《Ava》 1 - Beauty in Darkness Ezzie lay in her pool of water, purple flowers and ice chunks floating in it, despite how hot the water was, but no matter what she was always cold. She shivered, willed the warmness of the water to seep into her sallow skin and into her bones. Broken brick walls surrounded her, and water dripped from the rusted faucet of her tub, loud in the silence. Above her, above the broken roof, gray fog swirled. Hollowness filled Ezzie, and a deep hunger she always felt, even after drinking her one vial of blood a day. She limited herself to only one. She wanted her sisters to see the hollowness and sadness she always felt in the pit of her empty stomach, but they didn¡¯t understand, and Ezzie couldn¡¯t blame them because she didn¡¯t understand either. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± she whispered, touching one of the purple flowers with her bony fingers. She thought she¡¯d wither away into nothing before her sisters saw that there was something deeply wrong inside of her. It was in her mind and in her heart and in her stomach. Of course they noticed she wasn¡¯t drinking enough. Of course they noticed that, but they didn¡¯t know why, not even Rosalie, who knew everything. And of course Ezzie didn¡¯t know what was really wrong with her. She sighed and dipped her head under the water, wetting her knotty pink hair completely. She never brushed her hair. When she came up for air she decided it was time to walk the fog lands alone, to get to that abandoned city she always liked visiting. She stood up, naked and shivering, and grabbed a towel off the concrete floor¡ªpale yellow with daffodils on it. She toweled herself off and her wet, dripping hair, and stepped out of her pool of warm water, the concrete cold on her bare feet. She quickly dressed¡ªlong flowy green blouse over light blue, holey jeans and put on her brown sandals. She looked longingly at her pool of warm water, at the ice chunks floating in it and the pale purple flowers and sighed. She wished something would make her warm. It was time to go. Ezzie avoided Luna and Amelia and Rosalie and the temptation of the fountain of blood and left their little oasis through a back way, all concrete and broken bricks, and entered the fog lands. Fog swirled around her, gray and smelling wet and cold. She shivered again as she walked further into it. She knew the dangers of walking the fog lands alone¡ªbad men lurked in it, eager to collect unique creatures and things, and strange six-legged creatures scurried away, and there was always the danger of walking through a portal into one of the spinning worlds, but Ezzie had walked this path many times before, memorized every rock and boulder and gray arch that led into a spinning world, the arches melding in with the gray fog. Her sisters didn¡¯t like her walking the fog lands alone. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous. The spinning worlds¡ª¡± Rosalie had said. ¡°The bad men will get you!¡± Luna had said. And Amelia had never said anything at all, too busy looking at her reflection in the hand mirror she always held. They sat around the fountain, drinking cups of blood, faces chubby and rosy and healthy, and Ezzie was more than aware of her gaunt face and bony frame. She didn¡¯t even need to look in Amelia¡¯s hand mirror to know this, and she didn¡¯t like looking at her reflection anyway. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± she always said, uncertain if she would be or not but not really caring. She needed to get away from temptation. She needed to get away from the fountain of blood and the temptation it spewed. Now she walked the fog lands alone, carefully avoiding every rock and boulder, and an archway into a spinning world, pale gray and almost melding in with the fog. The abandoned city wasn¡¯t too far away. She shivered as the fog swirled around her, longing to be back in her warm pool, even if it didn¡¯t offer much warmth. # The abandoned city had once been an oasis, but now it lay in ruin, the occupants of it mysterious and long gone. Ezzie walked its cracked and broken streets, feet quiet in the silence of the city, tall broken buildings rising on either side of her. She liked walking further and further into the city, each time she visited it, tempting the danger of getting lost forever in it. Fog swirled around her and around the buildings, and above that the sky was dark and dotted with bright stars. She entered one of the massive buildings, which must have once been an apartment complex, that now lay forgotten. She¡¯d never been in this particular building before, but it looked promising and interesting, and quietly she walked down the dimly lit hallway, carpet moldy and wet from the encroaching fog. Paint flaked off the walls, water stained yellow from the dampness. She didn¡¯t dare the stairway or the elevator, and entered one of the first floor apartments instead. The door creaked as she opened it, loud in the silence and stillness and Ezzie smelled mold. A six-legged creature scurried past her legs and disappeared down the dimly lit hallway behind her. Ezzie stepped inside and silently closed the door behind her. The room she now stood in was empty, walls water stained and a huge window off to the side broken and revealing the equally broken street outside. She doubted anyone had been in this room in centuries. In an eternity. She wondered about its previous occupants. A book sat on the floor, covered in mold, as though it had been perfectly set there for her to find it. ¡°That¡¯s strange,¡± she whispered. She knelt down on the moldy carpeting and picked it up. It was heavy and damp in her hands and made her shiver. The book had no title. Inside the pages were yellowed, and her heart skipped a few beats as she read the words out loud¡ªwhispered them, so the bad men wouldn¡¯t overhear if they lurked anywhere nearby. ¡°Where the rivers flow with sweet blood.¡± The mortal world. The book talked about the mortal world. Ezzie didn¡¯t really know what that was, but the book spoke of it, and as she read further and further, she became more and more alarmed, and fear began to fill her. ¡°In the mortal world, where the rivers flow with sweet blood¡ª¡± Oh how her sisters would love that! Rivers of blood? It sounded even more delicious than the fountain of blood! And the book talked of a portal to the mortal world and those rivers of sweet, ever flowing blood, a rollercoaster¡ªa rollercoaster that was in this very city! Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Dread filled Ezzie and icy cold panic, and she shut the book and clutched it to her chest. They could never find this book. They could never discover this rollercoaster. Just the temptation this mortal world and those rivers flowing with blood made Ezzie¡¯s empty stomach grumble. She certainly couldn¡¯t go there, and what if her sisters wanted to go there? What if they chose to leave her? They couldn¡¯t leave her! She couldn¡¯t be completely alone! What if this mortal world was where the previous occupants of this abandoned city had gone? She took deep breaths, trying to ease her panic. It was simple. She¡¯d go to this rollercoaster and send this book to the mortal world, where her sisters would never find it, and then destroy the controls on the rollercoaster. It was really that simple. Her heart thudded in her chest, behind her bony ribcage. She could do this. Her sisters would never be able to leave her if she did this, and she could never risk them discovering this book. Panic filling her, she left the apartment and the building, blinking through the swirling fog. She followed the broken street, blind panic making her trip over broken cement. She went even further into the city than she¡¯d ever gone. The book said the rollercoaster was in the very center of the city. The center couldn¡¯t be far, and as she walked the sharp, broken buildings became further and further apart, and great alleyways yawned on both sides of her, and furry, six legged creatures scurried past her feet, but Ezzie barely noticed in her cold panic. And then there it was¡ªthe rollercoaster the book she clenched to her chest spoke of, the very top reaching the stars above. It was made of cracked, rotted wood, but still appeared intact. Lights blinked on as she ascended the steps to the main platform, illuminating the purple and blue paint on the train cars and the control booth, a dim orange light. Fog swirled around her ankles as she went to a train car and put the book on one of the moldy seats. Panicked, Ezzie went to the control booth. If her sisters ever found out what she was about to do-- Ezzie didn¡¯t want to think about that. There had to be a tool around here somewhere, something she could use to destroy the controls once she sent the book over the rollercoaster and into the mortal world the book spoke of, where the rivers flowed with sweet blood. She needed a hammer. She needed a sledgehammer! She found an old, rusted red wrench underneath the booth. That would do. She pressed one of the buttons on the control booth and the rollercoaster started up¡ªold gears and chains creaking, loud in the silence of the abandoned city, and Ezzie sent the book to the mortal world. # Ava floated above her body in the dark. A demon ripped its way out of her, clawed hands wrapped around her neck. Ava couldn¡¯t breathe. Terror filled her, icy cold and uncomfortable. She struggled to gasp in air. The cloudy sky above parted and she saw stars, multitudes of them, like when they visited her grandparents who lived in the middle of nowhere up north, and she didn¡¯t know why she was seeing the sky when she floated above her body in her warm bedroom. Clouds covered the stars again, and Ava made herself wake up. She stared at her darkened ceiling, happy the nightmare was over with. She hated it when she had dreams like that. She reached to check the time on her phone. 4:30AM. Way too early for her to get up, but she was afraid if she closed her eyes again, she¡¯d feel the demon ripping out of her body, and she definitely did not want to have a repeat of that nightmare. No way, man. Ava didn¡¯t like feeling like she was choking. Her greatest fear was of drowning to death. She decided to text her friend Elizabeth. Elizabeth never slept, so she¡¯d be up this time of morning. I had a nightmare. A demon was trying to rip it way out of my body! It was terrifying! Pause, then reply. That¡¯s not good. ? Need me to come over? No. You know how my parents would feel about that! True. They¡¯d get mad, right? Very mad, and you know how scary my mom is when she gets mad! Everything pisses her off. My mere existence pisses her off. LOL. Ava set her phone down next to her and took deep breaths. In and out. In and out. She turned on the light on her nightstand, illuminating her messy bedroom in a dim, orange glow. She really needed to change that lightbulb. This really sucked. It was Saturday, so no school, but she had a date with her boyfriend Mark¡ªa romantic date he had said¡ªat six, and she was going to be so tired. She couldn¡¯t nap during the day for whatever reason. She reached for her notebook and pen and began to write in her journal, until the morning sun began peeking its way its way through her dusty blinds. # Ava¡¯s parents liked Mark. They considered him a ¡°good Christian boy¡±, and he was really the first boy who had ever showed Ava attention. In high school she was a loner and an outcast, always wearing baggy black clothing and hair dyed a bluish black and writing in her journal or reading books in the hallways. She was a good student, but the only college she¡¯d been able to get into was the local community college, which her parents liked because it meant she could stay home and just drive to school, but Ava was disappointed. She¡¯d wanted to get away from home, to go somewhere far from her overbearing, Christian parents. She was only a Freshman in college, and it was only October, so she hadn¡¯t known Mark long. They seemed to get along okay. She wasn¡¯t really attracted to him¡ªshe was more attracted to her best friend Elizabeth, but she would never admit that out loud, that she thought she was more into girls than guys. She couldn¡¯t imagine the repercussions she¡¯d receive from her parents. It was truly an unfortunate situation, but Ava didn¡¯t know what to do. Her sexuality confused her, so she tried to make herself as invisible as possible. Ava yawned as she got ready to see Mark. It was hot, so she wore a baggy black shirt over a long, lacey skirt with fishnets and her boots. She looked at herself in her full-length mirror. Her skin was pale and there were dark circles beneath her eyes. Her long black hair framed her narrow face. She didn¡¯t wear makeup. She grabbed her bag off her bed and put it around her shoulders. She made sure her phone was in there and her cigarettes and lighter¡ªto her knowledge her parents didn¡¯t know she smoked¡ªand her journal and pens. She sighed. She wished she could just hang out with Elizabeth instead of Mark. She took her phone out of her bag and texted Elizabeth. All ready to see Mark. Are you excited? Not really. Sigh. Oh no! Need me to come and rescue you? LOL. You know how my mom would feel about that. She loves Mark. Good Christian boy, right? Unfortunately, yes. Ava checked the time on her phone. 5:50PM. She wished she could go outside for a smoke, but her parents would freak. She¡¯d have to wait until she saw Mark. Ava went down the stairs. Her parents sat on the couch in the living room, both drinking blood red wine out of long-stemmed wine glasses and watching a movie on mute, while listening to music¡ªsome new age stuff that Ava didn¡¯t like. Her mom¡¯s face brightened when she saw her, but then her expression fell. ¡°You¡¯re wearing that?¡± she said. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with what I¡¯m wearing?¡± Ava asked. Her mom frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t you own anything that¡¯s not black and baggy? I think we need to go shopping.¡± ¡°No we don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Okay, well, I guess if you want to look unattractive¡ª¡± Ava¡¯s phone beeped. It was a text from Mark. Here. ¡°Mark is here,¡± Ava quickly said, cutting off whatever her mom had been about to say. ¡°Well, okay,¡± said Mom, frowning. ¡°Don¡¯t go to his apartment alone,¡± said Dad, taking a sip of his wine. ¡°Shhh, Thomas,¡± Mom quickly said. ¡°Mark is a good Christian boy.¡± Ava did everything in her power not to roll her eyes. Dad didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Be home by eleven!¡± Mom said. ¡°Have fun!¡± ¡°Okay, bye,¡± said Ava. Mark drove a jeep. He wore combat shorts and a red t-shirt. His hair was disheveled around his chubby face. He smiled when he saw Ava, and Ava sighed. Her hair was going to get all messy. She wished she would have brought a brush. Oh well. She¡¯d just have to deal with knotty hair. (C)Copyright 2023 Sarah Kelderman 2 - Sangria and Hemp Mark took her to his apartment, which was very black and white and organized. Ava was dismayed. She¡¯d hoped their ¡°romantic date¡± would have been at a restaurant and not at his apartment. ¡°I made us lasagna,¡± he said, as Ava put her bag down on his black, leather couch. ¡°You know I don¡¯t eat meat,¡± she said, suddenly scared she was going to have to eat a being that had once had a face. There was no way that was happening. Mark smiled. ¡°It¡¯s spinach lasagna.¡± ¡°Oh good.¡± Ava pulled snarls out of her hair with her fingers. She hated Mark¡¯s stupid jeep. Why was she even here? Mark lit a white candle on his glass kitchen table and dimmed the lights. ¡°Care for some wine?¡± he asked. Discomfort filled Ava. She didn¡¯t drink, but also felt really uncomfortable, so she nodded. ¡°Mind if I go outside and smoke quick?¡± she asked, suddenly wanting to escape Mark and his sly grin as he filled up a stemless wine glass for her¡ªblood red, like what her parents had been drinking. ¡°Of course,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll set the table for us.¡± Ava grabbed her lighter, cigarettes and phone and went outside, where it was dark and cool, with the earthy scent of dried leaves and fall, a pleasant aroma she liked. She sat down on the step and sighed. She didn¡¯t know why she was even with Mark. They¡¯d kissed and made out twice, and both times he was a slobbery, awful kisser, and his erection pressed up against her leg last time had made her freak out so much she¡¯d pretended she was sick so he¡¯d take her home. She hadn¡¯t wanted to touch it, but that¡¯s where his hand had led her the first time. Ava took out a cigarette and lit it, end glowing a bright orange, like the autumn leaves outside. She inhaled deeply and exhaled and watched the smoke trail up into the night sky. She couldn¡¯t see the stars. Too many city lights. Ava texted Elizabeth. Help me. He took me to his apartment and is giving me wine. Oh no. LOL. Do you need me to come and rescue you? Please! Just kidding. This is seriously awful though. You¡¯ll be okay. Just make sure you use a condom. Ava shuddered. Not funny. Seriously, hon, be careful. And if you really do need me to come rescue you I¡¯ll be right over. Just say Elizabeth is having a serious emergency. Or say your mom is in the hospital. Use some excuse. Okay. Ava finished the rest of her cigarette and put it out on the step. She sighed as she stood up, not looking forward to going back in and seeing that sly look on Mark¡¯s chubby face. She texted Elizabeth. Alright. Going back in. Good luck! Thanks. Back inside Ava was met with the smell of roses mixed with lasagna and garlic bread. Mark had turned on some jazz music that played softly in the background. Ava put her cigarettes, lighter and phone away. A huge lasagna sat on the table with a bowl of garlic bread next to it. The table was set, and the blood red liquid in the wine glasses glittered in the glow from the candle. Mark handed her a full wine glass, and Ava took a sip. It was sweet and actually good. Must be sangria or something. It warmed her stomach. She took a gulp. Mark led her to the table. ¡°Care for a seat, madam?¡± he asked, pulling out the chair for her, and Ava sat down. Mark sat across from her. Ava realized the only thing she¡¯d eaten all day was a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. ¡°This is¡­ nice,¡± she said. ¡°Thanks for having me over. It¡¯s very sweet of you.¡± Mark grinned. He had crooked teeth. The dancing candle flame twinkled in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Figured I would show you my place,¡± he said. ¡°I like it.¡± Ava drank more wine and was appalled to find she¡¯d drank the whole glass. She felt lightheaded and dizzy. ¡°Care for more wine?¡± ¡°Um¡­ sure,¡± Ava said, happy he hadn¡¯t cut into the lasagna yet. Stress always made her lose her appetite, and Ava was stressed out. She yanked out a knot in her hair. She stared at the dancing candle flame as Mark got her more wine. The candle scent was rose petals and hemp. Ava read that on the side of the glass jar it was in. She realized she was getting hot and couldn¡¯t remember if she¡¯d put deodorant on. She hoped she¡¯d had. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Mark returned with her wine. Ava hadn¡¯t watched him pour it. She took a sip¡ªsweet like before. ¡°Is this sangria?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes,¡± said Mark, cutting into the lasagna, and the scent of it was nauseating to Ava. ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± said Ava, drinking some. ¡°It¡¯s good." Mark slapped a large piece of lasagna on her plate. He put some on his own plate. It looked disgusting. Ava giggled. ¡°Something funny?¡± asked Mark, smiling again. Ava wished he would stop smiling. She wanted to kick that smile off his fat face. She drank the rest of her wine. She picked at what she assumed was a piece of mozzarella cheese on her plate. It wasn¡¯t appetizing at all. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said, appalled she had just giggled, but suddenly this whole unfortunate situation seemed ridiculous and hilarious. She coughed so she wouldn¡¯t laugh again. She thought maybe she should eat some bread since the room had started spinning. This was the first time she¡¯d ever had a sip of alcohol in her entire life, and besides feeling giggly and lightheaded she liked the feeling. Suddenly she didn¡¯t give a shit that she was here. Though why, exactly, she was here she didn¡¯t know. She wanted to be hanging out with Elizabeth. ¡°That¡¯s okay. Let me get you some more wine,¡± said Mark. Ava bit into a piece of bread. It was buttery and garlicky and she crunched down on it. She should text Elizabeth to come get her and leave. Mark set the wine down on the table, and Ava drank some of it. Her vision was starting to become blurry, and she squinted at Mark. ¡°Wow,¡± she said, giggling again. ¡°Now I know why my parents like to drink so much.¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± asked Mark, that sly smile coming back. ¡°I don¡¯t feel good,¡± Ava lied. ¡°I think I need you to take me home.¡± She set the bread down on her plate and drank the rest of her third glass of wine. ¡°Oh no. Are you gonna spew? Let me show you my bedroom. Maybe you just need to lay down.¡± Mark got up. ¡°No!¡± Ava said. She absolutely did not want to see Mark¡¯s bedroom. That was the last place she wanted to see, but when she stood up the dizziness hit her hard core and she fell to her knees, giggling like a fucking buffoon again. What was wrong with her? ¡°Up you go,¡± said Mark, grabbing her under her armpits and lifting her to her feet. She leaned against him because she had no choice. ¡°This is not the way you act during a romantic dinner.¡± Ava was surprised he didn¡¯t smell. ¡°Come on,¡± he said, ¡°lets lay down.¡± He pulled her along with him as they walked down a narrow hallway, to the dreaded bedroom that Ava did not want to see, but whenever she tried to walk she crumbled to her knees and began giggling again. Why was she giggling so much? And why wasn¡¯t Mark taking her home? ¡°I want to go home,¡± she managed to say, as he half dragged her into a dark room. He didn¡¯t turn on the lights. ¡°Not the way you are right now,¡± said Mark, laying her down on his neatly made bed. The streetlights illuminated his barren, clean room, through a slit in the blinds. The room spun around Ava. What had been in that wine? She couldn¡¯t move as Mark went on top of her, his weight nearly crushing her. She felt his erection through his cargo shorts, and panic filled her, and she felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe. ¡°No!¡± she said. ¡°When a girl says no she means yes,¡± said Mark, rubbing against her harder. He mashed his lips against hers and began kissing her, and his mouth tasted like garlic. He put his hand under her shirt and grabbed one of her boobs, squeezing hard, and it hurt. Ava struggled against him. She turned her head to the side, to get away from his mouth, and he kissed the side of her face. ¡°I want to go home,¡± she gasped. ¡°Not in this condition. What would your parents think of me?¡± Ava felt like she was in a nightmare, like the nightmare she¡¯d had of the demon clawing its way out of her body, except she wasn¡¯t floating above the bed. She was here, in this moment. Mark chuckled, and Ava wanted to punch him in the face, but she couldn¡¯t move as his hand went up her skirt, and then everything went black. When things cleared she was confused at first, but then appalled to realize she was fully naked and Mark was on top of her, rubbing something on her face, and she gasped when she realized it was his dick. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°Yes,¡± he said, moving his way down her body. Where were her clothes? When had they come off? He kneed her legs apart and it hurt so bad when he entered her she yelped in pain. ¡°Stop!¡± ¡°When a girl says stop, she means go,¡± Mark said, thrusting himself in deeper and making Ava groan. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so tight.¡± She moaned in pain as he had sex with her, and he covered her mouth with his hands. ¡°Shh,¡± he whispered in her ear. ¡°What will the neighbors think?¡± He put a pillow over her face and Ava couldn¡¯t breathe. Make sure you wear a condom. That was what Elizabeth had said. She needed her phone. She needed Elizabeth to come and rescue her! Blackness again, and Mark¡¯s wet dick was pressed against her face, rubbing it all over. He groaned as he came, his cum getting all over her eyes and cheeks. Apparently finished he moved to the side and laid down heavily beside her. His dick was purple and narrow and glistened in the light from the streetlights. Ava gasped in air and frantically wiped the cum off her face. It was sticky and reminded her of cream of pee. It was disgusting and she felt herself gagging. She wanted her clothes. She wanted to leave. He heaved as he turned on his side and smiled at her, his crooked teeth ghostly yellow. ¡°That was good,¡± he said. Ava didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Let¡¯s get you cleaned up.¡± Ava wanted that more than anything. She felt shaky and violated and she hurt down there, and sudden fury filled her. How dare he do this to her! ¡°Now that¡¯s how you act during a romantic dinner,¡± he said, helping her off the bed. ¡°Where are my clothes?¡± she asked. ¡°Let¡¯s get your face cleaned off first. I want to see you naked in the light.¡± Ava did not want him to see her naked in the light, but her legs trembled as she stood, and Mark had to catch her from falling. ¡°Easy,¡± he said. The bathroom was all bright light and tiles. Ava sat on the toilet as Mark cleaned off her face with some toilet paper. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so hot,¡± he said. Ava tried not to look at his shrinking dick and shrunken hairy ball sack as he turned away from her, but she couldn¡¯t stop herself, and bile filled her throat. She thought she was going to puke. She took karate all through middle school and part of high school. ¡°How dare you!¡± she managed to snarl, and she stood, stumbling a little, and kicked him in the crotch. He moaned in pain and crumbled to the floor, clutching his injured genitalia. ¡°You fucking cunt,¡± he hissed. Panicked, Ava raced around him and went to the bedroom. Luckily she found all her clothes in one neat stack, next to her toppled over boots. She felt something wet down there, and when she pulled her hand away realized it was blood. She was sore, the room still spun, and she still felt sick. She got dressed and put on her boots. ¡°Come back here you slut!¡± Mark called after her as she ran down his narrow hallway. She grabbed her bag off the couch and noticed, vaguely, that the rose and hemp scented candle was much lower, and she wondered what time it was. 3 - Cinnamon Ava ran down the darkened street, away from Mark and his romantic dinner and his wine. She was pretty sure she had been drugged. She had to have been. Dried leaves crunched under her boots. The streetlights were blaringly bright and everything had a darkened aura about it, as though she were going to pass out again. Ava puked in some leaf ridden bushes and realized she was crying. The streets were silent around her, long dark shadows between houses, and it was just her and the night. It was too far for her to walk home, and Ava stopped, wiping off her mouth, which tasted nasty from spew and Mark¡¯s garlic breath. The world was a blur of tears around her, and she reached into her bag for her phone. 11:30PM. Her parents were going to be so pissed. She called Elizabeth. ¡°He did what!¡± Elizabeth screeched. ¡°Where are you? I¡¯m coming to get you. Stay there.¡± Ava told her what street she was on and disconnected her phone. She wiped at her face, realizing there was still some cum remnants on it. She needed to take a shower and it felt wet in between her legs. She needed to wash Mark off of her. She never wanted to see him again! Why had she gone to his romantic evening? She should have claimed sickness the moment she realized he was taking her to his apartment! Had she somehow led him on? She didn¡¯t think she had. She hated him. She wanted to kick him in the junk again. She cried. Elizabeth came fifteen minutes later. Ava got in her old Toyota corolla, clutching her bag to her chest. Elizabeth lit cinnamon incense in her room so she always smelled like cinnamon. The smell was comforting. ¡°What did he do to you?¡± she demanded. ¡°I¡¯ll kill that son of a bitch!¡± Ava wiped at her face, realizing she looked terrible. How was she going to explain her state to her parents? She just wanted to go home where she could cry into her pillow. ¡°He¡­ he¡­ had sex with me!¡± Ava blurted out. ¡°It was terrible!¡± ¡°Did he rape you?¡± Elizabeth asked. ¡°Yes. He got me drunk first. I think he may have spiked my wine with something.¡± Elizabeth clutched the wheel of her car so tight her knuckles whitened. She rarely got angry, but when she did it was scary. Her red hair hung prettily around her face. She wore eyeliner and had glitter on her eyelids. Ava thought she was beautiful. Suddenly she felt so violated and ashamed she couldn¡¯t stand it. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°You should report him,¡± Elizabeth said. ¡°No! Please! I just want to go home!¡± Ava said. ¡°Please take me home.¡± ¡°What about your parents?¡± And what about them? They were already going to be pissed she was half an hour, now forty-five minutes late. ¡°It was like in my demon dream, Elizabeth! I couldn¡¯t breathe! And it was so bad! I¡¯m bleeding!¡± Ava couldn¡¯t help sounding somewhat hysterical. ¡°Let¡¯s take you home, hon,¡± said Elizabeth, pulling out into the street. ¡°I kicked him in his loins.¡± Ava sniffed, and it smelled like cum. She wanted to blow her nose. ¡°Good! That¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do to that bastard!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± said Ava, more like begged. ¡°Let¡¯s just forget tonight ever happened. I¡¯m not seeing him again.¡± Elizabeth didn¡¯t say anything. Ava looked at her phone and cried harder when she saw a voicemail from her mom and dad and one from Mark. ¡°That ass wipe just called you? Give me the fucking phone!¡± demanded Elizabeth. ¡°No, Elizabeth, don¡¯t!¡± But Elizabeth was already on Ava¡¯s phone, calling Mark and swearing at him, telling him that she was going to kill him and that he was a piece of shit, and then Ava blacked out again. She stood, swaying a little, in her parents¡¯ glaringly bright kitchen. Her mom stood in front of her, and her dad sat at the table, a glass of blood red wine in front of him, and Ava vaguely wondered if it was sangria. Her dad¡¯s bald head reflected in the bright light. The light hurt. Where was Elizabeth? Ava didn¡¯t remember getting home, but the time on the microwave said it was 12:30AM. ¡°Mark called. What did you do to that poor, Christian boy?¡± demanded her mom. Her mom¡¯s voice slurred a little, so Ava could tell she was drunk. ¡°He¡­ he¡­ had sex with me!¡± Ava cried out, hating to admit it and knowing that it was a bad idea, but the words just kind of tumbled out. ¡°You did what?¡± her mom screeched. She slapped her. The slap stung, bringing more tears to Ava¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re like a whore, except you¡¯re not getting paid.¡± She was a whore? Ava cried. ¡°No mom!¡± she begged. ¡°He drugged me!¡± ¡°I refuse to believe it.¡± Ava trembled. Her cheek burned. Her dad wouldn¡¯t look at her. She just realized that. ¡°Now apologize to your father,¡± said her mom. ¡°How dare you have sex before marriage, and we saw you out in that car with that friend of yours, kissing¡ª¡± Ava and Elizabeth had kissed? ¡°I forbid you from seeing her again.¡± Ava sobbed. ¡°No, mom.¡± ¡°I absolutely forbid you! Now take a shower!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, dad,¡± Ava managed to say, but he remained silent, just staring at his wine glass. What a fucking nightmare. Why didn¡¯t she remember kissing Elizabeth? She remembered Mark. Ava wanted to take a shower more than anything. ¡°And you¡¯re drunk,¡± her mom said. ¡°You clearly seduced that poor boy.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Now take a shower! I¡¯m not saying it again!¡± Ava stumbled to the bathroom. She wished she could remember kissing Elizabeth. She wondered, vaguely, if Elizabeth tasted like cinnamon. All she could taste in her own mouth was bile and tears. In the bathroom she shut the door and locked it behind her. Had Elizabeth¡¯s lips been soft? Was she a better kisser than Mark? Ava didn¡¯t even want to think about that dick head. Had she really led him on? There were splotches of blood on her underwear when she took them off. She hurt. She turned the water on scalding hot and got in the shower. She felt so ashamed and violated she wanted to puke again. She let Mark¡¯s remnants wash off her and swirl down the drain. She was never letting a boy touch her again. 4 - The Rollercoaster The demon ripped its way out of her body again, sharp claws choking her, something smothering her face, and Ava couldn¡¯t breathe. She struggled in the darkness of her bedroom. She pushed away at the thing smothering her face and instead of seeing the demon she saw Mark¡¯s chubby face, a sly grin on his face, and Ava started awake. ¡°Elizabeth!¡± she gasped, confused at first. She remembered Elizabeth kissing her now, her lips soft on her own, her hands trembling as she clutched Ava¡¯s face, and Ava had pushed away, scared and confused and just wanting to go home, and Elizabeth¡¯s face had fallen. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Elizabeth whispered. ¡°Ava. I shouldn¡¯t have done that. Not now. I¡¯m sorry, hon.¡± Ava had escaped the car without a word, stumbling as she walked up her driveway. ¡°Ava!¡± Elizabeth had called after her, but Ava had ignored her, and then her parents and before that Mark, and Ava felt sick. She lay on top of her blankets, still in her clothes, her long hair wet. She needed to escape, to get away from the memories of Mark and her parents and how scared Elizabeth¡¯s kiss had made her feel. She wanted to go to the abandoned amusement park. She didn¡¯t care what time of night it was or what her parents would say. It was where she was going no matter what. Ava stood up and stumbled and the world spun and she felt sick, like she was going to projectile vomit all over her bedroom floor. She had to make it to the bathroom. She remembered Mark all over her, touching her, putting his dick inside her and how much it had hurt. Outside her bedroom the hallway was dark and silent¡ªthe entire house was still, which thankfully meant her parents were sleeping. Downstairs she made it to the bathroom and the toilet bowl just in time to projectile vomit. Her vomit was red, and then she was just puking up bile and her head throbbed in pain. She needed some Tylenol. Ava stood, clutching her throbbing head and wiping off her mouth. She flushed the toilet. The bright lights of the bathroom hurt her eyes. She opened the medicine cabinet, took out the Tylenol, amongst the other sea of medicines, and dry swallowed four of them. Then she brushed her teeth. Why had she run away when Elizabeth had kissed her? Why had that scared her so much? It shouldn¡¯t have. She should have just spent the night at Elizabeth¡¯s house instead of coming home, where her mom had said those awful things to her. Ava tiptoed to the kitchen and her boots and bag. She looked at her phone, even if the light hurt her eyes, and saw she had four new text messages¡ªone from Mark and three from Elizabeth. She couldn¡¯t read them right now. Ava put on her boots and put on a black hoodie she had over one of the kitchen chairs. She checked to make sure her keys were in her bag, and trying to be as quiet as possible she left her house, not caring, really, if her parents heard her start her car and leave. They were already pissed and ashamed of her anyway, and the shame Ava felt herself made her feel like she would spew again. Outside it was chilly, so Ava was happy she¡¯d put on a hoodie. Inside her car Ava put her bag on the passenger seat and fumbled in it for her pack of cigarettes. She took one out, lit it, started her car and backed out of the driveway, and Ava began her journey. # Ava had a slight obsession with abandoned places. She watched YouTube after YouTube video of them. It didn¡¯t matter the place¡ªhouse, business, psychiatric ward, amusement parks. She found them all fascinating, and it was actually how her and Elizabeth had initially bonded. They¡¯d met at the college library, tall stacks of bookshelves hovered over them, and Ava had been loading up her arms with books on abandoned places, and Elizabeth had been there, in the same aisle, bright red hair in a braid and beautiful green eyes, and she¡¯d smiled at Ava. ¡°Need help?¡± she¡¯d asked. ¡°You have an awful lot of books there.¡± And Ava did. She thought at any second she¡¯d drop them all. ¡°Um¡­ I think so,¡± she¡¯d said, or something equally awkward, and Elizabeth had helped her, and it turned out she¡¯d been heading to the same aisle, to look up the same thing, and they¡¯d joked about how Ava had been about to steal all the books she¡¯d wanted. They¡¯d chatted in the library all afternoon, and Ava learned that they were the same age, 19, had equally religious fanatical parents, and both planned on transferring to the same four year campus in two years. They¡¯d gone out for coffee after the library and over caramel lattes¡ªthey both liked the same drink¡ªhad chatted some more, before Ava had said she needed to go home because her parents were expecting her. It was Elizabeth who had asked they exchange phone numbers. It was best friends from the beginning really. Ava was thrilled when she¡¯d gotten home and found a text from Elizabeth already, asking her if she wanted to go to a movie on Friday night, some comedy movie, where they¡¯d laughed and eaten buttered popcorn and Junior mints, and Ava had realized she¡¯d developed a crush on Elizabeth, but had written in her journal that she could never let anyone know about it. She¡¯d been meaning to show Elizabeth the abandoned amusement park just out of town, but it was her own secret place, and she¡¯d never gotten the chance. # Ava smoked and drove, her head spinning, not listening to any music because it made her head ache. She tried not to think about Mark as she drove, her headlights lighting up darkened streets and not quite reaching the shadows in between houses. Soon her headlights lit up nothing but forest on either side, dark and foreboding in the silent night. She parked and stumbled out of her car, grabbing her bag, and shoving her phone and pack of cigarettes and lighter in it. She¡¯d never come here this late. The forest was dark and silent around her, only broken by the rustling of the wind through the tree branches above and Ava¡¯s boots crunching over the dried leaves on the narrow trail she followed, illuminated only by the flashlight on her phone. She walked as quickly as she could, having come this way many times before and almost knowing the trail by heart, but walking was difficult with her spinning, aching head. She hoped she wouldn¡¯t projectile vomit again. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! She didn¡¯t know what she was thinking. It was too late to come here. Only druggies came here this late at night, leaving their used needles laying all over the ground, and the police patrolled, but Ava needed to escape. She never wanted to go back. She came to the overgrown chain link fence that surrounded the park, but someone from a long time ago had cut a hole in the bottom of it. Ava pushed her bag through first, and then maneuvered herself through it, the action making her even more sick. She stood up, brushing dirt and dried leaves off her skirt, and swung her bag back over her shoulder, again taking out her phone to use it for the tiny bit of light the flashlight on it provided. ¡°Better than nothing,¡± she muttered to herself. It was called Wonderland back in the 50¡¯s, but had been closed due to lack of funding or something like that, and here it had sat, since then, the forest slowly overgrowing it. The rides decaying to rust and neglect. Ava followed a narrow trail, walking slowly over weeds and leaves and broken cement. She came to the last remnants of the huge, wooden rollercoaster that had once stood right in the middle of the park, but was now decaying and covered with overgrowth. She walked up the rusted steps to the main platform, careful not to trip on the steps. The platform was made of metal and rusted. The train cars still sat on their metal track, forgotten and covered with rust and overgrowth, narrowly illuminated by Ava¡¯s phone flashlight. There was a train car she always sat in. It smelled of mold and forgotten things, but Ava loved the spot. She would sit there and journal for hours, until the sun began setting in the sky. She¡¯d never been here this late at night though. She sat down in it now. A book rested in the seat next to it, narrow and thick, words on it indescribable in the darkness and from the flashlight on her phone. ¡°This is strange,¡± she said out loud, into the silence and rust. What was a random book doing here? She picked it up. It felt wet and heavy. And then something very weird began happening. First she heard faint carnival music and smelled hot dogs and fried donuts, and then out the corners of her vision she saw colorful lights. The safety bar on the seat came down, so tight it hurt her legs, and Ava tried to stand without any luck. That safety bar was down too tight. The world spun. She heard the ride start up, the rattle of old rusted chains, and Ava felt sick, certain she was going to die. She saw the landing, all lit up, like it must have looked in the 50¡¯s. She heard laughing and talking over the music. She saw the railway ahead of her, and the train car she sat in flared into light¡ªno more rust or musty seat, paint on it fresh and blue and purple. Ava¡¯s stomach lurched and she thought she¡¯d be sick again. Was she still drunk? What had Mark given her? Some sort of psychedelic? The ride started up and moved forward, with so much force the handlebar dug into her stomach. Chain rattles creaked as the ride spun in a circle and she was riding the train car up to the steep drop she knew was coming. Lights flickered. She heard squeals of laughter. But the ride was old and forgotten and broken! It was in disrepair! She was going to die! The ride circled again, and the first drop appeared before her. Everything darkened. Time seemed to stand still. Ava clutched the book and her bag and her phone, the light on it lighting up the bright blue and purple of the train car. And then she was going downwards. Ava couldn¡¯t help screaming. Inertia made her stomach lurch again and she willed herself not to puke. The ride twisted and turned and Ava saw fog that made her chilled, and goosebumps exploded on her arms, beneath her sweater. Warm air washed over her face, and the light brightened, became softer and warmer, despite the fog. And Ava had the feeling she¡¯d entered an alternate dimension, or a different world, or some different place. The ride squealed to a halt, into light and fog, and the handlebar crushed her stomach. Not good for her nausea. Faint relief washed over her when she realized she was still alive at least. Her legs trembled. The ride sputtered and died and the handlebar came up. Everything looked foggy and gray. The landing was lit though. The light dim through the fog. And a girl stood at the control booth. She was gaunt, features razor sharp. She was anorexic thin and wore a long, flowy green blouse over holey light blue jeans. Her hair was long and knotty and bright pink, down to her waist. She looked otherworldly and like a strong wind would blow her away. She blinked at Ava, and her eyes were a startingly, beautiful purple. She frowned. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± she demanded. Ava managed to stand and the world spun and she thought she¡¯d fall over. She put her phone in her bag and clutched that strange book to her chest. She didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to speak. What was happening? She stepped off the ride, metal hard under her boots. The girl eyed her, and then her eyes seemed to travel down to the book Ava held in her shaky hands. The girl¡¯s purple eyes widened and something like panic seemed to cross her face. ¡°What are you doing with that book?¡± she asked. ¡°I was trying to get rid of it!¡± Ava tried to swallow. Her mouth was dry. ¡°W-what just happened?¡± she managed to say. ¡°We have to send it back!¡± The girl approached her, then recoiled. ¡°What are you? Are you¡ª¡± she seemed to lose her voice for a second. ¡°Are you what the book described as a mortal, from the world where the rivers flow sweet blood?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± said Ava. ¡°I destroyed the controls,¡± the girl whispered. ¡°I can¡¯t send it back. What have you done!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± said Ava. Destroyed the controls? Rivers of blood? What was this girl talking about? ¡°You have to go back! If my sisters¡ª¡± the girl¡¯s voice trailed off. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± ¡°My name is Ava.¡± Ava¡¯s head pounded. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about! What are you talking about?¡± The girl frowned, lips pale on her gaunt face. And tight. When had this girl had her last meal? Ava felt like she was about to go into hysterics, and she wasn¡¯t an hysterical girl. She hadn¡¯t gone hysterical when Mark had touched her. She had to remain calm. This had to be all some drug and alcohol induced dream. Maybe she really was sleeping and had never gone to the abandoned amusement park. That had to be it. ¡° Give me the book,¡± demanded the girl, approaching her. Ava stepped back. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°Give it to me!¡± the girl¡¯s voice rose a few octaves, like she was about to go into hysterics too. Ava clutched the book tighter, like it was her lifeline back into reality. This isn¡¯t real. This isn¡¯t real. This isn¡¯t fucking real! It couldn¡¯t be real! ¡°Give it to me!¡± Now the girl practically screamed it, voice high and shrill and loud in the silence of the dimly lit landing. Her lips matched the color of the swirling fog. If she got any closer Ava would kick her. She knew how to defend herself, and this girl looked easy to hurt. Though Ava preferred not to hurt her. She had a feeling that girl and this book were the links back to her reality. "No!¡± Ava screamed back. ¡°Shut up.¡± Now the girl whispered it. ¡°Well, well,¡± said a sudden, deep voice. A huge man stood on the landing, face ugly and covered with greasy facial hair that matched his greasy head hair. He had a huge, hairy beer gut. A mountain man. Ava thought she would start laughing. ¡°Oh shit,¡± muttered the girl. And then the ugly, big, greasy man in need of a shower threw something at them that emitted a green cloud of gas. It smelled like a bad fart. Ava tried not to breathe it in. But the world grew dark, and she was spinning, downwards and downwards, into blackness. 5 - Rivers of Blood Ava¡¯s head pounded. That was the first thing she noticed when she regained awareness. She smelled body odor and bad farts and heard deep voices and belly laughter. She shivered. She lay on something hard and damp and earthy. This wasn¡¯t her bed and her room was warm and it definitely didn¡¯t smell like body odor and bad farts. Was she still dreaming? She remembered Mark and her parents and Elizabeth who smelled like cinnamon. She remembered the book and the rollercoaster and that gaunt girl with the knotty pink hair and bony frame who looked like she needed to eat a burger. This wasn¡¯t right. That was just some alcohol, drug enhanced dream. Ava was afraid to open her eyes. When she eventually did she saw that she was in a small, narrow cage. That gaunt girl sat in the corner of the cage, which had other cages around it, and was in some sort of building. Her knees were up to her chin, exposing her boniness, and she didn¡¯t look happy. Ava heard grunts and laughter and talking. In the cages around them were trapped the strangest looking animals Ava had ever seen¡ªsix legged creatures with gray fur. A ferocious looking tiger thing was in the cage next to them, and it growled at Ava and Ava quickly moved away from that side. They were before a narrow walkway, in a low building with overhanging, bald light bulbs. ¡°W-what is going on?¡± Ava said, trying not to sound hysterical. She put a hand to her aching head. The dim light hurt her eyes and made her nauseous. This is what a hangover must feel like. The girl frowned. ¡°We¡¯ve been captured by the bad men.¡± The bad men? Ava remembered that mountain man with the beer gut and that smelly green gas. ¡°They collect strange creatures.¡± ¡°Strange creatures?¡± What was going on! How was she a strange creature, and sudden fury filled her. Whatever Mark had given her must have made her go on an extended trip. ¡°Yes.¡± The girl blinked her purple eyes. ¡°You were too loud.¡± ¡°So were you,¡± said Ava, the fury making you snap it. The girl sighed. ¡°Now what are you? Are you a mortal?¡± Was she a mortal. What kind of fucking question was that? Of course she was a mortal! Everyone died eventually. She had a coworker who told her that everyone had a turn at each age. Everyone had their turn. Of course I am,¡± she said. ¡°Aren¡¯t you? What kind of question is that!¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m an immortal. We all are of course.¡± ¡°Oh of course,¡± said Ava, sarcastically. She needed a Tylenol so bad. ¡°They took the book. We have to get it back! My sisters can¡¯t find it! I can¡¯t run the risk! They¡¯ll discover what I¡¯ve done.¡± Book. Sisters. What? Ava remembered the damp book she had discovered in the train car. She wondered what was so special about it. Other than she felt like it was her lifeline back into reality, same as this bony immortal girl. She had to get out of here. ¡°How do we do that?¡± she asked. ¡°Do the rivers really flow with sweet blood?¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Now what was she talking about? ¡°What?¡± asked Ava, closing her eyes against her throbbing headache. ¡°Do the rivers flow with blood?¡± the girl repeated, as though Ava was a moron. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± When she opened her eyes again two burly, huge, hairy and smelly men stood before their cage, hairy guts hanging out. ¡°Hello my sweets,¡± said the fatter, uglier one. The other burly, mountain man had a huge wart at the end of his nose. They laughed together and did a belly bump and grunted. Ava had to stop herself from laughing. This was ridiculous. ¡°Let us go,¡± said the bony girl, standing up. ¡°But we like to collect rare creatures, and you, my sweet, are a rare creature indeed,¡± said the super fat one and wart nose nodded in agreement. ¡°We¡¯ve never had an immortal girl before,¡± said the wart nose mountain man. ¡°And we have no idea what you even are.¡± He looked at Ava. Oh for the love of Pete! What was happening? Were these men immortal too? The gaunt girl had said they all were. God. What had Mark given her? A creature in one of the cages whined. One of them even barked. There was a dog here? She had to text Elizabeth, but her bag was no where in sight. These men must have taken that too! She needed it back, and she really needed a cigarette anyway. This ludicrous situation was making her crave nicotine. ¡°Can I have my bag back?¡± she asked. ¡°I really need a cigarette.¡± She couldn¡¯t believe how calm she sounded. ¡°What¡¯s a cigarette?¡± asked the bony girl behind her. ¡°What?¡± asked Ava. ¡°We¡¯re taking you to the ring,¡± said wart nose man. ¡°We have to show you both off. You¡¯re special.¡± Well. Ava was flattered. These gross men thought she was special. What a compliment. Even her thoughts were sarcastic. Her brain hurt. She wished these men would put some deodorant on. Their stench was overwhelming. She didn¡¯t want to go to this ring they spoke of. They smelled worse than Mark¡¯s garlic breath. The man with the bigger gut took out a set of keys he had in his pants pocket. ¡°Now you two behave, or we¡¯ll have to gas you again.¡± He put the rusted key in the equally rusted padlock that locked the cage. Ava did not want to be gassed again. She also didn¡¯t want these gross men coming anywhere near her. She thought of Mark and his touches and realized, faintly, that in between her legs still hurt from when he¡¯d penetrated her. She was so ashamed and those awful things her mom had said to her. Ava was not happy. And she was nauseous and her head throbbed. These men were not touching her. The fatter man opened the cage door. Ava stood up and backed away from him. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me,¡± she said. ¡°Oh, sweets, we simply want to lead you.¡± He and wart nose came even closer, and their scent overwhelmed her and she felt like she was going to spew. He reached out a gnarly, hairy hand to grab her shoulder, and she kicked him, hard, in the crotch, and he fell to his knees with a loud grunt of pain. ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked the gaunt girl, sounding appalled. Wart man backed away. Fatter man was grabbing his injured junk. ¡°I said don¡¯t touch me!¡± said Ava. ¡°Okay okay,¡± said wart man, sounding as appalled as the gaunt girl had. And somewhat scared. What was wrong with these people? ¡°What did you do to me,¡± the fatter man managed to say, still clutching his injured manhood. ¡°What?¡± asked Ava, confused. ¡°Just go. Now!¡± he said. ¡°Yeah. Go!¡± said wart nose man. That was easy. These people were weird. They were acting as though she¡¯d grown fangs and ripped his head open or something. Why were they so scared? ¡°Where¡¯s my bag?¡± asked Ava. ¡°And the book,¡± said gaunt girl. ¡°And if you gas us I¡¯ll kick you!¡± Ava said, really not wanting to be gassed again. ¡°Okay okay!¡± said wart man, stepping even further away from Ava. ¡°Follow me.¡± ¡°Special indeed,¡± muttered the fatter man as her and the gaunt girl followed wart nose man down the narrow pathway between the cages of the strange creatures. Ava heard laughter and shouting men again, but it passed the farther down the pathway they went. ¡°What did you do?¡± demanded the gaunt girl from behind her. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean,¡± said Ava. ¡°Why are you all freaked out. I just kicked him.¡± They came to a larger room without any cages in it, just pedestals with glass boxes on top and hanging light bulbs that emitted a dim light that hurt Ava¡¯s eyes and head. Her bag and the book rested in a big glass box. She quickly took out the book and her bag and gingerly put the damp book inside. ¡°Now just go,¡± said wart man, standing far away from her. ¡°The hallway out is that way.¡± He pointed a gnarly hand towards an adjacent hallway with moldy green tiles on the walls¡ªand it reminded Ava of Mark¡¯s bathroom. What if she was still at Mark¡¯s right now, completely tripping out? The gaunt girl walked far behind her as they followed the tiled hallway out of the building and into the swirling, gray and damp fog. 6 - Demon in the Fog Ava waited for her eyes to adjust to the swirling grayness, which felt a lot better on her eyes than the light in the hallway had, and saw they stood on a cracked cement street. Boulders rose on either side of them, and behind them was a huge, gray cement building. There was no one in sight and everything was silent and still. She noticed that the gaunt girl stood far away from her. Ava clutched her bag, that held that mysterious book, to her chest, and willed her throbbing headache to go away. She was so relieved to be away from those mountain men. She was never drinking again. God she hated Mark. She loathed him. ¡°What?¡± she finally asked the gaunt girl. The gaunt girl just shook her head and frowned. ¡°We have to get away from here,¡± she said, voice muffled from the fog around them. ¡°We have to get away from their oasis.¡± Oasis? Now what was this girl talking about. ¡°I need to send the book back,¡± the girl said. ¡°You need to send me back,¡± said Ava, willing herself to wake up in her own bed, willing her horrible night with Mark and her parents had never happened. Maybe it had all been a bad dream. She¡¯d do just about anything for a Tylenol right now. ¡°Yes. You have to go back,¡± the girl agreed. ¡°Come on.¡± Ava followed the girl down the cracked cement street, shivering. She thought about Elizabeth as they walked. She replayed their kiss in her mind. Her sexuality confusion made her throbbing headache worse though, so she tried not thinking about it. She tried not thinking about anything at all. And eventually the cracked cement street turned into damp earth. Huge, sharp boulders rose on either side of them. She thought she¡¯d puke. The girl stopped and turned to her. ¡°What did you do to that bad man?¡± she asked. Wasn¡¯t that obvious? Why did this girl ask such stupid questions? ¡°Kicked him in the crotch,¡± she said. ¡°Yes, but¡ª¡± the girl¡¯s voice trailed off, and her strange, purple eyes widened. ¡°Was that violence?¡± ¡°Well, I guess so,¡± said Ava. How could this girl not know what violence was? ¡°How do you not know what violence is?¡± ¡°Rosalie told us about it. It¡¯s in one of the library books.¡± ¡°Who the fuck is Rosalie?¡± Ava asked. ¡°One of my sisters,¡± said the girl. ¡°Oh.¡± They stood in silence for a bit then. It was awkward. The girl fidgeted where she stood. ¡°My name is Ezzie,¡± she finally said. ¡°Okay,¡± said Ava. ¡°I¡ª¡± Ezzie floundered for a bit. ¡°I destroyed the controls on the rollercoaster. I don¡¯t know if I can fix them. What have you done?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± Had she somehow led Mark on? The shame made her sick. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Like hell you didn¡¯t!¡± Now Ezzie sounded angry. ¡°Don¡¯t be pissed off at me,¡± Ava snapped. ¡°All I did was sit down and pick up the book.¡± Now she took it out of her bag and flipped it open. ¡°What¡¯s in here anyway? Why is it so important?¡± ¡°Give it to me,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°No.¡± Ava put it back in her bag. She had a sudden fear that if she gave the book back to this strange girl she¡¯d run away with it and leave her standing here, alone in the gray fog, and she¡¯d never find her way back to reality. ¡°Why are you interested in rivers of blood anyway?¡± Sudden revelation filled her. ¡°Are you a vampire or something?¡± ¡°What¡¯s a vampire?¡± She didn¡¯t know what a vampire was? Clearly this girl was an idiot. ¡°An immortal being that drinks blood.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°I¡ª¡± she paused. ¡°I guess so? We drink from the fountain of blood.¡± Of course they drank from a fountain of blood. This girl didn¡¯t even really know what violence was. Ava doubted she¡¯d ever physically hurt anyone in her entire, ancient life. ¡°Of course you do,¡± she muttered. She needed to text Elizabeth. Maybe if she texted Elizabeth everything would go back to normal and she¡¯d wake up from this strange nightmare, where there were belly bumping mountain men, strange girls who drank from a fountain of blood, and no violence. She dug around in her bag and pulled out her phone, noticing the girl flinch a little. She was clearly afraid of her. Ava found immense satisfaction in that. She realized, however, that the battery on her phone was dead. She realized, with dismay, that she must have left the flashlight on. She pulled out her pack of cigarettes and lighter, noticing Ezzie flinch again, and lit up a cancer stick. The end glowed bright orange when she inhaled. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°Oh!¡± She waved smoke away from her face. The smoke was almost the same color as the fog. ¡°That hurts my eyes!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a cigarette.¡± Didn¡¯t this girl know anything? ¡°And you¡¯re a mortal?¡± Ezzie asked. ¡°Well duh.¡± Ava puffed away. The nicotine helped her throbbing headache some. ¡°And you come from the place where the rivers flow with sweet blood?¡± Why was she so seemingly obsessed with that? Wasn¡¯t their little fountain of blood enough? And why did it matter if her sisters or whatever found out about it? ¡°Isn¡¯t your little fountain of blood enough?¡± Ava asked, deciding not to answer that question. What if she said no and this strange vampire girl left her here alone. ¡°And why can¡¯t your sisters find out about it? What¡¯s the big deal?¡± Ezzie frowned. ¡°Because they¡¯ll leave me, and I can¡¯t go to the mortal world¡ª¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I just can¡¯t okay!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ava smoked the rest of her cigarette and threw it to the dirt ground, where she stomped on it. ¡°Are we going back to the rollercoaster now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± # Ava followed Ezzie closely, not wanting to lose her in the chilly fog. It cleared her head some, helped her throbbing headache. She wished her phone wasn¡¯t dead. She wondered if anyone was concerned about where she was. She wondered when she was going to wake up from this strange nightmare. Ezzie¡¯s pink hair was a sharp contrast to the chilly fog, and Ava vaguely wondered if it were natural or dyed. She didn¡¯t feel like asking. She wondered how Ezzie could even know where they were going. The fog was that dense. Ezzie moved slowly and cautiously, avoiding boulders and rocks as though she¡¯d been this way many times before, as though she were a master fog walker. Ava hoped she¡¯d be able to somehow fix the rollercoaster when they got there. She wanted this strange dream to be over with. Sudden paranoia and fear filled her, as though someone or something were watching her in the fog, and she thought maybe it was just her imagination. This whole situation was just her imagination after all. She glanced around herself nervously, clutching her bag that held that strange cold and damp book. Something was watching. Something was waiting. Something was waiting for her. She wondered if maybe it were those mountain men, but the fear reminded her of the demon in her dream, ripping its way out of her body and choking her with its sharp claws. ¡°Something is watching,¡± she whispered. Ezzie stopped. ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked, and her voice was loud in the muffled silence. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Ava. ¡°It just feels like there¡¯s something watching us." Something watching me, she wanted to say, but didn¡¯t. ¡°No there¡¯s not,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°You¡¯re just being weird. Come on. We¡¯re almost there.¡± Almost to the rollercoaster. That was a good thing. Almost back to her reality. Her head throbbed. Then she saw it¡ªthe demon from her nightmare. Out in the fog. She saw its glowing red eyes and grotesque shape and face. She saw it! It was there! It was waiting for her! The fear was icy cold, colder than the fog, and Ava ran from it. ¡°Wait!¡± shouted Ezzie. ¡°You can¡¯t just run! The spinning worlds¡ª¡± But whatever else Ezzie was about to say was lost to her as she was vaguely aware of running beneath a lightly glowing gray arch. The world turned to muddiness, and then she were falling, spinning downwards and downwards, into blackness. 7 - The Fountain of Blood Ezzie watched Ava walk into the spinning world and disappear and stood in shock for a few moments. You couldn¡¯t run in the fog lands. It was too dangerous. How stupid of that strange mortal girl, but then a faint relief filled her¡ªAva and the book wore gone now, lost forever in a spinning world, and everyone knew that no one escaped a spinning world, but then that relief was washed over with guilt and even a sense of fear. Ezzie didn¡¯t know what Ava was capable of. She was capable of violence, and she had saved them from the bad men. Who knew if Ava would maybe be able to get out on her own, and she had the book, and if her sisters ever found out¡­ Ezzie had no choice but to go in there after her. The thought made her shiver. No one in recorded history had ever escaped a spinning world, and she would know¡ªRosalie, who constantly read books from their library, had told them all such, but Ezzie had to try. She circled the lightly glowing gray archway. There was a large boulder nearby. What she needed was a rope¡ªa rope to connect her to the fog lands when she went through, a rope to pull them out once she found Ava. She had no choice but to go back to her oasis, get a rope, and come back, but doing such a thing would cause questions from her sisters. She sighed. She¡¯d just have to deal with it. Ezzie knew this archway well. She¡¯d avoided it many times before. She knew her way back. She walked, cautiously and slowly, avoiding rock and boulder. Her stomach told her it was time for her one vial of blood anyway and the temptation of the fountain of blood. She walked slowly over the damp gray earth, until she came to the way back into her oasis and saw the multitudes of bright stars above, as the fog cleared. She walked the brick hallway back inside her dwelling and passed her pool of water, ice now melted in it and flowers sunk to the very bottom. Oh how she longed to lay in the warmth of her pool, to let the hotness of the water seep into her frigid bones, but she couldn¡¯t. Not now. She grabbed her empty vial of blood off a shelf and left her dwelling, heading towards her sisters and the ever flowing, splashing fountain of blood. All brick roads led to it, and she passed half broken buildings as she walked, her sandaled feet silent over the broken bricks and random, sprouting purple flowers she liked to pick and add to her pool when she could. Her sisters sat at the fountain, all chubby and faces rosy¡ªAmelia on a bench, looking at herself in her hand mirror, her hair the color of green leaves and streaked with silvery gray and always neatly combed, wearing a long, flowing purple gown. Rosalie¡ªhair the color of the purple flowers and wearing a long, flowing golden gown¡ªsat at the very edge of the fountain of blood, on the broken stone, reading a book, a cup of sweet blood next to her, and Luna sat near her, drinking blood, her hair bright orange and in two braids, wearing a flowing pink and yellow gown. She smiled and laughed as she drank. ¡°Would you stop laughing. I¡¯m trying to read,¡± Rosalie admonished, looking up from her book. She was always reading. Oh how she would love that book about the mortal world, where the rivers flowed with sweet blood. Oh how her sisters would love to go there, and leave her alone, alone in their oasis and wanting. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Luna¡¯s face lit up when she saw Ezzie. Ezzie clutched her empty vial of blood, though every part of her wanted to completely gorge herself. Why could her sisters not see that there was something deeply wrong inside of her mind, something that even she didn¡¯t understand? ¡°Ezzie!¡± Luna said. Amelia barely looked up from her hand mirror, but Rosalie shut her book and set it down beside her. She frowned when she saw the empty vial Ezzie carried. ¡°Let me guess. You¡¯re only going to drink that much,¡± said Rosalie. ¡°Drink more!¡± Luna urged, taking huge gulps of blood from her cup. ¡°No,¡± said Ezzie to Luna, and then to Rosalie, ¡°Yes.¡± Ezzie approached the fountain and suddenly felt faint, like she was going to fall over at any second. These faint spells were happening to her more and more often, but she knew if she drank just a little bit of blood she¡¯d be fine. Just a little bit. ¡°I only need a little bit,¡± she said. She dipped her vial in the warm blood of the fountain, filling it up, getting bright red blood all over her hand, and drank greedily, the blood warm and sweet as it went down her throat and barely filled her empty stomach, and the fainting spell passed. She resisted the urge to lick the blood off her fingers, and instead she wiped the blood off on her holey jeans. ¡°I need a rope,¡± she said. ¡°Why do you need a rope?¡± Luna asked, standing up and dancing in front of her, long gown twisting around her waist. She laughed. Luna was always cheerful. ¡°That¡¯s a strange thing to ask for,¡± said Rosalie, who was always serious. ¡°I just need one, okay,¡± said Ezzie quietly. Obviously she couldn¡¯t tell them why. They¡¯d freak the hell out. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have one,¡± said Rosalie. ¡°Neither do I! Come on, drink some of this blood.¡± And Luna grabbed her half full cup and held it out to Ezzie, tempting her, and Ezzie recoiled. She couldn¡¯t drink anymore. Her now empty vial was warm in her hand. ¡°I have a rope,¡± Amelia suddenly said, looking up from her hand mirror. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯d need one, but whatever I guess.¡± She put her hand mirror to her side, sighed, and stood up. ¡°Come on.¡± Relief filled Ezzie¡ªone of her sisters had a rope. She followed Amelia down the broken, brick street, careful not to step on any of the purple flowers. She followed Amelia to Amelia¡¯s dwelling, but Ezzie didn¡¯t want to go inside. Amelia¡¯s dwelling was full of mirrors, on the walls and standing long mirrors in her main room. Amelia was constantly looking at herself in mirrors, and Ezzie didn¡¯t want to see her reflection. She was already self-conscious of her gaunt and bony frame. She did not want to look at it. Hell no. When Amelia came out with the rope relief filled her. She could do this. She could save Ava from the spinning world, though terror filled her at the thought of willingly going into one. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said to Amelia. ¡°Whatever,¡± said Amelia, looking at herself in her hand mirror. Ezzie left their oasis, back through her own dwelling, and walked the fog lands, cautiously and slowly, back to the spinning world arch Ava had stupidly gone through. She held the rope, white and coiled around her hand. She tied the rope securely around the boulder and the other end securely around her waist. She paused before entering the spinning world. Did she really want to do this? What were the odds of Ava being able to escape on her own? Ezzie decided she didn¡¯t want to risk it. She knew this was a crazy thing to do, but she had to save Ava, she had to at least return the favor. Ezzie entered the spinning world. 8 - The Spinning World Ava lay on something soft¡ªa mattress? Was she finally at home, in her own bed? Was the nightmare finally over with? Ava snuggled in closer to the pillow her head must be resting on, relieved. Her throbbing headache was finally gone, and she was ready for things to be back to normal. Ah yes. This was nice, but then she was aware of something poking her. The demon? Ava opened her eyes, panicked, but the thing poking her wasn¡¯t the demon. It was a strange girl, and the world spun around her, making her sick and dizzy. She lay in a bed, but it wasn¡¯t her bed, and she didn¡¯t recognize the girl poking her. She had short black hair and deep brown eyes and a very small, pretty face. ¡°Oh, hello,¡± said the girl. ¡°Sorry for waking you up.¡± Ava sat up with a start and clutched her head. Why was the world spinning? It made her dizzy. She felt like she¡¯d just spun in circles, even if she hadn¡¯t. She saw she was on a bunk bed, high, high above a cement floor below, and there were bunk beds all around her. ¡°Where,¡± said Ava. ¡°Where am I?¡± The girl frowned. ¡°You¡¯re strange.¡± She giggled. So the nightmare wasn¡¯t over with. She must still be in it, but what had happened to that weird fog place and the demon and Ezzie? Ava couldn¡¯t see a ceiling. Above her the world expanded into blackness. The light was dim and brown, like wet mud, and Ava willed the world to stop spinning, but it didn¡¯t stop. She didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d be able to move without falling over the bunk bed onto the hard looking cement ground far below. The girl knelt on the bed beside her. She wore a white night gown. She was very small. Ava wondered how old she was. She couldn¡¯t really tell. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± the girl asked. ¡°My name is Sunflower.¡± Sunflower? Seriously? What kind of name was that? ¡°Ava,¡± she said. ¡°The world won¡¯t stop spinning.¡± ¡°The world always spins here,¡± said Sunflower. ¡°We don¡¯t get visitors very often.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said Ava, not really knowing what to say. ¡°What is this place?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s wonderful here!¡± Sunflower smiled. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t fall to the third floor.¡± Ava thought of the cement far below. ¡°What¡¯s on the third floor?¡± she asked. ¡°Danger.¡± Now the girl frowned. ¡°But you won¡¯t fall there.¡± ¡°Am I dreaming?¡± Ava asked. ¡°Where¡¯s the fog place?¡± Where was Ezzie? Somehow she¡¯d fallen into a completely different world. How was she going to get back? ¡°How can I get back?¡± Sunflower giggled. Ava wished she¡¯d stop giggling. It was fucking annoying. This whole situation was fucking annoying! What had Mark given her? Why wouldn¡¯t the world stop spinning. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to the spinning,¡± said Sunflower, as though she could read Ava¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll show you to the fun booths!¡± ¡°What the fuck is a fun booth?¡± Ava asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to a fun booth! I want out of here!¡± Was she laying in the fog somewhere? Lost and dreaming, with the demon lurking nearby? She didn¡¯t feel the demon¡¯s presence. But dread did fill her when she looked at the cement floor, down down below. ¡°Oh you¡¯ll like it!¡± said Sunflower, smiling. ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll help you. I¡¯ll introduce you to the others. They¡¯ll be so excited to meet you! Like I said, we never get visitors, and the ones we do get always fall to the third floor and are gone for good.¡± Gone for good? That didn¡¯t sound promising. What if this third floor was the only way out? Ava willed herself to wake up, but she didn¡¯t, and the world continued to spin, and she felt dizzy and sick. At least her throbbing headache was gone though. She wondered how long she¡¯d been out of it. ¡°Is that the only way out?¡± Ava asked. Sunflower frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean. I¡¯ve never been there before. You don¡¯t go to the third floor. It¡¯s off limits.¡± Sunflower held out her hand. ¡°Now come on!¡± Ava didn¡¯t know what else to do, so she took Sunflower¡¯s warm and soft hand and tentatively tried to stand up with her, but the constant spinning made her fall to her knees on the soft, bare mattress. ¡°You can¡¯t stand?¡± Sunflower asked. What kind of stupid question was that? Of course she couldn¡¯t stand. The room was spinning. ¡°Of course not!¡± she said, clutching her head. ¡°Can you crawl?¡± Ava could crawl. ¡°I¡¯ll crawl with you! It¡¯ll be fun!¡± Ava didn¡¯t appreciate Sunflower¡¯s enthusiasm. The bunkbeds were all squished together. Ava crawled after Sunflower, over the soft, bare mattresses, and the bunks squeaked and were rickety, as though they were all on wheels. She¡¯d been at the very end seemingly, a mere rollover onto the third floor, far far below, and the thought made her sick. They came to a cement wall and a narrow doorway. They crawled through, down a narrow hallway with soft, brown carpeting. The world still spun, but Ava felt safer being away from those rickety bunks and with walls on either side of her. She wondered what a fun booth was, but figured she¡¯d find out soon enough. ¡°We¡¯re almost there! Oh I¡¯m so excited!¡± said Sunflower, who crawled ahead of her. ¡°Are you excited?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°You should be. You¡¯ll like it here!¡± Ava highly doubted that. They came to a large, cavernous room, with a jagged cement ceiling. Wallpaper¡ªall floral and stripes¡ªpeeled on the walls, and large brown couches were squished together on either side. Large booths¡ªblack and polished¡ªrose in the center of the cavernous room, and the floor was covered with more of that brown carpeting. The booths were enclosed, with only a narrow entryway. Ava thought those must be the fun booths Sunflower had spoke of. There were three other girls in the room, all in the same white nightgowns as Sunflower, and all three with the same short black hair. They all looked identical. Ava doubted she¡¯d be able to tell them apart. ¡°Can you walk now?¡± asked Sunflower, giggling. ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to Daffodil, Violet, and Tulip.¡± Daffodil, Violet, Tulip, and Sunflower? Ava was noticing a theme here. The room still spun, making Ava dizzy, and she knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to stand. She could barely manage a crawl. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll crawl with you to them.¡± They crawled to the three identical girls, and all three faces brightened when they saw them, and they giggled. Ava didn¡¯t know how much more giggling she was going to be able to stand. ¡°A visitor!¡± the one in the middle said. ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± ¡°Why are you crawling, Sunflower?¡± They giggled some more. Ava thought she was going to be sick. ¡°Her name is Ava,¡± said Sunflower. ¡°I¡¯m crawling because she can¡¯t stand.¡± ¡°Oh! That sounds fun!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll make her feel at home too!¡± And all three got on their hands and knees too. ¡°Ava, that¡¯s Tulip¡ª¡± Tulip smiled. ¡°Violet¡ª¡± Violet giggled. ¡°And Daffodil!¡± Daffodil waved. There was no way Ava was going to be able to tell them apart or remember who was who. ¡°Where did you come from?¡± one of them asked. ¡°The fog lands?¡± said Ava. ¡°I need to leave here. I have to get back.¡± ¡°She was sleeping on our bunks. I poked her awake! She was awfully close to the edge!¡± Sunflower declared. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s not good.¡± ¡°The third floor is dangerous.¡± ¡°All three of our other visitors fell there and were gone.¡± The three girls sat back and blinked their deep brown eyes and smiled at her in what must have been admiration, though Ava didn¡¯t know what they were admiring. ¡°I wanted to show her one of our fun booths!¡± said Sunflower. ¡°Oh! She¡¯ll like that!¡± ¡°Seriously, I want to leave. I need to go back,¡± said Ava. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. The world spun and spun. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know how you can go back.¡± ¡°Maybe a fun booth will show you.¡± Ava doubted that, but it was worth a shot, and these girls were pretty persistent about her going into one of those tall, shiny enclosed booths. ¡°Come on!¡± said Sunflower, taking her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll help you to one.¡± ¡°Well, okay,¡± said Ava, just wanting to close her eyes and will the spinning to stop. She half crawled with Sunflower. ¡°You¡¯ll like it. I promise,¡± said Sunflower, as they stopped in front of the narrow opening into one of them. She let go of Ava¡¯s hand, and Ava touched the side of the booth, surface cold and smooth beneath her fingers. She¡¯d have to stand to get into it, so she put both hands on the side of the opening to steady herself. It was a very narrow opening. She was happy she wasn¡¯t morbidly obese or she¡¯d never fit. She had her doubts this fun booth would show her anything at all, but the girls weren¡¯t offering any answers. All they seemed capable of was giggling and insisting she go in one because she¡¯d like it and that the third floor was off limits and they rarely got any visitors. They were annoying. So Ava got on her knees, then managed to stand and kind of fall halfway inside of it. It was a tight squeeze, and she was happy she wasn¡¯t claustrophobic. ¡°You¡¯ll have fun. We promise!¡± She heard one of the flower girls say as she managed to get all the way inside. She sorta fell into a bucket seat and was relieved there was a place to sit. All around her was pitch black at first, which she appreciated, but then the thing lit up and bright white light nearly blinded her. Then a bright red bird flew past her vision. And she saw and felt Mark¡ªtouching her, penetrating her, and it hurt. Mark smiled at her slyly, and Ava recoiled. She didn¡¯t want to relive this. What kind of fun booth was this? This wasn¡¯t fun! ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so tight,¡± said Mark, his voice coming from all sides of her. ¡°That was good.¡± She felt the sticky cum on her face, smelled it, and wanted to blow her nose. She wanted out of this thing, but she couldn¡¯t move. She couldn¡¯t see the way out¡ªall she saw was Mark¡¯s chubby face, smiling at her, and she wanted to punch that sly grin off his face. She wanted to kick him in the junk again, but then the scene changed and she was in her parents¡¯ brightly lit kitchen and her mom stood there. ¡°You¡¯re like a whore, except you¡¯re not getting paid,¡± her mom slurred, and Ava saw wine. The wine pooled around her, blood red and sickly sweet. ¡°No, mom,¡± she said, wanting to cry all over again. The wine rose to her lips, and she had no choice but to choke on it, on its sweetness. She didn¡¯t want to get drunk again. She didn¡¯t want her throbbing headache to come back. She didn¡¯t want to hear her mom again, saying those awful words to her, and then the scene changed and she was in Elizabeth¡¯s dark car. Her old, rusted Toyota corolla, and she tasted vomit in her mouth. She smelled cinnamon. She felt Elizabeth¡¯s lips on her own, soft and moist, and Elizabeth¡¯s kiss made her wet. Confusion and fear filled her. Elizabeth¡¯s kiss felt much different than Mark¡¯s slobbery kisses. It was soft and subtle, and she wanted more of it, and this time she got more of it. She tasted Elizabeth¡¯s mouth, felt Elizabeth¡¯s trembling hands on her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ava. I shouldn¡¯t have done that. Not now,¡± she said. But this time Ava didn¡¯t run away. This time she kissed Elizabeth back, despite how her own mouth tasted like vomit and she was self-conscious of it. This time she returned Elizabeth¡¯s kiss, and the kisses only made her want more. Elizabeth¡¯s mouth was sweet and tasted like sangria for some reason, but Ava didn¡¯t care. Her sexuality confused her and scared her, but she wanted Elizabeth. She wanted to feel Elizabeth¡¯s hands on her body. She had to get home. She had to get out of this place. Despite Mark and her parents, she needed to get back to Elizabeth. She needed to get back to that kiss. She needed to apologize for just running away like she had. Even if she was confused and scared. And suddenly the confusion and scaredness consumed her and she couldn¡¯t face this. Not now. Not with her spinning head and those flower girls and this strange world she¡¯d somehow found herself in. She just couldn¡¯t! And then she was running away again, the chilly night air around her and the muted stars above. She had to get out of here. She had to get out of here. She had to get out of this booth. She had to somehow get back to Ezzie and the rollercoaster and her way back to her reality. Even if it meant facing Mark and her mom again. She had to get back no matter what, even if she was scared and confused, the fear icy cold and reminding her of the demon and its sharp claws and glowing red eyes, staring at her through the fog. ¡°I want out!¡± she whispered. The bright white light blinded her again, and she saw that red bird, flying past her face, except this time it was a whole flock of birds, their wings soft and oily on her face, and gentle, and Ava realized they were the same color as sangria, and then all became pitch black again, and she sat in that bucket seat, in heavy, spinning silence, and she thought the fun booth must be over with, though it hadn¡¯t been very fun. She felt her way to the narrow opening on the side, and now she saw the dim bright light of the cavernous room beyond. Elizabeth¡¯s kiss had been nice. Her mom¡¯s voice echoed in her mind. ¡°You¡¯re a whore¡­¡± Mark¡¯s voice echoed in her mind. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so tight¡­¡± And Elizabeth¡¯s quiet voice echoed in her mind. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ava, I shouldn¡¯t have done that¡­¡± And she still tasted sangria on her lips and smelled Mark¡¯s cum, and cinnamon. She sorta managed to fall out of the booth, back into the cavernous room with the brown carpeting and jagged roof and brown couches squished together. The room spun and she clutched her head and fell to her knees. ¡°See! Wasn¡¯t that fun!¡± Sunflower said, smiling at her and giggling. ¡°No,¡± Ava managed to say, willing the taste of sangria off her lips. And the taste of Mark¡¯s cum. ¡°That wasn¡¯t fucking fun at all!¡± Why was it called a fun booth anyway? That hadn¡¯t shown her the way out of this strange world she¡¯d found herself in. It had only made her relive her past, and shame overcame her. The shame made her sick. Sunflower frowned. ¡°Oh,¡± she said. She needed to get out of this weird spinning world, but she didn¡¯t know how. These girls didn¡¯t know. The booth hadn¡¯t shown her. All she knew was that these other visitors had fallen to the third floor and disappeared forever, so maybe this dreaded third floor was the only way out. Maybe she had to go there, even if the thought of that cement floor far far below the creaking bunk bed had filled her with dread. Maybe that was the only way out. Maybe she had no choice but to go there. Or maybe she was just screwed and there was no way out and she¡¯d be stuck here forever. That thought was unacceptable. There absolutely had to be a way out. ¡°I need to get out of here,¡± she said. ¡°But there is no way out. I don¡¯t know what you mean,¡± said Sunflower, her pretty face solemn. The other flower girls whispered amongst themselves. The world spun and spun. Ava tried to stand, but fell to her knees. She¡¯d have to crawl her way out of here. She could not walk. She was too dizzy. ¡°There has to be a way,¡± she said. ¡°How did the other visitors leave? The third floor?¡± The girls all gasped and frowned. No more giggling, and Ava was grateful for that, though their frowning wasn¡¯t reassuring. ¡°You can¡¯t go there,¡± said one of them¡ªViolet or Daffodil or Tulip. Ava really couldn¡¯t tell which one. ¡°It¡¯s off limits,¡± said Sunflower. ¡°They fell, and were gone. It¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve had only three visitors, other than you.¡± The flower girl who said that giggled. ¡°Sunflower found them. At the very edge of the bunkbeds. Where she found you.¡± On the edge. So they¡¯d almost automatically fallen to the third floor. Icy cold terror filled Ava when she realized how close she¡¯d been, but if these other visitors had gone to the third floor, maybe they¡¯d found their way out. That must be the only way. She had to try. ¡°I have to go there,¡± said Ava. ¡°How can I go there without falling?¡± She didn¡¯t like the idea of having to fall. It was too far. She¡¯d break her legs or her back or her head. ¡°Falling is the only way we know how,¡± said one of the girls. ¡°There is no other way.¡± Then Ava guessed she¡¯d have to fall and risk a few broken bones. She had no choice. She needed to get back to that strange vampire girl Ezzie and the rollercoaster and her link back to reality. She had to go. She couldn¡¯t stay here! She didn¡¯t want to stay here! Sudden urgency filled her, and she crawled, through the constant spinning, towards what she thought was the hallway back to the bunkbeds. Maybe there was a ladder or something, though she doubted she¡¯d be able to crawl down a ladder, but she had to at least look for one. All bunkbeds had ladders damn it! ¡°You really don¡¯t want to go there.¡± ¡°All of our visitors leave us!¡± ¡°Stay here and go in a fun booth again!¡± The girls all spoke behind her, but Ava ignored them and continued crawling. She came to the narrow hallway thankfully, and the walls on either side of her comforted her some. It was better than that cavernous room. She stopped briefly and clutched her dizzy head, then continued crawling. She was getting out of here. She came to the creaky bunkbeds. ¡°You really don¡¯t want to do this,¡± said a sudden voice in her ear, and Ava started, but it was just one of the flower girls. Ava assumed it was Sunflower. She looked at her solemnly. ¡°There has to be a ladder,¡± said Ava. She started over the creaky bunkbeds, over the bare, soft mattresses with white pillows. Again, the bunkbeds felt like they must be on wheels or something, and Ava crawled carefully, Sunflower still at her side. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a ladder,¡± said Sunflower. ¡°At least, I¡¯ve never seen one.¡± There had to be one. All bunkbeds had ladders damn it. She came to the very edge, and dizziness and vertigo hit her when she stared down at that cold looking cement far, far below. The third floor. Where the other three visitors had gone. She felt along the side of the bunk, feeling only metal and rust and emptiness, and then her fingers touched something smooth and wooden. A ladder? Sudden relief filled her. She¡¯d just climb her way down. She felt a rung, then another one. It was a ladder. She was right! Now she just had to climb down it. She looked downwards. The ladder seemed to extend to the cement far below. Now she just hoped she¡¯d be able to climb down it without falling from the spinning and her dizziness. ¡°Yes there is,¡± she said triumphantly. ¡°You don¡¯t want to climb down there,¡± said Sunflower, sitting back on her knees. ¡°I have to,¡± said Ava. She was urgent and determined, and she tentatively swung one leg over the bunk bed, feeling the first rung with her boot. She clutched the side of the bunk and swung her other leg down, then had to stop for a moment. She wanted to clutch her head. When would this constant spinning ever stop? She felt sick, but she didn¡¯t have time to barf right now. Sunflower frowned at her and sighed. ¡°Why do they always leave us,¡± she said, seemingly to herself. ¡°It¡¯s fun here!¡± ¡°No it¡¯s not,¡± said Ava, remembering that fun booth and shuddering. The shame made her nausea worse. She closed her eyes and found that helped some and began climbing down the ladder, the rungs smooth and slippery beneath her hands. ¡°You¡¯ll regret it,¡± said Sunflower from above her, but Ava ignored her and continued climbing downwards, until there was nothing but cold emptiness around her. She gripped the rungs so tight she was sure her knuckles were white. She was so terrified of falling, of losing her grip and falling to the cold cement below her. And the rungs of the ladder were slippery, and since her eyes were closed against the spinning she couldn¡¯t see where she was placing her feet. She struggled. This was hard. Would she ever reach the bottom? Ava opened her eyes. Above she saw Sunflower¡¯s small face, staring down at her and frowning, and below her she saw the cold cement of the third floor. She was almost there. Just a little bit to go. She clutched the ladder and leaned heavily against it. The spinning only seemed to be getting worse. Ava closed her eyes against it and continued her descent. This had to be the way out of here. It was the only way she could go. After what seemed like an eternity her feet touched something hard, and she was at the bottom. She¡¯d made it! Relief filled her, but then cold dread, and an emptiness when she realized how far away she was from Sunflower and the other flower girls. She backed up, away from the ladder, and dizziness overcame her and she fell hard on the cement, on her ass. ¡°Fuck,¡± she muttered. The world around her spun, and she was vaguely aware of arched doorways on the walls, on either side of her, covered with bright blue curtains, and she was certain something was watching her. There was something behind one of those curtains, and cold dread filled her. Was it the demon? Had it followed her here? The icy cold dread had her immobile, and she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to move anyway. She lay on her back, as the curtained doorways spun around her, and the bunk on the top of the ladder and Sunflower were shadowed in blackness. She had to move. Behind one of those curtains was the way out of this strange, spinning world. She was sure of it, but she was immobile. The spinning sped up, and Ava felt like she was going to spew. She closed her eyes against the spinning, but she was still dizzy and sick. She tried getting to her knees, but fell over, back on her back. It was pointless. She should just give up. And then there was Ezzie. Her hair bright and pink and gaunt face and strange, purple eyes. She knelt over her. ¡°Come on,¡± she said. ¡°I-I can¡¯t move,¡± said Ava. ¡°Give me your hand.¡± Ava gave her it, and Ezzie¡¯s hand was cold and bony and much different than Sunflower¡¯s warm and soft hand had been. Somehow it cemented her, and she was able to sit up when Ezzie pulled on her. ¡°Take my waist,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°And hold on.¡± Ava took Ezzie¡¯s waist and held on and realized there was a thin, white rope tied around it. Ezzie¡¯s waist was narrow and bony, her hips pointy, and Ezzie pulled on the rope. It was so hard, not to give in to the fast, spinning dizziness, but she held onto Ezzie tight as Ezzie pulled them. The curtained doorways only spun faster, but somehow Ezzie¡¯s presence comforted her from her icy terror. She held on tight as Ezzie pulled them through brown muddiness, out of the spinning world, and back into chilly fog and emptiness. 9 - So Sweet Ava lay on the damp earth, breathing heavily and enjoying the stable wetness beneath her. She was still dizzy, and her head still spun, but at least the world itself wasn¡¯t spinning. She was vaguely aware of the white rope laying on the ground, loose and tied to a huge boulder nearby, and Ezzie laying next to her. ¡°Wh¡ªwhat just happened?¡± she managed to say. ¡°You stupidly walked into one of the spinning worlds,¡± Ezzie said, scolding her. Spinning world. How fitting. ¡°Can you stand?¡± Ezzie asked. ¡°I¡ªI don¡¯t know,¡± Ava said, not sure if she could yet. ¡°You came in, after me. You saved me.¡± She remembered those curtained doorways, on the third floor, and barely managed to suppress a shudder. That hadn¡¯t been good, and the spinning had only increased. ¡°Yes,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Now we¡¯re even.¡± Ava supposed they were, since she had saved them from the bad men¡ªor those mountain men rather. She remembered the fun booth and Elizabeth. She really wished her phone worked. She tentatively got to her knees and clutched her head. She sorta felt like she was going to spew, which wouldn¡¯t be good. Ezzie stood up and untied the rope from around her waist. Apparently the fast spinning hadn¡¯t affected her as much. Ava wondered how long she¡¯d been in there. ¡°How long were you in there?¡± she asked. ¡°Not long,¡± said Ezzie, letting the loose rope fall to the ground. Ava waited for the dizziness to pass. She was relieved to be back in what Ezzie had called the fog lands. And away from that dreaded third floor and the spinning world. She was never running in the fog lands again! Even if she saw the demon. Thankfully she didn¡¯t feel its presence. ¡°I saw mirrors.¡± Ezzie frowned, gray lips taunt over her emaciated face. ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± said Ava. She¡¯d just felt the presence of the demon. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with mirrors?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like my reflection.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Though Ava supposed if she was as thin as Ezzie she wouldn¡¯t like her reflection much either. She wanted to take Ezzie to Burger King! Though she supposed Ezzie wouldn¡¯t like that very much, being a strange vampire immortal and all. ¡°I just don¡¯t,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Can you stand?¡± Ava tried, but fell back down to her knees. ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°No one in recorded history has ever escaped a spinning world,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°We were lucky.¡± Lucky? Ava shuddered at the thought of being stuck in that constant spinning world forever, just laying there with those dreaded curtained doorways around her or being stuck with the flower named girls and their not-so-fun booths. Her mom¡¯s awful words were still stuck in her mind, and Mark¡¯s slyly grinning, chubby face. God she hated him. ¡°I hate Mark,¡± she suddenly said without meaning to. ¡°Who¡¯s Mark?¡± Ezzie asked. ¡°That¡¯s a strange name.¡± ¡°No one,¡± Ava quickly said. ¡°Okay,¡± said Ezzie. Then, ¡°Give me your hands. I¡¯ll help you stand.¡± Ava gave Ezzie her hands, and again Ezzie¡¯s hands were icy cold. With some help she managed to stand, but then the dizziness overcame her and she leaned heavily against Ezzie, way too aware of how close she was to her. Ezzie smelled like flowers, and Ava remembered how Elizabeth smelled like cinnamon. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine in a few minutes,¡± she said into Ezzie¡¯s sharp shoulder. She thought her heavy weight would make Ezzie fall, but it didn¡¯t, and in a few seconds the dizziness and spinning passed, and the world was concrete around her. No more spinning. Ava was grateful for that. She was sick of spinning. She never wanted to feel that spinning again! She stumbled away from Ezzie and almost fell down. ¡°I think I¡¯m okay now.¡± ¡°Alright. Good. You can¡¯t run in the fog lands. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± Ava was definitely going to remember that! ¡°I never will again!¡± ¡°Good.¡± They stood in silence for a little bit, just the chilly, dense gray fog around them. Ava longed for her reality. Why wasn¡¯t whatever Mark had given her wearing off by now? She was starting to feel like maybe she wasn¡¯t dreaming. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the rollercoaster now. Stay close to me. And don¡¯t run!¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t. I promise!¡± Ava did not want to walk into another one of those spinning worlds. Even if she saw the demon she wasn¡¯t going to run. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ava really hoped the rollercoaster would take her back. She felt the book in her bag¡ªstill cold and damp. She wondered when it was going to dry off. Maybe never. ¡°Good.¡± Ava stayed close to Ezzie as they slowly and cautiously walked. One of those strange, six legged creatures ran across her feet and disappeared in the fog, and Ava couldn¡¯t help a shriek. ¡°Be quiet,¡± Ezzie said. Ava stayed quiet. Eventually they came to a strange, seemingly abandoned city, and the fog cleared somewhat, revealing cracked cement and tall, broken skyscrapers and other barren, cement buildings, and Ava¡¯s curiosity was instantly piqued. They walked the silent street, going further into the abandoned city. Ava wanted to explore the empty buildings. ¡°Sometimes the bad men come here,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± said Ava, not wanting to be captured by them again. ¡°So where¡¯s the rollercoaster?¡± ¡°At the very center of the city, down this street,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Okay.¡± They continued their walk, Ava careful not to trip over any of the broken cement, and eventually she saw the remains of a rollercoaster, rising in the distance, above the buildings, which had thinned out. Relief filled her. She really hoped this would work. Otherwise she didn¡¯t know how she was going to get back. ¡°Oh thank god,¡± she said. ¡°What is this god?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°Nothing,¡± said Ava. They walked up the rusty steps to the main platform of the rollercoaster, wisps of fogs swirling around their ankles, and came to the dim orange light of the platform. The train cars were still there, paint on them fresh and new looking, blue and purple. Ezzie went to the control booth, and Ava followed her. Her relief was filled with cold disappointment when she saw how smashed and broken it was. Ezzie had definitely destroyed it, completely obliterated it. Pieces of metal even hung off it. ¡°Well, you definitely did a good job,¡± Ava muttered. ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°Just get in a train car,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°We have to send you and the book back to this mortal world.¡± Ezzie sounded frantic. Ava felt somewhat frantic herself. She got in one of the train cars, her favorite seat, and clutched her bag and the book and waited, but nothing happened. Disappointment filled her. ¡°This isn¡¯t working!¡± she said. Ezzie was frantically pressing on the control booth, but still nothing happened. ¡°Well, you certainly did a good job,¡± said Ava. ¡°How was I supposed to know it would send you here,¡± snapped Ezzie. Ava didn¡¯t know. Her hopes sunk. She was never getting back. Memories assaulted her¡ªher mom, Mark, Elizabeth, her sexuality confusion and fear. ¡°What do we do?¡± she asked. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know,¡± said Ezzie, leaning back from the control booth. That definitely did not reassure Ava. Anger suddenly filled her and pissed off she stood and got out of the train car. This was all Ezzie¡¯s fault. There was no point in sitting in there any longer. She went by Ezzie and stared at the broken controls, willing them to fix themselves. Of course they didn¡¯t. She was never escaping this nightmare. She¡¯d be stuck in this horrible fog place forever. ¡°We have to get you back!¡± said Ezzie. ¡°My sisters can never discover you!¡± ¡°What is the deal with you and your sisters?¡± ¡°They can¡¯t discover what I¡¯ve done!¡± Ezzie said. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°They just can¡¯t okay!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± They stood in silence. Sudden hope filled Ava. ¡°Can¡¯t we get a mechanic to fix it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know one,¡± said Ezzie solemnly. She frowned. ¡°There you are!¡± said a sudden voice, and Ava started. Not the mountain men again! But then it registered it wasn¡¯t a man voice, and a girl stood on the platform, hair long and orange and braided, with the same strange, purple eyes as Ezzie. She wore a long, flowing dress. Another strange vampire girl? Unlike Ezzie though, she was rosy and chubby and healthy looking. Ezzie started too and horror filled her face. The girl gazed at Ava, with her strange purple eyes, and sudden confusion filled her face and she flinched. ¡°Who is that?¡± she asked. ¡°What is she?¡± She approached them, and Ezzie stepped away from the control booth, sudden resignation crossing her gaunt face. ¡°She¡¯s no one,¡± she muttered. ¡°Oh! She¡¯s definitely someone!¡± said the girl. ¡°Where is she from? How did she get here? What is going on? Is she the reason why you needed the rope? We were worried about you, but I was the only one brave enough to come looking for you!¡± This new girl was awfully cheerful. Now she sniffed the air. ¡°Oh, she smells so¡­ sweet! I¡¯m getting hungry.¡± She looked at Ezzie, purple eyes blinking. ¡°Why does she smell so sweet, Ezzie?¡± Ezzie didn¡¯t say anything, and Ava didn¡¯t like the way the new vampire girl was smelling her. Couldn¡¯t vampires smell blood? What if she lunged at her? Well, Ava knew how to protect herself, and suddenly she had no doubts this new girl even would lunge at her. These immortal people seemed to have no concept of violence, and she assumed this new girl was the same. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°You can¡­ smell her?¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Of course. You can¡¯t? You know I have a great sense of smell!¡± said the new girl. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± muttered Ezzie. ¡°What¡¯s her name? Where did she come from?¡± ¡°No where!¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Go away, Luna.¡± Luna pouted. ¡°That¡¯s not very nice.¡± ¡°Um¡­ standing right here guys!¡± said Ava. ¡°My name is Ava.¡± ¡°Ava! What a pretty name!¡± said Luna, dancing where she stood. ¡°This is so exciting! Where did you come from?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t answer her,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Go away, Luna.¡± ¡°No. We have to introduce her to Rosalie and Amelia. I¡¯m sure Rosalie will be able to tell me where she¡¯s from, since you won¡¯t, Ezzie.¡± ¡°I¡¯m from the mortal world?¡± Ava said. ¡°What¡¯s the mortal world?¡± Luna asked. How was Ava supposed to answer that? ¡°What¡¯s the mortal world, Ezzie?¡± Luna asked. Ezzie didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Well, fine. If you won¡¯t tell me I¡¯m sure Rosalie will know. Come on strange mortal girl Ava!¡± And Luna walked up and took her hands. She sniffed. ¡°Oh, you smell so good! I just want to eat you up!¡± Ava didn¡¯t like that, and she pulled her hands away. ¡°I guess if anyone would know how to send you back it¡¯s Rosalie, Ava,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Just don¡¯t say anything!¡± Great. Then Ava guessed she wanted to talk to Rosalie. Hopefully this Rosalie vampire girl wouldn¡¯t be able to smell her like Luna could. She was happy Ezzie didn¡¯t seem able to. ¡°Then let¡¯s go I guess,¡± said Ava. Luna danced where she stood. ¡°Oh! This is so exciting! Where did you meet her, Ezzie?¡± Again Ezzie didn¡¯t say anything, instead she just frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll lead,¡± she said finally. ¡°Come on, and be quiet Luna. The bad men come here.¡± ¡°Then why do you come here. It sounds dangerous,¡± said Luna. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± whispered Ezzie. ¡°Oh. Okay. Well, I¡¯m hungry! We¡¯ll follow you, Ezzie. I want to stay as close as possible to you, strange mortal girl Ava,¡± said Luna. Ava just wanted to get as far away from Luna as she could, but figured it was impossible. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything,¡± Ezzie whispered to Ava as she passed her, and her and Luna followed Ezzie off the platform, away from the rollercoaster and through the abandoned city. Ava was suddenly afraid to meet these sisters of Ezzie. Ezzie seemed pretty against it, and she didn¡¯t know why. Other than that Luna seemed to be able to smell her that was. She didn¡¯t understand though, especially since Rosalie seemed their only hope in offering her a way back to her reality. And what was the big deal about the book and why couldn¡¯t her sisters discover what she¡¯d done, and what exactly had she done, besides destroy the controls on the rollercoaster and save her from a spinning world? Maybe her sisters would have the answers, since Ezzie wasn¡¯t talking, which just made her frustrated. Luna walked close behind her as they followed Ezzie through the dense fog, and Ava was all too aware of how she was still sniffing her. She did not want to become anyone¡¯s meal! But luckily Luna remained silent as they walked, as Ezzie had requested. They passed by a spinning world arch, so closely Ava could have reached out her hand and touched it. She shivered and clutched her bag and that strange book closer. Maybe this Rosalie vampire girl would know what the deal was with the book, though Ezzie had commanded her not to say anything, and she thought maybe it was for the best if she remained silent. Soon they came to a tall, crumbled brick wall and a narrow opening. Inside the fog cleared, and above Ava saw a multitude of bright stars. Did they ever have daylight here? They followed a broken road, past crumbled brick buildings, and bright purple flowers sprouted through cracks in the brick, smelling sweet, like Ezzie had smelled when they¡¯d been so close. ¡°Oh, this is so exciting! Amelia and Rosalie are simply going to adore you, strange mortal girl Ava!¡± said Luna, practically bouncing as they walked. ¡°I¡¯m so happy we¡¯re almost there. You make me so hungry!¡± Ava didn¡¯t like the way that sounded, but she wasn¡¯t afraid Luna would lunge at her anymore. These immortal people didn¡¯t seem to know what violence was, much less being able to commit it, hence it being so easy to escape the mountain men. They came to a crumbled brick fountain, spewing blood red, splashing liquid, which Ava realized, with disgust, was blood. A girl sat on the edge of it, hair the same color as the purple flowers, reading a book. A different girl sat on a cement bench nearby, staring at her reflection in a hand mirror, green hair cut short and streaked with silver. Both girls were plump and rosy and healthy looking, and Ava wondered what was up with Ezzie. Why didn¡¯t she look like her sisters? Why was she so emaciated? Was she sick? Both girls drank from chipped, ceramic cups of blood. ¡°I found Ezzie!¡± declared Luna. ¡°And this strange mortal girl Ava! Doesn¡¯t she smell delicious?¡± Both girls looked up¡ªthe purple haired one away from her book and the green haired girl away from her hand mirror. Both had those strange purple eyes, and both sniffed the air. ¡°She does,¡± said the purple haired one. ¡°What¡¯s a mortal?¡± said the green haired one. ¡°Whatever I guess. Is she the reason why you needed the rope, Ezzie?¡± Ezzie didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I¡¯ve read brief passages that mention mortals. I believe they¡¯re from a different world entirely. I believe they fall asleep eventually and never wake up,¡± said the purple haired girl. Ava assumed that must be Rosalie, and the other one must be Amelia. ¡°Something like that,¡± said Ava. ¡°You¡¯ve read about the mortal world?¡± Ezzie asked. ¡°Just a brief reference,¡± said Rosalie, setting her book down beside her and taking a huge gulp from her cup of blood. Luna danced to the fountain, cupped her hands in it, and drank greedily. She wiped her mouth off. ¡°Not as good or as sweet as you smell, strange mortal girl Ava!¡± she declared, again taking Ava¡¯s hands, and Ava pulled her hands away and wiped deep red blood off on her skirt. She did not like that fountain of blood. Bile rose in her throat. It made her repulsed. She¡¯d never been good around blood. She backed up, closer to Ezzie. Ezzie at least felt safe. ¡°Is the blood where you¡¯re from sweeter?¡± Luna asked, wiping off her own hands and leaving a red stain on her gown. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know,¡± said Ava. ¡°Where¡¯d you meet her, Ezzie?¡± asked Rosalie. ¡°How¡¯d she get here?¡± ¡°And why¡¯d you need a rope?¡± asked Amelia, again picking up her hand mirror and admiring her face. ¡°But whatever I guess.¡± ¡°I just found her in the fog lands, okay,¡± Ezzie said. ¡°Why was she wandering there. It¡¯s dangerous. The bad men and the spinning worlds¡ª¡± started Rosalie. ¡°Ezzie saved me from one of those,¡± Ava interrupted, not being able to stop herself. Now all purple eyes widened, and from Ezzie¡¯s forlorn look Ava could tell she¡¯d said the wrong thing, and she regretted it. ¡°You actually went in a spinning world!¡± said Luna. ¡°How utterly foolish!¡± said Rosalie. Amelia looked up from her hand mirror. ¡°Aren¡¯t you both just lucky.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± whispered Ezzie. ¡°Very lucky.¡± Ava wanted to speak up about the book, but didn¡¯t know if it was a good idea. Ezzie had told her not to say anything after all, and she¡¯d already ruined it. ¡°They were in the abandoned city, at a rollercoaster,¡± said Luna. ¡°Why were you there?¡± asked Rosalie. ¡°I need to get home. How can I get back? The rollercoaster sent me here, but Ezzie destroyed the controls.¡± Ava felt like she was going to start crying. Rosalie absolutely had to have an answer. She didn¡¯t think they had very many options. Other than the rollercoaster, Ezzie didn¡¯t know how. ¡°You do smell tasty,¡± said Amelia. ¡°Yes,¡± agreed Rosalie. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know!¡± said Ava. ¡°Why¡¯d you destroy the controls, Ezzie? I want to go to this sweet blood mortal world!¡± said Luna. ¡°Oh how it sounds tasty. Do they have more than one fountain of blood?¡± ¡°Um¡ª¡± began Ava. ¡°No,¡± Ezzie interrupted. ¡°Shut up, Luna. We just have to send her back. Do you know how Rosalie? Have you read anything about it?¡± ¡°Oh, so sweet and tasty! Can I lick you?¡± Luna came far too close again, and Ava backed away. She suddenly had a feeling this had been a terrible idea. Rosalie frowned. ¡°I have read that there are edges to the fog lands, but that is all. And she does smell tasty, Luna,¡± said Rosalie, standing up and approaching Ava. Ava did not want to be licked. ¡°She does smell sweet. I want a taste,¡± said Amelia, standing up and also approaching. Ava resisted the urge to run. Suddenly she was really happy she wasn¡¯t on the rag or had any open cuts. ¡°Go the fuck away!¡± she said, preparing for a physical fight. She¡¯d show these immortal girls some violence if she needed to. Ezzie stepped in front of her, which Ava was grateful for. ¡°Get away from her,¡± she said. ¡°But we only want a lick!¡± said Luna, dancing. ¡°Just a tiny taste.¡± ¡°There¡¯s an edge to the fog lands, Rosalie?¡± Ezzie asked. ¡°I¡¯ve read a brief passage about it yes, a long time ago. You¡¯re hiding something from us,¡± said Rosalie. ¡°Why would you destroy the controls on this rollercoaster if it could take us to where the blood is sweeter?¡± ¡°It¡¯s really not!¡± said Ava. ¡°All mortals aren¡¯t as sweet as you smell?¡± said Amelia. ¡°Not that it particularly matters.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why I did,¡± said Ezzie quietly. ¡°Did you go there and not bring us?¡± asked Rosalie. ¡°What? No!¡± said Ezzie. The immortal girls advanced, and Ezzie and Ava backed up further, Ava tripping over a broken brick. What if the edges of the fog lands led back to her reality, or the mortal world, or whatever they wanted to call it. ¡°Then why? And you lied about discovering her in the fog lands. I can just tell,¡± said Rosalie. ¡°No I didn¡¯t! I found her wandering alone!¡± ¡°Highly doubtful,¡± said Rosalie. ¡°We just want one lick,¡± said Amelia. ¡°We want to go to this strange mortal world!¡± declared Luna, licking her lips. ¡°No!¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Oh yes,¡± said Rosalie. ¡°Indeed yes,¡± said Amelia. ¡°Come on! Just a lick! It can¡¯t hurt,¡± said Luna. ¡°No. We¡¯re leaving now. Thanks, Rosalie,¡± said Ezzie, sounding panicked. ¡°We¡¯re going.¡± ¡°Oh, no you¡¯re not,¡± said Rosalie, and all three girls jumped at them. They pushed Ezzie away as though she were made of paper, and shoved Ava to the ground before she could even react. Fuck they were fast! She hit her head hard on the broken bricks and saw stars. They licked her neck and her hands, tongues warm and wet. They bit at her neck. They pushed up the sleeves of her black hoodie and licked at her arms. They bit, but not too hard, but it still hurt, and Ava frantically tried pushing them off, but they were heavy and strong. She kicked upwards. She tried standing, head aching. She inched backwards, away from them, and kicked upwards again and punched with her fists, finally hitting one of their faces. ¡°Ouch! What was that?¡± It was Luna. Ava kicked, again connecting with one of them, and all three backed away, purple eyes wide. Ava frantically got to her feet. ¡°That hurt!¡± said Amelia. ¡°What were you doing?¡± ¡°Violence,¡± said Rosalie, as all three immortal girls backed further away. ¡°I believe that was an act of what is called violence.¡± ¡°Get away from me!¡± said Ava, pulling down the sleeves of her sweater, head throbbing. Her heart beat rapidly. Ezzie stood back in front of her. ¡°We¡¯re leaving now,¡± she said. ¡°Were we guilty of this violence too?¡± asked Amelia. ¡°Not that it matters much.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± said Rosalie. ¡°Go away strange mortal girl Ava,¡± said Luna, hand on her face where Ava had punched her. She sounded hysterical. ¡°Just go!¡± ¡°Lunge again and I¡¯ll punch you again!¡± said Ava. Rosalie and Luna backed up further. Amelia looked longingly at her hand mirror. ¡°We won¡¯t,¡± said Amelia. ¡°Just leave.¡± ¡°And you go too, Ezzie. You¡¯re the long sleep to us,¡± said Rosalie. ¡°No!¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Please! I didn¡¯t know!¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying again,¡± said Rosalie. ¡°I swear I can¡¯t smell her.¡± ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll forgive you,¡± said Amelia. ¡°Not that it matters much.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with you, Ezzie,¡± said Luna. ¡°I know,¡± Ezzie whispered. Ava wondered what exactly was wrong with Ezzie. She definitely wasn¡¯t like her chubby, healthy looking sisters. ¡°Go!¡± Rosalie commanded. A look of defeat crossed Ezzie¡¯s gaunt face, and she stared down at her sandaled feet. ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°But I swear I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Whatever. Just leave,¡± said Amelia. Ava followed Ezzie down the broken brick street, leaving her sisters behind thankfully. Their licking and biting had reminded her of Mark¡¯s gross touch, and she shuddered, rubbing at the bites on her neck. She felt violated, and shame overcame her. Had she led Mark on? Was she really a whore, like her mom had said? It made her sick to think about. They came to a half-broken building and entered it through an arched wooden doorway. The room opened up to a rusty bathtub filled with water and sunken purple flowers. Towels were thrown on the ground and open cabinets lined the walls. The partially open roof revealed the bright stars above. The cabinets were empty, except for an empty glass vial that had red blood stains on it. Ava wondered if this was where Ezzie lived. ¡°Do you live here?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes,¡± whispered Ezzie. ¡°Why can¡¯t you smell me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I lost my sense of smell a long time ago.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I just did okay!¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Ava said. She wondered why Ezzie wouldn¡¯t tell her, but figured it really wasn¡¯t that important anyway. Then a sudden revelation filled her, and she couldn¡¯t believe she hadn¡¯t seen this before. ¡°How much blood do you drink?¡± she asked. ¡°Are you an anorexic? Do you have anorexia nervosa?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is.¡± ¡°It¡¯s when you purposely starve yourself.¡± Ezzie didn¡¯t say anything, and Ava took that as a yes. ¡°Why don¡¯t you drink enough?¡± Ezzie looked at her feet. ¡°You can tell me.¡± ¡°I want them to see,¡± Ezzie finally whispered. ¡°See what?¡± ¡°That there¡¯s something deeply wrong with me and I can¡¯t explain it.¡± ¡°Are you depressed?¡± Ava didn¡¯t know a whole lot about anorexia, but thought that a lot of the time the sufferers were depressed, and Ezzie definitely seemed solemn compared to her sisters. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure what that is.¡± ¡°Do you feel empty and sad?¡± Ava asked. Ezzie looked up. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°I just guessed.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°You should drink some blood,¡± urged Ava. ¡°No. My sisters told me to leave.¡± Tears filled her eyes. Ava hoped she wouldn¡¯t start crying. ¡°They¡¯ll let you come back,¡± said Ava, trying to sound reassuring. ¡°I hope so.¡± ¡°So are we going to the edge of the fog lands?¡± Ava asked, just wanting this nightmare to be over with. ¡°I suppose so. Though Rosalie wasn¡¯t sure if it even led to your world.¡± ¡°I know. But the rollercoaster doesn¡¯t work. What choice do we have?¡± ¡°Not much I guess.¡± ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go. Before we do you should drink some blood though. Maybe you just need an SSRI.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is.¡± Did these immortal people know anything? ¡°It¡¯s an antidepressant.¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯ve never heard of that.¡± Though Ezzie sounded a little hopeful. ¡°It would help with the constant emptiness I feel?¡± ¡°It should.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Now go drink some blood before we leave,¡± said Ava. Ezzie sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I just can¡¯t okay.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Now let¡¯s go,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°We¡¯ll go past the bad men oasis. I¡¯ve never been that far before.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± said Ava. ¡°We have to get you away from my sisters anyway.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ava could agree with that. She took the book out of her bag and stared at the blank cover. It was still damp and cold in her hands. ¡°So what¡¯s the deal with this book? I want to know before we leave.¡± ¡°It describes the mortal world, where the rivers flow with sweet blood. It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. My sisters already know I betrayed them. I just didn¡¯t want them to leave me! I can¡¯t go to your world and be tempted by all that blood! The fountain is bad enough!¡± ¡°Maybe it would be good for you,¡± said Ava, still not wanting to tell Ezzie that she was wrong about her world, that there were no rivers of blood, though she thought of warfare and violence. There was plenty of blood in the mortal world. Just not literal rivers of it. ¡°No it wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Yes it would.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be alone.¡± Ezzie frowned and wiped at her eyes. ¡°You can just leave the book here if you want. It doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡± ¡°No,¡± said Ava, putting the book back in her bag. ¡°I want to keep it.¡± ¡°Okay I guess. Come on.¡± Ava followed Ezzie¡ªthe depressed anorexic immortal girl who needed an SSRI¡ªdown a brick hallway and back out into the fog lands. 10 - The Musician Ava followed Ezzie as they slowly and cautiously walked through the fog, neither speaking. She really hoped the edges of the fog lands would lead her back to her reality, but she had her doubts. Rosalie hadn¡¯t seemed all that certain that there even was an edge to the fog lands. What if they walked forever through this cold grayness and never reached an end? What if she never woke up, though she was becoming more and more certain she wasn¡¯t dreaming or hallucinating anymore. Whatever Mark had given her was out of her system by now, and somehow she¡¯d found herself here. She blamed Ezzie for it. She blamed Mark and her mom. Most of all she blamed herself. She never should have gone to the abandoned amusement park that late at night. It was dangerous, but she hadn¡¯t realized it would be this dangerous. She realized it had been a while since her last cigarette. ¡°Stop,¡± she said. Ezzie stopped abruptly, and Ava almost ran into her. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked. ¡°I need to have a smoke,¡± said Ava, rummaging around in her bag for her pack of cigarettes. She pulled one out and her lighter and lit it, inhaling deeply, enjoying it immensely. ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± she said. Ezzie waved away smoke. ¡°Why do you do that? It hurts my eyes.¡± ¡°Maybe yours,¡± said Ava defensively. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re almost to the bad men oasis. We really shouldn¡¯t stop here.¡± ¡°This will only take a few seconds,¡± said Ava, puffing away. ¡°Once we get beyond that I¡¯ll be in unfamiliar territory, so we¡¯ll really have to be cautious of the spinning worlds.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± said Ava. She definitely did not want to walk into one of those again. Just the memory made her feel dizzy, though that could have been because of the cigarette. ¡°No problem. I don¡¯t want to walk into one of those again.¡± ¡°Neither do I,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Hell no.¡± ¡°Fuck no,¡± agreed Ava, smoking the rest of her cigarette and letting it fall to the damp earth. One of those creepy, six legged creatures scurried out of the fog and sniffed Ava¡¯s boot, and Ava shrieked and kicked it away, and it squeaked and disappeared back into the fog. ¡°Be quiet,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Can we go now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± They continued their walk, once again Ezzie avoiding boulders and rocks as though she¡¯d been this way many times before. Soon they came to a broken cement street, and Ava stumbled a little and almost fell into Ezzie again. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ve never been beyond this road,¡± she whispered. ¡°Stay close to me.¡± Ava had no problems doing that, though cold dread filled her. What if they did walk into a spinning world? How would they get out? She remembered that third floor and shuddered. She was happy she couldn¡¯t feel the demon¡¯s presence or see it out in the fog, staring at her with its red eyes. She hoped she¡¯d never feel its presence again. They continued their walk, even slower this time. ¡°Watch out,¡± said Ezzie, and Ava noticed how she¡¯d almost walked through one of those lightly gray, glowing arches again and shuddered. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said. She¡¯d have to pay more attention. She was getting awfully sick of fog and not being able to see anything, especially when she tripped over some rocks and almost fell into a gray, sharply rising boulder. The boulders appeared more and more as they walked, rising like ghosts, and they inched their way in between them. Soon Ava thought she heard something, muffled through the fog, but still there. Was that a song? It sounded like a flute. ¡°Do you hear that?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes.¡± The flute song only became louder and louder, the further into the boulders they walked, and then the fog cleared, again revealing the stars above, and a pavilion lit up with strings of Christmas lights¡ªbrightly colored in all of that previous grayness, and Ava blinked. Picnic tables were beneath the pavilion, and on top of one of them sat a man¡ªnot a mountain man though, much to Ava¡¯s relief. He was old and wrinkled, long gray beard falling to the cement. He wore overalls and a flannel. The sound of his flute was beautiful and hypnotizing, like the strings of brightly colored and lit Christmas lights. Food was spread out on the picnic tables, over white and gold table cloths¡ªsandwiches and chips, and tall cups filled to the brim with a deep red liquid. Was that blood? Ava¡¯s stomach grumbled, and she realized she was starving. It was as though the old, flute playing man had been waiting for them. He put his flute down. ¡°Hello,¡± he said. Ava started to approach the pavilion further, completely ravenous, but Ezzie put her arm out, stopping her. ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked. ¡°Are you a bad man?¡± ¡°Never heard of them,¡± he said, smiling and revealing tons of wrinkles and crooked teeth. ¡°Come and eat.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± said Ava. ¡°I¡¯m starving.¡± She pushed past Ezzie and went under the pavilion, the cement hard under her booted feet. She grabbed a sandwich¡ªwhite bread with what appeared to be peanut butter and jelly, and took a bite. It was delicious. Ezzie approached the pavilion closer. She went beneath it, but didn¡¯t touch any of the tall cups of blood. ¡°You should have a drink,¡± urged Ava. ¡°No,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Do you know a way to the mortal world?¡± Ava asked the old man, finishing her sandwich and grabbing a handful of potato chips. The old man smiled again and eyed his silver flute longingly. The bright glow of the Christmas lights reflected on it. ¡°Maybe,¡± he said. Well that was ambiguous. ¡°Tell us, old man, is there an end to the fog lands?¡± Ezzie asked. ¡°Of course. Everything, except for us immortals, comes to an end,¡± said the old man. ¡°How do we get there?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°How should I know, Esmeralda?¡± ¡°How¡¯d you know my name?¡± Ezzie looked affronted, like someone had slapped her across the face. Ava¡¯s throat suddenly dried up, a chip got stuck in her throat, and she coughed. The old man just smiled. Ava suddenly felt sick. ¡°Your full name is Esmeralda?¡± was the only thing she managed to say. Ezzie just nodded. ¡°And your name is Ava,¡± said the old man, and now it was Ava¡¯s turn to feel like someone had slapped her across the face. ¡°Who are you?¡± she demanded. ¡°I¡¯m the musician,¡± he said, putting the flute back to his lips, and he played. The sweet and melodic song seemed to surround them, and suddenly bright flowers appeared, as the musician played, blooming in technicolor all around the pavilion and up the sides of it, mixing in with the brightly glowing Christmas lights. The flowers bloomed¡ªorange and yellow and red and purple, and they smelled sweet, like the song the musician played on his flute. Ava¡¯s heart lifted, and she wanted to become one with the song the musician played. Suddenly she didn¡¯t care how or why the musician knew their names. Suddenly she didn¡¯t care how she was going to get back to her reality. The only thing that mattered was that beautiful flute song, and she fell to her knees, barely registering the pain when her knees hit the hard cement. Ezzie fell near her. The musician¡¯s song lifted her up and above, above the pavilion and the blossoming flowers and Christmas lights, and to the stars. ¡°What¡¯s happening,¡± she heard Ezzie whisper. ¡°Stop playing. Now!¡± But the musician didn¡¯t stop, and Ava felt herself being sucked downwards, sucked into those Christmas lights, and then the music abruptly stopped, and she hit the cement hard with the palms of her hands and breathed heavily. The flowers were gone, and it was just the pavilion and the picnic tables and the food and cups of bright red blood. Ezzie knelt near her. One of the cups of blood was spilled, and the blood was like a period stain on the white and gold table cloth. The musician¡¯s flute was on the cement. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Two women stood near him, both black and wearing long blue gowns, hair in dreadlocks and adorned with colorful beads. One¡ªthe shorter one¡ªgrabbed the musician¡¯s flute. ¡°Can you two stand?¡± she asked, taking out earplugs and dropping them. The other girl did the same. ¡°I-I think so,¡± said Ava, shaking as she got to her feet. What was that? What had just happened. Ezzie also stood. ¡°What just happened?¡± Ava asked. ¡°You were caught under the spell of the musician of course. What were you foolish girls thinking?¡± the taller black girl asked. ¡°Let them become one with my lights. Their quest is futile anyways,¡± said the musician, staring longingly at his flute, but not going for it. The short black girl looked like she could easily kick his ass. Hell, Ava could easily kick his ass. She rubbed her stinging palms on her skirt. ¡°No, musician, you will not take more,¡± said the taller girl. ¡°My name is Aryana!¡± said the shorter girl who held the flute, suddenly cheerful, and Ava hoped she wouldn¡¯t turn into another Luna. ¡°I¡¯m Sakari,¡± said the other girl. ¡°Only fools would walk into the musician¡¯s music unshielded. Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ava.¡± ¡°She¡¯s Esmeralda,¡± said the musician, indicating Ezzie. ¡°Ezzie,¡± she snapped. ¡°Call me Ezzie.¡± ¡°Where do you two come from?¡± asked Sakari. ¡°Yes. Please tell us! We¡¯ve never met anyone like you before,¡± said Aryana. ¡°Beyond the bad men oasis,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°The mortal world. I¡¯m from the mortal world! I need to get back to it! Do you two know how?¡± Ava asked, more like pleaded, but she couldn¡¯t help it. She wanted to go home so bad, even if it meant facing Mark and her mom again, and Elizabeth¡­ Sudden shame overcame her, and she barely managed not to puke up the musician¡¯s sandwich and chips she¡¯d eaten. Aryana and Sakari just gazed at them, deep brown eyes twinkling under the glow from the Christmas lights. ¡°We¡¯ve never heard of a mortal world,¡± Aryana finally said, and Ava¡¯s hopes dashed. ¡°But we¡¯ve heard of the bad men. We¡¯ve seen them.¡± ¡°Elu may have heard of the mortal world before though,¡± said Sakari. ¡°Who¡¯s Elu?¡± Ava asked, her hopes rising. ¡°Our wisest leader. Come. We¡¯ll introduce her to you,¡± said Sakari, motioning away from the pavilion with her hands. Aryana smiled. ¡°At least give me my flute back this time,¡± the musician begged. ¡°Not happening, old man,¡± said Aryana, waving it in his old, wrinkled face, and he frowned. ¡°Come on, Ava and Ezzie!¡± And Ava and Ezzie followed Sakari and Aryana, back out into the fog and away from the musician¡¯s pavilion. Ava still didn¡¯t understand how he knew their names, but didn¡¯t think she was going to get any answers regarding that. She was just happy to be away from him. ¡°You two were terribly lucky,¡± said Aryana. ¡°We just happen to pass by the musician¡¯s pavilion every now and then, to see if he''s caught anyone. Today was your lucky day!¡± ¡°What was he?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°Just the musician. He¡¯s old and wise, and a mean-spirited old crotch bucket who only wants more bulbs to adorn his lights, which is what you two almost became,¡± said Aryana. That didn¡¯t sound good. Ava didn¡¯t like the sound of that. She really needed a cigarette, but Sakari and Aryana walked so fast it was hard to keep up with them. They walked through the fog as though they knew this route by heart, and soon the fog cleared, revealing a forest, trees vacant of leaves and bark glowing silvery white in the starlight. They followed a rooted trail and came to the edge of a cliff and a huge lake spread out to the horizon, twinkling under the night sky and stars. It spread out into more fog. ¡°This way,¡± said Sakari, and Ava and Ezzie followed Aryana and Sakari down a narrow trail, through the silver tree forest. Aryana threw the musician¡¯s flute, down by a stack of discarded flutes, all rusting in the shadows from the tree branches. ¡°Won¡¯t be needing that!¡± she said cheerfully. They followed the two girls to the cliff¡¯s edge, which protruded jagged rocks and loose brown roots, and down some stone steps, chipped and slippery, as though they¡¯d been walked a million times before, and came to the lapping shores of the lake, where there was a village of dwellings made out of silvery logs. Other girls in blue gowns, hair and arms and necks adorned with bright beads, walked and talked and laughed, tending to smoking fires or cleaning woven mats, or washing clothes in tubs of brown water. They all looked at Ava and Ezzie curiously as they passed, but didn¡¯t say anything to them. They went through a small patch of trees, to a tilted house made out of the silvery bark. ¡°That¡¯s where Elu lives,¡± said Aryana. ¡°Come on,¡± said Sakari. The tilted doorway was covered in a brightly colored cloth. ¡°We have visitors, Elu,¡± said Sakari. ¡°Can we come in?¡± ¡°They have questions,¡± explained Aryana. Silence, and then, after a few moments, ¡°Enter.¡± They entered the tilted home of Elu. Ava coughed. It was dark and smoky, only lit by a small fire in the center. Colorful rugs lay on the ground, and an old¡ªancient looking¡ªblack lady knelt over the fire, tending to a rusty looking tea kettle. Her bald head was covered with bright beads, and bright beads hung around her neck and wrists. Her eyes were milky when she glanced up at them. She looked grim. ¡°I take it you didn¡¯t find a new, suitable oasis for us,¡± she said. ¡°No, but we saved these two from the musician,¡± said Sakari. ¡°Oh okay. Well, that¡¯s good I suppose.¡± Elu sighed and sat back, beads clicking together. ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°My name is Ava.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m Ezzie.¡± ¡°We¡¯re looking for a way back to the mortal world,¡± said Ava. ¡°Do you know a way? Is it at the end of the fog lands?¡± ¡°Do the fog lands even come to an end?¡± asked Ezzie. The tea kettle hissed, and Elu poured hot water into three chipped tea cups. ¡°Have tea with me,¡± she urged. ¡°Have a seat.¡± Ava didn¡¯t want any tea. She didn¡¯t like tea, but she didn¡¯t want to be rude, so she sat down near the fire, on one of the colorful rugs. Ezzie sat next to her. Elu handed them both a cup of tea. It smelled spicy, like chai tea or something. Ezzie put hers down. Ava doubted she was going to drink it. Aryana and Sakari stayed standing by the cloth doorway. Ava blew on her tea and tentatively took a sip. It tasted like cinnamon and allspice. Not bad. It reminded her of Elizabeth. ¡°I am unsure if there¡¯s an end to the fog,¡± said Elu. ¡°But I think I¡¯ve heard of this mortal world.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± asked Aryana, from her spot by the doorway. ¡°A place where those who dwell go into the long sleep but never wake up.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said Aryana. ¡°That sounds awful!¡± ¡°Not to me,¡± muttered Ezzie, staring down at her tea, and Ava wondered if she had suddenly become suicidal. She didn¡¯t know how an immortal, incapable of even violence, could commit suicide, but it still disturbed her. ¡°Do you know how I can get there?¡± asked Ava, hope filling her. This Elu wise woman had to know a way! ¡°There is a shimmering archway I have heard of, in stories my momma used to tell me, that leads to a place of forever ending sleep, but it only shimmers into focus once every hundred years. And it was just a story she used to tell me. A myth.¡± Ava¡¯s hopes fell. Every hundred years? She wasn¡¯t going to be alive in another hundred years, and the thought of spending the rest of her life in this weird fog place was unacceptable. ¡°When is it appearing next? Has it been one hundred years?¡± ¡°Soon, yes,¡± said Elu, sipping her tea. ¡°How do we get there?¡± asked Ezzie, still not touching her tea. ¡°I am unsure. It¡¯s in a place where things are breaking apart.¡± ¡°Could that be the end of the fog lands?¡± asked Ava. ¡°Could be,¡± said Elu. ¡°How do we get there?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°That I do not know, dears. At one point my momma told me there was a map that led to it, but she never said what became of it. I am sorry.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re screwed,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°No!¡± said Ava. There had to be a way. They could find this map, if it even existed. Suddenly she wanted to read that book in her bag, wondered if it would offer any clues. ¡°Maybe that book has some clues in it.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± said Ezzie, sounding doubtful. ¡°It just references the mortal world where the rivers flow with sweet blood and how the rollercoaster is a gateway to it.¡± ¡°There has to be more,¡± said Ava. ¡°What book?¡± asked Aryana. ¡°I found it in the abandoned city,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Oh,¡± said Aryana. Ava took out the book, still damp in her hands, and frantically paged through it. It mentioned the rollercoaster being a gateway, like Ezzie had said, but didn¡¯t offer any other ways. She read the same shit it had told Ezzie, about the mortal world and its rivers of flowing, sweet blood. Most of the pages were just pictures¡ªrivers of blood, the rollercoaster itself, pictures of blank faced people that must have been mortals. It showed graphic pictures of violence, people getting stabbed and gushing bright blood. She read that there were indeed other portals to the mortal world, but didn¡¯t say what to her dismay, and then she got to a yellowed page that showed a map. It must have been a map of the immortal world because it showed round pictures of what these immortal people called an oasis. One showed a fountain, spewing red liquid she assumed was blood¡ªwhere those strange immortal vampire girls lived. Excitement filled her. Another picture showed cages and a six-legged creature¡ªthe bad men oasis? Another a flute¡ªthe musician? And yet another one showing trees barren of leaves¡ªwhere they now were? There were other pictures she didn¡¯t recognize. A tower. A candle. And at the very edges the page faded to gray nothing. Maybe that was the very edges of the immortal world? Maybe the fog lands ended there? Maybe that was where the shimmering archway Elu had mentioned was? ¡°Look!¡± she said, showing the map to Ezzie. ¡°I found a map.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t recognize some of those places,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°But there¡¯s an edge to the fog lands! That must be where the shimmering archway that appears only every one hundred years is! We have to go there!¡± ¡°What if there¡¯s nothing?¡± ¡°What choice do we have?¡± ¡°The shimmering archway to the land of eternal sleep should be appearing shortly, if the myths are true. It¡¯s been one hundred years,¡± said Elu. ¡°I always loved that story.¡± ¡°We have to go!¡± said Ava, standing up and spilling her cup of tea all over the brightly colored rug. ¡°We have to get there in time!¡± ¡°Well okay,¡± said Ezzie, sounding doubtful. ¡°We just have to follow these other places.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± ¡°How will you get back, hon?¡± asked Elu. ¡°I don¡¯t really care,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°I have nothing to go back to.¡± ¡°Your sisters will forgive you,¡± Ava assured her. Ezzie just looked at her full cup of still steaming tea and didn¡¯t say anything. After a moment she stood up too, pushing her long, knotty pink hair behind one ear. She looked thinner and her skin was practically gray. Ava was worried about her. When was the last time she¡¯d drank any blood? ¡°You¡¯re leaving already?¡± said Aryana. ¡°Yes,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°We¡¯ll show you a safe way out, so you don¡¯t encounter the invaders,¡± said Sakari. ¡°Who are the invaders?¡± asked Ava. ¡°The men taking over our lands. We¡¯re sanctioned to just this one shore now,¡± explained Sakari. ¡°That¡¯s terrible!¡± said Ava. ¡°We go out in search of a new place to settle and call our own oasis, but so far haven¡¯t found any place suitable.¡± Aryana frowned. Ava looked at the book. ¡°Okay. We need to go in the direction of that tower picture, so that would be¡ª¡± She studied the map. ¡°North.¡± ¡°Across the waters?¡± said Aryana, suddenly sounding alarmed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? We can¡¯t have a boat or something?¡± ¡°No. You can. But no one who has crossed the waters has ever returned.¡± ¡°Great,¡± muttered Ezzie. ¡°Well, we have to try,¡± said Ava. She bent the edge of the yellowed map and closed the book. She put it back in her bag, happy she had kept it and not left it behind like Ezzie had wanted her to. ¡°Can we leave now?¡± Urgency filled Ava. They had to go to this shimmering archway before it disappeared for another hundred years. She really hoped the myth Elu¡¯s mother had told her was true. It had to be true. She needed to get back to her reality. ¡°Of course,¡± said Elu, taking another sip of her tea. ¡°I wish you dears luck.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± said Ava. Ezzie stood up. ¡°Well, lets go,¡± she said, sounding solemn. Ava wished she had a Prozac she could give her or something. She was sure Rosalie, Luna, and Amelia would forgive her, and she wished she could convince Ezzie of that. ¡°Come,¡± said Sakari. Ava and Ezzie followed Sakari and Aryana out of Elu¡¯s dwelling and back through the village, where women still talked and laughed and cleaned rugs and washed clothes and tended to smoking fires. Ava felt bad these invaders were taking over their oasis. ¡°We¡¯ll give you a boat and some provisions,¡± said Aryana. ¡°But are you sure you want to cross the waters? No one who has gone in that direction has ever come back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice,¡± said Ava. ¡°Well, okay,¡± said Aryana. ¡°If you¡¯re sure.¡± Sakari and Aryana gave them a basket of deep purple berries and some dried meat¡ªAva really hoped it wasn¡¯t from those creepy, six legged creatures¡ªthat Ava had no intention of eating, and she knew Ezzie wouldn¡¯t eat any of it. Aryana gave them an old, rusty looking compass, which Ava was grateful for because they had to keep on going north, and led them to a wooden dock, where there was a row boat, made out of silvery white wood. Sakari put the basket inside of it, and Ava got in the rowing seat. She didn¡¯t think Ezzie would have the strength to row them anywhere, and Ezzie got in after her, water lapping and splashing against the wooden sides of it. Aryana and Sakari pushed them away from the dock. ¡°Good luck!¡± Aryana said behind them, and Ava began rowing. 11 - Lake under Starlight and Mushrooms Ezzie didn¡¯t say anything as Ava rowed them across the calm and silent lake, the only sounds the lapping of the paddles in the quiet waters, and soon the shoreline and the village disappeared behind them, and they were surrounded by twilight. Ezzie fingered the compass in her hands. Ava¡¯s arms ached from rowing. She was really out of shape! She stopped for a moment and they drifted. ¡°Are we still going north?¡± she asked. Ezzie studied the compass, under light of the stars. ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°Good,¡± said Ava, then, ¡°Are you suicidal or something?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that before.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡ª¡± Ava paused. ¡°It¡¯s when you never wake up from the long sleep, or whatever you immortals call it.¡± "Oh,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°I knew a boy in high school who committed suicide,¡± said Ava. ¡°His name was Isaac. It came as a shock to everyone. I don¡¯t think his parents were the same afterwards. If you did anything, your sisters would never be the same. They¡¯ll welcome you back. I know they will.¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± muttered Ezzie, still staring at the compass. ¡°I have nothing to go back for.¡± ¡°Is that why you¡¯re helping me?¡± Ava asked. ¡°Yes, and why not. My sisters won¡¯t forgive me.¡± ¡°Yes they will.¡± ¡°Doubtful. Rosalie said I¡¯m the long sleep to them.¡± ¡°When was the last time you drank any blood?¡± Ava asked. ¡°Awhile ago. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Yes it does.¡± ¡°Not really. It doesn¡¯t matter if I wither away into nothing.¡± ¡°It matters to me,¡± said Ava. ¡°It does?¡± ¡°Yes. You rescued me from that horrible spinning world.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ava began rowing again. ¡°I hope Elu was right,¡± she said. ¡°I hope that myth was true.¡± ¡°Do the rivers really flow with sweet blood in your world?¡± Ezzie suddenly asked. ¡°Well¡ª¡± began Ava. ¡°Not literally.¡± She figured there was no point in keeping the truth from her anymore. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of violence and bloodshed though. Lots of war and murder, so there¡¯s a lot of blood. Just not rivers of it.¡± ¡°Oh. So I shouldn¡¯t go there with you and go on an antidepressant?¡± ¡°Well, you have to get a prescription for an SSRI.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a prescription?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something you get from a doctor.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said Ezzie, and Ava doubted she even knew what a prescription was. She seemed let down though, and Ava didn¡¯t want her to be let down. ¡°But you could always come with me and I could say I¡¯m depressed and get a prescription for you.¡± ¡°It would really help my depression?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± said Ava. ¡°What¡¯s warfare and bloodshed?¡± Ezzie asked. ¡°Are there fountains of blood in your world?¡± Oh boy. How was Ava going to explain this? ¡°There¡¯s no fountains of blood. War is when people purposely kill each other. Like put each other in an eternal sleep.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awful!¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why do you mortals do that?¡± ¡°Usually it¡¯s over money and resources.¡± ¡°What¡¯s money?¡± ¡°A form of currency.¡± ¡°Still don¡¯t know what that is.¡± Ezzie sighed. ¡°Rosalie would know.¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Ava didn¡¯t feel like explaining what currency was, and she didn¡¯t really know how to do it in a way that Ezzie would understand anyway. They continued their row in silence, and she began to wonder why no one had ever returned from crossing the lake. She wondered what they were getting themselves into. There could very well be danger ahead. Why else would no one return? Cold dread began filling her. Well, whatever it was they could face it. It couldn¡¯t be any worse than a spinning world, right? Or maybe there was just nothing at the other side of the lake, no land at all, and they¡¯d be rowing forever, on this calm, twilight lit lake, until Ezzie withered away into nothing and she starved. She hoped she was wrong. ¡°Why do you think no one has ever returned? Aryana said no one has ever returned from crossing the lake,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Ezzie, blinking her strange, purple eyes, which Ava was starting to think were beautiful, and she hoped she wasn¡¯t developing a crush on this gaunt, bony immortal girl. They rowed. And soon came to a wall of cold fog and started through it, all of the heavy grayness blocking out the starry sky above. ¡°Not more fog!¡± said Ava. ¡°Are we still going north?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Ezzie, who seemed unphased by the damp grayness they rowed through. Ava figured she was used to it. ¡°I hope we reach land soon.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Me too,¡± said Ava, though she didn¡¯t know what to expect if they even did, but soon enough the fog thinned out, until only wisps of it swirled around the paddles of the boat and over the water, and above most of the twilit sky could be seen, and the boat bumped into a rocky shoreline. Beyond the rocks rose trees, leaves damp and dripping water, and beside their rowboat were two other boats, both rotting and black in the water. Must be from the others who had come this way and never returned, and Ava suddenly had a bad feeling about that forest beyond. What was in it exactly? The fog cleared completely here. This place¡ªoasis¡ªwasn¡¯t on the map. Unless it was the tower place. ¡°Lets tie up the boat, so you have a way of getting back once I go home,¡± said Ava, as the boat rocked against the shoreline. ¡°I have nothing to go back to.¡± ¡°You have the fountain of blood.¡± ¡°My sisters don¡¯t want me back.¡± ¡°Yes they do!¡± Ava gasped, getting frustrated with Ezzie¡¯s negative attitude, but she reminded herself that Ezzie was depressed, and it was just the depression talking. Elu¡¯s people must still be here somewhere, but why had they never returned? The icy cold dread filled Ava again, as her and Ezzie tied up the boat to a large boulder and began up the rocky shoreline and into the damp forest beyond. It was dark beneath the tree branches and shadows stretched beneath the trees. The forest floor was damp and covered with bright green ferns, and soon they came to a massive clearing, dotted with brightly colored mushrooms¡ªgreen and orange and red, and for a moment it felt like being under the musician¡¯s spell again, when all of those technicolor flowers had appeared. Four, mutilated bodies lay in the tall grass, amongst the mushrooms¡ªElu¡¯s people? Dried up entrails lay amongst the mushrooms. The heads were detached, dismembered and tossed about, dangling sightless white eyes. The sight made Ava feel like she was going to be sick. Woven baskets lay on the ground, toppled over, shriveled mushrooms laying amongst the live mushrooms. Eat us, the mushrooms seemed to say. Eat us. ¡°What happened here?¡± asked Ezzie, walking further into the clearing and stepping on the mushrooms. They puffed up clouds of brown spores. ¡°Eat us!¡± the mushrooms seemed to sing. Eat us. Eat us. We¡¯re so tasty! Ezzie was peering at one of the mutilated bodies. ¡°Was this¡­ violence?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes,¡± said Ava, trying not to breathe in the brown spores. ¡°Yes it was. I-I don¡¯t know why they¡¯re like this, though.¡± She couldn¡¯t help breathing in some of the earthy tasting spores. Bits of dried up hair lay amongst the mutilated bodies and was attached to one of the heads¡ªit looked like a dreadlock, making Ava¡¯s suspicions come true. ¡°Elu¡¯s people.¡± ¡°But immortals don¡¯t conflict violence upon other immortals!¡± Ezzie said in disbelief. She took a deep breath¡ªalso breathing in some of the brown spores that now lingered in the air, under the starlight. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what happened!¡± said Ava, the mushrooms singing to her. ¡°Eat us!¡± She seemed to be able to hear them now, out loud. ¡°We¡¯re ever so tasty.¡± She walked up beside Ezzie. ¡°We¡¯ll nourish you!¡± Suddenly Ava couldn¡¯t even see the mutilated body they stood above. Suddenly all she could see were the mushrooms. Technicolor shot up into the sky¡ªblue and purple and red, all surrounding them, and there were the mushrooms, practically pulsating with tenderness and juiciness, and Ava¡¯s stomach grumbled. She hadn¡¯t eaten any of the berries in the boat and, being a vegetarian, hadn¡¯t eaten any of the strips of dried meat. Her last meal had been that peanut butter and jelly sandwich and chips under the musician¡¯s pavilion. She backed up, stepping on one of the mushrooms, and brown, earthy spores shot up into the air. ¡°Do you see that?¡± she asked Ezzie, referring to all the technicolor shooting up into the air, and the pulsating of the mushrooms. ¡°Hear and see what?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°The mushrooms,¡± said Ava in a daze. ¡°We¡¯re tasty!¡± ¡°Eat us!¡± ¡°Eat us!¡± Ezzie nudged one of the toppled over baskets, with the dried mushrooms in it. ¡°They must have eaten the mushrooms,¡± she said. ¡°Could that be the reason for such violence?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know,¡± said Ava, staring at all the colors around her and of course the mushrooms. They looked so good. She could barely see Ezzie anymore, and she smelled the spores¡ªearthy and brown, like fresh planting soil. She stepped on another one of the brightly lit mushrooms, releasing more spores. ¡°Eat us!¡± ¡°Eat us!¡± ¡°Eat us!¡± They all chorused. Ava went to one of the mushrooms and knelt on the ground beside it. This one was bright green. She touched it. ¡°Don¡¯t you hear the mushrooms, Ezzie? They want us to eat them!¡± She frantically dug the mushroom out of the damp soil. It felt soft and waxy. She broke it in half, releasing spores into her mouth. Her stomach grumbled again. Oh it looked so good! It looked scrumptious. ¡°Don¡¯t eat that, Ava!¡± said Ezzie, sounding frantic. ¡°This is a bad place. We have to leave here!¡± ¡°But it¡¯s beautiful!¡± said Ava, staring at the green mushroom she held, hypnotized by it. ¡°Can¡¯t you see all the colors?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything.¡± ¡°How can you not?¡± asked Ava, smelling the mushroom she held. Oh, it looked tasty. She absolutely had to have a bite. Then she saw red, and the world bled around her¡ªsoft drops falling all on the edges of her vision, and she saw Ezzie¡¯s frantic face and saw and felt how her skin would feel beneath her fingernails and wondered if Ezzie would bleed, or if she¡¯d just shred like paper, skin peeling off beneath her hands, and she wanted to gauge out Ezzie¡¯s eyes, the feeling so strong she had to stop herself from jumping up and lunging at Ezzie. She dropped the mushroom she held, the red in her vision making it look purple. ¡°I-I don¡¯t feel so good,¡± she said, through the red haze. And then she saw her own skin and how if she clawed at it she would bleed bright red, and imagined clawing her own eyes out and had to do everything in her power to resist the urge. ¡°Eat us!¡± the mushrooms sang. She was happy she hadn¡¯t taken a bite out of that mushroom. And she imagined Elu¡¯s people here, frantically picking the mushrooms, frantically eating them, frantically gauging at each others eyes and decapitating each other with their bare fists, frantically using violence against one another, frantically inflicting pain, and Ava felt sick. Ezzie was right. This was a bad place. But oh, that mushroom looked so tasty! Surely one bite wouldn¡¯t hurt? ¡°Come on!¡± said Ezzie, grabbing her arm and hauling her to her feet. ¡°We have to leave!¡± ¡°Just one bite¡ª¡± said Ava. ¡°No!¡± said Ezzie, pulling her through the clearing, pulling her through the red haze, and Ava struggled as she breathed in more of the brown, earthy tasting spores, but Ezzie was stronger than she looked, and soon they came out of the clearing and back into the cool and darkly shadowed forest, leaving the mushrooms and the mutilated corpses of Elu¡¯s people behind, but Ava still saw red¡ªbleeding at the edges of her visions, and she didn¡¯t know how long it took for her vision to become normal again. She breathed in the cool, fresh air of the forest. ¡°Eat us!¡± the mushrooms sang behind her. ¡°Eat us!¡± She breathed in more of the forest air, clearing the scent of the brown earthy spores, and eventually her vision become normal again. She no longer saw the world through a red haze, but her heart still beat rapidly, and she still had the urge to claw away at Ezzie¡¯s gaunt face and tear her own eyes out, but by the time they reached more fog and it swirled around their ankles and around the trunks of trees, and wisps of it clouded the stars above, the feeling was mostly gone. ¡°I¡¯m okay now,¡± she said, still breathing heavy. ¡°You can let go of me now.¡± Ezzie did. ¡°You¡¯re okay?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes. I think so,¡± said Ava, never wanting to see another mushroom in her entire life. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but that was a bad place,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Why didn¡¯t the mushrooms affect you?¡± Ava asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°I don¡¯t eat mushrooms. I only drink blood.¡± Yes. That was probably why. It was also probably because she had no sense of smell. ¡°So it¡¯s probably because I don¡¯t eat mushrooms,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°I-I wanted to claw your face off! I saw red.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good you didn¡¯t eat that mushroom then.¡± ¡°Well, I guess now we know what happened to Elu¡¯s people. They must have killed each other.¡± ¡°What does killing mean?¡± ¡°Put each other in an eternal sleep.¡± ¡°Oh. That¡¯s just awful!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°And that happens all the time in your world?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to go there then,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Even for an antidepressant.¡± T hey stood in silence for a bit then, just wisps of fog blowing around their ankles and through the ferns that covered the forest floor. ¡°Well, are we still going north?¡± Ava finally asked, still a little shaky, but she was starting to feel better. Ezzie took the compass out of the pocket of her holey jeans. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. Lets go then.¡± Ava wanted to put as much distance between them and that field of mushrooms and those mutilated bodies as possible, and she wondered why this place wasn¡¯t on the map. Were they really still going in the right direction? 12 - A Twilight Lit Archway They walked, and as they walked the landscape around them changed¡ªno more forest or ferns or dripping leaves, just damp earth and sharp boulders, though the fog wasn¡¯t as thick as it had been across the lake, but still there, gray and swirling around the boulders and their ankles and over their heads. Their walk slowed to a cautious crawl, with Ezzie leading the way, though they didn¡¯t come across any spinning world arches, much to Ava¡¯s relief. She wished they could walk faster though. She wished they could run! They had to get to that shimmering archway Elu had mentioned, from that myth her mom had told her. Ava had to get home! But Ezzie led them at a slow pace, and soon they came to the start of a hard cement road and stopped. Ava took out a cigarette, lit it, and inhaled deeply. She was long over do. She ignored Ezzie¡¯s look of wrinkled disgust. ¡°This street leads north,¡± said Ezzie, looking at the compass Aryana had given her. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s follow it then,¡± said Ava. She finished her cigarette as they walked, following close behind Ezzie and careful not to trip over any cement or cracks, where bright green moss grew, and Ava hoped they wouldn¡¯t come across a patch of mushrooms, and after walking for what felt like hours and probably was, they came to a large archway in a cement wall. The road continued on through it. The wall seemed to go on forever in both directions, as far as Ava could see in the fog anyway. Through the archway was twilight nothing, and she wondered with alarm if it led to a huge spinning world they¡¯d have no choice but entering. Fog and dirt and moss was in cracks in the wall and all around was just chilly grayness. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. They stopped. ¡°Through that archway is still direct north,¡± said Ezzie, holding the compass in her hand. ¡°What do you think is through the archway? A spinning world?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know,¡± said Ezzie, putting the compass back in her pocket. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen an archway like this one. Normally the spinning world archways are see through, but this one isn¡¯t. Maybe we can follow the wall around.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± said Ava. They followed the wall, so close Ava could touch its cold surface with her fingertips, and soon came back to the archway and the strange twilight beyond. ¡°Did we go in a circle?¡± asked Ava. ¡°No. The compass never changed.¡± Ezzie held the compass. ¡°North is still beyond this wall.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try again, but the other way.¡± Ava really did not want to walk through that archway. They tried again, Ezzie gazing at the compass the whole time, but just came back to the archway again. It was like the wall had no end. ¡°We have to follow the road through!¡± said Ava in dismay. ¡°Yeah. I guess so,¡± said Ezzie, sounding as equally unhappy about it as Ava. ¡°What do you think is through it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± It looked like just inky, twilight blackness, but at least there was no fog. Ava didn¡¯t think this was on the map either. She took out the still damp book and flipped to the map page. The map still showed nothingness at the northern edges of the fog lands, but it only showed two oases in this direction¡ªthe tower oasis and the candle oasis. Maybe this led to the tower oasis. Ava showed the map to Ezzie. ¡°Do you think this leads to the tower oasis?¡± she asked. ¡°Maybe.¡± Ava frowned and studied the map and frustrated put it back in her bag. Stupid map! This had seemed so simple when they¡¯d crossed the lake. She hadn¡¯t expected it to be so complicated. ¡°Well, I guess we might as well go through,¡± said Ava. ¡°Fuck!¡± ¡°Yeah. I guess so,¡± said Ezzie quietly. ¡°Take my hand.¡± Ava took Ezzie¡¯s cold, bony hand. And they stepped through the strange stone archway that led north. 13 - An Overpowering Shadow Ava swirled through inky blackness with Ezzie, making her dizzy, and the world turned red, reminding her of that field of mushrooms and she recoiled, and then the redness was replaced by a bright white light, and they stood on the broken cement road on the other side¡ªsnowflakes falling around all about them, and snow on either side of the road, and Ava blinked and willed her dizziness to pass. At least she wasn¡¯t seeing the world through a red haze, just bright white here, and above the world was clouded with grayness, and she shivered. ¡°What¡¯s this white stuff?¡± asked Ezzie, putting out her hand to grab some of the snowflakes. They melted on her hand. ¡°It¡¯s snow,¡± said Ava, figuring it made sense Ezzie had never experienced snow before. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s cold,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Yeah.¡± Huge snow drifts were on either side of the road, which now glistened with ice, and behind them was the inky, twilight black archway. So it just led into this winter wonderland? Ava could deal with that. Though she had a sinking feeling that there was more to it, and she shivered and put her hands in the front pocket of her black hoodie. She could only imagine how cold Ezzie must feel. ¡°Well, does the road still lead north?¡± she finally asked. ¡°Yes,¡± said Ezzie, seemingly mesmerized by all of the white grayness around them. ¡°Direct north.¡± ¡°Lets follow the road then,¡± said Ava, feeling like she was dreaming. Everything seemed so surreal. Fog lands to snow lands? ¡°Okay.¡± Ava took a step, but immediately slid, falling to her butt on the icy road. Ezzie leaned over to help her stand, but also slid and fell, and then an overpowering shadow leaned over them. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you with the children?¡± it asked. ¡°Um¡ª¡± started Ezzie. ¡°What children?¡± asked Ava, not liking this overpowering shadow. It blackened out the snow and made her see red at the corners of her vision, and she tried blinking the redness away, but it wouldn¡¯t go away. ¡°The children of course!¡± said the shadow. ¡°You¡¯re not a parent, so you must be here to help watch them.¡± Children? Parents? What was this overpowering shadow talking about? Ava tried standing, but slid to her butt again, and then she was sliding down the road and off to the side and into a snowbank. Ezzie followed, bumping into her back, and they were both sliding through the snowbank and through the white snow, and whenever Ava tried standing she just slid to her butt again. She didn¡¯t want to get too far away from the road. She didn¡¯t want to lose the road in this white and gray and red wonder land, and then they slid down a steep incline and landed in a huge snow drift and stopped temporarily. Ava frantically dug herself out, and was relieved Ezzie was able to do the same, and two children¡ªmaybe eight or nine¡ªstood before them. Both wore long pink dresses. One had carrot red hair, knotted and long, and the others hair was up in ringlet pigtails. Both had red, rosy faces, and Ava had to admit they were pretty cute. These must be the children the overpowering shadow had been talking about. ¡°My name is Cadence!¡± announced the girl with the carrot red hair, pointing at herself with her thumb. ¡° I¡¯m Leona,¡± said the girl with the ringlet pigtails. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Yeah. Who are you?¡± asked Cadence, peering at them, and Ava wondered how they couldn¡¯t be freezing. ¡°Where¡¯s the road?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°What road?¡± asked Cadence, and the two girls laughed joyfully. ¡°Come play with us!¡± She took Ava¡¯s hand, and Ava was surprised by how warm Cadence¡¯s hand felt. It was like a warm blanket, and she slid to her feet. The other girl¡ªLeona¡ªtook Ezzie¡¯s hand, and Ezzie also slid to her feet. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Play with us!¡± said Leona. ¡°We¡¯ll have fun! We can play kitchen.¡± Play kitchen? What was this girl talking about? They needed to follow the road out of this strange winter place and back into the fog lands! They didn¡¯t have time to play, but Leona and Cadence were stronger than they looked, and Ava and Ezzie slid through the snow after them, and Ava thought that if Cadence wasn¡¯t holding onto her hand she would have slid to her knees. Why was it so icy in this snow? It was almost worse than the spinning world! Leona and Cadence pulled them past wooden, shut doors that stood, free standing, in the snow, and down into a wide ravine, where children¡¯s play stations were set up¡ªa play kitchen, complete with table, stove, microwave and refrigerator, bean bag chairs, a huge ball pit, a basket of raggedy looking stuffed animals, dolls with their hair ripped out next to a play crib. The girls swung them onto two small chairs in front of the miniature kitchen. Ava shivered, but was surprised she wasn¡¯t colder than she felt. Leona and Cadence put two plastic plates in front of them. ¡°Oh! This will be fun! You two can be our mommies! You can be momma¡ª¡± Cadence pointed at Ezzie, who frowned. ¡°And you can be mommy.¡± She pointed at Ava, who immediately felt uncomfortable, and her sexuality confusion came to front, but these two little girls didn¡¯t see anything wrong with having two moms. These two little girls seemed to think it was the most natural thing in the entire world. ¡°Please, the road¡ª¡± began Ezzie, but Leona laughed. ¡°Come on, momma,¡± she said. ¡°Serve us. We want cake.¡± ¡°Can we please have cake, mommy?¡± Cadence asked Ava, blinking bright blue eyes, and Ava couldn¡¯t help smiling. She was that cute. ¡°Well, sure,¡± said Ava. Cadence and Leona laughed and smiled joyfully, and Leona opened the plastic microwave and took out a plastic serving dish and set it on the table. ¡°Can we eat it now?¡± Leona asked. ¡°Or do we have to eat it after dinner, momma and mommy?¡± ¡°You can eat it now,¡± said Ava, smiling. ¡°The road¡ª¡± started Ezzie. ¡°Oh stop about the road, momma,¡± said Leona. ¡°Just play with us! Mommy is playing with us. Right, mommy?¡± Cadence asked Ava, again blinking her bright blue eyes, and Ava couldn¡¯t help nodding. ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°Ava¡ª¡± started Ezzie. ¡°Not Ava!¡± snapped Cadence. ¡°She¡¯s mommy.¡± ¡°Oh be nice, Cadence,¡± said Leona, laughing. ¡°Momma is just the serious and strict parent. She¡¯s just playing with us. Right, momma?¡± Leona stared straight at Ezzie. ¡°No, we have to¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s play dolls!¡± Cadence suddenly announced, and the two laughed as they stood and pulled at Ezzie and Ava¡¯s arms, making them get to their feet, and Ava again thought she would have fallen if it wasn¡¯t for Cadence¡¯s hand. Why was it so slippery? The two girls laughed as they pulled Ezzie and Ava to the miniature toy crib, next to a basket of hairless dolls. Ava and Ezzie sat down, on a red and blue rug, and Leona took out one of the dolls¡ªwhich was naked and missing a limb¡ªand rocked it in her arms. ¡°We have to get back to the road!¡± said Ezzie, sounding exasperated. ¡°Shut up, momma!¡± snapped Leona. ¡°The baby is trying to sleep,¡± whispered Cadence. They did have to get back to the road. ¡°We do have to go,¡± said Ava. ¡°No you don¡¯t. You have to play with us!¡± said Cadence. ¡°Come on, mommy. You don¡¯t want to go.¡± ¡°Yes we do,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Shut up,¡± Leona said again, rocking her missing a limb, hairless baby doll in her arms. ¡°Momma is no fun.¡± The girl frowned. ¡°Mommy¡¯s fun. Right, mommy?¡± asked Cadence, staring straight at Ava, staring straight into her soul it seemed. ¡°Well¡ª¡± began Ava. ¡°Ava¡ª¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Shut up, momma!¡± snapped Leona again, putting the doll in the crib and covering it with a blanket. ¡°Shh, Leona. That¡¯s no way to talk to momma,¡± said Cadence. ¡°But she¡¯s disturbing the baby,¡± said Leona. ¡°No she¡¯s not. We don¡¯t care about the road,¡± said Cadence to Ezzie. ¡°But we do,¡± said Ava. ¡°Please take us back to it,¡± she begged Cadence, thinking she could at least convince this girl to take them to it. Cadence suddenly yawned. ¡°I¡¯m tired,¡± she said. ¡°Me too,¡± said Leona, stepping away from the crib and also yawning. ¡°Read us a naptime story,¡± said Cadence to Ava. ¡°Yeah, mommy, read us a story!¡± Ava couldn¡¯t help yawning herself, and she realized she was exhausted. She saw a bookshelf, lopsided in a snow drift, near the red and blue rug her and Ezzie sat on. It couldn¡¯t hurt to read the girls a story, could it, and then maybe they¡¯d be able to find the road on their own. Hopefully they¡¯d slide right into it. Or maybe they could find that strange shadow presence to lead them to it. Or at least direct them to it. She went to the lopsided bookshelf, on her knees, and picked out a book at random. ¡°We really don¡¯t have time for this!¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Shut up, momma,¡± snapped Leona. ¡°Shh, Leona,¡± said Cadence. ¡°Mommy is going to read us a story. Right, mommy?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Ava, knowing Ezzie was right, but suddenly feeling as sleepy as the girls now looked, who rubbed their eyes and lay on the rug next to Ava, a girl in the crook of each arm. They were warm and snuggled closer to her. This was nice, Ava had to admit to herself, and she fell asleep too, soon after she started reading the random book, not being able to help herself, dropping the book down to her chest without even realizing it. 14 - Blood and Mirrors The demon rested on her chest, and she couldn¡¯t breathe! It sucked the life out of her. But when she opened her eyes saw that it was only Ezzie, poking on her chest, and she took in deep breaths to calm her heart rate down. The girls still slept in her arms¡ªCadence snoring softly and Leona¡¯s breathing deep. Ava yawned, still tired. ¡°Sorry,¡± Ezzie whispered. ¡°But we really have to go.¡± Ava didn¡¯t want to wake Leona and Cadence up and was suddenly annoyed with Ezzie. Couldn¡¯t she see that the girls needed their sleep? Couldn¡¯t Ezzie see that she needed her sleep? But she knew Ezzie was right. They needed to go. Tenderly Ava detached herself from the girls, who only mumbled and snuggled in closer together, and stood up. It had been so cozy and warm with Leona and Cadence in the crooks of her arms, and now she shivered. ¡°Okay,¡± she whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t wake up the girls.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t. Come on.¡± The two left the rug, but the minute they stepped off it began sliding, and both fell to their knees as they slid down the ravine, past the play kitchen and beanbag chairs and stuffed animals, and Ava found she had trouble getting to her feet. Why was it so slippery here? They slid to the end of the ravine, and it was just snow and those strange standing doors all around them and no sign of the road, and suddenly that overpowering, looming shadow was over them, and once again Ava saw red at the corners of her vision. ¡°Leaving two sleeping children alone?¡± it boomed. ¡°That¡¯s irresponsible!¡± ¡°Sorry, but we just need to find the road!¡± Ava said, a bit defensively. Why couldn¡¯t this strange, looming shadow watch Leona and Cadence? Who was watching the girls before her and Ezzie came along? ¡°Discipline!¡± announced the booming shadow, and before Ava or Ezzie could do anything they were shoved, sliding, through the snow and into one of the open, free-standing doorways, and the door slammed shut behind them, but instead of being on the other side of the door, in the snow, they stood in blackness. Dim orange light blinked on above them, and Ava saw they stood in a large room, with dirty mirrors on the walls, and free standing, full length, gleaming mirrors on the bare dirt floor, and she saw herself, reflected in all of those mirrors, her pale face with deep bags under her eyes and dirty outfit and long knotty hair, and she saw Ezzie¡ªgaunt and emaciated, and Ezzie screamed and covered her eyes and knelt on the dirt ground. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Ava said, heart pounding. ¡°We¡¯ll get out. We¡¯ll get back to the road.¡± Ava pounded on the wooden door when she realized it was locked. ¡°Let us out!¡± she screamed. ¡°No. I mean, I know,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°I just don¡¯t like seeing myself.¡± Ezzie still knelt on the dirt, covering her face with dirty hands. ¡°Why not?¡± asked Ava. ¡°I¡¯m not particularly fond of my reflection right now either.¡± ¡°I just can¡¯t see myself! Okay.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ava supposed if she looked as gaunt and emaciated as Ezzie she wouldn¡¯t like seeing her reflection either, but she didn¡¯t think it warranted a scream and covering her eyes and pretty much rocking on the dirt floor. ¡°My sister Amelia has mirrors in her dwelling. I don¡¯t like going in there either,¡± whispered Ezzie. ¡°I don¡¯t like seeing my reflection.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± said Ava. ¡°Yes it is!¡± ¡°It¡¯s really not. Just take a peek.¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Can you break the door down?¡± Ava wiggled the door handle and slammed her shoulder into the hard wood, hurting her shoulder, and winced. ¡°No,¡± she said. She slammed on the door with her fists and kicked it, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. She wondered how long their discipline would last, and she wondered when Leona and Cadence would wake up. She thought about Cadence¡¯s carrot red hair and deep blue eyes and Leona¡¯s ringlets in her hair. Were the two orphans? What did the shadow voice mean about parents? Ava looked back on the two with motherly fondness¡ªparticularly with Cadence. If they were orphans she felt really bad. ¡°We have to get away from the mirrors!¡± said Ezzie, who still covered her eyes with both her gray, bony hands, and Ava, again, wondered when was the last time Ezzie had drank any blood. In the dim orange light she looked even thinner and gaunt, and suddenly Ava worried. She certainly hadn¡¯t drank any since they¡¯d left the fountain of blood, back at her oasis. ¡°Ezzie,¡± Ava said, ¡°when was the last time you drank any blood?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Yes it does! I don¡¯t want you fainting on me.¡± ¡°It was while you were in the spinning world. I had my vial of blood.¡± That long ago! ¡°Why didn¡¯t you drink any under the musician¡¯s pavilion?¡± ¡°Because I just can¡¯t! My sisters still don¡¯t see what¡¯s really wrong with me. They don¡¯t see.¡± ¡°But I do, Ezzie,¡± said Ava. ¡°Depression really isn¡¯t that uncommon in my world.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°But you have¡­ killing.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°That is true, but Ezzie! You really need to drink some blood! Do you feel faint?¡± Ava did not want Ezzie fainting on her, and anorexics fainted, didn¡¯t they? Ava didn¡¯t know enough about anorexia to know for sure. ¡°A little, yeah. I¡¯ve had dizzy spells, even while still drinking my vial of blood.¡± So she was way overdue, and suddenly Ava had an idea. Ezzie needed blood, and she had plenty of it. ¡°One second,¡± she said. ¡°Okay.¡± Ava dug around in her bag until she found her spiral bound journal. She picked the end of the spiral until she straightened out the wire and winced a little when she scraped her arm and a bright trail of red blossomed up. Ezzie seemed to sniff the air, then recoiled. ¡°What is that!¡± she practically screeched. ¡°Why can I smell it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s some of my blood. I want you to have a little bit.¡± ¡°It smells so¡­¡± Ezzie paused. ¡°Sweet!¡± ¡°Yes. Now take a lick.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Yes you can.¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Just a little bit. I don¡¯t want you fainting on me.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s yours. This is barbaric!¡± ¡°I¡¯m giving it to you. Just a small lick. I¡¯m not giving you a lot.¡± Ava knelt by Ezzie and put her arm and the bright trail of red blood by Ezzie¡¯s mouth. ¡°I only scratched myself a little bit.¡± Ezzie sat up a bit more, smelling the blood it seemed, and Ava was surprised she could even smell it. ¡°Well. Are you sure?¡± ¡°Positive.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ezzie put out her tongue, licking at the scratch on Ava¡¯s arm, then she backed away, still holding her hands over her eyes, but she seemed more alert. Ava took that as a good sign. Ezzie¡¯s tongue had been warm, and Ava pulled her sweater sleeve down, over her still stinging scrape. ¡°There. That wasn¡¯t that bad, was it?¡± she asked. ¡°No,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°That was very¡ª¡± she paused. ¡°Nice of you.¡± ¡°Do you feel better?¡± ¡°A little less faint and dizzy, yes. That was very sweet tasting. The blood from the fountain doesn¡¯t even compare. Is that how all the blood tastes in your world?¡± ¡°I¡¯m assuming so.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s no fountains of it?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°So it requires¡­¡± Ezzie paused. ¡°Violence to get?¡± ¡°Well, I really wouldn¡¯t call scratching my arm for you violence,¡± said Ava. ¡°That¡¯s barbaric!¡± ¡°Not really. It¡¯s not like I cut myself or something. It was just a tiny scrape.¡± Ezzie just frowned, and Ava sighed and pounded on the door some more. Her shoulder ached from where she¡¯d shoved it against the hard wood, and sudden desperation filled her. They didn¡¯t have time for this! They needed to get back to the road and out of this strange winter place with the overpowering shadow and seemingly orphan girls. The shimmering archway could disappear at any moment, and she berated herself for getting sucked under Cadence and Leona¡¯s spell. Mommy. She was far from becoming anyone¡¯s mom, especially if she never let a boy touch her again. She still wasn¡¯t letting a boy touch her ever again. Mark was gross, and she didn¡¯t even want to imagine a different boy heaving on top of her, but her parents¡­ And how scared she had gotten when Elizabeth had kissed her¡­ ¡°Let us out!¡± she screamed. ¡°Let us out!¡± Had she led Mark on? Was she really an unpaid whore? That didn¡¯t even make any sense! Cadence and Leona hadn¡¯t seen anything wrong with having two moms, but they were just children. Children who hadn¡¯t learned what was normal and what wasn¡¯t normal, but maybe the world really was as innocent as viewed through the eyes of a child. Ava didn¡¯t know. She banged on the door some more, her body and face and movements all reflected in the mirrors. ¡°Can you open it?¡± asked Ezzie in a small voice. ¡°No,¡± said Ava, frustrated. How long was their discipline going to last, and who was watching Leona and Cadence right now? The shadow. ¡°I¡¯m trying.¡± ¡°Hurry,¡± begged Ezzie. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see my reflection.¡± They¡¯d have to work on that, but she didn¡¯t say that to Ezzie. It wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t have her own issues she needed to work on. ¡°Let us out!¡± she screamed again, and then the door opened a small crack, revealing bright whiteness and snowflakes. ¡°Mommy?¡± said a small voice, and Ava pushed the door open all the way and Cadence and Leona stood there, faces bright and smiling when they saw her. ¡°Mommy!¡± exclaimed Cadence, giving her a big, warm hug. ¡°We weren¡¯t sure which door the shadow put you in, but we heard you banging on this one.¡± Ava¡¯s heart melted a little bit, but she managed to detach herself from Cadence. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with momma?¡± asked Leona, peering over Cadence. ¡°She doesn¡¯t like mirrors. That¡¯s all,¡± said Ava, not wanting to worry the girls. ¡°Come on Ezzie.¡± Ezzie stood up, still covering her eyes, and took some cautious steps forward. Ava held out her hand. ¡°Here. Take my hand,¡± she said, and Ezzie took her hand, strange purple eyes still closed. Cadence and Leona laughed. ¡°Come on! We want to play! The shadow is not fun.¡± Ava led Ezzie out into the bright whiteness. ¡°You can open your eyes now,¡± she said to Ezzie, who did, squinting. Leona and Cadence slammed the door shut after them, and they stood amongst all the snow again, away from that room of mirrors, and relief filled Ava. Now they just had to find the road, before that overpowering shadow that made her see red at the corners of her vision realized Leona and Cadence had set them free. ¡°Can you two lead us to the road now?¡± Ava asked. ¡°We really have to go.¡± Cadence pouted. ¡°But I don¡¯t want you to go.¡± ¡°We have to,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Where¡¯s the shadow?¡± asked Ava. ¡°Out watching the other children. There¡¯s a lot of us,¡± said Leona. ¡°Where are your parents?¡± asked Ava, suddenly worried. She really hoped they weren¡¯t orphans. Leona and Cadence looked at each other and laughed. ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± said Leona. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s play, momma.¡± She took Ezzie¡¯s hand. ¡°No,¡± said Ezzie, somehow managing to break her hand away from Leona¡¯s strong grip. ¡°Please show us the road.¡± ¡°Why do they always want to go,¡± whispered Cadence. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Cadence,¡± said Leona, patting her on the back. ¡°The shadow would just put them back in that door anyway.¡± Panic crossed Ezzie¡¯s bony face. ¡°Can you girls show us the road?¡± asked Ava, not helping the desperation in her voice because she didn¡¯t want to be locked back up in that room for who knew how long either. ¡°Yes,¡± said Cadence solemnly. Then her face brightened. ¡°We can push them out! Oh, Leona! Won¡¯t that be fun?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± said Leona brightly, practically dancing where she stood. ¡°But we have to hurry before the shadow comes back to check on us!¡± ¡°Come on, mommy and momma!¡± said Cadence, and the two girls took their hands. Cadence¡¯s grip was tight, but Ava still slid through the snow after her and Leona, Ezzie at her side. ¡°Oh the shadow is going to be so mad!¡± said Leona, as though that were a good thing. Then they were through a huge snowbank and back on the icy road again. The girls pulled them down the slippery road, the girls having no trouble with sliding, and ahead Ava was relieved to see another twilight lit archway and wall¡ªthis wall covered with snow and mud, and she hoped through that twilight lit archway was more fog lands, and that they were still going north. She¡¯d ask Ezzie once they were safely through it. Cadence and Leona stopped, and Cadence gave Ava a huge, warm hug, her carrot red hair tickling her ear. ¡°I love you, mommy,¡± she whispered when she pulled away, and her breath smelled like peppermints. ¡°Okay. Now sit down and we¡¯ll push you through!¡± said Leona. ¡°Oh, this is so fun.¡± Ava and Ezzie sat on the icy road, and Cadence and Leona shoved them hard. Those girls were strong! ¡°Bye, mommy and momma!¡± Cadence called behind them, and then they were through the inky, twilit archway, spinning, and Ava was dizzy when they were on the other side, and relief filled her when fog wisped around her waist and surrounded them. They sat on the cement and cracked road, the twilit archway so close behind them Ava could have touched it, and she quickly stood and took steps away from it. Her heart ached when she thought about Cadence saying she loved her. She hoped the two girls wouldn¡¯t get into too much trouble from the shadow. Her and Ezzie both stood in silence for a little bit. ¡°Well, that was intense,¡± Ava finally said. ¡°Does the road still lead north?¡± Ezzie took the compass out of her pocket. ¡°Yes,¡± she said, sounding relieved, and Ava and Ezzie followed the road, leaving the twilit archway and Leona and Cadence far behind. 15 - A Drop of Guilt Ava followed closely behind Ezzie again, as they walked down the broken cement street, nothing but fog all around them. She hoped they wouldn¡¯t run into another wall. She hoped they wouldn¡¯t come to another twilight lit archway because that had been just awful, though she thought about Cadence with an ache in her heart. She¡¯d never thought about becoming a mom one day in fears she¡¯d become like her own mom, which she thought about with a shudder. No. Maybe it was best not to risk it, and besides, she was never letting a boy touch her again, not after Mark and what he had done to her, and the thought made shame overcome her, made her sick with shame, and it was like being violated all over again, and she shivered and shoved her shaking hands in the pockets of her hoodie. She tripped over a crack in the road and stumbled to stay standing, almost bumping into Ezzie. She had to be more careful. ¡°Thank you for that,¡± said Ezzie, her voice muffled in the fog. ¡°For what?¡± asked Ava. ¡°For the blood. In that mirror room. You didn¡¯t have to do that.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t have you fainting on me,¡± said Ava, wishing she could rub her now throbbing big toe. ¡°You don¡¯t need me. You have the compass,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I wither away into nothing. My sisters will never welcome me back, especially if they find out how truly sweet the blood in your world is.¡± ¡°Yeah. But are they willing to use violence to get it? There are no fountains. They¡¯d have to rip out throats or cut people or something.¡± ¡°That sounds awful! What¡¯s wrong with your world?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Ava. ¡°Besides, your sisters will welcome you back.¡± Ezzie just sighed and said, ¡°I wonder if that¡¯s where they went.¡± ¡°Your sisters?¡± ¡°No. The inhabitants of the abandoned city. I wonder if they went to your world. Over the rollercoaster. I wonder if they drank blood like my sisters and I.¡± ¡°We do have folklores and stories about vampires, but it¡¯s just fiction,¡± said Ava, carefully watching where she walked because the road was slowly becoming more broken and crumbled. ¡°Vampires are the ones who drink blood? Do they rip out throats?¡± ¡°Well, some do, but like I said, it¡¯s just fiction.¡± ¡°Oh. Okay. It sounds so barbaric! Are they immortal too? Like my sisters and I and the bad men?¡± ¡°Yes. And everyone else here I suppose.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ava thought Ezzie was posing an interesting theory though. What if vampires did come from this strange immortal world? ¡°Is there a way to kill a vampire immortal from your world?¡± Ezzie suddenly asked, a bit too brightly in Ava¡¯s opinion, and suddenly she didn¡¯t like where this was heading. ¡°Ezzie¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m just curious,¡± she snapped. ¡°A stake through the heart¡ª¡± Ezzie stopped so abruptly Ava almost ran into her. Ezzie turned around. ¡°Will you stab me through the heart?¡± ¡°What? No!¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s better than withering away into nothing,¡± said Ezzie bitterly. ¡°I have nothing anymore.¡± ¡°You still have your sisters,¡± said Ava, wishing she had a Prozac in her back pocket. They¡¯d have to work on Ezzie¡¯s attitude. ¡°You have me,¡± she offered. ¡°But you¡¯re going back to the mortal world and I don¡¯t want to go there because of all that violence. So barbaric. Even for an antidepressant.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not all bad in my world,¡± said Ava. ¡°There¡¯s still love and all that stuff.¡± ¡°I had that here,¡± said Ezzie, then she turned around suddenly and began walking. ¡°I had that here.¡± She whispered it so quietly Ava barely heard her, and Ava didn¡¯t know what to say so she said nothing at all. There was no convincing Ezzie that her sisters still loved her or would welcome her back, and Ava wanted to shake Ezzie she was getting so frustrated, and she had to remind herself that it was just Ezzie¡¯s depression talking. ¡°I see your depression,¡± she finally said. ¡°It¡¯s okay if you drink blood now. You can tell your sisters about it and explain why you didn¡¯t want to tell them about the rollercoaster.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t matter. Even Rosalie wouldn¡¯t understand depression or how empty and sad I feel all of the time.¡± And suicidal, Ava wanted to add, but didn¡¯t. She assumed it would really be bizarre for an immortal to feel suicidal. That seemed so¡­ un-immortal. ¡°Yes she would. All three would if you explained it to them. You can even tell them about all of the violence in my world and how there are no fountains of blood and they¡¯d have to resort to barbarism to get blood, like the vampires in fiction.¡± Ezzie didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Would they want to do that?¡± ¡°Well, no,¡± Ezzie finally said. ¡°And even Rosalie has heard of violence.¡± ¡°See.¡± Ezzie sighed. ¡°Still, she said I was the long sleep to them. She said she didn¡¯t want to see me again.¡± Ava thought Ezzie would start crying, and she didn¡¯t want Ezzie to cry. She hated it when people cried because it made her feel like she would start crying too, especially when it was someone she cared about, and she found that she was starting to care about Ezzie. ¡°They¡¯d forgive you. Trust me,¡± she finally said. ¡°I care about you, Ezzie.¡± ¡°You do? But I¡¯m the reason why you¡¯re here. I¡¯m the reason why you almost got stuck in a spinning world.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the reason why I¡¯m not in that spinning world anymore.¡± ¡°But I saved you because you rescued us from the bad men and because I didn¡¯t know what you were capable of.¡± ¡°Still.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the reason why you may never be able to go home.¡± ¡°You¡¯re helping me right now,¡± said Ava. ¡°You¡¯re leading us through the fog.¡± Ezzie sighed again. ¡°True I guess, but it¡¯s the most I can do.¡± ¡°I truly care, Ezzie. I wish I had an antidepressant I could give you. I wish I were a therapist so I could help you more.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a therapist?¡± Of course she wouldn¡¯t know what a therapist was. ¡°Someone who helps when a person is depressed or anxious.¡± ¡°Even Rosalie wouldn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°No. I suppose she wouldn¡¯t.¡± If these immortal girls couldn¡¯t even recognize depression, how would they know what a therapist was? ¡°But they would help.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a defective immortal,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°No you¡¯re not!¡± said Ava, frustration in her voice without there meaning to be. ¡°Yes I am,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°No you¡¯re not.¡± ¡°I am! The hell I¡¯m not!¡± Wow. Ezzie sounded angry, and Ava was just happy she wasn¡¯t going to start crying. She figured there was no point in trying to convince Ezzie otherwise again, so she said nothing, and they walked in silence, and below them the cement road crumbled to gravel, until eventually they just walked over damp earth again and had to avoid boulders and sharp rocks. Luckily they didn¡¯t come across any spinning worlds or walls or twilight lit arches, much to Ava¡¯s relief. She wished she could cure Ezzie¡¯s depression. She wished there was more she could do, but there really wasn¡¯t. # Ava was tired and she was hungry, but she didn¡¯t want to stop and rest. Instead she smoked as they walked, toxic fumes matching the chilly grayness all around them and end glowing a bright orange. The landscape around them changed, and soon they walked over cracked cement again, and the boulders were replaced by crumbling statues of ghostly humanoid figures. Ava dropped her smoked cigarette butt on the ground and shivered. The statues really creeped her out. ¡°Are we still going north?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes,¡± said Ezzie. Ava wondered about the statues and who had carved them. More immortals? And then her heart went in her throat when she saw the demon, standing over there in the fog, body and twisted face and sharp claws all blending in with the grayness, except for its eyes, which glowed a bright red. She closed her eyes, fear overwhelming her, and when she opened her eyes again it was gone, and she no longer felt its suffocating presence. She was grateful for that. She didn¡¯t want to say anything to Ezzie about the demon, so they walked in silence, through the chilly fog, with crumbled statues made of gray stone surrounding them. Ava wondered when they would reach another oasis. Hopefully one that was actually on the map in the book. They walked for what seemed like forever to Ava, her feet hurting, and a tired headache making her eyes burn, before the fog cleared, revealing twisted trees that grew out of the broken cement beneath their feet. The trees were black and leafless and bones hung from their branches, still in the still air. Were those human bones? Ava hoped not. They passed a halfway crumbled statue of a naked man, and Ava stepped over its broken jaw that lay on the cracked cement. They must be in an oasis. ¡°Who do you think carved these statues?¡± asked Ava. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Ezzie, holding onto the compass. ¡°But we¡¯re still heading north.¡± ¡°Good,¡± said Ava. Above huge wisps of fog still filled the sky, but through that Ava could see a multitude of bright stars, and around them everything was lit with starlight, and shadows stretched from the statues and the crooked black trees with bones hanging from their branches. Ava didn¡¯t like this place, and she clutched her heavy bag closer to her chest. At least there weren¡¯t any mushrooms. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Her feet hurt. She wanted to sit down so bad, but knew they couldn¡¯t. They had to get to that shimmering archway! So she walked alongside Ezzie and didn¡¯t complain about how tired she was or how much her feet hurt. She assumed Ezzie didn¡¯t need any sleep. She wondered if Ezzie had ever seen the sun. This place seemed to only have night. ¡°The fictional vampires in my world can¡¯t go out in the sun,¡± said Ava. ¡°What¡¯s the sun?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°It¡¯s like one, big bright star that lights up the entire sky in blue.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°The vampires burn in the sunlight.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°So during the day your sisters would have to hide in the shadows or they¡¯d get burned alive.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awful!¡± said Ezzie. ¡°You can tell them that too about my world.¡± Ezzie didn¡¯t say anything. Soon they came to a huge gray building, its top reaching the stars above, windows on it broken and boarded up and cement crumbling. The crooked black trees grew against it, a black ivy reached up the sides of it, growing in the cracks in the cement and reaching upwards and upwards, to the sky high roof of the building. It reminded Ava of long, black fingers, or a huge spider web, or of reaching black blood. She really hoped they wouldn¡¯t have to go inside this creepy building. The glass doors of the entry way were broken, and dirty glass lay on the cement, reflecting the stars above. Beyond all Ava could see were shadows. ¡°Let¡¯s not go in there,¡± said Ava, not being able to suppress a shudder, and she put her shaky hands inside the pocket of her hoodie. ¡°Hell no! Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t want to either,¡± said Ezzie. Ava was still fascinated by abandoned places, and this place looked like it had been abandoned for a long time, maybe even centuries, but she didn¡¯t trust this place, not after the spinning world and the winter wonderland and the musician¡¯s flute underneath that pavilion. Thinking about the musician made Ava think about the peanut butter and jelly sandwich and chips she¡¯d had. Her stomach grumbled. Fuck she was starving. They went left, following along the wall of the huge, crumbling building, avoiding glass and debris and the crooked black trees. ¡°We¡¯re going west now,¡± said Ezzie. That wasn¡¯t good, and still the building seemed to have no end, like the wall had been, and Ava¡¯s heart thudded. She really didn¡¯t want to go inside this building, and once again it was becoming obvious this oasis wasn¡¯t on the map either. ¡°Lets try the other way,¡± said Ava. ¡°This building can¡¯t go on forever in both directions.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± said Ezzie. They went the other way and after what seemed like an hour to Ava they still hadn¡¯t come to an end to the building, and she had the sinking revelation that they¡¯d actually have to go inside it. ¡°We¡¯re still going east,¡± said Ezzie, sounding as deflated as Ava felt. ¡°I think we¡¯re going to have to enter the building. It¡¯s about north.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to,¡± said Ava. ¡°I¡¯m scared.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°But we have to. I wonder who the people were who abandoned this oasis.¡± ¡°So do I,¡± said Ava. ¡°I¡¯ve always had a fascination with abandoned places. It¡¯s how I met Elizabeth.¡± She hadn¡¯t meant to say that out loud. It just kind of came out, and she could feel her face burning. She had a full body blush going on she was sure, and she hoped Ezzie wouldn¡¯t notice. ¡°Who¡¯s Elizabeth?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°No one,¡± Ava quickly said, not wanting to explain to Ezzie that she had a crush on a girl. ¡°Just some friend of mine.¡± Though she wanted more than that, but Ava didn¡¯t add that. ¡°Okay. Not your sister?¡± ¡°Fuck no!¡± said Ava. ¡°I don¡¯t have any sisters.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very sad.¡± Ava didn¡¯t know what to say to that. They went back the way they¡¯d come and stepped in front of the broken entryway of the building. What if the demon was lurking somewhere in there? Ava didn¡¯t even want to think about that prospect. She doubted it was anyway. She¡¯d only seen it twice, and both times it had been in the fog lands. ¡°Well, I guess we should go inside,¡± Ava finally said. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Ezzie. Ava¡¯s boots crunched over the dirty broken glass as they entered the building and the shadows lurking inside. It smelled old and dusty and faintly moldy. The entryway opened up to a huge room, lit by starlight from high skylights above. More statues were inside, all crumbled and cracked, and dry fountains and huge cement benches. The ivy grew in here as well, weaving around the statues and dry fountains and up to the starlight above. ¡°This place is creepy,¡± said Ava, as they walked further inside, past one of the dried out, crumbled fountains. ¡°I wonder if those were fountains of blood,¡± said Ezzie. Ava didn¡¯t know, but she wished they were spewing blood right now so she could make Ezzie drink some. Ezzie consulted the compass, and Ava followed her out of the room, their footsteps echoing faintly, and down a narrow corridor, again lit by skylights and windows high above. She hoped there was a backdoor to this place. Hallways and rooms branched off from the corridor, all lit with shadows and starlight. They entered a different room, again large, but instead of statues and fountains and great stone benches, this room was lined with shelves of dusty books and in the center was a great stone table, with an open book, yellowed sheets of paper and pencils spread across it. As they got nearer to the table, Ava saw that on the papers was scribbled writing and what may have been blueprints, but she wasn¡¯t sure. Ezzie went to the book, peered down at it, and her eyes widened. ¡°It¡¯s about the rivers of blood in your world. It¡¯s about how a rollercoaster can lead you there.¡± ¡°What! Let me see,¡± said Ava in disbelief, and she went to Ezzie and squinted down at the book, but sure enough it mentioned the rollercoaster and rivers of blood in the mortal world. She looked at the blueprints on the table¡ªblueprints on how to build the rollercoaster? Those fountains really must have been spewing blood at one point. ¡°Do you think the ones who used to occupy this oasis were the inhabitants of the abandoned city by my oasis?¡± asked Ezzie, purple eyes gleaming in the dim light. ¡°Maybe,¡± said Ava. ¡°I think you¡¯re right I mean.¡± ¡°This is so interesting!¡± said Ezzie, sounding excited. ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered where the inhabitants of the abandoned city came from and why they¡¯d vanished.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Ava, just wanting to get going. She wanted out of this building, but she was happy Ezzie was excited about something. She wondered why the map in the book was so incomplete, but maybe they¡¯d written that book before leaving their oasis. That would explain it. And the more she thought about it, the more it made sense that they¡¯d believe there were rivers of blood in her world, just not in the literal sense. So this immortal world was where all of the fictional vampires in folklore came from? It made Ava¡¯s bad headache worse, and she wished she had a Tylenol. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, Ezzie looked up from the book and picked up the compass from where she¡¯d put it on the stone table. ¡°Should we go now?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes!¡± said Ava, not helping the relief in her voice. They were running out of time, and Ava was getting tired of starlight and fog. She wanted to see the sun again. She wanted to see bright fall leaves and feel them crunching beneath her boots. She didn¡¯t want to see or face her mom or Mark, and she was still scared of Elizabeth and the kiss they¡¯d shared. But she remembered Cadence and Leona, calling her and Ezzie momma and mommy, and couldn¡¯t help a small smile as she followed Ezzie out of the room and down another narrow corridor. She really hoped this building had a back door and that they¡¯d find it soon, but it soon became apparent that the building went on for miles! At least they were still going mostly north. They passed other narrow corridors and vacant rooms, and then they entered another huge room. And it was like walking through a sheet of cold water, and suddenly the room was full of people and laughter and noise, and she was no longer with Ezzie, and she noticed, with alarm, that her bag was gone. She stood in a kitchen, adjacent to a living room with a beige carpeting, and through the windows she saw trees and sunlight, and numerous people sat on comfy looking couches and talked and laughed, all in normal clothes¡ªjeans and sweaters and t-shirts. Was she dreaming? Had she fallen asleep? An old woman stood near her, opening a modern, gleaming oven, and Ava smelled roast, which grossed her out, but her stomach still grumbled, and on the kitchen table was a spread of crackers and cheese and salami and a huge veggie tray with dip in the middle. She was starving! This was a family gathering. She could just tell, and little kids ran around the living room and down the hallway, all squealing with laughter, and it hurt Ava¡¯s ears. And here she stood, all alone. The old woman didn¡¯t even glance up at her. She went to the table and grabbed some cheese and crackers and ate until she was full and happy. Now where was Ezzie, and where was her bag? ¡°Excuse me,¡± she said to the old woman, who was busy mashing up potatoes in a massive pot. The old woman barely glanced at her. ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked. Now that didn¡¯t sound very friendly. ¡°Do you know what happened to my bag and my friend?¡± The old woman just sighed and frowned and said, ¡°Your bag is in the coat closet of course, in my bedroom. I don¡¯t know where your friend is. I didn¡¯t think you had any friends. Now that wasn¡¯t true. She had Elizabeth, though Elizabeth was her only friend, and she definitely didn¡¯t consider Mark a friend. But Mark had been the only boy in her entire life who had ever given her attention, and the loneliness she¡¯d always felt in high school overwhelmed her, feelings that there was something terribly wrong with her for no one wanting to be her friend, much less interested in her as a girlfriend, and she¡¯d always been attracted to girls anyway. This old woman¡¯s dismissive attitude just made her feel worse about herself. ¡°Where¡¯s your bedroom? I need my bag!¡± said Ava. Her journal was in that bag. ¡°Down the hallway and to the left.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± said Ava, and she had to step around two little, squealing boys with bright red faces. She went down the hallway, floor covered with that beige carpeting. The only reason why she¡¯d gone out with Mark was because he was the only one who had ever considered her as girlfriend material, and it made her feel sad and tired and ashamed of herself. She hadn¡¯t had to return his attention, even if he was the only person who had ever shown interest in her. She set herself up for disaster. Was what he¡¯d done to her really been her fault, like her mom claimed? She found the bedroom easily enough and was appalled to find two little girls rummaging through her bag and giggling. One held her journal, the wire at the end of it still pointy, and alarm filled Ava. That couldn¡¯t be safe for little kids to be playing with! ¡°Hey,¡± she said. ¡°Give me that.¡± ¡°No!¡± the girl who held it squealed, and before Ava could do anything the little girls ran out of the room, notebook still in hand. Damn those kids were fast! ¡°Come back here!¡± she yelled after them, but they just giggled. Ava quickly grabbed her bag and put it over her shoulder, then ran after the little girls, down the hallway with the beige carpeting, and back into the kitchen. The girls were in the living room, waving her notebook around. They were going to stab an eye out or something! This was not a good situation, and Ava hoped they wouldn¡¯t hurt themselves. She walked into the noisy living room. No one paid her any attention, just continued their conversations and laughter and overall noise, but one of the women was looking at the little girls. ¡°Where did you get that, Sophie?¡± she asked, trying to snatch it away from the little girl. ¡°That¡¯s not safe.¡± ¡°That¡¯s mine,¡± said Ava, confronting the two squealing little girls, and all of the noise made her tired headache throb. The girl holding the notebook stabbed herself in the thumb and began crying. Bright red blood dripped down her hand, and she dropped the notebook. ¡°How could you let Sophie have that!¡± the woman demanded of Ava, as she hugged the little girl and tried to stop her squeals of pain. ¡°How dare you let my daughter have something so dangerous!¡± The mother picked up the crying little girl and left the living room. Had that really been Ava¡¯s fault? Had she really led Mark on, like her mom had accused her of? Ava picked up her notebook and put it safely back in her bag. No one in the room paid her any attention, and the loneliness and shame was overwhelming, and she was so tired. There was an open spot now on the comfy looking couch. ¡°Mind if I sit next to you?¡± she asked the woman who sat next to it. She laughed as she talked to a man waving his arms around as he spoke. He held a beer bottle in one hand and just the sight of that made Ava feel more sick with shame. She¡¯d let Mark get her drunk. She¡¯d let him take advantage of her. Maybe it really was her fault she¡¯d been raped, had her virginity taken away from her by someone she didn¡¯t even find attractive, but who had been the only one to ever show her interest. Maybe her mom really was right. ¡°I guess so,¡± snapped the woman. ¡°Though Donna will probably be coming back shortly and you¡¯ll have to move.¡± These people were so mean to her, and she supposed she deserved it. ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± said Ava. She absolutely had to sit down, even for just a little bit, and the couch was just as comfy as it looked. She sat back and closed her eyes and was soon fast asleep. She woke with a start when the woman next to her poked her in the arm. ¡°Donna¡¯s back,¡± she said. And sure enough, Donna stood there, the squealing little girl in her arms. She had a bright pink band aid on her thumb, and Donna put her down, and Sophie ran around the room, showing off her band aid and also ignoring her. Ava yawned. She must have only been asleep for fifteen minutes. She reluctantly stood up, and Donna quickly took her spot, giving Ava a cold stare. It was like being in high school all over again. She was an outcast amongst family members and friends. Would anyone ever show her any attention, other than Mark, and of course Elizabeth. Elizabeth. She remembered their initial meeting in the library and coffee and the movie and when Elizabeth had kissed her. It had been so sweet. Why had she run away? Was she scared of her sexuality? She thought that must be the case, that she wasn¡¯t entirely comfortable with it yet. Would it ever grow on her? Could she even speak to Elizabeth again? And realized, with alarm, that she had more than just a crush on Elizabeth. She was in love with her, the feeling warm in her heart, making her feel hot all over, and she hoped she wasn¡¯t having a full body blush, not that any of these people would notice anyway. But her mom had forbid her from ever seeing Elizabeth again. Well, her mom couldn¡¯t stop her if she chose to see Elizabeth again. The thought of her mom¡¯s wrath terrified her though, and she knew that if she told her parents what she was they¡¯d disown her, and then where would she go, and how would she pay for college? Ava willed her blush to go away as she walked back to the kitchen, clutching her bag to her chest. Where was Ezzie? The old woman had taken the roast out of the oven and was slicing it. She didn¡¯t even look up at Ava, as Ava went to the sliding glass doors by the kitchen table and opened them. She wanted to feel the sun on her face, and then it was like stepping through that sheet of icy cold water again, and she stood in a corridor, at the other end of the huge, barren room. What had that been all about? 16 - Sisters in White Ezzie stepped into the room and had the strange sensation of walking through a sheet of cold water that made her shiver. She was already always so cold, and Ava was gone, and in the center of the room a fountain splashed bright red blood. The cement beneath her feet was cracked and bright purple flowers and green moss grew through the cracks. Above the sky was fully visible and three girls sat around the fountain, drinking blood out of chipped cups. They could have been her sisters. All three were rosy cheeked and chubby and healthy looking. They talked and laughed amongst each other, all while drinking blood, and Ezzie¡¯s empty stomach ached, and the sadness and emptiness¡ªthat Ava called depression¡ªfilled her. She was a defective immortal. All she wanted was to fall into an eternal sleep and never wake up. She had nothing. Her sisters had abandoned her. The girls around the fountain smiled when they saw her, rosy faces brightening. ¡°Come drink with us!¡± one of them insisted, holding out her chipped cup for Ezzie to take. And Ezzie¡¯s stomach grumbled. Oh how she wanted to drink that bright red blood, but she just couldn¡¯t. ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± she said. ¡°Why not?¡± asked one of the other girls. ¡°I just can¡¯t okay,¡± said Ezzie, wanting out of this place and away from the temptation of blood, and she felt dizzy and faint. Ava¡¯s sweet blood had only been a tease. If she explained the emptiness and sadness she always felt to these three girls would they understand? If she explained it to Rosalie, Amelia and Luna would they understand? Would they forgive her and welcome her back? Or would they still shun her? Would they call her a defective immortal because Ezzie certainly felt like one. If she explained that in the mortal world there was dangerous sunlight and no fountains of blood or rivers of it, that they¡¯d have to use barbaric violence on others to get that sweet tasting blood, would they forgive her for destroying the controls on that rollercoaster? Ezzie just didn¡¯t know. The three girls¡ªall in flowy white gowns and with blond hair¡ªfrowned at her. ¡°But you look like you¡¯re starving,¡± one of them said. ¡°Why not just take a small sip? You¡¯ll like it.¡± She was sure she would. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ sad okay,¡± she said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m depressed. I feel empty and sad all of the time.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good at all! You poor thing.¡± ¡°Come drink with us! It¡¯ll make you feel better!¡± ¡°Do you¡ª¡± Ezzie paused, ¡°Understand?¡± ¡°Of course we do!¡± Would her sister¡¯s understand though? ¡°There are no fountains or rivers of blood in the mortal world. There¡¯s only a bright sun and barbaric violence.¡± ¡°What¡¯s violence?¡± one of the three girls asked. Rosalie knew. ¡°It¡¯s simply barbaric. It requires ripping out throats.¡± ¡°Well, we don¡¯t want to go there then.¡± Is that what Amelia, Luna and Rosalie would say if she explained it? Ezzie approached the fountain and all of that blood. These three girls seemed to understand. Would it be okay if she drank some blood? Maybe just a small sip? She felt so faint and dizzy, and her empty stomach ached. And where was Ava? ¡°Have you seen my friend?¡± she asked, approaching the fountain and the three girls closer, closer to that temptation of blood. It looked so good. ¡°No,¡± said one of the girls, and all three laughed. ¡°Drink with us!¡± These girls were so welcoming, and Ezzie thought that maybe, just maybe, her sisters would forgive and welcome her back if she explained herself. Maybe not all was lost. ¡°It¡¯ll make you feel better.¡± The girl once again held out her full cup for Ezzie to take. Maybe just a small sip wouldn¡¯t hurt. She hadn¡¯t drank her vial of blood in awhile now, and Ezzie took the cup from the girl. ¡°Well, okay. Just a small sip,¡± she said. The girls all smiled. ¡°Good. We don¡¯t want you to feel sad.¡± Ezzie paused, then took a sip. The blood was warm and sweet¡ªnot as sweet as Ava¡¯s blood had been, but still sweet¡ªand the blood filled her empty stomach, but she was still thirsty. And she drank more of the sweet blood. It filled that emptiness and sadness she always felt. These three girls understood depression. Maybe her sisters would understand too, and then Ezzie found herself in a blood craze, with total lack of self-control. She drained the cup, but was still thirsty, so she went to the edge of the fountain and cupped blood with her hands. She drank fast and greedily, and suddenly felt like she couldn¡¯t stop. She needed to drink more and more of that warm, sweet liquid. It filled her up. It made her faintness and dizziness pass. She couldn¡¯t stop. All of her guards were gone. All of her caution, and the world became the sweet blood, and blood dripped from her fingers and down her wrists, but Ezzie needed more. She needed more and more. Perhaps it was okay if she drank blood. Perhaps her sisters would understand if she explained herself. Perhaps Ava was right. Perhaps there was no point in starving herself anymore. ¡°Wow. You¡¯re really thirsty!¡± one of the girls said. The one who had given her the cup, which she now held. Ezzie wiped off her mouth and stepped away from the fountain, suddenly feeling nauseous. Her stomach wasn¡¯t used to all of this blood at once. She wiped her hands off on her holey jeans. ¡°Yes,¡± she said, heart pounding in her chest. And then she was puking up red. It splashed on the cement, and she wiped off her mouth again, feeling sick. She had to get away from all of this blood. It was too much. She ran from the fountain, and the three chubby and healthy girls who could have been her sisters, and to the edge of the courtyard and to an arched doorway. She went through the archway and again had the feeling of walking through a sheet of cold water, and she stood in the corridor at the other end of the massive room, back in the oasis, and Ava stood there. ¡°W-what just happened?¡± she asked, her stomach still lurching from all of the blood she¡¯d drank. Those girls had understood her depression, had not wanted to go to the mortal world with that bright sun and barbaric violence, had welcomed her with open arms, and Ezzie was now starting to believe that perhaps her sisters would do the same thing if she explained herself, and maybe Ava had been right all along. 17 - Harper and Aiden ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Ava, just relieved to see Ezzie. ¡°There were three girls by a fountain of blood. They could have been my sisters,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°T-they understood my depression. They welcomed me.¡± ¡°Your sisters would do the same thing, if you explained yourself,¡± said Ava, even if there was no point in trying to make Ezzie believe this, which she found frustrating. ¡°I told them about the mortal world. I told them about the sun and all of the violence. They hadn¡¯t wanted to go there. Would my sisters really be the same way if I explained it all to them? Would Rosalie, Amelia and Luna understand?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I drank blood.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± ¡°I had too much of it.¡± ¡°I had cheese and crackers.¡± ¡°Ew,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°It was delicious!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the bad men eat.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said Ava. ¡°I was in a house, surrounded by this family and their friends. A little girl poked her finger on my notebook spiral. They all blamed me for it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°No.¡± ¡°What was in that room?¡± asked Ezzie, gazing into it. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But let¡¯s get as far away from it as possible,¡± said Ava, feeling far too close to it. She did not want to go in there again. And the two continued down the narrow, starlit corridor, away from that strange barren room and whatever had been in it. # They walked the seemingly never-ending corridors in silence, Ava thinking about what she had seen and felt in that strange room¡ªthe loneliness and blame, and the shame was overwhelming. She thought she should talk to Ezzie about it, maybe open up a bit since Ezzie had told her about her sisters and suicidal thoughts and anorexia, but she didn¡¯t quite know how to go about it, and then they turned left down the narrow corridor and it opened up to a huge round courtyard where a round black tower rose, and Ava realized, with relief, that this was the tower spot on the map in her book. The windows of the tower were covered with grime, and above multitudes of stars brightened the sky and the courtyard in ghostly light. She wondered what the purpose of this tower had been. It rose above the walls of the building, touching the sky high above, and other narrow, arched doorways led to it around the courtyard. Wide stone benches surrounded it and dried out stone fountains, and for some reason the sight of that filled Ava with a dread she didn¡¯t understand because it was just a black, grimy looking tower. The two stopped in front of it. ¡°This is on the map,¡± said Ava. ¡°Yes,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°I wonder what the purpose of this tower was.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± But nothing in this building seemed to make sense, like that strange room where Ezzie had said she¡¯d drank blood and Ava had eaten cheese and crackers and felt loneliness and shame. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a way inside it.¡± They circled the tower and sure enough, there was a narrow archway that led inside. ¡°Should we go inside?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Ava, the dread overwhelming her. The inside just revealed dim darkness and the beginning of a steep staircase. After that strange room she didn¡¯t trust this place, but she had to admit that she was a little curious. ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡± said Ezzie, frowning. Ava couldn¡¯t help noticing how Ezzie¡¯s skin looked less gray and there was a little bit of color to her cheeks. The blood had been good for her apparently. Though the logistics of that room made Ava¡¯s tired head throb. ¡°Let¡¯s go in,¡± she finally said. ¡°Then we¡¯ll keep on heading north. I hope this place has a backdoor somewhere.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± said Ezzie. Inside the tower it was hot and stuffy and smelled moldy and dusty. They ascended the staircase, that twisted upwards and upwards, and on the walls Ava felt something soft and kind of mushy and ticklish, like hair, but she couldn¡¯t make out exactly what it was, so she just avoided touching the walls. They passed grimy window after grimy window. The ascent seemed to last forever and Ava found herself getting out of breath and her legs ached. They ascended the steep, winding staircase for what seemed like an hour, until they finally reached the top and stepped out onto a landing, with a narrow, low wall. Beyond they could see for miles in all directions, above the building and dense fog. The mushy things were on the walls, and Ava grimaced when she saw that they were what looked like closed eyeballs. She stayed away from the wall as far as she could and noticed Ezzie doing the same. She breathed in the cool, fresh air. It had been so stuffy in that tower. The strange building they walked through with that strange room seemed to extend for miles in all directions, top made of pale stone and sky lights. Fog was in all directions beyond it. ¡°Well, this was pointless,¡± said Ava, realizing she had been hoping there¡¯d be something in this tower, anything, that would be an indication they were going in the right direction, that there was indeed an end to the fog lands and there was a shimmering archway. The eyeballs on the walls all opened at once, pale and milky pupils, and blinked in unison, and Ava couldn¡¯t help a small shriek. Gross! She backed up into Ezzie, who stumbled backwards down the steep staircase, and the two fell downwards, steps hard and smooth, steps that had been walked many times before, and Ava hit her elbows hard. ¡°Ouch!¡± she cried out and shrieked again when she saw the milky white eyes in the inky dimness, on the walls, around the grime covered windows, blinking in unison. ¡°Oh gross!¡± She wondered again what the point of this tower had been. A simple observatory? They descended rapidly, and Ava was relieved when they finally exited it and were safely in the courtyard of stone benches and dry fountains. She breathed deeply, heart pounding. She really needed to quit smoking, though Ezzie seemed to be breathing deeply too. Her elbows stung where she¡¯d hit them. She was so happy to be away from those milky white, blinking eyeballs. That had been so weird. She hoped that very soon they would come to an end to this oasis. Only one place left to go and they¡¯d be at the very edge of the fog lands and hopefully that shimmering archway Elu had told them about. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± she said. ¡°Okay,¡± said Ezzie. She consulted the compass. ¡°This way.¡± And they left the courtyard and that strange eyeball observatory behind, going down a different, narrow corridor, again lit by the starlight from skylights high above. Had she led Mark on? Was it really her fault? Was she to blame, like her mom had said, before calling her a worthless whore? Ava just didn¡¯t know, but it really made her need a cigarette, so as she followed Ezzie, past darkened rooms and other branching corridors, she took out her pack of cigarettes and her lighter, and was alarmed when she saw she only had six cigarettes¡ªnow five¡ªleft. She needed to get home and back to Elizabeth. Just thinking about Elizabeth made her face burn hot, and she was sure she was bright red, so she was happy for the dim, ghostly light and that she followed Ezzie. She lit a cigarette as they walked and inhaled deeply. Ah yes. That was better. She smoked as they walked. She felt like they walked through a maze, entering more courtyards with dry fountains and stone benches, but no towers thankfully, following seemingly endless, narrow corridors, past vacant, seemingly forgotten rooms. She imagined the way it had once been, when immortals had walked it. It must have been very busy, and then the corridor ahead of them ended, branching out to the left and the right. The corridor to the left led downwards, and the corridor to the right led upwards and turned another sharp left. Which way to go. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it They stopped. ¡°Which way?¡± asked Ava, really hoping that Ezzie wouldn¡¯t say they needed to go left because she didn¡¯t like the thought of going downwards, and she wondered, vaguely, if this place had a basement. She threw her smoked cigarette to the cement ground and stomped on it. Ezzie studied the compass. She frowned. ¡°Neither direction leads north,¡± she said. ¡°Great,¡± muttered Ava, wanting another cigarette. ¡°Let¡¯s go right then. I don¡¯t want to go downwards.¡± ¡°Neither do I,¡± said Ezzie. Ava hoped they hadn¡¯t come to an end to the oasis and that there just wouldn¡¯t be a back way out. The thought made frustration rise inside her, as she followed Ezzie¡¯s bony frame down the corridor to the right. They needed to get out of here! At the sharp right the corridor opened up to a massive, dimly lit and red, auditorium, lit by ghostly light from the open ceiling above, revealing a multitude of stars. The seats in the auditorium were red velvet, and the stage was black and lost in shadow. The aisles were narrow and trimmed with gold, and disappointment filled Ava. This appeared to be a dead end. They¡¯d have no choice but to go down the corridor to the left that led downwards. ¡°A dead end,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Ezzie, sounding as disappointed as she felt. And then they heard laughter, the sound so unexpected that Ava started, and a girl and a boy stood in front of them, both grinning. They wore long, flowy white apparel and had pale blonde hair. They could have been fraternal twins, and Ava couldn¡¯t even guess their ages, but she assumed they were immortal, like everyone else in this world, so they could have been ancient. Their dark eyes glinted in the starlight from high above. ¡°Hello,¡± said the boy. ¡°Who are you?¡± asked the girl. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen anyone else in, well, ages.¡± The two then seemed to sniff the air. Both licked their lips. ¡°Why does she smell so¡ª¡± the boy paused, ¡°Good!¡± The two stared directly at Ava, and Ava felt like a piece of meat. These two must be immortal blood drinkers, like Ezzie, and she remembered what had happened with Ezzie¡¯s sisters when they had smelled her and shuddered and prepared to defend herself if these two decided to lunge at her. Luckily Ezzie stepped in front of her. ¡°She¡¯s a mortal. Her name is Ava.¡± ¡°Aw, Ava! What a nice name. Don¡¯t you think so, Aiden?¡± asked the girl. ¡°Yes I do, Harper,¡± Aiden replied, and the two grinned. There was something mischievous and sinister about these two, and Ava wondered why they had seemingly stayed behind. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± the two asked Ezzie in unison. ¡°Ezzie.¡± ¡°Oh! Is that short for Esmeralda? Because that¡¯s also a pretty name!¡± said Harper. ¡°Don¡¯t you think so, Aiden?¡± ¡°Yes I do!¡± said Aiden. ¡°So where are you from, Esmeralda?¡± ¡°Call me Ezzie.¡± ¡°Esmeralda. We like that name though,¡± Harper pouted. ¡°Right, Aiden?¡± ¡°Right,¡± responded Aiden. ¡°You¡¯re awfully scrawny. Do you want some blood? We have our own private fountain on the stage! The last fountain here spewing blood!¡± said Harper. ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Aw, are you sure, Esmeralda? It¡¯s awfully tasty,¡± said Harper. ¡°Right, Aiden?¡± ¡°Right,¡± Aiden responded. ¡°Now back to you, Ava. We find you very interesting. They all left to go to the mortal world, where the rivers supposedly ran with sweet blood. Are you from there?¡± asked Aiden, his dark eyes glinting, and Harper smiled. ¡°Not exactly,¡± said Ava. ¡°I mean, not literally.¡± ¡°Oh. She means not literally!¡± said Harper, laughing, and Aiden laughed too, the sound loud in the theater. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°And why do you smell so¡ª¡± Harper paused. ¡°Good!¡± The two took a few steps towards them, and Ava and Ezzie backed up. ¡°I mean, there are no rivers of blood,¡± said Ava because there really wasn¡¯t. At least, not in the way they thought. Harper pouted. ¡°Aw. That¡¯s no fun. So they all left for no reason.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you leave?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°Because we wanted to stay! Someone had to stay and hold down the fort!¡± said Aiden. ¡°Right, Harper?¡± ¡°Right. And with no one else here we can do whatever we want,¡± announced Harper. ¡°So, really, this is our place. You¡¯re trespassing. How do we feel about that, Aiden?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± said Aiden. ¡°It¡¯s not bad seeing new faces. Where are you from?¡± ¡°Across the lake, near the abandoned city.¡± ¡°Oh! They built a whole new city! Did they build the rollercoaster too, or was it already there? No one was really sure. We¡¯re not sure. Right, Aiden?¡± said Harper. ¡°Right,¡± said Aiden. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. The rollercoaster was in the center of the abandoned city,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°And it led to the mortal world?¡± asked Aiden. ¡°Where the rivers flow with sweet blood?¡± asked Harper. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go there?¡± asked Aiden. Ezzie didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Have you two heard of a shimmering archway at the end of the fog lands that leads to the mortal world? Do the fog lands come to an end?¡± Ava couldn¡¯t help asking. Aiden and Harper looked at each other and burst into laughter, and Ava couldn¡¯t help feeling a little stupid, and she felt her face grow hot and she was sure she was red. She didn¡¯t know why her question was so funny. ¡°Of course the fog lands come to an end,¡± said Harper, smiling, showing a lot of white teeth. Aiden grinned. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they?¡± he asked. ¡°But who cares about that. Have you two gone through a room of reflection yet?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± asked Ezzie, but Ava thought the twins must be referring to that strange room they¡¯d gone through, where Ava had eaten cheese and crackers and Ezzie had drank blood. She had reflected upon her blame after all, and whether or not she was to blame for what had happened with Mark, and whether her mom was right and she was just a whore, the shame overwhelmed her and made her feel dirty. ¡°Oh, they must not have gone through one then. They¡¯d know if they had. What a sorry shame,¡± said Harper. ¡°No. I think we have,¡± said Ava. ¡°Oh good!¡± said Harper, clapping her hands. ¡°You¡¯re a mortal. What do mortals reflect upon? I so do wonder! Don¡¯t you, Aiden?¡± ¡°Yes I do, Harper!¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± muttered Ava, again feeling a blush creeping up on her. Why did these two make her feel so stupid and embarrassed? ¡°Nothing!¡± declared Harper. ¡°Now that I refuse to believe.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± said Ava, staring at her muddy boots. ¡°Well fine. If you¡¯re going to be that way,¡± said Harper. ¡°Yeah. Fine,¡± said Aiden. ¡°What about you, Esmeralda? What did you reflect upon?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± said Ezzie, quietly. ¡°Nothing!¡± declared Harper. ¡°Well you two are no fun at all. Now tell us, mortal girl, Ava, why do you smell so sweet. I just want to eat you up! Don¡¯t you want to too, Aiden?¡± ¡°Yes I do, Harper,¡± said Aiden, and the two gazed at Ava, their dark eyes glinting, and Ava hated feeling like a piece of meat. ¡°Listen,¡± she said. ¡°We just need a way out of here. Can you tell us a way out?¡± ¡°But you just got here!¡± said Harper. ¡°Yes. We really think you should stay,¡± said Aiden. ¡°We really can¡¯t,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°No. We think you can! You have to entertain us! Sing a song! Go on stage!¡± said Harper gleefully. Ava did not want to sing for these two. She just wanted to get away from them, before they lunged at her like Ezzie¡¯s sisters had done. ¡°No,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°We really have to go.¡± ¡°But she smells so good. She smells better than our fountain of blood,¡± said Aiden, pointing at Ava. ¡°Right, Harper?¡± ¡°Right,¡± said Harper. ¡°Can we just lick you?¡± Ava did not want to be licked. ¡°No,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Really, we have to go.¡± ¡°Oh, but we just want one small lick,¡± said Aiden, and then the two did lunge at Ava. They pushed Ezzie aside like she was made of nothing but paper and pushed Ava to the hard ground. They were strong. They pushed up the sleeves of her sweater and their tongues were cold on her bare skin, and it was like Ezzie¡¯s sisters all over again. They found the scratch on her arm from when she¡¯d given Ezzie some of her blood and bit at it, trying to draw some blood out apparently, and Ava kicked upwards, connected with something soft, yet hard at the same time. ¡°Ouch!¡± screeched Harper, and the two backed up, sudden fear on their faces. ¡°That¡­ hurt!¡± ¡°What did you do to my sister?¡± demanded Aiden. Ava stood up, shaky and heart pounding. She yanked down the sleeves of her sweater and prepared to defend herself again if she had to. She wasn¡¯t a piece of meat. Her scratch stung. ¡°Come at me again and I¡¯ll do it again,¡± she said. ¡°What was that?¡± asked Harper. ¡°Violence. It¡¯s in the mortal world. It¡¯s from my world,¡± said Ava, not being able to help sounding angry. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like it,¡± said Harper. ¡°Do you like it, Aiden?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Aiden. The two sounded scared, which Ava noticed with relief because it meant they most likely wouldn¡¯t lunge at her again. ¡°Now how do we get out of here?¡± demanded Ava, willing her heartbeat to slow down. She sorta felt like she was about to have a panic attack. ¡°The sewers are the only back way out,¡± said Harper. ¡°Right, Aiden?¡± ¡°Right,¡± said Aiden. ¡°Now go,¡± said Harper. ¡°Go now!¡± ¡°Go now or we¡¯ll chase you!¡± said Aiden. The two laughed maniacally, and Ava couldn¡¯t help running out of the auditorium, Ezzie close behind her, away from the twins maniacal laughter because she definitely did not want to get chased by Harper and Aiden. ¡°Run faster!¡± Harper called after them. And then they were back in the ghostly lit corridor, away from that red theater. ¡°Oh, this is a fun game!¡± Aiden called behind them. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can catch you!¡± And Ava and Ezzie ran down the corridor and straight down the left-hand corridor they had avoided before, the one that led downwards. Hopefully downwards to the sewers the twins had said was the only way out. ¡°This has to lead to the sewers,¡± said Ava as they ran, her heart pounding. ¡°We see you!¡± called Aiden behind them, and the maniacal laughter of the twins echoed. ¡°Yes,¡± said Ezzie beside her, and they ran downwards and downwards, the light growing dimmer and dimmer, until the gray cement corridor they ran down was lit by dimly glowing, naked light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. Ava really hoped this led to the sewers. She hoped they¡¯d be able to outrun the twins because she didn¡¯t want to have another encounter with them. Their laughter followed them and faint footsteps, and then Ava and Ezzie fell into an orange lit tunnel, and putrid water splashed up to Ava¡¯s ankles, over her boots, and the smell made her feel like she was going to puke. She struggled to breathe. She really needed to quit smoking. This must be the sewers the twins had spoken of. ¡°We see you!¡± said one of the twins behind them. Ezzie stumbled beside her and almost fell into the putrid water, but Ava caught her before she fell. God Ezzie was light. They ran down the sewer, splashing up the putrid water. ¡°This is north,¡± said Ezzie, looking down at the compass as they ran. ¡°Oh. They¡¯re heading north!¡± said one of the twins behind them, and their maniacal laughter filled the tunnel, seemed to come from all sides of them, and the tunnel grew narrower and narrower, and smaller and smaller, until Ezzie and Ava pretty much crawled through the nasty water, in near darkness, and then they were out of the tunnel and falling into wet, disgusting earth and fog surrounded them and the high walls of the oasis were behind them, and they were in the fog lands again and away from Harper and Aiden. ¡°Oh boohoo,¡± Ava thought she heard behind them, but they quickly got to their feet and ran, until the walls of the tower oasis were lost in the fog behind them. 18 - Candlelight in the Fog ¡°I think we can stop now,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°It¡¯s not safe to run in the fog lands.¡± Ava made herself stop. She breathed in deeply, heart pounding and half expecting to hear muffled, maniacal laughter, but there was nothing but silence and the thick, chilly fog around them, and she had never been so relieved to see fog and hear nothing but silence in her entire life. Her feet were soggy from the putrid water of the tunnel, which didn¡¯t feel good, and all she could smell was that putrid aroma. She wanted to change her boots so bad, and the front of her skirt was wet from when they¡¯d had to crawl. Brown water stains were on Ezzie¡¯s holey jeans and partially on her flowy green blouse. They both needed to change, but obviously couldn¡¯t. They smelled like shit. ¡°Well, that was traumatizing,¡± said Ava. She wanted a cigarette, but thought better of it and didn¡¯t because she only had five left. She needed to conserve her nicotine. She remembered Harper and Aiden, telling them that of course the fog lands came to an end. She wasn¡¯t sure how much she trusted those two. She was just happy to be away from them. Their maniacal laughter echoed in her ears and the memory of their licking tongues. Shame overwhelmed Ava. ¡°They said the fog lands come to an end,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Yeah. Not that I trust those freaks,¡± said Ava, drying her still wet hands on her still wet skirt. This sucked. Now she was going to have to walk around in wet, disgusting clothes. It had been worth it though. ¡°I¡¯m happy we¡¯re out of that oasis.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± said Ezzie, who took the compass out of her pocket and looked at it. ¡°This way is north,¡± she said, and they began walking, damp earth beneath their feet, no noise in the muted fog surrounding them. And suddenly Ava got that feeling of dread again and sure enough the demon stood out in the fog, eyes glowing a bright red in the haziness, face twisted and contorted and long claws on its hands. Ava swallowed a lump in her throat and resisted the urge to run. It was closer than it had ever been before. She closed her eyes tight, willing the demon to go away, willed it to disappear. When she opened her eyes again it was thankfully gone. ¡°Ezzie,¡± Ava said, as they passed a sharp, white boulder. Ezzie led the way, Ava following close behind because she didn¡¯t want to get lost, all alone, in all of this grayness. ¡°Yes?¡± asked Ezzie, as they continued on their slow, cautious pace. There didn¡¯t seem to be any spinning worlds here, but you never knew. Shame made Ava¡¯s skin crawl, made her feel like the way that putrid water had smelled in the sewer tunnel. She wasn¡¯t sure if she was a whore or not, but her mom¡¯s words still echoed in her ears. She wasn¡¯t sure if she was to blame or not. ¡°Mark raped me,¡± Ava said. ¡°Who¡¯s Mark?¡± ¡°My now ex-boyfriend.¡± ¡°What does rape mean? We don¡¯t befriend the bad men.¡± ¡°He got me drunk. I think he drugged me. He forced himself on me,¡± said Ava, feeling like she was going to start crying. ¡°And my mom called me a whore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s disgusting!¡± Ezzie said, and Ava imagined Ezzie thinking about one of those bad men with their huge guts heaving on top of her. That was disgusting. That was gross. ¡°My mom made me feel like it was my fault,¡± said Ava, biting her trembling lip. She would not start crying. ¡°Why would it be your fault?¡± ¡°Because I shouldn¡¯t have been there in the first place! Did I somehow lead him on? Am I really a whore, like my mom said?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Ezzie simply. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Those men are just bad. I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t lead him on or anything. No one has the right to force themselves on you.¡± Was Ezzie right? ¡°And I have a crush on my friend Elizabeth.¡± Just saying her name out loud made Ava feel her face burning up. She hadn¡¯t meant to mention Elizabeth. It just kind of came out. And she couldn¡¯t take it back now. She had a serious case of mouth diarrhea. ¡°I like her. We kissed and my mom saw and said I can never see her again.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with kissing her?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°I¡¯m assuming the men in your world are bad too, like they are here, so kissing a girl seems like the better option.¡± ¡°Because she¡¯s a girl!¡± Ava burst out. ¡°I think I¡¯m a lesbian. I never want another boy to touch me ever again.¡± ¡°Who the hell cares that she¡¯s a girl. Kissing a girl is better than kissing a bad man. That¡¯s repulsive.¡± Ezzie made it sound so simple, but it didn¡¯t seem simple to Ava. Ezzie just didn¡¯t understand, but maybe she was right and it really was that simple? ¡°My parents will disown me,¡± whispered Ava. ¡°If they ever find out what I am I mean.¡± ¡°Keep on seeing this girl you like. The hell with your parents,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°And the rape, how disgusting, wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± ¡°You make it sound so simple.¡± Ava sighed. ¡°You make it sound so easy, but it¡¯s really not. My parents would kick me out. Where would I go? And they¡¯re helping me pay for college. They wouldn¡¯t help me anymore.¡± ¡°Go be with Elizabeth. She can be your girlfriend. And you¡¯ll find an alternate way to pay for your school. Your mom is toxic.¡± ¡°She is?¡± ¡°Yes, and this ex-boyfriend of yours, Mark, is a monster!¡± He was. ¡°I¡¯m so ashamed though,¡± said Ava, hating to admit it out loud, and she felt tears forming in her eyes and willed them to go away. She would not start crying. She would not start crying! Just opening up to Ezzie about this made her shame worse. ¡°I don¡¯t see what you have to feel ashamed about,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°I¡¯m sorry this all happened to you.¡± ¡°So am I,¡± said Ava quietly, and she was. ¡°It¡¯s the reason why I was even at the rollercoaster in the first place. It¡¯s why I was there so late. I needed to escape.¡± Ava couldn¡¯t help sounding bitter. ¡°I guess I got what I wanted.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t beat myself up about it. Things happen. I shouldn¡¯t have sent that book to your world and destroyed the controls in the first place. I wouldn¡¯t blame myself.¡± That was true. ¡°Okay,¡± said Ava simply. Luckily she didn¡¯t feel like she was going to start crying anymore. ¡°And there¡¯s something else.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°I keep on seeing this demon from my nightmares, out in the fog, like it¡¯s following me. It¡¯s why I ran that one time and ended up in the spinning world.¡± ¡°That¡¯s strange,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Ava. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it three times now.¡± And she was more than happy she wasn¡¯t seeing it again. ¡°It fills me with dread. Am I just hallucinating?¡± She really hoped she wasn¡¯t hallucinating. The last thing she needed was to add a mental illness to her problems. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Try not to worry about it though. Are you seeing it right now?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Ava. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± It was. They continued on in silence, only the muffled fog around them. They walked, and soon the damp earth beneath their feet was replaced by a broken cement street. Their footsteps were loud on the cement, and Ava tripped over debris a few times and had to stop herself from bumping into Ezzie. Apparently the broken cement street led north because they followed it, and Ava really hoped they wouldn¡¯t come to another cement wall with an archway, or a broken glass door, but thankfully they didn¡¯t. Ava thought about Mark and her mom and Elizabeth, and the possibility of coming out to her parents. The mere thought made her shiver, and she hugged her bag to her chest. Goosebumps exploded on her arms. She could feel them through the fabric of her plain black hoodie. Her feet sloshed in her boots as they walked. It was so uncomfortable. She wished she could dry her feet. She thought about what Ezzie had said, about her mom being toxic. Ezzie must be right. Fuck her mom and what she had to say. She couldn¡¯t really be a whore, could she? And was it really so easy to find an alternate way to pay for college, and would Elizabeth even want her to move in with her? She had run away when Elizabeth had kissed her after all. What would she think of her now? And besides that, Elizabeth still lived with her equally religious fanatical parents. Ava sighed. It really didn¡¯t seem as simple as Ezzie made it out to be. She could just see Elizabeth in secret and live with her when they transferred to the four-year campus. They were both planning on transferring to the same school after all. But could she handle another two years of living with her mom? She didn¡¯t even know how long she¡¯d been gone, walking through this foggy wasteland. She didn¡¯t even know how her parents were going to treat her now. She never should have been at Mark¡¯s apartment in the first place. Her dad had told her not to go to his apartment. She should have had Elizabeth rescue her sooner. But there was nothing she could do about it now. She was so tired, and her feet hurt. How long had they been walking? How was she going to explain her absence to her parents. She supposed they were already pissed off at her. She supposed it didn¡¯t really matter all that much. Ava bumped into something with her knee. ¡°Ouch!¡± she cried out, and saw she¡¯d bumped into something metal and rusted, lit dimly in the fog, but she saw, even through the fog, that it was a cart from an amusement park ride. A Ferris wheel cart perhaps? It looked like one. The fog wisped upwards, revealing more broken carts, and a fallen Ferris wheel, colors on it rusted. Through the rust Ava saw a clown¡¯s smiling face on the side of the cart she¡¯d bumped into. ¡°What is it?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°An old Ferris wheel,¡± said Ava, knee still stinging. She really needed to watch more closely where she was walking. They continued down the broken street and passed an old, rusted and red tilt-a-whirl, looming up in the fog like a ghost. They passed an old scrambler, the silver carts resting on the damp earth on the side of the road, and Ava wondered why there was an abandoned amusement park out here in the fog, which seemed to be thinning out a bit. Ava caught glimpses of stars above. They passed an old, wooden ticket booth, halfway crashed in on itself and paint on it white and peeling. ¡°Why is there an old amusement park out here?¡± Ava asked. ¡°It wasn¡¯t on the map.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Ezzie. They passed a concession stand, and the damp earth on the side of the cracked cement street was littered with empty popcorn boxes and spilled boxes and cotton candy cones. Ava wondered if they¡¯d pass an old rollercoaster, but they never did, and the fog continued to thin out, revealing even more bright stars above. They must be coming to an oasis. Maybe the candle oasis, on the very edge of the fog lands? Ava hoped so. Though a sense of unease filled her at the thought of seeing her mom and possibly Mark again. Ezzie stopped suddenly, and Ava almost bumped into her. ¡°Something is watching us,¡± said Ezzie, and sudden dread filled Ava. Was it the demon? She didn¡¯t see it anywhere. All she saw was broken, rusted rides, fog, and bright stars above. ¡°What is it?¡± asked Ava. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but let¡¯s walk faster.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ava followed Ezzie, as they quickly walked around debris and over cracks in the street. She didn¡¯t sense anything watching them, but she trusted Ezzie, and she assumed whatever was watching them was dangerous. They walked through the thinning fog, and then Ava did hear something¡ªsoft footsteps through the damp earth behind them, along the side of the road, and she heard panting. Some sort of animal stalking them? And suddenly Ava felt like prey. They did need to hurry! Soft paw steps through the fog. ¡°I hear something,¡± Ava whispered. ¡°So do I,¡± said Ezzie, and they continued at their fast pace, but whatever followed them just kept up. ¡°I think it¡¯s stalking us,¡± said Ava, and then she did think she caught a glimpse of bright yellow eyes and white fur behind them¡ªmaybe a wolf? It growled. ¡°Run!¡± Ava cried out. It leapt at them, and Ava and Ezzie ran down the crumbled street, and the wolf-thing, or whatever it was, ran after them, panting and growling. Ava did not want to become that things lunch. Her heart beat rapidly and she struggled to breathe. She needed to quit smoking. Her feet hurt as they ran. And the growling creature in the fog kept up with their pace. The fog cleared, and a huge tree loomed ahead of them, bark deep brown and branches overhanging and leaves on it bright purple. The street led straight to it. Ava thought maybe they could climb that tree to get away from the creature, but as they neared Ava saw that there was a large tree house beneath the tree, wrapping around its huge trunk, made of pale white siding. Candle flames flickered in the windows. The candle oasis on the map. Ezzie collapsed just as the bright leaves and overhanging branches were above them, and Ava nearly ran over her. She stopped and knelt down beside her. ¡°Come on!¡± she said, urging Ezzie to stand, but Ezzie¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t open. She¡¯d passed out. When was the last time she¡¯d drank any blood? It had been the blood in that strange room at the tower oasis. The door to the house and hopefully safety wasn¡¯t far away. Ava grabbed Ezzie underneath her arms and tried dragging her. ¡°Help! Help!¡± she screamed. ¡°Please help us!¡± The creature wolf-thing growled, and Ava saw it clearly¡ªit did look like a huge, white wolf. Its eyes glowed yellow, and it had awfully sharp teeth. Ava continued trying to drag Ezzie to the door of the house, heart pounding. They needed to get away from that wolf creature! The wolf seemed to stay where it was, as though it were afraid to come too close to the strange house under the strange tree, and then the door to the house opened, emitting bright yellow candlelight, and an old woman stood there with a lit lantern. She went to Ava and Ezzie. ¡°Be gone, beast!¡± the old woman said, waving her lit lantern, and the creature cowered and backed away, until it was lost in the thinned out fog around the tree. Ava willed her heart to stop pounding. ¡°She passed out,¡± said Ava, referring to Ezzie, and the old woman squinted at them. She was rotund and had a cheery face with short, white curly hair. ¡°Let¡¯s get her inside. The beast may return. Though I doubt it. It¡¯s scared of candlelight.¡± ¡°She needs my blood!¡± said Ava. ¡°How peculiar. Well, lets get her inside,¡± said the old woman. The old woman took Ezzie under one arm and Ava took her under the other arm, and together they managed to drag Ezzie to the open front door and inside, where the candle flames were even brighter and glinted across silver tin foil. ¡°This way, hon,¡± said the old woman, and they managed to get Ezzie up on a comfy looking sofa and the old woman closed the door behind them and set down her lantern. 19 - The Shimmering Archway An elaborate rug covered the wooden floorboards, and the massive trunk of the tree rose up in the middle of the room. It smelled earthy and like candlewax. Ava noticed a basket of tin foil ornaments on the floor by a huge Christmas tree. Another comfy looking sofa was on the other side of the room, and Ava couldn¡¯t help wishing she could lay on it and sleep for five hours straight. She was that tired. For now she had to help Ezzie though. She knelt by the sofa where Ezzie lay and couldn¡¯t help noticing how gray Ezzie¡¯s skin was and how sharp her cheek bones looked. She looked even more emaciated. She needed blood now. Ava dug around in her bag until she found her spiral bound notebook. She used the sharp end of the spiral to reopen the scratch on her arm and red blood blossomed. She put her arm to Ezzie¡¯s thin lips. ¡°Come on. Drink some,¡± she urged, and was relieved when Ezzie¡¯s eyes wavered open and she began to drink, sucking at Ava¡¯s stinging wound. Ezzie eagerly grabbed Ava¡¯s arm, pulling her closer, and licked at the stinging scratch, and Ava winced. Ezzie was stronger than she looked, and then Ezzie seemed to realize what she was doing and she recoiled from Ava¡¯s arm and sat straight up. ¡°That¡¯s barbaric!¡± she said. ¡°Well, you passed out. You needed blood,¡± said Ava, pulling the sleeve of her black hoodie back down, over her stinging scratch. ¡°You just had a little bit of blood.¡± ¡°Where are we? What happened? Where¡¯s that wolf-creature?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°It¡¯s scared of the candlelight,¡± spoke up the old woman, and Ava started. She¡¯d forgotten the old woman was even there. ¡°You passed out. We¡¯re in that house. We¡¯re safe,¡± explained Ava. ¡°Oh,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Ava. ¡°What were you dears doing out there in the lost place? The abandoned park is dangerous to walk through without candle flame,¡± said the old woman. ¡°We didn¡¯t know,¡± said Ava, and she didn¡¯t know where they would have gotten any candlelight anyway. ¡°We¡¯re trying to get to the end of the fog lands. Is there an end? We were told there is a shimmering archway that leads to the mortal world. We need to get to it before it disappears!¡± Ava couldn¡¯t help sounding frantic. ¡°Of course the fog lands come to an end,¡± said the old woman. Relief filled Ava. This old woman had to be right. ¡°Is it close?¡± she asked. ¡°Close enough,¡± said the old woman. ¡°But first you should rest.¡± That sounded appealing. Ava had a tired headache and her feet hurt so bad. She sat on the comfy looking sofa next to Ezzie, and it was as comfy as it looked. It felt so good to be sitting down. Candle flame danced over the tin foil ornaments. It really was pretty and somewhat strange. Why did this old woman have so many tin foil Christmas tree ornaments? They were in different shapes¡ªcandy canes and gingerbread men and stars. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± asked the old woman. ¡°I can make you sandwiches.¡± Ava¡¯s stomach grumbled. ¡°I¡¯m starving,¡± she admitted. ¡°Okay. Before I go to the kitchen, what are your names dears?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ava.¡± ¡°Ezzie.¡± ¡°Okay Ava and Ezzie, my name is Anne. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± And the old woman named Anne disappeared around the enormous tree trunk and was lost from sight. ¡°She said the fog lands come to an end,¡± said Ava, yawning without being able to help it. ¡°Yes. Maybe you should sleep? Don¡¯t you mortals need sleep? I thought Rosalie said that one time about mortals,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Well, just until Anne comes back,¡± said Ava, resting her head against Ezzie¡¯s bony shoulder. ¡°Wake me up.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± said Ezzie, and Ava found herself drifting off into a dreamless sleep immediately. ¡°I have sandwiches and juice.¡± Anne¡¯s voice made Ava jerk awake. She¡¯d probably only been sleeping for twenty minutes max, but the power nap made her head feel better, and her stomach grumbled again. She hoped the sandwiches didn¡¯t have meat on them. Anne held a serving tray, with sandwiches and a tall glass of red juice on it. The sandwiches didn¡¯t look like they had meat on them, but you never knew. ¡°What kind of sandwiches are they?¡± she asked. ¡°Plain cheese. I hope that¡¯s okay, and the juice is grape, dear.¡± ¡°That sounds good!¡± said Ava, relieved. Anne set the tray down on the end table next to the sofa. There were three sandwiches on it. She grabbed one and couldn¡¯t help eating it ravenously. She was starving! It was the best sandwich she¡¯d ever had. Anne sat down on a rocking chair covered with an elaborate green and light blue quilt. Ava ate all three sandwiches and drank the juice and felt better. She brushed crumbs off her sweater and felt bad when they landed on the floor rug. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said. ¡°Oh. Don¡¯t worry Ava dear,¡± said Anne, smiling. ¡°It¡¯s been a very long time since I¡¯ve had visitors. I haven¡¯t had visitors since the beast came and ate everyone.¡± Shivers ran up and down Ava¡¯s spine. ¡°Ate everyone?¡± she said. ¡°Why yes. Its appetite rivals yours, sweetie,¡± said Anne. ¡°Oh hell,¡± said Ezzie, as Ava felt herself burning red. Her face felt hot, and she hoped she wouldn¡¯t develop a full body blush. Anne just smiled and rocked in her chair. ¡°I¡¯ve been alone for so long,¡± she said. ¡°Do you like my ornaments?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Ava said. ¡°They¡¯re very pretty.¡± ¡°I made them myself. It¡¯s a hobby of mine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cool,¡± said Ava. ¡°So if we continue north we¡¯ll reach the end of the fog lands?¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Why, I believe so, yes dear,¡± said Anne. ¡°We have to leave then. Now,¡± said Ava frantically. ¡°What about that wolf-thing?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°I can give you one of my lanterns. As long as the flame remains lit, that will keep it away,¡± said Anne. ¡°Once you come to the end of the abandoned place, the beast shouldn¡¯t follow you.¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do it,¡± said Ava. ¡°But you just got here,¡± said Anne, now frowning. ¡°You don¡¯t want to stay awhile longer?¡± ¡°We really can¡¯t,¡± said Ava. ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Well, okay,¡± said Anne, sighing. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a lantern, and also one of my tinsel knives, just in case.¡± ¡°A knife?¡± said Ezzie, sounding appalled. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± said Ava. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in my bag.¡± ¡°Well, okay,¡± said Ezzie, not sounding comfortable with the idea. Ava wanted all of the protection they could get however, and when Anne came back with what looked like a huge pocket knife, she took it gratefully and put it in her bag. ¡°Thanks,¡± said Ava. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, dear,¡± said Anne. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s get you two the lantern. Before we do that, are you sure you don¡¯t want to stay a bit longer? I can show you how I make my tinfoil ornaments.¡± ¡°No. We really have to go,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Well, okay,¡± said Anne, sounding disappointed. Ava and Ezzie both got up and followed Anne to the front door, where numerous lanterns sat. Ava was afraid to go back out in the fog, where that wolf was, but they absolutely had to get going. It was imperative they get to the end of the fog lands and the shimmering archway to the mortal world. She had to get home, even if it meant facing Mark and her mom and apologizing to Elizabeth. Even if it meant facing her own sexuality, which immediately made her uncomfortable, and she barely noticed when Anne handed Ezzie a lantern, candle light inside flickering. ¡°The road continues beyond the tree, and the abandoned place doesn¡¯t extend too far beyond that. As long as you keep the candle flame lit, the beast won¡¯t approach you.¡± Ava had her cigarette lighter with her anyway, so she wasn¡¯t worried about that. ¡°Thanks,¡± said Ava. ¡°Not a problem. Good luck, dears,¡± said Anne, opening the door for them, and Ava followed Ezzie out into the fog and the deep, overhanging boughs of the tree. They surrounded the tree and came back to the crumbled and cracked street, and the fog thickened as they followed it, leaving the safety of the tree and all those lit candles behind them. The light from the lantern barely penetrated the thick grayness around them. Ava stayed close to Ezzie as they walked, and the safe glow of the lantern. Abandoned amusement park rides rose on either side of the road, like ghosts, all rusted and forgotten. Had the beast, as Anne called it, really eaten everyone? For some reason Ava doubted that. The people who had once lived here must have disappeared like the ones had at that abandoned city near Ezzie¡¯s oasis. ¡°Do you hear it at all?¡± Ava whispered. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s following us,¡± Ezzie whispered back. Ava glanced around frantically, but saw nothing but fog and the broken and rusted cart of a ride, seat on it molding in the damp fog. Then she did hear it¡ªfaint paws over damp earth, quiet panting, and she moved closer to Ezzie and the glow of the lantern. It was stalking them again, and once again Ava felt like prey. She put her hand in her bag and clutched the handle of the large pocketknife, finding its cool metal a relief, just in case. She of course doubted she¡¯d even have to use it. Anne had said the abandoned place didn¡¯t expand far beyond the huge tree, so she assumed they¡¯d come to the end of it soon and safety from the wolf creature. They walked, slowly through the fog, and Ezzie stopped, and Ava barely managed not bumping into her. ¡°We¡¯re not going north anymore,¡± she whispered. ¡°What?¡± asked Ava, voice louder than she¡¯d intended. ¡°What do you mean?¡± She whispered that. Ezzie looked back down at the compass. ¡°I mean, according to the compass, the road doesn¡¯t continue north.¡± Ava hadn¡¯t expected that, and she heard the pawing of the wolf-creature, stalking them, circling them, and she shivered and tried pulling down the sleeves of her sweater. ¡°What should we do?¡± she asked. ¡°Should we follow the compass? I just want out of here!¡± ¡°Me too,¡± said Ezzie. They stood in silence then, just the damp fog, and the faint sounds of the wolf-creature as it circled them, but at least Anne had been right about it being afraid of the lantern and the faintly glowing candle inside it. ¡°I suppose we should follow the compass,¡± Ava finally whispered, even if she didn¡¯t like the idea of leaving the relative safety of the street, but she supposed it didn¡¯t matter all that much. It was just a false safety. ¡°Okay,¡± said Ezzie. Ava reclaimed her grasp on the pocketknife as she followed Ezzie off the street and onto the damp earth and the surrounding abandoned amusement park rides. They walked slowly, avoiding broken carts and rides, that sometimes rose up so suddenly Ezzie had to stop abruptly, and Ava ran into her a couple of times, and somehow Ezzie managed not to fall because she held the lantern in one hand and the compass in the other. The abandoned amusement park seemed to have no end, and the wolf continued following them, though maintaining its distance, and Ava kept her hand safely grasped over the hilt of the pocketknife, finding comfort in its cool metal. They walked for what seemed like forever, and Ava wished the wolf would go away. Wasn¡¯t it sick of stalking them by now? They walked in silence. They passed the ruined remains of a wooden rollercoaster, tracks rusted and wood molding. How big was the lost place, as Anne had called it, and Ava found herself growing impatient. She wished they could move faster. She wished they could run, even if her feet hurt and she once again had her tired headache. And then the unthinkable happened. The candle flame went out. Ezzie stopped, and Ava, once again, bumped into her, only this time Ezzie did lose her balance and fell onto the damp earth beneath their feet. Ava fell on top of her, and the lantern rolled away into the fog. Panicked, Ava scrambled off of Ezzie, and then the wolf growled and lunged at them, appearing through the fog, all slobbery and sharp teeth, and Ava stabbed upwards with the pocketknife, into soft flesh, and let go. The wolf yelped, and the yelp made Ava¡¯s heart break. It panted and whimpered and retreated out of sight through the fog, the knife still stuck in its neck, leaving a trail of bright red blood behind. ¡°We have to follow it,¡± said Ava, heart pounding. That yelp of pain had sounded so dog-like it made her heart ache, and she wondered what exactly she had done. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Wait, Ava!¡± Ezzie cried behind her as she followed the trail of blood, into the fog and away from Ezzie, barely hearing her voice. The trail of blood didn¡¯t last long. The wolf-creature¡ªthat now looked more like a giant dog to her¡ªlay next to an abandoned amusement cart ride, the paint on it rusted red and a huge, smiling clown face on its side. The wolf whimpered on the damp earth, the pocketknife stuck in its neck, a pool of blood beneath it, and the blood reminded Ava of the color red on the amusement park ride cart, except now rusted. It was bright red in the fog. Ava knelt by the wolf-dog, and the wolf-dog whimpered at her, bright blue eyes full of fear as she grasped the bloody hilt of the pocket knife, all fear gone now. It was just a big dog, and sudden loneliness filled her. She pulled the knife out, and the wolf-dog yelped in pain, and a whole new river of red blood washed over Ava¡¯s hand, sticky hot. The loneliness overwhelmed her then. It was just a lonely big dog! What had she done? ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she whispered, dropping the knife and clutching its head, fur cold and damp and leaving a handprint of bright red on its white fur. The wolf-dog licked her face, tongue cold and wet. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± she said, heart aching. ¡°I didn¡¯t know!¡± She barely felt the dog¡¯s blood as it washed over her skirt, as it rested its head on her lap and she pet it. ¡°What were you thinking!¡± Ezzie suddenly said behind her. ¡°You don¡¯t run in the fog lands.¡± The dog whimpered. Ava felt her eyes getting wet. ¡°It¡¯s just a lonely dog,¡± she said. Ezzie knelt down by her. ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°I killed a lonely dog!¡± And then Ava started crying. ¡°Oh, Ezzie.¡± ¡°Ava,¡± said Ezzie. Ava cried, more like wailed, and Ezzie put her arms around her, and Ava felt comfort in Ezzie¡¯s bony and cold embrace. She¡¯d killed a dog! The wolf-dog put its head down in her lap, and when Ava finished crying she found its whimpering had stopped and it was dead, its deep blue eyes glassy and unseeing, and the blood flow had stopped. She sniffed and gently moved its head. ¡°I think I¡¯m okay now,¡± she said, though she just felt empty and drained. ¡°You didn¡¯t know, Ava,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Neither of us did,¡± said Ava, blood sticky on her hands, and she wiped them off on her already bloody skirt. ¡°Anne had been wrong.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Well, we better get going,¡± said Ava, even if she just wanted to go to sleep. She wiped away her tears and stood, and Ezzie stood up too. ¡°I wish we could bury it,¡± said Ava, heart still aching. She¡¯d killed an innocent, lonely animal. The guilt was overwhelming, and suddenly she just wanted to get out of there. ¡°But we can¡¯t, so let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± said Ezzie. She looked down at the compass. ¡°This way.¡± And they walked away from the corpse of the wolf-dog, leaving it alone in the abandoned place and the thick, gray fog. They followed the trail of blood back to where they had been, and Ezzie led them north once again. They walked slowly, and Ava thought of the wolf-dog, though she tried not to because it made her upset. She was so sick of fog she could puke, and soon they came across another broken, cement street and followed that, through the abandoned place. She imagined how long the wolf-dog must have endured in loneliness and despair and barely noticed when the amusement park rides fell away behind them and they just walked through thick gray fog, the blood cold and sticky on her skirt. ¡°I¡¯m so sick of fog!¡± she said, voice muffled. ¡°You don¡¯t have fog in the mortal world?¡± Ezzie asked. ¡°Well, we do sometimes, but not all of the fucking time!¡± said Ava. ¡°Oh,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°I¡¯m used to it.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the first thing you¡¯re going to do when you get back?¡± asked Ezzie. ¡°Probably spend a whole day in the sun!¡± ¡°Well, after that then.¡± ¡°Probably apologize to Elizabeth.¡± ¡°Are you going to be with her then?¡± ¡°I guess so,¡± said Ava, not being able to help frowning. ¡°It¡¯s really not that simple.¡± Or was it? ¡°I think it is,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°What about you? Are you going back to your sisters?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± said Ava, relieved they weren¡¯t talking about her anymore. ¡°What I saw in the room of reflection made me reconsider whether or not they would indeed forgive me.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to go to the mortal world with me?¡± Ava asked. ¡°Not with all that barbaric violence, no. Plus, I¡¯d miss my sisters. I already miss them.¡± Ezzie sighed. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long journey back though.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Ava. ¡°It is.¡± She didn¡¯t even want to imagine. ¡°What will you do if we reach the end and there is no shimmering archway?¡± asked Ezzie. Ava didn¡¯t want to think about that. What would she do? She couldn¡¯t go back with Ezzie. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Will you come back with me?¡± ¡°Not with the way your sisters acted. I don¡¯t know what I would do.¡± ¡°We could stay together. I don¡¯t have to go back to them.¡± ¡°There absolutely has to be a shimmering archway!¡± said Ava frantically. She didn¡¯t even want to think about being stuck in the fog lands forever. ¡°Elu was right about there being an end!¡± ¡°That¡¯s very true.¡± ¡°I hope nothing else gets in our way,¡± said Ava. ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°Are you going to drink blood on your own now?¡± Ava asked. Ezzie sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You have to!¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to still? You don¡¯t have anything to prove. You can explain to your sisters what depression is. I¡¯m sure Rosalie has read about it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very true.¡± ¡°So, like I said, you don¡¯t have anything to prove anymore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s also very true. I just wish I didn¡¯t have this problem with depression. I just want to go home.¡± ¡°Thanks for helping me,¡± said Ava. ¡°I know you don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°I want to,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°It¡¯s my fault you¡¯re even here.¡± ¡°Actually, I wouldn¡¯t blame myself. Mark is the true reason why I¡¯m here. I wouldn¡¯t even have been at the rollercoaster that late at night if it wasn¡¯t for that ass wipe,¡± said Ava. God she hated Mark. She was happy she¡¯d kicked him in the balls. ¡°It¡¯s so gross what he did to you,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°I know,¡± said Ava, and sudden shame overcame her when she remembered her mom¡¯s reaction, and when she thought about it potentially being her fault. The shame made her feel like a dirty whore, like her mom had said. ¡°I¡¯m still so ashamed.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault. To hell with your mom and what she said.¡± Ava wished she could will the shame away. ¡°Your mom is toxic,¡± said Ezzie. Ava realized that, but the shame was still there, gnawing at the edges of her mind, and she didn¡¯t say anything. She wished she could will away the blood and grime on her skirt. It didn¡¯t help her dirty feeling or her shame. They walked in silence then, through the never-ending fog, their pace slow and careful, down the broken street. They hadn¡¯t come across a spinning world archway in a long time and Ava doubted there were even any this far north. She wondered how long they¡¯d have to walk. Anne hadn¡¯t said, just said that the lost place came to an end soon. Ava tried not to think as they walked, just focused on the back of Ezzie and her long, knotty pink hair. After awhile the fog seemed to clear somewhat, and above Ava saw the starlit night sky. The fog still swirled around their ankles, but it revealed the barren, rocky terrain they walked through and the damp brown earth. They continued north and wisps of fog covered the sky again, but the fog definitely wasn¡¯t as thick as it had been before, and Ava¡¯s heart thudded. Were they nearing the end, or just coming to another oasis, or obstacle as she liked to call them now. The fog thickened again, hiding the sky above completely, and they had to, once again, slow their pace to a measly crawl, though Ava just wanted to run. They came across more and more patches where the fog lifted and just swirled around their ankles and revealed the starlight above, and then Ava thought she heard something. Was that the crashing of waves? The sound intensified the further north they went, and then they came to a broken wall with open, rectangular windows, frames made of moldy wood, and Ava smelled the salty aroma of the sea. And beyond the window they stood in front of Ava saw it and huge crashing black waves and no fog, just starlit sky and the vast, never-ending sea. The waves were huge and fierce and crashing on the rocky shoreline, the noise almost deafening. Huge spouts of water shot up from the water, further out in the ocean, reaching the sky above, but in the distance Ava thought she saw the faint yellow glimmer of a shoreline¡ªan island? Excitement filled her. This had to be the end of the fog lands! ¡°This must be the end, Ezzie!¡± she said. ¡°Yes,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Now where is that shimmering archway?¡± Ava really hoped it wasn¡¯t on that island. The thought of taking a boat all the way over there, through huge, crashing dark waves and those massive waterspouts terrified her! They followed the crumbled wall, strong wind that smelled salty like the sea blowing Ava¡¯s hair around her face, until they came to an opening and walked through, onto the rocky beach. ¡°Do you see it anywhere?¡± asked Ava frantically, looking up and down the beach, but all she saw were pale gray boulders and rocks. The waves crashed on the shoreline, and even if they weren¡¯t close to the water¡¯s edge Ava felt sprays of icy cold water. ¡°Lets follow the beach,¡± suggested Ezzie. ¡°Do you want to go left or right?¡± ¡°How about left,¡± Ava said immediately. She had a good feeling about going left. They followed the shoreline left, climbing over boulders when necessary, and more than once Ava had to keep herself from falling, all the while the sound of the crashing waves and sprays of sea foam, and she shivered, and she had thought the fog lands were cold! They walked forever, Ava¡¯s feet aching. ¡°Which way leads north?¡± she finally asked Ezzie, as they climbed over a particularly large boulder. ¡°Over the water,¡± said Ezzie, brushing a strand of her knotty pink hair behind her ear. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s on that island,¡± said Ava, heart falling. How were they going to get all the way over there? That seemed impossible. They couldn¡¯t swim. The waves were too high, and there were those waterspouts besides. ¡°But how can we get over there?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe we can make a raft?¡± But Ezzie sounded as disheartened as she felt. ¡°Let¡¯s keep on walking.¡± They kept on walking and climbing over rocks and boulders, and when Ava fell and skinned her knee Ezzie helped her stand, her hand icy cold. Soon they came to an inlet, where there was wet sand, and a boat made out of bright silver and rusted metal. A man stood by the boat, his appearance so startling Ava almost stumbled and fell again. His skin was so light it was almost gray and he wore long black robes with an equally black hood and leaned against a scythe. His eyes were closed. But what was really strange about him was that he wore dirty white sneakers and Ava got a glimpse of tan kakis at his ankles, at the bottom of his black robes. Who was this? The grim reaper? Ava and Ezzie both stopped. ¡°What the hell,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Yeah. What the fuck,¡± said Ava. And the two laughed, more out of hysteria than anything else, and as though startled the man¡ªgrim reaper?¡ªjerked awake and stood up straight. He was tall, at least seven feet, much taller than his scythe. His eyes were milky gray. He blinked at them in surprise, as though he were as surprised to see them as they were to see him. ¡°Who goes there!¡± he demanded, clearing his throat and coughing, and that just heightened Ezzie and Ava¡¯s hysterical laughter. ¡°Why are you laughing? I command you to stop laughing!¡± That just made Ezzie and Ava laugh harder. Ava doubled over. Oh, her stomach hurt! This was too funny for some reason. What a ridiculous situation. She laughed so hard she cried. Why was the grim reaper standing here? ¡°Stop laughing!¡± he commanded. Ava did her best. She wiped away her tears. Ezzie stopped laughing too, and they both stared at him. ¡°Who are you?¡± he commanded. ¡°I¡¯m Ava.¡± ¡°Ezzie.¡± ¡°Are you the grim reaper?¡± Ava asked. ¡°In-in kakis?¡± She burst out laughing, but stopped herself when he frowned at her. ¡°Of course I¡¯m not,¡± he said. He gazed at the scythe. ¡°Stupid thing.¡± He let it drop to the damp sand. ¡°My name is Bill. I¡¯m the ferryman to that island over there.¡± ¡°Really!¡± said Ava. ¡°Is there a shimmering archway to the mortal world over there?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Bill simply. ¡°There is an archway, but it only appears every hundred years.¡± So Elu had been right. ¡°Can you take us there?¡± ¡°Of course I can. It¡¯s my job. Though I haven¡¯t had to do it in a long time.¡± Excitement filled Ava. ¡°You¡¯re going home, Ava,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Yes.¡± Ava could hardly believe it. ¡°Hop on board,¡± said Bill, indicating his metal boat. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m good at maneuvering around the waterspouts.¡± That was good to know. Ava and Ezzie both got in the back of the metal boat. There were no seats, so they had to sit down on cold, rusted metal and sand remnants. Bill picked up his scythe and threw it in the boat by them, then he began pushing the boat out to sea and those crashing waves. He was definitely stronger than he looked. The first wave hit them, deafening and getting salty water all over Ava, and she was sure the boat was going to tip right over, but again, Bill was much stronger than he looked. When they crested the second wave he got in, robes wet and dripping, and began paddling with the scythe, going from side to side, until they were in much deeper water and the coast was far behind them. The waves roiled around them, big and terrifying and overwhelming, and Ava found herself gripping Ezzie¡¯s hand, and Ezzie gripped hers back. Side to side, Bill paddled the boat, as though the boat were part of his own body, and they went deeper and deeper. Ava felt the rocking of the boat, felt Ezzie¡¯s icy cold hand, felt the salt water dripping through her hair. She shivered. They passed a huge water spout, water black and rising upwards to the night sky, and true to his word, Bill maneuvered them around it and they were safe. Behind them the shoreline was a distant, gray strip, and ahead of them the island drew near, a yellow beach, some ancient looking statues. ¡°Are we almost there?¡± Ava asked, and she found herself chattering her teeth. She couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°So impatient,¡± Bill said back. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like this,¡± said Ezzie beside Ava, and Ava saw fear on her emaciated face. How would she even survive the journey back to her sisters without blood? ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Ava said back. Bill continued paddling, and they passed more huge, shooting water spouts, and then Ava saw the shoreline of the island more clearly, saw the ancient stone statues and sandy beach and beyond that crooked black trees that matched the water. ¡°Almost there,¡± said Bill, not even breaking a sweat from having to paddle and steer so much. Damn was he in shape! The island grew nearer and nearer, and they crested a massive wave and hit the sandy shoreline of it, and Bill jumped out, grabbed the boat, and hauled it onto the beach before they could be dragged back out from the undercurrent. Ava¡¯s legs were wobbly as she stood and got out of the boat, Ezzie behind her. She sighed. Her boots were wet again. ¡°Follow that pathway,¡± said Bill, indicating a narrow trail through the forest with his gleaming wet scythe. ¡°I¡¯ll wait here. In case you want to go back.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± said Ava immediately. ¡°I will,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait.¡± Bill yawned and leaned against his scythe, closing his eyes. Ava was surprised he wasn¡¯t snoring. They walked across the beach, over wet yellow sand, until they came to the trees and a narrow, rooted trail. Ava followed Ezzie through the blackened, barren trees, the forest floor covered in tangles of black thorns and red flowers. Ava was so relieved there was no fog, not even a wisp of it. ¡°I¡¯m not used to this place. Without any fog,¡± Ezzie said in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± said Ava, trying to reassure her because she sounded really freaked out. ¡°This is what it¡¯s like in my world. Well, the no fog part. I¡¯ve never seen a forest like this before.¡± ¡°Neither have I.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the archway?¡± said Ava impatiently, and she once again wished they could run, but there was no way to run over the rooted trail without tripping and falling. Her knee still stung where she¡¯d skinned it, and soon they came to a small clearing, and in the center rose a massive black archway, vines and flowers entwined around it. It was see through. This must be the shimmering archway. They¡¯d finally reached it! It disappeared, and Ava panicked, but then it thankfully reappeared. ¡°I think you have to go through it now,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Ava, worried it was going to disappear and never reappear. ¡°I guess this is goodbye?¡± ¡°I guess so,¡± said Ezzie. But then Ava got that feeling of dread¡ªthe dread she felt when the demon was near, and there it stood, just off to the side of the archway, gray mottled skin and bright red, glowing eyes, and clawed hands. There was no way to get to the archway without going past it, and it grinned at her and opened its arms wide, as though it wanted her to hug it, and Ava realized she wasn¡¯t as scared of it anymore. It couldn¡¯t hurt her. Could never hurt her in the first place. And she took a deep breath and neared it. Its grin widened, and its arms only opened wider, and not even thinking first Ava ran to it and hugged it. It hugged her back, wrapping its mottled arms and clawed hands around her, and Ava immediately felt like she had when Mark had put the pillow over her head. She struggled to breathe, but only hugged the demon harder, it¡¯s skin damp and cold, and she saw herself from a third person perspective¡ªa girl who had gone to a boy¡¯s apartment, been drugged and raped and suffocated. She saw how it wasn¡¯t her fault Mark had raped her. She wouldn¡¯t have blamed that girl. Her mom was wrong. She wasn¡¯t a payless whore. And her shame melted away, melted away in the arms of the demon she¡¯d been trying to run from. A load lifted off her shoulders, and Ava could breathe again. She took in deep, shaky breaths, and stumbled backwards and fell hard on her ass, and the demon was gone. It was like she¡¯d found an inner sense of warm love, and the love surrounded her, came from deep inside her, and Ava did all she could not to cry. She would never have judged a different girl so harshly. The shame was gone. And her demon was gone, and it was just the black archway in the small clearing, and the tangled, spiky brambles and red flowers, and the black, barren trees, and Ezzie. She had to leave Ezzie. The realization made panic rise inside her. She had an inner core of courage now¡ªto face her mom and Mark again if she had to. She had to leave Ezzie behind. The panic overwhelmed her. She¡¯d never see her again. It wasn¡¯t like they could exchange phone numbers. Ezzie came to her and helped her stand. ¡°Was that the demon you were seeing in the fog lands?¡± she asked. ¡°What happened?¡± Ava took deep breaths and stared into Ezzie¡¯s strange purple eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to face my mom anymore. The shame is gone,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°To hell with your mom.¡± The archway shimmered, like it was going to disappear again. ¡°You better go through it, back to your world,¡± said Ezzie, looking away from her gaze. ¡°I know,¡± said Ava. ¡°I¡¯ll never see you again though. I¡¯ll never know if you made it back to your sisters okay.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about me. I have the compass,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°But what about blood? What if you faint again?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°Here, drink some of my blood quick before I go,¡± said Ava. She took her journal out of her bag and made a deep, stinging scratch on her hand that instantly blossomed blood, deep red like the flowers on the thorny bushes. ¡°You have to drink.¡± Ezzie took her hand and put her mouth over the scratch and sucked at the blood. Ava winced a little bit in pain, but let Ezzie drink, and when Ezzie was done she looked up and kissed her. Her lips tasted metallic like blood, and after her initial surprise Ava returned the kiss. She didn¡¯t run away, like she had when Elizabeth had kissed her. Then the two separated, and Ezzie took Ava¡¯s scratched hand and closed it and whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to leave.¡± Ava felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe again. She wanted to cry. ¡°I know. I don¡¯t want to leave you either, but I have to go back to my world.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Ezzie said simply. ¡°Okay,¡± said Ava back. The archway disappeared, then reappeared. It was time for her to go before it disappeared completely. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you,¡± said Ezzie. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too. Thank you. For everything.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Ezzie back. ¡°Bye, Ezzie.¡± ¡°Bye, Ava.¡± And then Ava walked through the archway. 20 - The Ending She saw her trip in reverse¡ªthe ocean and crashing waves, the wolf and Anne¡¯s strange tree house and candles, the tower oasis and Aiden and Harper, the never-ending snow and Leona and Cadence, the mushrooms, Sakari and Aryana and Elu, the musician, the bad men, and then the rollercoaster. She swirled through blackness, and then she was on the rollercoaster, going in reverse, going backwards down deep drops that made her stomach go in her throat, hearing the creaking of the wheels on rusted metal, and then the blackness cleared and she sat in the rollercoaster cart, heart racing, and she was alone. She blinked, and she saw the sun, rising upwards, and it was morning, and there was no fog. She was back in her world, though she didn¡¯t know the time or date, and felt like she was waking up from a strange dream, but she knew it wasn¡¯t a dream because she tasted blood on her lips and when she opened her hand saw the stinging scratch on her palm. She wondered what time it was. She wondered what day it was. She wondered how long she¡¯d been gone. She really needed to take a shower. She was covered in sea water and grime and blood and didn¡¯t know how she was going to explain her appearance to her parents. But she wasn¡¯t too worried about it. She had to get to Elizabeth. She stood up, legs shaky, and left the abandoned amusement park, boots crunching over dried leaves, the light still dim but bright enough where she could see where she was going, which she was grateful for because her phone was still dead. Her car was where she¡¯d left it, and she rummaged in her bag for her keys and got into the car. She lit up a cigarette and smoked as she drove through the forest, until she came back to civilization and the light of the sun grew brighter. She¡¯d never been more happy to see the sun. She drove home, parked her car on the road, and got out, prepared for the shit show she was about to walk into. She wasn¡¯t afraid of her mom anymore. She¡¯d faced her demon. Inside the house her mom waited at the table and stood up when she came in. ¡°Where have you been?¡± she demanded. ¡°It¡¯s seven in the morning! You¡¯ve been gone all night! You went back to that Elizabeth girl didn¡¯t you? I already said I forbid you from seeing her!¡± Then her mom looked her up and down and frowned. ¡°Why are you covered in blood? Where have you been!¡± ¡°I need to take a shower, mom,¡± said Ava. ¡°And I am seeing Elizabeth again.¡± ¡°No you¡¯re not. My daughter will not be a dyke!¡± She spit out her words, face turning red with anger. ¡°I¡¯m a lesbian, mom,¡± said Ava. Her mom took a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re going to hell if you really are! Aren¡¯t you worried about your soul?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Ava, and she walked past her mom and went to her room, where she grabbed a fresh pair of black pants, some cute kitty socks, and another black sweater. She plugged in her dead phone. It was time to read those text messages, but after she took a shower. Squeaky clean, Ava changed into her new outfit. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°You¡¯re going to hell. My daughter will not be a dyke!¡± her mom said to her as she passed her and went to her room. It felt good to be clean again. She was prepared for her parents to kick her out now, so she really hoped Elizabeth would forgive her for running away. She checked her phone, deleted the texts from Mark and read the ones from Elizabeth. I¡¯m so sorry Ava. Please forgive me. I shouldn¡¯t have done that. Where are you? Are you okay? Ava responded. You wouldn¡¯t believe me if I told you. Trust me. I¡¯m coming over. Ava just wanted to sleep for two days straight, but she needed to see Elizabeth first. Elizabeth texted back immediately. Explanation? I¡¯ll explain when I come over. You won¡¯t believe it. Okay. What about your mom? Fuck my mom. Oh wow! See you in a bit. Okay. Ava grabbed her bag and took out the book and set it on her bed. She really should have given that to Ezzie before she went through the archway. It could have helped her get back to her sisters. She¡¯d never know if Ezzie made it back okay. She didn¡¯t like thinking about that. She brushed her teeth and ignored her mom¡¯s glare as she put on a new pair of boots that weren¡¯t wet. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± her mom asked. ¡°To see Elizabeth.¡± ¡°Oh no you¡¯re not!¡± ¡°Yes I am. Sorry, mom.¡± Though Ava didn¡¯t know why she was apologizing. It should have been her mom apologizing to her, for saying those awful things. ¡°A dyke.¡± Her mom shook her head. ¡°What about Mark? You were going out with him! That good Christian boy¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving now,¡± said Ava, interrupting her mom because she didn¡¯t want to hear a huge rant about how great Mark was. ¡°He raped me and drugged me.¡± ¡°What! I refuse to believe it!¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s true.¡± And Ava left the house, leaving her mom¡¯s aghast face behind. If she didn¡¯t want to believe that was fine. With a massive tired headache Ava drove to Elizabeth¡¯s house. She breathed in the fresh smell of dried leaves, of fall, as she walked through the bright sunlight to Elizabeth¡¯s front door. She knocked, and Elizabeth immediately opened it, wearing flamingo pajama bottoms and a large t-shirt. She was beautiful, hair framing her face and freckles and Ava smelled cinnamon. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Ava,¡± she said. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have¡ª¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m sorry. Will you forgive me? I really fucked up.¡± ¡°No you didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Yes I did.¡± And Ava kissed Elizabeth, her lips soft and warm, and she smelled the cinnamon incense in her hair. Elizabeth seemed shocked at first, but then returned the kiss, and Ava was home and happy, and this time she didn¡¯t run away. ¡°I love you,¡± she whispered in Elizabeth¡¯s ear. ¡°Oh, Ava!¡± Elizabeth cried out, pulling her into a tight hug. ¡°You have to tell me everything.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll never believe me.¡± ¡°Try me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Come in,¡± said Elizabeth, and Ava went in. # Ezzie lay in her pool of warm water, only this time the water warmed her, straight to her bones, and no ice chunks floated in it, only fragrant and pretty purple flowers. It had taken a long time, but she¡¯d made it back to her sisters and her soothing oasis, and her sisters had welcomed her back with open arms. Now she was as rosy and chubby as her sisters, after choosing to drink blood again. Her sisters had welcomed her back and forgiven her, like Ava had said they would. She¡¯d stood in front of one of Amelia¡¯s many mirrors, stared at her emaciated face and body, stared in horror at what she¡¯d done to herself. Now she had a full-length mirror in her dwelling, and she liked looking at her chubby, rosy reflection. She was as beautiful as her sisters again, and she didn¡¯t feel the emptiness inside of her, like she had before. The blood filled it, and the love from her sisters. She touched one of the purple flowers. Wisps of gray fog covered the night sky and stars above, and Ezzie was happy to be home. She¡¯d explained depression to her sisters, had explained the barbaric violence of the mortal world, and they¡¯d understood, especially Rosalie who had actually read about depression. Ezzie didn¡¯t need what Ava had called an antidepressant. She just needed the support and love from her sisters, and the blood of course. She needed the blood. Now Ezzie wondered what had happened to Ava. She supposed she would never know, and that made her sad, but she had a feeling that Ava was okay, and she was okay, and all was right in her world.