《Tales of Aether, Episode 1: The Tale of the Storm Within》 Prologue Prologue Sol sat down at her writing desk and carefully dipped her quill into the ink. It was late in the night, so she wrote by the light of several candles. Her eyes felt tired and burned for sleep, but she sighed, rolled her shoulders, and began to set to parchment. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. These are the stories that have happened to us here in Aether. The House of Aether may one day fall, but it has grown large in the last several months, and with it our history. Be these simple tales or true histories? I suppose none will know, as they will one day be lost in the sands of time. Still, I must write¡­ Chapter 1 - Things in the Dark It was a dark and stormy night. The lights flickered, threatening to throw the manor into darkness. Hanna stared out the parlor window, less interested in the storm than the gloom it gave her. Beside her on the antique sofa, a crack of thunder had Soohae clinging to Hanna¡¯s arm, bringing a slight smile to the girl¡¯s face. Soohae was a sweet girl with a beautiful smile and kind nature. Sometimes, however, she could fall into very gloomy moods¡ªwhich might have been why she was hanging out with Hanna on this particularly gloomy night. There was an unspoken connectedness between them, which gave Hanna a little bit of warmth on such a cold night. Footsteps tapped down the stairs in the foyer, just beyond the parlor. Candace called out to nobody in particular as she descended the stairs. ¡°So, do we have candles in case this goes out or what?¡± She said, rounding the corner into the parlor and pointing to a light. Soohae gave Candace an anxious look, but Hanna merely shrugged a shoulder. ¡°I always have candles in my room,¡± she replied with a lilt and a wry smile, turning her attention back to the storm outside. Candace was still pretty new in the manor, but Hanna liked her well enough. Mostly, Hanna just liked to tease people. She had a mischievous side, her moods changing like the tides. Candace was pretty face-value. She said what was on her mind like it was, without hidden agenda or any sort of condescension or animosity. Hanna appreciated her greatly for this directness. Hanna¡¯s attention was pulled back by a sudden voice. ¡°Really?¡± Aema said with a hint of amusement, entering slowly through the Northern doorway. Even after you lit your curtains on fire and got a scolding by Sol?¡± she asked, raising an eyebrow. Hanna grinned impishly. ¡°Hey, no one could have predicted that wind!¡± With a chuckle, Aema wandered over to Candace and handed her one of several flashlights she held in her arms. ¡°Maybe,¡± she said. ¡°But most people don¡¯t put the fire next to the cloth in the first place.¡± ¡°Who knows! I mean, most things aren¡¯t made to be too flammable anymore,¡± Hanna countered with a grin and stuck her tongue out at Aema with a wink as she accepted a flashlight. Aema was like the big sister of the house. She was smart, logical, and when Hanna had come into the house, Aema was already serving as Sol¡¯s right hand. Hanna knew that, as long as Aema was around, there was always someone who would have everyone¡¯s backs. They were a family. Sure, they had started out as strangers, but now they had formed a home. A loving, supportive, sometimes kind of weird home. The storm was momentarily forgotten, until a large booming crash of thunder vibrated the earth, plunging the house into darkness. ¡°Yeeeeeeek!¡± Soohae let out a shriek, and burrowed into Hanna, accidentally sinking her nails into the skin of Hanna¡¯s arms. ¡°Ouch! Hey, be careful!¡± she cried out, wrapping an arm around a shaking Soohae. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°I can¡¯t see!¡± she shrieked, letting out another cry as a flashlight beam appeared beneath Aema¡¯s face, casting it with nightmarish shadows. ¡°Want a flashlight?¡± A crash of lightning briefly illuminated the room, showing a glimpse of a dark figure standing in the room among them, raising the hair of the girls. ¡°What was that?¡± Candace asked warily. ¡°Did anyone see that?¡± ¡°Maybe it was the Ghost of Behndral¡¯s Hill!¡± Hanna drawled spookily, flaring her own flashlight to life below her face. Candace quickly turned on her flashlight and pointed it in the direction where the shadow had been. A pale face with black pits for eyes stared back at her. Aema gasped as Candace dropped the flashlight with a surprised squeak of terror. Soohae let out a scream and buried her face into Hanna¡¯s stomach. A nervous chuckle escaped Hanna¡¯s lips just before a quiet voice pierced the darkness. ¡°Why are we all gathering here in the parlor?¡± It said. ¡°Or is this a girls¡¯ thing?¡± Aema swerved her flashlight beam into the face of a squinting Chaos. ¡°Okay, you guys have to stop doing that to me,¡± he grumbled in a quietly disgruntled voice, raising a hand to protect his eyes. ¡°Chaos, you jerk! You scared us!¡± Hanna yelled out, jerking a pillow from the sofa and chucking it hard in his direction. He didn¡¯t bother to deflect it, letting it hit him harmlessly with a soft thud before falling to the floor. ¡°Scared who?¡± demanded Aema. ¡°You were laughing just now,¡± she said, her voice holding an edge of suspicion. You.. You didn¡¯t plan this, did you?¡± ¡°This has her fingerprints all over it!¡± Candace huffed, glaring at Hanna accusingly. Soohae peeked up at Hanna¡¯s face, looking for reassurance. ¡°Who, me?¡± Hanna asked with exaggerated innocence, batting her eyes at Aema. ¡°Um, I was just going to get a snack,¡± Chaos muttered quietly, his brow furrowing as he picked up the pillow, seeming unsure as what to do with it once he held it. ¡°Yes!¡± Hanna cried out dramatically, throwing an arm across her thrown back face as if she were Scarlett O¡¯Hara in Gone With The Wind. ¡°My Slave and I planned this!¡± she cried out triumphantly. ¡°Um.. I¡¯m not your slave,¡± Chaos muttered with a frown. Hanna continued, ignoring Chaos completely. ¡°Yes, we planned it down to every last detail!¡± she said breathily. ¡°You can¡¯t plan a storm,¡± Chaos mumbled exasperated, shaking his head and subconsciously hugging the pillow. Aema just rolled her eyes. ¡°You could have just said ¡®no¡¯ Hanna,¡± she said dryly. Candace crossed her arms, anger melting away to uneasiness. ¡°Could someone please come with me back upstairs?¡± she asked, a slight quake to her voice. ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡± Soohae cried out, instantly leaping up from the sofa and hurrying to cling to Candace¡¯s arm. Hanna inwardly felt a bit of sadness as cold took over the place where Soo¡¯s warmth had just been. ¡°Good idea! We should move in pairs to be safe,¡± Aema said, taking the lead. ¡°Chaos, will you help me in the kitchen? We need to figure out how make a decent dinner that you don¡¯t need to cook.¡± Chaos mumbled a reply with a nod and started towards Aema, as Candace and Soohae, arms linked, left the parlor for the foyer stairs. ¡°What about me?¡± Hanna asked incredulously, snatching the pillow from Chaos as he passed. He had seemed to forget that he¡¯d been holding it and, glancing at Hanna momentarily with a half-hearted shrug, nonchalantly continued toward the Northern doorway where Aema waited patiently. ¡°What about you?¡± Aema asked, raising her eyebrows. ¡°You¡¯re really gonna leave me all alone? You literally just said to move in pairs!¡± ¡°I did?¡± Aema asked, mimicking Hanna¡¯s innocent act from moments ago before rolling her eyes. ¡°Hanna,¡± she chided, ¡°You literally laughed in the face of danger. I think you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°So, what, I just sit here¡ªby myself¡ªdoing nothing?¡± she grumped. ¡°Of course not,¡± Aema said gently, with a reassuring smile. ¡°We need someone to check the circuit breaker box down in the basement.¡± Hanna gaped at Aema, mouth ajar, momentarily rendered unable to think. Turning with a smile and a small wave over her shoulder, Aema left the parlor for the kitchen, Chaos close at her heels. ¡°Unbelievable!¡± Hanna muttered, still in shock. ¡°And what is he, her lapdog?! Chaos, sit! Chaos, have a treat! Chaos, please don¡¯t pee on the carpet!¡± At that last one, she smirked, chuckling at her own cleverness before sobering. Heaving an exaggeratedly disgruntled sigh, Hanna picked up her flashlight and stood, smoothing her skirts with her free hand. ¡°Why do I have to be left to do it alone..?¡± she whispered. There was no one to answer her as she left the parlor. Chapter 2 - Into the Deep The stairs to the basement were just in the hall, located in an all-but-hidden pantry adjacent to the main kitchen. As Hanna walked from the foyer to the main hall, she could hear the musical sound of laughter drifting down from upstairs. As she neared the pantry, she could hear the clang and clatter from the kitchen, the muffled sound of Aema giving Chaos instructions and his unintelligible reply, too quiet to discern through the closed doors. The manor wasn¡¯t as big as some of the Nobles or Guild Leaders¡¯, but it was still fairly large. Not as large as the manor she had come from, but she pushed those thoughts from her mind, taking a breath as she laid her hand upon the pantry door¡¯s small knob. As another bout of boisterous laughter came from upstairs, Hanna felt a flash of irate determination. Turning the knob, she pushed open the door, flashlight guiding her steps, and forced herself into the darkness. The air was instantly cooler inside the basement¡¯s door, promising further discomfort. The thin beam of light from the flashlight wasn¡¯t enough to illuminate the entire space, leaving a level of darkness so deep and penetrating that a shiver rose up her spine. ¡°Hrmph,¡± she cleared her throat, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s just a stupid basement.¡± As she made to take her first step on the narrow stairs, a loud clap of thunder exploded, causing sudden, piercing shrieks from a terrified Soohae and Candace to rip through the armor of words and making Hanna jump backwards into the derelict shelf that only housed dust and cobwebs. Hanna fumed, but only because she felt embarrassed by her own fear. She used the anger as fuel as she began to stomp down the stairs. ¡°Stupid storm! Stupid screams scaring me!¡± She tried to rub at the pain in her shoulder blade with her free hand, but couldn¡¯t quite reach. Each narrow step descended further into the ever-growing darkness. The narrow walls and sloped ceiling that stopped not very far from her head, combined with the thin, hyper-focused beam of the flashlight, began to give her a feeling of growing claustrophobia. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± she whispered. Even her voice didn¡¯t sound so sure. Her beam of light felt so small, and the darkness around her only seemed to grow darker, an eternal inky black, like a universe without even a single star. Her heart began to pound as the silence of the deep became deafening. She began to breathe a little harder when she realized she could hear her own pulse in her ears. Don¡¯t panic, she thought. Don¡¯t panic. Each squelch and squeak of the aged, wooden stairs felt like a siren going off, beckoning every strange and terrifying thing of the night to her location. If I¡¯m going to meet a ghost, she thought to herself, he¡¯d better at least be hot. Her body began to quake. ¡°I¡¯m just trembling because I¡¯m cold,¡± she said, but her voice came out as barely a whisper. A sudden loud clang rang out through the basement, making her nearly jump out of her skin and lose her footing on the stairs. Frozen with fear, Hanna¡¯s legs threatened to buckle. After several moments, she dared to breathe. ¡°S-stupid old house,¡± she stammered weakly, her voice a quiet squeak. Still, it took another few minutes before she could convince her legs to continue. They had nearly betrayed her. They wobbled, but they were at least moving. After what felt like an eternity, she finally made it to the final step and the cold, stone floor below. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Letting out a massive sigh of relief, Hanna allowed her body to drop down onto the last step, drawing her quivering legs to her chest. The bottom of the stairs was even colder, and she tried to tell herself that all of her shivering was only due to that¡ªbut even she inwardly knew that it was a lie. She wasn¡¯t sure why she did that. Sometimes she had no problem letting her feelings go, acting on impulse and fully embracing that wild side of her. Sometimes she became meek and apologetic, feeling like those same actions only made her a burden to others. But sometimes, like now, she felt this need to put up a strong front and protect herself. If she was only lying to herself, what was the harm? Or maybe it was the worst kind of lie. Either way, she had to at least pretend to be strong now, or she¡¯d drop to the floor and just die. Just as soon as her heart began to quiet and her breath evened out, a loud thump-clang beat the floor just beyond the ceiling above her, shooting Hanna to her feet, fumbling and nearly dropping her flashlight as she whipped around, trying to find the source. This is how I die, she thought in terror. In an eternity that only lasted a second, she could hear Aema¡¯s muffled voice calling out. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Chaos!¡± she was saying. ¡°Idiot,¡± Hanna muttered angrily. But, really, she was relieved. She could live with it being another ¡®graceful¡¯ idiot trick. It was far better than being murdered in the dark. Probably by a ghost. Or a monster. A murderer. Or a giant murderous crow, hell-bent on destroying all who inhabited the house built on what was once his field, the ancient homeland of his people. Shaking her head to clear the thoughts before they spiraled further, Hanna turned back to the darkness. Taking a deep breath, she aimed her beam in front of her feet and set out to find the fuse box. - It was slow going at first. There was a surprising amount of clutter. Old dress mannequins, still adorned with half-pinned cloths that went out of style a decade or more ago were grouped together on her left, a partial wall to her right had her maneuvering around them, silently glad for having taken a moment to look around. Had she bumped into one of those things in the dark, she was sure she¡¯d have actually had a heart attack. Mostly, Hanna was forced to keep her flashlight trained at her feet. She wasn¡¯t sure what the dark held, but her mind began to conjure more practical fears: big fat rats with scraggly hair, long tails and thick squishy bodies, running across her feet or¡ªeven more terrifying¡ªattacking her en masse for their long-awaited grand feast. Hanna felt like she¡¯d gone pretty far by now. What did a fuse box even look like? What was she, an electrician? She took a moment to shine the light ahead and saw a bare wall to her left and boxes stacked against it up ahead. To her left were large barrels. Casks. Holy banana of Eskerine, were those wine casks? Ale? She reminded herself to make another trip down here in the daytime. With Aema. And maybe Undertaker. No, better not bring Taker. He''d be more likely to want to have a flirty chat over a glass of wine than to haul these bad boys up those stairs and into the scullery kitchen. A scullery kitchen! Hanna allowed herself a moment to wonder what rich assholes could afford a maid and, possibly, under what circumstances they could afford one for themselves. She momentarily daydreamed of being a Noblewoman when her flashlight began to flicker. ¡°Really?¡± she muttered, giving it a little shake. It flickered more. With an under-breath grunt of displeasure, Hanna shook the flashlight and beat it against her hand. ¡°Oh, no you don¡¯t!¡± she hissed, giving it another good whack. The flashlight, however, didn¡¯t seem to appreciate the abuse and only seemed to grow more obstinate. It flickered once. Twice. A third time and this time it stayed out, plunging Hanna into complete darkness. She froze in place, forgetting even to breathe until her lungs began to burn, forcing her to take a breath as her hand slightly wiggled the flashlight, pressing the button on and off for several long moments. The cold seemed to wrap around her body like a shawl, seeping in rather than keeping out. Her eyes couldn¡¯t adjust without even so much as a pinprick of light. ¡°Okay,¡± she whispered to herself, barely audible. ¡°I am going to kill Aema for not checking the batteries when I get out of here.¡± She shivered. If I get out of here. If I don¡¯t die first. Chapter 3 - The Sun in the Darkness Plunged into the deep and endless dark of the cold basement, the sound of the storm muted enough to be faint white noise in an otherwise silent tomb, Hanna found herself turned around. She fumbled, sometimes stumbling into things and reaching blindly. Finally, she remembered the mostly bare wall, and moved as stealthily as she could until her hand touched cold stone. It was her only hope¡ªassuming this was the correct wall. It had better be. She decided she had no other alternative than to use it as a wayfinding guide. Groping along the wall with her left hand, Hanna reached blindly with her right hand to make sure there were no surprises. Every other small step, she stopped and reached a foot out to check ahead. So far, so good. Maybe her luck was changing, for she hadn¡¯t yet had any major accidents¡ªor been attacked by groups of rats, or a twelve foot mothman. Still, she had to be weary. In the darkness, her ears strained to pick up any slight sound of movement that wasn¡¯t her own. She breathed as silently as she could, slow steady breaths in and out. This must be what it¡¯s like to be blind, she thought to herself. She didn¡¯t dare speak now. Not this far in, lost in the dark, and alone. She was crazy sometimes, but she wasn¡¯t stupid. At least, she didn¡¯t think so. Although she DID listen to Aema and come down into this creepy basement. Her progress was painfully slow going, and she couldn¡¯t be sure which direction she was moving, but Hanna continued on. At first, she thought she heard something. A hiss? A sigh? She shook her head and waved it off as being part of her imagination. Until she heard it again. It¡¯s a pipe, she told herself. A steam pipe. A valve. Like the stupid pipe from before, clanging and knocking near the basement stairs. It¡¯s nothing. Still, she shivered and kept close to the wall. Reaching out, Hanna¡¯s fingers touched something smooth and solid. She felt thick dust come away on her fingers. Those boxes, she thought to herself. I¡¯ve reached that pile of boxes. Which meant she had to leave the safety of the wall and try to make her way around them. What had been beyond them? She couldn¡¯t remember if she¡¯d paid attention to anything else before the light went out. I just had to be distracted by the casks, she thought bitterly, her deep frown hidden in the darkness. A soft scraping sound pricked at her ears. She strained to hear. Nothing. Then, a quiet scraping sound. It continued to stop and start, seeming to be far away and close at the same time. She swallowed hard. Okay, scraping, she thought. What could that be? A¡­mouse? A rat? A rat dragging the carcass of a poor mouse until it brings it back to its lair, and its rat friends, before it finally¡ª No. She couldn¡¯t think like that. She couldn¡¯t go there. There had to be an explanation. Still, the fear gripped her, and her hand no longer trailed and gripped boxes. She had gone around them, but was left without a wall. It was as if it had disappeared. Now, lost, blind, and alone in the dark, she had no guideposts to go by, so she began to continue her near-silent steps, hands reaching out for anything she might cling to. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. She heard it then. Something. Something low and gravelly. She froze, a cold sweat forming on her skin. She forced herself to breath normally, afraid the shaky breaths could be heard by whatever lurked in the darkness. She told herself to continue forward, but all she really wanted to do was scream and bolt back to the stairs. To have Aema or Candace. Even Chaos would do in a situation like this. At least maybe then she could order him into the dark to slay the beast! Though, that in itself would be a long and pointless debate.. Okay, so maybe not Chaos. But someone! Alexander, Undertaker¡ªSol! If Sol were here, she¡¯d probably have some dry, snarky thing to say to the beast before she showed it what a real monster was. Or maybe she was just imagining her Leader and Patron as a shining white knight because she really needed it now. Another sound in the darkness had her eyes widening like saucers. I¡¯m just imagining things, she thought, forcing herself to take one step, then another. But everything in her brain screamed that it was sure she had just heard a growl. The sound seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. A low growl. A hiss. Ragged breathing. Another low growl. The sound of something scraping over something else. Tears pricked her eyes and did her best to suppress the squeaky whine that threatened to bubble up in her throat. She decided then and there that wherever she was, she was going to try to get out. Screw that stupid fuse box! Or was she supposed to find a breaker? Whatever! That was enough, she was getting out now! Aema could come and do this herself. She would be braver anyway. Probably. Another step, then another. Her hand reached out, fingers spread, hoping for anything that could give her stability. And then she felt it. - Damp and warm. It was soft and also firm. Was it pulsating? Either way, her hands were only on it a second before she jerked it away with a cry. She shrieked as the thing in the darkness let out a deep shriek of its own. ¡°Aargh!¡± Hanna screamed, and couldn¡¯t stop. The being cried out again as she screamed. Hanna dropped to the hard floor, her legs giving out from under her as the overwhelming pool of tears that had formed threatened to fall. And then it screamed. ¡°FUUUCK! What in the fecking blue blazes was that?!¡± screamed the voice, the sound of something like a chair scraping and something piled toppling over made Hanna jerk. But the creature¡¯s voice¡­ Hanna blinked and sniffed back her tears. ¡°..Sol?¡± she asked weakly, her voice breaking. ¡°Hanna?¡± came the return voice. ¡°What the hell! What in the gods¡¯ names are you trying to do, KILL me?!¡± Hanna would have believed Sol was actually angry with her, had it not been for Sol¡¯s exasperated tone. Well, and the fact that no matter what she did, Sol never seemed to get angry with her. Sol didn¡¯t often get very angry with anyone¡ªunless they used up all the cream for her coffee or took her last piece of pie. She could be pretty territorial about her belongings. She also was easily angered by injustice. If someone was needlessly cruel to someone else or treated them unfairly. The first time she saw her truly angry, it was something of a surprise. A manic laugh of terror bubbled up in Hanna¡¯s throat and spilt from her lips as the tears spilt from her eyes. She brought her hands to her face to try to stop the laugh, but the tension cut by the fact that her Leader spilled out profanity¡ªjust as scared as she was¡ªsomehow made the fears seem ridiculous. Monster rats? Moth-people? Why not aliens? She laughed and cried now because she was safe. ¡°It¡¯s not funny!¡± Sol scolded, her voice breaking with the last word as she erupted in her own laughter. ¡°You really scared the shit out of me!¡± she laughed. ¡°It might have been literally, if I hadn¡¯t used the facilities before I came down here! Hanna relaxed and wiped away the already drying tears. ¡°I thought¡ªI thought that you were a monster or something,¡± she admitted, feeling Sol¡¯s hand pat her shoulder in the darkness and locate her arm to help Hanna up. She nearly knocked Sol over as she threw her arms around her Leader¡¯s waist before pulling away. ¡°Ugh, Sol! Why are you wet?¡± ¡°Because, Hanna,¡± Sol began soberly, all humor gone. ¡°That¡¯s the blood from when you killed me.¡± Chapter 4 - Out of the Darkness Hanna¡¯s blood ran cold and the darkness had begun spinning around her, suffocating her. The words Sol spoke already echoing in her mind. ¡°Because, Hanna. That¡¯s the blood from when you killed me.¡± ¡°Hanna?¡± came Sol¡¯s distorted voice. Whatever words followed sounded like a vinyl record being played slowed down and backwards. I killed Sol, she thought. And then the darkness engulfed her. The morning light felt painfully bright. The birds singing only made the throbbing in Hanna¡¯s head feel worse. How much did I drink? she wondered. She felt groggy and confused. She couldn¡¯t remember going to bed. Then, slowly, she began to remember. The storm. The basement. Sol. Oh, not Sol. Hanna sat up slowly and shook her head to clear it, which turned out to be a mistake that summoned nausea. But wait, she thought. Doesn¡¯t that mean that it was all just a dream? Just a long, stupid, really scary dream? A sudden wave of dizziness had her sinking back into her soft pillows. ¡°I¡¯m glad it¡¯s just a dream,¡± she mumbled, but her voice rang as muted and numb as she felt. Why would I dream about killing Sol? Luckily, she didn¡¯t have to ponder it long, for a soft rapt on her door pulled her back to the present. It opened slightly before she could even form words to call out. Aema peeked her head inside. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re awake,¡± she said softly, pushing the door the rest of the way open and stepping in with a silver tray. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Like I drank the entire Naval fleet under the table, lost a boxing match with Greg, and then got sat on by Harpagon until I nearly died. How are you?¡± Aema chuckled good-naturedly as she gently set the tray upon Hanna¡¯s night stand. ¡°Well, you had quite an adventure for the night,¡± she sighed, picking up a bottle of medicine and measuring out liquid from one, then pills from another. ¡°What¡¯s all that for?¡± Hanna asked as she eyed the tray, inventorying its contents. A glass of water, one vial of amber liquid, one bottle of white pills. A piece of buttered toast on a plate, a side of jam, a silver spoon, a cloth napkin, and a little golden bell. Oh, she was going to have some fun with that. Just as soon as her throbbing headache from her hangover receded. Aema paused in her work to look at Hanna. ¡°This one,¡± she said, holding up the bottle in which she took 3 small white pills, ¡°Is for pain. You have to take three because we could only afford the weaker dose.¡± She gave a small, apologetic smile and handed the pills to Hanna, then helped her with the water glass. ¡°Thanks, Aema. I appreciate it,¡± Hanna told her sincerely. And she meant it. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem,¡± Aema replied absently, picking up the silver spoon that she¡¯d already measured liquid into. Cupping a hand underneath to avoid spilling onto Hanna¡¯s bedding, she continued. ¡°This one is to help you rest. The doctor paid a visit and said that you needed to take it easy for a couple of days, and rest as much as possible today. That¡¯s an order,¡± she said, eyeing Hanna with raised brows. ¡°What? I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to,¡± Aema smiled as she spoon-fed Hanna the bitter liquid. ¡°Your face always betrays what you¡¯re thinking.¡± She followed Hanna¡¯s gaze and gave a slight tilt of her head towards the tray. ¡°For example, you¡¯re thinking you probably won¡¯t eat the toast, but you¡¯re going to go nuts using that bell.¡± Hanna grinned. ¡°Am I so transparent?¡± ¡°Yes. And don¡¯t think Chaos is going to be running back and forth doing things for you. He¡¯s busy today too. It seems he caught a bit of a cold, so he¡¯s in bed himself.¡± Hanna gave a ¡®hrmph¡¯ and crossed her arms in mock sulking. ¡°I never get to have any fun with my slave.¡± As if on cue, a distant tinkling broke up the conversation. Aema gave a slightly exhausted look at the door. ¡°He better not be asking what kinds of soups we have again. I swear, for such a low-maintenance guy most of the time, he¡¯s really driving me crazy! Did you know he waited until his fever was dangerously high before he said anything? Between the two of you, I have my hands full,¡± she prattled as she rose and headed towards the door. ¡°If you need anything,¡± she said, turning around, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid to ring your little bell. One of us will come running. Or walking. ..Or dancing, apparently. Don¡¯t ask.¡± ¡°Aema?¡± Hanna said, catching her before she could escape. ¡°Hm?¡± Aema turned to face her again. ¡°Where¡¯s Sol? Is she back today?¡± Aema¡¯s eyes momentarily shifted away in discomfort, her face becoming a blank mask as she met Hanna¡¯s eyes. ¡°Sol¡¯s gone. Don¡¯t worry about it for now. Just try to get some sleep.¡± Aema gave her a small smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes and backed out the door, closing it softly. Hanna sank into the pillows, her blood running cold in her veins and her heart feeling slow and erratic. Sol¡¯s gone, she thought. Gone. I wonder what that means.. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. But she didn¡¯t have time to go down any mental rabbit holes, for her eyelids closed heavily, and she soon breathed in the deep rhythm of sleep. - Sleep came fitfully, but deep. Hanna had a series of nightmares, many featuring a skeleton strangling her or a blood-covered Sol looking at her questioningly, hands outstretched palm-up, or a pale, gruesomely eyeless Chaos, the black pits staring deep as his head jerked awkwardly into a tilt. Hanna awoke in a sweat. She felt heavy and exhausted. The room was still bright, sun shining. On the nightstand to her right was a vase filled with freshly cut yellow flowers. Hanna tried to identify them, but her eyes couldn¡¯t quite focus. ¡°Aren¡¯t they pretty?¡± came Candace¡¯s voice. Hanna struggled to look toward the sound and found Candace sitting in one of the fancy chairs by the balcony doors, sunlight streaming across her. She smiled at Hanna and clasped her hands. ¡°I¡¯m really glad you¡¯re okay! We were really worried.¡± Hanna tried to smile, but grimaced instead. The pain in her head hadn¡¯t subsided, but settled into a dull beat. ¡°Thanks,¡± she managed to croak out, her voice dry and cracking. It was as if the realization made her thirst awaken, her tongue like sandpaper, sliding thickly in her mouth. ¡°Oh! Here, let me help you,¡± Candace said, jumping up and rounding the bed to the nightstand on Hanna¡¯s left. A pitcher and a glass of water sat on the table, but no tray was in sight. Perhaps Aema already took it, she thought dismissively. Candace helped prop Hanna up a little and aided her in drinking the water. Hanna wasn¡¯t sure whether to be solely grateful, or embarrassed at having to be helped as though she were some kind of invalid, incapable of holding a glass. One look into Candace¡¯s face, she saw the gentle expression and decided to be grateful. It wasn¡¯t Candace¡¯s fault she ended up like this. Was it? Hanna felt like she was forgetting something. But what? Soohae. ¡°Where¡¯s Soo?¡± she asked, her mouth now more of a thick paste than a dry wasteland. Candace¡¯s head popped up and grinned. ¡°Oh, you know Soohae. She¡¯s still in bed. Or maybe, in bed again? It¡¯s hard to say. I think she¡¯s just having a sleepy day.¡± Hanna smiled weakly and allowed herself to slide back down into the pillows. Soohae was a ¡®sleepy-bug¡¯, as Sol liked to put it. It wasn¡¯t unusual to see her yawning around the house or find her curled up like a kitten in a chair or sofa somewhere in the manor. Generally, she seemed to focus on the sunroom. Just like a cat, she inwardly chuckled. But her head felt groggy. She realized Candace was saying something, but couldn¡¯t quite make out the words. ¡°Sorry, what?¡± she asked apologetically. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I should let you rest. I¡¯ll come and visit you again later. Maybe we can have some tea if you¡¯re feeling up to it. ¡°That sounds nice,¡± Hanna murmured. She hadn¡¯t even realized she¡¯d closed her eyes. She heard the gentle cadence of Candace¡¯s voice saying something, but she couldn¡¯t make out the words. In moments, sleep claimed her again. -- Sometime late in the night, Hanna awoke feeling suddenly alert. It was already dark and moonlight poured across the room. The open balcony door allowed a breeze to blow the curtains in a gentle sway. It was strangely silent. No sound of the wind, no crickets chirping their songs outside. She wasn¡¯t sure what had awoken her, but her body lay tensed and she swallowed hard. After a few moments, when nothing happened, Hanna stiffly turned her head to her left. The nightstand held her favorite photograph in its frame, and the silver tray from before. A water glass, silver spoon, unused tea cup with saucer and the chrome teapot from the kitchen adorned the tray. Hanna tried to push through the confusion. Had Aema brought the tray back? Why did she bring tea and take away the water pitcher? Feeling herself relax a little, Hanna turned to study the balcony, watching the curtains blow lazily in the silent wind. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you awake, Hanna,¡± a voice said quietly from the darkness. Hanna¡¯s eyes jerked to the shadows by the door and, after straining to see, she slowly began to make out the shape of the fancy chair Candace had used earlier in the day, a dark figure sat, one leg lazily crossed over the thigh of the other, some sort of book and writing utensil in the figure¡¯s hands. Hanna¡¯s heart started and she missed a breath. ¡°S-Sol?¡± Hanna¡¯s voice came out cracked, meek and unsure. ¡°I was worried about you, Hanna,¡± Sol continued, as if Hanna hadn¡¯t spoken. Hanna¡¯s mind swirled with questions and confusion, but only one thing was standing out. Something was strange about the way Sol was talking. There wasn¡¯t much inflection to her words. There was something flat..almost..clinical about the way she was speaking. As if she had used the words so often that they had no meaning, but she said them anyway, making to appease Hanna. The words were too measured, almost clipped. ¡°How long have you been here?¡± Hanna questioned, her voice barely a whisper. ¡°Oh, for quite a while now. I¡¯ve been observing you Hanna. You seem like you¡¯re doing better. Perhaps we¡¯ll be able to get you up and around soon.¡± Hanna blinked, studying Sol for a moment. That was when it clicked: she could see Sol! There was some unknown, dim light source illuminating the room. The much smaller room. Hanna felt confusion as she looked around her once luxurious room, only to find that she was in a small room, a strange green and beige paint on the walls. There was a large mirror taking up most of the wall across from her bed, and she could see her own refection. The girl looking back at her had circles around her eyes, reminding her of a raccoon. Her hair was disheveled and unkempt. The thin metal railings of a twin footboard bed stood out and she looked down. Where a glorious queen bed with satin sheets and the softest down pillows on Ethos had once been, there now was only a stiff, twin bed with a thin, rough sheet and accompanying a thin, scratchy blanket. Instead of her own clothing, she wore some sort of strange hospital gown. The gown was also thin and scratchy, dotted with little pine trees on an off-white cotton cloth. There were no windows in this tiny room, no balcony doors. No curtains. Only a narrow metal door to her left, where her large-framed walnut door once stood. A tiny window in the top of the door was dark, clearly shuttered from the other side. An observation window? What the hell was happening? She looked back at Sol, her mouth opening to speak when she saw the white lab coat and some sort of identification badge. The dim light reflected off of the glossy card, so she couldn¡¯t see what it had on it. ¡°I think we¡¯ve made some really good progress today,¡± the strange Sol said, adjusting a pair of glasses Hanna had not seen before. This was wrong. All of it. It had to be a hallucination. A nightmare. Or.. Hanna decided that it had to be a fake Sol. Maybe she had drugged, or kidnapped and taken prisoner, and this was some sort of ruse to drive her crazy, or trick her into giving up some sort of information. She wouldn¡¯t do it. But she could play the part until she could get her own information. Hanna buried the fear she felt. It wouldn¡¯t do her any good now, and she just had to get through this. Newly emboldened, and barely suppressing the smirk of her own genius, she looked at Fake Sol with the most innocent expression she could muster, eyes widening, mouth opening slightly. ¡°Have I been alright?¡± she asked timidly. Fake Sol smiled, but it felt wrong. It was a cold smile, sterile. One where the light never reaches the eyes. ¡°As I said,¡± Fake Sol repeated, ¡°I believe we¡¯ve made some progress.¡± Chapter 5 - Through the Looking Glass Three days had passed without seeing Sol again. Hanna only knew this from the nurse visits as she acclimated to her new schedule. Hanna hadn¡¯t woken back up in her fancy bed in the manor, nor had she woken up anywhere else aside from the stiff, spring twin mattress in the little green room. For a time, she had no idea if it was day or night. She couldn¡¯t sleep again that first night, and she slept fitfully that second, but by the third she curled up into a ball and whispered to herself as quietly as she could, ¡°I¡¯m not crazy. I¡¯m not crazy.¡± Which, she figured, was exactly what a crazy person would say, but she had to remind herself somehow or she would go insane. The nurse, that first morning, backed into the room pulling a silver cart with a cup of pills, a small plastic cup of foggy tap water, and a plate of breakfast food that looked left over from the day before. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sugar,¡± she said with a tired sigh, ¡°But they were all out of that oatmeal you like again. Looks like you¡¯re stuck with scrambled eggs and sausage. Though I think it might be meatless. You never can tell.¡± The woman¡¯s voice was familiar, but off somehow. That is, until she turned around. Nurse Aema! She should have expected it. And isn¡¯t that exactly what a fever-dream would look like? The big-sister type, Aema, being in a caretaker position, their leader being some sort of doctor. It was clich¨¦! Like every bad plot twist in a novel or theatre play, here it was. Hanna would have laughed if she hadn¡¯t been sleep deprived, confused, and scared out of her mind. But she had to pretend this was normal. Didn¡¯t she? Nurse Aema turned out to be a lot like the Real Aema, only with that same off-quality as Sol when she spoke. Aema was a young woman, but this Aema talked like someone older. Whereas Fake Sol was very detached, this Aema was overly loving. It was as if certain aspects of their personalities were emphasized, while the others were left out completely. Hanna hadn¡¯t seen a Fake Hanna, but she wondered if that wasn¡¯t part of the ploy. There can only be one copy of a person at any given time. Today, finally, she was allowed to leave her room. She was given a plain, slightly oversized, gray sweater and matching pants with white traction socks. She stepped slowly, feeling paranoid and deeply uncomfortable in the green and white halls. ¡°They don¡¯t use the beige out here,¡± Nurse Aema was explaining, ¡°Because people see it as being sort of dingy and dirty. We have to use stark whites out in the main areas, but with these washed-out yellowed lights, half of the time they look beige anyway, so I don¡¯t know why we bother.¡± Hanna¡¯s mind wandered as she followed Nurse Aema to a commons area she called ¡®the lounge¡¯. She looked to her left as a door cracked open, a young girl¡¯s face peering back at her. Legacy? The door slammed shut before she could form the words. The girl¡¯s wild eyes haunted her. Legacy was one of the newer ones in the Guild¡¯s manor. She was young, but she would stand up straighter than anyone. She reminded Hanna a little bit of a pufferfish, how they poof up to seem bigger and more intimidating. Legacy was the youngest, being only fifteen, but she didn¡¯t want to be looked down on or seen as a baby to the group. She wanted to be useful and to be seen as an equal¡ªso, of course Hanna had to tease her. She wondered if she would ever even have the chance to know the girl now, or if anyone else had ended up in this bizarro-world. Was it just her, she wondered. As the hallway ended at the edge of an open commons area she stopped, hesitating as she tried to take in her new environment. To the immediate left was a hallway that led to two double doors, an electronic keypad beside it and ¡®Staff only¡¯ sign on the doors her only clues as to what lay beyond. Past that, also on the left, a desk was built in as a half-wall in the middle of a rounded alcove. Behind it, a day nurse was minding the desk while trying to keep herself busy with paperwork. Straight ahead, beyond the Nurse¡¯s Station, was another hallway. It looked dimly lit and gave Hanna an icy chill up her spine. To her right was clearly the lounging area. The walls beyond were nearly floor to ceiling narrow strips of massive windows, showing a spring day beyond. There were small, four-person dining tables and chairs, activity areas for various crafts, and even a sitting area made up with sofas, like a small living room, a Television playing. Wait, Hanna thought. A television? How do I know what that is? I¡¯ve never seen this before! But she did know. She knew what it was, suddenly remembered films, television shows, dramas and documentaries. A few horrors. It was as if an entire file of memories slid into place. Nurse Aema stopped and turned towards her, a wary look of concern on her face. ¡°Everything okay, hun? Don¡¯t worry, they won¡¯t bite. Maybe you don¡¯t remember, but you¡¯ve been in here before. It¡¯s just been a while.¡± Hanna looked around, uneasy. ¡°You¡¯ll take your lunch here and have some social time every day,¡± Nurse Aema continued. ¡°But if you ever feel overwhelmed, you can ask one of the Nurses or orderlies on duty to bring you back to your room.¡± Nurse Aema gave her a gentle, reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll do fine, love. I¡¯ll be back to check in on you later. I have some other patients to tend to,¡± she said with a warm smile. ¡°Just try to find something to keep your mind occupied. There¡¯s games, painting, books¡ªjust about anything you could want to do.¡± ¡°Could I go outside?¡± Hanna asked, taking a gamble. Nurse Aema hesitated, her smile momentarily wavering before coming back in full force. ¡°Not today, sweetie,¡± she said gently, as though addressing a fragile child. ¡°The verandas and gardens are closed right now for weather and maintenance reasons.¡± Hanna looked past Nurse Aema¡¯s shoulder to see blue skies and a few puffy wayward white clouds floating lazily in the clear day outside of the tall, large windows. Before she could open her mouth to question the weather, Nurse Aema gave her one more brief squeeze and turned on her heel, walking away. Now alone, Hanna subconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. She looked over and saw the Nurse at the station, an irate-looking blonde woman, was staring at her, so she quickly walked toward the lounge area to the right. She walked to a table facing a windowless wall and sat down, back to the rest of the room, but a clear view of the sofa lounging area. She tried to form a game plan, but she just didn¡¯t have enough information to go on. How did she get to see Fake Sol again? Did she even want to? Was there any way out of here? What would she do if they forced her to take medicine? Hanna was careful not to look at any of the other patients sitting or wandering around as she had moved to sit, but she was jarred from her thoughts by the strong sense of someone approaching her. The hair rose on the back of her neck as icy fingers of dread ran up her spine. After a moment, a chair protested across the floor as it was pulled out at the table just left of her. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Several tense moments passed, but Hanna did not risk a look. She pretended the wall was very interesting and hoped whoever it was would go away. When she finally decided to relax, a very quiet voice whispered softly. ¡°Don¡¯t turn around. Pretend you don¡¯t know I¡¯m here.¡± Hanna had every intention of doing just that, even before he had spoken. ¡°Don¡¯t try to run,¡± the young man¡¯s voice said. ¡°They punish you if you run. Stay obedient. Play the game. Don¡¯t snoop too much, they¡¯ll notice.¡± It fell quiet and Hanna was about to turn towards the young man when she heard the light tap of feet and something clack onto the table. ¡°Here¡¯s your lunch, Cris,¡± said a woman¡¯s voice. ¡°Try to eat everything today. The Doctor is very worried about your appetite. Drink this, it will help. It has lots of electrolytes and vitamins. When you¡¯re all finished, do make sure you come to the Nurse¡¯s Station and take your medication.¡± Though her words were kind, they were said tightly and felt insincere. There was a tense moment of silence, then a quiet, ¡°Okay. Thank you, Sasha.¡± The Nurse made an unpleasant sound of disapproval in her throat, but Hanna heard her heels turn and click-clack away. Cris, Hanna thought, her mind spinning. They had a Cris in the manor. She wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d heard him speak, but before she could decide whether or not to take a look, she heard his voice again. ¡°Tomorrow, when they let you out here,¡± he said, ¡°Go to the clay table. Sit with your back to the windows. Try to look like you¡¯re making something, but watch everyone.¡± Hanna wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it, but he continued. ¡°Remember that song? ¡®One pill makes you larger, one pill makes you small, but the pills that mother gives don¡¯t do anything at all¡¯? Only take those pills.¡± She heard the chair screech lightly across the floor again as Cris rose, picked up his tray, and left. She waited several seconds, heard him dump his tray, and risked a look. He walked to the Nurse¡¯s Station casually, but there was something almost primal in his gaze. It was like a animal, waiting to see if it is hunted, primed to fall into fight or flight. She locked eyes with the Nurse at the Station for a moment, then nearly jumped out of her skin as a hand clamped down on her shoulder. Hanna whipped her head around to see an orderly¡¯s uniform and a tray of lunch. ¡°Here you go, Hanna. Welcome back to The Lounge. We¡¯ve missed you,¡± the man said in an almost warm way, setting the tray down. As the tray clacked down onto the table, Hanna looked up and froze as she stared into the orderly¡¯s face. It was none other than her previous Guild Leader. Hanna stared up at her former Leader, dumbstruck, a feeling of irresolute horror rising up in her. But she didn¡¯t have to endure it for more than a moment before another orderly called out, ¡°Hey, a little help over here?¡± The orderly looked up. ¡°Coming!¡± he called out, rising, but taking a moment to smile down at Hanna. ¡°Be a good girl and we¡¯ll see each other again,¡± he said cooly, giving her shoulder a last squeeze. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to take your medication,¡± he added, before moving to the other side of the room to help restrain an unruly patient. Hanna wondered if she had just imagined that he had squeezed much harder than the first time as she rubbed her shoulder. - Lunch wasn¡¯t a full-on disaster, but it wasn¡¯t the best meal she¡¯d ever had in her life. It tasted a lot like a premade dinner of cheap ingredients rather than something healthy or hearty. It¡¯s like a frozen dinner, she thought as she poked at what seemed to be thin, overly dry slices of turkey in gravy. The potatoes tasted like dehydrated potato flakes, devoid of much flavor and in desperate need of butter. The accompanying peas were no better. She mostly pushed the food around on her plate, questioning if her former Leader would stoop to poisoning her food. They hadn¡¯t exactly parted on bad terms, but they weren¡¯t favorable terms either. Hanna had helped build the Guild from the ground up as his Second, but she began to dislike the direction they began to take. In the end, rather than insist on changes, Hanna chose to leave quietly. Since the members of each Guild lived within the manor presented to the Leader of each Guild, she no longer had a home¡ªsomething she hadn¡¯t thought about before quitting. By chance, she ran into Sol on the Market Road and, recalling that she had always said she wouldn¡¯t refuse anyone as long as they weren¡¯t ¡®problem children,¡¯ Hanna asked if she could find a home in the House of Aether. She worried about bringing them down at first¡ªsaw herself as a potential ¡®problem child¡¯¡ªbut no matter the issue, Sol seemed to consider all sides, and she never seemed to punish Hanna for anything that Hanna herself had seen as wrong. Sometimes she wondered if she was too hard on herself or if Sol was too lenient, but she was relieved either way and chose not to overthink it too much, a problem she had often had. Now, looking back, she was sure it was because she wasn¡¯t sure if she deserved this new family who readily accepted her. After all the time spent talking and teasing and working alongside each other, nearly all of her doubts had long faded away. Sighing the thoughts of the past away, Hanna stood and walked over to dump her tray as Cris had. A curiosity prickled at her brain as Legacy¡¯s wild eyes returned to the forefront, and she decided she would casually pay her new neighbor a visit. As she turned to walk to the hall that led to her room, the front Nurse, Sasha, called to her. ¡°Excuse me, but you can¡¯t return to your room without supervision. And it¡¯s time for your medicine if you¡¯re done eating,¡± she called out, seemingly annoyed at the inconvenience. Hanna hid her disgruntled sigh as a sneeze as she walked over to the desk. The woman glared her in the eyes before she picked up a paper cup with a few colored pills inside and set it down with a hard thunk. She slid it to Hanna then sat back and stared, her mouth tightening into a thin line. With a nonplussed shrug and a smile, Hanna picked up the pill cup and turned to go back towards the hall. ¡°Excuse me,¡± the Nurse said sharply, rapping on the desk with something. Hanna turned back, blinking. What could she possibly want, a tip? She thought. I took the pills. ¡°Those must be consumed here at the front desk,¡± the Nurse snapped, as though Hanna were feigning ignorance. ¡°Oh. Okay, sorry,¡± Hanna replied, coming back. Of course they would demand to watch, she thought with minor annoyance. Hanna waited at the desk while the Nurse stared into her, growing more and more impatient. ¡°Well?¡± Nurse Sasha bristled, tapping a finger on the desk, the elongated nail tapping with a click click click. ¡°Um¡­ Am I supposed to dry swallow them or something?¡± Hanna asked, legitimately confused. Nurse Sasha haughtily put a hand on her hip. ¡°They¡¯re capsulated tablets,¡± she said with a shake of her head, as though she were talking to the village idiot. ¡°They¡¯re designed to be easy to swallow.¡± ¡°But¡­with water, right?¡± Hanna pressed. Nurse Sasha rolled her eyes and, with a huff, turned to clomp over to the water cooler in the back of the little room. Hanna eyed the pills while she waited. What were they? What did they do? She suddenly remembered the strange thing Cris had said. One pill makes you larger, one pill makes you small, but the ones that mother gives don¡¯t do anything at all.. Who was ¡®mother¡¯? Was Nurse Sasha mother? As if she felt Hanna¡¯s thoughts, she threw a sharp look over her shoulder. Okay, maybe not Nurse Sasha. She looked like she¡¯d be happy to poison Hanna. As Nurse Sasha returned with the cup of water, it struck her. Aema! Nurse Aema must be mother! Who else here would be that much of a caretaker! Unfortunately, as she took the water cup, she saw no way to get out of this mess. At least for today, she would have to take the pills. She made a show of putting them on her tongue and opening wide before she took a drink. Then she made a show of swallowing and showed the Nurse her empty tongue, setting the paper cups back on the desk with a hollow thunk. ¡°Aaah!¡± she said exaggeratedly. ¡°They were magically delicious!¡± She grinned at the scowling Nurse. ¡°Thank you, Sasha,¡± she said a wink. The Nurse simply narrowed her eyes, crushing the cups in her hand and giving a nod to a nearby orderly on Hanna¡¯s left. To her relief, it was a complete stranger. He led her to a shared bathroom, waiting outside the stall, then to her room, giving Hanna no time to try to sneak to see Legacy. The door locked with a soft click when he pulled it shut, so she knew she couldn¡¯t even sneak out. With a huff, she stretched out across her stiff bed. Legacy¡¯s door clearly wasn¡¯t locked. How long until they would trust her enough to leave hers unlocked? Closing her eyes, she let her thoughts carry her until, at the edge of sleep, she sprang up. White Rabbit! Those things Cris was saying, they were lyrics to White Rabbit! She wasn¡¯t sure how she knew this, or what it was, but a story about a girl named Alice came to her mind. She stared at herself in the reflective glass that spread across from her. If only getting back home were as easy as stepping through that glass. Chapter 6 - The Other Side of Well Hanna woke with a migraine the like of which she¡¯d never had before. When Nurse Aema came in, she brought Hanna some pain medication and water. She even dimmed the lights until the migraine ebbed away. ¡°It¡¯s the medication,¡± she said softly. ¡°It does that. You¡¯ll be okay.¡± She paused, and Hanna thought her eyes might have flicked to the mirror, but Nurse Aema continued, ¡°You¡¯ll..get used to it,¡± she finished hesitantly before she stood, loaded her things back on the silver cart, and told Hanna she would be back with breakfast. ¡°If you¡¯re lucky, they¡¯ll have your oatmeal today,¡± she chirped merrily. They did not. Later that morning, Hanna was escorted back into the Lounge. As Cris had instructed, despite her obvious reservations about his sanity, she looked for the clay table and took a seat. With nothing better to do, she began to manipulate the clay, taking care to observe as much of the room and its occupants as possible. She looked around for the orderly she recognized as her former Leader, Pipe. She didn¡¯t see Pipe, but she saw the orderly who had her back to her room the day before, a new nurse¡ªthankfully not Nurse Sasha¡ªat the Nurse¡¯s Station, looking quite pleasant, and only a handful of other patients, none of which she recognized. When lunch arrived, she had to give up her spy¡¯s nest for a bit to sit at an adjacent table and pick at her food, returning the clay of her misshapen cup to its home. Today was mixed vegetables and some kind of broth soup with a roll. While the steamed side vegetables had that same frozen food vibe, the broth, which looked like brown water to Hanna, turned out to be the best part of the meal. She soaked part of her roll into it and popped it into her mouth. It was like heaven. ¡°Who did the cooking today, Joe?¡± she overheard one orderly call to another. ¡°Not sure. Hey, Anna!¡± Hanna froze for a second. ¡°Who did the cooking today?¡± She relaxed as the day nurse called out ¡°I think Isis did the soup today! Corrianne did the rest.¡± ¡°Ugh, good ol¡¯ Coriander,¡± one of the orderlies muttered to the other. Hanna tuned out of their conversation. Isis. Who was Isis? A cook? A nurse? She pondered this as she devoured the soup. She was pretty sure that, in spite of the heavy presence of herb and vegetable flavors, this was definitely a beef broth. Since none of the meat in this place could possibly even qualify as meat, she gave Isis points for being able to smuggle that in. After her soup bowl was empty, Hanna unceremoniously dumped the rest of her meal contents into the garbage and headed over to the Nurse¡¯s Station for her medication, unsure of how to get out of it this time. As she approached, Nurse Anna smiled at her. ¡°Ready for your pills, honey?¡± she asked sweetly. Unlike the stiff, yellow-haired Nurse Sasha, everything about Nurse Anna was sincere, from her sunny disposition to her gentle tone. Even her fluffy, chin-length chestnut hair seemed to exude a softness, sligtly curling at the ends. Hanna tried not to look shocked. ¡°Uh, yes, thank you.¡± The Nurse got Hanna¡¯s little cup of pills and brought it over, hesitating. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry! You¡¯ll probably need a cup of water with those, won¡¯t you?¡± The woman smiled an apology and practically bounced to the cooler. Without hesitation, Hanna palmed the pills and slid them into the band of her gray pants, eyes darting to make sure the orderlies weren¡¯t watching. When the woman returned, she smiled and offered Hanna the cup of water. Hanna made a quick show of downing the pill cup and then gratefully accepted the water cup to rinse them down. Nurse Anna just smiled a dimpled smile, her subdued hazel eyes sparkling, and went back to her busy work. Hanna tried to casually walk back to the hall that took her to her room. Meeting an orderly at the start of the hallway, she was terrified he could hear her heart pounding in her chest. She tried to control her breathing as she was led to her room. She felt as though any moment she would be caught, and it took everything not to run to her room as fast as her legs would carry her. Once she was inside, Hanna pushed the door closed with a click and leaned against it, exhaling in relief. Her eyes carefully slid to inspect the mirror on the wall. Anyone watching would suspect her behavior. How would she get rid of the pills without being seen? Carefully she made her way to her bed and sat, paying close attention to the light pressure of the pills in her waistband. At least now she knew she could avoid these pills on Anna¡¯s shift, but on Nurse bitch-face Sasha¡¯s shift, how could she get around it? Hanna dragged her hands through her hair, feeling frustrated. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she sat there in thought before a light tap on her door, followed by the click of it opening caught her attention. Nurse Aema peeked in and offered a smile. ¡°Hey, there, Hanna,¡± she said with a hint of excitement. ¡°I¡¯ve got some good news for you.¡± Her voice was almost a sing-song and Hanna grinned despite herself. ¡°They¡¯ve made a mistake and I¡¯m being released now?¡± Nurse Aema bit back a laugh, and Hanna was sure this time her eyes had darted towards the mirror, but she recovered with a shake of her head. ¡°Well, you know better than that,¡± she scolded insincerely. ¡°No, but it¡¯s something you¡¯re gonna love,¡± she trailed off, raising her eyebrows at Hanna. Hanna stared expectantly until Nurse Aema shrugged and pulled in the silver cart from the doorway. ¡°Tomorrow,¡± she began, picking up a bundle of clothing from the middle shelf of the cart, ¡°You¡¯ll finally be able to go back to your old room,¡± she finished warmly, handing Hanna the fresh clothes. ¡°And your room has its own shower,¡± she added with a wink. - Later that night, after the dinner Nurse Aema brought her in her room¡ªwhich was actually not bad¡ªHanna managed to drop the pills in the toilet when she was allowed to go. She was pretty sure Nurse Aema was supposed to observe her, but she always turned her back and gave Hanna privacy. It made her feel a little less like a prisoner, and at least a little bit more like a person. Before she left, Nurse Aema handed her a cup. ¡°Your medicine for tonight. The last few nights you slept right through dinner and meds, so I¡¯m glad to see you up and about tonight.¡± The words were simple, but Hanna felt something loaded in them. A message unsaid. She thought back to the song Cris mentioned. The pills that mother gives, she thought, accepting them and the glass of water. Even as Nurse Aema was just beginning to take the cart out, Hanna already felt sleepy, her eyelids heavy faster than when she had to take the colored pills from Nurse Sasha. But, before she could decide if she¡¯d made a mistake in who to trust, Hanna was curled up on her side, slipping deeply into sleep. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. - Hanna was groggy when she awoke. Too groggy. As the room came in to blurry focus, she found herself in her fancy bed in her nice, big room. The balcony doors were closed, but Hanna still felt a chill. Her thoughts were muddled, slow and clumsy and she let out a groan as her stomach swirled. Someone sprang up from the nearby chair. ¡°Hanna! You¡¯re awake!¡± Candace cried. ¡°I¡¯ll go tell Aema¡ª¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Hanna croaked, weakly holding up a hand. ¡°Sol. Get Sol first.¡± Candace stared at Hanna a moment and blinked, as though Hanna had said something completely nonsensical that she was trying to make sense of, then she shook her head and smiled brightly. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re up! I¡¯m going to go tell everyone! We were pretty worried!¡± As Candace bounced from the room, Hanna took in the early morning light, barely beginning to lighten the sky. Why was Candace there? Was she watching over Hanna all night? Hanna hadn¡¯t even heard the door push open slightly. She was jarred by the sudden soft voice in the room. ¡°She¡¯s not going to find her.¡± Hanna jerked her head towards the door and felt a flood of relief. Soohae! ¡°Soohae ,what¡ª¡± Her throat tightened suddenly as Soohae pushed in the door, silently padding on unbalanced bare feet, dark rings around her eyes, her face pale. ¡°Soo, what the h¡ª¡± ¡°They won¡¯t find her,¡± Soohae interrupted, her voice so soft Hanna strained to hear her, even in the deafening silence. ¡°Sol¡¯s gone. Gone. Gone where? It¡¯s hard to say. Nothing makes sense anymore. There¡¯s no point to anything.¡± Hanna stared at her friend, dumbfounded. Soohae reached the bed and sank down onto the edge, looking completely worn out from the journey from the bedroom door. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong here,¡± she continued softly, her cold hand weakly groping for Hanna¡¯s warm one. ¡°And they keep giving me the medicine. What¡¯s in the medicine? I feel so weak. I¡¯m so tired, Banana,¡± she murmured, using the nickname that had been given to her more by Chaos than by anyone. ¡°Medicine? What medicine?¡± Before Soohae could answer, the door swung open and Aema rushed to the bed, Candace close behind. ¡°Soohae? What are you doing out of bed! You¡¯re still sick, you should be resting! I¡¯m sorry, Hanna, she hasn¡¯t been herself lately, not since she caught this bug. Let me help you back to bed first, Soohae," Aema said, taking the girl in her arms and supporting her weight. ¡°I¡¯ll help!¡± Candace chimed in, taking Soohae¡¯s other side. Within moments, they were gone. In the dim of the dark bedroom, Hanna sat, having had no idea what had just happened, but feeling very sure she hadn¡¯t imagined Soohae¡¯s flinch at Aema¡¯s touch. - For the longest time, Hanna sat and waited in the dim room. She hadn¡¯t realized she¡¯d fallen asleep. It felt like a blink. She blinked and daylight streamed into her spacious room. She began to wonder if everything had been a dream. Soohae. The mental hospital. The pills. All of it. If it wasn¡¯t a dream, was she going crazy? Was it true that Soohae was sick? Could Hanna have what she had? The thoughts continued to tumble around her head until Aema knocked softly at the door. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re awake. Good. I was wondering when you¡¯d be up!¡± Aema carried a silver tray carefully to the small table beside the bed. ¡°I¡¯ve brought you some breakfast,¡± she offered, lifting a lid off of a plate. ¡°I hope you can keep it all down. Just eat what you can. There¡¯s no rush.¡± Hanna spied the sausages first. Real sausages. She shook her head, wondering if the institution, with its fake meat, was even real. Deciding to load up just in case, Hanna all but inhaled the sausages, buttery pancakes with syrup, and cinnamon tea. Then she asked for more sausage. And a croissant with jam. Aema just laughed, commenting that it was as if Hanna hadn¡¯t eaten properly for days, and disappeared to get the second helping of food. Hanna felt a slight chill run up her spine. What if she really had eaten poorly for days? The rest of the morning went well enough. Hanna managed to wave off Aema¡¯s help to the bathroom, where she relieved herself and soaked into the most luxurious feeling bath she¡¯d had in longer than she could recall, then Aema rushed her right back into bed, citing that she was still on bedrest. Hanna flipped boredly through books, chatted with Candace, and ate lunch in bed like a pampered Queen. By the time lunch was over, she¡¯d had enough. She was feeling very restless and wanted to just get up and do jumping jacks if it got her out of this bed! Aema promised her a walk in the gardens after dinner if she was well-behaved. Hanna made a gruff sound of displeasure, but sat back down in the bed. She had inquired, and failed to gleam, any information on both Sol and Soohae. Soo was still sick, supposedly, and Sol was either ''gone¡¯ or ¡®out¡¯ and no one seemed to have any answers of when she left or how long til she returned. Finally, it dawned on her those weren¡¯t the only ones she could inquire on. ¡°Hey, Candace,¡± she asked casually. ¡°Is Legacy around? I thought maybe I could chat with her.¡± Something odd seemed to pass on Candace¡¯s face, then she tilted her head at Hanna in confusion. ¡°Who? Legacy? Did we have someone like that in the manor?¡± Hanna tried to ignore the ice water in her veins and forced an awkward smile. ¡°Maybe I just dreamt it,¡± she laughed, and Candace visually relaxed. After a while, Hanna said she needed a nap and Candace excused herself. But what Hanna really wanted was to find out what the hell was going on here. - The nice thing about having a good-sized manor with no servants is that nobody ever bothered with the servants¡¯ passageways. Hanna made good time, and managed to do so silently, without tipping anyone off. She had to be careful in a few places, but she finally managed to make her way to the one place she swore she¡¯d never go again. The basement was awash in light from the windows. In the light, it wasn¡¯t so scary. A washing area for clothing here, creepy dressing mannequins there, boxes and crates scattered around and stacked. Those luscious barrels of delicious wines and ales were hidden in a windowless alcove surrounded by carefully placed wooden walls. Finally, a little past the center of the basement, Hanna found what she was looking for, and froze. A little dusty desk with a simple chair sat next to a shelf. Swirls of fingerprints in the dust told Hanna the scraping and scratching sounds were two things: One, someone trying to find matches in the dark, as a box filled with matches sat askew with disturbed swipes of dust all around, and Two, the scratches were someone writing at the desk. A flashlight and an unlit candle with a burnt wick sat on the desk next do a dried inkwell and blank parchment. A quill rested lazily on the parchment and a dark stain on the desk indicated that someone had been writing at one point, but the ink had spilled. But it wasn¡¯t the disturbed dust or the missing pages of writing that gave Hanna a horrible pause. It was the reddish-brown stains on the cold, stone floor. Hanna stumbled backward, falling into a stack of boxes, knocking some over. Her flashlight, the one from that night, on the desk. Those stains.. Those could be anything, right? They couldn¡¯t possibly be¡­blood.. Right? ¡°Oh, Hanna,¡± a voice sighed behind her. She spun and found Aema looking at her with concern. ¡°I really wish you hadn¡¯t come down here.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Sol?¡± Hanna demanded, her voice sounding shrill and panicked in her own ears. ¡°Hanna,¡± Aema began softly, holding up her hands as if to show she meant no harm. ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs. We can have some tea. We can talk about this.¡± Hanna shook her head, her heart pounding between her ears. The migraine came on fast and she let out a weak cry. ¡°No..¡± ¡°Hanna¡ª¡± ¡°NO!¡± she shouted, grabbing onto her head. ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t do that! I¡¯m not¡ªshe¡¯s not¡ªI¡¯m NOT a murderer!¡± Hanna began to cry, giving into the arms that wrapped around her and burying her face into Aema¡¯s chest. ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± she sobbed. ¡°Shhh. I know,¡± Aema crooned, as if comforting a child. ¡°I know.¡± Hanna felt a sharp pinch in her neck and pulled her head up, Aema¡¯s face already becoming blurry. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, Hanna,¡± Aema¡¯s disembodied voice said as she slid into the darkness. The last thing Hanna recalled before it consumed her was Soohae¡¯s drawn face, and her soft words: ¡°What¡¯s in the medicine?¡± Chapter 7 - The Many Worlds Chapter 7: The Many Worlds ¡°Hanna!¡± The voice felt so far away, so disembodied. ¡°Hanna!¡± She felt like she was floating away down a river of darkness. The voice was slowly getting further away, but, like a pinprick of light in a pitch black void, there was something that drew her towards it. If only her body didn¡¯t feel so heavy. ¡°Hanna? Hanna, please!¡± She shifted her body in the current. The voice was so familiar. So insistent. Worried? ¡°Hanna!¡± the voice demanded. ¡°Wake UP!¡± Hanna opened her eyes slowly, again meeting only darkness. She felt like her heavy body was leaden, and her mind fought to focus. She blinked. Once. Twice. ¡°Hanna, please wake up!¡± The voice was loud now¡ªright beside her. Hanna¡¯s eyes shot wide, seeing only darkness. I¡¯m blind, she thought wildly, shooting up through the darkness in pure panic, only to collide painfully with something else. ¡°Ow!¡± they cried in unison, pain igniting in her forehead. Hanna recognized the voice then. Sol. But how could it be Sol? Was it really? Sol! But, no, Sol was dead. She would never have killed Sol! She began to panic, try to back away on the cold stone floor beneath her. Stone? Oh, gods, the basement.. Not again! ¡°Oh, thank the bloody gods you¡¯re awake!¡± Sol cried, and hands groped among Hanna¡¯s arms. She tried to pull a way, a whining cry of fear squeaking from her throat, but the hands held her forearms tighter. ¡°Hanna, stop! Hey! Hanna, calm down! I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry! If you just stop, I¡¯ll explain everything! I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Hanna¡¯s body was jerked forward into an embrace, Sol holding her tight. Sol, whose hair and clothing was damp.. Hanna choked out a soft cry, but Sol rocked her gently. ¡°Shhh. I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said softly. ¡°Hanna, I swear, it was just a joke. I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d freak out. Forgive me, okay?¡± Slowly Hanna¡¯s pulse calmed and she sniffled back a sob. ¡°Sol?¡± she said weakly. A relieved laugh in the darkness. ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s me. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry. First, let me get us some light. I have to try to find some matches, so just hold on and stay right here. I¡¯m not leaving you, I¡¯m just getting us some light.¡± Hanna nodded in the dark, not realizing that Sol wouldn¡¯t see. Sol released her and Hanna heard soft scraping and shuffling in the darkness. Oh, she thought numbly. Oh, so that really was it. It wasn¡¯t rats or some monster, it was Sol, looking for¡­what? Matches, right? I remember seeing matches. But how did I see that in the dark? Her head ached as the sound of a match strike filled the darkness with a spark. It died quickly, but Sol flicked another one to life. ¡°Ouch!¡± The light went out. A third strike. This one held and, as Sol appeared in the darkness, the sudden dim light painful to Hanna¡¯s eyes, she could see her hair and clothing were damp, but not stained. Sol fumbled on a small desk beside her and lit the wick of a candle. ¡°I was looking for this when you found me,¡± Sol said over her shoulder sheepishly, as if by way of apology. ¡°I got home kinda late, so I got caught in the rain. I came down here to get a couple things done. Next thing I know, the light¡¯s gone out and here I was, fumbling in the dark. You really gave me a hell of a scare back there,¡± Sol said, bringing the candle over and sitting down with her legs folded. ¡°Anyway,¡± she continued, light flickering across her face, giving her eyes a strange glint, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Hanna. I was just joking with you. I thought you¡¯d laugh. I swear, I never thought you¡¯d pass out. I think you probably hit your head, so I really hope you don¡¯t have a concussion or something. I¡¯ll have Aema send for the doctor first thing, okay?¡± At the mention of Aema, Hanna tightened. Which world was this? Was this really all just some kind of concussive nightmare? She wasn¡¯t sure what to believe anymore, so she chose to believe that all of the different versions were real until she was proven otherwise. ¡°Um, Sol?¡± Hanna squeaked weakly. ¡°Can we not tell Aema? Please?¡± Sol frowned, leaning closer and scrutinizing Hanna closely before raising an eyebrow and sitting back. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you hit your head harder than I thought or if something else is going on while I was out, but I¡¯m here now. If there¡¯s a problem, we¡¯ll solve it.¡± Sol scratched her head, looking uncomfortable. ¡°Okay, well, I¡¯m freezing, so can we just try to find the damn lantern and get out of here?¡± ¡°Lantern?¡± Hanna asked, her brow scrunching. ¡°Yeah, I was looking for the lantern, but I accidentally knocked my ink over and when I tried to clean it up, my candle went out.. It was a whole thing,¡± Sol sighed with minor irritation. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s find that lantern and get some more light, then we can try to get the power going and get you back upstairs. You should rest with a concussion¡ªbut stay awake! Do you think you can do that? Stay awake?¡± Hanna nodded. Nothing sounded better than staying awake for a very long time. - ¡°You did WHAT?¡± Aema cried out incredulously. ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Sol¡¯s reply came. After they had found the lantern, Sol and Hanna moved further into the basement where they had found Cris and Anderson toying with a generator. Since no one had any idea where the fuse box was, the generator of the manor was the next best bet. The boys had it up and running in no time and helped Hanna into the service lift she wished she¡¯d known was there. It brought them up into a sort of root cellar area where bags of flour and root vegetables were stored. Now, by her own insistence, Hanna was back in the parlor. She had no desire to see her bedroom for a very long time. And now, in the formal dining room next door, she could hear Sol being scolded by Aema. ¡°You scared her to death!¡± said a disappointed sounding Aema. ¡°I know, I said I¡¯m sorry. Look, I know my sense of humor could use some work, but I thought she would get a kick out of it. Besides, we both know Hanna would never hurt anybody like that. I didn¡¯t know she¡¯d¡­you know.¡± ¡°Faint?¡± Aema muttered dryly. ¡°Yeah,¡± Sol replied in a dejected voice. ¡°That.¡± Hanna looked up as they came in through the Northern doors, Sol looking drained and Aema looking apprehensive. ¡°Hey, how are you feeling?¡± she asked Hanna sincerely, coming to sit beside her on the camelback sofa. Hanna eyed Aema. She seemed sincere, but Hanna was weary after meeting so many Aemas. How could she be sure this was the original one afterall? She opened her mouth and tried to speak, but no sound came, so she simple gave a limp shrug of her shoulders and hugged the pillow in her arms tighter to her chest. ¡°Do you want to go to your room?¡± Sol asked, and Hanna shook her head violently. Aema sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to go make your favorite cinnamon tea, so just relax. Are you hungry? Do you want some bread or cookies or something?¡± Hanna relaxed, her face taking on a dreamy quality. Cookies.. Cinnamon tea.. Aema gave a lighthearted chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes and see what we have. Chaos isn¡¯t Hanna, but I probably shouldn¡¯t leave him alone too long with the food,¡± she grinned before exiting the parlor. Sol sat in a chair adjacent to Hanna and watched her, her head propped up by a hand. She stared at Hanna so long that she began to squirm inside. Finally, Sol stretched and tilted her head. ¡°Are you gonna tell me what happened?¡± she asked quietly, a quality of insistence to her voice. Hanna sat, unable to speak. She wanted to, but something about explaining everything made her worry they would all think she was crazy. Perhaps she would end up in a sanitarium if she spoke out.. She didn¡¯t have to worry long before Aema came back, carrying a tray of tea and assorted breads and pastries. Hanna tensed until she saw the tray wasn¡¯t silver. She visibly relaxed and gave Hanna a nod of thanks and a weak smile as she took her tea cup. She felt a shiver as she realized Sol was watching her again. No, not watching¡ªobserving. The memory of the creepy Fake Sol doctor came into her mind, and she sipped her piping hot tea, grateful for its warmth. Aema took her seat beside Hanna again and served herself a cup of coffee, then gave Sol a scrutinizing look. ¡°I would have gotten you coffee, but I¡¯m punishing you for being mean to Hanna,¡± she said primly, a hint of a smug smile on her lips. Sol tried to suppress a smirk. ¡°I deserve that,¡± she said matter-of-factly, a flash of guilt crossing her face. She looked at Hanna, then at the tray. Hanna looked down at the goods and instantly understood: Sol was judging whether or not she could take the jam cookie or if she should leave it for Hanna. As if in slow motion, Sol¡¯s hand began to lift. Hanna grabbed the cookie and jammed it into her mouth with lightning speed, coughing on a crumb after a moment. ¡°Oh, Hanna, drink some tea! You shouldn¡¯t eat so fast, you¡¯ll choke,¡± Aema scolded gently. Sol covered her amused smile with her hand and pretended she had been reaching for the hard biscotti piece. Hanna knew better than that. Sol despised the hard biscotti. She felt slightly triumphant¡­and slightly guilty at the same time, as she watched Sol miserably try to bite the end of the biscotti. Hanna didn¡¯t sleep all that night. The town doctor, Diana, made a house-call that morning to check in on her and gave her some calming herbs to help her anxiety. Hanna wandered the manor like a ghost. ¡°Hey there, Banana,¡± Chaos called to her with a smirk and a wave as he passed her in one of the corridors. She couldn¡¯t remember if she said anything back. She didn¡¯t sleep the next night, either. Eventually, the following morning, she finally made her way to her room, though wearily. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. At first, everything looked as it should. After all, why shouldn¡¯t it? But then she realized her room here was a little bit smaller than in, as she dubbed it, World 2. There were little differences. The decor, the beds, the balcony doors. She wondered how she hadn¡¯t noticed the details before. Now that she had a clear head, familiar surroundings, and time to herself, Hanna began to think on all that had occurred. She came to the conclusion that, for whatever reason, World 2 Aema was drugging her. But World 1 Aema seemed normal, so she must be the original Aema. World 3''s Nurse Aema was kind. She seemed like she really wanted to help Hanna, but her hands were tied by whoever was watching them¡ªprobably that fake Doctor Sol. What was with that creepy doctor version of Sol? Hanna shivered and moved to grab a shawl off of her dresser when a soft rapt came at the door. Without thinking, she dove under the bed, dragging herself behind the sham for cover. ¡°Hanna?¡± came Sol¡¯s voice. Another knock, a little louder this time. After a moment, the door opened and she heard Sol¡¯s hesitant voice. ¡°Hanna? Are you here? It¡¯s Sol. I¡¯m coming in, okay?¡± Hanna barely breathed as she watched Sol¡¯s shoed feet walk slowly across the room, past her hiding spot, and stop at the balcony. A moment later, Aema gave a soft knock. Sol had left the door open, so Aema peeked in. ¡°Sol? Did you find Hanna in here?¡± she asked, coming in. ¡°No,¡± Sol replied thoughtfully, ¡°But maybe she¡¯s in another place. Would you mind checking the kitchen? She might be snacky.¡± ¡°Sure, good idea,¡± Aema replied, her feet turning to the door, then hesitating before closing the door and crossing to Sol. ¡°Can I talk to you about something? Hanna¡¯s acting kind of weird around me, right? Do you think I did something to upset her? I never actually thought she¡¯d go into the basement alone that night, I was just teasing her.¡± Sol was quiet a moment, then distractedly murmured, ¡°I know, Aems. You wouldn¡¯t do that to her on purpose. And I¡¯m sure that whatever is going on is not the fault of the Aema right in front of me. You¡¯re a good person, okay?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aema sighed. ¡°Though,¡± Sol continued, ¡°I think if she catches us hanging out in her room with the door closed, she might think we¡¯re doing something weird or wrong, right?¡± Aema laughed and her shoes headed back towards the door. As she opened it to step through, she half-pivoted. ¡°Should I leave the door open, or..?¡± She trailed off. ¡°Hn.¡± Sol thought a moment. ¡°Closed is fine, Aema. Oh, and can you please tell Soohae and Anderson that it¡¯s their turn to make lunch today?¡± ¡°Okay, Aema chirped. Hanna could practically feel her salute. Aema left, shutting the door. Sol stood a long moment quietly, then released a long sigh, as though she had been holding her breath herself. Then she drew a deep breath and murmured, ¡°Oh, Hanna, what¡¯ll I do with you?¡± Hanna tensed as Sol¡¯s footsteps led her closer to the bed, then stopped. ¡°Perhaps, then, it¡¯s a game of hide and seek.¡± Hanna wasn¡¯t sure if it was a statement or a question before Sol dropped down to her knees and lay down onto her hands, locking eyes with Hanna as she looked under the bed. ¡°Found you,¡± she said with a Cheshire grin. Hanna started, knocking her head upon the wooden frame above her. ¡°Hey, easy now!¡± Sol said. ¡°You¡¯ll definitely aggravate your head injury if you do that! Diana said to take it easy and not go knocking your head about, right?¡± Sol moved back as Hanna gulped and began to drag herself forward, out from under the bed. ¡°What were you even doing under there?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Hanna admitted. ¡°I just sort of panicked and it happened. How..How did you know I was under there?¡± Sol gave a half-shrug and smirked sideways. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m magical,¡± she said mysteriously with an eyebrow wiggle. Hanna rolled her eyes. ¡°No, seriously,¡± she insisted. Sol looked at her with mock solemnness, laying a hand on Hanna¡¯s shoulder and saying with quiet dramatization, ¡°Hanna. My dear. My pet. My rock.¡± She left a pregnant pause and continued only when Hanna began to lose patience. ¡°You forgot to pull in your skirts.¡± - After lunch, Hanna sat in Sol¡¯s office. It wasn¡¯t much¡ªcertainly not as flashy or opulent as some of the other guild leaders¡¯ offices¡ªbut it felt sort of homey. Sol walked around her desk and sat, leaning back in her chair a little. ¡°So,¡± she began. ¡°What¡¯s with all of the drama? The suspicious eyes, the jumpiness. The lack of sleep, as I can tell by your beautifully raccoon¡¯d eyes.¡± Hanna sighed and walked to the desk, plopping down with a thunk into the comfortable armchair on the other side of the desk. She couldn¡¯t help remembering the throne-like high-backed chairs in Pipe¡¯s office. By comparison, Sol¡¯s was soft, oversized and perfect for an afternoon catnap with a good book. She¡¯d often sneak into Sol¡¯s office for quiet time when their leader was busy and she didn¡¯t want to be found. After a long silence, Hanna grumped at Sol with a huff. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll tell you,¡± she said, fighting the call of sleep in the snuggly chair. ¡°But if you call me crazy or a liar, I¡¯ll get really angry with you.¡± Hanna recounted everything she could remember happening so far, starting with the night of the storm when the power went out. Sol leaned forward, putting her elbows on her desk and resting her chin on her folded hands. She seemed deep in thought for a moment before standing. Hanna wasn¡¯t sure if it was a good sign or a bad one that after everything she had told her, that her leader had yet to say a word. Sol, her back to Hanna, stretched out her arms and walked up to a map of Ethos hanging from her wall. ¡°Have you ever heard of the multiple world theory?¡± she asked in an offhanded way, as though they were talking about the weather. ¡°The what?¡± ¡°The multiple world theory,¡± Sol repeated, turning back and laying her hands on the back of her chair. ¡°It¡¯s this theory that speculates there are a number¡ªperhaps an infinite number¡ªof other worlds out there. That every decision that could ever be made HAS been made, and that each of those choices branched out into its own timeline, with its own versions of events and people¡ªeven us.¡± Hanna blinked at Sol, tears threatening to fill her eyes. ¡°Then you believe me?¡± Sol smirked and scoffed through her nose. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? I suspect you never lie to me.¡± Hanna laughed then, unbidden. It bubbled up out of her like an overflowing well¡ªoverflowing with relief. ¡°I was so scared to tell anyone! I thought I was going crazy!¡± Sol walked around her desk and sat on the edge before Hanna. ¡°What if you¡¯re not crazy?¡± she asked soberly. ¡°What if everything you experienced was real? What if that head injury you got,¡± she said pointing at Hanna¡¯s head, ¡°Was the key to some kind of freak connection to other worlds?¡± Hanna pondered this a moment before nodding. ¡°I guess it kind of makes some sense,¡± she replied doubtfully, her brain having a hard time wrapping around the idea. Sol stood again and began wandering the room in thought. ¡°Maybe all of it was real,¡± she murmured, ¡°And you¡¯re just a Traveler.¡± Hanna sat straighter and turned her head to watch Sol pace. ¡°A Traveler?¡± ¡°Maybe you traveled along the universal consciousness and entered the minds of the other Yous,¡± she said with a shrug before plopping down on a settee and shoving a pillow behind her lower back. ¡°Or maybe you¡¯re just a Wanderer. Someone who wandered in by accident after getting lost.¡± ¡°Are these real terms?¡± Hanna asked curiously. Sol merely shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s the best I¡¯ve got on such short notice,¡± she said with a dry sarcasm and a sideways grin. - Unable to stay awake another night, Hanna lay in Soohae¡¯s bed, trying to hold onto whatever covers she could. Soo was glad to let Hanna have a slumber party in her room, but she was a total cover hog and Hanna shivered, prying some more of the sheet her way. Soohae rolled over in her sleep, her arm flopping and her loose fist narrowly hitting Hanna in the face. She wondered for a second if she made the wrong decision when a sleepy giggle escaped Soo¡¯s mouth, and Hanna had to cover hers with both hands to keep from laughing. So cute! I wonder what she¡¯s dreaming about, she thought to herself. Then her mind began to wander and her eyelids grew tired. She began to wonder about the other world theory¡ªor was it the many worlds theory? She wasn¡¯t sure anymore. But, strangely, the last thing she thought of as she drifted off into sleep wasn¡¯t the theory, but the conversation Sol and Aema were having in her bedroom while she hid. ¡°I know, Aems. You wouldn¡¯t do that to her on purpose. And I¡¯m sure that whatever is going on is not the fault of the Aema right in front of me.¡± The Aema in front of her..? Before Hanna could think on it too deeply, sleep ushered her into its waiting arms, carrying her consciousness to the land of dreams. Hanna dreamt. She dreamt she was running from the evil fake Doctor Sol, when the Real Sol suddenly appeared and waved her into a hiding place, a crack in the wall. ¡°Here! Come here, quick! Hurry, Hanna!¡± Hanna ran as fast as her legs could carry her, squeezing herself into the crack and holding her breath until the Fake Sol ran past her hiding place and kept going. She let out the breath she was holding and panted her relief. She felt as if her heart had almost burst from the pressure of her holding her own breath. ¡°We made it,¡± she gasped, turning to Sol. ¡°We¡¯re safe!¡± ¡°Sol cocked her head to the side and smiled her sideways smirk. ¡°But are we?¡± she asked, her voice laced with something mischievous. Hanna realized slowly that Sol¡¯s smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes. A glint of something silver in Sol¡¯s hand. Was that a..scalpel? Hanna awoke with a start, sitting straight up in bed. She panted, trying to catch her breath and failing when she recognized the sunlit interior of her own bedroom. Oh no, she thought frantically. Throwing back the covers, Hanna raced to her dresser and grabbed some clothing before rushing into her personal water room. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she had before someone came looking for her, and she had no idea how long it had been since this Hanna had bathed, so she relieved herself before washing and dressing quickly. Now then, she thought, A weapon. I need a weapon. She burst out of the water room and into Candace. Evil Candace, who she was sure was in league with Aema 2, as she now dubbed her. ¡°Oh!¡± Candace cried out as Hanna ran into her, nearly knocking her over. ¡°Candace! Sorry! I just¡ª¡± the words that tumbled out in a mad rush died on her tongue the moment Aema 2 appeared in the doorway. I have to get out of here, the thought finished weakly in her head. But inside, somehow, she knew that was no longer going to happen. ¡°Oh,¡± Aema 2 said, smiling that now creepily bright smile. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you up and around, but you really should be back in bed. Rest is best,¡± she chirped cheerfully. Hanna¡¯s brain prickled with familiarity at the phrase, but she shook it off and concocted a cheerful smile of her own. ¡°I¡¯m feeling much better now, as you can see. I¡¯m all dressed and ready for the day! I really would like to take a walk in the garden.¡± Aema 2¡¯s mask momentarily slipped as she bristled, but it was gone as soon as it had come. Her smile was tighter, but it was back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it really isn¡¯t good weather for being in the garden,¡± Aema replied mechanically, gesturing with a hand towards Hanna¡¯s bed. Hanna furrowed in confusion and turned her head towards the bright sunlight streaming into her bedroom, the sound of birds singing in the distance. Then she remembered. Nurse Aema had said the same thing, only with some sort of fear or discomfort, rather than this weird sort of¡­control. ¡°It looks fine outside,¡± Hanna replied, standing up straighter. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re not feeling well, dear Aema. Perhaps you should have some of that medicine you love giving out.¡± Aema 2¡¯s mask dropped completely. ¡°Candace, dear,¡± she said darkly, ¡°I believe our poor Hanna must be hallucinating again. I¡¯m afraid we may have to restrain her to her bed.¡± Hanna¡¯s mouth ran dry, her throat tightened as she turned to look at Candace. A shadow of darkness danced in her expression as she smiled coldly. ¡°Poor Hanna,¡± Candace replied flatly. ¡°We had best take care of her before she harms herself.¡± The momentary panic of indecision as Hanna whipped her head between the two was all they needed to move to grab her. Aema 2¡¯s hands were surprisingly cold on Hanna¡¯s arms, and painfully strong with vice-like grips. Candace rushed to the bed, pulled back the covers and pulled up restraints that had been tucked under the mattress. What the hell?! Hanna thought, panicked. Have those been there the whole time?! Hanna struggled to pull back as Aema all but dragged her towards the bed. Candace hurried to her side and helped grip Hanna. ¡°Now, Hanna, you really should cooperate,¡± Candace grunted with the effort. ¡°You¡¯ll feel fine as soon as you take your medicine.¡± The two made quick work of dragging Hanna back to her bed. Candace climbed onto the bed, helping to pull Hanna¡¯s struggling body onto the bed. Grabbing a strap from the bottom, she started restraining Hanna¡¯s feet while Aema 2 held her arms. Once her feet were restrained, Candace and Aema 2 each took an arm and tied her down. ¡°There we go, all comfy cozy back in bed,¡± Aema sneered, pulling the covers back over Hanna, hiding the restraints. ¡°Let me go, Aema,¡± Hanna growled, her anger rising. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s time for your medicine,¡± Aema 2 replied, her voice sickly sweet. Hanna tried to twist and away, but between Candace and the restraints, there was nowhere for her to go. Aema 2 produced the strange vial of liquid from before from her pocket, using a needless syringe, she siphoned the liquid from the vial. Candace held her head, Aema forced her mouth open. ¡°No!¡± she tried to scream, but she was already choking on the putrid concoction. When she had been forced to swallow the entirety of the syringe¡¯s contents, Aema 2 stepped back, satisfied. Hanna¡¯s stomach and head felt fuzzy and a feeling of vertigo washed over her as her eyes grew heavy. She gave a scathing glare to her captors as Candace, looking almost regretful, returned to Aema 2¡¯s side, the latter with a twisted smile on her lips. In her final moments before her heavy lids flitted shut, sealing her into the darkness, Hanna¡¯s eyes looked to the door beyond them. The door they had forgotten to close. In the doorway stood Chaos, his eyes wide, his mouth agape. Run, she wanted to say, but her mouth wouldn¡¯t form the words. It was probably too late anyway, she thought, the darkness sliding around her. Chapter 8 - Here Comes the Sun ¡°Hanna?¡± The voice came gently. Hesitantly. ¡°Hun, are you still asleep?¡± Hanna felt far away, a buzzing between her ears, giving her a muddled feeling and a dull ache. She let out a small groan. ¡°Hanna, honey, it¡¯s time to wake up now.¡± There was something else now in the voice, a sort of quiet desperation. Hanna groaned again and painfully opened her eyes a crack. Nurse Aema¡¯s face was fuzzy, but came into view in a few blinks. Hanna could see the visible relief that crossed her face. She seemed to stop herself from glancing at the mirror and smiled cheerfully. ¡°It¡¯s time to rise and shine, sleepy head,¡± she crooned, peeling back Hanna¡¯s covers. The pain in Hanna¡¯s head increased and she sat up slowly, gingerly cradling her head in her hands. Nurse Aema frowned. ¡°Do you need something for your head? Are you having a headache again?¡± She turned to her little cart and grabbed a small container of little white pills. Shaking a couple out, she handed them to Hanna and began to fill a glass with water. ¡°This¡¯ll help with that headache of yours,¡± she said with a gentle smile. Hanna looked up at Nurse Aema for a second, then accepted the pills. At this point, why not? Hanna thought to herself. She had already been drugged in World 2. But something told her she could trust this Aema, almost as much as she trusted Real Aema back in World 1. ¡°Thanks,¡± she murmured, swallowing down the chalky pills with her foggy water. ¡°Today¡¯s the big day,¡± Nurse Aema smiled with reserved excitement. ¡°You finally get to go back to your private room!¡± Hanna sat up a little straighter. Private room. She smiled weakly. Maybe with a little privacy, she could figure this out. ¡°How soon can I move out?¡± she asked with a sideways grin. The room was halfway up the hall, much closer to the Lounge than her previous one. This one was slightly larger, had a private bathroom with shower. There was a window looking outside and letting in light, though it was barred on the outside. The bed was nicer, full size with a wooden frame. Unlike the cold, tile floor of the observation room she¡¯d been in, this one had a light wooden floor with a low pile round rug beneath the bed, spilling out from under it like a blue halo. It wasn¡¯t the most glamourous thing, but it was nicer than having cold feet. There was even a small dresser, and a bedside table with a small lamp. Her favorite part was the little desk beneath the window. It felt sunny. ¡°I hope it¡¯s to your liking,¡± Nurse Aema said, wringing her hands with an edge of nerves. ¡°Let me show you around,¡± she said, closing the door behind them. In the privacy and silence, they both stood a moment, unmoving for a beat before Nurse Aema let out a sigh, as if releasing tension from her body and took a careful step towards Hanna. ¡°Which one are you?¡± she asked tentatively, in a hushed whisper. ¡°Which one, what?¡± Hanna replied, her face screwing up in confusion despite her heart skipping a beat, sensing a potential danger. Nurse Aema looked around out of habit, then said suddenly louder, ¡°Yes, I can show you the bathroom, this way!¡± before turning and going into the bathroom. Hanna rubbed her face with a hand and decided to follow this weird line of thought and walked after Nurse Aema. Nurse Aema turned the water on full blast with both nozzles and shut the door, leaving them in the small, dimly lit bathroom alone. ¡°Which one are you?¡± she repeated again, her voice barely a whisper above the roar of the water. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hanna asked tentatively. ¡°I know you¡¯re not my Hanna,¡± she said more sharply than she intended. Hanna jerked her gaze up to Aema. ¡°And I know you¡¯re not my Aema,¡± she replied harshly. Nurse Aema smiled tightly, as if she¡¯d just confirmed something. ¡°You need to be more careful,¡± she warned. ¡°And you can¡¯t call me Aema here.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Hanna asked, raising her brows. ¡°Because this world¡¯s Aema isn¡¯t named Aema. She¡¯s Isis.¡± Isis? The delicious food cook? ¡°Is this some kind of joke?¡± Hanna asked suspiciously. ¡°No,¡± she replied. ¡°And if you don¡¯t want them knowing which one you are, you¡¯ll do well to remember that this world¡¯s Aema is named Isis.¡± World. Like Sol said. ¡°Why do keep saying ¡®this world¡¯s Aema¡¯? Aren¡¯t you this world¡¯s Aema?¡± Nurse Aema smiled sadly. ¡°No,¡± she said simply. ¡°I don¡¯t know how I ended up here, but I have had to be very careful. I think they know I¡¯m not Isis, but as long as I don¡¯t ask questions and do as I¡¯m told, I think I¡¯m safe. For now.¡± Hanna nodded, understanding. She wondered how careful she had really been during her time here. ¡°What world are you from, then?¡± she asked. Nurse Aema pondered this a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly,¡± she replied. ¡°But this world is called Earth, and my world was Ethos.¡± Hanna straightened. ¡°My world is Ethos!¡± she cried before Aema gestured her to be quiet. ¡°My world is Ethos,¡± she repeated quietly. ¡°Are you from my world? Are you my Aema?¡± Nurse Aema shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± she replied thoughtfully. ¡°You didn¡¯t seem to be surprised by the electricity, but it was a great surprise to me. My Ethos doesn¡¯t have electricity yet. Or proper bathrooms. Only the highest nobles have running water. We still use a well at the manor and take turns dredging it up and bringing it to the house.¡± Hanna never thought she¡¯d feel more grateful to be from her world. ¡°We have electricity. And running water, though many still do have and use wells,¡± she said thoughtfully. ¡°What about Sol? Do you have Sol in your world? Are you part of the House of Aether?¡± Aema nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m part of the Aether House, but Sol is.. Well, I don¡¯t know how to say it except that something strange happened before I ended up here. I lost time, and now Sol is missing.¡± ¡°What do you think happened to her?¡± Hanna asked, her heart speeding up a little. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Nurse Aema replied. But I think maybe when I¡¯m here, Isis and I switch places. The worst part is, I¡¯ve been here a really long time now. I¡¯m starting to become afraid that I can¡¯t return home.¡± Hanna frowned. So maybe Sol was missing, or maybe that stain in the basement.. Something suddenly occurred to her. ¡°But when I was in the other Ethos, I was able to take a bath and wash up. So maybe it wasn¡¯t yours? You said you don¡¯t have running water in your manor.¡± Nurse Aema puzzled this a moment, then smiled. ¡°We don¡¯t have running water, but we do have water tanks we installed on the roof. They catch rain water and the sun heats them to get them warm. Did you wash while the sun was up?¡± Hanna thought a moment and nodded. ¡°They kept drugging me, so I only really came-to during the day.¡± Nurse Aema frowned. ¡°They¡¯re..drugging you? Who exactly? With what?¡± Hanna shrugged. ¡°Aema 2¡ªthat¡¯s what I¡¯ve been calling her in my mind¡ªtries to keep me in my bed. She makes me take this medicine she says I need, but there¡¯s something weird about it.¡± ¡°What does it look like?¡± Nurse Aema¡¯s face took on a seriousness that it hadn¡¯t before. ¡°A weird vial of some kind of creepy liquid,¡± she answered. ¡°But I don¡¯t really know what it is. And I think,¡± she continued, ¡°that she must have a thing with syringes.¡± Subconsciously, Hanna rubbed the spot on her neck where she¡¯d felt the stinging pain while in the basement with Aema 2. Isis, she corrected herself. Nurse Aema frowned. ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s a way to truly confirm it was my Ethos and not another version somewhere out there.¡± Hanna considered this for a moment, then spoke slowly. ¡°In your Ethos, what kind of bed do I have?¡± Nurse Aema looked at Hanna as though she¡¯d hit her head again, then answered hesitantly. ¡°A four-poster queen bed, but they¡¯re half-posts, not full posts. You wanted a canopy, but that was the best Sol could do at the time.¡± One of the biggest things that Hanna had noticed about her bedroom when she had returned to her world, something she noticed but didn¡¯t think too hard on, was her bed. The beds were nearly identical, but Hanna¡¯s real bed was a queen-sized canopy. World 2¡¯s bed was also a queen four-poster, but the posts didn¡¯t rise completely up, so there was no canopy. It had been something Hanna had mostly overlooked. Until now. Hanna looked up at her and laughed in triumph. ¡°That¡¯s the one I woke up in!¡± she exclaimed. Then her eyes sparkled with a dark excitement. ¡°I know where Isis is,¡± she began. ¡°And she¡¯s walking around in your body, pretending to be you.¡± The bathroom began to gather steam, dampening Hanna¡¯s skin as the REAL Aema 2 stared at her in contemplative silence. ¡°So Isis is in my world¡­and she¡¯s drugging my Hanna.¡± There was an anger behind her eyes that hadn¡¯t been there before, and her jaw set. ¡°Aema¡ªI¡¯ll just call you Aema in private. I¡¯ve been thinking of you as ¡®Nurse Aema¡¯, but I guess you¡¯re the real Aema 2 and the fake Aema 2 is really Isis.¡± Aema stared at Hanna a moment, then her mouth twitched and she broke into a laugh. ¡°That sounds so confusing! I¡¯m really glad you found a way to make sense of things,¡± she chuckled. Hanna chuckled too, then sobered. ¡°Hey, Aema 2, why are we in a steaming bathroom?¡± Nurse Aema looked at her and smirked. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if they monitor the rooms somehow, listening in maybe. I thought if we talked softly in here, with the water running, no one could hear us.¡± Hanna nodded. It made enough sense, but now her skin was getting sticky from the moisture and her clothes were getting damp. ¡°Maybe we can just take the risk?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m becoming a swamp monster,¡± she muttered, gesturing to her dress. Aema looked at her own clothing and chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll just turn the hot off.¡± Reaching into the shower, she turned the further knob until the shower water stopped steaming. Then she walked to the panel by the door and flicked on a switch. An exhaust fan above began to run, lazily inviting the steam to evacuate the small space. As the steam exited the bathroom, the two girls lapsed into a silence nearly as heavy as Hanna¡¯s dress now felt. A silence that felt pregnant with possibilities, then a question slowly entered Hanna¡¯s mind. ¡°Aema.. What happens to the other person when we..travel or whatever. Do they switch places with us like Isis did with you, because so far it seems like time doesn¡¯t really pass the same way between worlds, but when I wake up in one.. It¡¯s like..¡± Hanna¡¯s head ached and she struggled for the words. ¡°Like without me there, the body was just sort of an empty shell or frozen in time or something.¡± The real World 2 Aema stood quietly, her eyes hooded by a darkness before she looked up at Hanna. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know if time passes or not, if we return to the moment we left or not, or what happens to the other person when we¡¯re¡­inhabiting them. All I know is you were in my Hanna¡¯s body and you said she¡¯s being drugged. I need to find a way to get back to her. Before something worse happens.¡± There was a quality to Aema 2¡¯s worry that resonated with Hanna, though she wasn¡¯t sure exactly why. ¡°Aema, why did I first wake up in that..what is it¡ªan observation room?¡± Nurse Aema frowned. ¡°Doctor Sol took Hanna away to conduct some tests. After that, she had her moved there for observation. Then you came..¡± She hesitated. ¡°I could tell you were different somehow, but I had to be sure. You weren¡¯t familiar with this place at all. You didn¡¯t even question why you weren¡¯t in your room, so I knew it had to be a different Hanna. I just.. I didn¡¯t expect..¡± she trailed off, frowning. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she reassured softly, setting a hand on Aema 2¡¯s arm. ¡°We¡¯ll figure this all out.¡± Nurse Aema smiled weakly. In spite of her own words, Hanna wondered to herself if they really could figure it out at all. - Hanna stared out the window of her room. She now had permission to leave to and from the commons area on her own, her door unlocked during the daylight hours, but she was lost in thought, going over what few things she knew¡ªor thought she knew¡ªand the conversation with the real Aema 2. So, everything is real, she thought to herself. Just¡­different worlds or dimensions or something. But, somehow, some people are able to travel between¡­what? Consciousnesses? Is that even a word? Consciousness¡­es.. Whatever. Hanna huffed and sat down in the chair at the small desk that was brought in for her. That same orderly that had brought her to her room the day Nurse Bitchface made her first take those pills had brought the chair. His name was Gerald, and his milk chocolately skin was flawless. As it turned out, Gerald was actually pretty friendly. He admitted to Hanna that he wasn¡¯t an orderly, but a security guard in scrubs. The kenspeckle uniform of the guards drew too much attention¡ªnot always the positive kind¡ªand so the administrators asked them to dress as orderlies. The other hall ¡®orderly,¡¯ his friend and co-guard, Sam, had dirty blond hair and bright brown eyes that looked like they were dipped in honey. I wouldn¡¯t mind being escorted to my room by him, Hanna thought. He¡¯s like a sexy Ken doll. Only he¡¯s probably anatomically correct. Although Gerald¡¯s not so bad either. She smirked as she turned and rose from the chair. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to pay the boys a little visit. As she opened her door, a sudden realization hit her: Legacy¡¯s room was now right across from hers! Pulling her door closed behind her, Hanna glanced left, down the long corridor that led to her old quarters, and to her right, the short jaunt to the commons. Seeing nobody¡ªor at least, nobody who could see her¡ªshe quickly walked across to Legacy¡¯s door, took a deep breath, and tapped as quietly as she could. She waited a moment, quickly glanced around, took the risk and did another quick knock, louder this time. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. A moment stretched into two, and Hanna wondered if she shouldn¡¯t just continue down the hall when the knob to the door slowly turned. The door opened a slight crack and Hanna could see Legacy¡¯s wild eye peeking through the slot. ¡°Hey, Legacy,¡± Hanna drawled slowly, raising her hand in a slight wave, afraid to spook the girl. Suddenly the door shot open and Legacy lunged, grabbing Hanna¡¯s wrist painfully and pulling her into the room with one rough jerk. She slammed the door closed and span around, shoving Hanna into the room and standing with her back against the door, panting and staring wide-eyed, like a caged animal. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here!¡± she hissed breathlessly. Her head whipping around manically, as if she expected someone to be watching from somewhere in the room. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here,¡± she repeated, her voice a harsh whisper. Hanna was momentarily speechless. Then, as though the hamster decided to run again on the wheel of her brain, she blinked and replied carefully, ¡°Um.. You pulled me in here, so..¡± She trailed off. She took a moment to really take Legacy in. The girl¡¯s hair was wild and unkempt, her youthful face seemed older somehow, aged. Her eyes were surrounded by bruise-like circles, hues of purple and black. Her eyes themselves bloodshot, as though from lack of sleep, and seemed to stay wide and alert. She was twitchy for long moments at a time, then would freeze, as though listening for something, pupils fixed. ¡°They¡¯ll know if they find you,¡± she said quickly, a hint of mania in her words as well. ¡°If they find you, they¡¯ll know, and then they¡¯ll know that I know, and then they¡¯ll come for me!¡± The words left her in a mad rush and Hanna felt her body tense with fear. She¡¯s not right, Hanna thought. There¡¯s something wrong with her. What happened? ¡°It isn¡¯t right, it isn¡¯t real--but it¡¯s real and it¡¯s wrong. Did you see?¡± she hissed quietly, closing the distance to Hanna in only a couple of steps, peering into Hanna¡¯s face from mere inches away. ¡°Did you see them? See what happened?¡± Hanna¡¯s mouth ran dry and she tried to swallow, but her throat stuck. ¡°Yes,¡± she choked out in a whisper, hoping to appease this mad girl and make an escape. This had been a mistake, and now she was afraid there would be no going back. If this girl found her to be a threat, would she attack? Hanna was certain she would. As much as she wanted to ask who was doing what, it was better to play along, just in case. Legacy visibly relaxed and backed away a couple steps, standing straighter and looking calmer, more determined. ¡°You can¡¯t sleep,¡± she stated matter-of-factly. ¡°You can¡¯t go to sleep. You don¡¯t wake up in the right place. You wake up someplace..different¡± She shifted, as though she expected someone to pop out at her and she needed to be prepared to bolt. Something in Hanna¡¯s brain clicked. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she said slowly, carefully. ¡°You don¡¯t wake up in the right place. Can you tell me, where is the right place?¡± Legacy turned, staring madly into Hanna¡¯s eyes, her body frozen. After a very long pause, in which Hanna was afraid to blink, and scarcely breathed¡ªLegacy relaxed her body, but her eye contact didn¡¯t break and her voice was a ragged whisper. ¡°They do things to you,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t trust the Sol. The mad Sol. The mad one. The mad doctor.¡± Legacy leaned so close that her face was nearly touching Hanna¡¯s, her gaze uncomfortably piercing. ¡°They¡¯ll take you,¡± she whispered harshly. ¡°They¡¯ll take you and she¡¯ll gut you. She¡¯ll take your eyes. She¡¯ll take everything.¡± - Okay, Hanna thought, her heart pounding as she clicked the door safely behind her and leaned her body against it, catching her breath. That took an unexpected turn. It took Hanna some time to placate the girl enough to be able to slip out of the room, but once she was out and the door closed safely behind her, she felt she could breathe a sigh of relief. She wasn¡¯t sure whether Legacy had gone totally mad, or if this place had done something to her, but some of what she said made sense. It resonated with Hanna. Hadn¡¯t she, herself, tried not to sleep when she returned to her home world? Or what if this was Legacy¡¯s home world and she truly was crazy? Either way, she hadn¡¯t gleaned anything else from the fearful girl other than repeated words and sentences. ¡°She¡¯ll gut you!¡± Legacy had insisted. The thought alone put an icy tingle of fear running along Hanna¡¯s spine. She shivered and turned towards the commons area. She would try to eat lunch now, to keep up her strength more than anything, though she wasn¡¯t sure if she could hold anything down with her stomach in such knots. As she entered the commons area, a hand clamped down on her right shoulder and a loud voice cried out, ¡°Hey!¡±. Hanna startled, ducking her shoulder and whipping around in a way that, begrudgingly, reminded her of Legacy. ¡°Hey!¡± she cried out in return, looking up to see a surprised Gerald. He raised his hands into the air in mock surrender. ¡°Whoa,¡± he said gently. It made her feel like he was calming a horse and she scowled. ¡°Easy, girl! I got you,¡± he said, then he glanced down. ¡°Hanna, seriously, you¡¯re shaking. Did I scare you that bad? I¡¯m sorry, girl, usually you don¡¯t spook.¡± Hanna looked down at her own trembling hands and pulled them into fists, pressing them into her sides. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that,¡± she said, shaking her head. She was surprised at how meek her voice sounded. Looking up she met Gerald¡¯s green-eyed gaze. ¡°I just saw Legacy,¡± she said, not even realizing her arms came up to tighten around herself. His eyes widened slightly, he took a step forward, looking around cautiously with his eyes, his gaze focusing for an extra moment on the Nurse¡¯s Station before dropping down to Hanna¡¯s face. ¡°Be careful!¡± he said, his voice dropping to a hushed whisper. ¡°Don¡¯t you know you can get in trouble just for saying that girl¡¯s name?¡± Hanna didn¡¯t know how to answer, she just looked up into his face and felt at a loss. Gerald put a hand on her shoulder with a sympathetic sigh. ¡°Look,¡± he said sincerely, ¡°I know she¡¯s your friend, but that Legacy is gonna get you into nothing but trouble. That girl has finally gone off the deep end. She is the one who flew over the cuckoo¡¯s nest, and hanging with her is only gonna get you in deep.¡± He gave Hanna a knowing look, then a reassuring smile. ¡°Now, I¡¯m gonna stop touching you before I get in trouble,¡± he said with a light chuckle, releasing her and moving back. He turned his head to the Nurse¡¯s Station and gave an exaggerated nod with a toothy smile that made him look ridiculous as he gave a little wave. Hanna turned to the Lounge, risking a look at the Nurse¡¯s Station to see a glaring Sasha, her little mouth as tiny and puckered as a cat¡¯s bum-hole. Hanna turned away, rolling her eyes. If anyone here needed some medication, it¡¯s Sasha, she thought darkly. That lady could use a little pick-me-up. She didn¡¯t feel like communicating with anyone, though there were scarcely any patients to be seen. She strolled to the TV area and camped out on a sofa, making herself a little nest out of the pillows. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she watched or how much time passed before a gentle hand on her arm nudged her awake. ¡°Hey. Excuse me..¡± ¡°Mrph?¡± Hanna grumbled unintelligibly, blinking up at the beautiful young man. He seemed familiar. ¡°Are you watching anything, or is it okay if I change the channel?¡± A blurry-eyed Hanna looked groggily from the boy to the television screen and back. ¡°What are you gonna watch?¡± she asked dumbly, trying to gather her sense as sat up in her pillow kingdom. ¡°I was thinking of checking out the weather, then maybe a documentary or something.¡± Hanna made a show of tilting sideways to glance behind him at the blue skies outside of the tall windows. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re going to be disappointed. It¡¯s sunny. It¡¯s always sunny here. Unless it rains, probably. Though I haven¡¯t seen that yet.¡± Stretching, she gave him a Cheshire grin. ¡°But you can change it all the same. I¡¯ll watch it with you. Maybe,¡± she said with a air of mystery, ¡°I¡¯ll be surprised.¡± Half an hour, the weather channel, and a cooking show later, Hanna was sure of two things: The first was that it was definitely clear, sunny weather. She never had any doubt. The second was that she was now only mildly confident she could sort of, maybe, make a fruit tart. Though she¡¯d already forgotten how they made the crust. The puff pastry looked pretty good. Maybe she could get one of those smuggled in from Aema. Or, when she got back home, from the real Aema. Or..¡¯her¡¯ Aema, she supposed. Watching the cooking show just made her feel hungry, so she abandoned the sofa with a small wave and a quiet ¡°See you later,¡± before heading off to use the facilities and search for food. The Lounge¡¯s communal bathroom was bigger than she expected, and very pristine. The smell of bleach burned her nostrils, but it also gave her a sense of clean just by walking in the door. After she was finished, while drying her hands, she risked a look at herself in the mirror. She looked paler than usual. The dark rings around her eyes were still there, unchanged. She had a haunted appearance. She supposed it was better than bat-shit crazy. Out in the Lounge, Hanna realized she had no idea how to get food by herself. So she walked up to Gerald and Sam, having a lighthearted conversation, Sam¡¯s good-natured laugh warming her up. ¡°Hanna-banana,¡± Sam called jovially. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± The nickname stung a bit, reminding Hanna of Chaos calling her the very same thing. ¡°Just you?¡± Gerald asked in mock offense, raising an eyebrow and cocking his head. Sam gave another warm laugh. ¡°Okay, okay,¡± he said. Turning back to Hanna, he grinned. ¡°What can WE do for you?¡± When Hanna told them what she was looking for, Gerald jumped at the request. ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± he said with enthusiasm. Now it was Sam¡¯s turn to pretend to be offended. ¡°What if I wanted to do it?¡± he asked Gerald with exaggerated whininess. Gerald gave a scoffing laugh. ¡°Boy, I¡¯ve been on shift longer. You just got here. Don¡¯t go taking my free time away! I gotta walk somewhere or my legs¡¯ll be cramping up, then I¡¯m gonna need one of those wheelchairs, and I¡¯ll be getting¡¯ all kinds of glares from bitter ol¡¯ Nurse Sasha!¡± Sam laughed and gave him a stiff salute. Gerald grinned and turned to Hanna. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in no time, girl. Why don¡¯t you go find some place to sit down? I¡¯ll go get you some chow.¡± As Gerald headed down the short corridor beside the Nurse¡¯s Station and disappeared through the double doors at the end, Hanna gave Sam a flirty smile and turned to go find someplace to sit. ¡°I saw that, girl! Don¡¯t you think I didn¡¯t!¡± Sam called after her, his voice teasing. Hanna felt her face grow hot as she sat down with her back to the room. This was the first place she had ever sat in the Lounge, so she found it ironic that, now that she visited the spot again, she should hear the soft scrape of the chair at the adjacent table. She turned to find Cris staring right at her as he sat down and adjusted his position. ¡°Hi,¡± he said after an awkward moment. He seemed to be trying to find the right words to say, but seemed embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about, you know..the other day. I think my meds were wrong or something,¡± he said sheepishly, a shy smile coming to his lips. He¡¯s actually not too bad to look at either, Hanna thought to herself. When he smiles at least. And isn¡¯t acting crazy. The irony of that thought was lost to her as she took in his dark hair and searching eyes. In her mind she could hear Aema¡¯s laugh, feel Soohae¡¯s approval in her observations, hear Chaos¡¯ teasing and see Sol rolling her eyes with a smirk. She had a sudden deep swell of nostalgia. I miss them, she realized. So much more than I thought I did. Cris frowned. ¡°Sorry, did I say something wrong? You look really sad now.¡± Hanna gave a little laugh and wiped the moisture from her eyes. ¡°No,¡± she replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine. But do you mind if I just sit with you? Talking to you this way is really hurting my neck.¡± His eyes widened and he moved to stand, gesturing to the chair closest to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t think¡ª" ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Hanna interrupted, as she waved him down and changed seats. ¡°Please, sit.¡± The sound the chair made as it pulled out grated her nerves. ¡°So, you were saying?¡± she said coyly, propping her face on one hand and batting her eyes dramatically. Cris looked confused and slightly uncomfortable, which made Hanna grin sincerely. She liked flustering people. ¡°Uh, anyway,¡± he continued. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to freak you out or anything the other day.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± Hanna was saying when a tray of food suddenly slammed down on the table in front of Cris. ¡°I see you¡¯re socializing today,¡± Nurse Sasha glared, the words sounding more like an accusation than friendly banter. ¡°I see you¡¯re serving food again today, Nurse Jennings,¡± Gerald said from behind her. She glared as she moved to let him pass and he set Hanna¡¯s tray down gently. ¡°There you go, Hanna. And I got you a banana milk,¡± he said with a wink. Nurse Sasha put her hands on her hips. ¡°And I see you left your post to run errands like some lackey,¡± she replied scornfully. Gerald gave a shrug. ¡°Sure beats pushing drugs on the kids,¡± he said with a grin, walking backwards and lifting his hands in mock surrender. ¡°Oops, I meant medicine,¡± he finished, spinning on his heel and strolling back to Sam, who gave him a supportive high-five. ¡°Children,¡± Nurse Sasha fumed, stomping back towards the Nurse¡¯s Station. Hanna and Cris look at each other and shrugged. ¡°So, that was weird. Why is that Sasha lady always all over you¡ªis she your mother or something?¡± Hanna cocked her head in Nurse Sasha¡¯s direction. Cris took a furtive glance her way and, when he noticed she had momentarily disappeared, turned quickly to Hanna. ¡°Give me your tray,¡± he said quietly, holding out his hands. Hanna looked at him like he had just asked for a kidney. ¡°Uh, what?¡± ¡°Your tray,¡± he repeated urgently, constantly checking for the Nurse to reappear. ¡°Give it to me. Hurry!¡± ¡°Geez, okay, okay! Food is just food, man, no need to get all persnickety,¡± she huffed as she lifted the tray. Cris quickly slid his tray in front of her and all but snatched hers hers, setting it before him with an unceremonious thunk. ¡°My banana milk..¡± she began and he huffed and quickly swapped the drinks. A moment later, Nurse Sasha appeared back inside the Nurse¡¯s Station, staring down their table like a hawk about to descend on its prey. ¡°She¡¯s kind of scary,¡± Hanna remarked passively. ¡°She¡¯s drugging me,¡± Cris insisted quietly, picking up his fork and beginning to eat his newly attained food. Today¡¯s meal was a linguine herb butter and cream pasta with peas and carrots, topped with parmesan. Beside the pasta was a small piece of garlic cheese bread and a side of red grapes. Hanna grabbed one and popped it in her mouth. Cris froze. He stared and swallowed, hard and slow. ¡°Don¡¯t eat the food,¡± he whispered intensely. ¡°It¡¯s drugged I just told you that.¡± ¡°Cris,¡± Hanna whispered in a hush, leaning in conspiratorially. ¡°In case you didn¡¯t notice, we¡¯re all being drugged.¡± She gave him a wily grin and leaned back, taking a bite of the garlic cheese bread. The herbs played along her tongue and the savory flavors did a little dance on her tastebuds. ¡°Fine,¡± he retorted in a harsh whisper. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, eat the food. You¡¯ll see what happens.¡± Cris quickly ate the rest of his meal in silence and left without saying a word, discarding his tray in the dark gray tub used for collecting the plates, utensils and trays. He gave Hanna one last look of warning and walked over to the Nurse¡¯s Station. Hanna shrugged to herself and took a bite of the pasta. She nearly groaned with delight. Aema was definitely the one in the kitchen. Or should she still call her Nurse Aema, or Aema 2..? While she pondered this, Hanna worshipped every bite against her tongue. Drugs in the food, she thought incredulously. Seriously, what a joke. That guy¡¯s more paranoid than I am. - ¡°Just because you¡¯re paranoid doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re not out to get you.¡± Hanna jerked awake, her eyes shot open. She was so sure she¡¯d heard Sol¡¯s voice just now. Or maybe it was a dream? Her stomach roiled. She quickly tried to get out of bed, but her body was tangled in the sheets and she hit the floor. She dragged herself quickly over to the trash can and emptied the contents of her stomach violently, over and over until, at last, nothing was left. For a while, she lay panting beside the trash can, unable to recall how or when she even got back to her room, until the smell of sick began to turn her stomach again. She sat up dizzily, a sense of vertigo washing over her until she was sure she¡¯d be sick again. From somewhere nearby she heard a click as the door opened, harsh light spilling in from the hallway before it closed again. Thank the gods, Aema! Hanna thought desperately. Sure, she didn¡¯t believe in the gods, but it was something she often heard Sol say. The soft pad of footsteps came to her and someone kneeled beside her. The vertigo was so much worse with her eyes closed, so she opened them, the spinning room making her seasick. Finally, a sardonic chuckle from beside her made her try to focus on the person¡¯s face. ¡°So you¡¯ve been a bad girl, haven¡¯t you Hanna?¡± the voice said in an almost sing-song from beside her. As her eyes focused on the face, she made out the features in the darkness. Fake Sol¡ªthe mad doctor¡ªstared at her with a leering grin and a knowing expression. She crouched beside Hanna, near enough to touch, but she didn¡¯t move to do so. Instead, she shook her head, that cold, eerie smile never leaving her lips. ¡°Such a bad, bad girl. What should we do with the bad girl? What did we do to the other bad girls?¡± Hanna had never once feared Sol¡ªher Sol¡ªbut this one was unpredictable, inscrutable, and dangerous. And currently having a conversation with herself, which meant, to Hanna, that she was more terrifying than any nightmare. Between the fear, confusion and vertigo, Hanna barely stifled a sob. ¡°Oh, no,¡± the evil Sol hissed breathily, gently scolding, pushing back a lock of Hanna¡¯s hair behind her ear. ¡°We¡¯ll have none of that,¡± she crooned, sending shivers of fear through Hanna¡¯s skin and up her spine. The vile doctor moved close, her lips nearly close enough to brush against Hanna¡¯s ear as she whispered, ¡°We have plans for you. We can¡¯t have you waste away to nothing.¡± Whilst Hanna began trembling, Fake Sol shot up to her feet and dusted off her clothes. ¡°Well,¡± she said, in as cheery a manner as a dead-pan stoic can be, ¡°I must be going. I¡¯ll send in Isis¡ªI mean Aema¡ªto clean up this mess. Let this be a lesson to you," she said flatly. ¡°Don¡¯t go taking others¡¯ meals. Those drugs combined with what Sasha gave you could have killed you, you know. Just think of this misery as your grace period.¡± She lifted an eyebrow. ¡°It ends in the morning,¡± she added darkly. Fake Sol walked casually to the door and turned the knob. As the door opened a sliver, she paused, her glasses flashing in the light of the hall as she turned her head to Hanna. ¡°I suggest you not mess up again,¡± she remarked coldly. Then she was gone, the door closing with a soft click behind her. In the silence that followed, Hanna heard the pit-pat of a few drops hitting the floor. She thought they were her tears, or her draining nose. Sniffling, she wiped her wet nose with the back of her hand. A dark smear stained her hand, and the nauseating metallic scent of blood filled her nose, reminding her stomach that it still had bile it could send up. Chapter 9 - Lost and Found Hanna wasn¡¯t sure how long she lay in the dark of her room, barely a trickle of light coming through the window¡¯s curtains to see by, coughing and sobbing and vomiting as her nose bled. If that evil bitch wants me alive, she¡¯s got a funny way of showing it, Hanna thought angrily. A wave of guilt hit her as she felt torn between calling Sol something so horrible, and the fact that THIS Sol truly was horrible. Hanna couldn¡¯t reconcile the dramatic differences between the two. Her Sol was kind, where this one was cruel. Her Sol helped others when she could, this one basically mocked her as she lay in her own sick. The vertigo came and left in waves and, finally, Hanna had finally had enough. Just kill me, she thought as she sobbed on the floor beside her trash can. The rest was sort of like a dream, but she couldn¡¯t be sure. She dreamt that Soohae came to take care of her, clean her up, help her back to bed and put a cold washcloth on her forehead to stave off the fever. But this Soohae was a ghost. A ghost Soohae in a while billowy dress, pale skin, dark circles around her eyes, her long dark hair flowing like gentle waves. She reminded Hanna a bit of the poor, sick Soohae in World 2, with her haunted look. She remembered a voice in the dream say, ¡°Oh, no,¡± but it wasn¡¯t Soohae¡¯s. Her mind was clouded and confused and, eventually, it slipped into unconsciousness. - Hanna awoke in the worse pain possible. Worse than any hangover, headache or migraine she¡¯d ever had. Her head felt so badly that the first thing she did was sob silently and long for death. The pain only increased when someone cried out, ¡°Oh, dear! Hanna!¡±. The next thing she recalled, she was in an ice bath, the pain of the water felt as if her body were on fire with a frozen flame. The shock of it was horrendous. She barely noticed she wasn¡¯t in any familiar room. Aema held her hand and called out something to her, but behind her a silver door opened and Sol walked in, a sardonic smirk across her face, then Hanna was out. - Hanna wasn¡¯t sure how long she¡¯d been out, what day it was, or even what time it was. She lay in a hospital bed with an IV bag dripping fluids down the long plastic tube into her veins. She followed the trail with confusion¡ªand relief. The pain! There was no more pain! It was finally gone. She wanted to cry, she was so relieved, but her body had no more tears to give, nor did it have the energy it would take to cry. It took a concentrated effort and a few tries before Hanna could swallow, her mouth feeling like cotton laced with a sandpaper tongue. The door opened and a Nurse she¡¯d never seen before came in, giving her the faintest of smiles and a barely perceptible nod, then checking all of her vitals, including the IV. Finally, she looked at Hanna. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re finally awake,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Are you feeling any pain? I don¡¯t imagine you¡¯ll be able to speak yet, so blink once for yes and twice for no.¡± Of course they would give her two blinks for no. Didn¡¯t they understand how taxing it was just to be alive? It took a moment, but Hanna gave two slow blinks, fighting hard to open her eyes after each one. The Nurse watched her a moment, then nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going to give you some eyedrops to help with the lack of moisture in your eyes, before they start burning on you,¡± she said as she pulled out a tiny plastic bottle, expeditiously unscrewed the top, and spread one of Hanna¡¯s eyes, then the other, assaulting them quickly with drops that poured down her face like saline tears. Hanna blinked furiously, the job becoming easier. ¡°Now I¡¯m going to help you drink a little, honey. It¡¯s going to be slow-going and hard, but I need you to drink very small amounts at a time to start.¡± The Nurse pressed a button, raising the top half of Hanna¡¯s bed until she was sitting up enough to drink. She held the glass up and helped hold the straw in place for Hanna to drink. The straw felt foreign in her mouth as Hanna struggled to suck. The room-temperature liquid felt cool to her desert-like mouth. Swallowing was still difficult, and it was indeed slow-going, but the Nurse sat patiently beside her, helping her until she¡¯d had her fill and, pushing the straw from her mouth with her tongue, shook her head slightly. The Nurse checked the glass and seemed satisfied, making notes in some type of file on a clipboard while Hanna observed her. She wore her dark hair pulled up and pinned, partially tucked under her nurse¡¯s cap. Instead of scrubs she seemed to wear a much older version of a Nurse¡¯s outfit, though it appeared to be crisp and new, the whites stark. The woman had honey-colored eyes and appeared to be fairly young. Hanna would have wondered if she¡¯d only recently become a Nurse if she hadn¡¯t seemed so confident in her tasks. Her I.D. badge was clipped to the end of her shirt near her waist, the words still blurry to Hanna¡¯s recently wetted eyes. The Nurse finished writing something on a clipboard and slid it into a slot at the end of Hanna¡¯s bed, then excused herself. She was halfway out of the door when Hanna was finally able to croak in a harsh whisper, ¡°Toilet¡±. The Nurse turned and studied her for a long minute before saying, ¡°Honey, I can help you to the toilet later, after they remove the catheter. I know it feels like you have to go, but there¡¯s a little baggy that¡¯s collecting everything. There isn¡¯t much this morning, so hopefully that water will get things moving along. There¡¯s a bag of fluids that I attached just before you woke up, so you won¡¯t dehydrate. I¡¯ll be back in an hour to check on you.¡± The Nurse¡¯s voice was soft. Hanna liked it. It was gentle, like a lullaby. She was wrapped up in this thought when the Nurse left, and as a warm feeling spread throughout her body. The machine beside her let out a little beep, and Hanna was swimming in a world of scarcely-lucid pleasure as she slipped back into a relaxed sleep. Hanna woke up in the afternoon. She could tell by the slant of the light and shadows breaking through the blinds of the windows on the wall behind her to the wall before her. She awoke sore. Her joints ached and her muscles groaned. It began to increase over time until it was straddling the line between discomfort and pain. Then, the spread of warmth followed by the beep of the machine. The warmth washed the pain away, relaxing Hanna and making her feel good. ¡°They can¡¯t keep you on morphine forever.¡± Hanna opened the eyes she hadn¡¯t realized she¡¯d closed and there, back against the closed door, stood Legacy. Her hair was still unkempt, and the bruising around her eyes appeared darker. Her skin was still paled, but there was something different about her. She stood calmly. Her wild, feral side seemed to be resting, but her eyes were steeled with determination. ¡°I¡¯m the one who found you, you know,¡± her soft voice felt loud to Hanna¡¯s ears after laying in near silence. Legacy¡¯s lucid demeanor was strangely calming, soothing to Hanna¡¯s relaxing mind. ¡°You were the ghost?¡± she asked absently, feeling as though she were asking from a great distance away, her voice barely a whisper. Legacy studied Hanna for a long moment then, seeming to decide something, attempted a brittle smile, which didn¡¯t quite become more than a thin line. ¡°I¡¯m going to let you go back to resting¡ªfor now,¡± Legacy said, observing Hanna carefully. ¡°When you¡¯re off the morphine, I¡¯ll come back. We need to talk about a few things,¡± she said cryptically. ¡°Before it¡¯s too late.¡± Hanna blinked and Legacy was gone. Had she even opened the door? Maybe she was a ghost. Hanna¡¯s heart slowed into a soft rhythm, her breathing deep and even as the morphine gently rocked her into an easy sleep. - Hanna¡¯s body was heavy. Behind her eyes, her lids were dark. She wanted to open them, but instead it felt as though her ears opened instead. ¡°These aren¡¯t the results we were hoping for,¡± a woman¡¯s voice said softly. The Nurse? ¡°We¡¯re seeing some new, interesting data, at least. Finally,¡± Fake Sol¡¯s voice replied, unphased. ¡°I¡¯m worried she might not last much longer,¡± the Nurse insisted. ¡°Please, Doctor, we need to stop the regiment before we lose her. Isis said she found her unconscious with her nose bleeding. She was burning up.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m quite aware,¡± Fake Sol replied flatly, albeit with a hint of annoyance. ¡°I was there, if you¡¯ll recall.¡± ¡°Of course, Doctor. I apologize,¡± the Nurse backpedaled. ¡°I just know how important this particular Subject is for you. I wouldn¡¯t want you to lose an important part of your research because of an oversight.¡± The abrupt silence that followed filled with a dangerous tension. The sound of soft footsteps approached slowly, then stopped beside the bed. Fake Sol¡¯s voice became low and dangerous. ¡°Do you believe that I made an oversight, Nurse Jance?¡± she asked slowly. The question lingered there, laced with venom. An obvious test of loyalty. ¡°N-no, of course not!¡± Nurse Jance stammered with alarm, a slight waver in her voice. ¡°Good,¡± Fake Sol replied, her footsteps moving away a few feet. The sound of the clipboard being taken from the bed¡¯s foot-tray preceded the shifting of papers. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Isis about this as soon as I have a moment,¡± Fake Sol mumbled passively, more to herself than to Nurse Jance. Hanna forced her eyes open a crack. The evil Doctor Sol stood at the foot of the bed, flipping back and forth through several pages of the clipboard file in the barely dimmed room. Nurse Jance, who was opening the door to leave, paused and turned back. ¡°Would you like me to call her for you, Doctor? I can have her sent here.¡± Fake Sol waved her off without bothering to look up. ¡°No, no, I¡¯ll speak with her later,¡± she muttered absently before looking up at Nurse Jance for a moment. ¡°Where are the filed documents on the DNA/RNA sequencing?¡± she asked with an air of impatience. ¡°I believe they¡¯re still in the lab,¡± Nurse Jance replied warily. ¡°Go get them and bring them to my office,¡± Fake Sol commanded absently, walking off to the other side of the room. She disappeared through a door, head buried in the file, without even waiting for a reply. ¡°Yes, Doctor,¡± Nurse Jance whispered to an all but empty room, her eyes met Hanna¡¯s and, for a long moment, she held her gaze. She nodded her head slightly, her face awash in pity. ¡®I¡¯m sorry,¡¯ she mouthed before she slipped out of the door, pulling it closed silently behind her and leaving the room in near darkness. ¡°They were talking about you, you know.¡± Hanna turned her head to see a figure rise in the darkness from behind a table, where it had clearly been hiding. ¡°Legacy? How long have you been there?¡± Hanna asked, her head feeling kind of numb. It was a lot to process while just coming down from the effects of the morphine. Her head was beginning to clear, albeit slowly. ¡°Long enough to know that THAT Sol is going to get you killed,¡± Legacy replied, pointing towards the door a the end of the long, narrow room. Hanna¡¯s brain swam for a moment. ¡°That Sol. You said THAT Sol.¡± Legacy stole a look at the doors, silent for a moment, then crept as quiet as a cat to Hanna¡¯s bedside. ¡°Yes,¡± she finally responded. ¡°I said THAT Sol.¡± She looked at Hanna appraisingly, then asked slowly, ¡°Do you know what I mean when I say that?¡± Hanna stared into Legacy¡¯s hard eyes, unsure of what she saw there. ¡°Yes,¡± she whispered quietly. Legacy nodded as though finally receiving a conformation of something she already knew. ¡°They¡¯ll probably let you out of here in a day or two,¡± she commented offhand as she watched the doors. ¡°They won¡¯t do anything more to you right now. Not until they know you won¡¯t expire.¡± ¡°Expire?¡± Hanna asked, scrunching her brows. Legacy turned her head back to Hanna and frowned. ¡°Dead,¡± she replied matter-of-factly. ¡°They need to know you won¡¯t be dead before they do anything else.¡± Legacy shook her head slightly, as though annoyed to have to explain something so simple. ¡°We¡¯ll have more time to talk then. I can tell you¡¯re still messed up from the morphine. But,¡± she said, her eyes flashing dangerously, ¡°There is a lot more going on here then even you understand. The things they¡¯re doing.. The things SHE¡¯S doing.¡± Legacy took a shuddering breath as though trying to calm herself, eyes closed before turning back to Hanna. ¡°Be careful who you trust. In fact, don¡¯t trust anyone,¡± she warned. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Even you?¡± Hanna questioned. Legacy gave a hard nod. ¡°Especially me.¡± - The next day and a half moved very slowly. The morphine came less because the pain came less, so she had a lot more lucid, waking time to ponder and drive herself crazy. Legacy did not visit again, nor did Hanna have any more dreams about Soohae or ghosts, which she chalked up to being dosed by the morphine. In her mind she said a little thanks to the drug. The uneventfulness was sometimes broken by a Nurse coming in or going out, but it seemed like it was never the same Nurse twice¡ªand Nurse Jance seemed to have disappeared completely, which made a pit form in Hanna¡¯s stomach. It seemed these new nurses were informed not to speak to her, for they simply went about their business, occasionally asking a brief clinical question or two before leaving, but never greeting her or being personable. They avoided eye contact whenever possible. So, when, during her second afternoon after the Legacy encounter, Nurse Aema showed up with a wheelchair, she was thrilled. She had a million questions, but the watchful eyes of the halls and occasional staff that passed by made her hesitant to speak. She kept her eyes in her lap demurely whenever anyone else was present, but was alert and observant otherwise. She tried to memorize the layout, but too many twists and turns got her confused. Even more so when they took an elevator to another floor. The elevator had no numbers, no up and down buttons, just a place for a key and a thumbpad that Aema pressed her finger to. It scanned and, with an affirmative beep, a computerized female voice came through the speaker saying, ¡°Where would you like to go?¡± ¡°Lobby and commons,¡± Nurse Aema replied curtly, and the elevator responded at once. The strange rise and fall of her stomach reminded Hanna of the vertigo and she felt momentarily sick. Then the doors opened and Aema wheeled her out. She went down a few more corridors, taking a few turns, then Hanna found herself in the familiar corridor of her room. Nurse Aema leaned down slightly as she pushed Hanna forward. ¡°I know you have a lot of questions,¡± she said quietly, ¡°And you probably just want to go back to your room, but we¡¯ve been ordered to put you back into your routine. Someone will bring you a late lunch or snack while you relax in the Lounge. Do you want me to wheel you over to the television? At least then you might not have to talk to anybody.¡± Hanna nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. She had barely spoken in the last week, and so she wasn¡¯t sure what exactly would come out. As she was pushed through the open doorway that led into the commons, Sam gave her a worried smile and a little salute. ¡°Welcome back, Hanna!¡± he said sincerely. On her right side, Gerald gave her a warm smile and a tight nod. ¡°Good to have you back, bedbug,¡± he said lightly. ¡°We heard you had a bit of a flu, but we¡¯re glad you¡¯re all right now.¡± A flu? That¡¯s what they¡¯ve been telling everyone? How many people really know the truth? Hanna pushed the thoughts back as she forced a small smile in return with a nod of thanks as Aema wheeled her into the Lounge and towards the TV area. Anderson lay sprawled on the shorter sofa until he heard the sounds of their approach, then he sat up and straightened the sofa. ¡°Hey,¡± he said awkwardly, gesturing toward the TV. ¡°They have The Greatest Chefs cooking show on. Want to watch it together?¡± Hanna nodded slightly, glad she didn¡¯t have to speak. For a long while, they watched the show in mostly silence, Anderson making a comment or observation here or there as if to keep Hanna engaged. Her muscles felt twitchy and her bones felt weak and tired. She figured it was likely that a week in bed would do that to anyone. Still, she didn¡¯t like it, that feeling of weakness. After a while, Anderson began to talk softly, as though he were trying to keep his words from prying ears. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened,¡± he began softly, ¡°And, of course, you don¡¯t have to talk about it if you don¡¯t want to, but that day you collapsed and started having a seizure, that guy who sometimes comes here¡ªCris?¡ªthat mean Nurse took him away and he hasn¡¯t been here since. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a coincidence.¡± He watched her expression and turned away as his face turned blank. Anderson pointed at the television as if telling her something about the show. ¡°They said you were just sick, but nobody just starts having seizures out of nowhere,¡± he remarked thoughtfully. He looked at her from his peripheral, eyes sliding back to the television, but his body angled slightly more towards her so she could hear him better. ¡°You just looked, like, really surprised. I guess you probably don¡¯t remember much,¡± he said sympathetically. ¡°We were watching television and then you went to eat. A little while later, I heard your tray fall and when I looked over.. You were just shaking. Not a little, but, like, violently shaking. Then you just hit the floor and seized. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever seen Nurse Jennings get scared.¡± Hanna made a mental note that he didn¡¯t refer to her as ¡®Nurse Sasha¡¯. Anderson sighed and, stretching his arms, threw an innocent glance over his shoulder. ¡°I suspect she must have gotten into trouble for something. Maybe for bringing you your medication during lunch? Usually they¡¯re supposed to do it at the Nurse¡¯s Station.¡± For a while it was quiet and Hanna slipped into her own thoughts, trying to piece things together into a sensible timeline. First, she thought, I watched TV with Anderson, who is very familiar to me. Could he have been in the house with us back home? Second, I used the bathroom and went to eat. Third, she recounted, Cris came and talked to me, took my food, and said his was drugged. Without realizing it, she¡¯d leaned back in her chair and let a long sigh release through her nose, her hands fidgeting with the blanket in her lap. That¡¯s all I remember before waking up sick. She closed her eyes and tried to focus, concentrating. Try as she might, she couldn¡¯t remember Nurse Sasha bringing her medication to her while she ate lunch. She couldn¡¯t remember dropping her tray or seizing. She didn¡¯t remember being taken away. And why, if she had been seizing, hadn¡¯t they taken her to the medical wing sooner? She rubbed a headache beginning to form in her temples. Nothing made sense because there were just too many gaps. She turned to Anderson whom, for all appearances, seemed to be engrossed in the chef contest playing out before them on the screen. She wanted to ask him more. What did he remember, what else did he see? Who took her away and where was she taken? But before she could even attempt to find her voice, a girl she didn¡¯t recognize came up behind the couch and threw her arms around his neck. ¡°Come play with me, Anderson!¡± she said in a mock whine that instantly annoyed Hanna. Anderson turned to Hanna sheepishly, a look of guilt on his face. ¡°Sorry, Hanna, but do you mind if I go over with Nea for a bit? I promised her a chess rematch the other day. She still thinks she can beat me.¡± ¡°Nea stuck her tongue out playfully. ¡°You just still think you won last round when you KNOW I did,¡± she laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll go get things set up!¡± she announced brightly and bounded away. Anderson gave Hanna a half-hearted guilty shrug and smiled gently. ¡°She¡¯s actually really nice. She¡¯s one of the few people here I feel safe¡ªand comfortable¡ªto talk to. She¡¯s not always so perky. I think she tries to be that way to make everyone else happy and feel better. I¡¯m hoping she¡¯ll open up to me if we can become friends.¡± He stood and gave Hanna a little wave. ¡°I¡¯ll be back later,¡± he said cheerfully, rounding the sofa to follow Nea. Anderson was the only person here, aside from that weird run-in with Legacy, who really talked to her. Well, there was Cris, but he was¡­ Well, maybe he¡¯s not so paranoid afterall, she frowned thoughtfully. Still, even though they didn¡¯t know each other, Hanna felt like a kid on the playground when they¡¯ve discovered their first friend has now made other friends, and so they had nobody to play with but themselves¡ªmeaning she took an instant dislike to Nea. But it couldn¡¯t be helped. The truth was she was just starting to get angry at her circumstances. Maybe it was just nice and convenient to have a fall-guy. Hanna sighed again, lost in thought until a male voice said, ¡°Ready for lunch?¡±. Pulled out of her reverie, Hanna sighed and resigned herself to being wheeled about like an invalid. ¡°I think Geneva¡¯s cooking today, so it could be hit or miss,¡± the man said with a chuckle. Hanna inwardly groaned and looked upward to say she had no idea who that was, or what it meant, when the air was sucked from her lungs. Pipe. In all the chaos, she had forgotten about her former leader. And she hadn¡¯t realized she¡¯d squeaked his name aloud until he looked at her with a perplexed expression. ¡°Pipe?¡± he repeated, cocking his head slightly. ¡°Is there a problem with a pipe in your room or is there something else..?¡± He trailed off, quite obviously confused. ¡°No, it¡¯s your name,¡± Hanna replied numbly. She felt like she was outside of herself, watching this unwitting girl make a fool of herself. Pipe shook his head and gave a laugh, his face clear and bright. ¡°You always give me a laugh, Hanna! Sure, I¡¯ll be ¡®Pipe¡¯. And you can be¡­Skip?¡± Hanna made a face at him and he backed up, raising his hands in defense. ¡°Okay, okay, we¡¯ll find a new name,¡± he chuckled. He said something about¡­something. She wasn¡¯t sure anymore. Was it about the food? What was he saying? She looked down where her lap should be to find a table, but she didn¡¯t remember being pushed under a table yet. How did I get here? she wondered, an odd fogginess working its way into her head. A ringing began in her ears, sharp and high. Tinnitus. Wonderful, she thought distantly. She felt as though she were being stretched and stretched, but each stretch was another image of herself, like when a mirror faces another and there are infinite fractured scenes playing out forever. The ringing seemed to be slowly rising in volume. At its crescendo, it held the note. She felt her head dip, her eyelids were heavy. So heavy.. Her head snapped up and her eyes shot open when the sound of a tray slapped onto the table before her with a hard ¡®clack¡¯ sound. ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± Pipe said, his face and voice truly seeming apologetic. ¡°Were you nodding off there? Falling asleep? If you¡¯d rather go back to your room, you can always eat something later.¡± It took her a moment to realize the tinnitus was gone. Had it gone when she snapped to? Either way, she absently waved Pipe off, feeling as though she just woke up from a deep REM sleep without ever having slept. ¡°Okay, well, don¡¯t forget to come get your pills when you¡¯re done,¡± he gave her a measuring look, as though trying to determine whether or not she would break if he left her alone. ¡°If you need help, just wave me or one of the others down, okay?¡± I¡¯m not that fragile, she thought with a flash of irritation. But just like that, it was gone as soon as it came, and she just felt empty. She looked down at the food. Some sort of noodles in turkey gravy, but the turkey looked like fake meat. It tasted like cafeteria food from middle school, which made her feel a wave of nostalgia for the simpler days of childhood, when everything was decided for you and your image of what adulthood would be like was glamourized in your mind. Hanna sighed. Her biggest problem then was the lack of control over her life. Looking around, a strange smile formed on her crooked lips and an even stranger quiet laugh bubbled out. This is how it starts, her brain told her. Get a grip before you look like every maniac who ever belonged in places like here! Maybe she did, she thought glumly. Maybe she did. - After she picked at her lunch, leaving the hard, would-be biscuit untouched alongside the bland, flavorless green beans¡ªwhich looked as though the very life had been leeched out of them¡ªshe was wheeled to take her medication, then wheeled back to her room. She wheeled herself before the desk and, with an effort, she lifted herself and sat in the chair, staring without seeing out of the window. She didn¡¯t remember changing clothes or getting into bed, but she was sure Aema must have helped with that. She wondered how many wonderful, loving, nurturing versions of Aema there were, and how many versions were like Isis. How many have different names? Is there a Hanna that wasn¡¯t even a Hanna? Even Pipe had said his name was different. What was it? Oh, she should have asked.. It felt like she blinked and was back at the lunch table, staring down at the unappetizing piece of cafeteria ham that likely wasn¡¯t ham at all. The lumpy potato flakes stared from their round, unnatural shape from the scoop that was likely used, not even gravy to accompany it. She knew without even trying them that they were unseasoned, tasteless. Bland. Everything had been bland since that day.. She had the urge to throw the piece of stale cornbread across the room. In her mind, she did exactly that. Her brain tried to argue that it was one step away from actually doing it and to be careful, but she didn¡¯t care. It''s a dangerous thing when you start to stop caring. But Hanna was already going down the rabbit hole. With nobody there to stop her, it was quite easy. It was as if she had slid into a strange Groundhog Day-esque existence where every day she woke up and it was lunch. She phased out and she was staring off out of the window. She lay in bed. At night. In the day. She felt like her life was a montage in a really long and boring movie. Bland. She lay in bed, sleep evading her before blinking and having light. She started to think some of the shadows that play on the ceiling were spiders, waiting to bury her in their silk and suck out all of her insides. When had she last dreamed? It was hard to tell. What was a dream? Where did dreams go? Her mind began to wander aimlessly, grasping unsuccessfully at thought after thought. She had a brief flicker of images, as though it rolled by on 35mm film in rapid succession. Anderson, standing beside her table, talking to her. Trying to. He seemed disappointed. Nea, sitting at her table, saying something she couldn¡¯t hear, a faint memory of tinnitus at that time. Legacy. Standing over her in her bed, looking determined. Looking angry. Looking afraid. Looking desperate. The images blurred together. The old, old days of film, she thought numbly. No feelings accompanied it. Between the numbness, the loss of time and the depression, she hadn¡¯t thought to consider that something was wrong. She hadn¡¯t been able to focus enough to notice that the color of the pills in the cup given to her at the Nurse¡¯s Station was off¡ªthe wrong color, the wrong count. Wrong. Wrong. Bland. She woke up feeling numb, as if her whole body were falling asleep, distant pins and needles and limbs she could not move or feel. Legacy stood over her again, a flurry of hair and balled fists, her face a kaleidoscope of emotions. But Hanna didn¡¯t feel any of it. She didn¡¯t even have the sense to wonder if she was even there or if she was dreaming. Talking. Disembodied talking. Strange sounds, stranger words. It was the first time her brain tried and began to grasp something. The concentration took all of her focus, so she the more she heard, the less focused her eyes became. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her? Why is she like this?!¡± Ahh. Angry Legacy. Tiny Legacy with the ferocious presence and the bravery of a lion. Young Legacy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I didn¡¯t have any choice in the matter. You know that as well as I do, if the Doctor orders it¡ª¡± ¡°Pah! The Doctor!¡± Legacy spat out the word as though it repulsed her to have it touch her tongue. ¡°Shh,¡± Aema scolded in a harsh whisper. ¡°They might hear you! You don¡¯t know who¡¯s patrolling these halls at night!¡± Legacy gave a dark laugh and threw back her head haughtily. ¡°Actually, I do. And most of the time, guess what? It¡¯s no one. They think because they lock the doors we¡¯ll all just go to bed like good boys and girls and do what we¡¯re told. They don¡¯t even care that we¡¯re dangerous to them!¡± Aema leaned close, her jaw set, whispering through clenched teeth, ¡°It¡¯s that kind of talk that gets you in isolation!¡± The two glared at each other before Aema growled lowly, each word spoken clear and slow. ¡°What good are you dead?¡± Dead. ¡°They won¡¯t kill me.¡± Dead. ¡°They will!¡± Dead. ¡°They can¡¯t kill what they can¡¯t catch.¡± Why is that so familiar? Dead. ¡°And when they do catch you, they will kill you. You haven¡¯t exactly been giving them the kind of data they want. And what will Hanna do then? With you gone, what stops Sol?¡± Sol. Hanna blinked, her eyes coming into quiet focus as the two bickered over her bed in harsh whispers and sardonic laughs, growing larger before her eyes. To the side, her nightstand began to stretch and morph, bleeding into the air. Her mouth quirked at the side. Quivered. The two over her fell silent as she exhaled a loud breath through her nose. They looked down at her in shock as her mouth parted slightly and she began a breathless laugh. ¡°This all started because of a basement,¡± she chuckled in an airy whisper. ¡°A stupid basement.¡± - Aema and Legacy stared down at Hanna as if she had finally lost her mind. It took the space of a few heartbeats before Aema sank down and wrapped Hanna in a hug. ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± was all her quivering voice could speak. For her part, Legacy stared for a long time, then dropped her eyes to the floor, scuffing at it with the tip of her slipper. ¡°Welcome back,¡± she mumbled. It took a long time before the room began to look right, but the girls stayed by her side until Hanna felt lucid and the walls and tables were just solid walls and tables, and the girls weren¡¯t giants anymore. She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her face. ¡°You¡¯ve been gone too long,¡± Legacy mumbled, acting tough and irritable despite the tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve missed a lot.¡± ¡°Tell me everything,¡± Hanna said struggling to sit up, her eyes flashing. Chapter 10 - The Story of Everything So, as it turned out, ¡®everything¡¯ was a very long conversation. They had to have it in increments. The first part, the night she woke. Aema explained her strange behavior her first day back in the Lounge. ¡°It was like you were there, but you were somewhere else,¡± Aema recalled from the foot of Hanna¡¯s bed, her hands wrapped around a mug of warm coffee. ¡°I just didn¡¯t know what to do. Even Nurse Jennings dropped her sourpuss act and tried to coax you¡ªbut she looked terrified!¡± Aema sipped her coffee. ¡°It was everything they could do to get the drugs in you right away. But it was like your mind went halfway on vacation and left very little in its place.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right¡±, Legacy had nodded from beside her at the top of the bed, sipping her hot lemon water. ¡°I would talk to you and you just had this blank look to you like you weren¡¯t even there.¡± ¡°Then how do you know if I was? There, I mean. Here,¡± Hanna asked, holding the warmth of her tea cup in her hand, taking the time to truly inhale the cinnamon fragrance before she finally took her first sip. She sagged in relief as flavor poured over her tongue, waking up her sleeping taste buds. ¡°Your eyes,¡± Legacy replied with a shrug. ¡°They would be all glazed over, but then sometimes a certain word or phrase and your pupils would do this,¡± she said, holding her closed hands together before spreading them apart and bringing them back together, like a ball growing and shrinking. ¡°Dilation,¡± Aema chimed in. ¡°Her eyes¡ªyour pupils¡ª¡± she corrected herself, looking at Hanna, ¡°¡ªThey would dilate and shrink, as if the light was changing drastically. But if I tried with a pinprick flashlight..¡± She trailed off, shaking her head and taking another long sip from her cup. After a heavy silence, they talked late into the night, filling her in on the mundane passing of her days before finally calling it a night. The next morning, Aema claimed another catatonic day for Hanna, which proved very boring. Her body was sore from laying around, but she couldn¡¯t risk being up if someone came. During Aema¡¯s checks, she would let her know snippets more. Legacy, of course, couldn¡¯t risk being seen in the halls during the day, and stayed in her room as usual. From what she understood, after that strange first episode, evil Doctor Fake Sol¡ªwhose villain name only kept growing in Hanna¡¯s mind¡ªdecided to experiment with Hanna¡¯s medication. She hypothesized that there was something about the original medication that had caused her headaches, tinnitus, nosebleeds.. But the REALLY interesting thing was that the change in meds seemed to get rid of the headaches and other side-effects, but they got rid of Hanna¡¯s personality too. Aema said it was as if Hanna were trapped on the other side of a wall, the way people who fall into lakes in the winter can become trapped under the frozen ice. When Hanna explained her lack of feeling and the growing depression she¡¯d felt, Aema had listened intently and nodded. ¡°Some medications can cause side effects such as those,¡± she mused. ¡°Depression, suicidal thoughts, sometimes even mania. Other times you might get lethargy, euphoria, or the emotional numbness you spoke of. I¡¯ve even heard of a patient saying they felt like their feelings were living things swimming inside of their chest, but they could only feel them physically, like they were emotionally numb. The patient said it was as if her emotions were trapped in her throat, unable to reach her head to be felt.¡± Aema frowned, recalling it. It was a lot of information, but seeing as her mind felt pretty clear today, she figured that the medicine must have run out of her system. Aema had admitted as much when she said that she had missed Hanna¡¯s nightly dose the previous night when she awoke. It turns out that they were dosing her morning AND night now. But nobody seemed to understand why, nor did anyone wish to question¡ªor incur the wrath of¡ªthe good Doctor. That evil megalomaniac. Mostly, the day went well, albeit uneventful. Aema smuggled her in some food. Since Hanna was ¡®unable to eat due to catatonia,¡¯ Aema had taken to having her lunches in the room to watch over and give Hanna some company. So, when Aema took her lunch in the room, it was just another normal day to any who happened to observe them. No one realized she brought double the lunch, although Hanna was scarcely able to eat, her stomach having shrunk from days of a liquid diet. Still, she savored the simple fare on her tongue. After a prolonged fugue state of a bland and meaningless existence, it was as if the blasts of savory, juicy bites of cheeseburger sent her world from black and white into color. The iced peach tea she let linger on her tongue before swallowing, enjoying the sweet and fruity essence. Her empty stomach cramped and protested after only a few bites, but Aema let her keep it wrapped up to nibble on as she got hungry. By nightfall, Hanna was in full restless mode. Her mind kept thinking back to the conversation she¡¯d overheard as she had finally come back into herself. One thought above all kept coming back to her: Legacy goes out at night. How does she get out of her room? This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Aema was noticably missing for the normal nighttime rituals, but Hanna took care of herself, then paced the room. As it grew later, she realized that Aema likely wasn¡¯t coming at all. A knot formed in her tightly wound stomach, and she began to worry something happened. If she had been found out.. But how could be found out? No one else had dared to enter Hanna¡¯s room. Only three people knew that Hanna was awake again. Hanna, herself, Aema and¡­ Legacy! Hanna thought with alarm, rushing to the door. What if something happened to Legacy? She had sounded convinced they would try to kill, so what would they do to get information? Beatings? Torture? Some sort of truth serum? Shaking her head to clear the thoughts, she rested her hand on the doorknob. Wouldn¡¯t it be locked? she wondered. Taking a steadying breath she tried to turn the knob. Even if it was locked, she had to know that she at least tried to see if Legacy was okay. To Hanna¡¯s surprise, the knob turned smoothly, silently. It didn¡¯t stick and there were no clicks as she pulled the door open a tiny crack and peered through, unable to believe her luck. Outside, strangely, the halls were dark. Whenever someone had come in, light had always spilled through the doorway, no matter the time of night. She felt an apprehension build in her as she pulled the door slightly open and dared a peek into the hall, first one way and then the other. The hall was empty, near pitch black, and strangely silent. Hanna was afraid the sound of her own breath or slamming heartbeat would give her away. After several moments of tense silence and listening, Hanna slowly moved into the hall and closed her door silently behind her, pressing against it with her back and holding her breath a moment as she rechecked the situation. Everything was as it was, darkness and silence. Padding slowly and silently with comically large steps, Hanna made her way across the wide hallway over to Legacy¡¯s door. She took a breath and held it, knuckles poised above the door and paused. Should I knock? What if someone overhears? Should I whisper? She chewed her bottom lip. In her mind she pictured herself whispering in the darkness. ¡®Legacy, are you there?¡¯. Moments later, she was surrounded by an army of black-clad, machine gun wielding guards, the barrels pointed at her heart as evil Doctor McFake Sol stood there, her ridiculously long, white lab coat fluttering in an invisible wind as she stood taller than all of the guards. She laughed maniacally and held up an incredibly large, silver scalpel. ¡®I knew you¡¯d try to escape! I¡¯ll gut you¡ªand your little friends, too!¡¯ she bellowed triumphantly, her voice shrill, ¡®And now I¡¯ll cut you down to size! I wonder what your organs taste like?¡¯ Hanna shuddered and squeezed her eyes shut. Quiet brain, or I¡¯ll stab you with a Q-tip, she thought, the phrase dancing in the back of her memory from somewhere, making her lip quiver with an attempt at a smile. Hanna sobered herself. Pushing her brain¡¯s interference back, Hanna squeezed her eyes shut and, in one smooth motion, turned Legacy¡¯s doorknob and opened the door. The room was dark and empty. Legacy¡¯s still-made bed did not even try to hide that no one had been sleeping in it. Hanna moved deeper into the room and looked around. Nothing seemed disturbed, no sigh of a fight or struggle. She pushed a hand through her hair in frustration, her head starting to ache a little. ¡°Amateur.¡± The voice came out of nowhere, causing Hanna to jump and spin around, startled. Legacy stood in the doorway, arms crossed as she leaned against the door frame, a look of disapproval on her face. ¡°You¡¯re terrible at this,¡± she declared quietly. ¡°Legacy,¡± Hanna whispered, a feeling of relief settling over her. ¡°You¡¯re okay!¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m okay,¡± Legacy scoffed, coming into the room to stand before Hanna. ¡°And only an amateur leaves the door open when they¡¯re trying to sneak around. Come on,¡± she said, turning on her heel and walking back into the hallway. She looked over her shoulder, her expression softened. ¡°There¡¯s someone who wants to see you,¡± she murmured. Hanna blindly followed Legacy out of the door, a deep curiosity filling her. Who? she began to wonder when she saw Legacy staring down the hall. A few doors down, she saw it. Billowy white night dress, long dark hair, pale skin and dark-ringed eyes. The apparition stood out in the dim hallway and stared silently at her, unmoving in the dark. ¡°Soo..hae..?¡± As soon as the confused words passed her lips, the ghost of Soohae turned and entered into a room. Hanna couldn¡¯t tell if the door was open or she just passed through solid matter. She turned to Legacy. ¡°Did you see that?¡± she asked quietly, a strange surreal feeling making her feel as though she might not even be there. ¡°Did you see Soohae?¡± Legacy looked at her like she¡¯d been dropped on her head as a baby, then rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course I saw her,¡± she hissed quietly. ¡°Are you some kind of idiot? Follow her!¡± Hanna didn¡¯t register the insult, but turned and pursued phantom Soohae, Legacy quietly closing her room¡¯s door behind her. Hanna took a breath at the door, reached for the knob and turned. It turned as smoothly as her own door had, opening silently. The room was very similar to Hanna¡¯s own, and phantom Soohae looked out of the window, the silvery light of the nearly full moon bathing her in its gentle light. She looked like an angel. Hanna opened her mouth, but the words failed her. Soohae, she thought. Is it really you? As if she had heard Hanna¡¯s thoughts, Soohae turned towards her, her face a blank canvas, but something melancholy filled the room. ¡°Hurry up and get in,¡± Legacy hissed again, shoving Hanna and pushing the door closed quietly behind them. ¡°Gods alive, you really ARE an amateur!¡± Hanna stumbled forward and looked up again as Soohae took a single step towards her, her blank canvas rewritten with a sad expression. ¡°I¡¯ve been worried,¡± apparition Soohae said gently. ¡°I was worried when your fever wouldn¡¯t come down. I had to find Aema.¡± She turned back to the window. ¡°Legacy found you. You¡¯re lucky. Nobody would have found me.¡± She sighed sadly. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s for the best. This existence is too much now.¡± ¡°Soo?¡± Hanna said meekly, finally finding her voice. Soohae turned back to her, took silent steps until they stood face to face. She raised her ghostly hands and cupped Hanna¡¯s face. Hanna didn¡¯t realize the tears had come until her eyes blurred. ¡°Soo!¡± She pulled Soohae into a deep embrace and hoped she didn¡¯t have to let go for a long time. Chapter 11 - Girl Talk ¡°You likely already know that they drug us,¡± Soohae was saying once Hanna had calmed down and they were all now sitting on the bed. Soohae had assured Hanna that no one would be coming here. Most of the time they seemed to forget Soohae even existed. Legacy was often her only visitor and would bring her food and necessities that she pilfered from staff closets and the kitchen¡ªwhich was the room behind the double doors at the Nurse¡¯s Station. On this particular night, Legacy had secured vanilla pudding, which Soo had partially devoured before poking at it and setting it aside on the nightstand. ¡°It¡¯s more than that,¡± Soohae sighed, continuing. ¡°They¡¯re not drugging everyone the same way. They¡¯re looking for something¡ªor Sol is¡ªand she won¡¯t stop until its found.¡± ¡°Looking for what?¡± Hanna asked, but Legacy just shook her head. ¡°If we knew that, we wouldn¡¯t be here,¡± Legacy muttered sourly. Soohae turned and put a hand on Legacy¡¯s knee. The younger girl seemed to calm down. ¡°They don¡¯t let us go out and get much sunlight, they keep us locked away. They only let us meet with those they don¡¯t believe will be a risk,¡± Soohae continued. ¡°And it¡¯s possible whatever they¡¯re looking for must be some particular reaction to the drugs. Maybe some certain mix of drugs. What they¡¯re hoping for is impossible to say. We¡¯d need more information, which means we¡¯d need access. Hanna thought of Cris, how Anderson said he hadn¡¯t returned since he traded her food trays at that fateful lunch. ¡°Why do they do this? How can it help them find something?¡± Hanna asked, frowning. Legacy shrugged, but Soohae just smiled sadly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you also from a different timeline?¡± she asked softly. The world stopped and spun, taking Hanna with it. This Soohae. Was she..? Soohae nodded and looked down at her hands in her lap. ¡°We¡¯ve met before,¡± she said simply. ¡°The drugs that they use, they make it so that you can¡¯t leave. They trap you here,¡± she lamented. ¡°You start to go mad when you are pulled between timelines or worlds or whatever it is exactly. They try to keep you from traveling.¡± Her face grew pained. ¡°But it¡¯s different for me. It¡¯s like I travel, not my mind. I can¡¯t really explain it right now, I¡¯m still trying to figure it out without going crazy.¡± She looked up. ¡°But whatever they¡¯re looking for, I feel like we can¡¯t let them find it.¡± ¡°And all this is just to¡­LOOK for something? But what? What¡¯s so important that they would upend and destroy lives to find?¡± ¡°Not them,¡± Soohae said quietly, her face shifting to something of pity and remorse. ¡°Not them,¡± she repeated. ¡°Sol.¡± Hanna¡¯s skin grew bumpy as the cold swept through her. ¡°This all started with Sol.¡± Soohae continued. ¡°We think so, anyway. It¡¯s difficult to access the labs, even when the world forgets you exist. There are still cameras. We have to assume that Sol monitors everything..¡± She trailed off. Hanna closed her eyes tight and allowed herself a moment to try to digest the information. ¡°So, what you were saying, about the traveling. You said you start to go mad when you¡¯re pulled between timelines. Is that true?¡± Soohae opened her mouth then shut it. She looked over to Legacy with an unsure expression. Frowning, Legacy cleared her throat. ¡°I might have found something someplace I¡¯m not supposed to have been,¡± Legacy began, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Paperwork of interviews with some of the patients. I don¡¯t know what it means, but I think it might have been referring to the traveling either making people mad, or the lack of traveling when stuck in another world doing it. I¡¯m not exactly sure. Something about stress induced psychosis? I don¡¯t know.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Hanna sighed, frustrated. ¡°How can you NOT be sure? Did it say, or didn¡¯t it?¡± She didn¡¯t mean to snap at Legacy, but she just felt so helpless. So useless. Legacy scoffed and put her hands on her hips. ¡°What do you want from me? I¡¯m a fifteen-year-old, not a rocket scientist! I can¡¯t understand more than half of that jargon! I was just doing what I can to get you out. To get you both home, you and Aema.¡± Hanna looked at the younger girl sheepishly. She felt bad, but she wasn¡¯t about to apologize and look even weaker. ¡°And Isis too, right?¡± Legacy gave a snort. ¡°Obviously,¡± she muttered sarcastically. ¡°We¡¯re not leaving that evil witch in Aema¡¯s body one minute longer than we have to! We don¡¯t even know why she¡¯s there. There¡¯s no obvious advantage to having Aema in Isis¡¯ body. After all, Aema tries hard, but she¡¯s no nurse.¡± ¡°So, then, all we really have are conspiracy theories, right?¡± Hanna looked between the girls. Soohae dropped her eyes while Legacy turned her head away, jerking her shoulder up in a half-shrug. ¡°It¡¯s better than having nothing,¡± Legacy muttered bitterly. Hanna sighed, but nodded her agreement. It did make a sort of sense, but she still felt like there was something missing. Some large piece of information. Whether it was something she was supposed to ask or something she was supposed to relay, she couldn¡¯t remember. Her brain just felt foggy. ¡°Let¡¯s let Hanna get some sleep for now,¡± Soohae suggested, raising a hand at Hanna¡¯s panicked expression. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Whatever they have you on now, for some reason you aren¡¯t traveling. Let¡¯s just think of that information as a win for now. She gave her head a nod towards the door. ¡°Have Legacy take you to your room and I¡¯ll come and see you again once I have the chance.¡± Hanna nodded and began to get up when something clicked. ¡°What about Candace?¡± she asked. ¡°What about her?¡± Legacy scoffed. Soohae gave her a sharp look. ¡°Which Candace, dear?¡± Soo asked gently. Hanna thought back to the Candace she met in that second world. How she seemed to change from sweet, thoughtful Candace into Aema¡¯s¡ªno, Isis¡¯s¡ªlacky. She had become twisted. ¡°The Candace from World 2,¡± she finally answered, frowning. Soo opened her mouth, but Legacy cut her off. ¡°Candace is dead,¡± Legacy told her flatly. ¡°Legacy,¡± Soohae warned quietly. ¡°Well, she may as well be! As far as we know, she¡¯s been in that catatonic state since long before Hanna¡­well, this Hanna, came here.¡± That was it! That must have been when she changed, Hanna thought to herself. She tried to remember how long she had been in World 2, but the truth of the matter was that time didn¡¯t seem to follow any set rules when it came to this traveling. But it now made total sense that World 2¡¯s Candace was switched and now lay here in a coma while World 3''s evil Candace played Isis¡¯ little helper. ¡°How can we find out for sure?¡± Hanna asked. ¡°You know, which Candace is there and here, if she¡¯s really in a coma and how it happened. All of it.¡± Legacy stared at her coolly while Soo stared down at her hands in her lap. ¡°We¡¯d have to find her, or at least find her charts,¡± Legacy finally responded, frowning. ¡°Which wouldn¡¯t be easy to do, and would probably be a death case for sure.¡± ¡°A death case?¡± Legacy rolled her eyes and huffed a sigh. ¡°A death case. Like, if you get caught, it¡¯s reason enough for them to kill you. A suicide mission. A ¡®She knows too much, so now we have to kill her¡¯¡ª¡± ¡°Alright, I get it,¡± Hanna grumped, throwing her hands up in annoyance. ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t ask about it again.¡± She leveled the younger girl with a stare. ¡°For now.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Legacy replied, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Fine,¡± Hanna echoed. ¡°Fine,¡± Legacy repeated slightly louder, as if she had to have the last word. Hanna just rolled her eyes. After giving Soohae another hug, Hanna got up and followed a silent, somber Legacy out of the room and back to her own. ¡°Make sure you leave things how you found them. Like your door. Don¡¯t lock it. It might be a test,¡± the younger girl instructed sharply as she began to retreat into her room. ¡°Legacy?¡± Hanna said tentatively before Legacy could disappear behind her door. ¡°Hm?¡± Legacy mumbled, half turning towards Hanna. ¡°How do you get out of your room if they lock the doors here?¡± she asked. The younger girl just grinned. ¡°I have my ways,¡± she replied wryly with a smirk. ¡°Goodnight, Hanna,¡± she added mysteriously and, with a little wave, disappeared into her room. Part of Hanna grumped at the kept secret and part of her was sort of relieved. If it was something she could do herself, she would have been tempted to try it¡ªand likely gotten caught and suffered for it. Shrugging one shoulder to herself, Hanna quietly entered her room, closing the door behind her. Over the next few hours, Hanna thought long and hard over the conversation before finally falling into a restless, fitful sleep. Soohae wasn¡¯t a ghost, wasn¡¯t dead, and all of this¡ªall of it¡ªwas because of Sol. Probably. It had nothing to do with Hanna and the basement. She was pulled into it as much as everyone else was. And poor Candace.. She sighed and, as she drifted off, she thought of Soohae¡¯s forlorn expression. ¡°It isn¡¯t them,¡± her mind¡¯s Soohae repeated. ¡°It¡¯s Sol.¡± Chapter 12 - Catch and Release Hanna felt weird, as though her body were elastic and being pulled in several directions. She was unsure if it was a dream or reality, but it didn¡¯t really hurt so much as it felt strange and surreal. She felt her arms pulling off at each side, painlessly stretching and stretching, then a kind of sucking feeling, as though each arm were being pulled into the suction of a vacuum. They stretched on and on until they stopped and she began to feel a strain on her arms. As it started to become a discomfort, she had a vague feeling of the nerves in her arms spasming. Then, snap! As though whatever was pulling had finally gave in, her arms snapped back to her like rubber bands. Hanna was hit with a roiling nausea and vertigo. Hanna rolled over onto her side, arm flailing for her trash can, afraid of what was coming. She still had no idea if it was remnants of a dream or if she¡¯d been awake, but the nausea now was real. She grasped the trash can and, groaning, pulling it beneath her face. ¡°Are you feeling sick again?¡± Hanna lifted her weary head and, as if it had never been there, the nausea and vertigo vanished. Soohae watched her, the beginnings of morning light coming through the window. Not trusting herself to answer, Hanna nodded. ¡°I think it has something to do with the medicine,¡± Soohae said softly, her voice thoughtful as she approached Hanna and helped her sit up slowly. ¡°How?¡± It was just one word, but Hanna felt like it took a lot of effort, as though her mind were still half somewhere else. Soohae tilted her head. ¡°You had a LOT of different medicine in your body. More than usual. Then they changed your medication, as well as increasing the amount. Your body retains that for a while.¡± ¡°How do you know all this,¡± Hanna asked, her brow furrowing. Soohae lowered her head with a slight frown, her hand absently playing with a sliver of Hanna¡¯s sheet as she sat down on the bed. ¡°Aema told me. Then I noticed that when the medicine weakens in you, you tend to have more spells. Or,¡± she added, looking at Hanna, ¡°When you have too much. That¡¯s expected with too much, though.¡± Hanna pondered this a moment, thinking. It made sense that the medication was some sort of.. What? A neuro-blocker? And, if that¡¯s true, then it makes sense that when she was off of the meds, or they weaned in her, that it would stop whatever this ¡®traveling¡¯ was. She recalled the first time she palmed her meds, how the next time she woke after sleeping that she had traveled again. So¡­if she wanted to get back home, she just had to avoid taking the medication! Hanna startled out of her revelation when the door opened and Legacy poked her head in before quickly moving her body in and shutting the door stealthily behind her. ¡°Soo,¡± she said, her quiet voice lacking inflection. Soohae looked up at her. ¡°The morning rounds are about to start,¡± Legacy said with some urgency. ¡°We need to get you back to your room.¡± After a moment, Soohae nodded. Turning to Hanna, she gave her a gentle hug, then rose and crossed to Legacy. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said softly with a nod of gratitude before opening and slipping out the door. Legacy lingered for a moment, staring at Hanna. She seemed as though her skin were leeched of color, the bruising rings around her eyes darker and her hair seemed disheveled and limp. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to stay in here forever. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll probably want to see you today. You might as well get up. Just make sure you come back to the room for lunch and meds¡ªunless you actually want to be forced to take them. Today is Thursday. Nurse Anna works Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. Nurse Sasha works Thursdays through Saturdays. Wednesdays and vacation days are alternate Nurses.¡± Legacy turned to leave. ¡°Wait¡ªhow do you know what day it is?¡± Hanna asked. Since the moment she woke here, she hadn¡¯t the foggiest idea what day it was, nor the month or even year. Legacy shrugged. ¡°The Nurse¡¯s calendar.¡± Hanna sat dumbfounded. It had never even occurred to her to look around the Nurse¡¯s Station for a calendar. - Hanna spent the next hour showering, dressing and taking care of her matted hair until it was as smooth as silk. She was at the desk, staring out of the window when Aema came in, pausing a moment in the doorway when she saw Hanna, and closing the door behind her. ¡°Well, good morning,¡± Aema said with a weak smile, but the only thing that showed in her eyes was exhaustion and a profound sadness. Not asking what was wrong made Hanna uncomfortable, but she was afraid that if she pried too much, whatever it was would hurt Aema further. I¡¯ll let her come to me, she thought, offering her own weak smile. ¡°Good morning,¡± Hanna replied. ¡°I made my own bed today.¡± Hanna almost winced at her lame attempt at conversation. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°I see that,¡± Aema said with a slight nod. Then the fa?ade broke and Aema sighed, sitting on Aema¡¯s bed. ¡°They expect you to wake up today,¡± she exhaled. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I can do to protect you anymore.¡± Hanna nodded. ¡°Legacy already told me that would probably be the case, we¡¯ll just have to be careful.¡± Nurse Aema¡¯s face jerked towards Hanna. ¡°You spoke with Legacy?¡± she asked, something in her tone making Hanna feel uneasy. ¡°Just for a little bit. She told me about the shift schedule.¡± She made a face. ¡°Nurse Sasha¡¯s gonna be on duty today, right?¡± Aema froze for a moment, not looking at Hanna. Hanna frowned at her. ¡°What? What aren¡¯t you telling me?¡± Aema looked up at Hanna. ¡°No one has seen Nurse Jennings since the night after you collapsed.¡± Hanna felt her temperature drop and her limbs feel a numbness. ¡°What do you mean? She can¡¯t have just disappeared, right?¡± Nurse Aema just shrugged. ¡°All I know is that after what happened in the Lounge, she got called to Sol¡¯s office. Nobody saw her come back, nobody saw her leave. For all we know, she¡¯s still here. But later on, Sol¡¯s office door was open and it was empty. She was just gone. Nurse Jennings hasn¡¯t been here for any of her shifts, they¡¯ve all been cover nurses.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t Soo or Legacy tell me this?¡± she asked, heart beginning to race. ¡°They don¡¯t know yet. I..I haven¡¯t told anyone else,¡± Nurse Aema replied, admonished. Hanna¡¯s stomach sunk. If even that mean, Team-Doctor Nurse could disappear after one mistake, what would evil Sol do to the rest of them? - Hanna picked at her lunch in the Lounge. Now and again she looked over at the Nurse¡¯s Station desk where an oversized calendar did indeed hang next to the water cooler in the back, but the dates and months were confusing. An older, unfamiliar Nurse greeted everyone with a courteous smile¡ªand didn¡¯t force them to take the pills in front of her. Hanna struggled with her feelings. I could go home, she thought. I just need to get away from Isis if I end up in World 2. But then.. Hanna forked at the carrot, giving up after a few attempts and stabbing a bite of potato. Even if she could go home now, what would stop it from happening all over again? Besides, whatever was happening here was clearly ground zero for everything that had been going on. She thought of Legacy, pale and wild in this world, of Soohae in both this and World 2, the same dark-circled eyes for all of the girls. The evil Candace in that world, the comatose one in this.. Hanna set her fork down a little too hard, eliciting looks that she didn¡¯t notice because of the overwhelming thought that came unbidden to her. ¡°Candace is dead,¡± Legacy had told her. ¡°Legacy,¡± Soohae had warned quietly. ¡°Well, she may as well be! She¡¯s been in that catatonic state since long before Hanna¡­well, this Hanna, came here.¡± Hanna resolved that she needed to see the catatonic Candace. She needed questions answered. And she would figure it out tonight. But first, she needed to see a couple of people. - Anderson sat in the comfy chair adjacent to Hanna, smiling. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you,¡± he said kindly. ¡°We were all a bit worried.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure some people weren¡¯t,¡± Hanna frowned, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice. Anderson gave her a concerned look and opened his mouth to speak, then seemed to change his mind. The sat in silence for a moment before he said ¡°So, you wanted to talk about something?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Hanna started awkwardly. ¡°You don¡¯t seem really.. I mean, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything really wrong with you, so¡ª¡± ¡°Why am I here?¡± he interrupted, an amused smile. ¡°Yeah,¡± she replied sheepishly. ¡°Hmm.¡± Anderson seemed to ponder this for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°Honestly? I don¡¯t really know. I was at work and I had put in for some vacation time, just a couple of weeks, nothing major. I was hoping to take a trip somewhere, get out of the routine grind. The next thing I know, HR calls me in and says Corporate is now requiring all employees to get psychological evaluations. Something about making sure there isn¡¯t any undo stress or something. Anyway, I had to go to an office where they had a separate doctor there to evaluate me.¡± Anderson paused to take a deep drink of his coffee. ¡°Anyway, so, a couple days later, I¡¯m called in and they say that I showed high levels of stress and that if I didn¡¯t agree to a voluntary hold for testing and therapy, that I¡¯d be out of a job.¡± ¡°Can they do that?¡± Hanna asked as Anderson took another drink. He shrugged. ¡°I guess they can, seeing as it¡¯s their company. They said they had a private facility that wouldn¡¯t appear on any of my records and, as far as the other employees know, I¡¯m on a nice, long vacation. I¡¯ve been here a while now, but it seems like everything is okay. They had me taking medication at first, then they changed it a few times, and now they¡¯re just monitoring me. Oh, and I have therapy sessions with that creepy doctor with the glasses.¡± ¡°Sol,¡± Hanna muttered more to herself than Anderson. He gave another shrug. ¡°I guess so. Come to think of it, I don¡¯t think she ever even introduced herself. Just came in, asked a bunch of questions and showed me some of those inkblot pictures. I made a joke about how it would be funny if I said they all looked like the devil and she just stared at me like she had laser beams in her eyes.¡± He shuddered. ¡°Then she said something creepy about how the devil could be in anything, something like that. Super weird, kind of creepy.¡± ¡°What kinds of tests did they do?¡± He thought a moment. ¡°Some of those MRI brain scans, a CT, one of those.. What are they called? EEG? CCG? I can never get all these initials straight. Some other stuff, written tests, memory tests, an IQ test. Just all kinds of stuff. It¡¯s weird. It all just felt sort of random. Like they were looking for something.¡± Hanna considered a moment that the only thing they had done to her was drug her. She shuddered remembering her last encounter with the evil Doctor. A moment later, an orderly called Anderson over and, after a brief hushed conversation, he pointed to the Nurse¡¯s Station. Hanna watched as Anderson approached the desk, spoke to the Nurse in charge, and signed a bunch of papers. When he came back, he was smiling. ¡°Guess what?¡± he asked jovially. ¡°I officially get to go home in three days¡ªwith a clean bill of health!¡± Hanna¡¯s throat went dry. ¡°Just like that?¡± she asked. ¡°Just like that,¡± Anderson grinned. ¡°Hey, look, there¡¯s Nea! I¡¯m gonna go tell her the good news, I¡¯ll be right back!¡± he said jovially before sauntering off. Hanna wondered if, like Cris or Nurse Sasha, she¡¯d never see Anderson again. Chapter 13 - Land of the Sacrificial Scapegoat Hanna lay in the dark, waiting for the deep silence of night to fold itself over the hospital. She had decided to take the meds¡ªher original meds¡ªso that she could stay longer. She had to figure out what all of this meant. She had to find Candace. More than that, she needed to figure out what happened to Cris. He hadn¡¯t been seen since that day he switched trays with her, and she needed to know what they did to him. She worried there had been retaliation. She was also sure it was more than a coincidence that the moment Anderson started talking to her they said he could be released shortly. So many things didn¡¯t make sense. She forced her eyelids open when she realized they¡¯d drifted shut. She had to fight the sleepiness the medication usually gave her. When she was sure it was deep enough in the night, Hanna used the facilities and then crept to her door, her adrenaline making her feel alert and less tired. She found her door unlocked and smiled in the dark. Carefully, she cracked open the door, expecting the hall lights to come streaming into her room, but she was greeted darkness, the doors and hall beyond barely discernible. She started to silently slide out when she froze. Something small in the darkness was moving. It was retreating down the hall towards the labs and intake rooms. It froze at the end of the corridor, then slowly moved to the right hall, disappearing. Without even thinking, Hanna slid her door closed behind her and moved as fast as she could while maintaining silence, pursuing the dark form. The left hall had the elevators, Hanna recalled. Those were voice and..was it biometric locked? She strained and recalled Aema using her fingerprint. But what if there was an implant or something and it wasn¡¯t necessarily a fingerprint? She shook her head, coming to the T-corridor. The left hall was pitch black, but she could slightly make out a figure rounding the curve of the right hall, and so she pursued. It was a labyrinth of turns and curves before another hard right and three doors down, the dark figure moved into a room, closing the door silently behind it. Hanna paused outside of the door, took a deep breath, and began to slowly turn the knob. A slight screech in the metal seemed like aloud alarm to her and she froze, counting in her mind to ten before she relaxed and loosed her breath. Hanna finished turning the knob and pushed the door open carefully. There was a dim desk lamp on and she quickly shut the door behind her. She saw nobody. It was a small room, a desk against the wall with the hall door, no windows, a few cabinets, a door on the wall to the left, just on the other side of a large, strange chair that took up most of the space. Some file boxes piled here and there. The chair was reclined and reminded Hanna almost of a dentist¡¯s chair¡ªexcept for the long armrests with built-in restraints. She shuddered. She was about to turn to leave, inwardly panicking about how she¡¯d find her way back in the dark, when a voice hissed from somewhere in the room, ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?! You¡¯re going to give us away! HIDE!¡± Hanna¡¯s brain moved slow. Too slow. ¡°Legacy¡ª¡± she started to whisper, but it was cut short when the door slammed open, brushing by Hanna in a rush that was too close for comfort. There stood evil Doctor Sol, a wicked smile and a glint from the desk lamp on her glasses. Beside her Nurse Aema stood, wide-eyed and shocked, a large orderly behind Fake Sol. ¡°So, what do we have here?¡± The false humor was covered in dangerous venom. Like a snake, Hanna thought, her body beginning to tremor. ¡°I see that our little talk fell on deaf ears. Are you being a bad girl, Hanna?¡± The low nearly growl of Fake Sol¡¯s voice sucked out all reason and strength from Hanna¡¯s body. It took all of her will not to let her legs fold out from under her. ¡°Hanna, what¡ª¡± Aema began, but evil Sol held up a hand of silence, never once even looking in Aema¡¯s direction. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with your negligence later,¡± evil Sol said with soft malice. Aema looked visibly shaken. What have I done, Hanna thought, when she heard an angry voice. ¡°Now look what you¡¯ve done!¡± Legacy cried out angrily. ¡°I told you not to follow me!¡± Hanna¡¯s head whipped around to where Legacy stood on the other side of the chair, having given up her hiding place. Oh, Legacy, no, Hanna pleaded in her mind. Why? Legacy scowled at evil Doctor Sol, hands on her small hips. ¡°You know, if you really wanted to keep us in, you wouldn¡¯t have your night guards leave the doors unlocked.¡± Fake Sol tightened her jaw, anger flashing, but she said nothing. As Aema went to speak, Fake Sol raised her hand again. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with you later. For now, take the girl back to her room. I am not finished with this one,¡± she said darkly, her eyes never leaving Legacy. The girl, thought Hanna. I guess it¡¯s better than ¡®Cadaver Number 5¡¯. As Aema led Hanna away, she risked a look over her shoulder at Legacy. Legacy¡¯s face shone in triumph as evil Sol slipped in the door with the guard and closed it behind her. A knot filled her stomach as she wondered if Legacy would make it out unscathed. - ¡°What were you thinking?!¡± Aema scolded in a whisper as soon as they¡¯d rounded the hall into Hanna¡¯s corridor. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was Legacy!¡± she hissed in reply. She hadn¡¯t known, but the excuse suddenly seemed childish and lame. Aema frowned at her. ¡°What were you two hoping to achieve?¡± Hanna stopped in front of Soohae¡¯s door and turned to Aema. ¡°I swear it, we didn¡¯t plan anything together. I didn¡¯t even know it was her!¡± She took an angry breath and continued. ¡°And, anyway, I had planned to try to find Cris and Candace tonight¡ªbut clearly that plan¡¯s gone out the window.¡± She was being surly, she knew it. But taking out her frustrations on the one person she had on the outside. She knew it was her fault that Legacy was caught. She hadn¡¯t been thinking. She¡¯d panicked, and now Legacy was going to get punished for it. Hanna cringed inside at the thought of what kind of wicked cocktail evil Sol was putting together right now to test on the poor girl. She shook her head slightly. It was no use thinking of these things. Legacy was strong and bright. Whatever it was, she¡¯d get through it and come back even stronger. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Hanna hadn¡¯t even heard the door open, but Soohae¡¯s ghostly face peeked out from a crack in the door, barely visible in the dark. ¡°You have to go back to bed,¡± Aema said quickly, brushing past Hanna and pulling out her keys. ¡°It¡¯s best no one knows you could go out tonight¡ªor ANY night,¡± Aema said sternly. Soohae disappeared without a word and Aema pulled closed and locked the door. ¡°You¡¯re not gonna tell her?¡± Hanna demanded. Aema sighed. ¡°Look, what good would it do tonight? Besides, any moment my psychotic boss could come by to make sure I¡¯m doing as I¡¯m told, and then I could go missing next! Now, hurry up and get in your room!¡± Hanna turned to say something snarky and her words failed her upon seeing her friend¡¯s face. Aema¡¯s scared, she thought. So, unlike the rebellious version of herself she wanted to be, Hanna quietly went into her room without another glance and shut the door behind her. She did not turn around even when she heard the keys click in the lock. -- The next day, all patients were required to remain in their rooms. And the next. And the next after that. Hanna was going crazy with the waiting. She waited for Legacy to turn up, or to be punished, or anything that would mean not just waiting in the unknown. At least if she knew what terrible thing was coming, she could prepare herself, but the days passed slowly and quietly. Aema hadn¡¯t returned and Nurse Anna simply handed out the pills while an orderly served whatever meal was due at the time, and left her alone. At the end of the third day, Hanna had had enough. She was leaving this room one way or another. She reminded herself this as she lay a hand on her pocket, filled with the pills she hadn¡¯t taken all day. -- Hanna dreamt of running in endless, dark corridors, calling Legacy¡¯s name. At the end of each one, a T-intersection. She always turned right. Right, towards that room she could never find. Hanna awoke slowly. She felt incredibly warm and comfortable in her soft, Queen bed. Her familiar-scented pillow made her relax. She didn¡¯t have to open her eyes to know where she was. Home, she thought. Her body was so calm and relaxed she nearly felt liquid. She nearly laughed with relief. After a time she sighed, opening her eyes and stretching. She looked around the room and paused. For the first time in a long time, everything was just as it had always been, and the allure of hoping it had all been a bad dream danced in the corner of her mind. But she knew better. Washing up and dressing, Hanna considered her plans. Once she was ready for the day, she went downstairs and joined her guildmates in the kitchen. She glanced into the dining room as she passed. Soohae was reaching for jam for her toast as Anderson poured them both more coffee. Cris was at the end of the table, reading the town¡¯s weekly ledger, chatting quietly with Alexander about upcoming events to be held by the Lord and Lady. Candace forked a piece of ham and laughed at something Undertaker said before he grinned flirtatiously. Hanna smiled and rolled her eyes, continuing to the kitchen. The smells of freshly baked rolls, frying sausage and sizzling eggs woke her appetite as she entered the room. Aema was pouring freshly brewed coffee into a serving pot on a tray with a two cups. Legacy brooded in a chair at the kitchen¡¯s table, eyeing the coffee. Hanna¡¯s breath left her for a moment, until Legacy looked up at her with a surly expression and said, ¡°What?¡± Hanna laughed and shook her head. The teenaged angst was music to her ears. Aema looked up as Hanna laughed. ¡°I¡¯ve got the tea brewing if you wanted some, Hanna,¡± she said with a smile. From behind her, a curl of black smoke left the stove. ¡°Chaos, you better not burn my sausage!¡± Legacy cried, leaping up and hurrying to his side to micromanage his cooking. ¡°No, don¡¯t flip that! Those eggs need to be cooked longer!¡± Hanna felt the warmth of the house and all of its people. ¡°Leandro left this morning,¡± Aema said with a sigh as Hanna joined her at the kitchen island. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Left? To go out or, like, LEFT us?¡± ¡°Left us. She felt like she couldn¡¯t keep up here. It turns out she actually has a guild of her own in the next town. She just liked it here so much.. Well, I suppose these things happen.¡± Aema poured the finished tea into a cup and slid it to Hanna. ¡°I suppose so,¡± Hanna replied, accepting the cup. The smell of cinnamon wafted up to her nose. Her favorite tea. ¡°So, she was a Guild Leader this whole time? That¡¯s kind of crazy,¡± she murmured. As she took a sip of the scalding liquid, she let herself enjoy the sounds of the house. ¡°We have a new face, though. His name is Ton. Oh, and Noble left his room this morning! Of course, he¡¯s back there now..¡± Hanna let the conversation flow on as she drank her tea and picked at her food. It was so nice being back in her familiar life that, for just a moment, Hanna had forgotten at least one missing face. Sol. After breakfast, Hanna offered to remind Sol there was food. She knocked on the door to her quarters, but there was no response. Frowning, she went down the stairs and checked the library, the foyer, the parlor, finding her in none of those places. Finally, she made her way to Sol¡¯s office. The room was more of a study than an office, but it was probably one of the few things official about their guild¡¯s Leader. When asked to take an office at the Guild Hall headquarters, she had instantly declined, as though it were only natural. But this was how she preferred it, and it made the others feel more like they were among equals than having to go and beg an audience from their own leader. Some guild leaders never even responded to queries sent. Clearing her head, Hanna took a breath and knocked on the door to the office. It felt so solid under her knuckle. She¡¯d never thought much about it before. She was noticing doors in a different light since the hospital. Hanna knocked again, three soft taps. Finally, starting to lose her patience, Hanna opened the door and pushed it open. She froze a moment. An oversized chair had been moved into the room, housing a sleeping Sol, bundled under a blanket with a book on her chest and a long-cold cup of coffee resting on the table beside her. Hanna closed the door quietly behind her as she entered. The normally organized office desk was scattered with papers, books and maps. She approached Sol quietly, undecided whether or not to lay a hand on her shoulder. Her Leader¡¯s face was tired and drawn, and she slept deep, her hair falling over her face. A book of parchment lay on the table beside her cup, with mostly illegible scribbles covering the pages. A nonsensical diagram and a note written in a language Hanna didn¡¯t recognize, a question mark following it. Hanna debated looking closer, or perhaps investigating the desk, when the door jerked open and Chaos called out, poking his head in, ¡°Does the boss want breakfast or not?¡± Sol jerked awake, startling, knocking the contents from her lap and looking around wildly, clutching her chest. ¡°What the hell,¡± she started, sounding shaken. ¡°Chaos!¡± she scolded, ¡°You scared the living daylights out of me! And Hanna! For the gods¡¯ sakes, make some noise when you walk!¡± Chaos grinned sheepishly. ¡°Sorry, boss!¡± he said with a salute before disappearing out of the door and pulling it closed behind him. Sol looked up at Hanna with blurry eyes as she tried to slow her breathing. ¡°Why are you standing over me like you¡¯re going to suck my blood? Geez, Count Chocula, either kill me or don¡¯t,¡± she grumped. Hanna swallowed back the laugh that threatened to come out of her. She was always amused when Sol showed a little temper. Like a grumpy old man on the porch in his rocker. ¡°Sorry, Sol,¡± she replied apologetically. ¡°I was just coming to see if you wanted breakfast.¡± Sol looked around confused and bedraggled. ¡°Oh. Uh.. Not right now, but thanks,¡± she replied, stretching. Hanna could hear some of her bones crack within her. ¡°Darn comfy chair,¡± Sol muttered to herself with a frown. Something pricked at Hanna¡¯s brain. Sol looked at her as she stood and groaned, collapsing back into her chair and stretching her legs. ¡°Was there something else?¡± ¡°You said Count Chocula.¡± Sol blinked. She opened her mouth, seemed to change her mind, and shook her head with a look of mild confusion. ¡°Yeah, so? You were being all vampire-y and stuff,¡± she scoffed, tilting her head. Hanna shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. It¡¯s that¡ª¡± She looked hard at Sol, her body tensing. ¡°Count Chocula isn¡¯t from this world.¡± -- Hanna¡¯s heart beat loudly in the deafening silence that followed. It was as if the very air had gone still. Sol said nothing, just sat for the longest time before sighing. Reaching over for her coffee cup, she took a small sip and made a face. ¡°Well, at least it still tastes good, even if it¡¯s cold.¡± Hanna stared. ¡°Sol,¡± she demanded, suddenly feeling a little braver. ¡°Hnn?¡± Sol stared into her coffee with a bit of a frown before setting it back on the table. ¡°Are you.. Are you one of them? Are you another fake Sol?¡± Her Leader looked up at her thoughtfully, studying Hanna¡¯s face before she spoke. ¡°None of them are fake, Hanna. They¡¯re as real as you and me. If you mean am I the original Sol you¡¯ve met in this world, then the answer is yes.¡± Hanna exhaled her relief, but she heard the words that were not there, and so she swallowed hard and asked the question again. ¡°Are you one of them?¡± she demanded, straightening up and clenching her fists. ¡°Are you a traveler¡ªor whatever it is you called them?¡± Sol leaned her head back in the chair and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out before she looked back at Hanna, looking weary. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied. - Hanna sat on the stairs, her mind reeling. ¡°You don¡¯t KNOW?!¡± She had blanched at Sol¡¯s answer, but as she tried to calm her mind now, she thought back on the interaction. ¡°No,¡± Sol had replied softly, soul-weary. ¡°I don¡¯t know where I started or where I belong. I just know I was here. It hasn¡¯t always felt right or wrong. I just have memories from the Otherwheres. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°The Otherwheres?¡± she¡¯d asked. Sol had nodded. ¡°All of the places where our other selves exist, but where we don¡¯t belong.¡± ¡°Do you remember ALL of these ¡®Otherwheres¡¯?¡± she¡¯d asked, the words like an accusation. Sol simply shook her head and gave a weak shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how many Otherwheres are out there.¡± Hanna laid her head in her hands. She didn¡¯t know if that meant evil Sol could be here, had been here, or if she could be in the future. She longed to run into the parlor and hug the girls. Even tease the boys. But she couldn¡¯t do so without then explaining her insane tale¡ªand sounding the more crazy for it. She didn¡¯t have the confidence that Sol would collaborate her story. ¡°Hey, banana,¡± Chaos greeted cheerfully, plopping down on the step beside her. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± It was a good question, but one she didn¡¯t know how to answer. She looked up at him, but couldn¡¯t think of a single thing she could say that didn¡¯t sound made-up or crazy. Finally, she sighed and dropped her head back to her hands. ¡°Uh huh,¡± Chaos articulated before standing and dusting himself off. ¡°Come on,¡± he instructed. Hanna lifted her head and glowered. ¡°Come on WHAT?¡± she replied sourly. He could be pretty playful, but she wasn¡¯t really in the mood for his antics. He gave her a look and reached down, grabbing her hand and giving one firm yank to pull her to her feet. ¡°I said, COME ON,¡± he replied, pulling her along. Outside of the front door, he pulled her along the wide, covered porch and down the steps, rounding the manor. ¡°Fine, I¡¯m coming! You don¡¯t need to pull,¡± Hanna snipped, jerking her hand away. With a careless shrug and a little whistle, Chaos led her into the back gardens¡ªwhich were in dire need of some repair. ¡°Ta-daa!¡± he said, spreading his arms wide and smiling. Hanna just stared, deadpan. Someone please tell me that he did not just bring me to the back gardens to show me NOTHING, she thought with annoyance. After too long a wait, he dropped his arms and huffed, gesturing behind him. ¡°I don¡¯t think you heard me,¡± he told her, as if talking to a small child with selective hearing. ¡°I SAID, ta-daa!¡± Hanna¡¯s eyes darted sideway, as if she were trying to spare him humiliation. ¡°Yeah, I heard you, I just don¡¯t get it. I know what the gardens look like.¡± Chaos sighed and planted a hand to his face. After a moment, he tried again. ¡°Look. The gardens. There is a lot of land here, right? Well, guess who said the gardens could use some love¡ªand who was assigned to them?¡± Hanna blinked and looked over the gardens with a frown. ¡°I have to clean all this up myself and get it back into shape?¡± ¡°Not exactly. Each of us gets a plot of the garden to do with as we wish, but the land just BEYOND the garden, Sol gave permission for us to have farm fields. And I know how much you love your eggplants.¡± Hanna¡¯s eyes lit up with determination. ¡°I shall build a plantation!¡± she announced laughingly, momentarily forgetting about all of the important things that had plagued her. Hanna tried to put Chaos to work alongside her, but once the adrenaline for the excitement wore off, he made excuses about being sore and wandered off. Hanna worked tirelessly, the manual labor clearing her mind. She had worked for three hours before Soohae came to find her with some iced tea. ¡°It¡¯s warm today,¡± she¡¯d said with a smile. Hanna had a smile too. The smile of someone who just found a new victim to recruit. -- Hours later, the sun setting and sore to the bone, Hanna stumbled towards the house while rubbing her back. Soohae had stumbled back a half hour earlier, saying she had to recover before dinner. But, now that Hanna¡¯s body was drained, her tired mind began to creep back to work. She pushed it away a little longer with a deliciously hot bath in rosewater, then with helping in the kitchen to make supper. Tomorrow, by all accounts was Viersdie¡ªFriday in the other world, though in a world of tomorrows, do the names really matter? Sighing and closing her eyes, Hanna pushed the weird thoughts from her mind and focused on cutting the carrots into small, cubed pieces. Viersdie was the day Sol kicked them all out of the kitchen and cooked herself. Hanna always looked forward to it because it meant two things: She didn¡¯t have to cook, and she got to eat delicious things. Sol couldn¡¯t make very diverse dishes, but the ones she did make were usually worth the wait. But now, with the traveling of her mind, her consciousness, would she really get to enjoy the day with her guild family? At the table that evening, Hanna did more listening than talking. She watched her friends¡¯ interactions, noted Noble¡¯s absence and re-devoted a part of herself to wearing him down eventually. Glancing around, she tried to memorize every face. The good-natured Aema, surly Legacy, the self-proclaimed wannabe ¡®badboy¡¯ that was Chaos. Undertaker¡¯s shameless flirting that reminded her a lot of another guild¡¯s member. Tefy and Raya were in conversation about something Hanna couldn¡¯t hear from her end of the table. Anderson was listening intently, occasionally enriching a conversation with Soohae and Candace. Ton was reaching for second helpings, heaping them onto his plate. A few members were absent for events or travels, Cris was talking to Alexander about the rumours of trains being built in the region, and Sol.. Hanna looked at Sol, picking at her plate, saying almost nothing and watching the table in much the same way Hanna had been doing. Smiling slightly at a comment here, rolling her eyes to a story there, hiding a chuckle or a smirk with her napkin. After a while her eyes landed on Hanna. She gave a slight smile and subtle nod, which Hanna returned before lowering her gaze to her plate. She took a bite of her chicken pot pie and took another glance at Sol, who was watching an exchange between Anderson and Soo with a warm affection and sadness. She realized it then. This Sol, whoever she was or wherever she came from, would never do them harm. And, for whatever reason, it struck her that no matter where she went, evil Sol, herself, did not seem to follow. An idea formed in her mind, questions she suddenly needed answers to. Perhaps evil Sol wasn¡¯t able to travel. But why? How? -- Hanna waited to travel, but she did not. At first, it was a constant fear. Every time she closed her eyes or laid her head to sleep, she was certain it would be her last. The manor was half-empty most of the time with the guild members going to and from events, all at the pleasure of the Lord and Lady ruling the land. Hanna, herself, hadn¡¯t been attending the balls and events, but she knew she would have to soon if she continued to stay here. If nothing else, the solitude gave her time to garden, think, and fall into the rhythm of the house. She had lost track of time from when the storm had happened and up to now. Time seemed to freeze between places. Or, as Sol suggested, perhaps the consciousness must return to the moment from whence it came. Hanna didn¡¯t like to disagree, but there was something off about the theory. It didn¡¯t have any regard for those whose consciousnesses were already transferred. When she had mentioned this, Sol simply gave a half-hearted shrug and sigh. ¡°Paradoxes. I don¡¯t have to like it, but they¡¯re bound to exist. It¡¯s why we shouldn¡¯t mess with these things to begin with.¡± She paused, drinking thoughtfully from her favorite mug. ¡°I¡¯ve just decided the plural for several consciousness should be ¡®consciousi¡¯. See what I did there?¡± Hanna watched her leader chuckle at her own pseudo-cleverness and suppressed an eyeroll and a chuckle of her own. She had taken to watching Sol a lot when she was around. Much of the time their leader seemed sad or lost in thought, but she would smile on cue and laugh when engaged. She made weird little jokes that mostly seemed to go unnoticed and, when she thought nobody was looking, Hanna noticed she would talk or sing quietly to herself. Or to her coffee. Hanna wondered if anyone else appreciated these little quirks, or if they¡¯d noticed them at all when going about their days. If these transfers stayed in order, the next time she woke, she would likely be in World 2¡ªexcept that she wasn¡¯t sure she could count on that. Not after skipping 2 on the way back home. It was maddening not to know for sure. Hanna groaned with frustration and slammed the hoe into the earth. There had to be a better way to go about things. She just needed a clue, a push in the right direction. Just one single lead to follow. If she had that, maybe she could figure out exactly how to force a travel, choose a direction, or.. She paused in her work, wiped sweat from her brow, and leaned on the end of the hoe. The drugs. I could try to find out what¡¯s in those drugs¡ªhow to make them. I could try to find a way to prevent this from happening to anyone ever again. She may not yet have an entire crop, but for now she at least had a plan. The next time she plunged the blade of the hoe into the earth again, she had a satisfied smile. Chapter 14 - What Doesnt Kill Us It was another full week later when Hanna felt it¡ªthat strange pulling sensation when she awoke from sleep. She knew, somehow, that this was it¡ªthis was the pull that would take her back to the Otherworlds¡ªwhich she decided was a better name than Otherwheres. It was a strange feeling, understanding what that elastic-like pull was and knowing that her time was limited, but Hanna was finally able to feel at peace with the traveling. It was as if knowing it would happen gave her a sense of control. She tended her garden, leaving instructions with Aema and Sol. She had been uneasy about telling Aema, but they needed to bring her into the fold sooner rather than later. Just in case. Aema, as it turned out, was fascinated at the thought of other hers. She became prickly when it came to Isis, however, fuming at this other version of herself for being, ¡°¡ªsuch a damned idiot! She¡¯s clearly being used by that evil Sol¡ªuh¡ªno offense, Sol.¡± ¡°Oh, none taken,¡± Sol had murmured good-naturedly, waving Aema off as if it was the most natural thing in the world to talk about one¡¯s other selves in this manner. Sol simply raised her cup in a silent toast and took a sip. If anything, fortune smiled upon Hanna this trip. Legacy was off at the University, along with several of the others, and at least half of the house was away at events and banquets, so it was a skeleton crew at the manor. If something went wrong, Hanna didn¡¯t have to worry about the entire house finding out right away. She had time. A commodity she never realized was as precious as it is until she had started losing it. Sol and Aema worked together in the kitchen to prepare Hanna a hearty meal. She smiled as she watched them from the counter and sipped her tea. It would be nice to have this meal in case things go awry. Then her smile wavered and a thought gripped her, nearly paralyzing her with fear. ¡°Sol?¡± ¡°What¡¯s up, buttercup?¡± Sol answered absently, frowning as she kneaded the sticky dough for her infamous cheddar biscuits. ¡°What happens if I die?¡± Silence fell like a heavy sheet, casting the kitchen in a chilly darkness and leaving Sol motionless. Aema turned to their leader and, after a moment, nudged her with an elbow. ¡°Sol?¡± Sol sucked in a shaky breath and exhaled it, making Hanna¡¯s belly do somersaults. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she finally replied, resuming her kneading with intensity. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you return here, or¡ªIf you die there¡ªthe other Hanna comes here. I don¡¯t know if you both die since you¡¯ve never traded places¡ªor if you HAVE traded places, no one seems to remember it..¡± She trailed off a moment, staring out the window before squeezing her eyes shut and grimacing, her jaw tightening. ¡°Just.. Try not to die, okay? I¡¯d rather not find out.¡± Hanna spent the rest of the evening ill at ease. She scarcely remembered eating supper, but recalled that it stuck in her mouth. She couldn¡¯t even remember what it tasted like, which was her biggest disappointment. -- Hanna made sure to bathe and wear new clothes. After a moment, she quickly brought towels to her bed and set them up. If she were to be unable to wake up, and time DID pass, she hated to think of being the member of the house who wet the bed. Better to be safe than sorry¡ªand humiliated. Once she was done readying herself and her room, Hanna lay in bed and turned out the light. In World 3, it had been at least a couple of months, possibly more. In World 2, a handful of days, maybe a week or so? In her home world, it had been only a few weeks. Time passed by at different rates, or perhaps not at all during traveling. Or, perhaps Sol was right and consciousness¡­i¡­simply returned to the moment it departed. A seamless gap. She took a steadying breath and closed her eyes in the darkness. With the noise of her mind, it took some time to fall asleep. As she slipped over, she felt that familiar stretching, pulling at her mind, tugging at her body. This time, she did not wake up. -- She was lost. Awash in a dark sea of colored pictures and distant audio, a distorted hallway of images both vivid and blurry. Faces she recognized, places she didn¡¯t. It took a while to get her bearings as she floated along. She felt tuggings of familiarity that made her brain hurt, and a curiosity as she passed by different images. In one of them, she saw a group of girls laughing. She stared at the face of one of them. Dark hair, bright eyes of golden amber and rich brown. The girl was laughing at something, tossing her long hair over a shoulder. She knew this girl. This girl was familiar. But..who was she? After a long time, she shook her head and floated off until she stopped at another of the moving pictures. She watched, head tilted. This girl was familiar too, but she was slightly different. It was the same girl, she was sure, but it also wasn¡¯t. She wasn¡¯t sure how she knew, but she knew. She didn¡¯t feel as close to this girl, but she knew they were similar somehow. Connected. This girl.. This girl had a name. What was it? The pain returned, so she turned away, floating through the stream of consciousness slowly, taking in this image or that. An image caught her eye and she stopped, turned. A young woman with long black hair and eyes as dark as night gazed back at her. She lifted a hand and the other girl did too. She waved, as did the other girl. Then the other girl lowered her hand and turned her head, looking off at something. Looking back at her, the girl pointed the direction she had looked, appearing solemn. She frowned at the familiar girl before looking in the direction the girl had pointed. An image of a girl with golden-brown eyes frowned back at her from a distance. She floated towards the apparition reflected through the strange portal. The girl¡¯s long brown-blonde hair fell here and there, with slight curls and waves to it. This girl was so young. She stared. So familiar, she thought. Then she thought she heard someone whisper something. ¡°Legacy.¡± She turned around and frowned. Who was that? Who knew she was here? Was somebody else here? How long had she been here? ¡°Legacy.¡± She pushed herself along the current, trying to find the whisperer, trying to find anyone. She had a name once too, hadn¡¯t she? She, herself, had had a name. What was it? What was her name? ¡°Legacy.¡± The whisper was louder. More urgent. ¡°Legacy.¡± Louder. Faster. What was this? Where was it?! She moved with a speed she didn¡¯t realize she was capable of. Pushing through the lines of memories. Memories. That was it! These were memories. Memories from all over, everywhere all at once, everyone who had ever had them. Who WOULD ever have them. She was among these too, somewhere. She knew she was. She had a name once. Who was she? ¡°Legacy!¡± The whisper sounded panicked, horrified. She pushed through the endless space faster, then suddenly she came up to a scene she hadn¡¯t seen before. Her body stopped, stricken as though with paralysis as she stared at the scene that floated in a canvas before her. So much color. So much RED. She heard the whispered scream with clarity, though it was as though from a great distance. ¡°Legacy! Legacy! LEGACY!¡± Standing rigid, she raised her hands, covered in red. She opened her mouth, tilted her head back, and began to scream. And scream, and scream. -- Hanna awoke with a jerk, but came-to slowly. Her eyes were wet with tears, her body trembling slightly, though difficult to move, as though she were neck-deep in mud. Her brain felt like a lump of half-wet cement that had already started to solidify. Her body ached and something seemed to scratch and claw at the corner of her mind, but she couldn¡¯t recall what it was. How long have I been sleeping? she wondered to herself, trying to force her eyes open and blink out the blurriness. She could feel the crust of sleep in the corners. In this state of half-alertness, something popped into her head. Something she hadn¡¯t thought about in a long time. ¡°One pill makes you larger, one pill makes you small..¡± As though jolted through with electricity, Hanna sat up in bed like a shot. That was it! If there was a drug to make you STAY in each world you were pulled into, there had to be a drug to make you TRAVEL! Hanna blinked and looked around the room. It only took her a moment to discern World 2. She frowned. This world was, by far, the biggest pain in the ass Hanna could ever imagine. Being watched near constantly, drugged every waking moment. She had more freedom in World 3! And the basement! The basement would be watched now, any chance of gathering evidence likely long gone. Hanna rose from the bed. She remembered now. The last time she was here she was searching for Sol¡ªsearching for answers. She had found the stains in the basement and panicked, but then Aema¡ªno, Isis¡ªhad found her and injected her with something to render her unconscious. This struck up another memory¡ªlaying in Soohae¡¯s bed in her world before being pulled into another. Realization hit her. That couple of weeks I spent in my world, I woke up in MY bed, she thought. Then she shook her head. One problem before the other. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Hanna¡¯s hands balled into fists. She wanted to make me believe that I killed Sol, she thought with a new rage she¡¯d never felt before. But, I¡¯ll bet a hundred gold that she was the one who hurt Sol. And I am going to make her pay. I¡¯m going to crush the life out of her. I¡¯m going to¡ªA flash entered her mind of Nurse Aema. The Aema who REALLY belonged here in World 2. It was her body that Isis was using now. If she hurt Isis, then she really hurt the good Aema, who just wanted to come back home as desperately as Hanna had. Hanna¡¯s shoulders sagged as her anger deflated into something simmering, her resolve shaky, but not irresolute. She would find a way. She would make THIS Aema pay¡ªIsis, she reminded herself¡ªand she would get the true Aema home. She had to. There had to be a way. -- Hanna didn¡¯t have much time to formulate a plan. Really, it came to her almost on a whim just as she needed it most. She would have bragged about her on-the-fly acting had the situation not been so precarious. She had just began to cross the room, having stood with her mind reeling for far longer than she¡¯d realized. Her heart jumped into her throat as the doorknob rattled and began to turn, the door beginning to open with Candace appearing as the space widened. Candace¡¯s eyes became enlarged with shock and alarm. Without thinking, Hanna rushed the girl and threw herself into Candace¡¯s arms¡ªwhich were likely being raised in self-defense instead of a hug¡ªand clung to her hard so that her face wasn¡¯t visible. ¡°Candace!¡± she cried out in a muffled rush. ¡°I¡¯m so glad it¡¯s you! I had the worst dream! A nightmare, really. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me, but it was so horrible! Please, tell me I¡¯m awake now! Tell me none of it was real!¡± Hanna put on her most sincere look of uncertainty and fright as Candace pulled her back by the shoulders and looked into Hanna¡¯s face, scrutinizing as if searching for the lies. Hanna pulled up her brows and took shaky breaths. ¡°Candy?¡± she asked weakly, and then made her eyes flutter and went limp at just the right speed that Candace caught her. ¡°Ohh,¡± she moaned in a squeak. She allowed Candace to help her back to the bed and tuck her in, then¡ªin a spark of genius¡ªgrabbed onto Candace¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me, Candy,¡± she said, trying to make herself appear as meek and small as a frightened child. ¡°Please, stay until Aema can come and help me. Please.¡± Candace seemed to struggle for a moment, indecisive. Hanna saw something flash in Candace¡¯s eyes for only a moment, and her resolve weakened. Hanna¡¯s own eyes widened slightly as she recalled something important. Her eyes searched evil Candace and found something more: love. ¡°Candy?¡± she whispered, unsure. Luckily for Hanna, this fed right into her act as well, else she might have been caught. ¡°Okay,¡± Candace said softly with a sigh. ¡°For a little while, Hanna.¡± The girl sat on the bed beside Hanna and stroked her hair until Hanna feigned sleep, trying to give herself slow, rhythmically deep breaths. She felt Candace rise from the bed, hesitate for a long moment as she watched Hanna, before quietly leaving the room. When the doorknob latched with a soft click, she opened her eyes. Candace is in a coma, she thought, because evil Candace is here. Evil World 3 Candace is here with Isis¡­but maybe Candace 2 didn¡¯t move worlds. Maybe she¡¯s still stuck inside there? Two minds sharing one body, but which one was in control? Could they fight for control? The thoughts haunted her long after Candace returned with Isis and Hanna, still feigning sleep, listened to their conversation. This was her new plan. To learn as much as she could, lull them into believing she had no memory of what had happened before¡ªas if she were a new Hanna¡ªand then using the information she gained to aid in her search of the manor. She WOULD find those drugs. She would discover how they worked and how to replicate them. She might not be a scientist, but how hard could it be to figure it out. I mean, cooking is science. Right? So, she thought, it makes sense that it¡¯s like following a recipe. How hard could it be? She would later come to regret that naivety. Because, as it turns out, ¡®science cooking¡¯ is pretty damn hard if you¡¯re not a scientist. -- Rain poured hard outside, pounding on the window. At some point, during her listening game, Hanna had actually fallen asleep. She hadn¡¯t realized how mentally draining it was to be a spy. Mentally, emotionally¡­physically. Her body ached from too much time in bed, but there was only so much she could do. The dimming light of the obscured setting sun filtered in from beyond the clouds. The world was grey, but this was how she liked it. Because it had never rained in this world before, and rain now meant something to Hanna. Rain was a catalyst, a character in its own right in the novel of her life, and she wasn¡¯t about to turn her back on it now. She had expected Candace or Aema¡ªIsis, she reminded herself for the billionth time today¡ªto have come up with a tray by now of some dinner and some sort of cocktail to knock her into next week, but no one came. Hanna¡¯s stomach protested, arguably the only part of her that thought this was a shame. Hanna just found it interesting. Then she heard the floorboard squeak. It was a soft squeak, the sound of one being careful. Or just the sound of an old house resting, she told herself silently, not believing in the words for a second. At the second creak, much closer than the first, Hanna¡¯s eyes shot open in spite of herself. Bare feet, a white, flowing nightdress, wildly bedraggled black hair and skin that had gone too pale for her own good. Soohae stood like a ghostly vision, exactly identical to the Soohae in World 3. Hanna blinked a moment, then sat up slowly, afraid any sudden movement would spook the girl. Hanna opened her mouth to speak, but Soohae slowly held up a single finger to her lips. Then she pointed to the wall to her right, the same wall her bed rested against. A tapestry hung there that Hanna did and didn¡¯t recognize at once, a familiar prickling in the back of her brain as she looked at it drove her crazy. Then Soohae turned as if controlled by an outer force, and drifted across the floor toward the tapestry. In only a single blink, Soohae was gone and Hanna was slowly emerging from the bed toward the fluttering tapestry. Her feet moved of their own volition and her lips slightly parted as she ran a hand down the tapestry of pink and floral design. She blinked, her hand still resting against it, and the image was that of a torrential sea, done in somber hues of blue and grey. Had she just imagined it was floral? Her breath was quiet and ragged and she felt like a woman possessed as her hand gently pushed past the tapestry and into a hidden hallway between rooms. She moved as though she had done this a thousand times. Gliding in with nary a sound from her bare feet as they moved from warm wood to cold stone, her left hand rising slowly to close the wall behind her by touch. It made no sound as it closed, sealing her away into the dark. The moment felt like an eternity as Hanna waited in the dark for the match to be struck. This was their way, her and Soo¡¯s. She wasn¡¯t sure how she knew, but she knew. A moment later, the match was struck and the ghostly figure of Soo lifted a candle from the ledge and lit it with the match before she set it back upon the small ledge. The two young women stared at each other before, finally, Soo slowly approached Hanna and, after a moment of searching each others¡¯ faces, they embraced. ¡°I never thought you¡¯d find me,¡± Soo whispered, her voice slightly hoarse as though from misuse. ¡°I never thought you¡¯d figure it out.¡± Hanna backed away just enough to look Soo in the eyes. ¡°Are you her? Are you the other Soo? From the third world?¡± Soo just smiled sadly and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied, her voice choked with emotion. Hanna felt like she was back in Sol¡¯s office. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± her leader had said, just as Soo was saying now. Hanna took a breath. ¡°You exist in both times, don¡¯t you? Both places?¡± Soo¡¯s face fell and her shoulders slumped, making her look smaller. ¡°I don¡¯t know how it works. I am there, then I am here. Is it separate or the same? Legacy was trying to find out, but.. We don¡¯t really know how it works. But they took her, didn¡¯t they? Legacy? She doesn¡¯t seem to exist in this world¡ªor, at least, if she does they haven¡¯t found her yet. I feel like she¡¯s the key to something they don¡¯t want us to understand, but what?¡± Soo dropped her face into her hands and began to sob silently. Hanna pulled the girl into her arms and gave her gentle pats to her back as her mind whirled. ¡°She¡¯ll gut you,¡± a wild-eyed Legacy had once said. Hanna felt cold permeate through her entire body. ¡°Soo,¡± she said slowly. As if she heard the dark promise of the unspoken words, Soo looked up into Hanna¡¯s face with tearful eyes. ¡°We need to get back,¡± Soo sighed softly, as if in reply. ¡°We need to get back,¡± Hanna repeated. -- Knowing they had to get back to World 3 and locate Legacy was a given. The real problem lay in how the hell they were supposed to manage that. Which brought a now near-panicking Hanna back to her initial quest: finding the secret recipe to the drug that would allow them to travel, then figuring out how the hell to make it work¡ªif it would even work on Soo. ¡°Hanna, it¡¯s a formula, not a recipe,¡± Soohae reminded her with a ghost of a smile. Hanna shrugged haughtily with one shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± she quipped. Soo chuckled to herself and shook her head gently. Now that they were in Soo¡¯s room, Hanna felt a bit safer. Soohae wasn¡¯t much of a concern to Isis and evil Sol, at least not anymore. ¡°So then, how did it start for you?¡± Hanna asked, nervously eyeing the bedroom door. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, Hanna. They won¡¯t come in here. They stopped coming in here a while ago. The last time was when they found me with you. After that, I think they just locked it and forgot about me.¡± ¡°They locked you in?!¡± Hanna cried, feeling her shock turn to anger. ¡°What about food or water?!¡± Soo looked up at her wearily from where she sat on the bed. ¡°I can get water from the bathroom sink, and I sneak out at night to get food. No one guards the house at night. Everyone is either asleep, out, or drugged.¡± Something about that phrase was familiar. No one guards at night.. Hanna flopped across the bed and rubbed her temples, pushing it back and trying to focus on the present. How could anyone do that to someone as sweet as Soo¡ª Hanna lurched upward, eyes as wide as saucers. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± she cried out. She turned to Soo. ¡°We¡¯ll go around at night. We¡¯ll pretend to be¡ªwe¡¯ll I¡¯ll pretend to be sleeping until late at night. They won¡¯t drug me if I¡¯m already asleep. And, even if they lock me in, you can come and get me and we¡¯ll go exploring!¡± Soo¡¯s face transformed into one of mischievous glee. ¡°Can I put weeds in Bad Aema¡¯s tea jar?¡± Hanna grinned and gave a laugh. ¡°One thing at a time, but if we have the time, sure! I¡¯ll help,¡± she grinned conspiratorially. ¡°Wait, Aema likes coffee, not tea. Right?¡± ¡°Aema does,¡± Soo replied bitterly. ¡°Bad Aema likes tea. She calls coffee ¡®the devil¡¯s spittle.¡± Hanna rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course she does,¡± she grumbled with exasperation. She felt a little ping of triumphant happiness at the ¡®Bad Aema¡¯ remark. Evil Sol, Bad Aema. They should start a band, she thought with a smirk. ¡°We should have known she wasn¡¯t an Aema the moment she picked up the tea,¡± she added, making Soohae giggle. As Hanna stood to return to the secret tunnel, Soohae¡¯s hand shot out and grasped her wrist. Hanna looked at her questioningly. ¡°Soo?¡± ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t leave me here. Don¡¯t leave me alone again. I feel like I¡¯m going crazy.¡± ¡°I promise to try not to,¡± Hanna said soberly, squeezing Soo¡¯s hand a moment before she turned to leave. It was the best promise she could make for now. Soo rose and showed her how to open and seal the tunnel silently, and Hanna returned to her room carefully. Luckily for her, it seemed no one had come or gone in her absence, and she used the facilities and crawled back into bed to wait for nightfall. She decided to allow herself some sleep while she waited. She had no idea how long it would take them to search the house, but she figured the best place to start would be Sol¡¯s office. As she drifted into sleep, it occurred to Hanna that she never got the answer to her question: How did it start for Soo? Chapter 15 - Carry On ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea,¡± the voice was saying. She sounded impatient. She. Hanna felt groggy, but she did her best not to open her eyes. She knew they¡¯d be blurry and she couldn¡¯t risk blinking and garnering attention. ¡°There isn¡¯t much choice,¡± a second voice answered. Another girl. Hanna willed the sleep from her brain so she could identify the speakers from their hushed voices. ¡°Who knows what she¡¯s found out, or what she could have told the others,¡± the second voice continued. Candace. Bad Candace, Hanna mused. ¡°Maybe,¡± the first voice replied. Isis? She sounded strange. Hoarse somehow, like perhaps she¡¯d been crying. Does Isis cry? Hanna wondered. It seemed like a foreign idea with as cold and hard as Isis had been. Then again, Isis was still an Aema, and Aema had a good heart. There had to be some of that in there. ¡°But if it was you?¡± Isis continued. ¡°If it was your body on the line?¡± Silence. It stretched on for an uncomfortably long time and she heard Candace shift on her feet. ¡°I suppose not,¡± Candace replied slowly, a hint of doubt in her voice. After a long moment of terse silence, she spoke again. ¡°So, what are we supposed to do here? I mean, she hasn¡¯t seemed to be here, and what about Sol?¡± Isis cleared her throat quietly. ¡°Never you mind about Sol,¡± she replied unconvincingly. ¡°This is the first one we¡¯ve managed to turn into something half useful. If we couldn¡¯t communicate with the Doctor, we¡¯d have no use for her whatsoever.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t the Doctor just use her? You know, like the way we¡¯re using Candace and Aema¡¯s bodies here?¡± Isis let out a heavy sigh. ¡°That¡¯s something she has yet to figure out. She thinks maybe there¡¯s something different with her mind. Not that it¡¯s stronger, per say, but more like it¡¯s¡­out of sync somehow. That¡¯s why she can only deliver messages and not fully inhabit her. The sooner we figure out what¡¯s blocking it, the sooner the Doctor can explore these worlds herself.¡± ¡°Ohh,¡± Candace replied, but it was obvious she didn¡¯t quite understand. Hanna wanted to lord it over her, but she couldn¡¯t quite understand the reasoning herself. ¡°So then, what DO we do?¡± Candace repeated. Isis¡¯ footfalls paced the floor for a moment, then stopped. ¡°We keep doing what we¡¯ve been doing and we wait. Though the Doctor doesn¡¯t think we need to worry about this Hanna. From what you said, she seems pretty child-like, and that¡¯s not a threat to us. But she does want her watched kept isolated to her room.¡± ¡°She held me so tight.¡± Candace¡¯s voice was almost a whisper, and she sounded so sad. Hanna wanted desperately to peek, but her danger senses told her this was the worst idea and to stay put. ¡°I know,¡± sighed Isis. ¡°But she isn¡¯t your Hanna. The Hanna that¡¯s like a sister to you, she may be gone. We can¡¯t know for sure. But this Hanna..¡± Hanna felt a hand gently stroke her hair, and it took everything in her not to respond, but to pretend to sleep deeply. ¡°This Hanna is just another echo.¡± Long after they left, there was something about their wording that bothered her. Another echo. It seemed to tug at something in her brain, something she was forgetting, but she pushed it away to make room for something more important: Sol was alive. She was alive and they were keeping her somewhere to use as some sort of communication to the evil Doctor Sol. Hanna smiled to herself. She had a new side mission: Rescue World 2 Sol¡­and hope she wasn¡¯t a complete dolt. They could use all the help they could get. She couldn¡¯t wait to tell Soo. - Hanna was hungry enough to pretend to wake up and ask Candace for supper. She played the innocent card well enough, and Candace dotted on her, seeming to soften. Maybe, at the end of the day, she was just as much an unwitting puppet as the rest of evil Sol¡¯s minions. Feigning being unwell, Candace had brought her a hearty soup and some delicious bread which she used to sop up some of the remaining broth. ¡°The carrots actually came from your garden,¡± Candace said with a soft smile. Hanna startled. ¡°My garden?¡± she asked excitedly, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. She tried to correct herself. ¡°I have a garden?¡± She grinned brightly¡ªan honest, sincere smile¡ªand Candace flustered a moment before seeming to remember herself. ¡°Of course, silly! Don¡¯t you remember? Oh, but you¡¯ve been a little sick, so maybe you¡¯re not quite yourself yet.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Hanna mumbled dumbly. ¡°I guess that¡¯s why I feel so weird today.¡± She laughed, feeling a bit rebellious. ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯m having an out-of-body experience!¡± She only felt slightly guilty about grinning in triumph as Candace choked on her tea. Later came before she knew it. Hanna had allowed herself a little rest, but mostly she couldn¡¯t wait to get the hell out of that bed¡ªand room. Shortly after a clock somewhere distantly chimed midnight, the wall slowly cracked open, creating a dark space behind the tapestry where Soohae¡¯s eyes peeked out of the inky blackness. ¡°Ready?¡± she asked, though she already knew the answer. ¡°Ready,¡± Hanna replied. ¡°Let¡¯s go get some Sol power.¡± Soohae broke into a grin at the old inside joke. Sol had once wondered if they could use the power of the sun somehow to power batteries for the garden¡¯s lights. ¡°So, in other words, Sol wants them to be Sol-powered,¡± Aema teased. Since then it had stuck. Hanna¡¯s only regret was not saying the pun first. As the two crept carefully out of Hanna¡¯s room, stopping briefly to unlock Soo¡¯s from the outside, it never even crossed her mind that the memory of that inside joke was never even her own. -- Sol¡¯s office was unlocked, which made Hanna instantly feel like it was some kind of a trap, but the undisturbed layer of dust on everything gave her a strange comfort. It was as if to say, ¡®It¡¯s okay, you¡¯re safe here.¡¯ They spent half an hour looking around before Hanna decided to go through Sol¡¯s desk more thoroughly and Soo decided to look through the books in the bookshelf. Looking without even candlelight was tedious and Hanna¡¯s eyes ached. Sol was notorious for stashing things away and then forgetting where she put them, which didn¡¯t help matters. Hanna once found a grocery list for the market folded and used as a bookmark in a rather racy novel. Another time she had found notes Sol had taken of a conversation she¡¯d had with another leader, folded into the emergency Silver scrolls she kept bundled in a special, oversized coffee mug on a shelf. Okay, so maybe these things were less stashes than honest mistakes half of the time¡ªbut Sol always dug in, saying things like: ¡°I needed that note there because it reminded me that I still owed Chris money,¡± or ¡°It wasn¡¯t MY fault I couldn¡¯t find the bloody cat! That collar was the best way to keep that key safe¡ªI didn¡¯t know the bell fell off! What? Don¡¯t look at me like that! They both jingled, didn¡¯t they?¡± Hanna smiled to herself and quietly chuckled. How was it they had ended up with such a funny leader anyway? With all of the weird things she¡¯d done, if the other guilds knew they¡¯d think it was a mad house. ¡°What is it?¡± Soo asked. ¡°Did you find something weird again?¡± Hanna grinned and shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault she never locks her drawers.¡± Soo giggled at the imitation. ¡°No, but I was just thinking about that time she put the key on the cat¡¯s collar, you know? Because they both jingled.¡± She grinned, but Soohae paused and shot her a strange look. ¡°What do you mean? What collar? Did that happen?¡± The two girls stared at each other a moment before it sunk in. Different worlds, different events. ¡°Right.. I guess that didn¡¯t happen in this world,¡± Hanna whispered sadly. But Soohae gave her a smile of encouragement. ¡°Do you remember the time Sol accidently glued that 5-million Silver scroll to the bottom of the cereal box?¡± Hanna covered her mouth to hush her laughter. ¡°No! She did what?!¡± Soo chuckled. ¡°She was so freaked out she actually almost cried! I thought she was gonna kill Chaos when she saw it on the cereal box he picked up during breakfast!¡± Quietly they worked, exchanging whispered anecdotes and trying not to wake up the house with their laughter. Finally, after another exhausted half-hour search, they came up empty. Hanna sunk back into Sol¡¯s desk chair with a huff. ¡°There¡¯s got to be something somewhere.¡± She turned to look at Soo, who was busy dusting. She raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth, then changed her mind. It was going to be obvious someone was in here anyway, might as well make it harder to tell who. Hanna rubbed her temples with her hands and tried to think of where else in the house there might be clues. She had been sure Aema would have set up shop in here with Sol gone, but it makes sense she¡¯d be smarter than that. Stolen story; please report. Hanna was still racking her brain when Soo suddenly said, ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± She held up a small framed photo from a shelf and frowned. ¡°Who is this a picture of? Sol didn¡¯t have any photos like this. Not before.¡± She looked at it again, her brow creased. ¡°I swear this wasn¡¯t there a minute ago.¡± ¡°Maybe you missed it¡±, Hanna murmured absently as she crossed the room and took the photo. The frame was small and antique, not something that would shine or catch anyone¡¯s attention. The photograph was older looking, monotone and steeped in a muted sepia. The photo was of a young man with lighter hair, a soldier, staring out with an unreadable expression. Something tingled in Hanna¡¯s brain as she stared at the image of the young man. She suddenly had the urge to turn over the frame, so she did. Lifting the stand away from the frame, the photo loosened, but something else fell with a soft thump onto the plush floor at Hanna¡¯s feet. She bent and picked up an old, ornate key that had long seen better days. The oxygenated metal had a slightly rusted look and seemed dingy, but what really caught her attention was the small open-mouthed head, the face¡¯s expression worn, save for the hollowed out mouth and eyes that lay as decoration inside the looped end. The shaft of the key was long and slender with two almost crudely carved pieces stuck off towards the end on one side. Hanna met Soo¡¯s blank expression with a shrug and slipped the key into her pocket. As she went to reaffix the stand to the frame, she caught small writing on a corner of the photo in a bold, faded pencil: N.I. Hanna frowned, her brow furrowing until Soo¡¯s brief ghost-touch reminded her they needed to keep moving. Hanna returned the photo to its place and gave it one last longing look before she moved on. Some part of her knew who that man was, but she couldn¡¯t remember. Either way, she mused thoughtfully, I wouldn¡¯t kick him out of bed. -- The key was very old and ornate, and Hanna couldn¡¯t rule out the basement¡ªher least favorite place in the house¡ªbut she also couldn¡¯t bring herself to go there just yet, so she suggested they check a few of the empty rooms on the first floor before moving to the attic, then the basement. The second floor held most of the bedrooms and would be last for sure, as the risk of getting caught was the highest. Silently padding through the house on bare feet, Soo led the charge from room to room. Some were caked in dust, others were immaculate, as though waiting for an occupant it didn¡¯t have to come at any moment. Time was ticking by and nothing was turning up anywhere. After the main floor, they did a quick second sweep of the parlor and library before moving stealthily up the main rear stairs that led to the attic. There were two ways to get to the attic. Hanna thought they should take the servant¡¯s stairs at the end, but Soo shook her head, her hauntingly sunken eyes looking solemn. ¡°It¡¯s better to use the carpeted stairs off of the library,¡± Soo whispered. ¡°No squeaks or slippery stones.¡± Hanna padded up the stairs, grateful for the carpeting beneath her knitted socks. At the second-floor landing, they moved quickly to ascend the next staircase. Hanna took a breath and did not release it until they were halfway up to the attic, relief swarming her. If nobody had found them now, chances are they were home free. At least, for a while. ¡°Hey,¡± she whispered to Soo in the darkness. Soo glanced back at Hanna as they neared the attic door. ¡°What is it?¡± she whispered back. ¡°Do you ever think it¡¯s kind of odd that out of all of the rooms upstairs, that Sol has her room on the first floor? And it¡¯s kind of out of the way..¡± Soo gave a quiet breathy laugh. ¡°This is just coming to you NOW?¡± Hanna grumbled an unintelligible reply and Soo stopped at the attic door, turning to Hanna. ¡°I don¡¯t know about your Sol, but our Sol had the servants¡¯ quarters completely renovated into one enormous master bedroom and bathroom because she didn¡¯t like having to take her coffee up the stairs. She kept spilling it on herself.¡± Hanna chuckled to herself, but she knew HER Sol wasn¡¯t that frivolous. Nor did her Sol use the entirety of the downstairs servants¡¯ quarters as one massive en-suite. ¡°Ready?¡± she asked Hanna. ¡°Ready,¡± Hanna nodded. Soohae took a breath and turned the attic doorknob. -- The attic was dark, dusty and surprisingly cramped with odds and ends. A dusty full-length mirror that Hanna made a mental note to check her manor for, racks of old, outdated clothing, trunks upon trunks of things. They found a lantern and a book of matches sitting on a lonely crate near the door, which Hanna found highly convenient, and set upon lighting it and using it to search for a second. They managed to find a candle in a stand with a curled ring with which to hold it, which Soohae opted for, giving Hanna the lantern. Outside of the windows, the moon shone bright in the sky. Nearly full, but not quite. The night was clear and what light made it in illuminated the space well wherever it touched. Hanna only really needed her lantern to see everything in-between and, of course, those dark corners. Hanna and Soo separated, each taking a side and walking as softly as they could in the quiet. Hanna, after a moment, noticed that they left no footprints. Someone had been keeping up on the sweeping. In spite of dust, there were no cobwebs and the layer of dust was light. In Hanna¡¯s world, no one in the guild had attic duties. Perhaps Sol took care of it herself? She shook her head. Everyone knew Sol despised dusting more than any other chore. She frowned, not liking where the thought was heading. She tried her best not to linger on anything, reminding herself she could spend time going through the chests, crates and wardrobes at another time. It seemed to take no time at all to make it to the wall. Hanna and Soo frowned at each other. ¡°This is it,¡± Soo said with a finality that even her own voice didn¡¯t believe. Hanna cast her light over the shadowed wall again and frowned. She looked down, hoping for scratch marks for a secret door, like in those mystery novels she¡¯d read, but there were none. She frowned. How could this be it? There has to be something! But she sighed and her shoulders sagged. The next step was the basement. As they turned back, Hanna stopped, her brow furrowed. She looked at the length of the room, and the width. The occasional support beams which, now that she thought about it, were evenly spaced, but should have been too few to support a room the length of the manor. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Soo whispered, frowning as she noticed Hanna¡¯s scrutinizing furrow. ¡°There¡¯s something off about this room.¡± Soo tiled her head. ¡°But we searched the whole thing. Right?¡± Hanna shook her head slightly. ¡°That¡¯s not quite what I meant. Not exactly. It¡¯s like it¡¯s..¡± Soo looked around then, too. Examining the space, walking halfway and then back. The girls looked at each other. ¡°It¡¯s too small,¡± they said in unison, earning an amused grin from Soo and a sly smirk from Hanna. The room was too small, which meant that one of these walls housed a secret! The girls spent time walking the room. They determined that it was not only half the width, but the length was cut short as well. There were places where rooms had higher ceilings, which accounted for the length, but the width should have been the same¡ªmeaning the usable attic before them didn¡¯t span the entire house, but it was clearly smaller than it should have been. The area missing, however, was the one above the East Wing. It likely wasn¡¯t East, but Sol had dubbed it that anyway, citing that she was directionally challenged and that, in the house of Aether, cardinal directions were simply to know where to walk. Another quirk that made Hanna laugh. ¡°Think of the front door as South,¡± their Leader once said with a shrug, then announced, ¡°We go East! To the Parlor!¡± That led them back to their original dead-end wall. Hanna and Soo looked through the panels of knotted wood, searching for anything. They determined there must be a secret hole in the knots somewhere for their mystery key. They stopped to ridicule an ugly, large painting on the wall that was made to look like a doorframe, knob and all on the frame, the picture itself a door partially opening inward to a room that looked like some sort of nursery or playroom. They joked that it would be the worst secret door in the world because it was so painfully obvious. Then they shared a rather incredulous look. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Sol. She¡¯d probably find this funny,¡± Hanna replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°Oh, god, she would! But..still, isn¡¯t it little..¡± Soo trailed off. ¡°On the nose?¡± Hanna finished, using an old phrase of Sol¡¯s. The girls looked at the painting, then at each other. Soo shook her head with a slight shrug as if to say, ¡®So, I guess we do this?¡¯ and Hanna turned to the painting, reached over, turned the doorknob, and pushed. -- Hanna wasn¡¯t sure what she was expecting, but it wasn¡¯t for the painting to sit and do nothing. She tried pulling the turned knob, expecting the whole thing to come crashing down at them with a bang and ruin everything, but it didn¡¯t. Instead, a panel BESIDE the painting popped open a crack with a soft click. Hanna and Soohae exchanged glances before Hanna tentatively reached a hand under the panel and gave it a slight tug. Much like a hidden handle, it clicked and an adjacent door-sized panel popped out from the wall. ¡°A secret..pocket door?¡± Hanna grumbled incredulously, giving Soohae a look of annoyed amusement. "You know, I think I¡¯m going to be judging her for this,¡± Hanna grumped flatly, causing Soohae to let out a girlish giggle. The two slid the door easily into its invisible wall sheath and stepped through. Hanna wasn¡¯t sure what she was expecting, really. Something dirty or dingy or¡­secretive maybe? But it was a fairly clean, if not disused, room. There was a chair in a corner by a window, a low table beside it, and a footstool set askew at the foot of the chair, which appeared to be a form of rocker. The light was dim in the room, which was unpainted and boasted the natural wood, but was otherwise empty. At the back of the room was a regular door, which was left slightly ajar. ¡°Yeah,¡± Soo said slowly, staring between the empty rocker and the cracked door, a slight quiver to her voice. ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem scary at all. I, in no way, want to run back downstairs and hide in my bed.¡± ¡°Yeah. Me too,¡± Hanna agreed grimly, noting the flat sarcasm. The two entered the room. Hanna expected the floors to creak, but the wood seemed quite sturdy. There was something strange about the acoustics in the room. It was as if the sound were absorbed somehow, their footsteps near silent. Walking over to the rocker, she saw dust-covered papers that hadn¡¯t been visible strewn on the other wise of the tiny ottoman. Bending, she picked them up and blew them off. The writing was very faint and small, the words too close together. Maybe with brighter light she could discern some of them, but the rest was too lost with the dust of time. Hanna set the pages back down and wiped her dusty fingers on her clothing. The two stood awkwardly for a moment before Soo turned and carefully slid the panel-door back into place. It sealed with a click. ¡°Just in case,¡± she replied sheepishly to Hanna¡¯s questioning look. They turned to stare at the slightly ajar door, leading into darkness. ¡°After you,¡± Soo said with a nervous grin. Hanna gave her a scowl, but moved closer to the door, swallowing hard. With a deep breath, she grabbed the handle and pulled. It was anti-climatic. The door opened to a tiny dark hall with two other doors. The first door, which was on the left, opened into an enclosed, yet empty room. The room was long, narrow, and with many windows dotting it¡¯s ¡®Northern¡¯ wall. During the day, the space would be brightly lit. Hanna had a sudden thought that it would be a great space to set up canvas for painting, especially as it overlooked the backyard easily, but she pushed it away, closing the door and turning to the other. The second door stood straight ahead from the empty room. Turning the knob carefully, Hanna cracked the door open to find only darkness. When she finished opening the door, it led only to a hidden spiral staircase leading down into further darkness. ¡°This house goes on forever,¡± Soo whispered, her voice seeming loud in the stark quiet. ¡°What should we do?¡± Hanna asked, more to herself than to Soohae. ¡°There could be something down there that explains everything¡­or it could be some sort of death trap.¡± Soo turned to Hanna, suddenly very somber. ¡°We don¡¯t have much of a choice. We have to go. Even if we don¡¯t, somebody will wake up and find us eventually. We might as well give it a try.¡± Giving Soo¡¯s hand a reassuring squeeze, Hanna repositioned her lantern and began the descent down the strange black-iron staircase into the dark. - The stairs, too, proved anti-climatic, only wrapping around once and ending one floor below. Rather than soothing Hanna¡¯s nerves, it only proved to irritate her. She suddenly wanted very much to strangle the architect of this house¡ªor whatever twisted Noble had designed it to be so damn creepy. The stairs ended in an empty little alcove with a simple walnut door. Annoyed by doors already, Hanna didn¡¯t hesitate to open and push it in. It swung in without a sound, showing a spacious room with tabletops, counters, lots of papers, and a strange, medical chair in which¡ª ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did you stop¡ª¡± Soo began, her words cutting off when she peered over Hanna¡¯s shoulder. Her mouth dropped open in stunned horror. Slowly, Sol lifted her disheveled head and weakly lifted a finger to wave, her wrists bound by straps to the chair. ¡°Oh, hello there. Fancy meeting you here,¡± Sol muttered distantly, her voice an eerily high pitched whisper followed by a strained laugh, her smile manic and her pupils fully dilated. ¡°Well, we found Sol,¡± Soo muttered incredulously, staring at their leader. Chapter 16 - Tethered By Death The girls stood in the doorway, staring at their seemingly deranged leader. Her hair was unkempt and wild, her normally pale features were pastier than usual, and her trademark dark-ringed eyes were more bruised-looking and swollen than even Soohae¡¯s. Soo pointed at Sol and turned to Hanna. ¡°Please tell me that I at least look better than that!¡± A thin, twisted smirk stretched slowly across Sol¡¯s otherwise expressionless face. Her eyes held no light. ¡°The children,¡± she muttered quietly. Something between an airy laugh and a pitiful cry came from her brittle throat. ¡°Please, don¡¯t look, not at the children,¡± Sol muttered, a look of confusion slowly taking over. ¡°They¡¯re ghosts. We don¡¯t need any ghosts. Who said ghosts?¡± ¡°Sol?¡± Soohae said pensively before turning to Hanna. ¡°Sol, she¡¯s..cracked. What did they do to her?¡± Soo began approaching Sol slowly, her arms slowly wrapping around herself protectively. ¡°Hanna stared at Sol, dumbfounded, and then slowly seemed to snap back to herself. ¡°She¡¯s drugged,¡± she murmured. ¡°I think, anyway,¡± she added, an empty disbelief forming her words. She approached numbly. Sol seemed to shrink in on herself, wincing, tears instantly forming and spilling from petrified eyes. Hanna crouched low before her, feeling as if she were watching the scene from somewhere above. The feeling was surreal¡ªand terrifying. To see her friend, her leader, in utter pieces, was terrifying. Tears spilt down Sol¡¯s cheeks as she carefully cast her eyes up at Hanna. Then her eyes narrowed and her expression was one of suspicion and anger. ¡°It hurts when they talk through me, Hanna,¡± she said, her vow low and accusing. ¡°It hurts so bad. I must be dead.¡± Her terror melted into something thoughtful. ¡°Or dreaming.¡± Sol tilted her head up in half-hope and half-wonder. ¡°Am I dreaming?¡± Hanna¡¯s lips parted, but words she couldn¡¯t find stuck in her throat. ¡°Or maybe this is the dream the dead have.¡± Sol continued soberly, lowering her eyes. ¡°Am I in hell?¡± she said, more to herself, as if she¡¯d forgotten Hanna and Soohae were in the room. ¡°Or, am I the dream?¡± Sol dropped her head, her brows screwed up in confusion. ¡°Why would she do this? Why are there two of me?¡± She looked back up at Hanna, brow furrowed. ¡°Two of you? Two of everyone? Where is the other me?¡± Sol went silent, her completely dilated eyes holding Hanna¡¯s gaze for a long time before slipping away, her face slightly relaxing, but still looking lost and uncertain. Her shoulders sagged. Hanna blinked, examining the chair in the center of the room. A medical one, like in World 3. Like in.. A flash of red. Somewhere, she knew this chair from somewhere. Red. ¡°Help me.¡± The words fell numbly from Hanna¡¯s lips as her body went on autopilot, grabbing at the straps on Sol¡¯s legs. Soo turned and immediately followed suit, attacking the straps around Sol¡¯s center. Their leader had lost weight. A lot of weight, and quickly. Too quickly.. Soo took care of a strap around Sol¡¯s shoulders, meant to keep her upright, Hanna took care of the wrist and arm restraints. Once the job was done, she backed up slightly and waited. She waited for Sol to rub her raw wrists or stretch or come to herself, but she just sat docile and vacant, staring past Hanna at something unseen, her face a blank canvas. Soo¡¯s hands rose to her face and she began to cry softly. Hanna took Sol¡¯s hands in her own, surprised at the cold of them. ¡°Sol?¡± No response. ¡°Sol?¡± She repeated gently, giving her hands a small squeeze. Nothing. ¡°Sol?¡± Hanna tried again, more urgently, giving her hands a little squeeze, but her boss just looked past her at nothing. ¡°SOLREIL!¡± she cried out, grabbing Sol¡¯s shoulders and giving them a hard shake. Soohae gave a squeaked cry as Sol¡¯s head jerked and her body twitched. But Sol¡¯s body relaxed and she turned her head slightly. She blinked and looked at Hanna, leaning in slightly. ¡°Hanna?¡± There was a momentary spark of recognition before Sol¡¯s face clouded over again. ¡°There¡¯s no use running. There¡¯s nowhere to go,¡± she lamented in a sad whisper. Sol sunk back into the chair, her eyes so desolate and empty where life should have been. The hairs on the back of Hanna¡¯s neck began to rise and she felt a shudder course through her spine as Sol leaned her head closer. ¡°She¡¯s already here,¡± Sol breathed, her breath stale. ¡°She¡¯s already here, smelling of death.¡± Sol looked into Hanna¡¯s eyes and gave small, melancholy smile, soft and warm. ¡°I can sleep now that you¡¯re here. I¡¯ve been waiting. She can¡¯t get through if I¡¯m awake.¡± Then she pushed herself back into the chair and closed her eyes. ¡°Tell the other me I said hello,¡± she mumbled, her head lolling to the side. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Hanna muttered under her breath, still feeling disconnected in spite of her pounding heart. From beside her, Soohae sniffled then sucked in a startled gasp, her gaze at something behind Hanna. ¡°I see you¡¯ve found your dear leader,¡± Isis¡¯ voice came floating bitterly from behind. Hanna leapt up and spun around, turning her back to Sol and spreading her arms defensively, as if to keep her and Soo safe. If she hadn¡¯t wanted to kill Isis before, she sure as hell did now. ¡°What did you do to her?¡± Hanna growled. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Isis met Hanna¡¯s rage with a cool stare and a weak half-shrug. ¡°Most of it she¡¯s done to herself,¡± she replied dismissively, her gaze falling to Sol behind Hanna¡¯s outstretched arms. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t let herself sleep. It won¡¯t work if she¡¯s conscious. I¡¯ll give her some credit, I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d last as long as she has. Even I was beginning to worry about her health.¡± Isis took a step closer, but stopped when Hanna bared her teeth. She offered a weak smile. ¡°But now that you¡¯re here, it looks like she¡¯s more than happy to cooperate. Happy accidents,¡± she said dismally. ¡°I asked what you did to her, ISIS,¡± Hanna snarled. To Isis¡¯ credit, she was neither surprised nor intimidated, but she did suddenly look very tired. ¡°I told Candace that you weren¡¯t her Hanna. She really wanted to believe that you were,¡± she sighed passively, a hint of sadness tinging her words. ¡°I did what I had to do to survive,¡± Hanna retorted. ¡°SO DID I!¡± Isis suddenly cried out, causing Hanna to jerk in surprise. Isis laid a hand to her forehead and leaned with one hand on a counter beside her. She took a breath and dropped the hand from her face, meeting Hanna¡¯s gaze with one of so many mixed emotions that Hanna couldn¡¯t tell what she was seeing. ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Hanna,¡± she said firmly. ¡°You never could. That¡¯s probably why she never brought you into the project. Not like she did me. The other Sol¡ªthe REAL Sol in this whole paradigm¡ªshe¡¯s back in her lab waiting for contact, growing impatient and getting closer to a solution that I won¡¯t have if I¡¯m busy here talking with you! So, I need you two to back off of Sol now, get the hell out of my way, and keep your mouths closed¡ªand then I might forget you were in here.¡± It was less of a suggestion than a demand, but the bizarre absurdity of it nearly rendered Hanna dumb. Hanna¡¯s mouth dropped open, but instead of words, she let out a haughty, incredulous laugh. ¡°Hah! You¡¯re out of your mind crazy if you think I¡¯m gonna let you put one fucking hand on our Queen!¡± Isis rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh, again with the Queen thing, Hanna,¡± Isis groaned. ¡°This version of her is so inferior that it¡¯s laughable to even think she could be the leader of a group of street urchins, let alone a guild! Did you know that AFTER I drugged her, even after I locked her up, she kept trying to reason with me? Can you imagine?¡± Isis¡¯ voice was taking on a manic quality, her voice quivering. Hanna shook her head. ¡°Because Sol¡¯s a good person, that¡¯s why you¡¯re looking down on her? Because she¡¯s not half the BITCH that you¡¯re being?! She¡¯d never lock up or drug her friends! She¡¯d never torture or do¡ªwhatever the hell it is you¡¯re doing!¡± Hanna¡¯s chest heaved. She wanted nothing more than to go and rip that smug head off of Isis¡¯ shoulders. Aema, a voice in her head reminded her. That body belongs to Aema. Don¡¯t hurt Aema. ¡°All for what, so you can follow an evil version of her?¡± Isis bit down on the inside of her lip, but said nothing, turning her eyes away from Hanna. A moment passed, heavy and tense, then Isis said something usually said by Sol. ¡°But, wouldn¡¯t she?¡± Behind her, Soo sank to the floor against the medical chair and clutched Sol¡¯s limp hand, tears flowing. Hanna risked a quick side-glance at Sol, who lay motionless aside from the steady rhythm of her chest in sleep. ¡°No,¡± Hanna whispered darkly. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t.¡± Isis raised her head and tilted it slightly. ¡°Then what do you call what she was doing to you in the other world, Hanna? What do you think she was doing to Candace and to Anderson¡ªto Cris and even Soohae? Even me!¡± she cried out. ¡°What do you think she did to me, to Aema?! What she¡¯s still doing! Don¡¯t you get it? She¡¯s not innocent!¡± Isis screamed, waving an arm towards the unconscious Sol. ¡°None of them are! Nobody is!¡± Isis¡¯ eyes shone bright with emotion. Hanna let out a cry of frustration. ¡°Then why? Why do you follow her?¡± she demanded. ¡°If Sol¡ªif ALL Sols are so damn evil, why would you help them? Why become her plaything?!¡± Isis lowered her head for a moment and squeezed her eyes shut, as though ashamed, the air whooshing out of her. Then she met Hanna¡¯s eyes with a crumbling determination, the steel in her eyes melting. ¡°Because she was there for me when I lost my husband.¡± The reply was soft, as if all of the wind had been let out of her and whatever had been powering Isis had just given up. ¡°Because she knows what that¡¯s like¡ªloss¡ªand she found a way, however small, that I could see him again.¡± She at Hanna¡¯s eyes, imploring, as tears welled up. ¡°Even if it was just one more time, to see him again¡ªeven a version of him¡ªis better than knowing I could never see him again at all.¡± Damn it, Hanna thought, her chest tightening. That damn Isis is making herself human to me after all! She knew better than to give into her empathy, so she tried to bottle it tightly in her fist and pretend to crush it into a fine powder. ¡°So, what, you became a murderer? A kidnapper? Someone who steals and uses other peoples¡¯ bodies, steals their time, their lives¡ªand consciousnesses?!¡± Damn, Sol was right. There¡¯s got to be a better word for that. ¡°To what end?¡± She demanded. ¡°So that you can MAYBE see another world¡¯s version of your dead husband? Do you have any idea how selfish that sounds?!¡± Isis squeezed her eyes shut and took a shuddering breath, but Hanna continued. ¡°I know it hurts, and I know that the kind of hope it gives you feels like it might dull the pain, but it won¡¯t help you!¡± Hanna dropped her arms. ¡°First, you¡¯ll just want to see.¡± Hanna said, not realizing she had taken a step towards Isis. ¡°Then you¡¯ll want to visit, touch, make contact.¡± Another step. ¡°And then what? Take over? Don¡¯t you see?¡± she breathed, stopping and leaning closer, her face inches from Isis. ¡°The longer you follow that evil Sol, the worse of a person YOU become! Do you think that¡¯s what he would want for you?!¡± Hanna¡¯s voice had raised as she talked until she was yelling her last sentence, but now her dropped her voice to a low whisper. ¡°Don¡¯t you think your dead husband would be ashamed of you? Of the wife who would hurt so many people who loved her¡ªeven a version of her¡ªjust to take a quick peek at a version of him? A version that would never even compare, who would be nothing more than a shadow¡ªan echo¡ªof the man she loved? Hanna had taken a risk using the word she¡¯d overheard before, but it seemed to hit home. Isis¡¯ hardened face shook, then crumbled. She dropped to her knees and put her face in her hands and began to sob. ¡°I just wanted to say goodbye,¡± she sobbed to herself, her body trembling. ¡°I just wanted to say goodbye..¡± Hanna stood with mixed emotions, but she swallowed them down. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to leave, nor to look away. She had to witness this. She had to remind herself that these were still humans, and humans could be reasoned with. She just had to find Doctor Sol¡¯s weakness. What was her hang-up that made her want so desperately to travel? If Hanna could find that, she could put a stop to all this. Just maybe, evil Sol was still just Sol in there after all. She couldn¡¯t comfort Isis, not after everything the woman had done, but she allowed her time to grieve and mourn. It was the least anyone deserved. Chapter 17 - Second Chances When the sobs finally subsided and her body calmed, Isis wiped the various fluids from her face with the sleeve of her dress. After a long moment of steadying her shaky breath, she finally looked up with swollen, red-rimmed eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll help you,¡± she croaked weakly. It took her a couple tries to stand and get her bearings as she tried to smooth back her hair and sniff back more tears. ¡°I¡¯ll help you. And.. I¡¯m sorry, Hanna. Please understand. I never wanted any of this. I just¡­it became..¡± ¡°An obsession,¡± Hanna finished. ¡°You were obsessed. Like evil Sol is now.¡± Isis nodded, her brows knit and her eyes wet with fresh tears. ¡°Tell me what you need, and I¡¯ll tell you how to accomplish it.¡± Hanna fought back her own emotions, namely her suspicion and disbelief at Isis¡¯ sudden change of heart, swallowing them down. ¡°First, I need you to tell me about Candace. I want her sent back and the actual Candace from here to return.¡± She knelt down and moved her face close to Isis¡¯. ¡°Why is Candace¡¯s body in a coma?¡± she demanded quietly. Isis stared at Hanna as if she were speaking an alien language. ¡°She¡ªwhat?¡± ¡°Candace,¡± Hanna repeated impatiently. ¡°She¡¯s in a coma. Why¡ª¡± ¡°That bitch,¡± Isis growled suddenly, cutting Hanna off completely, her eyes widening in disbelief. Hanna jerked back to her feet and stared in shock, unsure of what just happened. ¡°That lying, scheming BITCH,¡± Isis yelled, balling her hands into fists, her tear-stained face twisted into rage. She looked up at Hanna. ¡°She lied! She lied to BOTH of us! She told us she didn¡¯t know why Candace couldn¡¯t travel. That¡¯s the only reason she was ever helping me here¡ªbecause we couldn¡¯t get her to return home!¡± The desperation in her voice, the strain, ran true to Hanna. Slowly the pieces fell into place. ¡°Do you think,¡± Hanna began slowly, ¡°That she did something? To the other Candace, or to Candace¡¯s body?¡± Isis visibly paled, a small beat of silence struck as her mind spun. ¡°If that¡¯s true, then we have to get back to her as soon as possible.¡± Hanna felt the ice cold sensation rush through her body. ¡°Isis.. What happens if we don¡¯t return to our bodies?¡± Isis shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Nothing good. Sol¡ªthe Doctor¡ªshe wouldn¡¯t tell me. But I suspect that without our consciousness, the body would eventually..¡± Her words trailed off as she shook her head regretfully, but Hanna could hear them clearly, understood their meaning. Candace¡¯s body would fail. She would fade away into nothing until only death waited. And if that was true for Candace.. Hanna swallowed hard. ¡°And what happens if we¡¯re forced to stay in a world that isn¡¯t ours?¡± Isis looked at her, perplexed. ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± she asked, her face screwed up in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s already started with you, hasn¡¯t it? Headaches? Nosebleeds? Confusion? Maybe even disproportionate losses of time?¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Hanna felt as if her body became weightless, floating out in space, and as if she were watching it from nearby and far away at the same time. ¡°With enough time, you¡¯ll probably die.¡± Hanna felt a ringing in her ears. She wasn¡¯t sure suddenly if what she heard was real or if it was imagined. ¡°What? What did you say?¡± Isis met Hanna¡¯s gaze, her expression a jumble of emotions, namely regret. ¡°You¡¯ll probably die. And if Candace and I don¡¯t get back, we¡¯ll end up dying too, eventually.¡± Hanna shook her head. ¡°No, but.. Are you having them too? The nosebleeds? The headaches and the..visions?¡± Isis stood up straighter, her eyes sharpening with concern. ¡°Visions? What visions?¡± ¡°No!¡± Hanna cried, pressing her palms to her eyes in frustration. ¡°No, no more changing the subject! Answer my questions!¡± Isis hesitated a moment, then sighed. ¡°No. We¡¯re not having them. Yet.¡± ¡°Yet?¡± Hanna echoed quietly. ¡°Yet,¡± Isis repeated. ¡°Once they start, it¡¯s a just a matter of time.¡± ¡°Okay, but you.. Weren¡¯t you in this world before me?¡± Hanna¡¯s head began to swim. She couldn¡¯t be dying. Not yet. Not before she got to fix Sol. Not before she could stop the evil Sol and figure it all out. Not before¡ª ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that,¡± Isis said, cutting into Hanna¡¯s rapidly spiraling thoughts. ¡°Time isn¡¯t what you think. We think that just because we¡¯re born, we grow old and we die that that¡¯s it, that¡¯s time.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not. Time is.. It¡¯s not linear, exactly..¡± Seeing Hanna¡¯s frown, Isis shook her head, trying to find a better explanation. ¡°How do I put this? It¡¯s almost¡­alive. It¡¯s everywhere, all at once. It¡¯s all happened already before and is happening now, and will happen again. That¡¯s why creating a paradox could get so messy. It¡¯s why they think it could splinter reality or destroy the world. Things like that.¡± Hanna couldn¡¯t speak. She couldn¡¯t make sense of what she just heard. Time was alive? Time was why she got the raw end of the deal? Because TIME? A hollow laugh filled her ears, starting quiet and growing louder. It took her a moment to realize it was her own¡ªand once she did, she let it overtake her. It was hilarious, wasn¡¯t it? Some evil, mad scientist could twist reality or time or whatever the hell she was doing¡ªbut time was alive¡ªand that¡¯s why Hanna was dying and nobody else? Nobody who had done evil things? It sounded like the most bullshit excuse she had ever heard in her life. And it was funny, too, wasn¡¯t it? It was just so funny.. SMACK. Hanna wasn¡¯t sure what hit her first, Isis¡¯s hard slap or the sound of it, which seemed to break the sound barrier and ring in her ears as deafening as a sonic boom. But it sobered her. ¡°Get your shit together, Hanna!¡± Isis snapped. ¡°We¡¯ve got a job to do! Unless you WANT to lose Candace and Aema! And Sol,¡± she added, her face hardening with shame as she took in Sol 2¡¯s limp form. Hanna wasn¡¯t sure if it was the slap or Isis sounding so much like Aema, her Aema, but Hanna threw her arms around her and was hesitantly welcomed into Isis¡¯s warm embrace. She had nearly lost it, but there was her lifeline. And if Aema¡ªIsis¡ªcould hold her shit together, then so could she. Beside her, a grim tear-streaked Soohae appeared and took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. ¡°We¡¯re not gonna let you die,¡± she said, her voice breaking, yet determined. ¡°None of us are going to die. And if we have to kill Evil Sol, herself, to stop it, we will.¡± An icy finger ran its way down her back. She looked at the girl beside her and suddenly had the thought about the Soos she knew: the Soo from her world, who cried and panicked easily, who still acted like an innocent and bashful child and overthought everything; The ghostlike Soo that seemed forever trapped bouncing between Worlds 2 and 3, quiet, sullen, matured by her trauma. Neither of those Soohaes were capable of cold, calculated murder. Whoever this new Soo was, tortured and angry, she just might have it in her to do it. For the first time, considering the ways that Isis, Candace, Soohae and even Sol, herself, had twisted with the right motivation, Hanna wondered what she, too, might be capable of.