Chapter Two;

I wake up to the sounds of wails and moans. Instantly, my eyes shoot open and I stare at my flat, red ceiling. Stretching, I raise my mostly stiff arms upwards. The walls of my room are painted with pixel portraits of swirls and lines. I lean forwards moving my rectangular legs over the edges of the bed and sit up straight. The world outside my window blazes away.

I move through the hallways of the elaborate brick fortress without a sound. No one else is awake yet. I am the only one.

I move through the kitchens with furnaces untouched from the previous evenings. There is food in the pantries, this I am sure of. I push the doors aside and look through everything. There is nothing instead. No one has eaten today. I am the only one.

Pulling out a bag from one of the closets, I fill it to the brim with empty bottles. I will collect what I need later. I walk back into the passages and head towards the lowest level. Not even a single footstep echoes throughout the always busy halls. No one lingers. I am the only one.

The lowest level contains nothing but a room where I have never been allowed before. I lower my head as I climb down the stairs and my ruby red hair falls down into my face. I move silently and swiftly. I am the only one.

The sounds of what I know will take me far away glisten and swirling. The black cubes have been specked with purple stripes. I know they have formed by water. I know they will take me far, far away. The blocks stand taller than I am, forming a rectangle. I place my hand down upon the lowest chunk and my internal heat lights it. It glows a strange amethyst color as I step inside the swirls. My last thought as I fade from this world is where I will end up, and what my home will become now that I am gone. I am no longer the only one.

I regain focus in a world coated in cubed trees. I instantly do not like this world. But it is too late to return now. I step forwards and my feet touch grass for the first time. I jerk back in surprise, but find I like the tickle it brings to my nerves. I have never felt anything but fire. This, this is new. And I like it.

The wood on the trees will make a nice hut for me, but I cannot even begin to gather anything. This is the first time I have left home in my whole life. I immediately want to explore. I want run across the grass and rest under the trees. I want to throw down the bag I have brought and dance. I want to ignite the world and make it my own. I want to live for the first time.

I cannot even begin to understand what I feel, this newfound freedom. The strange pain of the sharp grass against my feet. The longing. I run through the woods, feeling a sense have not felt before. I run until I reach the end of the tree line and stare out at a bumpy, cube hill. Or hills, rather. I watch the landscape and see forms of pigs, horses, and even the pixel sun high in the sky. My heart wants to rise up and fly with it. I cannot bring myself to move from where I stand. Then I hear another voice.

"What are you doing here?" I turn, and it is a boy. He is covered in dark clothing and has a hood over his head. His voice is thick with annoyance and irritated curiosity. I answer him quite simply in one word.

"Exploring." He does not even ask my name. He simply shrugs and begins to walk away. But then he stops and turns to me.

"Why are you here?" I do not answer right away. Frankly because I do not know how. His expectant lavender eyes glitter with amusement. Or maybe it is just my imagination.

"I ran away." It is the partial truth. There is more to my story, but this stranger does not need to know. He does not nod, he does nothing but stare at me. I wait for him to speak again but he does not. I glance down to what he holds in his hand and see it is a sword made of stone. It is cracked and looked like it would soon fall apart. I look back up at the boy and he is still looking at me. There is something about him I do not like, but something draws me closer. Not physically. But mentally. Why is he here? What does he want from me? Things I do not know.

"I'm Isaac." He extends a stiff rectangular arm. I take it and shake, releasing it right after.

"Queen." I am trying not to say too much. He takes no notice of the tension in my voice. Isaac moves towards me, his eyes narrowing as he glances across my face.

"A little bit away from the cities, don't you think?" He seems joking, but this stings against my mind. I am no city girl. I thrust my arms outwards, shoving him backwards. I am made of flames and as I hit his body, he is burning. This is real. I see the surprise in his eyes as he staggers. He does not expect something like this from someone like me. Then I see the faintest smile light up across his face. And in a second it is gone and he has regained balance.

"I'm not some precious little village girl." I sound frightened. I just hate being called that. But I do look like I would be from a town and not out here in the open. I am dressed completely in red. A sleeveless red turtle neck and matching red skinny jeans. A simple color pattern, my gloves are neon red with black stripes and stick out. They are what make me unique to him, I suppose. Isaac's eyes are narrowed again.

"I see…" He nearly whispers this to himself. He moves backwards another step. I study his face, the pale colors pushed down by dark clothing. Something is very wrong with him. Something I know all too well. I am not the only one.

I say nothing as he disappears into the woods, leaving me alone as the pixel sun falls. It is reassuring to be alone again. I move beneath the gentle lulling shade of the cubed birch tree. As I lie down, the night arises and I close my eyes. There is a simple necessity in sleeping and remaining awake. I want to stay awake. My body refuses to let me sleep. It tells me something is not right.

I listen to the silence of the air and the lingering questions in my mind. The silence hangs over me, sheltering me, holding me. But my questions about this world resurface as my eyes shoot open again. Then there are grunting noises from either side of me. I hold my breath. Whatever is there comes closer. Footsteps echo around me. I stay motionless. The grunting grows louder.

I turn around and find myself face to face with what I know is not human. It, whatever it is, is green and bloodstained. I remain motionless and it draws another shaky step towards me. It extends its arms and reaches towards me. And I burn its arms. I radiate and watch it flee.

On fire. Chuckling, I turn around. And I am staring at two black boots. My eyes flutter upwards and find the boy, Isaac, holding out his hand. I watch him, study his face again. He looks sure of himself as I take his hand. He hoists me up onto my feet.

"If I had known you were going to stay outside, I would have offered to build you something." He rubs his hand, which is a deep red color now. I nod and look down, embarrassed. He closes his eyes. "Need a place to stay?" he offers this, and I glare at him.

"I would like one." I reply far too bluntly. He does not notice and motions for me to follow him. His house, he says, is not far. It is too dark for him to realize I am blushing, even with the faint glow I am giving off.