220: I am Animus -Sara-

"It will be okay. It was just a dream."

I stood near a bed, on which sat a small girl with tears in her eyes. The speaker stood nearby; a tall man with striking features and ageless eyes. Where was I? I had tried to possess that Arabic girl and then this.

"Patrick," She started to wail louder, "They wouldn't allow me on the boat! The rain was coming down in torrents and I was gonna drown, but no one wanted me on board. They told me I wasn't one of them. they said that I was just a tool to be used and discarded."

"She couldn't get on because I enjoyed watching her squirm." A voice to my side made me turn. Standing there was a nearly identical little girl, though this one seemed very different and dark.

"What's going on here?"

"That's not important. You should keep watching, because I know what you are now and there's something you should know." I found her smile disturbing as she turned toward the bed again.

"Saba, I'm sorry." Patrick sat down next to her and pulled her close, "I wish I could give you words of comfort."

"I'm not like them am I?"

Patrick shook his head, "You're not, and when the time comes you will be left behind."

"But why?" Her voice came out in a whine and the tears started again, "I don't want to be left behind. I want to be like everyone else."

The man named Patrick actually had tears in his eyes, "I'm going to be left behind as well. Neither of us will last, we're not meant too. Humans are forever and we're not."

"But . . . but I feel human." I was tiring of hearing the girl whine, but without knowing how to escape I could only sit and watch.

"I know. You need to understand that you're a copy, and one day you'll no longer exist," Patrick looked into her eyes and smiled, "but that doesn't make us any less important. The humans need our help, now more than ever."

"Why am I important?" She looked up at him, slowly calming down.

"You remember the story of Gilfred?"

She nodded.

"There are only four known beings like that, do you remember?"

She nodded again, "The Human Race, Gilfred, Animus, and Mardockt. Mardockt was made by Gilfred and is a bad, bad man, he's who we're trying to stop. Gilfred and Animus have been around forever. Animus is the power of the mind."

"Well, a long time ago, there was only three which lead Gilfred to decide to create Mardockt. The human race is unable to take direct action before a threat presents itself so the only being that could stop Gilfred was Animus."

Animus. Why did that name sound so familiar? Beside me I heard the dark one giggle.

"Here's where it gets good, keep listening." She stepped backwards into the darkness and I turned to watch the events that were taking place.

"Are these your memories?" I heard no response.

"Animus could tell that Gilfred shouldn't being doing it so she stood up against him by creating several armies; An army of fairy-folk, an army of Angels, and the army of the Cubi. To the fairies she gave great magical prowess, to the Angels she gave varying abilities centering around something human or natural, and to the Cubi she gave the gift of charm and politics. When she had finished, Gilfred was nearly done. She swept in with her armies, laying waste to whatever Gilfred put in her way."

My head began to hurt as I got a flash of standing above a sea of creatures, all armed and ready to do my biding. I shook it away and kept watching.

"I remember this part, can I tell it?" The girl smiled and rubbed her red eyes, "Gilfred knew the armies were strong, so to stop them he gave them each fatal weaknesses, that allowed them to be overcome easily. Fairies were suddenly able to be killed using their names, angel's abilities were sealed away, and the Cubi had to consume living energy to survive. Animus was defeated and she vanished, never to be heard from again. When Mardockt was created, Gilfred realized that she had been right so he contained Mardockt away and unsealed the Angel's powers so that they could be Mardockt's guardians until he found a way to destroy him."

I fell to my knees. Another flash and I was stepping up to an old man. He turned with a surprised yell and I felt myself tear into millions of pieces. I shook my head and tried to ignore the pain.

"Animus did get to Gilfred. She was going to stop him and since Animus couldn't be destroyed Gilfred did the only thing he knew would help. He destroyed her body."

No. No no no. I grabbed my head as pain seared across it.

"Gilfred needed a place to contain her so he put pieces of her into each human and over time those pieces broke down and were passed on through the generations. Now every human alive has a small bit of Animus within them, one could call it memory but that's a very basic way of describing it."

I was Animus. I knew that now.

"But this doesn't make me important."

"It makes you very important. You don't have a piece of Animus within you. To her, you're an empty shell, a body that she can use to collect the rest of herself when she awakens."

I knew something was off with that Arabic bitch. Now I knew where I was and I smiled. I would no longer need to jump from body to body. I could just kill them and go to the next human with a piece. I was unstoppable now. I started to laugh but stopped as I looked down at my hand. I could not move my fingers. I felt my breath quicken in terror.

"Sadly, you aren't human. You're a copy, made by me to contain her indefinitely. She'll find herself unable to exert her control and she'll fall into a deep slumber until she's needed. Without you she'll go on killing constantly, so in a way you are the human's defense against her."

I heard laughter next to me and looked at the dark eyes of the young girl, "I don't want to go to sleep. Help me."

"You won't. I'm a flawed experiment. Normally, you fall into a slumber," She laughed and I felt dread in my heart, "but with me you'll simply be unable to do anything . . . except feel . . . as you spend years and years under my blade."

She pulled a knife from behind her back and approached smiling.

This was worse than being incomplete.

Flashback 217: God-Rank -Indigo-

I was twenty-three when I earned my God-Rank. I was the second youngest person to earn their God rank; the first being Patrick at age 15.

I stood in front of my Father as he looked at me. He smiled and motioned for me to step forward. I had been waiting for this day even though I already knew what I would be God-ranking into. My power involved emotions; I could see and manipulate a person's emotions, but with my touch I could do all that, and create or destroy emotions as well. I was jumping right up to the top and becoming the Goddess of Emotions.

God-ranking was a rite of passage for most of us. We aspired toward it so we could find out where we ranked compared to our other classmates. Getting a rank could either give or take some power from the receiver, and very rarely did it ever leave them the same. It all really depended on what my Father decided was best, but most had a change to their abilities happen when they were ranked.

"Indigo, my dearest daughter, you have done well in proving yourself and you demonstrate incredible control over you ability, and that makes me proud."

I stood tall and proud like a daughter should. This was my moment.

"What doesn't make me proud is the relationship you have with Patrick. I've even heard rumors that you've joined him in his crusade to find an imaginary person. You spread rumors of a war that is going to be worse than the one we're in right now and you did all of this against my wishes."

My pride deflated like a popped balloon. How could I explain my feelings for Patrick? My feelings that had not been returned despite my best efforts. Everything my Father had said was happening started because I wanted to be noticed, but over time I realized that Patrick was speaking the truth and trying to save us from destruction.

"Dad, I didn't mean to disappoint you. Once I'm God-ranked then I'll be sure to make you proud."

"Or you could end up taking my rule right out from under me and giving it directly to Patrick." He slammed his hand on the throne's armrest, "You disobeyed a direct order from your ranking officer and your father. You have disgraced my name more than any has yet."

"But Father . . . " I felt the tears flow but didn't care, "I'm sorry."

"You have proved yourself to be capable of God-rank, that is true. So your rank shall be Goddess of Guilt, a title suitable for someone who has shamed their family so much."

I felt my powers slip away as I fell to my knees. I would no longer control all emotions, my control would center around guilt alone. Sadness at the loss of my ability built up in my chest and then slowly formed to anger. I pulled myself to my feet and smiled a dark smile at my Father.

The room became heavy with guilt. Some people burst into tears while others began tearing at their faces. I slowly intensified the feeling until everyone was trying to kill themselves over the guilt they felt. Except my Father. He sat there unaffected, like always. Our powers didn't work on our parents, something to do with protective powers through blood.

He stared at me angrily until the last person fell, "Are you done?"

I turned and stomped through the puddles of blood to the door, "I hate you."

I closed the door behind me and then fell to the floor in tears. How could he do that? How could my Father be so cruel? I thought he loved me, but I was nothing but a tool that had broken.

"So, I need a favor." It was Patrick and coming from across the hall.

I looked up at him, tears still streaming down my face, "Will it hurt my Father?"

"Yes. If I'm right, then it will do more than just hurt him."

I wiped the tears from my face, "You saw what happened in there?"

"No, but I did hear it. Your father is a very twisted man."

I ran up to hug him but he sidestepped, "Indigo, I can't ask anyone else to do this. I need your help."

I knew I would help him already. I wanted to make my Father suffer for destroying my powers like he did, "What do you need?"

"I need you to find someone willing to perform the needed spell so that I can go to the human realm. I think that's where Gilfred is hiding."

"I'll do it." I couldn't deny the request of someone I loved.

And I didn't care anymore.

Flashback 211: Adjusting part 1 -Christina-

"Miss," He tugged at my armor for the fourth time, "Miss, could you grab that candy off the top shelf?"

He'd been tugging on my armor since I'd walked into the store, and immediately after I noticed that everyone was staring at me. I knelt down till I was eye level with the young boy and smiled, "If you like those fingers then you'll stop bothering me, okay? Now go ask your mom for help before I chop off those stubbly toes."

Very quickly his face transformed into a wail and I regretted not just helping the boy. His mother came running and pulled him away from me.

"What did you do to my boy? He never cries like this!" She stormed out of the store as I turned back to the newspaper. It had been a long time since I'd been put inside that jar and things had certainly changed. Most humans seemed even more mindless save for the few that I'd met before.

They were still squabbling over religion and killing each other for material possessions; barbarians in a suit. Feeling a tap on my shoulder I spun around grabbing my assailant and flipping him on to the stack of papers. I twisted his arm so it was under his body and then slammed my elbow into his gut.

"I'm not here to hurt you!" He cried, "I'm not here to hurt! Let me go!"

I released him and pushed him off the newspaper, "You shouldn't have come up behind me. Now go, I'm not in need of help."

"Listen, the manager of the store has called the police and they will be here any second. So, we kind of have to get out of here before they show up."

"I can kill them if they decide to attack me."

"I don't doubt it, but killing is really bad and will just make more show up. They're kind of like roaches, where there's one there's hundreds."

"Fine, what do you suggest?" I grabbed a newspaper and something called a RingDing.

"We le-" He stopped and slapped his forehead, "Too late."

"Hello, Miss? I think you should come down to the station with us." A person behind me spoke with authority. He made himself sound so important that a small giggle escaped my lips. I turned to see a small man with his hands on his hips. The only weapons seemed to be a large stick and a really small L-shape object.

"I'm really sorry officers." The man behind me stepped around to the front, "This is my mentally challenged sister an-"

"I am not your sister." I would not tolerate someone lying about me, "and what is mentally challenged? If I find out you're insulting me . . . "

The man looked like he'd just lost a fight, "You were not supposed to disagree."

"You lied, how is that disagreeing? I just told the truth."

The short man grabbed my arm, "Alright, your both coming with me!"

Elbow to face was my response. The man stumbled backwards, his hands holding his bleeding nose. I grabbed his right shoulder and spun him so he was facing the window of the shop. From there it only took a small kick to send him out the window.

"Holy Shit!" Two voices, the man that lied and the other "police" outside, who was eating a doughnut. The clumsy man dropped his doughnut in surprise as the short man flew out the window. Glass littered the ground and I heard some people scream behind me.

The man outside lifted up the L-shaped object and pointed it at me, he was shaking.

"Put your weap-" He noticed that I had no weapons and blinked a few times, "Come out with your hands up, both of you!"

Was raising the hands the new bow? I would never do that! I stepped out the window, one glance at the short man told me he was alive.

"Hands up! Now!" He was still pointing the object toward me.

The man who lied stepped down next to me, "You are a piece of work. I was trying to avoid something like this. Now please put your hands up before this only gets worse. You see what he's holding? It's a gun, it can kill you."

I knelt down and grabbed a small shard of glass, "Oh, it's a weapon." I flicked my wrist and a loud thwack was heard followed by a clattering noise as the gun fell to the ground.

"Oh, no." The man beside me put his hand over his face.

I slide up next to the police man as he reached for his gun. I grabbed his belt and lifted him in the air. A quick jab to the gut and he quickly went limp, "What? He was wielding a weapon. What was I supposed to do?"

I glared at the man as he reached for my arm, stopping him mid-grab.

"Lady, you need to follow me before more of them show up."

"You're very annoying with your demands."

"Yeah, I'm told that a lot. Now come on."

I followed him as he ran down the street and jumped a fence.

Flashback 206: Humanitarian -Kelly-

"You are hereby banished from these lands for the crime of loving a human. You are to never return and your powers will be stripped away from you until I judge you worthy."

I stared at my brother's angry face and saw no change, "But . . . I'm your kin. You can't do this to me!"

"In addition, for the murder of the high priest and priestess, from this moment on no living being will be able to return you any affections. Until your punishment is complete you will spend your days alone."

Pain tore through my body as my powers were ripped away. It was like five thousand needles were inserted in to my body and then shot with massive amounts of electricity. I fell to my knees gasping for air. I grasped at air with my hands toward where my brother stood, "It was an accident. I had no idea. Please, don't."

"Kelly," His voice was cold and heartless, "it was our parents; you killed our parents. So let me tell you this plainly. I don't care if your punishment ends. If I ever see you again, then I'll kill you dead. You will NEVER have your powers back."

He stood and motioned to his guards who grabbed me by the shoulders and dragged me to the portal's opening. Jason was the high priest now, having taken the spot upon the death of our Father. His wife would be the priest and I would be discarded and forgotten, a painful memory that he would force in to hiding until it became relevant. That was the way of the Succubi and Incubi. The way of my people.

They tossed me through the portal as if I were a child.

I felt the car smash in to my side and the air whooshing past as I flew in to a ditch at the side of the road. I felt the pain and knew I was injured, but being inhuman granted me a certain amount of endurance that was much higher than that of normal mortals. I would live, if I didn't move.

"Oh my . . . call 9-1-1! I hit someone!" The voice was male.

"Will . . . is she going to be okay?" Female. Probably a mate.

"Not if you don't make that call." I heard scuffles as the male made his way down the slope to me.

"It's going to be alright." He breathed, "We're getting help."

Humans were so different from my people. My people have stayed the same for thousands of years, unchanging in their habits, abilities and beliefs, but humans are constantly changing. Long ago they were too weak to battle against us, so all the prominent families had their own human settlements to feed from when needed, but now humans had grown stronger and broken away from our control. My people are heartless and cold toward a person of another species while humans had the ability to escape the confines of their raising, and show affection for someone or something different than them.

The cold of the night air was replaced by the warmth of the ambulance and then the cool of the hospital A/C. The sensations were too much and the pain was making my vision blurry, so I closed my eyes and slept.

When I awoke I was looking up at the face of the man that saved me. Beside him stood a young woman and a small child, both of them looking very concerned. The child had tears in her eyes but started smiling once I started moving.

"You shouldn't move much. The doctors say that even though you were very lucky, you shouldn't move much. You did quite a bit of damage to yourself."

"Where am I?", I glanced at the window but it was closed and the blinds drawn.

"You're at the hospital. You ran in front of my car. I thought that I'd killed you."

"What's your name?"

"Will. William Melahn."

"William." My love's name had been William as well. I expected worse to have become of him, seeing as he's the one that dealt the killing blow to both of my parents. "You saved my life. I think I owe you."

"I was the one that hit you with my car. I'd call us even."

I sat there powerless and injured, staring at the face of a man who had the name of my parents' murderer. Yet for some reason I felt calm, peaceful and safe. I felt . . . human.

I never expected to have anything to do with the Other Lands again.

205: Hartman Tribe -Alice-

I stood there frozen in place as I heard movement all around me getting closer. The Black Baggers were hunting me and I didn't know what direction they were coming from.

I was still in the garden, but my back was against a stone wall with pathways leading to my left and right. On the other side of the plants in front of me, I could hear the Bagger that I had escaped from trying to pull at the plants. For the moment they were holding, but I couldn't be too sure how long they'd stay that way.

From both directions I could hear movement now. I was trapped with out any way to defend myself.

Why had I agreed to this? Had Ben known it would be dangerous? If so, he didn't say anything. I shook my head. No. Ben wouldn't have done that, he wouldn't have put me in danger intentionally unless he had no choice.

The screaming started up again as they got closer. Any second now they'd be visible in the pathway, and soon after they'd get to me. I sat staring to the right, waiting for them to appear.

"Hey!", I felt something hit the top of my head, it was a rope made of sheets. Glancing up I saw a guy's head looking out a window.

"Are you going to stay down there and let them get you, or climb up?" There was sarcasm in his voice, but I ignored it as I grabbed the sheet-rope.

Just as they started pulling me up The Black Baggers appeared in my pathway racing toward me.

"Pull faster!"

"We're pulling as fast as we can!"

I swung my foot out and caught a Bagger in the face as it got close. It fell back, causing the ones behind it to trip into a mess of black bags, arms and legs. When the next group of Baggers got to me, I was too high for them to reach. I grabbed the windowsill and pulled myself inside.

Inside the room stood the guy that helped me and four people. There was a young woman with a young child, a tall, fat guy who was lying on the bed looking at the ceiling, and another tall guy that wasn't as fat as the last, but had some weight on him.

The one who helped pointed to the young woman and child, "This is Stephanie Berthiaume and her daughter, Emily.", he gestured to the one that was lying down, "That's Alex Kayser, and finally this is Vincent Smith. He joined us just right before you did." He held out his hand.

"And I'm Jason Hartman."

200: Fatal Shadow -Unknown-

It took me three hours and twelve people to find the exact location of Patrick, and I won't lie; some of those people would have trouble walking for a while. I wasn't cutting corners. I wasn't taking chances. I knew better. You make a mistake or take a shortcut and you're dead. The only thing you can do is be one step ahead of the rest. You have to know the enemy so well that even their preference of cereal isn't a mystery to you.

I'd left them standing there staring after me. I didn't even hang up the phone. It was as though the sound of the death unlocked parts of me I'd never knew existed. An entire lifetime of espionage, and assassination flooded my mind. I knew the points on someone's body that would knock them out, cripple them, or worse. I could get to those spots before they could blink and disappear just as fast. Nothing was untouchable and as soon as I put my sights on a target, nothing could sway my gaze.

I wasn't a meek girl anymore.
I was the seven year old bringer of death.
I was a fatal shadow.
I was the eyes you always feel on you.
I was what made you hesitant to go into a dark room unarmed.
I was Crystal, and I was very, very mad.

Guards were nothing; just targets. They didn't last long enough to be surprised. There were three at the front doors. I always used the front door, because I wanted to spit in the face of my target's security. I wanted them to know when I arrived so that I could easily earn the quivering fear that I deserved to be shown. I left the gun where they laid and instead grabbed a single grenade as insurance. It's not that I didn't know how to use a gun. I could disassemble them in seconds and put them together just as fast. I had a killer's aim, but that was no surprise. I didn't pick them up because I wouldn't need them.

They wouldn't see me.

A group of seven heavily armed men flooded down the hall where I had been just earlier. They knelt to check the status of the door guards. Alive. I needed them to remember me. I needed them to fear me. I needed everyone in this place to know they weren't safe if they crossed me.

I came down like a spider from my hiding spot in a small nook on the ceiling. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. A single touch and every last one of them would be in a coma for a week. I left the pile of bodies near the door as I made my way deeper into the interior of the building.

I slipped into a room as I heard a voice coming closer. John. My friend working for the wrong side, so he wouldn't get special treatment. Open the door to the face, and a single jab to one of those special places I knew of. He fell like a brick. Not coma, but he'd be out long enough for me to complete what I'd come here to do. I disarmed him just in case. During the time I'd known him he'd done some very surprising things, and there was NO way I was going to underestimate him. Jay and Tim were all that was left to make a move, and the only person that had seen me was Tim. He probably saw my entrance in the video feeds.

After taking John down I turned to the nearest camera and waved.

Jay would be in the library, and Tim in the control room. Simple.

Jay's face felt the heel of my foot before the world went dark. He wouldn't be getting up any time soon. I left the library and made my way to the showers; Patrick would be there unaware of my coming.

The doors to the bathroom were closed and locked, but a hairpin and thirty seconds later that obstacle was gone.

Patrick wasn't human, that much I was aware of. I wouldn't be able to rely on the normal means to do him in. He was also very experienced, and had probably had many assassins try to take him out. He would be ready for me and that wasn't something I could stop. We were in his territory, so I was all ready at a disadvantage. I had to switch it around. I had to change the field of battle so that it fell in my favor, or at least evened the odds.

I closed my eyes and counted to forty, all the while I could hear the shower running around the corner. I could hear his whistling as though he had no remorse or guilt about what he'd done. It drove me mad. I hit forty, turned off the lights, and opened my eyes.

I had already adjusted to the dark so getting to Patrick in his surprised state was simple. My fist said hello to his nose with a crack loud enough to cause my ears to ring. I jumped back as he swung blindly in the dark.

"Who are you?! Where are you!?", he yelled angrily as he tried to hit me.

I silently moved behind him, ignoring the heat of the shower water as my knee crashed into the small of his back.

Patrick went down to one knee faster than I'd expected. I figured that he'd be some kind of monster like the ones we'd faced before. I didn't even fathom that he could possibly be simply human.

"Attacking someone in the dark is pathetic! Attack me to my face you pathetic fool!" His face was fuming, as angry as I could get it.

"You didn't attack me to my face. You went after my Father. You are the coward!"

Even in the dark I could see the blood drain from his face. He hadn't even thought that I would be capable of coming after him. He didn't even think I had it in me to make a one man assault on his badly guarded fortress. It was breathtaking to watch his anger swiftly change to a worried uncertainty. I watched his mind put the pieces together by reading the small changes on his face. A small look of guilt slid over his face and then vanished into anger again.

"You." He stood to his feet, and as I watched him he seemed to gain more confidence, "You killed the only human in this horrible world that I actually cared about. You took Saba away from me, so I went straight after the only people that I could to make you feel my pain. Do you? Do you feel the horrific feeling of loss like I do? After my employee finished his work, I called him and do you know what he told me?"

I could feel my anger growing as he started to explain his actions, as though he was justified in killing such a kind and innocent person.

"He told me that he missed." I felt my heart skip a beat, "He said that he had to sit there and watch your father choke on his own blood for half an hour before death."

My anger erupted with a ferocity I had never felt before. My foot was on his chin, followed by the heavy thumps of my fists bruising his chest, knocking him out of the showers and closer to the door. He tried to retaliate, but the lack of sight made his swings ineffectual and pointless. He leaped through the door, crushing it to the ground. He was moving toward the light so he'd have a better advantage, but I was right behind him.

Before he even got back to his feet I was there, leveraging his weight to catapult him back into the showers where he collided into the wall with a crunch of linoleum. I pulled out the grenade as I moved to the door. My finger yanked the pin as I smiled at his very surprised face.

"WAIT!" Patrick's voice made me hesitate, "Wait. If you let me live, than I can help you."

"Now who's pathetic? Can't you just at least die as something other than a cockroach? Don't you dare try to weasel your way out of this.", I prepared to toss it.

"No. I can tell you how to bring Vincent back."

Patrick had earned some more time.

198: Daddy? -Ben-

"I'm sorry sir, you've been declined." The clerk looked upset and confused.

I forced down the rising frustration, "Okay, I had plenty of money on there to pay for the rooms just earlier today. You must be doing something wrong."

"Sir, I've tried it three times. Maybe you should give the bank a call?" She looked at me timidly.

"I think I will." I turned to see Nick and Crystal walking through the hotel doors.

"What's going on?", Nick jogged up, "Is there a problem?"

"They're telling me I have no money. I just checked the balance earlier today."

"No problem, let me see if I can help." Nick handed his card to the clerk and in a few moments it was returned with the same explanation.

"We have no money. Who could be doing this?", Nick looked exasperated.

"We can't even pay for a way back."

"I might be able to help.", Crystal spoke up, her voice shaky and unsure. "I could call my Daddy."

I'm sure that Nick and I had the same surprised look on our face. Crystal had chosen not to talk to her father, because there was no way she could explain this.

"You don't have to. We'll find another way to pay.", I stated.

"No. After losing Vincent," she looked at the floor, "I don't want to lose anyone else. I'm going to have to find a way to tell him."

She walked to the hotel phone and dialed the number.

196: Not Dead -Carl-

"Melissa isn't dead, Carl. She's out there somewhere causing more mayhem, and we have to stop her before she goes too far." The small fairy flew up and gave me a fierce gaze.

I had been in my hotel room for only 10 minutes alone when I had heard the tapping on the window. I was surprised to find a male fairy floating outside waiting to get in.

"I'm not going anywhere. My friend just died, I have to be here for the people that need me."

"I wish it was different, Carl, but this is more important than that. She's been planning something for a very long time and it's all coming together slowly. The pact, Joshua, your curse being broken; all of it a part of her plan, everything working together toward a single, horrible goal. One that we cannot allow to come to fruition."

"Who are you?" I hadn't had a chance to ask him his name before he'd started ranting about going after Melissa.

"My name is Qaliphus. I was with Melissa when she came to this world. Soon after I realized her intentions and had to fake my own death so that I could find a way to stop her. It saddens me to say that several innocents lost their lives so that I could get away, but they were needed sacrifices for the greater good."

I was getting angry. This fairy was dancing around the subject, not getting to his point. It was almost as though he was ashamed. I walked to the mini-bar and poured myself a drink.

"What's she planning?"

The fairy smiled, "We lost the war between us and the Gods. Melissa and I had escaped with the intentions of settling down and hiding. I wanted nothing more than to live out the rest of my life, but Melissa had other intentions. While I was growing attached to humans, she was becoming less sympathetic for their kind. The only humans she had any feelings for were the children. She saw them as completely innocent and untouched by the evil of age."

I was growing impatient as I took another gulp of my drink. I walked to the bed and sat on it, thinking about everything Melissa had done.

"She told me of her plans one night and I was horrified. Carl, she plans on bringing all the fairies back."

I stared at the small fairy, his eyes were honest and his face stern.

"Why are you against that? You're a fairy yourself."

He sighed and sat at the edge of the bed, "I'm a traitor, Carl. I never told Melissa, but I told the Gods our battle plans in the final battle." He shook his head, "My people are a cruel and heartless race. We know nothing of mercy and strive to control everything we can. Even our magics used to belong to another race that we wiped out. We tortured humans for fun, murdering them when we got bored. As I grew up I began to feel sorry for the humans, and when I had the chance to save them, I took it."

I raised a brow, "You wiped out your entire race to save mine? That's bold. Very, very bold."

I had to admit, I was impressed. Qaliphus had went against everything he was raised to believe to stop the torture of another race. I could see that it was difficult for him, but I could also tell that he was set on keeping humans safe at all costs.

"So," I put my glass down, "what makes you think she's not dead?"

"Fairies are notoriously hard to kill. If her name isn't used to kill her then she's not dead. You need to understand that she's planned so far ahead and if she succeeds, then the human race will be wiped out in seconds."

"How did the Gods even have any chance of winning against your race if they didn't know your names?" I knew her name was powerful but I didn't know it was required to kill her. No wonder it was the only thing that could control her.

I had already decided that I would go with him. I reached over to grab a shirt, and a sword that I'd snatched from the museum in the turmoil. As I stood he flew up to the door.

"They didn't, not until I gave them all the fairies names." I saw his strong demeanor falter slightly. I saw a deep sadness.

Could I kill my entire race to save another?

195: Bite Me -Sara-

"HEY-LO NEW YORKERS!"

My head jerked up from the steering wheel so fast I nearly got whiplash.

"It's me, Jerry, and I'm here to tell you to wake up! Rub that sleep out of your eyes because it's a sunny day in New York and there is a lot to tell. First thing's first, do you all remember the Identity murders?"

There was still a massive pain in my head and I didn't remember anything beyond leaving the apartment. Someone had to have seen me. Maybe they got me to my car.

"Well, the sad news is they've found another victim. A young male going by the name David Lanier, was found brutally murdered in an apartment right across the street from this studio. The way I hear it, the police are looking for a young lady by the name of Sara Coons. They're worried that she might be the next victim."

That's where I had been heading. I tried to recall what had happened but the sharp pain in my head told me to stop. What was going on? I put my hands on the steering wheel and nearly fainted. These weren't my hands. My hands were small, feminine and had painted nails. These were large, masculine and had the words "Bite me" written across their knuckles.

I glanced down at myself to find that I was very male. I grabbed my chest as the panic grew.

"Oh God, oh God someone help me please.", my voice was gruff and dangerous.

I turned to look out the back window and that's when I saw the message sprawled across the back windshield, and what ever was left of a body smeared across the backseat. I bit back my gag reflex and turned to look out the front windshield again.

Who ever it was had been very clearly female, with red hair, and wearing the same clothes that I was wearing when I woke up in the apartment. I bit back the panic and tried to come up with a plan, but what was I supposed to do? Just last night I had been female, and now I'm more male than I'd ever wanted to be. I heard distant sirens and knew they'd be headed my way, so all I had to do was wait.

I glanced back at the message, and then at the steering wheel. What if they thought this was all me? What if they thought I did it? I wasn't myself today; literally. There was no way to explain this to them.

"Hey officer, this isn't what it looks like. See, I'm actually a girl.", I said out loud, "Right, that's going to work."

I glanced at the words again.

'Run, Sara Coons. Run.' in the darkest red.

And that's what I planned on doing.

194: Two Dollars -Crystal-

Three days had passed since the museum incident and we had barely spoken to one another. We were still at the Hotel. We ran into each other often, but silence was the common language.

Vincent's death had hit everyone harder than you'd have thought. We didn't even say his name anymore, and even if we did I don't think I could say it with out breaking down. I had only lived a short time and all ready I had to deal with the death of a close friend.

It was times like these that I wished I had my Father to run to.

We didn't know whether or not to bury Vincent. Instead, we burned what was left of the bear; a warrior's funeral. It wasn't fair. It could have happened to anyone, and it had to be him.

Vincent had saved my life more times than I could remember. When I was younger, before he came to life, he scared away the darkness just by being there. Then he fought for everyone I cared about till his death. Now he's gone and it should have been someone else. Someone who deserved it; maybe me.

Carl says that he died a death worthy of someone great, but the truth is that he was killed while completely unconscious. He was killed in his sleep, which normally would have been peaceful, but this sleep was anything but. Vincent died terrified, fighting and alone.

I stared in to the toy shop at the arrangements of bears in the window, hoping that one of them would get up and start talking. I had been staring for 5 hours now. I had watched as the lights in the shop dimmed and the owner locked the doors. All I had was this hope, and if I looked away then I would be admitting that he's gone.

I shouldn't be this attached because most of the time I knew him he was an inanimate toy, but he came to life. He was a person that I'd come to know. He was a person that I'd come to trust.

"Crystal," Nick's hand on my shoulder pulled me out of my thoughts, "everyone is wondering where you are."

"My Dad bought him for me.", I wiped the wet from my cheek, "He took me to a small toy store not far from where I lived. The store was super expensive, but my dad wanted me to choose whatever I wanted. I was looking at the dollhouses and fake carriages when I saw him. He was jammed between the biggest dollhouse and the wall, and he looked so uncomfortable, so unhappy."

Nick was silent, and I didn't blame him. Vincent was my bear, he'd been with me most of my life.

"I passed over him. I had my eye on another doll that could learn its name, one that would have put my Dad back $600 while the bear only cost $2. I kept thinking about that bear stuck, looking unhappy. I couldn't get him out of my head. I felt so bad leaving him there while all the other dolls would be sold. I didn't want him to not have a home. I got so confused at what I should do. I wanted the doll, but the bear would suffer and never be found."

I knew I was crying but I didn't care. This museum incident had taken its toll on everyone somehow. After the first night in the hotel, Carl vanished and Ben kept himself locked in his room. Andrew had been shunned immediately and violently, almost made me feel sorry for him until we learned what he'd done to Ben. Will spent the last two days trying to convince Kelly that all this stuff was real, and despite what she had seen it still took a lot of convincing. Nick and I were awkward together at best, and at worst we were at each other's throats.

"I chose Vincent because I didn't want him to be alone and scared, but it didn't matter. He still ended up that way and there's nothing I could have done. What was the point of bringing him to life if he was just going to be killed?"

"He was here for you, Crystal.", Nick tried to comfort me, "He always fought to protect you."

"I spent two dollars killing a good friend, Nick. If I'd chosen that first doll, then he'd never been put in this situation. I should have forgotten about the bear, then maybe he would have found someone normal. Maybe he would have protected someone whose biggest problem was children at a schoolyard. No, life had to be cruel. His life wasn't worth the money I spent. It was worth so much more."

"You're still alive, Crystal," Nick put his hand on my shoulder, "and I bet he would have considered that a bargain."

I heard Nick walk toward the hotel.

I stared at the window for another two hours.

193: Who is . . . -Sara-

"Police investigate the mass murder at New York's Museum of Natural history, where seventeen people were killed at the hands of a mentally unstable young man. The suspect, a 12 year old male, was apprehended by a small group of civilians. After which, he suffered a complete mental break and is now being admitted to a nearby institution."

Pain in my head accompanied with the noise of the television pulled me from my sleep. Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes and glanced at the bright television; the only light in the room besides the digital clock which read 1:27am.

"The civilians had recently been awarded because of their help stopping an aerial terrorist attack just yesterday. Ben, the apparent leader, has stated that they were just doing what they felt was right."

I rubbed my head as I tried to recall where I was and how I'd gotten here. The pain made the room sway and tilt as I stood to walk toward the light switch.

"The Museum incident was not the only murders this week as police and private investigators try to solve a string of what are now being called the "Identity Murders", because of the unusual messages at the crime scenes."

The last thing I remembered was dropping off my dog to the vet. He had broken his leg and they wanted to keep him overnight. I shook my head to rid myself of the fog that seemed to settle in just after I left the building. I couldn't remember and trying to just made my head hurt so much more. What was going on?

"The Police claim to have many leads, but don't have enough for an arrest. That concludes the news for tonight. Have a nice evening."

I leaned against the wall. Had I been drinking? Was this a hotel room or something? Was I with someone?

"Hello?", my voice felt lonely in the dark, but I didn't want to turn on the light and wake someone, "Is anyone there? I think maybe I drank too much last night."

I laughed lightly, "Which is weird, because I usually don't drink. Hello?"

I stood there in the dark silence waiting for an answer and that's when I smelled it. It smelled like rotting meat, and bad eggs. It was so strong, coming from all over the place. I felt myself gag.

My finger flicked the switch and whatever I'd eaten last night ended up on the floor.

What was left of a young male was spread across the floor. His head had been beaten until it resembled a deflated balloon, and his body had been peeled open and laid out like one of those bear carpets. Blood was everywhere, including on me. Panic set in as I tried to wipe my hands off on my clothes.

I looked for the bathroom and that's when I saw the words written in blood on the wall.

"Who is Sara Coons?"

Seeing those words made my head hurt even worse. I stumbled into the bathroom and splashed water on my face before the memory of what laid in the other room made me retch again. When that calmed down I sat on the edge of the tub and stared at my reflection in the mirror. Slowly I felt the panic build as my mind wandered to all the possibilities. Where was the killer? Would they be back? How did they know my name? Why didn't they kill me?

What was going on?

189: Common Threat, Common Goal, Uncommon Alliance -Carl-

I was yanked out of the worst nightmare of my life to find myself face to face with one of those horrible Abhorians. The look of surprise was evident on the Abhorian's face even with the deformed shape. It took a step back as I pulled myself to my feet.

In the middle of the room stood Ben and a translucent girl staring at a young boy with a triumphant look. The boy looked just as surprised as the Abhorian, but there was something else mixed with the surprise. I had seen the look before in other Gods that I'd fought. None of them expected me to triumph, and when I did a look of intense fear fell over them. That was on the boy's face right now.

The entire room was filled with noise as everyone who apparently had been sleeping woke up. Next to me Christina pulled herself to her feet, and nodded toward the people in the center of the room.

"The small boy is Bob, the God of Fear." She spoke with an edge to her voice, almost a hatred.

"Bob? He couldn't have chosen something more fitting?"

"What do you mean? Bob is his name.", she sounded confused.

"Couldn't have chosen something that instills more terro-"

"That's not important. Your friend there is in trouble. We have to get over there."

"We're surrounded by Abhorians."

"Yeah, but they aren't moving."

She was right. In fact they were moving away, back toward the door. Fear isn't what motivated them . . . it was almost as though they were being summon back to the door.

The young boy, Bob, noticed their movements, "Where are you going? Who said you could leave? I'm your master. I'm your boss."

They ignored him and kept walking, "STOP! I command it! Listen to me!"

One of the Abhorians turned around and stared at Bob, "You have failed me. You let mere humans get the upper hand and now your fate lies with them."

"You can't take them away from me. This isn't fair."

"Oh, Bob. Dear, stupid, childish Bob. Life isn't fair. Do you think it was fair when you killed the Teddy Bear and the Fairy in cold blood? Do you think it's fair that most of your victims couldn't fight back? Stop being such a coward and face what you've sewn.", the Abhorian turned and continued to walk away.

"MARDOCKT!", Bob cried as the last Abhorian disappeared into the door.

I didn't wait for anyone to speak, I spoke first, "VINCENT! VINCENT, YOU STUPID BEAR, SAY SOMETHING!"

I jumped over a few bodies and ran into the door room toward a tan clump on the floor, "VINCENT!"

Crystal ran up beside me and we both stared at the torn pieces of cloth, the remains of Vincent.

"Carl. Vincent's gone?"

I had never been more angry. Vincent was annoying and completely obnoxious, but he didn't deserve to die. I turned to look at Bob, who was still getting over the fact that he'd been abandoned and was now surrounded by a bunch of people who really didn't like him much.

"Get the children and civilians out of here.", I was shaking with anger as I walked over toward Bob.

Bob watched me with uncertainty hidden beneath a mask of confidence. I'd seen it before . . . many, many Gods looked at me the same way before I killed them. This one would be no different. I stared at his eyes with out averting my gaze or changing my expression. As I approached I watched his expression change and slowly the uncertainty overcame the confidence.

"Christina, watch as I show you proof as to how weak humans are. I'll kill this human . . . and then go to the res-"

"No you won't, Bob.", Christina spoke, "These humans . . . they aren't the same as they once were. I'm not sure what happened but they've grown to be stronger. That one walking up to you held his own against an Abhorian with no magic, or special abilities. He also survived a Sprite curse for many, many years. These people whom you have judged as weak and then hurt, are much much stronger than either of us would have expected. But, Bob?"

Now there was fear laced throughout his face, "What?"

She walked toward the front door of the museum and then turned, "Maybe you should have helped me when I was pleading for it in the war."

With that, she was gone.

"You Bitc-" His sentence never finished on account of my fist smashing into the side of his head.

188: Underestimated Race -Ben-

The museum had changed since I'd fallen asleep. The lobby where I stood was filled with people lying on the ground unconscious, and surrounding them were large, hulking beasts. A bloody pile of headless people sat in the corner and gave off a horrid scent.

Every thing froze when I stood up. The creatures looked at me with confusion, as if they'd never seen that happen before. For several minutes they stared at me and as they did I began to fill with an unexplainable fear.

"Why don't I hear the sound of smashin-", a naked, young, redhead boy stepped around one of the beasts, "What?! How did this happen?"

"Maybe Patrick knew more than you did." A voice next to me spoke in a soft tone that I recognized. Looking over I could see the translucent form of the girl I had killed.

The young boy sneered, "Are you saying you did this? No human has ever escaped that prison."

"I'm a little confused . . . who are you?" The boy looked at me as I spoke.

"He's the God of Fear. He was released from the door, I think. He's looking for something and started killing everyone." The girl then whispered, "His name is Bob."

"Please explain to me how exactly you are standing in front of me." Bob looked furious.

"You're the cause of all this.", my voice came out barely a whisper, "You killed all these people. You forced me to kill an innocent. You put everyone I care about at risk."

"Oh please, it's not like any of you matter. You're just humans. You're a stupid, barbaric race that has no defining features at all. What does it matter if a few of you die?", Bob laughed.

"You're sick.", Alice spoke with conviction.

"I'm sick? No, young one. I'm powerful. Look around you; at your friends. Humans aren't powerful enough to save themselves. They're weak in every way, and with out someone to protect them they are easily picked off! You think you matter? You don't! Insignificant and meager, that's what you humans are. I've crushed thousands of you in my time so you don't have the right to think low of me!"

I felt my anger raise. This guy had hurt so many people, all to prove his strength.

"Awww. Is the human getting upset?", Bob laughed at me, "The truth hurts. I'm the most powerful person here and I can crush all of you in a moment. There's nothing any of you can do about it. Yes, you escaped, but you're alone. Your only ally is the ghost at your side, and she can't do anything to help any of you. Your friends are at my feet, and as long as they stay there, nothing you say can make me think otherwise. Humans are weak, uncoordinated, barbaric, unintelligent and unimportant." Bob emphasized each of his words with a stomp.

On the last stomp, the room erupted with noise as everyone in the room woke up all at once.

Bob's face was priceless.

182: The many versus the one -Alice-

"Do you know what you did?" A voice floated up to me from down the stairs.

"I was saving people. I had no choice." That was Ben.

"You always have a choice, and you murdered her. A poor innocent little girl, dead. All because you wanted something and she was in the way." The voice was very similar to Ben's except rough and sinister.

"It wasn't like that. He was going to kill all of them, I had to stop him." Ben's voice cracked.

"You lie," The other voice rose to a yell, "You wanted to save yourself! You could care less about the girl! You are turning out just like I predicted, a monster."

Ben's sobs could be heard from where I was standing at the top of the stairs. I was hit with conflicting emotions, one part of me felt upset that Ben was going through this but another part felt that justice was being done, that this was what Ben deserved. I was locked in place unable to move because I wasn't sure if I needed to help him.

All he'd ever done for me is end my life.

"I'm not a monster. I'm not."

"Well, here's your chance to prove it. Hurry and make a choice otherwise all those children . . . poor innocent children will drown," The voice laughed, "Only you can make the choice to save them, but you'd have sacrifice thi-"

A loud bang interrupted his sentence and pulled me out of my thoughts. That sound was one I recognized. Another child had died, another me. The murderer had struck again.

"See . . . I told you Ben . . ." His words faded and the entire building vibrated violently.

When the vibrations had stopped, I was still standing at the top of the stairs.

"Do you know what you did?" It was that sinister voice again.

"What is going on!? Not this again! When will it end?" Ben was yelling at no one now.

"You always have a choice, and you murdered her. A poor innocent little girl, dead. All because you wanted something and she was in the way." A deep chuckle followed that sentence.

"I didn't want her to die. I'm not a monster. Please, just let me go."

It was replaying itself over again. The whole scene over again. Ben was in a loop, reliving his greatest sin forever. He deserved it. I turned to the door and as I went to open it I heard the other voice again and it stopped me cold.

"Well, here's your chance to prove it."

 I spun around and ran down the stairs two at a time. Ben pulled himself out of the chair as I got into the room. Blood and brain matter splattered all over my face as the shotgun's loud bang echoed in the small room.

This time the voice said something different, "Who are you . . . " and the walls began to vibrate again. Everything blurred together and when it has all stopped moving I found myself at the top of the stairs again.

"Do you know what you did?"

I didn't wait to hear Ben's answer. I bolted down the stairs and entered the room. Sitting in the middle of the room were to chairs. In one sat Ben, completely untied and able to move, yet he looked trapped. He looked as though he didn't want to move.

In the other chair sat a younger me. I ran to myself as tears filled my eyes.

"It will be okay. I'll get you out." I couldn't help but notice how terrified I looked. I looked like I knew what was coming, I looked like I wanted a mother that I'd never had.

"NO!" It was Ben. "Not her, save them first." He nodded behind me.

I turned to see three large clear vats of water, each one filled to the top and then covered with a heavy metal plate. Inside each of those containers was a child struggling to breathe. My heart flew to my throat as I turned to the younger me and then back.

"I'm sorry." I ran to the vats of water and gripped the heavy metal plate. Just as I had begun to get it sliding, two strong hands grabbed my wrists and pulled me away.

"I won't let you ruin this for me! Where did you come from?"

Time seemed to slow as I was pulled away from saving those children. They were in such agony that they didn't even notice that I'd been pulled away. I watched the air bubbles slowly filter from their mouths and felt a piece of me die as they struggled against the heavy metal plates. I pushed against my captor in an attempt to get over to them; to save them before their life left.

The hands were strong, to strong for me. They pulled me farther back until I could see the two chairs again and realized that there was only one option.

The only way to save those kids, would be to kill myself. At that moment, everything that Ben had done became clear. He had been given a choice, and I was the necessary sacrifice. No other options were available except the one that killed me. I felt tears fill my eyes as I tightly closed them.

"BEN! SAVE THEM!"

"I know." ,was what he said, followed by a loud bang as my younger self's head exploded.

"You're both monsters." The hands loosened their grip as the walls began to vibrate again.

In a few short moments, I stood at the top of the stairs once again.

181: Wake Up -Alice-

The world around me came into focus and I found myself staring off the edge of a massive cliff. An old man lay dead to my right, a look of complete agony permanently planted on his face. The sound of begging behind me made me turn to see Ben fighting against invisible bonds as he attempted to reach the three people locked in battle nearby.

Three children just a bit younger than me fought; a blonde, what looked to be a younger Patrick, and a black-haired one with an uncanny resemblance to Ben. It was Patrick and the blonde versus the one with black hair, but even at two against one the black haired boy didn't look like he was losing.


I glanced at Ben and I could see the suffering in his eyes as he fought to get to them. I didn't care about his suffering, I just wanted to know where I was and how I got here. Things were happening too fast and it was overwhelming me.

"You'll be okay, Alice." A kind-looking middle aged man walked over to me from the left near Ben. I hadn't noticed him before, but the amount of new people I'd met in the last hour was getting ridiculous.

"Who are you?", I spoke as though his arrival was nothing new. It might have been rude but being thrown all over the place was getting tiresome.


"Gilfred Odephius Doorstop." He smiled and slowly I began to feel a bit better, "You can think of me as . . . a needed push, or a hint."


"I don't need a push. I need a time machine." I turned to look at Ben again, but this time his face of suffering actually hit home and I felt tears in my eyes, "Where are we?"

"We're in Ben's worst memory. A time when he was imprisoned and unable to help the people he cared about most."


"Why are we here?"


"Because the ignorant retard that put everyone into their worst feared memory didn't realize what he was doing." He turned to me and smiled, "Lucky for us, huh?"


"What am I supposed to do here?"


"There's nothing you can do. Your part comes later, after this is done. Now you should watch and remember this time always.", he walked over to the black haired boy that was dominating the battle so far. "Alice, I have to go. I can't be in two places at the same time."

With that he pulled a spear from behind him and stabbed it through black-hair's chest. The world twisted and spun as both me and Ben were yanked into the sky. The clouds surrounded us making it impossible to see each other.


"Ben?!"

I felt my feet touch ground and I found myself standing at the top of a staircase. Ben was no where to be seen. The smell that came from the bottom of the stairs made my skin crawl. My skin? I looked down at myself to find that I'd aged quite a bit. I looked to be eighteen, but that wasn't the most disturbing thing.

I was alive.

179: Not Supposed To Matter -Alice-

I walked to the door and as I reached for the knob, a noise behind me made me freeze. Someone was breathing. I turned around and stared at a tall man wearing an expensive suit walking toward me. Something about him made me tremble. There was something in his eyes; something very ancient and powerful.

"Alice. So nice to finally meet you, Alice. I have been watching you for a very long time." His voice made me feel unnaturally calm, which instead of making me comfortable, put me on edge.

"What are you, a pervert?" I retorted.

The man laughed and then shook his head, "You've lived a very difficult life Alice, and you deserved better. Beaten everyday, forced to clean after your parents habit while avoiding your father's drunken rage, and everyday you wished you could die. You wanted it all to end and hoped that you'd feel no more pain."

He knew too much of my thoughts, of my life. I stepped back, "Are you God?"

He stared at me for a long time and then smiled, "No. I'm as far from a God as you can get, and I'm not even sure if the big guy even exists." He stepped forward and held out his hand, "My name is Patrick Bernauw, and I'm here to give you what you really want."

I'd always read stories of deals made with the devil and this sounded like one of those times. I shook my head and stuck my tongue out at him, "No way. You'll ask me to do something later, something I won't want to do."

"There is no catch. In fact, I'm not doing this for you at all. I only choose you because your life needed a change and I felt generous." The way he said generous made the incorporeal hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"You killed me to make my life better? Did you flunk out of grade school?"

He laughed again, "You are so smart, Alice. Yes, as a matter of fact, I did flunk out of school. Except it wasn't grade school. Have you ever heard of a place called the Other Lands?"

I shook my head still not trusting his words. This could all just be a plan to get me to go along.

"Well, you are a ghost, also known as a Walking Soul in the Other Lands. Walking Souls are the only beings capable of instantaneous travel between this realm and the Other Lands without training. With training a Walking Soul can become a very dangerous being, but that is not important to you. What's important is that you understand that the afterlife humans refer to is the Other Lands."

"Why is that important?"

He stared at me, "I'm trying to give you a better life, Alice. You need to trust me."

"I don't. You're a smelly old man that likes watching a fourteen year old. Even if my Mother couldn't teach me to be careful of guys like you, I'm not stupid." I stepped back again.

He nodded and stood up, "Well, I'll be seeing you again sometime. When we meet again you might think I'm doing the wrong thing, but I swear I'm not the bad guy. The bad guy is a lot worse than me."

"I don't even know who you are! I'm dead, remember?! I'm not supposed to matter anymore!"

He laughed as he walked toward the opposite wall, "Alice, your life is just beginning. Give my regards to Ben."

"Ben? Whose that? Why me? Hey! Stop walking away!"

He turned and smiled, "Ben is the guy that killed you, Alice."

And then he vanished and I was again alone.

But even more confused.

178: Can't Destroy Good -Andrew-

It was like the door exploded. Rays of light flooded the room and the only sound was the glass of the museum windows shattering. This was not the plan. Patrick had not told me about this at all. The light washed everything away and stung my eyes. I squeezed them shut to avoid the pain.

When I opened my eyes I was in a dark, stone room, with a single window high on the wall. Light shone on through it, leaving a bright rectangle on the stone floor. There was no door and the corners of the room were shrouded in darkness.

"I want some cake, Daddy. Not until you eat all your veggies, you scoundrel. Dear, don't call her a scoundrel, you'll give her a complex." A voice from the darkness came. Weakness laced with age could be heard in every syllable.

I stood up and pressed myself against the wall. What was this place?

"Hello? Who's there?", I squinted into the darkness.

"Oh, you've come back. Daddy, does that mean we can leave now? Honey, he might be dangerous. Stay away and let your dad take care of it. Steph, make sure she stays back, you should too. He could be dangerous."

It was me that stepped from the shadows. I looked thin and hungry. For some reason, seeing me standing there filled me with a fear I'd never felt. Something about that other me seeped into my soul, infecting it with dread. I didn't wait for anything to be said, I just ran for the window. The closer I got, the farther away it was.

"It looks like you, Daddy. It is me, honey. I don't like this, Andrew. Stephanie, it will be fine, trust me. Does this mean no more cake? Why are you here? Why would you return after such a long time? After you banished me here, there was no reason to come back."

I turned to face myself and I instantly knew where I was. Panic filled me as I stared into the part of me I'd gotten rid of many years ago. The thin and starved person in front of me was everything that'd kept me from breaking during the torture. It was everything that tore me apart when I thought about it. A solid reminder of what I'd done.

Standing in front of me, was my heart.

I wonder if it's mad?

175: Flashback; New Found Purpose -Melissa- (by Crystal Ferguson)

My sweet, sweet Qaliphus was now dead, and all because he felt the need to save this child. A child who had no business being outside. A child who knew better than to be in the road. A child who should have been in the house, under the supervision of his parents--

The parents.

If they were more attentive, their child would not be dead. More importantly, if not for their neglect, Qaliphus would still be alive. My dream would have become a blossoming reality instead of this shattered mess before me.

I clenched my fists in anger, tears streaming down my cheeks. Filthy humans. Weren't the adults suppose to be more responsible than this? What was the point of them existing if they did not protect their younglings?

All I knew in that instant is that they should pay for their ignorance; they didn't deserve to live.

I turned my back to the freshly deceased and zipped my way up and in to the home. The parents were laughing as the remaining two children played mind-numbing video games. How infuriating.

While they distracted themselves with mindless laughter, I took the liberty of pulling out skewers from a nearby open drawer. They were a tad heavy for my size, but I managed to carry them over to the table, letting them drop with a clatter. The couple looked but quickly shrugged it off, and continued with their conversation.

I picked one skewer up and with all my might, I thrust the sharpened end in and through the adult male’s neck. The female screamed in horror as her husband collapsed, gasping for air. She bent over him, her face stricken in panic. I swooped up the second skewer and shoved it downward, repeating the process for the adult female. She too fell over, noises of helplessness gushing out from her lungs. Both husband and wife flailed from the sudden impacts. After a few minutes passed, both became silent and unmoving.

Feeling justified in my act, I immediately left the bodies behind. As I flew away from the house, I heard the cries of their children as they found the dead parents. Some day they would thank me for freeing them from such negligence. They deserved better parents than that.

As I dashed through the outside world, a boy caught my attention. I came to a stop and hid behind a nearby leaf. An adult male was yelling at him, beating him down with his own fists.

“You worthless sack of shit!“, another fist hit the child, “When in the Hell are you going to man up, boy?! Huh, Carl?!”

The man shoved him, spitting at the ground afterward. He grunted and turned to leave him there. The boy just sat there, his head hanging low.

Such treatment sickened me. Were all adults truly this evil? What in the name of all that is human did children do to deserve such consequence? To my knowledge, children were far more innocent and harmless than that of the adults. They needed someone to protect them; not hurt them.

It was then that I vowed to stop this madness at all costs.

174: Flashback; Shattered Dreams -Melissa- (by Crystal Ferguson)

On this particular day, the children were minding themselves in the living room while the parents conversed in the kitchen. Qaliphus and I were outside the home, sitting on the freshly cut lawn. The sun was high in the sky and the small breeze here and there was uplifting. Traffic was rather light, aside from the occasional, obnoxiously loud vehicle racing by on the road. It seemed as if nothing could go wrong; all was well in the world.

I still remember when he turned to me with a smile and the utter most confidence in his eyes. He knew what he wanted to say, and knew if he looked long enough before speaking a word, that I would tense up. His lips curved more when my body responded in such a way, a nervous giggle escaping my lips.

“Melissa?”, he innocently questioned. Qaliphus knew all too well how to strike my cords with ease.

I jumped a bit, “Yes?”

“I have noticed the amount of affection you hold for me.”

The tingling feelings inside of me rose, making me feel nauseous. I gulped and kept my focus on him,

“Have you now?”

He nodded, his hands gently taking mine. I felt a burning sensation in my cheeks as he and I stared in to each other’s eyes.

His face came in closer to mine, our noses just barely touching. “I must confess that I, too, hold much affection for you.”

Within that moment I felt the greatest amount of happiness. My hands squeezed at his as a true smile broadened across my features. At the time, the youngest had made his way to outside the home. It didn't seem all too important that he was outside; I was too busy soaking in Qaliphus’ words.

“Oh, Qaliphus…”, I leaned in closer, lips practically connecting, “I've waited for so long.”

Our lips made contact, my eyes closing and my wings fluttering from the new, delighting experience. Warmth embraced my very being. Pulling back; out of the corner of my eye I saw the youngest had made his way to the road, swinging a stick side to side. Why in the world was he playing there, and with a stick no less?

What happened next seemed all too surreal.

A flash of red came rushing toward the child. With out skipping a beat, Qaliphus flew to the tiny one’s side. A child’s scream curdled. Tires screeched. And then, a thud. The child laid lifeless on the road, red liquid oozing from his skull. Qaliphus was too late. The person in the red vehicle climbed out, saw what they had hit, and in a panic climbed back in and drove off; the boy’s body being left behind like a wild animal.

I flew over with haste, gasping at the true mess it made. The worst part wasn't the boy’s death. Laying next to him, with his blood spilled beneath, was Qaliphus; unmoving and limp.

It took the longest time for my dream of having him love me back to come true.

It only took seconds for that dream to shatter.

169: Shattered And Reformed, Similarities Bond -Ben-

Right there behind my eyelids the scene replayed in high definition slow motion. Over and over again I saw the child's head explode, and felt the warmth of her blood splatter against my face and body. My choice ended her life. My choice turned me into a monster.

The repeating horror pushed me into a small place deep in my mind, and from there I watched as I began my assault on Andrew. I should have felt bad, I should have stopped myself from desecrating that young girl's body, but I didn't. I could feel the rage, even this far gone. I felt the killing instinct explode as I stopped caring about whether he could breathe.

The anger didn't help get rid of the pain. I had brutally murdered a young girl. Nothing could bring her back. Her parents would never see her again.

"Mardockt." A voice in my head filled my stomach with sickness.

I fell to my hands and knees as my breakfast found its way to the floor in front of me. I had become what my uncle had told me I would. A complete monster. I was just like him. I felt right in killing that girl. I still felt that I was right, but I knew it was wrong. I should have sat there, I should have done something else. Anything else.

"Ben, it's all right.", a voice pierced through my thoughts. Saba's voice.

"No! Leave me alone! I'm sickening. I'm disgusting." I spun and swung my fist toward her face.

I felt the impact and waited for retribution but it never came. She opened her arms and hugged me. I pushed away, but failed because of my sickened and weakened body.

"Stop! I'm . . . Stop."

"Ben, I've killed many, many people. I killed them with no reason besides my own greed. I crave the feel of blood and violence, but that isn't you."

I tried to fight some more. The slickness of the blood beneath us seemed to make it harder for me to fight against her grasp.

"You didn't make her die. This doesn't make you a monster, Ben. You saved my life and probably countless others. In my whole life, I've never saved a single life. I've never saved, only destroyed. I am a monster Ben."

"But I did this, what if it's stuck in me?! What if this horrid feeling never leaves? This dirt and grime that I can't see but fills me with self hate?! What if I break one day, what if I follow in his footsteps?!"

"I won't let that happen. I'll kill you before you destroy yourself."

The tears came suddenly, and I wrapped my arms around Saba. My face on her chest, I let the emotions flood forth. It wasn't the good Saba that held me close till my tears slowed. It was the Saba that lusted for blood. An understanding had formed between us.

I looked into her eyes, "Do you promise to kill me if I go that far?"

She nodded, "I promise."