AN: I am seriously starting to dislike this story now. Not the original plot. No way. I'm in love with the plot it's just that this chapter (and the rest of the Jesse POV one's) are turning out all wrong!

Lol. And although wrong, a little longer than the last! Gah. Suzie goodness is after this! Well, for a few chapters at least. I only have two more Jesse POVS and the rest is Suze. For another ten chapters . . . lol. I'm 18/30 chapters finished. SQUEE!

-Lluvia.

Chapter Eighteen

Flames surrounded the entire of the space we stood in. I could feel my heart pumping loudly in my head and my body felt as if it were on fire. Yet we all stood strong, in the same circle as we were in before.

Ophelia knelt down and picked up something off the floor. I noticed it to be the pendant, the one exactly alike to Susannah's... except for that symbol.

But when I looked at it, the symbol had disappeared. After a moment of confusion, I let it pass. Ophelia straightened and cleared her throat.

The others, who had been admiring – or, well, just looking around, admiring was not a word to use to describe this place – the wall of fire and expanse we now stood in, turned back to Ophelia.

Then their gaze wavered to me. For a second, I wondered why they were all looking at me, but then I looked down – at where they were looking – and I could practically feel my eyebrows raise all the way to my hairline.

Instead of the normal board-shorts (or whatever Susannah called them) and plain white T-shirt I had been clad in, I was now dressed rather formally. I wore a dress shirt, like the one's men usually wear with the black overcoat on a tuxedo, only this one was straight black.

My pants were formal pants and, like the dress shirt, were a jet-black. The staff I had been given by Ophelia beforehand was still secured tightly in my enclosed fist; the pole of the staff vertical all the way to the ground.

I grinned sheepishly up at the others and then all gazes turned to Ophelia, who had cleared her throat once more. 'We have to get moving,' she declared. And so we did.

An hour and a half went by with us looking through-out the dusty, deserted plains. Ophelia was sure when she said that this was the location of Susannah. 'The pendant never lies,' she told us, speaking low and gravely.

I would be lying if I said it was boring. On the contrary. We had quite of a time saying not very funny jokes in the times of desperate walking and silence, just to cheer everyone up. Otherwise it was a serious conversation. But a lot of sarcastic comments came from Ashwinder - focused mainly on Paul. It seemed that them two really did have a love-hate relationship.

Describing the landscape we walked on, in my mind, was my way of preventing the almost inevitable reign of heat that fell upon us. I thought up perfect adjectives to match that of the desolate, dusty grounds and the completely monochrome raven sky.

Halfway through our trek, Ashwinder came up to my side and rested her head on my shoulder. I patted it like a brother would to his sister. She grinned up at me and I gave her an assuring smile back, as if to silently speak the words: It's going to be okay. I'll find Susannah and it will all be over soon.

Then, apparently, she shot one back using the words: you suck. If the look on her face wasn't enough evidence, then the telepathic connection between Ashwinder and I was.

Twenty minutes later, after Ashwinder had gone off behind me with Paul and Father Dominic was speaking to Ophelia about the possible goodness in the hearts of the Black Alegion people, I was wandering around in the middle of all the chaos, thinking to myself.

That is, until a voice spoke. I knew you'd come. I've got big plans for you.

I stopped in my tracks, stunned. Everyone turned back to look at me. I was rooted to the spot, looking up down and side ways for the location of that voice. 'Can you hear that? Did you hear it?'

Ashwinder's face screwed up in confusion and concern. 'Hear what, Jesse?'

My voice was a whisper, 'That voice,' I muttered, to myself more than the others. My head was still aching, but now more of a dull throb. I was thankful for that, at least.

There was silence from everyone, including the voice. We began moving again.

Until...

You shouldn't be looking so hard for Susannah. Don't worry, she's fine. A very strong girl, Susannah Simon is. Or is it Susanna Nightmare, now?

I stopped again. 'Okay. Tell me you heard it that time.'

Ophelia looked at me, blue eyes trained directly on mine, 'What does this voice sound like?'

That was when I realised I couldn't tell whether the voice was male or female, child or adult, friend or foe.

Well that was just great.

First I'm hearing voices that apparently only I can here and secondly...

Just one voice, Jesse. Not voices. Calm down.

It knew about Susannah and I.

And what else, I contemplated, could it know about?

This place isn't as deserted as you think it is. You and your friends, the 'Radian' group, are just not looking properly.

'What do you mean?' I spoke to the voice. Ophelia took it as if I said this to her.

'Is it old or young?' She asked, pondering deeply.

'I do not know.'

'Is it male or female?'

'I do not know.'

'Does it sound familiar?'

Yes.

Despite the fact that I did not yet trust this "voice," I was forced to agree with it there. Even though I couldn't figure out the gender or age of the voice, I recognised it from somewhere...

'Yes.'

Ophelia said something but I was cut off because the voice had spoken again. It said:

Do you remember when your sisters were little? Do you remember what game they played?

I thought back. No, I do not.

They played hide and seek.

That's all that the places and people in this world are doing with you. Their hiding. Look past this illusion. See the truth.

Just this once... it couldn't hurt to listen to the voice, could it? I mean, what could we loose? We were no closer to finding Susannah, despite my refusal to believe it, I knew it was true...

I turned to Ophelia. 'Ophelia, is it possible that this could all be an illusion?'

Ophelia shook her head, 'I am not sure of that, Jesse. But I'm pretty sure that we have not covered enough ground...'

I was cornered. Ophelia or the voice? I knew my trust was definitely swaying to Ophelia. But she only said that she was "pretty sure" and that she was "not sure" whether or not it could be an illusion.

Instead of finding your sisters, Jesse, find answers. Find civilisation. Find the D'Ona people.

'D'Ona.' I couldn't help but speak aloud.

This had an affect on Ophelia, 'Excuse me?'

'Do you know of the race D'Ona, Ophelia?' Everyone had stopped again. To my surprise, Ophelia nodded.

'Of course.' She whispered in wonder. 'The land of the D'Ona. Illusionists.'

See? I'm not as obstructive as you think I am. I am your friend. I want you to be mine too. But for that to happen, you have to learn to trust me.

I said nothing in reply because the voice spoke up once more...

Now. Do exactly what I tell you to. Raise the staff in the space above your head and say the words: 'D'Ona people of the illusions light, the peace we bring promises no fright.'

Following the voice's orders, I raised the staff above my head, feeling a little awkward. Then, with the whole of our group staring at me weirdly, I spoke: 'D'Ona people of the illusions light, the peace we bring promises no fright.'

As if being drawn by an artists hand on the Earth's surface, slowly, the red plains began to sift away and in it's place, what seemed to be grass grew from the ground.

But that was impossible. This grass was...

Purple.

And the sky. It was...

White.

The clouds also looked strange. Oh. They were...

Pink.

Finally a large stone fortress, made out of very light gray rock was built. Right in front of our eyes. It started large down the bottom and grew thinner and thinner until it came to a tip at the top.

Another part of the castle had a flat roof and there were four towers perched on each side of the rectangular fortress. In the middle of the front slab of rock, there was a large, oak piece of wood. Their green surface was broken in two. It looked almost like a...

Door.

As if reading my mind, the thick doors opened a moment later. An eerie feeling shot up my spine. What danger could we all face inside this fortress? The last thing we needed was for someone else to go missing.

I tried to contact the voice. In fact, I said exactly this:

Well, voice? What now?

Now this may surprise you but the voice did not answer.

I couldn't let everyone down now. They were all looking at me to see what I was going to do next. Even Ophelia. Like I was their newfound leader. Numero Uno.

Did you hear that, voice? If your going to make me let everyone down, you'll be sorry you ever… entered my brain.

I sighed and took a step inside the walls of the fortress. Nothing happened. I didn't fall dead. Feel anything at all. Nothing. Except, of course, that small little sickness in my stomach. Yearning. For Susannah, obviously.

AND like Susannah, the divine object of my thoughts, would say in a situation like this (having a voice in my head that only I can hear, I mean):

Oh my god, I am so freaking nuts.

AN: Okay. Maybe this chapter didn't turn out tooo bad. By the way, the "voice" in Jesse's head was a little idea I borrowed from Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, another one of my favourite books.

Some of the phrases, such as: 'Did you hear that voice? If your going to make me let everyone down, you'll be sorry you ever... entered my brain' AND 'I knew you'd come. I have big plans for you' were also borrowed from the books. But the rest was 100 percent me.

Okay. Maybe 90. Oh, Whatever.

Please do me a huge favor and review! It makes me feel so happy when you people do!

-Lluvia.

P.S. That last part was just so freakin funny, I know. I could just IMAGINE the mini-Jesse in my mind rolling his eyes and thinking that.