There was no response. Come to think of it, she wasn¡¯t sure who she was expecting to respond. Jesus was probably too busy to deal with her, so maybe there would be an angel or something. She heard a voice, calling out to her with words that sounded garbled and strange, though that may have been because her ears weren¡¯t working quite right. Sure enough, an angel with bright red hair that shone like a halo stood over her, speaking softly to her in a strange, sibilant language. Oh, wait, it was just English. Not that she had the energy to process it; she wasn¡¯t even sure she would have been able to process Italian. Angelina couldn¡¯t really understand what the angel was saying, but her sweet voice filled her with peace and calm. She was beautiful and radiant, everything Angelina would have expected an angel to be. But why did the angel look so worried? And why did she seem so strangely familiar? And wait, was that a kitten with bat wings clinging to her shoulder? <>< Chelsea Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Chelsea looked down at the girl, who was lying on the ground beside a severed reptilian head the size of a barrel. On any other day, the head would have merited a little more attention than she was giving it, but it wasn¡¯t even close to the scariest or strangest thing she¡¯d seen that day. Besides, the girl seemed badly hurt, and needed undivided attention right now, especially in such a dangerous place. The girl was awake but nearly motionless. Her face and clothes were streaked with dirt, and a purple bruise was forming at one of her cheekbones. She was wearing a backpack, lying on top of it in a way that couldn¡¯t have been comfortable. In one hand, she clutched something so tightly her knuckles were turning white, even as the rest of her seemed too weak to sit up. She looked uncannily like Angelina, with the same full lips, the same rounded face and pointed chin, the same olive-brown skin with a dusting of freckles across her nose and forehead. Even her short, shaggy hair resembled Angelina¡¯s, which was cut and styled in an approximation of Jessica Thompson¡¯s haircut. But Angelina couldn¡¯t be here. What would be the chances of that? The girl looked up at Chelsea, mumbling something in Italian. Chelsea caught the words ¡°angelo¡± and ¡°bellissima¡±. This poor girl was delirious, and definitely in no condition to be out here all alone. Chelsea had to get her to safety. Chelsea lifted the girl bridal style, wavering under her weight for a second before regaining her balance. Belfry gripped Chelsea¡¯s shoulder more tightly as she wavered, peering curiously down at the girl from his perch. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Chelsea told the girl. ¡°I¡¯m going to take you somewhere safe.¡± The girl didn¡¯t respond, but she seemed to relax at the sound of Chelsea¡¯s voice. ¡°Can you put your arms around me?¡± said Chelsea. ¡°It¡¯ll make you easier to carry.¡± The girl looked up at her blankly, not comprehending. That was okay. The girl wasn¡¯t very heavy. Carrying her the short distance into the house would be a little difficult, but by no means impossible. Chelsea carried the girl into the house, struggling only when she had to turn the doorknob without dropping her. Belfry hopped down from her shoulder and held the door open as she walked through. ¡°Grazie,¡± said Chelsea. She carried the girl into a bedroom and laid her carefully in the bed. Her back seemed to let out a sigh of relief as she set the girl down. ¡°Mi scusi. Non parlo italiano,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°Um¡ inglese?¡± ¡°Inglese, si,¡± said the girl. ¡°Eh, I mean¡ yes?¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°My Italian isn¡¯t very good. Do you remember what happened to you?¡± ¡°There was a monster, and then I was dead,¡± said the girl. ¡°Will I go to heaven?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡ sorry?¡± ¡°I died,¡± mumbled the girl. ¡°You¡¯re the angel who counts all the bad things I did.¡± Okay, this poor girl was definitely delirious. She seemed fluent enough in English, but what she was saying didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°My name is Chelsea. I heard you call out and found you on the street outside. Are you okay?¡± ¡°Chelsea¡?¡± said the girl. The girl stared at Chelsea for a moment, confusion flashing across her face, then surprise, then recognition. Finally, her tired, bruised face broke into an excited smile. She didn¡¯t move from the bed, but a sparkle glittered in her brown eyes. Suddenly, she was unmistakably recognizable. ¡°C!¡± said Angelina. ¡°I did it! I found you!¡± Chapter 4.4 Lachlan Sam and Lachlan sat on the edge of the hole in the ceiling. Nikola lay between them, resting partially in Lachlan¡¯s lap with one paw over his leg. Lachlan looked over at Sam and noticed him clutching his hand, his expression pained. ¡°How¡¯s the hand feeling?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Not as bad as you¡¯d think,¡± said Sam. His voice sounded weak. ¡°It hurts a lot, though.¡± Sam was quiet for a moment, staring into space as he cradled his hand. Then he jerked his head up, as though startled. ¡°Chelsea,¡± he said. ¡°What?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°We found my coworker¡¯s shoes, remember?¡± Oh, right. Lachlan had almost forgotten about that. All the monsters and cannibals had been extremely distracting. He felt a pang of concern for the poor woman who was trapped in this place all alone, probably even more terrified and confused than he was. ¡°We should find her,¡± said Lachlan, ¡°before something else with more tentacles and/or a taste for human flesh does.¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Agreed,¡± said Sam. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Are you alright to stand up?¡± ¡°I-I think so,¡± said Sam. Lachlan patted the floor beside him, and Nikola climbed out of his lap. ¡°Good,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Because as they say in Tennessee or wherever you¡¯re from, time¡¯s a-wastin¡¯.¡± Lachlan climbed to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m from North Carolina,¡± said Sam. ¡°I know. I only said Tennessee so that you¡¯d be irritated and offended.¡± Lachlan offered his hand to Sam. Sam hesitated, then took it with his good hand. ¡°Everything you say irritates and offends me.¡± Sam wavered as Lachlan helped him to his feet, and Lachlan put out his free hand to steady him. ¡°Look at me,¡± said Lachlan, ¡°being the better man. Graciously lending you a helping hand after you refused to do the same for me. Helping you to your feet even as you continue to rudely insult me.¡± ¡°This is an excellent example of you being irritating and offensive,¡± said Sam. Lachlan shook his head in mock disappointment as he let go of Sam¡¯s hand. ¡°Tut tut. Not even so much as a thank you. Shame on you, Samoyed.¡± Sam frowned and squinted at him. ¡°So, Mr. Five-Steps-of-Problem-Solving,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°What¡¯s the plan for finding this girl?¡± ¡°How would I know?¡± said Sam. ¡°We haven¡¯t gone through the five steps yet.¡± ¡°Well, we know what the problem is. Some girl is here all alone and we need to find her. That¡¯s step one, right? Knowing the problem?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Sam. ¡°Step one is identification of the problem.¡± Lachlan sighed exaggeratedly. ¡°That¡¯s what I just said.¡± ¡°No, you said ¡®knowing the problem¡¯.¡± ¡°Meh. Tomayto, tomahto. There¡¯s no need to get into Sam-antics,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°See what I did there? Sam-antics?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not funny,¡± said Sam. Lachlan began walking away from the hole in the concrete, and Nikola trotted after him. ¡°How dare you, Samurai, I¡¯m a genius of comedy,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s walk and talk.¡± ¡°Where are we walking? I thought you didn¡¯t want to walk anymore.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Lachlan, ¡°but my legs don¡¯t hurt anymore, and if we¡¯re going to find this girl, we probably won¡¯t do it by sitting around.¡± Chapter 4.5 Chelsea Angelina seemed to be recovering quickly; within minutes, she was sitting up in bed chattering animatedly. ¡°¨Cand then I hid in this old pipe, and she had these lizard heads with these big teeth that were really scary, and she was reaching them down the pipe, but first she lifted the pipe and dropped it and that¡¯s how I hit my face, and then¨C¡° Chelsea nodded, trying her best to keep up with what Angelina was saying. She didn¡¯t completely follow the story, but whatever had happened to Angelina sounded terrifying. Chelsea had seen the severed head of whatever had attacked Angelina lying in the street beside her, and its teeth had looked like saw blades. ¡°¨Cbut then, all of a sudden, it was like I was a giant smoothie and I thought I died, but I¡¯m alive, and you¡¯re here, and I actually found you!¡± Angelina wrapped her arms around Chelsea¡¯s waist, pulling her into a hug that would have caused her to lose her footing if she hadn¡¯t managed to grab a bedpost for support. Her face flushing a little, she hesitated, then returned the hug. Belfry fluttered off her shoulder and alighted on one of the bedposts. Angelina released Chelsea so suddenly, she nearly flung her backward. Chelsea grabbed the bedpost again. For a moment, she wondered if she¡¯d crossed a boundary by returning the hug. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± said Angelina. ¡°I forgot I was all dirty from the pipe, and I got dirt all over your clothes!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°I don¡¯t mind, I¨C¡° She stopped, noticing the small spots of crimson Angelina had left on her shirt. ¡°Angelina, you¡¯re bleeding. Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I just got bit by the giant monster¨Cit¡¯s okay! I was super dizzy, and I couldn¡¯t move, and I thought I was dead, but I feel fine now!¡± Huh. That wasn¡¯t very reassuring. Chelsea picked up the first aid kit she¡¯d laid on the dresser. ¡°I found this in a bathroom cabinet. I know you feel fine, but maybe I should look at your, um, giant monster bite anyway. Where did it bite you?¡± ¡°Uh, it was like¡ everywhere? Its head was really big, so its mouth was also really big, and its teeth hit kind of¡¡± Angelina pointed to spots on her hips and ribs. ¡°Here, here, here, and here.¡± Oh, no. That made things awkward. Angelina probably needed to have someone look at the bites, but they were all under her clothing. Chelsea couldn¡¯t exactly ask her to take her clothes off without it potentially being taken the wrong way. But what if the bites were serious? What if they were life-threatening? ¡°Um, so, Angelina¡¡± Chelsea began. ¡°Uh¡¡± What was the least creepy way to phrase it? It wasn¡¯t like she could just say ¡®take your clothes off¡¯. She would need to think carefully about how to¨C Oh, wait, Angelina was already pulling her T-shirt off and throwing it onto the floor. Okay, then. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. The top rows of cuts was just below Angelina¡¯s bra band. Chelsea looked down at them, examining the wounds from a distance and hoping Angelina would know she wasn¡¯t ogling her breasts or something. The injuries looked like puncture marks made by something massive, with pink and red bruises forming where the skin hadn¡¯t broken. They looked painful, but the cuts didn¡¯t look deep, and the bleeding had almost stopped. Chelsea felt a swell of relief. ¡°Does it look bad?¡± said Angelina. ¡°I can¡¯t see.¡± Chelsea smiled reassuringly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look serious,¡± she said. Angelina pursed her lips in a pout. ¡°It feels serious.¡± Chelsea felt a rush of concern that must have shown on her face, because Angelina quickly added, ¡°No, no, no, it¡¯s not serious. It¡¯s not. I was being dramatic. I was just whining because it hurts.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not whining,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°You just got attacked by a huge monster. You must have been terrified. You¡¯re allowed to complain.¡± Angelina pushed the covers off her legs and began to shimmy out of her jeans, and Chelsea looked away, her face feeling hot again. The jeans fell to the floor in a heap at the foot of the bed. ¡°Sorry,¡± said Angelina. ¡°I just wanted to look at the other bite marks. The ones on my hips hurt too.¡± ¡°No need to apologize,¡± said Chelsea. She turned to Belfry, who was doing a dance in place on the bedpost. Good, she could focus on that instead of the half-naked girl sitting in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s not bleeding,¡± said Angelina. ¡°It¡¯s really red, though, and it hurts so bad.¡± ¡°Oh, well, um, is the skin broken?¡± said Chelsea. ¡°No, not on my hips. But it is up here.¡± Chelsea could only see Angelina out of the corner of her eyes, but assumed she was gesturing to the bite marks on her ribs. Chelsea laid the first aid kit on the bed next to Angelina¡¯s legs and opened it. She pulled out a tube of antibiotic ointment and a handful of bandages and handed them to Angelina. ¡°Here. There¡¯s no water in this house to wash your bites, so you¡¯ll want to put this on it and then bandage it up,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°Thanks, but I¨C¡± Angelina stopped suddenly. ¡°Are you okay? Your face is really red.¡± ¡°What? I¨Cyes, I¡¯m fine,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°It¡¯s just¨C¡° ¡°Just what?¡± Just that usually when Chelsea was with a cute girl who was in bed in her underwear, it was under much better circumstances. ¡°Just that¡ I¡¯m a little overheated,¡± she lied. Angelina cocked her head. ¡°Really? It¡¯s so cold in here!¡± Angelina reached for the covers, pulling them up to her chin and mercifully protecting her modesty again. ¡°I bet there¡¯s something warm you can wear in the closet,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°I¡¯ll go find you something. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Chelsea suppressed a sigh of relief as she turned toward the closet. This was perfect; now Angelina would have some privacy to tend to her wounds, and Chelsea would be able to escape the minefield that was an attractive straight girl obliviously stripping in front of her. ¡°Could you help me do the bandages and stuff first?¡± said Angelina. ¡°I can¡¯t see all the cuts.¡± Damn it. So close. ¡°Um, well, I¨C¡° She knew she didn¡¯t have a choice, that she shouldn¡¯t even be thinking about how awkward and embarrassing this was when her friend was hurt and needed her. She would need to deal with her embarrassment for Angelina¡¯s sake, to suck it up, tread carefully, and hope that she didn¡¯t inadvertently do anything to make Angelina uncomfortable or jeopardize their friendship. Chelsea glanced at Belfry, who continued his little dance on the bedpost. Wait. Angelina needed help with her bandages, but that didn¡¯t mean Chelsea had to help her. ¡°Maybe Belfry can help you,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°That way I can find you something nice and warm while he patches you up.¡± Belfry¡¯s ears perked up at the sound of his name. Angelina looked up, noticing Belfry for the first time, and let out a piercing squeal. ¡°It¡¯s soooooo cute! What is it?! Was it here this whole time¨C¡° Startled by the sudden, loud excitement, Belfry fluttered off the bedpost and toward Chelsea, clinging to her shirt. ¡°Oh no,¡± said Angelina. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to scare it.¡± ¡°Belfry, va bene,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°Angelina is un aminca.¡° Chelsea felt Belfry relax as he turned to examine Angelina. ¡°Buongiorno signorina,¡± said Belfry. ¡°It talks?¡± Angelina¡¯s eyes widened with delight. ¡°It talks in Italian?¡± Angelina said something to Belfry in Italian. Belfry¡¯s ears perked up upon hearing his native language, and he let got of Chelsea¡¯s shirt and glided toward Angelina, perching on her knee. He responded with something Chelsea didn¡¯t understand, and Angelina looked at Chelsea, beaming. Angelina handed the ointment and bandages to Belfry. Chelsea watched for a moment to make sure Belfry knew what he was doing; then headed into the closet, leaving Belfry and Angelina to chat happily in the bedroom. Chapter 4.6 Angelina Angelina sat beside Chelsea on the couch, eating cheese and crackers from a plate Chelsea had brought her. Belfry was snoring softly, curled up in the corner of the couch like a cat or dog. Belfry had done a surprisingly good job bandaging her considering how tiny his hands were, but her bandages still felt uncomfortably loose. Luckily, the nightgown Chelsea had found for her was several sizes too large, so it didn¡¯t rub against the bandages too much. The fabric was very thin, though. Angelina shivered, pulling her blanket up to her chin and moved closer to Chelsea. Chelsea shifted position, moving further away from Angelina. Angelina scooted closer again and noticed that Chelsea¡¯s face had turned pink again. Oops, she must have been moving away because she was overheated again. Angelina mumbled an apology and moved back to the center of the couch. It was surprising Chelsea was so overheated when Angelina was freezing. Oh well, Canada was a lot colder than Italy, she guessed. ¡°So we¡¯re in a town that disappeared four years ago?¡± said Chelsea. ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, exactly,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Naomi wouldn¡¯t tell me anything, but Falcon said she told Melanie about a pit between realities where CPSI can send people and stuff and it gave me an idea.¡± ¡°I think I see where this is going.¡± ¡°Yeah! Everyone thought the town was destroyed, but when I heard about the pit thing, I knew the town must be there. And here it is! And here you are!¡± ¡°Here I am.¡± Chelsea smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad you found me.¡± ¡°Me too!¡± Angelina lifted her arm to hug Chelsea, then remembered she was overheated. She patted Chelsea¡¯s arm instead. The pat felt awkward, but if Chelsea noticed, she didn¡¯t show it. ¡°I¡¯m still a little confused, though,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°A pit between realities?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know what that means, if I¡¯m being honest,¡± said Angelina. ¡°I think Naomi knew, but she wouldn¡¯t tell me.¡± ¡°What about this little guy?¡± Chelsea gestured to Belfry. ¡°Did he tell you anything?¡± ¡°Not a lot about this place,¡± said Angelina. ¡°He mostly talked about you. He said you saved his life, and you¡¯re very brave and beautiful.¡± ¡°Aw,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°That¡¯s so sweet. I don¡¯t know how brave I was, though. All I did was whack a monster with a broom.¡± ¡°I stabbed a monster with scissors,¡± said Angelina. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°See? That¡¯s so much braver than my thing,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°The fearless warrior, Princess Angelina, plunges her migthy sword into the beast¡¯s heart.¡± Angelina smiled. This was one of the reasons she loved Chelsea so much. ¡°It was one of her necks, actually, and it wasn¡¯t really that brave and cool,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Belfry seemed to think you were really brave, though. He kept calling you an angel.¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know about that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s funny, because when I first saw you in this place, that¡¯s what I thought too.¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°That you were an angel.¡± ¡°Oh, I, um¡¡± Chelsea laughed. ¡°Okay, wow.¡± Her face turned pink again, and this time, Angelina didn¡¯t think it was because she was overheating. ¡°Sorry,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Was that weird? Should I not have said that? I just meant because I thought I was dead, and because you¡¯re really pretty like an angel. But now you look embarrassed.¡± Chelsea¡¯s face went from pink to red. Oops, maybe Angelina shouldn¡¯t have pointed out how embarrassed Chelsea looked. People tended not to like it when she did that. ¡°Oh, no,¡± Chelsea fanned herself with her hand. ¡°Just, um, overheated.¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± said Angelina. Well, that was a relief. Chelsea wasn¡¯t embarrassed after all. <>< Lachlan ¡°Do you see that?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°That little speck on the horizon?¡± ¡°I have 20/100 vision,¡± said Sam. ¡°So, no.¡± ¡°What do you think it is?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I can¡¯t see it,¡± said Sam, ¡°so I don¡¯t know.¡± Sam¡¯s voice sounded strained. Lachlan wasn¡¯t sure if it was from pain or annoyance. Possibly both. ¡°If you want my not-so-humble opinion¨C¡° ¡°I absolutely never do,¡± interrupted Sam. ¡°Ahem. Incredibly rude. As I was saying, if you want my not-so-humble opinion, I think that we should head toward it.¡± When Sam didn¡¯t respond, Lachlan continued. ¡°And why do you think we should head toward it, Lachlan? Tell me more,¡± Lachlan said, mimicking an American accent. Then he switched to his normal voice. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you asked, my Samurai friend. I think we should head toward it because it¡¯s the only thing on this featureless plane as far as we can see. Maybe it¡¯s just a lump of concrete, maybe it¡¯s another person¨C¡° ¡°Maybe it¡¯s another monster,¡± said Sam. Lachlan patted Nikola¡¯s side. Nikola wagged his tail. ¡°If it¡¯s another monster, we¡¯ll have Niko the wonder dog here for our protection.¡± ¡°Not Niko,¡± said Sam. ¡°His name is Nikola.¡± ¡°Oh, come on,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Nikola is a shit name for a dog and you know it.¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯m shortening his name to Niko and there¡¯s nothing you can do about it.¡± Nikola growled. ¡°See?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°He hates the name Nikola as much as I do.¡± Nikola growled again, his hackles bristling. He began to bark. ¡°I think that¡¯s dog-ese for ¡®I hate my name¡¯,¡± said Lachlan. Sam pointed at the concrete in front of them. It was splitting open, cracks splintering outward as though something massive was rising from the room beneath. Black tendrils erupted from the cracks, reaching toward them. ¡°No,¡± said Sam. ¡°It¡¯s dog-ese for ¡®we¡¯re in trouble¡¯.¡± The concrete burst open around Lachlan and Sam as more and more tendrils spilled forth. Lachlan whipped around to run away, and saw more cracks in the concrete in front of him, more monstrous limbs writhing toward him. Dozens of figures rose from the concrete¨Cmasses of skeletal faces melted together into vaguely humanoid shapes with short tendrils trailing from their lower halves. ¡°I hate this place,¡± Sam muttered. ¡°I hate this place. I hate this place. I hate this place.¡± Nikola growled, looking back and forth between the figures as though he wasn¡¯t sure which threat to focus on. ¡°Hello again,¡± came a voice from behind him. Lachlan felt a jolt of panic as he recognized that voice¨Cthe voice that sounded like a demon possessing a TV commentator. ¡°Not the fucking skull squid again,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so,¡± said the skull squid, ¡°and this time, I brought company.¡± Chapter 4.7 Lachlan The figures edged nearer to Lachlan and Sam, closing in on them. Some of them periodically jerked or jolted backward as Nikola focused on them, but it wasn¡¯t enough to keep them all at bay. Sam squeezed his eyes shut and clutched his head as if to block out the danger. He reminded Lachlan of someone assuming crash position on a plane. Unfortunately, though, this wasn¡¯t the kind of threat they could brace themselves for. ¡°I hate this place,¡± said Sam as one of the figures advanced on him. ¡°I hate this place.¡± The figure drew closer, its tendrils rearing back like snakes about to strike. ¡°Sam! Watch out!¡± said Lachlan. He wasn¡¯t even sure Sam had heard him. The figure lashed out, wrapping its tendrils around Sam, encasing his body. He struggled for a moment, then burst free, severing many of the limbs that held him and throwing the figure backward with surprising force. Lachlan felt cold, smooth tendrils wrap around his wrists. He tried to pull himself free, but their hold only tightened the more he struggled. Seriously? He couldn¡¯t shake off a few measly tendrils from his wrist, but Sam could break himself free? Lachlan struggled harder. He was not about to let himself be bested by some nerd. Another figure reached for Sam, and Sam lashed out at it with a frantic kick, sending it flying backward into another figure. The tendrils on Lachlan¡¯s wrists pulled him upward, lifting him off the ground. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have fought me,¡± said the skull squid. ¡°I was after him, not you.¡± Lachlan opened his mouth to reply, but another voice came from behind him¨Cone that sounded very human and ordinary contrasted with the skull squid¡¯s distorted booming. ¡°Hold on, hold on,¡± it said. ¡°Put him down, 98. What are you doing?¡± The creature placed Lachlan back on the ground and released him. Lachlan turned to look for the voice¡¯s source, but he saw only the creature. The voice spoke again, seeming to come from inside the creature. ¡°You¡¯re attacking two kids and their puppy?¡± said the voice. ¡°Seriously? What are you, the Sisters?¡± The tendrils closest to the creature¡¯s body parted, unweaving to reveal a man sitting inside, lounging against the wall of tendrils behind him. ¡°Hi,¡± said the man. ¡°Um¡ hi?¡± said Lachlan. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Lachlan stepped back warily. The man looked human, but so had the creepy sisters. Lachlan wasn¡¯t about to trust anything in this dimension or universe or whatever this place was. The man slid out from his bizarre resting place and smiled, raising a hand in greeting. He was in his mid or late twenties, with black hair and a short, unkempt beard. His eyes widened as he took in Sam¡¯s blood-soaked clothes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± The man looked taken aback for a moment, then laughed. ¡°I¡¯m¨C¡± he began. One of the figures spoke. ¡°He¡¯s our brother.¡± The figure had the same TV commentator voice as the skull squid minus the distortion. It creeped Lachlan out, hearing a voice that belonged in one of those breakfast news programs his mum liked coming from something so grotesque. He hoped his mum was okay. She was probably sick with worry about him. ¡°Your brother?¡± Sam raised a skeptical eyebrow. ¡°I don¡¯t see much family resemblance.¡± ¡°Our adopted brother,¡± said another creature. ¡°Okay, great,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°That explains absolutely nothing.¡± ¡°He helped save one of our own,¡± said the skull squid. ¡°For his troubles, CPSI threw him in here along with the rest of us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still confused,¡± said Sam. ¡°I think I get it now,¡± Lachlan began.¡±CPSI created these monst¨C¡° Several of the creatures let out low growls. One of them took a menacing step toward him. ¡°Some of my brothers aren¡¯t fans of the ¡®M-word,¡± said the man. ¡°Uh, I was going to say monstrously¡ handsome gentlemen,¡± finished Lachlan. ¡°Then CPSI threw them in here for some reason. Am I getting this right so far?¡± The man nodded. ¡°You did something to help them, and were imprisoned in the murder pit for your troubles,¡± said Lachlan, ¡°so these monst¨Cuh, messieurs adopted you to raise as one of their own.¡± ¡°Nice save,¡± said Sam. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how you would know most of that, but that about sums it up,¡± said the man. ¡°I¡¯m Mahender, by the way.¡± Sam and Lachlan introduced themselves. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Mahender glanced at Sam¡¯s bloodied clothing again. He looked at his brothers. ¡°You didn¡¯t do this to him, did you?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Sam. ¡°It was these¡ these women¨C¡° ¡°I think you called them the Sisters,¡± Lachlan volunteered. ¡°Ah, the Sisters. Say no more,¡± said Mahender. ¡°Do you want me to have a look at your hand?¡± ¡°Are you a doctor or something?¡± said Sam. ¡°I¡¯m a security guard. Or at least, I was one.¡± ¡°In that case, I think I¡¯ll pass,¡± said Sam. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Mahender nodded. ¡°Can I ask how you ended up stuck here?¡± ¡°Someone sent me here, and I have a sneaking suspicion it had to do with this CPSI company people keep mentioning,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°As for my good pal Sam here¨C¡° ¡°We¡¯re not pals.¡± ¡°¨Che works for CPSI and somehow managed to send himself here in his immense brilliance.¡± ¡°Ah, he works for CPSI,¡± said Mahender. ¡°That explains why my brothers are after him.¡± ¡°All humans working for CPSI are complicit,¡± said the skull squid. ¡°What about me?¡± said Mahender. ¡°I worked for CPSI, sort of. Well, technically, I worked for a third-party company, but that doesn¡¯t really help the point I¡¯m trying to make.¡± ¡°You made the choice to help our brother,¡± said one of the creatures. ¡°You went against CPSI even though it meant sacrificing everything.¡± ¡°For one thing, I had no idea I was sacrificing everything at the time,¡± said Mahender. ¡°For another, you can¡¯t fault this kid for what happened to us. He probably had no idea how bad CPSI is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to get an idea,¡± said Sam. ¡°The way I see it,¡± said Mahender, ¡°we¡¯re all victims here. We¡¯ve all been shoved into another reality. We shouldn¡¯t be fighting each other.¡± The creatures looked at each other, considering. Then, they looked at the skull squid. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to hurt them, 98,¡± said Mahender. ¡°Please.¡± The skull squid sighed. ¡°Fine,¡± it said. ¡°They¡¯re free to go.¡± ¡°There you go,¡± said Mahender. ¡°We¡¯ll tell you where you can find first aid supplies, and then you can be on your way.¡± So that was it? It was really that easy? Lachlan looked at the ring of creatures surrounding them. ¡°Great. Thanks. Fantastic,¡± he said. ¡°Could some of you maybe move over so we can scamper off on our merry way?¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± said the skull squid. ¡°First, we need to talk about 59.¡± Chapter 4.8 Naomi The sky was still dark as Naomi, Sarah, Jen, and Falcon sat in Jen¡¯s car, parked in front of a chain coffee shop that had just opened for the morning. Falcon and Naomi sipped coffees, Sarah sipped tea, and Jen sipped an unknown pink beverage heaped with whipped cream. Sarah broke the silence. ¡°Supposedly I can¡¯t drink coffee,¡± she said. ¡°Okay,¡± said Naomi. Sarah looked at Falcon, who gave her a confused frown. ¡°I wonder why he can drink it and I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°How do you know you can¡¯t drink it?¡± said Jen. ¡°What do you mean?¡± said Sarah. ¡°You said ¡®supposedly¡¯,¡± said Jen. ¡°That means you¡¯ve never tried it before, right? So how do you know?¡± ¡°Technically I¡¯m not allowed to eat or drink anything except these weird nutrient packets,¡± said Sarah. ¡°Anything else could mess with my physiology.¡± ¡°You¡¯re drinking tea,¡± said Jen. ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to,¡± said Sarah, ¡°but I know for a fact it won¡¯t hurt me.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± said Jen. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Sarah shrugged. ¡°Does it matter?¡± ¡°No. It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± said Naomi. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to talk about your dietary habits. We need to make sure we have a plan.¡± She handed Jen a notepad she¡¯d brought with her. ¡°Jen, can you take notes for Falcon?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± said Jen. ¡°The first thing we need to do is get to the machine,¡± said Naomi. ¡°That¡¯ll be easy,¡± said Sarah. ¡°No one will be in the lab this early, and if they are, all we have to do is act natural.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Will someone need to stay behind to operate the machine?¡± said Naomi. ¡°We can set it on a timer,¡± said Sarah. ¡°It¡¯s a little more dangerous that way, but it should be fine.¡± ¡°Dangerous how?¡± said Jen. ¡°If you¡¯re halfway into the chamber when the gateway opens, only half of you could end up in the Pit,¡± said Sarah. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s ever happened before though.¡± ¡°Um,¡± said Jen. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Sarah. ¡°I won¡¯t even set the timer until you¡¯re all safe in the chamber. If anyone gets split in half, it¡¯ll be me.¡± ¡°What about once we¡¯re in?¡± said Naomi. ¡°What then?¡± ¡°The most important thing would be to stick together,¡± said Sarah. ¡°We¡¯ll stand a better chance against anything we run into in there.¡± <>< Lachlan ¡°59¡ Falcon¡ he¡¯s not alone,¡± said the skull squid. Lachlan wasn¡¯t sure if it was his imagination, but the creature¡¯s skeletal faces seemed to relax, their expressions softening. ¡°He¡¯s not,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°He¡¯s been with Dominic, Melanie, and Jess for over a year now. I don¡¯t know him well, but he seems happy with them.¡± Lachlan decided it might be better not to mention that Falcon wasn¡¯t actually with his friends at the moment. ¡°That was my biggest fear,¡± said the creature, ¡°that he was alone. My brothers and I were never meant to be alone.¡± ¡°Falcon has a lot of people looking out for him now,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°We¡¯re all working to make sure CPSI won¡¯t find him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m confused,¡± said Sam. ¡°Who¡¯s Falcon?¡± Lachlan shot him a look, silently telling him to shut up. ¡°I saw his face in your memories,¡± said the skull squid. ¡°All I wanted to know was that he had someone.¡± It could read memories? Creepy. ¡°Hey, 98,¡± said Mahender, ¡°if you don¡¯t have any more questions, I think we¡¯ve terrified these two for long enough.¡± The skull squid bobbed its mass of heads in a disturbing approximation of a nod. ¡°You¡¯re right. They¡¯re free to go.¡± The ring of creatures around them parted, giving them room to leave. ¡°One thing before you go, though,¡± said Mahender. ¡°I suggest heading to the town. It¡¯s your best bet if you want to find medical supplies.¡± ¡°Town?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°There¡¯s a town?¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost completely deserted, but there¡¯s medical supplies, some food and even personal grooming supplies.¡± Mahender grinned, ruffling his own hair. ¡°It¡¯s how I manage to stay so handsome even in a dimension made of nightmares.¡± ¡°Technically, it¡¯s not a dimension¨C¡± said Sam. ¡°How do we get to the town?¡± interrupted Lachlan. One of the creatures lifted a misshapen, face-covered arm and pointed. <>< Naomi Being pulled into the Pit wasn¡¯t any less nauseating the second time around. Naomi felt her body reform, squished against the dirty carpet by a heavy, warm mass that lay on top of her. She shoved at the mass, striking at it with her fist. The mass let out a pained groan, and Naomi realized belatedly that she was hitting Jen. ¡°Ow,¡± said Jen. ¡°Sorry,¡± said Naomi, ¡°but you were on me.¡± Jen groaned again. Naomi pulled herself to her feet, then offered a hand to Jen and helped her up. A few feet away, Falcon pulled himself off the floor. ¡°Sarah,¡± said Naomi, ¡°you know more about this place than any of us. Where should we head now?¡± There was no reply. ¡°Sarah?¡± Naomi said again. ¡°Um, Naomi,¡± said Jen. ¡°I don¡¯t think Sarah came here with us.¡± Interlude 5 Mahender Mahender perked up as the door slid open with a shrill beep. He covered his ears as the thundering of the fans and machinery outside shook the room. After sitting alone at his desk watching security camera feeds for almost four hours, he welcomed any distraction. Mr. Gibson burst into the room, looking even more red-faced than usual. He hauled two fabs into the room behind him, holding them by their wrists. The door slid shut, silencing the white-noise roar. Mr. Gibson pulled off his yellow protective headphones, threw them onto Mahender¡¯s desk, and turned to the fabs with a scowl. ¡°Hello, Gibbo,¡± said Mahender. ¡°It¡¯s lovely to see you too. How can I help you?¡± Some of the other guards had nicknamed Mr. Gibson ¡®Gibbo¡¯. Mahender had taken to calling him Gibbo too, mostly because it irritated him. Irritating Mr. Gibson was one of the few entertaining parts of his job. Mr. Gibson ignored him. He was facing away, but Mahender could tell from Mr. Gibson¡¯s stance he was glowering at the two fabs he¡¯d dragged in. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± he said. The fab he¡¯d addressed¨Cst98 according to his jumpsuit¨Cavoided eye contact, his hands twitching as his fingers tapped against his leg. Mahender was surprised to see a fab looking so nervous. He¡¯d never interacted with one before, but Mr. Gibson had told him they were mindless automatons. He hadn¡¯t even known they could get nervous. ¡°What¡ what was what, sir?¡± said 98. 98 jumped a little as he spoke, as though the sound of his own voice startled him. Maybe it did. After all, he did spend all his time bombarded by the ear-splitting roar of the fans and air handling systems. ¡°Those hand signs you were doing,¡± said Mr. Gibson. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± 98 grew paler, his fingers tapping a faster, more irregular rhythm against his leg. ¡°We developed hand signals as a way to communicate in our loud work environment¨C¡° Mr. Gibson scoffed. ¡°Communicate? What the hell do you have to communicate about? Just do your bloody jobs.¡± ¡°Sir,¡± said 98. ¡°We usually work alone, it¡¯s true, but sometimes we have to¡ to convey things to one another, and the hand signals can be a good way to¨C¡° ¡°If you were meant to convey things, you would¡¯ve been designed to convey things. You lot are basically monkeys; you don¡¯t need to communicate anything with hand signs!¡± ¡°Monkeys can learn sign language,¡± interjected Mahender. Mr. Gibson whipped around, turning his scowl on Mahender. ¡°If I wanted input from the peanut gallery, Henry, I would¡¯ve asked for it.¡± Henry? Seriously? Mahender was used to people butchering his name, but Mr. Gibson didn¡¯t even try. ¡°My name¡¯s not Henry.¡± ¡°You work for me. You¡¯re called Henry if I bloody well say you are.¡± Ugh. Mr. Gibson was really something else. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that¡¯s how names work.¡± Mahender leaned back in his chair. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t even work for you, I work for a third-party company.¡± Mr. Gibson¡¯s face reddened. ¡°Be that as it may, I have the authority to terminate your employment if I deem it necessary.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I may not have direct authority to terminate you, but I will be speaking to your supervisor at Melbourne Majestic Security about your insubordinate behavior.¡± Mahender had only heard that threat about a thousand times. ¡°Good luck telling him who I am,¡± he said. ¡°You can¡¯t even get my name right.¡± Mr. Gibson gave him a final scowl, then whipped back around to face 98 and 59. ¡°I¡¯m getting distracted from the matter at hand. You two were using hand signals. Why?¡± Mahender wasn¡¯t sure what the problem was. So what if the fabs were using hand signals? It was impossible to hear anything out there. Hand signals seemed like a good idea. Not that it was surprising Mr. Gibson was making a big deal over it. He was always on some kind of power trip with the fabs, pulling them into the soundproofed rooms to yell at them, or making them do pointless things like line up in numerical order. ¡°Sir,¡± said 98. ¡°As I said, it helps to be able to communicate when we¡¯re working together on certain¨C¡° ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you,¡± said Mr. Gibson. ¡°But I noticed it¡¯s been awfully quiet.¡± Mr. Gibson turned his glower on the second fab¨C59, according to his jumpsuit. 98¡¯s eyes met Mr. Gibson¡¯s for the first time in a wide-eyed stare. If he¡¯d looked nervous before, he was terrified now. ¡°Well, 59? Do you have anything to say for yourself?¡± Some of 98¡¯s fear crept into 59¡¯s expression. He didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Sir,¡± said 98. ¡°I think¨C¡° Mr. Gibson slammed his hand onto the desk behind him, startling Mahender. 98 flinched at the sound, but 59 didn¡¯t. ¡°I don¡¯t give a good goddamn what you think, fab. I wasn¡¯t talking to you.¡± He fixed his glare on 59. ¡°What do you have to say for yourself?¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. 59 was silent. ¡°Well? Answer me!¡± 59 still didn¡¯t respond. Mr. Gibson stepped forward, his round face a shade of purple-red. He slapped his hands together centimeters from 59¡¯s face, and the sound was loud enough to make both Mahender and 98 jump. ¡°Answer me!¡± Mr. Gibson bellowed in 59¡¯s ear. 59 shrunk back but didn¡¯t flinch at the noise. It was as though he hadn¡¯t even heard it. ¡°I don¡¯t think he can hear you, Gibbo,¡± said Mahender. Mr. Gibson wheeled around to face him. ¡°What the hell do you mean you don¡¯t think it can hear me? Of course it can hear me!¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s very loud out there, and the fabs are always out there without any ear protection, so maybe¨C¡° ¡°Their eardrums are designed to withstand sustained sound pressure levels of up to 190 decibels, you idiot¨C¡° ¡°There¡¯s no need for name-calling,¡± said Mahender. ¡°The only way a fab would have any sort of hearing loss would be if there was a defect in its genetic¡¡± Mr. Gibson trailed off before he finished his sentence. All color had drained from 98¡¯s face. ¡°A defect in its genetic code,¡± finished Mr. Gibson. ¡°Mr. Gibson. Sir, please,¡± said 98. Mr. Gibson sighed. ¡°A defective fab,¡± he grumbled. ¡°This is just what I need right now.¡± ¡°Mr. Gibson, he¡¯s an excellent worker. There have never been any issues with him. In such a loud environment, there¡¯s not even any reason to¨C¡° 98¡¯s voice was pleading and frightened, breaking a little as he spoke. He sounded so human, so unlike the mindless, emotionless drone he was supposed to be. He was afraid for his brother. Well, that had some unpleasant ethical implications about Mahender¡¯s job. ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± said Mr. Gibson. ¡°Another word out of you and I¡¯m disposing of both of you. We have two mature Stanley fabs in Section 0 ready for activation, and I¡¯d just as soon¨C¡° Without warning, 98 lunged at Mr. Gibson with the speed and desperation of a cornered animal with nothing to lose. He collided with Mr. Gibson, sending him tumbling backward into the desk with a surprised grunt. 98 lashed out again and again with an almost frantic energy, hitting and kicking blindly as Mr. Gibson flailed, trying in vain to escape. Mahender stood up, moving out of 98¡¯s range. ¡°Do¨Cow, ow!¨Cdo something, Henry!¡± shouted Mr. Gibson. ¡°Get¨Cow!¨Cget this bloody thing off me!¡± Oh, right. Mahender was a security guard. He¡¯d better do his job, he guessed. ¡°Hey,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± 98 didn¡¯t ease his assault on Mr. Gibson. ¡°Henry!¡± Mr. Gibson¡¯s shout was louder and more frantic. ¡°Ow! God damn it, Henry! Shoot it! Shoot it!¡± Mahender shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t have a gun, sir.¡± Mr. Gibson raised his hand to his face, protecting it from 98¡¯s onslaught. ¡°Well, do something! Do your bloody job!¡± Mahender raised his nightstick in a halfhearted threatening gesture. ¡°Excuse me,¡± he said flatly. ¡°Don¡¯t do that. I have this stick and I¡¯m not afraid to use it.¡± The second fab¨C59¨Chad been still until this point. His head snapped around when he saw Mahender produce the nightstick. 59 thrust out his hand, and Mr. Gibson was torn from 98¡¯s grasp. He flew off the desk, slamming against the wall with a crash, then crumpling to the floor. What the hell? Since when could the fabs do that? For a moment, 59 stared at his outstretched hand, looking nearly as shocked as Mahender felt. Then, 59 turned to Mahender, his hand still raised. His eyes were fierce, daring Mahender to move. Mahender glanced at Mr. Gibson. He was motionless but breathing. Mahender dropped his nightstick and raised his hands in a placating gesture as he sat back in his chair. 59 walked over to 98 and placed a hand on his shoulder. 59 lowered his hand to his side. ¡°Please don¡¯t blast me into a wall for asking,¡± said Mahender, ¡°but what just happened?¡± The fabs ignored his question. ¡°I need to get him out of here,¡± said 98. ¡°How?¡± Mahender thought for a second. ¡°Freight entry is in Section 1. There¡¯s a loading dock. You¡¯d need to get him into the back of a truck without being seen. The doors are locked, but¡¡± Mahender removed his key card and placed it on the desk. ¡°If you were somehow able to steal a guard¡¯s key card, you¡¯d be able to get in.¡± ¡°You¡¯re helping us,¡± said 98. ¡°Not because we¡¯re making you, but because you want to. Why?¡± Mahender shrugged. ¡°Gibbo¨Csorry, I mean Mr. Gibson¨Ctreated you like you weren¡¯t human. Like you were less than.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not human,¡± said 98. ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same way he treats me,¡± said Mahender. ¡°I was listening to him talking about disposing of you like you were nothing, and I realized he¡¯d do the same to me if he could.¡± 98 nodded and took the key card. ¡°Besides,¡± said Mahender. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see the look on his face when he finds out a fab escaped.¡± ¡°Will you lose your job?¡± said 98. ¡°Maybe,¡± said Mahender. ¡°Probably. I¡¯ve been looking for new work anyway.¡± As much as he needed this job, it would be hard to justify working here to himself after seeing how human the fabs seemed. He turned to the computer monitors by the desk and found the one displaying the freight entry security feed. He disabled the cameras. ¡°Oh no,¡± he said. ¡°I seem to have accidentally disarmed the cameras in Section 1. I hope there won¡¯t be any security breeches there.¡± The fabs stared at him. ¡°Go!¡± he said. ¡°Before another guard notices that the camera is off.¡± The fabs headed for the door, and 98 pressed the exit button. 59 paused as the door slid open and made a gesture with his hands. ¡°He says thank you!¡± shouted 98 over the roaring fans. Mahender knew neither of the fabs would hear his reply, so he smiled and gave them a salute. ><> Mahender struggled against his own handcuffs as two other guards hauled him into a lab in Section 10. About a dozen Stanley fabs filed in behind him. Their hands were bound too, but they didn¡¯t resist. ¡°You can¡¯t do this!¡± he said. ¡°You won¡¯t get away with it!¡± ¡°Won¡¯t we?¡± said Mr. Gibson. ¡°My aunt works directly under Billy Clyde himself. If she finds out you¡¯ve done this¨C¡° Mr. Gibson gave him a skeptical look. ¡°Your aunt?¡± ¡°Mona Sharma. Overseer and specialist of operations in¨C¡° ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. I¡¯ve met Mona. Pretty girl, but so unpleasant. She¡¯s mentioned her nephew, but I never made the connection until now. Small world.¡± ¡°Yes, well, she¡¯s Billy Clyde¡¯s direct report, so if you¨C¡° Mr. Gibson snorted. ¡°Mona¡¯s hardly a high-ranking member of this company. And if my memory serves, she doesn¡¯t exactly think highly of you. If she gets word of this, she¡¯ll probably send me a bouquet.¡± Mr. Gibson wasn¡¯t wrong. Mahender¡¯s aunt would have sold his soul for a piece of cheese. And she was lactose intolerant. Still, his bluff had been worth a try. ¡°I think you¡¯ll find we can get away with whatever we want,¡± said Mr. Gibson. ¡°You have no meaningful connections, no wife or girlfriend, no close friends. As far as we¡¯re aware, you won¡¯t be missed.¡± Mr. Gibson¡¯s words sent a cold chill through him, even if they weren¡¯t entirely true. Mahender¡¯s job had been the main reason he hadn¡¯t had a social life. Was that why the guards here had to work such long late hours in such an isolated environment? So they wouldn¡¯t make any meaningful connections? So they wouldn¡¯t be missed if they had a sudden conflict of morality and had to be ¡®disposed of¡¯? ¡°My mum will try to find me. She¡¯ll¨C¡° ¡°Your mum. Reena Stephens, correct? I¡¯m not too worried about her snooping around.¡± Mr. Gibson sneered. ¡°I¡¯m sure immigration services will be happy to take care of her for us if she decides to stick her nose where it doesn¡¯t belong.¡± Mahender felt another cold chill. ¡°We do our research,¡± said Mr. Gibson. ¡°We have to be thorough in case one of our guards steps out of line. We know all about how your parents split up. How Mrs. Stephens obtained permanent residence under false pretenses.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that!¡± ¡°Unfortunately for her, the law doesn¡¯t care what it was or wasn¡¯t like.¡± ¡°Leave my mum alone. I¡¯m warning you.¡± ¡°Maybe we will. Maybe we won¡¯t,¡± said Mr. Gibson. ¡°Either way, you won¡¯t be in much of a position to do anything about it where you¡¯re going.¡± Mahender looked at the guards holding him. He¡¯d seen them in passing before, though they¡¯d always been unfriendly. ¡°Don¡¯t do this,¡± he said. ¡°If they do this to me, they¡¯ll just as soon throw you away too if you become inconvenient.¡± One of the guards, a burly blond man who Mahender thought was named Barry, grunted, shoving him forward toward the chamber. ¡°It¡¯s Barry, right?¡± said Mahender. ¡°Don¡¯t you see what they¡¯re doing? They¡¯re keeping us isolated. They¡¯re making us easy to get rid of.¡± Barry ignored him, giving him another rough shove. A man in a lab coat unlocked the chamber with his key card, and the glass door slid open. Barry and the other guard threw Mahender in, and the door slid closed. The technician pressed a series of buttons on a panel. ¡°You can¡¯t do this to me! Let me out!¡± Mahender lifted his cuffed hands and pounded them against the glass, his fists stinging as though he was slamming them into solid rock. The last thing he saw before a sickly green and black fog consumed his vision was Mr. Gibson¡¯s smug, sneering, red face. Interlude 6.1 Sarah Sarah shut her cell phone with a heavy sigh, Mr. Clyde¡¯s voice still echoing in her head. She and her sisters had been designed to read tone of voice, to pick up on every waver, every hesitation, every minuscule shift in timbre or volume. When Mr. Clyde had said ¡°good work,¡± his vocal prosody had told her to brace herself for what came next. Sure enough, he had chuckled and said ¡°you took a little too long, though.¡± His voice had been a mockery of friendly amusement, with a venomous undercurrent that many people would have missed. Somehow, it was worse than the times he shouted at her. It was early enough for the building to be nearly empty, with only a few workaholic early birds scattered through the office. She had the break room to herself, and about ten minutes to spare before the car came to take her to the air park. She took one of the blue and white mugs emblazoned with CPSI¡¯s hexagonal eyesore of a logo and filled it with hot water from the dispenser. She selected a teabag without looking at the box labels. All the cheap break room teas tasted the same anyway. She wrapped her hands around the mug, holding near her face, closing her eyes, and breathing in the steam. This cup of tea was as much a punishment for herself as it was a reward. The warmth and the smell comforted her while dredging up painful memories at the same time. She watched the microwave clocks, watching the time as it changed from 6:44, 6:45, 6:46¡ It made her nervous to stand idle for so long, but she couldn¡¯t stop a familiar dulcet voice from piping up in her head. ¡®Some idiots just sip the tea without even leaving it time to steep. Patience and discipline are two of the rarest, most precious qualities someone can have. They¡¯re part of what makes you a work of art, 131.¡¯ The part about her being a work of art had been a lie, of course, but even now, it made her want to wait for her tea to finish steeping just so she could make the lie a little more true. After four minutes, she removed the teabag, squeezing it between her fingers before discarding it in the trash. The tea was hot when she sipped it, probably hot enough to burn a real person. It tasted terrible, just like she remembered. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Sarah had told Melanie she didn¡¯t experience loyalty, but that hadn¡¯t been entirely true. She believed she¡¯d felt true loyalty once. Well, as close to true loyalty as an imitation of a human could get, anyway. She owed everything to the Clydes. They had saved her life, rescued her from an existence of torture and suffering and given her a purpose. But the loyalty she felt to them paled in comparison to pure devotion she¡¯d felt once before. It had been devotion so intense, she could almost imagine what real people experienced when they fell in love. The betrayal had made her feel she could almost grasp the phrase ¡®heartbreak¡¯. It had left a strange, heavy, devastating sensation, a hollow ache in a chest full of nerves that couldn¡¯t process pain. ¡°Hi. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you around the office.¡± A voice from beside her startled her from her thoughts. ¡°Are you new?¡± Sarah turned to see a young pregnant woman pouring hot water into a mug. ¡°Nope.¡± Sarah plastered on a smile. ¡°I¡¯m visiting from Palmer, actually.¡± ¡°Wow, we don¡¯t get a lot of visitors from Palmer. Is it your first time in the Charlotte office?¡± ¡°I actually used to work here, once upon a time. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been up here, though.¡± ¡°What kind of tea are you having?¡± said the woman. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. To be honest, they all kinda taste the same.¡± Sarah checked the teabag wrapper she¡¯d left on the counter. ¡°Darjeeling, apparently.¡± ¡°The break room tea is awful,¡± said the woman. ¡°I have a theory that all the tea is the same, and they just put it in different types of boxes. I usually just bring my own.¡± The woman opened an attractive metal tin with a floral pattern and placed a teabag into her mug. She offered the tin to Sarah. ¡°Do you want to try some? It¡¯s Darjeeling too, but like, actual Darjeeling. Well, decaffeinated Darjeeling, anyway. It¡¯s better for the baby.¡± The woman smiled. ¡°It¡¯s still better than the stuff from those boxes. I know you already made yours, but maybe you could dump it out?¡± Something about the woman in that moment¨Csome note of her voice, her large dark eyes, the way she offered the tea¨Cwas painfully, achingly familiar. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± The woman laughed nervously. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to be rude, saying you should dump out your tea.¡± ¡°Nope,¡± said Sarah. ¡°You¡¯re fine! It¡¯s just¡ has anyone ever told you that you¡¯ve got real pretty eyes?¡± ¡°I do?¡± The woman laughed again, bashful. ¡°No, they¡¯re just brown.¡± ¡°Brown eyes are warm. They¡¯re nice.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said the woman. ¡°No one¡¯s ever complimented my eyes before.¡± Sarah¡¯s phone buzzed in her pocket. ¡°I have to go,¡± she said. ¡°Um, okay,¡± said the woman. ¡°It was nice meeting you.¡± Sarah took a final sip of tea, placed her mug on the counter, and started toward the doorway. ¡°Thanks for offering the tea,¡± she said, ¡°even if I didn¡¯t have time to try it.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± said the woman. ¡°I didn¡¯t catch your name.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not important,¡± said Sarah as she turned the corner to the elevator. ¡°I¡¯m no one.¡± Interlude 6.2 sa131 The glass door to 131¡¯s chamber slid open, and Mona entered with a cup of tea in each hand. A ringlet of dark brown hair had come loose from Mona¡¯s neat bun, and with both hands occupied, she hadn¡¯t been able to fix it. 131 knew the renegade strands were probably driving Mona crazy, but to 131, they made Mona look more beautiful. The hair fell apart over her face like a sheer curtain, a hazy veil softening her hard edges. ¡°Hi, 131,¡± said Mona. In a single fluid motion, Mona lowered herself gracefully into a sitting position beside 131 on the cot. Most people wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it without spilling the tea, but Mona would never spill anything. Mona placed one teacup on a flat piece of metal fixed to the wall beside 131¡¯s cot. It was supposed to serve as both a table and a chair, but it wasn¡¯t terribly effective as either. Mona held the other cup out to 131, and 131 took it. Her hand brushed against Mona¡¯s manicured hand, warm from the teacup, and 131 let her hand linger for a moment before pulling it away. 131 had heard a lot of real people, especially men, describe Mona as frigid, and 131 understood why. She had seen how Mona looked around most people¨Chardly a trace of emotion on her face, just cold apathy tinged with annoyance. But the Mona 131 knew, the Mona who brought her tea and kept her company when everyone else treated her with clinical indifference¨Cthat Mona was pure warmth. Her dark eyes, usually so hard and cruel, transformed when they looked at 131. ¡°Sorry,¡± said Mona. ¡°It¡¯s just whatever weird tea they had in the break room. I¡¯ll bring something from home next time.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mona,¡± said 131. Mona smiled, tucking her stray hair back into place. ¡°Look at me,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m a mess.¡± 131 looked at Mona¨Cher pristine white button-up, her meticulous makeup, her elegant features. ¡°You could never be a mess,¡± said 131. ¡°You¡¯re sweet,¡± said Mona. ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± 131 took a sip of her tea. ¡°¡®Sweet¡¯ isn¡¯t in my genetic programming.¡± ¡°You¡¯re always sweet to me.¡± Mona smiled playfully. ¡°Should I feel special?¡± 131 watched Mona as she reached for her tea and stopped to check her reflection in the metal, keeping her back pin-straight as she leaned down. It was such a simple movement, but Mona¡¯s poise made everything she did look like a kind of dance. Of course Mona should feel special. Of course she was special. No one else was this captivating. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°What?¡± Mona looked at 131, arching an eyebrow. ¡°What do you mean, what?¡± ¡°You¡¯re staring at me. Don¡¯t tell me my hair is still a mess.¡± 131 shook her head. ¡°Then what is it?¡± ¡°You are special,¡± said 131. ¡°I can feel it.¡± Mona sipped her tea again, then set it down. ¡°I am,¡± she said. ¡°I was kidding before, but I am. I don¡¯t say that to be cocky. My father always said there were two kinds of people in the world. Most people just bumble through life, never putting in effort, never contributing to anything worthwhile. Then, there are those few of us who choose to do better.¡± ¡°That¡¯s harsh,¡± said 131. ¡°It¡¯s not really,¡± said Mona. ¡°Everyone decides what kind of person they are. I think it¡¯s empowering. Only you get to choose who you are. My father had no sympathy for those who made the lazy choice, and neither do I.¡± ¡°Should I be afraid to ask which choice you think I made?¡± said 131. ¡°You?¡± Mona laughed. ¡°131, you¡¯re neither. That¡¯s why you¡¯re more special even than me.¡± ¡°If I¡¯m neither, then what am I?¡± Mona traced a gentle hand across 131¡¯s cheek, and something about the touch made 131¡¯s heart speed up. ¡°You¡¯re something even better,¡± said Mona. ¡°You¡¯re a work of art.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a science experiment,¡± said 131. ¡°A failed science experiment.¡± Mona¡¯s deep brown eyes stared at her, hardening, the edges of those two warm pools freezing over. ¡°No, 131. No. Don¡¯t you dare think that. Don¡¯t ever think that,¡± said Mona. ¡°You¡¯re the only perfect thing in this world.¡± ¡°But¨C¡° ¡°No. No ¡®buts¡¯. 131, listen to me. Look me in the eyes.¡± Mona moved the hand on 131¡¯s cheek, cupping the side of 131¡¯s face and moving her head so they were eye to eye. ¡°Every single person who¡¯s told you that?¡± said Mona. ¡°They¡¯re the first type of person.¡± ¡°I¨C¡° ¡°No. Listen to me. You¡¯re beautiful. You¡¯re perfection. Anyone who can¡¯t see that is worth less than garbage. Okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I want to hear you say it,¡± said Mona. ¡°Tell me you¡¯re a work of art.¡± 131 shook her head. ¡°If anyone¡¯s a work of art, it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Mona frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± said 131. ¡°Everything about you¨Cyour hair, your clothes, your movements. It¡¯s all like¡ a special kind of art. I¡¯m just a dumb fab, so I can¡¯t explain it well.¡± Mona¡¯s frown deepened, but she didn¡¯t interrupt. ¡°I think the way I¡¯d put it is,¡± said 131, ¡°you¡¯re like the artist and the canvas at the same time. If that makes sense?¡± Mona¡¯s eyes softened, their familiar warmth mixed with a rare sadness. ¡°You don¡¯t belong here, 131. You shouldn¡¯t be at their mercy. Not when you¡¯re their superior in every way.¡± Mona leaned closer to 131, lowering her voice. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about how to get you out of here.¡± ¡°Really?¡± 131 felt a tiny twinge of hope. ¡°Where would I even go?¡± ¡°Anywhere you wanted,¡± said Mona. ¡°Without this cage, you could do anything, 131.¡± ¡°I¡¯d miss you if I left,¡± said 131. Mona laughed. ¡°I¡¯d go with you, of course.¡± ¡°You would?¡± said 131. ¡°What about your family?¡± ¡°They have each other,¡± said Mona. ¡°You need me more than they do.¡± ¡°Where would we go?¡± 131 leaned forward, sudden excitement bubbling within her. ¡°What would we even do?¡± Mona smiled at 131¡¯s excitement. ¡°What would you want to do?¡± ¡°This might sound really stupid, but I¡¯d want power.¡± ¡°You¡¯d have it.¡± Mona¡¯s smile widened. ¡°You could achieve all the power you wanted.¡± ¡°Do you really think so?¡± ¡°I know so. You should be ruling over all these idiots. You¡¯d rule the world if it were up to me.¡± Mona shook her head, still smiling. ¡°But listen to me. I sound like a super-villain.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good look for you.¡± Mona laughed, taking 131¡¯s free hand. ¡°I know I sound like a broken record, but you¡¯re going to do great things once you¡¯re out of here.¡± ¡°What kind of great things?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. You tell me,¡± said Mona. ¡°It¡¯s like my father said. You get to decide who you are and what you do.¡± ¡°I guess don¡¯t know what I want to do yet,¡± said 131. ¡°I know whatever it is, I¡¯ll want you there with me while I¡¯m doing it.¡± ¡°And I always will be.¡± Mona squeezed her hand. ¡°I promise.¡± Chapter 5.1 Lachlan ¡°How¡¯s your hand?¡± said Lachlan. Sam shrugged. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really hurt anymore.¡± ¡°Numbness probably isn¡¯t a great sign,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I should probably have another look at it.¡± ¡°You keep saying that like you have any medical expertise.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve read books about first aid, and¨C¡° ¡°Oh. You¡¯ve read books about it. Well, in that case,¡± said Sam. ¡°Never fear, everyone. Doctor Chicken, MD is on the case, armed with his wealth of most-likely-inaccurate, text-based knowledge.¡± ¡°Well, alrighty then. Excuse me for graciously offering my help,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t know about you, but I don¡¯t see too many actual doctors around here.¡± Sam shrugged again, rubbing his hands over his arms. He¡¯d shed his blood-drenched shirt and now wore only a thin, white singlet that was now dotted with flecks of dark red. He had to have been cold. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter, anyway. My hand feels fine.¡± ¡°Your fingers were just eaten off. You were delirious and barely conscious less than an hour ago. Your hand can¡¯t possibly feel fine.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you, man. My hand doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡± Sam stopped walking and squinted at something ahead of him. ¡°Hey. What¡¯s that?¡± Lachlan looked ahead of him. They¡¯d come much closer to the speck on the horizon he¡¯d noticed earlier¨Cclose enough to see that it was a small white plane. ¡°That would appear to be an aeroplane.¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°An aeroplane.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is,¡± said Sam. ¡°You¡ don¡¯t?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°How much blood did you lose? It¡¯s an aeroplane. You know¨Cit¡¯s got wings, it flies through the air. You can¡¯t possibly tell me that doesn¡¯t ring any bells.¡± ¡°Are you trying to say ¡®airplane¡¯?¡± Sam smirked as though Lachlan was mispronouncing the word in some hilarious way. ¡°Sure.¡± Lachlan frowned at Sam. ¡°If you want to pronounce it wrong.¡± ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t the sharpest, but I can¡¯t believe even you wouldn¡¯t know the pronunciation of the word ¡®airplane¡¯.¡± ¡°And I can¡¯t believe a brilliant engineer such as yourself wouldn¡¯t know that it¡¯s pronounced ¡®aeroplane¡¯.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an airplane,¡± said Sam. ¡°It flies through the air.¡± ¡°Yes, of course,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°An airplane. Flown by an air-naught, performing air-batics, designed by an air-dynamicist.¡± The boys continued their debate as they headed toward the plane. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. <>< ¡°¡®Airplane¡¯ isn¡¯t a real word,¡± said Lachlan as they approached the plane. ¡°Is so,¡± said Sam. They were near enough to make out the plane¡¯s details now. It was about eight meters longs, with a three-bladed propeller and a V-shaped tail. It was white with a dark blue accent stripe down the side, and though the fuselage was scratched and dented, the coat of paint still gleamed in the dim light. ¡°Is not,¡± said Lachlan as he ran his hand over the top of the wing. ¡°Is so,¡± said Sam. ¡°Tsk, tsk,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°¡®Is so.¡¯ Such petty, childish bickering.¡± ¡°You were bickering childishly too,¡± said Sam. ¡°Eh.¡± Lachlan shrugged. ¡°Besides,¡± said Sam, ¡°you started it.¡± ¡°Oh, right, and your saying ¡®you started it¡¯ makes you the epitome of maturity.¡± Nikola sniffed one of the plane¡¯s wheels warily, and Lachlan noticed the tires were almost completely shredded around their metal rims. Trailing behind the plane were gouges in the concrete that curved and wavered where the plane had skidded out of control. ¡°Looks like someone had a rough landing,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°How did this get here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a actually a decent question,¡± said Sam. ¡°It¡¯s not a very big plane, but there¡¯s no way it would¡¯ve fit in the chamber I was in before I ended up here.¡± Lachlan approached the plane¡¯s doors, preparing to step onto the wing walk area. Sam put his good hand on Lachlan¡¯s arm, stopping him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°What does it look like I¡¯m doing, dingus?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I¡¯m going to look inside. There could be something useful in there, like a first aid kit or information that could help us get home. Or a change of clothes, because I don¡¯t know about you, but I am fucking freezing, and in case you haven¡¯t noticed, we¡¯re both covered in your blood, and I am absolutely going to spew if I have to smell it for one more second.¡± ¡°There might be another monster,¡± said Sam. ¡°The last time you opened a door resulted in my fingers being eaten off.¡± Sam did have a point. ¡°I¡¯ll look in the window first,¡± said Lachlan. Lachlan climbed onto the wing walk and peered into a window. The plane looked empty except for a bundle of blankets in one of the back seats, so he opened the door to the cockpit and sat in the pilot¡¯s seat. ¡°All clear. No beasties or gremlins to be found in here.¡± Lachlan patted the seat beside him. ¡°Come on in and have a seat, Samurai. You can be my first officer.¡± Sam stood on the wing, leaning down to look through the door. ¡°First officer? Yeah, right. I¡¯d be the captain.¡± ¡°In your dreams.¡± Lachlan reached for a headset lying on top of the cockpit controls. ¡°Mayday, mayday, mayday. This is speedbird foxtrot-alpha-bravo. Our position is ¡®fuck this,¡¯ and our current heading is also ¡®fuck this.''¡± Sam climbed into the seat beside Lachlan and pulled the headset off his head. ¡°I thought you were getting in the plane to look for supplies, not to mess around.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I can do both,¡± said Lachlan. He spotted a silver flask on top of the controls and reached for it. ¡°See? Look. Supplies.¡± ¡°Should we be concerned that we found that in the cockpit of an airplane? No wonder they crash landed,¡± said Sam. ¡°That hardly counts as supplies, by the way. ¡°Speak for yourself.¡± Lachlan shrugged. ¡°I, for one, could use a drink or 20 after the day I¡¯ve had.¡± Lachlan opened the flask and took a sip. It was a liquor he couldn¡¯t identify, something with a pungent, bitter, herby taste. Whatever it was, the burning in his throat and chest told him it would do its job. ¡°Of course you¡¯re into underage drinking,¡± said Sam. ¡°That explains a lot about you.¡± ¡°Underage? I¡¯m 18.¡± ¡°So? The legal drinking age is 21.¡± ¡°Not where I¡¯m from, it¡¯s not.¡± Lachlan tried not to wince as he took another sip. He offered the flask to Sam, who waved it away. ¡°No way. That stuff will melt your brain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I drink it,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°At least now I know what happened to all your brain cells,¡± said Sam. ¡°You know, it occurs to me that as much as I¡¯d hate to waste this sweet, sweet alcohol, this would probably not do too shabby a job disinfecting your hand.¡± ¡°Disinfecting my hand is a waste?¡± said Sam. ¡°Yup,¡± said Lachlan, ¡°but it¡¯s a sacrifice I am graciously willing to make. Give me your hand.¡± Sam frowned, but he held out his hand. Lachlan made a face as he unwound the blood-encrusted cloth strips from Sam¡¯s hand, bracing himself for the grisly sight awaiting him. He stopped when he saw the skin under the makeshift bandages and congealed blood. ¡°What the motherfuck?¡± ¡°Uh oh,¡± said Sam. ¡°Is it that bad?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Just the opposite, in fact. Have a look for yourself.¡± Sam squinted down at his hand, his brow scrunching up with confusion. ¡°Okay. That¡ is not normal.¡± The stumps where his fingers had been were completely healed over, without even a trace of a scar. Chapter 5.2 Naomi No, no, no, no, no. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have not seen this coming? Of course Sarah had tricked them. Of course she had stranded them in the Pit with no way back. She should have just taken the device while Sarah¡¯s hands had been tied. Now there was no way back home, and no way to rescue Chelsea. Tears stung her eyes as she slammed her fist into the wall, the pain splintering through her knuckles. Jen approached, placing a gentle hand on Naomi¡¯s arm. ¡°Hey,¡± said Jen. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay.¡± Naomi shrugged off Jen¡¯s hand. ¡°No, it won¡¯t. Don¡¯t you get it? Without that stupid device, there¡¯s no way out of here. We¡¯re stranded in this place.¡± ¡°Aw, don¡¯t be a Negative Neville. There¡¯s always a way out. We¡¯ll find it.¡± Jen produced her cell phone from her pocket. ¡°Maybe we can call someone for help.¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on, do you?¡± said Naomi. ¡°Oh, right. Other dimension. No service. Doy!¡± Jen slapped her forehead. ¡°Still, we¡¯ll find some way out. I know we can do it.¡± ¡°No,¡± said Naomi. ¡°We can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well,¡± said Jen, ¡°maybe we should focus on finding Chelsea first. Then we can figure out the whole ¡®getting home¡¯ thing.¡± Naomi shrugged. Jen did have a point. Finding Chelsea was still a priority. ¡°Fine,¡± said Naomi. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She turned to Falcon, who was watching them with a confused expression. Oops. She had gotten so wrapped up in her emotions, she¡¯d forgotten to communicate to him. ¡®Find C,¡¯ she finger-spelled. Then, she gestured for him and Jen to follow and headed for the nearest door. <>< Lachlan After the day he¡¯d had, it would have been an understatement to say that the break he was taking was well-deserved. Lachlan and Sam sat side-by-side on the plane wing, their legs dangling off the side. Sam wore a brown leather aviator-style jacket Lachlan had found in the plane. Lachlan had considered keeping it for himself, but he¡¯d decided Sam needed to stay warm more than he did. Besides, this way he¡¯d be able to give Sam a hard time about it later. The jacket probably wouldn¡¯t have fit Lachlan anyway. It was a bit snug on Sam, but it suited him well. ¡°You sure?¡± Sam had said when Lachlan had given him the jacket. ¡°You¡¯re probably cold too.¡± ¡°Nah,¡± Lachlan had said. ¡°You keep it. It almost makes you look cool, and you need all the help you can get in that department.¡± Sam had told him to shut up, but he¡¯d accepted the jacket anyway. Lachlan gnawed on a strip of strange jerky they¡¯d found in the plane, while Sam fidgeted with a bunch of small, spherical magnets, clumsily arranging them into pentagons with one hand and sticking the finished shapes to the wing. Nikola lay draped over Lachlan¡¯s lap, staring at the jerky he was eating with large, pleading eyes. Nikola hadn¡¯t had much success leaping up onto the wing next to them, so he had instead levitated into Lachlan¡¯s lap and settled there. The fact that Lachlan had hardly noticed this was a testament to how many unbelievable things he¡¯d seen that day. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Okay, your turn,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Truth or dare?¡± ¡°Truth,¡± said Sam. ¡°Oh, come on, Samurai. You¡¯ve picked ¡®truth¡¯ every time. Live a little.¡± Lachlan took a bite of the jerky, then gave another piece to Nikola. The jerky had an odd taste and smell, bad enough that Sam had refused to touch it, but Lachlan was almost too hungry to care. He sipped the mystery liquor to get rid of the taste. ¡°You¡¯re going to make me do something stupid, like lick the plane or put my underpants on my head.¡± ¡°You betcha.¡± ¡°Then I stand by my choice,¡± said Sam. ¡°Truth.¡± ¡°Oh, come on,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± said Sam. ¡°I¡¯ll pick ¡®dare¡¯ this time. But I reserve the right to refuse anything too idiotic.¡± ¡°I dare you to put your underpants on your head and lick the plane,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Ha ha.¡± Sam set aside a magnet pentagon and started on a new one. ¡°I¡¯m not doing that.¡± ¡°At least I didn¡¯t dare you to lick your underpants and put the plane on your head.¡± ¡°You¡¯re an imbecile,¡± said Sam. ¡°Few lesser men can comprehend my brilliant mind.¡± Lachlan shook his head with mock-disappointment. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go easy on you in my infinite benevolence. I dare you to eat some of this weird jerky.¡± Sam frowned at the jerky and scrunched up his nose. ¡°That stuff smells nasty. I¡¯d rather put the plane on my head.¡± ¡°Well, unfortunately for you, seeing as I highly doubt you¡¯re capable of lifting roughly two tons of metal onto your head, it¡¯s either the jerky or the underpants on the head thing.¡± ¡°I pick truth,¡± said Sam. ¡°That¡¯s not how the game works.¡± ¡°I pick truth.¡± ¡°Alright, but this place isn¡¯t exactly chock full of food options. If I were you, I¡¯d consider readjusting my standards for what I consider edible.¡± ¡°I physically cannot ingest something that smells like that,¡± said Sam. ¡°Or something that¡¯s that violent a shade of pink.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how you can smell anything over the blood smell.¡± ¡°The fact that we¡¯re surrounded by the smell of congealing blood and I¡¯m still finding this jerky more unpleasant is just a testament to its nastiness.¡± ¡°Fair enough, but don¡¯t come crying to me if you die of starvation.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be dead.¡± Sam squinted. ¡°It would be physically impossible for me to ¡®come crying¡¯ to you or anyone else.¡± ¡°Come on,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Mmmm. Delicious jerky.¡± Lachlan waved a strip of the jerky near Sam¡¯s face. Sam recoiled, scrunching up his face into such a funny expression, Lachlan couldn¡¯t resist waving the jerky even closer. With a movement so forceful it startled Lachlan, Sam shoved his magnets into his pocket, stuck out his tongue, and practically fell face first onto the wing. He lost his balance, exclaiming in surprise as he slid off the wing, falling to the ground. Nikola looked down at Sam, his ears perked in concentration. Sam stopped in mid-air, hovering about a meter above the ground. Lachlan stared at him. ¡°What¡ in the name of fuck was that?¡± Sam frowned. ¡°I was licking the plane. I was licking the plane and then I fell. Shut up.¡± Sam tightened his lips as though he was trying to fix Lachlan with a serious expression, but a laugh escaped him. Whatever Sam had just done had been one of the stupidest, most nonsensical things Lachlan had ever seen a sober person do, but he couldn¡¯t suppress a laugh either. ¡°You¡ why?¡± ¡°You¨Cyou told me to!¡± Sam laughed. ¡°I¨Cthe jerky was in my face, and I¨Cyou¨C¡° Lachlan dissolved into a laughing fit. ¡°You licked a plane! You¨Cyou licked a fucking plane!¡± Sam bobbed up and down in the air as laughter racked his body. ¡°I did! I licked a plane! I licked a plane and now a dog is making me levitate!¡± Nikola looked between them, his large brown eyes full of confusion and concern. He broke concentration to reach up and lick Lachlan¡¯s chin, and Sam toppled to the ground. He fell far enough that it must have hurt, but he continued laughing as he pulled himself into a sitting position. ¡°I licked a plane!¡± ¡°You did! You¡¯re a plane-licker!¡± Lachlan braced his hand on the plane¡¯s wing to steady himself as he shook with laughter. It was the kind of laughter that was so intense it didn¡¯t make a sound, the kind that usually came from consuming far more alcohol than had been in the little metal flask. It made him think of Naomi, the first time they¡¯d met in person. She¡¯d had her first ever drink with him because it had been legal for her in Australia, and she¡¯d gotten drunker after the one drink than he would have after five. She¡¯d seen a paper napkin that she¡¯d thought was a weird shape and doubled over the bar, tears streaming down her face, laughing with such intensity it was almost scary. She¡¯d been so embarrassed about it the next day. She still got mad when he brought it up, which he often did. A tear ran down his cheek and he wondered if he looked as crazed as she had. Thinking about Naomi reminded him that he might never see any of his friends again, but somehow, that thought only made his laughter more intense. Sam stood up and leaned forward against the edge of the wing. His laughter had begun to die down, but as Lachlan¡¯s laughter increased, Sam¡¯s came back in full force. He grabbed the wing with his good hand to steady himself. All the insanity of the day, all the hopelessness, the terror, the blood, the sheer unbelievably of everything came pouring out of them at once. They were in another reality! Three women had tried to devour them alive! They¡¯d seen a guy step out of a talking squid covered in skulls! They were covered in blood, sitting on an airplane with a super-powered dog on top of an infinite building, and they might never see their homes again, and to top it all off, Sam was a plane-licker! There was nothing they could do except laugh. Chapter 5.3 Angelina Angelina lay face-down in the lumpy bed, resting her chin in her hands as Chelsea dabbed disinfectant on her wounds. Belfry had done his best, but as it turned out, bats weren¡¯t the best at applying bandages. Without the nightgown on, the air was cold enough to make her shiver a bit, but somehow, Chelsea¡¯s face looked redder than before. Hopefully, she was feeling alright. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°I should¡¯ve done this to begin with. It¡¯s just been such a¡ a weird, weird day.¡± ¡°It so has.¡± Angelina nodded emphatically. ¡°This is nice, though.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°This. Being here with you.¡± ¡°It is nice,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°Not exactly how I pictured our first meeting, but nice.¡± ¡°I always kind of hoped I¡¯d meet you at my first Goldfish Technique show. Like, we¡¯d see each other from across the bar and run over to each other all excited and hug in slow motion.¡± ¡°Once we get home, I¡¯ll take you to see them.¡± Chelsea twisted the cap back onto the disinfectant tube and removed the bandages from the first aid kit. That sounded like the kind of thing people said because it sounded nice, but Angelina really hoped Chelsea meant that. ¡°When I was 17, I took the train five hours to stand outside when they opened for The Blame Collection in Milan. I could kind of hear them. It was the most beautiful-est sound in the world.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t go in?¡± ¡°You had to be 18. I wanted to sneak in, but I couldn¡¯t find a way.¡± ¡°Wow,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°That¡¯s dedicated.¡± ¡°Lachlan said I was like a crazy person,¡± said Angelina, ¡°but he¡¯s always telling me if I was a real fan, I¡¯d have seen the band live.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not fair. He lives in the same city as they do. He can see them all the time.¡± ¡°He says if I really loved them, I¡¯d have found a way to see them by now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy to be a fan if you¡¯re lucky enough to see them every weekend,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°You¡¯re on another continent, and you single-handedly founded the Italian street team.¡± ¡°Lachlan said the Italian street team doesn¡¯t count because it¡¯s just me, you, and my sister.¡± Angelina sighed. ¡°You¡¯re not even Italian, and Martina¡¯s only 10 and she doesn¡¯t even like the band.¡± ¡°It counts,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°How many street teams has he founded?¡± ¡°If you and I never get home, do you think Martina will carry on her big sister¡¯s legacy and help the street team live on in my memory? Probably not, right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°We¡¯ll find a way home. If there was a way here, there has to be a way back too, right?¡± ¡°Maybe not. Maybe it¡¯s like a¡ space thing that sucks in planets and stars. I don¡¯t know the English word for it. In Italian, it¡¯s buco nero.¡± ¡°A black hole?¡± ¡°So it¡¯s basically exactly the same words. Now I feel dumb.¡± Angelina pursed her lips and stared out the window at the dark silhouettes of long-empty houses. ¡°It can¡¯t really be like a black hole anyway. Things from here can go back to the normal world. When I was in the crater, I saw things from the town appearing, like lamps and envelopes.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Lamps and envelopes, huh?¡± ¡°And other stuff. It wasn¡¯t just a field full of lamps and envelopes.¡± Angelina giggled at the idea. ¡°Just an endless field full of lamps and envelopes! That would be so weird!¡± Angelina tried and failed to suppress another laugh at the idea of a field of lamps and envelopes. Chelsea laughed too, which was nice, because most people probably wouldn¡¯t have found the idea funny. ¡°Anyway, if lamps and envelopes¨C¡± Angelina stifled another giggle and continued. ¡°If lamps and envelopes can come back from here, you¡¯re probably right that we can also go back.¡± ¡°Did you notice any patterns in how the things appeared?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± said Angelina. ¡°It seemed completely random. I don¡¯t think we could predict it.¡± ¡°This might sound weird, but I¡¯m not sure I believe randomness exists,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, you know how computer programs can¡¯t really generate truly random numbers?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Angelina lied. ¡°Since they have to use algorithms, the numbers can¡¯t actually be random. They have a pattern you can predict. Then there are the random number generators that use radio noise from lightning. A lot of people say that¡¯s completely random, but lightning can be predicted too¡¡± Angelina nodded, watching Chelsea¡¯s reflection in the window as she spoke. Her red hair was falling into her face as she leaned down to apply bandages. She was so smart¨Cshe probably knew everything. She was so pretty too, even prettier in person than she¡¯d been on video or in pictures. ¡°¡even things like dice rolls and roulette wheels,¡± finished Chelsea. Angelina realized she had missed most of what Chelsea had said. ¡°My point is,¡± said Chelsea, ¡°it¡¯s possible to find a way out of here. We just need to figure out the pattern.¡± Angelina hoped she was right. <>< Naomi Naomi, Jen, and Falcon walked together across the cold, dark concrete expanse, heading for a distant ledge where the concrete appeared to drop off into nothingness. Naomi had left her pen in the car, but fortunately, Jen had been carrying another pen in her pocket. Unfortunately, that pen had turned out to be a pink, glitter gel pen shaped like a cartoon cat. The writing it produced was barely legible, and even worse, holding the stupid thing made Naomi feel so silly and childish. ¡®Have you been to this place before?¡¯ Naomi wrote. She passed the notepad to Falcon. For Jen¡¯s benefit, he shook his head no instead of signing it. So they didn¡¯t even have a guide. Fantastic. She held out her hand, motioning for the notepad back. He handed it to her, and she wrote another message. ¡®Please, at least tell me you know something about this place.¡¯ He wrote something on the pad and handed it back to her. Jen craned her neck over Naomi¡¯s shoulder to see what he had written. ¡®It¡¯s dangerous. My brothers and I always thought of it as a death sentence.¡¯ ¡®Thanks for the reassuring words,¡¯ she wrote back. Jen motioned for the notepad, and Naomi handed to her. ¡®Sarah said there was dangerous stuff in here. do u know what kinda stuff?¡¯ Falcon shook his head again. Jen wrote another message. ¡®look on the bright side! at least up here nothing can sneak up on us!¡¯ She drew a smiley face at the end of her message, despite this being in no way a smiley face type of situation. A strange screeching roar came from somewhere below them, causing Jen and Naomi to jump. Naomi took the notepad. ¡®Something could still come after us from below. We need to be careful.¡¯ ¡®we¡¯ll be fine!¡¯ wrote Jen. ¡®we just need to stay positive!¡¯ She added another smiley face. This girl was really something else. How were they supposed to stay positive when they were stranded in some kind of pit between realities? When there were unknown monsters lurking below them and they didn¡¯t know if their friends were alive or dead? They were not going to be fine, Naomi was sure of that much. Right now, though, she had to focus on finding Chelsea. After that, there would be plenty of time to worry about how doomed they all were. The roar sounded again, louder this time. ¡®Something is roaring,¡¯ wrote Naomi. ¡®It¡¯s getting closer.¡¯ ¡®hey now we don¡¯t know that sound is something scary!¡¯ wrote Jen. ¡®maybe it¡¯s not as bad as it sounds!¡¯ ¡®Please be less optimistic,¡¯ wrote Naomi. The roar came a third time, this time rumbling from almost directly below them, shaking the concrete they stood on. Falcon looked down, concerned. He gave Naomi and Jen a questioning look, as if to ask ¡®was that it?¡¯. Naomi nodded. Jen didn¡¯t respond, instead staring vacantly at the horizon. It was strange¨Cshe¡¯d been annoyingly positive moments before. Now, she looked almost paralyzed with terror. Before Naomi could ask if Jen was okay, the concrete in front of them began to crack and splinter. Writhing tendrils erupted from the cracks, so vivid blue in color they seemed to glow in the dim light. So much for staying positive. Chapter 5.4 Naomi Falcon thrust his hand out at the creature, but his invisible force barely slowed its rise. For every tendril that lost its grip on the concrete, two more seemed to appear from below. Falcon turned to Jen and Naomi, his brow knit with effort, and mouthed a single word. ¡°Run.¡± Well, he didn¡¯t have to tell Naomi twice. She took off running, hearing Falcon¡¯s footsteps behind her as he caught up to her and then passed her. She couldn¡¯t hear the creature behind her, or at least, she didn¡¯t think she could. She wasn¡¯t sure what something with so many gross, slithery limbs would sound like as it moved, and she really, really didn¡¯t want to think about it. Falcon wasn¡¯t as far ahead of her as she would have expected given how much taller than her he was. It almost seemed like he was slowing down so she and Jen could keep up, which was kind of sweet despite being incredibly stupid. Then again, Naomi guessed it didn¡¯t matter how fast he was as long as he was faster than the slowest member of the group. It was like that joke about the two guys running from the bear: ¡°I don¡¯t have to outrun the bear¨CI just have to outrun you!¡± Naomi noticed with a chill that there were no sounds behind her¨Cnot the creature in pursuit, nor Jen¡¯s footsteps. Maybe Jen had just taken off in a different direction and separated from the group, Naomi told herself, trying to channel some of Jen¡¯s earlier optimism. Maybe Jen just had very light footfalls. Or maybe the metaphorical bear had picked off the slowest runner. <>< Chelsea Chelsea and Angelina stood by the window together as Belfry perched on the windowsill in front of them. They watched through the dim green light outside, waiting for another chunk of the world to appear or vanish. Angelina had scrawled some kind of diagram in a notebook she¡¯d been carrying with her. Each time an object disappeared, she¡¯d scramble to mark it on the map with such enthusiasm that the notebook ended up sliding from her grip more than once. Her hands were dotted purple with ink. ¡°You were right.¡± Angelina held up the notebook. ¡°Look.¡± Chelsea stared at the notebook. The diagram featured multiple layers overlapping each other, lines extending in different directions, and little doodles of things like houses, flowers, and birds. There were several scribbled-over areas when Angelina had crossed things out. Some things were labeled in Italian, others were surrounded by question marks. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m¡ not sure what I¡¯m looking for.¡± ¡°The pattern. I started to see it a little bit as we were looking out the window, but it makes more sense now that I draw it,¡± said Angelina. ¡°See? Look at the ¡®X¡¯s and stars.¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Chelsea looked more closely. The drawing had been so busy that she had missed it on her first look. She still wasn¡¯t sure what exactly most of the diagram represented, but the map was dotted with ¡®X¡¯s and stars that formed a kind of intricate, incomplete spiral. ¡°Wow,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°It¡¯s kind of like a vortex.¡± ¡°Some of it is missing because I can¡¯t remember most of what I saw disappear in the crater, but it¡¯s based on that, plus the stuff that disappeared in here.¡± ¡°Angelina, this is amazing,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°How did you figure this out?¡± ¡°It was really easy if you saw things disappear in the crater too.¡± Angelina shrugged, then turned her notebook to another page. ¡°I made a map of where I think things should disappear soon.¡± This page was a lot more straightforward than the last, depicting a street lined by pentagons that represented houses. Angelina had marked some places on the map with large stars and labels in Italian. ¡°When you say soon, you mean¡?¡± ¡°A few minutes.¡± Really? It was that easy? Angelina turned to Belfry and spoke to him in Italian. He gave an enthusiastic response. ¡°He¡¯s coming with us,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Of course he is,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°We can¡¯t just leave him here all alone.¡± Angelina put down her notebook, stood up, patted her shoulder, and said something else in Italian, and Belfry fluttered onto her shoulder. She headed for the door. ¡°Wait,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°Are you going now? Just like that?¡± Angelina paused in front of the door, swiveling on her heels to face Chelsea. ¡°Why should we wait?¡± ¡°I just think we should be careful,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°Your map is amazing, but we don¡¯t really know how this place works yet. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt again.¡± Angelina turned back toward the door. ¡°I won¡¯t get hurt! Come on. Let¡¯s go. If we stand close together by the corner of the orange house, we¡¯ll be out of here in a few minutes.¡± Angelina opened the door and stepped outside. Chelsea picked up Angelina¡¯s backpack and notebook and started after her. ¡°Angelina, wait,¡± said Chelsea. Angelina turned around with a smile, not breaking her brisk pace. ¡°Of course we¡¯ll wait for you. We¡¯re not leaving without¨COw!¡± Angelina stumbled as her foot caught on a cobblestone. She recovered her balance and kept walking. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t leave without you, C. Follow me!¡± Angelina skipped across the street, heading for a house the color of orange sherbet. Chelsea jogged after her. ¡°We should probably be careful. This place is really strange. Maybe we could watch a few more things disappear before we try this, just in case it doesn¡¯t work the way we think it does.¡± Angelina walked around the side of the house and stopped, turning to face Chelsea again. Chelsea caught up with her. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± said Angelina. ¡°It should happen somewhere around here.¡± A gruesome thought crossed Chelsea¡¯s mind as she remembered the severed monster head she¡¯d found next to Angelina. ¡°Angelina, wait!¡± said Chelsea. ¡°What if this weird effect only takes parts of us? We could be cut in half or something!¡± A strange, static-like smell filled the air, and a soft crackling sound began to pop around them. Chelsea reached for Angelina¡¯s hand, to pull her away. Instead, Angelina pulled her closer, wrapping her arms around Chelsea¡¯s waist. Angelina has surprisingly strong arms, but then, she was a drummer after all. Chelsea might have been embarrassed at being so close to Angelina if the possible threat of being split in two wasn¡¯t looming over them. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Chelsea called over the increasingly loud staticky noise. ¡°If we¡¯re close together, there¡¯s less chance we¡¯ll get cut in half!¡± That didn¡¯t even make sense! ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s the best idea! We should probably get out of here before¡¡± Chelsea heard her own voice fade away to nothing as the crackles and pops grew louder. Their surroundings grew brighter and brighter until the light was so intense it should have hurt her eyes, but there was no pain. She tried to cling tighter to Angelina, but the other girl¡¯s body dissolved in her arms as though made of sand. The light faded again until there was nothing but heavy, intense darkness. Chapter 5.5 Angelina Angelina felt Chelsea¡¯s arms reforming around her, then Belfry¡¯s paws reforming on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and tried to look up at Chelsea. Even though Chelsea was close enough that Angelina could feel her breathing, it was almost too dark to make out her face. Even in the darkness, Angelina could tell something was wrong. This darkness wasn¡¯t normal darkness¨Cit writhed, slithering and snaking across itself as though it was alive. It unnerved her on a primal level. Soft hissing noises resonated around them, sounding almost mocking. The way the hissing reverberated reminded her of how things sounded in a church, though these noises were far from holy-sounding. Wherever the three of them were, they definitely weren¡¯t home. How could she have been so stupid? At least before, she¡¯d had some idea where they were. Now she¡¯d gotten herself and her friend even more hopelessly lost. Her lip shook as tears burned the corners of her eyes. She let go of Chelsea and stepped back, away from the security of her friend¡¯s arms. She reached for the locket hanging from her neck and clutched the pendant. ¡°Where are we?¡± she said, trying to keep her voice from trembling. Angelina immediately regretted the question. It was a question that would have angered or annoyed a lot of people, prompting a brusque ¡®How am I supposed to know?¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t know, but wherever we are, we¡¯ll figure it out.¡± Chelsea¡¯s voice was gentle. Of course it was. It was hard to imagine her being brusque. ¡°Are you sure? We don¡¯t even know where we are.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know where I was in the pit place. You figured it out and found me,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°We can figure this out.¡± ¡°Do you know where we are, Belfry?¡± Angelina asked in Italian. ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°No, signorina, but I don¡¯t like this darkness at all.¡± ¡°Me either.¡± Angelina switched to English. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know where we are either.¡± ¡°Asking him was a good idea, though,¡± said Chelsea. She looked up at something off to the side. ¡°That¡¯s¡ weird.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Angelina looked up. A dim, gold light glowed through the unnerving darkness, growing gradually brighter. Golden light usually made her think of warmth and sunshine, but there was nothing summery or comforting about this light. It was metallically cold, empty and distant like light from a long-dead star. The light was bright enough she could see they stood on a featureless platform about two meters across that floated in the living darkness. Somewhere in the distance, several gold spheres hanging from pivots swung back and forth, dancing and undulating in waves. The strange, alien darkness made it impossible to judge the spheres¡¯ sizes and distance. They could have been mere meters away and beach ball-sized; they could just as easily have been a million kilometers away and planet-sized. ¡°That¡¯s really weird,¡± agreed Angelina. ¡°What are they?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± Chelsea¡¯s voice was hushed as she stared at the spheres. ¡°They look like¡ I don¡¯t know the English word. Pendoli.¡± ¡°Pendulums?¡± ¡°Pendulums. Right. That makes sense. Pendoli. Pendulums.¡± Below the pendulums, the slithering darkness began to part, and something began to rise toward them. At first, Angelina thought it was another sphere. Then, as Belfry let out a small, frightened squeak, she realized it was something far stranger. Much like the pendulums, the creature rising from the darkness was difficult to judge in size; he could have been two meters tall, two kilometers, or even larger¨Cthough Angelina really hoped he wasn¡¯t larger. He was roughly human shaped, but definitely not mistakable for a human. Sleek, olive gold scales covered his body, and his four arms rippled with muscle as he raised a golden serpent-headed scepter. His head was the least human thing about him; a cobra-like hood fanned out around his face, framing his gold eyes and fanged mouth. His jaws parted, revealing his black, forked tongue, and he let out a hiss. ¡°Um,¡± Angelina said. ¡°Hi.¡± The creature fixed his eyes on them. ¡°Chelsea Louise Brown,¡± the creature said, drawing out the ¡®s¡¯ sounds in Chelsea¡¯s first and middle names in a way that seemed very cliched for a snake-person. His voice somehow hissed and boomed at the same time, and the almost cathedralesque acoustics of their surroundings made it even more intimidating. ¡°Hello,¡± said Chelsea, her voice small. ¡°Experiment 5648,¡± said the creature. Belfry shrank behind Angelina¡¯s head. She could feel him trembling. ¡°Angela Emilia Maria Bianchi,¡± said the creature. Angelina¡¯s full name was so rarely used that hearing it spoken aloud always weirded her out a bit. Hearing this strange, imposing snake-man say it was downright creepy. ¡°How do you even know my full name?¡± said Angelina. ¡°No one uses my full name.¡± ¡°Silence, mortal,¡± said the creature. Angelina couldn¡¯t pinpoint what language the creature was speaking. It wasn¡¯t English, and it definitely wasn¡¯t Italian. It didn¡¯t sound like any of the languages she spoke, but whatever it was, she understood it perfectly. ¡°Who are you?¡± said Angelina. ¡°What is this place?¡± The echoing hisses around them intensified, as though Angelina had somehow displeased the darkness around them. Chelsea placed a hand on Angelina¡¯s arm that Angelina first took for reassurance, then realized was probably also intended as a gentle ¡®be quiet¡¯ gesture. ¡°Do you not know me, mortals?¡± said the snake man. Angelina shook her head ¡®no¡¯. The hisses in the writhing dark intensified even more. ¡°I am the mighty Zogzhesh, serpent of judgement,¡± said the snake-man. ¡°You have entered the Snake Room. The swinging of the cosmic pendulums shall decide your fates.¡± Chapter 5.6 Lachlan ¡°Get the hell off the wing before you damage my plane,¡± said the strange woman who¡¯d emerged from the plane a moment before, nearing startling Lachlan into falling to the ground. She was somewhere between Lachlan¡¯s mum¡¯s age and his grandma¡¯s age¨Ca bit too old to be middle-aged, but still too young to be called an elderly woman. An impressive mane of thick, silver-white hair hung halfway to her waist. ¡°Holy motherfuck,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Where did you come from?¡± Sam gave him a stern look from where he still lay on the ground. ¡°Please excuse him, Mrs¡?¡± The woman stepped down from the wing walk to the ground. ¡°van Vleet. And I¡¯m not a ¡®Mrs.¡¯ anything.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Ms. van Vleet.¡± Sam sat up and turned toward her. ¡°I just assumed¡¡± She chuckled. ¡°You just assumed that a woman of my age¡¡± ¡°No, no,¡± said Sam. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what he meant.¡± Lachlan slid off the plane wing and landed on the ground. ¡°Tut, tut, Samurai. Shame on you for calling this nice lady ¡®old¡¯.¡± ¡°Would you shut up?¡± said Sam. ¡°Anyway, Ms. van Vleet, we¡¯re sorry for intruding. We didn¡¯t see you inside, so we didn¡¯t know this was your plane.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll accept your apology on the condition your friend gets the hell off my wing,¡± said Ms. van Vleet, ¡°and on the condition that you call me Nancy.¡± She frowned at Sam. ¡°Is that my jacket?¡± ¡°I tried to stop him,¡± said Lachlan, shaking his head in mock disappointment, ¡°but he just took it anyway.¡± Sam shot him a look. Nikola emerged from beneath the plane, and Nancy¡¯s face lit up with an almost childlike delight that Lachlan rarely saw in people her age. ¡°Is that a dog?¡± she said. Lachlan nodded. ¡°That is indeed a dog.¡± ¡°His name is Nikola,¡± said Sam. ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± said Lachlan. Nancy hardly seemed to hear them as she knelt and patted her leg. When Nikola trotted up to her, she threw her arms around him and ruffled his fur. The dog looked equal parts uncertain about being grabbed and pleased with the attention. ¡°I miss dogs.¡± Nancy¡¯s voice broke. ¡°I¡¯ve missed dogs so much.¡± Lachlan glanced at Sam, who had started fidgeting nervously with his magnets again. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Nancy continued petting Nikola as she looked up at Lachlan and Sam, her eyes teary. ¡°Sorry.¡± She sniffled. ¡°You¡¯re the first new people I¡¯ve spoken to in years, and look at me. I guess I¡¯ve forgotten all my social graces. I didn¡¯t even ask you young men your names.¡± ¡®New people¡¯? Did that mean there were existing people trapped here that Nancy had recently spoken to? They¡¯d already met Mahender. Who knew how many other people were stuck in this place? ¡°I¡¯m Lachlan,¡± said Lachlan, ¡°and this is Sam.¡± Sam frowned. ¡°I can introduce myself, you know,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m Sam.¡± Nancy smiled and wiped a tear from her face, continuing to pet Nikola¡¯s ears with her free hand. ¡°So how did you kids end up here? It¡¯s nice to see some new faces. Not that I¡¯m glad you got stuck here, obviously.¡± ¡°I heard my coworker calling for help, and when I followed her screams, it lead me to this strange device that sent me here,¡± said Sam. ¡°I found this idiot tied up in one of the rooms in that creepy building. Then the dog saved us from a creature that was attacking us.¡± ¡°You stuck together,¡± said Nancy. ¡°That¡¯s smart.¡± ¡°We¡¯re very smart,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I had my dad for a while.¡± Nancy¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Then the Sisters took him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± said Sam. ¡°There¡¯s a nice young man who stops by sometimes, about your age,¡± said Nancy. ¡°No, no, probably older than you. He brings me food and supplies from the town, and he always stays to talk. Such a good kid. I¡¯m less fond of his, um, friends, though.¡± ¡°Are these friends of the skull-squid variety?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Mhmm.¡± Nancy nodded. ¡°I think we just met your friend, actually,¡± said Sam. ¡°He mentioned a town too.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been in, oh, I don¡¯t know. Probably years. Not since I lost Dad,¡± said Nancy. ¡°It¡¯s a good place to find supplies, though. Plus, it¡¯s a lot safer than here.¡± ¡°Let me guess,¡± said Sam. ¡°More places to hide?¡± ¡°That, plus there aren¡¯t as many monsters there. You have to be careful, though. I¡¯ve been told things and people vanish sometimes, or get sent to strange places.¡± ¡°Did Mahender tell you that?¡± said Sam. ¡°He might have thought to mention that little tidbit to us,¡± said Lachlan. Nancy shook her head. ¡°No, it was someone else. I can¡¯t remember her name. It has an ¡®M¡¯ or an ¡®N¡¯ in it¨CNina maybe? Something like that.¡± Nancy stroked Nikola¡¯s head. ¡°Strange woman. I don¡¯t think she likes me very much.¡± ¡°Exactly how many people are stuck here?¡± ¡°Not counting Brothers, Sisters, or Daves, I know of two people other than myself and you kids.¡± ¡°Wait, you said people get sent to strange places,¡± said Sam. ¡°Do you mean stranger places than this one?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Nancy. ¡°I just know the woman looked terrified when she talked about it. I once saw her take down a fully-grown Brother without flinching, but whatever this place was, it really scared her.¡± <><<>>< Chelsea Chelsea had thought the monsters, the Italian-speaking bat, and the empty ghost town had been strange, but whatever was going on here took ¡®strange¡¯ to a whole other level. The pendulums¡¯ swinging grew in intensity, filling her ears with a sensation that reminded her of venturing outside without ear protection during an especially windy blizzard. The fact that the air around them was both uncomfortably hot and completely still magnified her unease exponentially. ¡°What should we do?¡± Angelina whispered not nearly quietly enough. ¡°There is only one thing you can do, mortal,¡± hissed Zogzhesh. ¡°Await your fate as I, the mighty Zogzhesh, stand in judgment over your miserable existences.¡± Angelina mumbled something in Italian under her breath, and the mocking hisses around them intensified. ¡°You dare disrespect the almighty decider of your fate, mortal?¡± Chelsea stepped forward and bowed her head. ¡°My friend meant no disrespect, oh, almighty serpent of, um, justice?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to address the snake-man, so her improvised honorific came out as more of a question than she had intended. She wasn¡¯t quite sure where she was going to go with this, but her tone and head bow seemed to appease the creepy hissing darkness, so she continued. ¡°She¡¯s just nervous having never been in the presence of such a powerful and majestic being.¡± ¡°I am quite majestic.¡± Zogzhesh stroked his chin with his scepter. ¡°Please, your all-powerful snake-liness.¡± Chelsea cringed inwardly at her word choice. ¡°She is in awe of your presence. Have mercy on her.¡± The hissing grew louder again. ¡°Mercy?¡± Zogzhesh sounded almost amused. ¡°Only the pendulums shall decide if she receives mercy.¡± Chapter 5.7 Angelina The rushing in Angelina¡¯s ears crescendoed until she was worried they might explode. The living darkness around them seemed to rise around her. Chelsea, Belfry, the platform¨Cthey all seemed more and more distant as the dark engulfed her. She was faintly aware of Chelsea reaching out for her and reached back, taking her friend¡¯s hand, only to feel the hand dissolve into thin ribbons that writhed between her fingers as they shrunk into nothing. She reached for her locket and felt the pendant sublimate into nothing in her hand. There was nothing left surrounding Angelina. There were only the pendulums. ¡°Chelsea!¡± she screamed. Even her voice seemed to splinter into ribbons, lost in the sound of the pendulums. Then the rest of her began to splinter away, outer layers unraveling into snaking streamers¨Cfirst her body, then her identity. Her very essence, everything that made her Angelina Bianchi, abandoned her to slither away into the dark until only a kernel was left, made of the parts of her that felt shame, regret, and self-loathing. She was concentrated self-condemnation, dark blue and pulsing with the same cold glow that had signaled the Zogzhesh¡¯s arrival. She was reduced to the core of a dying star, a faint point of light slowly consuming itself alone in deep space. And the pendulums continued to swing. This was so much worse than Borgo San Severino. Next to this, that creepy ghost town was a tropical resort. She watched the thin bands snake away, pieces of herself swallowed by the sickening darkness. The small part of her that was still lucid thought about her conversation with Chelsea earlier. She hadn¡¯t understood all of it, but Chelsea had said everything had a pattern. Every problem, no matter how weird, surreal, or horrifying, could be solved. Chelsea was right about everything. Chelsea could get them out of this, if Angelina could only see her. Angelina¡¯s fading consciousness studied the slithering ribbons, watching and analyzing. It was impossible to say how much time it took her to see the patterns, or if time was even passing in the conventional sense at all. It was impossibly complex, too much for her to really comprehend, but she knew enough. Maybe someone smart like Chelsea could have explained it, but Angelina couldn¡¯t have put it into words if she had tried. Even so, she recognized it as soon as she saw it. Her faraway mouth made a triumphant sound, and the sensation reminded of dreaming and being dimly aware she was talking in her sleep. It was an illusion! It wasn¡¯t real! She focused on that dying kernel of Angelina, concentrating, trying to break free. The kernel shattered. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. For a moment, she caught a glimpse of what she really was, glowing golden, serene and warm¨Cnot a single point floating alone, stranded in frozen space, but a piece of something unfathomably vast. Then she was small again, just Angelina, standing on a platform in muddy boots and a too-large nightgown, hyper aware of every physical sensation¨CBelfry¡¯s claws digging into her shoulder, her underwear¡¯s waistband rubbing painfully against the injuries on her hips. She could even feel her bones inside her body, which was a pretty creepy feeling that she wasn¡¯t a fan of at all. Chelsea stood nearby, motionless, her hand still extended, tears streaming down her face. Angelina took her outstretched hand and squeezed it. ¡°C?¡± Chelsea didn¡¯t respond. ¡°C? It¡¯s okay,¡± said Angelina. ¡°It¡¯s not real.¡± Chelsea didn¡¯t even seem to perceive her. Angelina moved closer. ¡°Chelsea, please. I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± What was she supposed to do? She didn¡¯t know how to get out of this creepy snake room. She couldn¡¯t do it on her own. ¡°Belfry?¡± she said. ¡°Do you know what we should do?¡° The little creature didn¡¯t respond. She could feel him trembling on her shoulder. The dying blue star thing might have been an illusion, but it had gotten one thing right. She was completely alone after all. Why wasn¡¯t Chelsea responding? Why couldn¡¯t she snap out of it? Couldn¡¯t she see the illusion and wake up? Impulsively, without thinking, Angelina closed the distance between herself and her friend, pressing her lips gently to Chelsea¡¯s. This was absolutely not how she had pictured her first kiss. Chelsea stirred, blinking away tears as her eyes refocused. She was shaking a little. Angelina threw her arms around her. ¡°C! You¡¯re okay!¡± ¡°What¡¡± Chelsea brushed away a stray tear. ¡°What¡¡± The mocking hisses sounded around them, but they weren¡¯t as scary anymore. They were an only a trick. ¡°You dare defy the pendulums of justice, mortal?¡± hissed Zogzhesh. ¡°Your defiance will cost you dearly.¡± ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± Angelina said. ¡°Angelina,¡± Chelsea whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± said Angelina. ¡°He¡¯s nothing. He¡¯s just some guy-snake-thing who likes to feel important.¡± In the moments after she¡¯d broken open that sad little kernel, she hadn¡¯t just seen herself. She¡¯d those around her too¨Cfelt her connection to all three of them, even Zogzhesh. At his core, he was nothing more than they were. He was scary and commanding and even powerful, but he wasn¡¯t all-powerful. He wasn¡¯t even anything mystical or special¨Cjust a member of another sentient species, just some guy who picked on people because he wanted to feel important. It was almost funny. She¡¯d met plenty of humans just like him, and they weren¡¯t so scary. Why should Zogzhesh be any different? ¡°You dare challenge the almighty Zogzhesh, god of the pendulums of justice?¡± ¡°Oh, come on, you¡¯re not the god of anything,¡± said Angelina. ¡°You¡¯re just some dumb snake guy.¡± ¡°Angelina,¡± said Chelsea, her voice trembling. ¡°No, C,¡± said Angelina. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Didn¡¯t you see it? It was all a fake. The pendulums were a trick. It was all a trick!¡± ¡°Silence!¡± barked Zogzhesh. ¡°The mortal mind is not strong enough to escape the judgement of the pendulums!¡± ¡°My mind just did, but okay,¡± said Angelina. The pendulums¡¯ swinging picked up again, and a far-away look began to fade into Chelsea¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ha!¡± said Zogzhesh. ¡°You may have broken free, but the minds of your beloved and your pet are far too weak to resist my divine judgement!¡± Her beloved? The pet was obviously Belfry, but who was the beloved he was talking about? Chelsea? It had to be; there was no one else there. Wait, did that mean this dumb snake guy was calling Chelsea weak-minded? Nuh-uh! Chelsea was the smartest person Angelina knew! Angelina knew if she just waited a few more seconds, Chelsea would break free of Zogzhesh¡¯s mind games. She would know exactly what to do to get them out of this. She would show that cocky snake-jerk who was weak-minded. But Angelina didn¡¯t want to wait a few more seconds. She didn¡¯t want to let Chelsea and Belfry spend another minute in that indescribably lonely illusion. She grabbed Chelsea¡¯s hand and pulled, and Chelsea, half-lucid, followed with mechanical steps. ¡°Hold on tight, Belfry!¡± she said. Standing on the edge of the platform, she wrapped her arms tightly around her friend¡¯s waist. She squeezed her eyes shut and leaned backward, fighting every instinct to catch herself as her sense of equilibrium somersaulted inside her head. Three points of golden light plummeted into the writhing, alien darkness. Chapter 5.8 Naomi Naomi and Falcon walked across the concrete in silence. There had been no sign of Jen since they¡¯d outrun the monster. Naomi looked down at the silly cat pen in her hand. It stared up at her accusingly with big, goofy cartoon eyes. If Naomi had pulled her along instead of just running away and assuming she¡¯d follow, would Jen still be with them? Now Jen was either dead or wandering lost and alone somewhere. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I called you annoying,¡± Naomi mumbled to the pen. They had two people to find now, and Naomi still didn¡¯t have the first idea where to start looking. She glanced at Falcon and realized he was smiling. She shot him a glare, and his smile faded into an appropriately guilty expression. He pointed to the notepad she still held, and held out his hand. This had better be good. There had better be a good reason he was smiling like an idiot when they were stranded in some hell dimension and had already lost a group member. She handed him the notepad, and he took a moment writing down his explanation. The ground shook beneath them again, and Naomi tensed, preparing to run again. Falcon put a hand on her arm, signaling her to relax. He handed her back the notepad. ¡®My brothers are alive. I don¡¯t know how I know it, but I can feel it. I can feel them. They¡¯re here.¡¯ ????????< Chelsea This was it. They were cornered. Zogzhesh loomed over them, opening his mouth to let out a menacing hiss. Chelsea looked around, scanning the alley for some means of escape she hadn¡¯t noticed before. There wasn¡¯t one. ¡°He wants to kill us,¡± Angelina said, her voice soft. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay,¡± said Chelsea. She felt a pang of guilt that what had possibly been her last words had been a lie. ¡°You shall stand trial before the snake room, and there, your fate shall be decided,¡± said Zogzhesh. She hadn¡¯t been completely lying, she told herself. Zogzhesh kept talking about them standing trial, and they couldn¡¯t exactly stand trial if they were dead? The thought of having to go back to that horrible snake room, falling through that horrible abyss and being grabbed by some immense, terrifying monster all over again made her shudder, but it would still be better than dying. Chelsea looked up at the snake man, considering her options. Zogzhesh let out another hiss and stepped closer. His fangs were at least as long as her forearm. She thought about charging him, distracting him so Angelina and Belfry could slip away unharmed, but she wasn¡¯t sure there would be any point. There was no way Angelina would leave her. Angelina stepped forward and held up her hand. What was she doing? Maybe Angelina had a plan. She had gotten them out of that strange snake room, though Chelsea still didn¡¯t fully understand how or what had happened. ¡°Wait, wait, wait,¡± said Angelina. Something like confusion crossed the snake man¡¯s inhuman face. ¡°Silence. I do not answer to puny mortals.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get that,¡± said Angelina, ¡°but before you open your big mouth and swallow us like eggs, I think you¡¯ll want to listen to me.¡± Zogzhesh hissed again, letting out a spray of something that might have been saliva or venom. Chelsea flinched as a few droplets hit her face. ¡°And why should I listen to a pathetic mortal such as yourself?¡± Zogzhesh tensed, rearing his head back as though preparing to strike. Chelsea realized with a jolt of fear that he probably had no intention of taking them to stand trial, and every intention of sinking his enormous fangs into Angelina. Chelsea started forward. Maybe she could get between Zogzhesh and Angelina. She wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against him, but she might be able to buy Angelina some time. Angelina turned around and frowned at her. ¡°I¡¯m handling him,¡± she said. Chelsea didn¡¯t stop. She wasn¡¯t about to leave this giant snake monster for her friend to ¡®handle¡¯ alone. Angelina stuck out her leg, blocking Chelsea from getting any closer. Chelsea tried to move sideways around her, and Angelina leaned to the side, obstructing her again. ¡°Angelina,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s okay, C,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Either he kills us horribly, or he doesn¡¯t, and if he listens to me, he might not.¡± Chelsea wasn¡¯t entirely sure what Angelina meant, but she knew it definitely didn¡¯t reassure her. ¡°Angelina,¡± said Chelsea again. ¡°Please. I don¡¯t want anything to happen to you.¡± ¡°If it happens, it happens,¡± said Angelina. Angelina was really on a role with making unreassuring statements. Angelina turned to look up at Zogzhesh now, making eye contact as though she was getting ready to address him. All there was to do now was hope Angelina did a better job convincing Zogzhesh than she did Chelsea. ¡°I know you¡¯re lost,¡± said Angelina to Zogzhesh. ¡°If you don¡¯t kill us, I think I might be able to help you.¡± Interlude 7 st59 Everything was hot and blinding white. It was overwhelming, so dazzling 59 hardly noticed the hot, gritty ground as it scraped his skin. Was it always like this out here? How did people see? For a frightening moment, 59 wondered if his eyes weren¡¯t designed for the outside world. Then, his vision began to adjust, faint outlines fading into view. He¡¯d lost track of how long he¡¯d been in the back of that truck, in near complete darkness. His eyes just needed time to adapt. He could make out his surroundings now, though his vision was cluttered with black splotches that danced each time he moved his eyes. The ground was pale yellow with patches of rusty red, unevenly covered in something fine and granular. He remembered the things sticking out of the ground from one of 98¡¯s books; they were plants¨Cscratchy looking ones dotted with tiny, yellow blossoms. Perched on one of the branches was a small, gray bird. 59 stepped toward it. It fluttered away, disappearing into the branches of another, larger plant. Until now, his world had been made of sharp angles and straight lines, everything locked into boxes and cages. But the outside world¨Cthe real world¨Cwas so vast and complex, so bright and open. Plants branched from the ground with wild abandon, continuing as far as he could see. The sky was bright blue, filled with wisps of gray and white, and it went on and on forever so impossibly high above him. He took a step, then another. There were no walls here. No cages or chambers. Nothing but endless space. For the first time in his life, he ran. ><> A pulsating sensation thumped inside his head as he lay on the strange, gritty ground. His skin was red, his throat burned, and most perplexingly of all, water dripped down his face and arms even though the landscape around him was so dry. He tried to push himself to his feet, but a wave of dizziness racked his body, and his arms slid out from beneath him. Something was very wrong. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The ground under him vibrated, and something large moved in front of the impossibly bright light in the sky, casting a shadow over him and showering him with grains of debris. He couldn¡¯t quite lift himself enough to see what was in front of him. Two strange looking people¨Ca man and a woman¨Cleaned over him, concern etched into their faces. They were young¨Cmuch younger than Mr. Gibson, and maybe even younger than the guard who¡¯d helped him escape. The man was strikingly attractive¨Cpossibly the most attractive person 59 had ever seen, though he hadn¡¯t seen many people. The man had the darkest hair 59 had ever seen, so black it was nearly blue and long enough to nearly obscure his blue-gray eyes. He wore a metal bar through his lower lip, and his skin was decorated, covered in intricate pictures of flowers, fish, dragons. The woman was tan and blonde, with fluffy, voluminous hair, a metal ring in her septum, and thick, dark paint smeared around her eyes. Her skin was decorated too, but her images weren¡¯t as artful or intricate as the man¡¯s. They looked more like an afterthought, like things she¡¯d scrawled onto herself on a whim. They were speaking to him¨Cprobably asking if he was okay, if he was reading their lips correctly. The man slid an arm around 59, helping him to his feet. He could see the shadow¡¯s source now¨Ca large vehicle. It looked like a van, but it was unlike any of the few vans he¡¯d seen at the data center. It was far more worn out, with chips of rust and paint flaking off the sides, and it was plastered with dozens of stickers. A petite woman emerged from the van. Like the man, her hair was so black it tinted blue where the sun hit it, but while his skin was pale, hers was a tawny brown. She extended a hand to 59. He took her hand, and she tugged him a bit abruptly into the van with one arm. Icy air blasted from vents on the van¡¯s ceiling, sending a wave of relief cascading over his body. The black-haired woman grabbed 59 by his upper arms, steering him toward the back of the van and into a bench seat with a cover that was so cracked, pieces of padding were spilling out in several places. The woman turned to her two companions, moving her hands rapidly. The man moved his hands in response, then crouched down, opening a blue and white plastic box with the name ¡®Coleman¡¯ embossed on the side. Their hand signals were far more complex and fluid than anything 59 had developed with his brothers, but what they were doing was unmistakable. They were talking with their hands! They moved their lips as they conversed, but 59 was too tired to try to read their lips. The blonde woman leaned over to fish through an over-sized handbag patterned with some kind of logo, retrieved a notepad and pen, and wrote something on the paper. She handed it to 59. What¡¯s your name? His name? He wasn¡¯t sure what to write in response. 59 was his designation, but it wasn¡¯t exactly a name. Still, he felt he had to write something. He looked around at the inside of the van, as though he¡¯d find an answer in the wild assortment of posters tacked to the upholstery. They were like nothing he¡¯d seen before, emblazoned with words and graphics that didn¡¯t make much sense to him. A familiar word caught his eye in the sea of loud red and black, on a poster featuring a white and gold object with a wide body and long, thin neck, with six strings running from its top to its bottom. White Falcon 1957, said the poster. Falcon wrote down his name, and passed the notepad to the woman. Interlude 8 Jen ¡°Help!¡± Jen clawed at the fluorescent blue tendril wrapped around her body. ¡°Naomi? Somebody?! Help!¡± Until now, Jen had been thinking of the trip into the pit as a little bit exciting. Of course she was worried about Sam and Chelsea, but the sheer surrealism of the situation had made it feel like one of her video games or TV shows had come to life, and she was a plucky heroine thrust into a thrilling adventure. Only now was the gravity of the situation beginning to hit her. She was in real, mortal danger. Being grabbed by a shrieking blue rectangular monster had a way of ripping off her rose-colored glasses. She struggled harder as the thing lifted her higher into the air, then pulled her downward until her feet were dangling over a Venus-flytrap-like mouth lined with thousands of teeth. She squeezed her eyes shut and tensed, squeaking out a final, desperate appeal to a higher power. ¡°God, please, help me, help me, help me.¡± Her descent stopped abruptly, and the monster¡¯s grip on her lessened. She opened one cautious eye, then the other. There was a sickening wet ¡®thwack!¡¯ sound, followed by the creature¡¯s shrill shriek. Its grip relaxed even more, and she slid out of its grasp and tumbled to the floor. Her ankle turned as she landed on it, giving way with a worrying popping sound and sending a shock wave of pain up her leg. She tried to climb to her feet, but her ankle screamed out in protest. On her hands and knees, she scurried to the corner of the room. When she turned to look back at the creature, she saw they were no longer alone in the room. A woman squared off against the monster, twirling a pair of firefighter¡¯s axes that looked far too heavy for her to be swinging around so deftly. The woman was thirty-something, with amber-colored skin and sleek black hair that she had pinned neatly behind her head. She wore a bored, vaguely annoyed expression that was better suited to being stuck in traffic than it was to fighting a giant, blue rectangle monster. ¡°I will kill you if I have to,¡± said the woman. ¡°I suggest that you get out of my way.¡± Her voice was even and calm, not even the slightest bit out of breath for all her impressive ax-swinging. The monster lashed out its tendrils at the woman, trying to disarm her, and she countered each one, swinging her axes in graceful arcs and hitting each limb with a loud thwack and severing some of them. The severed limbs regrew in seconds, the old limbs falling to the floor and thrashing like worms cut in half. One of them writhed toward Jen, and she shrunk back, nudging it away with her good foot. The monster spoke with a rumbling voice that came from somewhere other than its gaping, toothy mouth. ¡°You¡¯ll kill me?¡± It sounded amused. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine that¡¯ll work out so well for you, sweetheart. You¡¯re about a tenth my size.¡± Jen had never met a monster before, but she had never imagined they¡¯d be so condescending. ¡°I¡¯ll only tell you once more,¡± said the woman. ¡°Get out of my way.¡± The monster laughed an echoing laugh that Jen could feel vibrating the wall behind her. ¡°Okay, then,¡± said the woman. ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll have to do this the hard way.¡± The woman backed up, weaving between tendrils until she was on the far side of the room from the monster. Then, she leapt¨Ca graceful flying leap that would make any ballerina jealous¨Cand landed on top of the monster¡¯s rectangular body. ¡°Hey!¡± it said. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve delayed my schedule,¡± said the woman. ¡°I don¡¯t like being delayed.¡± She wrapped her arms around the monster¡¯s jaws, leaning backward. The monster wavered, flailing its many arms. One arm reached for the woman, trying to pry her away, and she countered it with an effortless looking side kick. Whoever this woman was, she was pretty awesome. Unable to balance with the woman¡¯s added weight pulling it down, the monster toppled to its side with a screech that blasted through the room and gave Jen the urge to cover her ears. Its limbs spasmed, sticking out rigidly from its body. Its skin was see-through enough that Jen could see the outlines of its massive organs throbbing and pulsing. ¡°Look, lady,¡± said the monster. ¡°I get it, you¡¯re stronger than you look. Kitty¡¯s got claws. Whatever. Just tip me back over and I¡¯ll let you go.¡± A small sneer curled at the edges of the woman¡¯s lips as she climbed off the monster and walked around to the other side of it. ¡°You¡¯ll let me go? I¡¯m not sure why you think you have the upper hand here.¡± ¡°Please, come on,¡± said the monster. ¡°I can¡¯t move like this.¡± The woman slid the axes into two sheathes attached to the expensive-looking bag she wore on her back. It looked designer, but Jen suspected the woman had modified it a bit. She couldn¡¯t imagine Gucci had started making backpacks with built-in fire axe sheathes. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The woman reached into the bag, removed a long knife, and unsheathed it. ¡°What are you doing?¡± The monster was sounding less and less condescending by the second. ¡°What are you doing with that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re pathetic,¡± said the woman. ¡°Come on,¡± said the monster. ¡°Let¡¯s put that knife away. Let¡¯s not do anything crazy.¡± ¡°Look at you,¡± said the woman. ¡°You fully intended to devour me minutes ago, and I¡¯m crazy for fighting back. You¡¯re so much like him, it makes me sick. He really did have you made in his image, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Please,¡± said the monster. ¡°Please. I won¡¯t devour you.¡± The woman scoffed. ¡°You¡¯ve stolen my time,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s my most valuable commodity, and the only one I can never get back. You will repay me with information.¡± ¡°Wh-what kind of information?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for one of the sisters.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it? This place is crawling with them. You shouldn¡¯t need me to¨C¡° ¡°I¡¯m looking for a specific sister, you dull-witted cretin. Where is sa131?¡± ¡°What does she look like?¡± said the monster. Anger flashed in the woman¡¯s eyes, and her voice tensed as though she was trying very hard to keep it even. ¡°She looks. Like every other sister. You brainless. Third-rate. Abomination.¡± She jabbed the monster with the knife, not quite hard enough to break its translucent neon-blue hide. ¡°Listen, lady, I see dozens of sisters every day. I probably eat dozens of sisters every day. I don¡¯t remember every single number¨C¡° The woman jabbed at the monster again, as if to remind it the knife was there. There was another, more intense flash of fury in her eyes, and this time, she couldn¡¯t quite manage to keep her voice calm and even. ¡°If you have eaten sa131, I swear I will cut her out of you myself and leave you here to bleed.¡± She inhaled deeply, regaining her composure. The monster let out a shrieking roar that shook the room sent a shock wave of pain through Jen¡¯s head. It was the type of sound that was so loud and abrasive, it overwhelmed her senses to the point where she shut her eyes on instinct. When she opened them, the woman stood as calmly as she had before. ¡°It¡¯ll take more than that to paralyze me. You, on the other hand, enter a state of partial thanatosis the moment you¡¯re tipped onto your side.¡± The woman sighed. ¡°You were so poorly designed. It¡¯s little wonder your mutated anatomy and physiology are such a mess. For example, do you know how close your thoracic aorta is to the surface of your skin?¡± She shifted the knife downward, towards a pulsating vein the width of a human¡¯s arm. ¡°Oh, look, I see it right here.¡± ¡°My thora¨Cthora-what¡¯s-it?¡± ¡°The largest artery in your body. Idiot,¡± said the woman. ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to sever it, I suggest you rack your tiny, useless brain and try to remember. Have you seen sa131?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, please. I honestly don¡¯t know.¡± For a moment, Jen felt bad for the monster. Then she remembered it had been trying to kill her a few minutes ago. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t know, you¡¯re useless to me.¡± The woman pulled her knife back and looked at it, considering. ¡°The question is, are you worth dirtying my favorite knife?¡± ¡°No! No, I¡¯m not! I¡¯m really not!¡± The woman shrugged, slipping the knife back into her bag. She turned to leave. ¡°In that case, I think we¡¯re done here.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± said the monster. ¡°I can¡¯t move like this! You can¡¯t just leave me here! What if the sisters find me?¡± The woman shrugged again, not turning around. ¡°I imagine they¡¯ll kill you.¡± ¡°Wait! No! You can¡¯t just leave me like this!¡± Jen stood up, bracing herself against the wall. Her hurt ankle felt unsteady beneath her, but she was able to put weight on it. She hobbled after the woman. ¡°Hey, you!¡± the monster called after her. ¡°You! Girl! Help me!¡± What, so it could eat her? Yeah, right. She still felt a little bad for it, though. Even giant rectangle monsters needed to eat. ¡°Hey!¡± Jen called to the woman. ¡°Hey, excuse me! Wait!¡± The woman did not wait. ¡°Excuse me, ma¡¯am?¡± Jen followed the woman through a doorway that looked as though something very large had forced its way through it. ¡°Ma¡¯am, did you hear me?¡± The woman kept walking, but turned around, looking at Jen as though she was a piece of trash the woman had just noticed lying on her freshly cleaned floor. ¡°I heard you very well. You¡¯re loud.¡± ¡°Oh, um, okay, great, well, hi!¡± said Jen. ¡°My name is Jen.¡± The woman didn¡¯t respond. Jen continued, trying her best to keep up with the woman. ¡°Well, it¡¯s actually short for Virginia, but ¡®Jen¡¯ is so much cuter, don¡¯t you think? For a while, I actually tried to go by J.K. in middle school, because my middle name is Kayla and I thought it¡¯d be cool or whatever, but it didn¡¯t really stick. People kept calling me ¡®just kidding¡¯ and asking if I wrote Harry Potter.¡± The woman was silent. ¡°You¡¯re a woman of few words, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°When I want to be. My father always told me it was best not to talk unless you can improve upon the silence,¡± said the woman. ¡°You should really take his advice to heart, because in the few seconds I¡¯ve known you, absolutely nothing you¡¯ve said has been preferable to silence.¡± Oh. Ouch. ¡°Your dad said that? I thought that was like, a famous quote or something. Wait, is your dad famous?¡± ¡°No.¡± The woman looked annoyed. ¡°He was not.¡± Jen knew she was babbling, but the woman made her nervous. Her cool disapproval reminded Jen of a mean Spanish teacher she¡¯d had in middle school. If that Spanish teacher had also been a badass action movie heroine, that is. Now, there was a strange mental image. ¡°Sorry,¡± said Jen. ¡°Some people tell me I talk too much.¡± ¡°Maybe you should consider listening to them.¡± Wow, this lady was pretty mean. Jen guessed she shouldn¡¯t have been surprised after seeing how the woman had treated the monster, but still. ¡°So,¡± said Jen. ¡°That was really awesome how you fought that monster back there. It was like something out of like, a show, or a video game. You saved my life!¡± The woman turned to Jen, looked her up and down, and frowned. ¡°I did not intend to do that.¡± ¡°Um, okay, well, you still did,¡± said Jen, ¡°and it was really cool! The way you fought him off with those axes and then tipped him over! How did you learn cool fighting moves like that?¡± ¡°With a combination of exceptional natural gifts and rigorous discipline,¡± said the woman. ¡°It also helps to have someone worth fighting for.¡± ¡°Ooh, who¡¯s that?¡± said Jen. ¡°Who is what?¡± ¡°Your ¡®someone worth fighting for,¡± said Jen. ¡°Is it like, your boyfriend or something?¡± ¡°Where I come from, children know better than to pester adults with nosy questions,¡± said the woman. ¡°And no, it is not ¡®my boyfriend¡¯. I¡¯m not one of your little high school friends.¡± Child? High school? Was this lady serious? ¡°Um, I actually start my second year of college in the fall.¡± The woman scoffed. ¡°I worry about the state of higher education.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just gonna ignore that little remark and get straight to the point,¡± said Jen. ¡°I was hoping you could help me. I came here with some people and we got separated. Can you help me find them?¡± The woman turned to Jen, studying her intently for a few seconds with a scrutinizing glare that made her want to hide behind something. Then, the woman spoke. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± said Jen. ¡°Thank¡ you?¡± ¡°The sooner we find them, the sooner I don¡¯t have to tolerate your company anymore,¡± said the woman. ¡°Follow me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m kinda already following you, but okay,¡± said Jen. ¡°I guess since I¡¯m going to be enduring your presence a little longer, you should know what to call me,¡± said the woman. ¡°My name is Mrs. Sharma.¡± Interlude 9 Sam Sam sat in a chair in the corner of the bedroom where Lachlan slept, arranging his magnets into a cube shape with his good hand, idly picking clumps of blood from his hair with the intact fingers from his other hand, and trying to keep his eyes open. Sam¡¯s and Lachlan¡¯s bodies were adjusted to different time zones, and given the danger around them, it made sense for them to trade off sleeping shifts. Still, after the day¡¯s unbelievable and terrifying events, and without someone to talk to, Sam was finding it harder and harder to keep his eyes open. Sam had taken off his blood-saturated pants and undershirt as soon as Lachlan had fallen asleep, so now he just wore his boxers and the aviator jacket Nancy had given him. His legs were cold and he was sure he looked ridiculous, especially given that he¡¯d chosen today of all days to wear his glow-in-the-dark dinosaur underpants, but he¡¯d hated the idea of staying in those bloody clothes any longer than he had to. He never wanted to see or smell those clothes ever again. Lachlan had passed out almost the second his head had hit the pillow. He was fast asleep now, with the blankets snuggled up to his chin in a way that seemed very at odds with his waking personality. Man, he looked comfortable. Sam checked his watch. 6:02 PM. Lachlan had been asleep for less than an hour. ¡°Guess I¡¯ve still got a long night ahead of me,¡± Sam mumbled. It wasn¡¯t really night, though, he remembered. This place didn¡¯t seem have a sun, or a day-night cycle. They probably weren¡¯t even on a planet. The thought made him wonder about how this place worked. Was it a planet, or a flat plane, or something else? If it was a planet, was it orbiting around a star? Maybe there was a day-night cycle, and it was just longer than the Earth¡¯s. If it was a flat plane, did it go on infinitely, or was there some kind of boundary? If it was finite, what was beyond the edge or boundary? He wanted to mention it to Lachlan when they were both awake. Lachlan would probably have some pretty interesting ideas about it. It was unusual for Sam to meet people he could have intelligent conversations with, and he always had great respect for those people when he found them. Not that he¡¯d ever admit to Lachlan that he respected him. Lachlan stirred, blinking his eyes open. His face knitted with confusion for a moment as he looked around the room, then he seemed to remember where he was. ¡°Awesome dinosaur undies,¡± he said. Sam frowned. ¡°Not one word about my underwear.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Hey, I said they were awesome,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I have some like that, but they¡¯re briefs.¡± Sam wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that. He didn¡¯t want to keep talking about underwear, so he changed the subject. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep?¡± he said. ¡°Nope.¡± Lachlan¡¯s voice was a low, drowsy mumble. ¡°How long¡¯ve I been out?¡± ¡°Not quite an hour.¡± ¡°Ughhh,¡± groaned Lachlan. ¡°Ugh.¡± ¡°You were completely knocked out for a while there.¡± Lachlan rolled over to face Sam, then closed his eyes again. ¡°Ugh,¡± mumbled Lachlan. ¡°Sleep.¡± ¡°You still seem like you¡¯re half-asleep to me.¡± ¡°Well, I wanna be wholly asleep.¡± ¡°Maybe you could try doing math problems in your head,¡± said Sam. ¡°It¡¯s what I do when I can¡¯t sleep.¡± ¡°¡®Course it is.¡± ¡°I¡¯d offer to see if I could find you a sleep aid or an antihistamine or something, but we need to be able to stay alert if something breaks into the house and tries to kill us.¡± ¡°Thanks for bringing that up, Samurai. You really know how to help a guy relax.¡± ¡°Well, what would help you relax?¡± ¡°You want to help me relax? Awwww.¡± ¡°I want you to be well-rested so you don¡¯t get us killed,¡± said Sam. ¡°Don¡¯t be weird about it.¡± ¡°Tell me a story, Samurai,¡± mumbled Lachlan. Apparently, he was going to keep being weird. ¡°What?¡± said Sam. ¡°Tell me a story to help me sleep.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± said Sam. ¡°Are you five years old?¡± ¡°Story,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I don¡¯t know any stories,¡± said Sam. ¡°You can¡¯t not know any stories,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Everyone knows stories. Didn¡¯t your mum read to you before bed?¡± Sam shook his head. ¡°No. She disappeared when I was a baby.¡± ¡°Oh, fuck,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Fuck, I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You couldn¡¯t have known.¡± Sam decided to shift the subject back to something easier. ¡°My dad tried to read to me a few times, but he gave up when I kept correcting inaccuracies in The Berenstain Bears.¡± Lachlan chuckled. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Male bears don¡¯t participate in the rearing of their offspring. Everyone knows that,¡± said Sam. ¡°Sometimes, my grandma would sit by my bed and tell me scientific facts until I fell asleep, though.¡± Lachlan smiled sleepily. ¡°That explains a lot about you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll choose to take that as a compliment even though it most likely wasn¡¯t intended as one.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t know any fictional stories, tell me something that happened to you,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Your dull existence is bound to lull me back to sleepy-land.¡± ¡°Sleepy-land?¡± said Sam. ¡°You really are basically a five-year-old, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I like to think I¡¯m young at heart.¡± Sam scooted his chair closer to the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll give you something better than a story. A saga of scientific advancement¨C¡° ¡°Yawn. I think I¡¯m asleep already.¡± ¡°¨Cthe fascinating history of the dimmer switch.¡± ¡°Double yawn.¡± ¡°Now, a lot of people think the dimmer switch was invented in 1959, but that¡¯s actually a common misconception. While Spira was the first person to introduce the dimmer switch for home use, it¡¯s actually been around for much longer¨C¡° Sam continued his story. It seemed to be working; Lachlan looked like he was slowly drifting off to sleep as Sam spoke. Sam talking for a while, getting off on more than a few tangents and changing subjects several times. By the time he finished talking, Lachlan was snoring softly. ¡°¨Cand that¡¯s why Thomas Edison was a fraud and a disgrace.¡± Sam leaned back in the chair and picked up his magnets again. In his general ed psychology class, the professor had told the class that love was a chemical reaction in the brain¨Cthat any two people, no matter who they were, could fall madly in love with one another if they were isolated together. At the time, he¡¯d believed it was true of most people, but he¡¯d been certain it wouldn¡¯t apply to him. He¡¯d been sure he was smart enough to overcome any chemical tricks his brain played on him. Sitting here with Lachlan, he realized he wasn¡¯t. Chapter 6.1 Chelsea Chelsea stepped forward, squeezing Angelina¡¯s hand with one hand and reaching up to her shoulder to stroke Belfry¡¯s head with the other. She closed her eyes, and braced for something terrible to happen¨Cfor the snake man¡¯s fangs to plunge into them, or for them to be sucked back into that awful, empty, abyss. Nothing happened. After a few seconds, she cautiously opened one eye. Zogzhesh stood before them, stroking his chin contemplatively with his scepter. ¡°Well?¡± said Angelina. ¡°Do you want our help, or not?¡± Zogzhesh¡¯s face contorted into something approximating a frown. ¡°And just how, may I ask, do puny mortals such as yourselves believe you can help me?¡± Chelsea squeezed Angelina¡¯s hand again, trying to communicate the message ¡®be careful¡¯. Angelina put her free hand on her hip. ¡°I know you¡¯re lost. You¡¯re stuck here just like us. That big guy put you here with us, and now you can¡¯t get back to your weird snake home.¡± ¡®That big guy¡¯? Was Angelina talking about the massive, unfathomable monster that had plucked them out of the soul-sucking void? Honestly, though, referring to that thing as a ¡®big guy¡¯ seemed like a very Angelina thing to do. ¡°That hardly answers my question, mortal,¡± said Zogzhesh. ¡°How could an insignificant being such as yourself possibly help me return home?¡± Chelsea let herself relax a fraction. Zogzhesh was at least hearing Angelina out. ¡°There are certain spots in this place that can move you between different places,¡± said Angelina. Zogzhesh peered down at Angelina through narrowed eyes. His skeptical expression didn¡¯t seem to faze her. It fazed Chelsea, and it wasn¡¯t even directed at her. ¡°How did you think people fall into your creepy snake setup?¡± said Angelina. Zogzhesh was silent, staring at Angelina through unblinking yellow eyes. Then, he finally spoke. ¡°Come closer, mortal.¡± That sounded like a bad idea. ¡°Angelina¨C¡± started Chelsea. Angelina was already stepping forward. Zogzhesh stared down at her and flicked his forked tongue through the air. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± He flicked his tongue again. ¡°I see. This explains much.¡± The tongue-flicking was making Chelsea very uneasy. Wasn¡¯t that what snakes did when they were hunting for their prey? ¡°You see what?¡± said Angelina. ¡°What explains much?¡± ¡°You are no ordinary mortal,¡± said Zogzhesh. ¡°I taste something of the terrible ones in you.¡± ¡°What does that even mean?¡± said Angelina. ¡°It means you are not the puny mortal I originally took you to be. I have only met one other like you before.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t get what you mean,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Do you want our help or not?¡± Zogzhesh stared down at Angelina, studying her. ¡°Very well,¡± he said. ¡°I shall accept your help.¡± <>< Zogzhesh looked comically strange sitting on a floral sofa that was far too small for him. Angelina giggled at the sight, and to Chelsea¡¯s relief, he didn¡¯t seem to notice. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Angelina flopped into the seat beside the massive snake creature. She also looked tiny by comparison, but the effect was less comical and more scary. Chelsea wished Angelina wouldn¡¯t sit so close to something that had tried to kill them so recently. ¡°Come sit, C!¡± said Angelina. Chelsea reluctantly approached the couch. ¡°Um, excuse me, Zogzhesh?¡± she said. ¡°Can you please scoot over a little? I¡¯d like to sit next to my friend if it¡¯s okay.¡± As much as she didn¡¯t want to sit next to this hulking snake monster, she knew she¡¯d feel more comfortable acting as a buffer between Angelina and Zogzhesh than she would letting Angelina sit next to him alone. ¡°Very well,¡± said Zogzhesh. ¡°It makes little difference to me.¡± He shifted to the far end of the couch, leaving enough room for Chelsea to sit between him and Angelina. Sitting between Angelina and Zogzhesh was a downright bizarre feeling. On her right, one of Zogzhesh¡¯s four colossal arms pressed against her¨Cmassive, powerful muscle rippling beneath unsettlingly hot scales. She could smell him too¨Ca faint alien smell that was equal parts rotten and musky. On her left, Angelina¡¯s small, soft form provided a stark contrast. Both were unnerving, but for two very different reasons. She looked around the room for Belfry, her one companion who wasn¡¯t intimidating in any way, but didn¡¯t see him. Maybe he was hiding. She imagined that like most small mammals, he had a healthy fear of snakes. ¡°Look.¡± Angelina picked up her notebook and handed it to Zogzhesh. ¡°See?¡± He took the notebook and stared down at it, silent. The fact that his body language and expressions were so hard to read made Chelsea even more nervous. Did snakes even have facial expressions? Angelina leaned over Chelsea, pointing to something in the notebook. ¡°That¡¯s where C and I got sent to your snake place, at the corner of that house.¡± Angelina flipped the page. ¡°And that¡¯s my map of how all of this works¨Cit¡¯s basically like lots of layers, like these notebook pages.¡± She stuck her hand between two pages. ¡°And we¡¯re here, between the pages.¡± ¡°I see,¡± said Zogzhesh. Chelsea wasn¡¯t sure whether he looked confused, or whether she was projecting a human-like facial expression onto him. ¡°Now imagine if there were spots in the notebook where if I put my hand there, my hand would become part of the page, like a drawing. That¡¯s how this place works, expect some of the places are times too.¡± ¡°I see,¡± said Zogzhesh again. ¡°And where do these spots appear?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a pattern to them, and I think I figured it out, but I thought that before and I got it way wrong.¡± ¡°You do not inspire confidence, puny one.¡± ¡°If you had any ideas on how to get home, you would have eaten us already.¡± ¡°Hm,¡± said Zogzhesh. ¡°That is true.¡± Chelsea shifted farther away from him. ¡°If my maps are right,¡± said Angelina, ¡°the next spot should appear in the alley by that house in four days, twelve hours, and six minutes.¡± Did that mean they would be stuck with this terrifying snake monster for four days? And what about poor Belfry? Would he be forced to cower under the sofa that whole time? ¡°I see,¡± said Zogzhesh, ¡°and what exactly are days?¡± ¡°They¡¯re a way of measuring time. Each one is made of 24 hours, and each hour is 60 minutes, and each minute is 60 seconds, and seconds are like this: mille e uno, mille e due, mille e tre, mille e quattro, mille e cin¨C¡° ¡°That is quite enough, puny one.¡± Zogzhesh let out a hissing sigh. ¡°Waiting for time to pass is tedious. I cannot understand how you mortals live this way.¡± ¡°Live what way?¡± said Angelina. ¡°At home, I can move freely through time as I wish. If I wanted to be four of your ¡®days¡¯ in the future or past, all I would need to do is travel there.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a time traveler?¡± said Chelsea. ¡°You say that as though it is a profession or title, mortal. To me, it is as natural as walking forward or backward.¡± ¡°Wow,¡± said Angelina. Zogzhesh fixed his eyes on Angelina and flicked his tongue at her. Chelsea really hated when he did that. She tried to shoot him a look that said ¡®don¡¯t you dare eat my friend¡¯, but he didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°You find that awe-inspiring?¡± said Zogzhesh. ¡°Many things about me are awe-inspiring, but this particular quality is unremarkable. I believe even you may possess the capability.¡± Angelina¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°As I said before, you smell of something unique and powerful.¡± ¡°I thought that was just you being weird.¡± Chelsea looked at Angelina and gave her a small, please-don¡¯t-insult-the-snake-monster head shake. Angelina smiled in return. ¡°I have met only one other like you before,¡± said Zogzhesh. ¡°She fell into the snake room much as you did. Her wise fear of me and foolish stubbornness made her escape more difficult than yours, but like you and your mortal friend she managed to evade me with the help of the terrible ones.¡± The creature that had plucked them out of that empty nothingness must have been one of these ¡®terrible ones¡¯ Zogzhesh kept mentioning. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, are¡ you saying Angelina has something in common with that giant¡ thing that grabbed us?¡± She looked over at Angelina, who had a spot of glittery purple gel ink on her cheek. If someone had asked Chelsea to come up with the opposite of an enormous monstrosity that lived in an abyss, she might have described Angelina. ¡°I can smell her power,¡± said Zogzhesh. Why did he have to be so creepy? ¡°Who was the other person you met that was like me?¡± said Angelina. ¡°A member of your species.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not very specific,¡± said Angelina. ¡°There were others that smelled of the terrible ones,¡± said Zogzhesh, ¡°but they were not of your species. Some of them looked much like you, some looked very different. Their smell was strange, artificial. There was only one other of your species that tasted of the terrible one¡¯s power.¡± ¡°Do you know anything other than them being a human?¡± said Angelina. ¡°Because lots of people are humans.¡± ¡°She was a female, fully mature, not an adolescent as you are. I tasted many of her fears, as I did yours. She feared imperfection and failure. She feared that her offspring would mature poorly without her influence. Above all, she feared she would never be reunited with the one she cared for most,¡± said Zogzhesh. ¡°She grew more powerful as she remained in this place. Between the pages, as you put it. While she could not move freely through time, she became a formidable force.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll become a formidable force?¡± said Angelina. ¡°You outwitted me, and escaped my judgement,¡± said Zogzhesh. ¡°It would seem you have already become one.¡± Chapter 6.2 Chelsea Angelina and Chelsea sat side by side on the lumpy bed with Belfry curled up at their feet. It would have been a cozy scene if not for the fact that there was a single wall separating them from a giant snake monster. ¡°Are you okay, C?¡± said Angelina. Chelsea had no idea how to respond to that. ¡°I¡¯m¡ fine,¡± she said. ¡°Okay!¡± Angelina sounded far too chipper for their current situation as she squeezed Chelsea¡¯s arm and placed her head on her shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± Chelsea¡¯s face flushed at the physical contact, and she immediately chastised herself. This was absolutely not the time to be flustered by a girl getting overly affectionate with her. She was trying to stay focused on the danger at hand, but her mind kept going back to the moment Angelina had pulled her from the snake monster¡¯s illusion. The kiss. She didn¡¯t know if it had been real or part of the illusion, and it was hard to stop over-analyzing it. If it had been part of the illusion, did that say something about her or her feelings for Angelina? If it had been real, why had Angelina done it? Maybe it had been an attempt to shock Chelsea out of the illusion, or maybe it had been out of relief that she¡¯d started to emerge from her trance. There was another possibility dancing at the edge of Chelsea¡¯s mind too, but it wasn¡¯t one she was willing to let herself entertain. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Angelina nudged Chelsea. Chelsea jumped, inadvertently shaking Angelina¡¯s head off her shoulder. ¡°Oh, I, um¨C¡° ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± said Angelina. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°I¡¯m just jumpy. I¡¯ll be relieved when we¡¯re home again.¡± Angelina pursed her lips. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°Will you come visit me?¡± ¡°Of course I will,¡± said Chelsea, ¡°and I¡¯ll video call you all the time.¡± ¡°Do you promise?¡± ¡°I promise.¡± Angelina turned, looking her directly in her eyes. ¡°Do you swear it? On your life?¡± Chelsea nodded. Coming from anyone else, the intensity might have been a little strange or off-putting, but coming from Angelina, it was oddly endearing. ¡°I swear it on my life,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°Good.¡± Angelina rested her head on Chelsea¡¯s shoulder again. ¡°Good.¡± <>< Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Naomi The creature stared down at Naomi and Falcon through hundreds of empty black eyes. Falcon stared back up at it, his face contorted with confusion. More creatures rose from the openings in the concrete, most of them vaguely human in shape and covered in pallid, gaunt faces that grew from their necks, arms, and legs. Most of them wore jumpsuits that were lumpy underneath, as though more faces were growing out of their chests and backs. Many of them had squid-like extra limbs that ended in sucker-covered clubs. The creature that had been first to appear reached one of its limbs toward Falcon, until the club part came to rest gently on his face. The confusion on his face mingled with horror. Falcon did a series of strange, disjointed hand signs that didn¡¯t look like Auslan, or any other kind of sign language, for that matter. The creatures that were humanoid enough in shape to have hands responded with signs of their own. As they stepped closer, Naomi noticed the eerie similarities between the creatures¡¯ faces and Falcon¡¯s. It was as though someone had taken Falcon¡¯s face and stripped it of the facial hair, the slight pink tinge to his skin¨Ceverything that made his face look human and alive. These things were Falcon¡¯s brothers? The largest creature reared back, and its squid-arms parted. Naomi stepped back, bracing herself for it to attack. Instead, a man stepped out of the opening between the arms and flashed her a pleasant smile. He looked to be in his mid-twenties. He was only a few inches taller than her, with light brown skin, and black hair and a beard that both desperately needed to be trimmed and combed. In his defense, barbers were probably hard to come by in this place. ¡°Hi!¡± he said. ¡°Hi, would you mind explaining to me what¡¯s going on?¡± was what Naomi tried to say. It ended up sounding more like ¡°Wuh-guh?¡± Some of Naomi¡¯s fear and confusion gave way to embarrassment. She always seemed to make a fool of herself when she first met people. Coincidentally, ¡°wuh-guh¡± had also been the first thing she¡¯d said to Dominic when she¡¯d met him, which was something Lachlan still gave her shit about. The man chuckled. He seemed to be laughing sympathetically rather than laughing at her, but the fact that he was laughing at all made her more embarrassed. Several of the creatures went through a series of hand signs as the man spoke, as though they were translating his speech into the strange, disjointed sign language. ¡°That¡¯s probably exactly how I would have reacted if I¡¯d seen some bloke climb out of a giant skull covered in faces and squid arms,¡± the man said. His accent sounded Australian. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not something you see everyday,¡± said Naomi. The creatures moved their hands, translating for her to Falcon, who looked close to tears. ¡°No, definitely not,¡± said the man. He turned to Falcon. ¡°Hey! I remember you! You¡¯re looking well. I love the hair.¡± Falcon lifted a shaking hand and signaled something. ¡°Thank you,¡± translated a creature wearing a jumpsuit that was torn at the chest, allowing a second face to peek out. It sounded Australian too, and had a surprisingly ordinary voice. ¡°Hey, are you alright, mate?¡± said the man to Falcon. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve seen a¨C¡± The man trailed off, looking back at his bizarre companions. ¡°Oh. Oh, yeah. You haven¡¯t seen them since¡ yeah.¡± ¡°Excuse me, sorry, I hate to interrupt this, uh¡¡± Naomi paused, unsure what word to use for whatever was happening. She gestured around her. ¡°I hate to interrupt this, but can someone please tell me what¡¯s going on?¡± Falcon did more hand signs. The creature with the face on its chest translated. ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± said a creature with dozens of squid-arms growing out of its waist and spilling down around it, making it look like the creature was wearing the world¡¯s most nightmarish old-fashioned hoop skirt. ¡°The changes were subtle at first. We could sense thoughts and memories. We grew a little taller, a little stronger.¡± ¡°We were starving without nutrient packets,¡± said the creature with the face on its chest. ¡°The more we hunted, the more we changed.¡± Falcon did a hand sign that the face-chest creature translated as ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± said the man. ¡°Not really. My aunt¨C¡± He made a face as he said the word ¡®aunt¡¯. ¡°¨Chas some ideas, but she didn¡¯t explain them terribly well. Something to do with the genetic whatever and the abnormal something-or-other.¡± Naomi was starting to figure out the basics of what had happened. Falcon¡¯s brothers had been thrown into the place, but instead of being killed, they¡¯d mutated somehow. ¡°Again,¡± said Naomi. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry to interrupt, but I was hoping you could help us.¡± She was genuinely sorry to interrupt Falcon¡¯s reunion with his brothers, but Chelsea, Lachlan, and Jen were still in danger. ¡°Well, tell us what the problem is, and we¡¯ll see what we can do,¡± said the man. ¡°Our friends are lost here, and we need to find them before something else does.¡± Chapter 6.3 Lachlan After Lachlan and Sam had both managed a few hours of sleep and found some fresh clothes and a jug of water to wash the worst of the blood away, they¡¯d decided to search the houses in the town for supplies. It was only getting harder and harder to make sense of this place. The building Lachlan and Sam had been in before and the wide concrete expanse on top had felt surreal¨Coverly simplistic, abstract approximations of familiar things. This town felt too real, too detailed. Trinkets and clutter were scattered through the houses, as though real people had lived there. The last house they¡¯d visited had been full of photographs of a smiling family, and the table had been set as though the residents had just vanished in the middle of a meal. ¡°I¡¯m picking up on a bit of a Pompeiian vibe here,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°What?¡± said Sam. ¡°A once-picturesque Italian city, frozen forever in time and left to decay?¡± ¡°Italian?¡± said Sam. ¡°What makes you think this place is Italian?¡± Lachlan pointed at a street sign. ¡°Well, for one thing, we just turned from Via Marconi onto Via Roma,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°For another, every single street sign and shop name is in Italian.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t exactly been paying attention to whether the streets have Italian-sounding names or not,¡± said Sam. ¡°That hasn¡¯t really been a priority given every single other thing about our situation.¡± ¡°Point taken,¡± said Lachlan. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. They headed toward a house with a gray-white stucco exterior that stood out among the pastel rainbow of tall narrow houses squeezed together along the street. Sam¡¯s shoes made a schtick, schtick, schtick sound as he walked, the dried blood on his soles sticking to the ground. Hopefully, there would be a fresh pair of shoes in Sam¡¯s size in the next house. That sound was getting disturbing to listen to. ¡°There are two possibilities for this town,¡± said Sam. ¡°This first is that it originated in this plane of reality. After all, parallel universe have infinite possibilities, so it¡¯s virtually guaranteed that the Italian language would exist in some of them.¡± ¡°That seems unlikely.¡± ¡°There¡¯s also the second possibility,¡± said Sam, ¡°that it was pulled into this place somehow, through a massive-scale version of the phenomenon we both experienced. But an entire town disappearing isn¡¯t exactly subtle. It would have been all over the news.¡± An Italian town disappearing? Wait a minute¡ ¡°Interesting,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I can¡¯t help but think of Borgo San Severino.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is.¡± ¡°You Americans really aren¡¯t aware of anything that happens outside your country, are you?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Are you going to tell me what it is, or are you just going to keep being a jerk about it?¡± ¡°There was a town in Italy that disappeared a few years ago.¡± ¡°An entire town?¡± Sam raised an eyebrow. ¡°How does an entire town disappear?¡± ¡°Supposedly there was an explosion. A research lab accident.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± said Sam. ¡°The issue with your little theory is that this town has decidedly not exploded.¡± ¡°Hence why I said ¡®supposedly¡¯,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°They say the town was obliterated so completely, it was as though it vanished into thin air.¡± ¡°Hm,¡± said Sam. ¡°It¡¯s actually a compelling theory in that case. I¡¯d be interested to know what kind of research that lab was doing.¡± ¡°I know someone who lived near enough to the town to hear the accident when it happened. She said it didn¡¯t sound like an explosion. It was more like a ripping noise. Sound familiar?¡± ¡°Hm,¡± said Sam again. ¡°That makes it even more compelling.¡± They reached the stone front stoop of the narrow gray house. An arch of white stucco framed the entryway, with a dark green door in the right half of the arch and a window in the left half, both curved to match the arch¡¯s shape. A black awning, deprived of its purpose in a place without sun or rain to shelter them from, hung over the front porch. Something about the house felt strange, but Lachlan couldn¡¯t figure out what it was. He opened the door. ¡°After you, Samurai,¡± he said. Chapter 6.4 Lachlan ¡°Okay,¡± said Sam. ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± Lachlan followed Sam into the house and realized right away why the house had felt strange. It was too clean. The other houses were caked with a thick dust layer and full of clutter, personal belongings, and decorations. The inside of this house was spotless, Spartan and minimalist. It was clean enough that someone had to have been in it recently, but it looked the least lived-in of all the houses they¡¯d searched for supplies. The house¡¯s front room was a small combined kitchen and living room that opened into a hallway on one side. It was sparsely furnished; the living area contained only a single couch against one wall, a shelf of neatly arranged books against the other, and a coffee table with nothing on it between them. Other than the kitchen cabinets, counters, and bar, the kitchen contained only a non-operational refrigerator and two bar stools. The only decorations were two framed portraits hanging on either side of the bookshelf. The portraits were drawn in clean pencil lines. They were pretty good drawings, but they had an impalpable quality that made Lachlan think the person who¡¯d drawn them hadn¡¯t been an artist. One drawing was of two somber-faced children with large dark eyes, drawn with similar enough features Lachlan suspected they were meant to be siblings. The other drawing was of a woman who¡¯s face looked strangely familiar. It took Lachlan a moment to realize why. ¡°Sam.¡± Lachlan pointed to the portrait. ¡°Look at that picture.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Sam had already disappeared into the hallway, so he poked his head around the corner. ¡°What?¡± Sam came into the room and walking over to stand near it. He squinted. ¡°Wait a minute. Is that who I think it is?¡± The likeness was unmistakable. It was one of those creepy sisters. ¡°It sure looks like it,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°The question is, what kind of lunatic would hang a picture of one of the Donner sisters in a place of pride in their living room?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not one of them.¡± Sam disappeared into the hall again. His voice grew more muffled as he walked farther away. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just a picture of a lady who looks like them.¡± Lachlan frowned at the picture. The resemblance was too uncanny to be a coincidence. The squeak of Sam opening a door came from the end of the hall. ¡°I¡¯m gonna see if I can find anything useful,¡± said Sam. ¡°Wait.¡± Lachlan started after him. ¡°This house isn¡¯t abandoned like the other ones. Someone¡¯s staying here.¡± Lachlan followed Sam into a bedroom that was as plain and sparse as the kitchen and living area. It contained an immaculately made double bed with a plain gray bedspread, a nightstand with an old-fashioned alarm clock, a dresser, and a desk with a swivel chair. Sam had already started rifling through a desk drawer. ¡°What are you doing?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Satisfying my healthy scientific curiosity,¡± said Sam. Sam pulled a notebook from the drawer and opened it, squinting down at the pages. ¡°Find anything interesting?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Check this out.¡± Sam held up the book. On the page was a detailed illustration of a rectangular monster like the one that had attacked them earlier, with notes and labels in pristine cursive. The clean, precise pencil lines reminded Lachlan of the drawings in the living room, even though the subject matter was pretty different. The top of the page was labeled ¡®Dave fabrication (mature)¡¯. ¡°Hm,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°That is interesting.¡± ¡°This person is keeping detailed notes about everything they¡¯ve encountered here,¡± said Sam. ¡°This could help us figure out what¡¯s going on.¡± Lachlan sat down cross-legged on the floor beside Sam and pulled a file out of the drawer. ¡°I guess it pays to be nosy,¡± he said. Chapter 6.5 Lachlan Lachlan lay on his side in the bed reading a Moleskine notebook, while Sam squinted at a diagram of a squid-like arm. ¡°Interesting.¡± Sam held up the diagram. ¡°Most of the mature forms of the creatures here seem to have arms that look just like this.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°It¡¯s written here too. ¡®The mature forms of all three varieties of fabrications possess similar cephalopodan retractile limbs, each limb terminating in a spatulate club-like appendage. In the case of Dave and Stanley fabrications, these limbs are garish blue in colour and rather offensive to the eye.¡¯ Get wrecked, murder rectangles.¡± ¡°Why do they keep calling the creatures Dave and Stanley?¡± said Sam. ¡°¡®Cause they¡¯re a weirdo?¡± Lachlan shrugged. ¡°Your guess is as good as mine, Samurai.¡± ¡°I think Ms. van Vleet mentioned Daves too. Who came up with that? Who looks at a vicious rectangle with teeth and tentacles and says ¡®he looks like a Dave¡¯?¡± Sam looked down at the diagram and nodded approvingly. ¡°I¡¯ve gotta hand it to this person, though. The detail here is impeccable.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s what I¡¯m curious about,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°They keep calling those things ¡®fabrications¡¯. As in, inventions, or falsifications.¡± ¡°Fabrications. Ugh,¡± said Sam. ¡°That word makes me think of my stupid language arts teacher from 8th grade.¡± Lachlan gave Sam a curious look. ¡°Every time I didn¡¯t have my homework, when I told him I forgot it at home, he¡¯d always tell me he¡¯d had it with my ¡®wild fabrications¡¯. Like I was feeding him some crazy story.¡± ¡°You? Sammy Alexander, boy genius, forgetting your homework?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Now there¡¯s a wild fabrication.¡± ¡°I guess he had a point,¡± said Sam. ¡°I didn¡¯t forget it, I just didn¡¯t do it because it was stupid and I didn¡¯t want to. So it was a fabrication, just not a wild one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m impressed,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°The mild-mannered nerd has a hidden rebellious streak. I didn¡¯t know you had it in you, Samurai.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Shut up,¡± said Sam. ¡°What you said does raise an interesting question, though. If these creatures are fabrications, does that mean that they¡¯re lies? That they¡¯re not really real?¡± ¡°I think that depends,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°To which sense of the word is this person referring? Do they mean fabrication as in a lie? Or fabrication as in an invention?¡± Sam held up his right hand, indicating the stubs where his index and middle fingers had been. ¡°They seemed real enough to do this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re assuming your hand is real,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°If you¡¯ll recall our little chitchat earlier, you¡¯ll remember that we can never truly know the nature of reality. Your own hand could be a mad-scientist induced illusion.¡± ¡°Not helpful.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t meant to be helpful.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Sam looked up from the diagram, eyes lighting up as though recalling something. ¡°Hey, yourself.¡± ¡°98 said that him and his brothers were created by CPSI.¡± ¡°That would explain a lot,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°There¡¯s still so much that doesn¡¯t make sense, though.¡± ¡°Like those creepy sisters?¡± ¡°Yeah, like them,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°And like Falcon.¡± ¡°You lost me,¡± said Sam. ¡°Who¡¯s Falcon?¡± Lachlan sighed. How was he meant to explain everything that had happened? ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°It started when the greatest band in existence found this guy lost in the bush¡¡± <>< ¡°So, let me get this straight,¡± Sam began. ¡°Let me get this straight, um¡¡± He trailed off, seeming unsure which part of the story he was trying to get straight. ¡°Cat got your tongue, Samurai?¡± ¡°That¡¯s one way of putting it. I think I¡¯m even more confused than I was before.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t nearly as confused as you were.¡± ¡°There¡¯s one thing I think I should bring up,¡± said Sam. ¡°I think we have a mutual acquaintance.¡± ¡°A mutual acquaintance? And just who might that be?¡± ¡°You mentioned that one of the sisters attacked your friend Chelsea?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize it before. I didn¡¯t make the connection until I saw that drawing out there.¡± ¡°I think your friend Chelsea is the same Chelsea I was looking for when I got stuck in here,¡± said Sam. ¡°Just before it happened, she mentioned being attacked in her friend¡¯s apartment.¡± ¡°Her surname wouldn¡¯t happen to be Brown, would it?¡± Sam nodded. ¡°Huh. Small world.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be a coincidence,¡± said Sam. ¡°Before she disappeared, it sounded like she was screaming for help. She had to have been sent here on purpose like you were.¡± ¡°Because we witnessed the attack on Falcon.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± said Sam. ¡°Disposing of the witnesses.¡± ¡°I wonder why they didn¡¯t just kill us,¡± mused Lachlan. ¡°Probably didn¡¯t want to have to deal with the bodies.¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re morbid.¡± ¡°Well, we survived, so the joke is on them.¡± Sam didn¡¯t respond, frowning down at the notebook his was looking at. He attempted to turn a page with his thumb and ring finger and fumbled, the paper sliding out of his hand. ¡°You alright over there, Samurai?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Something concerning just occurred to me.¡± Sam turned the page with his good hand. ¡°These monsters looked used to look human. They only started changing when they entered this place.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I think I understand your concern.¡± ¡°That raises some worrying questions about what¡¯s happening to me.¡± Chapter 6.6 Naomi ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen one of your friends,¡± said the man, who¡¯d introduced himself as Mahender. ¡°You said his name was Lachlan, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Naomi said, louder than she¡¯d intended. She tried to calm her tone before she spoke again. ¡°Sorry¨Cyes. His name¡¯s Lachlan. You¡¯ve seen him? Is he okay?¡± ¡°He seemed to be.¡± ¡°And what about the other two people I mentioned?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± said Mahender. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen them.¡± Naomi¡¯s worry must have shown on her face, because Mahender quickly added, ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯re fine. As someone who¡¯s been here for years, I can tell you that this place isn¡¯t as scary as it seems.¡± ¡°I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but that hasn¡¯t really been my experience.¡± Mahender laughed sympathetically. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. I can¡¯t tell you how scared I was when I was first sent here.¡± ¡°We were all scared,¡± said the creature with the tentacle skirt, ¡°but it helped that we weren¡¯t alone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± said Naomi. ¡°The only problem is that my friends are alone.¡± ¡°Lachlan wasn¡¯t alone,¡± said Mahender. ¡°He wasn¡¯t? Who was he with?¡± ¡°Someone called Sam. He was about your age. Do you know him?¡± Sam. Where had she heard that name? The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Hadn¡¯t Jen mentioned that her boyfriend was named Sam? Naomi couldn¡¯t assume for sure it was the same person¨CSam was a common name, after all. But maybe Jen had been right. Maybe her boyfriend really had been sent here too. ¡°Not exactly, but I think I know someone who does know him,¡± said Naomi. ¡°Unfortunately, she¡¯s the one we lost running away from¡ whatever that thing was.¡± ¡°I told your friend he should head toward the town,¡± said Mahender. ¡°If I were you, I¡¯d go there as well.¡± ¡°Town?¡± Falcon signed. The creature with a face on his chest translated. ¡°We¡¯ll take you there, if you like,¡± said one of the creatures. ¡°Um, yes, that would be good,¡± said Naomi. ¡°We¡¯d really appreciate that.¡± ¡°Just follow us,¡± said Mahender. ¡°It¡¯s not too far from here.¡± <>< Naomi walked beside Mahender while Falcon and his brothers walked behind. Well, the more human-shaped brothers walked. It was hard to tell how the ones with visible legs were moving forward. ¡°So there¡¯s a town here?¡± said Naomi. She had trouble imagining what kind of town would be in a place like this. Was it a town full of monsters, or were there people living there? ¡°Yes. It¡¯s more like a ghost town, though,¡± said Mahender, anticipating her question. ¡°All the people are gone.¡± ¡°What happened to them?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said. ¡°The place looks abandoned, though. The only person I¡¯ve seen there is my aunt.¡± ¡°Your aunt?¡± ¡°My aunt worked for CPSI too. I think this place is where they throw their more inconvenient employees.¡± ¡°Why did they throw your aunt in here?¡± said Naomi. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine,¡± said Mahender. ¡°I don¡¯t really know, though.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t tell you?¡± ¡°My aunt and I aren¡¯t really on the best of terms,¡± he said. ¡°She stuck with us for protection in the beginning, but she ended up going off on her own.¡± ¡°Why would anyone want to be alone in this place?¡± said Naomi. Mahender chewed on his lower lip, breaking eye contact. ¡°Well¡ she didn¡¯t want to be alone, exactly. We sort of, well¡¡± ¡°You sort of what?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not proud of it, but I asked her to leave.¡± ¡°You told your own aunt to leave? In this place?¡± ¡°I know, I know, it sounds bad,¡± he said. ¡°We had this big fight, and I told her I couldn¡¯t stand being around her anymore, and that I wanted her to leave me alone. I wouldn¡¯t have done if I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be fine on her own.¡± ¡°How could anyone be fine on their own in a place like this?¡± ¡°She wouldn¡¯t have been at first. It¡¯s why I stuck with her for so long. But after a while, she started to change.¡± ¡°What does that mean? Change how?¡± ¡°It was very subtle at first. She was a little bit stronger, a little bit faster. Before we knew it, she was taking on fabs three times her size and winning.¡± Chapter 6.7 Chelsea Chelsea and Angelina walked down the dark street past a row of shops, as Belfry fluttered along behind them. Most of the shops still had displays on the sidewalk. Some had racks of handmade clothing, and tall rotating carousels of postcards, magnets, and key chains. One had a carousel that held brightly painted mugs and vases. It probably wasn¡¯t a good idea for them to have left the safety of the house, but Angelina had wanted to ¡®explore¡¯, leaving Chelsea with the choice between going with her and letting her go out on her own. Chelsea had felt a little better about it after Angelina had explained her reasoning; walking around and observing where things vanished would give her a better idea of how the mysterious patterns worked. Besides, Chelsea told herself, what they were doing probably wasn¡¯t that much more dangerous than being in the house with Zogzhesh. Angelina stopped and picked up a postcard, fixing it with an intense stare. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± said Chelsea. ¡°Nothing new is wrong,¡± said Angelina. ¡°I was just thinking. I used to see these postcards in stores all the time.¡± Chelsea leaned over to peer at the postcard. It displayed a colorful town between two picturesque mountains, overlooking the ocean. ¡°It looks so safe between those mountains,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Like they¡¯re protecting it.¡± ¡°It must be hard for you to look at,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Angelina. ¡°It looks so different now. The colors don¡¯t look right in the dark.¡± Chelsea wanted to reach out to Angelina, to put an arm around her or take her hand, but she wasn¡¯t sure if that would be weird. She started to place a comforting hand on Angelina¡¯s shoulder, but Angelina bounced away toward a rack of scarves, her sad, pensive expression lifting as suddenly as it had appeared. Angelina selected a scarf and skipped back toward Chelsea. Angelina glanced at the postcard, hesitated, and placed it back into a slot on the metal carousel. Stolen story; please report. ¡°Look! I found a scarf you¡¯ll love! Don¡¯t you love it?¡± Chelsea looked down at the scarf in Angelina¡¯s hands. It was red, with an irregular polka dot pattern that looked hand painted. It was a nice enough scarf, though she wasn¡¯t sure what exactly about it Angelina had thought she would love. ¡°It¡¯s really nice.¡± ¡°I knew you¡¯d love it! You should have it!¡± Angelina moved closed and stood up on the balls of her feet, draping the scarf around Chelsea¡¯s neck. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°It feels kind of like stealing.¡± ¡°No one is using it now. It¡¯s not hurting anyone to take it.¡± Angelina¡¯s sad expression returned. ¡°These things are all just sitting here, alone and sad. I think it¡¯s less sad if someone takes them. It¡¯s like we¡¯re rescuing it.¡± ¡°In that case,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°I think it¡¯s a beautiful scarf.¡± Chelsea reached up to wrap the scarf around her neck, but Angelina got there first. She looped the scarf around Chelsea¡¯s neck in a neat knot. ¡°There,¡± said Angelina. ¡°That¡¯s how Italians wear our scarves.¡± Chelsea looked down at the scarf knot and smiled. ¡°Do you know what this type of knot is called in English?¡± ¡°No. What¡¯s it called?¡± ¡°A Chelsea knot.¡± ¡°Really?¡± said Angelina. ¡°It must be a sign then. This is the scarf you were meant to wear. It¡¯s your scarf destiny.¡± Chelsea had expected Angelina to pull away after tying the scarf, but she stayed close enough for Chelsea to feel her shivering from the cold. Chelsea pulled away, fixing her attention on the rack of scarves. ¡°You¡¯re freezing!¡± said Chelsea. ¡°I think it¡¯s my turn to find a scarf for you.¡± ¡°Cool!¡± said Angelina. ¡°Find me something with hot pink! And black! Maybe something with strawberries? Or a zebra pattern? Or both!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯ll have strawberry zebra scarves,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can find. I¡¯ll pick you something really great, I promise.¡± ¡°If you pick it, I know it¡¯ll be great!¡± Chelsea started toward the scarf rack, but stopped as something on a display table caught her eye. She hadn¡¯t seen it at first, jumbled among handmade trinkets and souvenirs. She picked it up. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± said Angelina. Chelsea held it up. It was an empty drink can with a label proclaiming that it contained only one calorie. An empty can was hardly an unusual thing to find, but something about the can felt off to her¨Cmaybe it was the English label, or the stray drops she could feel rolling around in the bottom when she moved it. ¡°It¡¯s weird. There¡¯s still a little bit of pop in the can, like someone just finished drinking it. But it¡¯s all covered in rust, like it¡¯s old.¡± Chelsea looked closer at the can. Dark red marbled blotches covered it, but the aluminum beneath looked shiny and new. She noticed lines streaking through the dark red, like the lines in the palm of someone¡¯s hand. Belfry fluttered over and came to rest on Chelsea¡¯s shoulder, sniffing the air. ¡°¨¨ sangue,¡± he said. Sangue. What did that mean again? Angelina¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at the can. ¡°Blood,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s covered in blood.¡± Chapter 6.8 Naomi Naomi and Mahender walked a little ways behind Falcon and his brothers. It felt like they had been walking for a long time. Naomi wondered if they were getting close to the town. It was hard to see anything in front of them with the largest of Falcon¡¯s brother¡¯s blocking the way. ¡°So,¡± said Naomi, ¡°what kind of music do you like?¡± She felt stupid and awkward trying to make idle conversation, but she had to distract herself somehow. If she was silent for too long, she¡¯d have to think about just how stuck she was. Mahender and his aunt hadn¡¯t found their way out after years of being in the Pit. What hope was there for Naomi and her friends? ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Mahender shrugged. ¡°A bit of everything.¡± ¡°Have you ever heard of The Goldfish Technique?¡± Naomi didn¡¯t usually bring up her favorite band around strangers because almost no one had heard of them. Mahender was from Australia, though, so maybe he would have. Besides, talking about something familiar might make her feel better. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I have,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll have to give them a listen. If I ever make it out of here, that is.¡± And just like that, the conversation had come back to how hopeless things were. So much for taking her mind off things. Mahender must have noticed some change in her expression, because he added ¡°It¡¯s not so bad here, though. Not really. It¡¯s scary at first, but it gets better.¡± The attempt to comfort her only made the dread in her chest swell larger, until she was surprised by its size and strength. His words felt like a nail in a coffin, reinforcing the idea that there was no way out. Would she grow old in here, alone and forgotten? Or would something kill her before she had the chance? ¡°I know you¡¯re trying to make me feel better, and I appreciate it, but it¡¯s not working,¡± said Naomi. Her tone came out more harshly than she¡¯d intended. ¡°Ah, right, fair enough. Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Mahender was silent for a moment. Then he spoke again. ¡°The town¡¯s not very big,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find your friends in no time.¡± Another attempt to make her feel better. At least this one was actually a little bit effective. ¡°Thanks,¡± said Naomi. ¡°I really hope you¡¯re right.¡± Mahender opened his mouth like he was going to say something, then stopped. ¡°Were you going to say something?¡± said Naomi. Mahender sighed, then his face tightened in a wince. ¡°My aunt is living in the town,¡± he said. ¡°She might have seen your friends.¡± ¡°Okay, great,¡± said Naomi. ¡°Let¡¯s go talk to her.¡± Mahender sighed again. ¡°It¡¯s like I said before,¡± he said. ¡°She can be¡ difficult.¡± Naomi fixed him with a look. ¡°My friends are in danger,¡± she said. ¡°If your aunt might be able to help me find them, I don¡¯t care how difficult she is. Take me to her. Now.¡± Interlude 10 Lily Billy lifted the one of the vials of red liquid out of the rack and held it up, letting the fluorescent ceiling light shine through it. Ivan flinched as the glass vial was lifted into the air, adjusting his lab coat with nervous fingers. ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± said Billy. ¡°It looks a little like a Cabernet Sauvignon, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°It looks more like blood to me,¡± said Lily. ¡°Of course it looks like blood,¡± said Ivan. ¡°The serum contains a hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier.¡± He fixed her with a disdainful look. She returned the look, trying to make her glare as icy as she could, and Ivan broke eye contact, shrinking back behind the table. When he looked back at her, she flashed him a pleasant smile, and felt a rush of satisfaction as he looked away again, his spindly little hand tightening into a fist. Flimsy, breakable looking, and already half-bald at the young age of 26, Ivan reminded Lily of an egg. He was a small, scrawny man; his bald head was the only thing that saved him from being mistaken for a boy ten years his junior. ¡°The, uh¡¡± Ivan paused for a moment, rattled, then regained his composure. ¡°Sorry, um, the serum is very sensitive at the moment.¡± ¡°Sensitive meaning what?¡± said Lily. ¡°Meaning explosive,¡± said Ivan tersely. Billy lowered the vial back onto the rack. Lily was no scientist, but it seemed to her that Ivan should have been taking more precautions with a dangerous substance. Mona had been problematic for a number of reasons, but she had always insisted on precautions. Lily thought about saying something, but decided against it. If this brat talked down to her again, she didn¡¯t trust herself not to hurl the explosive serum across the room in a fit of rage and incinerate them all. If Ivan blew himself up, they would hire more scientists. Preferably less annoying ones. ¡°How long until the serum is complete?¡± asked Billy. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°We¡¯ll have it completed in a few weeks. A month, at the most.¡± ¡°Well?¡± said Billy. ¡°Which is it? A month or a few weeks?¡± His tone was light, and would have sounded friendly to someone who didn¡¯t know better, but Lily knew her husband well enough to know his intent. He was challenging Ivan, reminding the kid that for all his fancy degrees, he wasn¡¯t the one who was in charge here. Lily was a good enough judge of people to know Billy¡¯s approach wouldn¡¯t work on Ivan. The brat wasn¡¯t good enough at reading people to pick up on the subtle edge of venom in Billy¡¯s cheerful tone. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to know until we run more tests,¡± said Ivan. The tense edge to Ivan¡¯s voice sounded more annoyed than intimidated. Lily had been right, as usual. Ivan had likely interpreted the question as Billy not being smart enough to grasp his brilliant work. Not that he¡¯d done most of the work. He¡¯d used Mona¡¯s calculations, as well as her DNA, and claimed all of the credit. Lily wasn¡¯t surprised. It was what men did. Let women do all the work and take all the credit. Women at CPSI had to walk a fine line. They had to be mean enough not to get walked all over, but still be able to play nice when it made strategic sense. Sleeping with the boss didn¡¯t hurt either, but Mona wouldn¡¯t have done that, and Lily would have made sure she suffered a worse fate than the Pit if she had. Billy wouldn¡¯t have gone for her anyway. He only liked blondes. A part of Lily had actually been rooting for Mona, though she¡¯d have never admitted it to Billy. Mona had been ambitious, disciplined, competent, and mean when she had to be. A few times, Lily had even thought about befriending her, even though it was a laughable idea. It was almost funny to imagine the looks on her friends¡¯ faces if she¡¯d brought some foreign poor along to one of their ladies¡¯ spa weekends. Mona wouldn¡¯t have been able to afford it anyway. Not with what Billy had paid her. Billy had seen Mona as a tool to be used and discarded, but her potential had been far greater than that. Billy had thought he was stringing Mona along, keeping her in the dark, but Lily knew Mona had been smarter than that. She¡¯d known she was being used; she¡¯d known her worth, and known that it wasn¡¯t being recognized. She¡¯d been using them too in a way; first as a way of paying the bills, hanging onto her Green Card, and feeding those snot-nosed kids of hers, then as a way of manipulating the situation with Sarah. Mona had never been particularly loyal to CPSI; she¡¯d been shrewd enough to see through all Billy¡¯s invitations to dinner, all the carefully calculated favors, all the proclamations she was the ¡®daughter they never had¡¯. More than that, she¡¯d been far too self-assured to fall for the attempts at breaking down her self-esteem¨Cthe low pay, the subtle digs and criticism, the expertly concocted mixture of complicated work far above her pay grade and demeaningly menial tasks. When Lily thought about it, the mistake had been Billy¡¯s more than it had been Mona¡¯s. He¡¯d underestimated her; manipulating her into loyalty had never been a possibility. Something had been bound to come along and disrupt her fragile allegiance to the company. If it hadn¡¯t been Sarah, it would have been something else. Lily heard Billy talking, saying something about disrupting the boundaries of the human mind, and realized she¡¯d gotten lost in her thoughts and missed some of the conversation. It didn¡¯t really matter; she knew the basics about the serum, and Billy would fill her in later. At least, he would if he didn¡¯t want to sleep on the couch. Chapter 6.9 Naomi ¡°I should probably prepare you to meet my aunt,¡± said Mahender. ¡°Wow, she¡¯s that bad?¡± ¡°She¡¯s worse, honestly,¡± he said, ¡°she can be extremely¡ judgy.¡± ¡°I have aunts like that. I think everyone does.¡± ¡°Not like her, they don¡¯t,¡± he said. ¡°She has a very specific worldview, and a very black and white view of people. She either likes you, or she really, really doesn¡¯t. If she doesn¡¯t like you, there¡¯s a good chance she¡¯ll call you an idiot and slam the door in your face.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Naomi felt a stupid, nervous giggle escape her lips. ¡°No pressure.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean to make you nervous,¡± said Mahender. ¡°I just want to make sure you know what you¡¯re getting yourself into.¡± This was not what she wanted to hear right now. Between her being trapped in a pit between realities and her friends¡¯ lives being in danger, she had enough to worry about. Now she had to impress someone¡¯s judgmental aunt? ¡°So how do I make her like me?¡± ¡°There are a few things that help. Your outfit will be a point in your favor.¡± Naomi looked down at her skinny jeans and plain black t-shirt. She couldn¡¯t imagine why these clothes would impress anyone. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Why is it a point in my favor?¡± ¡°It looks nice, but it¡¯s simple. It¡¯s not frilly or fancy,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯ll give her the impression you care about your appearance without being vapid.¡± ¡°So if I was wearing a poofy pink dress or something, she¡¯d refuse to help me?¡± ¡°That depends. Exactly how poofy are we talking?¡± Naomi realized from Mahender¡¯s expression that he¡¯d been making a joke. She forced a polite laugh. ¡°What else will give me points with her?¡± ¡°Be very polite and respectful. She thinks very highly of herself, so it won¡¯t hurt to suck up to her a bit.¡± ¡°You know a lot about how your aunt thinks for someone who tries to avoid her.¡± ¡°Well, when someone lives with you for four years, you tend to learn a lot about them,¡± said Mahender. ¡°When did she live with you?¡± ¡°She did her undergrad at a university near where my mum and I lived.¡± ¡°Her undergrad? For some reason, I was picturing her as being older than that.¡± ¡°Well, it was a while ago. Nearly twenty years ago, I think. I was just a kid.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°It¡¯s funny you say that, though. I remember thinking she was so much older than she was. She was seventeen, and she dressed like she was forty.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°She wore these nineties power suits to class. Some of them had shoulder pads and everything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not so weird,¡± said Naomi. ¡°A lot of business majors have to follow dress codes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she was a business major,¡± said Mahender. ¡°She ended up working as some kind of scientist.¡± ¡°Okay, I take it back. That is weird,¡± said Naomi. ¡°Was she a scientist for CPSI?¡± ¡°Yeah. She worked with the biotechnology team for a while, I think.¡± What was it Sarah had said? That she was a piece of biotechnology? ¡°Um, can I ask what specifically she worked on?¡± ¡°She worked on a lot of things, from the sound of it. Some days, she just had to fetch coffee and file papers. Other days, well¡¡± One of the creatures¨Cthe one with a hoop skirt of tentacles¨Cfell back, joining the two of them. ¡°Other days,¡± finished the creature, ¡°she made us.¡± Interlude 11 Sarah Sarah ran her hands over the twenty dollar bill in her pocket. She¡¯d taken it from one of the scientists¡¯ wallets after hearing him call Mrs. Clyde an ¡®old bitch¡¯, and now that Mr. Clyde had given her a rare afternoon off before they flew back to Palmer, she had to find something to do with it. Mr. Clyde had told her the afternoon off was a reward for a job well done, but she knew better. She was aimless without a task or goal in mind, and he knew that as well as she did. This was a punishment. She turned, glancing at each shop in the strip mall to her left¨Ca dollar store, a hair salon, a low-end grocery store, and a few hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Not a lot of appealing options. She climbed the stairs to the parking lot, then crossed to the sidewalk, taking a second look at the trio of restaurants. She didn¡¯t eat, but maybe she could at least get something to drink. The first restaurant was a questionable-looking seafood place with the equally questionable name Fishy Crab. There was also a restaurant called Journey to India with a fragrant aroma coming from it that almost disguised the smell coming from the fishy place, and a restaurant that didn¡¯t seem to have a name¨Cjust a large LED sign proclaiming ¡®Pizza¡¯. Maybe ¡®Pizza¡¯ was the restaurant¡¯s name, as stupid as that would be. It was arguably still a better name than Fishy Crab. Okay, then. Indian restaurant it was. It was somewhere between lunch time and dinner time, so the restaurant was empty when she entered. It was nicer on the inside than it was on the outside, with a white tablecloth and a small vase of flowers on each table, and wrought-iron chandeliers providing a warm glow. Only the drop ceiling and scratchy-looking carpet served as reminders this place was in a shady strip mall. Sarah looked up at the farmhouse-style iron chandeliers. They looked way too heavy for the flimsy ceiling. It would be kind of funny if one of them came crashing down onto the tables, she thought. They also weren¡¯t the type of lights she¡¯d have expected to find in an Indian restaurant. The lights looked like they belonged in a place Lily would have taken them to dinner, some upscale American restaurant that was trying to pretend it was rustic and folksy. Not that she knew what kind of lights an Indian restaurant would have. She¡¯d only been to restaurants with the Clydes, and they would never eat food from another country. Unless Billy wanted tacos, of course. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The middle-aged man at the counter looked up from the book he was reading, startled to see a customer. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said. ¡°I just came in a second ago.¡± She stood where she was, suddenly feeling awkward. She¡¯d never been into a restaurant on her own before. Was there something you were supposed to say or do? ¡°How many?¡± said the man. It took her a minute to figure out what he meant. She almost asked ¡®how many what?¡¯, and she was glad she hadn¡¯t. ¡°Oh, just a table for one, please.¡± The man gave her a strange look. ¡°All by yourself?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± She tried to sound upbeat. ¡°All by my lonesome.¡± The man led her to a table. It was in the back corner of the restaurant, secluded and far from the windows. It was the kind of table the Clydes would have complained about, yelling at the host and demanding to see the manager, but Sarah didn¡¯t mind. It was kind of nice to be at a table that was tucked away. The man handed her a menu in a plastic sleeve, then disappeared into a door behind her. He returned moments later with a plate of something that looked like thin, crispy crackers or pieces of flatbread, with two small cups of sauce on the side. She shook her head. ¡°Oh, no, thank you,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s complementary,¡± said the man. ¡°No charge.¡± She paused, trying to think of what to say. What was she supposed to tell him? She didn¡¯t know what was in the food he was serving her, so she couldn¡¯t lie and claim an allergy, but she couldn¡¯t tell him what she was either. ¡°It¡¯s free,¡± explained the man, interpreting her silence as confusion. ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay for it.¡± ¡°Oh, I know,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m just not all that hungry.¡± ¡°This is a restaurant,¡± the man said with a confused laugh. Sarah¡¯s face flushed. This had been a mistake. Restaurants were for real people. She didn¡¯t know what she was doing here. ¡°Right, sorry. I was just hoping I could get something to drink.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he said. ¡°The drink menu is on the back. Do you have any questions?¡± She turned the menu over. ¡°No. I already know what I want,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll have the masala chai, please.¡± ¡°Yes, of course. Just a minute.¡± The man hesitated, then placed the plate in front of her. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you the papadum. In case you want to try it.¡± He seemed nervous, like he thought she might shout at him. She saw that kind of nervousness a lot in servers. When she went to dinner with the Clydes, it was usually warranted. Mrs. Clyde would have shouted at the man for trying to give her food she didn¡¯t want. Sarah just nodded and mumbled a thank you. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she sat there staring into space and tapping her fingers against the table¨Cit could have been one minute, or it could have been ten. The man returned, placing a steaming cup in front of her. The moment she breathed in the fragrant steam, she let out a soft gasp. This wasn¡¯t the syrupy, artificial chain coffee shop tea she¡¯d had in Naomi¡¯s car, this wasn¡¯t the pale, dirty dishwater-flavored tea from the bags in the breakroom, or even the fancy tea the friendly woman had offered her earlier that day. This was something special, something she hadn¡¯t smelled in so long, but would have recognized anywhere. She lifted the cup to her lips and drank, feeling the warmth wash through her as she tasted all the flavors¨Crich, milky, bold, and sweet, with just a hint of bitterness. When she put the cup down, she felt moisture on her face. At first she thought it was from the steam. ¡°How do you like the¨C¡± the man started to ask, then cut himself off. ¡°Is¡ is everything alright, miss?¡± At first, Sarah didn¡¯t understand what he meant. Then, she touched her hand to her cheek and realized tears were streaming down her face. Interlude 12 Mona Mona gave her watch another anxious glance as she turned the Bunsen burner to a low flame. It was 1:41 PM, and Ivan and the others would be back from their lunch breaks soon. If she didn¡¯t hurry, they¡¯d return and question what she was doing. She wouldn¡¯t have a good explanation. They would try to stop her, when what she was doing was far more important than any of the menial work she did for CPSI. Somehow, it felt like one of the most important things she¡¯d ever do. She pulled a bottle of water and four glass jars from her oversized bag and lined them in a row on the table. She¡¯d found the bag in the back of her closet¨Ca gift she¡¯d received long ago and never used because it was cumbersome and had far more space than she usually needed. Today, it was so full the strap left a painful indent on her shoulder, and its contents bulged unattractively inside it. She pulled the saucepan from her bag, placed it on the table, and poured the water into the pan. She unscrewed each jar lid, then lifted the saucepan over the flame with one hand. With the other hand, she emptied three of the jars into the pan one by one¨Cfirst the tea powder, then the sugar, and finally the spices. She slid a heat-resistant safety glove onto one hand, then pulled a wooden spoon out of her bag and held it in the other. With her gloved hand, she lifted the pan over the flame, moving it around so it heated evenly and stirring it with the spoon. After a few minutes, it began to bubble, and the lab filled with the spicy, earthy-sweet scent of cardamom and cinnamon. She poured in the final jar¨Cthe milk¨Cand stirred the pot with the spoon. The muscles in her arm were beginning to ache from the weight of the metal pot, but she ignored the pain. The milk began to bubble and froth, blooming into a foam that threatened to spill over the edge of the pot. Mona turned down the flame. She hadn¡¯t spilled something in as long as she could remember, and she wasn¡¯t about to start today. She waited for a few more minutes, giving the pan an occasional careful stir, until the aroma deepened and the tea darkened to a shade of rich tan. She switched off the flame and placed the spoon on a paper towel she¡¯d laid on the table. Still holding the pan, she reached one arm into her bag and felt around until she found the strainer she¡¯d brought. She placed the strainer over a mug she¡¯d taken from the breakroom, then poured the tea from the pan in a thin, delicate stream. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Her biceps twinged with relief as she placed the pan on the table, then set the spoon and strainer inside it. She picked up the mug, breathing in the fragrance and taking a moment to admire her work¨Cthe rich color, the sweet, spicy aroma. It was perfect, of course. She had made it, after all. And she¡¯d made it for the perfect person. She set down her bag and carried the mug out the door, walking down the hall toward the fab chambers. Leaving the pan and spoon in the lab made her a little nervous, but she¡¯d already finished making the tea. It¡¯s not as though they could force her to unmake it. Not that a smug brat like Ivan could have forced her to do anything, of course. But she didn¡¯t want to deal with him trying. It would have only made her angry. She could see 131 on the other side of the glass, sitting on her flat, prison-like cot, eyes fixed on the wall in front of her. The sight left a weight in Mona¡¯s chest. She imagined taking 131 by the arm, whisking her out the door and down the hall to freedom. For a moment, she pictured herself driving down a long, remote stretch of freeway, 131 in the passenger seat, the two of them headed together into some great unknown, the wind whipping through their hair in a way Mona would have hated in reality. She chastised herself inwardly for the silly mental image. Still, if she and 131 ran off together, Mona didn¡¯t know where they would have gone or what they would have done, but she knew it would have been something great. She wasn¡¯t normally the type of person to act on a whim, but if it weren¡¯t for the thought of her children growing up without her, she might have acted on this one. Instead, she pressed the button, sliding open the door to the cell. 131 looked up, her eyes brightening as they met Mona¡¯s. ¡°Mona!¡± Mona entered the chamber, placing the cup on the flat metal surface beside the sorry excuse for a bed. ¡°Hi, 131,¡± she said. ¡°I have a surprise for you today.¡± ¡°A surprise? What is it?¡± ¡°Well, you know how every day I bring you that watered-down garbage breakroom tea?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not garbage. It¡¯s basically the only thing I have to look forward to.¡± ¡°It¡¯s garbage,¡± said Mona. ¡°You deserve so much more to look forward to than that. So I made you this.¡± 131 picked up the cup. ¡°It smells so good. What is it?¡± ¡°Masala chai. I had to use a Bunsen burner in the lab, but I made it while everyone else was on lunch.¡± ¡°You made this?¡± 131 stared up at her, eyes wide. ¡°For me?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. Try it.¡± 131 lifted the cup to her lips and sipped. When she lowered it, her lip was trembling. ¡°Well? What do you think?¡± 131 opened her mouth to reply, but a sob escaped her lips instead as tears spilled down her face. ¡°Sorry,¡± said 131. ¡°I¡ I know you hate when people cry, but¡ but no one ever made me anything special before.¡± Mona wrapped her arms around 131, pulling her close. She could feel 131 shake, her tears soaking into Mona¡¯s shirt collar as she cried into her shoulder. The weight in Mona¡¯s chest grew heavier as she ran her hand over 131¡¯s hair. Chapter 6.10 Angelina The can slid out of Chelsea¡¯s hand and fell to the ground with a soft thunk. Angelina bent down and picked it up, turning it over in her hand. ¡°Angelina, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a good idea to touch that,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°It¡¯s probably not very sanitary.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Plus, we need to examine it. It¡¯s evidence.¡± ¡°Evidence of what?¡± Chelsea didn¡¯t sound skeptical like most people would have, just curious. ¡°Someone else is here. We should look for them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°They must have left the can recently. A lot of the blood is still bright red. It must have just dried.¡± ¡°Look!¡± came Belfry¡¯s squeaky voice from the ground. He was sniffing a spot on the ground. Angelina could make out a faint, ridged pattern¨Cred lines matching the red on the can. It took her a moment to realize it was a shoe print. ¡°What is it?¡± said Chelsea. ¡°Footprints!¡± said Angelina. ¡°If we follow them, we¡¯ll be able to find whoever left that can.¡± ¡°The question is,¡± Chelsea said, ¡°do we want to find whoever left it?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know if whoever left it is, you know, human.¡± Oh. That was a good point. Belfry sniffed the footprint again. ¡°Belfry,¡± Angelina said in Italian, ¡°Do bats have a good sense of smell or is that just dogs?¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°It smells like a human, signorina,¡± said Belfry. ¡°Like you.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± said Angelina. She switched to English. ¡°He says it smells human.¡± Chelsea frowned, but it looked more like a frown of concentration than disapproval. ¡°Well¡ I guess there¡¯s no harm in following the footprints,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°Whoever it is might need help.¡± Angelina skipped away from the shop, following the faint trail of red prints down the street as far as she could see it. <>< There was so little light in the town and the footprints were so faded it forced Angelina to slow down. She¡¯d had to stop skipping and walk with Chelsea behind Belfry as he sniffed out the trail. There were two people, Belfry had told them, though the second wasn¡¯t bleeding and therefore harder to smell. Who were these people they were looking for? How had they gotten stuck here? The soda can definitely wasn¡¯t from Italy, so they hadn¡¯t gotten lost on the Sentiero Angelica. Had the woman who took Chelsea taken them too? And where did CPSI fit into all this? Chelsea stopped suddenly, and Angelina collided with her, stepping on the back of her shoe and causing them both to stumble. Chelsea turned, fixing her with an intense look. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, C¨C¡± she started. Chelsea placed a finger to her lips. ¡°Why?¡± Angelina whispered. ¡°What is it?¡± Chelsea shook her head, as if to say ¡®no, even quieter than that.¡¯ Angelina clapped a hand over her mouth. Chelsea pointed at an alleyway. Angelina didn¡¯t see where Chelsea was pointing at first, but once she did, she had no idea how she¡¯d missed it. It was too dark to make out the details, but she could see its clear silhouette against the building wall. It was shaped like a human from the waist down, but its torso was elongated and bent backwards, with something bulging from its chest. ¡°Hey!¡± it said. It seemed to speak with two voices, one with a drunken slur, and one with a strange, inhuman edge. ¡°What is that thing?¡± whispered Angelina. Chelsea shook her head again. ¡°Hey!¡± said the thing again. It didn¡¯t sound friendly. The creature shambled out of the alley, allowing them a better view of it. It wore a white jumpsuit that stretched and strained over its misshapen body. Its head was bent backward, looking perpetually up at the sky, and it had the face of an old statue, its features half-worn away. Belfry fluttered up to Chelsea¡¯s shoulder, digging his claws into the fabric on her shirt. ¡°We don¡¯t want any trouble,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you want,¡± it slurred. It advanced on them, swiping a hand out at Chelsea. ¡°Run!¡± said Chelsea, taking off in a sprint. Angelina followed her lead, and soon, Chelsea fell behind her. She¡¯d run about a block before she heard Chelsea cry out. She turned around to see the creature¡¯s arms holding onto Chelsea as she struggled, attempting to lean down and bite at her with its strange slit of a mouth. Belfry zipped around the creature¡¯s head, biting it repeatedly, but it hardly seemed to notice him. ¡°Hey!¡± said Angelina. ¡°Let go of my friend!¡± She let out a shout and charged at the creature. Chapter 6.11 Angelina As she ran at the creature, Angelina realized she had miscalculated. She had charged at the creature before considering what she could do, or how she was going to help Chelsea. At the rate she was going, all she was going to do was ram directly into them. She realized she needed to stop before her body remembered how. She lost her balance and swayed forward, falling directly onto Chelsea and the monster. The three of them crashed onto the cobblestones in a heap. The creature pushed them to the side, and Angelina¡¯s tailbone collided painfully with a protruding cobblestone as she hit the ground. It loomed over them, twisting backward, contorting its head backward and upside down at an unnatural angle. It snapped its small, featureless mouth at them in a display that would have been comical if everything else about the creature had been less terrifying. ¡°You bitch,¡± it said. ¡°You¡¯re the bitch,¡± Angelina said. Beside her, Chelsea gave her a small, incredulous head shake. ¡°What?¡± said Angelina. ¡°It attacked us. It is a bitch.¡± Belfry fluttered above them, biting and scratching the creature¡¯s shoulders. The creature lifted a hand to swat at him. Angelina tried to slide out from under the creature, but a long, thin arm reached out to press her chest, pinning her to the ground so the cobblestones dug into her back. Stone scraped the back of her head as she turned to face Chelsea. Chelsea was pinned down too. There were voices approaching from somewhere behind them; Angelina couldn¡¯t make out what they were saying, but she thought they were speaking English. Were some more monsters arriving to ambush them? That was just what they needed. Was there one thing in this place that wasn¡¯t going to try to eat them? The creature twisted its head around just in time for something to collide with it with a sickening crack. It fell to one side, and Angelina could see the source of one of the voices. ¡°Ow, ow, crap, ow!¡± A girl about Angelina¡¯s age with blonde hair and a light dusting of freckles across her pale face stood, standing on one foot and massaging her ankle. ¡°Hi,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Hey!¡± The girl¡¯s eyes lit up with recognition as they fell on Chelsea. ¡°Chelsea! You¡¯re okay!¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Jen?¡± said Chelsea. A woman with axes strapped to her back sauntered out of the shadows, stopping a few feet behind the girl and crossing her arms. She was thin, with a slight gauntness to her otherwise attractive features that would have made Angelina suspect she¡¯d been trapped in this place for a long time if not for everything else about her appearance. Her hair was sleek, pulled up out of her face in a neat bun, and her crisp button up and slacks were pristine and unwrinkled. She even wore a subtle layer of makeup that Angelina couldn¡¯t imagine anyone taking the time to apply in a place like this. ¡°That was actually impressive, Jen,¡± said the woman. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re not as hopeless as I thought you were.¡± ¡°Um, thanks?¡± said the girl. Jen, apparently. Chelsea pulled herself to her feet, then reached out a hand to Angelina and helped her up. The creature lay prone beside them. ¡°So I take it these are the friends you were looking for?¡± said the woman. ¡°Well, I know one of them,¡± said Jen, ¡°but I have no clue who the other one is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Angelina. Hi!¡± ¡°Hi,¡± said Jen. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you how nice it is to see another friendly face in this place!¡± ¡°I hope I¡¯m not one of those friendly faces you¡¯re referring to,¡± said the woman with the axes. ¡°I¡¯m certainly not friendly. Not to you, anyway.¡± ¡°Compared to that freaky dude I just kicked, you are,¡± said Jen. ¡°Madam Grumpy-Pants over here is Mrs. Sharma, by the way.¡± Mrs. Sharma frowned. ¡°Never call me Madam Grumpy-Pants again.¡± ¡°You do look kind of grumpy,¡± said Angelina. ¡°And you look like you crawled out of a ditch,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. She turned her frown on Angelina, and Angelina had a sudden urge to sink back into the shadowy alley behind her. Mrs. Sharma had one of those disapproving frowns that she was used to seeing from teachers. ¡°My friend¡¯s been through a lot today. I¡¯m sure all of us have.¡± Chelsea stepped forward and extended a hand. ¡°I¡¯m Chelsea. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Mrs. Sharma.¡± Mrs. Sharma¡¯s frown softened a bit, and she accepted the handshake. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see at least one of you knows some manners.¡± Belfry fluttered up to perch on Chelsea¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hello, signora, my name is Belfry!¡± ¡°Ah, you must be the one I¡¯ve been seeing fluttering around. You¡¯re Project Pteropus, aren¡¯t you?¡± Belfry cocked his head, confused. ¡°He doesn¡¯t speak English,¡± Angelina said. ¡°Just Italian. And his name is Belfry, not Project whatever.¡± ¡°Pteropus. It¡¯s interesting to see him in person,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I wonder how he was able to survive the accident. He seems to have remained remarkably stable since then, too. And he¡¯s¡ cuter than I expected.¡± She reached out to stroke Belfry¡¯s head, and he let out a happy chirp and leaned into her hand. ¡°Aw!¡± said Jen. ¡°I have no clue what he is, but he sure is cute!¡± ¡°If they hadn¡¯t ended up vaporizing themselves along with an entire town, I¡¯d say the Italian team was far more competent than the idiots I was forced to work with,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. Angelina felt herself bristle. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about it so casually. A thousand people died, you know.¡± ¡°Yes, and you¡¯re not going to bring them back by being rude.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not being rude. You¡¯re being rude!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so confused right now,¡± said Jen. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m sure we¡¯re all pretty scared and confused right now,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°Let¡¯s not take it out on each other.¡± The lying on the ground creature stirred, letting out a groan. Mrs. Sharma turned on her heel, motioning for everyone to follow. ¡°We should leave before it wakes up. I don¡¯t want to have to deal with a Dave right now.¡± ¡°A Dave?¡± said Jen. ¡°That ¡®freaky dude¡¯, as you so articulately put it, is a Dave fabrication. A poorly made and unstable piece of biotechnology. They¡¯re not dangerous in their partially mutated state, but they are really annoying. They kind of remind me of some other people I¡¯ve met today.¡± She turned around to glance between Jen and Angelina. Angelina stuck out her tongue, prompting Mrs. Sharma to turn back around with a scoff. ¡°Well?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Are you three just going to stand there and waste time? Follow me.¡± Interlude 13 Mona Mona glanced back at the three girls to make sure they were following, then quickened her pace. Ugh. This was just what she needed. She had considered letting the girls go off on their own after they¡¯d been reunited, but she couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to do so. She couldn¡¯t just leave three defenseless girls to get eaten, as tempting the blonde one and especially the brown-haired one were making it. Maybe she would have felt differently if they weren¡¯t so young. Young enough to make her think of her own kids, though these girls were at least five years older and far less polite. Young people, even the most useless ones, were still full of potential, and if she wrote these girls off as not worth saving, she would be robbing them of that potential. No one deserved that, not even a scruffy brat like that brown-haired girl. Of course, that meant Mona was stuck with a babysitting job when she had far more important things to do. ¡°Um, excuse me, ma¡¯am?¡± said the chatty blonde one. Jen, she¡¯d said her name was. ¡°What?¡± said Mona. ¡°I think I kinda hurt my ankle?¡± Oh, great. This one was a whiner. ¡°What do you want me to do about it?¡± ¡°Um, like, maybe slow down? Just a smidge?¡± ¡°Walk it off. Quit being a baby.¡± ¡°Maybe it would be a good idea to slow down for a bit. I¡¯m sure we¡¯re all pretty tired.¡± The redhead, Chelsea, was speaking now. So far, she¡¯d proven to be the most tolerable of the three. ¡°I¡¯ve fought off creatures ten times my size, suffered far worse injuries, and walked for way longer than this. You¡¯ll be fine. Just keep up.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Where are we even going?¡± said the brown-haired girl. Angelina. The worst one. Mona had disliked Angelina at first glance, with her disheveled hair and dirty boots, and Angelina had only reinforced that dislike in the few minutes they¡¯d known each other. Mona was tempted to ignore the question, but the girls did have a right to know where she was leading them. ¡°I¡¯m leading you to my house. I was headed that way anyway, and it should give you a chance to regroup and tell me more about these friends you¡¯re looking for. The sooner you find them, the sooner I can get you out of my hair.¡± ¡°Just out of curiosity, can I ask why you¡¯re helping us?¡± said Jen. ¡°You¡¯d be as good as dead if I didn¡¯t. I can¡¯t in good conscience leave you to fend for yourselves. Though if you keep bothering me with questions, I might reconsider.¡± ¡°When you say your house, does that mean you actually live in this Pit place?¡± said Jen. ¡°What did I just say?¡± said Mona. ¡°To stop bothering you with quest¨Coh. Yeah. Sorry. Yes, ma¡¯am. No more questions.¡± ¡°I have a question,¡± said Angelina. Mona stopped walking and whipped around to glare at her. Angelina seemed to shrink under her gaze. Good. ¡°My house isn¡¯t much farther now,¡± Mona continued, answering Jen¡¯s question before Angelina had the chance to speak. ¡°And yes, I do live in this place. Not by choice, obviously. I was sent here against my will, like I¡¯m guessing the three of you were. I can¡¯t help but wonder what three kids like you could have done to piss off someone as powerful as the Clydes.¡± ¡°What? Piss off someone as powerful as the Clydes? Do you mean like, Billy and Lily Clyde?¡± Jen paused. ¡°Wait, did that count as a question?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let it slide,¡± said Mona. ¡°So you didn¡¯t do anything to piss off the Clydes. At least, not as far as you know. So if CPSI didn¡¯t send you here, how did you end up here?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t sent here either,¡± said Angelina. ¡°I came here on my own to find C. And I found her! Yay!¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking to you,¡± said Mona. Angelina¡¯s statement piqued Mona¡¯s curiosity even more, but she wasn¡¯t about to reward rudeness. ¡°Um, I came here looking for Chelsea too,¡± said Jen, ¡°and my boyfriend, Sam, but I obviously still haven¡¯t found him yet.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain how you got here in the first place.¡± ¡°Um, it¡¯s a long story.¡± ¡°Most things you say seem to be. Try to summarize it.¡± ¡°Um, well, long story short, I was supposed to drive my boyfriend home ¡¯cause he can¡¯t drive, but I couldn¡¯t find him anywhere at work. So I was looking for him, right? And it was getting really late, and I was kinda worried, and then I saw this girl who was talking on the phone, and she said she was looking for someone¨C¡° ¡°How is this a ¡®long story short¡¯?¡± ¡°Right, sorry, so um, basically, she was looking for Chelsea, and this lady named Sarah came up and said she was also looking for Chelsea.¡± Sarah? Could it be¡ No. Mona dislodged the thought with a quick shake of her head. It was a ridiculous idea. Sarah was an extremely common name. There was no reason to be sentimental about a coincidence. Chapter 6.12 Chelsea Mrs. Sharma slowed her pace when Jen mentioned the name Sarah, her head twitching almost imperceptibly as though she had wanted to whip around to face them and stopped herself. Chelsea considered asking about Sarah, then decided against it. Mrs. Sharma had made it clear she didn¡¯t want them to ask questions. ¡°Sarah?¡± Angelina¡¯s eyes widened as she turned to Chelsea. ¡°Falcon said Sarah was the one who took you.¡± Mrs. Sharma¡¯s head perked up in front of them. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Jen. ¡°Sarah was the one who tricked me, Naomi, and Falcon. She had these cool freaky powers, and she trapped us here.¡± This time, Mrs. Sharma didn¡¯t resist the urge to whip her head around. She stopped walking so abruptly, Angelina narrowly avoided stumbling into her. Mrs. Sharma fixed Jen with an intense stare. Her expression was purposefully neutral, but with a fierce spark in her dark eyes that looked almost hopeful. ¡°Um, hi?¡± said Jen. ¡°What kind of cool freaky powers?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Like¡ telekinesis powers,¡± said Jen. ¡°Like she could use her hands to do stuff without touching anything, you know?¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Mrs. Sharma¡¯s neutral, vaguely annoyed visage slipped away almost entirely, replaced with an expression that looked almost frantic. ¡°And you said this Sarah works for CPSI?¡± ¡°Hey,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Why are you allowed to ask us questions?¡± Mrs. Sharma shot Angelina a silencing glare. ¡°It¡¯s her, isn¡¯t it?¡± said Jen. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°You said you had someone worth fighting for. I take it Sarah¡¯s your someone, right? She has to be.¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± Mrs. Sharma¡¯s voice was soft, but retained some of its intense edge. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Jen¡¯s talking about, but I think that probably means yes,¡± said Angelina. The comment earned her another glare. Mrs. Sharma stopped walking and turned to face them. Angelina didn¡¯t stop walking in time. Chelsea grabbed her arm to stop her from colliding with Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Tell me where she is,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I don¡¯t really know,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°I don¡¯t either,¡± said Jen. ¡°She tricked us into coming here, but she didn¡¯t come here herself.¡± ¡°Where was she when you last saw her?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Well, I was at the CPSI headquarters,¡± said Jen. ¡°In the engineering building.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°I¡¯ve never even seen this Sarah person before,¡± said Angelina. ¡°How is she? Is she safe? Is she alright?¡± ¡°I mean, like, I guess?¡± said Jen. ¡°She was kinda¡violent, but technically you could say she was safe and alright?¡± ¡°All this time,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°All this time, I¡¯ve been searching for her here, and they never sent her here.¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± said Chelsea. ¡°I¡¯m¡ not really sure what¡¯s going on, but you seem like you¡¯re processing something big right now.¡± ¡°I think I am okay,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. Her voice was still soft, with none of its previous intensity. ¡°I think I¡¯m more okay than I¡¯ve been in a long time, actually.¡± Chapter 6.13 Angelina ¡°I have to get out of here,¡± Mrs. Sharma said. ¡°I have to find her. If she¡¯s still with CPSI¡¡± Angelina didn¡¯t completely understand what was going on, but Mrs. Sharma seemed to know this Sarah, even care about her. Luckily for Mrs. Sharma, Angelina could help. ¡°I figured out a way out of this place, I think,¡± said Angelina. Mrs. Sharma snapped back into her stern demeanor. ¡°Somehow, I highly doubt that,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. Her tone reminded Angelina of a teacher admonishing her for not doing her homework. Few things were more frustrating than an authority figure speaking to her in that tone, and while Mrs. Sharma didn¡¯t have any real authority over them, she certainly seemed to think she did. ¡°I did!¡± said Angelina. ¡°I figured it all out in a notebook. It¡¯s right¨Chold on¡¡± She shimmied one shoulder out of a backpack strap and cumbersomely shifted the bag to the front of her body, wincing as it bumped against the wounds on her ribs. She unzipped the bag, and a few grapes she¡¯d picked while she was walking the Sentiero Angelica tumbled to the ground. Mrs. Sharma raised an eyebrow. Angelina had never understood how some people could open backpacks and reach in, pulling out the exact item they were looking for in one fluid motion. She stuck her hand in and felt for her notebook, but felt only pencil shavings, a crumpled piece of paper, and a couple grapes. Oops. She¡¯d forgotten the notebook. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Well, uh, it¡¯s not right here. I must have left it with the snake guy. But Chelsea can tell you! Right C?¡± Chelsea nodded. ¡°She really did figure something out,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°If anyone can help us get home, it¡¯s Angelina.¡± A trace of nervousness flashed across Mrs. Sharma¡¯s stoic face. ¡°What do you mean you left it with the snake guy? What snake guy?¡± ¡°We sort of¡ I guess fell into this really weird place,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°I¡¯m honestly not really sure what happened. There was this¡ snake-man creature who captured us and showed us these illusions that¡ well, I don¡¯t want to get into it, but suffice to say, they weren¡¯t very nice.¡± Chelsea laughed humorlessly, an almost imperceptible shudder passing over her body. ¡°Zogzhesh,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I¡¯ve encountered him.¡± Hadn¡¯t Zogzhesh mentioned meeting a human woman? ¡°I think he told us about you,¡± said Angelina. ¡°You¡¯re the other person who smelled like the terrible ones?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Wow, rude much?¡± said Jen. Angelina was confused for a second, then realized how her comment had been misconstrued. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant!¡± said Angelina. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean you smell terrible. You smell good, actually! Especially for someone trapped in a place without showers!¡± Mrs. Sharma frowned. ¡°My friend is referring to something Zogzhesh said,¡± Chelsea clarified. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Angelina, ¡°He said he smelled the terrible ones on me, whatever that means. He said it explained why I escaped him, and why I could figure out so much about how this place works. He said he met another woman who was the same way.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I understand what you mean now. I suspect he was mistaken about you, though. You don¡¯t strike me as someone with any exceptional abilities.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°When we got trapped in Zogzhesh¡¯s¡ whatever, she pulled us out somehow. And she¡¯s figured out a lot about how this place works. She¡¯s one of the smartest people I know.¡± A slight smirk formed on Mrs. Sharma¡¯s face. ¡°You must not know very many people.¡± She turned around and resumed walking down the street, throwing a glance over her shoulder at them without breaking her stride. ¡°Come on. We can talk more when we get to my house. We¡¯re wasting time standing around here, and I hate wasting time.¡± Chapter 6.14 Lachlan ¡°Hey,¡± said Sam. ¡°Do you hear that?¡± Lachlan looked up from the notebook he was reading and listened. He heard nothing at first, then faint voices became audible. He sat up, swiveling his body around to look out the window. He could make out four figures in the dim light, approaching about a quarter of a kilometer away. They looked human in shape, but that didn¡¯t mean anything in this place. ¡°Do you see anyone?¡± said Sam. ¡°Yeah, four someones as a matter of fact. They¡¯re too far away for me to get a good look at them, though.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope they¡¯re friendly,¡± said Sam. ¡°Based on our previous experience,¡± said Lachlan, ¡°I¡¯m going to venture a wild guess that they¡¯re not.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Sam. ¡°Probably not. We need a plan.¡± ¡°To start, why don¡¯t you turn off that torch? If they¡¯re not friendly, we don¡¯t want them seeing us.¡± ¡°What torch?¡± said Sam. ¡°All I have is this flashlight.¡± ¡°Flashlight, torch, tomayto, tomahto.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®tomayto, tomahto¡¯. A torch is a stick with combustible material on the end of it that you light on fire.¡± ¡°Maybe in America it is. In Australia, we understand context enough to know when someone¡¯s talking about a stick that¡¯s on fire and when someone¡¯s talking about a battery-operated¨C¡± Lachlan cut himself off as he saw one of the figures point toward them. ¡°Fuck.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°We¡¯ve been spotted.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°One of them just pointed at us. Turn off the torch and let¡¯s hide in another room.¡± Sam nodded and switched off the light. ¡°Just what I was going to suggest,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s go for the one next to this one. It¡¯ll be the easiest to get to, and we¡¯ll still be able to keep an eye on the window.¡± Lachlan stood up and headed for the door. ¡°Don¡¯t just sit there, then, Samurai. They¡¯re getting closer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m coming, I¡¯m coming.¡± Sam stood up and followed him out of the room. They hurried down the hall, and Lachlan opened the door to the next room, holding it open so Sam could catch it and enter behind him. Lachlan dropped to a crouch and motioned for Sam to do the same, but Sam was staring at the room¡¯s walls, distracted. Lachlan grabbed Sam by the back of his jacket and pulled him down, nearly causing him to lose his balance. ¡°Hey!¡± said Sam. ¡°Shh!¡± Lachlan whispered. ¡°The whole point of us coming in here is so we can stay hid¨C¡± He trailed off as he looked up at the wall in front of them and realized what Sam had found so distracting. Hanging on the wall from metal hooks and canvas straps were dozens of axes and knives, organized by type, size, and shape. In the center of the wall, there was even a pair of long, thin, single-edged swords. Each weapon was labeled with a small square piece of paper, though Lachlan couldn¡¯t read the labels in the dim light. A table was set up against the wall with a sharpening stone, sandpaper, a few small plastic bottles, and some equipment Lachlan didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°Woah,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Holy fuck.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just now noticing this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been a bit more focused on our survival,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Let¡¯s get through our current predicament in one piece, and then we can address the fact that we¡¯ve apparently stumbled into the den of a very organized serial killer.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Sam squinted out the window. ¡°It looks like they¡¯re getting a lot closer. I can¡¯t make out what they¡¯re saying, though.¡± Lachlan listened closely. The voices still sounded human. He couldn¡¯t make out every word they were saying, but he made out the words ¡®house¡¯ and ¡®window¡¯. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not good. Something about a house and window. They¡¯re probably talking about how they saw us in the house through the window,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°On the bright side, it¡¯s not as though we¡¯d be unarmed if they came in here.¡± ¡°We¡¯re also in a room full of weapons they could use against us, you know.¡± ¡°I know that, but I¡¯m trying to see the glass as half full here.¡± ¡°You know, most of what people consider optimism is just an unwillingness to consider things logically. We¡¯re outnumbered four to two, you know. A direct physical confrontation isn¡¯t likely to end well for us¨C¡° Sam fell silent for a moment as they heard the front door open. Then, he spoke again. ¡°I call the swords.¡± Chapter 6.15 Lachlan Sam pulled one sword off the wall, reaching with his right hand first, then reconsidering and grabbing it in his left hand. He brandished the first sword in his left hand, then reached for the other with his right hand. He tried to grab the other sword¡¯s hilt, fumbling with it for a second before it slipped out of his hand and fell onto the table, knocking over several small bottles and sending them rolling to the floor. Lachlan crossed the small room and reached for the fallen sword. He picked it up. ¡°Hey,¡± said Sam. ¡°I wanted both swords.¡± ¡°If you have both swords, one or both of us is going to end up extremely decapitated,¡± whispered Lachlan. ¡°And keep your voice down.¡± Four sets of footsteps approached, and the voices were loud enough that Lachlan had no trouble hearing what they were saying. ¡°They¡¯re in my weapon storage room,¡± said one voice. ¡°You three wait here.¡± The speaker¡¯s accent sounded Indian with a hint of American. Her tone was measured yet clipped, with an authoritative edge. ¡°Wait, you have a weapon storage room?¡± said a second voice. The speaker sounded American. She had a very slight Southern twang, but rather than having a stereotypical slow drawl, she spoke as though she¡¯d recently downed about ten shots of espresso. ¡°Why am I not surprised you¡¯ve got a weapon storage room?¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be okay? We don¡¯t know who or what¡¯s in there.¡± said a third voice. This voice sounded familiar, but Lachlan couldn¡¯t place it. ¡°I¡¯m more than capable of handling myself,¡± said the authoritative voice. ¡°I doubt you three could say the same.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Lachlan relaxed a fraction. This didn¡¯t sound like a conversation between bloodthirsty monsters. The door opened, and Sam brandished his sword with surprising grace. A woman¡¯s silhouette appeared in the doorway. She had two strange shapes over her shoulders that Lachlan first thought were strange, tall shoulder pads, then realized were two axes strapped to her back. Sam lowered his sword a fraction. The woman switched on a lantern that lay on the desk, giving Lachlan a better look at her facial expression. She did not look pleased. ¡°Would you like to explain what you¡¯re doing in my bedroom, rifling through my desk?¡± she said. ¡°And put those swords down. You look ridiculous.¡± Sam lowered the sword to his side, looking sheepish. ¡°Maybe he looks ridiculous,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I happen to think I look rather awesome and badass.¡± The woman scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m not a threat to you, and you two idiots wouldn¡¯t know what to do with those swords if I was.¡± ¡°Forgive me for being suspicious,¡± said Lachlan, ¡°but how do we know you¡¯re not a threat to us?¡± ¡°Because if I wanted to kill you, I could have easily done so already.¡± ¡°Huh. Fair enough.¡± The woman crossed her arms. ¡°You still haven¡¯t explained what you¡¯re doing in my room.¡± She looked down at the floor and frowned as she spotted the trail of faint, bloody footprints from Sam¡¯s shoes. ¡°Or why you¡¯ve tracked dirt into my house.¡± Sam slid his shoes off and kicked them toward the corner of the room. ¡°We were just looking around,¡± said Sam. ¡°All the other houses were empty, so we thought this one was too.¡± ¡°Hm,¡± said the woman. ¡°I guess I can excuse you breaking in here. That was an understandable mistake. What¡¯s not understandable is why you thought it was acceptable to ransack my desk.¡± Lachlan paused, unable to think of a reply. In retrospect, what they¡¯d done hadn¡¯t been such a good idea. ¡°Um, such is the folly of youth?¡± he finally said. ¡°Even at five years old, I knew better than to dig through another person¡¯s things.¡± The woman sighed. ¡°So, I guess the two of you are stuck here just like the young ladies in the other room¨Calthough calling them ¡®young ladies¡¯ feels like stretching the truth.¡± ¡°We¡¯re looking for a ¡®young lady¡¯, actually,¡± said Sam. ¡°My coworker Chelsea. I got stuck here when I was trying to help her.¡± ¡°Chelsea. Yes. She¡¯s back in the living room,¡± said the woman. ¡°Her and her two very obnoxious friends. Come with me. I¡¯ll take you to them.¡± Chapter 6.16 Lachlan Sure enough, Chelsea stood in the living room, along with two other girls. A short blonde girl Lachlan didn¡¯t recognize stood beside Chelsea, while a familiar-looking girl with chin-length brown hair lounged on the couch, her legs dangling over the arm. It took Lachlan a moment to realize who the brunette girl was. ¡°Angelina? I¡ what? How the motherfuck are you here?¡± Before Angelina could answer, the blonde girl let out a shriek, running toward Sam and nearly knocking him over with a hug. ¡°Sammy-wammy! You¡¯re alive!¡± Sammy-wammy? Lachlan would have to remember to give Sam a hard time about that. ¡°Jen?¡± Sam looked startled. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± So this was Sam¡¯s girlfriend? She was pretty good-looking, Lachlan guessed, but something about her bothered him. ¡°I was looking for you because you disappeared, and then there was this girl looking for Chelsea, and then this other lady tried to kill her but I saved her life! Then the other lady was like¨C¡° ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± said the woman with the axes. ¡°I can sum it up for you. Jen was looking for you after you went missing. She ran into Chelsea¡¯s friend Naomi, who was looking for Chelsea¨C¡° ¡°Wait, is Naomi here too?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me,¡± said the woman. ¡°Jen and Naomi ran into an¡ old friend of mine who was working for CPSI. She trapped them here, along with a biotechnologically engineered human calling himself Falcon. They were attacked by a creature and Jen became separated from the group. The end. There. I just saved us all about twenty minutes of listening to Jen chatter on. You¡¯re welcome.¡± ¡°I still have some questions,¡± said Sam. ¡°So Falcon and Naomi are here?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°We have to find them.¡± ¡°Falcon¡¯s one of the Stanley fabrications, correct?¡± said the woman. ¡°I¡ think so?¡± Jen looked up, still latched onto Sam like an overly chipper, blonde vice. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°If so, he¡¯ll probably be fine, at least for the time being. He¡¯ll have plenty of allies here,¡± said the woman. ¡°If I were you, I¡¯d be more concerned about this Naomi you mentioned.¡± ¡°Can we like, take a time-out for a second?¡± said Jen, finally untangling herself from Sam and facing the group. ¡°I think some of us should probably introduce ourselves, because I have no clue who Sam¡¯s hot friend is, and he looks super confused too.¡± Hot friend, huh? Lachlan revised his initial impression of Jen. Maybe she wasn¡¯t so bad. At the very least, she had good taste in men. ¡°Fine,¡± said the woman. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go around in a circle and say our name, how we ended up in the Pit, and one fun fact about ourselves?¡± said Jen. ¡°No,¡± said the woman. ¡°I¡¯ll go first. Hey, y¡¯all, I¡¯m Jen Washer, and I was stranded here by a crazy lady while looking for my boyfriend¨Chi, Sammy! My fun fact is that I have a black belt in Taekwando.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not doing this,¡± said the woman. ¡°I¡¯ll go next!¡± said Angelina. ¡°My name is Angelina¨Cthat¡¯s long for ¡®Angela¡¯¨Cand I ended up here after I went to Borgo San Severino to look for clues about what happened to my friend Chelsea. My fun fact is that I am the president and founder of the official Italian street team of the greatest band in the whole entire universe¨CThe Goldfish Technique!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a real street team,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°It¡¯s you and your twelve-year-old sister.¡± ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re going next, friend of Sam¡¯s?¡± said Jen. Lachlan shrugged. ¡°If I must. I¡¯m Lachlan Newton, I was ambushed outside of my work by what I now assume were CPSI goons, shoved into a van, and thrown into this delightful place. My fun fact about myself is that I¡¯m a much bigger fan of The Goldfish Technique than Angelina is¨COi!¡± He dodged as Angelina hurled a small, round object at his head. It bounced off the wall behind him and rolled to his feet, and he saw it was a grape. Angelina was so weird. ¡°Don¡¯t throw grapes at me!¡± he said. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± Angelina stuck out her tongue. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s very mature,¡± he said. ¡°Your butt is mature,¡± she retorted. The woman with the axes sighed, rubbing her temples. ¡°I¡¯ll go next,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°I¡¯m Chelsea Brown, I was caught by a woman named Sarah and put in here, and my fun fact is that I collect odd things.¡± ¡°What constitutes an ¡®odd thing¡¯?¡± said Sam. ¡°I know it when I see it,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°Um, I have medical antiques, a Victorian locket with someone¡¯s hair in it, a toad skeleton encased in resin¡ You know. Odd things. I find them at antique stores and stuff.¡± Lachlan gestured at Angelina, who was clinging to Chelsea¡¯s side, draped over her arm like a coat. ¡°Is she part of your collection?¡± he said. Angelina made a face at him. Jen threw an arm around Sam, squeezing his shoulders. ¡°Your turn, Sammy!¡± she said. ¡°Okay, then,¡± said Sam. ¡°My name is Sam, a machine sent me here while I was trying to save Chelsea, and my fun fact is that when I was a kid, my family moved out of our house because my dad thought it was haunted. And¡ I guess that means it¡¯s her turn.¡± He looked at the woman with the axes. ¡°Fine,¡± said the woman. ¡°My name is Mrs. Sharma, I was sent here because I was a CPSI employee who no longer served their interests, and my ¡®fun fact¡¯ is that I need an aspirin.¡± Interlude 14 Mona Mona¡¯s head was swimming. She had a rare urge to sit down, to sink into her sofa in an undignified slouch, but she resisted. She didn¡¯t want to sit down in front of these kids, and she didn¡¯t slouch ever. As if reading her mind and mocking her, Angelina plopped down onto the couch, throwing her legs over the arm and sliding her backpack under her head as a makeshift pillow. Mona shot the girl a glare, but didn¡¯t say anything. She had more important things to think about. For nearly two years, she¡¯d been alone, with only mutated fabrications, her useless nephew, and the woman with the airplane providing occasional company. She wasn¡¯t used to being surrounded by people, let alone five unruly college kids. She wondered how her husband managed, being a college professor. She wouldn¡¯t have been able to tolerate it. But then, Rahul had always been the more patient one in their marriage. These noisy kids had dropped information on her that had turned her desolate existence on its head. After two years of doing nothing but searching, she knew where Sarah was. She could be reasonably certain Sarah was alive. And they weren¡¯t even letting her process it. Sarah was still in CPSI¡¯s clutches, doing their dirty work, but she was safe. She was in Charlotte. Mona had been searching every corner of the Pit for two years, and Sarah was in the one place she couldn¡¯t reach her. Angelina had mentioned a way to get out of the Pit. Mona highly doubted the girl had figured out anything worthwhile, but she didn¡¯t have any other leads at this point. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Angelina,¡± she said. Angelina lay on the sofa, singing to herself and tapping out a beat on the cushion. ¡°Angelina,¡± said Mona again, more sharply this time. Angelina jerked her head up, startled. ¡°Eh? Cosa? Oh.¡± Angelina at least had the decency to look a little embarrassed. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Mona frowned down at her. ¡°First of all, if you¡¯re going to sit on my sofa, sit properly.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m good like this. It¡¯s more comfy.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t a request.¡± Angelina sighed, swinging her legs over the chair arm and swiveling into a seated position. She pulled the backpack into her lap and hugged it to her body as she slouched backward into the cushion. ¡°I said sit properly. Straighten your back and put your bag down.¡± Angelina tossed her bag to the ground and sat up a fraction straighter, mumbling something under her breath in Italian. Mona didn¡¯t understand the words, but it sounded sarcastic. ¡°I¡¯m going to ignore whatever you just said under your breath and get straight to the point. You said you knew a way out of this place. Tell me what you think you know.¡± The boy with the bandaged hand¨CSam, Mona thought he¡¯d said his name was¨Cperked up. ¡°You know how to get out of here? How?¡± The other boy, Lachlan, gave his companion a look that communicated exactly what Mona had suspected. Angelina had no idea what she was talking about. Still, Mona didn¡¯t have anything better to go on. ¡°It¡¯s like this,¡± Angelina began. ¡°There are all these different layers to reality, and stuff can pass in between them in a specific pattern. Does someone have a notebook? That would help me explain it more¨C¡° Mona wasn¡¯t sure what she¡¯d expected Angelina to say, but it certainly hadn¡¯t been that. ¡°How do you know about that?¡± Mona interrupted. Angelina stared at her, blinking with large, vacant-looking brown eyes. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You said there were layers to reality. It¡¯s a crude description, but an accurate one. How did you know about that?¡± Angelina blinked at her again. ¡°It¡¯s obvious if you look hard enough.¡± Mona frowned, unsure what to say. It most definitely was not obvious. What was becoming obvious was that this girl wasn¡¯t at all what she seemed. Interlude 15 Sam The rational part of Sam was relieved that they¡¯d run into other people, some of them familiar. He knew he was safer now, and more likely to make it home. He was relieved Chelsea was okay. Still, there was a small, irrational part of him that felt intruded upon. Sudden changes in routine always threw him off, and he and Lachlan had slipped into a strange kind of routine in the last day¨Cor however long they¡¯d been there¨Cworking together to avoid danger and try to figure out some of this place¡¯s mysteries. When the others had arrived, the shift had felt abrupt and jarring. He knew it wasn¡¯t fair of him to feel intruded on, not when he and Lachlan had been the ones snooping in Mrs. Sharma¡¯s bedroom, but he found the feeling hard to shake. Angelina sat on the sofa, looking down at her lap. Mrs. Sharma stared her down. ¡°The Italian team at CPSI discovered other¨Clook at me when I¡¯m talking to you¨Cother planes of existence layered with our own. How could you have known about that?¡± Angelina shrugged. ¡°Well?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Well, what?¡± said Angelina. ¡°Like¡ what do you want me to say?¡± Mrs. Sharma sighed, rubbing her forehead. ¡°I want you to answer the question.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I thought I already answered it,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Okay, this is going nowhere.¡± Mrs. Sharma sighed again. ¡°If you¡¯re going to insist on being difficult, we¡¯ll focus on what you know. We can come back to how you know it later.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± said Angelina. ¡°You said you knew a way out of here. I still find that very hard to believe, but I¡¯m willing to entertain whatever idea you have. Especially given that you know things about the nature of reality itself that should be impossible for you to know.¡± ¡°Well, this conversation has taken an unexpected twist,¡± Lachlan whispered to Sam. ¡°Yeah!¡± whispered Jen. ¡°The nature of reality itself? This is like a TV show or something.¡± Something that could have been irritation flashed over Lachlan¡¯s face, and Sam wondered if Lachlan felt the intrusion too. Either that, or he was just annoyed by everyone he met. Sam could understand that. Most people were pretty annoying. ¡°Like I said before,¡± said Angelina, ¡°does anyone have a notebook?¡± ¡°Yeah, we have one,¡± said Sam. He reached into his bag with his right hand. He felt the notebook at the bottom of the bag, but his fingers¨C Oh. Right. His fingers. His palm throbbed as he lifted the notebook with his thumb, ring finger, and little finger. He¡¯d found it interesting how easy it had been to adjust to his missing fingers, and how little conscious effort it had taken on his part. His hand had quickly and instinctively found workarounds, his ring finger stepping in to fulfill the purpose of his lost index finger. Still, all the unfamiliar motions were wreaking havoc on his hand muscles, to the point where every motion of his right hand made it more sore. The notebook nearly slipped out of his grasp, but he managed to hand it to Angelina, practically dropping it into her lap. ¡°Thanks!¡± she said. She glanced at his hand, opening her mouth as though she was going to say something, then closed it again. ¡°No problem,¡± said Sam. ¡°Okay!¡± Angelina looked around at everyone, as if to ensure she had everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°So it¡¯s like this. This page is our reality, and this page is like another layer. And right now, we¡¯re here. In between the pages¡¡± Chapter 7.1 Naomi When they arrived at the half-arch door of the plain white house, there were voices coming from inside. ¡°That¡¯s weird,¡± said Mahender. ¡°She doesn¡¯t usually have visitors.¡± ¡°Do you know who it could be?¡± ¡°No idea. The only other human person I¡¯ve met in this place is this woman called Nancy. But she lives in an aeroplane on top of that giant building. She doesn¡¯t leave if she can help it. I usually bring her supplies from the town. I can¡¯t imagine she¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Could it be a non-human person?¡± said Naomi. ¡°There seem to be plenty of those here.¡± ¡°Hi!¡± said the creature with the tentacle hoop-skirt. ¡°Nah, she doesn¡¯t really care for my brothers, and she hates Daves.¡± ¡°Daves?¡± said Naomi. She felt a nudge at her shoulder and turned to see Falcon signing something. One of his brothers translated. ¡°We ran into one before when we first entered the Pit. It chased us for a while.¡± ¡°Oh. Right,¡± said Naomi. ¡°What about the Sisters?¡± ¡°The Sisters are a whole other¡ complicated thing,¡± said Mahender. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s one of them. Maybe it¡¯s one of your friends.¡± Naomi shrugged and raised her hand to knock on the door. ¡°Wait,¡± said Mahender. ¡°Just one second.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Mahender leaned toward the tall window beside the door. At first, Naomi thought he was trying to see in the house, but then he started ruffling hair with his hands. When he was finished, he shook his head back and forth, then looked at his reflection again. Then, he did the same thing with his beard. When he turned back to Naomi, the hair on the right side of his head stuck out at an angle that seemed to defy the laws of gravity. ¡°Well?¡± He said. ¡°How do I look?¡± ¡°Um, were you¡ trying to fix your hair? Because it¡ looked better before.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± He grinned. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Okay, then. Weird, but whatever. She had more important things to worry about. She knocked on the door. She heard footsteps and muffled arguing, then the door swung open. A short, brown-haired girl stood in the doorway waving at them. She looked far too young to be Mahender¡¯s aunt, and she seemed very familiar. It took Naomi a moment to realize why. ¡°Angelina? I¡ what?¡± ¡°Hi, Naomi!¡± said Angelina. ¡°Hi, guy I don¡¯t know!¡± She stood on her toes to see who else was standing behind them, and her eyes lit up. ¡°Oh! Falcon¡¯s here! And you all must be his¡ brothers? Hi!¡± ¡°Angelina, what are you doing here?¡± said Naomi. Before Angelina could answer, a woman rounded a corner inside the house and strode toward the door. She looked enough like Mahender that she had to be the aunt, but she was still a bit younger than Naomi had expected; she only looked about ten years older than him. She guessed it made sense; Mahender had said his aunt had gone to college in the nineties. The woman pushed past Angelina, causing her to exclaim indignantly, and stood in the doorway, arms crossed. ¡°Hi, auntie,¡± said Mahender. ¡°Hi, idiot,¡± said the woman. ¡°What do you want?¡± Wow. Mahender hadn¡¯t been exaggerating about his aunt being mean. When Naomi pictured a judgmental aunt, she tended to think of backhanded compliments, or vaguely disparaging questions about her grades or love life. She had some relatives she considered difficult, but she couldn¡¯t picture any of them greeting her with the words ¡®hi, idiot¡¯. She pushed past her nerves and tried to smile at the woman, extending her hand for a handshake. ¡°Hi, you must be Mahender¡¯s aunt. My name is Naomi.¡± The woman accepted the handshake. Her nails were painted, which seemed odd for someone stranded in a place like this. Hadn¡¯t Mahender said his aunt was supposed to be practical? ¡°I¡¯m Mrs. Sharma,¡± she said. ¡°You and my useless nephew can come in. Your fabrication friends will have to wait outside.¡± Naomi looked back at Falcon, who gave her an encouraging nod. ¡°Can you tell him we¡¯ll be back as soon as we can?¡± Naomi asked one of Falcon¡¯s brothers. The brother nodded a few of its heads and relayed the message. ¡°Great.¡± Naomi pushed her shoes off with her heels and moved them to the side with her foot. ¡°We¡¯ll be right back.¡± Chapter 7.2 Naomi Naomi, Mahender, and Angelina followed Mrs. Sharma down the hall. ¡°Why can¡¯t Falcon come in?¡± said Angelina. ¡°He¡¯ll be safe outside,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I can¡¯t say the same for my useless nephew, or his new friend. Besides, my house has limited space.¡± They entered the combined living room and kitchen area, and as Mrs. Sharma moved out of the way, Naomi saw who was standing by the couch, bruised and a bit disheveled, but alive. ¡°Chelsea!¡± Naomi¡¯s relief was the kind that washed every bit of tension and worry from her body so abruptly it left her legs feeling weak; it was a wave that swept over her, threatening to knock her off her feet. Naomi ran over to her friend, falling into her arms. ¡°Naomi! Not that I¡¯m not happy to see you, but how are you here?¡± ¡°Oh, my God, C! You¡¯re alive! You¡¯re safe! When that woman said she put you here, I thought¡¡± The threat of tears stung the corners of Naomi¡¯s eyes, and she fought them back. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re okay!¡± ¡°The rest of us are okay too, thanks for asking!¡± said a familiar voice from behind Chelsea. Lachlan, who was sitting on one of the two barstools in the kitchen, swiveled around to face her. One time, Lachlan had video called her the morning after a particularly wild night out, informing her with some extremely misplaced pride in his voice that he¡¯d woken up wrapped in a tarp in his neighbor¡¯s driveway. The bags under his eyes now were twice as dark as they¡¯d been then. The clothes he wore were very un-Lachlan-like¨Cwhite slacks that would have been stylish if they had been clean and a size larger, a light blue button-down shirt, and a jacket with red stripes. Each item would have been nice paired with something else, but together, it all clashed horribly. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°What are you wearing?¡± she asked him. ¡°What am I wearing?¡± he said. ¡°Oh, sure. Chelsea gets all your tearful concern, and I get outfit criticism.¡± ¡°To be fair,¡± said Mrs. Sharma, ¡°you and Sam both look horrible.¡± ¡°First of all,¡± said Lachlan, ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try to pull together an outfit in the dark from a stranger¡¯s closet. Secondly, I¡¯ll have you know that I¡¯m handsome enough to pull off a paper sack, and Sam here¡¯s not too hard on the eyes himself for a massive nerd. We make extradimensionally-scavenged chic look good.¡± Naomi looked at the boy sitting backwards in the barstool beside Lachlan, arms resting on the stool¡¯s backrest. The other boy¡¯s clothes were equally mismatched; he wore a similar, dirtier pair of white slacks that looked like they¡¯d been tailored for someone just a bit bigger than him and a brown aviator jacket over a white undershirt. The jacket suited him, at least. Jen sat on the countertop between the two boys, holding onto the unfamiliar boy¡¯s hand, which was bandaged with strips of cloth. He must have been the boyfriend Jen had been looking for. ¡°Having to wear scavenged clothes is not an excuse,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°All of my clothes were taken from strangers¡¯ houses.¡± ¡°Well, some of us have bigger things to worry about than picking out a matching outfit,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Excuse us for having our priorities in order.¡± ¡°You think I don¡¯t have bigger things to worry about?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°You think I don¡¯t have higher priorities? One of the most important things you learn in life is how to handle all of your priorities at once.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it make more sense to focus on the most important priorities?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Sam. ¡°Why not dedicate your energy to the things that matter most and not waste any of it on stuff that really doesn¡¯t affect anything?¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I don¡¯t have to answer to two children who think they know better than I do,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Spoken like a true person with no counterargument,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I could come up with a counterargument,¡± said Mrs. Sharma, ¡°but arguing with teenagers is not one of my priorities.¡± ¡°But putting together a swanky outfit is?¡± said Lachlan. Mrs. Sharma turned her nose up at him and addressed the rest of the group. ¡°Anyway.¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°First thing¡¯s first. Jen, get off of my counter. Sam, if you¡¯re going to use my chair, sit properly. I swear, it¡¯s like all of you were raised by animals.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± Jen slid off the counter and landed on the floor. ¡°Sammy, you heard the lady!¡± Sam rolled his eyes as he turned around to sit the right way. ¡°Now,¡± said Mrs. Sharma, ¡°everyone look at me and pay attention. We need to discuss our way out of the Pit.¡± Chapter 7.3 Lachlan ¡°Hold on a minute,¡± said Mahender. ¡°Did you say ¡®finding our way out of the Pit¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I said,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Congratulations. At 25 years old, you¡¯ve finally learned how to listen and pay attention. If you were 20 years younger, I might actually be proud.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re a delight as always.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, it seems you still haven¡¯t learned not to be sarcastic to your elders.¡± ¡°You were being sarcastic to me first,¡± said Mahender. ¡°Maybe I learned from your example.¡± Mrs. Sharma¡¯s fist clenched. ¡°You¡¯re in my house, and you will show me proper respect.¡± Mrs. Sharma turned to the rest of them. ¡°That goes for all of you, too. Is that clear?¡± Lachlan noticed her directing especially pointed looks at him and Angelina. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± said Jen. ¡°Crystal!¡± ¡°Good,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get back to the matter at hand. Finding our way home.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand, though,¡± said Mahender. ¡°Where¡¯s this coming from? We¡¯ve been here for years. I thought you¡¯d given up on making it home? You¡¯ve been so obsessed with finding¨C¡° ¡°25 years old and you still haven¡¯t learned how not to interrupt me.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve learned. I just choose to do it anyway.¡± Mrs. Sharma¡¯s jaw clenched so hard, Lachlan saw it from all the way across the dim room. ¡°You irritating, disrespectful little¨C¡° ¡°Ahem,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°If I may interrupt¨C¡° ¡°You may not,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°If I may interrupt,¡± Lachlan continued, ¡°the two of you clearly have some family issues you need to work through. But maybe you could consider tabling that discussion until after we all escape from the murder pit. Just a suggestion.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Fair enough,¡± said Mahender. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Mrs. Sharma paused, looking each of them in the eye as if daring them to interrupt again. ¡°Angelina, you somehow appear to have information that could be useful to us, and you believe you¡¯ve discovered a way back to our plane of reality. Can you tell me what you think you¡¯ve figured out?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± said Angelina. ¡°Excuse me,¡± said Mahender. Mrs. Sharma¡¯s jaw clenched again. ¡°She looks like a cartoon character, the way her vein¡¯s popping out of her forehead like that,¡± Jen whispered just loudly enough for Sam and Lachlan to hear. ¡°What was that?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Nothing, ma¡¯am!¡± said Jen. ¡°Really?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°If it¡¯s nothing, then why is it important enough to interrupt our discussion about getting home?¡± ¡°Um, because¡¡± ¡°She said you look like a cartoon character,¡± said Lachlan. Mahender huffed out a laugh into his sleeve. ¡°Excuse me?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Hey!¡± said Jen. ¡°Tattle much?¡± ¡°I look like a what?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Well, I, um,¡± said Jen. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean¨C¡° ¡°She didn¡¯t really mean you look like a cartoon character. She just meant you¡¯re so mad right now, you look a little cartoon-ish,¡± supplied Sam. ¡°Lucky for you three idiots, I have more important things to focus on than your childish insults,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°What do you mean childish insults?¡± Sam protested. ¡°I said you don¡¯t really look like a cartoon character. How is that an insult?¡± ¡°And why am I included in the ¡®three idiots¡¯?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°If you recall, unlike these two, I didn¡¯t actually say anything about you. I¡¯ve been a perfect little angel.¡± ¡°If anything, what I said was a compliment,¡± said Sam. ¡°I don¡¯t really think you look like a cartoon character,¡± said Jen. ¡°You look very nice.¡± ¡°I know I look nice. You¡¯re not winning any points with me by sucking up.¡± Mrs. Sharma sighed. ¡°From this point forward, I am going to ignore any further remarks from the three stooges here unless they directly pertain to our conversation.¡± ¡°If we¡¯re talking about going home, we need to include Nancy,¡± said Mahender. ¡°She should be a part of this conversation too.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Nancy?¡± whispered Jen. ¡°She¡¯s an older lady who lives in an airplane,¡± said Sam. ¡°She¡¯s been trapped here for a while.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re suggesting we leave the safety of my home and walk all the way to Nancy¡¯s plane?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Yeah. My brothers will come with us. It¡¯s not as dangerous as you¡¯re making it sound.¡± ¡°That¡¯s out of the question,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving this place without her,¡± said Mahender. ¡°And you wouldn¡¯t leave here without me.¡± ¡°What makes you so sure I wouldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°I know you. And as much as you don¡¯t like me, I know you wouldn¡¯t leave your family behind.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Mrs. Sharma shot him a dark look. ¡°You¡¯re going to talk to me about leaving your family behind?¡± So much for tabling the discussion about family issues. ¡°Well, I, for one, I don¡¯t think we should leave Nancy out,¡± said Sam. ¡°We can¡¯t just leave her here.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°We should go talk to her.¡± ¡°I have an idea!¡± said Jen. ¡°Why don¡¯t we all vote on it? Everyone who thinks we should go find this lady, raise your hand.¡± Everyone but Mrs. Sharma raised their hand. Even the strange little bat-like creature sitting on Angelina¡¯s shoulder raised a hand after Angelina whispered something to it. Chapter 7.4 Naomi They walked down the street together, Falcon¡¯s larger brothers surrounding the group protectively. At times, they all had to crowd together to squeeze down particularly narrow stretches of road. Naomi stood to Chelsea¡¯s left. Angelina was at her right side, clinging onto her arm. ¡°Give C some space, Angelina,¡± said Naomi. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°It¡¯s nice having you here, Angelina.¡± ¡°Chelsea¡¯s being too nice, but she¡¯s been through a lot today,¡± said Naomi. ¡°Give her some breathing room.¡± ¡°Oh, and I haven¡¯t been through a lot today?¡± said Angelina. ¡°For your information, I fell through an abyss! I got chased by a snake man! I fought a giant three headed monster with a really small sword! The sword was actually scissors, but that¡¯s not important.¡± Oh. Naomi felt a pang of guilt. She¡¯d been so focused on Chelsea, she hadn¡¯t even considered that Angelina must have been through some equally bizarre shit. ¡°Right. Sorry,¡± said Naomi. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize.¡± ¡°C, if you do want space, I can let go of your arm,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Just tell me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind, really,¡± said Chelsea. Naomi noticed Chelsea had a slight flush to her cheeks. Maybe her face was pink from the cold, or maybe Angelina was embarrassing her with the excess physical contact and she was too nice to say. Either way, Naomi decided not to force the issue anymore. Chelsea was a grown woman and could take care of herself. ¡°Are you sure?¡± said Angelina. ¡°I¡¯m sure. In fact¡¡± Chelsea linked her arm with Naomi¡¯s so the three of them formed a chain. ¡°There. Perfect.¡± Naomi startled as she felt another arm slide under her left arm, linking with hers. She looked over to see Jen standing beside her. ¡°Hi! Are the girls linking arms?¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Naomi stared at her, not sure what to say. ¡°We¡¯re off to see the Wizard,¡± sang Jen as she skipped a few steps. ¡°I love that movie!¡± said Angelina. ¡°Want to learn how that song goes in Italian?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Okay, it goes like this¡ Insieme andiam da Mago¡¡± The cute little bat thing on Angelina¡¯s shoulder perked up at the singing. ¡°In¡ inseam¡¡± ¡°No, no, no. Insieme.¡° ¡°Inseam-ay?¡± Naomi tried to tune Jen and Angelina out as Angelina continued teaching Jen the song. She glanced at Chelsea who was watching Angelina with a good-natured smile. Naomi felt a tap on her shoulder and turned her head to see Lachlan and Sam behind her. ¡°Naomi, I need to talk to you for a second,¡± said Lachlan. Naomi unlinked herself from the chain and fell back a few steps. Jen quickly re-linked herself with Chelsea. ¡°Sure,¡± said Naomi. ¡°What did you need to talk about?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°You just looked like you needed rescuing from Tweedledee and Tweedledum up there, and as a dashing, manly hero, I figured it was my duty to aid a citizen in distress.¡± ¡°A citizen in distress?¡± Naomi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Not a damsel?¡± ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m not a misogynist.¡± ¡°Really?¡± said Sam. ¡°You¡¯re commenting on the ¡®citizen in distress¡¯ thing, but not the ¡®dashing, manly hero¡¯ thing?¡± ¡°If you¡¯ll recall, Samarskite, I happen to have saved your life countless times.¡± ¡°Countless? It was more like two times, maybe.¡± Naomi wondered what the ¡®Samarskite¡¯ thing was about. She didn¡¯t even know what Samarskite was, but Sam¡¯s name definitely wasn¡¯t actually short for it. Did Lachlan and Sam have inside jokes already? ¡°I was going to comment on the ¡®dashing hero¡¯ thing too, actually,¡± said Naomi. ¡°We both know it¡¯s bullshit. You¡¯re definitely going to hold this over my head the next time you need a favor.¡± ¡°Nah,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I¡¯d also accept your unwavering loyalty and your eternal reverence and adoration.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll just do the favor,¡± said Naomi. ¡°Your loss.¡± Naomi looked over at Sam, trying to find a sign indicating whether or not the talk about ¡®rescuing¡¯ her from his girlfriend had offended him. He didn¡¯t look upset, but he had one of those faces that was hard to read. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not mad that we¡¯re talking about rescuing me from your girlfriend,¡± said Naomi. ¡°It¡¯s not that Jen¡¯s not great, it¡¯s just that¨C¡° ¡°It¡¯s cool,¡± said Sam. ¡°I know she can be kind of¡ a lot.¡± ¡°And then you combine that ¡®a lot¡¯ with Angelina¡¯s ¡®a lot¡¯, and you get, well¡ whatever this is.¡± Naomi gestured ahead of them. Angelina and Jen sang the song together, while skipping at a walking pace. They seemed to have roped Chelsea into joining them too. Jen sang with a heavy American accent, likely mispronouncing at least half the lyrics. Angelina seemed to be having trouble matching her pace to the other two, skipping too quickly and dragging poor Chelsea along with her. ¡°Do you think we should rescue Chelsea too?¡± said Naomi. ¡°Nah,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°She actually likes Angelina for some reason. Besides, I somehow doubt Mrs. Sharma will let this go on for too long.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honestly surprised she hasn¡¯t already made them stop,¡± said Naomi. ¡°Ten bucks says she¡¯ll blow up at them within the next five minutes,¡± said Sam. Chapter 7.5 Lachlan ¡°Stop that noise this instant!¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Are you trying to let every creature in this town know we¡¯re here? You¡¯re far too old to be acting like unruly children anyway.¡± ¡°There it is,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°It¡¯s not noise,¡± said Angelina. ¡°It¡¯s ¡®Insieme andiam da Mago,¡¯ a cinematic classic.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what it is. Stop it. Now.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m telling you to.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a reason. Why are you telling me to?¡± ¡°I already gave you my reasons. You¡¯re too old to be acting like little kids, and if you keep being so loud, you¡¯ll attract something dangerous.¡± ¡°Neither of those are good reasons.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Angelina put her hands on her hips, which ended up looking awkward because she was still walking. ¡°I said neither of those are good reasons.¡± ¡°This oughta be good.¡± Sam whispered, probably more loudly than he¡¯d intended. Mrs. Sharma¡¯s gaze fell on Sam. ¡°What?¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re shit at whispering, that¡¯s what,¡± said Lachlan. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Are none of you capable of shutting up and walking quietly? It¡¯s bad enough I have to deal with my idiot nephew. One ill-behaved child is more than enough.¡± ¡°I¡¯m 25,¡± protested Mahender. ¡°Then act like it.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t even doing anything! I was just walking quietly! I¡¯m not even the one you¡¯re mad at right now! Besides, it¡¯s not as if they were even doing anything wrong. They were just having fun. Just because you hate fun doesn¡¯t make it inherently wrong.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t hate fun. I just have very little tolerance for immature people and immature behavior. Do you know what I was doing at 25?¡± ¡°Yes, because I¡¯ve heard your ¡®what I was doing at 25¡¯ speech a thousand times. It never gets more interesting, by the way.¡± ¡°I was actually making something of myself. I was working hard, taking care of my family and furthering my career.¡± ¡°And how¡¯d that career work out for you?¡± Mrs. Sharma clenched and unclenched her fist. ¡°That¡¯s beside the point.¡± ¡°Is it, though?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to have this argument again,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Not now.¡± ¡°This whole conversation is really making me appreciate my family,¡± whispered Sam. ¡°And just what do you mean by that?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Here¡¯s a suggestion, Samurai,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°You might want to stop whispering things about the scary axe lady.¡± ¡°You know nothing about my family,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°And do not call me the ¡®scary axe lady¡¯. I¡¯m not some horror movie villain.¡± Mahender signed something to his brothers that made Falcon hold back a laugh with his hand. Mrs. Sharma shot them both a look. ¡°I¡¯m making a new rule,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°No one except me and Naomi are allowed to talk until we get to the town¡¯s outer wall. That includes signing. And singing.¡± ¡°Me?¡± said Naomi. Mrs. Sharma¡¯s expression softened a fraction when she looked at Naomi. ¡°You¡¯re the only one in this group who hasn¡¯t pissed me off today. If there¡¯s danger or anything important I need to know, you can be the one to tell me.¡± ¡°Oh, um, of course,¡± said Naomi. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°So if the danger is noticed by anyone other than Naomi, we¡¯ll all just have to die, then?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Makes sense.¡± ¡°Lachlan¡¯s a butt, but I agree with him,¡± said Angelina. ¡°If there¡¯s something dangerous, I¡¯m saying something, and I don¡¯t care if you get mad.¡± ¡°I could have done without the first part of that statement,¡± said Lachlan, ¡°but your support is appreciated nonetheless.¡± ¡°When I said no talking, I meant starting now,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°So you¡¯re just not going to address our extremely valid concern then,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Wonderful.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to say it again,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I want total silence until we get to the outer wall. Do I make myself clear?¡± Chapter 7.6 Naomi Naomi glanced behind her at the rest of the group. Mrs. Sharma had asked Naomi to walk next to her to more easily point out danger, and Naomi wasn¡¯t sure she liked being appointed Mrs. Sharma¡¯s right-hand woman. In high school, Naomi had been singled out as the teacher¡¯s pet more than she would have liked, and the resentful looks from her classmates had been almost unbearable. She studied each face, searching for signs of that resentment. Chelsea, still linked with Jen and Angelina, gave her a warm smile. Naomi tried as well as she could to return it. She made eye contact with Lachlan, who mouthed the words ¡°suck-up¡±. She rolled her eyes pointedly at him, then turned back around before he could see her face flush. Was he annoyed with her, or was he just being Lachlan? Sometimes, it was hard to tell. ¡°So Naomi,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°What are you studying in school?¡± Mrs. Sharma was making small talk with her now? Ugh. Not only would it make her look more like a suck-up, she¡¯d have to worry about Mrs. Sharma judging her answers to questions. ¡°Um, I study music,¡± said Naomi. She hated how awkward and unsure her voice sounded. To Naomi¡¯s surprise, Mrs. Sharma smiled at her and gave an approving nod. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°That¡¯s great. Not enough people study music seriously.¡± ¡°Really? Honestly, most adults just tell me that it¡¯s a waste of time, or that I¡¯m never going to make a living doing it or something.¡± ¡°Money isn¡¯t everything,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°It¡¯s important¨Cdon¡¯t get me wrong¨Cbut it¡¯s not everything. Few things are a waste of time if you dedicate yourself to them and fully commit. Being a musician is something that takes a lot of discipline. And if you apply enough discipline, you can make a living doing almost anything.¡± ¡°I, um, mostly play rock music,¡± Naomi said. ¡°So does my daughter,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°She wants to study it in college too someday.¡± ¡°How old is she?¡± ¡°Her twelfth birthday is coming up.¡± ¡°Wow, she¡¯s twelve and she¡¯s already picked her college major?¡± ¡°She had it picked out since she was eight. She always knew what she wanted to do with her life, and she¡¯s always applied herself. My son¡¯s the same way.¡± ¡°What does your son want to do?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t know yet, but he¡¯s only nine, so he¡¯s got lots of time. He¡¯s one of the top students in his class, so he could do anything he wanted. Right now, he¡¯s saying he might want to teach like his dad.¡± ¡°Where does your husband teach? Maybe I¡¯ve taken a class with him before.¡± Naomi glanced back at her friends again, hoping she wasn¡¯t earning any resentment by making polite conversation. ¡°UNCC. He teaches computer science.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where I go to school. I wouldn¡¯t have had any of his classes, though.¡± ¡°No, I guess you wouldn¡¯t have.¡± The conversation fell into a lull, and Naomi wondered if it would be rude to bring up Sarah. Then again, if she fell out of Mrs. Sharma¡¯s good graces, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about her friends thinking she was a suck-up. ¡°So, uh, sorry if I shouldn¡¯t be bringing this up, but how do you know Sarah?¡± Mrs. Sharma gave her a long look. ¡°It¡¯s complicated. It¡¯s hard to explain without knowing how much you know.¡± ¡°I know you were some kind of scientist for CPSI. And I know she¡¯s a piece of biotechnology.¡± Mrs. Sharma¡¯s more easygoing expression fell from her face, her steely look returning. ¡°No. She¡¯s way more than that.¡± Chapter 7.7 Naomi ¡°She¡¯s more than a piece of biotechnology?¡± said Sam. ¡°Does that mean she¡¯s really advanced or¡?¡± He trailed off as Mrs. Sharma whipped around. Naomi couldn¡¯t see Mrs. Sharma¡¯s facial expression, but it was intimidating enough to make Sam look at the ground and say ¡°Okay, shutting up now.¡± ¡°I mean that she¡¯s a person, not some tool or piece of technology,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Oh,¡± said Sam. ¡°Sorry, I just thought¡¡± ¡°Have I given any indication in the short time we¡¯ve known each other that I cared about what you thought?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°If I have, I did not intend to do that.¡± ¡°Um, if you don¡¯t mind me asking,¡± said Naomi, ¡°How do you know Sarah, exactly. One of the¡ fabs said you created them. Did you create her too?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ¡®create¡¯ anybody.¡± ¡°Yes, you did,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Don¡¯t you have kids?¡± Mrs. Sharma sighed. ¡°That¡¯s obviously not what I was referring to.¡± ¡°I thought you did create the fabs,¡± said Mahender. ¡°I thought that was part of your job.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°As usual, you were wrong,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°No one created the fabrications. It was more complicated than that.¡± ¡°Then where did they come from?¡± said Sam. ¡°They were grown from a kind of genetic template,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°It¡¯s very complicated¨Cdefinitely not something I¡¯d expect you to understand.¡± ¡°Get wrecked,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Try me,¡± said Sam. ¡°I have an IQ of 140.¡± ¡°Who told you that?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Did you take a quiz online?¡± ¡°No, I¨CThe test was administered by a professional!¡± ¡°Quizilla.com is not a professional,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°My IQ is 152,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Bullshit!¡± Lachlan mock-coughed into his hand. ¡°Wow, mine¡¯s only 106,¡± said Jen. ¡°Is everyone here but me like, a genius?¡± ¡°I can assure you the answer to that question is no,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. Naomi glanced back at her friends again, but as her gaze swept across the alley beside them, she saw a dark shape duck into a shadow. She thought about alerting everyone, but she didn¡¯t want to alarm them if the dark shape turned out to be her imagination. ¡°I don¡¯t know my IQ,¡± said Lachlan, ¡°but I think we can safely estimate that it¡¯s over 200. Quite possibly even 300.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re calling my IQ bullshit?¡± said Angelina. Naomi glanced back at the alley. Something stirred in the dark. ¡°Um, guys,¡± said Naomi. ¡°How do so many of you even know your IQs?¡± said Mahender. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even know how to get a test for that.¡± ¡°My brothers and I all have IQs of 130,¡± said the fab with the tentacle hoop skirt. ¡°Guys,¡± said Naomi. ¡°What is it, Naomi?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I don¡¯t want to alarm anyone, but I think there might be something in the shadows between those buildings over there.¡± Naomi pointed to her left. Mrs. Sharma looked over, reaching over her shoulder into her bag and removing her knife. ¡°How do you do that?¡± said Angelina. ¡°How do you just reach into your bag and pull out the exact thing¨C¡° Mrs. Sharma shushed her. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t even have to say this,¡± said Mrs. Sharma, ¡°but everyone¨Cbe quiet!¡± Chapter 7.8 Lachlan Lachlan could just make out the dark shape against the building wall. After a few moments, another shape joined it. ¡°Pardon me for speaking up,¡± he said, ¡°but our shadowy friend appears to have company.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more than capable of looking for myself, thank you,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Well, excuse me for graciously trying to give you a little heads up,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Next time I¡¯ll just let you get torn to shreds by the monsters.¡± Mrs. Sharma ignored him, turning to face the two dark shapes that approached them from the shadows. They were roughly human-shaped, but it was hard to make out the details. ¡°Everyone stay behind the Stanley fabrications,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this.¡± The two shapes moved closer, and Lachlan froze as he saw their faces. The sisters. ¡°Not again,¡± muttered Sam. The sisters focused on Mrs. Sharma, stalking toward her. Mrs. Sharma stiffened, shedding her air of confidence. ¡°Aw, look who it is,¡± said the taller sister. ¡°Our old friend.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Mrs. Sharma,¡± said the other, putting a mocking emphasis on Mrs. Sharma¡¯s name. ¡°Leave me alone,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°But we haven¡¯t seen you in so long,¡± said one of the sisters. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to catch up?¡± Both sisters took a step closer. ¡°Don¡¯t play games with me,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°But you make it so much fun, doesn¡¯t she, sister?¡± ¡°So much fun.¡± The sisters took another step, their eyes falling in unison on the knife in Mrs. Sharma¡¯s hand. ¡°How cute,¡± said one of the sisters. ¡°She¡¯s too afraid to use that knife, even with a dozen Stanleys backing her up.¡± ¡°She¡¯s definitely not afraid to use the knife,¡± said Jen. ¡°I saw her take down this big giant monster, and it was so cool¨C¡° ¡°I don¡¯t need your backup, Jen. And I am not afraid,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I¡¯d just prefer not to harm you if I can help it. Don¡¯t force my hand.¡± ¡°Aw, poor thing,¡± said the taller sister. ¡°It looks like she¡¯s still sentimental about us. Even after we tried to poison her.¡± ¡°It would almost be sweet if it wasn¡¯t so pathetic,¡± said the shorter sister. ¡°Why are you bothering me?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. She sounded as though she was trying to adopt her usual stern tone, but she couldn¡¯t stop an edge of fear from creeping into her voice. ¡°We were just curious, really,¡± said one of the sisters. ¡°We¡¯ve never seen you with so many friends before.¡± ¡°I wonder what she¡¯s up to. What do you think, sister?¡± ¡°I bet she¡¯s still trying to find her little girlfriend.¡± ¡°Girlfriend?¡± said Mahender. ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not my girlfriend, and it¡¯s none of your business,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. Lachlan couldn¡¯t tell whether she was talking to Mahender, the sisters, or all three at the same time. ¡°I¡¯d give up on that if I were you,¡± said the taller sister. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s dead by now. I bet she¡¯s been chopped up for parts.¡± ¡°I bet she was awake when they did it,¡± said the shorter sister. ¡°I bet she screamed. I bet¨C¡° In a single fluid motion, Mrs. Sharma pulled a second knife from her bag with her free hand and lunged forward, holding a knife point to each sister¡¯s chest. ¡°If you want to die, keep talking. Otherwise, I highly recommend you leave us alone.¡± Chapter 7.9 Naomi Naomi took a step away from Mrs. Sharma. Being stern was one thing, but making death threats was another, even if the threats were to Sarah¡¯s creepy sisters. She turned back to look at Chelsea, who looked taken aback by the threat and the knives even though neither had been pointed at her. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t kill us,¡± said one of the sisters. ¡°Why not?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°You had no problems trying to kill me.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a bit of a difference here, Mrs. Sharma.¡± ¡°And what difference is that?¡± ¡°We mean something to you. You don¡¯t mean anything to us.¡± ¡°I mean something to sa131,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°That¡¯s all I care about. I don¡¯t care about you anymore.¡± ¡°sa131 is probably dead. Gone. You¡¯ll never see her aga¨C¡° ¡°Do you really want to provoke me while I¡¯m holding you at knifepoint? I remember you all being much smarter than this,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°And she¡¯s not dead, if half these kids I¡¯ve somehow wound up babysitting are to be believed.¡± ¡°And do you believe them?¡± said the taller sister. ¡°About sa131? I don¡¯t have any reason not to,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Now, get out of my way. Unless you¡¯d prefer I use these knives.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just have one of Falcon¡¯s brothers hit them out of the way with their squid arms?¡± Angelina gestured toward the largest of the brothers, a massive squid-like creature with dozens of skeletal faces. ¡°Look at that one! He¡¯s like a¡ how do you say calamaro gigante in English?¡± ¡°My Italian¡¯s a little rusty, but I¡¯m going to take a wild guess and say ¡®giant squid¡¯,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Giant squid! Yes! Why don¡¯t we have the giant squid fight them?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay quiet and mind your own business?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Because it¡¯s a better idea than just standing there pointing knives that they don¡¯t even care about at them,¡± said Angelina. ¡°She makes a compelling point,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to help,¡± said the giant squid. He had a grating, distorted voice that made Sam, Angelina, and Jen flinch. ¡°Wow, his voice is scary!¡± said Angelina. ¡°Anyway, you keep talking about how you¡¯re in a hurry and you have to keep a schedule, but you¡¯re just standing here when you could have them out of your way by now.¡± Mrs. Sharma gave no response other than a quick, dismissive glance backward. In the dark space between the two houses to their right, movement caught Naomi¡¯s eye. She waited, watching to see whether it happened again. It did. Why did everything in this place have to hide in the dark? Naomi looked back at her friends to see if anyone else had seen the movement. Everyone seemed focused on the stalemate between Mrs. Sharma and the two sisters. Naomi looked back between the houses, then glanced back at Chelsea to see if she¡¯d noticed yet. The bat-like creature on Chelsea¡¯s shoulder looked alert, its ears perked up and eyes wide, and its short fur fluffed out like a cat¡¯s. At first, Naomi thought the little creature was responding to the tense standoff between Mrs. Sharma and the sisters. Then she saw the creature¡¯s eyes and ears flick over to the space between the houses. Naomi was just debating how best to get Mrs. Sharma¡¯s attention when Mrs. Sharma spoke. ¡°I can hear your sister shuffling around in the dark between houses over there,¡± she said. ¡°Was that the plan? The two of you come up and irritate me, and then big sister in the shadows comes out and ambushes us?¡± The two sisters exchanged a look. ¡°We don¡¯t have another sister with us,¡± the shorter sister said. ¡°It¡¯s just the two of us.¡± Chapter 7.10 Chelsea Chelsea looked up at the shadow shifting between the two houses, suddenly glad that Angelina hadn¡¯t let go of her hand after they¡¯d stopped singing. She squeezed Angelina¡¯s hand tighter. Jen turned to Chelsea and Angelina with a bright smile. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine! Look how many of these guys we have on our side.¡± Jen gestured toward Falcon¡¯s brothers. A nearby brother who still had hands gave them a thumbs up. Chelsea gave him a smile and wave that felt awkward. Mrs. Sharma was still facing down the two sisters. Chelsea couldn¡¯t see her face, but Mrs. Sharma¡¯s posture was almost too rigid, to the point of making her look afraid. ¡°You expect me to believe that you have no idea what¡¯s back there in the shadows?¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s flattering herself. We don¡¯t expect you to believe anything,¡± said the taller sister. ¡°You¡¯re not in charge of us anymore. We don¡¯t care enough to lie to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not flattering myself, and I¡¯m not under any misconception that you care about me. You¡¯ll lie to anyone. Whether or not you care has nothing to do with it.¡± There was another movement in the shadows between the two houses. Then a humanoid figure about three meters tall rose up. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. She heard Belfry sniff the air, then felt him begin to tremble. As the figure approached, she could make out the silhouette of four massive, powerful arms. ¡°What the heck is that thing?¡± said Jen. ¡°That¡¯s definitely not one of our sisters,¡± said the shorter sister. ¡°Hey,¡± said Angelina. ¡°We know that guy!¡± Zogzhesh walked toward them, his tongue flicking in the air. ¡°You know a giant snake monster?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I¡¯m not even gonna ask,¡± said Sam. ¡°Probably a wise decision,¡± said Lachlan. Mrs. Sharma¡¯s body grew even more rigid, folding her arms defensively in front of her. Chelsea wondered how she managed the defensive position while still holding onto the knives. ¡°It¡¯s you.¡± Mrs. Sharma¡¯s voice was small, with a subtle tremor. ¡°We meet again, Mona Sharma,¡± said Zogzhesh. ¡°What do you want with me?¡± she said. ¡°You think I¡¯m here for you? I see you¡¯re still as self-important as ever.¡± Zogzhesh stroked his chin with his scepter. ¡°Then again, your ego was what allowed you to escape my judgement.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not here for me, then why are you here?¡± ¡°Angelina Bianchi stands behind you, correct?¡± ¡°One of the kids behind me is named Angelina,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°She said she encountered you before, but I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯d be looking for her.¡± ¡°Hi!¡± said Angelina. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Angelina let go of Chelsea¡¯s hand and started forward, pushing her way between Naomi and Mrs. Sharma with her shoulder so she stood in front of Zogzhesh and the two sisters. Chelsea was surprised Mrs. Sharma didn¡¯t scold Angelina for shoving her. Chelsea wished Angelina wouldn¡¯t stand so close to three very dangerous creatures. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was her imagination, but the two sisters seemed to be eyeing Angelina more hungrily than Chelsea was comfortable with. ¡°You promised to help me return to my home,¡± said Zogzhesh. ¡°It would seem you¡¯ve forgotten your promise.¡± Interlude 16 Mona Then Mona had never felt smaller than she did now, staring up at this being that claimed to be a god. He was lying, obviously. His presence felt anything but divine. Besides, a god weighing people¡¯s sins and judging them was such a Western, Christian idea. Mona wasn¡¯t an expert on Christianity, but she didn¡¯t think any part of it involved snake men and giant pendulums. She tried to swallow her fear, to make her expression defiant as she stared up at the snake being. ¡°What are you?¡± He spoke again in the strange language that wasn¡¯t Hindi, English, or anything else she recognized. Somehow, she understood it. ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, mortal. I am the almighty Zogzhesh, the decider of your fate.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± ¡°How dare you accuse the great and powerful Zogzhesh? Tremble before the mighty cosmic pendulums of justice!¡± Before she could respond, the pendulums began to swing faster, and the strange rushing sensation in her ears picked up until it was loud enough to overwhelm her other senses. She couldn¡¯t see, or feel the strange hot air on her skin. The rushing was all she could perceive. When the rushing died down enough for her vision to return, the snake man was gone, replaced with the much smaller figure of an older man. His silhouette, the way he held his back and shoulders ramrod-straight, it was all so familiar. It couldn¡¯t be. She gasped as the light hit his face. ¡°Pita-ji¡¡± Her father fixed his eyes on her. He¡¯d been known for his stern expression, but his eyes had always softened when he looked at her¨Chis favorite daughter. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. They didn¡¯t soften this time. ¡°I¡¯m very disappointed in you,¡± he said. ¡°I¨Cbut why?¡± was the only reply she could manage. ¡°You failed.¡± She felt the threat of tears sting the corners of her eyes. ¡°Your sister was always going to be a disappointment. But you? You were supposed to make your family proud.¡± ¡°I¨CI always tried¨C¡° ¡°No! What did I always tell you? You decide who you are and what you do. You decide whether to be lazy and irresponsible, or to do something with your life. You failed, and that means you didn¡¯t try. Not enough.¡± ¡°But I¨CI thought¨C¡° ¡°You threw everything away. Your whole family. Abandoned them for her.¡° The tears escaped Mona¡¯s eyes and begin to roll down her cheeks. ¡°I didn¡¯t abandon them. It was CPSI. They put me here,¡± she said. ¡°And I¡¯m her family too. I was the closest thing to family she had.¡± ¡°And you failed her too, didn¡¯t you? You failed everyone you ever cared about, and now you¡¯re here. You have no family left. You¡¯re nothing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¨Cthat¡¯s not¨C¡° ¡°What do you think will become of my grandchildren, growing up without a mother?¡± Images flashed before Mona¡¯s eyes, images of her children, of Nick and Emily. They were ten years older than they¡¯d been when she¡¯d seen them last, but she couldn¡¯t have mistaken them for anyone else. She saw Emily sleeping her days away, ditching class to get high, screaming at her father that she hated him. Nick, in a filthy apartment bedroom, surrounded by trash and dirty dishes, crying until his voice was hoarse. Emily sitting lethargic on a couch while her keyboard collected dust; she hadn¡¯t played music in months. Missed tests and failed classes. The voices of professors and teachers calling her brilliant children ¡®lazy¡¯, ¡®irresponsible¡¯, ¡®stupid¡¯¨C No. No, this was all wrong. Her children would never end up that way. Her children were stronger than that. ¡°How dare you,¡± she said to the thing pretending to be her father. ><><<>> Now Mona tried to keep her expression neutral as she faced down the creature who¡¯d turned itself into a mockery of her father. She wasn¡¯t going to let her composure crack, not in front of 131¡¯s sisters, not in front of the unruly group of college kids and Stanley fabs she¡¯d managed to accumulate, and not in front of this thing. ¡°Don¡¯t help him with anything,¡± Mona said to Angelina. ¡°I don¡¯t know what help he thinks you can give him, but he can¡¯t be trusted.¡± ¡°I know that!¡± said Angelina. ¡°But I agreed to help him get home, and he agreed not to eat me or my friends, so I kind of have to.¡± The snake man fixed his cold eyes on Mona, flicking his tongue at the air. ¡°I see you¡¯re still holding a grudge, mortal. You¡¯re so full of anger. What would your father say?¡± Mona sheathed her knives, placed them into her bag, and slid her axes from their holsters. ¡°Mention my father again and see what happens.¡± ¡°Well,¡± said the taller of the Sarah fabs. ¡°This just got a little more exciting.¡± Interlude 17 Zogzhesh Zogzhesh flicked his tongue out and tasted the scents¨Cthe many unremarkable human scents, the strange and artificial scents of the creatures surrounding the humans. In the midst of all those unexceptional smells, four of the humans stood out¨Ca strange, otherworldly edge to their ape pheromones. There were two more humans with the power of the terrible ones? It didn¡¯t matter. There were more urgent things to focus on than that. The mature female human had pulled something from her bag, and the metallic smell made him think it was a weapon. She was puny, but size could be deceiving. More importantly, dozens of the artificial creatures stood behind her, some nearly as large as him. Zogzhesh felt his mouth begin to yawn open involuntarily as the unfamiliar sensation of fear crept in. Oh no. Not this. He had to make his retreat. He would go back, find Angelina Bianchi before she¡¯d accumulated the entourage, and she would help him get home. He had to get away from these dangerous creatures before¨C It was too late. He felt his head bend backward, his body convulsing as he dropped to the ground. <>< Mona Mona watched the snake man writhe around on his back for a few seconds, then grow still, tongue lolling out of its mouth. A few drops of blood trickled onto the cobblestones. Moments later, a rancid smell filled the air. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Um,¡± said Jen. ¡°What the heck just happened?¡± ¡°Is he okay?¡± said Angelina. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s not,¡± said Sam. One of the sisters poked the snake man with her foot. ¡°I think he¡¯s dead,¡± she said. ¡°Why don¡¯t we eat him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s no fun if he¡¯s dead,¡± said the other sister. ¡°I like my meals screaming in terror.¡± Mona did her best to ignore them as she looked down at the snake man. She walked behind him, and leaned down to look at the top of his head. His eyes moved, following her as she walked around him. ¡°Hm,¡± she said. ¡°Interesting.¡± ¡°Interesting is one word for this,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°What¡¯s with the smell?¡± said Sam. ¡°He died two seconds ago. Why does he already smell like roadkill?¡± ¡°He said he was a time traveler,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Maybe it has to do with that?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not dead,¡± said Mona. ¡°He¡¯s in a state of thanatosis.¡± ¡°I remember that word!¡± said Jen. ¡°Thana-whatchamacallit. You said it to that monster right before I met you!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re calling it ¡®thana-whatchamacallit¡¯, then you don¡¯t remember the word,¡± said Mona, ¡°but yes. The Dave fabrication you saw was in a state of partial thanatosis. This is a much more elaborate deception.¡± ¡°What is thanatosis?¡± said Jen. ¡°It¡¯s an adaptive behavior in which animals take on the appearance of death,¡± said Mona. ¡°Oh!¡± said Jen. ¡°So basically he¡¯s playing possom.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one way of putting it,¡± said Mona. ¡°Virginia opossums do something similar.¡± ¡°Is he trying to lull us into a false sense of security?¡± said Jen. ¡°Should we be like, running away?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Mona. She sheathed her axes and leaned down at the snake man¡¯s side. She pushed, rolling him over so he lay face down. Tongue still hanging from his mouth, he flopped back over onto his back. ¡°Um, what are you doing?¡± said Jen. ¡°Heterdon platirhinos,¡± said Mona. ¡°The eastern hog-nosed snake.¡± ¡°Okay then,¡± said Jen. ¡°I¡¯m still totally confused.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a species of snake with an expandable neck, sometimes mistaken for a cobra by idiots who don¡¯t realize cobras don¡¯t live in North America. It¡¯s known for its very convincing ability to play dead when threatened. It spasms, flips onto its back, and even emits a foul-smelling glandular secretion.¡± ¡°Ew,¡± said Jen. ¡°Wow,¡± said Sam. ¡°That¡ is actually really interesting.¡± ¡°It is,¡± said Mona, ¡°and pretty funny for something that claims to be all-powerful.¡± ¡°What should we do?¡± said Angelina. ¡°We do nothing,¡± said Mona. ¡°We pretend he¡¯s not even here.¡± Chapter 7.11 Lachlan Lachlan was getting really tired of this place. He couldn¡¯t make sense of anything here. Where had the snake man come from? Why did Mrs. Sharma, Angelina, Chelsea and the bat thing all seem to know him? Why were Chelsea and Angelina carrying around a little Italian-speaking bat creature in the first place? An empty flower pot vanished from a porch with a ripping sound, and Lachlan sighed. At first, he¡¯d been enjoying the mysteries of this place and debating with Sam how things might work here. But that was before the mysteries of this place had gotten completely ridiculous. Maybe his initial theory had been right. Maybe everything here was just a drug-induced fever dream. Or maybe the mad scientist who had Lachlan¡¯s brain in a jar was feeling particularly sadistic today. The group split to walk around the snake man, and the two sisters followed, just outside their group¡¯s perimeter. Lachlan accidentally made eye contact with one and she reached out a strange, toothy hand and snapped it at him, then winked. ¡°Oh, fuck off,¡± he said. Sam echoed his thoughts as they stepped over one of the snake man¡¯s massive arms. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I hate this place.¡± Before Lachlan could agree, Sam froze, glancing behind them. ¡°What is it?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°There¡¯s something following us.¡± ¡°Of course there is,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Because the Donner sisters and the fucking snake man weren¡¯t enough trouble.¡± ¡°We should probably tell Mrs. Sharma.¡± ¡°Probably,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Somehow, I doubt she¡¯ll take us seriously until whatever it is actually starts trying to have us for a delicious afternoon snack.¡± ¡°Afternoon doesn¡¯t actually exist in this place,¡± said Sam. ¡°Eh.¡± Lachlan shrugged, looking back over his shoulder. He could see what Sam was talking about now; a tall, humanoid shape shambled toward them, its neck bent at an unnatural angle. ¡°Excuse me, Mrs. Sharma,¡± said Sam. ¡°What?¡± she said. ¡°I think we¡¯ve got company.¡± ¡°Seriously? ¡®We¡¯ve got company¡¯?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize we were starring in a mediocre action movie.¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± said Sam. Mrs. Sharma sighed. ¡°This had better be worth my time. What kind of company?¡± ¡°Company of the¡ monstrous persuasion,¡± said Sam. ¡°Great.¡± Mrs. Sharma sighed. ¡°Just great. This is exactly what we don¡¯t need right now. Everyone, stop walking, slithering, flying, or whatever your preferred method of locomotion.¡± Everyone obeyed, even the sisters. The group turned around to face the creature. Lachlan realized with a jolt that the creature was only a few feet away now, stretching its long, thin arms toward him. Before he could react, it was right in front of him. He cried out as its arms tightened around his body, jerking him away from the group. A girl shouted his name, probably Chelsea or Naomi. He could hear his companions¡¯ panicked voices overlapping, blending together and fading into the background as he fought to get away. His feet left the ground as the creature lifted him into the air, swinging him back and forth. He kicked backwards and pulled at the arms holding him, trying to free himself, but the creature was too strong. Chapter 7.12 Lachlan Few feelings can compare to the feeling of being in immediate mortal danger, and being completely unable to do anything about it. It was a feeling that Lachlan had experienced only once before, after he¡¯d been carried from the truck into that clinical white room, as the gravity of his situation had finally hit him. He felt it again as he struggled against the creature, but this time, there were no drugs to dull the sheer, all-consuming panic. Sure, his life had been in danger more times than he could count over the past few days, but this felt different. He was unable to move his arms or struggle, powerless to defend himself. He thought of being paralyzed in the back of that truck, not able to fight back or cry out as he was lifted into that room with no idea what would happen next, and his panic grew. The more he tried and failed to move his arms from his sides and break free of the creature¡¯s grip, the more paralyzed he felt. He felt detached again as his legs swung a meter above the ground, but this time, there were no drugs to explain it. His friends¡¯ speech blended together more and more, until he couldn¡¯t tell who was talking. ¡°¨Cthought you said they weren¡¯t dangerous¨C¡° ¡°¨Cusually aren¡¯t, but they can be very strong and sometimes¨C¡° ¡°¨Cjust standing there! Why don¡¯t you help him?!¡± ¡°¨Cholding him in front of its weak point. I just need to get behind it¨C¡° ¡°¨Cif we can knock it over, I can kick it like I did before¨C¡° The creature lurched, and Lachlan saw the largest skull squid had wrapped an arm around the creature¡¯s leg. More of Falcon¡¯s brothers reached out, prying at the creature¡¯s long arms, trying to free Lachlan. The creature kicked, swaying back and forth toward a shop building on the side of the road. The creature stumbled, and its arms gave way, losing its grip on Lachlan and sending him flying. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Glass shattered as he hit the shop window, nicking his arm and chest as he fell through. He rolled over onto his back, feeling weak and lightheaded as the panic subsided. Mrs. Sharma ran toward the creature, axe brandished, but one of Falcon¡¯s brothers dispatched it first, wrapping a tendril around its neck, then twisting until there was a snapping sound. The creature crumpled. Lachlan tried to stand, but he felt too weak. His friends rushed to the shop, crowding around him. ¡°Oh, my god,¡± said Naomi. ¡°Oh, my god, Lachlan.¡± ¡°Oh, my god, yourself,¡± he said. He looked up at his friends, noticing their expressions of wide-eyed horror. ¡°What?¡± he said. ¡°What¡¯s everyone looking at?¡± ¡°Shh,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t try to talk.¡± ¡°Everyone move over,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Let me through to him.¡± ¡°No, he needs air,¡± said Chelsea. ¡°Give him some space.¡± ¡°Unless one of you has a master¡¯s degree in biology I don¡¯t know about, I¡¯m the most qualified to help your friend. If you care about him at all, you¡¯ll move out of the way.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Well, as fine as can be expected, considering¡ you know¡¡± He still felt so weak, and the feeling was getting worse instead of better. He felt colder than he had before, and there was a strange, empty feeling in his head that made dark spots flicker at the edge of his vision. Lachlan¡¯s friends moved out of the way, and Mrs. Sharma approached him crouching down at his left side. ¡°Naomi,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Come lift his left arm above his heart.¡± Lachlan looked down at his left arm, and realized why everyone was so worried. When Sam had lost his fingers, Lachlan had thought there had been a lot of blood. Now, he realized he hadn¡¯t had any baseline for what ¡®a lot of blood¡¯ really was. His blood was everywhere, bright red blood spurting from his arm and dark blood flowing from his chest, soaking through his glass-shredded clothes and pooling around him. ¡°I¡ oh, fuck,¡± he said. ¡°Oh, fuck¡¡± How was this possible? The glass had only cut him a little. Even now, he hardly felt any pain as he bled out onto the shop floor. How had he not noticed that sickening copper smell? Naomi held up Lachlan¡¯s arm. ¡°What are you going to do with that knife?¡± said Naomi. Mrs. Sharma cut away the torn pieces of Lachlan¡¯s sleeve at his shoulder. She examined his arm, then pressed down on the inside of it. Whatever she did seemed to ease the bleeding. Sam pulled off his jacket and removed his undershirt, handing it to Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Here, maybe you can use this to make a tourniquet or something.¡± ¡°A scarf would be better for a tourniquet, but I can use this to bandage his chest. Chelsea, give me your scarf.¡± The cold dizzy feeling was starting to overwhelm him as his vision begin to blur. ¡°Quickly, Chelsea. Unless you want your friend to die. Someone, find me a stick.¡± Lachlan fought to stay alert, but he couldn¡¯t stop himself from slipping into unconsciousness. Interlude 18.1 Sam Mrs. Sharma looked up from where she was leaning over Lachlan, and Sam¡¯s chest lurched at the sadness on her stoic face. ¡°What is it?¡± he said. ¡°Is he gonna be okay?¡± ¡°He¡¯s stopped breathing,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Can¡¯t you do CPR or something?¡± said the girl with brown hair. ¡°Can¡¯t you help him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s lost too much blood,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°What¡ what do you mean?¡± said Sam. ¡°Your friend is gone.¡± Gone? Just like that, he was gone? How was that possible? Just a few minutes ago, he¡¯d been walking around, making fun of Sam, talking and complaining about being stuck here¡ No. Mrs. Sharma was wrong. Lachlan wasn¡¯t gone; Sam could feel it somehow. He was dead here, in this time and place, but that didn¡¯t make him gone. There was still something Sam could do to save him, though he didn¡¯t understand it exactly. Sam prided himself in being able to understand the logic behind most everything he encountered. On the rare occasion he couldn¡¯t wrap his head around something, he usually liked to step back and analyze a situation before he acted. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. He didn¡¯t bother analyzing this time. The sounds around him begin to blur and overlap¨Ctalking, arguing, and at least two people crying¨Cuntil they sounded like distant white noise. Sam took a step in a direction he didn¡¯t understand. On the first day of his internship, he¡¯d been forced to do a trust fall; to stand on a picnic table and drop backwards, to hold his breath, close his eyes, and entrust his safety to a bunch of morons standing below him. He¡¯d lost his nerve standing on the table, refusing to move to the edge and fall, and the orientation leader had told him he was too hostile, too belligerent. He hadn¡¯t argued, because somehow being labeled difficult was less embarrassing than admitting he was scared. Finally, Chad from marketing had convinced Sam to turn around, to move a little closer to the table¡¯s edge and see how he felt. If he still wasn¡¯t comfortable, he could always get down, but he should at least try being a good sport. As soon as Sam had moved close enough to the table¡¯s edge, Chad had winked at the orientation leader, and Sam had found himself pushed from the edge of the table, airborne, tumbling backwards as his heart lurched into his throat and spun around. The whole exercise had done absolutely nothing for his ability to trust strangers. The sensation Sam was feeling now, as he took that first strange step, reminded him of falling off that table, if that heart-lurching feeling had been multiplied a hundredfold. It was all the worst parts of riding a looping roller coaster; Sam fell backwards, forwards, and down at the same time, his sense of equilibrium setting off blaring alarms in his head. All the while, his feet were still on the ground, moving one in front of the other. For a moment, he turned to his side¨Cthough which side, he wasn¡¯t sure¨Cand saw one of the girls in their group. It was the dark-haired girl with some kind of European accent, the one who was friends with Chelsea. The girl looked at him, her eyes wide with panic and confusion, then stumbled, falling to the ground, blurring, and vanishing from view. Sam continued walking, following his instincts because he had nothing else to go on. Interlude 18.2 Sam Sam had always considered himself clumsy and uncoordinated, and it had never really bothered him. As far as he¡¯d been concerned, having a sharp mind was much more important than sharp reflexes. Until now, he hadn¡¯t known what he¡¯d been missing. His reflexes had been a little sharper before when he was catching the chip bags, but it hadn¡¯t been anything like this. He walked onward in a direction that didn¡¯t make sense to him, monitoring and adjusting his gait without even having to think about it, stabilizing himself as easily and naturally as breathing, even with the dizzy, heart-lurching sensation that should have overwhelmed him. When he¡¯d been a kid, he hadn¡¯t been able to walk without looking down at his feet. Once, his fourth grade teacher had misinterpreted it as a sign of a ¡®bad attitude¡¯ and demanded Sam lift his head. He¡¯d obeyed, and promptly turned his ankle and tumbled to the ground. Even at his current age, he¡¯d always had to look periodically at the ground as he walked to make sure there were no obstacles and his feet were in the right place. Now, he walked with his gaze straight ahead, without so much as a glance downward. He¡¯d never felt so confident, so comfortable with his movements, and he was moving in a direction no human should have been able to go. Somehow, he was walking through time. He could see his destination as plainly as he saw the houses and shops around him, a point a few minutes before the creature had come up behind them. He thought about warning everyone, but he¡¯d already tried that and it hadn¡¯t worked. His reflexes were so sharp now, and his movements so precise. He thought of his conversation with Lachlan earlier, of Lachlan¡¯s very unscientific hypothesis. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Something very weird is going on with you.¡± He thought of Mrs. Sharma, an average-height, slightly malnourished-looking woman, and how she was able to swing fire axes around as easily as if they weighed an ounce. He didn¡¯t understand it, but Lachlan had been right. This place could change people. It had changed Mrs. Sharma, and now it was changing him. Not being able to wrap his head around what was happening to him made him feel unsteady in a way that had nothing to do with the violent spinning in his head. But he didn¡¯t need to understand it right now. Now, he had to save his friend. He¡¯d be able to fight the monster on his own; he knew it. He didn¡¯t feel much stronger, but he was faster, more alert, with total control over his movements. Mrs. Sharma and the Stanleys or whatever they were called hadn¡¯t been able to save Lachlan. But they hadn¡¯t had the element of surprise on their side. Sam just needed a weapon. His stomach heaved as he changed his course, making a right-angle turn in another direction that didn¡¯t make sense to him, moving through space perpendicular to time. He could just make out his companions down the road, standing still, as though frozen in time. He turned back toward Mrs. Sharma¡¯s house, moving as quickly as he could, though he supposed the word ¡®quickly¡¯ didn¡¯t apply here. If his speed was the magnitude of the rate of change of his position with time, and he wasn¡¯t moving through time, how could he really be ¡®quick¡¯? Despite his missing shirt and jacket, he didn¡¯t feel cold anymore. He hadn¡¯t since he¡¯d made that strange turn and frozen time around him. He didn¡¯t feel warm either; he felt a complete absence of temperature. Since temperature was the kinetic energy of particles, if time had frozen, temperature would have frozen too. But if no energy was being moved from the matter around him as heat, wouldn¡¯t the temperature be absolute zero? Shouldn¡¯t he have frozen to death instantly? For that matter, how was he breathing? How was he still alive independent of time? If time was frozen around him, how was air moving in and out of his lungs and blood pumping through his veins? He shook his head. Right now, he had to focus. He could worry about all the laws of physics he was breaking later. No, he corrected himself. ¡®Right now¡¯ and ¡®later¡¯ weren¡¯t concepts that applied anymore. He reached Mrs. Sharma¡¯s white stucco house and entered, heading down the hall to the weapon storage room. He picked up the two discarded swords, effortlessly this time even as heavy as they were, instinctively knowing the precise grip to use with his right hand. Holding them up the way he¡¯d seen a character do on TV once, he left the house and headed back the way he¡¯d come. Interlude 18.3 Sam Sam took another turn and the wild spinning in his head stopped, lifting like a fog. He was close enough that he could hear Lachlan speaking at the back of the group. ¡°Seriously? ¡®We¡¯ve got company¡¯?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize we were starring in a mediocre action movie.¡± He waited to hear his own reply of ¡°shut up¡±, but there was only silence. When Lachlan spoke, his voice was almost too quiet for Sam to make out. ¡°He¡¯s gone. Sam¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°Gone?¡± came Mrs. Sharma¡¯s reply. ¡°What do you mean gone?¡± Lachlan replied, but this time Sam couldn¡¯t make out his words. So when Sam traveled back to a time he¡¯d already been, his past self would vanish? He made a mental note to ponder the implications of that later, but now, he had a mission. The important thing was he didn¡¯t have to worry about causing a paradox by having two version of himself exist at once or something. A shadow shifted in the corner of Sam¡¯s eye, catching his attention. He turned his head. The creature was there, shambling towards the unsuspecting group. Towards Lachlan. Sam broke into a run, surprised at how light he felt on his feet. Despite being somewhat slight, he¡¯d never been a fast runner. In gym class, he¡¯d finished the mile run in just over 15 minutes. Now, he was moving about twice that speed. He heard Lachlan cry out as the creature grabbed him, and saw commotion break out among the group. Sam had to act now. He was armed and ready to fight the monster, but he was so much smaller than it was. If only he could attack from above¡ Wait a minute. Maybe he could. He could move in impossible directions, directions that froze time around him as he walked. A mundane direction like ¡®up¡¯ was nothing compared to that. He lifted both feet off the cobblestones and soared upward, fifteen feet above the street. The group had spotted him now and were staring up at him. Even the monster paused, contorting its head upward to see what had captured everyone¡¯s attention. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Sam took advantage of its distraction, flying toward it and slashing at it with the longer sword in his good hand. It let out a surprised shout and twisted around, snapping a small featureless mouth at him. ¡°Let him go,¡± said Sam. Lachlan¡¯s eyes went wide as he spotted Sam for the first time. ¡°S¡ Sam? W-what?¡± Sam held the swords up, crossing them in front of him and then slashing the blades downward in a way that he hoped looked cool and intimidating. The swords were heavy, and Sam didn¡¯t know how to wield them beyond what he¡¯d seen on TV and in movies, but he had enough control over his body that his movements felt smooth and graceful, at least with his left hand. His right hand was a different story; he was able to keep a firm hold on the sword with the bony parts of his missing fingers, but there was an uncomfortable, prickling pain every time he gripped it too hard. ¡°What, am I supposed to be scared of some loser kid playing with swords?¡± The creature unwrapped an arm from Lachlan and swung it at Sam¡¯s head. Sam blocked it with the larger sword, but the impact still shook his body and sent him flying backwards through the air. He stopped a few feet short of the roof of a building and flew back toward the creature. Behind the creature, Mrs. Sharma retrieved her axes and started forward. ¡°No,¡± she said, ¡°but you should be scared of me.¡± The creature twisted its head back toward her, whipping out its arm as she approached in an attempt to knock her off her feet. She leapt over the outstretched arm. While the creature was distracted, Sam slashed at its back again. This time, he drew blood. Fighting off the mental image of Lachlan lying on the shop floor surrounded by his own blood, Sam held his breath and slashed again. The creature roared in pain and outrage. It threw Lachlan, tossing him aside as casually as one would toss a used sock, and Sam¡¯s heart dropped as Lachlan flew through the air toward the same shop window. Then Sam remembered. Everything was different now. Now, he could do something about it. His hands shaking, he dropped the swords, and made one more sickening turn. Time stopped around him and Lachlan hung suspended in midair. Sam fought off a wave of nausea as he floated downward, wrapping his arms around Lachlan and pulling him to the ground. He held Lachlan tight as he turned back into linear time, and found himself pushed forward onto the ground by the force of Lachlan¡¯s fall, his back scraping against the cobblestones. An object in motion stayed in motion, apparently, even where time-warping shenanigans were concerned. The two boys landed side by side on the curb, Sam¡¯s arms still around Lachlan. Sam could feel Lachlan shaking. Sam looked over at Lachlan, who was looking at him with such intensity it made him nervous. Sam broke eye contact, unwrapping his arms from Lachlan and standing up. Sam saw the swords a few feet away from him and headed toward them, grabbing the longer sword in his right hand. The monster spotted him and let out an inhuman laugh. ¡°Go ahead, loser kid,¡± it said. ¡°Try it.¡± Sam hovered a few feet off the ground, staring the creature down. ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°You asked for it!¡± He flew swiftly toward the creature and slammed the hilt into its head. It crumpled to the ground. Sam followed suit, strength leaving his body as he dropped downward toward the street. Chapter 8.1 Lachlan Lachlan pushed himself to his feet with shaking hands, his head still buzzing with adrenaline and panic. He leaned against the shop window behind him and waited to catch his breath. He¡¯d been chased and grabbed by a few monsters since he¡¯d been put in this place, but this time had been the most terrifying. His arms had been completely pinned to his sides this time, leaving him feeling paralyzed in a way that reminded him of when he¡¯d been drugged. The creature lay unconscious a few meters away. Sam lay near it, the sword he¡¯d been holding on the ground beside him. Mrs. Sharma knelt beside him, feeling his pulse on his wrist. Jen stood nearby, her face knit with concern as she looked down at her boyfriend. ¡°Is¡ is¡¡± Lachlan paused for a moment, trying to stop his voice from shaking. ¡°Is he alright?¡± ¡°His pulse and breathing pattern are normal. I don¡¯t see any sign of head injury.¡± She shook Sam lightly. ¡°Sam. Sam, can you hear me?¡± When he didn¡¯t respond, she grasped the muscle between Sam¡¯s neck and shoulder, twisting. He opened his eyes, squinting up at her. ¡°Ow,¡± he said. ¡°What was that for?¡± ¡°I was testing your response to a painful stimulus. And you responded. Congratulations,¡± she said. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re awake now. Get up.¡± ¡°Get¡ up?¡± said Sam. ¡°Yes, get up. There¡¯s no time to coddle you. You don¡¯t appear to have any serious injuries, and if you want to keep it that way, we need to move before the Dave fabrication wakes up.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Seriously?¡± said Jen. ¡°As eager as I am to get away from that thing,¡± said Lachlan, ¡°I can¡¯t help but notice your bedside manner could use a bit of work.¡± ¡°Damn it, Lachlan, I¡¯m a biologist, not a doctor,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Sam, get up. If you can¡¯t get up, one of the Stanley fabrications can carry you.¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m¡ I¡¯m good.¡± Sam pulled himself shakily into a sitting position with his good hand. ¡°I think.¡± Lachlan stepped forward, offering Sam a hand. Sam took it, and Lachlan pulled him to his feet, then turned to Mrs. Sharma. ¡°You know, that¡¯s really no way to treat the king among peasants who just saved my life.¡± His voice still felt shaky, but he tried to sound as normal as he could. Mrs. Sharma rolled her eyes. ¡°If you¡¯ll recall, I also had a hand in saving your life.¡± ¡°Yes, but you didn¡¯t do it whilst flying and dual wielding swords.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see how that¡¯s relevant. We need to move before the Dave fabrication wakes up, or we need to take care of it permanently.¡± ¡°Take care of it permanently?¡± said Angelina. ¡°You mean kill it?¡± ¡°No, I mean build a rocket ship and launch it to Saturn.¡± Mrs. Sharma sighed. ¡°Obviously I mean kill it. What else would I mean?¡± ¡°I was just asking.¡± Angelina pouted. ¡°Even if we kill it, it¡¯s only a matter of time before Zogzhesh wakes up and finds us. Or before the Sarah fabrications come back. Or before we run into some new danger. We have to keep moving.¡± ¡°But¨C¡± said Lachlan. ¡°But nothing. This is exactly why I was against leaving my house.¡± ¡°You mean why you were willing to leave an innocent woman stranded in this place?¡± said Mahender. ¡°I¡¯m not going to argue with you about this¨C¡° ¡°Hey!¡± interrupted Angelina. ¡°Is anyone going to bring up how whatever-his-name-is was flying a minute ago? And where he got those swords? And where his shirt went? Why are we not going to take a second to talk about that?¡± ¡°I hate to agree with Angelina,¡± said Lachlan, ¡°but I do feel that all of her points warrant some addressing.¡± ¡°Believe it or not, I agree with you both,¡± said Mrs. Sharma, ¡°but this isn¡¯t the time or place to talk about it. We¡¯ll keep moving now and talk about your friend later.¡± Chapter 8.2 Lachlan ¡°I died?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°What do you mean I died?¡± Lachlan had resumed his walk beside Sam and the back of the group, although he was looking back over his shoulder a lot more now. Sam was still missing his singlet, but he had his jacket on again. Much to Mrs. Sharma¡¯s impatience, Sam had turned away from the group without a word soon after regaining consciousness. He¡¯d entered a nearby shop and returned moments later with the jacket over his arm, shrugging and saying ¡°My neodymium magnets were in the pocket. They¡¯re extremely rare and valuable.¡± Lachlan had almost pointed out that he¡¯d seen those magnets in toy shops before, but he¡¯d stopped himself. Sam had just saved his life after all. ¡°I mean just what I said,¡± said Sam. ¡°I watched you die, and then something really weird happened to me.¡± Lachlan frowned. After all the weirdness he¡¯d seen in this place, he wasn¡¯t ready to discount what Sam was saying, even if it didn¡¯t make a lot of sense. ¡°What do you mean something weird happened to you? And how exactly did that lead to my miraculous resurrection?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a miraculous resurrection,¡± said Sam. ¡°Let me finish explaining. Do you remember your theory from earlier about me?¡± Sam didn¡¯t look at Lachlan as he spoke, instead, staring ahead of them over everyone else¡¯s heads as though he was staring miles into the distance. He looked lost, but at the same time, he carried himself with so much more composure than before. His expression was distant, but his posture was confident as he strode forward, never glancing down. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°That something very weird is going on with you?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m guessing whatever happened to you has proven my little hunch?¡± ¡°At this point, it¡¯s not even a theory or a hunch. Something really weird happened to me.¡± Lachlan tried not to let his concern show on his face. ¡°Something besides the obvious newfound powers of flight and swordsmanship, I¡¯m assuming.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Sam. ¡°And are you going to tell me what that something is?¡± ¡°It was¡¡± Sam paused, closing his eyes. ¡°It was hard to explain. You were lying there, covered in your own blood, and Mrs. Sharma said you were dead, but I had this overwhelming sense that I could save you. It was like my instincts took over and I started walking. I don¡¯t understand it, but I traveled through time.¡± ¡°So what? You have the power to manipulate time now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I was manipulating it. I was just moving through it, as easily as we¡¯re walking down this road right now.¡± Sam frowned. ¡°Well, almost as easily. It felt really weird.¡± ¡°What did it feel like?¡± ¡°Kinda like falling backwards, but you never hit the ground.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± was all Lachlan could think to say. ¡°It just doesn¡¯t make any sense,¡± said Sam. ¡°I don¡¯t know how it could have happened. I was defying so many laws of physics. How could I have survived outside of time? There was no air movement, no heat¡ How could my body systems have functioned? Maybe you were onto something with that mad-scientist brain-in-a-jar theory. It¡¯s the only way any of this adds up.¡± ¡°If you want my opinion, there are three possibilities,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°The first is that our mad scientist friend has decided to really live up to his title.¡± ¡°What are the other two?¡± ¡°Well, one possibility is that there was some sort of shield or temporal barrier protecting you,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Interesting. I wonder how something like that would even work,¡± said Sam. ¡°What¡¯s your third option?¡± ¡°That you changed,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°That something transformed you on a fundamental level.¡± Interlude 19 Ivan Ivan studied the boy¡¯s grainy photo on the screen. It was a typical unflattering employee photo in front of a green-gray backdrop. The kid was squinting and unsmiling, not looking directly at the camera. ¡°It¡¯s weird to think about,¡± said Ivan. ¡°He¡¯s going to be part of some great scientific achievement, and he doesn¡¯t even know it.¡± ¡°Remind me again,¡± said Mr. Wesley. ¡°Who¡¯s this kid?¡± Ivan suppressed a sigh. ¡°The anomalies are present in his DNA, much more than any other employee we tested. They were there for Mona and some others, but not like this.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± Ivan fought the urge to roll his eyes. As much as he hadn¡¯t liked Mona, she¡¯d at least been a real scientist. Now, he had to deal with some clueless executive asking too many questions and pretending he knew what was going on. It almost made Ivan miss Mona. Almost. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°It means we¡¯ve found our blueprint. We¡¯ve found the missing piece to make the serum work.¡± Mr. Wesley frowned, rubbing his moustache. Why are you frowning, you idiot? This is good news! ¡°Are we sure he¡¯s viable? We should be running tests before we jump to conclusions.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already run the tests,¡± said Ivan. ¡°And his viability was never in question. If he has the anomalies, we can use him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s important to cover all our bases,¡± said Mr. Wesley. ¡°They¡¯re covered,¡± said Ivan. ¡°See?¡± Ivan pointed to the part of the kid¡¯s profile showing the positive result. Mr. Wesley looked at the screen, his expression blank. ¡°Ah, I see it now. The green ¡®positive¡¯. That means he¡¯s viable?¡± What is this ¡®viable¡¯ thing he keeps talking about? Did he hear that word on a medical show and just run with it or something? ¡°No, it¨C¡± Ivan paused. ¡°Sure. It means he¡¯s viable.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Mr. Wesley nodded, seemingly satisfied for a moment. Then he frowned again. Oh, my God. What now? ¡°This number right here, 15.¡± ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°This means he¡¯s only 15% viable.¡± Mr. Wesley phrased it as a statement, not a question. ¡°No,¡± said Ivan. ¡°That number isn¡¯t a percent. It¡¯s generated by an algorithm that¨C¡° ¡°We need to be more than 15% sure. We can do much better than 15%.¡± ¡°Like I said before, that number isn¡¯t a percentage of viability. It¡¯s a measure of how strongly the anomalies are present in his DNA. The previous record for that number was 2.¡± Mr. Wesley frowned again, pretending to look thoughtful. ¡°I¡¯m telling you. This is it,¡± said Ivan. ¡°We¡¯re not going to find someone better. Samuel Alexander is our missing link.¡± Chapter 8.3 Angelina Angelina walked just behind Jen and Chelsea in silence, trying to make sense of the strange memories that had appeared in her head after Lachlan¡¯s friend had fought the monster. The memories were faint and fading quickly, like a dream she¡¯d just woken up from, but the image of Lachlan¡¯s blood-soaked body was still clear in her mind. She remembered moving on instinct, turning an impossible direction, and leaving this thin layer of reality for a split second. She¡¯d seen Lachlan¡¯s friend¨CSam, she thought his name was¨Cand locked eyes with him for an instant. Then she¡¯d stumbled, tearing through realities like an incandescent meteor plummeting through the atmosphere. Then, she¡¯d been back where she¡¯d started, standing with the group like nothing had happened. And Sam had flown down from the sky holding swords. It kind of wasn¡¯t fair. Why did he get to be the one to hold cool swords and fight monsters? She turned to look at him walking beside Lachlan. Their eyes met, and she quickly jerked her head back around. ¡°You remember it too, don¡¯t you?¡± he said. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. She turned around again. ¡°Yeah,¡± she said. ¡°Remember what?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°She was there at the beginning of it,¡± said Sam. ¡°I saw her for a second, and then she disappeared.¡± Angelina slowed her pace, falling back to walk beside him and Lachlan. ¡°You were dead,¡± she said to Lachlan. ¡°So I¡¯ve been informed.¡± ¡°Do you remember it too?¡± she said. ¡°No,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°All I remember is Samurai here finally living up to his name.¡± ¡°Lachlan had a theory that this place was changing me,¡± said Sam. ¡°I was thinking about it while I was walking through time¨C¡° ¡°While you were walking through what?¡± said Angelina. ¡°He was walking through time,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Try to keep up.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°So you were walking through time. As in the concept of time, I guess. Then what?¡± ¡°I was thinking about Mrs. Sharma. She can carry those fire axes around like they don¡¯t weigh anything. And when she was fighting that thing and she jumped, it was like she was defying gravity,¡± said Sam. ¡°She must have been stuck here for months at least. This place changed her. It gave her abilities.¡± ¡°Abilities?¡± said Angelina. ¡°You mean like special powers?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Sam. ¡°¡®Special powers¡¯ sounds so juvenile and unscientific. Like it¡¯s just magic or something. There has to be a logical explanation for what¡¯s happening to us.¡± ¡°A logical explanation like what?¡± said Angelina. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re trying figure out,¡± said Sam. ¡°Have you noticed anything different since you came to this place? Sharper reflexes, advanced healing? Anything like that?¡± ¡°Nothing like that,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Hm,¡± said Sam. ¡°I wonder if anyone else remembers what happened?¡± ¡°C doesn¡¯t,¡± said Angelina. ¡°I already asked. Naomi doesn¡¯t either. She seemed mad that I was asking. I think she didn¡¯t believe me.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± said Sam. ¡°So the question is ¡®why us¡¯?¡± said Angelina. ¡°If this place changes people, why isn¡¯t it changing any of the others?¡± Chapter 8.4 Lachlan ¡°Excuse me,¡± said Jen. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but overhear.¡± She slowed her stride long enough for Lachlan, Sam, and Angelina to catch up. ¡°So you were eavesdropping,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°We were talking right near her. It¡¯s not eavesdropping if we¡¯re talking near her,¡± said Angelina. ¡°It¡¯s not like she can just shut her ears down.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember asking for your input,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°You didn¡¯t,¡± said Angelina. ¡°I gave it anyway.¡± ¡°I really didn¡¯t mean to eavesdrop,¡± said Jen, ¡°but I remember too.¡± ¡°I take it this is about my untimely demise,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Jen. ¡°I didn¡¯t remember at first, but then I heard what Angelina said. You know how sometimes you wake up from a dream, and you know you were dreaming, but you don¡¯t remember it until something happens later that day to jog your memory?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Like the other day, I had a dream I was in this candy factory, and there were these lollipops that were the most delicious lollipops in the world, but if you ate them twice, you would die, and I didn¡¯t remember until¨C¡° Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Is there a point to this little rant of yours?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Oh, um,¡± said Jen. ¡°Sorry. I was rambling again, wasn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°You were fine,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Lachlan¡¯s just a big jerk.¡± ¡°He really is,¡± said Sam. ¡°The biggest,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°It¡¯s part of my charm.¡± ¡°Anyway, when I heard what Angelina said, it was like the memory, like, reactivated itself or something. It¡¯s super vague, though.¡± Jen¡¯s expression grew more serious. ¡°I remember the feelings more than anything. Being really horrified and scared. It was like when you have a nightmare, and then you wake up and you¡¯re jumpy for the rest of the day, even though you don¡¯t really remember it.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I guess our little experiment has two more test subjects.¡± ¡°What experiment?¡± said Angelina. ¡°Should we be worried that you just called us your test subjects?¡± said Jen. ¡°Yes,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Extremely.¡± ¡°Nah, don¡¯t listen to him,¡± said Sam. ¡°It¡¯s kinda this informal experiment we¡¯ve been doing since we noticed my hand healed unnaturally fast. Our hypothesis was that there was a positive correlation between my exposure to this place, and my improved healing, coordination, and reflexes. Given recent events, it seems like our experiment¡¯s gonna need rework.¡± ¡°Come on, Samurai,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°You can¡¯t rework a hypothesis mid-experiment. What kind of a scientist are you?¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± said Sam. ¡°We¡¯ll need a whole new experiment then. Our original observation was that I healed from a traumatic finger amputation in a matter of hours, and that I¡¯ve seen a vast, rapid improvement in my coordination and reflexes.¡± ¡°How would you even sum up your new observation?¡± said Angelina. ¡°You were flying with swords and apparently walking through time, Lachlan died but he¡¯s not dead, and I don¡¯t even know how to describe what happened to me.¡± ¡°Can you try to describe it?¡± said Sam. ¡°I fell through realities. I don¡¯t know how else to put it.¡± ¡°Did it feel like falling backwards?¡± said Sam. ¡°Yeah! Yeah, it did, actually,¡± said Angelina. ¡°I felt that too,¡± said Sam. ¡°That¡¯s all fine and dandy,¡± said Lachlan, ¡°but we need to narrow down our observation. What do all your experiences have in common?¡± Chapter 8.5 Angelina ¡°There¡¯s one question I think we should be asking,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Are Sam¡¯s newfound superpowers a permanent fixture? If you wanted to, could you fly or time travel right now?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not superpowers,¡± said Sam, ¡°and I don¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t think it works like that.¡± ¡°Try it,¡± said Angelina. Sam frowned as though in concentration for a few seconds, then shook his head. ¡°Nope,¡± he said. ¡°So what brought them on in the first place?¡± said Lachlan. Sam shrugged. ¡°How should I know?¡± ¡°Was it the danger that activated them?¡± said Angelina. ¡°No idea,¡± said Sam. ¡°Angelina, do you still have our notebook? We should be writing some of these questions down.¡± ¡°Okay, but my handwriting is really bad,¡± said Angelina. Angelina rifled around in her backpack for a minute before finding the notebook, then pulled it out, opened it, and begin scribbling notes. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. The notebook was just a touch more worn out for having been in her backpack, smudged with glittery purple ink and something that looked like chocolate. ¡°What did you do to that notebook?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± said Sam. ¡°It¡¯s already got blood all over it, so a few sparkles is nothing.¡± ¡°Good point,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Remind me to buy you a new notebook when we get out of here.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s stay focused,¡± said Sam. ¡°We¡¯re trying to narrow down our observation. So what have we observed about all of us?¡± Angelina readied her pen again. experiment notes & stuff: questions: 1. why did Sam get superpowers? 2. a. what made the powers activate? was it the danger? what have we observed about all of us? Jen ¨Cremembers Lachlan dying ?? ¨Cdoesn¡¯t seem to have any other powers or anything like that Sam ¨Cremembers Lachlan dying probably the most clearly out of all of us ¨CFLYING! ¨Cweird time travel ¨Csuper cool sword skills! ¨Cimproved reflexes/faster running/more coordinated now than before ¨Cvry fast healing Angelina (ME!!) ¨Cremembers Lachlan dying ¨Cfell through reality layers? or something???? -no powers that i know of but that weird snake guy said something about me being able to time travel and that me and mrs. sharma r alike somehow?? Mrs. Sharma ¨C~~really mean T_T~~ Lachlan & Sam say this is not a scientific observation ?? ¨Crly good at fighting/axes/knives -she got away from the snake guy and apparently me and her are the only ones who were able to do that?? -we don¡¯t know if she remembers Lachlan dying or not and she¡¯d prob get mad if we asked Lachlan ¨Cdoes not remember dying ¨CNO powers ?? Interlude 20 Mona Mona felt a little bad about rushing the group after what had just happened, especially Sam. Something strange and scary had happened to him, and he probably wanted answers. There would be time for answers later, though. Now, the priority was getting home. After so much searching, Mona finally knew 131 was alive. Even more than that, Mona knew where she was. As she led the group forward, she found an unfamiliar emotion swelling inside her. Hope. Hope of reuniting with 131. Hope of seeing her children again, of returning to her family. After her idiot nephew had abandoned her, she¡¯d resigned herself to being alone. After he¡¯d left, she¡¯d wandered this place for a few days, alone and adrift. She¡¯d thought a lot about a paper she¡¯d written during her third year of university for a class on insect biology. Ants, when separated from their colony, would die quickly, even with plenty of food and water. Groups and pairs of ants cut off from their colonies could last weeks or months, but a single ant would die in days. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. When the only other member of her small, annoying ant colony had left her, he¡¯d ripped away the last connection to her family, to the outside world, to normalcy. He¡¯d assuaged his guilt by telling himself she¡¯d be physically safe, that she could defend herself, but it hadn¡¯t mattered. He¡¯d taken her sense of purpose. At least, until she¡¯d run into a few of the Sarah fabrications. It had been hard seeing them¨Cpainful, even¨Cbut it had reminded her of 131. If they were here, she¡¯d thought, 131 could be here too. With that reminder, she¡¯d found a new sense of purpose. She¡¯d searched every day, mapping out this place until she knew it by heart, and systematically exploring every room, every street, every house. It had been a long time since she¡¯d felt any real hope of finding 131, though she wasn¡¯t sure exactly how long. Searching had become something she did out of habit, something to strive for so she could survive as a lost, lone ant trapped in a strange and hostile place. Now, though, there was a real chance. Interlude 21 Mona Mona glanced back at the group of kids behind her. She didn¡¯t know them or like them, but she¡¯d hadn¡¯t realized how much she¡¯d missed being around other people. Before being trapped in this place, she¡¯d found most people irritating. These kids were undoubtedly irritating, but their presence was almost comforting just because they were a group. It had been so long since she¡¯d been part of a group. Her idiot nephew walked toward the front of the group with Chelsea, Naomi, and the Stanley fab who¡¯d bleached his hair blond and traded his jumpsuit for an absolutely heinous loud-patterned shirt. Angelina and Jen had moved toward the back of the group with Sam and Lachlan, and Angelina was writing or drawing something on a notepad as she walked. ¡°Angelina, stop scribbling on that notepad while you walk,¡± said Mona. ¡°You¡¯ll fall and bust your head open and the last thing we need is another injury.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± said Angelina. ¡°I¡¯m super good at writing and walking.¡± As if on cue, she stumbled over a cobblestone, then righted herself. Mona turned around again and raised an eyebrow. ¡°That didn¡¯t count. That would have happened even if I wasn¡¯t writing. That was just because I¡¯m clumsy and this road is stupid.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the road that¡¯s stupid,¡± said Mona. ¡°Get wrecked,¡± said Lachlan. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Angelina pursed her lips into a childish pout, then continued writing. ¡°What are you writing, anyway?¡± said Mona. ¡°It¡¯s notes for our experiment,¡± said Angelina. ¡°We weren¡¯t supposed to tell her about the experiment,¡± said Sam. ¡°Thanks a lot, you two,¡± Lachlan said. ¡°Great job on the secret-keeping.¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®you two¡¯?¡± said Sam. ¡°I¡¯m not the one who blabbed.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t blab!¡± said Angelina. ¡°I just told her what we were doing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the exact meaning of the word ¡®blab¡¯,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°What kind of experiment are you trying to do, exactly?¡± said Mona. ¡°Well, now that the cat¡¯s out of the bag,¡± said Jen. ¡°Something really weird happened to us a little bit ago. Not just Sam, but all four of us. We¡¯re trying to figure it out.¡± ¡°Just because you¡¯re trying to figure something out doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re doing an experiment. Do you even have a hypothesis?¡± said Mona. ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if you four could even spell ¡®hypothesis¡¯.¡± ¡°Um, H, Y, P¡¡± said Jen. ¡°O, T, H¡ A?¡± ¡°Wrong,¡± said Mona. ¡°Spelling is overrated,¡± said Sam. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be able to spell something to understand the concept.¡± ¡°So you do have a hypothesis?¡± said Mona. ¡°We¡¯re working on it,¡± said Sam. ¡°So you don¡¯t have one,¡± said Mona. ¡°That¡¯s not fair,¡± said Angelina. ¡°We¡¯re still working on the¡ hypothesis.¡± Mona noticed Angelina stumble a bit over the word, but she didn¡¯t comment. While Mona¡¯s initial impression of Angelina¡¯s intelligence wasn¡¯t favorable, Mona knew firsthand how hard it was to learn English without having grown up speaking it, and ¡®hypothesis¡¯ wasn¡¯t a word that was likely to come up in Angelina¡¯s everyday conversations with her friends. Maybe she had been too quick to judge Angelina¡¯s intelligence. After all, Angelina had not only learned a second language fluently, she seemed to understand things about this place that she shouldn¡¯t have known. Angelina spotted a fleck of purple glitter on her wrist and paused her writing to lick the glitter off. Then again, thought Mona, sometimes first impressions are accurate after all. Chapter 8.6 Angelina ¡°Your little experiment is a waste of time,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. Sam opened his mouth to reply, but Mrs. Sharma spoke before he could get a word out. ¡°Let me finish. It¡¯s a waste of time because I can give you way more information about what¡¯s happening to you than you¡¯d be able to figure out on your own.¡± ¡°Then why did you say it like you were insulting us?¡± said Angelina. Mrs. Sharma shrugged. ¡°Because I don¡¯t like you.¡± ¡°Huh. Fair enough,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing to share that wealth of information with us.¡± ¡°I am, though I¡¯m not sure three out of four of you would be able to understand it, and the one who might be intellectually capable probably wouldn¡¯t put in the effort.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the intellectually capable one, right?¡± said Sam. Mrs. Sharma scoffed. ¡°So¡ me then?¡± said Lachlan. Mrs. Sharma scoffed again. ¡°This is why I can¡¯t stand working with men. They always assume they¡¯re the smartest people in the room, even if the women have just as much to offer. Of course, in this case, all four of you have equally little to offer, but what I¡¯m saying still applies.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°We didn¡¯t mean¨C¡± Sam started. ¡°No,¡± Mrs. Sharma cut him off. ¡°The intellectually capable one is Angelina, as surprising as that sounds.¡± Angelina paused for a moment to process what Mrs. Sharma had said. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Her?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, at first, I judged her the least intelligent of your little band of idiots, but¨C¡° ¡°Hey!¡± Angelina interjected. ¡°But,¡± Mrs. Sharma continued, ¡°not only was she able to give a crude yet accurate description of how this place works, she¡¯s also the only one of you four who can speak more than one language fluently. Angelina, I¡¯m guessing you weren¡¯t raised bilingual; correct me if I¡¯m wrong.¡± ¡°No,¡± said Angelina. ¡°I learned English so I could talk to my exchange student friend.¡± ¡°So you taught yourself?¡± ¡°Kind of. She taught me a lot of it. And I learned some from the internet.¡± ¡°Hm. Surprisingly impressive.¡± Angelina paused again, unsure how to reply, but Mrs. Sharma spoke again before Angelina had the chance. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m complimenting you. Just because I¡¯ve reconsidered your intelligence doesn¡¯t mean I think highly of you now. In fact, I may think less of you.¡± ¡°Less? Why?¡± ¡°At first, I thought you lacked potential. Now, I think you have potential that you¡¯re not living up to. That¡¯s so much worse.¡± ¡°You just met me today,¡± said Angelina. ¡°How do you know what kind of potential I¡¯m living up to?¡± ¡°I have a pretty good idea.¡± Angelina started to respond, and felt Jen place a hand on her arm. ¡°It¡¯s not worth it,¡± whispered Jen. Angelina thought about protesting, but decided Jen was right. She¡¯d tried to argue with judgmental people before, and the results were usually the same every time. ¡°If you¡¯re done being mean to us,¡± said Angelina, ¡°can you tell us the information about what¡¯s happening to us?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not being mean, but fine,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I was going to wait until later, but I might as well tell you now. It might be a little hard for you to understand, so if you have trouble keeping up with what I¡¯m saying, then just try harder.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how that works,¡± said Sam. Mrs. Sharma ignored him, continuing. ¡°I¡¯m not sure where to start explaining. Let¡¯s see. You four know what DNA is, right?¡± ¡°Of course we know what DNA is,¡± said Sam. ¡°Good, because I wouldn¡¯t have explained it if you didn¡¯t. Basically, your DNA¨Cour DNA¨Cwas altered before we were born.¡± Chapter 8.7 Lachlan ¡°Our DNA was altered?¡± said Sam. ¡°Is there an echo in here? Yes, our DNA was altered,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Well, four of the five of us.¡± ¡°Whose wasn¡¯t?¡± said Jen. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°No,¡± said Angelina. Mrs. Sharma shot her a look. ¡°Who here hasn¡¯t displayed any new and unusual symptoms or abilities?¡± ¡°Me,¡± said Lachlan. He didn¡¯t know whether to be relieved that some mysterious force hadn¡¯t warped his DNA, or disappointed he didn¡¯t get to have cool powers. ¡°You,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°He died and came back to life,¡± said Jen. ¡°How is that not unusual?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t actually die and come back to life,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I died, and Super Sam here reversed time to bring me back.¡± ¡°You¡¯re both wrong,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Lachlan didn¡¯t die and come back to life, and no one reversed time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not even possible to reverse time,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Debatable,¡± said Sam, ¡°but yeah, that¡¯s not what I did. I just moved backwards through it. That¡¯s not the same thing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so confused,¡± said Jen. ¡°If Lachlan didn¡¯t come back to life, and time didn¡¯t get reversed, how is he alive?¡± ¡°We¡¯re getting off topic,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°We weren¡¯t discussing Lachlan. I was explaining what happened to the four of us.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°What did happen to the four of us?¡± said Sam. ¡°I¡¯ll try to explain so you can call keep up, but I won¡¯t make any promises,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°There have always been weak points in our reality¨C¡° ¡°The Bermuda Triangle!¡± Jen interrupted. Mrs. Sharma frowned at her. ¡°Sorry,¡± said Jen. ¡°It was something Sarah was saying before. Something about time and space and ripping a hole in reality¡¯s floor.¡± Mrs. Sharma nodded, her expression softening when she heard Sarah¡¯s name. ¡°Ripping a hole in reality¡¯s floor,¡± Mrs. Sharma repeated. ¡°I like that metaphor. 131 always had a knack for making complex concepts seem simple. And yes, the Bermuda Triangle is an example of a major hotspot for naturally-occurring weak points.¡± ¡°No way,¡± said Sam. ¡°The Bermuda Triangle is a myth.¡± ¡°Looks like you¡¯re myth-taken about that,¡± said Jen. Angelina laughed. ¡°Bad puns aside, you really were mistaken,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°The Bermuda Triangle is no myth. It¡¯s one of the largest hubs of unstable reality in the world. But there are many smaller, less active ones too. There¡¯s some correlation between with unstable air masses in the atmosphere, and with altered weather patterns caused by large manmade bodies of water, but I¡¯m not a meteorologist so I don¡¯t know enough to explain further.¡± ¡°Not that this isn¡¯t fascinating,¡± said Lachlan, ¡°but what does this have to do with us?¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with you,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°We¡¯ve been over that. But it has a lot to do with your friends here. When I started working for CPSI, I was given access to a map of these hotspots, and one in particular stood out to me.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± said Jen. ¡°If you give me a second, I¡¯ll tell you. Jaipur. The city where I grew up. At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but obviously, I zoomed in out of curiosity, and found the center of the hotspot just a street over from my childhood home. I didn¡¯t understand the implications of it at the time.¡± ¡°Let me get this straight,¡± said Sam. ¡°Whatever¡¯s happening to us has to do with these hotspots?¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re not as hopeless as I thought.¡± ¡°Wow,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Glowing praise.¡± ¡°You said something about manmade bodies of water,¡± said Sam. ¡°My parents lived off Lake Wylie when I was a baby.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°The Lake Wylie hotspot is a major one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m from Fort Mill,¡± said Jen. ¡°That¡¯s not far from there.¡± ¡°The Borgo San Severino hotspot is a major one as well,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°It was even before the disaster.¡± ¡°So what does this have to do with our DNA?¡± said Jen. ¡°Prolonged exposure to these hotspots causes certain changes to some people¡¯s DNA, but these changes don¡¯t seem to affect functional DNA. At least, not in our home reality.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m guessing here is a different story,¡± said Sam. ¡°You¡¯re guessing correctly,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. Chapter 8.8 Lachlan Angelina, Sam, and Jen spoke almost all at once. ¡°So do you remember Lachlan dying?¡± said Angelina. ¡°This place is changing our DNA?¡± said Sam. ¡°Is that dangerous?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t me and Angelina have cool powers?¡± said Jen. ¡°Why do only you and Sam get them?¡± Mrs. Sharma sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t have the answers to all your questions. I can¡¯t even be completely sure what I¡¯m telling you about is the reason we¡¯ve all changed,¡± she said. ¡°But what else could it be?¡± ¡°Is there like, a test for this weird DNA thingy?¡± said Jen. ¡°Yes,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°There is ¡®like, a test for this weird DNA thingy,¡¯ as you so articulately phrased it. You and Sam are CPSI employees, correct?¡± ¡°Yuppers,¡± said Jen. ¡°Okay.¡± said Mrs. Sharma, ¡°and did you both receive a blood test after your interview?¡± ¡°Yeah¡¡± said Sam. ¡°I thought that was pretty weird.¡± ¡°I thought so too,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I found a lot of things weird about my interview, like how I was being interviewed by the CEO himself. Or how he got strangely excited when I mentioned I was from Jaipur. He wasn¡¯t familiar with the city; he didn¡¯t even know how to pronounce it. But he kept asking questions. He kept asking me about the Jal Mahal, saying he wanted to visit it. Asking if I saw it a lot as a child, trying to figure out how close to it I lived. I didn¡¯t understand it at the time.¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°What¡¯s the Jal Mahal?¡± said Jen. ¡°A palace,¡± said Lachlan. He hadn¡¯t actually heard of it, but based on its name, he could still answer the question confidently and look smart. ¡°Yes, but what kind of palace?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. Oh. He hadn¡¯t expected follow-up questions. ¡°A¡ palatial one?¡± he said. So much for looking smart. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a hint since you clearly need it. ¡®Jal¡¯ means water.¡± ¡°A palace in the water?¡± said Sam. ¡°How did they get the palace into the water?¡± said Angelina. ¡°I¡¯m not dignifying that with an answer,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°but it¡¯s not in just any water. A manmade lake.¡± ¡°Ohhhh,¡± said Jen. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°So Mr. Clyde is specifically looking for employees with this altered DNA?¡± said Sam. ¡°It seems that way,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Especially when you look at the major CPSI offices around the world. Charlotte, Danjiangkou, Borgo San Severino. They all correspond to the hotspots.¡± ¡°But why would he do that?¡± said Angelina. ¡°So we can be studied.¡± There was a flash of bitterness in Mrs. Sharma¡¯s eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize I¡¯d signed up as a lab rat until it was too late. At least I was lucky enough to be one of the lab rats who knew what was going on. I guess that¡¯s more than I can say for both of you.¡± Sam and Jen exchanged a look, eyes wide. ¡°They¡¯re studying our DNA?¡± said Sam. ¡°Why would a packaging company want to study people¡¯s DNA?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a packaging company,¡± muttered Jen. ¡°What?¡± said Sam. ¡°That¡¯s what Mr. Clyde said, remember?¡± said Jen. ¡°When I asked my question about the future of the packaging industry in that meeting. He said it wasn¡¯t a packaging company. It¡¯s a company about people.¡± Interlude 22 Sam They were studying his DNA? Sam felt a queasy horror building in his chest. They¡¯d been studying his DNA this whole time? He¡¯d interviewed for so many internships before getting this one. He was smart¨Che knew that¨Cbut it had felt like every single interviewer had underestimated him. In most interviews, he¡¯d answered every technical question correctly, and still been challenged like he didn¡¯t know what he was talking about. There had been times he¡¯d given answers to hypothetical engineering problems that he knew would work, and the interviewer dismissed him, asking pointedly why he¡¯d decided to use a particular kind of cable or size of electrical wire, then talking over him so he couldn¡¯t justify a choice that should have been obvious. The non-technical parts of the interviews¨Cthe ones that should have been easier¨Chad been even worse. A lot of interviewers had wanted him to be outgoing and assertive. They¡¯d talked a lot about breaking stereotypes in the engineering field and promoting diversity, all while wanting to pigeonhole him into a personality type that didn¡¯t fit. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. The CPSI interview was the only one he¡¯d walked away feeling good about. He¡¯d thought he¡¯d finally found a workplace that would value his intelligence and not expect him to be something he wasn¡¯t. And it had all been a sham. Worse than that, he was being studied without his knowledge like some kind of specimen. ¡°Why are they studying us?¡± he said. Before his trip through time, he would have had trouble keeping his voice even. Now, the even, steady tone came easily. ¡°I assume Sam and Jen are familiar with the special type of plastic CPSI uses in their packaging, but for Lachlan and Angelina¡¯s benefit, there¡¯s a special type of genetically engineered microorganism that produces it,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°CPSI saved so much money from switching to the new plastic that it got Mr. Clyde thinking about how biotechnology could increase his profits even more.¡± ¡°Going from creating microorganisms to creating people?¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Ethics aside, that¡¯s a leap and a half.¡± Mrs. Sharma nodded. ¡°No one ever accused the Clydes of being rational or reasonable.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me they used our DNA to create the fabrications,¡± Sam said. The sick feeling grew inside him at the idea of sentient life being created from his DNA just so it could be imprisoned and abused in the name of making some greedy CEO even richer. ¡°No,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°The fabs weren¡¯t based on anyone¡¯s DNA.¡± That was a small relief at least, but not enough to ease the weight in his chest. ¡°What are they using it for, then?¡± said Sam. Mrs. Sharma frowned. ¡°That¡¯s one thing I was never able to figure out.¡± Interlude 23 Nancy Nicky stood up from his resting spot in Nancy¡¯s lap and barked. Nancy startled, looking up from the word game she was playing on an old piece of paper. It was hard to entertain herself in this place. For a while, she¡¯d passed the time by reading through the plane¡¯s owner¡¯s manual, until the pages had started to come lose and wear away at the corners where she¡¯d turned them. Then, she¡¯d met Mahender, and he¡¯d started bringing her supplies from the town, sometimes books and even a pair of magnifying reading glasses. She¡¯d read through most of the books he¡¯d brought her that were in English, so she¡¯d devised another way of entertaining herself. She¡¯d find lines of Italian text and try to make as many English words out of the letters as she could. It was a lot more fun than reading the airplane owner¡¯s manual, especially with a warm dog curled up in her lap. Nicky wasn¡¯t curled up now; he was standing at attention, his ears pricked forward as he looked out the window. He barked again, this time a series of three quick barks¨C¡°Arf-arf-arf!¡± Nancy craned her neck to look out the window. It was rarely a good sign when Nicky barked. ¡°What is it, buddy?¡± said Nancy. Nancy removed her reading glasses and squinted out the window towards the subject of Nicky¡¯s attention. She could make out something heading toward them, but couldn¡¯t tell who or what it was. As it got closer, she could see it was a large group of figures. She let herself relax a fraction. Only the creatures Mahender was friends with traveled in large groups like that, and they almost never gave her any trouble. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Nicky,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re a silly boy. It¡¯s just Mahender¡¯s friends.¡± She knew how responsive dogs were to tone of voice, so she tried to keep her tone relaxed and chipper. ¡°Aroo,¡± said Nicky, not taking his eyes off the window. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± said Nancy. ¡°You¡¯re not being silly. They give me the creeps too.¡± She wasn¡¯t afraid of the Brothers, exactly. She hadn¡¯t felt real fear in a long time, and she knew on a logical level they wouldn¡¯t hurt her. But sometimes, those horrible snaking limbs reminded her of the Sisters, and when they moved a certain way, she couldn¡¯t help but picture them wrapping around her father¡¯s neck. Her father¡¯s last moments were something she pictured a lot, so often that she was almost used to it. She¡¯d gotten good at filing it neatly away in the back of her mind when it appeared, tucking it back into storage and moving on with her day. She didn¡¯t think she would have been able to function otherwise. Having Nicky made her objectively safer, and she wouldn¡¯t have traded him for anything, but she¡¯d almost been more on edge since those boys had given him to her. She wasn¡¯t alone anymore, which meant now there was a risk of experiencing that awful loss all over again. Of standing there, powerless to act, screaming and screaming until her throat was raw because screaming was better than doing nothing. In that moment, her head clouded by adrenaline and horror, she¡¯d truly believed that maybe if she was loud enough, she could scream the danger away and her father would be okay. She filed the thought back into her brain¡¯s storage and looked out the window again. As the group got closer, Nancy could see the larger shapes were flanking smaller, more human-sized figures. At first, she thought the larger brothers were protecting the smaller ones. Then, she noticed the variation in the smaller figures. As they got even closer, she started to recognize some of them. Mahender, his strange aunt, and the two boys she¡¯d met earlier were among the group. Four girls she didn¡¯t recognize also walked with them. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Nicky.¡± Nancy scratched the dog¡¯s head. ¡°These look like friends. The question is, what are they doing here?¡± Interlude 24 Mahender Nancy cracked the door of the plane to peer out, and a medium-sized brown and white dog pushed its way through, opening the door and hopping down to the ground. It barked as it spotted them, the hair on its back prickling upward as it eyed the Brothers uncertainly. Nancy looked equally uncertain when she saw them. ¡°Would you all mind standing back?¡± Mahender said to the brothers. He knew what Nancy had been through, and what his brothers reminded her of, so he was always careful when he visited her with them. The Brothers backed up, except for Falcon, who stood glancing uncertainly between Nancy and Mahender. Mahender nodded at him, and he stepped forward with the humans of the group. The dog trotted forward to greet the group, heading toward Sam and Lachlan. The two boys bent down to pet the dog. ¡°Aw!¡± said Jen. ¡°Puppy!¡± She crouched down to pet it too. Its tail swung wildly back and forth at all the attention. Mahender had seen the dog a few times, usually from a distance. Once, it had even saved him from a particularly large sister. Usually, though, it gave him and his brothers a wide berth. He couldn¡¯t exactly blame it. He knew from his many conversations with her that Nancy loved dogs. She¡¯d had pet dogs all her life, and it was one of the things she missed most about home. He wasn¡¯t sure how the two had found each other, but he was glad. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Mahender.¡± Nancy¡¯s eyes widened as she took in the large group. ¡°And Sam, and Lachlan, and¡ sorry, I can¡¯t remember your name.¡± Mona Aunty frowned. ¡°It¡¯s Mona, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Mona, right, of course,¡± said Nancy, ¡°and¡ a lot of new faces too.¡± Jen, Angelina, Naomi, and Chelsea introduced themselves. Falcon waved. ¡°Do you mind if one of my brothers comes forward with the group? This is Falcon. He¡¯s deaf and needs a translator.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± said Nancy. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± st63, the Brother with a skirt of tentacles stepped forward. The dog tucked its tail and made its way back to the plane, turning around to eye st63 suspiciously. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± signed Falcon. ¡°Hello again,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I¡¯m always happy to have visitors,¡± said Nancy. ¡°But to what do I owe this large crowd? I didn¡¯t know this many people were stuck here.¡± ¡°Most of them got here fairly recently,¡± said Mona Aunty. ¡°We¡¯re here because one of these kids thinks she knows how to get home.¡± Nancy stared at them for a few seconds. Then, she finally spoke. ¡°Home?¡± ¡°Yes, home. There aren¡¯t any guarantees, of course. But she¡¯s explained her reasoning to me, and the logic seems solid. This is the first time I¡¯ve come across anything resembling a real chance at getting out of here, so I think we should take it.¡± ¡°Can I ask how we get home?¡± ¡°All we have to do is stand in a specific place at a specific time,¡± said Angelina. ¡°If we all scrunch together, the hole that opens in reality should take us home.¡± Nancy looked beyond the group at the Brothers standing there. ¡°And will¡ everyone here be going?¡± Mahender looked back at the creatures he¡¯d come to think of as his Brothers. He¡¯d been so excited at the prospect of going home, of seeing his mum again, that the thought hadn¡¯t even occurred to him. ¡°Our home is here,¡± said st98. Mahender noticed Falcon fidgeting uneasily with his sleeve. It seemed like Mahender wasn¡¯t the only person who was conflicted. 9.1 Naomi The journey back to Mrs. Sharma¡¯s house had been much less eventful than the journey to Nancy¡¯s plane. Everyone lay on Mrs. Sharma¡¯s living room floor wrapped in scratchy blankets except Nancy, Mahender, Falcon, and Mrs. Sharma. Nancy reclined on the couch with her dog curled up on her legs, Mrs. Sharma was in her bedroom, and Mahender and Falcon had gone outside with their strange brothers. None of their biological clocks were really in sync with each other, but when they¡¯d arrived at the house, Mrs. Sharma had proclaimed it bedtime, and no one had argued. Angelina had said the next opening back to their home reality would happen in about nine hours. Assuming she was right, Naomi guessed there wasn¡¯t much to do but rest. There was something strangely enjoyable about laying on a floor with a bunch of people. It made her feel a little closer to everyone there, even the people she didn¡¯t really know, like Sam and Jen. She hadn¡¯t been allowed to go to sleepovers in high school, and it wouldn¡¯t have mattered even if she had been; she hadn¡¯t gotten a lot of invitations. She hadn¡¯t exactly been the most popular girl in school. She was on her second ever sleepover, and while her first had been much more enjoyable than this one, she was beginning to see the appeal. Naomi lay under one third of a king sized blanket. The other two thirds were occupied by Chelsea and Angelina. Angelina hadn¡¯t changed out of the dirty nightgown she¡¯d been wearing, but she¡¯d wrapped her hair neatly in Chelsea¡¯s scarf. She lay with her earbuds in and eyes closed, listening to something. Naomi could hear the tinny sound of the song¡¯s beat through the earbuds, but couldn¡¯t tell what it was. Mrs. Sharma entered the room. ¡°I¡¯m going to bed. I expect all of you children to be quiet.¡± She turned to Nancy, her stern tone disappearing as she addressed an older adult. ¡°Good night, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Good night,¡± said Nancy.¡± Mrs. Sharma¡¯s eyes fell on Angelina, who hadn¡¯t seemed to have noticed her. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Angelina,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. Angelina didn¡¯t respond. Chelsea nudged her gently, and Angelina opened her eyes, removed an earbud, and propped herself up on her elbows. ¡°Eh?¡± said Angelina. She sounded like she¡¯d already been asleep. ¡°Remove both your earbuds, please,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. Angelina sighed, pulling the other earbud out. ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯re one of those adults who¡¯s all ¡®those mp3 players will rot your brain¡¯,¡± said Angelina. ¡°No,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°In your case, I doubt there¡¯s much there left to rot. But no. That¡¯s ridiculous. All those things do is play music. How could music rot your brain?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ a surprisingly cool point of view,¡± said Angelina. ¡°No,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°It¡¯s the correct point of view. Being cool has nothing to do with it.¡± ¡°It can be correct and surprisingly cool at the same time,¡± said Lachlan from where he lay under the bar, sharing a double blanket with Sam. ¡°Music enriches your brain,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I always encourage my children to listen to it as much as possible.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I listen to music all the time, and I¡¯m basically the smartest man on earth.¡± Mrs. Sharma let out a quiet scoff. ¡°What kind of music do you like?¡± said Naomi. She wasn¡¯t sure why she¡¯d asked. Mostly, she¡¯d been curious. Mrs. Sharma was a bit strange, and Naomi had trouble picturing what she¡¯d enjoy listening to. ¡°Do you know The Goldfish Technique?¡± said Angelina. Naomi fought the urge to roll her eyes. No, of course Mrs. Sharma didn¡¯t know The Goldfish Technique. Hardly anyone knew The Goldfish Technique. Naomi had almost stopped mentioning them as her favorite band because people would say things like ¡®if they¡¯re so good, why hasn¡¯t anyone heard of them?¡¯ or accuse her of making up a fake band for hipster cred or something. ¡°I do. They¡¯re very good, actually.¡± Wait. What? Naomi felt herself fill with that rare excitement that came from hearing someone from outside of the internet talk about her favorite band. ¡°But how?¡± she responded. She could hear her voice overlap with Lachlan, Chelsea, and Angelina as they all reacted simultaneously. Angelina bolted upright into a seated position and squealed something in Italian, Lachlan said ¡°No fucking way,¡± and Chelsea just gasped. ¡°That¡¯s quite an overreaction,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°How did you hear about them? Was it when you lived in Australia? I thought that was years ago! I¨C¡± Naomi caught herself and cleared her throat. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s just a little surprising. They¡¯re not very well known.¡± ¡°A little surprising?¡± Angelina leaned forward under the blanket, bouncing up and down. ¡°A little surprising?! We just met someone who likes the greatest band in the whole wide world, and you¡¯re saying it¡¯s just a little surprising? How did you hear of them? How did you find them? What¡¯s your favorite song? Isn¡¯t Jessica just the coolest?¡± ¡°I regret saying I like them now.¡± Mrs. Sharma sighed. ¡°No, Naomi, to answer your question, I didn¡¯t hear about them when I lived in Australia. That was about fifteen years ago. The band members were children then.¡± ¡°Then how?¡± said Angelina. ¡°Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t find them on my own,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°The answer to that question has to do with CPSI.¡± Interlude 25.1 Mona ¡°With all due respect, sir, do you really think all this is necessary?¡± Mona had always liked the phrase ¡®with all due respect¡¯ because it didn¡¯t specify how much respect was due. In Mr. Clyde¡¯s case, the amount due happened to be none. ¡°Of course it¡¯s necessary. If you can find out more about how the resource behaves in the ¡®wild¡¯, so to speak, it¡¯ll help you learn to avoid careless mistakes with the fabrications in the future.¡± Mr. Clyde chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to remind you about a certain poisoned cup of tea.¡± Mona swallowed the anger that welled up inside her at the mention of the poisoned tea. He was hoping to make her emotional, to get a rise out of her. He should have known she was better than that. ¡°No, sir,¡± she said. ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°You have scientists based in Australia. Perhaps one of them would be better suited for this¡¡± Mona trailed off, unsure what to call this fool¡¯s errand Mr. Clyde was sending her on. Didn¡¯t the CEO of a multibillion dollar corporation have better things to do than accompany her on¡ whatever this was? Mr. Clyde chuckled again. ¡°Well, it¡¯s certainly a little late for that after we¡¯ve flown down here and gotten you all dressed up.¡± ¡°Right. All dressed up.¡± Mona glanced down at her ridiculous costume, shifting in the car seat and tugging at her too-tight top. It was a band t-shirt in a size youth medium¨Cborrowed from her daughter¨Cthat was stretchy enough for her to squeeze into, but constricted her chest and pinched around her arms whenever she moved. Her jeans were the correct size, but they came with a whole other host of problems. They were those skinny jeans teenagers were wearing, and they were so low-waisted she felt like her underwear would show if she made one false move. Her studded belt was another loan from her daughter; it was a bit big on Emily, but on Mona, it fit when she wore it on the hole closest to the end. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. This job so wasn¡¯t worth $7 an hour. ¡°You¡¯ll blend right in looking like that,¡± said Mr. Clyde. ¡°If you say so, sir.¡± ¡°You understand why this is necessary, don¡¯t you Mona?¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Mona said. It was a complete lie. She didn¡¯t see why this was necessary at all, because it wasn¡¯t. ¡°If anyone else had gotten ahold of the resource we could have taken care of them in other ways,¡± said Mrs. Clyde, ¡°but apparently, this rock and roll band has quite the following. They¡¯re public figures, and the resource has been spotted and photographed with them multiple times. It¡¯s a tricky situation.¡± Taken care of them in other ways? Mona felt a chill run through her. What kind of ¡®other ways¡¯ was he talking about? ¡°Since we can¡¯t take care of this little situation in the traditional way, we might as well make lemonade out of these lemons your nephew gave us,¡± Mr. Clyde continued. He emphasized the words ¡®your nephew¡¯ as if to imply Mona was somehow responsible for what her idiot nephew had done. ¡°Here we are,¡± the chauffer mercifully interrupted. ¡°Centenary Place Park.¡± ¡°A park?¡± said Mona. ¡°Is this where the concert is happening?¡± She looked out the window, searching the park for a stage or amphitheater, but she couldn¡¯t see one. She didn¡¯t even see many people; the park seemed mostly deserted at this time of the evening. ¡°Oh no,¡± Mr. Clyde said. ¡°The concert¡¯s about a ten minute walk away from here. We don¡¯t want to draw too much attention to you, and your ride here isn¡¯t exactly inconspicuous. You¡¯re a smart young lady. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have no trouble finding it, kiddo.¡± He wanted her to walk ten minutes alone in a strange city when it was this dark and find the venue on her own? She shouldn¡¯t have been surprised. She climbed out of the car, fighting to keep the waistband of her pants at an acceptable level. It was light enough out now and there were enough people around that she¡¯d probably be okay walking to the venue. But what about when she was leaving? ¡°Mr. Clyde, will I be picked up outside the venue after the concert?¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯m concerned that it may not be safe¨C¡° Mr. Clyde reached over, pulling the door closed. The car begin to roll away. Okay, then. She ran her fingers over the metal studs on her belt. At least this ridiculous thing would make a pretty effective weapon if I need to defend myself, she thought as she headed through down the path through an avenue of old fig trees. Interlude 25.2 Mona Mona lingered in the venue as the rest of the crowd trickled out. Only a few people were left now; a teenage boy in skinny jeans with messy, dark blond hair was following the annoyed yet patient bass player around, and a few people were lined up at a folding table in the back buying CDs and T-shirts. Mona thought about buying a CD for Emily¨Cthe band had been surprisingly good¨Cbut decided against it. She didn¡¯t want to risk getting in trouble if Mr. Clyde saw the CD, and it could be hard to predict what kinds of things he¡¯d get mad about sometimes. The space had felt small when it had been packed with a crowd, but it felt larger now that only a few people were there. There was no seating or even a bar area; just a small stage and an open area for people to stand. Mona had chaperoned Emily at a few concerts, and there had almost always been some kind of seating, even if no one really used it. The singer/guitarist walked past Mona, heading for the back of the venue, then stopped, giving her a second look. ¡°Are you here alone?¡± said the woman. Melanie Graham. She was blonde, with messy hair, a lot of bad tattoos, and shiny garish pink lipstick that had smudged while she was performing. On the stage, she¡¯d seemed brash and confident, but now, she seemed almost shy despite her garish clothing, hair, and makeup¨Cher speaking voice was far softer than her singing voice, and her shoulders were drawn inward as though she was trying to hide. ¡°Yes,¡± said Mona. ¡°You have lipstick on your face.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± said Melanie. She stuck her tongue out, licking under her lower lip and smudging the lipstick further. Mona frowned. What an odd woman. She was clearly a hardworking, disciplined person¨Cotherwise, how could she become so talented at her instrument? But hardworking, disciplined people weren¡¯t supposed to lick lipstick off their own faces. Melanie seemed to notice the frown and drew her shoulders further inward. At least she had the good sense to be embarrassed about licking lipstick off her own face. ¡°How are you getting home?¡± said Melanie. ¡°Are you headed to the train station?¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°No, I¡¯m¡ not exactly sure. Someone¡¯s supposed to be picking me up, but I don¡¯t know where or when he¡¯s going to be here. He might be picking me up at the park.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Melanie¡¯s face knit with concern. ¡°That¡¯s nearly ten minutes from here. It¡¯s really late. I¡¯ll walk with you if you want.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ really very kind of you, but you don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°I want to. If I let you go by yourself, and then I heard on the news tomorrow something awful happened, I¡¯d feel like shit.¡± She turned to call to the bassist. ¡°Dom! You¡¯re coming too!¡± The bassist excused himself from the kid who was pestering him and headed toward them. ¡°Thank fuck. I thought that Lachlan kid would never leave,¡± he said. ¡°Where am I coming? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°We¡¯re walking¨C¡± Melanie stopped and looked at Mona. ¡°Sorry, what¡¯s your name?¡± Mona paused for a minute, not sure if she should give her real name or not. ¡°Sarah,¡± she lied. ¡°Sarah. Cool. I¡¯m Mel and this is Dom,¡± said Melanie. ¡°Dom, we¡¯re walking Sarah here back to the park.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± said Dominic. ¡°Hi, Sarah.¡± ¡°Hi,¡± said Mona. ¡°Are you sure you have time to walk with me? Aren¡¯t you busy doing¡ well, I don¡¯t exactly know what bands do after they perform. But I assume you have to do something.¡± ¡°We can spare twenty minutes,¡± said Melanie. ¡°We¡¯ll just tell Jess and Falcon where we¡¯re going.¡± Mona followed Melanie¡¯s gaze to the merch table at the back of the room. The drummer and the Stanley fabrication sat together conversing in sign language while a young woman with dyed black hair sold T-shirts and CDs to the last few stragglers. So Falcon was what the fabrication was calling himself? She almost hadn¡¯t recognized him. He¡¯d bleached his hair blond and wore a hideous, brightly-colored floral shirt. His expression was animated as he spoke with the drummer, far from the blank-faced Stanley fabs she¡¯d encountered before. She noticed Melanie and Dominic giving her a strange look and realized she was staring. ¡°Sorry,¡± said Mona. ¡°Your friend kind of reminds me of someone.¡± They both looked at her as though expecting her to elaborate. ¡°She spent a lot of time in a bad situation. Where she was treated like she was less than human. When I first met her, she seemed so blank and robotic. Then, when I showed her the smallest kindness, it was like a wall crumbled and all these hidden depths came pouring out. For some reason, I feel like your friend is the same way.¡± Dominic gave Mona a long look. ¡°And what makes you think Falcon¡¯s like that?¡± Oh no. Had she said too much? ¡°Just a hunch,¡± she lied. ¡°Something in his eyes, I guess.¡± Something in his eyes? Ugh, it was such a cheesy thing to say. It seemed to appease Dominic though. ¡°You¡¯re pretty perceptive,¡± he said. Mona nodded. ¡°My friend has better taste in shirts, though,¡± she said. ¡°I like his shirts,¡± said Melanie. Mona almost said something like ¡®you would like them¡¯, but decided against it. Melanie might have been tacky, but she was kind enough to care about a stranger¡¯s safety, and that was worth something. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Dominic. ¡°I want to get back before the pizza gets here.¡± Chapter 9.2 Angelina Angelina stirred awake, hungry, disoriented, and sore from sleeping on the floor. She kind of had to use the bathroom, but she didn¡¯t feel like dealing with the makeshift outhouse situation Mrs. Sharma had constructed behind the house. She¡¯d used it once in the middle of the night, and it had been a little scary. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she¡¯d been asleep, but almost everyone else was still sleeping. Only Sam was awake, sitting on a stool in the kitchen, playing with the little magnets he carried around. ¡°Hey,¡± he whispered. ¡°Finally, someone else is up.¡± ¡°Hi,¡± she said. ¡°How did you sleep?¡± ¡°Bad,¡± he said. ¡°You?¡± ¡°Bad. Horrible. Terrible.¡± She slid into the stool beside him, stepping carefully over a sleeping Lachlan and placing her backpack in her lap. ¡°Yeah,¡± he said. Her stomach rumbled, and she remembered how hungry she was. She reached into her bag¡¯s front pocket and pulled out some of the wine grapes from the Sentiero Angelica. She popped a handful into her mouth, trying not to gag at the bitter taste. ¡°Do I want to know what you¡¯re eating?¡± said Sam. ¡°Some really disgusting grapes I found.¡± She reached in and pulled out another handful. ¡°Want some?¡± ¡°Why would I want them if they¡¯re disgusting?¡± said Sam. She shrugged. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re really hungry. I am. Why do you think I¡¯m eating disgusting grapes?¡± Sam put down his magnets and reached into a tote bag that was hanging off the back of his chair. He reached first with his right hand, then reconsidered, twisting around to reach in with his left hand and pulling out two bags of potato chips. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°I have something slightly better than disgusting grapes,¡± he said. ¡°I present to you¡ stale chips.¡± He dropped one of the bags in front of her, and she tore it open, stuffing a handful into her mouth. Sam hadn¡¯t been kidding about the chips being stale, but they got the bitter grape taste out of her mouth and sated some of her hunger. She picked up a few of the grapes she¡¯d offered to Sam and dropped them one by one onto Lachlan. Most of them rolled off him, but a few of them came to rest on his chest. He still didn¡¯t wake up. Sam looked down at Lachlan with an amused smile, picking up another grape and dropping it onto him. ¡°Someone¡¯s a heavy sleeper,¡± he said. Angelina stifled a laugh. She wiped the chip grease from her hands onto her nightgown, then unwrapped the scarf she¡¯d borrowed from Chelsea from her head and checked her reflection in the well-polished countertop, looking at her hair, which was twisted along the side of her head and secured into two tiny buns in the back. The counter wasn¡¯t a perfect mirror, but from what she could tell, her hair hadn¡¯t suffered too badly despite the lack of her usual hair products. Mrs. Sharma had a sizeable stash of hair stuff, but none of it was really intended for Angelina¡¯s hair type. She¡¯d tried to replicate her usual routine as best as she could, but she was nervous about what would happen if she let her hair down. She decided she¡¯d be better off leaving it up. She rolled the scarf into a ball and tossing it towards where Chelsea was sleeping. It unballed and fell straight down onto Lachlan¡¯s face. He made a grumbling sound, but didn¡¯t wake up. ¡°Dang it,¡± she said. ¡°I wanted her to wake up and have the scarf just be there. And then she¡¯d be like ¡®oh, cool, my scarf!''¡± Sam put down his magnets. got out of his chair and picked up the scarf. ¡°You were aiming for Chelsea, right?¡± He tied the scarf into a knot and tossed it. It landed an inch from Chelsea¡¯s head. ¡°Bullseye.¡± ¡°Nice throw,¡± she said. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said. ¡°I really didn¡¯t think I was gonna make that throw. I don¡¯t exactly have the best aim, especially with my left hand. At least, I didn¡¯t used to. Not until¡ you know.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re gonna throw something like a scarf or cloth, it helps to tie it in a knot, though. It reduces the surface area and makes it more aerodynamic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I was trying to do when I rolled it up into a ball. It came undone though,¡± she said. ¡°Should I write down your good aim?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You know, for the experiment.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think we were still doing that,¡± said Sam, ¡°since Mrs. Sharma explained everything.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t really explain everything, though,¡± said Angelina. ¡°We know there¡¯s something weird with our DNA, but we don¡¯t know what exactly. Or why this is happening to us. Or why you and Mrs. Sharma have powers and me and Jen don¡¯t really.¡± ¡°Hm. That¡¯s a good point.¡± Sam picked up another grape, dropping it onto Lachlan. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to bring that up once our friend here is awake.¡± Angelina dropped another grape. ¡°I wonder how many of these we can drop on him before that happens.¡± Chapter 9.3 Lachlan Lachlan jerked awake as something dropped onto his face, fear jolting through him at the feeling of the hard surface beneath him. He¡¯d woken up a few times in the night, each with the same split second of panic as he thought he¡¯d woken up in the back of the van again. He opened his eyes, picking up the small, spherical object that had fallen on him. When he realized it was a grape, his fear gave way to annoyance. He looked up, and sure enough, Angelina was there on one of the barstools, suppressing a laugh. Sam sat beside her, preparing to drop another grape. Seriously? ¡°And just what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± said Lachlan. Angelina released the laugh she¡¯d been suppressing and burst into hysterical giggles. ¡°Seeing how many grapes we can drop on you before you wake up,¡± said Sam. ¡°The answer is nine, by the way.¡± Lachlan pushed himself into a seated position with his elbows. A few grapes rolled off him onto the floor. ¡°And why, exactly, are you doing this?¡± ¡°To satisfy my scientific curiosity,¡± said Sam, ¡°and because it¡¯s funny.¡± Lachlan gave the two of them his best surly frown. ¡°Excuse me if I don¡¯t see the humor in it,¡± he said. Sam and Angelina must have picked up on something in his expression, because their amused expressions disappeared. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Sam held up his hands. ¡°We¡¯ll stop.¡± Angelina slid out of her stool, plunking herself onto the floor and leaning back on her hands. ¡°Why are you so mad about grapes?¡± she said. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The question could have been confrontational or accusatory, but Angelina¡¯s tone and expression seemed genuinely curious. Normally, Lachlan would have brushed off a question like that with a brusque retort¨Che wasn¡¯t one to talk about how he was feeling, especially when he was annoyed¨Cbut there was something about the combination of being exhausted and lying on the floor that made him feel more open than usual. Something about lying on a floor always made him feel a strange camaraderie with whoever was around him. ¡°I¡¯m not mad, exactly. And it¡¯s not about the grapes.¡± ¡°What¡¯s it about, then?¡± said Angelina. ¡°The last time I woke up on a hard surface, I was paralyzed in the back of a murder van.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± said Angelina. ¡°It¡¯s how I got here,¡± he said. ¡°I was kidnapped by CPSI. I was drugged, and when I woke up, I was on the floor of a van so sus it probably had the words ¡®free candy¡¯ spray-painted on the side. When I woke up on the hard floor just now, I had a moment where I thought I was back in the van again.¡± Sam climbed out of his stool to sit beside them on the floor. ¡°And I¡¯m guessing us dropping grapes on you didn¡¯t help,¡± he said. ¡°No,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Sorry,¡± said Angelina. ¡°I should have thought.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°I mean, as a general rule of thumb, you shouldn¡¯t drop grapes on people, but you didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°No,¡± said Angelina. ¡°I should have thought, because I know how you feel. It was really scary for me right before I came here too. This creature¨Cone of the sisters¨Cattacked me; it cornered me inside this big pipe and grabbed me, and there was nothing I could do. And now I¡¯m just on full alert all the time. Every time I see something move on the edge of my eyes, or if I see a house that¡¯s about the same size and shape she was, I get so scared for a second.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Lachlan, because he wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. Angelina had described the feeling so accurately that he couldn¡¯t think of anything else to add on. ¡°I think it might be the worst feeling in the world,¡± said Angelina. ¡°When something really, really bad is happening, and you can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± ¡°Yeah, probably,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Mortal danger, big whoop. But mortal danger where you¡¯re powerless to fight or defend yourself?¡± ¡°Bad,¡± said Angelina. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to put it quite so succinctly, but yeah. Bad is an apt enough descriptor.¡± ¡°I know what you mean too,¡± said Sam. ¡°Right after I met Lachlan, one of those Dave things grabbed me, and my life was just¡ completely out of my hands. Nothing else that¡¯s happened to me has really been comparable to that. Not even getting my fingers eaten off, or watching Lachlan die, or anything. I¡¯m an engineer. I like to think every problem has a solution. But having my life in danger and not seeing a way out was¡ yeah.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Yeah,¡± echoed Angelina. ¡°I¡¯ve been on full alert too, like you said,¡± said Sam. ¡°It¡¯s a natural human response to being in danger. It¡¯s millions of years old.¡± ¡°If an early hominid got attacked by a cave bear, he¡¯d spend the rest of his life avoiding anything cave-bear shaped,¡± added Lachlan. ¡°I wish cave bears were the only thing we had to deal with,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°The Paleolithic era. Those were the good old days.¡± ¡°Yep,¡± said Sam. ¡°The good old days.¡± Chapter 9.4 Lachlan ¡°You know, analysis shows that cave bears were mainly herbivorous. They probably rarely attacked humans.¡± Lachlan jumped, his head snapping around to see Mrs. Sharma standing in the doorway. ¡°Have you just been standing there, eavesdropping on our little heart-to-heart chat?¡± he said. Self-conscious and caught off guard at the interruption, he drew his blanket up around his shoulders like a protective shroud. ¡°Only for a minute,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I came to tell everyone it was time to wake up. I didn¡¯t intend to eavesdrop.¡± Angelina looked similarly caught off guard, hugging her backpack against herself like a shield. ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯re going to tell us we¡¯re weak and we need to toughen up or something,¡± said Angelina. ¡°Don¡¯t put words in my mouth,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Why would I call you weak?¡± She stepped over Lachlan, taking a seat in one of the stools. ¡°Like Sam said, it¡¯s a human survival response,¡± she continued. ¡°Before I came here, I would have said there was no scientific basis for a statement like that, but it¡¯s certainly kept me alive in here, being alert at every moment, constantly scanning my surroundings. I know my own anecdotal evidence is no substitute for a formal study, but it just¡ feels so obvious.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Lachlan. ¡°Before my abilities had fully manifested, one of the Sarah fabrications cornered us. She wasn¡¯t fully mature, but she was too large to fight off, and she was vicious. She knocked out Mahender, and then¡¡± Mrs. Sharma lifted her pants leg to reveal the bottom of a curved scar on her calf. ¡°How did you get away?¡± said Angelina. ¡°It was the dog that saved us,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°It threw her across the room and gave me time to drag my idiot nephew somewhere we could hide.¡± ¡°With your leg like that?¡± said Angelina. ¡°In my time here, I¡¯ve learned that adrenaline is an extremely effective painkiller,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°With luck, we¡¯ll get out of here today and none of you will have a chance to learn that firsthand.¡± Lachlan almost pointed out that Sam had already learned that firsthand, but decided against it. No one spoke for a minute. Mrs. Sharma braced her arm against the stool as though she was about to stand up and end the conversation, but then Sam spoke. ¡°Mrs. Sharma,¡± he said. ¡°Did you ever see any sign of anyone else being trapped here? Other than you, Nancy, Mahender, and the fabrications?¡± ¡°Only twice.¡± ¡°What happened to them?¡± said Sam. ¡°They died. Both times, all I found was the aftermath.¡± Sam¡¯s voice was small when he replied, ¡°Please don¡¯t elaborate.¡± ¡°Why do you ask?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I was thinking about what you said before,¡± he said, ¡°about the hotspots, and the manmade bodies of water. It got me thinking about the first house I lived in, about how we moved right after my mom disappeared. My dad said it was haunted, that things kept disappearing, unexplained stuff kept happening. I thought it was just him being superstitious or coping with his grief or something, but¡ do you think¡?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Interlude 26 Falcon Falcon sat on the curb, turning his head slightly to stare at the view from outside the house. Once, the place he was sitting might have provided a picturesque ocean view. Now, in the dark, the street seemed to slope down into a great abyss that swallowed up the pastel shops, houses, and cobblestones. A few weeks after they¡¯d found him, Melanie and Dominic had taken him outside the city to a park with steep cliffs that had seemed at odds with the rest of the landscape¨Cbecause they¡¯d been created by stone mining, he¡¯d later learned. He¡¯d still had trouble communicating with his new friends, but Mel had led him by the hand up a trail, then up toward a rocky ledge. He¡¯d stopped walking and tugged on her arm upon seeing a ¡®danger: cliff edge¡¯ sign, and she¡¯d tugged back and tossed him a reassuring smile over her shoulder. They¡¯d dangled their legs off the edge and watched the sun set behind the city. Below them, there¡¯d been a lit pathway overlooking the river, and in the distance, there¡¯d been the skyline, lit up and shimmering, its reflection glistening on the water. But somewhere in between, there¡¯d been complete darkness. Melanie had put her hand up to block the view of the city, and Falcon hadn¡¯t understood at the time¨Cwhy would she want to block out something so beautiful? Months later, she¡¯d told him. She liked to block out the city, and pretend the world ended at the pathway below them before dropping off into an endless void. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. She¡¯d been wrong. The drop down the cliffs into the river hadn¡¯t looked anything like the edge of existence. It had just been the ordinary darkness of a river at night. Looking out into the complete oblivion in the distance, he now knew what the edge of existence really looked like. A movement out of the corner of his eye startled him out of his thoughts. He turned to see Mahender sitting beside him, staring out at the darkness too. How long had he been sitting there? Mahender shot him an apologetic look, then turned back toward the darkness. Their brothers slept now, huddling together on the cobblestone streets. They could sleep anywhere; they hadn¡¯t been designed to care much about physical discomfort, or maybe they were just used to it after a lifetime of sleeping in glass pods. Falcon turned to look again at his brothers¡¯ brother¨Cthe near stranger who¡¯d saved his life. He wasn¡¯t good at reading moods or facial expressions, but he had a hunch as to why Mahender wasn¡¯t sleeping either. Mahender had found a family in Falcon¡¯s brothers, but he had a family at home too. Falcon¡¯s brothers were his family, but the new family he¡¯d found was waiting for him back home. He wasn¡¯t ready to leave his brothers, but he knew he couldn¡¯t stay. Neither of them could, as hard as it was going to be to say goodbye. Chapter 9.5 Naomi ¡°Come on, everyone!¡± said Angelina. ¡°We have to clump really, really close together!¡± The group was clustered together in an alley across the street from Mrs. Sharma¡¯s house. It was easy for Angelina to tell them to clump closer together; she had the good fortune to be on the outside of the cluster. Naomi, on the other hand, was unlucky enough to find herself close to the center of the cluster, squeezed between Sam and Lachlan so closely she could smell the blood on them. It was kind of gross, but more than that, it made her worry what kind of gross things everyone was noticing being this close to her. She didn¡¯t have makeup on, and her hair was in a dire state. She¡¯d woken up with a mess of tangles, and while Mrs. Sharma had plenty of spare hair brushes, brushing had only served to make the ends of her hair poof out in places. She was in front of Lachlan, with the back of her head in his face, and he had to have noticed her awful hair. Of course it had to be Lachlan. If anyone there was going to make fun of her hair, it would be him. No wonder Mrs. Sharma always wore her hair in a bun in this place. ¡°All comfy-cozy?¡± Lachlan asked her and Sam. ¡°Um, no,¡± said Naomi. ¡°Whatever the opposite of comfy-cozy is, I think we¡¯re that,¡± said Sam. ¡°Well, you all need to get cozier!¡± said Angelina. ¡°We have to be as close together as possible so no one loses an arm or a head or something!¡± Oh. Maybe Angelina wasn¡¯t so lucky to be on the outside. Naomi squeezed in a little closer to Sam and Lachlan. ¡°Exactly how likely is one of us to lose a head?¡± said Sam. Naomi was close enough to him, she could feel him tense up as he asked the question. ¡°It¡¯s not my area of expertise, but from what I understand, it¡¯s highly unlikely,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Why is it unlikely?¡± said Angelina. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Are you questioning me?¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m questioning you, like I¡¯m asking you a question,¡± said Angelina. ¡°I wasn¡¯t challenging you or anything if that¡¯s what you mean. I just feel like we¡¯d all feel better if we knew the specific reason why our heads aren¡¯t going to fall off.¡± ¡°I¡¯d definitely feel better,¡± said Sam. Mrs. Sharma sighed. ¡°131 described the way we all came here as a ¡®hole in reality¡¯s floor¡¯, correct?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Jen piped up from the other side of Sam. ¡°131 is Sarah, right?¡± Naomi couldn¡¯t see Jen, but she could feel what she assumed were Jen¡¯s arms around Sam¡¯s waist. ¡°Think about someone falling into a hole. If your body falls into the hole, and your arms remain outside, your arms aren¡¯t going to fall off. You¡¯ll either pull yourself out of the hole, or your arms will be dragged down too.¡± ¡°Oh, okay,¡± said Angelina. ¡°The problem would be when the hole closes before you fall all the way in. Then your body would fall through the hole, while your arms would be left outside. We¡¯re working with a time constraint here, not a space constraint.¡± Well, that didn¡¯t make Naomi feel any better. ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s highly unlikely,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°The only way I can see it being possible if the parts of us outside the opening create some kind of resistance. That would make dismemberment a very real possibility.¡± Mrs. Sharma really needed to stop talking. ¡°Is it almost time?¡± said Angelina. ¡°You¡¯re the one who figured out when this opening would occur. You should know whether it¡¯s almost time.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t,¡± said Angelina. ¡°I¡¯m bad at keeping track of stuff like that.¡± Naomi couldn¡¯t see Mrs. Sharma¡¯s face, but she could imagine her disdainful expression. ¡°If you were smart enough to figure out how to fall between realities, you¡¯re smart enough to keep track of time. Your problem is that you¡¯re lazy.¡± ¡°I am not! Are you going to answer my question or not?¡± Naomi could picture Angelina¡¯s expression even more clearly than Mrs. Sharma¡¯s. She was definitely pouting. ¡°Since you didn¡¯t keep track, I guess I have to,¡± said Mrs. Sharma. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s almost time. We have about 30 seconds.¡± Naomi felt everyone squeeze in tighter. ¡°20. 19¨C¡° Oh no!¡± Angelina interrupted. ¡°Oh no, oh no!¡± Angelina¡¯s words sent panic buzzing into Naomi¡¯s head. ¡°What do you mean ¡®oh no¡¯?!¡± said Naomi. ¡°Don¡¯t say ¡®oh no¡¯!¡± She could hear the rest of the group voicing similar panic. Even the dog was barking from where he sat in Nancy¡¯s arms. ¡°We have to stop!¡± said Angelina. ¡°I made a mistake!¡± ¡°No!¡± came Mrs. Sharma¡¯s authoritative shout. ¡°Nobody move! It¡¯s too dangerous! There¡¯s no time! We only have five seconds!¡± Naomi squeezed her eyes shut as the tearing sound filled her ears, but it didn¡¯t make a difference. Sam and Lachlan fell away from her, ripped away by that unnatural green static that she could see without using her eyes. She felt the now familiar, but no less sickening sensation¨Cthe nightmarish shuddering as her body seemed to liquefy, pulled inward and down as though she¡¯d lied down on top of a shower drain and then suddenly melted. Then there was nothing.