"Those who are willing to be vulnerable

move among the mysteries."

-Theodore Roethke

"...da...Kida...Kida!"

The fog of sleep blurred my vision beyond recognition, however, the voice carried an air of familiarity. As if I was being summoned by a spell, my body responded and sleep was suddenly irrelevant. The surrounding warm light that enveloped me could not be mistaken as the bright morning sun solemnly seeped in from my own window.

How did I get here? Where did the forest go?

"Well, good morning, sleepyhead."

My trance broke. He smiled brightly from my bedside.

I gasped and almost fell backward. "Eli!? What the heck?!" It felt like I had been struck by lightning! "What in the world are you doing here?! And why are you in my room? You've never even been inside my room before."

His smile widened, a flash of amusement in his beautiful eyes. "How do you feel?" he asked with concern as if he had not heard my earlier outburst at all. "You hit your head pretty hard."

"What?" Instinctually, I touched the side of my head and brushed the cottony gauze wrapped around it. I couldn't resist wincing at the sharp contact. "Oh, yeah. I remember that." I was running...running fromor someone?" Without any warning, I flinched at the sudden warmth that touched my head. The contact burned, stirring something deep inside me and I struggled to contain the shudder down my spine.

"Eli..." I breathed, his face inches away from mine.

"Well thankfully, your pupils aren't dilated," he interrupted me, "Which means you don't have a concussion. Just a bad bump on the head." His hand lowered down to my face, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Clumsy girl."

"Eli," I repeated, my hands suddenly feeling warm and clenching the sleeves of my hoodie, "How did I get here? How are you here?"

A warm grin spread across his lips, lighting up his whole face in the glow of the afternoon sun.

"I'm so happy to see you. It's been so long," he said very softly, inclining his face closer to me.

My heart jumped in my throat and butterflies were sent aflutter in my stomach. "I...I missed you too. When did you get here? And how are we back here? This doesn't..."

He sat right in front of me, his hand tilting my head up to look at him. "I know. It feels unreal. I'm sorry for leaving like that and not telling you."

"No, that's...that's not what I mean. What about your letter?"

His face contorted in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I found your letter. The one that your dad wrote you? You wrote it for me too."

His face warped from confusion to a thoughtful stare, like his mind was on a completely different planet. "I'm really sorry. But it's alright now. You're here...with me."

What is happening? "Eli, how are you here? Your letter said it would be next to impossible for us to get back up here."

I planted my hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Eli, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me. You're the one who hit your head when you fell and got hurt. Clumsy girl," he said matter-of-factly, ruffling my hair.

"Hey," he said gently, as he pulled me close and his arms snaked around me, "Don't worry about that right now."

"Eli, let go of me," I yelled, pushing hard against him. But it did nothing. His grip was so tight!

"No way. I'll never let you go again," he whispered fervently into my ear. I quite literally froze as the fear finally gripped me. Not being able to see his face while he said this scared me even more. This isn't can't be real!

"Eli, let go of me right now!" I glanced up at his face as I pushed away from him, and I felt my own blood run cold. His eyes were wide and the wild look in them made me shudder. He squeezed me harder, pressing my face to his chest. His skin felt cold as ice!

"You're mine, Kida. Only mine."

"What are you!? Let me go!"

"It's not my fault you're so weak, Kida," Eli, no, that's not Eli, said as his arms grasped my arms and shook me, "You could not have done any of this without my help."

"I'm not listening to you!" My head throbbed and spun as he shook me. He whispered directly into my ear, chuckling snidely.

"Poor lonely little Kida, without a friend in the world. She could never have survived on her own without me.

She's strong.

A hiss stung my ears, like a hundred shrieking voices. I covered my ears and screamed to drown out the noise!

"Hey! Angel! Wake up!" The oppressive voice invaded my thoughts, before fading it in an instant.

A thick black fog obscured my vision.

"Screw this!" A voice yelled as I was grabbed by the shoulders and legs. My head spun as I was picked up and bounced up and down in his grasp.

"What's going on?!" I shrieked in panic!

He grunted as he ran with me and practically dropped me like a ragdoll onto the seat of his mecha. The metal beast rumbled to life as the wind picked up and rushed in my ears!

"Hang on if you don't want to fall!" he bellowed. I clung to his back for dear life as the beast bumped up and down. I felt the rush of something flying past me, just shy of the right side of my head. It hit a tree with a sickening BOOM andCRACK! My mind still swimming, I looked back over my shoulder, and what I saw shocked me!

The trail behind us was cloaked in a dark mist that pursued us with vicious resolve! Just behind, there were eyes! Dozens of them! A savage flame burned in their pupils, a flame that threatened to scorch me! They hissed like a brood of vipers, poised to devour us both.

I scrunched my eyes closed and buried my face in his shirt. "What are they?!"

"Trouble! Hang on! We're almost out!"

"Hey, can you let go? We're safe now."

I opened my eyes and the mecha was still. The shock kicked in and felt as if I was going to faint. My breathing became heavier and felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Hey, we're fine now." He grasped my shoulders. His voice sounded so hazy and sunk into the ground with me. "Angel, you're breathing too fast," he said in a softer tone.

"Okay, calm down. I know this has been a crazy time for you, so just go easy." He said gently, patting my shoulders.

I mimicked his breathing and my heart started to slow down. I lifted my head as my eyes looked up to meet his.

"What...the heck...was THAT?" I asked shakily.

"Shadow Clan."

Well, that doesn't sound ominous at all. "The what?"

"Ancient creatures, that have been here as long as the slugs? Don't you know about them?"

Oh geez. "I mean...yeah, I've heard about them, but I've never seen one before."

"I'd be surprised if you had. Barely anyone has ever seen one of the Shadow Clan up close, or at least spoken about it."

"Why were they chasing us?" I finally asked.

The worry was evident in his eyes, which made me even more anxious. "I don't know. We weren't anywhere near their territory, so they should not have been that close to any populated areas."

"I can see why," I gasped, heaving deep breaths.

He knelt down in front of me. "We're not near any busy towns, but we're far off their territory now, so just take some time to catch your breath."

"What...happened?" I asked seriously, still trying to catch my breath.

"I heard a noise while when I was asleep, like snakes hissing in my ear. I woke up, and one of them was leaning over you. You were tossing and turning like you were having a bad dream."

"I was."

"Hmm?"

"Nothing. I'm just a little shaken." I shouldn't tell him.

"Don't worry. They're long gone."

Wait...Oh no! I sprung off the ground and scanned the area. "Oh no, my slugs! Have you seen Banter? We didn't leave them, did we?"

"Calm down. They're right here." Three heads poked out of the capsules on his belt. Banter trilled nervously as he made a beeline into my shoulder and nuzzled my cheek.

Shocker and Widow followed suit and I knelt down to hold them.

"They really seem to like you a lot. So, you have a close bond with your slugs?"

I stood and looked him hard in the eyes. "Why do people find that strange? They're creatures, not just gun bullets."

I couldn't see well under his mask, but it seemed like he was smiling. "Good answer. Truth is, many other people forget about that and seem to only care about powering them up or getting the ones with the best abilities. Are they like pets to you?."

"No, more like friends," I said, smiling. What is with this guy? He kidnaps me out of town, carries me away as his hostage, and then saves me? He could have left me back there and let that 'Shadow Clan' get me, and he could have left my slugs too. He's really strange. This whole place gets weirder and weirder.

"So? What happens now?" I asked, " I did promise you that I would do anything, and you haven't told me what it is you want. I know everything comes with a price. You could have let those guys back in town catch me, so why didn't you?"

He seemed unfazed by the directness in my voice, and calmly relaxed his shoulders."You're a smart one. But you don't have to assume that everyone wants something from you or is out to get you. Not everyone is like that."

"After today, I'm more suspicious than ever. And don't be so concerned, I'm no stranger to being surrounded by enemies."

He stepped closer to me, staring me hard in the eyes. "You could have run away while I was asleep, but you didn't. Why?"

He doesn't seem like a bad person, but it feels like he's still playing with me. "Because I would have ended up run down by the Shadow Clan, or lost out here. Better to be someone's hostage than all alone."

"I didn't tie you or restrain you, so you're not a hostage."

Is he serious!? "Liar, you grabbed me and rode off with me. Some would call that kidnapping."

"If I hadn't, they would have found you and taken you to Blakk Citadel," he said, hands on his hips, "And no big deal, but I still haven't heard a 'thank you' yet."

I involuntarily crossed my arms and stepped just a foot away from him, "Thank you, for getting me away from them. However..."

"Oww! Why did you just flick me?"

I smirked. "That's for freaking me out, and all the secrecy. I owe you a more fierce beating than that, Eli."

His face was stricken in shock.

And that's a wrap...for now, but not for long ^^

HEEEEEY Guys! Guess who's back! I know what you are all thinking...and feel free to let me have it. For those who are still here, thank you for your patience. Y'all are the ABSOLUTE best, and I love you ALL!