; we're about to eat."

After they had finished cleaning up Kali hugged both of her parents and left. She picked up her things outside and ran to school. Kali walked across the field towards the shed and prayed she was making the right choice.

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HAHAH so the 2nd chapter is done! Wooo......well this one had a lot more dialogue in it than the last time and some of the concepts might've been a little confusing as well.... tell me if anything was unclear ^^