Hey all! Wow, where have I been? Sorry I left ya hangin' on for dear sanity with that last chapter. Anyway, thanks a whole lot, you guys, for the reviews! (Hey, TLWG! Where you been? Thanks for reading!) And I think the long-ness of this chapter will make up for the short-ness of my last one, don't you?

Have you ever heard the Earthling saying "Time flies when you're having fun"? Some think time also flies when you're about to get killed, or, in my case, worse. Definitely not true. Many others would agree with my saying, "Time is like a fly in amber when you're under a shining death ray." Yeah, I know it's not as catchy as the human one, but it fit my situation perfectly.

The light was inches from my own head, making my caramel brown hair glow blue. The crowd was frantic, stumbling into each other, trying to hit the ground. There was no point, really. I knew it would reach even the ground eventually.

My life story didn't come rushing back to me as I faced this danger, as authors sometimes put in their fictional tales. I didn't have any sudden revelations of what I should've done when I was younger and made bad decisions. Instead, my mind was practically blank; the only thoughts crossing my mind being, "Oh, wow, that person in front of me…No, it's getting hotter in here! I can feel it! Or maybe it's just me…."

It's those sudden thoughts you have when you're about to die that cracks you up afterward, either in the "afterlife," or if you actually survive. I haven't heard anyone laughing for no apparent reason, so I assume they all died or just didn't want to die of embarrassment.

The ground was cold, in contrast to the room above, which, actually, was getting warmer. The laser seemed to be giving off heat; how it did, I had no yearning to find out.

I know, you all want me to give the details about my feelings and all, because, really, who doesn't? But time wasn't working that way. The last of the girls still standing fell to the ground, and I finally grasped that I might not find a way to escape it, like all the characters in my books.

The beam blanketed the floor.

I let loose a sob despair; for my parents, my old life, my sister. Then fell limp.

It was strange.

I was unconscious, in a way, and it almost felt like my body was in suspended-animation. It really was an odd sensation. I could feel pain, my mind was functioning fine, but all around me was just solid darkness, like I was inside a box.

I started off feeling numb, unaware of anything around me. But after a while (I was unsure how long) I began feeling a tingling in my arms and legs. It seemed unimportant then, but as time went on, it continued, getting stronger, slightly painful, even. I had no thoughts of moving, or trying to find out what was happening or where I was. In fact, my mind was unusually tranquil; as if there weren't a care in the world despite the fact I was in…I didn't even care about where I was.

Suddenly, my limbs seemed to catch on fire. My thoughts still unconcerned somehow, pain spread through my legs and arms, seeming to fill them with unimaginable strength, even by my Lexiconian standards. Then it seemed to crawl slowly towards my body, towards my chest.

A tiny little hole ripped through the haze in my mind at that. My chest? There was something important there…something special…?

My eyes popped open. Former panic flooded back into my head. My first awareness was the already-present pain. I winced and tried to move, but only succeeding in making the burning greaten. I just managed to move my head to look down. There was darkness still in every direction, but I could see a faint yellow-tinged glow pulsing right in the middle of my chest, continuing to brighten.

Me.

Lexiconian.

I was Zaria. Not Encartian.

And the glow was…oh, no.

I could also feel that the burn in my veins was heading directly towards my source of Lexiconian power and life: my star. My birthmark of a true Lexiconian daughter.

Realization dawned on me further. This was the true way the Encartians willed the citizens of my planet to be theirs. They take away the Lexiconians' symbol of power, they take away both the captives' soul and ability. The Lexiconians have no chance of winning, so, in most cases, they just hand themselves over.

Strangely, instead of feeling worried or panicked, anger welled up in me. Disappointment, even. Not just at the Encartians, though they took up a lot of those emotional thoughts, but at the captives. I used to always think that they did something unknown to force the Lexiconians onto their side; but now, as I faced undetermined fate, I realized…no. I had to pull it together. I had to focus on the fact that…I was about to become one of those soulless Lexiconians myself!

The yellow glow became more pronounced, brighter. My body felt like it had been dunked into a pit of lava. There was nothing I could do.

Except, Zaria the Lexiconian knew that she would never give herself up. I never would. I put as much force into my aching body as possible, trying to move. I finally got my legs free from their paralyzed state…then my arms. The throbbing almost made me want to surrender, but I just glanced down determinedly at my star and continued.

I got my arms and legs free, but my body remained frozen to the spot. I didn't drop, or anything of the sort. I just hung there, which really turned out to be worse. My spirits started drooping at the lack of hoped freedom, until I looked back down at my body. I realized that I was still sore, but I no longer felt the crawling sensation. I had stopped it!

I was mentally patting myself on the back when it first came, though. It felt like someone had poured acid onto my face, making it burn. My head felt no better.

"Agggh!" I gripped the right side of my face in agony, now that my arms were free. It was like I was like someone was trying to iron my face. Then, somehow, I just blacked out from existence, my job seemingly done inside that dark hole.

When I awoke, I was staring up at a ceiling covered with different-sized lights, a couple flickering from low battery life. I blinked, the brightness like a wave of cold water after the darkness I had been in previously.

I groaned and sat up shakily. The room was mostly empty, but I spotted a few girls, seemingly weeping, in the corners of the large room. I had no idea where I was, and my memory was a little blurry, like I'd just woken up from a deep sleep. I guess, in a twisted way, I had.

I stood, only slight dizziness coming over me. I gazed around the quiet room. The corners were dark and dusty, and the dim lights only hit the middle of the room. The room itself wasn't too large, (at least not compared to the others I'd been in) only about 20 square feet.

Suddenly, I heard a gasp behind me. I whirled around to see…

"Posia!"

I rushed into my friend's outstretched arms and, I admit, laughed with pure delight. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

Posia sighed happily. "Oh, me, too, Zaria," she said. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it."

I pulled away, still holding her hands. "Wait…what do you mean 'wouldn't make it'? Why…wouldn't I?"

Posia looked downwards sadly. "Well, most prisoners aren't as lucky as you and I," she said. "We somehow managed to keep the Encartian roots out of our own, so we still have our Lexiconian spirits. So did these other girls." She gestured around the room at the couple of other captives. There were three in all. No one acknowledge us except for one little girl, who looked to be about seven. She offered a small, sad smile. I smiled back, though melancholy. The girl reminded me so much of my little sister…same huge, sparkling eyes, and smile, different hair color (Safira had wavy blonde hair, this girl had light chocolate brown) but this young one was older, and much more depressed. Obviously.

"Unfortunately…" Posia looked at me in the eye. I realized then that she had her dark chocolate-colored bangs flowing gently down one side of her face. Like…like…

She caught my wide-eyed expression and tried a small smile. "Unfortunately, we now possess the Encartians' powers." She ran a hand through her bangs. "Including their highly unattractive appearance."

I shook my head slowly, shocked. My own strip of brown bangs waved and I felt unwanted tears pricking my eyes. No, make that eye. The right side of my face still had a slightly scorched feeling, and I knew what had happened. I looked up at Posia, who had a knowing look on her face; we had shared the same experience, after all.

"Come," she said, breaking the silence, "I found a place where we can rest until they come to get us."

I settled into a moldy old cot Posia had found that they used for us prisoners. I was surprised that they even had any means of sleeping materials. I mean, these weren't ideal, but it was better than sleeping on solid ground.

Posia and I exchanged one last relieved smile, then my friend rolled over onto her side to sleep. But not before I caught a glimpse of green, mottled skin beneath her bangs. Like me.

I am so mean to my characters, aren't I? Yeesh. Tough luck for them. Hope you enjoyed at least a tad. ;-) And I've got big plans for the next couple 'o chapters (Those who follow me know that isn't always a good thing) So buckle up, and prepare for a bumpy ride!With maybe a few cliffs in the road. :D