

©iStock.com/Dymtro

Copyright 2018 Vera West

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

PART I

PART II

PART III

ABOUT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

For all the souls; lost and found.

PART ONE: THE MOON AND SUN

the pair of us apart

(the moon and the sun)

breathe the black aether air

and sigh for a

love whose name

we do not

know.

_Untitled_ , N.E. Wilson

01: EVOLUTION

My family was odd. My parents had insisted that I _not apply_ to any universities. Instead, they actually wanted me to take time and experience life. Even odder still, it had always not mattered to me whether I went to college or not—but now that my last day and the graduation ceremony just days away, I was anxious and restless.

I had no future.

There is something awfully unsettling about not having a future. Without a purpose, your life has no value. I should rephrase that: I had a future, I just didn't know where it began, and not knowing made me think there really was nothing to know. My life would continue until the moment when I died and since I'd done nothing and there'd be nothing left to surpass me deat _h. When I was gone, that was it. It was a daunting reality._ But my lack of a destiny wasn't the only thing bothering me. I was turning out to be just as abnormal as my parents' child rearing techniques.

I could feel myself evolving. It'd started with a recurring dream that always ended the same way: me, someone else and an almost kiss. Every dream was a little clearer, a little brighter, and I got closer to seeing what happened next. I'd summed the dreams up to hormones; I was an eighteen years old who'd never been kissed, but I couldn't so easily explain what else was happening to me.

I was _physically_ _changing_ too. Every time I touched someone I _felt_ it and the only way I could suppress it was to wear gloves. The gloves gave me back control and I clung to it desperately. I knew deep in my core that without control, everything would spiral and I'd be lost. I couldn't be lost.

My gloved hands were starting to feel sticky and hot. I peeled of the leather off quickly, shoving them into my eerily light backpack. I needed a break from wearing them, even if only for a few minutes. The gloves had been a way to reclaim some normality in my life but they were also my heaviest shackles. At least now that high school was done I could wear my gloves less. I'd be mostly with my parents and they knew not to touch me. Eventually, maybe, we'd figure out a cure or I'd learn to control the force churning beneath my fingertips, but until then the gloves were my salvation.

I closed my locker for the last time and headed down the wide hallway. I'd changed into some loose running shorts in the girl's bathroom after my last class. I took a few deep breaths. I could feel myself breaking free from the fear nestled deep in my stomach. I didn't have to come here anymore. I didn't have to pretend to be normal. I could just be me, Zora. I was free. I started running before I was even out of the building and when my palms hit the double doors and the sun glazed my face--I felt powerful. Whatever _this_ was, I could never give up and let it control me fully. One day I _would_ master it.

Today, though, I'd be satisfied with just running.

I slowed to a brisk walk once I made it to Starlight, the diner apartment complex combo owned by family. I loved this building and the sound of the old chime as I opened the side door always made me smile. My father's best friend, Luke, owned both buildings and it was the only home I'd known. Luke was married to Darla and they'd had two kids. Luke also had a brother and a sister; I'd never met his sister Eliza but I knew Peter well. I liked him even though socially I shouldn't. Peter was way older--in his early forties--but he barely looked over 25. That was another fun perk to being from another dimension, you didn't age like normal.

I didn't like him just because he was attractive. What really drew me to him was his independence. He didn't live in the complex or in one of the other sanctuaries. He lived hidden in plain sight, side by side with humans. He lived among them, perfectly in sync. I hoped one day I'd get to experience life that uninhibited.

My father grinned at as I slid onto a barstool at the breakfast-bar.

"You ran home again, eh?" my father asked as he bent behind the bar to retrieve a glass that he then filled at the nearby drink station.

"It helps."

He placed the glass filled with water in front of me.

I chugged it quickly. I'd been drinking a lot of water--more than normal--and not eating. I only knew a little about my culture and mostly that I wasn't human. I'd been told from the time I was a small child that our community was small and fragile; rules must be followed and lies mastered.

In the diner, your guard had to be up. All humans were customers, all the workers were all immigrants from our dimension Second Plane, and only our people lived in the apartment complex. We could only let our guard down behind our closed apartment doors. Our safety was contingent on our isolation. "You still haven't told your mom and me exactly what happens when you touch someone."

"You wouldn't believe me," I insisted. I didn't believe any of that. It was a poor excuse, but I wasn't ready to explain what was happening.

He didn't even try to press me on the topic.

"Are you hungry?" my father asked.

I shook my head no.

"All right. Let's go then," he said, urging me to walk with him, "your mother and I want to talk to you about a few things."

My pulse quickened as I followed my father across the diner and through the connecting lobby to the apartment complex. We went up the stairs to our floor in silence. I'd been avoiding really talking to my parents about it, because I knew it'd lead to me trying to explain things I didn't have the answers for. With my father leading me to a sit down, my time was up—I'd have to tell them something.

"I'm going to see if Sariah is here yet," he said when we reached our door, "I'll be back in a minute or two."

I nodded and went in.

My mom heard me immediately and hopped off the treadmill.

"Thirsty?" she asked as she headed into our kitchen.

"Dad already watered me. What's going on? He said you both wanted to talk to me but then he went off to see if Sariah was here."

"Your father is just being shy. Let's sit down."

"This is starting to get weird. What's going on?"

"You've been changing," my mom said, starting off slowly, "and we've kept a lot from you. Honestly, we should have just _told_ you, but secrets give a false sense of security. We thought by not telling you we were keeping you safe, but really we were just unnecessarily hoarding information. We just wanted to do right by you, Zora."

"Just _tell_ me," I insisted anxiously.

"We are from Second Plane but we're not Banguri. We're Aura—our needs are more complicated."

"How complicated?" I asked eagerly.

"The Aura have powers; for example, your father and Sariah are telekinetic. The Banguri aren't born with any powers like that, although they're still stronger than an above average human. We also feed differently."

"I thought that was it. I thought as a child you ate some normal food but then as you matured you shifted over to just drinking water. What other options are there?"

My mother smiled, looking down she tapped her finger on her knee. It was a mannerism that was so characteristically her. She never rushed when she spoke—she thought out her responses, waiting until she had the right way to articulate what she was trying to say. I was like my father, always saying things too quickly and then later having to backpedal with apologies.

"You're the only one who has ever eaten human food, and I can only surmise that that is a symptom of you being an anomaly. If an Aura or Banguri eats food, their libido becomes hyperactive. Beings from Second-Plane feed off of raw energy. Water is a base supplement we can all digest, but each type has a specific kind of energy that they need to sustain themselves. For us we, feed on sexual energy."

My eyes widened as I realized exactly what she meant and also just how huge of a problem that would be for me. I couldn't have sex without physical contact; it just wasn't advisable or, frankly, safe or the other party.

"Water won't be enough?"

"Now that you're reaching full maturity, you will not be able to use water as your only source of energy, which is why we must go back to Second-Plane. We have to make sure you're able to live a full life, Zora. There's also been another anomaly. There's a young man your age with a similar problem—"

"Why does that sound like an arranged marriage?" I asked defensively.

"Darling, don't be absurd. You're way too young to be married. I just want us to get in front of your powers, so you can control them and live a freer life. Iris wants to examine you both, compare your bodies, brains, even your powers. There is technology on Second Plane that might can help us (including you) understand your abilities better, and comparing the similarities and differences between the two of you will only help. I know you're partial to this plane, but we don't belong here. Living here was only temporarily. Sariah and Keegan made sure we got you here safely and Luke has supported and accepted us as family. We've been so very loved and fortunate, but we'd always known that we'd have to go back. We just had to wait for the right time, and now is it.

I was speechless. I didn't know how I felt about leaving, this plane, even if it was necessary. I wouldn't know anyone on Second Plane. I suppose I didn't really know anyone here either, but there's something terrifying about the unknown.

"There's other things we need to talk about too, Zora. Tell me about your powers."

I swallowed hard, feeling the twinge of bubbling anxiety in my gut. I got nervous whenever I thought about it because it made me feel so-- _out of control._ I hadn't wanted to tell them about it, as if ignoring it made it not exist. This was my cat in the box. If I didn't open it, I didn't really know whether or not it was dead or alive. I wanted this box taped shut—permanently.

"Zora," my mom urged solemnly, "It's time to tell us everything."

"When I touch people...I see things."

"What kind of things?" My mother pushed.

"The past, memories, I think. I haven't done it on purpose and I stopped as soon as I was aware of what was happening."

"No one would ever be able to lie to you."

"I don't want to do it on purpose."

"You can't hide from who you are. You've always been special, Zora."

"Parents always act like being weird is synonymous with special."

"Historically," my mother said, "Aura are infertile. We don't procreate like Banguri. When an aura we awaken in Second-Plane we're fully mature adults. There were odd conditions that led to your father and conceiving you. We were so surprised, and the pregnancy progressed at a much faster rate than it would have for a human. My body couldn't handle it so we came to this plane to make sure you were able to be born and to keep you safe—"

"Keep me safe from what?" I asked insistently.

"There was not another known birth from a non-banguri race. Auras typically have abilities, and considering the circumstances that led to you being conceived, we knew you'd be different. Once people knew of your existence, we were afraid that might try to hurt you, kill you, take your power somehow. Honestly, we didn't know what would happen but we wanted to make sure you were safe and hiding on another plane of existence felt like the best route."

My mind spun the new information that was layering and piling up like fresh cotton candy on a stick.

"I feel like a freak," I whispered.

"We're all freaks," my mother assured me.

Her tone was saturated with comradery, but it was impossible for that to be true. A freak, by definition, was an unusually unexpected rarity.

I was toying with the gloves again, slowly pulling them on and off my fingers, when I heard a soft knock on my bedroom door. I pulled the gloves fully on and sat up straight on my bed.

"Come in," I said gruffly. As soon as I saw her face, I ambushed her. "Here try to convince me to go back to Second-Plane?"

Sariah's eyes rested for a moment on my gloved hands before she sat on the foot of my bed.

"Yes and no. How are you feeling?" Sariah asked.

I shrugged. It was the most honest answer I could have given. I'd just been bombarded with tons of new information, that not only included the knowledge of basically being an alternative dimensional being but being only person like myself in that entire world. Sure there was the exception of one other person, but they'd said he was just similar, which really could mean the only thing we had in common was that we were two people who had nothing in common with everyone else.

"There's nothing wrong with being different and if you believe that coming from anyone, it should be me. I know a little about being abnormal. It's almost impossible not to feel like an outsider when you know there isn't anyone else like you," Sariah said.

"You can't understand what you haven't experienced," I insisted stubbornly. "There are other auras that are telepathic like you. My dad is one of them."

"Yes, Ajani and I have similar powers, but my level of ability surpasses that of any known being on Second-Plane. I'm the self-appointed guardian of our _entire_ plane. I'm essentially a killing machine; my heart just abhors violence. But when everyone is depending on you, your feelings become absolute. I haven't experienced verbatim what you've gone through, Zora, but there are always commonalities and I do understand."

I shrugged.

"Maybe you do understand, but that doesn't mean you can help me. My mom wants me to go to Second-Plane so my powers can be studied but that won't _change_ anything, not really."

"Jet told me that when you touch someone you can see their past?"

I sighed; I felt a bit childish for being so standoff-ish. This whole situation felt like an impossible feat and I was getting tired of talking about it; of explaining something I didn't even understand myself.

"That's the gist of it, yes."

"How far back can you go?" Sariah asked.

Her tone was so calm, it surprised me. She didn't seem thrown at all by my ability, which had me in awe. Even when I talked to my parents about it, I could sense it made them uneasy. Sariah wasn't fearful, she was curious. I was very fearful of what I could do. I was terrified of what I might see, how deep I could go.

"I don't know. I've never done it on purpose."

"Take my hand and see where I've been. I want to prove to you that I understand and that you're not alone. Life is made of good and bad. We all have struggles. It's just a part of living. The pain _is_ worth the joy and you will be able to master this part of yourself because that's all this is, just a part of who you are, Zora. Don't be afraid of yourself."

Sariah's words left me curious but still hesitant. How would I feel about seeing _everything_ she had experienced? Would it be like I was experiencing it too or would I just see it all? I thought quickly back to the past times. It'd only happened twice, but each time it'd only gone back a couple hours. It was jarring, disorienting even, but I was just watching it. As soon as my brain realized it wasn't _right_ , I snapped back. I wasn't sure if I wanted to try to do it on purpose, but I felt like I needed to. I couldn't learn to control what I didn't understand, and to understand my powers I had to use them. Stretch them. Really see what I could do.

"You're strong enough to stop me if something goes wrong, right?"

"Maybe," Sariah answered honestly.

"But you can do mind control stuff right?"

Sariah smiled. "Yes, but I don't like to."

Another moment of surprise; I wasn't the only one who didn't like their abilities, but Sariah was still the master of hers She used them, they didn't use her. I could learn from her.

"I'll try, but you have to promise me that you'll stop me if it doesn't feel right, okay?"

"I promise."

I couldn't control the slight tremor that shook my hand as I removed my glove and took Sariah's hand in mine, but I was determined to be brave.

02: THE BEGINNING

Everything flew past me—happy times, sad moments, anxious seconds, remarkable days and memorable nights. I saw everything: her deciding to come back to First-Plane to see me, her life with Keegan, her work as a healer, her struggle to protect without killing, her saving my mother, them winning the war, her changing the terrain, her kissing my father, thinking she lost her venku, her learning to use her powers, her awakening on Second-Plane. Then I was back to earth, back in the Bronx.

_I was here,_ at the diner.

I heard the mashing of apartment buttons. Where was I exactly in Starlight? I looked around and quickly recognized that I was in the lobby of our apartment complex, but it looked different.

I heard footsteps and quickly ducked into storage closet. I backed up too swiftly, rattling a mop in a pail. Old water sloshed over the rim, splattering me and the floor. I clamped my hands over my mouth, stifling my surprised gasp as the cold, dirty liquid ran down my bare legs, seeping into my socks and shoes.

The footsteps grew louder; so did the banging in the entrance way. I peered through the slit in the door. A man was standing at the inside of the doorway, watching the woman beg and beat on the thick glass. She kept looking behind her before turning back 'round and pounding on the door again. Whatever was after her was close to winning.

I waited, holding my breath, expecting him to help. But he didn't. He walked away, back in the direction that he'd come from, as if nothing were happening at all.

The young woman was still beating on the door, smearing the glass with crimson blood. She had only a handful of seconds left before it'd be too late to help her.

I ran to the door and let her in and she collapsed into my arms, clutching her hand tightly to her chest. Whatever had been chasing her was gone now.

A street lamp crackled, its light flickering on for a moment and as I looked out the blood smeared glass of the door, I saw something—a woman. It was just a moment and then she was gone, but I had a gut wrenching feeling that she was somehow involved too.

"Thank you! Oh my god! What the fuck was that thing?"

I looked at her and almost screamed; I'd just saved Sariah.

My chest tightened as I began to hyperventilate.

"I shouldn't have done that," I said, aloud, to myself.

"Done what?" Sariah asked. "Saved me? You were the only one who saw me. I was jogging, then the next them I remember is feeling like something was chasing me. Did you see that _thing_ that was after me? I think it was some kind of rabies infested dog."

I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself. I'd just fucked up everything. Somehow, I was physically in one of Sariah's memories. I'd gone back to the last thing she remembered on First-Plane before she ascended and I'd stopped her from dying, which meant I'd stopped her from ascending. I'd stopped her from doing all the things that she had to do in order for the planes to exist as I knew them. Every choice Sariah had made effected everything I loved.

I'd killed them all.

"I think she just passed out. She'll be all right."

I knew that voice, and for a second I thought I was home.

"Peter," I murmured.

I opened my eyes and a much younger Peter was staring down at me with a completely baffled expression.

"How do you know my name?"

"You look like a Peter," I stammered.

He reached down and pulled me back up.

"I don't think I can guess your name, so you're going to have to tell me," Peter said.

I could feel a blush creeping up from my necks to my cheeks. I was even more attracted to him now that he was my own age.

"Zora," I said.

"Where are you from?"

"Someplace else," I muttered. To my surprise, Peter nodded like he understood me, and I realize he thought I meant Second-Plane.

"Can you call me a cab?" Sariah asked. "I can't walk home tonight.

"Sure," Peter agreed. "Come into the diner; I can use the phone there to call a taxi."

I sat down with Sariah at the table Peter had guided us to and looked around wearily. It was odd to see the place I'd spent so much time in look so much younger. I half expected my father to poke his head out from the kitchen, but then I remembered those things hadn't happened yet. I suppose it was better that way. I had no idea what would happen if my parents saw me. They shouldn't recognize me, but I still didn't want to risk some weird ripple effect. I already had done enough damage.

Peter came back, stating that the cab would be a little bit, but left again mumbling something about having to help out in the kitchen. Sariah was sitting across from me, shoveling food quickly into her mouth. She'd ordered breakfast even though it was a quarter past midnight. Young Sariah was quirky and extremely chatty, which was a little different than what I knew; then again, I was seeing her before she'd become the Sariah who was a protector for multiple races.

"Aren't you hungry?" Sariah asked me between large bites of buttery, ketchup covered hash-browns.

"No," I answered quickly. "I've never had much of an appetite."

Sighing, Sariah motioned to her plate with her fork.

"You're missing out! God! I swear breakfast food is never as good during daylight hours."

"How's the food?" Peter asked coming back to the table. He slid in casually beside me, his leg brushing against mine before I could scoot over fully to the other side. My face flushed again, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Fantastico!" Sariah gushed, wiping her mouth delicately with her napkin before giving him a dazzling smile. "Nothing like thinking you're going to die to work up an appetite."

"I called animal control," Peter said. "They'll catch whatever it was. Did you see what it looked like?"

Sariah shook her head.

"No, but it was so fast. One minute there was nothing and then I could feel it hunting me." Sariah said. She took a long drink from her glass. "I'm glad I didn't see what it was. It'll be easier to forget that any of this ever happened. Thank God it's just Friday night. I can take the weekend and get myself together. The semester just started and I need to _focus._ "

"Where do you go to school?" Peter asked.

"New York University."

"Wow," Peter said clearly impressed.

"Believe me, it's not as fun as it seems. I'm supposed to be meeting my friend tonight. We were going to study after my run. Fuck. I've got to go; he's probably waiting."

"Am I paying you to work or to _socialize_?" A deep voice snapped from the kitchen.

Luke.

I looked up just in time to see him striding over to our table. He winked at me, and I froze in fear.

_No,_ I thought to myself, _he can't remember someone he doesn't know yet. Just relax._

Luke had always been one of my favorite people. He was kind, compassionate, but never a pushover. He was truly impossible not to like. Seeing him now, though, made me simultaneously happily nostalgic and bitterly homesick.

"Are these friends from school?" Luke asked.

"Yeah," Peter lied.

"Here to help you study, I hope."

"They walked here but it's too late for them to walk back, I was going to call them a cab."

"Very gentlemanly of you," Luke commented. "When you've seen these ladies safely to their taxi you can come on back and take over."

"Thanks," Peter mumbled unappreciative.

"So," Sariah said to me directly, "Do you live on the apartment side?"

"I'm from out of town; just visiting a relative," I answered quickly.

Peter narrowed his eyes at me but a quick triple honk from the street curb drew his attention away again and I was saved from having to answer more questions.

I followed them out of the diner to the mustard yellow colored cab waiting. Classical music billowed out of the cracked windows and the driver tapped the steering wheel as he listened, his head bobbing to the beat of a romantic fast paced symphony. When his peripheral vision picked up on our movement, he quickly turned the music down and buzzed the back window near us down.

"Did you call a cab?"

I gawked at the driver. It was Keegan.

I felt queasy, my mind completely jarred from seeing people I knew before I'd actually known them. Maybe this was all a dream and nothing I was seeing was actually real. Maybe I was insane. Maybe I was trapped in my own mind.

No, that would be too simple; this was _real,_ and when I'd intervened and saved Sariah, I'd altered everything. I'd made a horrible mistake. She had to die—as morbid as that sounded, it was true. Sariah _not_ dying would shift everything and cause irrevocable damage. When I snapped back to present time, everything could be different. _Hell,_ _I_ could be different or not even exist. I didn't even know how long I could stay in the past--this was insanity, pure recklessness. I never should have been so naive to toy with a power I didn't even understand. Somehow, I had to fix this—and fast.

"Yes!" Sariah said, leaning forward. Her voice jarred me out of my deep thoughts. She bent down and the driver's neck strained as his eyes followed her. She reached into her sock and pulled out a twenty.

"Good thing old habits die hard; I never carry a wallet when I jog. Thanks again for your help, Peter! I hope they catch whatever was chasing me."

Sariah slid in the backseat and I heard her ask the driver to turn up whatever it was he'd been listening to. She moved to offer him the money but he shook his head, saying she could pay him once they got there.

"I didn't believe a word you said tonight," Peter said to me as the cab pulled away.

A non-committal shrug was the best answer I could come up with. I could probably tell him the truth and as long as I fixed everything then it wouldn't matter, because he wouldn't remember me, but what if I _couldn't_ fix what I'd done? I had no idea what kind of effect I could have.

"Well?" Peter pushed.

I'd thought brushing him off with my cliché response would get him to drop it, but he wasn't giving up that easy. I thought back to what I knew about the Banguri, what I'd learned through Sariah's experiences with them; that information would be something I could spin into a tangible truth Peter would believe.

"I'm like you. I'm a Banguri. I think I tripped and fell through a portal," I told carefully.

"I knew you were _one of us._ " Peter said excitedly. "Are your parents here too?"

"No, it's just me."

"But if you tripped and fell in," Peter pushed, "weren't they coming right behind you?"

I didn't want to lie too much and then not remember the story I'd concocted. This whole situation was already spiraling out of my control, so I just feigned ignorance.

"I don't know—we got separated."

"You mentioned you had relatives here already, which apartment are they staying in?"

"I'm sorry--I remember the floor but not the room number. I have a horrible memory."

"No worries, as long as you know how to get home that's all that matters. I'll ask Luke to help find your parents. Don't worry, you'll be reunited, I promise! Let's go back inside. We're not that busy and you can sit down with Luke and give him information on your family."

Peter patted my shoulder reassuringly and then turned to go back inside.

He was walking back towards the diner, rattling on about how Luke could be a dick but in a pinch he could solve any problem. My heart began to race. I was a horrible liar, and if I went back in there they'd know. They'd all know. I couldn't stay here. I had to find Sariah and fix this. My head started to whirl and my chest tightened. I was panicking. I had to stop it. I had to get control back. I did the only thing I could think of.

I ran.

03: NEAR BUT FAR

Ten blocks later, I was lightheaded and breathless.

I massaged my temples in frustration as I caught my breath. It had been stupid for me to just run like that. I was creating unnecessary work for myself. Peter would definitely know something was up now. He would never trust me. I had to start _thinking_ instead of just _reacting._ I had to find a way to fix this horrendous fuck up I'd made.

I took a deep breath. There was no point getting upset. I just had to start fresh; move forward. My gut told me my first step should be to find Sariah. Even though I wasn't sure how I could correct my mistakes, I knew I had to start there. When I had saved her I'd messed everything up. She had to die in order for everything else on Second Plane to happen—I wasn't sure I could do it, but if I didn't _everything_ would change. I'd have to kill her to save _everyone._

"Are you all right?"

I looked to my left and saw an older women leaning against a parked taxi cab. It had the same checkered cheetah design as the one that picked up Sariah.

"Do you have a coworker named Keegan?"

"Why, are you a friend of his?" she asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Not really. He was just the cab driver that dropped me off. I think I left my purse in his car."

"I'll call him up. What's your name?"

"Sariah," I said quickly.

She walked around back to the driver's side.

"He'll be right over. Want me to wait? It's kind of late to be out alone."

"No, thank you. I'll be fine."

The taxi-driver drove away and I was left with the familiar city night sounds I'd grown accustom to living in the city. I heard the sound of classical music, Debussy's _Clare De Lune_ this time, pouring out of a car radio and look up to see Keegan steering his cab to the curb. I hoped up and went to the rolled down passenger side window.

"I figured it wasn't her _,_ but I couldn't help hoping."

"I need your help," I said quickly.

"Help? Sounds more like you want a free ride."

"It's a win for both of us; if you want an excuse to see Sariah again, that is."

His eyes lit up. I'd dangled the right bait.

"You want me to take you to her huh? Is she single?"

"Yes," I said, then added awkwardly, "Yes, to both those questions."

"You knew I wouldn't waste an opportunity to see her again. Was it that obvious that I liked her? She's just so—"

His voice dropped off, leaving his sentence incomplete.

"All right, I'll drive you. But, promise me you'll put in a good word for me."

"Sure—of course I will, I promise. "Keegan took off at a pace not suitable for New York city streets, not asking for directions, which was a relief. Keegan was visibly excited at having an excuse to see her again—so excited that he was oblivious to anything else.

The lights were on and I took a deep breath to steady myself. Even if I could get her to let me in the house, I didn't have it in me to just kill her. But I was out of time and I couldn't think of any other solution. It was here and now or not at all. If I didn't do this, I had no idea what would be waiting for me on the other side.

"Wait," Keegan through the passenger seat window. I was halfway up the steps, having quickly gotten out of the car once it was in park, but I went back to the window. "Give her this."

Keegan scribbled a few more words and then handed me a folded piece of paper; probably his number.

"Thanks again," he said.

I held the paper tightly in my hand and nodded.

I opened the note:

I will not be satisfied  
with the touch of your hand  
nor the sweetness of your lips alone.  
I will take your heart for mine.

Keegan had written his number below it and his name; I recognized the poem. It was by Langston Hughes, one of my favorite writers. When you didn't know what to say, you could always find a poem where someone else had already dreamt up the words for how you felt. . The words were intense, but also extremely romantic.

I folded the paper up carefully and chewed on the inside of my cheek. I'd just worked up the courage to knock when the door opened and a very young, college-aged, shaggy curly , slightly unkempt version of my dad walked out.

"There's a girl on your door step," Ajani yelled over his shoulder as he stared at me.

"Wait, what?" Sariah shouted back.

"Who are you?" Ajani asked me.

I was scared to say my name. What if he somehow _knew._ It shouldn't be possible, but still. None of what was happening should technically be possible.

"It's the girl from tonight. She let me into that complex and saved me," Sariah said, pushing herself past my father. "How'd you find me?"

"I sat with Peter for a while and then when we called a cab for me it happened to be the same one who dropped you off. He asked me to give you this."

"What is it?" Ajani asked defensively.

Sariah didn't wait to open it and as she read a soft smile spread across her face.

"A poem," Sariah said quietly.

"From _whom?_ "

"Keegan, the taxi cab driver."

"You can't be serious," Ajani muttered.

"Thank you!" Sariah said turning to me. She grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze, and it dawned on me how I could save her without killing her. She tried to pull away, but I didn't let go. I closed my eyes and concentrated.

"Are you okay? What are you doing?" Sariah asked. "Is everything all right?"

My hand began to tingle and Sariah's voice began to fade. I opened my eyes. I was in a third point of view again. I could see her shaking me; pleading with me to answer her. I felt a tinge of guilt but I didn't let it shake me. Reality was changing and this moment would only last a second. I swept my hand across the image and it flew back to everything she'd done. Finding Ajani waiting on the steps for her just like she thought he would be, the small talk in the cab with Keegan, dinner in the diner and finally to the moment just before I saved her. I saw myself staring at her. The seconds were stretched out, emphasized in movements and muffled sounds. I could see myself struggling to make a decision. My body started to move forward but I reached out to myself. I snapped into the memory and made myself walk backwards before Sariah saw me through the door.

The world felt like a silent movie until that moment, but then it all burst into action. Her fists pounding on the door, her screams, her hand glazed with her own blood sliding down the door. I closed my eyes and pushed my head against the old plastered wall.

_I am savings everyone._ I thought feverishly to myself. _This is the best way, the only way._

My heart didn't believe so. Letting her die was murder.

When she grew silent, I began to shake and sob.

"Zora! _ZORA!_ "

I opened my eyes, quickly blinking them into focus. I was back in the time I belonged to and the Sariah I knew was right before me, just like she had been before I'd traveled through her past. It had worked.

"You were starting to scare me," Sariah said, pulling me into a hug.

I hugged her tightly back, then I realized I was touching and I stiffened at the thought of accidently sending myself back through time, but nothing happened and I relaxed again. I felt so tired. That whole experience had worn me out. For now, I was powerless and, well, I guess normal; at least until I got some rest.

"More than I could have imagined."

"What did you see?" Sariah asked me when she pulled back.

It was a lot to process and my head was stinging at my temples with the foreshadowing of a headache, but I was relieved that the experience was over. I understood keenly why I had to learn to control my powers. If I didn't, there could come a time where I caused irrevocable damage that I couldn't fix.

"I told you I understood!" Sariah said with a knowing smile as she stood up. "You'll be happy you went to Second-Plane. I promise."

04: THE MOON MEETS THE SUN

Traveling through a portal to another dimension was the most exhilarating thing I'd ever done, but actually seeing what was on the side left me breathless. Since I'd already seen everything through Sariah's memories, I hadn't been expecting to be so stunned when I saw it all in person. It was like a steampunk paradise out of a video game. The rolling green landscape flowed seamlessly in and out between the large buildings. There was the perfect blend of old and new; technology and nature; control and happenstance. I realized how much of a sacrifice it had been for my parents to stay on Earth when they knew the dazzling splendor of this dimension.

"I couldn't imagine what it would have been like to grow up here," I said in disbelief. My eyes were all over the place; on the tip tops of buildings, on the low budding bunches of grass flowers, watching the hover cars zoom by. I couldn't take it all in fast enough.

My mom wrapped her arm around my shoulder affectionately as she pushed a light kiss into the crown of my head.

"It wasn't quite like this when I awakened here," Dad explained, "and technically we were reborn as adults, so we didn't have a 'childhood' per say either."

"It was still beautiful though," Sariah said from behind us.

"At times," he added.

Mom switched sides and slipped her arm around my father. I didn't understand. They wanted to come back but it was bitter sweet for them—why?

"There's a lot your parents are going to need to explain to you." Sariah said as she came up beside me. "The Aura and Banguri have worked hard to get Light City to where it is today, but it wasn't without its price. I know we've all kept you in the dark, but that'll end soon."

"Where are we going first?"

"To Paramount, to introduce you to Iris," Sariah said.

We weren't far from the legendary building that towered above all the others. It was the Olympia of this world; it was the mecca. The place where everything had started. At least, that's what it would always symbolize for me. Without knowing it, I broke away from them and began leading the way.

"Exactly how much of your _past_ did you share with my daughter?" My father grumbled to Sariah.

"You'd have to ask her, but I'm assuming quite a bit."

My father sounded worried and I realized that he was assuming I'd seen him and Sariah's romantic trysts—and of course I had, but I'd seen everything with her and Keegan too. Believe me, if I was able to control my powers I would have definitely skipped over my parents' romantic histories.

"It wasn't intentional," I said over my shoulder. "Really, you should have told me more about who we are, but now that I do _know more_ I understand why you were hesitant and why you thought I'd be safer on Earth."

"Technically speaking, this is a version of Earth," Sariah teasingly corrected.

My attention was drawn away from the conversation to the beautiful building in front of me.

Paramount.

I was finally here, and even though I was excited, the stairs ahead of me seemed so daunting.

"Come on," Mom said, tugging on my gloved hand. "It'll be all right. Knowledge is power; the more we know, the more options we have.

"Hello!"

"You always seem to meet us on the steps," He said, his tone was more upbeat normally; it was as if seeing her gave him hope. I realized then just how worried and stressed my father must be. My father bounded up the stairs past us and embraced a brunette with a very fashion forward pixie cut.

"That's because I'm always waiting for you to arrive. Is this Zora?" Iris asked, looking past me.

"Yes," Mom answered. "This is our daughter, Zora."

"Remarkable," Iris said, smiling warmly. "She's the perfect blend of both of you. A lot has changed while you've been gone. I'll tell you about it as we walk. Harold, of course, is practically giddy at getting to meet you, but he'll have to wait. I want you to get acclimated to Second-Plane first before we do anything too serious. I don't want to overwhelm you. Now that you're here you'll be safe and there's no reason to rush."

"My mother mentioned there's another person like me?"

"Yes, he's about a year or so older than you. It's not so much that he is like you, actually he's the opposite. His powers allow him to see a person's future and he's also known about his abilities from a young age and has learned to control them."

"I'd love to be able to control mine."

"You will," Jet assured me. "Try to be patient."

"Harrold is my—"

"I know," I awkwardly interrupted. "I know a lot because..."

"She tried her powers out on me," Sariah explained, "so she has an understanding of just about everything."

"Well," Iris said with a laugh, "that'll make things easier. I won't have to give the standard spiel."

"I still want to learn about this place," I said, "I need my opinions to be based on fact."

"Not interested in just learning vicariously?" Iris asked.

I shook my head no. I know that they were all in awe of my powers but I would probably always be more comfortable learning.

I was sure my idea of controlling my powers and everyone else's were opposites. I wanted to make sure I could stop myself from using my powers, not necessarily learn how to rifle through a person's past with more precision. I never wanted a situation like what had happened with Sariah to ever happen again. I knew I should tell them, maybe I would eventually, but for right now I just wanted to be here and learn all I could. I could breathe in Second-Plane, I could figure this out slowly, and I realized now that was probably the biggest reason why my parents wanted me to come here. They weren't afraid of me like I'd first thought; they just wanted me to be able develop in a safe environment. I could never do that back home, but _here_ anything felt like it was possible. I wasn't even the only one like me.

_I wonder what he will be like,_ I thought. _It would be nice to have a real friend._

"We've changed the way the living area is. Paramount is almost like a university now. All the living centers are outside."

We were standing in the main foyer; the bustle of voices, the sounds of general movement and activity made it feel like we were back on a New York street (minus the cars, of course).

"This area that use to house all the venku has become the home of our four academies: Warrior, Portal Maker, Technology and Healing."

"If it's all right with everyone, I'd like to just explore for a while," I suggested hesitantly. I wanted to check everything out without my parents being within six feet of me at all time.

"Of course, I'd like to catch up with your parents and Sariah."

"Stay near paramount. I don't want you venturing too deep into the city," my father instructed firmly.

My mother tisked at him in soft warning tones as she ran a hand over his back soothingly.

"It'll be all right, Ajani. Relax."

My father opened his mouth as if he was going to grumble out a response, littered with reasons why I needed to be careful, but instead all he said was: "Just be careful, all right? And come back before dark."

I was annoyed at being babied, but I nodded in consent. This wasn't a battle I had to fight now, but eventually we'd need some changes. I couldn't live my life in a cage. I couldn't continue to live a life with constant hand holding. I wasn't a child anymore and I wanted to face my future; it was the only way I could live and not just exist. I knew what I was afraid of, but he had no idea what I'd almost done when I had touched Sariah's hand or the fact that I had avoided a major dimensional crisis; knowing that made me ironically more confident that I could handle myself. Besides, it was just a walk, and what was the point of being in a safe place if you couldn't be free?

"I can sense where she's at," I heard Sariah say to my father as I walked away. "Don't worry, Ajani, I'll keep my third-eye on her."

I should have been creeped out by the idea of Sariah keeping an eye on me, but it felt more like a fairy godmother or a guardian angel than someone spying. It's not like she'd rat me out to my parents even if I did do something my dad didn't like. Sariah would just be there if I really needed her; like she always had been.

I walked through the center of the schools first. Each wall represented a different institution. I wondered if I could enter one. Eventually I would, but I was too shy to do it now. I wouldn't want to walk in on something and then have to awkwardly explain who I was and why I was there.

I went through a nearby archway and found it led to an adjacent building. The impression from Sariah's brain kicked in and I realized this hallway led to what used to be the combat outdoor training areas of Paramount.

I reached a pair of elevators and entered them.

THE CAVES

ROOF TOP ARENAS

SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY

PORTAL MAKERS

HEALERS

VENKU & WARRIOR TRAINING

THE ARCHIVES

STORAGE & ARMORY

I remembered too that there was also a roof-top training area that very conspicuous activities had occurred on--including my conception. I'd have to save that trip for another time. I thought over the other options and decided the archives would probably be like a library. I wondered if there'd be information on First-Plane, as well as perhaps a history of Second-Plane. On First-Plane I'd found the quietness of a bookstore or library so peaceful. You could lose yourself in a book, and there was nothing more relaxing than that. Not to mention, reading and learning would be a nice break from rifling through people's memories. The choice was simple, I was going to the archives--well, if I could figure out how to work the elevator. It wasn't normal. There were no buttons, but there was a black, hand-sized rectangle beside the metaled stenciled list of locations. It seemed logical to place my hand on it and the controls lit up. A holographic map filled the air in front of me displaying the different locations. I touched the archives.

The library was beautiful and exceeded my expectations of the ultimate library that were based on Disney's cartoon movie, _Beauty and the Beast_. Belle would have wept. Just like the city itself, the library was a mix of old and new. There were mini-atlases everywhere. You could view a holographic, touch an area and get real time images. The information on First-Plane of course was a tad different, not in real time, but it was interesting to see what information they did have on my home dimension. They'd been watching us, guarding us, making sure the Banguri population was living in a copacetic union with the humans. Were they afraid of another Banguri attack? I began skimming the records, trying to find out if there'd be other attacks but I couldn't find anything. It seemed that that night Sariah had been attacked was an isolated event. That only piqued my curiosity more; if it was isolated than a limited number of people (if any) would have been behind it. I had seen someone in the shadows watching Sariah die; I knew I had. That attack had been deliberate and I was itching to know why.

"What's the longest time you've ever been able to sit in one place?"

I jumped in my seat; startled so completely that all the air poured from my lungs in a loud shriek. A young man sat a few seats down from me at the long table I'd been using the Atlas on. I took him in and as my eyes scanned over his face, I was startled all over again.

_It was him_ and he was even more handsome in waking life than the dream world I knew him from.

My face reddened as a gawked at him. I'd never thought he was more than just a fantasy, but here he was in the flesh. Everything about him seemed to be on fire; his features were warm and deeply sun-kissed, his hazel eyes sparked with a mischievous uncontained fire, even his night-black hair seemed to have a hint of blue that reminded me of the hottest part of a flame. I bit my lip, completely thrown and a little scared as to why I'd been dreaming for months of a man I'd been destined to meet.

"I'm sorry," he muttered awkwardly. "It was a dumb question anyway, but I didn't know how else to—I mean, I couldn't think of any other way to start up a conversation with you. I'd been watching you for a while--I mean, I noticed you, since we've been in the same room for so long...I—"

"It's fine," I said, finally speaking. "You just look like someone I know."

He looked strangely pleased with that answer, his smile encasing his entire being. His grin made me grin and I'm not sure how long we sat there cheesing at each other.

It was as if we both wanted to say something else but neither had the courage. I knew what I wanted to say, but I couldn't tell him that I've dreamed of him every night. Definitely not, my lips were sealed.

"I'm Nolan," he said, finally, offering me his hand to shake.

Without thinking I offered him my own gloved hand.

"Why are you wearing gloves?"

"Skin condition," I lied quickly.

"You're not from here," Nolan stated.

"Are _you_ from here?" I asked, turning the question back on him.

"Yes, actually I am from Second-Plane."

I grew silent, unsure what to say next. Everything on the tip of my tongue were all my truths that I shouldn't tell a stranger.

"I know all of Paramount's secrets," Nolan added, his mischievous smirk back.

His infection smile had me smiling again, despite my shyness.

"I doubt that," I said.

"Maybe not your secrets, but I definitely know a few things I probably shouldn't about here."

Was he hinting that he knew who I was after all, or did I just stick out so badly that he was assuming I wasn't from here? Everyone knew about First-Plane and--stupidly--I realized that I was dressed still like someone from there. Even if he did _know_ I couldn't just tell him everything—or really _anything_.

"I don't have secrets," I said stubbornly.

"Right, you have no secrets, just a rare skin condition. Tell you what, if you're brave enough, I'll show you one, very shocking, Paramount secret.

"Trustworthy enough is what really matters when you're telling secrets."

"Are you?" he asked with a raised brow.

"I like to think so," I said cautiously. Truth be told, I wanted to know all his secrets—even if I was planning on withholding my own.

"Then let's go. Unless, that is, you'd rather read."

There was a bit of a challenge in his voice, just the slightest taste of a dare. I couldn't resist, even though I suppose going off with someone I just met who I'd been dreaming about for months was exactly the opposite of "being careful". If my dad knew--well, he didn't and he wasn't here. This was my first taste of freedom, and why be free if you couldn't be bold?

"All right, let's go," I declared.

"Great! What's your name?"

"Zora."

Nolan made a little approving humming sound that was the most flirty non-verbal sound I'd ever heard.

"What?"

"Nothing," Nolan said quickly. He rubbed his hand through his hair and tapped his finger nervously on the back of his neck. He was embarrassed. I guess he hadn't meant to make the little sound. It was the kind of sound someone made when they tasted something delicious they hadn't in a long time. Even odder than the sound he made was how pleased I was that he liked my name.

05: THE CATACOMBS

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked.

He'd led me back to the glass elevator and then selected: LOWER LEVEL STORAGE AND ARMORY.

The elevator whizzed down.

"Not that great of a secret if it's common knowledge," I said.

"Where were going isn't listed. The elevator just takes us to the entrance."

The lower level had many hallways and many doors. It atmosphere felt very cold and dark. There was a door on the right, labeled storage and a door on the left labeled Armory. They had the same black rectangle hand sensor that the elevator did but I doubted they'd just open up. Straight before us was a long dark, unlit, corridor.

"What is this place?"

"You mean other than being the lower level used for storage and the armory?"

I laughed and nudged his arm.

"Touché."

"I call it the Catacombs," Nolan said.

"It does feel like a tomb," I whispered, stepping closer to him. The longer we stood in the lighted elevator ,looking out into the dark abyss of that hallway, the colder I felt and the more drawn to Nolan I became. I needed the warm presence of another living being when facing such a vast unknown darkness ahead of me.

_It's just a hallway._ I thought to myself in a repeated mantra. _Nothing to be scared of._

Nolan reached for my hand and pulled me close to his side.

"Scared?" Nolan whispered teasingly.

I wasn't going to justify that with an answer, but of course I was! Dream boy or not, I shouldn't have followed him down here. I began to pull away from him and move further back into the elevator, but Nolan held fast to my gloved hand.

"It's all right," Nolan reassured me. He put his other out in front of us and it began to glow. After a moment, a flame sprouted upwards from his palm, growing until it lit up the room and trickled light down the dark corridor.

Nolan turned to me and smiled.

"Now you know one of my secrets," he said softly.

We walked through the corridor and I realized the floor was slightly tilted down. We were descending, going underground, and after about a quarter of a mile we reached another door but it was opened.

Nolan turned his palm outwards and a ball of fire blew from his hand, lighting up the rest of the hallway in front of us and revealing row upon row of flush, side-by-side glass, ceiling high empty cells. It was an underground prison.

"There are so many," I muttered in disbelief.

"I think it's the entire length of Paramount. It's not finished and, of course, not being used— which was why it was left open."

"What is this place for?"

"My guess would be for anyone who threatens the Aura-Banguri Union." Nolan said.

I took a glove off and touched the glass wall nearest to me. It was cool, but not as cold as I'd expected. I couldn't imagine being trapped here--even as a prisoner. A quick tingling sensation rippled through my fingertips. Before me, the rooms deteriorated, their creation playing backwards for me. I removed my hand quickly from the glass. I'd just seen a memory held by this space. I'd never been able to do that before. Did this mean my powers were evolving already? Or was I just stronger on this plane than the other?

"What were you doing?" Nolan asked.

"I'm not sure," I answered truthfully. Or at least it was semi-truthful.

"I've told you two secrets, I think I've earned two facts about yourself. Two truthful facts, I might add."

"Do you really think this room is a prison?"

"It has to be," Nolan insisted. "Why else would it be so precise? Everything is evenly spaced and identical. You only have that kind of fairness when you're trying to standardize something."

"Aren't all the wars over?" I asked.

"Yes, but you never know. I think they just want to be prepared."

"For another war?"

"Or whatever may come. Iris is all about preparing for the unknown. Can't really blame her, she's seen two major wars in her lifetime so far. Ready to go back?"

"Yes," I agreed and quickly put my glove back on.

"I didn't mean to be so, weird," Nolan apologized as we walked back down the corridor. His flame lit the dark space before and behind us, making the whole area feel less void and cold.

"You weren't."

"We've just met and you're already lying to spare my feelings?" Nolan teased.

I laughed, but didn't give him an answer. We traveled back down the hallway and up the elevator in silence. I was still mulling over that creepy prison, fighting back and forth between why it was both necessary and barbaric. Nolan didn't speak again until we were outside of Paramount. I wondered what he was thinking and for a moment, wished I had some of Sariah's abilities.

"Where are you staying?"

"With my parents," I answered automatically.

"I meant, _where?_ "

"Why?"

"I wanted to walk you home?"

"Oh, today's my first day here. I don't even know where I live."

"You came here, ran off on your own, and have no idea where your living arrangements are?"

Nolan laughed I did too. I guess it was a bit absurd to just run off of in a new place.

"Zora!"

I looked up to see Iris walking across the lawn.

"Hello, Iris." Noland greeted instantly.

"How ironic that you two have already met each other," Iris said with a half amused, half worried smirk. "This is the person I was telling you about."

"Wait, what?" Noland asked confused. "She's _the one_ from First-Plane?"

I felt my checks redden.

"Yes; I was planning on introducing you once Zora had settled in, but it looks like you've found each other on your own."

'I'd better get back," I said to Iris.

"All right, I'll take you to your parents."

I scurried off behind Iris, trying not to look back over my shoulder, but I couldn't resist for long, and when I finally dared to look over back over my shoulder, he was still there right where I left him; watching me go with a dumbfounded look on his face.

06: THE SUN CAME BACK

"You met him in the Archives?" Jet asked.

"Weird, right?"

I was in our new temporary home, an open-floored concept tiny house. Everything was all in one room, the small sink and bathing room on one end and a seating area on the other. Above each space, tucked into a corner, was an iron spiraled staircase leading up to a bedroom; one for my parents and one for me. We were sitting together on a plush sued couch and I was explaining to my parents how I'd met Nolan.

"Yep, that's right."

"Sounds like destiny," Jet said, smiling.

"Do you believe everything is predetermined?" I asked.

"Not exactly, I think we all make choices that lead us in certain directions but I'd like to think some things _are_ predestined; like love."

Of course the idea of having an ultimate love out there waiting for you was romantically comforting, but in general the idea of _destiny_ was scary rather than soothing for me. Yes, it would be nice to know that things would ultimately be all right, but the idea that someone or some force was determining everything was a little depressing. If that were true, than free choice was only an illusion. Truly accepting that you had no control over anything terrified me.

I didn't want to give up control, ever. I wanted to know exactly where I was headed all the time. That's why dealing with my ever changing power was so frustrating; the unpredictable side of life was unpalatable to me. I couldn't understand something I couldn't control and it left me feeling unsettled and chaotic.

"You just walked around with some guy you'd just met?" Ajani interjected.

My father's frustration snapped me out of my self-reflection and back into reality.

"I made a _friend._ I've never had one before that wasn't a family member or a close family friend. Besides, he was the person I was going to meet anyway and have all those tests run with. At least he's nice and it won't be awful being stuck with him all the time."

"Don't make a big deal out of this," Jet warned Ajani. Eight little words in a soft tone had my father grumbling under his breath, but ultimately backing off. I wasn't done yet, though.

"Why do you _always_ assume the worst?"

Ajani froze; his expression somber and very solemn.

"Your mother explained to you that Aura don't normally bear any children?"

I nodded.

"We were afraid that someone would try to take you because you were an anomaly. They would have assumed you'd be different and have a different set of powers than what the majority of people have in Second-Plane. We'd also just discovered that rogue Banguri were being sent through portals to First-Plane, we didn't even know that there were portals or that traveling between the planes was even possible. We'd also just barely pushed back an invasion from the Omni. You have to understand, Zora, when we came to First-Plane we were fleeing and I've always had this gut feeling that it wasn't over; that there was more. I can't lose—."

Ajani looked away, unable to finish, but I knew and I felt bad for making him say it aloud. I've always known that my mother and I were invaluable to him. My father's monologue moved me. I chewed on my cheek, trying to determine if I should tell my parents _everything._ They were already worried and I didn't want to lie. I hated lying and I shouldn't have to lie--at least not to the few people I did love. I was beginning to realize that if I wanted to control my powers I would need to trust them and myself. I took a deep breath.

"When I tried my powers on Sariah it thrust me back through her past, all the way to the beginning of her life on Second-Plane and her last night as a human. I stopped right...right before she was murdered. I opened the door for her and saved her without even thinking about the consequences. I was so scared. I realized what I had done and that if I didn't correct it I'd change the course of everything. I touched Sariah again, in that current memory, went back to the moment I saw her and--I let her die."

Both of my parents looked stunned at first and then, as they processed the information I'd just given them, new emotions began to saturate their faces. My father was furious; his lips thinned into an angry line. My mother looked worried for me, probably wondering if I was severely traumatized from witnessing someone's murder.

"I'm so sorry," I said to both of them.

"Sariah needs to stop interfering," Ajani growled.

"Ajani, this isn't _her_ fault. Sariah has always been there for us. She loves Zora as much as we do."

"Sariah risked everything. Zora doesn't even know the extent of her own powers. We're the parents, _not her._ If we can't trust Sariah to not attempt undermine our authority, then she will have to stay away."

"Please don't tell her what happened," I said quickly. "She doesn't know. I should have known better."

"No!" Ajani spat angrily. "Sariah is the adult; _you're_ just a--"

My mother and I cut him off in unison.

"Don't you _dare_ gang up on me!"

"Ajani," Jet said, pulling him into an embrace, "calm down. It'll be all right; everything is already all right."

Ajani grew quiet.

"Well, I really am sorry," I insisted. "I don't know what else to say. I didn't want to tell you. I knew you'd be angry--which is pointless because I obviously didn't do it on purpose and I fixed it. I only told you because I thought I should tell you everything. If you want me to feel comfortable coming to you and trusting you, then you have to be able to actually handle it."

I grabbed my small bag of items I'd packed from First-Plane and headed to the back room above the sink and bathing area. I knew I shouldn't have left on such a sour, angry note, but I suddenly felt so tired. Too much had happened in a short time.

As I climbed the iron spiraled staircase, I felt like a scorned princess banished to her tower for bad behavior. What were the possibilities that I could get my own place? Was it more socially acceptable to be independent in Second-Plane? Light City didn't function on currency, everything was either provided or traded for. Theoretically, I just had to find a place and I could live there. I'd have to talk to Iris about it. If I was going to feel comfortable in my own skin, I'd need to be away from my parents and their unyielding worry.

The sun had almost finished setting when I heard four little taps on my window. I jolted awake. I got out of bed, dazed and half asleep. I peered through the window and saw Nolan looking up at me from the lawn.

I waved and he looked relieved and began motioning for me to open the window. I smiled at him, but shook my head no. Nolan raised his hand, putting up a single finger—I assumed, asking me to wait a minute. He disappeared out of my view and, after a moment, I heard my mother call my name.

"Zora, you have a visitor."

I took the stairs slowly down, careful to check my giddiness. I didn't want to look stupid or too eager. I took a deep breath and told myself to relax.

"I'll be in my room if you need me," Jet told me. "It was nice to meet you, Nolan."

"Likewise," Nolan answered back shyly.

My mother wasn't even fully upstairs before we were grinning at each other like idiots. Luckily for both us, my father was nowhere to be seen.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"I don't know," Nolan said, "maybe to apologize for earlier? I was trying to show off and it just got--weird."

"Finding out where I live, throwing little rocks at my window and introducing yourself to my mom isn't equally as weird?"

I had been teasing, but Nolan's smiled dimmed and I immediately felt like an ass.

"I'm sorry, I was only joking.. I shouldn't be so snarky. I'm out of practice with having friends. I'm glad you came, really."

"Clearly, I am too," Nolan agreed. "Well, I guess I'll go, but I'd like a do-over."

"A do over?"

"Yes, a second chance to show you I'm--normal."

"I don't think either of us is _normal._ "

"If we're both not normal, then together, we would technically _be normal_." Nolan theorized.

"I like the way you think," I said.

"Wonderful, then meet me in the library tomorrow at noon."

07: NEW MOON

"You're going to meet Nolan again?" Jet asked.

We were walking back from having explored the city. It was wonderful and so peaceful. Everyone got along and there was a general calming energy throughout the city. My mother had taken me to one of the original Light City stores called the _Abstract_. It was a warehouse with hundreds of vendors. I'd found some nice decor for my room and even a couple of Aura books. I was impressed that the society here on the peninsula worked. My mother explained to me that Light City was just the mecca, there were upwards of twenty other cities just as successful throughout the whole peninsula. Perhaps it was because the amount of resources people needed to survive was lower. There wasn't a need for food, only water and sexual energy, and it seemed both were readably available.

"Yeah, we're going to meet in the Archives."

"What for?"

"I don't know. It was his idea. I don't have to go," I added quickly.

"No, you should and when you're ready to talk, we'll talk."

I grimaced; completely embarrassed that she not only knew where this might go and was okay with it. Then again, what should I expect? I was from a race that fed off of sexual energy--of course they'd be open about sex. I just wished there'd been more time to adjust to the idea. They'd waited too long for the talk, and based on what I'd known about myself intimacy seemed like something for people _other_ than me. I suppose as long as I didn't touch someone with my hands, it would be all right, right? I was thinking my hands were the trigger to my powers, but that was only a theory and I wasn't comfortable with proving or disproving that theory.

"I'm not trying to make you self-conscious," Jet said, "but honey, we are Aura's and your body and soul will have needs. My only regret about having raised you in First-Plane is how ridiculous humans are about sex. It's natural, and for us, completely necessary. When you've found a partner and you're ready for more you'll need to relax and trust yourself. A little harmless practice never hurt anyone."

"Didn't it _kill_ the cat?"

Jet laughed. "Honey, that was curiosity, not _practice._ "

I started at my mother, completely bewildered by her ability to be so calm and pragmatic. She never panicked, even when it was warranted. She was always steady and well rooted in her believe that things would be fine. I wanted to believe it too, but I couldn't just leap and hope to fly. I wanted to be certain I could fly, with proof, and testing and no alternative endings. I couldn't survive on optimism.

Nolan was sitting on the steps of Paramount as I walked up. Guess we were having a change of plans already. I wondered what he was up to. Were there more Light City secrets he wanted to show me outside of Paramount? He didn't see me at first and I leaned against a tree and watched him.

I wanted to get my head straight before he saw me. My mom had me all romantically hopeful about things I hadn't even let myself consider before. I'd had a crush on Peter, but it was safe because he was older and clearly not interested. Nolan, though, was different. The dreams made me feel like I'd known him for so long already. I relaxed with him, I was myself with him and I liked him. That was a dangerous combination.

Nolan liked me too, and he wanted to spend time together outside of us being tested. I didn't know exactly what he wanted or what his ultimate goal was but that didn't matter. My gut told me he was genuine. I was very scared and felt vulnerable at the idea of having a real friend; someone who saw into me, past the mask I put up to keep myself and them safe.

Getting to know him was promised chaos. What if I got too comfortable and accidently hurt him? Was he an Aura too; did he understand about the sexual needs that would develop? Would he understand? What was I going to do when I started _needing_ sex? This wasn't like a First-Plane hormonal issues, this was: here is how your body survives and whether you're emotionally ready, you need to _feed_. Would I have to have multiple lovers? Maybe I'd be ready to talk to my mom sooner than I thought. She just slept with my dad right? I took a deep breath. I was freaking myself out before there was even a problem to worry about.

Emotions were scary and I was having far too many at one time. If only I could tell them (my emotions) to take a number and be dealt with in an orderly, single file fashion. I accidently laughed out loud at my own ridiculousness and Nolan noticed me.

Our eyes locked and his whole face lit up and I forgot why I was supposed to be anxious about.

I blushed; certain he knew I'd been watching him. I'd planned to just stroll and greet after a few minutes but I'd gotten lost in my own thoughts. Nolan got up off the steps and strode over to me.

"How long were you watching me?"

"I wasn't," I lied.

"I don't mind."

"Good."

He laughed.

"You're awfully sassy."

"I'm always snarky."

"I didn't say _snarky_ ," Nolan corrected playfully. "Have you been to the Abstract yet?"

"My mom and I went this morning."

"I'm a vendor there. I thought I could take you to my studio and show you some of my work," Nolan offered.

"You're an artist?"

"Is that surprising? What are the artists on First-Plane like?"

"The men are almost always pompous egomaniacs," I said.

He laughed. "Now you're being snarky."

I felt my cheeks redden but laughed with him.

"Is that a 'no' then to seeing my studio?" Nolan asked.

"No, I'm sorry. I mean, yes, I'd like to see your work. I don't mean to be so awkward and I am definitely not trying to be rude. I'm just still adjusting to being here."

"I'm sure it's really different than First-Plane."

"Very much so," I agreed. We started walking, falling easily in to a pace as we headed, ironically, back the way I'd just come with my mom.

"Tell me about you," Nolan said quietly.

"Are we going to swap facts?"

"I'm always down for a game. As a show of good faith, I'll even go first."

"Let's hear it," I said.

"My parents are dead."

I was shocked at his bluntness, and I had to stifle back a nervous giggle. I looked over at Nolan, expecting to see some other emotion than the mischievous smirk he had plastered on his face. I laughed, in spite of myself, and felt guilty about liking his crass sense of humor.

"Your turn!" He chirped.

"My parents are not dead," I answered with a sly smile.

"That's ridiculously skimpy," he said with a displeased click of his tongue.

"I'm just playing the game you wanted to; don't be mad if I'm better at it."

"All right, then I'm amending the game. Question for a question: I ask, you answer, and then we swap. Do you regret coming here?"

"I was reluctant at first, but no; I don't regret it. Are you parents really dead?"

"I think so. My childhood is blurry."

"You lied?!" I said, feigning offence.

"You lie sometimes," Nolan countered.

"How would you even know?"

Nolan shrugged. "It's obvious."

"Well if you back a girl into a corner--self-preservation."

"That's a weak excuse. You could have just admitted you were staring at me. I don't care that you find me attractive, I find _you attractive._ "

"How generous of you," I said.

"I know and you're welcome," Nolan teased.

"I could tell you what happened to your parents," I blurted out.

"With your powers? How does that work?"

"I touch someone and I can see all the way back to when they were born. If I ever learn how to control my abilities, I'll help you."

Nolan seemed surprised.

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

I was surprised that the answer was yes, but it was. I'd never thought of using my powers for other people. I'd only ever thought of it as a dangerous burden but if I could learn to control the force within me, maybe I could use it for good.

"Yes, I would. Where is your studio again?"

"Right next to the Abstract," Nolan said.

I could see its multicolored, sparkling glass windows from the street corner we were on. We were just a block away. The building next to it, where I assumed Nolan's studio was, was also a warehouse in style, with the same multi-glasses into panes. The windows were all a thick sea green glass, connected by an alabaster-colored iron from

"The Abstract was so popular that they decided to build studios next to it for the vendors to work. Some people just work in their studio, but I live here as well."

"How very _hipster_ of you."

"What?"

"Never mind," I muttered.

"Were you using First-Plane words to tease me?"

I bit my lip. It'd seemed funny in the moment, but now it just seemed dumb.

"Must be love," Nolan said with a wink.

"I'm in love with you because I tease you?"

"It's the first sign, darling."

"Darling?" I echoed shaking my head.

"Beloved?"

"Yuck."

"Princess?"

I smirked. "Even grosser."

"Darling, you've got to stop being so picky!"

"Or you could just call me Zora," I said as we climbed the last of the steps to his floor.

He held the door open for me and I was surprised by how nice his studio was. Bathing area in on side with wooden stairs up to an open sleeping loft above it. On the main floor there was a leather overstuffed chair with a matching ottoman. The walls were covered with ceiling high black bookcases filled to the brim and the rest of the space was used as a work area. He had three stations set up, a drawing desk, an easel with plenty of bright oils and pastels laid out and a pottery wheel and helm.

"You do all of this?"

"I've had a lot of time on my hands."

"Just waiting for me to show up, huh?"

"A guy can only dream of a girl like you."

That last remark threw me off. I was enjoying our banter but since I really had dreamed of him a part of me wondered if that wasn't actually an omission. Had he been dreaming of me? I was battling with whether or not to just blurt it out and see what he said. I mean, we are anomalies that defied the known logic that control this plane, would he really be that surprised that I'd had what was basically now that I thought about it a premonition about us?

Maybe he'd know what it meant when he heard it.

"You look like you want to say something but you're not sure if you should," Nolan said.

The dream hadn't been it. I was going to confess jokingly that I _had_ been staring at him, but maybe I should just roll with this opportunity to confess about the dream? I chewed on my lip nervously, trying to make a quick decision. My brain settled on _no._ I just couldn't tell him; not yet. It was too weird and our friendship was too new.

I wanted to feel him out more. Maybe he'd turn out to be someone I didn't _want_ to be dreaming about. I didn't want to inflate the connection between us before I knew if he was someone I could trust. Even as I thought that, I knew it was just an excuse, a really lame one, and that I was just scared of what his reaction might be or what dreaming about him long before I knew him meant.

"Zora?"

Nolan's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"I wish you didn't read me so well, I'm not ready to say what I was going to say."

He laughed heartily and I eagerly stole a chance to steer the conversation.

"Which one is your favorite?" I asked, referring to the different types of art he did.

"Right now, pottery."

"Drawing teaches you preciseness; painting teaches you to blend colors, but with pottery you get to do all three," I said nodding.

"Exactly," he said with, a little hint of awe in his tone.

"I'm horrible at art but great with critical thinking."

"You want me to teach you how to make a vase?"

"Can I just watch you?"

"You're asking for _permission_ to stare now?"

I grinned. "I'm going to steal one of your books, sit in your chair, and watch you work."

"Zora, Zora, Zora," he said. "I must have passed my second chance test, because you're taking a lot of friendly liberties with me."

I ignored the feeling I got when he said my name like that and focused on his bookshelf.

"I recognize some of these titles, have people brought books back from First-Plane?"

"They're not supposed to, but I'd surely be tempted to if I ever went. Most of those books are the Second-Plane versions. When Light City was first founded, the Elder's encouraged the people to recreate any of their impressions from their lives before. Things weren't as figured out as they are now. It was believed that in order to form an identity people needed to understand where they came from. Or at least, that's what the majority of the Elder's, like Iris, believed."

I selected a book from the shelf and headed back to his overstuffed leather chair, kicking my shoes off before I got comfortable. Nolan had pulled up a stool and started working with some clay.

"What race are you exactly?"

"Banguri."

I was instantly insecure. If he were a Banguri then he didn't need sexual energy to survive. If our relationship deepened, would I be just sucking the aroused energy out of him like a parasite? That thought, creeped me out but I couldn't run from it.

"Do you know how Aura feed?"

He turned towards me and raised an eyebrow.

"Why? Are you hungry?"

A ringing sound that reminded me of a phone saved me from having to answer that. Nolan got up from the stool and dried his hands on a towel. He pulled out a black, river stone shaped item out of his pocket. It was dimly lit, but when he held it in his hand it powered up to its full brightness. I admired how everything was energy powered here. Sentient life existed while causing limited damage. If only Earth was like this. I watched as Nolan tapped a button on the screen and then answered the call. An agitated male voice crackled through the air.

"Is my daughter still with you?"

Oh shit.

"Hello," I said meekly. I closed the book shut that I'd had every intention of starting and sat up in the chair.

"Zora," my father said gruffly, "it's been hours and you're not back yet."

"I'm with Nolan, but I can come home if you want. Is something wrong?"

"Are you still at the Archives?"

"No, I'm in Nolan's studio."

My father cursed and then the line grew silent.

"Did the call drop?" I asked.

"Are you trying to give your father a stroke? You didn't have to say we were in my studio together. That implies a lot."

Nolan was smiling and I should have taken the whole situation more seriously, but I couldn't resist making one tiny snarky remark.

"I already told you that I'm not hungry."

Nolan's expression turned a bit dark. I forgot that my father could potentially be listening, the tension between us tightened and the air felt thicker and I realized that would definitely quench my appetite.

"You're going to make meeting them a nightmare for me and it was already going to be awkward," Nolan warned in a very serious tone.

Nolan's abruptly seriousness confused me.

"They've already met you."

"I don't want them to get the wrong idea," Nolan grumbled, reminding me instantly of my Dad.

"Zora," it was my mother talking now, "I'm sorry, your father is, well, he'll be fine. Eventually I think we should all spend some time together; I think that'll help him--adjust. We'll talk when you get home, all right?"

"Should I come home now?"

"Of course not; we'll see you when we see you."

"Did your parents think we're going to have sex?" Nolan demanded with utter shock.

I let out a nervous giggle. The whole situation was so bizarre. My mother thought I was going to experiment with Nolan, my father probably thought so too, from the way he'd had a grownup-tantrum, and meanwhile, Nolan, was more concerned with what my parents thought of him than actually making a move on me--which he couldn't do because whenever I touched someone my powers thrust me in to their past.

"It's not funny, Zora." Nolan said from across the room. "I want them to like me."

"Why?" I said, wiping the laughter-tears from my eyes.

"Let's go. I've got to get you back."

"If you're kicking me out, I'm taking your book."

"You can borrow my book; hell, you can _have_ that book if you explain things to your parents."

Nolan was really serious. He _liked_ me. I was stunned.

"It's fine, they're just over protective," I said as I got up from the couch.

"Zora," Nolan said. He caught my gloved hand in his. Whatever else he was going to say was lost; he was going to kiss me and I wanted to let him, but I couldn't. His future was worth more than a moment's carelessness. I squeezed his hand and then dropped it. I'd thought that would fizzle out whatever was warming up between us, but it didn't. If anything, it did the opposite. I swallowed hard and studied the cover of the book to avoid seeing whatever his eyes would be showing.

"I'll talk to them, I promise."

"Thank you."

I felt queasy the whole walk home and we were both silent.

I knew he was confused and probably a little hurt. Maybe even thinking that I didn't like him, which wasn't true. I'd never had anyone show any real interest. I did like him, and I wanted him to know, but at the same time _because_ I liked him I had to ultimately reject him to keep him safe. I couldn't risk hurting him.

We were at my door now and quickly, before I lost my nerve, I turned to him.

"I like you too, Nolan, but my powers complicate everything. If I never learn how to control them then I could really hurt you, and I couldn't live with that."

That was all I was able to get out before my nerve was gone. I tried to run off before he had a chance to respond, but he caught my hand and I stilled. I was afraid if I turned to look at him he'd kiss me or I'd kiss him, but I couldn't pull away either. Then, he moved first, bringing my hand up and placing a single kiss on the smooth leather of my glove. I turned to face him then but he had already turned and headed back.

08: NO GLOVES

The rotating robotic arms hummed as the hovered around my body. I hadn't seen Nolan in a few days but we were now on onyx colored tables, side by side, undergoing our first tests. He'd said hello to me but then Harrold has started buzzing around us and we hadn't had a chance to talk, let alone talk privately. I'd missed him and I didn't want him to stay away.

He was my first real friend.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my breathing, my racing heart and most importantly my mind. I felt a hand on my own and turned just my head towards Nolan. He smiled as he interweaved my gloved fingers with his own.

"It's almost done," Nolan assured.

"I'm fine," I lied defensively. I was starting to get claustrophobic. Harrold had been being scanning us for almost two hours. I was beginning to feel trapped.

Nolan shrugged.

"No moving, please!" Harold sang out.

"Why are your hands always so cold?" Nolan asked

"You can tell they're cold even with gloves on?"

"Yeah, your entire glove feels chilled. Has it always been like that?"

"I don't know. You're the only person who has ever held my hand."

"Really?"

"I'm not close with anyone, Nolan, it isn't safe."

He held fast to my hand, ignoring my last comment.

"If our powers are really opposite, I wonder if you can make ice," Nolan whispered.

"Would the opposite be water? Why are we whispering?"

"You're the only one who knows."

"I think we're done for today." Harold said. He walked over checking the screens where the data was being loaded in. "We finally have enough information for a base line. Tomorrow we'll, see what happens to your brain when you both use your powers."

"You really think you'll learn much?" Nolan said as he sat up. He sounded pretty skeptical.

"More data is better than _less_ data."

"But if you don't understand the data, it's useless."

"We have to try to correlate it into something useful. Perhaps in time, there'll be more like you and we can compare your data to theirs," Harold insisted with a shrug.

"Do you really think we'll be able to control our powers?" I asked.

"I do! Nolan is able to control his abilities, there's no reason why you wouldn't be able to as well."

I really hoped he was right. If I could control my powers then I could really think of the future; I'd be able to live instead of just existing.

"Zora," Nolan said softly. "What are you doing after--we're done here? There's another place I want to show you."

"It's getting a little late isn't it?" Harold commented. I ignored him.

"I don't have any plans."

"Great. Let's go."

The place Nolan had wanted to show me was the roof garden; it was breathtaking. I had an impression from Sariah's memory of her catching my mom and dad up here once. The idea that this was some hot make out spot made me smile and feel incredibly young. Which was nice, I'd felt so _old_ before. I was always so serious, because I'd had to be. I'd had to focus on being as human as possible until I was in our apartment. But when I was with Nolan I could just relax. I wish I'd known him before now. My life would have been so different.

"The sun will be setting soon," Nolan said as he stretched out across the grass.

"Sunsets are pretty date-ish," I stated from besides him on the turf. We were both leaned back on the grass our hands just inches away. I could barely focus--all I wanted to do was touch him but couldn't work up the nerve, even with a gloved hand.

"Friends don't watch sunsets?" Nolan teased. "What do friends do then?"

"I don't know, you're the first one I've ever had."

He actually dipped his head back and laughed.

"I'm serious," I said.

Nolan turned towards me and his eyes grew in amazement.

"You are serious," he said in amazement.

"I was always afraid I'd expose myself and my family and then we'd be carted off to some government lab and experimented on."

"Shit," he cursed in a low voice. "I hadn't thought of it that way."

"It's fine. There's no way you would have been able to know that. I'm the one who can see the past. Not you."

"See why it's good my powers don't work on you? I'd be tortured with visions of how much of an ass I'd to repeatedly make out of myself."

"Your powers don't work on me?"

"No, not at all."

"You've tried to use your powers, they just won't work!"

"No, when I look at you it's like I don't even have the ability. It's wonderful. I can just be myself."

That was all I'd ever wanted; just moments where I could relax and be myself; whoever that was with.

"You think my powers weren't work on you either?" I asked hopefully. "Like being together makes our abilities cancel out?"

"That's what I'm hoping for," Nolan said, with a nod. "Even if it's not true, I'm not going anywhere."

"So you don't want to be two friends watching a sunset?"

"I don't want to just be friends. Not if you want to be more than friends too."

I didn't want to be just friends, but I wasn't convinced yet that we could be more than just friends. I was scared. I didn't want to get attached to someone I couldn't really have.

"What if they merge or something and then we're like some all-powerful uncontrollable force?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood and sound cool.

"Still not going anywhere," Nolan said.

I'd been looking down at my gloved hand while we'd been talking, pulling at tuffs of grass, but I looked up at him then. He was looking at me too, his eyes so warm and confident. He was so sure of wanting to be with me even though we barely knew each other.

"Why do you wear gloves?"

"You know why," I said back.

"I want to know why you do it."

"It's the only way I can control my powers."

"No, it's the only way you _think_ you can control your powers," Nolan challenged. "You've always had these powers; if you could touch people before you can touch them again. But you have to trust yourself."

That was true. There had been a time before the gloves. It was only in the past year or so that I'd had to wear them. Had I just ostracized myself before then because I knew I was different and then when I was even more different than I'd imagined I'd just started shutting people out, out of fear?

I wanted to _trust_ Nolan. I wanted to demolish this fear I had that I'd hurt him or he'd unknowingly hurt me. He was like the sun and I was the moon, and when they touched there was darkness. I didn't want to have him just to lose him. I could feel that I was already _feeling_ too much for him. I liked him, and it felt like he genuinely cared. I was at a fork in the road and going down either path felt unbearable. I didn't want to develop more feelings but I didn't want our friendship to wither.

"Put your hand up," he instructed quietly.

My chest tightened.

"Nolan," I said shaking my head.

"Trust me, Zora. Give me a chance."

"The last time I did this it ended very badly."

"How badly?"

"I'm serious," I said. I watched his face shift. There had been a mischievous fire in his eyes burning like a golden-red ember but now he looked more somber.

"Tell me," he said quietly reaching for my gloved hand. He covered it in both of his and I could feel the warm of his palm even through the glove.

"A friend of the family, an older sister almost I've known her my whole life--you see--let me start from the beginning. The Aura can't conceive, so the fact that I am even here is an anomaly. My parents were afraid of what a child would mean to a barren race. They were afraid I'd be in danger, so they brought me to First-Plane to keep me safe. My father's best friend, Luke, is a Banguri immigrant. When the first war broke out, his parents open portals and sent clusters of Banguri back to First-Plane; anyway, my family stayed within that community my whole life. It's all I knew until coming here a week or so ago. Aura's usually awaken mature and then feed off of sexual energy right away, but since my body was growing, I was different than my parents. I was able to eat a small amount of human food, but as my body matured that changed. Sariah was always around to give me energy, so I've stayed healthy."

"You'll always need to be near her then, Sariah that is?"

"No, now that I've matured I'll be able to--" I paused, trying to find the right way to explain it without making myself sound sleazy.

"Now that you're mature you'll just need a partner and you'll be able to sustain yourself?"

"Normally I'd have awakened on Second-Plane with my venku, but because I'm an anomaly I'll have to eventually take a lover."

"Are you attracted to men or women?" Nolan asked.

"Men, but--well--I guess that's an assumption. I haven't been with either. I'm not sure how it'll work either. I mean, I don't know--ah--this is awkward."

"I forget you grew up in First-Plane until you start stuttering when you try to talk about sex," Nolan teased.

"It is very socially different there."

"I bet. Impressions are a hard thing to shake off. I'm glad I was born here and not awakened. I'd be a different person, I'm sure."

"It wasn't all bad living there," I said with a twinge of defensiveness.

"I didn't mean to offend you, Zora. I apologize if I did. I didn't meant to interrupt you and get you off track either," Nolan said. "Tell me what happened the first time you used your powers."

"I was upset with my parents; Sariah came up to talk to me. She thought if I saw her life, I'd understand more about why my parents had kept the truth from me for so long and why they wanted me to come to Second-Plane now."

"Let's try it."

He'd been holding my hand the whole time we'd been talking but as soon as he said that, I pulled my hand away back to the safety of my own lap.

"Nolan, we have no idea what might happen."

"I know, but my gut tells me it'll be good. Plus, my powers don't work on you, so why would yours work on me? I think we were meant to figure this out together, Zora."

I thought of the dream. It was on the tip of my tongue to confess it to him but something held me back.

"We can't know for sure," I insisted.

"That's true," Nolan said, "but think of how we're drawn to each other. How easily we became friends, how much we trust each other, even our powers suggest that we're connected. And I know you can feel it. When I look at you, Zora, I--"

"You what?" I asked, looking earnestly at him.

"Take your glove off," Nolan said quietly.

My first instinct was to keep refusing. I wanted to keep him safe, but something in the way he was looking at me told me I couldn't hurt him. I didn't feel connected to him. I was drawn to him. We had an easy rapport and that's what made me so scared to touch him. I didn't want to hurt him.

I bit my lip, and Nolan watched me, waiting patiently as if he knew I'd ultimately trust him. How could he be so confident? Maybe I was overthinking this, maybe I was letting fear rule me when there wasn't anything to be afraid of. If his powers were null on me, then I shouldn't be able to see into his past.

I decided to take a chance and leap. I took my glove off of one hand and very slowly, extended my hand out in front of myself. Nolan reached forward, lining his fingers a long mine. We still weren't touching; he was waiting for me to tell him I was ready. I'd never be completely ready, so I just did it. I nodded and he closed the space between our palms.

I held my breath as I watched him lace our fingers together. Nolan's hands were warm and much larger than mine I was entranced by the fact that nothing was happening. We were just two people with our hands locked between us.

It was empowering.

I hadn't imagined how amazing that simple contact with him would feel. I felt like that one act of bravery had changed everything and the realization that I could touch him without hurting him was exuberating. I got swept away and I courageously leaned forward and kissed him.

Nolan's hand moved quickly to my face and for a moment I thought he was going to push me away. I pulled back hesitantly. But he stayed where he was, affectionately trailing his thumb along my jaw line before hooking it under my chin and pulling me back to him. His kiss sent a soft velvet warmth down my neck through my chest and straight into my heart.

I was thawing; becoming weaker and stronger all at the same time.

It was terrifying but I wanted more of him.

I moved closer and he gave me more, his lips parted, drawing me in and the warm honey taste of him hypnotically filled my mouth.

We both sighed and I wonder how long we'd been holding our breath. Both of us had been waiting for our chance and thankfully I hadn't been too scared to take it.

_God,_ he just felt so good. Before I realized what I was doing I was straddling him and his hands had slipped down my back on to the curve of my butt beneath my jeans. He pulled at my hips, grinding me against him

"Zora," he hummed against my throat as he kissed me along the front of my neck. Hearing the way he said my name brought me crushingly back into realty.

"Wait," I gasped. I pulled away, untangling myself from as I scooted off his lap.

"All right," he said, quietly watching me.

My head was hazy and I was tingling all over. I was so excited and it was freaking me out. That was the first time I'd ever kissed anyone, and I'd practically mauled him. I covered my face with my hands, trying to get myself together. I was feeling a cocktail of emotions. My mind was in complete warp-drive.

I felt Nolan take my hand and press it gently to his lips.

"Zora," he crooned. "Talk to me."

"You're the first person I've ever kissed and I just kind of lost myself in the moment."

"I've wanted to kiss you since the first time I saw you," he confessed. He reached out to me and I moved back towards him. I heard him sigh in contentment as I folded back into his arms. It was just a simple embrace but it felt like I'd never belonged anywhere else.

"And," he continued as he lightly kissed my temple, "we're touching and you're not going back in time."

I sat up again excitedly. He was right. I'd been so...preoccupied...that I'd nearly forgotten that very important revelation.

"Guess we do _null_ each other's powers out. Harrold will be excited to hear that."

"I got carried away too with that kiss. I was just so relieved that we could be together."

"You want to be together?" I asked. I knew he liked me, but _together_ that sounded like a lot more than just like. Was he considering being my lover? I blushed at the thought, both excited and overwhelmed by the idea.

"Maybe I sound like a sap but yeah, I want to be with you, Zora."

He nuzzled the side of my face and I closed my eyes. My whole body seemed to respond when he touched me. He was just so relaxing and it was more than just a sexual attraction and that's partially why it scared me. It was too fast for love, so what was this force between us?

"If we had sex I might hurt you," I said.

"Are we talking just about sex?" Nolan said. I felt him stiffen a little.

"I thought that was what you meant."

"I see. Come on, it's getting late. I don't want your parents to hate me." Nolan said with wink.

Now I was officially confused. We were both clearly attracted to each other, but he didn't want sex. I guess it was good that we'd slowed down then, we both needed to figure out what we wanted. But at least, I had him as my friend. That, for me, was above all the most important.

"Why are you trying to impress my parents? It's not like they have an application process for being my boyfriend."

"You catch more flies with honey, darling."

"You sound like an old man when you use the word darling," I snapped.

"I don't have to walk you home."

"It was your idea," I said.

"Just forget it," he grumbled. "I'll see you tomorrow, when we meet with Iris."

"Why are you upset with me?" I demanded. I grabbed his hand to stop him from walking away. He could leave if he wanted to, but I needed an answer first.

He turned back towards me, looking down at me with those beautiful hazel golden-fire eyes.

"I don't know if we should talk about this now," he said, "a lot has happened in the last week and we seem to be moving a little faster than what you're comfortable with. I'm not even sure I'm comfortable with it. I'm just so--"

"What?"

"--enamored with you. I don't think you want the same things from me that I want from you."

I swallowed nervously. This was the most direct conversation I'd ever had with someone I was attracted to. I knew he was telling the truth. The way he was looking at me, the way he was always looking at me, I knew he had feelings that were only getting deeper. We hadn't known each other long, but I knew in my soul that this was a pivotal moment for us. I could either run to him or away from him, but I wouldn't get another chance. I'd been raised near humans but I wasn't human; not in the sense First-Plane born people were, at least. I couldn't live like them and I shouldn't try to. I was different. Nolan and I were different. It felt so good to be with him, and not just when we were lip locked, I meant all the time. I didn't want to give that up, and I didn't have to. He was right here and so was I. I had to make sure he knew.

"Be patient with me," I said as I rose up on my toes to kiss him. "We want the same things, I'm just...hesitant."

"I'd never intentionally hurt you," Nolan promised.

His head dipped, devouring the space between us in a one smooth motion. He could be so tender—the way he held me against him, the way his hands caressed up my back and into my hair; I felt like I was liquefying in his arms. Nolan released me first, a few long drawn out moments latter and I felt charmingly wobbly on my knees.

"We really should get back."

"Don't forget your gloves," Nolan said turning to scoop them off the ground.

"Thank you," I said quietly. "For a moment I forgot that I even needed them."

"One day you won't need them! Just give it time."

I leaned into him and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"We'll figure it out," he said, "I promise."

"There's a lot we'll need to figure out," I said.

"There's time for that too, don't worry."

I felt him brush a kiss into the side of my forehead and it felt good to believe in my own happy ending for once.

09: BLACK MOON

I couldn't sleep.

I was disgustingly giggly and my pessimistic realist gloomy side didn't even try to fight it. I'd been reliving our first kiss and the substantial kisses that had happened today with Nolan over and over again.

tap tap tap

It was the sound of something being tossed at my window, and I hopped up like a love-sick Juliet. I paused before pulling the curtains back, savoring all these new feelings I was allowing myself to have: excitement, thrill, joy, hope.

There was another tap. I didn't bother to check my smirk as I turned to the window and looked out.

It wasn't Nolan.

It was a woman dressed in black with wild hair sprouting out of her head like weeds. She was smiling at me; a disturbing creepy Cheshire grin glued to her face. Something wasn't right. I began to move away from the window, but she'd anticipated that.

The woman's hands flung upwards, the glass of the pane shattered and her fingers lunged through the ridged broken glass frame. It was so fast that I hit the ground before I even knew I'd left the room. I groaned on the lawn, my body aching from the landing so hard.

_She's coming for you,_ my mind thought frantically. _Don't let her get you._

I wanted to move, but I was so jarred from the fall my limbs wouldn't respond—my body was in shock.

I felt a firm grip around my neck toss me on to my back and the firm weight of her body crushed down on my chest. She was sitting on me. She wasn't going to let me run.

Her face hovered above mine like she was going to give me a kiss. Her eyes turned black and her mouth opened. It was like a tunnel wind sucking right at me and I felt what she was doing immediately. She was trying to devour me; to eat my soul.

I couldn't let her. I wasn't ready to die. I just had to touch her and then I'd find a way to stop this. My hand obeyed me and I grabbed at whatever part of her was closest. My adrenaline surged as my fingers ripped and scratched until I found skin.

My conscious self was swept back and actual time froze in front of me. I saw the woman straddling my weakening body, and for the first time I was grateful for my power. I'd halted the future and I'd be able to go back in time with the knowledge that she was coming.

Then something unexpected happened. She woman turned and looked right at me.

She could see me. She knew I was in her mind.

I felt panicked again. How strong was the woman and who was she? She might be the first person strong enough to stop me from using my powers. This woman was dangerous. I needed to know what I was up against and I had to hurry. I began flipping through her past.

She'd been watching me, stalking me even ever since I'd come to Second-Plane. She knew I'd eventually come back and she'd been waiting. Deciding if I had powers she wanted. She hadn't known about Nolan, but I led her to him. I dove back further, trying to get as much of an impression for what her motives were as I could.

I felt a pain in my chest.

She wasn't able to stop me from going through her past, but she was still draining me, eating my soul, piece by piece. I just needed a few minutes more, then I'd zip back a few hours before she arrived and tell my parents. I wasn't sure what my plan was.

I flew through the past years, back and back. She'd hidden in places I didn't recognize, constantly sending beasts through portals. Further. I needed to go back further. I had to know who she was. Then I saw something and froze the memory.

It was my father and my mother. She was greeting them and opening up a portal and--

"Zora?! Can you hear me?"

I was back on the ground, out of the woman's memories.

Sariah was kneeling over me, her hands on the sides of my face as she sent her own energy into my body.

I heard a desperate scream and I looked past my mother to see my father levitating the woman who'd attacked me. He was crushing her alive.

"Don't," I squeaked.

I felt arms around me pulling me close.

"It's all right," my mother whispered. "It's all right."

"Ajani," said Sariah. "Don't kill her. We need to interrogate her. Help me restrain her and transport her to the Catacombs. Iris needs to _know_ before we do anything else."

The woman screamed again, louder and more agonizingly than before. My father wasn't listening.

"Ajani!" yelled my mother. She got up and went to him. "We have to do what's right for _everyone._ Do you hear me? Control your emotions!"

I rolled over to my side. With the energy my mother had given me I'd be strong enough to walk in a few moments. I had to make sure Nolan was okay. I'd whirled through those memories so fast I only had the slightest recollection of what'd I'd seen and what it'd meant. She'd fought me the whole time, so all I had were different sized chunks of her memories. She knew about Nolan, and she might have gone to him first. I had to know.

While my parents and Sariah were discussing what to stood on shaky legs and forced myself into a light job. I felt a man-made wind blow past and looked over my shoulder to see Iris and Keegan had arrived to help deal with the woman.

With each stride I felt a little stronger, or maybe my brain was just tricking my body with adrenaline. The only truth that mattered was whether or not Nolan was alive. I pushed myself into a full out sprint, running as hard as I could, and by the time I reached the steps of Nolan's studio my heart felt like it was going to rip out of my chest.

"What are you doing here?"

Nolan had come outside, I don't know how he knew I was on my way up, but I'd never been so glad to see him. I threw myself into his arms.

"Easy," he said, holding me tightly. Nolan worriedly led me inside and up to his flat.

He put me in the leather chair and quickly strode across the room to the sink. I heard the facet turn on and knew he was getting me water. I tried to slow my breathing and calm myself down. I was going to frighten him with how worked up I was. I had to get it together and reclaim control. He held he filled cup out to me and I took it with shaky hands.

"How'd you get those marks on your neck? What's going on?"

I took a long chug and a deep breath.

"I was attacked," I told him. "I heard a knock on the window, thought it was you. She was telekinetic and pulled me out of the window."

Nolan stood up from the ottoman where he'd been seated and began to pace in front of me. He was enraged.

"Who?" He growled.

"I'm not sure, but I'm going to find out. They took her to those catacombs. You were right, it's a prison and she's the first prisoner."

"Why do you need to find _out_? You need to stay safe, and whatever you have in mind is going to do the opposite of that, I'm sure!"

"She was trying to absorb my power. She knew about you, she even knew my parents but they didn't seem to recognize her. She's been around for a long time, even though she looks our age. Something is happening and my gut tells me we can't ignore it. Whatever she's doing, whatever she's trying to do, we can't let it happen!"

He stopped pacing and stood in front of me. His eyes were desperately searching mine; looking for a way to convince me to stay, but he knew he couldn't. He'd either have to let me go or come with me.

"Fuck," Nolan cursed in frustration. He knelt down and took my hands in his.

"I'm not going to let you go alone and I'm not risking my life or yours without knowing as much information as possible. Tell me everything you saw when you used your powers."

I could feel the energy of his warmth roll up my arms in waves. My neck wasn't stinging anymore and my heart begun to beat at a normal pace. He was healing me.

"Don't waste all your energy on me," I pleaded.

"It's not a waste," he grumbled. "So you can run almost a mile to come make sure I'm all right, but I can't make sure _you're_ all right?"

"I'm fine," I insisted. "I'm just glad you're all right. I really thought she might have come after you first."

He let my hands go of my hands and touched the side of my face.

"Think about what you saw and tell me as much as you can."

I closed my eyes and leaned back into the chair, and piece by piece I recounted everything. When I opened my again Nolan was staring at me earnestly. His eyes had a worn, weary look to them that scared me.

"Whatever she's up to, it's been going on for quite a while. She strong because she's absorbing souls. Banguri are the only race that eat life energy like that, but they don't do it to other sentient beings. She could be another anomaly, or she could just have become this way out of desperation; either way she's dangerous and she's actively hunting for anyone who is going to make her stronger.

"When I snapped back out of her memories, my father had her in a choke hold."

"Good. That means she's not so strong that she can't be subdued. We have no idea what she's capable of. I think we should tell Iris and your parents what we know and let them decide what should be done next."

"No," I insisted with a firm shake of my head. "I need to do this and they'll try to stop me."

"I _want_ to stop you. This is far too dangerous for us to handle."

"I have go to her and fully see her past. It may be the only way we'll know who she is and something in my gut is screaming at me that we have to know who she is and what she's done."

Nolan stared at me for a while, at battle with himself. Finally he sighed, and even though he looked extremely against the decision, I knew he was going to support me.

"I can't let you go alone. If you _have_ to go, then I'm going too. You think they're taking her to the Catacombs?"

I nodded. Nolan growled in frustration.

"This isn't wise, it's far too unpredictable. What exactly is your plan?"

"I'm not sure. Have you ever seen someone's past without touching them?" I asked.

"Yes, but it is unpredictable and hard to control. For me, the physical connection lets me focus and what I see is clearly and easier for me to understand."

"Maybe I can see her past without touching her either. That would lower the risk considerably."

Nolan didn't look convinced, but I was beginning to realize just how loyal he was. He cared about me, and that meant he'd support me even when he felt that I was making a mistake.

I pulled him towards me and cupped his face in my hands.

"It'll be all right. I'll find out what I need to know and then--"

"And then what? What else is there left to do?"

"I don't know, Nolan."

"What if you get hurt?"

"I won't! If it doesn't feel right when we get to the Catacombs, then we'll leave and go straight to Iris. I just have to try, Nolan, and I know my parents will not let me use my powers on her even if Iris allows it."

"I know--at least for me--that my feelings for you are developing, deepening quickly and I just... just can't lose you."

I could feel my cheeks reddening.

"So we're doing this?" Nolan asked.

The question was a loaded commitment that sounded spontaneous but felt like destiny.

"Yes," I answered quickly.

I wrapped my arms around him and held him close. He embraced me back and I knew that even if the question had been loaded with a need for reassurance or a promise of from me, I couldn't deny that the friendship we had was the pathway to something much more. Nolan felt like destiny and I couldn't run from my future.

Paramount was quiet and still at night. Everyone was in their allotted places. A perfect, safe, happy, city; it was like all the drama and violence of just an hour or so ago had never happened. I wondered briefly if they would tell the community about the woman. Did they tell the general populace things like that? Did they help make decisions? Or was Paramount the vault for secrets? It'd never occurred to me that this lovely place might be a glossed over, well made up dictatorship.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Nolan asked as we entered the elevator.

"'I don't want to, I _have_ to do this."

"Really, Zora, why? This feels a lot like you're trying to prove something--"

"You're right," I said, cutting him off, "I am trying to prove something. I don't want to just take up space. I don't want my powers to define me. I want to be able to _do_ something that will protect the people I love."

Nolan didn't respond, but he held my gaze unflinchingly as he took my hand and held it tightly in his own. I realized then that I wasn't wearing my gloves. For a moment I felt terrified, afraid that maybe the first touch between us had been a glitch, and I braced myself, thinking I'd be plunged into his past. But I wasn't. I was still in the now, with him standing by my side ready to face everything with me. Nolan never judged me and even when we didn't agree he was still supported me. In my heart, even if I wasn't ready to say it blatantly to him, I knew he was someone I loved that I wanted to protect. He was my first true friend, that alone was reason enough for me to love him but there was so many more reasons that I kept discovering.

We rounding the last corner and Paramount came into sight. I headed towards the steps but Nolan firm grip, held stopped me from ascending the stone steps.

"What?" I whispered.

"The elevator entrance will probably be guarded. We'll have to go in another way."

"How?"

"We can go in this way but we'll take the stairs down on the far east of the building. Use the ventilation shaft and come down as close to her cell as possible. No one is probably guarding the inside, just the entranceway in."

"Out of all the movies I've watched, it never ends well when someone crawls around in a ventilation shaft."

"Good thing this isn't a First-Plane movie then, huh?"

I glared at him, not enjoying his smart-ass wit in the least.

"I'm sorry," Nolan sighed, "let's just get this over with."

I didn't seem like the best idea, but then this _whole mission_ of mine wasn't a good idea. I hadn't even considered that someone might be guarding the woman. Even so, I had to find out the truth. This was one time where my powers could actually save lives, be useful, I could be useful. I just couldn't let this opportunity slip away. I had to try.

"Lead the way."

*STAIRWAY to VENTSHAFT*

"I'll hoist you up."

"How will you get up? Do you see anything you could step on?"

"I'll be fine. I should be able to jump up and reach it."

"Talent I definitely do not possess."

Nolan's cheek twitched but he was too irritated with me to smile.

I quickly kicked my boots off and placed my socked foot into Nolan's linked hands. He easily hosted me up and I moved the light gridded vent aside. I felt Nolan stand up fully and I was able to hoist myself up the rest of the way. The duct was larger than ones I had seen in the movies. I scooted forward, making room for Nolan while he pulled himself up.

We entered the room and my eyes watered as they adjusted to the bright, crisp light. They were definitely using the room now. It hadn't even been lit up this brightly before. All the glass boxed cells around us were empty.

Nolan strode ahead of me and I could see the tension in his shoulders. He was anticipating the worst, already completely on edge.

"Where did they put her?" I mumbled to myself.

"Probably in the middle," Nolan muttered. He was more nervous than angry with me. Maybe he was right. Even though he was supporting me, this whole idea was completely irrational but we were here and I had to know more.

"I won't try to touch her," I said, "but I should at least talk to her. Maybe she'll inadvertently say something that'll help me piece together the information that I saw."

"Good--Zora, I trust you, I just don't want anything to happen to you."

I caught up and hugged Nolan from behind. He took my hand and led me back in front of him.

"This is dangerous, Zora. We have to be careful." His eyes were dark from fear; he was really scared.

"This was my idea," I reminded him.

"Doesn't matter, you're supposed to protect what's important to you and right now I'm doing a shit poor job."

"Nolan," I started. I was going to just tell him we could leave and then I heard a long, agonizing howl.

"What are they doing to her?" I said, quickly rushing down the aisles.

I raced paced the empty cells until I found her convulsing on her side, a thick foam oozing from her open mouth. I cursed as I ran to the glass.

There was a hand reader on the side of the door but when I placed my hand on it, it just blinked red; my access was denied.

"Nolan, I have to get in there. She's dying."

"Zora, we have no idea what's happening in there. It could be a trick."

The started to shake even more violently, rolling over onto her back. This was no trick. She wasn't doing this to herself, she was having a seizure and she was going to drown in her own spit befor I learned anything. I slapped the glass in frustration and then tried the hand reader again. Nothing, it just kept blinking red. My hands grew colder and the glass began to frost over.

"What are you doing?" Nolan asked urgently.

"I don't know, but _something._ "

I placed my hand on the reader again.

My hand tingled and the glass around the reader frosted. I pulled my hand back and the whole reader was encased in ice. The door clicked, the latches unlocking with the malfunction. The pane of glass adjacent to the door pad retracted into the floor.

"Zora! Don't," Nolan said, reaching for me.

I dodged his hand and quickly went into the cell. It was small about six by eight, but completely empty. Her room wasn't a prison, it was a killing chamber.

I knelt beside her and placed my hand on her throat.

"She's still alive!" I said turning to look at Nolan.

"Zora!" Nolan shouted.

I turned back towards her just in time to see her hand swipe across my face. It was a brutal open hand slap, stronger than anything a normal human would be able to do. I flew back, my head slapping against the glass wall with a loud thud.

I was conscious but my head was ringing, my vision blurry and incoherent.

The woman leapt off the ground like an animal, tackling Nolan before he could get to me. He tried to fight her but she slapped him too and then pounced on him, using her strength to hold him down like when she attacked me. I knew exactly what she was going to do next.

I'd been so wrong. How could I have been so wrong?

"No!" I whimpered.

Still disoriented, I tried to get up and move towards him.

_Faster._ I thought desperately. _You've got to get to him before she kills him._

I heard feet pounding down the hallway and weakly turned my head to the side.

Sariah.

She thrust her hands out, throwing the woman off Nolan and pinning her against the wall.

"You can kill _this_ body," she screamed, "but you can't kill me. I'll rise, again and again. You can't stop it. We'll devour the earth."

Sariah raised her hand, there was a chilling snap of bones before the woman's body crumpled to the ground. With a flick of her wrist, Sariah swept the body into the cell. The door rose, locked and sealed the woman once again in the glass tomb.

Sariah whirled around, her eyes wild. I'd never seen her so upset.

"That thing," she said with an angry point to the crumpled broken body behind the glass, "is Ursula and she can't die. We thought she was dead but she's _not._ She's been manipulating us for cycles upon cycles. I was putting the pieces together with Iris when I felt you and Nolan sneak in. I don't even have time to explain it all, but I would think between my memories and what you saw from her, you would have figured out that she's dangerous; that maybe you shouldn't be sneaking around and _freeing_ the very beast that attacked you not even an hour ago."

I couldn't stop staring at the trail of smeared blood across the walls and the floor.

"I'm sorry," I whimpered.

Sariah sighed, but she didn't try to comfort me. I wasn't a child anymore.

"There's a cost for everything, Zora."

_Nolan._ I moved quickly to his body. I laid my head on his chest; he was alive but his breathing was slow and shallow. He had warned me, but I'd been too stubborn and now he was barely alive.

I began to sob and if Sariah said anything else, her words fell on deaf ears.

10: MOONSET

I walked slowly down the hall. At first I used to rush, hoping to see Nolan sitting up, but now I preferred to walk slowly because as soon as I saw him on the bed my heart broke all over again.

Nolan hadn't woken up since the night Ursula has tried to literally suck the life out of him.

It was all my fault, all of this was my doing. I think that was what made it so awful. He had warned me and still, I knowingly choose a path that would ultimately cost me everything. Being trapped in this space between having him and losing him had changed me. I was different now; any joy I'd ever had, felt like it had never existed.

After they'd secured Ursula in a new cell, Sariah levitated him to the healers. They worked on him, she worked on him, all of them sending energy to his body directly from their own chi. It stabilized him, healed any physical injuries but his brain would take longer to heal. I stayed by his side for the first through nights, until my guilty became too heavy for me to bear. It was selfish to give in to feeling sorry for myself, but I couldn't help it. I felt raw, every time I saw him lying there on the bed and the flow of my emotions became too much for me to bear.

Still, I couldn't make myself stay away. Letting Nolan down was something I'd have to carry with me for the rest of my life. I wasn't ready to let go; I still needed him.

As I rounded the last corner before his room and heard my parents talking in hurried hushed voices.

"We should tell her," Ajani insisted.

"No," Jet argued back.

"Tell me what?" I said, making my presence known.

"There's been attacks on First-Plane," Ajani said bluntly.

"What?"

My mother became visibly upset but my father ignored her and as he began to tell me she left.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

"Ursula's physical body has finally stopped regenerating. She had devoured so many sentient souls that she evolved. She was able to keep regenerating in a new form each time her body was physically was killed. All that is left is her bare soul now and we will keep it imprisoned for as long as we can. She'll never ascend again, if we can help it. But it's worse than that, Zora. There have been attacks on humans in all the major cities along the east coast. New York has been hit the hardest. Chicago, Boston; those are the ones we know about. But they're not only winning, but they're growing in numbers, forming hives and reproducing faster than the humans can defend themselves."

I was floored.

"This has been her plan the whole time," I said. My mind ran over the information I'd gotten from her and Sariah. I remembered the night on First-Plane that Sariah had died. It's been Ursula.

"That night Sariah died on First-Plane, Ursula orchestrated it. She was testing out how the low Banguri would act. If they're forming hives then there has to be a high-Banguri, like a queen ant, instructing them. They're too impulsive on their own. This is really bad. They're going to take earth city by city."

"I know, and there are a few Banguri and Aura going back to defend the humans. Both sides feel responsible for different reasons. Iris and the elders are evacuating all the Banguri families that we know of."

"Was Starlight attacked too? Are Luke and the others here?" I asked, breathless.

He shook his head.

"When will they get here?"

"Ascended," my father said quietly.

"Everyone? No, that can't be right. Are you sure? How do we know?"

"Eliza and Otto weren't there, but everyone who was--I'm so sorry, Zora," he said reaching for me. I jerked away.

"I'm going back," I said quickly.

"We knew you would, and that is why your mother didn't want me to tell you. We love you so much Zora--"

I brushed off his hands again. I didn't want to be comforted. I had to kill my emotion. It was the only way I'd be strong enough to do what I had to.

I looked past the doorway into the room where Nolan laid. "I have to do something," I said.

"We're so proud of you," my father whispered.

I bit my lip, desperate not to keep my emotions in check. I didn't have time to cry anymore.

"Iris and the council are still trying to figure out what we can do and how we should do it. She's sending down teams to different locations in waves. Train as much as you can before you go. You won't be able to help anyone if you're dead. Do you hear me? I know you're going to go, and I understand why, but you have to be smart about it. Keegan trains in combat, Eliza trains in firearms. Sariah can give you some healer techniques. They leave in another two weeks," he continued, "Take that time to train as much as you can. When you fight, you've got to fight _smart—_ not brave, you hear me?"

I nodded, but that wasn't good enough.

"Promise me!" Ajani demanded.

"I promise."

My father nodded a few times and then pointed towards the room.

"Make sure he knows how you feel. Don't leave here without telling him."

"He can't even hear me," I said numbly.

"He _can_ hear you and you'd need to hear yourself say it too,"

"Do you think he'll die?"

"Sariah and the healers will make sure they do everything they can. He'll be here when you get back."

It almost broke me to hear him sound so hopeful, so full of denial. My mother was so upset about him telling me about First-Plane because she knew I would go and once I stepped through that portal, there was more than likely no coming back.

This was goodbye and I deserved what I'd earned.

PART TWO: CONSEQUENCES

"Our two souls therefore, which are one,

though I must go, endure not yet

a breach, but an expansion,

like gold to airy thinness beat."

From "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning", by John Donne (1572-1631)

11: MOONRISE

"We need to get to higher ground to properly survey the area," Lanni said.

I blinked back the tears. My hometown was barely recognizable; everything was charred, dusty and broken. The streets and buildings were a hollow memory of what they once were. We were just blocks away everything: my favorite coffee shops, my high school, an old-school style arcade—even Starlight. I wasn't expecting it, but it made sense to be this local.

Our team consisted of myself, Raven and Isabella—two veteran venku fighters who'd worked with my father during the second war—and surprisingly enough Lanni, the technical guru, had insisted on coming. I wasn't sure why, especially if she was as good as everyone said—it seemed like she'd _have_ to stay in First-Plane. Unless we were able to join up with some humans there was and would only be four of us. They're been teams in the beginning to help evacuate known Banguri families, but we were the only team that had come specifically to defend humans and it didn't look like there'd be any additional support. The risk to Second-Plane was far too great.

Before we left, Sariah insisted on training our team--especially me--on how to transfer energy non-sexually. It was a crucial, life or death technique, and I was grateful she'd taught us. That wasn't all of the precautions our small army had taken either; Lanni had also engineered a liquefied energy shot for extreme emergency and concentrated, dissolvable tiny beads to supplement our Second-Plane nutritional needs. We each had a zipped bag sown into our jackets, another smaller one hidden in the lining of our boots and a third in our supply bag. Better safe than sorry.

"We should set up a camp in a building with an accessible rooftop," Isabella suggested, "that way we can snipe anything that comes by if we need to."

"Sounds good to me," Raven agreed.

She adjusted the strap slung across her chest, securing a Second-Plane sniper gun, and I was struck again by how well they'd copied First-Plane weaponry; even though I admittedly wasn't an expert. My weapon knowledge was at best was a hodge-podge of information and images I'd pulled from pop-culture, but it was still impressive to me. Our gear was all self-sustainable—energy guns with energy pullets not pullets, communicators that looked like river stones; robotic rats that could scan large areas and send data back—Lanni had been able to create a plethora of useful, practical equipment and mask its true capabilities completely to human eye. With just a little luck added to the mix, maybe we could begin to undo the damage Ursula had caused.

"We'll rotate who keeps watch," Lanni instructed. "We're getting a good amount of data from the scanners scurrying around the city. We will clear the city out the city block by block starting tomorrow night."

"What if we find Banguri survivors?" Raven asked. "They can't go back—at least not now. All portal travel is closed. What do we do with them?"

"They'll have to join us," Lanni answered, "the best chance of survival is statistically in large groups."

"We should get moving," Isabella said.

I turned my face up to the charred skyline and pointed to a large parking ramp.

"There," I said, "we would have a good vantage point of the city on that rooftop."

Lanni brought some Second-Plane binoculars to her eyes. "Looks structurally sound from here," she confirmed. "It'll do at the very least for tonight."

It didn't take us long to get to the parking ramp. We ducked under the gates and closed the iron fences that locked from the inside. There were various cars still parked, covered in a layer of dusty debris from the destruction when the humans had tried to defend their city. We searched each floor, sticking in a fairly tight formation that allowed us to cover each other on all sides, but other than the abandoned cars the structure was empty.

The wind whipped at the top of the parking ramp, burning my cheeks as I looked out. There were still a few buildings off in the distance, smoldering, and I wondered if the Low-Banguri were burning them down or if they were man-made fires. If we'd caused them, did that mean there was a decent sized human resistance, or just a few scrappy rebellious souls stubbornly not giving up?

"The sun will be setting soon," Raven said from behind me.

"We'll sleep in cars one level below the top," Lanni said, "I'll setup perimeter cameras and I'll set a few rats free to patrol the lower levels and feed me data. Any volunteers for first watch?"

I'd found a hatchback car on our camp-floor below the rooftop. I laid the seat back down and made a little nook in the hatch-trunk space for me to sleep in. But I couldn't get comfortable. The seats were hard and I didn't have a blanket. I technically didn't _need_ a blanket because our clothes were artificially enhanced to react to the atmosphere and keep the body a specific temperature based—but I couldn't shake the habit of only feeling secure under a nice quilted blanket. I tried for a while, shifting from side to side and even trying flat on my back, but sleep wasn't happening. I was too hyped up. I couldn't imagine feeling less anxious any time soon either.

I gave up and got up. Even if I could sleep it wouldn't be peaceful; my conscious was saturated in guilt and I always dreamed of Nolan. The setting was never the same, but it always ended in him telling me he'd find me. I was torturing myself on a sub-conscious level. He wasn't going to find me, and I wasn't sure if I'd ever get a chance to see him again.

I secured my gun in my thigh holster and took off at a jogging pace through the parking structure. I ran down all the levels, lapping them as quickly as I could. Tears stung against my cheeks as the chilled night air streaked and dried them. I reached the base floor, lungs burning as I caught my breath, and then turned around and ran all the way back to the hatchback.

"I'll take over," I said to Isabella. She gave me a friendly smile and handed me her Second-Plane binoculars.

"Okay, sure." Isabella agreed. No questions, no lectures; she probably felt sorry for me but at least she wasn't a know-it-all type. She probably figured I couldn't sleep and could easily fathom why. Logically I knew everyone on Second-Plane _did_ know, but it really didn't feel that way.

replace her spot against the edge of the roof and peer through the scope. The sun was just pinking the sky, golden wisps just starting to burn on the horizon. No matter how dark it got, the sun always came back.

A quick series of pops jolted my mind back to the present. I turned the scope in time to catch the flashes of a gun being fired. I see maybe ten or so dog-like Low-Banguri running down the street. I tapped the pin on my collar, activating the small communicator disguised within it linked to an earpiece.

"We have incoming from the west, headed east," I say quietly.

"Isabella, Raven, spread out along the roof top. Wait for my orders. I want to check the feed."

"We're in position," Raven said, speaking for her and Isabella.

"They'll be right in front of us soon," I reported.

"The rest of the perimeter is clear, go ahead and engage. Clean shots; silencers on," Lanni ordered.

At her command, we began clipping them off one by one. I'd assumed they'd try to move to cover, but they kept moving forward. Were they chasing something? I moved the scope forward until finally I saw something large; a man.

Nolan.

No, not Nolan; just someone who needed my help. I'd let my Nolan down, but this was someone else's Nolan, and I could make a conscious choice to help them. I could do something. Wasn't that why I'd come back to First-Plane? I had to try.

"Where are you going?" Lanni hissed. "Don't just run down there. We don't know what we're dealing with!"

I ignored her and kept moving.

"Cover her!" Lanni yelled.

I ran as fast as I could; I didn't want to waste a single heartbeat. I could hear the dogs barking and snarling the nearer I got to the main level. They were passing the ramp now. I got my gun from my thigh holster and used my energy to arm it. The built in silencer would keep them from knowing I was behind them and--with any luck—I could pick them all off one-by-one until I caught up with Nolan.

When I reached the streets I picked up my pace. I was moving fast—even for me—but adrenaline was a gasoline in my veins. The pack was just ahead of me now and I was surprised by how large the Low-Banguri were; almost cow sized. I'd have to be careful.

I gained on the slowest one in the pack. I fired at its thigh and it tripped, slamming into a parked car. I quickly ran to it and shot it in the head. I didn't have any time to waste.

It was harder to shoot and run than I thought it would be, but thanks to my Second-Plane DNA I was fast and had far above average stamina. I could do this; I could save this person's life.

I kept moving, injuring them and then running past their fallen bodies. If I could get a shot out at their head or chest I took it, otherwise I moved on. After a block or two I got closer and saw the figure dart down a hallway. There was one beast left following him and I stopped to take a shot at it.

I missed—sort of. The bullet grazed its hip.

How ironic to miss your target when you're not running but standing still. It reared, turning around and then charging me. I took a deep breath and held my ground. It was probably no more than thirty feet ahead of me.

I aimed, breathed, squeezed.

I hit the beast in the head, the bullet ripping through its jaw and sending everything inside splattering out. I walked quickly toward it. The whimper it gave as it slumped to its side and the gurgling sounds as it tried to breath made my gut convulse. I closed my eyes and fired again. It would have died in minutes anyway, but I couldn't let it suffer. It hadn't chosen to be what it was any more than I had.

I looked to my left and down the alleyway, figuring I'd see Nolan, but there was nothing.

_Fuck_.

I'd messed up and lost him.

A hand wrapped around my mouth and waist, and I was quickly pulled into a doorway along the walls of the alley. I instinctively bit down as hard as I could, simultaneously throwing my elbow back and up.

My captor groaned in pain and let me go. I whirled around and pointed the barrel of my gun, aiming directly at their head.

I froze.

12: TREACHERY

"Peter?" I stammered.

"Zora? Is that really you?"

I lowered my gun immediately and hugged him. I was glad but so surprised to see him. I had so many questions. Mainly, I wanted to know if anyone else had survived and what had happened, but we were too vulnerable down on the street. We had to get back to the roof top.

"Was that you shooting the Low-Banguri behind me?"

I nodded, "Me and a few others."

"You look so different," Peter exclaimed with surprise, "It can't have been that long since I've seen you."

I could feel myself turning red. It wasn't that Peter thought I looked older that was making me blush; it was _how_ he said it, as if seeing me now meant something different than seeing me before.

"Here," I said handing him my hand gun. "It's Second-Plane tech; energy powered and never runs out of bullets."

Peter stared at it.

"It looks so normal," Peter said.

I felt a rare smile twitch against my lips.

"Lanni is brilliant," I said. "I'll introduce you. Let's get moving. I don't want to be out here any longer than we have to be."

I'd only run a few blocks away from the parking ramp, so it was a swift jog back. As we quickly climbed the ramp floors, the adrenaline wore down and was replaced by a calming wave of euphoria. Finding out that Peter was alive was the best news I'd had in a weeks. Peter was a manifestation of hope. Maybe more people I knew had made it. Maybe things could be all right again.

Peter coughed; his breathing heavy and exerted.

"When was the last time you fed?" I asked.

"Not sure," Peter said. "I was on my own for a while."

"I know. I'm sorry," I stammered. "We have Second-Plane tech and synthetic souls for you to—"

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Lanni yelled.

I'd assumed she'd yell at me via the radio headset. but as she stormed down the ramp I knew that she was pissed enough to only be satisfied with a proper in person chastising.

"I'm sorry for any inconvenience," Peter interjected solemnly, "but I'm very grateful for Zora coming after me and for you all taking me in. I will pull my weight. I promise."

Lanni's eyes darted to Peter, quickly taking him in like a computer scanning a specimen. An unexpected embarrassed blush crept up her checks.

_She must like what she sees,_ I thought as I stifled a nervous giggle.

"It's fine. I didn't mean to yell," Lanni apologized. "There are just so few of us. We have to stay together."

She turned to me and added, "We can't make decisions individually. We have to work together. We have to think of our group."

"I had to help him," I explained, "and there wasn't time to debrief you."

Lanni sighed. She knew there was no point in arguing. She could plan as much as she wanted to, but we could only pretend to control the chaos of life for so long.

"How do you two know each other?"

"We grew up together," I answered. "His brother and my father are...were best friends."

My gut twisted. I'd fucked up the verb tense. What a stupid, careless thing to do. I knew they were gone—dead. I knew they were dead. My heart just couldn't let them go.

"Do you need some water?" Lanni asked me.

I shook my head no.

"I'm fine. Give it to Peter. He needs an energy dose too."

"Follow me then, Peter."

I went back to my little car-tent, leaving Lanni to tend to Peter. I went in through the hatch and scooted as far back as I could and covered myself with a thermo blanket. I'd picked this old hatch-back beater because there was a faded worn hippie styled moon and sun sticker on the bumper. It reminded me of home.

That's what Ursula had called Nolan and I, _the sun and the moon._

The moon only shone in the night sky because of the sun; without it, there was nothing.

When I sat still I felt sad, and it got worse each time. Sariah had told me that healing wasn't just physical, it was mental too. If I fed it would probably help me heal, but I just didn't have an appetite for anything.

A knocking sound on the window snapped me back to reality and I jolted up.

It was Peter.

"It's unlocked," I said.

He opened the hatch and the slow hiss of the air hydraulics was like a song from another world; people miss the weirdest things.

"Can I sit with you for a while? It's weird to be with people I don't know."

I scooted over, making room for him and, he closed the hatch behind him before he sat down beside me. We sat in silence for a while, both of us lost in thought, and then he told me what happened.

"A week, maybe more, after you left the attacks started. It was all over the news. Luke closed down Starlight, locked down the apartment complex, but it didn't matter. Humans attacked every apartment at once and corralled us out in the hallways. Questioned us and dragged us to the stairwell."

I looked away,barely keeping it together. "I'm so sorry, Peter."

His eyes hardened and he continued. "They'd question us and then drag us off. Somehow they knew. They killed Darla and the kids right—right in front of us. They dragged Luke off too; then I was next." He closed his eyes as he remembered. "I felt the barrel on my forehead. It burned. It was still hot. I thought I was dead, but-- some low-Banguri came to help us or to feed on the humans. All I know is they interrupted them and the rest of us ran." were attacking the streets bursting into buildings."

He was beat up, traumatized and utterly worn down. The soul pills would feed him, but healing would be delayed and it would only be physical—it wouldn't ease any of the emotional trauma. I wanted to help him, and the best way would be to transfer some of my energy to him. I wasn't sure if I should (aura energy always had a sexual tint to it; it felt _good_ even if it was just transferring energy platonically), but I couldn't sit by wishing I'd done more. I didn't want to be that girl anymore. I wanted to do more now. I could help him. I placed my gloved hands on either side of his face.

"Close your eyes," I said softly. "I won't be able to concentrate with you staring at me."

Peter furrowed his brow in confusion but did as I asked.

I closed my eyes too and thought of the energy as a source flowing from me to him. Visualizing what I wanted to do. My palms warmed and tingled through the gloves. I hadn't expected it to feel good to give energy, I'd assumed it would just be pleasurable to receive it. As my cheeks flushed, my innocent act felt suddenly very promiscuous.

Our eyes opened; his were lustfully hazy. I pulled my hands away and Peter caught them with his own. He looked like he was going to kiss me, and I was embarrassingly hungry for it.

"I've never fed before," I whispered. "I might hurt you."

He leaned closer. "I think it's worth the risk."

I thought of Nolan right before the moment our lips touched, but the natural need that had been maturing in me crackled like lightning and washed away all inhibitions. Everything but the need to satiate my awakened appetite was blocked out.

Peter sighed; his breath seeping into my mouth as I devoured his energy like a vacuum. My hands twisted into his shirt as I fed. Nolan had been my first kiss, but Peter had been my first meal. I pulled away and Peter instantly leaned back in for more.

I placed a hand on his chest to hold him back.

"Don't," I insisted, "I gave you energy only to take it away. At this rate, you'll need another booster from Lanni."

"I didn't know it--," Peter started, his cheeks blushed dark. "I didn't know it could be like that. The way we have to feed is so different. I envy you. When did you learn to control your powers?'

_When Nolan died_ , I thought sadly. "A while ago, out of necessity."

"You've changed a lot and it's only been a few months since I've seen you."

"A lot has happened," I sighed.

I heard a beep in my ear and raised a hand, pausing our conversation so I could answer.

"Go ahead," I said.

"Incoming," Lanni's voice said.

"On our way," I answered. "We've got to get to the roof."

He nodded and we moved quickly. When we got to the top I could see that the crew was all spread out. Peter followed me, crouched as low as he could, as we moved to the roof's ledge.

I peered through the scope of my gun and gasped.

_Buses._ I couldn't tell if they were filled or empty but the school name: SOUTHWESTERN HIGH SCHOOL was familiar. It had been _my_ school.

"The humans are either hunting or recruiting," Isabella said.

"There is a school a few blocks away," I said. I kept the detail that it was the one I attended to myself. My head was spinning, creating elaborate ways it could have been altered to become a camp or a prisoner or worse—a murdering ground. It's a high school school near a park."

"There's no physical differences between humans and us," Raven theorized, "there will be human casualties."

"Maybe we should hunt _them_ ," Peter snarled.

"We're not here to slaughter humans," I said. "If we can't find any Banguri or Aura survivors then we need to get the hell back to Second-Plane."

"Everyone take a breath. Let's all move to the lower level so we can figure out our next move," Lanni ordered.

We'd been talking for twenty minutes at least—going over pros, cons, fears and everything in between. Based on Peter's experience, he believed humans were taking Banguri (and even possibly a few lagging Aura) and torturing them for information about Second-Plane. We all easily disagreed with him and after a lot of tense discussions we settled on a plan of action. We'd work from the shadows; avoiding large groups of humans as much as possible. Despite what some of them were doing, _we_ were here to help, and we were partially to blame for the way things had turned out. This wasn't the dimension we belonged to and we had to make it right—however, the one thing we had argued about was _how_ to go about it.. Thanks to Raven we could track them, but as for what strategy we should take or how long we should stay; we hadn't been able to come to a decided agreement.

"We need to scout out their camp _first._ Everything we do has to be precise," Lanni insisted.

"You're in charge," I said. "Ultimately we're going to follow your lead."

Isabella sighed; Raven pressed a quick kiss against her brow and wrapped an arm around her waist reassuringly.

"I know we came here with no time frame in mind, prepared to stay for as long as needed, but if things have already progressed past saving there's no point in sacrificing ourselves for a sinking ship," Raven pointed out. "I'm not willing to die for a fruitless cause, especially if the humans don't want our help."

Lanni looked over at me and I shrugged.

"The council was hesitant to let us come and maybe they were right. We were thinking we'd help the wounded and get the low-Banguri in order, but everything is far worse than we anticipated. Maybe we should leave while we can."

"Are you _serious_?" Peter said. "We have family here. We can't just leave!"

_'Had family'_ was on the tip of my tongue, but I held back.

"Peter and I can go and scout the area and report back. Then _as a group_ ," I said with emphasis, "we'll decided what we should do next."

Lanni looked skeptically at Peter.

"Is he up for it?" she asked.

Peter grunted in annoyance and I placed a firm gloved hand on his arm.

"You're right. I'm sorry for volunteering you. I know the area well. I'll scout and come back."

"That's risky," Lanni said. "You're an irreplaceable resource."

"I'll be responsible for him. We'll follow the tracer, scout the area and come back."

Lanni sighed but nodded in agreement.

"Just remember," she said, "we don't know what's out there. If things go bad, we might not be able to save you."

13: THE HUMAN CAMP

I packed light gear—in and out. I'd promised to adhere to the plans and not put the team at unnecessary risk, and I wanted to keep my word. The city was eerily still; the tall buildings looming over us like gutted carcasses. It unsettled me, giving me this feeling that nothing would ever be normal again. Some choices couldn't be undone.

"Zora?" Peter buzzed on the com.

"I'm here."

"How are things?"

"Good—but it's quiet; too quiet."

"Lanni said I could radio you. Hope you don't mind."

I didn't. His voice was a familiar and welcome presence.

"I'm sorry about the kiss if you are," Peter said.

"I'm sorry too."

"Wait, you are?"

I was. It was too soon and I felt too raw. I'd thought about Nolan for most of it, so I knew damn well I shouldn't have been kissing Peter, but I didn't know how to say that.

"Peter, you know this is an open line right?"

"Yes, or course, sorry," he stammered.

"It's all right. I'm not good at—personal. I meant to heal you; I didn't mean to feed, okay?"

That was the best I could muster in a form of a response but Peter seemed to accept it.

"How did you end up back here?"

"I asked to be—" I started but stopped when the communicator beeped in my pocket. We were close.

"Zora? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm here. I'm going to take a look around. Standby."

"Zora—remember this is just—

Peter's sentence trailed off because I took my com off my ear and slipped it into my pocket. I needed to focus and I couldn't risk his chirping being heard

I worked my way closer, moving from bush to tree, between parked cars and dumpsters as I made my way around the school. I ate up every detail. Doors, windows, changes and modifications. I was just thinking about how odd it was that there were no outside patrols when I heard a gruff, deep voice:

"We shouldn't keep them alive."

I peeked around the trunk I'd been ninjaing behind of the tree. There were two men standing outside passing a cigarette.

"We can't trust them, Dale, I swear! They're not even _human_!"

"When he made flames with his hands, I about pissed myself," Dale said.

My heart skipped and my adrenaline surged. Nolan was the only one person I knew who could control fire. No other Second-Plane people had powers like _that_. It felt like the kind of impossible that just very well may be possible.

"Why even risk it? We should just kill them—quick—before they can regroup or some shit."

"Charles and the other 'leaders' want them for Information, but if you ask me, Larry, it ain't worth the risk. We don't know what they're capable of."

My head spun as I desperately tried to picture the layout of the school and what would be the most efficient use of the space for a camp and prison. There would definitely need to be separation. If it were me, I'd use the main floor for housing and the lower floors for prisons. They were smaller rooms with no windows.

"We'd better get back," Dale said.

Larry nodded and flicked the butt of his cigarette on the cement.

Following behind them was my best shot to get inside unnoticed. My muscles tensed in anticipation, eager for my mind to tell them to _move._ I always came to this same fork, My intentions pulling me one way but I could never ignore the anticipated option. I had to follow them—how could I not? Nolan was only person in the world with fiery fists. Yes, it made no sense. Yes, I was breaking a promise I had literally just made. But if there was a chance that he could be here and being held captive, I couldn't walk away. Everything else be damned. I had to know, and it was now or never.

I moved fast, snaking between the shadows behind them as quietly as I could. I caught the rim of the door just before it shut and ducked into a corner behind them. I waited, listening until their footsteps faded before moving or peering down the hallway.

They were walking slowly, talking still, and about 50ft ahead of me.

There was a trashcan behind me and I quickly slipped of my boots, socks and jacket, and ankle gun, tucking them inside. I'd be quieter without boots, have better grip on the tiled floor without socks and be able to move more freely without my jacket. I couldn't risk them hearing the gun go off, and besides, you didn't need a gun to kill.

I moved swiftly, zig zagging between the cover of doorways and hallway arches, until I was only a few feet behind them. I passed my old locker and felt this sinking feeling that the girl who'd attended here was dead. That life felt like ages ago. I shook my head, like I could shake away all the different feelings bubbling in me. I had to focus. All that mattered was getting to Nolan and not getting caught in the process. The men were almost to the stairwell located in the center of the building when they stopped. Dale let out a long whistle.

"Damn! He looks bad!" Dale commented.

There was movement behind them; more men coming in another group of two, dragging a person between them. I moved back into the doorway and out of sight from either direction in the hall.

"He's one tough piece of shit, but we'll break him."

"Or kill him," Larry added.

"I'd rather he be dead," Dale said, "can't hurt us then."

I peeked around the corner again, hoping to get a look at _who_ they were talking about. It was dark and all I could see was a limp body being dragged by the arms. Both groups were at the steps now. I was a few classrooms down from them and considering changing position. They were far enough away and it was dimly lit enough that they wouldn't see me, but then I noticed the limp hand of the prisoner's turning ember at the fingertips.

Nolan.

"Fuck," Dale exclaimed looking down. "He's hand is doing that glowy thing again!"

They kicked him in the side roughly. Nolan wheezed, grunting in pain, the light dulling from his fingers slowly. I cringed, my heart beating furiously—I'd heard those same pained sounds the night he'd saved me from Ursula. I wasn't failing him a second time. This time I would save _him._

"Can't fucking take your eyes of him for a minute," Dale said in disbelief. "I'm glad there's a couple floors between us and them. They're so unpredictable!"

They two groups parted and I watched in horror as they dragged Nolan down the steps, his head lumping along the way. I'd seen enough. It was time to act. My hands chilled into frozen iron fists and I went after them.

14: PRISONERS

I caught up to the man closest to me quickly and instinctive leapt onto his back, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms and hands around his neck and head. I was so angry; I could feel my power surging and his head chilling almost instantly into hardened flesh. He didn't have time to scream and like a wild predator, once I'd knew I'd gotten my kill, I released him to dead tumble down the stairs. The commotion startled his partner, who dropped Nolan in an attempt to catch his friend, but the weight of the partially frozen body took him by surprise. He lost his balance and fell down the remained of their staircase stuck beneath the icy corpse.

Now trapped, the man squirmed in vain and moved quickly after him while I had the advantage. I flew down the stairs in an adrenaline fueled flurry, skipping the last few steps as I pounced on him. The weight of me and his dead comrade winded him even further; his mouth flapping like a fish out of water. I placed my hand firmly over his mouth and ejected ice from my palm, brutally filling his throat and lungs. It was horrific but I didn't care. He fought me but I held on, my hand clamped firmly over his face until the whites of his eyes frosted.

I went to Nolan; he was unconscious and sprawled on the stairwell. Somehow he hadn't managed to tumble down with the two other men. I choked back a sob as I went back up to him. I held him, pulling his limp body as close as I could. His face was bruised: eyes black; lip busted; cuts on his cheeks, clothes dirty, torn and bloody. I put my fingers to his neck, there was a pulse, surprisingly strong considering what he'd been through. I reached for my pocket and realized I didn't' have my jacket and I'd left my boots; both places were where the emergency soul beads were kept. That was a nearsighted decision, but I couldn't dwell on it. I would just heal him as best as I could.

I began caressing his cheek, sending energy to him. An inappropriate wave of pleasure swept through me and I blushed embarrassedly. How did Aura do it? Was it just this way because I was so young? The rest of them awakened essentially after puberty, so maybe this was something unique to my own—well—uniqueness. I shoved my embarrassment down. I didn't have time to dwell on my personal inhibitions; I had to heal him fast and this was the only way. I tilted his head back and pulled his chin down to open his mouth. I leaned close, just about his parted lips and let out a slow breath. My energy went with it, feeding in to his mouth like water down a drain. I could feel his body warm in my arms and instinctively his hand snaked into my hair, his fingers curling tightly as he pulled me firmly into a kiss.

It was the worst place for passion. Death was all around us,; above and below. But my needs outweighed my logic and I let myself be taken away by him. We'd never kissed quite like this before. This wasn't just emotion or feeding, this was the first dip into the feverish bond between Aura partners: venku _._ The word buzzed in my head, blinking like a neon sign. We'd just been started back on Second-Plane we'd never gotten this far and to suddenly leap into something so sensual felt _vulnerable._ I pulled back and Nolan's eyes fluttered, blinking slowly as he gained awareness. His eyes focused on me and began to water.

"Zora," Nolan said, his tone was a mix of shock and relief. He tried to sit up but winced in pain, grabbing at his sides. I shuddered to think about how many times they'd kicked him into submission.

I helped him into an upright position but stopped him from fully trying to get up.

"You're badly hurt, Nolan, you have to feed before we can get out of here."

I kissed him again before he could protest. He moaned, a mix of pain and pleasure as his rib caged popped and reset. He pulled me closer, deepening our kiss and invoking a mix of emotions. I couldn't believe we'd found our way back to each other. It was something I wasn't sure I deserved but would be eternally thankful for.

By the time Nolan broke our kiss I was light headed and he looked a million times stronger.

"Can you walk?" I whispered.

Nolan nodded. I had intended to help him stand but I was wobbly myself. His strong arms were around my waist immediately to steady me. He looked down and scowled.

"You gave me too much energy," he scolded.

"I'm fine. I just used a lot of energy to get to you."

Nolan jaw tightened in disagreement but before he could argue with me, screams and gunfire flooded down from the above hallway.

We moved up the stairs quickly, both of us kneeling down to peer under the door. These old schools like mine always had doors with a gap of at least a half an inch at the bottom. I couldn't see much, but the flittering feet scattering mostly in one direction coupled with the growing clarity of gun fire painted a pretty glum chaotic pictured. This camp was under attack and we had to get out now.

"There's a classroom just down the hall; we can go out through the window," I suggested.

"We can't just leave!" Nolan whispered back. "There are Banguri being held here."

_Shit._ I'd been so focused on getting to him that I hadn't thought about anyone else, but we couldn't help them. At least not right now. If we stayed, we'd just end up dead with them and that wasn't an option. There was only one course of action for me.

"We have to—I'm sorry, really I am, but we can't save them."

Nolan face hardened into an expression utterly foreign to me; a mix of acceptance, guilt and anger.

"Okay?"

He nodded.

I reached for his hand and he held it out firmly. I took a few long breaths and then flung open the door. It was a mad house. Blood splattered on the walls and floors. Angry yelling amidst gunfire and tears.

"Don't shoot!," someone begged, "I'm human! I'm human, I swear!"

"If they're not with us, they ain't one of us!" someone yelled in response.

I clutched Nolan's hand and kept moving. We went straight to the classroom right across from the stairs. I tried not to look at anyone, as if not seeing translated into not being able to be seen. The door was unlocked—like all the other classrooms I'd passed coming in. Nolan closed the door behind us and melted the hinges and the door knob into a single piece of hardware.

We both sunk down on the floor. We just needed a moment to catch our breath— we were faster than humans, but moving like that still took a lot of effort.

I jumped at the sound of a muffled sob; we weren't alone. Across the classroom, at the back, hiding underneath the desk, was a teenage human girl. She was close to my age but I didn't recognize her. Her family must have fled here. She was staring right at us and undoubtedly knew we _weren't_ human if she'd seen us melt that door.

I turned to Nolan and he looked just as perplexed as I felt.

"We need to move," he urged.

I knew that, and I also knew that I was being a hypocrite wanting to save her. I'd told Nolan to leave our own people behind. Saving them had felt so completely unattainable but helping this girl felt possible—we could save her.

"You're human?" I confirmed.

She nodded yes.

"The people in the hallway are humans killing other humans."

Her eyes widened and the fearful energy of the room spiked.

"If you stay here, you will get hurt. Will you come with us?"

She looked terrified. Eyes darting between the two of us and to the door (no doubt focusing on the deafening commotion outside."

"We don't have _time_ ," Nolan stressed. "With or without her we have to go."

He was right. I got up and motioned again for the girl to come with us, but she pushed herself even further back under the desk."

"You need to come with us," I said, "it's not safe here."

She shook her head.

The commotion outside the door was growing. It was only a matter of minutes before they checked this classroom. We didn't have time to plead with her, but I had to.

"What's your name?" I tried again.

Still, she shook her head silently.

I looked over to Nolan, hoping he'd try to convince her, but he looked away and headed towards the window. We were out of time. I hated it. Every part of my soul revolted against the idea of leaving her. It felt like even my muscles were refusing because I had the hardest time climbing out of the simple glass room window. But I had to, so I did.

15: CONFRONTATIONS

They were shooting outside too now, The streets a mash of bodies and blood. There were low-Banguri in the mix now too, Jumping in at any opportunity—killing just to kill. They weren't even feeding. That was something new I hadn't considered—that they'd join the chaos, perhaps be even drawn to it. I'd assumed Sariah's attack had been an orchestrated—but ultimately uncommon—incident. But Ursula wasn't here now, she wasn't controlling anything anymore. They shouldn't be blood thirsty like this. They shouldn't be so prone to unprovoked violence. Being on First-Plane had changed them; they didn't belong here.

The fighting was widespread and blocking any easy way back to our parking-ramp base. We had no choice but to run as discreetly as we could in the opposite direction.

Nolan followed behind me silently. Being with him now felt nothing like what it had before, but I only had myself to blame for that. We had a lot to talk about: why I'd left, how he'd gotten here, the kiss with Peter, my awakening sexuality. I wanted to just rip that band-aid off, but it would have to wait. Right now, we just had to survive.

We moved quickly and the sounds of the school yard faded behind us. I didn't know how far we'd gone and I'd gotten too disoriented along the way to recognize exactly where we were. Even so, I was grateful we'd put some distance between ourselves and that horrible place.

The sun was rising now, the deserted streets tinted fuchsia as we moved down the sidewalk. We kept a quick pace. I wanted to find a hideout as quick as possible. There didn't appear to be anyone out here, but that didn't mean there wasn't or that they weren't watching us. I knew my adrenaline was wearing off because my feet began to throb. I stopped, leaning on a street lamp, and examined the soles of my feet. They were dirty, bruised and almost scraped raw.

Shit.

I'd left my shoes at the school. They looked like ordinary shoes, so at least I hadn't lost any tech. I felt around for my communicator and realized I didn't have that either.

Double shit.

"You won't make it far without shoes," Nolan commented.

I would have argued with him but I was already starting to limp with each step.

"There's an old hotel a few businesses down from here," Nolan said.

I stared at him in disbelief.

"How could you _possibly_ know that?"

He almost smirked as he jutted his thumb behind him in the direction of a dimly lit neon sign that read: HOTEL.

Right. Of course there was a sign. I sucked my breath in sharply as something jammed between my two littlest toes.

Nolan wordlessly scooped me off the ground. I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly. Suddenly no pressure on my feet was just as bad as standing. He held me close, nuzzling my neck with his face as he carried me. I eased into his smell, the familiar feeling distracting me from my stinging feet. He took a deep breath in and tightened his hold on me as he nuzzled my neck. It hit me hard how relieved I was to be with him again.

"I missed you," I said softly.

"Then why did you leave me?"

The words were sharp and there was no mistaking the hurt behind them. He was furious with me. Great—he was already upset and I hadn't even mentioned Peter yet. I wasn't too proud to apologize, I just hoped he would hear me out.

We were really close and when the hotel was in sight, we pushed through the doors and carried me across the tiled floor.

"I think I can walk," I said.

He shook his head.

"You're still healing too, Nolan," I insisted.

He abruptly set me down and faced me head on.

"I'm a lot stronger than you think," he said in an angry growl.

"You're right. I'm sorry," I said.

The hotel was old and only had eight or so floors—all of which we climbed in silence. The electricity was still on, the walls dimly lit and all the way to the left an emergency exit sign lit the wall like night lights on each floor. We took a break and sat on the steps of the eighth floor.

Nolan pulled my legs over his lap and examined my feet. I leaned against the banister and tried in vain not to think about being with him. I wasn't use to having these kinds of _feelings_ but with all the exertion combined with being so attracted to him I couldn't help it. He was a sexy steak making my...mouth water. _God._ This was almost too much to process and damn near impossible to fight against. He was even sexy to me when he was pissed off. His eyes sparked, his face flushed with emotion. His lips got pouty in a way that made them even more kissable than they already were. I wanted to pull him close and blend our energy until we were both healed.

He covered the bottom of my foot with his hand and I practically swooned. His eyes darkened as he watched my reaction, reading me perfectly.

"You never answered my question," Nolan reminded me.

He switched to my other foot and the waves of energy shot straight to my core.

"I shouldn't have left," I said, forcing my lips to make intelligible words. "I felt guilty for being so bull-headed. I should have listened to you but I didn't, and I thought it'd cost you your life. No one thought you'd wake up. I thought I'd done that to you so I left. I came back to First-Plane as penance."

"That was stupid," Nolan said softly.

His hand was massaging my calf and it felt beyond heavenly because my muscle had been tense—and also because of this new hunger that was frothing just below the surface. I wasn't sure if I should just sit here or if I should find a little more discreet of a place and initiate something more intimate.

"You had to know I'd come for you," Nolan said. "I couldn't just let you waste your life because of misplaced guilt."

"How did you get the council to let you through?"

"I didn't; I just convinced Sariah to make Eliza open an unsanctioned portal."

I was speechless.

Nolan moved closer, his clever hands roaming over my thighs now.

"When did you get captured?" I asked him.

"Immediately after I came through the portal."

"How long did they keep you?"

"Long enough."

"I'm sorry, Nolan."

He pulled me on to his lap and it took every ounce of restraint I had not to rock against him.

"I am too—but it doesn't change how we feel about each other or what we want."

His lips trailed against my neck and my eyes fluttered, unable to stay open.

"I have to tell you something," I said quickly. I had to get this out and let him know about Peter before we got even closer. Before we did things that would unfairly bond us together. If that kiss was going to change how he felt about me, I wanted him to have the option to leave if he wanted to. If we were really venku I felt that once we consummated these building feelings he'd feel stuck. I wasn't sure that's how it even worked, but I just had to be fully honest with him. I owed him at the very least that courtesy.

"Right now?" His words were a husky lull against my skin but I made myself focus.

"Yes," I insisted, "it's important."

I got of his lap and sat across from him again. Just that little bit of space helped clear the thick haze between us but it didn't give me any additional courage. It was hard to say the words you knew would hurt someone—but I owed him the truth.

"What's wrong?"

"While you were gone, actually, just before I found you, I found Peter first. He was a Banguri I'd grown up with that lived at Starlight. He was hurt and I tried to heal him platonically but he reacted to my energy and he kissed me. I—let him kiss me."

His eyes widened in surprise and my words spilled out at a steady, quacking pace with little censor—like I needed to confess to him and purge my soul of any secret.

"It was okay at first and then it wasn't so I stopped it," I hurriedly explained. "I kept thinking about you and it just felt wrong. I just wanted to help, but honestly I'm still discovering things and when I healed him it wasn't what I expected. We trained in Second-Plane to transfer energy non-sexually and it had been fine then—but now it's different. I'm changing, and when I heal—especially you—it's so arousing. I can't control it and it just felt wrong with Peter, as if those feelings were just meant for you. I'm sorry, Nolan, it's not that I want to make all these mistakes, they just keep happening. And the only thing I could think to do to make it right was to tell you. I promise, I won't heal anyone unless it's life or death. I couldn't just let someone die, and I don't think you'd want me to, but I promise to be more cautious and I would never try to gain pleasure from it on purpose, I swear."

The flow finally stopped and honestly he looked shocked.

"Nolan?"

"I remember the first time I saw you. I felt so drawn to you, like I was born to be yours," Nolan whispered. "I understand but it makes me insanely jealous."

I couldn't look at him but I had to ask.

"Do you not want to be together anymore?"

He answered my question with a question.

"Do you care for _me_ or am I just a familiar convenient choice? Would you still choose me even if someone else, like Peter, wanted to be with you?"

"Of course I want to be with you. You're the only one I've ever been connected to."

"Yet you abandoned me, Zora.

That's not fair, I love you," I insisted without hesitation "only you."

Those words demolished the quickly building wall between us and I finally reached him. He heard me, and I hoped believed me. He moved towards me again and pulled me into his arms.

"I was so afraid I wouldn't find you in time," he whispered, "and then when I got captured. I thought I'd never see you again."

I kissed him. I couldn't wait for him to kiss me first. I had to show him how I felt. Our embrace was so heated I thought I'd melt right there on the stairs. His hands slid over my back and down my hips; tugging and gripping in a way that made me want to lay down. This was what my mother had tried to explain to me; this was the unyielding connection an aura created with their partner. It felt unstoppable. It felt beyond me. It felt like the most terrifying thing I'd ever wanted.

"Zora?" Nolan asked, pulling back so he could see my face.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. Too much had happened too fast. I couldn't process it all and sex—even when I desperately wanted to—felt too overwhelming to process. We needed time. I needed time.

Nolan pulled me close, his soothing energy seeping around me like a blanket. I'm sure he'd felt it too; that he wanted it too. There was no way he couldn't have. But instead of adding my abrupt hesitation to my long list of mistakes, he just held me and I nestled down into my familiar spot on his shoulder. He was home.

17: FIRE AND ICE

When we woke the staircase was dark. Without my communicator I had no idea how long we'd slept, but since it was so dark, the sun had more than likely set. My head felt a little hazy. Something felt off.

"We need to go to the roof and see what's going on," I said, "If everything is settled down then we should head back to the base."

Nolan mumbled incoherently, still partially asleep.

What wasn't right became clear as soon as I stood up. It was hot; too hot, and the hallway felt cloudy. I took a couple steps down the stairs and noticed the entrance way leading to the lobby was burning wildly. I peered over the banister, trying to catch a glimpse of the front desk which probably had a back exit, but flames were licking at the walls; the wallpaper was charred and peeling as the fire gained momentum. Someone had set the building on fire. It was too hot to run through and too much to put out. We'd have to find another exit.

"Nolan! We have to hurry. The fire is spreading quick. One of these rooms should have a fire escape."

I held Nolan's hand tightly as we rushed down the hall, trying door after door but finding each one locked. We raced towards the exit sign at the end of the hall, but when we opened the door the stairs below were thickly layered in smoke. The only way was up. We climbed and climbed, the lack of oxygen making it seem like a disorienting hike rather than just a couple flights of stairs.

The first room on the next floor was jarred open by a cleaning cart and we quickly pushed our way through. I tugged the window to open it didn't budge. I put my palm on the glass and iced it.

"Stand back," Nolan shouted.

He threw his own hand up and a quick flame shot from his palm, shattering the window. He'd been too overzealous and upset the support. The wall cracked around the window and we watched it crawl up to the ceiling. Everything shifted and we knew it was going to crumble. Nolan turned, shoving me back towards the door of the room. I landed on my butt, safe out of the range of the debris, with a perfect view to watch the pieces of the wall and ceiling fall on top of Nolan like jagged jenga pieces.

I immediately went to him and dug him out as quickly as I could; when he was free, I pulled him over to the center of the room. He was unconscious, though his pulse was a slow steady tick. But with him being hurt and unconscious we couldn't just jump out the window. I had to find another way and fast; I could see the flickers of fire-light dancing along the hallway walls. We didn't have any time. We were trapped, and the odds were stacked high against us, but I wouldn't give up. I could save us. I just had to find a way.

My mind raced and the first concrete solution I came up with was to try and make a bridge, slide, icy-staircase—whatever you want to call it down to the ground. I just hoped I had enough energy to pull this off. I placed my hands on the ground and thought about what I wanted to do.

Ice over the hallway and over the door.

It worked. Thank God, it worked! Ice spread from my hands like a frozen avalanche, covering everything in its path. That should at least buy us a few minutes.

I went back to the window, moving as much as the debris as I could. We were about floors ten up. Again, I placed my hands just before the sill and thought about what I wanted the ice to do.

Wide bridge-slide thing so we can get the hell out of here—oh, and a igloo ice ball-cave thing at the bottom.

My adrenaline was surging and I dug as deep as I could, putting everything I had into saving us. I slumped down on the floor next to Nolan. I was exhausted, but I'd done it. Now I just had to get us out of here.

I grabbed him by the armpits and dragged him up the ice. I got behind him, wrapped my arms around his waist and pushed us out the window. It was a short, fast ride. The ice was slick, too slick, and we picked up a lot of speed going down. We hit the back wall of the igloo-cave hard. I'd have bruises, for sure, but at least we'd done it. I leaned over Nolan and picked out the opening. The entire building was burning now—we'd gotten out probably just in time. My only fear was that before we were well enough to move again, humans would find us. I'd left one huge ass calling card.

I was worn out now, but I placed a hand on the ground and let the ice flow, closing up the entrance way. I had no idea how thick I made the wall but it had to try to do whatever I could to protect us. I was so tired now, the cold a numbing lull I was too weak to fight, so I gave in and let it take me.

"Zora? Can you hear me? Wake up?"

I could hear him but when I tried to talk but my speech came out all wrong. I was so cold. Everywhere, frigid never ending cold.

"That's it!," Nolan encouraged, "stay with me. I'm trying to warm you up as fast as I can."

There was heat near my face and it felt so good. I struggled to lean towards it but the rest of me felt so heavy. Then the prickling started. It was like my entire body had fallen asleep and now it was sharply-tingling back awake. The sensation was so intense that my body started to shake and I wept.

"I know," Nolan crooned. "I know. Hang on, it won't feel like this for long."

I felt the warmth on my face again and was finally able to open my eyes. Nolan pulled me close to him and I felt the warmth encase me. Face, arms, chest, thighs, legs. The pain began to lessen and the shaking slowed.

"I'm going to kiss you, okay?"

It was an odd statement, but then I became aware of our surroundings and realized we weren't alone. The whole squad was there, in the alley way, with us.

"Is that really necessary?" Peter asked, crossing his arm.

"Actually, yes, " Lanni said. "Aura healing one-oh-one, kid."

I wasn't really into public displays of affection, but this was a hang-up I'd just have to get over. I couldn't be a burden on the team just because I wasn't willing to heal. I had to just get use to who, or more so _what,_ I was.

"Zora?" Nolan said.

"Yes, go ahead," I said shyly.

Nolan face reddened a little too as he tipped his head down to mine.

It was sweet at first, our lips barely touching, and then it deepened into a steamy French kiss. As soon as his mouth opened I felt his breath flow into mine and a surge of energy hit my bloodstream—I was feeding.

The realization shocked me and I quickly pulled away.

"Did I take too much?"

"No, it's fine," Nolan said as he kissed my brow. "Do you need more? I know this is awkward but, I want you to heal."

I blushed but shook my head no.

The rest of the group was trying to not look, but they were still _watching._

"I think I'm fine, for now at least," I answered awkwardly.

"Can you stand?"

I nodded and Nolan helped me up. I actually felt better, a lot better, like I hadn't just build at 12 foot ice slide with a matching igloo better.

"How did you find us?"

Raven smiled and jutted a thumb at my infamous ice sculpture.

"Hard to miss," Isabella said.

"We'd been scanning the area with one of our drones and thought that might be you," Lanni answered.

"How long have you been able to make ice like that?" asked Peter.

"I've never actually made it like that but I realized it might be possible in Second-Plane."

"Any suggestions on where we should go for the night?" Lanni asked, "we can't stay here."

"Was the base compromised?" I asked.

"No, but we had to leave it to come get you. Couldn't leave all of our stuff there."

"I'm so sorry," I said earnestly, "I didn't mean to mislead you, but I just had this feeling and I had to follow my gut."

"Even at the risk of everyone else?" Peter asked angrily.

"Hey now—she did save your ass too," Isabella pointed out. "She's young, cut her some slack."

I didn't have an answer, or even any excuses for him. I knew he was mad and I knew he was grieving—we all were—but I'd never feel bad for following my instincts, at least not in this situation. It had led me back to Nolan.

"Nobody's perfect," Lanni said, "and I'm glad you found who you were looking for. But going forward, if you want to remain on this team, we have to function as one. We can't afford to lose you or anyone. Remember, we're on loan to First-Plane and we have obligations and people to answer to on Second. That's where our home is, Zora, not here. Your parents are expecting you to come back, and I'm responsible for that. If you can't handle that, then we'll need to find a way to go home now. No more chances. Either be a member of the team or this ends."

I nodded in acceptance.

"I'm sorry, but thank you for coming for us," I said.

"Of course, kid," Raven said playfully. "We couldn't just let our own ice-dispensary die before she'd chilled any drinks for us."

"We should get moving," Peter said, "now isn't the best time for long winded monologues or apologies."

"Fair enough," Lanni said, then she turned back to me. "Any recommendations on where we should setup our new temporary base?"

I avoided eye contact with Peter because I knew he wouldn't like my answer, but I wanted to go back at least one more time.

"Yes, Starlight."

18: STARILIGHT

The closer we got, the more my stomach churned.

I'd wanted to come back for closure. To see that everyone was gone with my own eyes. Otherwise it just felt like some type of orchestrated hoax. Even though Nolan and I had found ourselves again, I had to be realistic about Luke, Darla and the kids. They were gone. There were no second chances. I had to accept it.

The group had easily agreed to my plan. It was technically our territory and there could even be some supplies that might prove useful to our cause. But Peter, his mouth had tightened into the grimmest expression I'd ever seen. It's been selfish wanting to go back but I felt like I needed to—and the team had sanctioned it, so at the very least I was still being selfish, but I wasn't being reckless.

As we rounded the last corner and Starlight came into view I could see how tattered and worn it was. My heart jolted violently but I took a deep breath. I _needed_ to go home one last time. Everything had changed since I initially left and I knew that I'd probably never get the opportunity to see my childhood home again.

I led the team to the alleyway just before the main entrance. I suppose at this point it didn't matter which way we went in but it just felt safer. Just past an old green and rust colored dumpster was the welcome mat and the silver key hidden in sludge beneath it.

The door opened easily and I felt like I'd gone back in time.

The lights were on, the kitchen was clean, and an empty mop bucket was leaned against the dish room wall. Fresh cutting boards and utensils had been laid out in prep for the next day's work; hell, it even smelled like I remembered. A lemon-orange scent that had fragranced my whole childhood, wafted through the room like it had been just freshly cleaned. For a moment I thought my powers had flung me back in time, but when I felt Nolan's hand squeeze mine I knew I was still in the now.

"Are you all right?"

"No," I said honestly. I was feeling so melancholy that I was starting to regret my impromptu suggestion to come here.

"Don't chicken out now," Peter said, nudging me forward. "You wanted to come here, you didn't think about _anyone else_ when you suggested this place, so get moving!

Nolan's hand warmed against mine, his eyes sparking dangerously.

"Watch it," Nolan said.

"Or what?" Peter asked, stepping closer.

"Or back up before I _make you_ back up," Nolan hissed.

"Now, now, children," Lanni scolded, "save that sass for later. I get that this isn't emotionally ideal, but this was home to aura and banguri right? There may be some useful supplies—not to mention, the humans already been here once so it's not likely they'll be back. Let's just get set up, get some rest, and figure out tomorrow _tomorrow._ "

I shook off Nolan's hand and beelined to Luke's office. The adjacent complex's spare keys were all there and I quickly found the one to what had been ours.

I felt uneasy as I led them to the stairs. It was if the very walls had sucked up all the energy of the past month's events. I swear, the temperature even felt colder.

"Here," Raven said tapping my arm, "better to be prepared."

I looked down to see her handing me a Second-Plane handgun equipped with a silencer. I armed it with my energy but kept my finger above the trigger. She was right, we weren't in Kansas anymore.

I took lead and led them up the stairs. It was normal until we hit the hallway of the floor we'd lived on. There were red splatters all over the walls. I'd known Peter had told the truth, but to see it--well, it was unexplainable. I must have paused, because I heard knowing quietly behind me say softly to keep moving.

I did, pushing forward in the most even strides I could muster. I tried to look ahead but my eyes kept darting to the dented, chipped walls and broken, busted apartment doors. Everything had been ransacked and flipped. Nolan stayed with me but the rest of the team cleared the floor.

We got to my old apartment and I angrily tossed the key at the wall. Almost everything was destroyed.

Nolan stood beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Had you planned to come back one day?" Nolan asked.

"Maybe; everything depended on if I was able to control my powers."

"Floor's clear," Lanni said. "We'll set up a perimeter and some traps to make sure we're warned if someone comes in. We'll all stay together, rotate look outs."

"There's a good vantage point from the windows of the front street," I said.

It was bizarre to think of my home in terms of good and bad vantage points, but this was my reality now.

"Good, we'll set the drone to lap the perimeter above the building."

"We'll meet back here in thirty. We need to go over our plan and see if we have enough spare supplies to get you both geared up."

The time went by slow; thirty minutes felt like ten hours to me. I was eager to hash out what we should do next. Humans fighting humans had changed everything, and I had to make them understand that we couldn't do what we'd come here to do. There weren't enough of us and there was too much unrest amongst the humans. We were in over our heads.

Lanni did a quick inventory of our supplies and was able to provide Nolan and I each with a communicator and weapons. But we cleaned out the stash; this was it, no more do-overs.

We all huddled on the floor in the living room; Peter spoke first.

"What's the whole story? Why didn't you follow the plan?"

"I overheard two men talking about a prisoner and I had a gut feeling it was Nolan. I know I broke your trust by not sticking to the plan, but I had to follow my instincts. When I got in, I was lucky and I saw them dragging Nolan back to wherever they were keeping him. I saw a chance and I took it."

"I wasn't the only one being held there," Nolan explained, "but we didn't have a way to save anyone else. I thought maybe we'd be able to go back, but almost immediately after she found me there was a human attack on the school."

"They're fighting each other?" Isabella asked.

"We look just like them, they are afraid we're posing as them. They don't know who to trust."

"To be fair," Lanni added, "that was our idea."

"Well, now we need a _new_ idea. One that doesn't involve us all dying," Peter said.

"We could abandoned the city, head north— maybe there's a resistance we can join as humans and lay low until things work themselves out," Raven suggested.

"We should leave. Go back to Second-Plane," Peter blurted out.

"When we came here, the council gave a serious warning that they would not be extracting us back. This trip was a one way trip for us. First-Plane is our home now."

"Did he come with you originally?" Peter asked, pointing to Nolan.

"No—"

"Then whoever opened a portal for him can open one for _us,_ " Peter said.

He was so angry. I'd never seen him like, this but then we'd never experienced anything like this, either..

"Actually, I have a message from Sariah," Nolan said; our heads snapped to him immediately.

"Why didn't you speak up?" Peter snarled.

Nolan ignored him, "There's a safe house she established a while back. She said she built it to make sure there was always a safe haven. It's located under the Brooklyn bridge; it's called the Anchorage—some sort of abandoned building she refurbished. There's supplies there and she'll be checking it daily. When she opens a portal and sees us there, she'll bring us home. No humans, just us."

"Sariah would openly defy the council?" Peter asked in amazement.

I wasn't surprised at all, but then he didn't know her like I did. She always did what she thought was right no matter what. It just worked out more cleanly for her than it did for me.

"She basically _is_ the council," Lanni said, "and I'm glad she has our back. The council isn't above mistakes, they're not gods. So it's decided, we'll head back to Second-Plane and regroup with the council—if we do anything else it'll have to be sanctioned, but honestly this shit has gotten so far gone, it's beyond our help."

Lanni powered her communicator and begun searching for the Anchorage. She found it easily and began figuring out the best route to get there based on the most recent internet maps before the city's fall.

"It'll take us a few hours to get there, depending on how bad the city, is but it's doable."

"We could shave an hour or so off by walking through the subway or taking a train; if we could power it," I suggested.

"The city has limited electricity, but I think we could rig something and get one train functional. We'll need to go underground and see what we're working with. Everyone in agreement?"

We were and I was relieved. We could do this. We could get to the safe house and go back to Second-Plane. I'd never thought I'd be so happy to leave earth; I had grown up here after all, but this wasn't a home for any of us anymore. We'd came here knowing we wouldn't go back. It was a foolish, childishly romantic view of war _._ I'd pushed to come here, thinking I'd be a hero and fix everything, but I was so very wrong, and all I wanted now was to go home with Nolan.

I just wanted to go back and see my parents again.

19: THE LONG HAUL

It was odd to be in my house—especially with my team and without my parents. I'd showed Nolan where my room was and showed the others where my parent's room had been. I rummaged through my dad's drawers, finding some old clothes he'd left behind that he rarely wore. Sweats, undershirt, hoodie, Tims. I hugged tight the pile tight to my chest, feeling silly in how much I missed him and in how comforting it was to be near his stuff.

I went back to my room to find Nolan going through the books thrown on the floor and putting them back on the shelf. Watching him do that made me sad; it was futile and pointless because I'd never be in this room again after tonight, and eventually the pages would crumble to dust or scavengers would tear and burn them for heat.

"You don't have to do that," I said.

"They didn't have to do any of the things they did either. It feels right to put them back; to fix them."

I held the clothes out to him.

"These are for you."

"Your father's?"

I nodded.

"What will you do when we get back to Second-Plane?" Nolan asked.

I sat down on the corner of the bed and picked at the comforter.

"Get Sariah to convince the council to help First-Plane."

"Really? You don't want to play it safe and let this work itself out?"

"Is that what you want?" I asked.

"Being beaten by them doesn't make me very sympathetic to their cause, and it's not like we did this. Ursula did this. Why should we be tasked with fixing it?"

"We can't fix it—I understand that now. But I'd like to help the good people caught up in the chaos survive and build something new."

"I want to have a life with you—wherever that may take me—but I'd rather have more time than less."

"I want that too."

The silence buzzed with our unspoken sentiments. It was all too heavy; the good and the bad. I knew I had more to say, but where was his head at? Was he thinking long-term? Was it even _fair_ to think long-term? We'd barely survived the past few days. Committing to the future seemed reckless and naïve. I wanted to believe we were destined, bound together by a force unknown to us, but fear whispered that this was all just happy circumstance. That we'd just fought against the odds and managed to steal some more time. That ultimately all good things came to an end. The bed shifted as Nolan sat down beside me. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head.

"Where did you go?" he asked.

I shrugged and he held me tighter.

I swear, I'm not generally a crier but if I'm upset and trying to hide it, any type of affection will break me down and I'll start blubbering. I tried my best to be quiet. I didn't want the others to know and think I was having a mental breakdown—although all things considered, I was owed a fit of emotional collapse.

"Zora," Nolan cooed as he stroked my hair, "everything is going to okay. We're going to be okay."

"I'm sorry," I gasped. I was breathless from trying to hold the sobs in and my words spilled out like a burst balloon. "I've just never had to deal with so many _things_ at once, and I feel so scared and guilty all at the same time. I've never had to fight so hard to keep what I love or to fix mistakes I've made, and it all feels like it's just moments away from falling apart again."

He pulled me back and I saw his own eyes were raw from crying.

"I'm not going anywhere without you."

"I'm so sorry for—"

"No," he said, pulling me close again, "No more apologies. Let the past rest, Zora."

I nodded and nuzzled as close as I could. At some point, he shifted us down on to the bed; covering us with a Second-Plane blanket. I felt so comfortable being so close to him. I could feel my muscles relaxing and wondered if he was healing my soul. I relaxed even more at the thought of being cocooned in such a loving, restoring type of way and drifted into a dreamless, restful slumber.

Maybe we were lovers who survived.

Maybe these violent delights had no violent ends.

Maybe the blood, that filthy witness, could be washed from our hands.

We woke mid-afternoon and headed out at dusk. There was an entrance to the subway not far from Starlight. I'd used it a million times, and it was surreal to see it broken and dusty. The wide stairs led down to a dark train station. We hopped the rotating bars by the booth and kept moving. Those of us with navigators got them out, our energy powering them on to light our way. Nolan's flamed; he was ready to blast any threat.

I'd assumed we'd have to travel through the dark subway tunnel to find the train car, but luckily for the caboose peeked out just past the last portion of the platform. Nolan and Raven moved to the back emergency door, working together to pry it open, and once inside Lanni hooked her gadgets up to the train's power source housed in its rear electrical grid.

We all huddled outside the train car, waiting for Lanni to gain access to the system before we crowded in. It didn't take long, First-Plain tech was undoubtedly archaic to Second-Plain. The train powered to life, each section's lights flittering on and illuminating the tunnel before us.

"Good news is we're in— bad news is we're only going to be able to go about 25 miles an hour. That's about all the train's back up support system and generator can handle."

There was a parked train at the next station. Nolan pried the door open and I stepped on his knee and into the back of the train car. I had to put my whole body weight against the door while we helped the others in as well. Luckily the other doors had a manual lever that slid them open and we were able to expediently get to the head car.

Lanni immediately went to work and the rest of us took a seat. Isabella squeezed Raven's hand and pulled her close. Raven closed her eyes and leaned into her venku. Her pale skin had an unnatural, clammy green tint.

"She doesn't like tunnels," Isabella explained as she stroked her hair away from her face.

The train lights were still on, but Lanni did something in the captain's seat that made them shut off. Then there was a humming sound, the light clicked back on and the train begun to lurch forward.

"I did it!" Lanni exclaimed excitedly, coming back out. "I have full control of everything. Very rudimentary compared to the manuals we had to figure out back on Second-Plane, anyway; we're going to go very slow. I want to be able to stop if there is another car in front of us. It would normal take about 60 minutes but at this speed it'll take us two hours."

Raven groaned, Isabella shushed her and Lanni practically bounced on her toes with excitement.

The rocking of the train car felt like an evil lull and I felt guilty for every nod of my head. I knew I was probably being unreasonable with myself—none of us had slept much since we'd arrived on Second-Plane—but I was constantly replaying everything in my mind and there was just so much I couldn't reconcile.

I'd grown up in a plane of existence that wasn't my own because my parents had wanted me safe. I wasn't a Banguri, so you could argue I wasn't directly responsible for the hodoag and Low-Banguri population that was exponentially growing—and now overrunning First-Plane, but the Aura (myself included) had the means to help and even if we hadn't made the Banguri sneak into this plane, they'd done it for the same reasons my parents had. I'd seen Ursula's memories and I knew the reasons behind why things had played out the way they had, and the Aura were not blameless. Our choices limited their choices and when the opportunity for a new life came—they took it.

There were two things that really bothered me: the Aura not getting involved and how the low-Banguri got so out of hand. Both felt deliberate. Ursula would have to know that they wouldn't be able to be contained or that they would blow the cover for any Banguri that could pass as human. She'd had to have known that since we physically look the same, once they were discovered it would tear apart everything. Did she just not care? Had she assumed Banguri would be able to overtake cities one at a time until humans accepted our coexistence? It felt bitter and spiteful—and completely plausible for Ursula.

I felt Nolan reach around my shoulder and pull me close. He didn't ask me anything, which was a relief because I didn't have any answers.

The train began to slow and decrease in speed, which jarred me out of thought and back to the present. I looked around, trying to orient myself, but we weren't at the stop. The train windows were black. Lanni was busy on her device

"Their drones are picking up debris on the tracks," Lanni explained, noticing my confusion. "The train isn't going to be able to go further. We'll have to walk the rest of the way but the good news is we're close to our stop."

"What's on the tracks?"

Lanni paused; her coloring fading a little before she spoke.

"Bodies."

Nolan lowered his head into his hands; wringing his hands across his face and through his hair.

"What do you mean?" I stammered. "How many?"

"Too many," Lanni said sadly.

"We could try to clear them," Raven suggested, but Isabella shook her head.

"Too risky. There's not enough time. It'll be shorter to—wade through them."

As if on cue, the train car lurched to a stop with a final thud.

"The train stopped closer, so we have about 100 yards to get through. The smell is going to pretty bad. The faster we get through the better. The drones will light the way. Just get through it as fast as you can. " Lanni instructed.

Lanni worked on her device and the doors in front of us opened to the train cars ahead.

"No point making the trip any longer than we have to. Let's move!"

We gathered our backpacks, slung our weapons and moved down the isles.

Nolan was first, the rest trailing behind us. His eyes were cast down, his hands fiery fists at his sides. I grabbed his nearest hand, steam sizzling as we touched, and pulled him close. It was my turn to comfort him. I moved close, giving him a half hug, and he said almost inaudibly, "I can see all of the futures they might have had."

I felt warm drops hit my cheeks and realized he was crying.

"Your powers are working now?"

He nodded.

"Everything that would have been is just floating around in my head. All the voices, all the lost dreams—so much wasted life."

"Don't focus on _them_ -focus on me," I said.

I put my arm around his waist and held him tight. I guided him through the train and as we neared the front, the smell almost over took me. I thought it was the drones buzzing above but realized it was the flies over the many corpses. Nolan squeezed my hand tightly and I tightened my hold around his waist. Guiding him on to the tracks, I began to talk. I told Nolan about my life and asked him questions about his on Second-Plane. Silly things, favorite songs, foods, days, crushes, anything I could think of. I don't know how much it helped. His responses were so low and quieted that they were nearly inaudible, and as we trudged on the bodies shifted, smooshed and slid beneath us. I feared the taste of bile would ever leave my mouth; this moment would haunt my dreams.

I was scared that if Nolan's powers were activating then I might have flashbacks again like I did at Starlight. Seeing all of these peoples last moments. The bodies around us were a mix of bones and decay. This must have been a nest for the hoadogs. They brought their prey here and fed.

I moved forward with more determination; the best thing could do was get us the hell out of here as quickly as possible.

20: THE ANCHORAGE

The street light flitted in and out above the subway exit; likely an odd surge from the tweaking Lanni had done. The street was still and quiet except for the light hum omitted from dark when we Technology was a second language to her. I wondered if her past life on First-Plane had been as some type of hacker-brainchild-technical genus.

Before we got to the street, Lanni gave us a general direction of where we'd be going: street names, where to turn, and when our feet hit the pavement we took a five-dice pattern position, keeping her in the middle. She was the brightest, but the weakest physically.

We walked briskly; the area was filled with small businesses and as I looked around, I realized I knew what the _Anchorage_ was. I'd read about it for a Brooklyn bridge project. The Anchorage was a structure within a structure positioned in the base of the Brooklyn bridge. It had been actually a part of the original architectural design; intended to be used as a 19-century strip mall of sorts, but instead over the years it had hosted art galleries and concerts. Eventually it closed to the public and was forgotten.

"We're almost to Camadan Place," Lanni buzzed lightly in my ear. "Once we're there take a right and head down towards the river and the entrance should be under the bypass on the right."

"You know New York better than I do," I said.

"Google, baby!"

"What's Google?" Isabella asked.

"Internet search engine," Raven answered.

"How do _you_ know?" Isabella asked.

"Google..." Raven said laughing.

"You googled google?"

Raven shrugged, "Lanni's communicator is different than ours, it's like a mini computer and she was snatching wi-fi out of the sky like it was going out of style."

"I just played Birds of the Angry. The space version is my favorite."

"Sounds like you were all pretty occupied while we were gone," Nolan said.

"Where's the entrance?" Nolan asked.

"You're sure this is where she said?"

"How many Anchorages can there be? Yes, I'm sure."

I grunted in frustration.

"Maybe it's an illusion," Lanni suggested.

"The door could be hidden. Blast your fire and ice at it," Raven suggested.

"Did Sariah mention that?" I asked.

"No, but it couldn't hurt to try. Maybe she thought we'd just figure it out," Nolan theorized.

"All right, let's blast it."

"Everyone, step back; Ready?" he asked me.

"On three," I told him.

"One--two--"

Fire and ice flew from our palms but nothing happened other than us wetting and frying the brick wall.

Lanni walked past us and placed her hand on the wall, beams of energy trickled out like blood and brick material crumbled back to revel a door with a hand scanner and a large wheeled knob like an old bank vault.

"Clever," Lanni said with an appreciative nod. "This scanner is my invention but the artificial sediment material is something my replacement was working on. Guess he finally figured it out. He's design piggy-packed off the Builder's Octave device," Lanni said, motioning for us to follower her through.

"What is it exactly?" I asked as I squatted at the doorway. The fake brick was already growing back.

"It's a scientifically engineered rock that will deteriorate when a being from Second-Plane touches it. Even though it crumbles quickly, it regenerates swiftly."

"Hitting it with both of our powers was a bit of overkill then," Nolan said.

"But I bet it looked fancy," I said with a wink as I stood up.

"All right, Maverick Zora."

"We're actually under a bridge!" I gasped, looking up. The ceilings were vaulted, arching with the legs of the bridge. We walked on a few feet and were met by another door and when we opened it, I felt transported to another world.

"How long had Sariah been working on this?"

"She said she bought it and that's when it closed off to the public. Perhaps she wanted to make sure we always had a backup plan."

"A sanctuary," I summarized.

I'd been walking the perimeter in awe and when I turned back to the center, Nolan's expression mirrored my own. There were two short steps down to an open space with seven additional doors. Five comfortable rooms, all with a bed and an energy powered lamp on a small table. The ceilings all had a pipe or too poking out-- _air_ I thought. The sixth was a shower, which meant she'd probably created some type of filtration system streaming water from the river here. The seventh was a storage room with blankets, cots, and to my surprise a shelf filled with glass rectangular glowing bottles. _Souls._

"Lanni," I called out. "Are these what I think they are?"

Her eyes widened as she came and stood beside me.

"Yes," she nodded, "food for any Banguri refugees."

"Good, you and Peter will be able to keep up your strength."

I'd said it before I knew I'd said it and we both looked at each other for a moment before awkwardly turning away.

"How did you know?" Lanni said softly.

"I found out by accident," I muttered, the half-truth quickly spilling from my mouth.

"Don't tell anyone yet, okay? If we find Peter, I'll tell them when we get back."

"I promise," I said quickly.

The bed creaked underneath our weight as we sat and it felt like a vocalization of our souls :worn, weary, worried. We'd just gone to a room—it didn't matter which. I was just glad we were safe. Nolan pulled me down with him and held me tight to his chest. I settled down as close as I could.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"You? Nolan, everything that's happened is my fault. From you getting hurt, to you getting taken, to you having to go through what you did on the train tracks."

"It's not just any one person's fault, but I'm sorry I had to lean on you so much the other day. Being with you is the best thing but it's also super frightening. We effect each other on a biological level. I've never ever been able to see the possible futures of deceased people and it was so overwhelming and terrifying, but I'm stronger than I thought I was. Everything I've been through, everything I've survived just to get back to you. It's more than just love, Zora, it's destiny. I know we're venku—even if it didn't happen in the traditional sense—but I need you to know it too. If you don't feel it too then I have to leave. I can't be close to you and not with you—does that make sense?"

"I feel it too," I confirmed.

I pulled myself up on the bed until I was at the right angle to kiss him, and soon we were so intertwined, I didn't know where I ended and he began. My heart raced, my skin tingled from every touch or rub or caress. It was heavenly. I forgot about my powers, the war, the planes, everything but us and in an instant, I was so hungry and needy for him that I felt almost pained. The heat between us warmed and we became a flurry of needy desire. He stopped for a moment, looking down at me in a way that let me know he was pausing; letting me guide how far we went, and my answer was to pull him even closer. I opened up to him and when he pushed our bodies together it was like the universe snapped into place. It felt so right and as he rocked me into the soft mattress, I couldn't believe we waited so long and that I'd resisted something so perfect.

I hadn't realized I'd fallen asleep until I woke up. I was sprawled out on top of Nolan; comfortable, completely relaxed and feeling very removed from the chaotic mess we'd fled from not that long ago.

I felt so good I was damn near giddy.

We'd been intimate and nothing bad had happened. I hadn't flung into his past memories. I hadn't sucked him dry like some rampant sexual vacuum. I felt optimistic about _my_ life for the first time since I'd my powers had started forming. I wasn't isolated by my strength; I was empowered.

"Are you awake?" Nolan asked.

I stretched up and gave him a quick kiss.

"Are you ok? Was it—good?" His asked, his voice shy and hesitant. I realized then that _that_ was probably the first time he'd had sex. Nolan was so confident and it felt so natural I'd just assumed.

"Was that the first time you'd ever?"

He blushed an adorable shade of red I'd never known was possible.

I pulled him close and buried my head into the groove of his neck.

"It was perfect," I said.

"You're not just saying that?"

"I wouldn't lie!" I insisted.

"Okay—we don't have to talk about it I just...wanted it to be what you'd expected."

I shifted my position so I could kiss him freely and as we settled into an easy rhythm his confidence seemed to be fully restored, along with other important manly features.

I couldn't resist egging him on. Tucked away in this abandoned hotel it felt like we had our own haven, and I didn't want to waste a moment of it.

"You seem to be trying to entice me into another round." Nolan said, his voice already beginning to dip into a husky baritone.

"I think the safest thing would be for us to stay in this room until sunrise—at least."

His lips trailed along my shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

He rolled me onto my back and kissed a curving line from my heart down past my navel.

"We better stay put then. We wouldn't want to be _reckless._ "

His mouth moved south as he spoke his breath fogging my warming skin like glass. I knew what was coming and closed my eyes in an hungry anticipation.

There was a soft knock on the door and we flew of the bed like startled cats.

"Zora? It's Sariah. Can I come in?"

"Sure—uh—just a moment."

That moment felt like hours but when we'd finally scrambled into clothes and looked somewhat appropriate I let her in.

Nolan squeezed my hand with a little nod before wordlessly leaving.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Sariah began.

"As if—you knew he was in here didn't you?

Sariah smiled but shook her head, "I have a code, remember? I don't just invade people's minds."

"But it's like second nature to you," I insisted. "How can you not read people's thoughts when it comes so naturally?"

"Practice."

That was actually a pretty logical answer.

Sariah pulled me into a surprisingly tight hug.

"I'm so glad you're alright," she sighed. When she pulled back, her eyes were blurred with tears.

It hit me then not just how selfish, but how foolish it had been for me to have come back to First-Plane. I'd pushed for it under the guise that I was helping, but really I'd just been escaping my own mistakes—only to make more mistakes. It was exhausting living. It seemed like no matter how I tried, I kept having to start over again. But then again, at least I was allotted a chance to start over. At least none of my mistake had led to final endings. Even when surrounded by darkness, there was still so much to be thankful for.

"I'm sorry for everything," I said, "but Sariah, there has to be something that we can do."

"I have a few ideas, but I'll only pursue them if you stay in First-Plane. There are much more experienced Aura that can help. There's no reason to risk your life or Nolan's. I know you feel like you should be here, but—"

"No," I interrupted, "I want to go back. I want to see my parents. I—I even want to go to school again. I'd like to study the different powers. I think it'll help me learn to control mine. Everything is so complicated and I feel so unsure but I know if I don't grow stronger that I'll fail. I just want to try to be something more than what I am right now."

"Will Nolan stay with you?"

"Yes, we've committed to each other."

"Committed?"

"Yes, we've accepted—decided—come to realize? I don't know how to say it, but we love each other and we're venku."

Sariah smiled and gave me another grande-sized hug. "You're going to give your father a heart attack."

PART III: FÉNIX

From the

souls devoured

by hate,

from the embers

simmered down

to smoke,

from the char

crumbling to ash,

we will rise.

_Untitled,_ N. E. Wilson

21: SARIAH

"Why even ask?" Iris teased. "You'll do what you want and no one—least of all me—is in any position to stop you."

I sighed and shook my head. "You know I respect you Iris. I don't deliberately defy you."

"After this all this time, you're still so gloomy and serious. I don't doubt your loyalty or your love for your people. I value your judgment, and even though the council doesn't want to be involved, we are involved. We owe it to First-Plane. Besides, there's isn't much you and Keegan can't handle."

"Damn right!" Keegan said with a smirk. "Now let's go get our girl."

22: URSULA

"You'll never be free, Ursula, you're too much of an animal, but we're giving you the opportunity for redemption life if you agree to our terms."

The room was bright—so much so that it was disorienting and my eyes struggled to focus. Her voice was the only clear constant.

"You'll obey your commanders without question. You'll provide any information we need to the best of your knowledge. You'll aid us in any way without questioning.. You will not try to escape."

"Do you consent?" Sariah asked.

I could sense the power in her, and I knew she wasn't asking a question.

"Yes," I whispered.

"Good," Sariah's voice rang out like a gong in my head.

The chair I was attached to flung back flat like a table and flipped upside down. My hair flew over my head, exposing the nape of my neck. I uselessly flexed against the metal restraints, my heart pounding like a snare drum as my blood surged through my veins. I could feel the adrenaline building along with my instinctive response to fight and survive.

Breathe.

"Trust is earned, Ursula, and when it comes to your history we're going to need a failsafe."

A line on my neck began to burn.

"What are you doing to me?" I growled.

No less than what you deserve, Sariah's voice echoed in my mind. Now sleep.

The last word was a command that I was powerless against. I felt a wave of relaxation wash over me and then a pressuring sting of cool metal on my skin as my awareness faded and the darkness closed in..

23: SARIAH

I closed my eyes and took in a breath—decades later, I still got anxious on a battlefield. I hated fighting, but it was my birth right and I had to protect it.. I was the strongest known warrior on both planes, and if I didn't fight, good people died. I exhaled slowly, willing my heart to adagio its beats and my mind to steady. We were at the edge of a valley. Below us were homemade spikes scattered between the trees; a warning aimed to at least slow us if not keep us out entirely from the camp below.

How many? Keegan asked, his familiar voice was a soothing hum in my mind.

Hundreds, I thought back, but not many equipped to fight.

I see about twenty make-shift houses at least.

Find the leader, Keegan said.

Bossy.

Sassy.

Sticking up for myself isn't sass, I countered with a nudge to his ribs.

"Pay attention," Keegan hissed.

"Why are you talking out loud?"

"Why are you answering out loud?"

"Who's out there?" said a third, unknown voice.

Shit, we both thought in unison.

"Show yourself or we'll fire blindly until a bullet hits you."

I couldn't even get the whole thought out before the crackle of bullets filled the valley. Instinctively I lifted my hand, creating a shield around us. Keegan and I were well hidden but I would never make a bet against a random bullet.

That wasn't much time at all, Keegan thought.

Can you snag the leader? I can protect you from the bullets.

I have eyes on him now—just tell me when.

You can go after you stretch; wouldn't want you to pull something or cramp up like last time, I teased.

Keegan's head whipped in my direction, and then his body became a blurry vision as he moved down the into the valley. He zagged between the spikes playfully like a wolf on the hunt. It was hard to keep a shield around him.

Slow down, I scolded.

Keep up, Granny.

More bullets ripped through the air. It only took a minute, even though it felt like an hour, and then Keegan was back beside me. I restrained the human immediately, my mind slipping around his body like a tight glove. His eyes were wide with terror; his chest bobbed up and down like a buoy.

"Who are you? What are you?" he whispered.

"Tell your people to stand down," Keegan roared.

"We're here to talk," I added.

24: LANNI

I'd never been the same since the very first time Ursula betrayed me. It'd happened a long time ago—cycles upon cycles—but that didn't seem to dull the sharp regret I'd been harboring all these years. I'd let her manipulate me into participating into something I should have never been a part of.

After the Great War; after the Aura won and the Banguri were starting to suffer the consequences of Ursula's mother's abrupt decision to insight a war we never could have won. Ursula wanted revenge.

It started with us scouting the Aura countryside and stalking their awakening grounds—a sacred area for them where new aura awakened after ascending from First-Plane. Aura have always awoken and Banguri have always been born. Before we lost the war, we'd had limits, respect and morals. Killing a newly an aura before they fully transcended was murder; Ursula was an apex. Watching her mother's head roll down to the marbled steps to her feet had twisted her—which was understandable—but what I couldn't reconcile was what I'd been a part in the name of revenge.

We'd been waiting, hidden in the shadows, for a long time. There was no way to know when an awakening would occur, but eventually it would. It always did. I'd felt nervous and unsure of what would happen next. Ursula was silent and expressionless; her eyes hard and void of emotion.

The ground began to move. The dirt rose and swirled as the particles lifted, shifted and rebound together to form new life. When the dust settled, Ursula finally spoke.

"Kill it now, before it awakens."

"It's not an it," I insisted franticly, "it is a sentient being like us!"

Ursula made a swift, erratic movement towards me, grabbing my arm and dragging me forward through the grass into the mud. Pain shot thru my limb but I didn't even think to fight back. It was Ursula; her will was absolute. She tossed me like ragdoll next to the Aura. It was in the still between there and here. There was no body heat, no breath, no scent other than the earth, and I realized then that the soul hadn't transcended down. It wasn't alive yet.

Ursula moved past me and straddled the aura.

A few seconds passed, and then the hue warmed traces of the aura's eyes fluttered beneath their closed lids. She took a breath. Ursula bent down and fed. The aura's eyes shot open, but her thrashing was pointless. She yielded within minutes. The new body decayed and crumbled back to the dust from which it'd came, and just like that she was gone.

Ursula stood and motioned for me to come to her, but I didn't move. I should have fought; even if Ursula had killed me too it would have been better than being complicit.

"Move to her place," Ursula commanded. "You're going to be my eyes, my ears, my aura; now STRIP. "

"Are you okay?"

Peter's voice brought me back to the present.

"I'm fine," I lied. I had to lie. Only Iris knew who I really was.

I glanced over my shoulder at the drugged unconscious woman in the back sleeping. Ursula. I had my doubts that the woman in the backseat of our car was even Ursula anymore, she'd been killed and reincarnated so many times that I doubt any part of the original Ursula even remained, but there was no way to even know. Not to mention,I was in no position to argue other possibilities with the Iris or the council. I'd vowed my life to the Aura and I'd do whatever they needed. Ursula was under our command now; Peter and I had been in trusted with using the intel we'd extracted from her shattered mind to find Low-Banguri nests on First-Plane. That's where we were headed now, and that's where Ursula's atonement would begin.

"We're almost to Georgia," Peter said.

"Should we wake her up?" I asked.

"I think so; let's give her a little zap."

25: KEEGAN

Her fierceness, her strength, just her could never be too much. Even after all these years, I still marveled at her. Still frustrated by her too—our little bickering had led to us being caught, which had (somehow) led to me wanting to show off, which had ended up with me getting zipped in the arm by a bullet--and but even that was irreplaceable to me. I loved all of our adventures, where ever they led. We'd be bound together, connected as venku for eternity, and that was enough for me to be infinitely grateful and humbled to be hers.

I winced as I eased my Second-Plane jacket off and checked my arm—the bullet had gone cleanly through. Sariah's eyes were focused on our prisoner, but her mind was on me.

How badly are you hurt? She asked.

Just a scratch, I thought back.

"Are you the leader?" Sariah asked him.

Silence.

Sariah tightened her hold on him and he wheezed out a sharp breath.

"No," he wheezed.

"Then take us to him," Sariah said, "and make sure you tell these men to stand down."

We headed down the hill, the man still suspended in the air as we moved. Waiting for us at the edge of the valley was a line of angry men and women; their faces pale with fear but taut with angry resolution.

First-Plane souls definitely had more pluck than I remembered.

"We're here to talk," Sariah repeated, "and we might just have a solution for your problem."

"How generous," taunted a man as he stepped forward, "a solution to the problem you caused?"

Sariah closed her eyes for a moment.

"Commander Charles," she said, "leader of the last Southern States stronghold. It's a pleasure to meet you. Is there somewhere more private we can talk?"

Charles' face drained to a sickly beige but his eyes hardened.

"Don't do that again," he snarled.

"Careful," I growled back.

"Are you not interested in hearing what we have to say? If not, we can leave you to all the beautiful facets of a slow death and a long unwinnable war."

"Make way!" roared the commander and his men parted like the red sea.

26: URSULA

The air was warm, the sun tinting the sky and water with a rich pink hue. I stepped from stone to stone, following the path through the water towards the land off in the distance. I knew this was the here-after, a sanctuary between dimensions. I also knew that I couldn't stay, that this was a dream and that at any moment I'd be back in a hell I didn't deserve.

I knelt down on a smooth, flat, black rock. The water was just a little warmer than the air. My sister would have loved it here.

The thought felt like a dominoes tipping, and once it hit the next domino the sequence sped off like train. I'd had a sister. Not Ursula, but me. I'd tried to remember but anything more felt like the water flowing between my fingers; a reality that couldn't be captured. I couldn't remember more but I felt that there was.. Voices began to swirl around me.

Remember.

Speak for us.

WAKE UP.

The here-after went dark and the nothingness became cold, shaking me to my core.

"Ursula? Can you hear us?" a female voice asked—Lanni.

"Wow," said a male voice—Peter, "I didn't think it'd be that strong."

"The button stuck a little," Lanni said anxiously. "Do you think we hurt her?"

I opened my eyes slowly, my head pounding with a splitting headache.

"Is that even a real question?" I gasped.

The male locked eyes with me in the review mirror.

"You've done worse," Peter muttered.

"No, not me. Ursula did horrible things, but not me."

"Denial; how convenient."

"No, wait," Lanni said, "who do you think you are?"

I shrugged. "All I know is I'm not her."

"Can you explain more? What do you know?"

"I know that there were hundreds of lives she took and their consciousness' are all merged into this one body. You kill this body, it regenerates and another soul's consciousness takes over. For now, the voice is mine."

"Is Ursula still in there?"

"No, but I think her memories and knowledge are. There's bits and pieces of everything, but mostly her."

"Bullshit," said Peter.

"How would I know your names? Peter and Lanni. I don't know you, but I know a little of you."

"What is your name then?" Lanni asked.

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the question sink and the answer float back up.

"Stop talking," Peter snapped. "You're here to atone for your sins and after that—who cares."

I shrugged and leaned back in the seat. It didn't matter if they believed me. I had a feeling; a new light growing stronger within me. I wasn't alone and a life of atonement wasn't my fate. I wasn't just one. I was a collective.

27: KEEGAN

The commander led us to a modest pop-up trailer just big enough for a bed, desk and chair.

"Here's how this is going down," I said, "we're going to make you an offer and either you'll accept it or not. If you don't, we'll leave and you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"Is it a common practice to start all of your peace treaties with threats?"

"See—that just shows exactly how much you don't know," I countered. "You're not at war with us. You're not in a war period. You're being attacked by Banguris, from the lowest cast system, who are functioning purely on impulse."

"We found your kind pretending to be humans and living amongst us, explain that!"

"It's trust," Sariah said. "Here's the sparknotes version— we're from another dimension occupied by two main groups and some of us have a human form and decided to try to co-exist in your dimension. By the time we (the aura) found out, it had been happening for decades. This continent is now being overrun and we want to offer you some assistance."

"Why?"

"We feel bad—well, some of us feel bad—and we want to help because we're in a position to, but there's a price."

"Two conditions," Sariah explained. "We want any prisoners turned over to us, and you'll agree to an implant that will allow us to monitor where you are and stop you if you try to hurt or betray us. In return, we'll supply you with tech fitted for human use: weapons, housing, medical..etc."

"How am I suppose to trust you if you don't even trust me?"

Sariah shrugged. "That's for you to reconcile. Like, he said, if you say no, we leave. But trust us, you should say yes."

"You'll show us how to use this tech and it'll help us take back the city?"

"Not just the city, the country," I said.

Charles was pacing the small walking space but his mannerisms told me we'd won him.

"This is insane."

"Most things are," I agreed.

"Trusting us is a good thing, Commander, think of it this way, how easily did we get to you? We could level this place if we wanted, to but what we want is to help you."

"Yes, in exchange for mind control."

"Only temporarily. Once our deal is complete we'll extract the implant and leave."

"If I agree to this, none of my people will know?"

"You have our word," Sariah confirmed.

"Ok, how do we do this?"

"Go sit backwards in your chair and lean forward."

Wait, we actually have an implant?"

Of course not, Sariah thought back, but I've got to make this bluff real.

"I'm going to insert it into the nape of your neck. It's about the size of a pea and I'll need to make a small incision, but I'll heal you afterwards," Sariah explained.

"At least it's not going up my ass."

"We're interdimensional beings, not aliens," I correct.

"Just do it!" Charles snapped.

Sariah placed a hand on his shoulder and turned her deku into a small dagger.

He tensed as she cut into his flesh, but stayed still.

"Done," she said. "I'm going to heal you now."

She placed her palm over the incision and he let out a very pleasure-fueled groan.

Jesus, I snarled at Sariah, don't make him blow his load.

Sariah flashed a smile over her shoulder but made no retort.

28: URSULA

The sound of the heavy car door closing jolted me awake. I stiffened as I remembered where I was and who I was. My head was sore and my mouth was dry, my neck painfully stiff. I ran my hand through my hair and cringed as my fingertips trailed over the slightly raised pump on the nape of my neck. As soon as I figured out how to get that out—I was doing it.

Motion outside the window caught my eye. Lanni was waving for me to come to them. I was hesitant, half afraid they'd zap me again for sport, but I got out of the car anyway. I took in my surroundings. The sun thru the tree tops looked high but just off center. It's afternoon. The trees collaged together, red and gold leaves cluttering the dirt. Fall. There was a twisting road ahead of us the led deeper in to the woods.

"Grab those two bags off the trunk and follow us," Peter instructed.

I did. The duffle bag felt weighted and heavy, but only for a second until my arms adjusted. We hiked in silence for a long time, following an every widening creek upwards. Lanni kept glancing over her shoulder at me. Peter ignored me altogether—or at least that's what he wanted me to think. My instinct told me he was always aware and ready.

I felt the cave before I saw it. An odd wave of recognition swept over me. The placement of the trees; the smell of the brook spilling down, the rocks placed almost like steps at the caves opening.

We've been here, the collective sang in my head, this was the first home.

"Ursula?" Peter said. "Why did you stop?"

I hadn't realized I had until then, and I started walking again.

My jaw set in a hard defiant line. "I'm not her. That's not my name."

"You think those sins can just be washed away? Your crimes abolished?"

"Yes—because I didn't do any of it."

"Why did you stop?" Lanni asked.

"I sensed something. I feel like I—Ursula—has been here before. "

"You're correct, Ursula, you've been here before and the map to get here was in your head too."

I followed them to the entrance and strode past them into the dark. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and reopened them. I could see everything now—the walls, Lanni and Peter behind me, and the large drop below.

"There's a drop ahead," I warned. "What do you want me to do?"

"There are explosives in the bags. We have an octave that can turn in to a latter. Set the bombs down there so we can blow the entrance way and close off the cave."

Another wave swept over me.

They're here, the collective whispered.

"Are there banguri here?" I asked.

"Yes," Lanni answered, "and we need you to help us kill them."

"What kind of Banguri?"

"You tell us," Peter said.

I knelt and thought. "Low-Banguri; hoadogs mostly. All right, I'll do as you ask. Toss the bags down after I land."

Peter stepped forward confused. "Wait, what?"

I turned and instinctively let myself fall; flipping and twisting in the air the whole drop down. Maybe I was showing off. Maybe someone in the collective had been a trapeze artist or maybe I was so screwed up now that I had animalistic instincts, but somehow I knew I'd land right on my feet, and I did—seamlessly.

Above me a flair followed my path and I caught it, holding it up high so they could see me.

"You're a maniac," Peter growled.

"Drop the bag with the explosives."

"Drop the bag—do you hear her?" Peter said to Lanni.

"Just do it. Worst case scenario is she blows herself up."

"And us! It's called proximity."

"You really think she can back flip and land on her feet but she can't catch a duffle bag?"

Peter frowned and then looked down at me.

"Ready?"

"Yes," I said.

He dropped it.

I caught it, easily, and slung it over my shoulder and headed deeper into the cave.

"Remember," Peter's voice echoed behind me, "we can still zap you."

29: FÉNIX

It was only a few meters, but the deeper I went into the cave the more I could sense them, and they knew I was there too. My presence was riling them up. I was starting to feel uncomfortable as well and the collective was silent.

My ear piece buzzed.

"Progress report," Peter barked in my ear.

"I'm close."

"Ok—sending the drones to your location."

I kept moving and I began to smell them—this wasn't just a nest, it was a sanctuary. Many packs rested here, fed here, mated here. Not just hoadogs, either, many types of Banguri. It was a forest of underground tunnels and caves. I hit a spot where the cave tunneled out into many different directions, but I followed the one directly ahead of me. The vast walls began to narrow and the smooth ground beneath me began to crackle and crunch—the sound of both bones and rocks—beneath my feet. I flushed myself against the wall and focused. The energy was unsteady; they knew I was here and were confused by it. The recognized the Ursula in me but knew I wasn't her. They were waiting to see what I would do. What would I do?

The collection was silent.

This was up to me.

It wouldn't take long for this cave to be ruined. Could I live with all this blood on my hands? It wasn't human blood but it was Banguri; it was my blood. This couldn't be the only way to atone. Even if corrupt and twisted, hadn't Ursula had a greater good in mind for everything she did? Hadn't it started out of a desperate need for her people, my people to survive? I couldn't answer these questions, but I did know I had to warn them. If I warned them then the chips would fall where they would and I'd be absolved, at least this once.

Run. RUN, I screamed in my head.

I felt the energy shift like a breeze through the caves. They heard me and they were coming. They didn't want to run, they wanted me. They were angry. I had to run but I had no idea where the other exits were. I'd have to run out the same way I'd come in.

I fled.

The ear piece chirped in my ear.

"What's happening?"

"They know I'm here."

They were silent. I knew Lanni and Peter were arguing, determining if I'd sabotaged everything, if they should zap me again, take me back to prison. My breathing became jagged as I ran, and when I made it back to the drop I pounded on the rock, screaming to be let up. A rope fell immediately.

"Tie it around your waist and climb."

"The drone is picking up a lot of movement. They're chasing her. We need to detonate soon," I heard Lanni's voice echo. My little stunt worked on the way down but the climb up—that was another story. I was scared, and that fear made it impossible for me to focus. I felt like I was becoming more unsure, more frantic, by the moment. My body felt clumsy and heavy.

I turned to look behind me—I could see them in the dark—savage, angry beasts, determined to get to me even if it meant losing everything in the process. They were below me in minutes, crawling on top of each other to reach me.

"Help me!" I screamed. The rope went taut and I felt it retract, pulling me upwards foot by foot.

I could hear snarling and snapping below me, and I had this terrifying feeling that Peter was going to let me fall. That he was going to let me die. There was a roar, the snap of jaws and a new type of searing pain I'd never felt before. It made my mind flash white and stole the scream from my throat. The echos of the snarling mixed with Peter's shouts blurred into the black that took me.

I opened my eyes to find Lanni and Peter both staring at me. Peter was cradling me and I jumped immediately—not understanding if this close of contact with him was safe.

"Easy," Peter cooed.

I frowned but didn't try to pull away again. He felt...secure, and his mannerisms didn't suggest hostility, no matter how bizarre they were.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.

"You're never this close or this friendly towards me."

He blushed and loosened his hold, giving me a little more personal space.

"Your foot is growing back; is that normal?"

I looked down my ankle was steaming. I wiggled my foot and the red-pink tendons and muscles peeped through the mist.

"I don't know," I answered.

"You're really not Ursula—are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"I'm going to carry you back to the car, okay?"

I nodded.

"What is your name then, since it's not Ursula?"

"Fénix

30: CHARLES

_Sariah._ She was frightening. She could wield pain or pleasure over me and I was helpless to stop her. It was overwhelming terrifying and there was an entire world of them? My people, real humans, were way over their heads.

My hands shook as I lowered myself down to my cot. I brought my ration, some type of dried jerky, to my lips, but I couldn't eat. The last few hours had been insane. My camp had been invaded by just two Aura—just two—and yet they'd manage to capture me, implant something in my neck and get me to agree to their terms for peace. My mind kept whirling through hypothetical outcomes, especially scenarios where they hadn't been here to talk. If there'd even been ten more of them, they could have easily taken the whole camp. I rubbed the back of my neck, surprised by how smooth the skin felt even though it'd just been cut open.

We had no idea what we were dealing with and I—their leader—was caught in their web. The next few hours would be telling. If Sariah was honorable and not playing me then we'd found a huge ally in her. If she was lying, I'd just sentenced us all to death. I sighed and forced myself to eat my rations and gulp down water. I had to stay sharp. I couldn't stop rubbing the back of my neck either. It was remarkable how it felt like nothing was there, but that made me all the more certain there was.

"Boss."

The sound of the radio felt like a shock through my system.

"I'm here," I said.

"There's a car coming."

"Setup a perimeter, weapons down; just eyes," I instructed.

"Got it."

I immediately headed towards the trailer we'd cleaned out for our guests and found Sariah headed towards me as well. We met in the middle and she spoke—first answering my unasked questions, which left me with an eerie feeling that no thought would be safe with her present.

"My people are headed this way and you're in luck. You'll get to meet the creator of your problem."

"What do you mean?"

"The short and sweet version is that the body responsible for your entire situation was captured by us and has been tasked with atoning for their sins."

"How is she responsible exactly?"

"She opened the first portal that connected our two planes."

The car rolled to a stop and three figures got out. She was last. I knew it was her because of how she followed obediently behind the other two.

She was pretty, and as soon as the thought formulated in my mind I felt guilty about it. She should have been invisible to me, and I had no idea why I was fixating on something so unearthly. That was the most confusing part, these "interdimensional beings" looked just like us. It made things foggy and unclear. That was why everything had gotten so violent so quickly. We were all paranoid now because any one of them could be anyone of us.

Sariah gave me a perplexing expression along with a coy smile and I knew she knew what'd I'd been thinking. I wanted to check her, to say something that made me feel less powerless, but I held my tongue. I couldn't win against her; no point in even trying.

"Why isn't she bound?"

"We have the same guarantee with her that we have with you."

So that woman was trapped just like me; the thought made me even more drawn to her and undeniably curious. Even the devil used to be an angel.

31: SARIAH

He likes her, I thought to Keegan.

Charles' eyes were on her and even if I hadn't dipped into his mind, his body language made it pretty obvious—and the fact that he saw something in her made me curious about what was in her head.

Then he's got horrible taste.

Maybe, maybe not.

Maybe not? Seriously?

You know, I thought, there are theories that Ursula consumed so many souls and died so many times that she manifested into something else. That might not even be Ursula.

Going to take a peek?

Might as well. I've been breaking my own rules all week.

"Glad you made it back," Keegan said, greeting Lanni and Peter.

"Likewise," Lanni responded back, "where are we set up?"

"Keegan will show you and then we'll talk," I instructed, "but first, I'd like to talk to Ursula alone."

"She goes by Fenix now," Peter interjected.

"Fenix?" I repeated.

Peter shrugged, "That's what she chooses to call herself. We have a lot to talk about."

"We won't be long."

I motioned for Fenix to follow me and she quickly fell into step alongside me. side.

"How are you adjusting to your semi-free conditions?"

"I'm fine," she said without hesitation.

"What makes you think you're not Ursula?"

"My memories. The collective within me," she explained.

"Explain."

"I have memories—not many—but some from before Ursula took my soul. There were others. Hundreds, and they all live within a space in this mind. They're a collective and they make me stronger."

"Multiple personalities within your mind?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly, more like spirits willing to guide me. I don't hear them regularly but I feel them."

"And they told you you weren't Ursula?"

"Yes, but I already knew."

"Will you let me?"

She paused. Her eyes a bit frightened at the idea ,but she nodded yes.

"You're being very compliant."

"I have no choice but to be."

"You always have a choice, Fenix."

32: LANNI

We were given an entire trailer to ourselves and a little pop-up camper for Fenix. She unsettled me. The longer we were together, the more I thought of that night with Ursula and the unthinkable thing I'd been apart of. It was creeping me out. I kept reliving it spontaneous bursts that were starting to saturate both my dreaming and waking worlds. I knew I should talk to someone about it, but how could I? Telling someone involved telling them everything: That I wasn't an aura, that I'd once been allied with Ursula, that I'd helped murder someone and then slipped into their life.

So many lies complied on top of each other that were the foundation of my entire identity. Probably the worst of it was how I let my venku feel about himself. I think he genuinely was attracted to me, but I just couldn't. Every time I looked at him it reminded me what a monster I was. Eventually he stopped trying and found got his needs met thru another widowed Aura. It wasn't completely uncommon—venku were fighting partners and sometimes there were casualties. Bem and Ajani had made it work for years. I just knew he felt like there was something wrong with him, but I was too selfish and too cowardly to tell him the truth. Instead, I focused on work and slept around as much as possible—at least when I was on Second-Plane. Aura are very sexual, and I had to play the part if I wanted to live the life. But playing the part didn't just mean promiscuous behavior; it meant the real me was tucked away and I never got to have a real connection with anyone. It was a lonely atonement that would never end.

"Lanni? Are you listening?" Peter asked.

"No—I'm just tired from everything."

"Have you been taking the soul supplements?" Sariah asked.

"Yes, of course, it's just been—hectic. I'm sorry, what did I miss?"

"It's fine," Sariah said, "I know these past few weeks have been strenuous. I was just asking about the detonation at the nests. Peter says the explosion didn't have the effect we'd anticipated?"

"Yes, Fenix got attacked and it caused us to fumble through the process. I'm sure at least half of the low-Banguri survived, but we did destroy their breeding ground."

"Okay, well, for now, we'll just give it time and how it plays out. In the meanwhile, I'd like to start helping this human camp fortify and rebuild. We'll wait until the transfer of our people is made and then we can discuss what exactly they'll need to rebuild."

"How long until they busses arrive?" Peter asked.

"Not long, a couple hours at most," Sariah said.

"Maybe I'll go lie down then," I said.

Sariah smiled and nodded. "The world will keep spinning while you nap, Lanni. Go rest."

"I'll walk with you," Peter said.

"Going to stand guard while I sleep?"

"I could. Banguri aren't as good at fighting are the aura venkus, but we're scrappy and we get the job done. Are you okay, Lanni? You haven't been the same since Fenix."

I cringed and focused on the nearing trailer.

"You're less bossy, more withdrawn," Peter continued, "and even though you're going to deny it, I know that something is bothering you."

"I'm fine," I said, but he didn't give up.

"You're not fine and I want you to talk to me. Think about all the things we've been through together and how kind you were to me when I popped up unexpectedly at your base back in the city. You fed me, clothed me, tech-geared me up, you did everything to make sure I was okay and I want to make sure you're okay too."

"That is the most you've ever said to me."

Peter grabbed my hand.

"You never let me say more. You wall yourself off from everyone and I'm sure you have your reasons, but you can trust me, Lanni, I swear."

His touch was not intentionally romantic but felt like more than just comrades comforting each other—at least to me. I pulled away, not wanting to make a big deal out of an affectionate gesture, — letting go seemed like the most nonchalant thing to do.

The RV was fitted with a room at the back (Sariah and Keegan's) and two slightly larger twin bunks along the hallway between. It was small but felt more cozy than tight; which wouldn't have mattered to me anyway—none of us wanted to be alone in a human camp. The tension wasn't too bad, they all followed Charles' orders, but you just never knew. Some vigilante might have random, in the middle of the night hero fantasies, and I'd rather be squeezed into a bunk bed close to my allies just in case.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and Peter followed suit.

"Trust me, Lanni, tell me what's going on?"

I broke.

Cycles upon cycles of not showing anyone the real me had just worn me too thin, but sometimes a small act of kindness can the be the catalyst to opening up your heart. Peter cared. He wanted to be my friend, and I wanted to let him.

"It's a lot and you might hate me afterwards," I said, but it was a futile warning. Peter wrapped his arm around my shoulder encouragingly.

"I won't hate you, and if I can't think of anything nice to say I'll just keep my damn mouth shut. I promise."

I took a deep breath and just like that I told him everything in a more vivid detail than the version I'd confessed to Iris all those years ago. He listened intently, not interrupting even though the longer I talked the more I seemed to ramble. I told him about how seeing Fenix brought the memories flooding back, how hurting her reminded me even more of the pain Ursula had caused. How I couldn't stop dreaming about that night and how I swore that while I'd been posing as an aura everything I'd done was to save lives, to protect lives. When I finally stopped, I was breathless and he was silent.

"Guess you don't have anything nice to say," I teased.

Peter stared, opening his mouth to speak but then closing it immediately. He took my hand, which surprised me and confused me, but even more confusing was when he tilted my head back and kissed me.

33: PETER

She melted into me and let out the most gratifying sounds I'd ever heard and been the source of.

"Shock can make you do things you wouldn't normally do," she whispered.

"Maybe," I murmured before kissing her again.

"You don't want to talk about what I just told you?"

"No."

"You don't feel betrayed by me?"

"No, I think you're the kindest person I've ever met and I'm feeling a lot of things right now, but mainly I just want to keep kissing you as long as you want me to keep kissing you."

"I do," she said, a little breathlessly.

"Good."

I scooted us as far in as I could and pulled the curtain closed. I got lost in her. I hadn't been with anyone in while—hadn't wanted or needed to—but I needed it now so badly. Listening to Lanni tell her story reminded me of how lonely life could be. How overburdened we could make ourselves by pilling up guilt we had about situations completely out of our control. The time for her to be alone was over.

"What do you like?" I asked as I pushed her bottom layer of clothes down her hips.

"I can't remember," she said, her cheeks flushed and eyes barely parted. "I trust your judgment."

It struck me that maybe it wasn't just loneliness that had brought us together—maybe it was something chemical that would lead to something non-chemical. But if I'd learned anything from all I'd been through in the past weeks, it was that the now was the only truth. You couldn't save for tomorrow, that world was dead, so you had to live and breathe in each very moment, and I wasn't wasting a second more.

Lanni's hands glided over my own hips to undo my belt and then we were together. She felt bewitching. Made for me in a way that made me lose my focus far too quickly.

"Lanni I—" I gasped and then my words were lost in a fervor of feeling.

She sighed and moaned beneath me which me only spurred me forward faster.

"What just happened?"

I kissed her neck and she pulled me closer.

"I don't know, but I'm ready for that nap."

We shifted apart and she rolled on top of me. We cozied down into a comfortable spot and I felt myself drifting almost immediately, wondering how something so nice could have been hidden in front of me all this time.

34: KEEGAN

I watched the yellow buses move slowly down the dirt road into the ravine and felt a wave of pride rush over me. My Sariah had done the impossible. We were actually going to send our people home.

I'm so proud of you, I thought to her.

Don't celebrate until they're through the portal.

Charles brought the radio to his lips. "Send ten armed men out to meet the buses. I want to make sure this goes smoothly.

Good boy, I thought to Sariah, your bluff is working. He is making sure he holds up his end of the deal.

I'm starting to think we didn't need to bluff him.

Better safe than sorry, right?

Always, Sariah thought back.

The busses parked and Charles' men moved forward — good thing, too, because a few hostile men stomped out of the bus as soon as the door swung open.

"Whose side are you on?"

"We just set these animals free now?"

"Settle down," Charles roared. "You'll be briefed by me personally.. Empty the busses and then I'll take you and your men to the mess hall."

The grumbling settled down and the Banguri were released.

"Lanni, set up the portal and start letting them through on my command," Sariah instructed.

"May I have a word, Charles?"

Charles nodded and joined us.

"About ten of these prisoners are human."

His face paled, but his jaw stayed set in resolution.

"Show me who," Charles said. "They'll have sanctuary here, I swear it."

Sariah nodded and told him without pointing who was actually human.

"You were right, " Charles said with a faint smile, "I don't regret letting you help me at all."

"Good," Sariah said, returning his smile. "Lanni is sending through our people now and then the crates of supplies will be sent through to us."

"Okay," Charles said, nodding, his words more to assure himself than us. He was starting to believe things could get better.

35: CHARLES

Admittedly, this was a stupid idea. It was late, the ravine was quiet and dark, and I had been toying with the idea of visiting that woman for at least an hour. The idea was worse than dumb—it was reckless. I knew nothing about her except that she was under Sariah's thumb just like I was, but I couldn't stop thinking about her. It felt almost like a frenzy. I had to go. I had to know if she really was Ursula. If she was really the one who started all of this. And if she had, I needed to know why.

I grabbed some rations, a blanket and a full canteen and went to her.

She'd been set up in a tent just a few feet from Sariah and their crew, who were sharing a decently sized camper. She heard me approaching and unzipped the door before I was within a few feet.

"Does Sariah need me?"

"No," I said awkwardly. "I brought you some things. I wanted to talk."

"Thank you. Come in."

"Come in?"

"Isn't that that your custom? I've been reading up on earth."

"Yes, it is very polite of you but—

"Should you not be here?"

"No, probably not" I stammered.

"But you're the king, right?"

"Yes—"

"Then you can do what you like."

She had a valid—although ultimately irresponsible—point, and perhaps I could have resisted the urge to test the boundaries if it hadn't seemed so much like a dare. She was sizing me up, testing me even, and I liked it.

36: FÉNIX

I could smell that he wanted me and I realized the collective's strength gave me almost animalistic qualities. The vision in the cave. The ability to heal. My pack mentality that led to me respecting Sariah even though she was my imprisoner. The fact that I could smell this human's heat for me—all primal instincts.

I liked that he wasn't scared of me. I liked that he saw me as something new but not something entirely frightening. I liked that he wanted to help me. Not because he had to, but because he could. And perhaps all of these things tied together made me a bit foolish, because I wanted to trust him. I wanted to have a friend.

"It's not much, but I thought you should have rations and a blanket," he said, handing me the bundle of cloth, food and water.

"You know I'm not from this world?"

He nodded.

"You know I'm believed to be the reason for all of your people's troubles?"

"Yes, Sariah told me."

"Yet you still want to help me?"

"It's not much," he repeated.

"You don't even know my name, but you like me."

He blushed.

I reached for him, placing my hand on his chest over his heart. I could feel the beat quicken, a shiver running through his body as his muscles tightened. I'd surprised him, but not in a bad way.

"I like you too," I said quietly.

I moved closer and he swallowed nervously. I trailed a hand over his body; chest and arms, stomach and hips. He was lean but strong. Life had been hard on him ,and I felt a surprising urge to ease that for him. Take his mind away from the present. I'd never been with anyone, at least not in my current form, but I felt like it needed to happen. I liked the way he felt and I liked the way the smell of him filled my nostrils, and that type of attraction wasn't easily forgotten, but there had to be trust.

"Will you do something for me?" I asked.

He looked unsure but not intimidated.

"What?"

"Help me remove the implant in my neck."

37: CHARLES

"Can you do that without causing damage?" I asked.

"I believe so. If I fry the connection you should just be able to pull it out."

"Without hurting yourself?"

"I found out today that I can heal."

My head was spinning. I had no idea what was happening. I'd come here on a whim and now I was knee deep into some shit I could barely fathom. Helping her felt like betraying my alliance with Sariah. But if she was all knowing then she could stop me at any time, right? Even if I did do this, would this woman turn on me as soon as I helped her? Was this a test? Whatever it was, there were a million reasons why I should just turn around and walk away—but I just couldn't.

I was about to be dead, curious cat.

I pulled out a knife and her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

She turned, her back to me, knelt down and swooped her long wavy hair to one side.

"Do you see the glowing dot? Cut a line right through it."

I felt a mix of arousal from her explorative hands and adrenaline from her request, but my hand were steady like a surgeon all the same. I slit the nape of her neck vertically, only sinking in the tip of the knife—I didn't want to damage her spine or the implant; who knows what that would have triggered.

She let out a slow, pained groan as I worked, and when I was done the area began to sizzle. Her brown skin reddened as it heated up.

"Pull it out!" she gasped.

I quickly did and she collapsed forward, down onto the covered floor of the tent.

I quickly followed her, kneeling beside her to help her steady herself.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded.

"Is it healing?"

I checked and it was the incision already closed.

"Yes."

"Good."

She rose to her knees and pulled me close. She hesitated for a moment, watching me watching her, and then she kissed me. It was like lava seeping onto my body; slow, intense, smoldering me in a way that made me completely compliant. I didn't even try to resist. I held on to her, matching her fever with my own. She tipped me on to my back and I easily fell. I'd never wanted to be consumed so badly.

38: FÉNIX

I dreamt of the pink city again. The black stones warmed my feet; the wind was soft on my cheeks.

No one was visible this time, but I knelt down on the huge rock and trailed my fingertips back and forth through the water, rippling the image of my face. Was I the same me before I'd died, or had I become something knew when I'd awoken again? I understood so little but was still so decisive with what I wanted, even if I was basing all my choices on impulsive instinct. I felt something shift beside me and the world snapped away, leaving me back on First-Plane.

An arm was draped over my bare waist like it'd always belonged there and my most recent instinct flooded back to the forefront of my mind.

Charles: the human I'd seduced into helping me.

I liked him. I wanted to keep him; even if I wasn't sure what all that meant.

My senses twitched and I sat fully up and focused on what I was feeling. Low-Banguri were coming to kill me.

My gut told me to tell Sariah, so I did. I got dressed and walked across the yard to her door—which opened as I approached.

"Can we talk?"

Sariah nodded and closed the door softly behind her.

"You removed your device," she commented immediately, "and got Charles to help you."

"Yes—but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. When I went with Lanni and Peter to the nest I did as they asked, but at the last moment I warned the Low-Banguri."

"How?"

"Mentally? We share an odd connection. I am not telepathic in general but I seem to be able to communicate on an animalistic level with Low-banguri."

"What happened?"

"They turned on me. They hate me and I can feel them now. They're coming here. I don't know when, but they will come and they will kill anything in their path to me. They'll take the entire camp."

"Why are you telling me?"

"I felt it was the right thing to do."

"Despite the consequences?"

"The consequences are what made me have to tell you."

"You're a strange little bird, Fenix. Do you view me as your captor?"

"No," I said, "maybe I should, but I don't."

"Do you hold a grudge against the aura in general for torturing Ursula and essentially the collective?"

"No," I said again. "We were only in that situation because of Ursula."

"What do you see when you look at me?"

"An alpha."

"And the people of both planes inhabiting this camp?"

"A pack."

Sariah studied me for a long time. Her eyes thoughtful and kind. I knew I had nothing to fear from her. She was strong but she was fair.

"Go rest, little bird, there will be long days ahead of us."

39: CHARLES

I hadn't realized she was gone until she'd come back. She seemed hesitant to lie down, as if she was unsure if she were welcome, but when I reached my hand out to her, she took it.

"I went to speak with Sariah," she said as she sat down beside me.

"Oh shit," I murmured, waking up a bit more as I understood the severity of what she'd done.

She squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"It's fine. She knows about the chip being removed too."

"You told her?!"

"Why not? She can find out anything."

She shifted into the nook of my arm, snuggling into me like a purring cat.

"Is she angry?"

"No, not at all."

"I don't understand—but I'm glad she's not going to murder me in my sleep."

"She wouldn't do that. She's always wanted to help; to protect people."

"Everything is so complicated now. It's a lot to adjust to."

She hummed a sound that could be discerned as a form of agreement and nuzzled in closer. I combed my hand through her thick hair and exhaled.

"I don't even know your real name."

She propped herself up on an arm.

"You want to know me?"

"Of course," I said earnestly. "I want to know everything about you."

"I bet there's a lot you could tell me about yourself, but sadly there isn't much I know."

"Let's start with a name. I'm Charles."

"I'm Fenix."

"Like the bird?"

She nodded.

I'd been watching her lips move as we'd talked and it was a miracle I was making coherent sentences. I wasn't sure what this was but the night felt like an eternity within itself, where tomorrow wasn't nearly as important as the very moment we were in right now.

"Did you like it when I kissed you?"

She smiled and fell back down beside me.

"I did."

Two sultry words had my heart pounding and my skin heating up.

I leaned in and she met me half way.

The sensation of her swirled around me; her scent, her touch, her breathing—itwas all encompassing. Emotion felt raw between us. There was no uncertainty and for once, being vulnerable felt liberating. I kissed her neck and she said my name for the first time.

"Charles?"

"Yeah, Nix."

She pulled back a little but ran a hand affectionately through my hair.

"I got distracted and I wanted to tell you. The Low-Banguri, the animals, they're on their way here. They want to kill me. I can leave if you want; they might follow me and bypass the camp."

"How do you know they're coming just for you? You could leave and they could come anyway. How do you even know they're coming at all?"

"I can sense them; they think I killed Ursula."

"I want you to stay. What will Sariah do?"

"She'll fight and we'll win."

"When will they be here?"

"I'm not sure."

"But we have tonight?"

She smiled and rolled over on top of me; her hips clicking into mine like a missing puzzle piece as she rocked.

"Yes," she said.

"Then I don't want to waste it."

40: SARIAH

The Low-Banguri how survived the explosion and are coming for Fenix, I thought to Keegan as I laid down beside him.

She told you that?

I nodded.

Can we trust her? Is Ursula really gone?

I believe so—she removed her device but did not hurt Charles and did not try to run. Instead, she warned us.

What will the council say? Keegan asked.

They don't know she's here. The believe Ursula finally succumbed to death.

You and Iris are two old skimming bitties.

I pinched his rib meat, causing him to yelp.

"I'm not old," I corrected.

Keegan rolled on top of me, pinning my arms above my head before he dipped down for a kiss.

"That wasn't very nice of you," he said in a gruff whisper.

"Then make me apologize," I taunted back.

41: KEEGAN

The morning came too quickly. During the night, I could curl Sariah up and pretend that there wasn't a bigger world with heavy responsibilities waiting for us. When we were alone, I could wind her up and watch her unravel and forget that anything else but us even existed. Granted, it was a little selfish and I knew we had responsibilities to our people that I wouldn't dream of running from, but those not so quiet moments when it was just the two of us were a slice of heaven I would never get tired of.

I felt her stir beside me and I pulled her close; pretending to be asleep. She rolled over and intertwined our legs.

"I know you're awake."

"I am now, because you just woke me up."

"Yeah? Well, if you'd woken me up we could've had an aura breakfast."

"Sariah, the protector by day, tease by dawn."

"That's a horrible joke."

I nuzzled her cheek and trailed slow kisses down her neck.

"You love my bad jokes," I murmured huskily.

She laughed and hummed a little happy sigh as she relaxed down beside me.

"See, now you don't want to wake up either," I teased.

"Sariah?" Lanni called form the tiny hallway. "Peter and I are going to work on setting up the solar panels so we can get the camp back on the grid. That should take an hour and then we'll help orient the humans on how to use our gear."

"Sounds good. I'll be getting an official tour of the camp with Charles. We have a few things to discuss and I'd like to see everything for myself."

"Okay," Lanni agreed. "I've left some communicators for you and Keegan. I'll drop Fenix off one on our way out."

"Good work, Lanni. Stay close to Peter; just in case."

Are you worried about the humans? I thought to Sariah.

No, she responded, I believe we're squashed any angst were our trade. I am concerned about the Low-Banguri. It could be just hodaogs, but I have a feeling Fenix has awakened something in them and they'll be in larger numbers and less predictable. Do you remember when we were patrolling with Ajani and Bem? It feels like another situation like that.

"I remember," I said aloud, "but we're older and stronger now. Even if they surprise us, we'll be ready."

"I hope so."

42: CHARLES

"Nix, I have to go," I murmured softly into Fenix's ear. She was completely entangled around me and as much bliss as it was to be near her, the spontaneous romance that had sparked between us was a little off putting. I felt like I needed some distance to get a clearer head. Maybe the space would do her good too.

I gently untangled myself and then covered her up; she stirred a little but nestled back down without waking up.

I dressed quickly and as quietly as possible. It was just light now and if I moved quickly I could get out of her tent without anyone seeing me. My biggest concern was that this would taint me in my people's eyes. That they wouldn't trust me and would feel betrayed. I was at a tolerable place with Sariah and the others, but I was hesitant to fully trust them and I knew my people felt the same.

I'd barely gotten fifty steps from the tent when someone saw me.

"Good morning, Commander!"

"Hello, Dawn," I greeted as nonchalantly as I could muster. Dawn was my number two and I trusted her completely—under normal circumstances.

"I tried your radio but you didn't answer. I just wanted to debrief you on our review of the traditional guns the Aura gave us. We've inspected them from top to bottom and they're almost identical, except for being sensitive enough to be powered from our body heat. It's really quite remarkable."

"That's good news. I must have left my radio—which, under the circumstances, was foolish of me."

"What were you doing out so early?"

"Patrols."

"We have people for th—"

"I know," I interjected, "but I like to make sure things around camp are as they should be. We've had a lot of tension with our visitors and I'd like to personally keep an eye on things."

"Of course; it's completely your prerogative Commander."

"What's the general morale of the camp, in your opinion?

"Scared, sir."

"Understandable. But still obedient?"

"Of course, sir."

"Good—we need to stay as united as possible. There's intel that those beasts might be headed here, and we need to be ready. Get a gun in any capable hand and use the aura housing to our advantage. It's more structurally sound and those unable to fight will be safe there. Make sure two at least are setup right away; ne as a shelter and the other as a healing place for the future injured. Understood?"

"Yes, I'll make it happen."

"Good. Also, prepare people for the Aura walking around this morning. I am giving them an official tour. They need to know the weaknesses and the strengths of our camp to help us fortify it."

"How long will they be staying?"

"No idea, but I'll keep them here as long as they're an ally. They're strong, Dawn, far stronger than us, and their technology is decades ahead of ours. Even if they caused our initial problem, we need their help to survive."

43: SARIAH

I waited until Dawn was gone to call out to Charles.

"How long have you been listening?"

"Long enough. But don't take it personally, it was impossible not to hear you."

"Yeah, telepathy and all that."

"Or because you're loud as fuck?" Keegan theorized.

I laughed.

Charles gawked.

"Lighten up, Commander; jokes are still common in this dimension right?" I teased.

"Of course we still joke."

"Relax," Keegan said as he threw his arm around Charles shoulders, "that was sarcasm. Are you ready to show us the lay of the land, or are you too tired?"

Charles reddened.

"No secrets between you two?"

"None," Keegan and I said in unison.

"Okay—well—let's start with the basic housing and then we'll move to the common grounds where we store our supplies."

"We'll need to see your water source, and the perimeter too. The more info we have the better we can help you fortify everything."

"I mean this with the utmost respect, but what is your plan for us, exactly?" Charles asked.

"We were planning on enslaving your entire race and turning First-Plane in to an interdimensional vacation spot, but frankly—we don't like it here," Keegan said in an extremely deadpan tone.

I elbowed Keegan. "Commander, we'd originally planned to leave right after the trade, but with the impending threat of the Low-Banguri we'll stay until you're comfortable for us to leave."

"If we had you leave—would that be it, or would you check in from time to time?"

"Depends on what you want," I said. "Honestly, we have our own housekeeping to do in our dimension, but we do want to offer some support to Earth since we bear some of the responsibility for the situation in general."

"What about Fenix?"

Keegan let out a hearty laugh.

"In love already, champ?"

Charles reddened but held his gaze. "I want to know what I'm dealing with."

"You didn't think about that prior to removing her chip?"

"She asked me for help and I gave it. You can't just treat everyone like animals, myself included."

"Big difference, bud, her chip was real. Yours was a bluff."

"But I felt the knife?"

"And you didn't mind the healing either," Keegan said.

"Commander, I apologize for misleading you, but it was a necessary bluff to make sure you at least heard us out before you made a snap judgment. As far as Fenix, she wants to stay and she could be a strong ally for your camp. For now, this would be the best place for her as she isn't welcome in Second-Plane."

"Condemned for the crimes of someone else?"

"Aren't we all?" I asked.

"So that's it? She's banished?"

"Ask her about her life before," Keegan said. "Earth is a vast improvement."

44: LANNI

"You want to talk about last night?" Peter said, crouching beside me as I unpacked the solar panels.

"It was great. I had a good time."

I could see him frown at me out of the corner of my eye, but I focused on my work.

"You know I didn't mean the sex."

"I know," I sighed.

"We don't have to talk about it, but don't shut me out when you've finally let me in. I care about you, Lanni, and I want to know you. We could be really good friends if you'd let us."

I nodded because I couldn't speak. I was overwhelmed; I'd just told someone my darkest secret, the single moment that had defined me for decades, and they didn't care. I mean, they cared, but they didn't care. I was confused. Had he misheard me? If that was the case, then I'd have to explain it all again and the acceptance he was offering would be stripped away. Having a friend and then losing them was worse then having no friend at all. I had to think about this carefully. I didn't want to make a mistake and have more to add to my pile of regrets.

"You seem mad now," Peter said softly. "I didn't mean to upset you and I'm sorry. How can I help with these solar panels?"

I explained the process to him and couldn't help but be flattered by how attentive her was. He was really listening and putting genuine effort into learning and he caught on quickly. I liked that he was as clever as he was good looking. We'd been working side by side for a while and had hit a good rhythm when Fenix flew past.

"They're almost here! Where is Sariah?"

"Touring the camp with, Charles. Probably around the perimeter. Is it the Low-Banguri?"

"Yes, and I think there's some middle too. We have to have everyone who can fight ready and the rest hidden."

I took out my navigator and checked the feed for the drones. Nothing; but better safe than sorry.

"Ok," I said to Fenix, "you should stay and help us. I'll radio Sariah."

"I have to warn Charles," Fenix insisted.

"He's on the radio line too and you should be too."

"It buzzes in my ear and I can't understand people."

"Ok, so I'll tweak it." I tried to reassure her, but she was already gone.

"Sariah?" I said, after tapping my com.

"I'm here."

"Fenix is heading your way. She says the Banguri are very close. She seems a little unhinged and oddly concerned about the Commander."

45: Sariah

"Did you hear Lanni on the com?"

Keegan barely had time to say yes before hoadoags burst through the trees and pounded their way across the creek.

"Weapons!" Fenix yelled.

I turned in time to catch a deku whirling in my direction. I threw my hands up, creating a shield that the beast zapped against like electrocuted flies. It killed the first wave of five and a few more who tripped over their corpses into the invisible barrier, but soon the hyena-like beasts had regrouped and began to try to circle the shield forcing me to have to widen it to a dome.

Keegan transformed the deku he always kept on him into a long katana.

Fenix was beside us in a heartbeat and she handed Charles a gun.

"Do you know how to use it?" she asked, between pants to catch her breath.

"Of course," Charles assured her.

"It's our tech. No reload, hold it to power it on. The rest is just like your guns."

Charles nodded.

"Fall back and get some cover as soon as the shield is down," I instructed Charles.

"I'm staying with you," Fenix said to Charles.

Lanni buzzed in my ear. "I've got birds in the sky headed your way."

"Good," Keegan responded, "we need to know what we're dealing with."

"I need to drop this shield. Ready?"

Ready, Keegan thought.

The carnage began.

46: FÉNIX

Who are you? The beast words rang in my head.

"I am a descendant of Ursula and your sovereign queen. You will yield to my command or I will allow everyone one of you drench the dirt with your blood."

The beast curled his claws deep into the earth and I knew he was the one. If I could win him—I'd win it all.

No, he snarled. You've betrayed us. You reek of human and you are so weak you won't even rule in hell.

My anger surged and I felt like I could fly. I ran towards him as quickly as I could. I swiped his eyes with my claws. I jumped on to his spiked back, letting his spikes sink into my flesh—harnessing myself to him. I quickly changed the deku to a chain and threw it into his mouth like a bit. He roared and bucked, but I held on tight.

If you want your eyes back then kneel now. I will do right by our people, I swear it, but you must submit to me.

The beast groaned. I could feel his fear and his pain but I stayed on him—and then he knelt.

Vow your life to me.

I swear it.

I got off his back and crumbled to the ground; my legs already steaming as they healed.

"Sariah! Heal him!" I yelled.

She came to my side and held her hands over the beast. His breathing slowed as her hands glowed.

"He's asleep; it'll make healing him easier. The other animals are staring at you. Can you command them now?"

"I hope so," I muttered.

How are you communicating, telepathically?"

"I believe so. They seem to understand better when I do it that way."

"If it's going to happen, it needs to be now. You're established dominance, now you need to maintain it."

I nodded in agreement and took a deep breath.

Move further up the hill and wait for me.

I waited; eyes scanning the perimeter, waiting for movement in either direction that would set the tone for the rest of them to either defy or obey me. After a few moments, they began to move away as I'd instructed. I felt so relieved I could cry. If I could rule over them I could lead them, and if I led them then there really could be peace. No one else had to die.

"Lanni, do you copy?" Sariah said into her com. "open a temporary portal and request a healer be sent. Yes, Eliza is monitoring portal activity and she'll know it's us. Hurry; we don't want to lose any more souls today."

My adrenaline started to die down and I felt a little light on my feet. Before I fell I was caught, and I immediately thought it was Charles—but I was wrong.

"Easy there," Peter said as he set me back upright. "Go rest if you need to, you've done more than enough for now."

I looked over his shoulder to see Charles gaping at me. It wasn't jealousy; I don't even think he registered that Peter still had an arm around my waist. His look was one of was abhorrence. He saw me dominate that beast by becoming something even more terrifying than the beast itself. I'd changed in his eyes. Before, he'd only seen me as some mysteriously exotic lover—but now he saw me as a beast, a true Banguri. Our eyes locked and he immediately looked away. My gut twisted, the hot and cold of our brief encounter stinging more than I'd expected; but this was for the best, because what he'd seen on the battlefield was who I truly was and, I'd never want to be anything else.

My life had just begun.

47: ZORA

Under the table, Nolan's hand moved slowly up my thigh.

"We're supposed to be studying," I said as quietly as I could, conscious not to avert my eyes from my text.

"We are studying—anatomy."

I stifled a laugh; ignoring the eyes of other students darting over in our direction. Ironically, we were in the library where we'd first met, but oh how the time had flown. We were happier now, and more importantly safe to grow, live and love.

"Zora?"

I looked up to find Eliza walking towards me.

"I need you to come with me right now," she whispered earnestly.

Nolan demeanor darkened to all business.

"Where she goes, I go," Nolan said firmly.

"That's fine, but it needs to be right now and discreetly, please. I don't like to openly defy the council if I can help it."

I moved quicker at the mention of the council. I didn't want to cause trouble, but I couldn't resist a little bit of rebelling—for a good cause of course. We followed her through the populated hallways, but instead of going somewhere interesting we went to her office. Neat and tidy, there wasn't much to see except for a family picture of Luke, Darla and their kids. My gut twisted at the sight of him. It was hard to believe they were all gone.

"Close and lock the door behind you," Eliza instructed. "Set your things on my desk and then come stand by me."

"What's going on?" Nolan asked.

"I got a message from Sariah; she needs a healer and I'm sending you."

"Is she hurt?" I asked.

"No, but many are. This is just a quick trip—you go there, you heal whomever Sariah tells you to and you come back. There are other healers, of course, but both of you are naturals at it and good at keeping secrets. I'll open the portal to let you in and then Sariah will send you back. Ready?"

I nodded and took Nolan's hand in mine.

We stepped through the glistening silver and into the thick air of First-Plane. It was quiet, but the disarray screamed loudly. I looked for Sariah and found her bloody and dirty, kneeling next to a young man with open slices all over his limbs and torso. I ran to him and quickly began helping.

"I'm so glad you're here!" Sariah stammered.

She was close to tears but too focused to break down.

It took a few minutes but the man's body healed; his breathing relaxed and his skin warmed. Sariah asked for him to be moved to one of the octaves setup as a makeshift medical ward. It struck me then that these were human victims.

"Just find anyone who needs help and help them."

"We're in a human camp?"

"Yes," Sariah said, "we were able to find a leader interested in letting us help."

"We can talk later," Nolan reminded me kindly, "right now we need to heal."

"Of course, sorry," I mumbled.

We moved from wounded to wounded, healing them and making them as comfortable as we could. Amazingly there were no casualties—a surprisingly rare but welcome outcome. I'd left First-Plane feeling so defeated, but now, seeing this camp and the mix of aura technology into human day-to-day life, I knew things could be different.

Nolan wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close.

"Things are going to be better," he said.

I nodded in agreement. First-Plane had a chance now.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

As always I'd like to give special thanks to those closest to me: my husband, my son, my Stark, all my close friends and family, my kickstarter backers (who are often a combination of already mentioned people) and my readers. You propel me forward novel after novel and I am eternally thankful. I'd like to also take a moment to list those wonderful backers whose support makes it easier to do what I love to do: write.

Terra Bykerk

Dagmar

Amanda Kaelin

Matt Leix

Jason Lindsey

Kyle Ray McBride

Amber Nesan

Patricia Lucia Reed

Nikki Reed

Shakisha Ogburn

Susan Sherwood

Aubrey Slotman

Patricia Steen

Tracey Straits

Andrea Stringer

Bountom Vongkaysone

Carla Wilson

The Creative Fund

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

After a messy divorce from Music this scribe fell into a torrid love affair with Writing. Proof of their blessed union resides online at various stores and social media platforms. West lives in the Midwest with her family, including her best-dog Stark; a Lab/Shar Pei mix named after Iron Man. West likes to wind up with coffee and down with tea and is furiously scribbling out her next novel.

