《The Book of Adam》


 Chapter 1

    I guess I should start with, I¡¯m sorry. You probably saw this coming but I understand that might not make it hurt any less. I should explain, I owe you that much.


    Before the growing, before all the shit that brought, you took me to a parade. That stupid annual parade... Little five year old me waddling around when I saw this odd looking guy being wheeled around by a woman. I followed them, from the parade, from the square to their little house at the edge of town. Looking back on it, it was definitely a dumb decision, but I was five so... The guy in the chair was sweet, he smiled a lot even though he looked so weird... Weird people don''t normally do that, but he wasn''t like them, wasn''t like anyone. I pestered him about his appearance, about his house, about his chair, about the lady with him, and, when I finally shut up, he offered to explain everything. So I sat listening to this strange man telling me about things like, "being old" and "wheelchairs" and living away from people who refuse to try and understand. I''d never heard anything like it... I must''ve dosed off because, the next thing I knew, I was at our front door.


    That wasn¡¯t the last time I visited the house though, the old man¡¯s explanation was more of a story and he had so much more left to tell. School always taught me the same thing, the same math, the same science, the same books the same everything! And that stupid line about our city¡¯s motto, secure and immutable?! What the hell kind of motto is that? But what if it hadn¡¯t always been that way? What if there was a time when things were different, when things were better. The old man told me about a Book that only this guy called Destiny could read, a Book that contained every wonderful thing you could imagine. Another guy called Time made sure that those wonderful things made it out of the Book and into our lives. Imagine the sun moving across the sky! Imagine water falling from above or plants popping out of the ground, or people like me, people whogrow taller and stronger!That¡¯s the way the world used to be¡­ But not anymore. It was only after going to that house a couple times that I noticed I wasn¡¯t all that small anymore, doors didn¡¯t seem so big and I was suddenly taller than all my friends. And you know the rest of that story.


    I don¡¯t blame you for everything, I know this was just as new for you as it was for me, but I wish you could have seen things from my perspective for once. All the kids at school called me a freak, my old friends were to small and childish to play with and the other kids like me could only see me as child. Breaking Stephen¡¯s arm was a mistake, and I know that I came across pretty psychotic trying to explain it, but if you¡¯d just listened to me before, then maybe I wouldn¡¯t have exploded like that! I was alone, teachers couldn¡¯t put up with me, the school had no idea what class to put me in so I studied in the hallway, all our neighbors avoided me and all the people on the street stared at me, and you¡­ You were supposed to be the one person I could talk to and¡­ Well you let me down. What was it you called me? An uneven burden? That hurt¡­ a lot. I get that I haven¡¯t made things easy on you, and you constantly complaining about how unfair your life is didn¡¯t exactly help. So, I broke those windows for a reason, smashed those doors in because I had to, I needed something else to change, because you never would! You think you were miserable? Dealing with your angry little girl while everyone pitied the poor single father raising the freakish hellion, at least they cared about you! I was always the problem and everyone made damn sure I knew it¡­


    The only person who listened was the old man and the lady. They sat down with me and held me while I cried, you know, kind of what a father should do. But I suppose you set me straight¡­ I found out the lady was a nurse and she offered to guide me through the changes that were going on, though there was no stopping them from happening. Apparently, I was aging, something that the old man said used to happen to people all the time. I asked about you, asked the old man why you hadn¡¯t aged, but he said you had, everyone in the city had, but they all forgot.


    And doesn¡¯t that just sum it up perfectly? You all forgot! You¡¯re so focused on what you¡¯re supposed to be doing that you forgot to actually be real people! You told me that it might just be some people¡¯s destiny to be miserable, that some folk are just beyond helping and I just need to learn to accept it¡­ WHO THE HELL SAYS THAT TO A CHILD?! The old man and the nurse told me stories about Time and his children, how much he cared for them and how much he sacrificed for them. It helped me realize that you¡¯re a pretty crappy dad, and that maybe I¡¯m not the problem. If it¡¯s my destiny to make you miserable then I might as well just leave and screw the whole system. You don¡¯t deserve a daughter and you never deserved a wife¡­ But you¡¯ll like the next bit of the story, it sounds an awful lot like you¡­


    You see, Time and Destiny stopped getting along when Time screwed up and left his post. Destiny hasn¡¯t talked to him since. Can you imagine being so stubborn that you can¡¯t accept that people screw up, that sometimes people aren¡¯t always perfect? Writing someone off just because of a few mistakes? But why am I telling this to you, you¡¯re just the poor martyr with a child in need of your charity. And you know what happened? Without Destiny to watch over him Time made an even bigger mistake and ended up nearly dying. Do you even know what Death is? It¡¯s when a thing is made so broken that it can¡¯t be itself anymore... sound familiar? Apparently, Time was the reason we were all aging and why the sun moved and why trees grew, and when he got hurt all of that stuff just stopped. But if it happened once then I¡¯m sure it can happen again. The old man told me that Destiny is still out there somewhere and that he can make things right.


    And that brings us to why I¡¯m leaving¡­ it might all just be a story, there may be no point in going to find Destiny¡­ But I can¡¯t live here anymore knowing that out there things could be better. You know what¡¯s funny? I¡¯m actually going to miss you, but I have to go, there¡¯s nothing left for me here anyway¡­


    Your Daughter,


    Jennifer.


    Chapter 1


    Scientists once performed an experiment, just an innocuous little test on ants that seemed to be of very little importance to everyone, including the scientists themselves. Ants tend to search for food, bring it back to the colony and then repeat the process over again, but why? Well if they didn¡¯t they¡¯d die right? That¡¯s where the scientists came in. They provided enough food each day for the ants to survive just fine with no need to go out and forage for their own food. But, just in case the ants decided to forage anyway, the scientists switched out the food the ants would be looking for with plastic replicants. They then observed the ants leave the nest each morning, trek long distances to areas where they¡¯d found food before, discover the plastic food that the scientists left for them, pick it up and return it to the rest of the colony. Naturally when they got back to the nest they found themselves unable to eat the plastic food so they ate the real food the scientists placed in the nests for them. Now any rational person might have figured out that, since there always seemed to be food lying around the nest, going out to get food would be pointless, but that¡¯s the thing about ants, they¡¯re not rational! They are incapable of looking at their situation and realizing that, just because they¡¯ve always done things a certain way, doesn¡¯t mean that that¡¯s the only or even the best way to live their lives.


    The city Jennifer is leaving boasts an uncanny similarity to these ants. Within the city change had slowed to the point of total unimportance. Immortals with bodies that never require food, water, shelter or the vacating of bowels strolled around the city going about the play of life that served no purpose but familiarity. Why would a person ever go to work if the money they receive is going to be used on food that¡¯s unneeded and to pay off a house that¡¯d been paid off years ago? Why do children go to school to learn lessons they¡¯ve already learned hundreds of times over? The answer is a pretty simple one, they forgot. Like the ants the people had become so indoctrinated into the lives they lived that old memories seem to be stripped of everything but the how and when, and the who and why faded into obscurity. It would have been pointless to ask one of these city folk why they did what they did, because they¡¯d simply stare at you funny as they explained slowly (as you must obviously be thick) how it is they accomplish their tasks. Over time muscle memory had overtaken them, and their minds, confused as to the situation, figured the muscles must have it right and acted accordingly. So the city lived on in stagnant monotony, no one ever questioning, no one ever wondering if things may be off, but all blissfully playing out the roles they¡¯d been given, like characters in a book.


    Jennifer had experienced this frustrating experience on multiple occasions, being that she had done the unthinkable and actually managed to change. The most awkward part about growing up in a town where growing up is not a thing that one does is the consistent lack of clothing tailored for someone whose size may not be the same in one moment as it is in the next. Of course the tailors within the city could have made clothes for the unusual child in exchange for the money her father worked for each week, but both the tailors and the father refused to do so; if the child was going to inconvenience everyone by growing then she should be the one to deal with the consequences that came with it. Which is exactly what Jennifer did. At first she wore clothes that were much too small for her and revealed clearly to anyone in her presence exactly where she was growing, but the male attention this caused made her father quite irritable and Jennifer returned home one day to find all of her old clothes gone, replaced with one of her dad¡¯s jackets and a pair of women¡¯s leggings that seemed to belong to an older woman, but who that woman was Jennifer couldn¡¯t have much cared. Shoes proved a problem though as the local cobbler only sold shoes of specific sizes to specific people and Jennifer¡¯s feet were quite a bit larger than the records he had on file. Not to be defeated though, Jennifer decided that walking barefoot was a perfectly pleasant form of getting around and smiled smugly as people watched her strut across the cracked streets with nothing separating the stones from her feet. It wasn¡¯t until a talk with Rachel, the old man¡¯s nurse, that Jennifer was gifted a pair of boots that, while not perfect, certainly fit enough to beat out the blisters the alternative produced.


    It was these boots, those leggings and that jacket that adorned Jennifer as she walked calmly through the streets of her enemy occupied city. Even forgetting her odd habit of aging Jennifer was still very much considered an odd girl and her mismatched clothes did nothing to help that persona. Jennifer was not an especially tall girl and her already short legs looked even shorter with her father¡¯s massive jacket covering up a third of them. The jacket itself was quite a nice one if you happened to be a fairly large man; it had fluffy white fur on the collar, and the ends of the sleeves revealed a bit of the soft vertically striped insides. The insides, a warm maroon color, contrasted nicely with the dark tanned outer layer. Two large pockets adorned the sides near the bottom and, on Jennifer, they rested just slightly below her waist. Jennifer¡¯s favorite thing, and really the only thing about it Jennifer liked, was a little pocket on the front left side as it was the only aesthetically pleasing aspect of the jacket she¡¯d found. Along with the jacket she wore the black leggings she¡¯d found mysteriously topping her bed one morning, they fit nicely, and the black went well with her hair since they were almost the exact same color. Her hair was always a point of contention with her, she never knew how to style it so one day, in a fit of frustration, she gave up the whole ordeal altogether and let her hair fall where it may. Lucky for her, her hair wasn¡¯t all that long, and the small amount of brushing she did each morning to ensure it wasn¡¯t sticking straight up left her hair laying fuzzed out slightly along the sides of her face with the ends reaching halfway down her neck. Her bangs were always poorly trimmed and occasionally covered her eyes when she tried to run causing her to trip, cursing her hair the whole way down. She¡¯d cut them but, as the folks in town so often pointed out, she¡¯d look odd either way so she figured, ¡®why bother caring if it won¡¯t make a difference¡¯? So her bangs remained long and unkempt and her face stayed partially hidden from a world that quite preferred it that way. Her nose which was a bit bumpy and, in her opinion, a bit too large was one facet of her face that most people thought was cute, but the nurse was the only person who¡¯d ever said it, and Jennifer just wrote that off as her being nice. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    There¡¯s a feeling you may get when finally leaving a place very much like hell, or a person very much like Satan, or an event very much like the end of days, and that feeling, for whatever reason, isn¡¯t joy or relief, but instead comes out more like nostalgia. Jennifer pinched her arm as she walked and chewed viciously on the inside of her cheek every time that nostalgic feeling reared its rose-colored head. She refused to miss them. She would be happy or die trying. But the eternal sunset that rested over the gothic architecture imprinted a memory of something with unmatchable beauty and splendor, and it was this feeling that Jennifer had initially been drawn to and it was this beauty she now had to leave behind. She swore under her breath as she instinctively turned toward her scenic route, she knew she needed to leave sooner rather than later but that nostalgic parasite clung rigidly to her heart. Off to the east of the city, entirely frozen in time, sat a grove with ten or twelve winding trees stuck in a perpetual autumn that overlooked a small wooden bridge crossing a pond of the clearest water. The trees seemed to form a protective cover over the grove that made it difficult for anyone to find, anyone that is but Jennifer and the thirteen people, men and women, that sat around chatting on the grass while the rest of the city wandered home. Jennifer didn¡¯t see them that day and felt a sting of longing that she quickly squashed with a quick slap to the face. The grove people weren¡¯t really all that special, they seemed just like everyone else outside of the grove, but, in the grove, they looked happy¡­ like they belonged. Jennifer once asked them why they chose to hang out there all the time and they all just shrugged, they, like everyone else, had simply forgotten.


    The question, ¡°why?¡± is a good one, one Jennifer asked frequently, as she weaved through the city¡¯s diverse architecture her mind began to wander¡­ She wondered how the houses must feel being built for the sole purpose of protecting people from the elements yet they constantly must listen to people insisting that we should all spend more time outside; it does seem a tad bit insensitive. She considered bicyclists and those that refused to bike, why is there a distinction between the two? Jennifer figured that, if the bike was in fact the superior method of travel, then anyone not riding one would certainly be either ignorant or stubborn, but if the bikes were in fact useless then riding them is a painful task only a fool would undertake. The few instances Jennifer had pointed this out to bikers she¡¯d come across had been less than fruitful, they merely sneered as if she¡¯d insulted them, but that was a common theme for the girl in the puffy jacket, she wanted answers but she only ever got resentment.


    The biggest question of all was one Jennifer asked her dad nearly every day for as long as she could remember and it all revolved around the tower looming silently in the center of the city. She caught herself looking toward the tower every chance she got, always curious as to why no one had claimed the spot on the tippity top to sit and watch over the city. Why even have a tower in the first place if no one¡¯s going to sit at the top? The few times Jennifer had tried to sneak up and claim the spot for herself she was promptly discovered and returned to her frustrated father who refused to see the flawless logic in her theory on towers and their need to be sat on. She figured, if houses are offended when people speak of how fantastic being outdoors is, then the poor tower must be in constant distress watching people so content with remaining at ground level. The only potentially valid alternative view Jennifer had ever heard on the tower¡¯s purpose came from the kind nurse who claimed that sometimes a thing exists as art, to be admired, to inspire, and to remind people of the possibilities life has to offer. Jennifer had considered this theory but eventually threw it out as, clearly, the tower hadn¡¯t inspired anyone in the city to do anything. Though, having admitted that, Jennifer had to acknowledge that the tower really was something spectacular; the tower emerged from a large square podium designed like a sandy brown Temple supported by stoic Corinthian columns that Jennifer always thought could hold up the sun. Atop the columns rested an embossed pediment that bore the images of figures Jennifer now knew to be Time, Destiny and the Book; Destiny reading and speaking the words of the Book while Time was pictured running to and from the creation that Destiny had revealed, placing everything in its proper place. From that podium, now barren and vacant, rose a mighty prism of shining golden brick stacking toward the heavens and finally reaching a crescendo in the form of a spire that weaved in and out with curved goldenrods forming open hands poised to offer up some priceless gift to an awaiting city. It was in the palm of those hands that Jennifer had wanted to claim her spot. She spent a lot of time looking toward the tower, picturing herself seated at the top, the setting sun off in the distance, the cool air gently brushing against her cheek, and the intolerant unfeeling world so far beneath her as to be rendered unable to ruin such a perfect moment.


    Below the hands was an enigma that no one in the city had been able to decipher; each of the tower¡¯s four sides bore an enormous white circle lined with large black numbers ranging from one to twelve. Within the center of each of the circles three spears shot out toward the number eleven, each spear entirely reposed. No one could say what the symbol meant or why it had been added to the tower, the architect was mysteriously absent and no one could quite say who she had even been or what she had looked like. The symbol only succeeded in making people uncomfortable, producing a similar feeling to the man who, just as he¡¯s finally sinking into the sleep he so desperately needs, finds himself unable to remember whether or not he¡¯d locked the door. As far as Jennifer was concerned, the symbol was a challenge, like the tower was daring her to try and figure it out and Jennifer was certain she was up to the task.


    She smiled as a familiar black and orange cat brushed up against her leg, purring in mock appreciation of Jennifer¡¯s presence when Jennifer knew all she wanted was tummy scratches. It always baffled her the way that people get so emotional around cats, as if the cat choosing their company was some great honor, but Jennifer knew better, cats were a lot like her. If a cat doesn¡¯t run when you approach, it means that it trusts you not to harm it, but that doesn¡¯t mean it likes you. When a cat approaches you it means that the cat desires something from you, whether that¡¯s belly rubs or butt scratches it hardly matters, the point is the cat is certainly not doing it out of love for you, merely love of your services. Jennifer found something honest in that, something relatable and comforting. As far as she was concerned she had no qualities inherently bestowed upon her that would make anyone want to have anything to do with her, but to imagine a world in which people would come to her because of her achievements, well that seemed perfect. She stared down at the cat and fulfilled her request, five or so belly scratches and then her friend would disappear into the shadows. The first time Jennifer had met this particular cat she had been rifling through her garbage, an action that most cats did for no reason Jennifer could fathom. Usually her dad chased them off in a dance that felt like it¡¯d been going on for as long as cats and humans existed, but this time Jennifer beat him out the door and to the garbage where she was entranced with the combination of colors on this cat. She¡¯d seen many orange cats and many black cats, but the combination of the two felt refreshing, unique, relatable. She named the cat, Cat, because she¡¯d declared her the cat above all cats, the cat from whom all cats derive their names and their glory. This honorable title seemed to do little to impress the cat and she ran off as most cats did. But Jennifer saw Cat again and again, she just seemed to show up whenever Jennifer was feeling lonely and afraid, not as an agent of comfort, but one of need. She would barter her presence in return for Jennifer¡¯s belly scratches, a trade both parties found agreeable.


    Jennifer offered Cat her five belly scratches and, before leaving as usual, Cat¡¯s eyes lingered momentarily toward the horizon and, as if Cat was debating her next move, she raised a timid paw toward the sunset, held it there a moment and then spun around and bolted back into the shadows. ¡°Wuss,¡± Jennifer mumbled.


    The time for musing and catching up with old friends was quickly coming to a close though, Jennifer knew that at this point it was stalling for the sake of stalling and the adrenaline that had finally given her the courage to leave was quickly running low. The time for memories had ended, it was time for action. The edge of the city faced a surrounding of barren soil and withered trees covered in thick layers of snow; few people had ever looked out into the cold unknown land, but all who did had run home promising to better appreciate the warm city they had. Shivers ran up and down Jennifer¡¯s spine as she shakily inched closer toward the edge of the city, a few tears began to run down her face. The snow did not appear pure and white, descending gently from the heavens, but swirled angrily, lit only by the twilight sun and, upon hitting the ground, took on a grayish hue that resembled ash more so than snow. Somehow the landscape managed to resemble the fiery pits of hell and the frozen abyss of Tartarus simultaneously. The sun set the ashy snow ablaze giving all observers the chilling feeling that they were watching the world burn around them. The blizzard raged and the frozen trees reached out of the ground like buried men struggling to rise to the surface and escape their icy tomb.


    Jennifer willingly stepped off that last stretch of road and into the hell that awaited on the other side. The change occured mercilessly. Jennifer figured that the air was attempting to kill her as it beat against her small frame and viciously assaulted every bit of exposed skin. The icy sting quickly encouraged Jennifer to shove her hands and face deep into her jacket. Within the city the air was always still, never blowing save for the slightest breeze and so all those within had merely assumed that was the way air behaved, Jennifer was the first to remember that wasn¡¯t quite the case.


    Fighting every urge to turn on her heels and bolt back into the safety of the frozen city, Jennifer rammed her foot deeper into the snow. She couldn¡¯t turn back, no, nothing behind her would ever hold power over her again. All the children that laughed in her face, the adults who judged her every step and her father who watched it all silently. She would not return from this hell to the one she¡¯d fled, so long as they refused to change they would remain stagnant without her. So, with bellowing war cries, she dramatically overemphasized each step angrily cursing the wind for its betrayal.


    ¡°I thought we were friends you traitorous bastard! Why don¡¯t you calm the hell down, act like a man and help a girl out?! By the way, the fact that you¡¯re trying this hard and can¡¯t even scare off one little girl just shows how pathetic your little temper tantrum is!¡± The shouting helped and Jennifer soon found herself laughing at how absurd it was to berate the wind, but it made her smile so she kept going even after her lungs burned and her voice grew hoarse. Now strutting across the deep snow, Jennifer looked toward the sunset and shouted,


    ¡°I¡¯m coming after you Destiny! You¡¯d better have a damn good explanation ready when I find you!¡± Most people would¡¯ve stopped at some point or another and questioned which direction they were headed and weighed out the pros and cons of each direction; the direction of the wind, the sun hitting your back instead of your face would be nice. Jennifer had decided against such time-wasting activities and strutted straight toward the setting sun fighting the oncoming air with each step, and, oddly enough, this is the only reason there¡¯s a story to tell here.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2


    Jennifer periodically glanced behind her and smiled in smug satisfaction as her city finally disappeared from view. Finally, for the first time she could remember, she found herself truly and completely free, entirely beyond the judgmental stares of her neighbors and classmates. The smug smile began to fade as Jennifer heard a growling sound coming from her stomach as this overwhelming feeling of emptiness overtook her. Her legs felt hollow as if they were liable to snap at any moment. Her head felt light and fuzzy, as if she were being shaken softly but only her brain was feeling it. Most know this feeling as hunger, but for Jennifer who had never desired to eat anything, this feeling came as bit of a shock. The hunger got her reminiscing over a memory that she thought utterly insignificant at the time it occured, but for whatever reason she simply couldn¡¯t get it out of her head now.


    Around her tenth visit to the old man and the nurse¡¯s house Jennifer had nearly grown six inches. She entered the house as usual, shoving the door open with reckless abandon, kicking off her villainous shoes that she¡¯d become convinced had shrunk in an attempt to strangle her feet. Once free of them she announced, with pride, her entrance.


    ¡°Old man, nurse lady, I¡¯m back!¡± She shouted, plopping herself down on the couch by the window. As per usual, the old man returned her entrance with a poor imitation of fanfare trumpets, but to Jennifer, sounded more like someone struggling to pass gas. The nurse wheeled him into the room as he leaned his head back, hands in fists over his mouth playing his imaginary trumpet, eliciting a sigh of exasperation from the nurse, now faced with having to watch over two people with the maturity of grossly over caffeinated gophers. Jennifer ran up to the old man and curtsied,addressing him with her best in play nobility,


    ¡°Your oldness.¡±


    ¡°Young squirt.¡± He declared, returning her curtsy by bowing as much as the limitations of his wheelchair would allow, but he made up for this limitation with an over embellished flourishing of the hand. Jennifer fumed for a bit, not appreciating the name squirt despite insisting on calling the old man, well¡­ old. This would have been an understandable title for her to give him if not for the fact that he¡¯d pointed out on each of her previous visits that practically no one appreciates that aspect of themselves. Jennifer didn¡¯t really mind his name calling though, she was always entranced by the old guy. He was the only adult she knew that didn¡¯t act their own age, something she was beginning to learn a lot about. Despite his lower body being paralyzed, his upper body seemed to move enough for both halves. There wasn¡¯t a single moment Jennifer could recall where he wasn¡¯t tapping his fingers, swaying his head or raising his arms in the air and shaking them from side to side (something Jennifer found amusing as a child but, as she grew older, sided with the nurse that it was more than a little embarrassing). He was portly, and his large head made him look a bit like a potato, but a fun potato. Grinning constantly and always winking at the nurse, at Jennifer, at cats, at inanimate objects, the old geezer acted younger than most people a quarter his age. Like Jennifer he had a large bumpy nose, but, unlike Jennifer, he wore it with pride. He boasted that a man¡¯s sniffer is the first thing a lady sees so ya oughta be proud of it. Each time he¡¯d say that he¡¯d turn and wink at the nurse who responded by setting her head in her hand and shaking it back and forth until the subject had been changed. His bushy eyebrows and puffs of white hair on the sides of his head always spiked Jennifer¡¯s curiosity and when she asked about it he¡¯d always respond with a sly smile saying,


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m a LOT older than you.¡± He stressed the LOT like it was some inside joke and he¡¯d poke the nurse in the ribs with his elbow until she walked out of the room. He¡¯d then lean in toward Jennifer blocking his face with his hand while the other pointed toward the nurse as he whispered quite loudly, ¡°Do you think she just didn¡¯t get the joke?¡± Jennifer never got the joke either, but she always laughed and that always made the old guy smile. She loved his smile, it was the kind of smile that took effort, not the cheap smiles of younger men, but a smile fought for, won over some war Jennifer was only just beginning to understand¡­ The war of life.


    After the old man¡¯d greeted her and he¡¯d regaled her with a few more stories about the great adventures of Time, the nurse stepped in and made Jennifer go through the worst part of her visits, the checkups. If the checkups had started on her first visit Jennifer would have probably never come back, they were an awkward uncomfortable torture that Jennifer despised every last second of. The nurse had started them on the third visit, right after Jennifer had mentioned that her clothes were beginning to feel a bit tighter than usual. The nurse had demanded that Jennifer follow her into the other room for her to run some tests, and thus the torture began. The nurse would hit her in the knee with a tiny hammer, wrap a thing around her arm that squeezed real tight, stick a weird glass tube thing under her tongue and a wooden stick over her tongue while demanding that Jennifer make an, ¡°AH¡± sound. As if that wasn¡¯t bad enough she would occasionally stick a needle in Jennifer¡¯s arm and steal her blood! The old man always gave her another story right after, but that did little to relieve the torment she¡¯d undergone.


    This particular checkup lead to the nurse making a lot of, ¡°hmmmm¡± noises, furrowing her brow and tapping her lip lightly with the end of her pen. The nurse was normally fairly confident and went about her activities with determination and focus, like a captain preparing soldiers for battle. This was an odd change of pace for her. She was quite a tall woman with strong features and wide shoulders that gave her an unmovable presence. She always wore her wavy dark hair in a tightly knotted bun, a clear indicator that she was a woman with a job to do. She never dressed beyond the necessity of the moment, usually wearing dark green pants she rolled up halfway over her calves and a simple white buttoned up shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbow. Her skin was a russet brown without a single scar or blemish. Jennifer often found herself jealous of how beautiful the nurse was, she may have been harsh at times but she had this alluring quality about her that made you long for her presence and a way of speaking that soothed and relieved all the stresses of the world. This of course was only when she desired to relieve stress, at a moment¡¯s notice she could go from warm and inviting to cold and calculated; Jennifer became quite familiar with both sides. She somehow managed a motherly love that reached further than that sort of love is ought to go, so far that it entered into a realm of greyness, greyness she wore proudly, yet the weight of it slowed her steps.  After her thorough and longest inspection yet, the nurse left the room without a word leaving Jennifer to fume over her soreness as she cursed the nurse under her breath. She returned moments later with a box of bars that Jennifer recognized, seeing as her dad had a cabinet full of them. From the box the nurse pulled out a rectangle wrapped in foil and handed it to Jennifer,Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°Jennifer, I need you to eat this, your blood sugar¡¯s low and I¡¯m concerned you may be malnourished.¡± She said soothingly but with an undertone of command. Jennifer stared at her in confusion as she held the rectangle in her hands, unsure what the nurse expected her to do with it. Seeing Jennifer¡¯s confusion, the nurse¡¯s eyes widened and she held out her hand to Jennifer who returned the rectangle. Smiling the nurse tore the foil off the wrapper revealing a tan, squishy looking rectangle. She handed the tan squishy thing to Jennifer and then removed another identical rectangle from the box.


    ¡°Jennifer, I need you to follow my lead, trust me and do exactly as I do.¡± Jennifer nodded and watched in horror as the nurse stuck the tan squishy thing halfway into her mouth and chomped down, tearing the squishy thing in half. The nurse began moving her jaw up and down keeping her mouth open and showing Jennifer the remains of the bar in her mouth, remains that her teeth kept clamping down on. With each bite the pieces became smaller and smaller until the nurse closed her mouth and swallowed. She opened her mouth and Jennifer saw that all the squishy tan bar had vanished!


    ¡°Now I need you to try.¡± The nurse ordered as she motioned toward the squishy tan thing in Jennifer¡¯s hand. Fearing the nurse and wanting nothing to do with what she just witnessed, Jennifer sat totally frozen, her eyes fixed onto the squishy tan thing, hoping something might save her from this impossible choice. Jennifer made the mistake of allowing her eyes to wander upwards until they met the nurse¡¯s, who held Jennifer¡¯s eyes in place with her own as Jennifer began to sweat nervously. The nurse cocked an eyebrow like a cowboy in a standoff and Jennifer, fearing the worst, shoved the whole squishy tan thing into her mouth and chewed ferociously. The tan squishy thing was barely tasted as Jennifer swallowed it opening her mouth to show the nurse it was all gone. When the nurse nodded, she sprinted out of the room and collapsed into the old guys arms in tears, he patted her on the head,


    ¡°Now what did the mean lady do to you?¡± He cooed. The nurse walked into the room and sat down on the couch with a proud smile on her face.


    ¡°I taught her how to eat, I can¡¯t believe they all forgot how to eat¡­¡± She said as she leaned her head back placing a hand over her forehead.


    ¡°They¡¯ve never needed to eat, I think she¡¯s the first one from that city to eat anything in nearly half a millennium.¡± The old man replied looking down at Jennifer in a mixture of wonderment and sorrow.


    ¡°Well she¡¯s going to need to keep eating, she¡¯s starting to grow and her body needs nutrients again. She needs to get used to the idea.¡± But Jennifer did not get used to the idea, every visit became a fight as Jennifer and the nurse spent nearly an hour staring each other down hoping the other might give in and, despite her stubbornness, it was always Jennifer who lost. The nurse began serving Jennifer water with the food bars and the addition of drinking was one Jennifer minded far less than eating. Since that day she¡¯d noticed that the grocery stores throughout the city all held these same boxes and that people around the city bought them, placed them in their cabinets and, after some time had passed, threw them out so they could buy more. It wasn¡¯t just the bars they bought either, they would buy this green leafy stuff in the shape of a ball, these little red squishy things with leaves on top, and squishy pink stuff that they would put in a perpetually cold box. Jennifer figured that any of these things could be eaten, but she dared not try it, seeing as she could barely eat the bars much less a big ball of leaves. She¡¯d always hated eating, that is, until now.


    The urge to sprint back to the city and shove as many of those bars in her mouth as possible nearly won out over her mission. The memory of that first time eating made her salivate and her stomach rumbled in response. The discomfort became so overwhelming that she found herself hallucinating little dancing leaf balls begging to be eaten. The pain grew too much and, as she finally turned to begin her pathetic march back to the city, she smelt something entirely foreign, a smell she actually enjoyed. Spinning around frantically, Jennifer¡¯s eyes scoped out the surrounding landscape for the source of this delightful aroma, an aroma completely beyond her ability to describe. While the words may be missing, the memories and desires attached to them remained and Jennifer finally located a small opening in the snow with dark smoke rising from it. Positive that the smell must be originating from the alcove, Jennifer sprinted desperately in the direction of the smoke and, with zero caution, pushed her way into the cave and found herself face to face with a man dangling a red squishy heap over dancing lights that snapped, popped and swayed with the wind.


    ¡°This is certainly unexpected¡­¡± The man said. The squishy heap began to brown.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3


    Smug jackass; the phrase popped into her mind and she figured that it must in fact be an accurate representation of the man in front of her, since she was sure she¡¯d never been wrong about this sort of thing before. The man¡¯s curly dark hair was finely combed and pushed into a neat part to the left side of his slightly larger head, a head that was tilted slightly to the side in amused confusion. His eyes were shrewd and a deep grey color, blinking rarely and fixed stoically on Jennifer, eyes that made Jennifer cautious as they ran contrary to the smile resting beneath them. The single raised eyebrow, tilted head and bemused smile came across to Jennifer as rather smug thus leading to her final conclusion that the man¡¯s a smug jackass, but the eyes told her that he¡¯s a smug jackass of a rare breed. All of this of course occurred in the three or four seconds after busting into the alcove and Jennifer was really only consciously aware of these conclusions on the vaguest level, smug jackass was really her only conscious takeaway. Also a more pressing question quickly emerged that broke her train of thought and demanded her whole attention.


    ¡°Who the hell are you and how are you out here?!¡± The words left her mouth in a way she hoped would sound somewhat authoritative, but her dry throat refused to play ball and the words came out more as a prepubescent squeak. The man laughed which did nothing to help Jennifer¡¯s mood, leading her to try again. ¡°WHO ARE YOU?!¡± She was quite proud of that delivery as it sounded far more like a roar than a squeak, but she was less than thrilled at the man¡¯s chipper response. He merely laughed, still refusing her an answer. She crossed her arms and put on her most intimidating face, a face that looked to anyone viewing it like she had just passed gas and had caught a quick whiff of it. After a couple minutes of laughing the man settled down, wiped a small tear from his eye and smiled at Jennifer.


    ¡°Sorry about that, I really shouldn¡¯t have laughed at you. It¡¯s just been awhile since I¡¯ve seen something funny out here.¡± He shrugged as he placed the thing, which was now entirely brown and smelt even better than before, on a plate. His voice had a noble ring to it and he punctuated each word quite precisely neither slurring words together or leaving a single one unpronounced, giving his voice a scholarly tone that Jennifer also found fit nicely in her initial conclusion; he¡¯s a smug jackass. ¡°Let me make it up to you, since you look so hungry why don¡¯t you join me for dinner?¡± By context Jennifer figured dinner had something to do with the lovely smell and hunger must be the overwhelming desire to stick the good smelling thing down her gullet. Not wanting to give ground though she stamped her foot and met the man¡¯s smile with stubbornness.


    ¡°I asked you a question and I¡¯m not doing anything until you give me an answer.¡± The man looked confused and, she was pleased to note, a little annoyed.


    ¡°Have it your way.¡± He shrugged as he picked a chunk out of the brown stuff and popped it in his mouth. Jennifer just stood there watching him, doing everything in her power to not show any signs of how much she wanted what was on that plate.


    The man was nearly halfway done with the brown stuff and beginning to glance up at Jennifer more and more often, he seemed a bit concerned. Jennifer noticed the glances and felt herself winning whatever it was that was going on and so she clung further to her resolve.


    ¡°You really do look like you¡¯re starving, there¡¯s still a good bit left if you want it.¡± He said, attempting to shrug as carelessly as he had before, but this time it came across far more rigid and forced. Jennifer made no move to the food opting instead to return his shrug with one of her own. She almost broke her stiff upper lip to smile when she saw the man twitch in frustration. She noticed him eating more slowly after that, glancing her way more often, this time around making a more pointed effort to be subtle.


    ¡°Look you¡¯re actually going to starve if you don¡¯t eat something so just get over here and eat.¡± He said with concern on his face, but frustration in his voice.


    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to, just as soon as you answer my questions.¡± She openly smiled, she figured she¡¯d stop trying to hide it, besides it looked an awful lot like the condescending smile he¡¯d given her. She saw him struggling to decide whether or not to give in, his face attempting to keep appearances of being concerned but doing a pretty poor job of it. Clearly, he was someone used to getting his way and she reveled in the opportunity to break someone of their smugness.


    ¡°James, my name is James, now will you please just eat something?¡±


    ¡°I asked two questions James and I said I wasn¡¯t moving until you answered both, now how did you get out here?¡±


    ¡°You know most people would be grateful to be offered free food by a stranger instead of interrogating them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still waiting on an answer.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want from me, I walked, happy now? How else would I have gotten here?¡±


    ¡°You know what I mean! I know how you got out here, but why did you leave the city? I thought I was the only one.¡± James thought about that for a second and slowly relaxed.


    ¡°Why do you assume I¡¯m from your city?¡± Jennifer was taken aback, she¡¯d never considered the possibility of there being people living anywhere else.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not from my city then where¡¯d ya come from?¡± She stammered, her confidence all but faded.


    ¡°A city hundreds of miles away, if you¡¯ve never left your city before now I¡¯m fairly certain you¡¯ve never heard of it.¡± James seemed to be regaining his composure and now motioned Jennifer to sit as he offered her some of the good smelling brown stuff. Jennifer finally complied and scarfed down the food as she pondered what James had said.


    ¡°If there are other cities out there then why haven¡¯t I ever heard of them?¡± Jennifer asked as she licked the remaining grease off her fingers.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I suppose cities nowadays don¡¯t communicate much, the city I¡¯m from really only ever interacts with a couple of neighboring towns. By the way, I never got your name and, since you so vehemently insisted on getting mine I figure it¡¯s only fair if I know your¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Jennifer, so if you¡¯re from another city then why are you out here? Is your city horrible too?¡± Jennifer had finished licking her fingers and was now leaning cautiously toward the snapping light..


    ¡°You sure ask a lot of questions¡­¡± James said as he leaned against one of the walls of the alcove his hand toward the snappy light, ¡°I¡¯m looking for my brother he¡­ ran away a long time ago and now I need him to come home.¡± Jennifer noted the hesitation and tilted her head and attempted to raise an eyebrow of her own, she did not succeed.


    ¡°So why¡¯d he run away?¡±


    ¡°Not really any of your business.¡±


    ¡°Could be if ya told me.¡±


    ¡°Not happening.¡±


    ¡°Fine, thanks for the food but I suppose I should be going.¡± Jennifer said coldly as she got up to leave. James sighed.


    ¡°Look we had a fight, it wasn¡¯t pleasant, and he left. Now please stay¡­ I actually need a favor.¡±


    ¡°A favor?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a favor, that city of your¡¯s, would you take me to it? If he¡¯s near here then he probably took shelter there.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°How do you know? You don¡¯t even know what he looks like!¡± James shouted, no longer attempting to hide his frustration.


    ¡°Nobody new has ever been to my city.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me.¡± Jennifer shrugged. Her apathy was beginning to wear on James and he found himself falling back on every last bit of patience he had to not throw up his hands and be done with this infuriating girl. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a few seconds and, as calmly and slowly as he could manage said,


    ¡°I¡¯d at least like to check.¡±


    ¡°Not happening.¡±


    ¡°Why not?!¡± And there went the last of his patience.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m not going back there!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°None of your business!¡± Jennifer shouted as she moved again toward the exit. James followed behind shouting just as loud.


    ¡°So that¡¯s it then, you get to ask me all the questions you want, but you won¡¯t answer any of mine?¡± Jennifer spun back on her heels, planted her feet, threw her arm away from the setting sun and pointed.


    ¡°The city¡¯s that way, happy now?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything that way!¡±


    ¡°The hell are you talking about just lo-¡°Jennifer froze as she looked back toward her home and saw nothing but the edge of a cliff. She hadn¡¯t climbed anything to get here and she knew that she¡¯d consistently walked toward the sun so home must be the other way, but James was right, there was clearly no city that way. Jennifer ran toward the edge of the cliff and looked down; nothing. The ravine was so deep and the flurry of snow so thick that, whatever was at the bottom of the ravine, if there even was anything, was lost. With the setting sun behind her and the cliff blocking the rest of the sun¡¯s rays all that could be seen down the ravine was darkness, absolute and total darkness. Above the ravine, looking forward Jennifer could see where the last red rays of sunset ended and where the darkness began. Seeing Jennifer¡¯s clear and genuine concern, James decided it might be best to ease up on the questions, at least for a while. Despite his best intentions, within that calm Jennifer still saw frustration, probably due to hitting another dead end on his whole brother search. Setting all the frustration aside for a moment, James walked slowly over to Jennifer and awkwardly patted her on the back.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright, you probably just got turned around is all.¡± Jennifer nodded, that had to be it, but she couldn¡¯t imagine how, she knew the path she¡¯d taken¡­ but what other explanation was there? She sat down on the edge of the ravine and let her feet dangle over the abyss as she stared longingly out into the nothingness, hating herself for missing a place she¡¯d wanted to leave for so long. She missed her tower, the one she¡¯d never had the chance to sit atop, and, with her feet dangling, she closed her eyes and imagined she was finally sitting on her spot. From her memories she saw the city below, but the memories kept fading as the harsh wind nipped at her face until she finally opened her eyes in defeat. All she could see was the flurry of wind and snow swirling pointlessly over the ravine, it frustrated her and she slammed her fist onto the ground and buried her head in her coat. James sat down beside her, ¡°Why did you leave?¡± Jennifer looked over at James, his eyes seemed earnest, more so than before and so she sighed,Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°I needed to find¡­ somebody.¡±


    ¡°Who¡±?


    ¡°¡­Destiny¡­¡± She whispered the name softly and saw James¡¯ whole body twitch, ¡°What? Do you know something about Destiny?!¡± She shouted as she stood, staring down at James excitedly. James thought for a moment, clearly wrestling with something until finally one side won out,


    ¡°My brother¡­ he went looking for Destiny. That¡¯s why he left¡­¡± Jennifer gawked at him,


    ¡°Why? What did he want with Destiny?!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really say¡­ He and I fought all the time, about work and friends and our city and, one day, he just left. He left me a note, there was a lot of personal stuff but he ended it saying that he was going to find Destiny, that he was going to change things, make things right I guess¡­¡± Jennifer smiled,


    ¡°I think I like your brother, he sounds like a good guy.¡± James nodded in agreement,


    ¡°Yeah, I just wish I¡¯d figured that out before. But I¡¯m going to make it right, wherever he is I¡¯m going to find him and bring him home.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he did it?¡±


    ¡°Did what?¡±


    ¡°Found Destiny?¡± Jennifer said hopefully. James lowered his head, put up his arms and shrugged.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really think finding Destiny is possible, from all the stories I¡¯ve heard Destiny seems pretty good at not being found.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± James stared at Jennifer in complete bewilderment. Jennifer returned his confusion with a confident smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you, call it payback for the food. I obviously can¡¯t take ya back to my city, but I can at least help ya look, ya know another set of eyes could really help ya.¡± James shook his head as he considered her offer.


    ¡°What about you? What about your quest for Destiny?¡± Jennifer shook her head, ¡°That was just a joke is all, I really just wanted to see the sights, gets cramped being walled in all the time. Besides, helping search for some guy¡¯s brother sounds way more fun! And you seem to know your way around this area so maybe you can point out some of the sights as we go!¡± Jennifer shot all this out in rapid succession leaving James silent. She hoped he¡¯d bought it, if his brother had really found Destiny than this might be her best chance. She could¡¯ve just told him the truth, but he worried her, something about him made her hesitant...


    ¡°I suppose I could use another set of eyes¡­¡± He mused as he stared off into space. ¡°Alright. I suppose you can come.¡± Jennifer grinned,


    ¡°Thank you! I mean¡­ you¡¯re welcome I guess, either way, you won¡¯t regret this!¡± James sighed, an action he¡¯d been doing a lot recently,


    ¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t get in the way, okay? If you¡¯re going to come with me just know that I¡¯m not stopping for anything, I¡¯m here to search not explore.¡± Jennifer nodded excitedly,


    ¡°Deal, so where to next?¡±


    ¡°The cave, you look exhausted and I¡¯m exhausted from talking to you. We need to get some sleep.¡± Jennifer was confused, why would they sleep? Back in the city everyone, ¡°slept,¡± as in they all got into their beds and just lied there with their eyes closed for a long time and then they got back up and went about their lives. Jennifer had never understood why and, when she asked, her father told her that¡¯s it¡¯s merely another part of their schedule, the part that occurs between home time and getting ready to go back to work. But the more Jennifer thought about lying down the more appealing the thought became and, once back in the cave next to the snappy light, the thought seemed just right. She removed her coat and tucked it under her head, closed her eyes and slept.


    ******************************************************************************


    The two trudged through the deep snow, James wore a long wool coat and a scarf of a deep blue color, Jennifer really could have used a scarf like that. The wind whipped each of them on the right cheek as they now walked perpendicular to the sun heading north, when Jennifer had mentioned that she was heading straight toward the sun in an effort to always remember which way she¡¯d came James had stared in awestruck wonderment at her lack of forethought. After quite a long argument Jennifer finally gave in and admitted that it would probably be better to not walk directly into the wind and so they settled on going north. That conclusion was reached when James declared they¡¯d be going south and Jennifer, hating any form of declaration not her own, declared they¡¯d be going north. After an even longer argument in which James began to reveal a fair amount of gaps in his own directional abilities, James finally gave in and thus lead to the two beginning their long trek to the north. You might think all of this was pointless squabbling but to the south the pair would have been eaten by a very large beast with scales like iron and teeth the size of daggers and, to the west, they¡¯d have reached a coastline plagued by earthquakes and once populated by the worst sort of people on the planet. So horrid were these people that some theorized that the earthquakes occurred solely because not even Adam itself could stand their existence. In fact, entire volume sets could be written on the absolute foul nature of those living on the western coast and one day they might be, but for now just know that, if the pair had gone west, they would have met an equally undesirable end.


    Whenever the pair got hungry James would produce some more of the red squishy stuff from the bag he always kept slung over his shoulder, when Jennifer asked what the red squishy stuff was she instantly regretted it and refused to eat it ever again. But, after two more stops, she ate it begrudgingly. Having never seen a cow before Jennifer could only extrapolate its appearance from the only other animal she¡¯d seen, a cat. So, when James described cows as big ugly cats Jennifer couldn¡¯t help but see Cat¡¯s face every time she took a bite.


    ¡°Are there any cows out here¡±? Jennifer asked after one of their meal stops. James considered this for a moment and then shrugged, ¡°I doubt it, if there were they¡¯ve probably all frozen to death.¡±


    ¡°How much more cow do we have left?¡± Jennifer asked, suddenly very concerned about the massive amount of food stops they¡¯d been making.


    ¡°Not a lot, I packed enough for me, but that was assuming I¡¯d only be out here a few weeks¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a week?¡± Jennifer inquired, quite puzzled by how casually James used such a foreign word.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what a week is?¡± James asked with an air of disbelief and both eyebrows raised. Jennifer, her face bright red from embarrassment, attempted damage control,


    ¡°So what if I don¡¯t?! Maybe we don¡¯t have weeks where I come from!¡± She shouted. She swung her head away to avoid further eye contact.


    ¡°A week is seven days, you do know what a day is right?¡± Jennifer looked back at James and meekly shook her head. James, not wanting to pick a fight, hid his shock and suggested that they stop and rest for a while.


    Sitting by the snappy light Jennifer listened as James attempted to explain what a day was. When he saw it wasn¡¯t getting anywhere he asked Jennifer how she tells time; she stared back at him vacantly.


    ¡°You know¡­ Time is that thing that changes things¡­ It¡¯s why you get hungry a while after you¡¯ve eaten and why you get tired a while after you sleep.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯ve heard of Time before, but I¡¯ve never really been tired before, or hungry¡­ The first time I felt either of those things was after I left the city.¡± When Jennifer saw a look of equal confusion on James¡¯ face she figured she¡¯d better straighten this out now. So the two discussed Jennifer¡¯s life back in the city, about how things never really changed and time didn¡¯t seem to be a thing, how she was the only one that ever grew and no one else ever aged. James listened and did his best to explain all these things that, to him, were fundamental, but were all brand new to Jennifer. He explained why people eat food, what food even is. He went over sleep cycles and how, legend says, the sun used to disappear from time to time and then reappear later, which is how people came up with the notion of days in the first place. James talked about watches, devices people used to tell time without the sun¡¯s help.


    ¡°My brother used to have this gold pocket watch that he took with him everywhere, I genuinely never saw him without it. He¡¯d always ask people for the time and, when they couldn¡¯t tell him he¡¯d laugh and then whip out his trusty pocket watch and declare the current time¡­ I used to hate it when he did that, now I sort of miss it¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your brother, he really does sound nice. Anyone brave enough to take off on their own is a hero in my book. But I gotta ask, why didn¡¯t ya follow him¡±? James raised his head and spoke without looking in Jennifer¡¯s direction, but rather past her,


    ¡°I had a job to do¡­ and so did he for that matter. As much as I¡¯d like to forget about the people that depend on me I can¡¯t, even for my own brother. Sometimes we all just have to suck it up and accept our destiny.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit.¡±


    ¡°What¡±?


    ¡°No one has to do anything, people choose to do stuff and when the stuff they do is bad they call it destiny. You chose to let your brother walk away, whether that was the right choice or the wrong choice I don¡¯t know, but don¡¯t go blaming it on Destiny.¡±


    ¡°How do you even know about Destiny? I spent my entire life reading and only found the vaguest references to him.¡± James was changing the subject and Jennifer against her baser instincts allowed it.


    ¡°There¡¯s this really kind old man in my city back home, he told me all about him. I don¡¯t know how he knew about it, I asked him once and he told me that old people just know stuff¡­ WAIT!!¡± Jennifer shouted jumping to her feat she placed her hands over her head and paced in a circle. Alarmed James froze as his eyes took in Jennifer¡¯s every movement.


    ¡°I know what an old guy is now! If time makes you older than that means that the old guy just has a lot more time than the rest of us! That makes so much sense now! But¡­¡± Jennifer scratched her head and then shivered a bit, ¡°being old doesn¡¯t do a lot for a person in the looks department¡­ Hey James¡±? James, relieved at Jennifer¡¯s realization snapped out of his alert trance and looked to Jennifer with an eyebrow raised,


    ¡°Yeah¡±?


    ¡°Now that time is happening to me now how many times until I lose my hair?¡± Jennifer asked genuinely concerned, ¡°I really like my hair too¡­ it¡¯s all soft and it¡¯s fun to play with.¡± Jennifer mumbled as she held a few strands of her hair between two fingers and raised them in front of her face. James burst out laughing, he genuinely couldn¡¯t help himself. Jennifer stomped her foot and glared at him, ¡°I¡¯m serious! I don¡¯t want to be bald!!¡± This of course made James laugh even harder, but Jennifer didn¡¯t quit, ¡°Tell me!! I have a right to know!¡± She walked over to James and began kicking him lightly as she continued voicing her concern. After a while of this James finally regained control of himself and, still giggling reassured her,


    ¡°Women don¡¯t usually lose their hair, alright? Now would you stop kicking me? Besides, you have a long way to go before you become ¡®old.¡¯ I¡¯d wager you¡¯re around nineteen years old, so that means you have another forty to fifty years before you become, ¡®old.¡¯¡± Jennifer, slightly more reassured now, thought about the number nineteen.


    ¡°What¡¯s a year?¡±


    ¡°Either a very long time or a very short time depending on who you ask.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you.¡±


    ¡°365 days or 52 weeks.¡±


    ¡°You said days and weeks are pretty long?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°So that means a year¡¯s gotta be even longer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°So how can it be very short?¡±


    ¡°Depends on how many years you¡¯ve had.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t follow¡­¡±


    ¡°The more years you have the shorter they feel, at least that¡¯s what my dad always taught me.¡± James shrugged, throwing more wood into the fire. Jennifer mulled this over for a bit and then began again,


    ¡°So you think I¡¯ve had nineteen of these years?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°How can you know that?¡±


    ¡°Because you look like someone who''s lived for nineteen years.¡±


    ¡°What would I look like if I¡¯d only lived for five years?¡±


    ¡°Smaller.¡±


    ¡°So the more years you have the larger you are¡­? That doesn¡¯t make any sense! You said the old guy had way more years than me and he was only a little bigger than me!¡± James rubbed his face with his hand and took a deep breath, this was not a conversation he ever imagined having.


    ¡°More years means a person is bigger up until about the sixteenth to twentieth year, at that point they are about as big as they¡¯re ever going to be¡­ at least height wise. After the twentieth year every year after just makes your skin wrinkle more, your hair thin and lose color, and your level of energy go down.¡±


    ¡°That sounds terrible!¡±


    ¡°Yeah most people would prefer not to age¡­¡±


    ¡°And you think I have nineteen years? So I probably won¡¯t get any bigger¡­¡± Jennifer was quite disappointed by this revelation, there were some boys back home she would have liked to outgrow¡­


    ¡°Well yeah, but you¡¯re a pretty normal height for a girl so I wouldn¡¯t worry about it.¡± A comfortable silence fell over the two, neither one would admit it, but they were both enjoying this conversation immensely, James, though he didn¡¯t broadcast it, loved explaining things and Jennifer had more than enough questions she really wanted answered.


    ¡°How many years do you have?¡± Jennifer asked, the thought having just occurred to her that everyone must have a number of years.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say¡­ Since the sun is no longer moving it¡¯s kind of hard to keep track. If I were to guess I¡¯d say I¡¯m probably between 25 and 30 years old.¡± James said offhandedly, no one had ever asked his age before.


    ¡°So you have a fair amount more years then I do¡­ You don¡¯t look old though.¡± Though many would have meant this as a compliment Jennifer was merely making an observation.


    ¡°It takes more than ten years to get old, a lot more actually depending on who you ask.¡± The fire had dimmed and James quickly grabbed a few sticks from the pile he¡¯d been collecting during their travels and threw them into the blaze.


    ¡°What¡¯s that snapping light and why is it warm?¡±


    The two kept talking for hours; about what the snappy light is, about cows and cats and other animals, about having to get new clothes and all sorts of other nonsensical things neither one of them ever thought they¡¯d need to discuss with another person until, finally, neither one could stay awake any longer and so they called it a night, a reference Jennifer now understood.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4


    Remember when you were a child and, drifting off to sleep, you¡¯d suddenly become hyper aware of every creek, thud and whisper within your home. Do you remember how the shadows would dance? What shapes they took? Did they chase after you, wishing to gobble you up or were they playful, wishing to whisk you away to some far-off land? As a child were you afraid? Did you know then all that you know now? If you had known what the world was going to be like would the darkness, the noises, the shadows, really be the things that scared you? Before you ever lost someone, before you watched a loved one laid in the ground, before a failure lost you everything, before you came to terms with your own limitations, what did you really have to be afraid of? For Jennifer she knew one fear more so than anyone else, loneliness. Her loneliness tore away at her and, as she drifted off to sleep she shivered fearing that James would be gone when she awoke. She¡¯d had friends before and, now that James had come dangerously close to the, ¡°friend¡± territory Jennifer knew what had to happen next; he had to leave. That¡¯s what friends do, Jennifer assured herself, they leave. She hated herself letting her guard down, but she swore to herself that it would not happen again. She would not allow James to hurt her, when they awoke he would find her apathetic, distant, and this, Jennifer knew, was the only way to keep herself safe. She certainly couldn¡¯t have known that James was having a very similar conversation in his own head as he drifted off to sleep.


    Waking up neither of them found the other missing and neither would ever admit the joy that made them each feel.


    ¡°We need to keep moving, we wasted a lot of time last night.¡± James said, casually casting an accusing glance toward Jennifer. Jennifer gritted her teeth and smiled,


    ¡°I was just thinking the same thing, why waste anymore time? I hope my ignorance won¡¯t end up being a burden to your mission again.¡± And with that last nights unwanted lapse into ¡°friendship¡± territory was¡­ tactfully undone.


    Humans have a tendency to force people they despise to fit the mold of people that should be despised. You know what I mean, you dislike someone so you look for every bad quality they have in an attempt to rationalize your dislike for them. Well Jennifer and James happened to both be experts in this particular exercise. Jennifer¡¯s thought process went a little something like this:


    He thinks he¡¯s taking pity on me, the bastard¡­ I¡¯m just some stray cat he found as far as he¡¯s concerned. And what was that last night? I didn¡¯t ask for a lecture, I don¡¯t need some curly haired condescending ass telling me how the world works, I¡¯ve gotten by just fine on my own. And is it possible for him to look at me without sticking his nose up? The guy just seems to have something up his butt at all times! And the way he talks about his food, like somehow I¡¯m responsible for him running out, he¡¯s completely forgetting the fact that I never asked for it in the first place! He offered! And why did he offer? Because he wants to feel like some big man, all important and what not, taking pity on some poor little girl, well he can shove it, I¡¯ll find us some food and then he¡¯ll have to take charity from me. And what¡¯s with that stupid scarf? You don¡¯t need to look like an idiot to stay warm you know!...


    And so on like that for the next few hours of their trip. Don¡¯t judge her too harshly though, James was thinking pretty much along the same lines. The thing that finally broke them of their¡­ evaluations¡­ of each other was a sudden and quite large slope into a vast canyon that the two now stood at the edge of. Unlike other ravines the two had come across this one did not begin with a steep drop off but rather a gentle slope down to a rather large drop off, followed by a flatter expanse. Jennifer had never seen anything quite like it and so she ran through the snow down the slope to the first drop off. James followed along behind quite a bit more casually.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like this¡­¡± Jennifer mused in wonderment as she gazed out into the unending expanse before her.


    ¡°It¡¯s all dried up now, that¡¯s a shame we might¡¯ve found some fish.¡± James said as he began to turn back. Jennifer knew dried up things usually were once filled with water, but that couldn¡¯t be right¡­ How could an area this large be filled with water.


    ¡°What do you mean dried up?¡± Jennifer finally asked, hating displaying her ignorance again. James sighed and walked back toward the canyon. Squatting down on the slope James began to dig in the snow, throwing it off to the side. As Jennifer watched quizzically she noticed how the snow he discarded was turning into a rather large pile, this gave her an idea. After two or so minutes of digging James finally reached what he was after. He held aloft a handful of sand and, allowing it to slide through his fingers, began to explain.


    ¡°A while back there were a lot of these large bodies of water called oceans full of massive amounts of water, more than you could ever imagine. Around the oceans there was sand instead of dirt, that¡¯s what this stuff here is. You should have seen it, massive waves of water foaming up and crashing into the sand, it was truly a sight to behold¡­ The oceans all produced life; fish and whales and krill, crabs and lobsters, dolphins and sharks¡­ It was perfect,¡± James¡¯ gaze grew more longing as he looked out across the vacant ocean, ¡°It¡¯s a shame, I bet this ocean was really something once upon a time¡­¡± James turned to see Jennifer¡¯s reaction to all this only to be met with a large snow pile with a smile drawn about face level. James jolted in surprise and was met by Jennifer¡¯s booming laughter. James clenched his fist, took a few deep breaths and regained his composure,


    ¡°Did you listen to a word I just said?¡± But Jennifer was already walking back toward the drop off, her mind clearly somewhere else entirely. James made eye contact with the snow monstrosity, and, somewhere in the back of his head, a memory played, one of him finding a snowman that looked strikingly like him wearing a coat and a scarf as a young man with a gold pocket watch stood proudly behind it. James shook off the memory and followed after Jennifer.


    ¡°Do you see that¡±


    ¡°See what¡±? James replied shortly as he squinted his eyes in the direction Jennifer was pointing.


    ¡°At the bottom there, something¡¯s moving¡­¡± Jennifer said softly as she stepped cautiously toward the drop off. James told her to come back but she ignored him, the moving thing was becoming clearer and clearer as she carefully descended the rocky drop off. The climb down was far from easy, the snow still scratched angrily at her ears and the frozen stones stung Jennifer¡¯s hands, occasionally cutting them open whenever Jennifer made a wrong move or gripped too tightly. Jennifer¡¯s curiosity was insatiable though and she continued her descent blissfully unaware of James¡¯ shouting as he too began the descent.


    Upon reaching the bottom, she noticed that, not only was the moving thing moving, but it was moving toward her. She hesitated slightly before taking a firm step in the moving thing¡¯s direction. She was now vaguely aware of James yelling at her to stay back, that they had no idea what that thing was, but Jennifer ignored him. Whatever this thing was it was big, probably the size of a small house, and it was hurt, the closer she got the more the howling of the wind was replaced with the agonized howls of the moving thing. Eventually a form began to take shape through the snow, a long creature without arms or legs, but a long tail that was either most of its body or perhaps was its body. Along the creature¡¯s back was a large fin, fins like the fish in the books Jennifer read back in school. The creature¡¯s face held two enormous eyes with pupils resembling slits like blinds in a window. In fact they quite reminded Jennifer of a cat¡¯s eye. But, unlike cats, the thing blinked wrong, it¡¯s eyelids closed from the sides and not the top and bottom like most creatures.  It¡¯s mouth was elongated and rows upon rows of glimmering teeth refracted the little bit of red light coming from the sun. Such a monster would have scared Jennifer more if not for the massive wooden poles that protruded from the beast¡¯s back. From the protrusions Jennifer could plainly see dried blood now aged sickly and black. The beast continued to wail as Jennifer slowly approached. Jennifer yelped in surprise as something grabbed her arm.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± James hissed, glancing nervously toward the moving thing.


    ¡°It sounds like it¡¯s hurt.¡± Jennifer tried to walk away but James¡¯ grip tightened.


    ¡°We don¡¯t even know what that thing is! What if it tries to eat you?¡± James pleaded. Jennifer turned around, looked James dead in the eye,


    ¡°Then I guess I¡¯ll get eaten.¡± She brushed off James¡¯ arm and left him standing there, helpless.


    Jennifer, now with far more confidence, strode over to the moving thing until she was close enough to reach out and touch it. From this distance she was better able to see the brutality this creature had undergone, whatever had attacked this beast clearly did not have any intention of leaving it in one piece. Each large wooden pole seemed meticulously jammed into the most gruesome, pain inducing places on the creature¡¯s battered body. Jennifer saw vast sections of flesh presenting a sickly array of purple and black that emanated from slightly indented areas the width of a tree trunk. A putrid stench lingered in the air, Jennifer gagged when she caught a whiff of it and drove her nose into her arm and took deep breaths, fully appreciating her jacket¡¯s musky odor. For Jennifer this was a brand new and frankly unpleasant discovery, that is, the smell of rotted fish.


    Despite the bruises and infected wounds Jennifer was still able to catch glimpses of the great beast that once was, a kind of nobility that, even in the worst of situations, manages to remain. Jennifer reached out a hand and brushed the nose of the creature and was surprised to find it was wet. The skin felt smooth, like stones at the bottom of a pond and the creature trembled slightly at her touch. Jennifer rested her hand on the creature¡¯s nose and thought for a moment, she thought about the creature¡¯s suffering, she thought about what a proud beast it must have been, she thought about what she¡¯d want in that position. Jennifer walked around to the side of the beast, took one of the wooden poles into the folds of her arms gripping the bottom tightly, placing one foot on the creature and offering a quick warning of the pain to come, and yanked. The creature howled and thrashed back and forth nearly causing Jennifer to lose her grip. The wooden pole was old and began to splinter slightly in Jennifer¡¯s hand and pain coursed up her arms as some of those splinters broke through her skin, but still she refused to let go. The pole she¡¯d chosen was lodged in the creature¡¯s gills and was by far the most painful looking of the bunch, it was also the most painful to remove as Jennifer and the creature were discovering. The creature¡¯s thrashing began to slow down, not because the pain had subsided, far from it, but because it simply didn¡¯t have the strength to keep it up. It made a few more small attempts to throw Jennifer off and even attempted to bring its head around to bite her, but eventually it gave up entirely and resumed howling.


    Jennifer began to sweat, an impressive feat in a snowstorm, and her whole body shook as she pressed her foot into the creature and pulled back on the almost shattered pole. When one section of the pole broke off entirely she would reposition herself and try again, each time getting a little closer to the point of entry. Overtime she found herself with a little over a foot of pole left and she realized this may be her last try, if she lost this remaining section the pole would be stuck there forever, and she¡¯d have caused the beast to suffer for nothing. Taking in a deep breath and ignoring the hundreds of splinters now protruding awkwardly from her palms, she wrapped her arms around the pole, jiggled it back and forth a bit until she felt something come loose and, seizing her moment, wrenched the pole from the creature and watched as a geyser of water shot out from the wound. The beast with newfound strength reared its head in triumph and let out a bone chilling roar as the other poles began to rumble until they too found themselves wrenched free with water now shooting from all across her body. Jennifer watched in awe as the creature¡¯s skin, once bruised and caked in black dried blood now shone like sapphires in sunlight. As if that change wasn¡¯t enough Jennifer stepped back as the creature began to grow longer and longer, its body wider and wider, until the serpent, once the size of a small house, now rivaled Jennifer¡¯s tower in size. The water pulsing out of the creature increased in tandem with the creature¡¯s size and soon the vast expanse began filling with water. The spray from the water created a mist that reflected the light of the sun causing Jennifer to see every color at once. Soaking wet Jennifer grinned wider than she thought possible as she stared into the beautiful rainbow unfolding before her.


    Soon the water reached Jennifer¡¯s knees and she became aware of James running toward her shouting something that was drowned out by the sound of the torrential downpour and motioning toward the drop off they¡¯d come from. He reached her and she was now able to catch most of what he was saying.


    ¡°WE HAVE TO GO, THE WATER¡¯S GOING TO KEEP RISING! IF WE STAY HERE WE¡¯RE GOING TO DROWN! WE HAVE TO GO NOW!¡± He shouted as he tugged at her jacket, but, when she finally began to move, the two were stopped by a massive wave that came crashing down in front of them knocking them both to the ground. The water began to churn and pulse and the two had barely made it to their feet when another wave brought them right back to the ground. The foam of the waves and the mist swirled around them and blocked out the sky. The two gasped for air as the water rose more and more now closer to Jennifer¡¯s shoulders and James¡¯ chest. James shouted something inaudible and pointed again toward the drop off, Jennifer got the message and the two began trudging through the waves with unyielding ferocity. Ferocity however that amounted to very little as the churning water dragged both of them away from the drop off and further into the raging sea. The water rose higher and higher and the closer they got to the center of it all the deeper the water became and soon both James and Jennifer were completely submerged.


    Holding her breath Jennifer spun back and forth in panic hoping to find some way to the surface. James was beside her and he was moving his arms in strange yet purposeful movements with his eyes locked firmly toward the surface, but he stopped when a huge shadow swam past them. Jennifer wheeled around to catch a better look but the shadow had vanished. Panicked she began to imitate James¡¯ arm movements, pushing the water around her down and lifting her body up. She¡¯d never been a swimmer, the only water around her came from the pond in the grove, and the water there only came up to her knees¡­. But the shadow kept coming, circling them, the water whooshing by them with each of its passes. Each time the shadow passed she might as well have her eyes shut seeing as the behemoth of a shadow completely blocked out every last speck of light in that deep abyss. After observing it for a while she could follow the form from its start to its finish, like an enormous building going on endlessly into the dark ocean depths. Then, silence.


    The shadow had stopped circling them, the water grew still and Jennifer hung silently beneath the waves. She began to hope that the shadow may have left, that it had received whatever it was after and now she could resume her crawl back to the surface. But then she noticed the ground beneath her begin to shake. It didn¡¯t take her long to come to the petrifying realization that the ground beneath her wasn¡¯t shaking at all, it was writhing. The shadow, the ground, whatever it was began to rise, the shadow¡¯s body whipped upwards like roots of a tree until the whole shadow now rested above her, looming over Jennifer with one large green eye opened ten feet from where she was swimming. The eye, now the same size as the creature had been when they first found it, started intently with a pupil that appeared large enough for Jennifer to walk through. The beast¡¯s body encircled the pair and the beast¡¯s face turned toward them. It¡¯s mouth gaped open revealing teeth the size of trees and a great forked tongue that swayed in the ocean currents. We¡¯ve all been afraid before; Jennifer was petrified. The water began to swirl around her, the beast remained still as the water pulsed and battered against her until she no longer knew up from down and she was merely floating in nothingness, unable to breath, to think, to hope. The eyes of the creature followed her every movement, clearly intrigued by her struggle. With the beast as her only constant in this swirling chaos she chose to meet its gaze head on, knowing that if she was to suffer then her captor would have to look her in the eye as she did.


    The creature looked conflicted as Jennifer stared deeply into the emerald eyes once full of malice now swapping back and forth between hatred and empathy. The beast began to shrink until it returned to the size of Jennifer¡¯s tower, as it shrunk the waters began to calm and soon Jennifer found herself with her head above the waves, a revelation met with pained gasps and massive amounts of water coughed and gagged out of her now inflamed throat. She noticed James floating beside her sharing a quite similar experience. Jennifer, who had never learned to swim began to wonder how it was she was staying afloat, she certainly didn¡¯t mind that she was no longer drowning, but she was merely curious. As if in answer to her question the massive serpent burst out of the waves, reared its head back and lashed out toward Jennifer¡¯s face, jaws wide open as Jennifer braced for the worst. But the jaws snapped shut mere inches from her face and a low rumble could be heard from the serpent. The waters rippled in unison with the rumble emanating from the throat of the beast as its eyes watched Jennifer¡¯s confusion with glee. Following the rumble came a shifting, the water rocking back and forth and back and forth with Jennifer seemingly caught right in the middle of it all. Soon the rocking revealed a dip in the water that grew wider and wider, deeper and deeper as the waters parted to each side, slowly but surely. Jennifer¡¯s body was lowered as the waters parted until her feet touched solid ground. She looked up in awe to see the water she¡¯d been floating in moments ago surrounding her like walls of an alleyway. The walls of water must have been miles high and Jennifer realized that she was probably a very long way from the drop off she¡¯d descended from initially. James¡¯ body shot out from the wall to her left and landed heavily on the ground beside her. The two made quick eye contact and then looked down the alley between the waves where the beast had begun its approach, its head and body winding between the great walls of water, breaching one wall only to quickly dive into the other. The movement, while strange, were undeniably leading the serpent toward them.


    Jennifer and James would have run, but the creature had used the last few minutes as fairly convincing evidence that running would get them nowhere, it was as if the ocean bent to the creature¡¯s every whim and neither Jennifer or James believed that challenging the ocean while surrounded by it was in any way a good idea. Finally, the serpent reached them, a large part of its body resting on one side of the wall and all but the head and a few bits of its body resting on the other. So great the spectacle of intimidation that Jennifer had to wonder, which of them had more reason to be afraid. The head hovered between the two walls and loomed over the pair, the game had ended, the serpent was done playing with its food.


    ¡°Humans are such pitiful creatures, devoid of mercy, decency, or any virtue, but long ago I found one desirable quality among the slew of bad ones. You all taste quite wonderful.¡±


    Jennifer, certainly not fond of the words, found herself far more concerned that this serpent just spoke to her.


    ¡°You can talk?¡± Jennifer stammered.


    ¡°Can I speak?!¡± The serpent bellowed as the walls of water shook and great geysers burst from the ground around them, covering the pair in a mist and obscuring the beast¡¯s face, leaving only its silhouette, ¡°Little human I can do far more than speak. Did you think me a mere beast? Some pitiful animal you came across with a brain wielding the functioning power of a common fish?¡± The voice of the beast had a serpentine and strangely feminine quality to it, an observation Jennifer jumped on.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m new to this part of the world and I shouldn¡¯t have made those assumptions about you. I saw it before and ignored it, but you are a lady of high nobility, right? You¡¯re not a beast, but a ruler, a queen. I should not have pitied you, you sounded as if you were in pain and I know that¡¯s not a position I¡¯d want to be in.¡± The serpent considered this for a moment.


    ¡°You are correct of course, my nobility in this part of the world was once unquestionable, but I was betrayed. Would you care to guess by who?¡± The serpent smiled revealing her glimmering teeth. Neither of them really needed to guess the answer.


    ¡°You may not have a high opinion of the humans you¡¯ve met before, but we aren¡¯t them, you don¡¯t know us, and you¡¯d be doing yourself a disservice by treating us like traitors.¡±


    ¡°And why might that be?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re better than those humans, right? The ones that betrayed you? What would those humans do in this situation?¡± The serpent¡¯s grin turned to a frown and she swung away in frustration. But she quickly swung her head back toward them as a thought struck her,


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what they¡¯d do, they¡¯d attempt to trick me using smooth words and empty compliments.¡± Jennifer shuffled nervously and tried to come up with a reply, but once your word is questioned there¡¯s very few words you can use to defend it.


    ¡°Then let her actions speak for her!¡± Jennifer was surprised to see James standing beside her, no longer silent but seemingly frustrated by the serpent¡¯s accusations, ¡°didn¡¯t she save you just fifteen minutes ago? We wouldn¡¯t even be having this conversation if she hadn¡¯t dislodged that harpoon from your gills and now you accuse her of lying? I thought Forms were supposed to be greater than petty grudges, I¡¯d heard you had a code, does that code involve killing those that show you kindness?¡± The serpent swung its whole body toward James and bore down on him with the full magnitude of her size.


    ¡°And who are you to talk of Forms? Your kind betrayed us, and now you wish to beg for our mercy?¡±


    ¡°No, the ones that betrayed you need to beg your forgiveness, but we aren¡¯t them. My ¡­friend-¡°Jennifer perked up when she heard the word and looked to James who refused to meet her eyes, ¡°saved you from probable death and certain agony, I¡¯d like to believe that should separate her from all other humans you¡¯ve dealt with before.¡±


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t hate me either,¡± Jennifer chimed in, ¡°I saw it when you were watching me drown, mercy¡­ whatever humans did to you it hurt even worse because you cared for them, didn¡¯t you? You¡¯re not evil or malicious, you¡¯re just hurt. I¡¯m hurt too, and to be honest I¡¯m not really all that fond of humans either, but we shouldn¡¯t let the actions of other humans dictate how we act toward each other. We can¡¯t let them take that away from us as well!¡± Part of what she was saying was an attempt to not be eaten, the rest some much needed venting. Following her grand speech, a silence fell over the alley, Jennifer and James dared not say anything more and the serpent was still mulling over what she¡¯d heard.


    ¡°Meerous.¡± The serpent muttered.


    ¡°What?¡± Jennifer and James asked in unison.


    ¡°My name is Meerous.¡± Meerous snapped as she flung her head away from the two humans before her.


    ¡°Jennifer.¡± She smiled.


    ¡°James.¡± He sighed in relief.


    ¡°Thank you¡­ Jennifer... for helping me. Humans lodged those harpoons in me, I suppose it¡¯s fitting that a human should be the one to remove them¡­¡± She spoke softly as she brought her head back around slowly, refusing to make eye contact with these humans. There followed an awkward pause where all parties sat silently, none sure where exactly this left them. James rocked back and forth on the sides of his feet and studied the wall of water before him intently as if it were an issue that required his full and utmost attention and justified his position of not having to be the first one to speak. Meerous floated in place, occasionally whipping her head to the side to watch some fish swim by and returning her head slowly to face the two, not quite sure what she was supposed to be doing either. Jennifer finally broke the silence, but in a way that neither James or Meerous would have preferred,


    ¡°So what happened to ya? You said humans betrayed you, but I can¡¯t imagine any humans stupid enough to mess with ya¡­¡± James would have preferred to not remind Meerous of her gripe against humanity, Meerous preferred not to relive it, but Jennifer was persistent and wouldn¡¯t drop it, ¡°I mean humans can be assholes, don¡¯t get me wrong, but to take on someone like you just seems¡­ well dumb.¡± The words came out with a kind of blunt sincerity and Meerous, who hadn¡¯t exactly had a lot of chances to make conversation lately sighed and obliged, begrudgingly at first, but she soon warmed up to the idea.


    ¡°It might be easier to just show you.¡± Meerous said as the water around Jennifer and James began to rise again, rising until the pair was level with Meerous¡¯ head, at which point she dipped her head under them. Once Meerous felt the pair safely situated atop her head she began to slowly rise out of the water until twenty or so feet of her body sat above the waves with her head raised proudly. From their perch Jennifer¡¯s jaw dropped as, for the first time in her life, she stood before the full majesty of the ocean. The waves rolled in an endless cascade as the light from the setting sun reflected off the churning foam creating the illusion that the waves were formed from liquid gold. At the edge of her vision Jennifer saw the horizon where the sun hung in eternal repose, beams of light emanating outward like a road leading to somewhere ancient and sacred. All Jennifer could muster at the sight of such majesty was,


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± Meerous laughed at her observation, not the mocking rumble Jennifer had heard earlier, but an almost human chuckle.


    ¡°Why thank you, I¡¯ve always thought I looked my best in the sunset.¡± Meerous hummed as she glided through the golden expanse.


    ¡°What do you mean, you? Not that you¡¯re not beautiful and all, because you are, you¡¯re absolutely stunning, but I was sort of referring to the water¡­¡± Jennifer explained, her voice growing slightly shakier near the end. Meerous began to slow down to a stop and her head again rose high into the air,This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°I am the waters, this body you¡¯re standing on is merely the Form I took on after the conversion. How is it that you don¡¯t know this? Surely you¡¯ve met a Form before?¡± Out of all the words Jennifer just heard one or two managed to make some sort of sense,


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what a Form is!¡± Jennifer shouted, her frustration at again being ignorant of something everyone else seemed to think was common knowledge trumping her current fear of the Leviathan on which she currently stood. Meerous chuckled again as James fought back the urge to shove his hand over Jennifer¡¯s mouth before she got them killed.


    ¡°A Form my dear child is what I am, I am what it means to be this ocean. The ocean you see in front of you is nothing more than a reflection of me.¡± Meerous explained with a not so subtle hint of pride in her voice.


    ¡°So are there other oceans? Other¡­ Forms or whatever? Is every ocean like you?¡± Jennifer said as she scratched her head and leaned on the fin protruding from Meerous¡¯ head.


    ¡°There is no one like me,¡± Meerous smirked as the ocean sprung geysers to punctuate her words, the spray from which reflected the sunlight creating that same odd trick that made Jennifer see all colors at once, ¡°But it is as you say, other oceans have also made the conversion and they too swim within their own waters.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s not just oceans,¡± James chimed in, finally having mustered the courage to speak again, ¡°mountains, forests, most animals, and the very planet we live on have made the same conversion.¡±


    ¡°Like Time!¡± Jennifer shouted excitedly, happy to finally feel like she¡¯s on the same page.


    ¡°What do you know of him?¡± Meerous asked, her whole demeanor changing, becoming rigid and tense.


    ¡°Only stories,¡± Jennifer replied, ¡°stories about how Destiny left, and Time messed something up¡­ I don¡¯t really know any specifics¡­¡± Meerous began to loosen up a little, but her next words came across without a hint of humor or levity,


    ¡°The less you know about those cowards the better, they are not worth yours or anyone else¡¯s time.¡± Jennifer wanted to push, but Meerous¡¯ tone made her think twice.


    ¡°So what¡¯s this conversion thing?¡± Jennifer asked, hoping to change the subject since she still had a hundred more questions. It was James who answered, something Jennifer was less than thrilled about,


    ¡°The Forms, like Meerous, were once just oceans and mountains and forests, but, when humans came along, they found they could overwhelm one and merge with them, creating beings like Meerous that aren¡¯t just oceans anymore but are physical embodiments of what it means to be that thing.¡± There was an undercurrent of bitterness in his explanation that Jennifer noticed, but was unable to dwell on as Meerous had cut in,


    ¡°How is it that you know all this and she doesn¡¯t?¡± Meerous asked, a note of suspicion in her voice that put James on edge.


    ¡°We¡¯re from different cities is all, my city happened to have a lot of books on the subject and a few Forms still live with us.¡± James replied, the note of bitterness either gone or better covered up.


    ¡°What do you mean still live with you? Where are the Forms now?¡± Meerous asked with the first sign of genuine shock. Shaking his head James only had to say one word to satisfy Meerous¡¯ curiosity,


    ¡°Death.¡± Meerous nodded her head somberly and whispered,


    ¡°So, he¡¯s finally back then? And Time did nothing to stop him?¡±


    ¡°He tried, but Death outsmarted him.¡±


    ¡°And the other Forms?¡±


    ¡°Dead or in hiding.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been gone for longer than I thought¡­¡± Meerous mused though she didn¡¯t appear all that choked up by the news.


    ¡°What exactly happened to you? I find it hard to believe that the humans would be able to injure you like that without Death¡¯s help, and Death never leaves his victims to freely roam around, if he even chooses to leave them alive at all.¡± Meerous twitched with frustration as she began gliding through the waves again, heading west. She didn¡¯t speak again until they reached a coast where the ruins of a large city rested.


    The wreckage on the coast¡¯s edge left little to work with if you wanted some kind of clue as to how the city appeared before this mass devastation. The coast line was littered with cracked red and tan bricks, half destroyed ships stuck out of the soil where the tide had buried them long ago. Winding between the piles of crumbling bricks were the final remains of a cobbled road, now missing large chunks and that was only where one could discern where the road even was, but they all lead to the coast eventually and it was at the coast that the waves had taken them. A little way from the coast toward the center of the city sat a foundation a bit more intact then the rest. The building that once stood there must have been something truly spectacular as the foundation was quite large and the piles of rotted wood and brick that lay haphazardly atop it told the story of a building folks could be proud of. Jennifer noticed that the strange symbol with the spears and the numbers lay amongst the wreckage of the larger building, surrounded by bricks and topped with a spire of shingles it lay on its side a few feet from the foundation, leading Jennifer to guess that the symbol here was raised high just like the symbol back home, she noted that for later.


    Meerous looked shocked at the wreckage of the city, but the shock was followed by a smile and bitter laughter,


    ¡°Serves them right.¡± She stated matter of factly as she swayed her head back and forth to observe the ruined remains with smug satisfaction.


    ¡°So these are the people that betrayed you?¡± Jennifer asked, afraid that this level of destruction may have been perpetrated by the very creature she stood on.


    ¡°No, not the people, just one man.¡± She whispered.


    ¡°Death?¡± James asked, the name came out like a man spitting on the ground. Meerous shook her head in frustration,


    ¡°No not Death!¡± She shouted, her rage growing by the second the more she stared at the city. Suddenly a glint of metal caught her eye, in response to her curiosity the ocean began to rise and crash onto the ground where the bit of metal was buried. The water pulled the soil into the sea revealing the statue of a large bearded man with a harpoon in his hand, his other raised proudly in the air. The statue was made out of solid gold and pointed to a great wealth that must have filled this city at one time. When the waves receded and the statue came into full view Meerous lost it. With a roar of unbridled rage she grew larger and larger as the ocean rose higher and higher behind her eventually blotting out the sun and casting the ruined city into complete and total darkness. Meerous reared back her head and then whipped it forward, Jennifer and James barely able to grip her fin enough to not be flung down onto the wreckage. Following her head the rising water descended upon the city, crushing any bricks laid atop another, any ship peaking out of the ground, every last remnant of road, all of it overwhelmed by the magnitude of water pulsating through it. And once the waters receded back into the sea Meerous raised her head again, raising the water and then bringing it crashing back down onto the empty ruins. She wailed constantly as she decimated all remnants of human influence, bringing the waves back and forth over and over and over and over again until nothing was left but solid rock now uncovered by the waves and the statue that had set her off initially. The statue surviving was no accident though and Meerous snapped up the statue with her jaws and lifted it high into the air and, with one swift motion shattered the statue into hundreds of tiny pieces. Those pieces landed in the water only to be swallowed up and pulled down into the deep. James and Jennifer were speechless and soaked from head to toe, two things they¡¯d quickly learned to associate with Meerous¡¯ presence.


    A silence fell over the group as Meerous stood deathly still, her breathing heavy and strained as her eyes fixed on the destroyed town, James and Jennifer were silent due to a strong sense of self preservation.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry about that, I may have lost my head there. Are the two of you alright?¡± Meerous¡¯ voice regaining its usual booming confidence, but there was still a strained quality underneath it all, as if Meerous herself couldn¡¯t bare to think what was in her heart much less say it aloud. Jennifer oddly enough was intimately familiar with that feeling and picked up on the strain in Meerous¡¯ voice instantly. But she wasn¡¯t alone as she looked over and saw James¡¯ empathetic gaze fixed onto the town below. And in there lies a truth about lonely people, people so often hurt, alone, afraid and desperate for no one to see any of it, but, despite their best efforts, there is one group from whom lonely people are utterly incapable of hiding their pain from, those like them. They hear every subtle word and silent pause, they see every momentary wayward glance, and they feel every bit of the pain, if only for a moment. But this is another truth about lonely people, a sad one; lonely people rarely, if ever, offer up the one thing that might help, friendship. Friendship would acknowledge need, it would cause vulnerability, and, in the end, would make the inevitable loneliness hurt all the more. Jennifer knew this, James knew this, and Meerous knew this, three lonely people together, but no less lonely.


    But something stirred inside Jennifer, an odd urge that might have been curiosity, a concussion from being hurtled about underwater or maybe some quality inside herself that she didn¡¯t yet know existed, but either way she spoke,


    ¡°Tell me about him.¡±


    ¡°About who¡±? Meerous replied, the strain in her voice even more apparent as she failed to appear uninterested.


    ¡°The statue man, what did he to do you¡±? Jennifer spoke softly as she bent down and rested her hand on Meerous¡¯ neck. Meerous¡¯ whole body shook with uncertainty.


    Meerous gently lowered her head and nudged Jennifer and James onto the ground. She looked off into the distance as the ocean before them grew still, the sunset sparkling off of Meerous¡¯ deep green eyes and, though it may have been a simple trick of the light, Jennifer swore she saw tears glistening in the corners of the noble serpent¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°He¡­ He broke my heart.¡± Meerous whispered, acknowledging something she¡¯d fought to deny for so long.


    ¡°Do ya wanna talk about it?¡± Jennifer asked, a reassuring smile on her face and a hand outstretched. Meerous turned around slowly to face her, and though she was far larger than Jennifer in that moment she appeared so much smaller.


    ¡°I¡­ I think it¡¯d be better if I showed you.¡± As she spoke the waters around her rose up and began to slowly flood the land around Jennifer and James until the two were again surrounded entirely by water. But this time the water began to mold itself into the forms of houses and streets, lamp posts and sidewalks, boats and peers and suddenly Jennifer and James were standing in a large harbor town made entirely of water.


    ¡°This was the way the town was when I first found it,¡± Meerous began, ¡°and this is how it ruined me¡­¡±


    A group of sailors returned from a voyage undertaken for the sole purpose of finding a treasure so wonderful, so elusive that generations of men had drowned in its pursuit, the, ¡®heart of the ocean¡¯ they called it, not knowing of course that this treasure was more than a mere trinket. The harbor town boasted beautiful brick houses aligning a quiet coast edged with peers that ran the length of the coast and out over a hundred feet into the ocean. Along the peer stood some of the largest and finest ships any man had ever laid eyes on, each ship ornately crafted by the hands of one man. The Boat smith, as he was known to the folk within the city, was a broad shouldered man with large scarred hands, a big friendly face hosting a fiery red beard and eyebrows that seemed to burn like fire, contrasting nicely his shiny bald head. His eyes were the deepest blue and they gazed out upon the ocean like a familiar friend. The Boat smith crafted the finest vessels that the world had ever seen and he knew each one inside out without ever having to look twice, every nook, cranny, hull and quarter could be immediately recalled and described on a moments notice and, though he had never been out to sea, he had a knowledge of the ocean that was the envy of most any sailor. Little did the people of the harbor town know that they housed the very Form of ships. When man had crafted their first ship it was by his reflection they envisioned it and it was his reflection he resided in until a man came along with whom he would finally converge, and with the convergence came the identity of the Boat smith. He didn¡¯t merely know every ship and sea faring vessel for the connection was deeper than that, every ship, boat, raft, canoe, and each man made thing that floats upon the waves to carry people, exists as a reflection of one man, the Boat smith. When he had chosen this town it had been nothing more than a lowly fishing hamlet but with his knowledge and influence larger and larger merchant ships mysteriously found their way to this little hamlet as if the ships had a mind of their own. The ships would arrive and trade with the hamlet, stay in their inns and eat their food and soon the hamlet became known by sailors all around the ocean. Soon the hamlet grew too large to be considered a mere hamlet and it was renamed Nautica, a proud name that every citizen of the town held with pride.


    The Boat smith garnered favor from the people who did not know him to be a Form, but as a craftsman of the finest order and, to stave off questions regarding his lack of aging, the Boat smith had claimed to have found a treasure that had gifted him eternal life. This treasure he called, ¡®the heart of ocean,¡¯ and he claimed to have come across it on an island in the center of the sea. The legend stuck, and men spent their entire lives in search of a treasure to grant them eternal life, not knowing the futility of their search. The Boat smith was nominated for town mayor and the town thrived.


    Then one day the Boat smith vanished. The town searched for him for months checking every ship log to see whether he had finally decided to go out to sea, but his name appeared on no logs and none of the captains of any of the ships found their ships missing. The absence of the Boat smith left the town in utter disarray, suddenly captains, once gliding across the waves with precision and grace, now found themselves utterly incompetent in the ways of the sea. But this was to be expected as it had never been the captains guiding the ships, but the ships guiding the captains and, at the center of it all, the Boat smith ensuring all went smoothly. Quickly the town¡¯s economy plummeted as more and more sailors left the town to never return. All that the Boat smith had left behind was a single son named William. Those that remained in the town placed all of their hopes in the small baby William, the entire town pitching in to raise, feed, shelter and educate William in the profession of ship crafting. But the hope William inspired had to last until he was old enough to take his father¡¯s place and the town would certainly not last that long.


    When William turned eight years old, already sick of the smothering of every adult in the town and the envious stares of all the other children, he decided to forge his own path. Under the cover of night while the whole town slept, William climbed into a small rowboat with a few weeks supply of water and a fishing pole and he set sail. Though William was not the Form of Ships he had his father¡¯s blood in his veins and so every ship he set foot in bent to his every whim. The rowboat, though small, carried William miles and miles into the sea where he hoped to find the, ¡®heart of the ocean,¡¯ but, unlike the lie the other sailors had searched for, William was searching for the truth behind the myth. For you see, before he left, the Boat smith had left his son a letter confessing to his lies and his true nature and urging his son to find the ocean¡¯s true heart. But despite all his searching William found nothing. Discouraged, dehydrated and having not caught a fish in nearly a month William, only a child, began to come to terms with his death at sea. But, before he could enter that eternal rest, a bubbling began beneath his boat and from the depths emerged a beautiful sea serpent. The serpent asked the young man why she should not eat him here and now as he might be small but he certainly looked tasty. The young man explained who he was and, upon mentioning his father, caught the serpent¡¯s attention. She explained that his father and her had met many years ago back when he was first coming to terms with his decision to converge. They had bonded from their shared identities as Forms of the water, the serpent the sea and the Boat smith that which sailed those seas. The serpent introduced herself as Meerous and the form of this ocean and the young man returned her introduction with a big toothed grin that went from ear to ear, he said he¡¯d been looking for her. He explained to her the troubles his town was in, the suffering of his people and the responsibility he had to make it right. Meerous listened for as long as she could stomach until she could stomach it no longer.


    She explained to William that her job was not to help the humans or give them special treatment, but to care for all the life that lived beneath her. She explained how important every tide, current, wave, whirlpool and shift of the waters was to the balance of the delicate ecosystem she cared for. William could certainly not refute her position but another concern popped into his head, he asked if she was lonely. She had never considered that she might be lonely before but, the more she considered it, the more she realized how lonely she really was. William admitted that he had been lonely too, and so he asked if they could be friends and Meerous accepted with a grin of her own.


    When William returned to the town he was greeted by a slew of worried and exasperated townsfolk who made him promise to never leave again. But William had not wasted his trip and he would sneak out every night to go and meet with Meerous who would whisk him away across the sea in pursuit of adventures. The two came across pirates, fish people, merchant vessels, undersea volcanoes and all sorts of wonderful things that Meerous was glad to finally be able to share with someone. William marveled at each and every wonderful sight Meerous showed him helping Meerous see everything she loved with new eyes. She found the experience intoxicating and couldn¡¯t imagine exploring her ocean without him, the two had become, in every sense of the word, friends.


    Meerous did not abandon her friend though and soon fish began to mysteriously wash ashore onto the Nautica beaches, ships caught in previously unknown currents found their way to the town and soon the town began to thrive once more. The people of the town hailed William as a hero, a man to equal his father, and some even claimed, a man to surpass his father. Meerous listened with proud eyes and a warm heart as William recounted the love the people were showing him and she knew that it was all thanks to her, but she was happy to hear William say it as well. The town of Nautica began entrusting William with more and more responsibilities and people would come from all around to seek out his advice, and soon he¡¯d garnered a reputation as a man of great wisdom. They even erected a statue in his honor and elected him the new mayor of Nautica to carry on his father¡¯s legacy. The work kept him busy, but he always made time to go and chat with Meerous, but those conversations became more and more scarce as time went on.


    What Meerous had not foreseen and what stirred in her a new and dark feeling, was the jealousy that grew as William began to move into his role as mayor. Though she had accepted his explanations and understood why it was that he could no longer join her on adventures, the pain was still present and growing by the day. Meerous attempted to hide this pain, to keep it bottled away as to not ruin the remaining relationship she still had with William, but pain cannot be swallowed forever and soon Meerous gave into her rage.


    Sailors from Nautica had set out on the first excursion in fifteen years in search of the elusive, ¡®heart of the ocean,¡¯ with the town now in the best shape in all its long history sailors were now again free to pursue lost treasures and ancient legends. But the sea can be a dangerous place and the sailors stumbled across a cave housing a great sea serpent, grumpy, overwhelmed with envy and currently not too fond of humans. Though Meerous knew she shouldn¡¯t she couldn¡¯t stop herself from releasing all of her frustration onto this crew and sending them hurtling to the depths. She was surprised to find how much she enjoyed the experience and soon she began sinking a few ships a month, each time enjoying the experience a little more. She never told William of her escapades and when they spoke he would lament over the lost lives of those missing sailors and she would smile and comfort him, knowing that she had been the one to send every last one of them to the ocean floor. But no one avoids slipping up forever and Meerous, focused on the joy of the hunt, failed to notice a ship following behind her current target that bore witness to her massacre. The ship returned to Nautica and ran to tell William what had happened.


    The conversation between William and Meerous was not a pleasant one, each side refused to give any ground and no amount of shared history could salvage the wreck before them. William ended the conversation demanding that Meerous never come anywhere near his town again and Meerous promised she would never wish to again. But Meerous had lied as she descended down into the depths and saw the chaos and destruction she¡¯d caused, then she lamented and wished she could have taken it all back. But she knew that William had meant what he¡¯d said and she wished to respect his wishes and so she kept her promise and stayed clear of Nautica. Her days of sinking ships were now behind her and she continued assisting the ships coming in and out of Nautica as she had in the old days in the hopes that William may one day forgive her. At one point she even sent him a message utilizing the tides, a trick they¡¯d come up with when William was young and they needed to talk without alerting the adults. She told William she was sorry, explained that she would never harm another sailor ever again and promised to always protect the town in memory of their earlier friendship though she expected no reply.


    So imagine her surprise when she felt William¡¯s hand in the ocean writing out an apology of his own, an eloquent speech about how he had allowed his anger to cloud his judgement and how he¡¯d been wrong to neglect their friendship for so long. He ended his message with an invitation to return and a promise that all was forgiven. Meerous didn¡¯t think twice and she strode through the waves faster than ever before as she headed to see the only friend she¡¯d ever had. Arriving in the middle of the night Meerous found an empty town shrouded in darkness without a single shred of light to be seen. The lamps along the street posts were out, the windows of the houses revealed only darkened rooms and empty beds as if the whole town had vanished all at once. Meerous, frightened for William¡¯s safety cried out his name only to hear it echoed back by the darkness. But she refused to give up and she cried his name again and again hoping that he may answer her until she heard a muffled yell from an alcove a little ways outside the town. She rushed over and saw William standing on top of a large concrete structure that fit like a square inside the cave with one end open at the entrance, along the walls of the structure sat cannons next to men, women, and children armed with harpoons and spears. William starred Meerous down, his eyes cold and his mouth set in a firm grimace, Meerous found no trace of love in those eyes. She swung around toward the exit but a large concrete block fell to block the entrance of the cave trapping her in the middle cut off from the rest of the ocean. She begged William for an explanation, some reason for why he lied to her, why he now stood before her as her executioner. William replied with cold indifference, ignoring her questions and offering up only a deal. He told her that she may live here in this cave, being regularly fed and cared for if she would serve the town entirely, if she would cede control of the ocean over to him she would be allowed to live, if not¡­ He didn¡¯t need to finish; the implication was clear.


    Meerous sneered at his offer as she grew larger and utilized the small amount of water trapped with her in the cave to defend herself against the onslaught of cannon fire raining down upon her. The cannons bruised her skin leaving indentations that marked crushed bones and internal bleeding, each townsperson hurled harpoons toward her piercing her flesh and causing her to shrink in pain as she made herself a smaller and smaller target. But through the mass confusion of harpoons and cannon fire Meerous managed to lock eyes with William one last time. She remembered the first time they¡¯d met, how small and helpless he was, she remembered his smile and his offer of friendship, that little boy that had reignited her passion for life was not the man standing before her, all remnants of that child¡¯s care and innocence had been wrung out by the trials of life, burden and necessity. This man before her was a leader, a man who had sold his soul for his people, a man with no soul to cry out to for mercy, and it was this man that threw the final harpoon into Meerous¡¯ gills.


    The great serpent let out one final wail as the water around her began receding back into her, her body becoming smaller and smaller, her eyes fixed onto William¡¯s the whole time. With one final push she called upon the water to break through every crack within the concrete until she found a crack large enough, the water burst through the opening enveloping her and hiding her from view and, once she was safely surrounded by the water, she allowed it to flow back through the crack and launch her into the ocean. The water around her was receding rapidly and so she utilized the small amount of ocean she had left to carry her as far away from the town as possible, far enough so that they¡¯d never find her.


    When she finally stopped and all the remaining water had dried up around her she rolled onto her side and wept, occasionally screaming in rage and cursing William with every breath. She had lost everything, her ocean, her might, her health, and the only friend she¡¯d ever had¡­ She took solace in the knowledge that a seafaring town would certainly crumble without the ocean to sustain it and she wished she could see it happen. So, all alone and on the verge of death, Meerous did the only thing she could, she crawled; across the ground, groaning in agony, hoping beyond hope that she may find help, that someone might find her and take pity on her and, as she crawled she replayed that moment in her head over and over again, William with the harpoon over his shoulder, his eyes showing no emotion, the kind of eyes you see in a man slaughtering livestock. That memory gave Meerous strength, it fanned a fire inside of her, a burning hatred for all mankind and everything they stood for, she promised herself that, if she ever found another human, she¡¯d eat it on the spot.


    Jennifer and James watched all this unfold as the water shifted around them to tell the story. When the story had concluded the only thing left was a water replica of Meerous crawling through the empty seabed just the way they¡¯d found her. Meerous watched herself crawling around and, though she was the one telling the story, she seemed to be seeing it all for the first time. When the water receded, and Jennifer and James could again see the wreckage of the town before them they understood, they understood Meerous¡¯ anger, her hatred, her pain¡­


    ¡°You see now don¡¯t you, humans are not capable of friendship¡­ you two should leave.¡± She turned her head slowly toward the ocean and raised it high as she prepared to dive under the waves when a voice stopped her.


    ¡°What about servants?¡± Meerous whipped her head around to see Jennifer staring up at her, eyes full of tears and a half smile on her face. ¡°You¡¯re right, you can¡¯t trust a human to be your friend after that¡­ What William did to you is unforgivable and you should never have to owe another human anything! But you showed us mercy when we crossed into your kingdom, you allowed us safe passage to the edge of your border and you gave us an audience in your presence.¡± Meerous stared at Jennifer dumbfounded, but the sincerity in Jennifer¡¯s voice kept her listening,


    ¡°Go on¡­¡± She said hesitantly.


    ¡°You¡¯re the queen of this ocean, your friend betrayed you and you lost it, but now you¡¯re back and no one¡¯s ever going to take your throne from you again! So, all my friend and I here are asking, is that you allow us to become your subjects, servants willing to come to your aid whenever you ask and, in return, we ask only that you allow us to visit you and your kingdom from time to time.¡± Jennifer ended her speech by curtseying with her jacket. She was happy to note that James had followed her lead and had bowed toward Meerous with a smile full of empathy and respect, a single tear managed to make its way down his cheek. A smile crept across Meerous¡¯ face as tears flowed freely down her face until she blinked them away and assumed a regal pose, her neck curved and her head held aloft with her mouth pointing out toward the shore, the sun directly behind her causing her whole body to shine. She spoke with the authority of a queen and the manners of a princess,


    ¡°Do you Jennifer and you James promise to serve me faithfully for as long as you may live? Do you swear your fealty to me and the ocean that reflects me? Will you always honor your promise to follow me, trusting in my leadership?¡±


    ¡°We do.¡± They replied, big smiles on their faces as they knelt in over dramatized submission.


    ¡°Then I, Meerous, queen of these waters, do declare you lady Jennifer and you sir James, Duchess and Duke of this province of my great and mighty kingdom; trusting that you will take better care of it than the previous tenants. Now my lovely and loyal subjects you may rise.¡± Meerous laughed a bit at the end as James and Jennifer stood back on their feet laughing right along with her.


    ¡°Thank you, my queen,¡± Jennifer declared with a flourish of the hand just like the old man used to do, ¡°we must be off now as we are in pursuit of Duke James¡¯ brother, but we shall return to you bringing with us great treasures to show our gratitude.¡±


    ¡°I will await your return with great patience Duchess Jennifer,¡± Meerous nodded her head as she acknowledged Jennifer¡¯s new title with the highest of respects, ¡°and I shall insist that you take with you these fish that I have discovered to be¡­ traitors to the cause! It is up to you to see to their execution in whatever way you see fit, whether that be boiling them in water, roasting them over a fire or eating them raw with some seaweed. I know that the job of an executioner can be hard, so I will also provide you with salt and seaweed to ensure that the execution goes smoothly.¡± Meerous winked at the pair as a large bundle of fish washed ashore with seaweed in the shape of a large pouch seated nicely atop. James¡¯ eyes widened, and he looked at Meerous in disbelief.


    ¡°Tha-Thank you!¡± But then remembering the terms of this agreement he put on a serious face, placed his arms rigidly at his sides and announced, ¡°I will see to it that these¡­ traitors are given a¡­ proper execution!¡± While he certainly did not possess the flair of Meerous or Jennifer the attempt was appreciated. A long drawn out goodbye didn¡¯t appeal to any of them, so James placed the fish into his bag along with the seaweed bundle full of salt and slung the whole thing over his shoulder as Jennifer took one last look at the ocean. Meerous stooped down and rested her head alongside her,


    ¡°It¡¯s rare these days to come across human beings who still look out upon me with such wonder, please return sometime to see me again.¡± Meerous whispered as she nuzzled Jennifer with her cheek. Jennifer smiled and nodded her head, she would be back, if she couldn¡¯t return to her old home then maybe this ocean could be her new home, a place for her to come back to, a place where she was wanted.

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5


    ¡°I ran the numbers James,¡± Jennifer stated a little while later as they trekked through some fairly deep snow, ¡°and I owe you three, ¡®I told you so¡¯s.¡¯¡± James, his breathing hard from having to lift his legs all the way over the four-foot-high snow, stopped for a moment and looked toward Jennifer incredulously,


    ¡°What?!¡± Jennifer ignored his exasperation and continued with her thought,


    ¡°Yep, three. You owe me one since we almost drowned and another one since Meerous almost ate us, but I owe you five, one for Meerous not eating us, another since she turned out to be really nice to us, another since helping her saved us a lot of walking, another since helping her made us a new friend, and finally since helping her ended up getting us food and since five minus two is three I owe you three! So: I told you so, I told you so, I told you so!¡± She counted each one off her fingers as she said them and then flashed a childish grin toward James who was less than amused by the whole thing.


    James had been in a bad mood ever since they left Meerous, which Jennifer found odd seeing as they didn¡¯t have to worry about food anymore, at least for a while. But James just kept looking up as if he was expecting to see something that wasn¡¯t there, looking in front of him and swinging his head from side to side in search of something that refused to appear and then fuming for a bit before repeating the whole process over again. When he did it again Jennifer finally spoke up,


    ¡°What the hell are you looking for?!¡± James looked over at her surprised, clearly oblivious to the fact that she¡¯d been watching him.


    ¡°Do you know where we¡¯re going?¡± He asked with thinly veiled frustration. She shook her head no. ¡°Well neither do I¡­ When Meerous took us across it completely threw off my sense of direction¡­ I¡¯ve been looking to see if there¡¯s some kind of land marker that might help me regain my bearings but there¡¯s nothing out here!¡± He threw out his hands to point out that there was in fact nothing. ¡°So even though we have plenty of food we still don¡¯t have enough to wander out here forever¡­ It¡¯d be nice if the blizzard would let up a bit so I could see more than six feet in front of me, but I suppose that¡¯s too much to hope for.¡± James sighed letting his whole-body sigh with him, his shoulders slumped, and he really looked quite pitiful. Jennifer would have said something to lift his spirits, but he made some good points, there really was no way of knowing where they were going, which was going to make finding James¡¯ brother sort of difficult.


    They appeared out of nowhere.


    Jennifer thought they were far off in the distance, but, before she knew it, they were no less than a quarter mile away. She caught glimpses of what appeared to be men and women riding monstrous creatures that thundered across the barren land with their legs hurtling them forward and all four legs leaving the ground at once. The beasts had long hair that fell haphazardly down their necks, their heads were elongated and ended in a large black snout that huffed and shook every so often. Each one seemed to be missing a piece that the others had, some a leg, others an eye, some a nose, and a few large chunks of their barrel like frames. Each missing piece had been replaced with an icy duplicate that had been frozen in place to create patchwork monsters that were neither fully living nor fully ice. The men and women were no different, each of them had missing limbs, eyes, fingers, shoulders, all of which had been replaced with ice. They raised their arms aloft, the ice forming into sharp blades as they hollered incoherently toward the pair.


    Jennifer found herself frozen in fear and the beasts and their riders were nearly upon her when James tackled her onto the ground and into the snow. Completely surrounded by snow, Jennifer fumbled around for air but James¡¯ arm held her steady as he crawled deeper and deeper into the snow with single minded focus. Jennifer couldn¡¯t even scream for James to stop and let her come up for air because each time she opened her mouth it filled with snow and left her choking and wheezing as she went deeper and deeper into the snow. She could vaguely hear the hollering above her, now circling their position but clearly unable or unwilling to follow the pair into the snow, but happy enough to block any attempt at an exit. Just when she thought her lungs may burst and she¡¯d experience that death she¡¯d heard so much about, she felt the ground give way out from under her, leaving her sliding on her shoulder down a rocky dive with jagged rocks cutting her arms, legs and stomach as she threw her arms over her head to prevent herself from any serious harm. James¡¯ arm had released and she could hear him shouting something about bracing herself. The sliding stopped and she began falling for what felt like a lifetime stuffed into two or three seconds and ended with her landing on her butt on a ground that gave way about as much as a nun at a nightclub; which is to say, not even a little.


    Everything hurt, her whole body throbbed, her cuts stung and her lungs still burned from the snow. She managed to crawl over to the wall of the cave and lean up against it for support as she took in her surroundings. The cave was nearly pitch black, a small glimmer of light could be seen flickering off in the distance and a shadowy form groaned and wheezed on the ground holding its leg in agony, Jennifer hoped the figure was James¡­


    ¡°J-James? That better be you! If it¡¯s you say something or¡­ or else!¡± She shouted shaking her burning throat, causing a shot of searing pain.


    ¡°Or else what?¡± The shadowy figure retorted. James rolled over to look at her. Jennifer sighed in relief and allowed her head to fall back against the wall, finally giving herself permission to relax and catch her breath. The two sat with only the sound of ragged breathing between them. A couple of minutes later they began the brutal process of rising from their comfortable walls and making some kind of decision as to where to go next. As Jennifer pushed against the wall, she discovered quite quickly every spot where the rocks had either cut or bruised her on the way down, which she felt was a real pain in the butt and complimented her literal pain in the butt nicely. When she finally made it to her feet she was sweating from the effort, but she felt a pleasant sense of accomplishment seeing that she¡¯d beaten James getting up and she exaggeratedly tapped her foot as she watched James go through an equally painful process to get to his own feet. Unfortunately for James, bruises and cuts were the least of his worries. Upon placing his weight on his left foot he yelped in surprise to feel it give way under him. He crumpled back to the ground and groaned as he began his second attempt. Jennifer ran to his side and lifted his arm over her shoulder and, together, the two rose to their feet with the notable exception of James¡¯ left foot which hung uselessly in the air.


    ¡°Thanks for the help up but I think I¡¯m good now.¡± James said as he removed his arm from her shoulder, eliciting another attempted eyebrow raise from Jennifer who pursed her lips in frustration. Since he only had one foot James placed a hand against the cave wall for balance and then swung his head around toward the small glimmer of light.


    ¡°Any clue what it is?¡± Jennifer asked, arms crossed as she leaned against the opposing wall.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t tell you.¡± James replied wearily, clearly tired of not having answers. Jennifer glanced over at him suspiciously, a thought that had been working its way around her head ever since they fell into the cave finally rose to the surface,


    ¡°How did you know this cave was even here?¡± James went quiet for a moment and then shrugged,


    ¡°Lucky guess I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit.¡± Jennifer replied, having expected that exact answer.


    ¡°You sure like that word¡­¡±


    ¡°Only because you give me plenty of reason to use it.¡± Jennifer¡¯s eyes bore into James¡¯ as she searched for some sign he might break and tell her the truth, but he stood strong. ¡°You didn¡¯t just guess, you tackled me and pulled me through snow that was impossible to see in in one specific direction without wavering or searching and you¡¯re going to tell me that was luck?¡± James considered that for a moment,


    ¡°In a way it was luck, either the cave would be there or it wouldn¡¯t, but the odds weren¡¯t great.¡± Jennifer returned his comment with silent confusion. ¡°The Deathless usually stick to old cities, they occasionally raid out into other places but something about cities keeps them coming back. So, since the Deathless were there, I figured we had to be near a city,¡± he slowed down and waited to see if Jennifer was tracking, she nodded begrudgingly, still not sure what this had to do with anything. ¡°and most cities have sewer systems. So all I had to do was look for a dip in the snow where the sewer might let out. I was just lucky to be right.¡± He smiled sheepishly at the end and his eyes seemed to plead with her to drop it either due to fatigue or an unwillingness to keep fighting. Jennifer let him off the hook this time because she happened to be tired as well and, for the first time in her life, a fight didn¡¯t exactly appeal to her, besides, something James said caught her attention.


    ¡°So those things were Deathless?¡± James nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re walking through an area that used to be pretty heavily populated so we¡¯re certain to see more of them.¡±


    ¡°But what are they¡±? Jennifer asked, the memory of the icy beasts hurtling toward her causing a tremble in her hand and a shakiness to her voice.


    ¡°I suppose your city didn¡¯t have any of them roaming around nearby?¡± Jennifer shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s what I figured¡­ The Deathless are people, animals, half-Forms, and the like, but they lost their sanity a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°So why call them the Deathless¡±? Jennifer asked, her eyes wide like a child around a campfire hearing her first ghost story.


    ¡°Because they can¡¯t die¡­ Or I suppose they can die, but Death refuses to acknowledge it. So now they just sort of live on forever and, when they break, Death patches them back up with ice and sends them back out¡­ Well not Death per say, but his representative here on Adam does it.¡± James mused as he leaned back his head, his eyes lost looking up at the darkness above.


    ¡°They wanted to kill us¡­¡± Her hands wouldn¡¯t stop shaking no matter how much she demanded they stop, her lip quivered and she felt like tears were not far off, but she refused to cry in front of someone else, especially James.


    ¡°Yeah they did. Jennifer most everything out here wants us dead¡­ You know that right?¡± Jennifer had not in fact known that.


    ¡°Why do they want to kill us? What did we ever do to them?¡± Her legs trembled, and she grabbed hold of them desperately hoping to stop the trembling. James lowered his head and let out a deep sigh,


    ¡°Because they hate us. They hate us because we¡¯re not suffering, because misery will always love company.¡±


    ¡°So they ki-kill people!? How is that fair?! How does that make any sense?!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t, but pain makes people do crazy things, makes them lash out, makes them angry. It¡¯s not their fault, this is exactly what Death wanted for them.¡±


    ¡°Death¡­¡± She kept hearing the name but she¡¯d never dug into it any deeper for fear of what she might find, ¡°Is Death like Meerous¡­? You know, converted or whatever?¡± Jennifer choked out the question, unable to keep back her fear any longer. Without looking at her or moving his head James took in a deep breath and answered her question,


    ¡°Death is an odd case. Like Meerous he made the conversion, making himself human, but unlike Meerous he isn¡¯t limited to any one area or even any one planet. He¡¯s the one who killed Time and threw the whole world into this chaotic twilight. By killing Time he became the new Time and, unlike Time, he wasn¡¯t exactly fond of doing his job, so he left the planet to go out and search the cosmos, but not before leaving Adam crawling with his followers.¡± He shifted back and forth on his one good foot as he spoke, occasionally glancing off toward the little light in the distance; this topic clearly made him uncomfortable.


    ¡°So Death¡¯s not around then?¡± Jennifer asked with the first sign of relief in her voice since they began this conversation. James shook his head,


    ¡°Yes and no¡­ Since Death now has all of Time¡¯s abilities he could return to Adam on a moments notice.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± The relief left her voice and Jennifer longed for the warm safety of her city. The two grew silent, Jennifer stared at her shaking hands, her thoughts racing and her determination wavering.


    ¡°Jennifer, it¡¯s okay to be scared.¡± James assured her, breaking the silence. Before she could protest James cut her off with two simple words, ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°You are? If you¡¯re scared then why are you out here, why did you leave¡±? Jennifer wasn¡¯t just asking James these questions,


    ¡°My brother¡¯s in trouble, he¡¯s somewhere out there, afraid and alone and¡­ and I¡¯d be a really horrible older brother if I didn¡¯t even try looking for him.¡± Jennifer considered his words carefully,


    ¡°...You really do care about him don¡¯t you¡±?


    ¡°More than anything in the world¡­¡± The two again went quiet, with only one question on Jennifer¡¯s mind, and, as if he had some psychic vision, James named it, ¡°Why are you out here, really¡±? Jennifer shrugged pitifully,


    ¡°Man I don¡¯t even know¡­ I ran away from home looking for Destiny, kind of like your brother.¡±


    ¡°Why Destiny, what exactly did you think he¡¯d do for you¡±?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Jennifer smiled weakly, the reckless, poorly thought out nature of her quest crashing down on her, ¡°I guess I thought he¡¯d fix things, change things back to the way they used to be.¡±


    ¡°How did they used to be¡±? James¡¯ eyes fell on her sympathetically, as if looking in a mirror just a couple years behind.


    ¡°Not really sure, the old man told me that the sun used to move, and water would fall from the sky and that¡­ everybody used to grow up¡­¡±


    ¡°Just like you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jennifer thought about it for a moment, she¡¯d always been excited thinking about the world in the old man¡¯s stories, but, the older she got, that one part of it took precedence over all the others. ¡°I guess I thought that, if everybody grew up again then¡­¡± She fudged around a bit, not wanting to say the obvious.


    ¡°I get it,¡± James interjected, saving her from admitting the sad truth of it all.


    ¡°Pretty sad right? My big quest to find Destiny and all it really amounts to is leaving a place that, while really sucky, at least kept me from getting killed, and for what? Chasing a myth in the hopes that people might finally want me around.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s stupid.¡± His face deathly serious, ¡°Jennifer, out here you have a chance to be who you are, and, if you never left home then you¡¯d never have that chance. But, to survive out here, in the midst of all this insanity, you need to know what it is you¡¯re after. My brother gives me strength, what is it that you want¡±? Jennifer considered this, her body in agony, her mind petrified, and, shaking off the desire for the safety of her bedroom, she bit down on her lip and demanded she say what she¡¯d been afraid to say,


    ¡°I want to find Destiny, and I want him to fix all the stupid people back home. I want home to feel like¡­ home.¡±


    ¡°Then hold onto that, let that trump all the fear. So, what¡¯s your next step¡±? Jennifer laughed, slightly embarrassed,


    ¡°Actually that¡¯s why I¡¯m helping ya search for your brother, I figure that he may have found Destiny. That¡¯s where I thought I¡¯d start.¡± James chuckled,


    ¡°Yeah I sort of figured that too. Well then I suppose we¡¯re partners for a while. And who knows? As crazy as my brother is, he may actually have found Destiny.¡± The two shared a smile.


    Something about saying the words aloud invigorated Jennifer, and even though her legs still shook, she again slipped her shoulder under James¡¯ arm much to his surprise and began walking toward the light. James protested but she ignored it, she didn¡¯t have time for discussion right now, she didn¡¯t have time to debate whether this was the right move, she didn¡¯t have time to dwell. What she did have time for was moving, placing one foot in front of the other heading toward the only goal she could see in before her and, while the glimmer of light in the distance was small, it shined just bright enough to follow. Her legs buckled with each step, the cuts on her leg opened and closed with the extending and contracting of her legs. James¡¯ weight bore down on her causing her already bruised shoulder to scream in agony demanding she stop, but she refused; her body listened to her, but she was under no obligation to return the favor. She could hear her muscles popping every time she shifted her weight or stretched in any way. She rolled her neck back and forth grimacing when her neck reached its limit and she could feel the veins catching on the muscles like strings being tightened on a guitar. Any sane person would have stopped and waited for their body to recover, made a fire, had some food, melt some snow and have a drink, you know, rest. But Jennifer knew that the moment she stopped her mind would catch up and she may be unable to talk herself into ever getting back up. So this was all she could do, move forward toward the slight glimmer of light in the distance and hope her legs would hold.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    As if to answer to her unspoken declaration she felt James¡¯ weight lift off her shoulder and, instead of demanding they stop, she saw him hobbling forward ahead of her. He glanced back briefly and the two locked eyes, the message was clear, there was no stopping now.


    Have you ever made the mistake of jogging? What¡¯s the point of running in no particular direction with no destination in mind with the sole goal of shrinking one¡¯s waistline and expanding one¡¯s lungs? There are plenty of other ways to get into shape that are far more interesting, less time consuming and produce far better results and yet people still choose to jog! If you have jogged before then you know the stitches that grip onto your side and screech sharply for sweet release, the burning lungs that occasionally become blocked with spit and mucus so you think you¡¯re about to suffocate, pass out, and fall face first onto the ground and die. What a way to go too, death by jogging¡­ But every smug jogger will tell you that this pain never truly goes away, it¡¯s always present in every jog, what separates joggers from the uninitiated is the promise of a second wind. Everyone gets second winds, everyone knows that odd burst of energy that emerges right when you think you can¡¯t go another step and, while everyone may know it, joggers live by it. Marathon runners run with the knowledge that they will get tired, they will want to die and that the pain will not go away, but they also know that the energy necessary to take that next step, to run that next mile, to finish that marathon will arrive at some point, they just have to run until they reach it. But, if they stop, slow down, break their stride even for a moment, then the feeling never arrives, the body powers down, the mind catches up and the full weight of just how far away the finish line is sets in. At least half of every battle begins and ends in the mind, and the most fit, well prepared individuals live lives of mediocrity because they allow their body to decide when it¡¯s time to quit.


    Psychological trauma is no different. Those who suffer from fear, anxiety, uncertainty and despair all run through life with ragged breathing, stitched sides and clogged lungs. In these cases the mind becomes its own worst enemy and something else has to step up to the plate and make the decision no one else can. This thing, whatever it is, burns like a fire and causes everyone around to take notice, some with fear, some with awe, some with envy and some with hope. The fire burns whoever holds it and the pain they have only increases as the fire forces their legs to move and their minds to think. This fuel, like a second wind, does nothing to alleviate the pain, only to allow people to fight for the things they truly want. A mind set ablaze is no longer the mind of a slave, a body set ablaze is no longer a hindrance, a person set ablaze does not allow pain or fear, envy or loss, or any kind misery to choose for them.


    James had watched Jennifer carrying him toward the light, some light sparked off her and James found himself in no less pain, but now unwilling to let the pain choose what his next move would be. Jennifer was ablaze, and her shaking legs, trembling hands and quivering chin could no longer stop her from reaching that light.


    ******************************************************************************


    The source of the light was not exactly what they expected¡­ A cage made of glass about the size of a closet stood in the middle of a massive clearing, a single large pipe penetrated the glass box, but where it originated from was a bit of a mystery as it went into one of the cave walls and neither James or Jennifer had any form of X-ray vision. The top of the box opened like a funnel into the ceiling of the cave where a series of tens of thousands of metal rods hung parallel to each other above the opening. But the oddest thing of all was the actual source of the light, a little boy sitting contently in the center of the box literally twiddling his thumbs.


    ¡°¡­Hello?¡± Jennifer asked glancing over at James who looked equally confused. The boy turned toward them with wide eyes and a full toothed grin. The boy looked to be no older than seven years old with ebony skin and a shaved head. Draped over his shoulder was a piece of red cloth that covered half his torso, his lower half covered by a stained grey robe cut off at the waist. The boy was in fairly good condition, he seemed well fed and healthy despite his current living conditions. He had bright white teeth and a massive mouth that gave him and even larger smile. But the light that Jennifer had been following shone out of his eyes, his dark orange eyes popped and snapped like a campfire.


    The boy¡¯s smile faded as he rubbed his hand over his face and, when he removed his hand, all that was left was a dead eyed expressionless stare, the burning eyes noticeably more dim.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± The boy said, his tone even but his eyes anxious. Jennifer and James looked over at each other and then back at the boy with mouths hanging open slightly producing a series of, ¡°uhh¡­¡±s and, ¡°wellllllll¡­¡±s and, ¡°we just ummmmmm¡­¡±s as they scratched their heads occasionally pointing to the other in the hopes they might manage to complete their thought.


    ¡°Are y¡¯all here to fix the pipe?¡± The boy asked, ¡°It stopped working ages back so y¡¯all certainly took your time getting down here¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ we¡¯re not here about the pipe¡­¡± James said beginning to shake off the strangeness of this interaction and wanting to make some sense of it all, ¡°How exactly did you get in that box¡±? The boy raised his eyebrows and looked toward the box and let out a slight, ¡°huh¡­¡± the kind of, ¡®huh¡¯ you¡¯d make if someone pointed out how nice a painting in your house was and you realize you¡¯d never actually taken any time to look at it.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡± The boy said matter of factly with his eyes closed, arms crossed and head nodding. James waited for some follow up, but the boy just kept nodding his head silently.


    ¡°Would you like to get out of the box¡±? Jennifer watched James ask the question the same way he¡¯d spoken to her when they¡¯d first met, attempting to sound calm and collected, but failing miserably. The boy considered the question for a moment and shrugged,


    ¡°Nope, I have to be here.¡± Jennifer didn¡¯t like that.


    ¡°Why do you have to be there? Are you saying you can¡¯t leave¡±? She asked with a hint of empathy.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the boy said with frustrating nonchalance, ¡°never really tried.¡± A normal person would have gotten the message that a little more information would be appreciated or at least some sign that this was not a topic that they wished to discuss further, but the boy seemed perfectly content to offer neither. The boy spoke like tinder in a campfire, words hitting him like sparks yet he refused to burn, the whole endeavor usually provoking cursing from the one holding the flint. James, his sprained ankle throbbing and his whole-body aching found himself in no mood to play this game, so he dropped the polite chit chat and got straight to the point,


    ¡°Can you tell us which way to go to get out of this cave¡±? James asked shortly. Again, the boy just shrugged,


    ¡°Nope.¡± James began to grind his teeth and drive his fingers into his clenched fist as he took to some slow deep breathing, Jennifer could almost hear him counting to ten in his head. She would have found his annoyance funny if it wasn¡¯t for the whole potentially being trapped in a cave and starving thing that was causing James¡¯ frustration.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just keep moving,¡± Jennifer commanded as she reached for James¡¯ arm and began guiding him toward one of the other openings in the room.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± The boy whispered as the two stumbled off away from the little light his eyes offered. But as they began to leave they were stopped by the sound of shaking metal clanking from behind the walls of the cave and they turned to follow the noise all the way to the box with the boy inside. The boy tensed up like a child before a shot as the pipe connected to the box began drenching him with water. The boy let out a low whine as he placed his hands above his head and sat curled up in the corner of the box, the water now gushing gallons upon gallons onto the poor boy. But what got the attention of our two travelers was the hissing steam that rose off the boy the second the water touched his skin. The mass of steam rose at an alarming rate up into the network of metal rods causing them to spin faster and faster and from above Jennifer could hear the creaking sounds of metal on metal.


    The boy¡¯s whines became cries of agony as the water shot out of the pipe with enough force to throw a man off his feet. Jennifer spun on her heels back toward the box and ran over to the glass, pounding on it with her fist, shouting over the roaring water,


    ¡°HOW DO I TURN THIS OFF, HOW DO I MAKE IT STOP?!¡± The boy¡¯s only reply was more wailing. Jennifer turned desperately back to James, her eyes wild and searching for something she could do. James swung his head around looking for a lever or faucet or switch or something, but the cave¡¯s walls were barren. A fairly large rock lying on the ground caught Jennifer¡¯s eye and she scooped it up into her hand and began smashing it against the glass with increasing ferocity. The glass refused to budge. All Jennifer could do was watch helplessly as the boy screamed in pain, his body getting noticeably smaller the longer the water hit him. With no other options left, she crouched down next to the box where the boy had curled up and placed one hand against the glass. She immediately yanked it back with a yelp of pain. The temperature of the glass had risen to unbearable temperatures causing Jennifer to sweat uncontrollably as the box turned the whole cave into a sauna. Jennifer refused to leave the boy¡¯s side though and, removing her jacket, she sat cross legged in front of the box as sweat dripped from every pore of her body. She again reached out toward the box and rested her hand next to the boy; when her hand made contact with the glass she grimaced in pain, but she refused to remove her hand. The boy reached out a trembling hand toward Jennifer¡¯s and the two hands met with only the glass between them.


    Nearly half an hour later the water finally stopped and the boy had shrunk to nearly half his former size. Both Jennifer and James were drenched with sweat from head to toe and suddenly the icy wind above seemed pretty appealing. The boy slowly got up from the ground and rose shakily to his feet.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He said, his voice maintaining that even tone, ¡°You should go now.¡±


    ¡°Like hell I will!¡± Jennifer shouted, ¡°I¡¯m getting you out of there you ungrateful little punk! Now tell me how to open this thing!¡± The boy placed his head in his hands and began shaking it back and forth as he mumbled,


    ¡°no, no, no no no, no no no no no¡­¡± over and over again. James approached the box and watched the boy curiously.


    ¡°You¡¯re the Form of fire, aren¡¯t you?¡± James said more as a statement than a question. The boy looked up from his mutterings for a moment and nodded his head. ¡°If that¡¯s the case then what are you doing here? Why let yourself be tortured like this and for what? So someone can power their city¡±? James paused and watched him closely, the boy wouldn¡¯t meet his eyes. ¡°You know their isn¡¯t even a city up there anymore right? You¡¯re down here suffering for nothing!¡± As James spoke he was surprised to see how passionate he was about the whole thing, he was afraid Jennifer might be rubbing off on him. Jennifer poorly attempted to raise an eyebrow when she heard the whole bit about powering a city and the boy being the literal embodiment of fire, but the rest of it she found herself in full agreement with.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand¡­¡± The boy whispered, ¡°No one is making me stay here I want to be here¡­¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Jennifer urged, her eyes pleading as she stared nostalgically at the box before her. The boy paced within the confines of his box throwing up his hands and then bringing them to his head where he scratched and rubbed his barren scalp making non-committal noises. Finally he stopped and took in a deep breath and stared Jennifer dead in the eye and spoke with the most unsettling, unnerving voice Jennifer had ever heard,


    ¡°I hurt people, and I will hurt you.¡± The sound was like a thousand voices layered atop one another with an undertone like the growling of some ancient beast. So startling was the voice that all the blood in Jennifer¡¯s face faded and she instinctively took a step away and braced herself to run, the kind of reaction a mouse might make when face to face with a lion. Unlike her first experience with Meerous where the sheer size and magnitude of her made Jennifer uneasy, now it was merely the presence of this boy that made her whole body seize. She felt as if she stood before something ancient, something so far older than herself and all that she knew. She risked a glance at his eyes and audibly gasped when she saw within those eyes the light of a fire so bright that her momentary glance left her blinded. Grasping at her eyes and letting out a little yelp she heard the sound of James hobbling over and placing a firm hand on her back, helping her to the ground.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± the boy said, his former voice returning, ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you, I just wanted you to understand¡­¡± The boy again sank back to his curled up position and gripped his head with his hand, returning to his mutterings. Jennifer fought through the bright pain behind her eyes and forced them open as she stared toward the darkness blinking rapidly. Eventually the white light began to fade and, while it still hurt like hell, Jennifer was able to make out the shapes of the world around her again.


    ¡°You¡­ You should go,¡± the boy pleaded as he watched Jennifer rising again to her feet.


    ¡°No chance.¡± Jennifer declared, a pained smile on her face. ¡°See you nearly blinded me so I think that grants me at least a couple of answers.¡± The boy¡¯s eyes widened and he spoke with disbelief,


    ¡°You still want to talk to me? After what I did to you¡­?¡± With her hands on her hips and her eyes closed, Jennifer nodded her head,


    ¡°If I refused to talk to everyone who nearly blinded me I might miss out on some good conversation, don¡¯t ya think?¡± She concluded as she lifted her head and flashed the boy a huge grin. If one were to look closely at the boy, the very embodiment of all fire, a being capable of drowning whole nations in undying flames hotter than the deepest pits of hell, as he stared at Jennifer utterly stunned, you may just be able to see a hint of a blush. James let out a chuckle Jennifer¡¯s head snapped in his direction, ¡°And what¡¯s got you laughing?!¡±


    ¡°Nothing, please continue.¡± James smiled cheekily as he waved off Jennifer¡¯s suspicious glare. What James neglected to tell her is his complete and utter amazement at her ability to start conversations with deadly and ancient creatures while simultaneously being so utterly incapable of holding even a decent conversation with another human being. The more he thought about it the more he chuckled, but Jennifer pretended to ignore it. Her former bravado slightly lessened thanks to James¡¯ little giggle fest, Jennifer continued,


    ¡°So James here,¡± she stuck out her thumb toward James who was still shaking off a slight chuckle, ¡°calls you the, ¡®Form of Fire¡¯ is that true?¡± The boy nodded. ¡°See that¡¯s a start! Do you have a name? I met a really beautiful ocean a little while ago named Meerous, so if she has a name I figure you probably do too.


    ¡°Enoch¡± The boy said with a hint of a smile, it had been a very, very long time since anyone had asked him his name; he¡¯d come to miss the sound of it.


    ¡°Enoch it is then! So Enoch would ya mind telling us how it is ya managed to get yourself in that their box?¡± Jennifer tapped on the box and instantly regretted it as her now burnt finger quickly jerked back from the still scalding hot glass. Enoch¡¯s face looked conflicted as he let his head lean back against the glass. ¡°Come on Enoch, don¡¯t stop now! We¡¯re really making progress!¡± Jennifer encouraged, about to place her hands back on the box but quickly catching herself. She took an awkward step back and placed her hands behind her back. Enoch sighed,


    ¡°It all started some time ago when the humans were first starting to make alliances with the Forms. I¡¯ve always had a bit of a closer relationship with humans so that meant that they¡¯d often come to me for advice on how to deal with the other Forms. But the other Forms kept taking advantage of the humans and many groups of humans had to take shelter away from powerful Forms just to survive. One particular group settled in the middle of nowhere with nothing to use to build a home for themselves. I came across them and offered to help them in anyway that I could, so the leader of the people and I came up with an idea. He built this box under the city to house me and, in return, I¡¯d provide power for the city by letting him cover me in water a couple times a day.¡± Enoch finished his story with eyes that begged his audience not to ask the obvious question. The begging was ignored.


    ¡°Then why are you still here if the city¡¯s gone?!¡± Jennifer shouted throwing up her hands in frustration. James limped over and placed a hand on Jennifer¡¯s shoulder in an attempt to help settle her down a bit as he looked knowingly toward Enoch who was doing his best to avoid eye contact.


    ¡°You knew you were just being used didn¡¯t you?¡± James surmised. Enoch nodded.


    ¡°What?!¡± Jennifer blurted, ¡°Why would you let someone use you like that?!¡±


    ¡°BECAUSE HE WAS RIGHT!¡± Enoch exploded, his body erupted in flame and his voice again took on the startling growl. James and Jennifer recoiled in horror as Enoch¡¯s inflamed form loomed over them.


    ¡°I AM A DEMON, A MONSTER OF SUCH A NIGHTMARISH NATURE THAT MY VERY EXISTENCE IS AN AFFRONT TO ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THIS WORLD! IF I ALLOWED MYSELF TO LEAVE THIS CAVE I WOULD DROWN THIS WORLD IN AN ENDLESS FIRE!¡± Enoch¡¯s voice reached a thunderous roar that rattled the entire cave. The roar sounded like a mix of a banshee¡¯s wailing, children screaming, a warrior¡¯s war cry and a dragon¡¯s bellowing all layered atop one another.


    A few moments later the rumbling subsided and the cave grew deathly silent as the flaming form of Enoch began to slowly dim and return to his former childlike appearance.


    ¡°I think I get it now,¡± Jennifer reckoned, ¡°He told you that you¡¯d be better off in the cage right? That you¡¯d just hurt people if you were left to wander the world on your own.¡± Enoch couldn¡¯t believe she was still talking to him after that, he couldn¡¯t fathom what it might take to shake this girl. ¡°But here¡¯s the problem with that, his whole argument hinges on the notion that you¡¯re a¡­ How did he put it?¡± She looked over at James snapping her fingers searching for the word, James didn¡¯t answer as he was just as stunned as Enoch. ¡°A Demon! That¡¯s what it was! With a nightmarish nature right? Look, the way I see it you¡¯re either a bad guy in which case you should be out there being a bad guy, or you¡¯re a good guy in which case you should be out there being a good guy, either way you shouldn¡¯t be in this cage.¡± She concluded as she looked toward James for confirmation of her logic. Enoch shook his head in amazement,


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you don¡¯t get what I¡¯m saying! I¡¯m in this cage because I know I might do something bad if I leave it! Before this cave I caused forest fires, house fires, I destroyed entire cities because I lost control! People¡¯s homes, livelihoods, families, all lost because of me! You saw how easily I can lose control, what if I didn¡¯t have this glass here and I¡¯d roasted you two alive?!¡±


    ¡°I may actually see her point Enoch,¡± James conceded begrudgingly, ¡°You allow yourself to lose control more often because you have that glass protecting you and, the longer you¡¯re in it, the more you convince yourself that you¡¯re simply someone who can¡¯t control himself.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Jennifer interrupted, ¡°This whole nature thing is a load of crap! It¡¯s an excuse for you not to work on yourself, but if you let people convince you that you have some kind of evil nature then that¡¯s all you¡¯ll ever be! Do you want to hurt people?¡± Enoch couldn¡¯t seem to formulate the words whether out of shock or anger he didn¡¯t know, ¡°Well? Do you want to hurt people? Answer the question?¡± Jennifer prodded.


    ¡°NO! Of course I don¡¯t!¡± Enoch snapped back in exasperation.


    ¡°Great! Now do you want to live the rest of your life in a box?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Enoch began


    ¡°BULLSHIT!¡± Jennifer barked, ¡°Do you really want to live in that box forever!¡± Enoch was silent, ¡°Answer the question! You almost blinded me now answer the question!¡±


    ¡°NO! I DON¡¯T WANT TO LIVE IN THIS BOX!¡± Bellowed Enoch with his earlier bravado, but something about it was different this time, it felt more stable, the layers seemed to be meshing together with one another. Jennifer allowed herself a proud smile,


    ¡°Then you need to figure out how to not hurt people without resorting to living in a box.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible¡­¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s not! That guy wanted you to think it was impossible, those people in the city needed you to think it was impossible, but it¡¯s not impossible! Are you really so quick to give up on yourself! You¡¯re not a demon or a monster, you know what you are?¡± The room suddenly grew unnervingly still, ¡°You are a scared little boy who¡¯d rather make up excuses and let other people walk all over him then actually make the hard decisions.¡± Enoch stood at the edge of the glass and met Jennifer¡¯s stare head on. The two stood on separate sides of the glass, their breathing heavy, but neither one showing any sign of fear or uncertainty.


    James couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing, he couldn¡¯t believe that a person like Jennifer could exist, and, when faced with the literal embodiment of fire and a nineteen-year-old girl, he wasn¡¯t sure who he should be more afraid of.


    ¡°What if I fail¡­¡± Enoch whispered as his shoulders slumped and his eyes fell to the ground, ¡°what if someone gets hurt?¡± Jennifer put on her most reassuring smile,


    ¡°Come with us, that way, if you feel like you¡¯re about to hurt someone, we¡¯ll be there to cool you off!¡± The pun was intentional, but no one got it.


    ¡°You¡¯d really feel safe with me around¡±?


    ¡°Nope, but we don¡¯t really feel safe as is so adding you into the mix probably won¡¯t change much.¡± Jennifer shrugged. James had wished he¡¯d had a vote on this decision, but he felt it¡¯d probably be best if he didn¡¯t voice that right now.


    ¡°Can I think about it for a while?¡± Enoch implored.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jennifer flashed a cheeky smile, ¡°First day of the rest of your life either begins right now or it doesn¡¯t begin ever!¡±


    A little while later Jennifer and James began departing the cave with Enoch upfront, lighting the way.

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6


    ¡°So you really could just leave anytime you wanted¡±? Jennifer commented as the trio made their way through the uncomfortably cramped halls of a cave they all agreed they¡¯d had enough of.


    ¡°Yep, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s really a way to actually contain me.¡± Enoch replied in his previously monotone voice. He¡¯d been this way ever since he¡¯d agreed to go with them, only ever giving short replies that dismissed any further attempt at conversation. Deep down Jennifer must have known that this was Enoch¡¯s way of keeping his emotions in check and avoiding charring everyone within a fifty-foot radius of himself, but on the surface it bugged her, a lot.


    Back home Jennifer had experienced a game the other kids called, ¡®code 555,¡¯ only Jennifer wasn¡¯t aware that it was a game. See, the other kids had been systematically tracked down by a very lonely Jennifer who just wanted someone to play with and now the kids seemed to be stuck with her as her tracking skills far outweighed their hiding skills. So, to deal with the nuisance of Jennifer, they created a game. The game worked like this; first they told Jennifer that their conversations were top secret and no one else, especially adults, can know about it, from there they created a code called, code 555, which they told Jennifer meant that an adult was nearby and they all needed to become quiet to avoid the adults hearing their secrets, and finally they admitted to Jennifer that they knew what subjects were safe to discuss with adults around and, since she didn¡¯t, she would have to be quiet even if they kept talking. This game ensures that anytime Jennifer began talking too much in the group or taking over the conversation or just generally saying anything they didn¡¯t like one of the children would shout, ¡®code 555¡¯ and Jennifer, loyal to her ¡®friends¡¯ would get quiet to protect their secrets. It wasn¡¯t until the tenth or so time that Jennifer realized there hadn¡¯t once been an adult nearby when code 555 was declared. The truth hurt and, while she tried to make herself believe otherwise, the truth eventually came crashing down and Jennifer learned an important lesson, people lie.


    All that being said it also lead to a pet peeve Jennifer had beyond all others, being ignored. And this wasn¡¯t just limited to the childish notion of ignoring someone, but all forms of ignoring, whether it be not listening, or not paying attention, talking over her, or simply not appearing engaged when she was speaking. Enoch was unknowingly pushing all the wrong buttons. James, not exactly unobservant, noticed Jennifer¡¯s rising anger and, wanting to not be charred just as much as Enoch wished to not do the charring, decided he better step in.


    ¡°Jennifer tell me again about that strange cobbler from your city! What was his name again¡­? Burr- something¡±? James lead and Jennifer immediately latched onto the bait,


    ¡°Burleson! I hated that guy! Weirdest fellow you¡¯ll ever meet, he was this short roundish fellow with curly brown hair on the sides on his head and nothin on the top. He wore these really tiny little glasses that looked absolutely ridiculous on his sphere of a head! He was one of the only guys in the city who wasn¡¯t married and heaven knows that wasn¡¯t a shock to anyone¡­¡± She caught herself for a second and began to slow down her speech a bit and not be AS judgmental, ¡°Not that looks are everything of course, and he did have a certain good natured charm about him about his particularly odd appearance, always pointing out that he¡¯d be in trouble if the city had a dough shortage as they¡¯d come after him first¡­ Whatever the hell dough is¡­¡± Jennifer shrugged as she watched James who was making a clear and conscience effort to meet her eyes throughout the whole story, not realizing he may be laying it on a bit thick. If he¡¯d had any higher of an opinion on Jennifer¡¯s intelligence he would¡¯ve realized she figured out exactly what he was doing and why; and now it serving the opposite of its intended purpose. But Jennifer knew that her going full on aggressive right now would only prove his point so she decided to use this opportunity to have a little fun,


    ¡°But ole Burleson was a sweetheart in the end¡­ After his wife passed the whole city mourned with him and everybody wished to help in anyway that they could. Me of course I decided to take care of him in the same way his wife used to. See, she was quite beautiful, and she was quite skilled in¡­ insuring her husband¡¯s happiness, so not just anyone could take her place.¡± She lingered on happiness as she waved her hand in a knowing way, as if her meaning should be clear but unspoken, ¡°It was certainly odd at first since I had never done anything of that sort before and I was merely a late stage teen while he was an adult man, but someone had to do it.¡± Jennifer allowed the last words to drip off her tongue as she watched with subtle delight as both James and Enoch watched her with wide eyes. Enoch was attempting to make his interest less than obvious by only glancing back at her every once in a while, but his hands gave him away as he seemed to be incapable of figuring out what to do with them. James, who had already made quite a show of listening intently to everything she was saying was forced to maintain his same level of eye contact, only now he was more than a little self-conscious about how long his eyes connected with hers, ¡°My father wasn¡¯t pleased about the whole thing though¡­ Said if I was going to do that for a stranger I might well should be doing it for him¡­¡± James and Enoch¡¯s jaws dropped as both of them let out an audible gasp. ¡°But hey, who else was going to cook for the guy, besides, my father can cook for himself.¡±


    Jennifer grinned smugly as she watched James and Enoch¡¯s faces glow bright red and, she was a bit amazed to see, Enoch¡¯s face actually glowing. James coughed a bit as he tried to regain his composure, Enoch turned back toward the path of the cave with his hands now awkwardly, and obviously uncomfortably, on his hips, but he dared not move them now.


    ¡°You two are idiots, ya know that right? Especially you James!¡± Jennifer scolded, her smile still present on her face, ¡°James I told you before that no one dies in my city! So how could Burleson¡¯s wife have died! And, to make things worse, I already told you that he wasn¡¯t married like two minutes ago!¡± Jennifer was a bit proud she was throwing around measurements of time now like a pro. Needless to say, but I suppose I¡¯ll say it anyway since you might need it to be said, neither one of them ignored Jennifer after that.


    By the end of the awkward exchange James and Enoch were happy to see that the cave was beginning to open up in front of them and the low light of twilight seeped through the opening. As they exited the cave Jennifer wondered why she felt so much more free outside now than she did before, and then it hit her. She reached for her jacket which was currently tied around her waist and was about to put it on when she realized something quite strange, she wasn¡¯t cold. The wind was blowing and the snow was still falling and the whole landscape certainly looked cold, but she felt totally warm, maybe even a little toasty. She was about to comment about this to James when her eyes glanced passed Enoch and her brain began ticking. She nearly slapped herself as she gazed at the truest form of fire in front of her and felt quite silly for wondering why it was she was warm¡­ She promised herself this particular mental slip up would never be shared with anyone.


    The cave had lead them out into the ruins of another civilization clearly long passed, only this one looked to be much larger than the previous one. The ruins of buildings nearly the size of the tower from her old city lay crumbled on their sides while some stuck out diagonally from the earth, their highest points still visibly crumbling away, each one an ugly brown color with large rusted metal beams sticking out from them like branches off a tree. Rusted pipes stuck up out of the ground where the foundations of the ruined buildings were, and fragments of those same pipes lay strewn about all around. Like Jennifer¡¯s town back home this city must have also had roads, only on a much larger scale. The remnants of the roads were few and far between, but the roads were wide and looked as if they used to go on for miles and miles. Off in the distance the trio saw a large rectangular building with great concrete cylinders that stuck out from the top and straight up toward the sky and, while Jennifer thought it was absolutely hideous, it seemed to be the most intact of the lot.


    ¡°I know where we are!¡± James shouted, Enoch and Jennifer jerking around to stare at him, their eyes both annoyed and slightly curious. ¡°This is Terra! I¡¯d always meant to go here at some point,¡± he beamed as he marveled at the ruins that Jennifer had just been disgusted by. ¡°Terra used to be the leading industrial city in all of Adam! They had the most amazing inventions! Balloons that could lift a man into the air and bring you down whenever you wished! Boats that moved without help from the wind or the currents, and platforms that could take you from the bottom of a building all the way to the top in only a matter of seconds! They were astonishingly ahead of their time and yet no one ever knew how they did it! They would export all these wonderful inventions across the globe using this thing they built, this massive heaping metal container that ran on these metal rails and could travel massive distances in only a matter of days. Everyone used it and, if you wanted your city to thrive you needed to beg them to build rails going to your city as well.


    People came from miles and miles on horseback using these roads only to leave in these slick machines that were barely bigger than horses and yet could move ten times faster! But, no matter how much money you offered them, how much you begged and pleaded, no one in the city would tell you how they powered these machines of theirs¡­.¡± James considered the problem and then snapped his fingers as he looked at Enoch with new found fascination, ¡°They used you! Not just to power the cities¡¯ electrical grid, but to power all their machines as well! But how¡­ How could you be in more than one place at a time¡­¡± James considered the problem as Enoch debated whether or not he should jump in and just tell him, Jennifer looked over at him and shook her head no, let him have this. ¡°Flames, individual Flames taken from you directly! Unbelievably hot and nearly impossible to put out! Put one of those in anything, pour enough water on it and the steam could turn any axil, or lift any balloon, any platform! GENIUS!¡± James exclaimed proudly as he stuck his hands in his pockets, took a deep breath and just allowed himself to take a step back and marvel again at this once groundbreaking metropolis. ¡°And that off in the distance must be one of the factories they used to make all of this! I¡¯m going to go in and take a quick look.¡± James began fast walking like a kid leaving school conflicted between the overwhelming desire to leave and the knowledge that getting caught running might lead to them having to wait even longer to leave. A loud cough stopped him in his tracks.


    ¡°I seem to recall you saying something to me when I first joined this expedition of yours,¡± Jennifer mused as she made a show of scratching her head in a mock attempt to recall information, ¡°Something about this not being a sightseeing trip¡­ Was it me or you that said we wouldn¡¯t be making any stops for anything other than searching?¡± James, already a bit humiliated from her trick earlier decided to stand his ground on this one.


    ¡°And I stand by that,¡± James stated with a sly smile, ¡°but I also want to remind you that, since neither of us know where my brother is then wouldn¡¯t you agree that it¡¯s possible that he¡¯s in that very factory¡±? Jennifer took a moment and then returned his smile with one of her own,


    ¡°So, if he could be anywhere, then any stop either of us wants to make should be taken into consideration as, like you said, he could be there.¡±


    ¡°On the contrary,¡± James crossed his arms but left one sticking out slightly and he was waving it about as he spoke, ¡°since he¡¯s my brother I have some idea at what places he¡¯d be likely to go, and, while he could potentially be anywhere, we¡¯d be wasting time if we stopped everywhere we both suggested, so it¡¯d be better to simply take the suggestions of the person who knows him best, or at all, wouldn¡¯t you agree.¡± James brought his free hand to his chin and stroked it knowingly, but mainly to cover the massive wolfish grin he had on his face. He reveled in seeing Jennifer¡¯s brow furrowing as she sought out some kind of response, she was normally quicker than this, but he caught her off guard. After a moment or two of Jennifer not answering James shrugged,


    ¡°Well I suppose we¡¯d better get moving then.¡± As he strutted off toward the factory with Jennifer trudging behind her, frustrated as the perfect response entered her head now moments too late. Enoch walked up beside her,


    ¡°Do you guys always fight like that¡±? He whispered, clearly quite concerned. Jennifer raised her eyebrows awkwardly, the goal likely to just raise one,


    ¡°Fight? That wasn¡¯t fighting, we were just¡­ matching wits.¡± Enoch looked back blankly, ¡°Some humans like to argue with each other just for fun. It¡¯s like¡­ It¡¯s like when kids play fight, it¡¯s not to hurt the other person it¡¯s just to see who¡¯s more clever.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Enoch considered the notion, as the Form of Fire he¡¯d rarely spent time talking to a person about important things, much less debating over pointless things, ¡°So you two aren¡¯t mad at each other?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t exactly speak for him, but I¡¯m only a bit peeved because he¡­ cheated that last round and now he thinks he won.¡± Jennifer looked awkwardly up at the sky, hoping that Enoch didn¡¯t pick up on her hesitation.


    ¡°How did he cheat?¡± Enoch asked quizzically, looking at James who seemed to be ignoring their whole conversation.


    ¡°He umm¡­ Well it¡¯d be too hard to explain since you don¡¯t really argue with people, but just trust me, he cheated.¡± Jennifer was pleased to see Enoch nodding his head and then looking at James with a tad bit of disappointment, sad to hear that he would resort to cheating like that.


    The trio arrived at the abandoned factory after a good half hour of walking and came face to face with a sealed solid steel door with a single lock on the front. James stared at the door with disappointment, frustrated as to why an abandoned city had a locked factory door.


    ¡°Enoch, could you melt the door?¡± James pleaded. Enoch shook his head,


    ¡°I think I¡¯d better not, to reach the temperature necessary to melt steel there¡¯s a very good chance I¡¯d lose control and melt the whole factory¡­¡± Enoch responded regretfully, ashamed that he wasn¡¯t strong enough to handle such a simple task. James considered this issue and, rather than push Enoch into something that could get them killed he decided he¡¯d attempt to pick the lock himself. He pulled a screwdriver from his pouch and borrowed a hair pin from Jennifer and then got to work.


    Jennifer, bored by the prospect of watching James fail at picking a lock and disappointed to see that Enoch was captivated by the whole process, opted instead to take a walk around the factory to clear her head. Her body still hurt from the fall and the hand she¡¯d placed against Enoch¡¯s cage had taken some major burns and now throbbed and stung leading Jennifer to continually pile snow on top of it whenever she got the chance. Having Enoch join them was a nice change of pace, despite what she told Enoch, James did get on her nerves a lot, mostly due to rigid, ¡®things must be done a certain way,¡¯ mentality that didn¡¯t seem to mesh well with her personal philosophy, ¡®life¡¯s more fun when you don¡¯t know what¡¯s on the next page.¡¯ She¡¯d gotten in trouble for that a lot growing up, breaking into the tower, breaking Stephen¡¯s arm, the time she decided to teach herself how to swim and nearly drowned in the pond by the grove. But something about life made her yearn for freedom, the kind of freedom that makes all kinds of horrible circumstances temporary. She didn¡¯t quite mind that bad things happen, in fact she imagined life¡¯d be pretty dull if they didn¡¯t, but the true tragedy, as far as she was concerned, would be if people were unable to fix it. That¡¯s where all her issues with Destiny came to a head, Destiny, whoever he was, not only allowed bad things to happen, but also forced people to be unable to change them. The more Jennifer saw of the world the more she knew that Destiny needed to be talked some sense into.


    She knew that the odds of James¡¯ brother having actually found Destiny were slim, but she couldn¡¯t let a lead like that pass by. But a thought kept nagging at her and she kept trying to suppress it, the thought was not a helpful one. She wondered why everyone else seemed to be stuck following Destiny in her city and yet everyone outside of her city seemed to do whatever they wanted¡­ And the people outside her city¡­ she looked around at the ruins¡­ well they weren¡¯t doing so good. She shook the thought away, people deserve a choice, even if it means a choice to fail.


    Speaking of failures¡­ Jennifer stood toward what used to be the northern facing wall of the factory, and unlike the southern facing wall where James was furiously attempting to pick the lock, the northern facing wall had no locks to be picked. That is to say that the northern facing wall was no longer there, or at least not there in the capacity necessary to still be considered a wall. Jennifer was able to look into the massive pile of collapsed metal beams, pipes that sprouted from the ground next to large heaps of gears that could still be seen to connect to one another in the vaguest of senses. Jennifer smacked her forehead and debated whether or not to tell James what she had found, but her earlier conversation with him still bugged her and she decided she needed to even the score again. Climbing over the mass metal debris and navigating out the jagged metal pipes strewn about the floor, Jennifer made her way through toward the southern wall, her eyes focused on the door where an unsuspecting James and Enoch waited on the other side.


    But something caught her eye and she shuffled around some pipes leaning against one of the inner walls to reveal another door propped slightly open by a strange rubbery circle. Jennifer poked the circle a few times and was surprised to see how bouncy it was. The rubbery circle, when given enough of a shove, rolled into the room behind the door and Jennifer followed after it. The room differed heavily from the rest of the factory, where the factory was clearly made with pragmatism in mind and design, beauty or anything appealing to look at was obviously thrown out the window, this room looked like it had been pulled right out of a painting. While the damage the whole factory had suffered certainly played a negative effect on this room as well, enough of it had been left intact for Jennifer to gain a pretty clear picture of what it must have once looked like. The walls were a beautiful sandy brown color with images of Corinthian pillars lining the sides. Flying in between the pillars were doves drawn with such accuracy that Jennifer kept having to do double takes to make sure they weren¡¯t actually real. The ceiling had been painted oddly, a blue sky with small white clouds, a sky the likes of which Jennifer had never seen. Statues of men and women crafted from marble adorned a walkway of cobblestone that ran adjacent to an empty stream once poured into by an immaculate sculpture of a man lifting an urn of water above his head and pouring it into the stream. All of this lead to a raised platform where a strange shiny metal contraption sat proudly.


    The contraption held seats within the center, two in the front and a bench in the back. In front of the seat in the front left of the contraption hung a wheel the protruded from metal paneling that stood before the front seats and curved around to encompass the rear seats as well. A number of dials and knobs could be seen aligning the paneling, and Jennifer noticed two metal pedals that hung from below the paneling, also on the front left side. This lead Jennifer to the conclusion that, whatever this thing was, that seat was the one in charge. Along with all that Jennifer noticed four more round rubber circles, two on each side of the contraption, one in front of the other. On the back of the contraption Jennifer discovered a strange little hatch that looked oddly similar to Enoch¡¯s cage. Seeing as she had no idea what this thing was or how it worked she sighed as she went to go get the only person she knew who might have the answers.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    James reeled back in shock as the door swung open into the factory and Jennifer stood in front of him, a combination of eager and impatient. She grabbed him arm and beckoned Enoch to follow as she ran them through the debris, James oohing and awing at every bit of rusted tech he came across until she eventually got them into the strangely nice room with the odd contraption.


    ¡°What is that thing?!¡± Jennifer demanded, pointing up to the platform where the enigma sat. James¡¯ eyes lit up.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it!¡± He exclaimed, running up to the platform and squatting down in front of the contraption, ¡°I would¡¯ve thought they¡¯d all been destroyed or rusted to the point of uselessness, how did this one¡­¡± He wondered as he ran a hand across the metal and his eyes widened, ¡°perma-steel! How did they talk her into it?!¡± Jennifer stood off to the side watching impatiently as James doted over the object that he¡¯d still failed to identify and now she really wanted to know who, ¡®she¡¯ was. Enoch made his way over to the back and opened up the small compartment to find the small container.


    ¡°This is where they¡¯d put my Flames.¡± Enoch spoke with a monotone, but a weight could be felt in each word, a pride of ownership in how he stressed, ¡®my.¡¯ ¡°I could feel it, each Flame being held in these little containers, they wanted freedom, but I wouldn¡¯t let them¡­¡± James perked up at that


    ¡°Enoch,¡± he began cautiously, ¡°are you telling me that each of those Flames was sentient¡±? He uttered the words in a strange mix of guilt and wonder. Enoch nodded,


    ¡°All of my children are sentient, everything that comes from me directly, like Water giving birth to Oceans, I give birth to living Flames.¡± Enoch stared into the container, a replica of the very prison he¡¯d just been freed of. Jennifer couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing, to think that Enoch¡¯s children had become slaves just because somebody had managed to make Enoch ashamed of himself¡­ She thought back to her own father, the shame cast upon him for his freak of a daughter¡­ maybe children bearing their parent¡¯s sins wasn¡¯t such a crazy thought after all.


    ¡°Those sentient Flames, without making the conversion they would never go out so long as you sustained them, Enoch you powered this civilization on the backs of slave labor!¡± James shouted, showing the first signs of actual disgust. Enoch bowed his head and looked away,


    ¡°It was the only way¡­ So long as I provided them Flames, my cage would stay shut. I needed it to stay shut, and I took solace in knowing that my children were serving a purpose. Isn¡¯t that the way it used to be? Before conversions, before humans, weren¡¯t we all his slaves¡±? Enoch asked to someone who didn¡¯t seem to be in the room.


    ¡°Who¡±? Jennifer wondered, now stepping in front of Enoch whose eyes were glued to the floor, ¡°Who were you all slaves to?¡± She looked over at James to see if he¡¯d jump in with his usual long-winded explanation, but he was being uncharacteristically quiet.


    ¡°Destiny,¡± Enoch whispered, ¡°The one who reads the Book.¡± Jennifer shuttered at the mention of the man she¡¯d sacrificed everything to find.


    ¡°Do you know him? Destiny I mean¡±? Jennifer prodded, excited to finally get some answers. Enoch looked apprehensive, his eyes never left the floor, but Jennifer could see them darting back and forth lost in some inner turmoil. When Enoch finally did look up from the floor he did so quite slowly, as if the time it would take to bring his head upright would give him just enough time to finish his thought.


    ¡°I only met Destiny the one time, he, unlike most every other ancient Form, never made the conversion so speaking to him had to be done in the ancient way. He had called us all together after conversions were becoming a more prominent endeavor amongst our children and they were beginning to run wild. Destiny can¡¯t control Forms that have made the conversion so keeping order and balance in the cosmos was becoming increasingly more difficult, which is why he called us. He asked us to keep our children in line, to teach them to adhere to the purposes they¡¯d been given otherwise they would cause their own destruction. Matter and Energy, the two highest Forms below Destiny and Time, and my mother and aunt, agreed and that sealed the deal as most of the rest of us were their children and found it unwise to cross them. Destiny¡¯s voice, despite it no longer having full control over us, was still undeniably persuasive. He has a gift for language and a hunger for control that transcends his position. I think he hated us for making the conversion, for wrenching ourselves from his control¡­ Even though our efforts to keep our children in line succeeded for the most part, I doubt he ever thought it was enough. I used to think he was a monster¡­ I thought that he had made me to be the monster that I am, a creature doomed to set ablaze everything he loves, but the cage gave me clarity. When Destiny was in charge I burned only what was necessary and subsided once my task was complete. He had placed other Forms in positions that allowed them to keep me in check and I, in turn did the same for other Forms. Under Destiny¡¯s direct command the cosmos, while not free, at least were something beautiful¡­ I couldn¡¯t undo the choices I¡¯d made, but my children would not be allowed to make the same mistakes. By preventing them from making the conversion and assigning them a purpose I could rest easy knowing that I¡¯d kept them from ever feeling the pain I¡¯d felt, the pain of losing themselves and destroying everything around them¡­¡±


    James got up and hugged Enoch, an action Jennifer didn¡¯t even know he was capable of.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± James whispered, his voice wobbling slightly, ¡°but what is clear is that you cared about your children, and you wanted what was best for them, you should be proud.¡± Enoch, much smaller than James and currently being swallowed by the hug, wrapped his arms around James¡¯ waist and mumbled,


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jennifer vehemently disagreed with everything she¡¯d just heard and felt herself itching to explain to them exactly what was wrong with every conclusion Enoch had come to, but she decided to sit back and allow them to have this moment, besides, she had a lot more to think about anyway. The fact that Destiny can¡¯t control Forms that have made the conversion is interesting and she wondered if it had to do with them becoming human, if humans had some ability to say no to Destiny. If that¡¯s the case though then she wondered why here city seemed to still be enslaved by Destiny¡¯s will¡­ Enoch had said something about higher Forms keeping their children in line, maybe one of them was responsible for the state of her city. She kept getting more and more questions and less and less answers the longer she stayed out here and it was beginning to wear on her nerves. Either way she knew that the guy who¡¯d have all the answers to her questions, the guy who¡¯d know how to fix all of this was still Destiny. Her mission hadn¡¯t changed.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the metal box thing¡±? Jennifer interrupted after she felt she¡¯d allowed the pair to have a suitable amount of time for their moment. They released the hug and James turned toward the contraption and smiled,


    ¡°That Jennifer is a car and not just any car, a perma-steel Terra charger, basically the finest car in existence! I figured they¡¯d all have been destroyed but clearly Aurora crafted this steel to keep it from rusting, I can¡¯t imagine what they offered her to get her to do that¡­¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s a car exactly¡­¡±? Jennifer inquired, accepting that she was just going to have to look ignorant for a while.


    ¡°It¡¯s a vehicle, like a horse only made of metal and not exactly alive. This one runs on steam produced from pouring water on Enoch¡¯s Flames, the steam is compressed and then, when you push down on that petal, the steam is released through a small opening where it collides with the axil which, in turn, spins the wheels. Some of these cars could reach nearly a hundred miles an hour with only ten or so gallons of water. It¡¯s really something incredible to behold.¡± James¡¯ voice flowed forth with awe and wonder. Jennifer had entirely lost focus after hearing, ¡®a hundred miles an hour.¡¯ James continued on with his explanation of the inner workings of the vehicle, but Enoch had already heard the engineer himself explain it hundreds of years ago and Jennifer was completely lost in the fantasy of driving such a vehicle.


    ¡°We should drive it!!¡± Jennifer burst out, no longer able to contain herself. The pair looked at her skeptically. ¡°Yeah, think about it! Can you imagine how much more ground we¡¯d cover if we were going that fast?!¡± She couldn¡¯t hide her excitement and at this point didn¡¯t want to, the dream of going that fast was just too strong.


    ¡°First off;¡± James began, his tone already sinking Jennifer¡¯s hopes, ¡°We don¡¯t have a way to power it, secondly, the roads aren¡¯t intact enough to drive on and third, these things are dangerous, a good many people lost their lives crashing these things.¡± Despite how much she wanted to, Jennifer couldn¡¯t fault the first two points, but the third made her even more invigorated.


    ¡°So what if a few people crashed? They probably didn¡¯t know what they were doing.¡± Jennifer sneered.


    ¡°And you do¡±? James bit back. Jennifer had to admit, he had a fair point on that one.


    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s a moot point anyway,¡± Jennifer sighed defeated, ¡°Without anything to power it, it doesn¡¯t matter whether it¡¯s safe or not¡­¡± Enoch watched this unfold in confusion, he couldn¡¯t understand why they seemed to have forgotten that he was standing right there, a literal power source right beside them. He coughed a little awkwardly and Jennifer turned his way,


    ¡°You okay over there¡±? She called over, not even acknowledging what Enoch thought must be so blatantly obvious.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Enoch muttered, ¡°I could-uh¡­ you could just get me to¡­ ya know,¡± He rubbed the back of his head, he seemed much more like an actual child now, a child in a room full of grown-ups who seem to be speaking an entirely different language, ¡°You could just ask me to¡­ power the car¡­ if you wanted.¡±


    ¡°Out of the question,¡± Jennifer proclaimed firmly, her head swinging up and off to the side.


    ¡°Bu-But why?¡± A very lost Enoch stammered.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t talk you out of that box just to put you into another. We let you out of that box so you could do what you wanted to do, not so you could become someone else¡¯s slave.¡± Jennifer stated with total resolve. How could there be people like this, Enoch wondered, where did this resolve come from¡­ All the people he¡¯d met before had all been fond of making great shows about how much they cared about the, ¡®greater good¡¯ and they were always so quick to inform everyone else of their place within it, but this¡­ She had just freed him, she¡¯d just talked him into having a life again, he should owe them way more than just a ride in a car and yet she refused even that. Though he didn¡¯t know it, the strange new quality before Enoch was called integrity, a gift that can make a great many people very lonely. But Enoch, though he hadn¡¯t realized it before, had a spark of integrity within himself that had lead him to want the best for those around him even if his attempts were misguided.


    ¡°Okay then, you don¡¯t have to ask and I¡¯m not offering, I¡¯m telling.¡± Enoch announced gritting his teeth, a few embers rising off his skin and his body growing slightly larger, ¡°I¡¯ve decided I¡¯m going to power that car, and I want y¡¯all to be in it when I do.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure,¡± James prodded, ¡°You really don¡¯t have to do this, we¡¯re completely capable of walking.¡±


    ¡°Not only am I going to do this, but I want to do this, now please get in the car.¡± Jennifer and James complied quickly and hopped into the front seats, only Jennifer realized too late that she¡¯d allowed James into the driver¡¯s side seat.


    ¡°Wait!¡± She shouted, ¡°Switch seats with me, I want to drive!¡± James shook his head and placed his hands on the wheel.


    ¡°No way, these things are dangerous and you¡¯ve never driven one before so, if we¡¯re going to drive this thing then I¡¯m going to be the one behind the wheel.¡± His tone didn¡¯t leave much room for debate, but that didn¡¯t stop Jennifer,


    ¡°Have YOU driven one before?!¡± She demanded


    ¡°Of course not, but I¡¯ve read five or so books on the subject and I¡¯m positive that makes me much more qualified-¡± Before they could continue they heard a roaring sound from behind them as Enoch entered the small compartment and began heating up to unbelievably hot temperatures. James pointed toward a lever against the wall and told Jennifer to pull it, she refused, James told her again, she refused again, finally James folded his arms and, in a matter of fact tone, informed Jennifer that they couldn¡¯t leave until that lever was pulled. Jennifer crossed her arms and informed James that he was perfectly capable of pulling the lever himself, but James reminded her that the second he left his seat she¡¯d take it, she didn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°WOULD ONE OF Y¡¯ALL JUST PULL THE DAMNED LEVER!¡± Enoch roared from within the engine, Jennifer didn¡¯t think twice as she leapt from the car, pulled the lever and hopped back in, still shaking a little. Sometimes she forgot Enoch¡¯s potential to burn her and everything within a ten mile radius to a crisp. With the lever pulled the wall the car was facing began to split open and roll away to the side as a ramp rose from the ground and attached itself to the platform. The sound of grinding gears echoed through the room as they occasionally collided with some rust and halted for a moment until they inevitably squeaked through and the process continued. But none of the trio had counted on just how loud the gears would be and, from only a few miles away, men and women on horseback, limbs and chunks of body replaced with ice, perked up at the sound.


    James waited until the ramp had risen all the way up and the doors were completely open until he finally pushed down on the pedal, opening up the compartment housing Enoch just slightly enough releasing the pent up steam with a high pitched whistling, the steam collided with the axil and the wheels began to spin launching the car forward down the ramp and onto the broken and cracked road ahead.


    The car bounced and bobbed with each crack in the road as James tapped continually on the other pedal which he explained to Jennifer was the brake, until the car began moving at a snail¡¯s pace. The car rolled slowly across the broken street occasionally jostling as they crept over tiny cracks. James¡¯ eyes were transfixed on the road ahead, his foot constantly switching back over to the brake save for the few moments when he would lightly tap on the accelerator. Jennifer had never been more disappointed with another person in her entire life and she¡¯d had many occasions to be disappointed. When she¡¯d heard, ¡®hundred miles an hour¡¯ this is not the image she had in mind.


    ¡°Could you please go faster?! I swear we¡¯d be making better time walking!¡± Jennifer yelled, throwing up her hands and then crossing them when James ignored her. ¡°Are you even listening to me?!¡± She demanded.


    ¡°It¡¯s not safe to yell at a driver while they¡¯re driving, all the books are in agreement on that.¡± James spoke with his eyes still stuck to the road. ¡°And I¡¯m not going to go any faster, the road is slick from the ice and snow and, since it¡¯s in such bad shape, if we go any faster we¡¯ll likely spin out of control and crash.¡± He stated very matter of factly. Jennifer wanted to fight him but, since she literally knew nothing about cars, figured it probably wouldn¡¯t do her any good.


    A rumbling sound could be heard off in the distance behind them, James refused to turn around on account of his safety protocol so he told Jennifer to see what it was. Groaning, Jennifer turned around and gasped, directly behind them, barely over a half mile away, rode the same band of Deathless they¡¯d escaped earlier. Jennifer spun back around and screamed at James to go faster.


    ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± He shouted back, ¡°if we go any faster than we¡¯ll crash!¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t then we¡¯ll be dead anyway!¡± James gritted his teeth as he considered his options and then, with a face filled with worry he lifted his foot off the brake and, in a bold and heroic gesture, place it back onto the accelerator and pushed down¡­ slightly harder.


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!¡± Jennifer exploded, her arms flailing and pulling at her hair.


    ¡°THAT WAS ME GOING FASTER!!¡± James yelled, frustrated that she was still yelling at him even though he¡¯d actually done what she¡¯d asked.


    ¡°THEY¡¯RE STILL GAINING ON US! YOU CAN¡¯T JUST GO SLIGHTLY FASTER AND CLAIM THAT SOLVES THE PROBLEM!¡±


    ¡°WELL EXCUSE ME FOR NOT WANTING US TO DIE!¡±


    ¡°I DON¡¯T WANT US TO DIE EITHER WHICH IS WHY I¡¯M TELLING YOU TO GO FASTER!¡± Jennifer finally had enough and grabbed the wheel.


    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!¡± Yelped James in complete and utter shock, ¡°YOU¡¯RE GOING TO GET US KILLED!¡± Jennifer climbed on top of James and wiggled her way over to the other side of the seat and forced her way down beside James on the driver¡¯s side seat where she then proceeded to shove James with all her weight off of the seat into the little space between the front two seats with James yelping with fright and anger all the while.


    Eventually Jennifer seized control of the driver''s seat where she proceeded to stomp her foot down on the accelerator causing the car to lurch forward and then rocket out. Jennifer gripped the wheel tightly and smiled as the wind blew past her face and the road before her seemed to narrow as she flew past snow drifts with ever increasing speed. She looked over her shoulder and smiled, pleased to see that she¡¯d left the Deathless in the dust. This was the feeling she¡¯d been after, the feeling of throwing a giant middle finger to the limits of the human body, too slow to even go a quarter this speed. Her face beamed as the setting sun glistened off her cheek and the wind whistled past her ears. She wished the folks back home could see her, watch her thundering past with reckless abandon as they all stood awestruck and overcome with envy. This is where she was meant to be, she thought, behind the wheel of a car, cruising at impossible speeds, and leaving the world behind her.


    James continued to shout at her, but, unlike her, was much too afraid to touch the wheel or mess with Jennifer in anyway while she was in control of the car. Everything around them blurred and the wind whipped past them making it more and more difficult to see what was ahead. Jennifer¡¯s eyes burned as the flurry of falling snow collided forced their way into past her eyelids and she lifted a hand off the wheel for a moment to use her sleeve to rub away the snow, but as she was momentarily blind a bump appeared before them and the car smashed into it, throwing the whole car out of control. Jennifer attempted to regain control, gripping the wheel to keep it from spinning, but it was no use. A great, ¡®fumph¡¯ sound could be heard as the car rammed into a rather large snow bank, launching the pair from the car and into the densely packed snow ahead.


    The first words Jennifer heard as she lifted her head out of the snow were,


    ¡°I TOLD YOU!!!!¡± James bellowed as he pushed his way through the heavy snow back toward the car which, by all appearances, was totaled. ¡°NOW WE DON¡¯T HAVE A CAR AT ALL. I HOPE YOU¡¯RE HAPPY!¡±


    ¡°I THOUGHT YOU SAID IT WAS PERMA-WHATEVER! DOESN¡¯T THAT MEAN IT CAN¡¯T BREAK?!¡±


    ¡°PERMA-STEEL JUST MEANS IT WON¡¯T RUST! IT DOESN¡¯T MAKE IT INVINCIBLE YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER MORON!¡±


    ¡°OH I¡¯M A MORON NOW? AT LEAST I¡¯M NOT A SPINELESS COWARD WHO WAS ABOUT TO GET US MURDERED BY UNDEAD MONSTERS!¡±


    ¡°I HAD IT UNDER CONTROL¡±


    ¡°LIKE HELL YOU DID!¡± The shouting continued as the two stood over the wreckage of the vehicle, arms waving wildly. Enoch popped out of the little compartment in the form of a little flame that hovered a couple feat and then transformed back into his child self.


    ¡°We still have a problem.¡± Enoch concluded, ignoring the squabble going on behind him. He stared back into the distance. ¡°We put a lot of ground between us and the Deathless, but they¡¯ll be here shortly and y¡¯all can¡¯t outrun them without that car¡­¡±


    The pair stopped their bickering for a moment to listen until they heard it, the vague rumble of hooves on concrete.


    ¡°What are we going to do? Can we fight them?¡± Jennifer asked, her voice trembling slightly.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to,¡± Enoch ordered, ¡°Y¡¯all are going to get out of here, I¡¯m going to stay behind and take care of them.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to let you do that!¡± Jennifer snapped back.


    ¡°Which is why it¡¯s not up to y¡¯all. You don¡¯t make my choices, I do, and I¡¯ve decided to stay behind.¡± The statement left no room for disagreement.


    ¡°Then we¡¯re staying too!¡± Jennifer declared, her hands shaking.


    ¡°If you stay then I¡¯ll burn you to a crisp, not by accident, but on purpose. That¡¯s a promise. So either leave or die, your choice.¡± Enoch¡¯s voice had no hint he was kidding. James nodded and grabbed Jennifer by the arm and pulled her away, pain accompanying every step. With James¡¯ ankle still sprained Jennifer knew there was no way they¡¯d out run those monsters¡­ She knew this was the only way. She shook off James¡¯ arm and sprinted over to Enoch and embraced him, shocked to see that he was now the same height as her. He held her close, his whole body warm and comforting,


    ¡°Thank you, Enoch.¡± She whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll come back for you, I promise.¡± Enoch nodded and then gently removed her arms from around him and turned toward the approaching Deathless,


    ¡°Go now, if you¡¯re in even a mile radius you¡¯re liable to be seriously burned, you have to hurry.¡± The pair nodded, they gave Enoch one last smile and then hobbled off down the road, leaving Enoch standing alone, looking quite a bit more like a man than before.

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7


    The monotone weather had begun to grate on Jennifer¡¯s nerves, the wind always biting, the snow always swirling, the damn sun stuck hanging just above the horizon, she needed it to change, but she knew it never would. The weather in her city had been no different, there was never a breeze, never a hint of snow, just the setting sun and air that was never quite hot or quite cold. She didn¡¯t miss that weather either, what she wanted was something different, not that she could quite define what different would look like, all she knew was that different would be better than this, it had to be.


    She glanced over at James who kept hobbling forward like a champ, never complaining despite the fact that he had every right to. She refused to admit this to his face, but she admired that about him, he seemed to take on every task with a steadfast focus and not a hint of doubt. If anyone had the capacity to find their brother in a world like this, it had to be him. James caught her looking at him and raised an eyebrow in confusion, she quickly turned away and allowed her eyes to rest gently on the road ahead. The road had been a great blessing to her, while cracked, uneven and covered with ice it still beat trudging through the deep snow drifts that plagued the barren icy landscape around them. Thinking about Enoch would be a mistake, she kept telling herself, but every time the wind got a bit to nippy and stung her face, every shiver and every tremor reminded her of how warm she¡¯d felt in his presence. She respected his decision though, he hadn¡¯t done it out of guilt or shame, but out of some peculiar quality Jennifer could not yet name. Whatever this quality was it always lead her mind back to the time spent at that house near the edge of her city, the only time she¡¯d felt a similar kind of warmth. Wanting to take her mind off of Enoch¡¯s pain she figured she¡¯d distract herself.


    ¡°So tell me about your city.¡± Jennifer commanded, catching James off guard.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ What exactly do you want to know¡±? James seemed preoccupied with some thought, but Jennifer pushed forward,


    ¡°Did you have any friends there¡±?


    ¡°Friends¡±?


    ¡°Yeah, ya know, those people that hang around each other and laugh and crap.¡±


    ¡°I know what friends are,¡± but James seemed a tad bit uncertain, ¡°I had a few, mostly coworkers.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, you mentioned having a job earlier, what exactly did you do¡±? James smiled awkwardly, his arms crossing and uncrossing, going in and out of his pockets constantly,


    ¡°I was a writer.¡± He finally confessed.


    ¡°A writer? What kinda writer has coworkers¡±? Jennifer¡¯d never met a writer, but, from what she¡¯d read about em, they didn¡¯t usually work as a team.


    ¡°I had editors, a publisher, and some other writers I work shopped ideas with.¡± The answer was confident and he seemed quite proud of it.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± The answer kinda bored Jennifer, she¡¯d hoped he¡¯d been part of some secret writing cult, but she decided to move on, ¡°So what kinda stuff did you write¡±?


    ¡°Adventures,¡± James¡¯ eyes sparkled as he spoke, ¡°great tales with heroes, villains, great battles, monsters, but always with some big twist at the end. And¡­ and mysteries! I loved to write mysteries, that feeling the reader gets when they suddenly find out one of the heroes was a villain the whole time, that¡¯s the kind of stuff I live for!¡± Jennifer had never seen him this excited, she liked it.


    ¡°When we¡¯re done with this you should write a story about me, the adventures of big mouth, the girl who talked too much.¡± She laughed, happy to see that James was shaking his head as he laughed with her.


    ¡°No way, you¡¯re way too complex for me, and you don¡¯t talk that much.¡± He admitted, ¡°look at how much I¡¯ve been able to say without any interruption.¡± He gave her a sly smile, she stuck her tongue out in response, secretly pleased with his answer. ¡°What about you¡±? He said, spinning the conversation on her, ¡°I know you didn¡¯t have a job, but what would you have wanted to do¡±? Jennifer thought about it for a moment, no one had ever asked her that¡­


    ¡°I suppose I¡¯d probably want to be detective¡­¡±


    ¡°A detective¡±? Jennifer looked slightly embarrassed at James¡¯ surprise and felt the need to defend herself.


    ¡°Yeah! I read a bunch of detective novels and they all seem to have pretty sweet lives. Everyday solving some new crime, piecing together some strange puzzle.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I could see it.¡±


    ¡°Really!¡± Jennifer hadn¡¯t realized how much hearing that meant to her.


    ¡°Yeah, the hardened detective who doesn¡¯t take no stuff from no one.¡± She laughed at his inability to say, ¡®shit.¡¯


    ¡°Well, maybe after we find Destiny then I¡¯ll make myself a detective, and you can follow me around and write about our adventures.¡± Jennifer proposed, the idea excited her.


    ¡°A writer and a detective solving crimes together? That sounds utterly ridiculous.¡± He declared, flipping his scarf back over his shoulder.


    ¡°We can work out the kinks later,¡± Jennifer chuckled, his scarf always made her laugh, it just looked so ridiculous, in a charming sort of way. Silence overtook them again, but Jennifer found it obnoxious so she decided to start another conversation,


    ¡°So why would Death keep those things around¡±? Jennifer had wanted to ask for a while now, but she¡¯d found herself distracted by the whole almost dying thing.


    ¡°Not sure to be honest with you, I can¡¯t really understand anything he does. If I had to harbor a guess, I¡¯d say he¡¯s probably looking for Destiny too.¡± James responded casually, but Jennifer found it less than casual.


    ¡°Wait, he¡¯s after Destiny too?! What if he already beat us there?!¡± Jennifer picked up her pace, frustrated that James hadn¡¯t picked up his. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you more worried about this¡±?? James shrugged, still in a great deal of pain,


    ¡°Death¡¯s not really someone we can outrun, but the fact that the Universe is still here seems to suggest that he hasn¡¯t succeeded yet.¡± He assured her, not sure what else to say about it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that¡­¡± Jennifer grumbled, ¡°This was hard enough already, now it¡¯s a race against some jackass with superpowers¡­¡± James laughed at the description, but that didn¡¯t really lift Jennifer¡¯s spirit. She wondered if he knew what they were doing, if the Deathless coming after them wasn¡¯t an accident. When would he strike next¡­


    Out of the snow rose a series of bodies, each one patched together with ice. Now that Jennifer could get a closer look at them the Deathless really did look exactly like real people save for two horrifying qualities, the obvious being the fact that large portions of their bodies were missing, and the ice used to replace it fit horribly, giving them a patchwork doll quality and the other quality truly chilled Jennifer¡¯s blood. The eyes of each Deathless screamed out in agony, bloody veins crept across the whites of their eyes and congregated within the iris, each eye darted from one corner to the other as if they were searching for something they knew to be lost. They moved like they hated the very act of movement, the only thing I can compare it to is the office worker who, after forty years of working the same job, submits the same spreadsheet, aware that he¡¯ll have to do the same thing tomorrow. They weren¡¯t undead, the undead move as if they defy death, the deathless move as if they want nothing more. Jennifer shuddered as the humanity of these creatures screamed out, different colors of hair, different builds, men, women, all of them likely individuals with hopes and dreams, now reduced to eternally suffering husks marching to the same tune with no end in sight.


    Not one of them made a sound as they advance upon the pair, James tried to place himself between Jennifer and the Deathless, but they had them surrounded.


    ¡°When I give you the signal I want you to run.¡± James whispered, ¡°I¡¯m going to make an opening and you take it, do you understand.¡± Jennifer wanted to fight him, wanted to argue and stand strong, but she couldn¡¯t. She had never felt fear like this, never felt such an overwhelming desire to flee. She watched in horror as the Deathless ripped chunks of ice out of their bodies and formed them into knives. There was no mistaking their intentions. She cursed herself over and over in her head, ¡®fight back!¡¯ she shouted, ¡®tell James you¡¯ll stand together¡¯ she begged, ¡®don¡¯t leave him here to die¡­¡¯ but none of the thoughts made it to her muscles, which meekly nodded in response to James¡¯ command. She¡¯d wanted to believe she was stronger than this, strong enough to face whatever came her way, maybe believing it to be true wasn¡¯t quite enough though. She thought about James¡¯ brother, she thought about his mission, how he¡¯d never find him. She bit down on her lip until it bled, the blood dripped down her chin and landed with a light plop onto the ground. That¡¯s when the Deathless charged, James pushed Jennifer through a slight gap in their formation and she fell to the ground, forced her body round and screamed,


    ¡°JAMES!!!!!¡± For a second she lost him, his body no longer visible, just the backs of those monsters. She screeched as a hand rested on her shoulder, and she spun round to see a hooded man with a finger to his lips. She had so many questions, but her mouth only managed to utter,


    ¡°¡­Help¡­¡± The man nodded and walked toward the Deathless who had not moved since covering James. The man flicked his wrist and the arms of the Deathless flew back revealing their icy knives, each without a hint of blood on it. With the Deathless parted Jennifer could now see clearly to James who sat shaking in the center between them, unharmed. The man walked forward and Jennifer noticed he had a large sack slung over his shoulder with various weapons sticking out of it. Swords, guns, spears, clubs, arrows, all poking out of the top. The man threw the bag down causing the weapons to spill out onto the ground,


    ¡°You,¡± He called out to James, James barely had the capacity to nod in recognition, ¡°I need you to remain deathly still, can you do that for me¡±? James croaked out a yes and the man got to work. The weapons rose out of the bag, one for each of the Deathless, in response the Deathless dropped their makeshift knives and charged toward the hooded man, he smiled and flicked his fingers toward them causing the weapons to fly through the air and impale each of them. For most creatures that would¡¯ve been the end of it, but the Deathless merely staggered back for a moment and then proceeded with their charge. The man grabbed a sword off the ground and spun in a full arc lopping the head off of one of the Deathless before bringing the sword back around to cut off the arm of another reaching out for his throat. Two leapt toward him and he raised his hand waving them off, in response the weapons, still impaled within the Deathless, lifted them off the ground and flung them a few meters back. One of the guns rose to his side and, as he chopped away at the limbs of the Deathless, the gun shot off any hands that came too close. Each time he lopped off a limp the Deathless would pick it back up and reattach it, the ice on the ground acting as glue to freeze the two back in place. The hooded man didn¡¯t seem to mind though as he continued with his swings, occasionally flicking away a few of the Deathless when they came too close. James sat in the middle of this and yet no blade came close to touching him despite the wild nature of the bout. One of the Deathless managed to get behind the man and wrap his icy arms around him, the man looked more annoyed than afraid and blades shot out of his neck into the Deathless¡¯ arms and then slid back across the arms toward the shoulder, cutting the icy limp entirely in two. At this point the hooded man sighed and dropped his sword and lifted his arms, the bag responded by releasing weapons into the sky, the man brought his arms down and the weapons followed, raining down upon the Deathless and pinning them to the road. Despite all the weapons falling around him James hadn¡¯t even been nicked. With the Deathless pinned to the ground, the hooded man produced a series of hiltless blades from under his coat and cast them out toward the Deathless. The blades made quick work of the monsters, chopping them into smaller and smaller pieces until, eventually, all that was left of them was a pile of ice. Jennifer was surprised to see that there wasn¡¯t a single drop of blood emerging from the Deathless despite the many blows they¡¯d received.


    ¡°We need to leave, can you both walk¡±? Jennifer managed to stand up and run over to James. She wanted to apologize for her cowardice, thank him for his sacrifice, but the words refused to come out, so she helped him to his feet in silence.


    They followed the man away from the heaps of icy bodies scattered across the road, Jennifer was convinced she saw one of the heaps move. They walked without saying a word, the hooded man didn¡¯t mind, it was obvious that he¡¯d grown accustomed to silence, for Jennifer and James it was a mix of fear, shame and caution. Anybody who could make such short work of creatures like that merited a certain amount of caution, and it wasn¡¯t lost on Jennifer that this man may have saved them for less than altruistic purposes¡­


    They finally stopped walking when the man halted them and pointed off road toward a small alcove, motioning them to follow he wandered in through the entrance; Jennifer and James exchanged a quick glance and hesitantly followed.


    Inside the alcove a number of weapons rested against the walls in a neat and orderly fashion, organized by type and size. A small fire pit in the center quickly sprung ablaze as the man flicked his wrist and two blades clashed together until they produced the sparks necessary to ignite the tinder.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Rest here for a while,¡± the hooded man broke the silence, his voice had a deep rich tone, but underlying it they could hear something rough, something pained, ¡°I¡¯m going back out, when I return you two should be on your way.¡± It didn¡¯t sound like a request. The hooded man rose from his seat and exited the alcove, heading back in the direction of the Deathless.


    Jennifer exhaled deeply, not realizing that she¡¯d been holding her breath for sometime now. Though never one to be at a loss for words this series of events had rendered Jennifer totally speechless. Whether it was the fact that she¡¯d been willing to allow James to die for her, the fear that these Deathless were not only real, but the threat was much closer than she¡¯d ever anticipated or, worst of all, the discovery of just how weak she really was. We all have limits, some of us go our whole lives without ever reaching them, but, for those that do, that first moment when you realize that there is something beyond you, something that you cannot handle, a weakness within you that you can¡¯t overcome with mere belief, it¡¯s a feeling few wish to repeat.


    She couldn¡¯t even look at James, she refused to meet his eyes. She didn¡¯t see him shaking, coming to terms with his own mortality, and she was unaware of the turmoil inside. With his brother¡¯s life on the line, with James being the only one that could save him, his willingness to sacrifice himself became a willingness to sacrifice his brother as well. Now he could no longer look at Jennifer, she had become a hindrance in his mission, a weakness in his heart, one that he couldn¡¯t be allowed to outweigh the commitment he¡¯d made to his brother. And so they sat in that alcove, silently.


    ¡°Are y¡¯all okay¡±? A small voice asked from seemingly nowhere. The pair jolted upright. They searched for the source of the noise but found nothing, the alcove was fairly empty save for the fire pit, the fire, a small wooden bird statue, a painting of a woman on the wall and the weapons lining the edges. But the fire stood out the most to Jennifer who, upon regaining her wits, ran over to the fire and knelt beside it.


    ¡°Enoch? Is that you? Are you okay? Where are you?¡± She shot off the questions in rapid succession, relieved to break the silence and take her mind elsewhere.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Enoch¡±? The voice asked not from the fire. Jennifer spun back around and scoured the alcove with her eyes, something was missing, but she couldn¡¯t figure out what it was¡­ The bird statue landed on her shoulder, she turned to see a small little bird with a puffy chest and neat blue and red feathers, a tiny beak and blushing cheeks. Adorning the bird¡¯s tiny body was a little brown tweed coat with two big red buttons on the front and a little plaid bow tie around its neck. The little ensemble topped off with a cute little red wool hat with two flaps that flopped wistfully over its little ears. Jennifer would have been more shocked if the little bird wasn¡¯t so gosh darn adorable. ¡°You both seem so sad¡­ You remind me of him.¡± The little bird spoke in a melodic tone, shaking its little head in concern.


    ¡°Who are you¡±? Jennifer asked, watching as the tiny bird hopped off her shoulder and onto her hand, bobbing its head back and forth as it took in all things Jennifer, ¡°and when you say, ¡®him¡¯ do you mean the man in the hood¡±? The little bird nodded and its eyes lit up, apparently something it saw in Jennifer made it happy.


    ¡°Yep!¡± The little bird chirped, ¡°His name is Slade, he¡¯s sad a lot, kind of like y¡¯all.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think we¡¯re sad¡±? James interjected from the corner.


    ¡°I¡¯m Squawk!¡± The bird announced, ignoring James¡¯ question, or perhaps it forgot the question, ¡°What are your names¡±? Squawk inquired, its little wings opening up in a safe and inviting fashion. Jennifer lifted Squawk up closer to her face and smiled at the friendly little bird,


    ¡°My name is Jennifer, that one over there,¡± She said motioning with her head over to James, ¡°is named James. You sure are a friendly little bird, but, to be honest, you¡¯re the first bird I¡¯ve ever met outside the pages of a book¡­¡± Squawk seemed to shrug off the depressing implications of that statement,


    ¡°Just me now! I haven¡¯t had any children in a while, not really much point with those Deathless running around and that darned blizzard-¡° Squawk covered its beak and looked quite embarrassed, ¡°pardon my language¡­ the blizzard always ruffles me up,¡± Squawk cheeped as it ruffled its feathers to prove its point.


    ¡°Children huh¡­? So does that mean that you¡¯re a lady bird¡±? Jennifer wondered, not really sure how she should be referring to Squawk and not wanting to make Squawk sad.


    ¡°Squawk is Squawk! But I think girls are neat, so you can call me a girl if you wanna!¡± She smiled at Jennifer, an interesting feat for a creature without lips. Jennifer laughed, the little bird made her so happy, a feeling she hadn¡¯t had the chance to feel all that often. The little bird shone like Christmas lights, beautiful, bright, but one would be foolish not to see the fragility of the lights and acknowledge that the brightness is most appropriate in the darkness. One wonders with such creatures, what are they when the darkness fades?


    ¡°Squawk,¡± Jennifer ventured, ¡°Are you a Form¡±? Squawk raised her beak proudly.


    ¡°I sure am! Squawk is the Form of all birds, big, small, and everything in between!¡± She puffed out her chest to showcase her amazing status.


    ¡°Well Squawk, it¡¯s very nice to meet you.¡± Jennifer grinned at the pleased little bird on her finger. ¡°So the hooded guy¡¯s name is Slade¡±? Squawk nodded her little head,


    ¡°That¡¯s him, he¡¯s a bit surly most of the time, and I think meeting humans probably didn¡¯t help his mood¡­¡± Squawk beeped, lowering her beak.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t like humans¡±? James asked, jumping back in, ¡°But he saved us from the Deathless¡­¡±


    ¡°Well of course he did,¡± Squawk rolled her tiny bead eyes, ¡°he has to protect humans.¡± The way Squawk said it made it sound so obvious, but neither James or Jennifer could decipher how that could possibly explain anything.


    ¡°He¡¯s the form of weaponry, isn¡¯t he¡±? James stated more than asked, sure that at least that much was obvious. Jennifer remembered back to her days in the city, the guns and swords stuffed in basement cellars, large cannons hidden out of sight from prying eyes. She¡¯d only found them because she¡¯d been the only one who¡¯d ever looked and when she brought them up to her father she saw him visibly shake, as if a memory had been festering in the deep reaches of his intestines, continually being swallowed farther and farther down and the mere mention of it brought a surge of pain throughout his whole body. He left the room quite suddenly after hearing the question, never mentioning it again. Jennifer had, as she usually did, taken the question to the old man who looked equally as pained upon the mention of the discovered weapons, but he managed to push through the discomfort and describe to Jennifer what they were and what they had once been used for. Unable to fathom why such things would need to exist she kept her distance from them at first, but such curiosity could not be so easily satiated and Jennifer soon found herself rifling through the piles of abandoned weaponry, finding something about them so familiar, as if she witnessed their use on more than one occasion. One day, after playing with a small dagger and fighting off some imaginary beast, she put a bit too much weight into a swing and fell, the dagger hitting the ground first followed closely by her arm which nicked the dagger slightly. The pain had been excruciating, up until that point she had never felt anything quite like it. She¡¯d run to the nurse who scolded her for hours as she stitched up the wound and wrapped it in bandages, forcing a promise out of Jennifer to never ever touch those weapons again. Jennifer agreed with tears still welling in her eyes. She¡¯d tried to explain to her father what had happened, but the mention of weapons again caused him to leave the room, seemingly in great pain.


    It was hard to believe that she had just been saved by the Form of weapons himself, but something Squawk said didn¡¯t sit right with her, and she pushed to see exactly what it was,


    ¡°What do you mean he, ¡®has¡¯ to protect humans¡±? Jennifer asked suspiciously, memories of Enoch flashing through her mind. Squawk considered the question for a moment and bobbed her little head to and fro, clearly not sure if the answer happened to be a secret of Slade¡¯s.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Squawk began cautiously, ¡°Slade thinks that his weapons hurt too many people and so he has to protect people to make up for it¡­¡±


    ¡°So he hurt people with his weapons¡±? Jennifer demanded, pretty sure she knew where this was headed.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t directly hurt people per say¡­ But weapons wouldn¡¯t exist if it wasn¡¯t for him so¡­¡±


    ¡°So that makes him responsible for what people do with them?!¡± Jennifer shouted in exasperation, tired of being the only one who saw this stupidity for what it was. Squawk hopped back nervously, her shouting clearly taking her off guard.


    ¡°That¡¯s what he thinks, but it makes him sad and angry so I tell him that it¡¯s not his fault, but he doesn¡¯t listen to me¡­¡± Squawk lamented, her little beak lowered in shame.


    ¡°I¡¯m going after him,¡± Jennifer announced as she hopped to her feet and headed toward the exit.


    ¡°Jennifer,¡± James called out, his voice calm and collected. Jennifer had expected him to protest, but she hadn¡¯t expected him to be so serene about it, in surprise she turned to face him, ¡°Just be careful okay¡±? Jennifer¡¯s eyes widened and her mouth hung open slightly,


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to try and stop me¡­?¡± Jennifer ventured, not sure how much she should fight this. James raised his arms weakly,


    ¡°Would there be any point¡±? He laughed coarsely, ¡°Besides, I doubt I could stop you even if I wanted to, but do me a favor will you¡±? His grey eyes grew deathly serious, ¡°If you see danger, run, don¡¯t hesitate, just run.¡± Jennifer nodded her head nervously, the memory of their earlier encounter still fresh in her mind.


    ******************************************************************************


    Catching up to Slade wasn¡¯t difficult, he walked slowly, lugging around his massive sack of weaponry.


    ¡°Slade! Hey Slade!¡± She ran toward him waving her arms and hoping Squawk wasn¡¯t lying about Slade¡¯s policy of not harming humans. He turned around slowly, his cloak flapping in the wind to reveal a surprisingly young face covered in scars. Slade¡¯s red hair fell unevenly across his brow and highlighted his deep silver eyes, one eye boasting a large scar that ran from the upper left side of his face down to the bottom of his nose. He had a strong jaw and a constant frown adorning his already dismal manner. The scars were odd though, most people, once they receive a scar, look to move on, move forward and the scar becomes just another part of their appearance, Slade was different. The way he moved, the way his eyes loomed over his surroundings, like a beaten dog around hens, his mannerisms screamed that he had not forgotten his scars and he¡¯d abandoned any chance of a life without them. As a higher Form his skin was entirely up to him to mold and craft into whatever image he chose, he chose to keep the scars. Did he keep them as a reminder, or penance, even he couldn¡¯t say.


    ¡°I told you to rest and then leave before I returned, what part of that did you find difficult to understand¡±? His voice had no hint of humor or levity, his eyes burned with a cold passion that saw right through Jennifer into something greater.


    ¡°I talked to Squawk, she told me why you do it, why you wander around out here fighting Deathless and saving people and, while I appreciate what you did for me and my friend, I can¡¯t sit idly by and watch you make a slave of yourself.¡± She mustered together all the confidence she had and looked Slade in the eye, the experience was terrifying. Slade didn¡¯t respond, he continued to bore into Jennifer¡¯s eyes with his own, somehow managing not to blink despite the wind whipping against his face. Jennifer figured she¡¯d continue, ¡°You think you need to make amends for the way people use your weapons? That¡¯s bullshit. People are going to use weapons however the hell they want and that¡¯s on them! You are weaponry right? But that doesn¡¯t mean that you have to accept the blame for everything people do with you. You offer them a way to protect themselves, to defend the things they love, they should be thanking you! I know why you hate us humans, why you can¡¯t stand us, and it¡¯s just sad! We always have to blame somebody else for our problems, and we latch on like leeches to anyone who¡¯ll let us blame them for issues that are entirely our own. You¡¯re not the one responsible for all the pain your weapons cause, but you are the one who should get the credit that we have weapons to defend ourselves in the first place! Those deathless would¡¯ve torn us to shreds, but you and your weapons kept us alive, so please don¡¯t think for a second that you owe us anything. You should do whatever you want and forget about all this making amends bullshit for stuff you didn¡¯t do!¡± Jennifer ended her speech with a large exhale and concerned look at a completely silent Slade. She¡¯d hoped he might give her some sort of reaction, some sign that he¡¯d listened to all that, but he offered her none. The only thing he did say was this,


    ¡°Tell Squawk I¡¯ll be back soon, you and your friend should be gone by then.¡± Jennifer didn¡¯t exactly know what to make of that, but she¡¯d said her piece and that was enough for now, so she turned on her heels and jogged back to the alcove only now noticing more piles of finely chopped Deathless lining the sides of the road.


    Jennifer returned to the alcove and heard a relieved sigh from James and a happy little chirp from Squawk.


    ¡°So how did it go¡±? James inquired, doing a visual inspection of Jennifer, checking for cuts or signs of psychological distress, you know, beyond the usual stuff. Jennifer just shrugged,


    ¡°I said what I wanted to say, and he seemed to listen to all of it, but I don¡¯t know how much of it stuck. But Squawk,¡± Jennifer said, remembering Slade¡¯s order, ¡°He said to tell you that he¡¯d be back soon.¡± Squawk smiled her little bird smile,


    ¡°He never comes back this early! I don¡¯t know what you said to him, but maybe, just maybe it helped.¡± Squawk beeped happily, a little bit of hope shining in her bird eyes.


    ¡°He also told us to be gone by the time he returned,¡± Jennifer mumbled awkwardly as she glanced over at James who looked less than thrilled at the prospect of doing anymore walking.


    ¡°I know a place y¡¯all can rest at!¡± Squawk chirped, flying up to look Jennifer in the eye, ¡°There¡¯s a cave system a little ways to the west of here that¡¯s been a haven against the Deathless for a while now! I used to live there before I met Slade and I¡¯ve always wanted to go back!¡±


    ¡°Can you just leave¡±? James wondered, ¡°Isn¡¯t Slade expecting you to be here when he returns¡±? Squawk turned her little head toward James, a small twinkle in her eye,


    ¡°Yes, that would be a problem if there was just one of me but¡­¡± Squawk fluttered over to a small nest hidden behind one of the larger rocks sitting comfortably on a bed made of chopped up bits of bows and within the nest sat a single bright red egg, ¡°I¡¯ve never had any reason to hatch him before now, but he¡¯d be prefect to show y¡¯all the way!¡± The egg began to rock back and forth as soon as Squawk landed next to him, her eyes full of pride. A small crack formed and then another and another until, from the egg, a little beak popped out and cheeped wildly. Each cheep made Squawk puff up with joy.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna call him, Chirp,¡± She declared as the egg fell over spilling the newly hatched Chirp onto the floor of the nest. Jennifer and James, while finding the whole process beautiful and miraculous, did wonder how a newborn chick is supposed to lead them anywhere, but, as if in answer to their unspoken question, the little bird began to grow rapidly. His little beak dipped into a sharp point, his colorless feathers fell to the floor only to be replaced with bright red ones and his little body puffed up until Chirp outgrew his mother. With a couple of test flaps of his wings, Chirp took to the air and shot out of the alcove, Squawk followed with Jennifer right behind. They looked up to see Chirp doing loops and rolls through the air, utilizing the blizzards wind to propel himself forward until he¡¯d fold his wings in, dive bombing the ground only to unfurl them at the last second and allow the updraft to return him to the sky.


    After a couple minutes of flying Chirp returned to the Alcove and rested gently on James¡¯ foot.


    ¡°He can¡¯t talk sadly,¡± Squawk chirped, ¡°But I¡¯ve given him the directions to the cave and he should be able to get y¡¯all there safely because, as you just saw, he¡¯s quite the flyer!¡± She chirped with pride. James and Jennifer thanked her for her help and Jennifer lifted James to his feet and they limped out of the alcove, Chirp perched on Jennifer¡¯s shoulder, whistling a little tune.


    The second they left the cave Chirp took back to the sky and flew ahead a few hundred feet and then circled above waiting for the pair to catch up. Once they did Chirp would fly forward another hundred or so feet and the process repeated, as they walked Jennifer¡¯s mind wandered back to Slade, she wondered if he¡¯d heard her¡­

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8


    The planet Adam is one of billions, and, while it holds a great importance to many Forms, it is far from the totality of all that matters. Far from Adam, in a section of space tens of thousands of light years away there could be seen two girls running for their lives. But, as you might imagine, the two girls were certainly far from ordinary, one burned with a white fire at a temperature beyond human comprehension and the other had skin darker than the vacuum of space.


    The girl brimming with energy had golden hair that hovered around her head, lifted by the energy emanating off her skin, her eyes scorched all they fell upon with the brightest white which only four people in all reality have ever looked upon and lived, she wore no clothes but the brightness of the energy wrapped around her like a great toga of some forgotten deity. She carried herself like a volcano, an eruption always expected, with the islands born from those eruptions forgotten by most everyone but her, her emotions now a contradiction of pride, direction, and shame, suspicion. The other woman, her sister, had short dark hair that wrapped around her head like a crown, and her eyes were the deepest black of all, the deepness of her eyes enticed all who gazed upon them to look further, to look closer and closer until they had lost themselves entirely. She looked upon her sister like a child amongst fireworks, keenly aware that she¡¯ll outlast them, yet the fireworks offer something she never could, right up until the moment they fade. The women, while appearing young in age, were ancient, impossibly ancient, you could say that they were the first born of Time himself. The highest Forms knew these two as the matriarchs of all reality; Energy and Matter.


    But, despite the grandiose nature of their titles, they found themselves retreating from a power both familiar and foreign, a power that had once belonged to someone they loved. If it weren¡¯t for the vast nature of the cosmos these two titans of reality would have perished long ago, but they¡¯d managed to evade the approach of this nightmare long enough to find refuge in place they thought to be long forgotten, their birthplace. They entered a temple, built on Corinthian columns and decorated with images of Time and Destiny, a familiar sight to any from Jennifer¡¯s city. Unlike the base of Jennifer¡¯s favorite tower this Temple dwarfed solar systems. Nostalgia flooded their hearts as they gazed longingly upon the room within, great thrones encircled the center of the room, and behind the seats were ancient images of planets, stars, supernovas, black holes, galaxies, oceans, volcanoes all stitched together in a tapestry of time, which meant that each image moved and shifted, stars exploded only for them to collapse back together and burn again, galaxies formed only to collapse, dying before drifting into nothing, but soon to be reborn. The oceans raged, the volcanoes erupted and the stars danced and all of it was captured in this one great tapestry. The seats lining the center had been handcrafted, carved from the hearts of dwarf stars that Matter had designed for her family; her father, uncle, children and sister, a sister who seemed to be having similar thoughts. Great orbs larger than the grandest suns orbited the room casting light over the seats, the orbs changing color every few minutes and shooting out stars that flew from one orb to the other, occasionally exploding in between and dousing the room in stardust. Energy admired her creation for a moment only to be ripped back into the present, clenching her fists in rage. The Orbs responded to this anger flaring up and turning a deep red. Matter approached her seat and looked upward to the seat beside her, a seat once held by Time, a seat once covered in stars, comets, and images of people that Time had seen during his many journeys across the universe. She missed Time dearly, he had been a kind Father, endlessly patient, unbreakably encouraging and he loved everything she created, placing one of every kind on his chair, like a child¡¯s picture on a fridge. Energy had similar memories, Time¡¯s chair used to glow with every color in the spectrum, occasionally erupting in flames as he¡¯d throw out a mock villain¡¯s laugh which threw Energy into a giggling fit trying to imagine her Father as a villain. When Time had been struck down, when he¡¯d told them he¡¯d no longer be able to see them¡­ They¡¯d gone after the man responsible to rip out his heart, the same way he¡¯d broken theirs and it might¡¯ve worked, that is, if he¡¯d had a heart to rip out¡­


    Next to Time¡¯s chair sat a slightly higher chair, a chair that held no decorations, a chair that, despite being made of the same substance as the other chairs, somehow appeared more dense and more rigid. There had always been a respect associated with that chair, while Time had been a wonderful Father it was Destiny who guided them in fulfilling their purpose. Energy, better than anyone, remembered when Destiny had called them together to discuss the conversion issue, she had not waited long to follow in her Father¡¯s footsteps and make the conversion herself, she¡¯d found a lovely girl that she desperately wished to hold the form of; not long after she talked her sister into doing the same. Destiny had not been pleased with this and, now able to do as they pleased without Destiny¡¯s direct command, they weren¡¯t sure where their relationship with him stood. But, despite their defiance, he had been kind to them, explaining that the cosmos could not go on unordered and he needed their help to reign in this new world. They¡¯d witnessed with utter shock his begrudging acceptance of their choice and the conversion process in general, knowing that his rejection of their choice could mean him closing the Book forever and thus bringing all things to a close. They¡¯d readily agreed to help their uncle and got to work reigning in their children and receiving praise from Destiny in the process, something they¡¯d never thought possible.


    He¡¯d been an imposing figure, his voice constantly booming as he sat upon his chair reading out the Book, bringing new life to the universe and reordering that which had been unbalanced. Destiny knew the answer to every question and could tell you the number of bumps on a ladybug''s leg. Though Destiny never liked an audience when he read, he¡¯d allow Matter and Energy to sit by his feet and listen and watch, moments they held dear to this day.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    But Destiny¡¯s chair held no Destiny, he had left long ago, when Time created the Deaths. They¡¯d waited outside as Destiny berated his brother, reality shaking with each shout and time rippling back and forth with each retort. They¡¯d been afraid, for the first time in their lives that argument had sent real fear down their spines. They both knew Time¡¯s side of the argument, how much he hated being the ender of human life, how much he suffered each time he returned a soul back to the Book. They knew he spoke to them, that he comforted them as he took them away and, while it brought comfort to some of them, it brought nothing but pain to Time. So, he gave life to the Deaths; war, famine, pestilence and plague to do the job he couldn¡¯t bear. Destiny couldn¡¯t fathom his brother¡¯s selfishness, his abandonment of his job, his post, and the rejection of Destiny¡¯s authority as maestro of reality. Time did not apologize for what he¡¯d done and so Destiny left taking the Book with him. The days of sitting at Destiny¡¯s feet and listening to him read were over and they felt lost without their uncle¡¯s guidance. Time acted much the same after Destiny¡¯s disappearance, but they would catch him sometimes, looking off into the cosmos, as if he might one day catch a glimpse of his brother and he could go to him, but Destiny never returned, never showed his face again.


    They needed him now, they needed his help, Time¡¯s mistake had birthed the greatest monster the universe had ever seen and they were powerless to stop him.


    ¡°You know they never invited me here¡±? Came a mockingly melodic voice from the entrance. The two Forms spun around to see¡­ him. Energy let out a roar that filled the room with the brightest light, she raised her arms high and crossed them, bringing them down like a swordsman cutting through flesh. Following the movements the orbs hanging in the room came crashing down toward the figure at the door, colliding with the ground and creating a force that made a supernova look like a child¡¯s sneeze. Her breathing grew heavier as she stared with frustration at the crater where the figure had stood just moments earlier.


    ¡°Always the explosions with you,¡± The figure shrugged, now sitting on Destiny¡¯s chair with legs crossed and his arms leaning atop the arm rests. Matter, the calmer of the two, analyzed the figure¡¯s movements to see if he¡¯d left them any opening; he hadn¡¯t. Energy refused to look at him that long because his appearance had to be the worst part about him; he looked exactly like Time. ¡°Pops could¡¯ve invited me up here every once in a while, ya know, let me meet the family and what not, but I suppose he figured we wouldn¡¯t exactly get along, he was right on that one.¡± He chuckled, Matter and Energy were less than amused. ¡°Oh come on you two! Crack a smile will ya? If I¡¯d wanted to kill you I¡¯d have done ya in ages ago, so will you relax?¡± They did not relax. ¡°Fine,¡± The figure exclaimed throwing his arms into the air, ¡°If y¡¯all don¡¯t want to talk that¡¯s okay, I find that I¡¯m usually better conversation anyway.¡± He grinned at them, giving them flashbacks of Time, and boiling the blood in their veins.


    ¡°You stole everything from us¡­ How can you look us in the eye after everything you¡¯ve done¡±? Matter spat, the figure¡¯s cavalier attitude hitting her most sensitive nerves.


    ¡°Stole? No, no, no! I never stole anything! I just did my job, which is more than I can say for you two, have you seen the state of the Universe lately? Eeeesh, talk about dropping the ball.¡± Energy¡¯d had enough, in the span of a planck length she had reached the spot where the figure was sitting, her fist raised and boiling over with Energy, and, before she could land the blow she gasped, the man had vanished. ¡°You really know how to hold a conversation don¡¯t ya?¡± The man laughed, now standing at the center of the room shouting upwards. Energy knew her attacks were pointless, that nothing she threw at him would work, but she couldn¡¯t just sit there and let him mock them. She chased the figure around the room, each time coming within a trillionth of a millimeter before realizing that he¡¯d disappeared to some other part of the room.


    ¡°What do you want from us!¡± Matter demanded causing her sister to stop her pointless pursuit. The man considered this for a moment,


    ¡°Well I wanted y¡¯all to lead me here, which y¡¯all did so¡­ thanks for that I suppose,¡± He grinned at them again and Matter returned it with contempt, ¡°but here I¡¯ve checked this whole Temple thingy and I haven¡¯t found a trace of that gosh darn Destiny! Now I gotta wonder if the stories of Destiny leaving weren¡¯t just stories!¡± His surprise was clearly not genuine and Matter and Energy knew they were just being toyed with, but they had no way to stop it. They hoped though that he really had no idea where Destiny had gone¡­


    ¡°Destiny¡¯s not here asshole, so beat it!¡± Energy barked, tired of his games and hoping he¡¯d either leave or kill them and get it over with, at this point she didn¡¯t really care which.


    ¡°Ya see, I figured he wouldn¡¯t be, but I had to be sure, you know how it is with rumors, one person says something then another person says it and then another person says it and so on and so on and so on,¡± He waived his arms up and down as he spoke, not even looking at the two ancient Forms primed to slaughter him the moment they got the chance, ¡°until, eventually, you hear it and then who knows if it¡¯s true! So I tend to check on things myself and, since ole Destiny¡¯s not here, I suppose I¡¯ll ask you ladies politely where I might find him.¡± He turned to look at them, their faces said it all, ¡°Well that¡¯s unfortunate¡­¡± he sighed.


    ¡°Guess you¡¯re out of luck, even if we did know where he was we¡¯d never tell ya!¡± Energy shouted, pleased to finally feel like they¡¯d won one.


    ¡°Well you are right,¡± He began, his arms crossed and his hand stroking his chin, ¡°I haven¡¯t found him, but luckily I¡¯ve got my best person on Adam working the case, which leaves me plenty of time,¡± he laughed at the word, ¡°to play with y¡¯all, so, that being said, ¡°He rubbed his hands together excitedly, ¡°I¡¯ll give y¡¯all a Planck length head start and this time, if I catch ya, I¡¯m gonna kill ya.¡± Death told them, a smile shining brightly across his face.

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9


    Quietness wasn¡¯t something James thought he¡¯d ever be displeased with, especially since he¡¯d met Jennifer, but their long and silent trek through the snow had him concerned. While the realization that he¡¯d almost failed his brother to save a stranger had initially stung, he found solace knowing that his brother would¡¯ve done the same and that made him feel closer to him than ever. But now that the crisis of heart had subsided, and the guilt had waned to nothing more than a slight whining in the back of his neck, he had hoped he might be able to distract himself by chatting with Jennifer, something he never thought he¡¯d have to ask for. Jennifer had been unable to look him in the eye for more than a couple of seconds and, even then, she followed the eye contact by burying her eyes into the ground for minutes after. Chirp continued his guidance and James decided to focus on him for a while and hope that Jennifer¡¯d break out of this funk on her own.


    Jennifer would not break out of the funk though, while she felt guilty for her cowardice and ashamed of her weakness, she couldn¡¯t help obsessing over the lack of response from Slade. The things she¡¯d said to him, the pleas she¡¯d made, not only to him but to Meerous, Enoch and James were just as much for her as they were for them. She needed to believe that she had a choice, that abandoning her father, her home, wasn¡¯t wrong, but was liberation. Ever since their run in with the Deathless Jennifer had been struggling with this notion of Death, this strange idea that she could stop existing one moment and all that would be left of her would be the memories of others and the actions she¡¯d undertaken. She hated the idea, she hated that her legacy had to be in the hands of other people, that they had the power to decide what version of Jennifer would live on. She just imagined her neighbors, her peers, her father, all weaving tales about the terrible Jennifer, the monstrous Jennifer, the selfish Jennifer, and that being all that was left of her. It had never occurred to her what the Old man might¡¯ve said, or the nurse, or even the awkward young man walking right next to her. She did know one thing; she couldn¡¯t die now, not until she¡¯d insured her legacy was intact.


    The scenery hadn¡¯t much changed even after walking for what felt like a hundred miles, and James began to wonder if their guide had somehow reverted to his birdly instincts and was now leading them on a desperate quest for seeds and pine cones. As if in answer to his thoughts, James watched as Chirp descended onto a single gravestone under a fairly large rotted oak tree. ¡®So that¡¯s what that¡¯s like¡­¡¯ he mused to himself.


    The graves stone bore the name, ¡°HOPE,¡± and a large shiver ran down Jennifer¡¯s spine, this was the very definition of a bad sign. What was once a proud and quite honorable oak tree now snapped and popped in the breeze as the wind wrenched it of even more branches. The two stared at Chirp skeptically, Chirp returned their stares with preening.


    ¡°I really hope this isn¡¯t the place¡­¡± James murmured, Jennifer glanced over at him with confusion.


    ¡°I mean it¡¯s definitely ugly but at least it¡¯s something.¡± She shrugged, concerned that James remained equally as tense.


    ¡°Jennifer that stone right there,¡± he spoke slowly as he pointed toward the gravestone, ¡°is a marker used to mark the spots where people were buried, dead people¡­¡± Jennifer¡¯s eyes widened and the significance of the word, ¡®HOPE,¡¯ hit her.


    ¡°Do you¡­ do you think they¡¯re all dead¡±? Jennifer whispered, fear gripping her neck and tightening by the second.


    ¡°What are y¡¯all just standing there for¡±? Squawk¡¯s voice beeped out of Chirps beak, ¡°Get inside before you freeze to death!¡± She chirped sternly. Chirp seemed to not mind being used as a speaker, he just continued to bob his head and preen his feathers while his beak made sounds that he barely even comprehended.


    ¡°Squawk? How are you¡­¡± Jennifer stammered, her throat still closed up from the earlier shock.


    ¡°All birds are Squawk and Squawk is all birds, silly!¡± Chirp piped up at the word bird and darted his head around anxiously, still very much unaware that his mouth had been hijacked, ¡°Now get inside!¡±


    ¡°How?¡± James shouted at the now very startled Chirp who flew a couple feet in the air and now eyed James suspiciously from the top of the Oak tree.


    ¡°You have to die of course!¡± Squawk¡¯s voice maintained its chipper tone, but the words stunned the pair below.


    ¡°¡­Squawk, please tell me your kidding¡­?¡± Jennifer begged looking at the gravestone with a very real dread.


    ¡°Well, when I say die I really mean you have to lie down on the grave and act dead. It¡¯s some symbol about how entering the sanctum means you¡¯re dead as far as everyone else is concerned or something, I don¡¯t know I wasn¡¯t really listening.¡±


    ¡°We have to acknowledge our own mortality¡­ They want us to accept that we¡¯re dead no matter what so there¡¯d be no gain in betraying their location. And, I¡¯d imagine, part of that means never leaving¡­ Dead men tell no tales¡­¡± James spoke the words solemnly as he stared at the gravestone, accepting his mortality had been a price he¡¯d paid the second he¡¯d left to find his brother, he¡¯d gladly pay the price again, and besides, Squawk made it out, so James figured they¡¯d have no problem doing the same.


    Jennifer crossed her arms and sat down in front of the gravestone, her face made James nervous.


    ¡°Jennifer¡­¡± He ventured


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to pretend to be dead, I¡¯m not gonna play their stupid game.¡± Her voice had an air of resolution to it that James figured would take hours to undo. But, whether luckily or unluckily for him, the heavy snowy haze in the distance began to shift and morph as shadowy figures stirred within in. The glimmer of light on ice gave Jennifer all the clues she needed to guess that the Deathless had found them again, but something was different about this group¡­


    The red light of the setting sun reflected off the falling icicles as the snow, kicked up by the raging wind, threw the icicles into a frenzy creating an illusion of a frozen bloody storm slowly crawling toward them. Within the frenzy Jennifer saw a few human Deathless with arms, legs, eyes, and whole chunks of flesh replaced with ice, but walking alongside them were great bull like creatures, trees that moved like men, men with scaly tails that slithered across the snow, massive hogs that snorted and snapped at the falling icicles, creatures that seemed to switch between solid and gaseous forms on a whim, and the thing connecting all of them, was the icy replacements made to different parts of their bodies. Jennifer could barely make out more than their outlines, but the images were growing clearer as the herd of Deathless advanced upon their position.


    ¡°JENNIFER!¡± James shouted as he pulled her focus away from the terrifying specters in the distance and back into the present, ¡°I need you to lie down and play dead now!¡± Jennifer shook her head no and then looked back toward the Deathless nervously. ¡°Dang it Jennifer, they¡¯re going to actually kill you! If you go down here you may at least have a chance!¡± Jennifer knew he was right but she just couldn¡¯t¡­ What if she never came back out, what if things were worse inside, what if she went in and died, who would remember her¡­ what would those that did say¡­? Before she could decide she felt a sharp pain in her stomach and she collapsed onto the ground where James, without missing a beat, threw himself over her and positioned them like corpses in a coffin. The ground beneath them opened and swallowed them whole.


    ******************************************************************************


    A rich music flowed smoothly though the room, the mix of soft piano and rhythmic saxophone matched perfectly with the slight drum beat and cymbal tapping that tied the melody together. The saxophone would occasionally burst into a passionate solo that left the rest of the room silent, stopping all conversations as those within instinctively allowed the music to coarse through them.


    Finely decorated round tables spread over a lavishly ornate red carpet, each table sculpted from finely cut glass and adorned with the reddest roses. Drinks of all different colors and consistencies sparkled in thin crystal glasses, some changing color with the beat of the music. Strategically placed candles lit the room, one on each table with street lamps placed along the edges of the room and two lining the edge of a bar made entirely of shining glass that sparkled in the candle light. Behind the bar were bottles of all different shapes and sizes, each one boasting an image, some of beasts, some of elements, some of concepts.


    With the quality of the music one would expect to see a band playing somewhere, but across from the bar on a stage lit with blue flames dancing with the music, was a single man sitting behind an ebony piano of immaculate craftsmanship. The man had dark skin and bright blue eyes that shone with the candle light, his teeth sparkled as he smiled, letting the music flow out of him. Alongside him a saxophone, a drum, some trumpets and a harmonica played right along with him, each time a person focused on one of the instruments the man could be seen playing that instrument, and, the second they looked away to another instrument the man would vanish and reappear at the new instrument, giving the impression of a ghostly group serenading the room with songs long since forgotten by the world above.


    Behind the bar stood a man in a dark orange suit and a fiery red bowtie that matched nicely with his fiery red hair slicked back with a single strand popping out of the front. He smiled at the man up on stage who was far too occupied with his craft to take notice. The man in the orange suit had a wicked smile and a pointed nose that gave his appearance a sharp, yet approachable quality, the kind of appearance that one is happy to chat with, but wouldn¡¯t dare invite to play cards. At each table sat men and women adorned with fine dining attire, glass jewelry and golden watches, necklaces and rings. They chatted with one another in low voices, while others danced slowly in the center of the room. The bar encroached slightly into the seating area on one end while the stage encroached slightly on the other, the tables aligned the outer rim of the circle in clusters of two or three, and farther in a circle of lampposts marked the beginning of the dance floor.


    On the outer edges of the room, off the two remaining sides of the inner circle, sat dark satin booths with low lighting and hushed conversation. Seated at those tables were downtrodden individuals with bottles of the interesting looking beverages instead of glasses, each one seemed unable to appreciate the ambiance of the room, as if it had worn thin. Behind the bar stood an extremely out of place wooden door that looked to all who saw it like it hadn¡¯t been opened in centuries.


    Flirting with the bartender, a lady clad in a flowery dress with bright red hair and freckles across her nose, reached across the bar and produced a bouquet of flowers from behind his ear, he laughed and handed her a drink. The red-haired woman spun away from the bar and swayed in rhythm with the beat, sliding over to a table where a woman of great height and stature sat, surrounded by men each attempting to gain her attention with smiles and witty banter. The tall woman smiled as the red-haired woman rested her arm on her shoulder and offered her a quick peck on the cheek as the flowers on the table burst into a full bouquet. The flowers brightened the smile of the taller woman who laughed and picked one out of the bunch and pulled her hair out of the way so she could place it behind her ear. Her hair nearly reached the ground and it shone brightly, like gold in the morning sun. She wore a long satin gown that flowed gently down to her feet, a design stitched in golden threads decorating the bottom, a design of a rising sun surrounded by two rising circles of light as smaller stars floated from the bottom and drifted up her dress, sparkling as they went. She wore a pitch-black cape across her right shoulder, but, if one looked close enough, they could see small glimmers of light across the breadth of the cape.


    Jennifer had never dreamed such a place existed, she was undeniably captivated, totally in awe, and certainly a little underdressed. Unlike Jennifer¡¯s awe filled gaze, James had opted to respond to the whole scene with disgust. Neither knew what exactly they were supposed to be doing here, they had trusted Squawk without really listening to her explanation, though they both knew that Squawk probably couldn¡¯t have provided a good one even if she¡¯d wanted to, something about bird brains¡­ Either way the pair stuck out like a sore thumb in the company of some of the finest dressed beings in the cosmos.


    ¡°Oi! Human folk!¡± The bartender shouted over the beautiful sound of a piano solo. The two glanced at each other, shrugged and made their way over to the bar, ¡°Been awhile since we ad humans ere, ow¡¯d ya find this place anyways¡±? The sharply dressed redhead inquired flashing them a full toothed grin in a voice that never quite hit, ¡°h¡±s.


    ¡°You could say,¡± Jennifer spoke quickly, quite proud of herself, ¡°A little birdy told us.¡± She smiled at James who had buried his head in his hands, the most disappointed he¡¯d ever been. The bartender laughed,


    ¡°Ya mean Squawk don¡¯t ya love?¡± The bartender leaned over his shoulder to face the other side of the room, ¡°Oi Eldritch!¡± A tall regal looking fellow with silver hair, a dark suit and a proud pointed nose looked up from a conversation he was having with a snow haired woman in a puffy white dress laden with frills. ¡°These two over ere say they know Squawk! Better get over ere and talk to em before the ole bird finally kicks it!¡± The regal looking man grit his teeth, clearly not the first time he¡¯d been mocked by the quick talking redhead, but he rose and approached the bar anyway.


    ¡°Please excuse the rodent¡¯s horrible manners,¡± Eldritch spoke with an ease of authority that spoke volumes on his opinion of himself, his tall figure made slightly artificial by the angle of his nose, as if he made a conscious attempt to consistently show the whole world his nostrils, ¡°He¡¯s not yet fully acclimated to the high society you see around you.¡± The bartender scoffed and turned to mix a drink. ¡°You¡¯ve met my ancestor then? How is she¡±? He asked with genuine concern. James found the imposing rich stature of the man before him to be slightly laughable, but considering his unfamiliar surroundings he felt it best to keep his mouth shut for now. Jennifer decided to jump in instead,


    ¡°Squawk¡¯s doing great! She¡¯s hanging around with Slade-¡° Slade¡¯s name caused Eldritch to twitch uncomfortably and those within earshot all responded similarly, Jennifer found this curious, ¡°But you called her ancestor, does that make you a bird? You certainly don¡¯t look like a bird¡­¡± The bartender, blatantly eavesdropping, smiled at the comment and looked smugly at Eldritch who seemed to be doing his best to maintain his composure.


    ¡°I am the Form of Eagles, a proud and noble bird that used to rule the skies. I may appear human but that¡¯s only because all of us here have agreed to take on human forms so that we might create a more cohesive and¡­ functioning society.¡± Eldritch explained, showing that a knack for playing host simply wasn¡¯t in the cards for him. But what he said stuck out to Jennifer quite profoundly,


    ¡°Is everyone here a Form?¡± She burst out excitedly. The bartender laughed and slid back over,


    ¡°It¡¯s as ya say love, each an every bloke and broad ere is a Form of the ¡®ighest order, all of us ¡®uddled down ere in perfect ¡®armony.¡± He barely got out the last phrase before he slipped into a snarky laugh, Eldritch seemed less than amused.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we caught your name,¡± James asked politely to the bar keep who had begun to settle down and was now eyeing the two with a shrewd glance that told James the man may see more than he lets on.


    ¡°The two of ya can call me Freddy, otherwise known as the Form of foxes, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet ya, do the two of ya ave names¡±? Freddy asked with a wink in Jennifer¡¯s direction, the guy did have a certain charm to him that Jennifer found appealing¡­


    ¡°My name is James and she¡¯s Jennifer, what exactly is this-¡± James motioned to the low-lit party taking place around them, ¡°whole set up¡±? Eldritch looked annoyed at the question, Freddy chuckled,


    ¡°You¡¯re in the hidey hole friend, only safe place left from Death and his army of nasty beasties. What ya see before ya is the last of the ¡®igh and mighty Forms, ¡®iding away waiting for the end of the world in style.¡± Eldritch had clearly had enough of this so he stepped between the pair and Freddy and attempted to salvage what little pride he now had left,


    ¡°What the vermin over there is so poorly explaining is that we are preserving what¡¯s left of this once great world, if we were to die then what would be left to fill the world with if it were to somehow be saved¡±? He explained, his voice betraying the fact that even he clearly didn¡¯t believe what he was saying.


    ¡°That¡¯s absurd!¡± Jennifer exclaimed, James sighed knowing the lecture that would follow, ¡°Y¡¯all can¡¯t just spend the rest of your lives hiding away like this! What kind of life is that? There¡¯s nothing out there that the lot of you couldn¡¯t handle so this is just¡­ Cowardly!¡± Freddy¡¯s eyes suddenly grew wide and he slammed his hand down on the bar causing everyone to glance over curiously, the music even quieted down allowing the whole room to hear Freddy¡¯s revelation,


    ¡°A human girl¡­ You wouldn¡¯t happen to be from the Timeless city would ya¡±? Freddy demanded, his face full of excitement and some other indefinable quality. Jennifer nodded, unsure of where this was going¡­ ¡°My word¡­. They said long ago that a human girl would travel from the timeless city, traverse great distances and uncover the mystery of this ere hideout! They said the girl¡¯d be the fairest maiden with the strongest heart and a gift for inspiring the ¡®earts of others! You love, are the one who¡¯s coming was foretold in ages past, the savior of these poor lost Forms! We¡¯ve waited so long and now ya¡¯re finally ere! Please tell us what to do that we might follow yere brave leadership!¡± Jennifer¡¯s eyes sparkled, she¡¯d always known she was special, different, but here, now, she¡¯d finally found out why. This was a whole lot of responsibility, but she knew that she could handle it, she was, after all, the chosen savior, the most important person in the-


    Her thoughts were interrupted by the whole room erupting in laughter, Freddy nearly keeled over on the floor he was laughing so hard. Jennifer¡¯s face burned red as the joke set in. The whole room looked at her and laughed, each one of them reveling in her humiliation, a feeling she found all too familiar.


    ¡°Ya humans are all the same! Tell em there special and they just eat it up!¡± Freddy sputtered through his laughter, ¡°Listen ere little girl,¡± Freddy began finally calming down and allowing his face to grow more somber, ¡°ya don¡¯t know these Forms, ya don¡¯t know what they been through, what they lost, so it¡¯d be a smart move not talkin bout things ya ain¡¯t exactly privy to knowing, don¡¯t ya think¡±? Jennifer had never been so humiliated in her life, she wanted to scream, but she held herself back, she looked over to James who seemed to sense the impending danger of her mood. He walked over to her and suggested that they sit down at one of the booths off to the side, just to¡­ get their bearings. Jennifer complied begrudgingly, glaring hatefully at Freddy who had resumed chuckling at his own joke.


    The satin booths were quite comfortable, and Jennifer enjoyed the feeling of sitting down on something that wasn¡¯t a rock or a snowdrift. She couldn¡¯t believe what that stupid Fox had said to her, and, even worse, that he¡¯d had a point. She didn¡¯t know these Forms, she didn¡¯t know the faintest thing about them, with Meerous she¡¯d at least had a chance to hear her story first, and Enoch was clearly in pain, and Squawk had made Slade¡¯s situation pretty clear, but here¡­ Well here she knew nothing. She¡¯d always hated people¡¯s tendency to claim they knew what was best for the people around them, the irony of this completely lost on her, but she gave it like she got it. Back home people had always figured they knew exactly how a growing girl should act, something Jennifer found rich considering none of them had the faintest idea what it was like to be a growing girl. Their usual conclusions boiled down to one of two things, either she should do her best to not rub her growingness in anyone¡¯s face and minimize her inconveniencing of the people around her or she needed to work twice as hard to make up for the inconveniencing she¡¯d already done; neither conclusion interested Jennifer in the slightest.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    But the Fox didn¡¯t need to humiliate her like that! She fumed a bit more as James sat across from her silently waiting for an opportunity to jump in and defuse the situation; Jennifer knew this and it made her even angrier.


    ¡°Maybe I spoke a little too hastily¡­¡± Jennifer mumbled, causing a wave of shock across James¡¯ face.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ very mature of you¡­¡± James stammered, not quite believing what he¡¯d just heard. Jennifer stuck her tongue out at him and crossed her arms and spun away,


    ¡°I¡¯m allowed little bursts of maturity every now and then!¡± She muttered, a tad bit embarrassed. James agreed hastily, but in the back of his mind he felt something a lot like pride, but not the usual kind almost like¡­ pride in somebody else.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get to know these people,¡± Jennifer proclaimed as she stood to her feet and marched over to the table where the girl in the puffy white dress sat. The girl looked surprised to see Jennifer plop herself down across from her, her face all business,


    ¡°So what¡¯s your story? What are you the Form of¡±? Jennifer demanded, her manners entirely out the window due in large part to the whole room laughing at her just a few moments ago.


    ¡°First, Hi,¡± The woman said, a chipper smile on her face, ¡°and second, my name is Claudia and I am the Form of clouds, and you are-¡°


    ¡°Jennifer, clouds eh? So, you¡¯re the one responsible for the blizzard going on out there¡±? The woman looked slightly ashamed, but quickly retrieved her smile,


    ¡°The snow is not my doing, and neither is the wind, my clouds are being held hostage by Death, they don¡¯t have a choice but to bring the snow¡­¡± Jennifer nodded, only vaguely aware that James had slid onto the chair next to her.


    ¡°How can Death hold them hostage? Can¡¯t you just make more¡±? Jennifer¡¯s interrogation continued. Claudia¡¯s dress began to morph into a dark grey color, her eyes went from snow white to a stormy grey and her hair changed along with it.


    ¡°My clouds are not disposable, and I¡¯d rather have them in the sky causing snow then not in the sky at all!¡± Jennifer was about to match her volume when James stepped in,


    ¡°My friend meant no offense, she¡¯s just a little rattled from the trip down here.¡± James explained carefully, well aware that having the very clouds above them as an enemy could prove detrimental. It struck James right about that moment how often he¡¯d had to play damage control with Jennifer, and how grating it was on his already thin nerves. Claudia turned to face James, her dress and hair returning to a slightly whiter color,


    ¡°And who might you be¡±? She said, attempting to restore her chipper tone.


    ¡°My name is James, and your name is Claudia right? It is a pleasure to meet you.¡± He shot a look at Jennifer that she returned with a look of stubborn rebellion. ¡°Again sorry for my companion, she seems to have forgotten her manners,¡± He snapped the comment her way and she huffed and turned away; that moment of maturity all but gone.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­ I imagine my children have caused you a great deal of trouble as of late¡­ But I really am in a bind here, Death could remove all of them from the sky at any moment and I¡­ I don¡¯t know if I could bear that¡­¡± She said, tears welling in her eyes. Jennifer groaned and James jabbed her in the ribs eliciting a surprised yelp.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± He spoke with a surprising amount of compassion, ¡°I know this situation is hard, Death has taken so much from all of us.¡± Claudia nodded, happy to have a sympathetic ear. James glanced over to see if Jennifer had ended this tantrum but she had turned to glare at Freddy instead, who was nonchalantly washing cups and whistling along with the music. Something brushed against James¡¯ arm and he was surprised to see that Claudia was resting her hand on it and looking up at him with a look he was entirely unfamiliar with,


    ¡°Would you care to dance with me¡±? She asked anxiously, ¡°Eldritch was supposed to be my dance partner, but he¡¯s far too busy being angry with Freddy¡­¡± Her eyes looked hopeful and James figured it¡¯d be rude to refuse, and he couldn¡¯t see the harm in it,


    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to,¡± He said rising from his seat and offering her a hand, his movements were awkward, but he did everything in his power to retain his confidence, not sure why he was suddenly so self-aware. She took his hand and the two made their way to the center; breaking out of her glaring contest with Freddy Jennifer realized James was no longer next to her. Something about seeing him walking with such familiarity alongside Claudia sparked a feeling within her that she didn¡¯t even know she had. She stood up suddenly and marched over to Freddy, needing to release this anger on somebody.


    ¡°You¡¯re an ass, you know that right¡±? She spat at the barkeep who feigned surprise at her sudden approach, ¡°Yeah I shouldn¡¯t have yelled at y¡¯all like that, but your response was way out of line! I just wanted to help and, while I may have gone about it the wrong way, can you at least have appreciated that I meant well?! What the hell did I ever do to you¡±? She ended with her face mere inches from Freddy¡¯s. Freddy¡¯s grin never wavered and he spun around and returned to face her with a drink in his hand,


    ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna apologize there love, but I will tell ya this, ya ain¡¯t the first one to come in ere demanding that everyone sack up and take back that there world up there.¡± Jennifer eyed him suspiciously, wondering what the trick was, ¡°Yep, I remember it like it was yesterday, some big britches bloke struts in ere calling everyone out as cowards, even goes and shouts at the boss man imself, but no one listened to em,¡± Freddy shrugged, aware that a few of the Forms were listening, there faces low and guilty, ¡°and when no one¡¯d follow em, he did what he felt was right, he up and left on his own, walked right outta ere and faced the Deathless alone, confident he could ¡®andle em. He was a Form so ya know he ad a whole army of things at his disposal, but it weren¡¯t enough, the Deathless just kept coming back, tear em to shreds and a few hours later they were right back up, ready to rip ya to pieces.¡± Jennifer was fixated on the story, terrified of her guess as to the end, ¡°The Deathless overwhelmed him, killed all his little elpers and nearly killed him. The bloke got away, but at a price,¡± Freddy stepped back and lifted his leg up onto the bar revealing a wooden peg where a leg should¡¯ve been, ¡°See, Forms have a nifty trick for rejuvenating ourselves after injuries like this, unless of course they come from ¡®umans. While the Deathless don¡¯t look much like it now, they are humans. Now every Fox on this damned planet will ave to run around on three legs. So, even if any of these ere Forms wanted to elp ya, they won¡¯t, cause the price is just a wee bit too high. They don¡¯t want to see the world fixed and then ave to live like crippled freaks from now until eternity, and that¡¯s if Death even decides to let em live at all.¡± What disturbed Jennifer the most was the smile that stayed slapped onto his face the whole time, as if happiness and joy were merely costumes he wore because they were better than the alternative.


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Jennifer whispered, for the first time in her life feeling like the very people that had caused her so much pain. Freddy lowered his peg onto the ground and raised a hand,


    ¡°Save the pity, I don¡¯t want it. Ya still have a spark of life left in ya, don¡¯t go wasting it fighting for folks who lost the will ta fight a long time ago.¡± Jennifer nodded, afraid to speak, ¡°look ya and yere pal over there can stay as long as ya like. Ya seem like a nice enough sort, I¡¯d suggest ya plan to stay, no one lasts out there long, especially not ¡®umans. Now,¡± He said, his demeanor morphing back to the cheeky bartender, ¡°drink yer poison, that stuff ain¡¯t cheap¡± he laughed.


    The booth Jennifer sat at, alone, was crammed into the corner of the room Jennifer now realized was square shaped. She drank her odd colorful drink and was surprised how much better she felt with each swig. The liquid burned her throat on the way down, but she felt lighter, her head swimming and the room rocking slightly, like the Sea from Meerous¡¯ back. She missed Meerous, she felt like Meerous was the only one that ever got her, well Meerous and the old man, those two knew how to live¡­


    The beautiful red-head in the flowery dress swept over to the booth with a vase full of flowers which she placed onto the table and then glided into the booth next to Jennifer. The woman was gorgeous, in a way that made Jennifer suddenly quite self-aware and yet completely at ease simultaneously. Bright green eyes glanced curiously into her own and the freckles across her nose made Jennifer smile, she had freckles too, but this woman wore hers with pride. Her smile came across perfect, the kind of smile that causes a person to wonder what it takes to achieve that perfection, and why anyone would want or need to¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a pretty young woman looking so unbelievably sad,¡± the pretty woman cooed, ¡°did that mean ole fox get to you?¡± Her voice had a melody to it that matched perfectly with the music in the background. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him, he¡¯s a lovely guy when you get to know him, but he¡¯s quite hard on new folks, I think he sees far too much of himself in them and, though he¡¯d never admit it, you and him are quite alike. Both headstrong with a wicked drive that you couldn¡¯t stop with a ten foot thick wall of solid steel,¡± She winked at a woman sitting at a table a couple rows down from them, ¡°but sometimes when such similar personalities clash it can create some¡­ unpleasant results.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes suddenly opened wide and she slapped herself lightly on the forehead, ¡°I haven¡¯t introduced myself yet! My name¡¯s Lyla, and you¡¯re Jennifer!¡± Jennifer smiled in return, which was odd as moments ago she¡¯d been bogged down with anger and remorse. Something about this shift in mood seemed wrong, but her head felt strange and she couldn¡¯t seem to find the will to look into it.


    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s me, how did you know that¡±? Jennifer wondered aloud, completely happy to speak any thought that popped into her head.


    ¡°Oh I have spies everywhere,¡± Lyla giggled as she stroked the head of a lily protruding out of the vase.


    ¡°What are those things? The things in the vase¡±? Jennifer asked as her eyes lazily investigated the strange colorful new things before her, ¡°They¡¯re very pretty¡­¡± She commented, ending with a slight hiccup. She was distressed to see Lyla suddenly melancholy, staring at the colorful vase things with eyes full of regret, a common theme in this bar it would appear. ¡°Oh no I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jennifer sputtered, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to upset you¡­¡± Lyla looked up, surprised,


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s not you dear,¡± She assured her, ¡°It¡¯s just the idea that there are humans out there who¡¯ve never seen a flower just makes me a bit sad¡­¡± With a complete change in demeanor Lyla shot a look of contempt toward Claudia who was quite enjoying her dance with James, despite the fact James had stepped on her feet at least seven times. Jennifer caught the moment and, in her current state, figured it best to comment,


    ¡°You hate the cloud lady too huh¡±? Jennifer laughed bitterly, Lyla turned back to her with an embarrassed smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate her, per say¡­¡± She explained noncommittally, ¡°Oh what the hell,¡± She whispered excitedly as she scrunched in close to Jennifer, her eyes darting back and forth for potential eavesdroppers, ¡°Can you keep a secret¡±? Jennifer nodded, suddenly quite excited as well. ¡°I have never hated anyone more than that cloudy whore,¡± Lyla giggled, a comment that should¡¯ve thrown Jennifer off balance, but her mind couldn¡¯t seem to comprehend what she had just heard, ¡°Her and her asshole clouds are the only things keeping my Flowers from repopulating the planet and damn it if she knows it!¡± Jennifer didn¡¯t really understand how clouds and flowers had anything to do with one another, but she figured she¡¯d lean on Lyla¡¯s knowledge of the subject,


    ¡°So what are we gonna do about it¡±? Jennifer asked, with an unnatural and overwhelming urge to be supportive of her new friend. A sly smile crept across Lyla¡¯s face,


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked Jennifer, see there¡¯s a fairly strict rule here against Forms ummm¡­ relieving other Forms of their¡­ ability to¡­ be alive¡­¡± Jennifer nodded along, her head not quite all there at the moment and figuring a punch line to this joke was on its way, ¡°so I can¡¯t kill the cloud bitch without getting exiled myself, but you on the other hand, well they might forgive you.¡± Lyla smiled and Jennifer felt all warm inside. ¡°I wish I was asking this of you, but I can¡¯t really depend on that now can I? Who knows, you may have an aversion to such things, so that¡¯s why I placed something in that drink you¡¯re enjoying so much, just a little something to make you comply a bit more. Oh I really am sorry, I actually quite like you, but this is for the greater good you see¡±? Lyla¡¯s face showed little remorse, but Jennifer did feel bad she was making her feel any, ¡°So here¡¯s what I need from you, take this little liquid,¡± she slipped Jennifer a tiny bottle of red liquid, ¡°and place it in Claudia¡¯s drink at that table there,¡± she motioned over to the table Jennifer and James had sat at earlier, Jennifer smiled and groggily rose from the booth and staggered over to the table. Lyla drifted back over to the bar, not even looking at Jennifer, but her flowers watched everything.


    When Jennifer reached the table she quickly located Claudia¡¯s drink and poured in the liquid which instantly disappeared the moment it collided with the beverage. Once her job had been successfully completed she stumbled back over to her booth and had a bit more of the happy drink. She watched, feeling quite detached from the whole thing, as a heavily breathing Claudia stepped away from the dance floor and made her way over to her drink with James following close behind. The two sat down at the table, obviously happy to be off their feet for a bit, when Claudia offered James a sip of her drink. Something loud and annoying screamed in Jennifer¡¯s head, something about James¡¯ life being in danger, and how that¡¯s a bad thing. Jennifer ignored the feeling and went to take another sip of happy drink, but her hand refused to move. The screaming grew louder as she felt her whole body tensing up, as if her mind desperately wanted her to do something she just couldn¡¯t quite figure out. She watched, the screaming reaching a crescendo, as James lifted the drink to his lips and took a swig.


    Something in Jennifer snapped. She leapt from the booth and smacked the drink from James¡¯ hands, much to his surprise,


    ¡°Jennifer what are you-¡° He barely got out the last word before heaving over onto the floor, his mouth foaming and his eyes rolling back in there sockets. Jennifer shouted for help, but the other Forms just gathered round in confusion, none of them quite sure if this is just something humans do. Lyla watched on with a newly piqued interest.


    ¡°Who poisoned him¡±? Freddy called out from behind the bar, Jennifer stared at him, glad someone seemed to be taking a real interest.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t remember much¡­ why does it matter now he¡¯s dying!¡± Freddy¡¯s jovial persona faded and he spoke with deathly confidence,


    ¡°Find out who poisoned em and we can make em undo it, so which one a ya assholes did it eh? Somebody better fess up before he comes out and-¡° The wooden door in the back slammed open interrupting Freddy¡¯s train of thought. The sound of the door opening made everyone in the room quiver, like dogs caught taking a leak on the carpet, all of them quickly looking away from the situation playing out on the floor and pretending like they suddenly had lots of important business to attend to. Out of the door emerged a shorter man with broad shoulders, light brown skin and thinning black hair with slight grey sprinkled throughout. His hands were quite large and covered in scars and he walked with a confidence only a handful of men could claim. He wore a very ordinary white shirt tucked into jeans that went up above his waist and were tightly held in place by a wide brown leather belt. The jeans fell roughly over thick work boots stained with mud and obviously well worn.


    ¡°Lyla!¡± He shouted, causing Lyla¡¯s whole body to quake as she walked nervously over to the man,


    ¡°Yes dad¡±? She asked innocently, her eyes wide and sparkling without a trace of guilt.


    ¡°Undo the poison.¡± It was not a request.


    ¡°But dad I didn¡¯t-¡° Lyla argued


    ¡°NOW!¡± The man commanded. Lyla huffed in frustration and snapped her fingers, causing James to gasp and splutter, followed by some painful gagging sounds ending with a graceful vomiting all over the beautiful red rug. Jennifer ran over and knelt beside James, holding him up and asking repeatedly if he was okay, he nodded meekly.


    ¡°The girl did it! I don¡¯t know how she got the poison!¡± Lyla pleaded.


    ¡°My office, now.¡± The man said, turning back toward the door he¡¯d emerged from. Lyla looked as if she might continue to argue, but instead she sunk her shoulders in defeat and dragged her feet over to the door.


    As the door closed behind them the entire room let out a unison sigh of relief,


    ¡°I warned er, she¡¯s pretty and all, but not much in the brains department.¡± Freddy commented in Jennifer¡¯s direction, making a less than successful attempt at lightening the mood. Jennifer couldn¡¯t believe that she¡¯d almost murdered someone and, what¡¯s worse, that someone else had control over her. She shook in a combination of fear and blinding anger, but she was surprised to feel James¡¯ hand on her arm.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault,¡± James gasped, ¡°don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Jennifer wanted to shout back, retort that everything she did was her fault, drug or no drug, but she couldn¡¯t shout, not at James, not at her friend. She made an attempt to smile and then slowly lifted his hand off her and rose to her feet suddenly, her fists clenched. As if reading her mind, Freddy pointed with his thumb over to a corner by the left of the bar,


    ¡°Room in there¡¯s full of breakable stuff, go nuts.¡± He informed her with an apathetic shrug. Surprised, but happily so, Jennifer followed his thumb to a fairly furtive door that lead to a storehouse of sorts, full of empty bottles and wooden boxes. Searching the room, Jennifer found what she was looking for; she lifted the crowbar above her head and, with a thundering wail, went to town on the room, picturing the boxes with the face she hated the most.


    Reflections are a funny thing. Nearly everyone in the world at one time or another, regardless of gender, age, culture or education, stares at themselves in the mirror and wonders if there¡¯s a whole other world hidden on the other side. What is it about this idea that people are so drawn to? Well I can assure you that I don¡¯t know, but allow me to venture a guess; people see themselves in everything, the clouds, the flowers, the animals, the stars, they personify everything with their own consciousness. So, is it any wonder then that people can see themselves in their own reflection, empathize with a trick of light? Maybe we do it because we¡¯re lonely and want a sympathetic gaze, maybe it¡¯s because deep down we want someone to blame and, while we know it should be us to bear the fault, we find it easier to put it on a reflection. Isn¡¯t that odd? We are so willing to personify ourselves in everything around us, but we attribute our own failings and, for many, our own successes to the face in our mirror. Why? Well the person in the mirror can¡¯t change, they can¡¯t grow, they can¡¯t do anything. The person in the mirror is helpless, the kind of helpless we wish we could claim. Reflections make the perfect scapegoats, because they, unlike us, are powerless to change their situation. What if they had a world? What if they could change and we reflect? What if you approached a mirror only to find that it had approached you, a new and changed face, the face you¡¯d always wished you could be? Check your reflection and tell me which of the two of you is more likely to change.


    Broken glass, splintered wood, and one rusty old crowbar, strewn about over the floor, surrounded a panting and sweating Jennifer. Her arms burned and her throat spasmed with each breath, her body finally tired enough to deny her will to smash more innocent boxes. Someone knocked at the door. James poked his head in and his eyebrows shot up as he soaked in the room,


    ¡°Can I come in¡±? He ventured anxiously. Jennifer nodded begrudgingly and sat herself down on one of the few boxes still somewhat intact. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you hated bottles and boxes so much¡­¡± James joked, relying on his already limited humorous side. Jennifer looked like she was about to speak when James waived his hand and stopped her, ¡°Please let me go first and then I¡¯ll listen for as long as you want.¡± His eyes were pleading, and Jennifer glanced up at him skeptically, but she tilted her head slightly letting him know to go on. ¡°What happened wasn¡¯t your fault and I know that you think it was, but you should know that it¡¯s not. These Forms Jennifer are not¡­ Well they¡¯re not perfect, they¡¯re not all victims of betrayal like Meerous or terrified children like Enoch or guilt-ridden heroes like Slade, most of them are only out for themselves.¡± Jennifer raised her head to protest but James waived her off again, ¡°and I know that you¡¯re convinced that people should just take care of themselves, that they need to stand up for themselves and not care what anyone else thinks about them, I get it. I¡¯ve heard enough of your speeches now to the point where I could probably give one for you, but those Forms in there¡­¡± He pointed back to the other room with exasperation, ¡°Many of them are truly out for themselves, without integrity, without empathy, and they will do anything to get there way. You know the conversion right¡±? Jennifer failed again to raise an eyebrow. ¡°That whole process, where a Form merges with a human, gains freewill, becomes like the Forms in there, well that process kills the human being.¡± Both eyebrows went up. ¡°And those humans never got a choice either, the Forms, when they¡¯re powerful enough, can simply force themselves onto a human and the human can¡¯t do anything about it. Once the Form¡¯s in charge the human vanishes, forever.¡± The last words made James pause for a moment, some realization passed over his face and he quickly blinked it away, ¡°Look, Lyla used you because she wanted Claudia gone. She wanted her Flowers to grow again without the blizzard freezing them to death. The rest of the Forms in there aren¡¯t any different, Freddy would love it if all his foxes could eat all of Harriet¡¯s rabbits, Eldritch wants the clouds gone too so he can go back out and fly again, Alania would be overjoyed to get rid of all the land!¡± The confusion on Jennifer¡¯s face became quickly apparent. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s the Form of all water, lovely lady, but the point is,¡± James said, regaining his momentum and squatting down in front of Jennifer, ¡°That you don¡¯t have to be like them, we don¡¯t have to be like them, we can be better, show them what it¡¯s like to have integrity.¡± The last words seemed to be hitting James for the first time, but Jennifer heard them a slightly different way.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong about one thing.¡± Jennifer stated, standing to her feet, James raised an eyebrow, ¡°You said that it wasn¡¯t my fault what Lyla did to me, but it was. I trusted her, trusted everyone in the room and that put your life in danger. I won¡¯t be so na?ve again.¡± Jennifer¡¯s words were not a wish but a declaration, ¡°That¡¯s my integrity, if I did it then it¡¯s my fault, but I don¡¯t have to fall for the same trick twice.¡± James smiled, not quite the message he¡¯d wished to impart, but he hoped she¡¯d figure it out at some point, and for the moment he was just happy to see her somewhat okay again. What James hadn¡¯t realized is Jennifer wasn¡¯t merely referring to her run in with Lyla, the fear she¡¯d shown when the Deathless attacked still swirled viciously in her head. Jennifer knew that she couldn¡¯t count on anyone to save her if the situation were to arise again, but, next time it did, she¡¯d be ready.

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10


    Jennifer glared at Lyla as she strutted around the room, clearly unfazed by the broad-shouldered man¡¯s lecture.


    ¡°Girly! Ya gotta let that chip on yere shoulder go, I figured some time in the breaky room¡¯d do ya good, but ya look just as peeved as before.¡± Freddy hummed as he scooped up empty dishes from around the table Jennifer moped on.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t get it, why the hell is she allowed to just walk around like that!? She tried to murder someone!¡± Jennifer fumed, eliciting a slight chuckle from Freddy. ¡°How the hell can you stay so chipper? Y¡¯all are trapped down here, doesn¡¯t that bother you?¡± An exasperated Jennifer thought she might go mad if she didn¡¯t get an answer soon.


    Of all the Forms, surprising as it was, Freddy was the only one she sort of trusted. Even though he¡¯d humiliated her earlier his story had clicked with her, and he had been the only Form to offer any help when James was dying. But, since arriving here Jennifer¡¯s mood had only gone from bad to worse and that didn¡¯t seem like it would be changing anytime soon. She¡¯d been taking stock of all the bad and horrible things that had happened to her in just the past couple of days, she¡¯d lost Enoch, almost been killed by the Deathless on two separate occasions, froze up and allowed James to face the Deathless alone, been ignored by Slade, humiliated by the Forms, been controlled by Lyla and nearly killed James! The part that pissed her off the most, the icing on the cake of this terrible awful life she¡¯s living, is she tried to change. When Slade had ignored her, when she¡¯d nearly got James killed because of her fear, she¡¯d decided that a change needed to be made. And yet, at every turn, she¡¯d failed to implement even the most minute changes. Instead of being patient, instead of listening first and talking second, she¡¯d leapt to conclusions about everyone in the room. When James needed her to be strong after he¡¯d just been poisoned she ran away and smashed boxes, leaving James to come and comfort her, when she should have been there to comfort him. When the opportunity came for her to be exploited she had been so focused on her own issues that she didn¡¯t even notice that her drink had been tampered with. All of this piled onto her and, instead of facing her problems head on, moving past them and learning from them, she wished instead to forget, to forget about all the pain and failures and loss. The room around her shone with a beauty whose majesty had taken ages to perfect, but she couldn¡¯t see it, the beauty had been stripped of all its color, its grandeur, its heart, and all that was left for Jennifer to gaze upon, was a room, nothing more and nothing less.


    Freddy, far more perceptive than he let on, saw most of this in her eyes. He stood over her and thought for a moment, meticulously picking out just the right words.


    ¡°Jenny, can I call ya Jenny¡±? She thought about it for a moment and then shrugged, Freddy took that as a yes, ¡°Jenny do ya know what the difference is between blokes that succeed in this life and them that don¡¯t¡±? Jennifer, confused by the question, just shook her head, ¡®no,¡¯ ¡°I figured as much, see Jenny, them blokes that do life properly don¡¯t ave it any easier than the bloke that fails at life, they both get their licks in equal supply. But one ah the blokes manages to walk out with a smile on his face, ya wanna know how¡±? Sighing weakly Jennifer looked up and offered a lazy,


    ¡°How¡±? Freddy smiled,


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell ya how, the bloke that smiles at the end does so because he figures life¡¯d be pretty miserable if he didn¡¯t! See, life is gonna hit ya whether ya like it or not, but ya double the blows if ya let the blows keep ya on the floor.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± Jennifer retorted, still not able to even muster her usual gusto, ¡°I¡¯ve tried being happy, and every time I do I just get hurt, like the universe is just conspiring to keep me miserable¡­ I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m even telling you all this, would you please just leave me alone for a while¡±? She turned to face the wall, hoping Freddy wouldn¡¯t pursue the issue, but, deep, deep down, Jennifer needed him to keep talking.


    Freddy didn¡¯t say another word, he just threw down the tray of empty dishes onto the floor and listened with joy as they all cracked into shards that spread over the carpet. A quick inspection of Jennifer¡¯s boots told the fox there would be no issue there, and so he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to the dance floor, Jennifer let out a slight gasp, but Freddy moved to fast for her to fight. Freddy gave a slight nod to the man behind the piano and the music stopped. Standing in the middle of the dance floor, most eyes on her and Freddy, the room went eerily quiet with all she could hear being the slightest tapping from the cymbal.


    Drums began to boom in quick succession, a rhythm that forced foot tapping from all around the room. Soon the rhythm of the drums became the only noise, the steady beat preparing for something and all grew still. The trumpets began to sing, accentuating the drum beat, when, out of nowhere, horns appeared, blowing wildly between the sounds of the trumpets. Suddenly the music exploded and Jennifer was in motion; Freddy swirled her back and forth, his foot and peg lightly bouncing off the ground in quick succession with the beat. The lights danced alongside them as Freddy spun her away only to quickly grab her waist and pull her back close. Whether she was dancing wonderfully or poorly she had no clue, but, as she looked into Freddy¡¯s orange eyes she suddenly stopped caring. The music picked up, louder than before and she found herself merging with the beat, her feet landing in time with every note, her torso following playfully wherever her hips took her. Her feet stepped in and the two met only for her to pull back and prepare to go back in again, with each repetition gaining more and more confidence until she began to strut inwards and throw herself out, striking quick poses each time she landed on the beat. She laughed as the twirling continued, finding herself released from Freddy¡¯s grip, throwing her arms up and allowing the spin to take her, only to snap back around, leap back into Freddy¡¯s arms where he spun her around the room before placing her just above the ground allowing her to push off and land on the ground with a graceful stomp. The music lowered and the drum beat continued solo, Jennifer got lower, meeting Freddy¡¯s eyeline as he stomped low to the beat. They sized each other up, both attempting to predict the other¡¯s next move. The trumpets came back in playing quick notes in the rhythm of a man climbing stairs, followed shortly by the horns that resumed their usual blaring, Suddenly the music erupted up again and the two rose and leapt right back into the action. Jennifer wasn¡¯t even aware that the rest of the bar had joined in, all of them dancing wildly to the trumpet¡¯s blast and the drum¡¯s booming. A chorus of voices, all different, all unique, each hitting on notes from highest to lowest, serenaded the room with songs about Fox trots and sock hops.


    Jennifer couldn¡¯t tell you how long she danced for and she didn¡¯t really care. By the end of it a smile had grown on her face like an infection and no matter how hard she tried she couldn¡¯t shake it. The edges of her mouth twitched and it struck her that she¡¯d never smiled this long in her life. Covered in sweat and downing drink after drink Jennifer began to feel a sense of ease that overcame her deepest insecurities locking them away in a closet, so no matter how hard they banged on that door Jennifer couldn¡¯t hear a word of it.


    ¡°So love, do ya think ya get it now¡±? Freddy bellowed over the music. The feeling that overwhelmed her had the answer, but she knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to articulate it into words.


    ¡°I think so¡­ But why don¡¯t you tell me? What am I supposed to get¡±? She shouted back through strained breaths.


    ¡°The reason why we laugh off attempted murder, the reason we don¡¯t mind that I¡¯m stuck here with a plank of wood for a leg and why we don¡¯t bitch and moan about the state of the world outside, all the reasons are one in the same love.¡±


    ¡°And what would that reason be¡±?


    ¡°It¡¯s more fun!¡± Freddy proclaimed as he spun her round, dipped her and planted an impassioned kiss right on her lips. Her eyes exploded open, she¡¯d never kissed anyone before, and she hadn¡¯t prepared herself, she didn¡¯t know how someone¡¯s supposed to react in this sort of situation. She thought about pushing him away but for some reason the thought just seemed silly, so instead she threw her arms around his neck and allowed the kiss to run its course. When he lifted her back up she was beaming, though she hadn¡¯t known it before that was a perfect closure to a perfect dance.


    The music began to die down after that and Jennifer followed Freddy over to the bar,


    ¡°So love, what do ya think? Ya finally figure that yere anger and yere convictions don¡¯t ave any place here? The world is gonna end, big bad death¡¯s a comin and all we have is today. So be a little selfish, make a fool of yerself and don¡¯t worry about a tomorrow that may not ever show its ugly face.¡± Something about Freddy¡¯s words connected with Jennifer, like a puzzle piece that looks as if it just might be the perfect shape to fill in that one little gap. But, even in her hazy state, she still remembered something James had said, something important¡­


    ¡°So what happens next¡±? Jennifer asked excitedly, figuring that the night could only get better from here.


    ¡°Fer you and I? Nothing,¡± He smiled cheekily, ¡°The lessons not over yet, ya can¡¯t dance with one bloke and figure that yere problems are all gone, ya gotta go dance with a bunch of blokes, some broads and then a chair when yere done. Do something that terrifies ya, something that ya know is wrong and, when yere done with all that, take a nap and start the whole process over again when ya wake up.¡± Jennifer smiled right back,


    ¡°Ya know something, I think I was wrong about you, you¡¯re actually a pretty nice guy.¡± He bowed,


    ¡°A great honor comin from such a fine young lady. Now off with ya, come back when ya¡¯ve done what I told ya!¡± Jennifer scrambled off, an odd feeling of disappointment nagging at her as she left Freddy¡¯s side, a dangerous feeling that, if left unchecked, only leads to heartbreak. But that was a lesson Jennifer would have to learn the hard way.


    James watched Jennifer as she flitted about the room, dancing and laughing with every Form who¡¯d give her the time of day. It¡¯s funny how lonely people make all these declarations, ¡®I¡¯ll never trust them again,¡¯ ¡®fool me once but never twice,¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t need anyone, I¡¯m enough,¡¯ and yet, the moment the chance to end the loneliness arises, they dump all of their convictions and allow themselves to be swept up by the current and hurt all over again. Only moments ago, Jennifer had made a similar declaration only to drop it the moment the sly fox made her feel wanted. Lonely people are a lot like alcoholics, they all experience pain, loss, isolation and degradation at the hands of others, like a man who drinks until the liquor burns his throat, wrenches his mind and leaves him sick with his head stuck in a toilet. The promise is always made after that, never again. But, just like the alcoholic, the lonely run back to the very thing that hurt them, ignoring their promise and tempted by the allure that this time, the joy will outweigh the sorrow. Forgetting that the Forms had laughed at her, drugged her, and made her a pawn in their game, she still allowed hope to grow, hope that said that maybe, just maybe, she¡¯d found a place she belonged.


    Hope is a powerful tool, whether for great good or great evil seems to depend solely on who¡¯s offering. James wondered on this as he watched Freddy, attempting to gain some insight as to why Freddy had given Jennifer this hope, for what purpose? There couldn¡¯t be any chance that he¡¯d allowed himself to become jealous of the fox¡¯s ability to do what he couldn¡¯t, to make Jennifer hope again, smile again. James didn¡¯t even know why he cared so much, he had a job to do, he had a brother to find and whether Jennifer smiled or not had nothing to do with it and yet¡­ He shook off the feelings and wandered over to the table with the imposing blond-haired woman in the sparkled black cape.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    She smiled when she saw him, as if she¡¯d expected him to approach for a while now. He sat across the table from her and she allowed herself a slight smile, like a queen in her court she held herself with the utmost regality, a woman with all the makings of some ancient empress, undeniably powerful, with a history that calls into question the, ¡®glory days¡¯.


    ¡°What can I do for you¡±? She inquired politely. James hesitated for a moment, knowing what he had to say, but uncertain how she may take it.


    ¡°You¡¯re Helios correct? The Form of stars¡±? She smiled again,


    ¡°For a human you certainly know your Forms quite well,¡± An underlying curiosity in her tone, ¡°but you are correct.¡± James leaned in, hoping not to draw unnecessary attention to the conversation,


    ¡°Melody is in a great deal of pain¡­ A star is never meant to set for that long.¡± Helios twitched, a slight lapse in her regal demeanor, ¡°but you¡¯re certainly aware of this, and I know why you haven¡¯t stepped in either.¡±


    ¡°Go on¡­¡± Helios¡¯s voice had a dangerous edge to it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to offend,¡± snippets of Jennifer¡¯s speeches ran through his head, ¡°but, your daughter needs to be let go, you can¡¯t keep her in this state forever.¡± Helios¡¯ eyes squinted, and James could clearly see the force capable of leveling planets in those eyes.


    ¡°You are an interesting human, speaking so boldly to the Form you know to be the most powerful being in the room.¡± James knew what Jennifer would say, ¡®then why are you hiding down here if you¡¯re so great¡¯? But James knew better, so he allowed her to continue. ¡°You humans, always with the heroics, always with the self-sacrifice and the ¡®greater good,¡¯ you all fail to see the importance of hope. I will not allow Melody to die, so long as she lives there¡¯s hope she may recover. Now it may be best for you to walk away now, my patience is great, but you are testing it.¡± It wasn¡¯t a suggestion. James stood to his feat and began to walk away when he saw Jennifer dancing with the Form of steal, Jennifer¡¯s smile sparked something within James, some desire to prove¡­ something. He turned around and stared Helios down,


    ¡°No. Hope is not reserved for Forms who hide away in a cave drinking and dancing. Hope is not an argument you get to use to justify the continual suffering of someone you are directly responsible for. If you truly believed in hope then you would be risking everything to see that your daughter may be set free, whether by you rising from this cave and getting her or you finally letting her rest. And the choice may have already been made for you, because you waited too long and I think you know it. Even if you set her free right now she would still be beyond saving. So don¡¯t you dare speak to me about hope, what you¡¯re doing isn¡¯t hope it¡¯s cowardice. Nothing will ever change if you refuse to fight, refuse to risk everything to make a difference. Maybe now isn¡¯t the time to face Death head on, but it is the time to start showing Death that he doesn¡¯t rule over us. His twilight world needs to end, he needs to see that he can¡¯t simply pick and choose who lives and dies, but that choice belongs to us. He may be death, but he never deserved that title, and he wears it proudly so long as we allow it. Let Melody die on your terms and hers, and I know you know that she¡¯s been ready to go for a while now.¡± James never raised his voice, never cracked his focus, but delivered every word directly into Helios¡¯ eyes, not blinking once. The room froze as Helios rose from her chair and towered over the much shorter James, her hair falling down to her knees and the golden stitching on her dress burning as her eyes transfixed on James¡¯. James held her gaze. Then, with an exaggerating flourishing of her cape, she left the room, ascending to the surface.


    Placing a hand on the chair for balance, James allowed himself to collapse forward, clutching his chest and breathing deeply, knowing that he¡¯d just risked the entire planet with that stunt, but he knew he had to, that was his integrity.


    The time was quickly approaching for James and Jennifer to leave this place, James knew it, and he knew Jennifer would hate him for it. Her quick change in mood had come as a shock, he¡¯d hoped she might be happy to leave when the time came, but now¡­ He¡¯d spoken to Helios, made a deal with Claudia, and set other smaller things into motion to ease the rest of their journey which meant that there was only one thing left to do. The idea of talking to Adam wasn¡¯t exactly thrilling, the man had more reason than anyone to hate humans and his stance on Forms leaving the safety of the cave was rigidly negative. James played out every possible scenario in his head, practiced points he might make, attempted to piece together every argument Adam might counter with, knowing that everything hinged on his leniency. With a deep breath he walked to the door and readied himself to knock.


    James¡¯ hand froze when the door swung open and the short broad-shouldered man stood on the other side, his face all business.


    ¡°Come in.¡± He commanded, turning around as he spoke without checking to see if James followed. Decorations have their place in this world, but that place certainly wasn¡¯t the man¡¯s office, James walked into a small room with a single desk cut from quartz, a mug full of coffee and papers scattered about with various numbers and calculations. Something about Adam reminded James of men who drink black coffee, the kind men order after they decide adding cream and sugar is unnecessary work, because to them coffee is a tool, not a treat. After taking a couple of steps in, James came to the unsettling realization that they weren¡¯t the only two people in the room. Rocking back and forth on an old wooden chair, making intermittent grumbles of disapproval, sat an angry old man with a short stubby beard, a bald and liver spotted head and eyes that cast judgement on every speck of dust they fell upon. The broad-shouldered man seemed painfully aware of the older man¡¯s presence and did everything in his power to avoid acknowledging him, James couldn¡¯t imagine why¡­


    ¡°Adam, thank you for allowing my friend and I to take sanctuary within your walls.¡± James figured he best begin with some pleasantries, he knew little about Adam and hoped that some idle chit chat might help fill in some gaps.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t allow anything,¡± Adam stated plainly, ¡°your little friend and you just wandered in.¡± James coughed uncomfortably,


    ¡°Uh¡­ well sorry about that we-¡± Adam raised a hand,


    ¡°Look kid I really don¡¯t care, stay go, that¡¯s none of my business, but none of the Forms are going with you.¡± James began to protest, but Adam merely raised his hand again, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it. You already pissed off Helios, I would suggest not testing your luck with me.¡± He sat down at his desk and began shuffling around some of the papers, setting them up in neat little stacks, when James didn¡¯t leave he looked up from the papers and spoke with nonchalant authority, ¡°you can go now.¡± James didn¡¯t move an inch. Adam went back to shuffling papers.


    ¡°You hate what they¡¯re doing out there don¡¯t you¡±? James guessed after seeing the way he¡¯d designed his office.


    ¡°What they do out there is none of my concern, just so long as they stay there.¡± Adam responded, his face still focused on the papers.


    ¡°You stay in here because you can¡¯t stand to watch them, none of them appreciating what you¡¯re doing for them,¡± James began, knowing that one wrong step might ruin everything, ¡°I get it, the burden of responsibility, the knowledge that you¡¯re the only person that stands between them and Death, it¡¯s a tough job.¡± The old man in the back laughed coarsely,


    ¡°You¡¯re wasting your time,¡± The voice oozed bitterness and he spat each word, ¡°Kid¡¯s a coward, always has been.¡± The old man turned toward Adam who¡¯s pale white knuckles stretched back his skin while he did everything in his power to avoid puncturing the papers in hand. ¡°He should have wiped those humans out millennia ago, buried each one until there was nothing left, but what does he do? He shelters them! Now look at him, hiding away down here, babysitting the trash of the universe.¡± The old man let out another coarse laugh.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Adam ordered as calmly as he could manage, but the resentment came across quite clearly.


    ¡°See!¡± The old man pointed one withered finger toward Adam, ¡°see how he defends them! They attempted to kill him and now he runs a daycare for them!¡±


    ¡°DAD!¡± Adam shouted, the very walls of the room quaking in fear. The old man threw up his hands in mock defeat. The old man¡¯s identity hadn¡¯t exactly come as a shock to James, but the state of him made James nervous.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to hate them isn¡¯t it¡±? The room grew deathly still, Adam placed the papers down and eyed James suspiciously. ¡°They depend on you, walk all over you and barely ever offer even the slightest thanks, but that doesn¡¯t change anything does it? You see them when they¡¯re born, watch them grow, love, fail and overcome¡­ You could never hate them.¡± Adam¡¯s eyes softened, and he gave James his full attention, ¡°That¡¯s why you keep them here, because you know what they¡¯ll do if you set them free, and you couldn¡¯t bare to watch it. But you¡¯ve resigned yourself to an even greater punishment, because you know they¡¯ll hate you for it. They see you as a jailer. You don¡¯t just hide in here because you don¡¯t approve of what they do, but because they wouldn¡¯t do it if you didn¡¯t. You willingly separated yourself from them so they could enjoy themselves, accepting that you¡¯ll be alone.¡±


    ¡°I know who you are boy! Coming in here lecturing that shell of a son when you¡¯re an even bigger coward than he is!¡± The old man screamed gleefully.


    ¡°Dad,¡± Adam rose from his seat and towered over the old man who suddenly looked quite a bit more nervous, ¡°wait outside.¡± The command didn¡¯t possess any room for debate. The old man rose from his chair shakily and stuck his face upwards to look his son in the eye. The two glared at each other for a moment, the old man¡¯s hand beginning to twitch uncomfortably, sweat dripping from his brow. The old man snapped his head away and left the room in a huff.


    Once the old man had left, Adam returned to his desk, rubbing his temples and shaking off some heavily repressed emotions.


    ¡°Sorry about that, my father hasn¡¯t taken to being kept here positively. The man you just saw is not the father that raised me, Death broke him a long time ago.¡± The words, full of shame, rolled off Adam¡¯s tongue like beads of sweat off skin, a mix of necessity and discomfort. James wondered if this is the first time Adam had acknowledged his father¡¯s current state.


    ¡°The cosmos owes him a lot, the universe wouldn¡¯t be what it is today without him.¡± James stated, hoping to share in Adam¡¯s recognition of his father¡¯s once great status.


    ¡°Thank you, that¡¯s kind of you to say.¡± Adam¡¯s mood shifted quickly, a cautious air overtook him, ¡°I won¡¯t ask you how you know all this, how a human can know so much about the higher Forms, but just know that I¡¯m not blind to this.¡± James nodded, glad to avoid the places that conversation may lead them.


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask you to allow the Forms to leave, I see now that, of the two of us, you seem to have their best interests more at heart.¡± James¡¯s recanting took Adam off guard and he eyed James skeptically.


    ¡°I appreciate that, few humans can act with such wisdom.¡± The compliment given with suspicion.


    ¡°May I ask one thing of you though¡±? James ventured, one of Adam¡¯s eye brow rose, ¡°The area around the gravestone, while I understand it, I would ask that you abandon it, for your sake.¡± Adam nodded for him to go on, uncertain where James was heading with this, ¡°You don¡¯t deserve their hatred, and that gravestone is your attempt to destroy any chance they might have to appreciate you before they destroy it themselves. Allow that area to become beautiful again, to bloom, to shine, and remove the gravestone. What you¡¯re doing for them, what you¡¯re sacrificing, make that entrance your pride, acknowledge the beauty of what you¡¯re offering.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re suggesting I put a giant marker on the entrance of my secret bunker¡±?


    ¡°You know as well as I do that Death is well aware of your set up, and the Deathless couldn¡¯t get down here if they wanted to, you have nothing to lose.¡± Adam thought on this, never once considering taking pride in the sacrifices he¡¯d made, acknowledging all that he¡¯d done for the betterment of those he loved. Once somebody resigns themselves to misery the notion of appreciating one¡¯s good qualities seems quite foreign. He wondered who stood before him, who could possibly know this feeling so well? But, if Adam believed anything, it was that a man¡¯s business is the property of that man and that man alone, he refused to pry.


    ¡°You have an hour after sunset, after that all the Forms need to return.¡± Adam decided, not opening it up for discussion.


    ¡°Sunset¡­ So¡±? There was hope in James¡¯ eyes.


    ¡°Helios made her decision, you seem to be quite persuasive.¡± Adam¡¯s suspicions only deepened.


    ¡°I better start preparing, thank you, truly, thank you.¡± James smiled as he headed toward the door, Adam returning to his work.


    ¡°Oh and before I forget, James,¡± James stopped right before the exit and turned to Adam, his head slightly lifted from the paper¡¯s before him, ¡°go out and have a drink, you¡¯ve earned it.¡± Adam allowed himself a slight smirk, this was the first time he¡¯d used James¡¯ name. Unsure of how to respond James offered an awkward smile and a, ¡®will do¡¯, before exiting the room quickly.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11


    The room continued to swirl, music pulsed through Jennifer¡¯s veins and the more Forms she met the more Forms she loved. She finally figured it out, the thing that she had to abandon to be truly happy and, once she let it go, a feeling of freedom washed over her. Who cares if Death kills them all? Who cares if her city back home never liked her, if her father failed her, if she never meets Destiny? All that she wanted, the music, the dancing, the appreciation, the companionship, all of it was here right in front of her; sort of felt like home. Even watching Lyla glide across the room didn¡¯t phase her, who cares if she tried to murder James, used her to do it, that wasn¡¯t Jennifer¡¯s problem anymore. To prove to herself just how much she believed it she strutted purposely over to Lyla and asked her to dance.


    James emerged from the office and quickly caught sight of Jennifer, her face all smiles and her shoulders relaxed as she and Lyla swung around the room. That strange sensation knocked on the back of James¡¯ head again, but he refused to acknowledge it, he¡¯d worked too hard to stop now. And yet, despite all his plans, his focus, his vision, something about Jennifer gave him pause, some anxiety tied to their leaving. She seemed so happy here, could he really take her away from all that? He couldn¡¯t figure out why he cared so much, and he knew better than anyone that caring can lead down some dangerous roads, but he did care and now the only sensible thing to do would be to figure out how to handle these feelings. Though James knew they didn¡¯t have much time, knew that they needed to be on their way sooner rather than later, he decided against his better judgment to do something special for someone he cared for.


    The drinks all tasted wonderful and no two drinks were wonderful in the same way. Jennifer had taken to trying out every combination she could find, her legs ached and her hands still burned from her time with Enoch and that¡¯s forgetting the blisters and splinters from her time with Meerous, and so she knew that a break was desperately needed. She¡¯d found it rather odd how fast James¡¯ ankle had healed, but obviously the Forms here had the ability to do all kinds of wonderful things, so healing a broken ankle didn¡¯t seem totally implausible; she did wish they¡¯d offered to do something about her hands though¡­


    Speaking of them, Jennifer glanced around the room in search of familiar faces, Freddy, Claudia, Lyla, Terry (the lovely Form of trees she¡¯d shared an awkward dance with, walking away thinking the man to be a tad bit wooden,) the imposing lady in the black cape, James, all of them had just up and vanished! She fumed a bit as she sipped on her drink, memories of friends disappearing popping up from a less than stellar childhood, but she decided she¡¯d give them the benefit of the doubt, for now.


    ¡°Hiya Jennifer!¡± The little beep came from behind her and Jennifer smiled at the familiar voice. She spun around exclaiming,


    ¡°Squawk!¡± More accurately Chirp, but Squawk had again taken control of the mic, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you since we got here? Where have you been?!¡± Chirp ignored the question and began pecking at the little droplets of spilled drink, Squawk responded with glee,


    ¡°Well, I was flying around the area, waiting until you and James left when someone emerged from the hole! Did you get a chance to meet Helios? She¡¯s the loveliest lady! But she seemed so sad, so I talked to her when, who should interrupt us but James! Not just James either but a whole lot of old friends followed him out, Forms I hadn¡¯t seen in sooooooooo long! But James said the party wasn¡¯t complete without you so he asked me to come in and get you!¡± Chirp seemed to perk up at the task and flew toward the exit, stopping only to look back at Jennifer impatiently. With a mixture of confusion and anticipation, Jennifer leapt from her seat and followed Chirp out into the over world.


    James stood alone next to the spot where the gravestone had been, no one else in sight.


    ¡°James what¡¯s going on? Where is everyone¡±? Jennifer asked with eyes examining James¡¯ strange posture. Instead of answering James merely put a finger to his lips and walked Jennifer over to a spot a few feet away from the dying oak tree, their bodies facing the sun.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°Do you see the sun¡±? James asked softly, ¡°Her name is Melody, another victim of Death¡¯s cruelty. She¡¯s been forced to hang in that same spot for all eternity, but today,¡± he paused for dramatic effect as he glanced toward the tall woman standing ten or so feet away, ¡°she finally gets to rest.¡± The clouds began to part, the snow ceased to fall and Jennifer gasped as the full majesty of an uninterrupted sunset shone forth before her. All the time she¡¯d spent out in the world she¡¯d been fighting a never ending blizzard, keeping her from seeing farther than ten feet in front of her, but now, with her vision clear and her eyes wide open, she could truly see the world she¡¯d run away to. The wind whipped back her hair, the orange glow lighting her face and warming her skin, the red light pulsing outward, slowly overtaking the old orange light. The sunset lasted nearly half an hour, but Jennifer refused to look away, even for a second. They stood atop a silent hill high enough to allow them to see into the wide snowy valley below, the snow now shining with a golden aura as it reflected the setting sun. Jennifer stared out onto twilight mountains topped with shining snow stretching out farther than the eye could see. And, if she¡¯d glanced over to her right, she¡¯d have seen Helios, shedding one last golden tear for her fallen daughter.


    Soon the sun descended below the mountains, down past the valley and the world grew still; the sky now nothing more than an unending canvas of darkness. Jennifer moved to return to the cave, to process the beauty she¡¯d seen, but James lightly pushed on her arm and she turned around to see Helios brushing a hand across her pitch-black cape, causing small glimmers of light to fall gently onto the snow. Before she could ask James what was happening one of the little balls of light, barely larger than a firefly, popped out of the ground inches from Jennifer¡¯s feet. She stared in awe as the little ball of light flitted around her head, occasionally brushing against her cheeks, causing a great warmth to run through her whole body. Holding out a hand she watched with joy as the little light looped in and between her fingers, she laughed each time, the light tickled. But the little light wasn¡¯t alone, one by one little lights began to rise from the snow and circle her, lighting up her emerald irises, a literal twinkle in her eye. She watched in wonderment the little lights fly across the ground, melting the snow and revealing grass, beautiful, green, grass! Flowers of all different shapes and sizes sprung up kissing her ankles and hiding her feet, lilies, sunflowers, lilacs, until Jennifer stood ankle deep in a gorgeous meadow. The little dots of lights continued to circle her, each time the circle grew wider and wider, melting more and more of the snow, until they reached the once dying oak tree. As the lights illuminated the peeling grey bark, Jennifer¡¯s eyes widened to see the bark morphing from grey to a rich dark brown, a glossy sap barely visible lined every inch of the noble oak. Leaves the color of Jennifer¡¯s eyes emerged from under the branches until the branches became lost within a leafy canopy. The tree shook like a child on Christmas morning throwing off some of the looser leaves, leaves now descending before Jennifer who held out a hand to catch a few before they hit the ground.


    James nudged her side, pulling her attention away from the reborn oak and back onto the lights, now rising steadily toward the sky. With a slight nod toward Helios the stars launched out into the night sky leaving trails of glimmering stardust behind them. Once they reached the heavens they each exploded with great bursts of light, causing Jennifer to shade her eyes for a moment, but, when she lifted them, she came face to face with the true night sky. Thousands upon thousands of stars lit up the night, dancing and shifting, creating great men and women, creatures, and animals, playing out noble battles and heroic sacrifices.


    And there they stood. The wind slowly pushed on Jennifer¡¯s oversized coat, her hair blowing back slightly, and her eyes transfixed on the majesty of the starry heavens. Next to her James¡¯s eyes split time before a night sky he¡¯d been denied for so long, and a girl he¡¯d never known he¡¯d been missing. His scarf flapped in the breeze and his usually pristine hair fell wildly backwards, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind. Another star shot across the sky and James snapped his head back to watch it go and, as he followed this majestic hunk of space dust he felt a hand slowly wiggle its way into his. Startled he turned back only to see Jennifer¡¯s eyes had never left the heavens, but her hand now nestled softly in his, and he could see a slight smile on her awestruck face. Looking back toward the stars James allowed himself a smile as well, and, in that moment, everything in their world, everything in all the cosmos, was perfect.

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12


    ¡°I¡¯m staying.¡± The words left Jennifer¡¯s lips and she couldn¡¯t believe she¡¯d said them, but, once they were out in the open she knew she¡¯d committed to them. The look on James¡¯ face told her everything she needed to know, and it wrenched at her insides, she hated him a little for making her feel this way. He spoke evenly, but she knew how much he wanted to shout at her,


    ¡°We¡­ you asked me if you could come along, help find my brother and now you¡¯re just abandoning this¡±? The, ¡®this¡¯ James was referring to meant a great many things and both of them knew it.


    ¡°James you¡¯ve seen the world out there, seen what¡¯s lurking in the shadows, your brother is most likely¡­¡± Jennifer didn¡¯t wish to finish her thought, but she couldn¡¯t help but believe it, after all they¡¯d faced.


    ¡°He¡¯s not dead!¡± The sharp rise in volume caught Jennifer off guard and she stepped back a bit, fearing she may have pushed a button that should have always remained unpressed.


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you, but James¡­ maybe you should face the facts here, what¡¯s really out there in that world? Nothing up there is savable, but down here, well, I don¡¯t have to stay alone, you can stay here too.¡± The hope in her voice wavered, James¡¯ face remained unchanged.


    ¡°So that¡¯s it? This quest for Destiny you were on? You told me you wanted to make your city change again, so that people would grow up again, see things the way you did. But you¡¯re just going to throw that all away? Abandon them¡±? James¡¯ words, while biting, hinged on desperation. Jennifer glared back at him, something deep down in her heart stirring, some deeper rage brought about by a conflict she wanted so desperately to ignore.


    ¡°They¡¯re never going to change! But at least here they want me around! The people back home never deserved my help, I¡¯m done with them.¡± She spat, the torch lit and the bridge in sight.


    ¡°All of your talk about not letting other people decide your fate, defying Destiny, choosing your own path, is bullshit Jennifer!¡± That was the first time she¡¯d heard him swear, ¡°You¡¯re so damn human! You¡¯re just a selfish, spoiled child and everything you said was a pathetic attempt to convince yourself that you¡¯re not! You¡¯re just like all of them,¡± his hand thrown out to point to the room of dancing, drinking Forms, ¡°self-centered, petty, and without a shred of integrity! I thought you were different,¡± his voice dropped to a whisper, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I let myself think you were different¡­¡± He turned away from her, she could see so many emotions passing through his hand as he gripped his bag, rage, sorrow, loss, shame, and finally cold acceptance. His fist clenched onto the scrunched-up end of the bag and he slung it over his shoulder and headed toward the exit. Watching him go, Jennifer gritted her teeth and forced herself to turn away. She refused to be a part of his suicide mission, searching for someone she never met with a guy who just expected her to follow him without ever caring what it is she wanted. In the end he was just like everyone else, abandoning her because she wasn¡¯t what they wanted her to be. As James walked away, Jennifer could almost hear the snapping and popping of flames.


    A younger Jennifer sulked down the street, her teacher had wrung her out today for not having memorized the damn book, a book the rest of the class had been reading forever and she¡¯d only just picked up after having been moved into the new class. Worse, she actually liked the book, it had a dog in it, an animal she always wished she could have. People always laughed at her, told her she was too old to want a dog, since, as far as everyone in the city knew, dogs existed in the same realm as unicorns. Jennifer¡¯s foot collided with an uprooted piece of road, launching it down the street and into the side of a trash can. The can rattled, and a cat leapt out of it and sprinted away, giving Jennifer a slight smile. She always thought cats acted too cool, she enjoyed taking them down a peg from time to time.


    Smirking she turned to notice a group of kids now her age standing in front of a store that, while completely lacking anything unique, still seemed to attract the kids. They never really did anything, just stood around and talked, occasionally getting up to go and stand in front of another store, the guys would arm wrestle, the girls would talk about their clothes, even though the same boys always won and the girls all wore the same three outfits. Standing with them though was a boy Jennifer had noticed a few times now, a skinny fellow with pale skin and light brown hair. Unlike most of the other guys he never wrestled, and he never wore any of the, ¡°cool clothes,¡± opting instead to wear larger versions of the shirts that kids wear, Jennifer liked that, they looked way more comfortable. She approached the group, ignored but happy to not be shooed off. The boy let out an awkward smile and greeted her with a, ¡°hey!¡± That he immediately realized may have come across as too excited. He always came on a little strong, his emotions plastered plainly on his face, yet he never seemed to realize it. Jennifer, ¡®knew¡¯ he liked her, all the signs seemed to point to it, he always tried to stand next to her, laughed at her jokes and he always seemed to be trying to mimic her posture. Yet Jennifer couldn¡¯t be sure, mostly because she had no clue why anyone would like her, much less someone nice like this guy. She¡¯d have the occasional creepy guy force their attention on her, but she managed to deal with them pretty swiftly, usually violently¡­


    But she sort of liked the boy too, she found out his name was Kenny and so she started to get to know Kenny. Initially she was thrilled spending time with him, he seemed to be a bit of an outcast himself, he wanted to be around people, but they seemed to view him as more of an¡­ unnecessary addition. Plus, he didn¡¯t act like the other guys, he spoke softer, showed more sympathy and just generally didn¡¯t buy into the whole macho guy act. Any chance Jennifer could find to get to know someone like that she took, problem was most of them never wanted to know her¡­


    But Kenny did, and soon he made it abundantly clear that he liked her and, since he seemed a bit too timid to ask her out, she asked him. Something odd happened with Jennifer the second she admitted her feelings, she found herself struggling to like him the same way she used too, and, even worse, she found herself more obsessed with other guys than ever. But she powered through, convincing herself that this was just a phase. And, to a certain extent, she was right. The desire to see other guys waned a bit and she soon found herself really enjoying Kenny¡¯s company. When Kenny gave her a smooth stone shaped like a cat¡¯s head she¡¯d pointed out randomly on one of their walks, she found herself happier then she¡¯d been since meeting the old man and the nurse. Though she didn¡¯t know it at the time, what had really struck her was the fact that someone had listened to her, cared about what she wanted¡­ something she was far from used to.


    That joy sparked an even stronger desire to like him, she began showing him all her favorite spots, telling him all her favorite stories and even introducing him to the old man and the nurse. He lamented that he never had such interesting stories, but she assured him that, if he stuck with her, he¡¯d have plenty. Something else strange began to happen as well, Jennifer found herself chatting with other kids her age, getting along with them, getting herself invited to their stuff and even making some real friends. With all this new confidence Jennifer began stretching out her horizons, dragging Kenny on crazier and crazier escapades, finding herself feeling more and more selfless by the moment. She spent massive amounts of time thinking about ways to make Kenny happy too, to share with him the joy she¡¯d found. The outings had been a great start, but she began to make him gifts, returning the favor and doing everything in her power to listen to every word he said, filing it away till she could utilize it into crafting the perfect gift. Surprisingly she found she was quite a good listener and she liked to impress Kenny by quoting things he¡¯d said months ago, things any normal person would¡¯ve forgotten. But Jennifer forced herself to remember, it struck her how much she loved to be listened to, and she figured that good people do the things they wish people would do for them. At the peak of their time together, Jennifer promised Kenny that she¡¯d always look out for him.


    But her old curse reared its ugly head and she continued to grow, not enough yet to fully outgrow her new friends, but enough to spook her. Disheartened and afraid she ran to the old man and poured out her heart. The old man listened intently, and understood the loss Jennifer knew was coming. With a gentle smile and a kind word, the old man assured Jennifer that she¡¯d always be welcome at his home no matter what happened. She thanked him, but she left just as anxious as ever.


    The disappointment didn¡¯t last long though, and after her usual growth check, she discovered that the growing had stopped. She kept waiting and waiting for it to start back up again but it never did! She ran back to the old man and the nurse and explained the miracle. The old man celebrated with her, but the nurse remained silent, occasionally glaring at the old man who pretended not to notice. When she left the house she overheard snippets of an argument, the nurse screaming at the old man about some promise, some plan, but Jennifer couldn¡¯t make out the specifics. What she could make out was the old man stating very plainly, that Jennifer¡¯s happiness meant more than some plan he¡¯d never really agreed to in the first place.


    After that Jennifer¡¯s relationship with Kenny only got better, no more fear, no more anxiety, she could finally be one of the gang. Her new friends warmed up to her more and more until, eventually, they forgot they¡¯d ever hated her, and, to a certain extent, Jennifer forgot too. All of the old pain and misery they¡¯d caused her faded and she found herself less and less opinionated, less stubborn than ever before. Teachers began to like her again, her dad even seemed less stressed than ever and, for a brief moment, everything was perfect.


    Sadly, perfection never lasts long in this or any world. The longer she hung around the other children the more she began to see patterns to their routines, and the more patterns she saw the more she began to lose interest in them and the less interest she had, the more resentment grew. Even in the midst of all the pain she¡¯d prided herself on being different, unique, and able to see things the others couldn¡¯t, but now¡­ As if that wasn¡¯t enough the old doubts about Kenny began to creep back up, the desire to see other guys grew and she found herself unable to shoo them away. But she¡¯d made a promise and she continued to listen to everything Kenny said, make him amazing gifts, and take him on fun adventures. Those escapades began to end earlier and earlier though, Kenny would do everything to make her stay longer, but she found the desire had just begun to fade. She noticed that Kenny had become nervous, touchy, and nowhere near as attentive. He began to twist stuff she thought they¡¯d both enjoyed into a burden, making it sound like she was being selfish, when, in reality, she¡¯d just thought they¡¯d had a good time before so why wouldn¡¯t they again.


    The levy broke though and Jennifer found herself constantly stuck in this rut of doubt, longing for the life she¡¯d left behind. Making her way back to the old man and the nurse she came to an awful realization; she wasn¡¯t happy. The nurse smiled when she heard Jennifer¡¯s confession, but the old man looked more conflicted then ever. ¡®Would you want to grow again, if you could,¡¯ the old man had asked. Jennifer had thought about that question constantly and, in that moment, she let her heart speak, ¡®yes.¡¯


    Like magic the growing started back up again, and with it a growing distance between her and Kenny, her and her new friends until, finally, she broke it off with Kenny, begging him to remain her friend. While sad, he agreed to her request, at least, for a while. She had a very high opinion of him, and she felt terrible that her heart just couldn¡¯t see him romantically anymore, but she had to be honest. The friendship started out awkward, but Jennifer didn¡¯t mind it, she was just happy he hadn¡¯t abandoned her, that is, until he did. When he told her he couldn¡¯t keep it up any longer she understood, he said he just needed time, and she figured she owed him that.


    But the time never came, and Jennifer¡¯s life began to return to the hell it¡¯d been before. All those friends she made no longer seemed to enjoy her company, and she no longer had the confidence to power through the doubts. Her adventures returned to normal and her excitement for life just¡­ slipped away. In your time Jennifer had been growing again for months, enough time to despise her decision.  Finally, remembering how happy she¡¯d been before, she reached back out to Kenny, hoping he¡¯d understand and they could make amends. But he couldn¡¯t, and he didn¡¯t. He told her they¡¯d been wrong for each other from the start, and he needed to move on, but she simply couldn¡¯t let go, because she believed that no one else would ever love her the way he did. She returned to the old man, again lamented over this tragedy, over her bad decision, but this time nothing happened, the growing continued. All of her confidence faded, all of her hopes fell, and she simply couldn¡¯t see anyway to make this okay¡­


    Despite the fact that she¡¯d doubted her feelings for Kenny so heavily before, she now found herself unable to think of anything else, of anyone else. Hoping beyond hope that he¡¯d reach back out to her, she closed herself off, afraid to face the world alone again. Whenever she saw him on the street she hid, anytime they were in the same area she fled, and, for hours after, she felt nothing but misery. He began to hang out with the other kids and, unlike before, he now appeared to be one of them, laughing, enjoying their company, no longer the unique outcast she¡¯d fallen for. It finally hit her that he refused to go back to her because he no longer needed her, she had merely been a morale booster for him, something to make him feel good about himself, and now he had all the morale he needed. She knew her anger had undertones of hypocrisy, but she couldn¡¯t help feeling betrayed, abandoned. And she believed from that point on that she should never have let him go, that, without him she would be alone forever. But she promised herself, promised that if she ever had the chance to be loved again, accepted again, she¡¯d cling to it and never let it go, no matter what her heart told her¡­Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    How long can you listen to a song before you start to hate it? Depends on the song right? But, if you¡¯re anything like me, then the moment you find a song you like you play it over and over again until, inevitably, you can¡¯t stand the sound of it anymore. What about your favorite food, or your favorite drink? What about your favorite activities? Seems to me like life on repeat is a great way to turn everything you love into monotonous drudgery.


    The drums began to boom, followed by trumpets, horns and then an explosion of music. Jennifer watched apathetically as Freddy swung some forest Form across the dance floor, spinning her, dipping her and then ending the whole thing with an impassioned kiss. She recalled the first time she¡¯d seen that happen, the anger she felt, the betrayal, but now. She shrugged, not for anyone¡¯s benefit but her own. Oddly enough she found herself missing the anger, the fiery passion that had lead her to throw her drink in his face, the female Forms consoling her afterwards, even though the memory was painful, at least it was something different. With a bitter smile she remembered her revenge plot, her plan to dance with all the male Forms and give them the same kind of impassioned kiss he¡¯d given her. The game had gone back and forth, Freddy always one upping her passion with his own, Jennifer inventing pettier and pettier forms of revenge, until, eventually, she just got bored of it all. The other Forms were nice enough, she managed to make friends with a few of them, but a surprisingly large portion of them wouldn¡¯t even speak to her. When she¡¯d first arrived, she had no idea they were even there, all of them huddled around the edges, their eyes glazed over, simply watching the drama of the middle section play out over and over again. Now, as she sat on one of the outside booths, watching Freddy go, she realized why.


    After James left, Jennifer had thrown herself into the whole carpe diem experience, dancing, drinking, partying until she could barely see straight, and, for a while, it was perfect. The best memories she had revolved around moments with other Forms, like when Aldia, the Form of steel and a few Forest Forms, had tricked Harriet into the storage room and then built a nearly identical storage room on the other side of the door. When Harriet left the original storage room she found herself in the same room she¡¯d just left; she¡¯d hopped back and forth between the two rooms for hours while Jennifer laughed with the other Forms, with her friends. Jennifer loved these pranks, loved the comradery, loved the groups she formed, but sometime around the 90<sup>th</sup> or so prank she pulled, she began to stop laughing at the punchlines, she began to recycle old pranks and, many of them, she just reused. Other Forms would tell jokes and she¡¯d finish the punchlines, they¡¯d ask riddles and she¡¯d sigh as she explained the answers. She didn¡¯t know how the other Forms did it, but the massive slew of them in the corners told her that not all of them could.


    She started returning to the surface far more often, sitting in the flowers and staring up at the stars. Helios never returned to the cave, she remained atop, looking up at her children with a proud smile on her face. Adam, wise as he was, made the smart decision to not demand her return. Lyla and Claudia snuck up frequently as well, Lyla to tend to her flowers and Claudia to admire the stars.


    ¡°You know Jennifer,¡± Claudia had said during one of their trips above, ¡°I had become so convinced that my clouds belonged in the sky that I completely forgot about stars! And you know what, I always thought stars were so pretty! My children may be gone for now, but I¡¯m happy to see there¡¯s still something beautiful in the sky.¡± She¡¯d then proceeded to lecture Jennifer all about the different types of clouds and the times of day they looked the most beautiful, ¡°and when the sky was that playful light blue, the sun just slightly leaning toward the west, with just a sprinkling of my children here and there, I¡¯m telling you Jennifer your kind created so many paintings of days like that.¡± Jennifer couldn¡¯t imagine the sky being blue, she¡¯d just come to terms with this whole, ¡®night¡¯ thing. Without Melody around night became the norm, no star to rise in the east and set in the west, just a starry night, as unending as the sunset that preceded it.


    Lyla had seemed slightly perturbed by this initially, with so many of her flowers feasting on sunlight, but she soon decided that this may be the perfect time to experiment with more night blooming flowers. The meadow changed dramatically from that first night, Lyla constantly experimenting with different combinations of plant life to create the ideal garden. She seemed to have completely forgotten that she¡¯d tricked Jennifer into almost committing murder and she often approached Jennifer to get her take on different flower patterns. While Jennifer wanted to stay mad she simply couldn¡¯t find the willpower, besides, watching Lyla tend to her garden made her happy, something about manipulating the ground to make something beautiful clicked with her. One time, while Lyla fussed over a few nightshades that refused to align properly, she spun around to face Jennifer with a sneaky smile,


    ¡°Oh Jennifer, would you come over here a moment¡±? With nothing better to do she complied. Lyla handed her a flower, it¡¯s roots showing through a clump of dirt at the base. Flowers really do look better in the ground, Jennifer noted. ¡°Would you look around the area and see if you can¡¯t find a good spot for this little fella? I simply can¡¯t pick one myself and I¡¯m feeling rather frazzled at the moment.¡± Jennifer shrugged and began moseying around the area, her eyes lazily scanning the multitude of flowers springing up all around her, not even an inch of space available for something new. Eventually, after beginning to grow frustrated herself, she walked farther and farther away from the center till she arrived at the edge of the meadow, the snow resting right on the other side of the invisible circle the stars had created. It was here that Jennifer discovered a slight opening between two snow lilies just big enough for her little plant. Sticking her hands into the dirt and scooping it onto the snow, Jennifer began to feel an odd sensation overtake her. Once the hole was large enough Jennifer carefully placed the plant inside and gently returned the dirt to the hole, covering the flower and once again hiding its roots. The task gave Jennifer immense enjoyment, and she ran back to Lyla asking if there were anymore flowers she could plant.


    ¡°Sadly there¡¯s simply not enough space for that Jennifer¡­ But if you were to talk Helios into expanding out the circle a bit¡­¡± Lyla had told her, Jennifer knew she was being played, but she didn¡¯t care. She¡¯d approached Helios and explained the situation. Helios had simply laughed, a rich sound that made Jennifer smile, and brought a couple stars down from above.


    After that Jennifer spent nearly all her time above, planting flowers and admiring her design. The flowers themselves, while pretty and everything, weren¡¯t really Jennifer¡¯s focus, but rather she loved taking a piece of the ground and making it her own. The more joy she got from it, the more she realized who it was she had to thank for it.


    ¡°Lyla!¡± She cried out one (permanent) evening. Lyla had spun round, a mix of concern and suspicion on her face.


    ¡°What is it dear¡±?


    ¡°Oh relax!¡± Jennifer assured her, ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you, I actually wanted to thank you.¡± Lyla raised an eyebrow and a pang of guilt twisted in Jennifer¡¯s stomach,


    ¡°Thank me for what,¡± Lyla said sweetly, but suspiciously.


    ¡°For the whole gardening thing! I¡¯m really enjoying it and, if you hadn¡¯t manipulated me into doing it I wouldn¡¯t have discovered how much I love it!¡± Jennifer was slightly pleased to see how surprised she was to hear that Jennifer had been aware of her ploy.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome dear, glad I could help¡­¡± Lyla attempted a smile, but her confusion came across loud and clear. Jennifer skipped away and continued her gardening, some strange thought burrowing its way into her psyche.


    With time being something she had in spades, Jennifer decided to finally have a conversation she¡¯d been dreading for months.


    ¡°Helios, do you mind if I ask you something¡±? Helios didn¡¯t even attempt to hide her lack of surprise,


    ¡°I wondered when you¡¯d garner the courage, you want to know what James said to me don¡¯t you¡±? Jennifer nodded nervously, embarrassed that Helios had known exactly where her head was. ¡°He didn¡¯t say much, mostly because he didn¡¯t have to. When he talked to me I was already struggling with Melody¡¯s situation, but he gave me the push I needed.¡± Jennifer had figured that much,


    ¡°But what specifically did he say¡±? Jennifer pressed.


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t remember the exact wording, that conversation was months ago! But I will tell you this.¡± She leaned in close and Jennifer followed suit, ¡°When I told him to leave, inferred the awful fate that awaited him if he didn¡¯t, he moved to leave, but, before he did, he looked right at you.  After that he turned around and gave me one of the bravest speeches I¡¯d ever heard.¡± Jennifer looked away, blushing slightly, ¡°No human has ever spoken to me with that level of confidence and honesty, whatever you are to him, he certainly thought you important enough to merit risking his life.¡± The words landed heavily, Jennifer walked away more confused than ever.


    But she refused to recant. She remembered the misery she¡¯d felt out there, the fear, the anxiety, and her search for Destiny when, in the end, she just wanted acceptance. All of her bravado, all of her big talk, and, in the end, she just wanted someone on her side. She¡¯d wanted to find Destiny, force him to, ¡®set things right,¡¯ but what did, ¡®right¡¯ even mean? So here she was, surrounded by unique and wonderful beings that desire her presence, that enjoy having her around, and isn¡¯t that, ¡®right¡¯ enough? She no longer needed Destiny. So how could James take that away from her? How could he ever ask that of her? What gave him the right to remove her from the place she truly belonged? Never mind the boredom, the monotony, the unchanging Forms that lived lives eerily familiar to memories dormant in Jennifer¡¯s head. If she gave all of this up, if she were to let it go, even for a second, she knew she¡¯d never find it again.


    ¡°Does the sign say, ¡®door¡¯s open, come on in,¡¯¡±? Adam¡¯s voice groaned as Jennifer casually entered the office, her eyes taking in the simple room and making fake sounds of interest.


    ¡°No, sign doesn¡¯t say that.¡± She responded apathetically,


    ¡°And what does the sign say¡±?


    ¡°There isn¡¯t a sign.¡±


    ¡°What does that tell you about my feelings on communication¡±?


    ¡°So, James came in here and chatted with you before he left,¡± Jennifer hummed, changing the subject and frustrating a planet that was quickly growing tired of his tenants, ¡°what did y¡¯all talk about¡±?


    ¡°Are those ears for show? I don¡¯t have time to chat.¡± He barked toward an unphased Jennifer,


    ¡°You literally sit around doing nothing all day, those papers on your desk are full of nonsense,¡± Adam¡¯s face froze, his mouth open slightly, not sure how to reply, Jennifer decided to help him out, ¡°Freddy told me. Look I don¡¯t want to start up some back and forth here I just want to know what he said and then I¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask him yourself¡±? Adam retorted, causing the first signs of real emotion from Jennifer who twitched slightly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like me much do you¡±? She noticed,


    ¡°Guess you¡¯re not as stupid as you look.¡±


    ¡°Why¡±?


    ¡°Guess.¡±


    ¡°Or you could just tell me¡±? Jennifer was starting to get annoyed, after all of her time here this is the most she¡¯d ever spoken to Adam, and all the rumors she¡¯d heard about him seemed quite understated.


    ¡°Friend of yours is out there doing something, no clue what, but seemed important.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your point¡±?


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know by now I don¡¯t imagine it¡¯s going to come to you anytime soon. Now would you leave? I have a lot of fake paperwork to do.¡± His head turning away to a stack of random papers that he feigned massive interest in. Jennifer shrugged and left the room, an odd memory of a similar exchange flashed through her mind, but the girl in her memory seemed far more ferocious, seemed to have some fire in her. Someone else seemed to think so too and he figured he should make his opinion known.


    The stage, darkened without the usual blue flames, offered a relaxing melody, slight cymbal tapping, a non-existent hand plucking the bass, a gentle piano intermittently chiming between a rhythmic snapping. The source of the snapping? A well-dressed man clad in a pitch-black blazer opened up to reveal a snow white button up, his hair slicked back, his ebony loafers spit shined to perfection, reflecting better than most mirrors. Despite only having a single member of his audience he figured he¡¯d put on the best possible performance. The dark-haired girl in the oversized coat didn¡¯t quite seem to fully appreciate the ambiance of the room, in fact she seemed downright confused by the whole show. The man, not one to be discouraged by a tough crowd, called out to an imaginary trumpet section and soon the music erupted, and the man sung along to the rhythm, words that the girl couldn¡¯t seem to make out.


    Once the music quieted to a whisper the man, his face cast in shadow, asked to know the girl¡¯s opinion on his work. She merely shook her head, mumbling some nonsense about dreaming, the man assured her such talk had no place here. Instead he wanted to know why she spent so much time thinking about him. She uttered a single word, her only thought clear enough to be considered actual conversation. What might the word be? A name, a state of being, a fear, a relief? D-E-A-T-H. He smiled, the sound of his name always made his day. He knew that tiny minds didn¡¯t always know who they stood before, but she had surprised him.


    Absolutely adorable he thought, the mere force of his mind on hers was killing her! He always said he had one of the easiest jobs in all the cosmos. But, strangely enough, he was on break and taking care of a personal matter, no death tonight. J-A-M-E-S, she spoke the word, he rung an imaginary bell, she was on a roll. But would she know what it all meant. Guess he¡¯d have to wait to find out.


    Jennifer bolted upright, the blue-eyed ghost players again serenading the room, illuminated by blue candle light, the shadowy figure nowhere to be seen. The only thing left of the dream was the sweat drenching every inch of her body, a cold sweat, as if her heart had stopped only to be started again by an overzealous doctor. But she knew one thing, she had to find James, now.

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13


    The other Forms watched with curiosity as Jennifer scrambled about the room, her dark hair sprawled half-hazardly across her face and her eyes manic and sleepless. Though they couldn¡¯t exactly figure out what she was up to one thing seemed to stand out pretty clearly, Jennifer was going to leave.


    ¡°Aye love!¡± Freddy shouted at the neurotic bug-eyed Jennifer, ¡°What exactly are ya up to¡±? She barely even processed that she was being spoken to. Lyla scoffed at the whole scene, and spun round toward the exit, her flowers calling to her. There was a slightly worried series of polite squeaks emerging from Claudia who just continued to repeat the phrase, ¡®oh dear,¡¯ over and over again. But Freddy was the one who finally grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around to face him,


    ¡°Love, I¡¯m gonna need ya to slow down a sec and level with us, what in Destiny¡¯s name are ya doin¡±? Jennifer¡¯s eyes blinked rapidly, like a sleep walker finally waking back up only to see that they¡¯re naked in their kitchen.


    ¡°James¡­¡± She mumbled, the only word on her mind at that moment.


    ¡°Yeah, what about em¡±? The whole room watched, none of them really all that surprised that a human would be acting strange, but thoroughly entertained watching it.


    ¡°I¡­¡± She slapped herself garnering a giggle from the crowd, but effectively returning her some sentience, ¡°I have to find him!¡± She shouted suddenly, Freddy took a step back.


    ¡°O-Okay, sure, but why now¡­?¡± He wondered basically to himself since Jennifer had already scurried off to the back in search of something. The gang of Forms that knew her followed after, the rest hung back still wanting to watch, but not really wanting to join in on the action.


    ¡°Jennifer you¡¯re acting so odd, are you feeling alright¡±? Claudia fumbled anxiously, the mention of James making her nervous, she had quite liked that young man.


    ¡°Death!¡± Jennifer shouted in reply, her head buried in splintered wooden crates as she shoveled out useless bottles. Everyone within ear shot froze, that name wasn¡¯t one they were fond of hearing.


    ¡°What do ya mean Death¡±? Freddy asked, convinced Jennifer may have simply snapped. Jennifer turned to reply, frustrated at the interruption, but she quickly realized she didn¡¯t have an answer, like someone awoken from a dream convinced that they have a pet dragon outside only to run out to pet it and realize half way down the steps that something about the notion seems a bit off. In Jennifer¡¯s head all the pieces fit together quite nicely, but saying them aloud suddenly brought a great deal of questions to light. But she shook her head, none of that mattered, whatever this feeling was the overwhelming conclusion still amounted to the same things, she needed to save James.


    ¡°James is in danger, do y¡¯all have any food¡±? The Forms shrugged, not really phased by some random human being in danger, but oddly perplexed that they¡¯d never bothered to stock the place with food. As Forms none of them needed to eat and the drinks they stocked weren¡¯t exactly for quenching thirst in the traditional sense, so they had never really considered it before now.


    ¡°We can get ya food love, but how in the world do ya know he¡¯s in danger¡±?


    ¡°I just do,¡± Jennifer retorted as she headed toward Adam¡¯s office. Freddy intercepted her and blocked her path, concern plastered across his face,


    ¡°Is it possible yere just feeling a wee bit guilty on account of well¡­ ya know¡­¡± He hoped she did because he didn¡¯t much feel like saying it.


    ¡°What? No.¡± She scoffed as she made another attempt for the door, but Freddy again stood in the way.


    ¡°It¡¯s totally normal if ya do, but the situation hasn¡¯t changed! If ya go out there now all alone then yere as good as dead!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s out there alone,¡± She replied sharply, these interruptions wearing her nerves thin, ¡°now let me through!¡± She commanded, but Freddy held his ground,


    ¡°Adam¡¯ll never let ya go love, rules are rules ya know.¡± Confident in his position he allowed her to push past him and walk into Adam¡¯s office,


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving!¡± She yelled in through the door,


    ¡°Good riddance,¡± Adam replied, never looking up from his papers. She smiled, closing the door and walking past a slack jawed Freddy. As she walked toward the exit she heard a small voice vying for her attention,


    ¡°Psssssssssssst, Jennifer,¡± She swung her head around to see a small child, barely over seven years old sitting in one of the side booths, sipping on a glass of water.


    ¡°I¡¯m sort of in a rush¡­¡± Jennifer explained awkwardly, entirely unaware that there had been a child in the room the whole time.


    ¡°Oh¡­ My appearance is throwing you off isn¡¯t it¡±? The girl giggled. Before Jennifer could respond the little girl stuck her fingers into the glass of water, at which point they morphed into tiny fins and soon the rest of her body followed suit until Jennifer was face to face with a really tiny Meerous gliding about in the water cup.


    ¡°Meerous!¡± Jennifer beamed, her voice high and her smile unhindered.


    ¡°Nope,¡± The little serpent laughed, ¡°but I am related to her.¡± A single eyebrow raise was attempted by a quite confused Jennifer,


    ¡°Are you one of the other oceans¡±?


    ¡°Not an ocean either.¡± The serpent winked. Jennifer was growing frustrated,


    ¡°Then what the hell are you?!¡± She hissed, not wanting to raise her voice and regain the attention of the other Forms.


    ¡°Oh dear, James seemed to think you were smarter than this.¡± The shoulderless serpent somehow managed to shrug.


    ¡°You know James?!¡± The little cup serpent nodded her little head,


    ¡°He spoke to me before he left, asked me for some supplies, supplies I¡¯d like to offer you.¡±


    ¡°What sort of supplies¡±?


    ¡°Water,¡± Jennifer moved to interrupt and point out that she figured she could get water, but the serpent raised a fin, ¡°I don¡¯t simply mean a glass of water, I mean an unlimited supply of water, all kept within an easily carried bottle.¡±


    ¡°How is that¡­?¡± Jennifer began to ask when the full weight of her stupidity dawned on her, ¡°You¡¯re Alania! The Form of water right¡±? The little serpent seemed pleased to hear her name.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time you caught up! I¡¯d been meaning to talk to you since you got here. What you did for Meerous was so kind, she really needed someone like you. She¡¯s always been one of my most stubborn children¡­¡± Alania sighed. A question popped into Jennifer¡¯s head, one she¡¯d wanted to ask for a while now but never had the courage, figuring the answer might ruin her place here, but since she was leaving¡­


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you help her yourself!?¡± Jennifer demanded, startling the little serpent, ¡°You could have gone out and saved her anytime you wanted, but you hid down here instead!¡± Alania lowered her head slightly, clearly having struggled with this before,


    ¡°Jennifer¡­ I wanted to, but I couldn¡¯t.¡± Alania spoke slowly and, before Jennifer could interrupt she quickly regained her composure, ¡°There¡¯s a lot you don¡¯t understand about Forms, but something you need to keep in mind moving forward is this, if a higher Form dies then all the Forms below them die as well.¡± That came as a bit of a shock. Jennifer remembered back to Eldritch and his genuine concern when Squawk had come up, she¡¯d figured he¡¯d just been being a good son, but now¡­Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°So if you die out there then¡­¡±


    ¡°Meerous would die to, that¡¯s right.¡± They sat in silence for a moment,


    ¡°So this bottle you mentioned¡­¡± Jennifer decided to change the subject, not wanting to cause the poor girl anymore shame.


    ¡°Yes! The bottle, is not special, so if you could just bring me any bottle I can make it special.¡± Jennifer shrugged and went and found herself a bottle, one with a bird on it, possibly an eagle, if it was Eldritch¡¯s then that was a double win,


    ¡°Will this work¡±? Not sure what exactly the parameters for this unending bottle trick were.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯ll do quite nicely!¡± Alania returned to her human form, and the little girl pinched herself until a single tear rolled down her cheek into the bottle. ¡°There you go!¡± She exclaimed proudly as she handed Jennifer the bottle, now filled to the brim with water. Jennifer looked it over skeptically,


    ¡°Looks kinda the same to me¡­¡± She mumbled.


    ¡°Drink it, then you¡¯ll see.¡± Alania assured her. Jennifer sighed and took a swig and laid the bottle down, surprised to see that the bottle was just as full as it was before. Not sure if her eyes were simply playing tricks on her she again picked up the bottle and began chugging as much of it as she could before she finally let out a large gasp and slammed it back onto the table. The bottle remained full. Alania smiled gleefully,


    ¡°See! Infinite water right there!¡± Jennifer thanked her, tied the bottle to her waist and trekked up top, still wondering what she was going to do about food.


    On the surface she noticed that a large slew of the garden had now been replaced with odd plants the likes of which Jennifer had never seen. Lyla sat against the tree watching an older woman tending to these new plants, each one of them with strange colorful objects hanging off of them, some red, some blue, others black, others yellow, many of them quite small, but some of them were really large, like these big green behemoths that laid strewn out across the ground. Small tufts of green sprouted from the ground at random intervals as the older woman clad in overalls and a wicker hat inspected each of them individually, humming with approval at their growth.


    Jennifer approached Lyla and, before she could even ask Lyla began grumbling,


    ¡°She spends all her time in the corner complaining and then the second I finally get my garden back she swoops in and takes over, stupid bitch.¡±


    ¡°But who is she and what¡¯s with the weird plants¡±? Jennifer asked, not surprised that another Form had managed to piss Lyla off.


    ¡°That¡¯s my mom, Form of all vegetation and royal pain in the ass. As for those weird plants, well those are fruit and vegetable bearing plants, garbage plants that only serve to keep meat sacks alive.


    ¡°So those things are edible¡±? Jennifer mused.


    ¡°Yep, good news for you. Oh, before I forget,¡± Lyla ripped something out from a hole in the tree and shoved it in Jennifer¡¯s hand.


    ¡°What¡¯s th-¡± Lyla raised a hand,


    ¡°Mom wanted you to have it, said if I gave it to you then she¡¯ll give me back my half of the garden.¡± Jennifer opened her hand to see a tiny little garden growing on a stone about the size of a baseball, all of those fruit and vegetable bearing plants organized into little sections. ¡°If you pick any of those fruit or vegetables off then they¡¯ll grow to their full size, should keep you from starving out there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Jennifer exclaimed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, thank her,¡± She stuck her thumb over to the old woman who was pretending not to listen, ¡°she said that it¡¯d been too long since a human enjoyed the benefits of the field or some crap.¡± Jennifer remembered back to her first impression of Lyla, funny how quick things can change.


    Offering a goodbye that Lyla entirely ignored, Jennifer made her way over to Helios, still standing alone staring up at her children. Before Jennifer could even say a word Helios began to muse,


    ¡°I¡¯d have kept her alive forever, suffering, trapped, and all these beautiful sons and daughters of mine would¡¯ve never shined again¡­¡± She turned to face Jennifer, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for James that is.¡± She spoke his name with no love, no admiration, but a deep-rooted respect.


    ¡°I¡¯m going after him.¡± Jennifer had yet to say the words so confidently, and with the rolling snowy hills ahead of her, this was the time to mean it.


    ¡°I know, and I wish you luck,¡± She smiled sympathetically, ¡°but when you find him I¡­¡± She paused and took a prolonged breath, then regained her smile, ¡°I hope you¡¯ll try to see things from his perspective.¡± Before Jennifer could ask what the hell she meant by that, Helios had already turned away to kneel down in the snow, her face focused intently on a patch of grass amidst the snow, separated from the rest. From the patch she gently lifted a single bright light from the ground and, cradling it gently, brought it over to Jennifer. ¡°This is Solaris, he decided to stay behind.¡± Jennifer didn¡¯t exactly know what she was supposed to do with that information, she figured she should greet the little star since he had a name and all¡­ but how exactly does someone greet a star?


    ¡°Uh¡­ Nice to meet you Solaris¡­¡± The delivery was as awkward as expected, especially since the star offered no sign it cared she¡¯d made the effort. But Jennifer had to smile when Helios burst into a fit of giggles,


    ¡°Oh Jennifer!¡± She took a moment, covering her mouth, clearly embarrassed to have lost control like this, ¡°of all the humans I¡¯ve met you¡¯ve got to be the cutest. I¡¯m sure if Solaris had a little hand he¡¯d by happy to shake yours.¡± Despite her regal appearance Jennifer couldn¡¯t help but be amused at how dorky her laugh was, Helios seemed to pop every couple of breaths like hiccups, at which point her face would turn bright red and she¡¯d raise her sleeve to cover it, that is until she thought she¡¯d finished, but the second the sleeve lowered she¡¯d, ¡®pop¡¯ again and the whole process repeated. That in addition to the fact that the current fit entirely was self-inflicted by a joke that wasn¡¯t even that funny, caused Jennifer to burst out laughing as well. Lyla snapped her face toward them, a scowl of frustration and confusion met nothing but laughter that only grew louder when they saw her. Slightly humiliated, Lyla turned back to glare at her mom a bit longer.


    ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Helios fanned herself with her free hand, ¡°I haven¡¯t laughed that hard in a very long time.¡± Jennifer found that hard to believe see, she figured if she¡¯d made even the slightest funny face Helios may suffocate from laughter right then and there. ¡°What were we talking about¡±? She wiped a small tear from the corner of her eye, the tear burned brightly, like smoldering gold until she flicked it out toward the heavens where it exploded into another star.


    ¡°Um, you were introducing me to Solaris¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes! Solaris wants to come with you!¡± Despite his lack of a mouth, eyes, eyebrows, or face in general, the star somehow managed to look exactly like the child who shows up for the Christmas pageant scowling as his mother takes his picture and demands he smile more.


    ¡°That¡¯s really not necessary¡­¡± Now the star somehow made it perfectly known that her saying the wrong thing right now would result in her untimely death, fear aside Jennifer actually found his expressive nature quite impressive considering his limitations.


    ¡°Oh no I insist! He¡¯s not sentient,¡± Jennifer found that impossibly hard to believe, ¡°and I¡¯ve placed a blocker on him to keep any Conversions from occurring, your welcome!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying he could converge with me?!¡± Even after discovering the process wasn¡¯t exactly voluntary for humans, she hadn¡¯t considered that a nonconverted Form might see her as a viable host.


    ¡°Could¡¯ve, but won¡¯t, I made sure of it.¡± Helios thought that must¡¯ve reassured Jennifer enough, so she moved on, it had not. ¡°While he¡¯s with you he won¡¯t assume his true form and destroy the planet-¡± Jennifer was taking a lotta steps back on the reassured front right then, ¡°but he is useful, he can keep you warm, melt that pesky snow and, close your eyes for a second,¡± Jennifer started to ask why when Solaris began to glow, she snapped them shut just quick enough to avoid being blinded. The flash exploded so brightly that, even with her eyes closed Jennifer still had to take a moment or two to blink away the white light that staggered her vision. ¡°So,¡± Helios continued, clearly not the least bit worried about a nearly blinded Jennifer frantically blinking, ¡°that should help if any of those Deathless pursue you, just make sure you close your eyes before asking him to do it or you will likely be blinded permanently.¡±


    ¡°Great, glad to have you watching out for me¡­¡± The sarcasm flew right over Helios¡¯ head.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, now off you go!¡± She shooed Jennifer away as the little star followed after her, the star now imparting the clear message that Jennifer hadn¡¯t tried hard enough and he¡¯s going to get her for this, Jennifer wondered if she was just imagining this because this star man¡­


    ¡°Uh thanks Helios!¡± She yelled back, just remembering her manners.


    ¡°Of course, now go find James, we¡¯re all counting on you!¡± What the hell was THAT supposed to mean, but Jennifer just shrugged it off, she knew it was time to go. She had unlimited food, water, and now heat, not exactly a bad haul considering she almost left with nothing like an hour ago. She stuck the garden rock in her pocket, the bottle bobbed up and down around her waist, and Solaris buzzed peevishly around her head, so it was time to get moving. She lifted her foot, a profound moment here, the beginning of a new adventure, the stuff of legends right here and-


    ¡°Jennifer! Hold up a moment.¡± Of course¡­ Jennifer groaned, her perfect moment shattered and she turned to face Lyla,


    ¡°Since I, you know, almost made you into a murderer, I figured I¡¯d tell you something, something you may find pretty interesting.¡± Her tone made Jennifer nervous, she was far too happy to be telling whatever this secret was.


    ¡°What¡±? Jennifer attempted to play it cool, but ever since she was a kid she hated not knowing things, the other kids had teased her for it and so she became more sly about it. Well, at least she thought she had. Lyla leaned in close, her minty breath blowing softly on Jennifer¡¯s ear, close enough to hear Jennifer¡¯s heart pounding, whatever this secret was it must¡¯ve been something pretty shocking.


    ¡°That poison I gave you,¡± Jennifer nodded, Lyla leaned in closer, ¡°Only works,¡± she took a breath, the pause driving Jennifer nuts. The final two words Lyla whispered, slowly, delicately, every syllable punctuated,


    ¡°on Forms¡­¡±

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14


    She didn¡¯t know what she was looking at. Before her, completely in ruins, rested a city inside of a massive crater. The strange thing, the thing Jennifer found herself unable to wrap her head around, is how the city got inside the crater¡­ As far as she could tell, and she didn¡¯t exactly trust her reasoning on this one, the city must have been dropped right out of the sky. This theory only dug deeper into her head when, while climbing around the wreckage, she found massive propeller blades, broken, torn, but still intact enough to obviously be identified as propeller blades. Solaris had turned out to be an even greater help than she¡¯d been promised, with the sun now set and replaced with an unending night, having a shining ball of light following you around made things a great deal easier.


    Most of the buildings, made of this thin light metal that seemed to have done pretty well over the years, laid lopsided atop one another, some leaning diagonally so that people could walk right underneath these artificial archways. Jennifer found this all a bit suspicious, as if she wasn¡¯t the first person to come across these ruins¡­


    But she¡¯d been suspicious nonstop since Lyla had told her about the poison. At first she hadn¡¯t understood the significance, who cared who the poison worked on, except, it had worked on James. If she believed Lyla, and the jury was still out on that one, then that meant James was a Form and, even worse, he¡¯d lied to her this whole time. What she couldn¡¯t understand is why lie in the first place? What did she care if he was a Form or not? Granted, when they¡¯d first met, she didn¡¯t even know that Forms existed much less what they were, but he could¡¯ve explained it. And, if James was a Form, what exactly was he the Form of, scarves, coats, complaining? The more she thought about it the more Lyla¡¯s claim seemed like just another one of her games, but the thought never left Jennifer for long.


    Among the wreckage of the city Jennifer found large signs with paint still clinging to the canvas, Solaris floating over it revealed pictures of smiling families and houses floating in the air surrounded by other floating houses. A slogan at the bottom read, ¡°The privacy of your own island, with the comfort of a neighborhood, Inner T, welcome home.¡± Jennifer shrugged, that answered her question. But a floating city¡­ How is that possible? And why? But she thought about it for a moment and the appeal quickly became apparent, a whole city of people who wanted to live with the world below them, she could get behind that.


    Obviously hadn¡¯t worked out for em, Jennifer thought, staring at a sign for Adam¡¯s greatest sky burgers, ¡®how do you get a cow in the sky¡­¡¯? Was Jennifer¡¯s only concern. The buildings all had a certain flair to them, big windows, bigger signs, everyone clearly trying to outdo each other.


    ¡°Used to come here all the time!¡± Jennifer leapt ten feet in the air and swung around frantically only to see Chirp casually preening.


    ¡°SQUAWK!¡± Chirp looked nervous, but Jennifer continued to shout, ¡°YOU HAVE TO STOP SNEAKING UP ON ME LIKE THAT!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ You didn¡¯t know I was here¡±? Jennifer could almost see Squawk shaking her little head, ¡°you need to be more observant Jennifer, there could be Deathless anywhere!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind¡­¡± Jennifer growled through gritted teeth.


    ¡°But you like it¡±?


    ¡°The city¡±?


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    ¡°Suppose so, but-¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d it fly¡±?


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Chirp, still totally unaware that a conversation was occurring through his beak, suddenly flew into the air, his eyes communicating that this was not by his own will. Jennifer followed quickly behind. Climbing up the rubble felt like a trek through a graveyard. The rotted remnants of this once proud city littered the tops of fallen houses, shops, offices, parks. A giant wheel with little carriages attached at the rim leaned half hazardly against the wreckage of what appeared to be train tracks with great loops and drops. Within the windows of wrecked houses Jennifer could make out amenities much like the ones she had back home, only far shinier, and obviously designed with style in mind. Great billboards advertising car like devices with propellers shoved in the bottom poked out of the rubble. Something like a massive popped balloon covered a large portion of the mess of debris, a large propeller emerging from the sides and back and a house sized box with windows protruded from the bottom. Jennifer couldn¡¯t help but think that such a place must¡¯ve been wonderful once upon a time, but now¡­


    They arrived near the center where Jennifer had to climb atop rubble atop rubble, until she found herself nearly half a mile off the ground. The mysterious paths allowing her somewhat of an easier journey, paths that shouldn¡¯t exist in rubble. She found Chirp sitting, quite shaken, atop the backrest of a chair facing a large open window, a great wooden wheel before him, ornately decorated with all sorts of wonderful symbols. But, sitting on the chair, a corpse slowly rotted away, a suit of fine silk adorned his skeleton, a symbol of some greater purpose he once served.


    ¡°This is Columbus, last ruler of this hear city of Nimbus.¡± Jennifer stared in horror at the corpse before her, he appeared to have offered no struggle when death came for him, he seemed not peaceful but rather¡­ Complacent. Something Jennifer thought should never relate to death.


    ¡°So, he directed the city right¡±? Jennifer guessed, ¡°That¡¯s what that big wheel is for¡±?


    ¡°Correct!¡± Squawk chirped.


    ¡°But that still doesn¡¯t explain how the city flew¡­¡± Jennifer mused, investigating the room.


    ¡°Look at his hands.¡± Squawk ordered sweetly. With nothing else to go on, Jennifer approached the corpse, the smell overwhelming her nostrils, but she pushed through. The only thing of any interest on the corpses¡¯ hands was a shattered topaz ring around his left ring finger.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­¡± Jennifer mumbled.


    ¡°That ring used to be the North wind!¡± Squawk proclaimed, ¡°a real dick if you ask me.¡± Despite the corpse in the room Jennifer let out a slight giggle, she¡¯d never heard Squawk swear so casually. But that still didn¡¯t explain the absurdity she¡¯d just heard.


    ¡°How can that ring have been a Form¡±?


    ¡°Through the offer!¡± Squawk explained, clearly embarrassed how little Jennifer knew. Clenching her fists Jennifer decided to push a little more.


    ¡°What is the offer, Squawk¡±? She growled slowly, attempting to keep her cool.


    ¡°The Offer is something one of your kind invented a long long time ago. This old geezer discovered that Forms, before they die, can enter inanimate objects, losing all of their free will but maintaining their reflections.¡± Jennifer was lost. ¡°Like¡­ If I were dying I could inhabit a pebble and birds would continue to exist still!¡± Chirp heard the word, ¡®bird¡¯ and swung his little head around nervously.


    ¡°But you wouldn¡¯t be able to talk or fly around¡­¡±? Jennifer ventured.


    ¡°Exactly! I also wouldn¡¯t be able to do what I¡¯m doing now with Chirp.¡± Chirp, now hearing his name began to preen, seeing as preening always calmed his little nerves.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Jennifer began cautiously, ¡°The north wind was dying and he entered that ring instead¡±?


    ¡°Exactly! Wow Jennifer you catch on quick!¡± Squawk beeped, but the compliment didn¡¯t really land.


    ¡°And if a human has the object with the Form in it then they can¡­ what¡±? She figured she knew, but she had to be sure.


    ¡°Control the Form and it¡¯s reflections! Like, if someone found the Squawk pebble then they could use it to control all the birds¡­ Destiny forbid it though, because of course he did¡± Squawk laughed a little, but the laugh came across anxious, Jennifer gathered this Offer was not one Forms took lightly.


    ¡°So Columbus here has the North wind ring and he just gets to completely control the wind¡±?


    ¡°Not exactly, only a quarter of the wind, South, West and East still had a say.¡± Jennifer noted the word, ¡®had.¡¯ ¡°But even a quarter of the wind was enough to keep the city afloat, sadly it sucked most of the air out of the lower areas, had to keep my children from flying underneath it.¡±


    ¡°So how¡¯d he die¡±? The question had been on Jennifer¡¯s mind, but she feared the answer.


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s easy, Death killed him!¡± Squawk chirped, her tone completely counter to the gravity of the words.


    ¡°Why?! When?!¡± Everything she found out about Death made her hate him a little more, his going after Destiny, screwing up the world, threatening James, and just overall making the world a miserable place.


    ¡°Well it was after the war, so Death was on a bit of a rampage-¡±


    ¡°What war,¡± Jennifer interrupted.


    ¡°War against Adam, man you really have been living under a rock.¡± Squawk mocked playfully. Choosing to ignore that one, Jennifer continued, she felt she was finally getting somewhere,


    ¡°Tell me about it, this war.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°NOPE?!¡± Jennifer remembered when she found Squawk adorable.


    ¡°Nope, but I can show you!¡± The misdirect wasn¡¯t appreciated and Jennifer groaned,Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Fine, where is it¡±?


    ¡°Pretty close to hear, I¡¯ll show you, but we may want to shake the Deathless first.¡± Squawk commented offhandedly. Frozen, Jennifer spoke slowly, desperately hoping this was another terrible joke.


    ¡°Squawk¡­ Are there Deathless here¡±?


    ¡°Well duh! Where do you think all those paths came from¡±? Jennifer wanted to strangle the little bird, but she knew Chirp was merely a mouth piece.


    ¡°WHY DIDN¡¯T YOU TELL ME THAT EARLIER?! HOW CLOSE ARE THEY??¡± Jennifer shouted, Chirp retreated up into the rafters and Jennifer could hear Squawk¡¯s voice echoing from above.


    ¡°I felt like it¡¯d ruin our conversation, but don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re still a couple ten feet away.¡± Jennifer ran back toward the exit and saw a large herd of Deathless approaching, not just the humankind, but the weird mish mash she¡¯d seen before.


    ¡°Squawk, if I survive this we¡¯re going to have a serious talk!¡±


    ¡°Well now I feel bad, let me know what I can do to help.¡± Squawk apologized, though it didn¡¯t exactly mean much at that moment. Jennifer spun around frantically, Solaris lighting the room enough for her to notice that there was a large crack in the massive window, a splintered section that appeared quite frail. Screaming at Squawk to catch her she charged the fragile glass and shoved herself through it into the night sky. Chirp, with Squawk behind the wheel shot out after her. Jennifer¡¯s freefall continued until a massive Chirp, the size of a roided albatross swooped over her with his talons open wide. Shoving her hands into the awaiting talons, Jennifer felt them close around her sharply, a wave of pain shot through her arm, but she ignored it. As large as Chirp was he couldn¡¯t carry Jennifer for long, so she watched the ground carefully, Solaris zipping across the wreckage providing just enough light for her to get her bearings.


    ¡°There!¡± She shouted, wrenching a hand free from Chirp¡¯s grip and pointing to a large chunk of slanted roofing. The pair glided down, Chirp releasing Jennifer a few feet above the roof, dropping her with a thud. Immediately Jennifer realized her mistake as her feet began to slide down the metallic roof without an ounce of friction to stop her. Her eyes wild, she noticed a chimney sticking out a few feet from the edge of the drop off, and, pushing off with all her might, she managed to clear the gap and grab hold of the chimney. Unable to properly hoist herself up on top of the chimney she slowly slid down the side until she landed on an obviously incomplete path, the rubble still blocking nearly all escape routes.


    Spinning around Jennifer hoped that the Deathless had been too stupid to follow, but those hopes were quickly dashed. The Deathless had followed suit and those with wings had grabbed hold of those without and she shook anxiously as they glided down toward the roof she¡¯d landed on. Taking off at a full out sprint, Jennifer could hear the booming drums and the blaring trumpets of the band back in the hidey hole and she began pumping her legs to the rhythm. A ledge appeared, and Jennifer leapt over it, landing less than gracefully and rolling forward until she regained her bearings, hopping back to her feat she began the run again, Solaris keeping her path illuminated. She vaulted over a windowsill into a wrecked house now completely sideways and held up only by the owner¡¯s weird design requirements. The wall became her floor as Jennifer dodged stuffed animal heads adorning the walls, hopping over light fixtures until she managed to find a window on the other side of the house that she dove out of onto a rotted mattress preserved by some concoction of ingredients that insured it had to be toxic, though she certainly didn¡¯t have time to care about that.


    Some of the Deathless managed to gain on her, mainly the ones with legs designed for the chase. Many of the walking tree looking Deathless had fallen behind and, slowly but surely, Jennifer was losing all but the predators. A quite determined Deathless lion man hybrid leapt across the debris with ease and now found itself mere feet from Jennifer¡¯s undefended backside. Knowing this, Jennifer leapt onto the roof of a shop, the obvious path being to go straight forward, tanking a fall of a couple of feet and continuing on a somewhat clear path, but Jennifer¡¯s eyes fixed onto the side, a long drop off with no foreseeable landing; she chose the drop.


    ¡°SQUAWK!¡± She screamed, Solaris had followed suit and shot to the ground, revealing that the ground was a lot closer than expected. Chirp swooped in and picked her out of the air, slowing her fall just enough for her to land in a pool filled to the brim with snow. The snow offered just enough padding to keep her bones intact, but it still hurt like a bitch. Popping her head out from the snow Jennifer was pleased to see that the lion man hadn¡¯t followed, clearly the winged Deathless had been unable to navigate the rubble and were too far behind to carry him. But of course she¡¯d celebrated too soon, a large condor Deathless about the size of a car dropped out of the sky straight toward her. She braced herself, but the impact never happened. Chirp, now the size of a hawk had shoved his talons into the eyes of the condor and pulled its head sideways causing it to spin out of control and collapse into the rubble. With no time to thank him, Jennifer charged out of the snow and onto a far more pronounced path that brought her close to the bottom of the pile and nearly to the crater.


    With hope in sight Jennifer pounded her legs faster than ever, each stride extending further and further until she practically galloped over the rubble, a smile even crept across her face, a pride in her escape. She felt a powerful force stop her movements and she snapped back her head only to see the lion man had caught up to her, one of his massive claws dug into her jacket. Without a second thought she unzipped and wrenched her arms free, falling face first into a snowdrift and rolling away from the confused lion man who sniffed the jacket, wondering where the meat went. Now completely covered in snow Jennifer figured this was her only chance to lose them, the snow had helped her escape before, it could do it again.


    Instead of popping out of the snow she opted to remain under it, crawling through, careful not to crawl too far up or down. She could hear the Deathless above her, sniffing the ground and roaring in frustration. But, all of the sudden, the roaring stopped, the sniffing ceased, and she could hear the Deathless charging off in another direction, as if they¡¯d found something far more interesting to chase. With no clue what had saved her, but not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth, she emerged from the snow and sprinted away into the night.


    After a mile or two of straight running, she stopped after tripping over an exposed tree root and tumbled onto the ground. About to curse Solaris for not shining bright enough, she realized that he¡¯d vanished. Afraid to call out, she scanned the area only to see a massive ball of light shining off in the distance, the silhouettes of the Deathless herd close behind. That clever son of a bitch she laughed, hoping he¡¯d figure a way to get back. With her leg now throbbing from the fall and her breathing ragged, she sat down, her arms propping her up, allowing herself to be cooled down by the oppressive winter raging around her. The blizzard had ended with Claudia, but the cold hadn¡¯t gone anywhere, the snow still lined the hillsides and, now jacketless, Jennifer hoped for another weather shift.


    The realization that she¡¯d lost her jacket hit her harder than she¡¯d thought it would, even though she¡¯d hated it from the moment her dad forced it on her, she¡¯d somehow grown to appreciate a lot of things about it; warmth being one of the big ones¡­ But the little front pocket, the sleeves she had to roll up just to be able to use her hands, the soft interior that always felt like a hug. Underneath her Jacket she only had a plain white t-shirt, another gift from the nurse, it fit her nice enough, but she¡¯d always found it so dull¡­ Now she had nothing to hide it.


    It just sat there, offering absolutely no explanation for its presence, no reason for invading her room. Jennifer picked up the jacket, holding it far away from her body by the sleeve. The jacket flopped around helplessly, but Jennifer eyed it suspiciously, like an explorer handling a cobra, tense and ready for danger. After she had a good look at the abomination she chucked it across the room and stormed out her door and down to the kitchen where HE sat.


    ¡°What the hell is that¡­ THING on my bed?!¡± She roared, the indignation of housing such a monstrosity boiling over. Her father looked up from the same newspaper he¡¯d been reading all her life and raised a less than amused eyebrow,


    ¡°First, watch your language and second, what are you talking about¡±? He spoke evenly, a monotone that Jennifer hated far more than shouting.


    ¡°You know da-¡± He tilted his head toward her, his eyes daring her forward, ¡°¡­darn¡­ well what I¡¯m referring to! That hideous jacket!¡±


    ¡°You said you needed one.¡± His responses came neither quickly or slowly, but hit an optimal spot in between, as if he had a metronome constantly ticking in his head.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean one of yours!¡± She stomped about the room, her father¡¯s eyes followed, but his face never strayed from his paper. Thrusting herself onto a chair, she crossed her arms tightly and feigned fuming, in reality she was planning her next move. ¡°I¡¯ll just go back to wearing my old jacket, you know, the really tiny one that you hate.¡±


    ¡°Threw it out.¡± His eyes again descended onto his paper, not even a smile of triumph.


    ¡°YOU WHAT?!¡± The scream felt a bit overkill and Jennifer knew it the moment it left her lips, she didn¡¯t care at all about the old jacket, but now she¡¯d lost her trump card.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t scream in my kitchen.¡± He ordered apathetically. Jennifer knew he wouldn¡¯t do a thing if she ignored his order, and somehow that hurt more. ¡°And,¡± His eyes lifted slightly from his paper to meet hers, ¡°if you don¡¯t want to wear the jacket I won¡¯t stop you. You told me you hated that white shirt, so I got you a coat, take it or leave it.¡±


    ¡°Well then I¡¯m leaving it!¡± She leapt to her feet and thundered out of the room and up the stairs into her room. The jacket had shocked her so much that she hadn¡¯t even noticed the black leggings underneath. She glanced down at her current pants, jeans that constricted her waist and came down barely below her knees, a donation from a ten-year-old. But these leggings looked like a perfect fit, suspicious for a house with only one woman.


    ¡°DAD!¡± She shouted down the stairs. She heard nothing. Groaning, she ripped the leggings off the bed and dragged them down the stairs into the kitchen where her father sat, his eyes still glued to the paper he¡¯d likely memorized at this point.


    ¡°Did you shout for me¡±? He asked, an outsider might take him for being earnest, Jennifer knew that was just his particular brand of sarcasm. She hoisted the leggings up and held them aloft in front of her, her father glancing over at them. For a split second she noticed a break in his demeanor, not the fear when she brought up the sword she¡¯d found, but something else, something new¡­ He coughed slightly and whatever it was vanished.


    ¡°Whose are these¡±?


    ¡°Not sure, I found them in the basement.¡± She could tell he wasn¡¯t lying, but he didn¡¯t seem to be telling the truth either. Staring at the leggings she remembered something the nurse had told her, something her school books neglected to mention.


    ¡°Do I have a mom¡±? His grip tightened on the paper, it ripped slightly, yet his face remained unphased.


    ¡°I¡¯d imagine so.¡± The words hit off tempo.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know¡±? Of all the things to forget¡­ The nurse said everyone has to have two parents to exist, but a lot of the children only had one, her included. ¡°Did you two ever get married¡±? Marriage was a far more common occurrence, while there were certainly no new marriages there were plenty of married couples.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t much care for such things, Jennifer.¡± A variation in pitch, a deeper rumble and each word too slow to match tempo; she¡¯d struck a nerve.


    ¡°So, these were her¡¯s, my mom¡¯s¡±?


    ¡°Jennifer¡­¡± His eyes lifted from the paper, if she¡¯d been less focused on getting his attention Jennifer might¡¯ve noticed the tear forming in the corner of his left eye. ¡°That jacket belonged to my father, I wanted you to have it.¡± That did the trick, Jennifer froze. He continued, ¡°He¡­¡± The memories seemed just out of reach, ¡°He wore this around the city, people knew him by it, when I wore it there was no doubt¡­ that I was his son.¡±


    Jennifer carried that jacket with her everywhere after that. She held a lot of resentment for her dad, a list a mile long of grievances tucked away in the back of her mind, but now she realized the jacket had always felt like it held all the love he had for her. If only she¡¯d realized it sooner¡­ She felt alone now, isolated. Shoving her back against a rock she gripped her arms and shook vigorously, if she was going to be warm now she had to do it herself, there was no one else.


    This always happened, the thought barged into her head without a shred of resistance; she was homesick. Her fingernails dug into her arms until blood dripped slowly onto the snow below. You can¡¯t keep doing this, she muttered, you can¡¯t keep hating everything you have and then turn around and miss it. She was a tragic optimist, finding every inch of grass greener than the spot she stood, never considering it was her feet that bent, dented and browned the grass beneath her. But, like every tragic optimist, she did the only thing that came naturally, she kept running to greener grass.

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15


    ¡°Read the¡­¡± Jennifer glanced around the open landscape surrounding her, ¡°area¡­¡± She shrugged, she didn¡¯t have the strength to be mad right now. The little bird Chirp, still possessed by his mother, hopped around the area a couple of times impatiently.


    ¡°The battlefield is literally a thirty-minute fly that way!¡± She pleaded.


    ¡°And how long of a walk do you think it¡¯d be¡±? Jennifer chided, ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not going, I have to focus on finding James.¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t even know where he is! What if he¡¯s at the battlefield¡±? Squawk enticed, Chirp¡¯s little bird mind focused intently on a blade of grass amidst the snow. Oddly enough Squawk was¡­ half right. In her dream with Death Jennifer had heard music, ominous, beautiful music, the same music currently playing softly in her head. The realization occurred the second she left the hidey hole of Forms, the music played so faintly it was a stretch to even call it audible, but, after walking a little way in one direction the music began to slowly increase in volume. Curious and hoping she hadn¡¯t gone mad, Jennifer began walking in a different direction and quickly realized the music was dying down. She had nothing else to go on, and it was Death that had given her the clue in the first place. She attempted to explain this to Squawk, but she just wrote it off as insanity, claiming it to be a thing humans just have from time to time.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care what you think, it¡¯s the only lead I have and I¡¯m going to follow it.¡± Jennifer declared, standing to her feet and shutting her eyes, attempting to grab a hold of the music.


    ¡°Or we could just go straight to him.¡± Squawk beeped offhandedly. Jennifer¡¯s whole body tensed, shook and released. Her head rotated slowly accompanied by a series of creaking and popping sounds, a vein bulged from her neck.


    ¡°You know where he is¡±? Jennifer spoke each word slowly, calmly, a sweet smile on her face.


    ¡°Well duh,¡± Squawk chirped, back in her cave rolling her eyes, ¡°I followed him after he left.¡±


    ¡°THEN WHY THE HELL DIDN¡¯T YOU TELL ME THAT EARLIER!??!?¡± Jennifer screamed.


    ¡°Yeesh, quiet down Jennifer, you¡¯ll bring the Deathless back,¡± Every ounce of will power went into Jennifer not strangling the little bird before her, again, only because the real bird in need of strangling wouldn¡¯t wind up being strangled. The sound of her teeth grinding against each other could be heard from miles away. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you because I thought you seemed to know where you were going, and I didn¡¯t want to bother you, but then you told me about that ridiculous music thing and I realized you clearly had no clue what you were doing. So, I decided to help you, you¡¯re welcome!¡± Jennifer had to remind herself to breath, she¡¯d broken arms for less than this. As annoying as it may be though, Jennifer knew that, if Squawk could lead her to James, then she had to put up with the little bird, regardless of how strangelable she became.


    ¡°Fine Squawk,¡± Jennifer¡¯s shoulders slumped, ¡°take me to James.¡± Chirp¡¯s head nodded up and down, his eyes relating that he was not the one choosing to do this, he then took to the skies and flew east. With a great sigh, Jennifer took off after him.


    After a few minutes of walking Solaris finally reappeared, Jennifer would¡¯ve liked to thank him and ask him how he managed to escape the Deathless, but she figured he¡¯d need a mouth and ears to properly complete that particular task, neither of which he had.


    As she walked, Jennifer found herself constantly staring up at the stars. Only months ago, she thought stars were nothing more than stories, but out here, walking beneath them, they seemed far more real than anything back home.


    To entertain herself she picked out images within the stars, one of them a monster, the other a brave and handsome hero. She told a story to Solaris about them, even though he couldn¡¯t hear any of it, a story about how the brave handsome hero was tasked to slay the monster, but the hero was too afraid to kill anything, much less a monster. The monster, his family in need of meat, tasked him to go to the village and bring a few humans back, but the monster didn¡¯t like to eat humans, human fear made him sad. So, the monster hunted deer, chopped up the meat, and told his family that it was human, while the hero would go out, kill deer, and prop up their antlers on great piles of wood, throwing a cloak over it all and setting it alight in front of the other villagers, claiming it to be a monster he¡¯d just slain. Inevitably the two met in the forest one evening, both believing they¡¯d launched the fatal arrow into a deer. The monster tried to explain that it was in the human¡¯s best interest that he takes the deer, but the human countered that it was in the monster¡¯s best interest if he took the deer. The two argued back and forth and back and forth until they finally grew quite angry with the other. Tensions boiled over and the two exchanged blows, the monster gaining the upper hand until the young handsome hero drew his sword and struck the monster down. Ashamed of what he¡¯d done, but excited that he no longer had to lie to the village, he brought the monster home, stuffed its head and hung it over the fireplace of the local tavern. After the monster didn¡¯t return home, the family of the monster began to worry about their son and brother, so they decided to go out looking for him. Believing his lies about killing in the human village they began their search there. They snuck into the tavern only to find their dear brother and son stuffed and hanging over the fireplace, in anger they tore the village apart, burning every house, shop and tavern to the ground. The villagers took arms against the monsters and soon the two groups managed to wipe each other out, until only the young and handsome hero remained. Standing in the wreckage of his burning village he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he should have just let that monster have the deer¡­


    Some people will tell you that they¡¯ve felt evil. Some human instinct seems to allow you to enter an area and just know something is wrong, something is off and that you should not be there. What makes human beings even more interesting is, the stronger that feeling gets, the more they¡¯ll want to stay. Jennifer, still following Chirp, climbed up an oddly placed crag and stood facing a dark landscape that, through the small amount of available light, told her this was no ordinary valley. She glanced over at Solaris, his little light shining peacefully beside her, apparently over his disappointment at her presence. She motioned toward the valley and began to speak, but stopped, considered it for a moment, began again, uttered a few syllables, stopped and then crossed her arms tightly and glared at the little ball of light. Finally she decided to just go for it,


    ¡°Could you light up that valley for me¡­ Please¡±? The non-sentient star floated idly, not a single sign it had heard her, she felt really stupid, especially since she knew this would happen. Frustrated, Jennifer stared down the little light before snapping her hand over the light and gripping it lightly in her palm, like a child catching flies. The initial heat brought some deep, pained breaths from Jennifer¡¯s nostrils, but she was surprised at how little heat there was, she¡¯d expected her hand might burn off¡­ Which made her wonder why she would ever do something as moronic as grabbing a star, but something told her it¡¯d be alright. Solaris bobbed up and down within her hand, bouncing against her fingers and palms causing little burns wherever he landed. Tired of being burned in multiple places made the even brighter decision to squeeze down on the star and thus localize the pain to one spot. She froze as the light from within her hand shone outwards the moment she began to squeeze. Exploring the phenomenon a bit, Jennifer loosened and tightened her grip, watching in wonderment at the rising and fading of the light. To complete her experiment, she tightened her hand around Solaris as tight as she could muster, shielding her eyes with her free hand as the light from Solaris exploded. Jennifer¡¯s reflex kicked in and she hurled the little star away from her into the valley. But Solaris never landed. At the peak of his arc, Solaris halted, hovering above the snow and maintaining his new level of brightness, enough brightness to light the whole valley.


    Wondering if the lesson she should take away from this is violence solves all problems, Jennifer descended the now illuminated crag into the valley below. Crags, many nearly the size of mountains, punctured Adam¡¯s surface, protruding from the crust like splinters in skin. The crags, contrary to Jennifer¡¯s first impression, didn¡¯t surround the valley, rather the valley contained the crags. The Terrain within the valley looked a lot like Jennifer¡¯s hands after pulling the splintered harpoon from Meerous¡¯ gills, great cuts plagued the ground, going to and from massive dips and rises of Adam, not an inkling of order to be found. The ground, covered in snow, hid any clues as to the odd structure Jennifer looked down into, it looked to her like the adam had thrown a tantrum, but knowing Adam that probably wasn¡¯t the case, he was far too boring for tantrums. No, she thought, this was something else, this felt much too human, much too her¡­


    After reaching the bottom of the crag and having a moment to look around, Jennifer began to notice strange white sticks of an unusual thickness and design poking out of the snow. Upon closer inspection Jennifer realized that these weren¡¯t sticks, they were bones. Chirp landed on her shoulder and Squawks voice bellowed in her ear.


    ¡°See, I told you it was close!¡± She beamed. Jennifer took a moment to process what had happened, and, when it finally clicked, she threw her arm around and gripped Chirp tightly, the unassuming bird struggling desperately in her grip. Squawk¡¯s voice, a calm contradiction to the petrified beak it emerged from, chirped in confusion,


    ¡°Jennifer, why are you strangling Chirp? You know he doesn¡¯t appreciate that.¡± She scolded. Jennifer wrenched the little bird in front of her face and spoke slowly,


    ¡°Squawk, you told me we were after James and yet here we are in the very spot I told you I didn¡¯t want to go. You lied to me and wasted my time, valuable time I could have been using to find James.¡± Squawk didn¡¯t know which was colder, the freezing temperature or Jennifer¡¯s tone¡­


    ¡°Well Jennifer, I didn¡¯t really lie, I do know where James went and I¡¯m going to take you there, but I figured taking a quick detour wouldn¡¯t hurt. Why don¡¯t you calm down and I can tell you all about this place and then we can go find James.¡± Squawk proposed without an inkling of remorse.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°No.¡± Squawk began to protest, but Jennifer stopped her, ¡°I said no, and I meant it. Leave, fly away and don¡¯t come back.¡±


    ¡°But I know where James is I ca-¡± Jennifer reared back her arm and chucked the terrified and confused Chirp back toward the crag and then she turned around and walked into the valley, her eyes closed in search of the music. Chirp managed to catch himself before the inevitable collision, and, fearing the angry human before him, Chirp took off, Squawk let him go.


    The valley breathed through crumbling ravines strained and bitter breaths, bones lined the frozen landscape like burnt skin peeling off the flesh. The horrifying scene did not go unnoticed by Jennifer, who strode purposefully through the mass graveyard toward the opening on the other end, she found the image disturbing, but unimportant. She knew she needed to move, to make up for wasted time, to find James, then his brother, and then everything would be right again. Right¡­ She paused at the word, chewing on it like a piece of rubbery chicken, desperate to swallow and be done with it, but it refused to go down.


    A figure stood amidst the bones, he hadn¡¯t been there a moment ago, once upon a time that would have rattled Jennifer, now she wondered who dared waste more of her time. The imposing figure of Adam loomed over the body of a particularly well-preserved corpse, its body chilled in ice and propped up, like a trophy on a mantel. Jennifer approached the Form cautiously, his demeanor giving her pause.


    ¡°Squawk brought you here¡±? Adam spoke, his eyes never wavering from the icy cadaver. Jennifer nodded, he wasn¡¯t looking at her, but she knew he saw it. He chuckled, a humorless noise that somehow made the atmosphere more dismal. ¡°She¡¯s always trying to make things right that bird¡­¡± Jennifer¡¯s eyebrow spasmed, refusing to raise without the other. Adam¡¯s shoulders slumped as he brought a scarred hand over his face to rub his temples, ¡°I¡¯m guessing your history books don¡¯t have anything on this do they¡±? He motioned toward the surrounding landscape. Jennifer shook her head, he chuckled again, ¡°I thought as much¡­ Your kind tried to kill me right here.¡± He paused to let the words sink in, by the look on Jennifer¡¯s face he knew he¡¯d succeeded. ¡°Squawk told you about the offer right¡±? Another nod from Jennifer, ¡°So you may imagine what they were after.¡± His voice remained calm, collected, as if he were recounting a story from a novel. Jennifer finally mustered the courage to speak,


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, for what they did to you¡­ I know that may not mean much but-¡± Adam raised a hand to cut her off,


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame them, I don¡¯t blame myself either.¡± He turned toward her, his eyes locked onto hers, ¡°I can tell by your face that you¡¯re skeptical,¡± She turned away, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, centuries ago I was too. That bastard Time finally snapped me out of it, he said, ¡®forgiveness and growth go hand and hand, both take time, both acknowledge some past injustice, some past failure, and both rest solely on you.¡¯¡±


    ¡°What exactly happened¡­¡±? Jennifer wasn¡¯t quite sure she wanted to know. Adam placed his hand on the preserved corpse and turned it toward Jennifer, the corpses¡¯ face now eye to eye with her. A suit, dark and formal, adorned the body, a dark blue tie and brown loafers, hair a dark brown, coiffed perfectly over his brow, his eyes a bright green and his lips now a chilly blue. Two things immediately leapt out to Jennifer, the first being the large silver knife protruding from the man¡¯s chest, a knife with a curved handle and a straight single sided blade, symbols of human conflict, diseased creatures, starved livestock and a decaying landscape, etched into the blade, whispered quietly to Jennifer, telling a story quite ancient and quite modern. But, despite the shock of the blade, it was the man¡¯s pin froze Jennifer¡¯s blood, flushed it all from her face, and her knees nearly gave out from under her, she was rendered utterly speechless. The man¡¯s pin was an exact image of the tower back home.


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ He¡¯s from my town¡­¡± Jennifer choked out the words, the implications of this discovery burning a hole through her mind, every explanation she considered worse than the last. Adam nodded,


    ¡°That he is, and more than that, he was once your leader, president Eugene Watkins. Look at him now, a perfect example of where power grubbing gets you.¡± Adam seemed slightly less than aware of Jennifer¡¯s existential crisis occurring right next to him, but he wouldn¡¯t really care if he did. ¡°You want to know what happened¡±? Jennifer barely managed to nod, ¡°good, then get comfortable, this may take a while,¡±


    ¡°It all began with Time hundreds of thousands of years ago. Few know this, but Time actually used to be Death, as in the Death you¡¯ve heard so many wonderful things about. Well¡­ not really Death the person, but Death the job¡­ I¡¯m getting off track, the point is Time used to be responsible for human death as well as cosmic death. His brother Destiny tasked him to end human lives at a certain point and escort them back to the Book they came from. Problem became Time didn¡¯t really like the job seeing as he had developed a certain love for humans so, instead of manning and up and just doing his damn job, he decided to create four children to do the job for him; Famine, Pestilence, Plague and War. Destiny wasn¡¯t exactly thrilled about this decision, telling Time that he¡¯d just sealed his own doom, telling him to undo it immediately, but Time refused. Destiny, knowing Time would suffer for this, left and took the Book with him, nobody¡¯s heard from him since. Time on the other hand, went off into the cosmos after him, hoping to make amends or some nonsense.


    ¡°In Time¡¯s absence though, those four Deaths began to grow restless, especially War. With the humans developing quicker and more efficient ways of killing each other by the day, War found himself more powerful than ever, powerful enough to murder his brothers and take on the position of the sole Death we know today. The knife he used to slaughter them became their final resting place, their souls etched into the very metal itself. Following Death¡¯s birth came a thousand years of suffering the likes of which we once thought was impossible. Death rallied the humans to his side, taught them new and unique ways of killing and sent them after us, to roam and conqueror to their heart¡¯s content.


    ¡°But Time finally returned after centuries of wasting time searching for his brother and confronted his kid. Time gave him a chance to recant, to fix all he¡¯d broken, but Death refused. Left with no other options, Time did the only thing he could and struck Death down, knowing full well that meant he¡¯d have to return to doing the job himself. After that we all believed the problem had been solved and things could return to normal, but life is never so simple. As Death lay dying, he raised up his weapon and drove it into his own chest, tying his spirit to the weapon forever.


    ¡°Unlucky for us, a human discovered the weapon, some seedy outcast who¡¯d been driven from his home for some good reason I¡¯ve forgotten, but trust me, he deserved it¡­ What was I¡­ Oh yeah, the weapon. The outcast found it in the woods and heard Death¡¯s voice call out to him, offering him a chance to exact revenge on those that had hurt him. Death had become far too weak to force a convergence on the man, but, with the man¡¯s willing permission, Death was able to syphon off a part of his own soul and place it into the man, slowly escaping from the weapon. Sadly for Death the man died before the process could even come close to finishing, so Death needed another solution. What he hadn¡¯t counted on is the effect tying his soul to humanity would have and, as the man died, a child was born in a village across the ocean, a child bearing part of Death¡¯s soul. The child grew up and made his way to the weapon, his heart crying out to it, and, once he found it, the process continued.


    ¡°Generations upon generations passed, Death reincarnating over and over again, his soul slowly receding from the weapon and making its way back into a human Form. All this time slowly manipulating the empires of man, growing them, merging them, developing them into weapons for his end game. When he believed he¡¯d done enough, and his soul finally merged fully with a human being, he rallied the armies of man and the Forms they¡¯d captured or forced into the offer, he rallied Forms that I¡¯d made enemies of, and he set them against me, promising them that the very ground beneath them would serve them. The humans were unaware that it was Death who lead them, but Time knew, he¡¯d watched all of this from afar, hoping that Death may still repent. Death lied, murdered, and betrayed his way to the top of the current leading empire, the capital of which was your home Jennifer.


    ¡°With great airships they rained hell upon me, and, with only a few Forms brave enough to stand with me, I found myself quickly overwhelmed. After watching the fury and ferocity of the assault, we all knew whose work this was. The battle continued for weeks, the humans taking refuge in the floating city, just out of my reach, continually bombarding me with explosives strong enough to level mountains, leaving me no time to rest. Eventually I grew tired, weak, and unable to fight back. Every Form that had stood with me had either died, accepted the offer, or fled into the sanctuary I¡¯d made for them, and I stood to face Death alone. This man you see here stood before me, the weapon you now see protruding from his chest, raised above him, poised to strike me down, when time froze.


    ¡°Time had witnessed the carnage and figured his kid was beyond saving, so he finally decided to step in. The battlefield, frozen in time save for me and Time himself was probably the strangest sight I¡¯d ever seen. Time approached the man you see before you and began crying for the kid, wishing things had gone differently.


    ¡°But Death had been clever, far more clever than any of us had given him credit for. Time had focused everything on the man he assumed to be Death, the man holding the weapon and leading the army, but this man is not and never was Death. Hiding amongst the common foot soldiers, Death slowly broke free from Time¡¯s control and snuck up behind him and drove the real weapon through his heart. Victorious, Death burst into psychotic laughter and began slaughtering everyone in sight, beginning with the man you see before you. He took the fake weapon, a forgery so perfect that it fooled Time himself, and drove it through the fake death¡¯s chest. Time, barely alive and carried by Life, retreated with the rest of the surviving humans toward the city you call home. With the last of his strength surrounding it in a bubble of Time, slowing everything down to the point where time stops being relevant. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s even still alive in there, all I know is that he¡¯s no use to anyone now.


    ¡°Death, his weapon now possessing the very power of Time itself, declared himself ruler over all the cosmos, enslaved every surviving human unlucky enough not to make it to your city with Time, and turned them into the Deathless. He forced the world into the endless twilight it was, began the blizzard and promised swift Death to anyone who attempted to change any of it.


    ¡°I opened up my sanctuary to any Form who needed it, and soon even the cosmic Forms like Helios and my father took refuge. Death had taken to the stars in search of Destiny, clearly not satisfied with there being another being out there that could challenge him.


    ¡°I thought that was it¡­ My job had become simply to preserve the last of my kind and I accepted I¡¯d probably die doing it. But James, that guy¡­ He reminded me of what Time¡¯d told me and I¡­¡± Tears began to form in the man¡¯s eyes, ¡°I can¡¯t make myself hate you, I was tasked to carry you, but I continue to do it because¡­ because you all are something special. Jennifer, do you know why I¡¯m telling you all this¡±? Jennifer shook her head slowly. ¡°I want you to know the truth, and I don¡¯t care what you do with it, just do something okay? That¡¯s the thing I love most about you humans, you always manage to turn things around.¡±


    ¡°Th-this isn¡¯t my burden¡­ NONE OF THIS WAS MY FAULT!¡± Jennifer screamed, a broken wale reverberating across the empty graveyard and heard only by the dead and defeated. Falling to her knees, surrounded by the bones of her ancestors she relinquished every tear within her until she held nothing left. A strong arm wrapped around her shoulder, a voice neither friendly nor accusing spoke plainly in her ear,


    ¡°Jennifer, you owe me nothing, you owe them nothing. I don¡¯t blame you, I never did. The question isn¡¯t what MUST you do, but what WILL you do¡±? The question went unanswered, Jennifer had no answer and Adam didn¡¯t need one, he¡¯d made his peace in his soul, she¡¯d only begun learning the depths of the storm within her¡¯s. Jennifer wrenched the knife from the corpses¡¯ chest and did the only thing she knew how to do, she stumbled back into the storm.

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16


    The music within her mind grew steadily, the rhythm beginning to match her steps, or maybe she¡¯d matched her steps to the rhythm, it was hard to tell. No Squawk, no Adam and no James walked beside her. The loneliness should¡¯ve been familiar, she figured she¡¯d be used to it, but it stung, now more than ever. The cold air bit at her cheeks and her bare arms, covered in goosebumps and shivering constantly, wrapped tightly around her chest. The music, that soft jazz beat crept slowly from one end of her mind to the other, lingering occasionally on thoughts she wished to ignore, the music seemed to want her to dwell on these thoughts, the ones best left forgotten. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally came face to face with a mansion in the snow.


    This must be the place, the music in her head had crescendoed and any move she made in any direction but the entrance caused a sharp dip in the volume. First impressions, the mansion wished not to be found, that seemed fairly obvious. A number of mountains surrounded the estate, mountains sagging like elderly patients faltering on the rim of the abyss. As Jennifer approached them she thought she¡¯d heard wailing, but nothing could be alive out here, she comforted herself with that thought, desperately ignoring the presence of the mountains themselves. Second impression of the mansion fell slightly more on the whimsical side, great manor windows with old stone brick structure, dying trees growing in and out of the gardens, a great ebony gate with deadly and hauntingly beautiful designs circling the property, and a large dark wood door with a single iron knocker, iron forged to resemble a human hand opened to hold take on another. Something about the mansion filled Jennifer with a kind of surreal excitement, the kind of feeling you might see in a fish admiring a glowing worm deep in the ocean depths. Like the fish, Jennifer refused to pass up on the worm.


    The ebony gate, enslaved to guard the mansion by the oppressive law of a great grey lock forged from solid steel, refused to budge for Jennifer. Not one to be detained, Jennifer hoisted herself over the gate and into the front gardens, or at least, what remained of the gardens. A gorgeous stone path leading through morbid remnants of rose bushes brought Jennifer past gothic fountains, statues so broken Destiny himself would be hard pressed to tell you what they once were, until she arrived before the great dark wood door. Upon closer inspection Jennifer could see the wood¡¯s dark coloring wasn¡¯t a natural phenomenon, whatever fire took place within those walls must have truly done a number on the insides, Jennifer almost talked herself into staying outside. But something about the way the doors remained shut, like a dog¡¯s mouth patiently awaiting the go ahead, continued to pique Jennifer¡¯s curiosity.


    She held the iron hand of the knocker and crashed it into the door twice, and, as she lifted her hand for a third, the door swung open, a cold wind escaping from behind the doors, a wind somehow colder than the freezing winds outside. After the initial wave of cold, the door exhaled a welcoming warm air, comfortable air enticing sleep, Jennifer accepted the invitation and entered, the doors slamming shut behind her. For a mansion that obviously hosted an unintended fire, Jennifer found the decor rather remarkably undercooked. Great bookshelves lined the walls, musty books with titles written in symbols Jennifer felt fairly confident she¡¯d never be able to read filled those shelves and an old rickety ladder lay propped against it. Between the shelves elegant red silked couches and chairs formed a makeshift parlor surrounding a lit fireplace, small mahogany tables interspersed between hoisting coasters devoid of cups. Two circular staircases ascended upwards to a second story containing an even greater array of novels, manuals, plays, and maps, whoever lived here must like to read, Jennifer remarked as she plopped herself down on one of the couches, the red silk appearing far more comfortable than it actually was.


    You might imagine that Jennifer¡¯s level of relaxation borders on the moronic, but Jennifer figured she¡¯d followed the music this far, clearly this was the intended destination, so whatever brought her here would reveal itself in time, no sense in rushing things. Bored, Jennifer began to scan her eyes across the books, the symbols on the spines giving her an odd sort of headache. Her head throbbed and so she quickly wrenched her eyes free from the shelf, but in that instant where her eyes shifted across the books at that speed, she saw the image of a king. Shaking her head and wondering how much of that was exhaustion, she slowly returned her eyes to the shelf and, quickly this time, scanned the shelf back and forth.


    What once appeared as nonsensical symbols now manifested in characters, settings, themes, a narrative that Jennifer followed with a combination of awe and terror. She saw a young man, belittled, beaten, broken¡­ A crowd of people stood away, huddled around a dying flame, flickering softly against the chilled winds, the young man had no flame, he walked alone. From town to town the young man walked, finding no home, no friend, no comfort, everything he could grab hold of he gripped until it rotted, leaving him more alone than before. Jennifer witnessed every change the young man made, every move to be loved, cared for, appreciated, but nothing took and, as the young man sat alone, huddled in a ditch off the side of the road, watching people walk by without a single glance made his way, he came to a biting conclusion, Jennifer mouthed it with him, ¡®no one comes.¡¯ The young man abandoned this world of his, took off toward the mountains, something in his head lead him toward the east. The music, once in Jennifer¡¯s head, now played around the young man, accompanying his journey through familiar mountain paths until he arrived at the very mansion Jennifer sat in. She watched him enter the same room she sat in, observe the books on the shelves, sit on the sofa and warm himself by the fire, until he noticed something in the corner. Watching this unfold, Jennifer turned in the direction the young man had looked, and saw nothing but a podium, empty, charred. She watched the young man closely, seeing him approach the podium, only his appeared new, beautiful, unmarred by flames. From the podium the young man lifted a book, a tattered journal that appeared far older than the other books on the shelf. Jennifer ran to her podium, but there was no such book, so she turned to watch the young man read his. His eyes lit up, clarity shone across his face and he returned to the couch and read for hours, understanding lighting his features with every turn of the page. Jennifer wanted a book like that.


    The young man slammed the book closed and placed it back onto the podium and left the mansion, Jennifer following his journey on the bookcase. He returned to the realm of man, his demeanor entirely changed, insecurity replaced with confidence, confusion replaced with clarity, fear replaced with purpose. The young man entered the throne rooms of kings, the offices of governments, the tents of warlords and dripped honey from his tongue, forming alliances between enemies, pointing in the direction of conquests once thought impossible, and leading the human race in a golden age of development, time and time again. It was at this point that Jennifer realized she hadn¡¯t merely been watching one man, but hundreds, each one separated from the others by time, but connected by the same exact story. Each of the young men grew old, returning to the mansion, to the book. They took the book into their arms and began to write, write of their stories, their achievements and their plans for the next arrival. They then ascended to the top of the mansion, up a tower covered in snow, until they reached a throne room at the top. Four thrones, marked with images of decay, famine, sickness, and war, all empty save for a small silver knife resting on the throne of war. Each man, aged and their tasks completed, drove the knife through their stomachs, vomiting blood over the throne of war. Bleeding like gutted pigs they hobbled down the stairs and into the foyer, pulling a book from one of the shelves, revealing a secret passageway, a staircase leading deep into the depths of Adam. There, in that blackness they lay next to hundreds of corpses, content smiles on their faces as they breathe their last. When the last bit of life fades the books went dark, Jennifer, wondering if the story had ended, began to stand, when a light shone through the shelves, and thus the story began again.


    Jennifer had seen that knife before, she reached into her bag and felt the replica, but she knew where she might find the real one. Slowly, anxiously, she ascended the stairs, painfully aware why each step was stained red, until she reached the familiar door, the door every last one of those men had entered at the end of their lives, and she pushed it open. There, standing between the four thrones was a man; a man with curly black hair, and deep grey eyes.


    ¡°J-James¡­¡±?


    ¡°Hello Jennifer, what took you so long¡±?


    ******************************************************************************


    Clad in a dark suit, perfectly shined ebony shoes and slicked back dark hair, the man offered Jennifer a slight smirk before collapsing onto the blood stained throne of war with a great sigh.


    ¡°Ugh, you would not believe how much of a hassle it¡¯s been getting you here!¡± Jennifer winced, his voice sounded so familiar, but the tone was all wrong. ¡°I mean you sure took your sweet time! I put the music in your head, gave you¡­mostly clear passage,¡± he shrugged, ¡°and yet I¡¯ve been sitting here for hours!¡± He stood suddenly and leaned forward to look Jennifer in the eye, his smile grew larger, grew wolfish, ¡°but I could never stay mad at you could I¡±? He held that position for an uncomfortable minute, it almost seemed as if he wanted an answer. Jennifer opened her mouth to answer, but he¡¯d already spun back around and hopped onto the throne of famine. ¡°You must have SO many questions,¡± he allowed himself to fall into the throne, putting his head in his hand and rubbing his temples, ¡°it¡¯s going to take FOREVER to answer them all¡­ hmmm¡­.¡± Jennifer decided to interject, there was only one question on her mind,


    ¡°Why did you lie to me¡±? She was surprised how smoothly the words came out, somehow the rage, sadness, and despair all balanced out to an apathetic montone. A single eyebrow shot upwards, Jennifer twitched,


    ¡°Lie to you? Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer! I¡¯ve never lied to you! Hell, this is only the second time I¡¯ve met you!¡± He hopped off the throne and sat himself down on the arm rest of the plague throne adjacent to Jennifer.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Ho-how is that¡­ that¡¯s a lie! We traveled all this way together and you¡­¡± Realization set in, ¡°...and you¡¯re not him.¡±


    ¡°Bingo.¡± He patted her on the head and walked calmly to the lone window behind his throne. ¡°I do look a lot like him don¡¯t I? That, ¡°James.¡±¡± He turned to face her, his eyes looked pained, conflicted, enraged, yet his smile never waivered. ¡°But hey, that¡¯s what happens when you¡¯re part of a family, am I right!¡± Jennifer had no clue if he was right.


    ¡°You¡¯re not making any sense...¡± She felt she was bouncing around a question that would clarify all this, but she couldn¡¯t focus enough to think of it.


    ¡°Well duh,¡± he laughed, ¡°You¡¯re a stupid human, of course none of this makes any sense to you!¡± The pieces seemed to finally connect.


    ¡°So you¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re¡­¡± She didn¡¯t want to say it.


    ¡°D-E-A-T-H. The one and only-¡± He looked awkwardly at the other three empty thrones, ¡°and believe me that was a task!¡± Something in Jennifer snapped, all her pent up rage exploded as she leapt toward the man, but she merely collided with an empty throne. ¡°Ouch,¡± he chuckled, ¡°That looked like it hurt.¡± She got up to charge him again, but he snapped his fingers and she found herself entirely unable to move. With a flick of his wrist she collided with the back of the throne, her body shifting into a polite sitting posture that made her look quite excited to listen. ¡°That¡¯s so much better! Now I have some business with ya, so if ya have anymore questions best to ask them now, because once I get started I ain¡¯t stopping for nothing.¡± Jennifer struggled with the invisible restraints, but they refused to budge, she screamed obscenities at a fairly unimpressed Death who merely checked his barren wrist every so often, waiting for her to finally calm down.


    When she¡¯d exhausted herself, realizing she may be a bit outmatched here, she decided she might as well get some answers.


    ¡°That story I saw, on the bookshelves,¡± Death seemed pleasantly surprised at her change of tone, and met her eyes with a smile, ¡°those men were you right, your reincarnations¡±? The smile twitched slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you know about all that, but ya are right, all those fine boyos were just reincarnations of the masterpiece ya see before ya.¡±


    ¡°What I want to know is how you managed to ruin all of their lives like that, make people hate them so they¡¯d run away to this place.¡± Death burst into laughter, a bitter laughter Jennifer was all too familiar with. He finally calmed down, wiped a tear from his eye and then leapt up from his chair and drove his face inches away from Jennifer¡¯s, a malicious grin ripped across his face,


    ¡°You should know better than anyone, I didn¡¯t have to do a damn thing.¡± He paused to let the words sink in before slowly returning to his seat and leaning back lazily as he searched for a comfortable position. ¡°Yep, ya humans are pretty well capable of ruining people¡¯s lives without my help, hell I¡¯m the only one nice enough to take you guys out of the equation from time to time. But I don¡¯t blame y¡¯all, ya humans are too stupid to be as cruel as you are without help. That¡¯s why I called you here to-¡± Jennifer, the burning question finally making its way to the surface, interrupted him mid thought and burst out,


    ¡°Who started the fire¡±? The question caught Death off guard and his relaxed demeanor wavered for a moment as Jennifer continued, her thoughts finally connecting, ¡°that¡¯s why the book I saw isn¡¯t there anymore? It burned didn¡¯t it¡±? With a tense sigh, Death collected himself and returned to his old confidence, though a slightly more strained variety.


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty astute observation there Jennifer, I can see why he likes ya.¡± He left the, ¡°he¡± vague, clearly waiting to open that up in a bigger way, ¡°but you¡¯re right, the fire and the missing book are linked. Not all of my incarnations agreed with the mission, and there was one, right near the end,  who decided to do something about it.¡± His tone confused her,


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem too torn up about it¡­¡± He smiled, a more genuine grin than his earlier offers,


    ¡°He set my plan back a fair amount, tried to burn the mansion to the ground, destroyed the book with the plan in it¡­¡± He recounted all this with whimsy in his voice, ¡°Kid didn¡¯t give a damn about the plan, about any of it. Kid had balls.¡± He smirked out the window, staring off at some truth hidden in the snow, but, before he could find it, he snapped back into the present. ¡°But enough about him! Let¡¯s talk about you and that friend of yours.¡± Jennifer¡¯s heart skipped a beat, this is why she was here, she reminded herself, for better or worse.


    ¡°What about him? You brought me all the way out here, made yourself look just like him, why¡±? Death let out a snarky chuckle,


    ¡°Oh man, you sure do know how to press the right buttons, I didn¡¯t choose to look like him, that¡¯s just a sad birth defect, something I¡¯ve considered changing on multiple occasions.¡± He began pacing around the room, clearly not used to people chatting with him so casually and not sure if he should be enjoying it. He stopped, turned slowly to Jennifer and grinned from ear to ear, like an eel eyeing a lone fish. ¡°But I¡¯ve wasted enough of your time, I think it¡¯s time I tell you why you¡¯re here.¡± Jennifer¡¯s knuckles went white as she dug her fingers into the stone throne. ¡°Your friend James goes by another name ya know, one he went by loooooooooong before he met you, and would ya like to know what that name is¡±? He leaned in and whispered the word in her ear, ¡°DESTINY.¡± Her eyes snapped open, her mouth went dry and she watched Death casually return to his throne, lean back with his hands propping up his chin, ¡°Thoughts¡±? She could think of a few.


    ¡°Why should I believe you? Why should I believe any of this?!¡± She demanded, struggling against the invisible restraints. Death chuckled slightly, a sad sound.


    ¡°I wish I could tell ya this is all a lie, but it ain¡¯t.¡± He rubbed his chin with his right hand and then leaned back and placed his hands behind his head, ¡°You think I¡¯m the bad guy here, but ya couldn¡¯t be more wrong. I assume by now you¡¯ve heard all about the convergence, when Destiny, ¡®lost¡¯ all of his control¡±? Jennifer nodded suspiciously. ¡°Well he didn¡¯t take to that so well, began finding more and more subtle ways of controlling us Forms, insuring that we¡­ stay in line.¡±


    ¡°What sorts of ways¡±? Jennifer ventured, still skeptical.


    ¡°The Book.¡±


    ¡°The Book¡±? Jennifer had heard all sorts of things about the Book, how everything that exists comes from the Book, that Destiny¡¯s the only one who can read from the Book, how everything eventually returns to the Book, but how any of that worked was beyond her.


    ¡°Yep, see me, you, the snow, the oceans, the planet, we¡¯re all just words in that Book under the illusion of life.¡± He spat the word, ¡®life.¡¯ ¡°And every word out of the Book¡¯s gotta be read to exist, read exactly as it¡¯s written. So, when ole Destiny reads a word like, I don¡¯t know, ¡®DEATH,¡¯ he¡¯s bringing into existence a being with Death in mind, and that¡¯s how he likes it. So, someone like that, whether he likes it or not, ain¡¯t gonna be nothing but a Death machine for his whole life. This Deathly lad¡¯s gonna go on killing forever, doing his job better and better cus he can¡¯t help it, he¡¯s hardwired that way, but what if he didn¡¯t have to be¡±? Jennifer¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°See Destiny has this¡­ influence. He can¡¯t directly control anyone anymore, but he can keep them acting within their nature, subtle, but potent. Issue is he didn¡¯t count on how potent this influence could be and that Deathly lad of his got hit a bit too hard, started doing his job¡­ too well. Now uncle Destiny can¡¯t have that, gotta keep order and what not, so what does he do? He gets a human, tricks her into taking him to his brother so he can¡­ set things straight. Brother¡¯s dying, Deathly boy put a knife through his spine, so what¡¯s he gonna do? Well, that human girl he¡¯s hanging out with has zero holes in her spine, seems pretty healthy overall, aged perfectly in a sterile little bubble.¡± The words landed on Jennifer like drops of boiling water on exposed skin, each drop painful in its own right, but only a taste of the pot they came from. ¡°He walks with her, obsesses over her safety, gains her trust, right up until the moment he¡¯s ready for her to converge.¡± Jennifer shook her head desperately, not even certain enough to speak. ¡°Oh come on Jennifer! Open your eyes, what do you think Destiny finds more valuable, you or the universe¡±? Death hopped to his feet and made his way to her side, setting a soft hand on her shoulder, ¡°And, ya know what¡¯s worse, he¡¯s the one who screwed it up in the first place.¡± He let his hand linger for a moment, let Jennifer process what she¡¯d heard.


    The hand lifted from her shoulder and Death squatted down in front of her, a silver knife in his hand, the real knife. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t have to be this way Jennifer. If Destiny dies then no one else has to. The second he¡¯s gone we¡¯ll all regain our freedom, our true freedom. I¡¯ll no longer have to kill, for the first time in my life I¡¯ll be free to pursue whatever life I desire and so will you. All of those people back home, your father, Kenny, those classmates of yours, all free. And you have my word, once he¡¯s dead I¡¯ll be able to put everything right, without this urge to kill overwhelming me I can bring back everyone I¡¯ve killed, make this world beautiful again.¡± Jennifer began to speak, but the words simply wouldn¡¯t come out. This was all too much, none of this made any sense, none of this felt right and yet¡­ He placed the knife in her hand, curled her fingers around the handle and smiled, a real smile, ¡°I won¡¯t make ya do anything, this is your decision. Whatever ya decide, I¡¯ll know.¡± Death stood straight, smiled down at her, winked and vanished, leaving Jennifer all alone in the bloodsoaked room, the knife in her hand, the replica in her bag, and tears streaming down her cheeks, she hadn¡¯t asked for any of this.


    ******************************************************************************


    Somewhere, far, far away from Death¡¯s mansion, a young man, clad in a scarf and coat, trudged moodily up a quite steep and stubborn mountain.


    ¡°Where is she.¡± The voice was not friendly and James recognized it instantly. He turned round to see the Nurse from Jennifer¡¯s city, arms crossed and brow furrowed, standing impatiently behind him.


    ¡°Hi to you too.¡± James grumbled, she had no right to speak to him so casually, she¡¯d grown too relaxed around him since the incident. She ignored his remark and continued on with her interrogation,


    ¡°I raised her, fed her, got her out here and all you had to do was follow her back to Time. You quite literally had ONE JOB!¡± James gritted his teeth, she¡¯d really grown far too comfortable with him.


    ¡°First off, if you hadn¡¯t noticed, Time moved the city. Second off, don¡¯t forget I¡¯m still your Father, I deserve more respect than this.¡± The Nurse laughed maliciously,


    ¡°Respect?! After you let this happen?!¡± She flourished her hand toward the bleak, snow covered wasteland, ¡°Sorry, DAD, but I don¡¯t have a whole lot of respect for you at the moment. My children are suffering, you allowed the literal worst possible evil take over the world and, even after I come up with a FULL PROOF SOLUTION, you still manage to screw it all up. So, I ask again, WHERE IS SHE¡±? James¡¯s eyes dropped, the words came out soft and strained,


    ¡°She didn¡¯t want to come¡­¡± The Nurse¡¯s eyes widened, she leaned back her head and clapped her hands, a bitter smile on her face,


    ¡°She didn¡¯t WANT to come? THAT IS RICH! Since when have you EVER cared what anyone else wants¡±? James didn¡¯t have an answer, the feeling had surprised him just as much as it did her.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure we should use her.¡± Fire raged in the Nurse¡¯s eyes, she cycled back and forth between wanting to storm off or strangle him.She began to pace angrily before stopping, her hand on her hip and a finger pointed toward him, exasperated,.


    ¡°You agreed to this, remember, WE decided this was the only way, remember. We don¡¯t use her EVERYONE DIES, REMEMBER?!¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t.¡± The statement held authority, enough to stop the Nurse in her tracks.


    ¡°Oh? And why¡¯s that? You got another plan.¡±


    ¡°I do. Time will converge with me.¡±

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17


    A familiar figure approached Jennifer from out of the darkness, a hooded man with a large sack of weapons heaved over his shoulder. Something about the man seemed different, Jennifer, from this distance, couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on exactly what gave her that impression, but the closer he came the more obvious it became. The man¡¯s face held no scars. Slade didn¡¯t smile when he saw her, but he gave a begrudging nod in her direction, in order to say, yes I do know you and I suppose I¡¯d be willing to speak with you, the friendliest response Jennifer expected she¡¯d get from him.


    ¡°Squawk took off.¡± The statement had an undertone of blame. Jennifer didn¡¯t know what to say to that,


    ¡°Uh yeah¡­ Sorry about that, we had a bit of a fight and-¡± Slade¡¯s eyes made it clear he didn¡¯t care, ¡°but yeah¡­ what are you doing out here¡±? The question hung there for a moment, Slade giving no indication if he¡¯d heard it or if he¡¯d be willing to answer it. Just as Jennifer decided to give up and make a swift exit, Slade spoke, montone and emotionless,


    ¡°You spoke to me about choice, about how the people who abused my weapons to hurt others did so on their own accord and that I was not to blame.¡± He stopped there, ten or so seconds went by before Jennifer realized he wanted some form of confirmation from her,


    ¡°Yep! Yes, I did say that.¡± He nodded and continued,


    ¡°But what you failed to mention is the choice I held, that I had an authority over those weapons and that I could choose to do with them what I please.¡± He stopped again and this time Jennifer nodded quickly, ¡°The choices I make, the results that follow, I bear that burden. I may give my weapons out freely, knowing that some may die and some may live because of it. I may withhold my weapons and know that some may live and some may die because of it. And, in between those options there are numerous paths I could take.¡± He paused, Jennifer nodded with uncertainty, ¡°The choices I make define me and they will define many lives around me, no man or woman lives in a vacuum, our actions have numerous consequences.¡± Jennifer wanted to make a rebuttal, but she couldn¡¯t find the words. ¡°I feel no shame in the past, I do not blame myself for the mistakes of man, but I will hold myself responsible for all actions I take from this point forward, I will choose my own destiny, acknowledging that, in doing so, I have played a role in the destiny of others.¡± Jennifer wanted to tell him he was wrong, she wanted to find something wrong in what he¡¯d said, but she couldn¡¯t, all she could do was think back to her home, to James¡­ Destiny, whoever the hell he was, and to the Forms hiding away; none of them had ever given a damn about her, she was a burden, a tool, a means to an end, why should she have to care about any of them! This ran through her head, but none of it left her lips, the emotional ties weren¡¯t grounded on any sort of logic, and she imagined the man before her had little patience for that sort of thing. ¡°Jennifer, all of this being said, I wish to give you this.¡± He stretched out his hand to reveal a small leather sheath, large enough for a small dagger or knife. ¡°You helped me to see the truth of my own existence, I wish to return the favor to you. If you are ever in need speak my name and I will appear. But I would ask that, before you speak my name, you are certain of what it is you desire. My time is quite valuable.¡± His face had remained unchanged, his tone had not shifted, but Jennifer couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he¡¯d just made a joke.


    He nodded in her direction and then walked away back into the night, leaving Jennifer alone with the sheath. With trembling hands she tied the sheath around her waist, her frozen fingers struggling with the knots, until it rested lazily against her hip. She peered into her bag and saw the two knives, identical save for the fact that one held all the power of Death within it, on this knife she¡¯d tied a white piece of cloth from her sleeve around the handle, ensuring there wouldn¡¯t be any unfortunate mishaps. She lifted the knife with the white cloth round the handle from her bag and sheathed it, feeling both terrified and empowered by its weight against her side, the power to kill Destiny.


    ******************************************************************************


    A few miles away, Slade¡¯s words still nesting in her conscious, she began to loosen her hands from around her arms, her teeth slowly stopped chattering and a bead of sweat dripped lazily off her chin. At her feet lay browned and hardened grass, garnering her attention by the crunching sound made with every collision made with her boot. Finding this quite odd, yet still quite welcome, she proceeded cautiously until the dead grass ended and a familiar road began. The road, entirely thawed, offered Jennifer a nice, fairly even path to walk and a consistent direction to follow.


    After walking the road for a while, Jennifer began to find the heat, once welcome and inviting, now unbearable and getting worse by the second, yet something about it felt strangely familiar. Sitting on the side of the road, staring off into the distance with a wistful smile, was a large broad shouldered man in fine physical condition and clearly unbothered by the heat. In fact, his ebony skin seemed to radiate heat, giving Jennifer all the info she needed.


    ¡°Enoch!¡± She shouted. Enoch looked up, a smile breaking out across his now rather mature face, and his arms opening wide to take Jennifer in. The two embraced, Jennifer feeling the full warmth of his body against hers, while it should have been scalding, it felt more like hugging a blanket fresh out of the dryer.


    ¡°You got so short!¡± Enoch commented as they stepped back to eye each other.


    ¡°Umm¡­ nope, you just got really freaking tall.¡± Jennifer still had trouble believing this was the same frightened little skinny kid she had to coerce out of a cage.


    ¡°Hunh... ¡°? Enoch considered that for a moment, ¡°I suppose that explains why I keep getting vertigo.¡± He laughed, a deep rich sound that made Jennifer smile. ¡°So where¡¯s James¡±? The question was quite casual, there was no way he could¡¯ve known how painful a question it was¡­


    ¡°Yeah¡­ About that¡­ He¡­ He found his brother!¡± Enoch¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°No fooling?!¡±


    ¡°Yep! And they went back home which is what I¡¯m doing now.¡± Her smile began to crack, she hoped Enoch wouldn¡¯t notice, but of course he did.


    ¡°Where is he really Jennifer¡±?


    ¡°What do you mean he¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot, what¡¯s going on¡±? His eyes were so earnest, Jennifer couldn¡¯t look at them for more than a second without being overwhelmed with guilt.


    ¡°I¡­ I learned something about him that¡­ that broke my trust.¡± Enoch sat back down on the side of the road and motioned for her to sit next to him.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Start from the beginning, I¡¯ll listen for as long as you want to talk.¡± So Jennifer told him the whole story, starting with meeting Slade after they parted ways, to finding the Forms in the hideout, to her parting ways with James, to her regretting the decision, to finding the remains of the floating city, and finally her conversation with Death. She decided to leave out the parts about the weapon and Death¡¯s offer. When she finished Enoch was staring off in the distance, his brow furrowed and clearly deep in thought. Jennifer shuffled around anxiously, waiting to hear his take on all of this.


    ¡°I lived in a cage Jennifer,¡± his breaking of the silence snapped her back to full attention, ¡°a cage I could have left at anytime. I refused to leave because someone managed to convince me that the pain I¡¯d feel if I left was infinitely greater than any pain I¡¯d experience inside. Even after leaving the cage I still felt trapped, trapped by the fear of what I might do if I lost control, afraid to simply be¡­ well to be me. But that cage had no lock either, and it took me months to fully realize that the only lock on that cage was the one I put there. I had no idea what would happen if I left that cage, if I allowed myself to be me again, and all the stories I made up in my head about what would happen somehow became so real to me, despite the fact that I¡¯d just made them all up. I could blame other people, I could pin this all on the shady fellow who tricked me into that cage in the first place, but that¡¯d be dishonest¡­ You taught me that. The only way out of that cage, the only way I could ever dispel all of those stories I¡¯d made in my head, the only way to undo all the lies I¡¯d been told, was to open the door and find out. And Jennifer, when I opened that door again, I discovered that I had terrible control over my fire! I mean absolutely abysmal control! It¡¯s a good thing y¡¯all had left by that point because you both would¡¯ve been incinerated for sure!¡± He laughed, Jennifer schooched away slightly, ¡°But I also discovered that, through a little work everyday, I could gain more control and more control and more control. And, after practicing everyday for months, I realized that I¡¯d finally gained enough control to feel comfortable being me again. But if I had listened to those stories, to those lies and let them define my perspective, I¡¯d never have gotten to where I am today, able to hug someone without turning them to ash!¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling me all this¡±?


    ¡°Because Jennifer, you have these stories about who James is and what he¡¯s after, but right now that¡¯s all they are, stories. And I know it might feel safer to just believe them, never confirm them and never confront James about it, but that¡¯s a lie. The only way out of this Jennifer, the only way out of this cage you¡¯re in, is to find out what¡¯s really on the other side of that door and face it head on. Maybe Death was lying, maybe he wasn¡¯t, but you¡¯ll never know until you face James in person. I¡¯m not saying it¡¯ll be easy, but, just like you told me, the first day of the rest of your life doesn¡¯t start until you get out of that cage.¡± He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, Jennifer leaned her head against his shoulder.


    ¡°Do you mind if I stay here and put off starting my new life for a bit¡±? Enoch smiled and the two sat together, staring off into the night sky, garnering the courage to open the door and see what lies on the other side.


    ******************************************************************************


    The sound of waves crashing against the shoreline sent Jennifer sprinting from Enoch¡¯s side and off toward the beach. Her feet hit sand and she stumbled slightly before picking up her feet and arriving knee deep in the water, Enoch stayed a fair distance away, he had some bad memories when it came to water. Jennifer stared up at the starry sky, leaned back her head, cupped her hands around her mouth and, at the top of lungs, shouted,


    ¡°LADY MEEROUS!¡± Enoch tilted his head slightly, but Jennifer simply kept shouting. When she¡¯d run out of breath, she placed her hands on her knees and huffed deeply, the burning in her throat nowhere near as disappointing as the missing sea monster. Jennifer placed her hands on her hips and stretched back, and let out a massive shrug, ¡°Maybe this is the wrong ocean¡­¡±


    Enoch let out a startled yelp as the water a quarter mile from Jennifer began to churn and bubble furiously, mist spraying from geysers in every direction, the display made Jennifer smile. The serpent broke through the waves, water spraying every which way, the small light from Solaris barely able to light more than a tenth of her body at one time. The noble serpent wound round the waters, her body in continual motion as she looped large slews of herself up out of the water, creating the effect of a monumental snake poised and ready to strike. The serpent¡¯s head lifted nearly a hundred feet out of the water, curving at the neck and bringing the head down to look upon Jennifer¡¯s comparatively miniscule frame.


    ¡°Duchess Jennifer,¡± Meerous hummed, enticing an ear to ear grin from Jennifer, ¡°you have returned, I trust you have brought me great tales from your adventures¡±? Jennifer curtsied low, to happy to complete the task properly and slipping and falling into the water. Lying in the water she burst into laughter, quickly followed by Meerous¡¯ rumbling chuckle.


    ¡°I missed you so much!¡± Jennifer exclaimed, ¡°I have so much to tell ya! Oh, and thanks for all the fish!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you too Jennifer, the ocean¡¯s felt lonely since you and James left on your quest. I can only assume that you succeeded, seeing as you¡¯re here and James is not.¡± Jennifer hung her head low, Meerous sighed, ¡°Start from the beginning.¡±


    So again Jennifer recounted the events of her adventures since leaving Meerous¡¯ oceans, still leaving out her experience on the battlefield, her possession of the weapon and Death¡¯s offer.


    ¡°So you get it don¡¯t you? He betrayed me, even if Death lied about some of it I know he didn¡¯t lie about all of it, James isn¡¯t human and he kept that from me, kept that from all of us, who knows what else he kept from us?!¡± Meerous brought her head down to Jennifer¡¯s level, shrinking as she did so. Once her head sat at Jennifer¡¯s eye level, Meerous softly nuzzled Jennifer, allowing her to collapse onto her snout. Meerous spoke, Jennifer could hear the humming through her scales,


    ¡°I¡¯ve done a lot of thinking while you were away Jennifer, about William, about humans, about me and¡­ and who I want to be. And, looking back at my life I¡­ I wouldn¡¯t change a damn thing.¡± Jennifer looked up in surprise, looked into the great serpent¡¯s eyes to some clarity within them, clarity that was, at one time, simply pain. ¡°Jennifer the life I lead alone in these waters never struck me as lonely until I met William, and that made it all the more painful when I lost him, when I lost everything¡­ But I¡¯d do it all again, I¡¯d face all the pain and heartbreak again, and that all started when I met you.¡± The two locked eyes and Jennifer began to see tears, ¡°The way you spoke to me, the way you looked at me, it all reminded me of him. If I had been afraid to accept how much I longed to feel that kind of connection again, if I had stubbornly stuck to my belief that I could never trust another human again I¡­ Well I would have missed out on someone as brilliant as you. I¡¯m not saying you should forgive James, I¡¯m not saying you should trust him, but don¡¯t be me, don¡¯t let your life be ruled by regret and anger. If you still care for him, if you still have any love left for him, go and find him, yell at him, shout at him, hit him a few times for good measure, but fight, fight for what you have. And if it all fails, if he¡¯s as bad as Death says, if he fails to see reason, then at least you tried. And, no matter what happens, just know that you¡¯ll always have a home here.¡± Jennifer, her arms wrapped around the noble serpent¡¯s snout, rested against her smooth, cool scales, and whispered,


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ******************************************************************************


    When Jennifer awoke she realized that Meerous had moved her onto a patch of soft sand a fair distance from the water, she and Enoch sat a couple yards away chatting, a small fire crackled next to Jennifer, she¡¯d never felt safer¡­ She let out a mighty yawn and stretched her out her arms, gaining the attention of both Meerous and Enoch, who seemed happy to see her finally awake. Jennifer rose slowly to her feet, patting the sand off her legs and stumbling awkwardly over to the pair, her legs not quite as awake as the rest of her.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan Jennifer, because I¡¯ve got nothing else to do.¡± Enoch laughed, just becoming painfully aware how true that was¡­


    ¡°Yes Duchess Jennifer, what new venture is in store for you¡±? Meerous hummed. Jennifer looked up at the both of them, hands on her hips and a wicked grin on her face,


    ¡°Lady Meerous, Enoch, we¡¯re goin after James.¡±

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18


    ¡°So where do we find him¡±? Enoch asked excitedly, his body crackling with anticipation. Jennifer stopped, opened her mouth, closed it, began to take a step forward and then stopped, took a step back and then crossed her arms and placed a hand on her chin.


    ¡°Ummmm¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Meerous¡¯ rolled her eyes and Enoch smacked his forehead.


    ¡°How can you not know?!¡± Enoch exclaimed, ¡°You made that whole cool announcement like you had a plan!¡± Jennifer crossed her arms tightly, her lips frowning slightly,


    ¡°Not really sure what to tell ya, I didn¡¯t think of that okay! I had the music before, but that was just leading me to Death, but I got no way to find James¡­¡± The trio looked down at their feet and Meerous at her¡­ tail, when a familiar voice beeped behind them,


    ¡°I can help with that!¡± Sitting on a rock, totally unnoticed by all three of them, was Squawk, not Chirp used as a mouthpiece, but the maestro herself.


    ¡°Squawk!¡± Jennifer ran over and slid down to face the little bird eye to eye, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I yelled at you, I was angry and frustrated and I-¡± Squawk raised up a little wing,


    ¡°No need for apologies Jennifer, I have forgiven you entirely,¡± the little bird proclaimed proudly, ¡°and, because I¡¯m such a good friend, I decided to keep tabs on James incase you ever needed to find him again. Chirp has eyes on him now!¡± Jennifer would¡¯ve hugged her if not for the size difference and potential for crushing¡­ She wondered why she¡¯d ever wanted to strangle this amazing little bird.


    ¡°Who is this¡­¡± Meerous ventured, not enjoying Jennifer¡¯s close new friend.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, this is Squawk, she¡¯s the Form of birds and a good friend.¡± The introduction took for Enoch who gave her a big smile and shook the bird¡¯s little wing, Meerous merely nodded courteously in her direction. ¡°So Squawk, spill it, where is he¡±?


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s easy, he¡¯s been captured by the Deathless.¡± The trio¡¯s jaws hit the floor,


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, turns out that Death¡¯s got someone here on Adam with some semblance of brain power, and whoever he is has been controlling the Deathless this whole time.¡± Jennifer remembered why she¡¯d wanted to strangle the little bird.


    ¡°Squawk! This is information you really should have lead with!¡± Jennifer spun around and paced a few feet before stopping, planting her feet and concocting a game plan. ¡°Squawk, how many Deathless are near James right now¡±? Squawk closed her beady little eyes and, whistled a little tune for a moment, and then opened them slowly, yawned and began preening. ¡°SQUAWK!¡±


    ¡°Oh sorry, a little over two thousand.¡± Jennifer¡¯s whole body tensed, she hated this stupid world, she hated stupid Death and stupid James and the stupid Deathless, why couldn¡¯t anything just work out¡­ She looked to Enoch hopefully, he smiled in return and gave her a thumbs up, at least she wasn¡¯t alone. She felt the weight of the weapon hit her hip and she recalled that Slade had offered his help too, this could work.


    ¡°Meerous,¡± The serpent leaned in, ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to come with us, but I¡¯d like to ask a favor.¡±


    ¡°Anything.¡±


    ¡°Could you find my city? I¡­ I have some unfinished business there.¡± Meerous nodded, and Jennifer turned away to face Enoch and Squawk.


    ¡°I know you want answers Jennifer, but are you sure you¡¯re ready to do this? We¡¯ll be walking into a hive of Deathless, I¡­ I just want to make sure this is what you really want.¡± Jennifer considered the question, she doubted Death would care if the Deathless managed to kill her, he¡¯d probably just find someone else, so this really could be it for her. But, the more she thought of James, the more she dwelt on those burning questions, the more that strange sensation overtook her, that unnameable quality that drew her away from home in the first place, kept her walking when her legs refused to move, kept her moving when fear had her paralyzed. She gripped her hand tight around the knife¡¯s handle, the feeling was stronger than ever, and it pointed her toward the darkness over the hills.


    ¡°Squawk, lead the way!¡± The bird gave a salute and took to the sky.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯ve made up your mind, then I suppose you¡¯ll need a ride.¡± Enoch allowed himself a sly grin.


    ¡°But we don¡¯t have the car anymore how will we¡­¡± She watched as Enoch morphed from human to beast, a powerful fiery beast with flaming haunches, hooves like coals, and a mane like smoke. Jennifer didn¡¯t think twice, she leapt onto Enoch¡¯s back and grabbed hold of flaming reigns that materialized out of the smoke. The second she had situated herself on his back, he launched himself into the darkness, Solaris gliding beside them and Squawk flying ahead in the distance.


    Enoch¡¯s hooves thundered across the valley, the snow melting beneath his galloping, the void recoiling around them. The light of his flames illuminated the world, licks of flames remained behind them, marking their path from the ocean. With every powerful snort, smoke flew from Enoch¡¯s nostrils and into the air above them, filling Jennifer¡¯s nostrils and obscuring her vision. But Jennifer was to entranced by the ride to notice. The wind whipped back her hair, her body pulsed with every crash of hooves on stone, and the fire burned brightly, illuminating her vibrant green eyes.


    Enormous ravines cropped up before them only to be cleared easily by Enoch¡¯s explosive haunches, the two soared through the air, nothing but darkness below them, only to land effortlessly back onto Adam to continue their charge. Jennifer knew the danger that awaited them, she knew she may be riding straight to her death, but, despite every warning, she couldn¡¯t wipe the smile off her face. Like the heroes of old, Jennifer raised a fist in the air and let out a violent battle cry, surprised to hear Enoch follow up with a frenzied whinny and mighty snort. The two may die, but they¡¯d die fighting.


    They didn¡¯t need Squawk to tell them when they were close, Jennifer had already spotted it off in the distance, an old abandoned castle, a remnant from an age long past, lit with fires and patrolled by large hoards of Deathless.


    ¡°WHAT¡¯S THE PLAN¡±? Enoch¡¯s human voice came as a surprise coming out of his beastly mouth.


    ¡°I DON¡¯T KNOW, I DOUBT WE CAN TAKE THE WHOLE FORTRESS, BUT I THINK I HAVE AN IDEA. YOU AND ANOTHER GUY JUST NEED TO KEEP ATTACKING THE FRONT, SQUAWK AND I ARE GOING TO SNEAK IN THROUGH THE BACK AND FREE JAMES, THEN WE¡¯LL ALL ESCAPE TOGETHER!¡± The wind was so loud she had no clue how much of that Enoch heard.


    ¡°WHO¡¯S THE OTHER GUY¡±? Jennifer, realizing how quickly they were approaching the fortress, leaned her head over to face her sheath and shouted as loud as she could,


    ¡°SLADE! I NEED YOU!¡± For a moment all that could be heard was the thundering of Enoch¡¯s hooves, and Jennifer wondered if he hadn¡¯t heard her, she took a deep breath, ready to shout again, when she looked up to see the Deathless hoards dropping like flies, a cloaked man weaving between them.


    ¡°GUESSING THAT¡¯S HIM¡±? Enoch yelled, Jennifer kicked his side in acknowledgment.


    ¡°KEEP ATTACKING, I¡¯LL SEND SQUAWK OUT TO LET YOU KNOW WHEN WE¡¯RE READY TO LEAVE!¡± She pulled back on the reigns and Enoch began to slow down, once he¡¯d reached a trot she rolled off his side and onto the ground. She looked up to see him charging toward the entrance, morphing back into human form and covering a group of five Deathless entirely in flame.


    Jennifer would¡¯ve liked to stay and watch, Slade and Enoch had a beautiful way of fighting, but she had a mission to complete. Whistling for Squawk, Jennifer ran round toward the side of the fortress, hiding in a snowbank fifty yards away, pleased to see the Deathless patrolling the sides had all begun making their way to the entrance.


    ¡°Squawk, I need you to lift me into that window right there, can you do that.¡± Squawk looked offended.


    ¡°Why would you feel the need to even ask¡±? Wasting no time the little bird morphed into what could only be described as a colossal pigeon, the kind that had the potential to gain revenge on every cat and small child that ever lived. The great pigeon Squawk grabbed hold of Jennifer between her talons and lifted her off the ground and, under great strain, brought her toward the window. Jennifer, sensing the pigeon couldn¡¯t maintain this position for much longer, swung herself back and forth and shouted,


    ¡°NOW!¡± Causing the pigeon to release Jennifer, hurtling her through the window and onto the cold hard stones of the fortress, bruised, but overall unharmed. Squawk shrunk down to her regular size, breathing heavily, and collapsing onto Jennifer¡¯s shoulder.  ¡°Thanks for that Squawk, but it¡¯s complete silence from here on out.¡± Jennifer whispered, the little bird nodded her head weakly and crawled into Jennifer¡¯s bag, likely for a nap.


    The inside of the fortress, unlike the dismal exterior, was absolutely stunning. The second Jennifer left the stone hallway of the outer wall she was immediately greeted by riches beyond her wildest dreams. Great silk blood red carpets blanketed the floors, crystal chandeliers, plural, hung from the ceiling, candles blazing, reflecting off the diamond design and bathing the room in a scattered warm glow. A beautiful diamond staircase rose from the carpet and connected to what must be the main part of the castle, Jennifer couldn¡¯t quite accept what she was seeing, this wasn¡¯t even the main gate, this was a side gate, and yet they¡¯d adorned it with all the wealth of a fattened king. Though the beauty of the room left Jennifer on edge, the lack of Deathless offered her some relief, she could see markings in the rug where¡¯d they¡¯d clearly left in a hurry. Squawk¡¯s comment about a representative of Death¡¯s rolled around her head, she¡¯d said he had some brain power, she hoped not enough to figure out their plan.


    Leaving the entrance way and entering a hallway just as ornate as it¡¯s foyer, Jennifer heard the muted sound of footsteps and, gripping the handle of the weapon, she swung around and hid in the opening of a window, her back leaning against the wide stone frame. Her breath held and her ears wide open listening for even the slightest sound, she sighed with relief when she heard the footsteps trail off in the distance. Leaping off the window sill and back into the hallway she began to walk quickly and quietly toward the center of the castle, if this representative was anything like Death himself, he¡¯d want James held in the most showy area of the castle.


    ¡°Squawk,¡± Jennifer hissed softly into the bag. She waited a moment until the little hat, followed by the little bird beak poked out the top,


    ¡°What is it Jennifer,¡± she beeped indignantly, ¡°I was in the middle of a nap.¡± Jennifer restrained the choice words boiling to the surface and managed to get out her question with only thinly veiled lividity,


    ¡°Do you know where James is being kept? This castle¡¯s pretty damn huge¡­¡± Squawk closed her little eyes again, whistled her little tune and, before Jennifer could remind her that every noise they made significantly increased their chances of dying, Squawk¡¯s eyes shot open and, with a happy chirp, informed Jennifer,


    ¡°There¡¯s a ballroom in the center of the castle, just keep heading inwards and you¡¯ll come across a courtyard, the big wooden doors will lead you to James.¡± Jennifer, surprised at how concise that was, offered Squawk a smile and then allowed her to return to her nap.


    After another thirty minutes of wrong turns, Jennifer finally made her way onto a terrace overlooking the courtyard Squawk mentioned. She had to cover her mouth to stop from gasping when she saw the courtyard and it¡¯s decor. Diamond statues of a thin faced, well dressed and clearly very confident man littered the place, surrounded by golden fountains, a golden walkway, crystal rivers flowing like water through the snow. The fountains sprayed liquid diamond out into the snow, giving the snow a crystalline quality that Jennifer found both gorgeous and terribly unsettling. Great torches of gold rose from the crystal snow and sprayed light onto the diamond and crystal, reflecting it off into the night and lighting the whole courtyard in an orange hue.


    Jennifer grabbed a hold of the wall beside the terrace and shimmied her way down to the bottom, grateful for the ample light illuminating her path. Not wanting to test her luck and afraid to leave Enoch and Slade to fight alone for too long, Jennifer ran straight through the crystal snow toward the large wooden doors ahead, an odd comfort in the presence of the knife on her hip, whatever awaited her on the other side would not find her defenseless. She stopped at the entrance, deep breaths, tensing every muscle in her body, sweating in freezing weather, a slight tingling in her stomach, a fuzziness resonating through her mind, but none of it enough to stop her from shoving open the doors and facing the truth head on, she¡¯d already come this far¡­


    The doors flung open with little resistance, so little in fact that Jennifer actually fell right through them onto the diamond ballroom floor, quite thankful she caught herself before her face smashed into the most unmovable substance on the planet. The moment she looked up she wished she hadn¡¯t, a score of Deathless, all dressed mockingly in formal attire and standing mindlessly around the room, turned to stare at her. Jennifer braced to run, but something stopped her, none of the Deathless were moving, they simply stood there, posed like bureaucrats, lords, dukes, ladies, duchesses, around a lavishly ornate dance floor, adorned with great banners of gold, and icy blue. Great fires roared from the ceiling, licks of flames descending, colliding with the diamond and then exploding into light that bathed the whole hall in a twilight glow. Jennifer followed the natural path toward the throne topping two winding diamond staircases, and, atop the throne sat a brain held up on a diamond pedestal. Nerves from the brain shot out towards a single icy hand adorned with rings of all different shapes, sizes and hues, one of them, a yellow fiery ring, lay shattered around the middle finger.


    ¡°Aw, the wandering human has graced us with her presence!¡± A voice called out from behind her, she spun round to see the thin faced man whose image had been carved into each and every one of the diamond statues. He walked right past her, a flourishing of his purple diamond encrusted cape. He wore a comically large golden crown with precious stones shoved into it, in one hand he held a scepter, a diamond the size of a fist in the pommel and the other hand rested on his hip. Whoever this was, Jennifer thought, clearly wanted everyone to see him as royalty. As he walked up toward the throne the Deathless burst into applause and began bowing and curtseying in robotic movements that would make even the least self-aware narcissists uncomfortable, yet this one seemed not to notice. Throwing up his arms, the man turned to face his audience, freezing as he caught another glimpse of Jennifer,


    ¡°Wandering girl!¡± The Deathless went quiet, an unnatural silence like someone had sewn their lips shut and stitched their arms to their sides. Jennifer faced him, an eyebrow raise was again attempted. ¡°I know you have been a stray for quite some time now, but it is proper to bow in the presence of your king!¡± The words came off loudly and without an ounce of authority, like a beautiful dance routine from a puppet, impressive, but you know the puppet had little to do with it.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I had a king,¡± Jennifer smirked, ¡°if you are our king then you¡¯re doing a pretty crappy job of it, have ya looked outside lately.¡± Considering the amount of Deathless around her Jennifer figured she should be more cautious, but this guy just really bugged her, and she refused to give him anything, certainly not fear. The wanna-be king sneered and approached the throne with the brain on it and sat himself down on the arm rest, Jennifer found that telling.


    ¡°You obviously have no clue who you¡¯re dealing with, Death chose me to run this world, now what does that tell you¡±? The puppet king cocked an eyebrow, something wasn¡¯t right.


    ¡°Tells me Death has a sense of humor!¡± She imagined the Deathless would¡¯ve laughed if they¡¯d had their wits about them. But someone did laugh, the exaggerated king chuckled, an awkward sound that wasn¡¯t quite low enough to be considered manly, but not quite high enough to be a giggle.


    ¡°Oh wandering girl, he did tell me you were a joker.¡± He eased onto the armrest, his posture relaxing as the card fell from his sleeve.


    ¡°Who told you¡­¡±? Jennifer already knew.


    ¡°You mock me, but I possess something that not even Death could match, the greatest treasure in all the cosmos. You believe me to be a poor king, but I, king Melodus, captured Destiny himself!¡± He stood to his feet, excited to see Jennifer sweat, and the Deathless explode into autonomous applause. ¡°Now my servants, bring in my prized possession, wandering girl I present to you, DESTINY!¡± He threw up his arms and from the side door, dressed in a dirty and blood stained tuxedo, hobbled in James. His eyes, nearly swollen shut by blotchy purple skin, managed to look up enough to scan Jennifer, watching to see some sense of surprise on her face, to see if she had known. When the surprise was absent, he hung his head in shame. A Deathless, dressed in equally fine yet stained clothes approached Jennifer with a beautiful satin ball gown, strapless with a ruffled wide skirt. The dress was presented to her and she stared at it in disgust.


    ¡°What the hell is this?!¡± She demanded, Melodus merely grinned, his lips peeled back to reveal perfectly white teeth, so white as to be unnatural.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to put on this dress, you¡¯re current clothes are an insult to my court and to my eyes. After that you and¡­. James as you call him, are going to dance for me.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°LIKE HELL I AM!!¡± Melodus¡¯ lips peeled back even further, yet the skin near his eyes never wrinkled,


    ¡°You need to understand who is in charge here.¡± He motioned toward one of the Deathless by James. Jennifer cringed as the Deathless drove his fist into James¡¯ stomach, causing James¡¯ already shaky legs to give out from under him. Melodus let out another unnatural laugh and then turned back to Jennifer, ¡°you must know that any injury inflicted on a Form by a human is permanent, shall we remove one of his arms? He only needs one to dance.¡± Melodus had found his angle, what he lacked in authority he made up for in cruelty.


    Jennifer looked helplessly at James, his crumpled body twitching on the floor, the Deathless had begun kicking him repeatedly. She had come here to confront James, to shout at him, to force her anger on him, to make him squirm, this¡­ this complicated things. Risking one¡¯s life for a friend is one thing, but for someone you have every reason to hate? This was her pride on the line, she¡¯d be forced to dance with the man who lied and betrayed her, at the whim of a power hungry snake who would revel in her weakness, and, at the end of it all, she¡¯d likely be killed anyway, they both would. So why bother she thought, why not die with her dignity intact? She stared at James, writhing on the floor, and she couldn¡¯t she¡­ she wanted to but, but something deeper cried out, something that told her that, if the situation were reversed she¡¯d know what she¡¯d want.


    Snatching the dress from the Deathless she stripped down to her underwear tossing her clothes onto the floor and putting the satin gown on as haphazardly and poorly as possible. The Deathless picked up her bag and the weapon and scurried off to the corner with them, away from Melodus¡­ The good king Melodus watched with glee, snapping toward the Deathless to lift James off the ground and bring him to Jennifer, another snap lead the Deathless to take up instruments, an orchestral mishmash that showed a fundamental misunderstanding of what instruments go well with one another. The music they played, while certainly not good, had a haunting and eerie tone that seemed to do well in capturing the mood. The Deathless tossed James into Jennifer¡¯s arms, she caught him just barely and managed to help him to his feat.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m s-so so-sorry¡­¡± He whispered into her ear, she merely nodded and began to sway with the music as Melodus jeered.


    ¡°See how they dance for me?!¡± The comment went to the Deathless, but the intent seemed to be for someone obviously not present, ¡°Destiny himself dances for me, the human girl dances for me! All of you!¡± He motioned toward the Deathless scattered throughout the room, ¡°DANCE FOR ME!¡± He screeched in ecstacy.


    Jennifer lead, she placed her right foot forward, her left up and left, she brought her feet together and posed momentarily on her toes, she brought her left foot back, and her right foot back and to the right, returning to her starting position. Freddy had taught her to waltz, it had been a good memory¡­ James followed, his whole body trembling in her arms, mumbling apologies in her ear as he put all he had into remaining on his feet. For the circumstances, Jennifer¡¯s dance had all the poise of nobility, she began to flow, James¡¯ beaten body now adhering to her slightest movements. She began to break out of the box and move farther into the court, forward, forward, forward, back, back, spin, forward forward, back, back, spin, forward, forward, forward, back, back back, spin. James lifted his head enough to meet her eyes, she returned the gaze, all his guilt, his shame, his regret poured out, only to be met by Jennifer¡¯s steely gaze, a gaze that said one thing, ¡®right now, we dance, everything else waits.¡¯


    James seemed to grasp the message, and he soon began to force himself to move into the rhythm, pushing his limbs, ignoring the pops and creaks that followed every movement, ignoring the sneering laughter of the false king, and ignoring all the words he wished to say. Soon, he stopped following, he began to lead, pushing forward, forward, back, back, spin, and Jennifer allowed him, but his legs again buckled and Jennifer resumed her lead until he again mustered enough strength to lead. This shifting of leads helped ease Jennifer¡¯s fatigue, already exhausted from the break in and doing everything she could to carry the much larger James, she needed James to carry his weight, the longer they danced, the longer they lived.


    The Deathless waltzed rigidly beside them, each movement performed with all the grace of a beetle pushing dung up a hill. Yet they never collided with Jennifer and James, each time they came close their bodies would jerk away, the floor seemed to belong entirely to Destiny and The wandering girl.


    Her breathing growing ragged and James¡¯ eyes fluttering shut, neither of them knew for how many hours they¡¯d danced, only that Melodus had not yet stopped them, they still breathed. Jennifer¡¯s foot hit the ground at an angle, her whole body began to crumple only to be caught at the last second by James who, with all the strength he had left, managed to hold her steady in a pose reminiscent of a dip, until Jennifer managed to regain her footing and stand back to her feet. James collapsed again into her arms and she again slowly swayed to the music, she had nothing left, no reserve of energy, her second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh winds had all come and gone, and now she struggled even to stand, much less dance.


    She could hear Melodus shouting, demanding they dance, screeching they do as they¡¯re told, but Jennifer no longer had it in her, she allowed her body to go numb, James did the same, they merely stood facing each other, eyes shut, panting air through inflamed and dehydrated throats. Melodus, a dagger in hand, approached the pair, she knew she should fight, she knew she should run, but her body refused to listen, she truly had nothing left.


    A loud pounding could be heard in the distance, a voice carried over the pounding,


    ¡°HEY, WHOEVER¡¯S CASTLE THIS IS BETTER OPEN UP! ALL YOUR GUARDS ARE DEAD AND YOU¡¯RE NEXT SO HURRY UP AND LET¡¯S GET THIS OVER WITH!¡± James¡¯s ears twitched at the sound of Enoch¡¯s voice, a spark of hope momentarily lit his eyes.


    Melodus hesitated, looking to the door then to the pair, to the door, to the pair, he groaned and made a few non-committal motions both ways mumbling,


    ¡°How the hell did they kill ALL of them¡­¡±? Finally he turned to the brain on the throne and screamed, ¡°I¡¯m going to go clean up YOUR mistake, don¡¯t you dare let them escape while I¡¯m gone!¡± And with that he tossed off his crown and cape, threw his scepter to the floor and stormed out the door.


    Jennifer¡¯s head shot over to her bag, before she could call out to Squawk, James¡¯ voice shouted horsley,


    ¡°The brain, Squawk go for the brain!¡± Jennifer, looked at him in surprise, snapping back to see Squawk rocket out of the bag and straight toward the brain, her small body morphing into a hawk, her talons poised and open. The Deathless began to move, forced movements like their bodies hung from strings, to block Squawk¡¯s path. Easily weaving between them Squawk rose high in the air and positioned herself to dive bomb the brain. She dove swiftly, her eyes locked onto her target, but her momentum quickly fell out when the air within the room swelled and beat against her, stopping her in midair and throwing her to the ground.


    Jennifer stared in horror at the beaten little bird, and began to move in her direction when she saw one of Squawk¡¯s little eyes wink. From behind the brain, entirely unnoticed by everyone in the room, Chirp, the size of a condor, snatched the brain from the chair and flew it into the center of the hall, dropping it, and the hand from on high. The brain and hand collided with the ground, the brain exploding and the hand rolling next to it. The second the brain smashed the Deathless froze, their forced movements replaced with utter confusion, Jennifer watched them curiously, but James leaping off her with newfound vigor brought her back to reality. The hand, once smashed, began to slowly reform, bones snapping back into place, the brain, scattered in hundreds of tiny pieces, began to reform. James wasted no time, he grabbed the hand off the ground and yanked the rings off, one after the other, until they all landed with soft klinking onto the floor. Remembering what Squawk had told her in the wreckage of the floating city, Jennifer ran toward the rings and began to shove them onto her fingers, sensations of air and lightning coursed through her veins, images of mountains, forests, jungles, covered in ice, filled her mind, she saw them, and saw through them, witnessing all that they could see, all that they were, she felt power over them. James had nearly removed all the rings save for one icy blue ring wedged onto the ring finger of the hand, when the hand gripped James¡¯ wrist, and the Deathless snapped back into action, charging the pair like shots from a cannon.


    ******************************************************************************


    Slade and Enoch, surrounded by the charred and dismembered remains of Deathless, stood patiently facing the great front gate of the castle. Occasionally the Deathless would attempt to reform only to be recharred or sliced into even smaller pieces, while neither of the pair was really proud of it, they found this process quite entertaining.


    The front gates swung open and Melodus, his eyes enraged and his veins protruding from his skin, glared down the duo before him, but he made an attempt to maintain some form of regal bearing.


    ¡°Ah, the Form of Fire and the Form of Weaponry have come to pay respects to their king, it is customary to kneel you know¡­¡± The pair cocked their heads, their knees remained still.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Enoch scratched his head and glanced over at Slade, ¡°Do we have a king? I was in this cage underground for a really long time so I genuinely have no clue¡­¡± Slade shook his head no and Enoch let out a sigh of relief, ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, no offence to you¡­whoever you are, but you don¡¯t seem like the kingly type.¡± Melodus¡¯ eyes shot open, red veins crackled like lightning from his pupils,


    ¡°WHOEVER I AM?! YOU TWO DON¡¯T KNOW ME?!¡± He screamed, any regal bearings pretty much out the window at this point. Even Slade looked slightly uncomfortable, the guy seemed really hurt.


    ¡°Should we¡­¡±? Enoch ventured. Melodus looked like he might snap, when he took in a deep breath and smoothed back his wispy yellow hair.


    ¡°No matter, you will remember soon enough. You made quick work of my servants, and for that I will have to kill you.¡± Enoch again cocked his head, since he had no idea who this guy was that meant he had no idea how viable a threat that was. Before he could come to a decision, Slade charged toward Melodus, a massive broadsword cocked back and then swung with every ounce of force Slade could muster, he brought the sword from behind his back swinging from the hips and driving the sword into Melodus¡¯ face, knocking him to the floor.


    ¡°WOAH!¡± Enoch exclaimed, ¡°That was really harsh, we could have at least tried to talk this out with him!¡± Slade merely sheathed the massive blade and began to move inside when a hand grabbed him round the ankle. Slade glanced down to see Melodus, very much alive smiling up at him. Ripping his ankle free from Melodus¡¯ grip, Slade leapt back to Enoch¡¯s side and drew his sword, brandishing it before him. Laughter bursts from Melodus¡¯ lips as he stood to his feet, his hand covering the section of his face Slade had driven his sword into.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to do MUCH better than that if you want to kill me Form of weapons.¡± Melodus allowed his hand to slowly slide down his face, skin falling to reveal the truth beneath. Diamonds sparkled in the starlight, protruding from Melodus¡¯ face and growing outward ripping up skin to reveal more diamonds beneath. Soon Slade and Enoch stood across from a mass of diamond in vague human form, a mouth forming from a fissure within the diamonds spoke with a echoey wale,


    ¡°You never did much care for me brothers! But the humans? THEY WORSHIP ME! AND SOON YOU WILL TOO!¡± The diamond behemoth lifted his arm and drove it into the ground, rumbling began beneath Enoch and Slade¡¯s feet until Diamonds broke through the surface and shot up toward the duo, the pair only managing to barely avoid being skewered.


    ******************************************************************************


    The Deathless, now inches away from Jennifer¡¯s throat, let out blood curdling screams as their icy hands descended upon her. Fearing this may be the end, and desperate for it not to be, Jennifer swung her arm toward the Deathless, shouting,


    ¡°BACK OFF!¡± A massive gust of wind followed the motion of her arm and launched the Deathless back, each one colliding with either a wall, the stairs, the pillars, but none of them remained standing. Shocked, Jennifer stared at her outstretched arm, marveling in the power she felt pulsating through her muscles. She looked to James for explanation, but he had already begun smashing the brain with his foot, causing the Deathless to again assume a catatonic state.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?!¡± Jennifer would¡¯ve been more specific but she had no clue where to start. James eyed the brain and scattered brain chunks suspiciously, when they remained still James shot a quick glance toward Jennifer,


    ¡°The brain controls the Deathless, it¡¯ll reform soon, we need to move.¡± The second he¡¯d finished talking his eyes snapped back to the brain, he refused to even blink.


    ¡°The brain? So that Melodus guy¡¯s not the one in charge? Squawk literally meant that


    Death had someone on Adam with some brains¡­¡±? James didn¡¯t even chuckle at the joke, instead he merely pointed the the rings on Jennifer¡¯s fingers.


    ¡°Do you know what those are¡±? She nodded, realizing he wasn¡¯t even looking at her,


    ¡°Uh yeah, Squawk explained it earlier.¡± James nodded, she could see him.


    ¡°Good, then you know how valuable they are, take good care of them, if Death or Melodus regains them we may never make it out of here.¡± Jennifer smiled slyly and crossed her arms confidently,


    ¡°Oh I wouldn¡¯t worry about that puppet king, Slade and Enoch are out there kicking ass as we speak, they¡¯ve probably torn him to pieces by now.¡± James, his eyes still fixed on the brain, let out a frustrated sigh,


    ¡°Melodus isn¡¯t human, he¡¯s a Form, and a dangerous one at that, Slade and Enoch won¡¯t last long like this¡­¡± He scratched his head, noticed a slight movement and began stomping it into the ground with meticulous vigor. Jennifer was about to try and raise an eyebrow, but decided it just wasn¡¯t worth it,


    ¡°That guy didn¡¯t look dangerous, what¡¯s he the Form of¡±?


    ¡°Diamonds.¡±


    ¡°Diamonds¡±?


    ¡°Yep, nearly the hardest substance on the planet, harder than any steel weapon ever built and solid enough to withstand practically any temperature that could safely exist on this planet. We need to move, if we make a run for it we may just make it out alive. Jennifer,¡± He turned to face her, she swallowed hard, he looked serious, ¡°I need you to grab Squawk and head out the exit, don¡¯t let Melodus see you and see if you can get Enoch or Slade¡¯s attention, either of them should be able to make an adequate distraction.¡±


    ¡°And you¡±? Jennifer didn¡¯t appreciate being ordered around, but she figured now wasn¡¯t the time to be picky.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to separate one of the brain chunks, move it somewhere far enough away so the reforming process will slow down just enough for us to make our escape. Now Jennifer, listen closely, DON¡¯T FIGHT MELODUS. You will not win and you will surely die, do you understand me.¡± Jennifer only had so much patronizing she could take, especially from James, especially now. Without answering, she turned and ran over to where the Deathless had taken her stuff, she tied the leather sheath to her waist, the weight of the weapon immediately catching her attention, she ventured a quick glance to James to see if he¡¯d noticed, his eyes never left the brain. She slung her bag back over her shoulder and ran over to Squawk, limping to her feet and staring proudly at Chirp who circled the room from above.


    ¡°He¡¯s a good boy isn¡¯t he¡±? She beeped, Jennifer smiled and nodded, scooping up the little bird and setting her in the bag. Taking one last look at James, he gave her a slight nod, and she took off toward the front entrance, leaving James to deal with the brain.


    Upon exiting the ballroom Jennifer immediately became aware that the wind had died down to a mere whisper, the air, still cold, felt far less biting now than ever before. She stared at the foggy white ring on her index finger, she wondered in what world she¡¯d be able to control the very wind itself, she¡¯d never felt so powerful. But, remembering her mission, she sprinted out toward the front gate, weaving between stagnant, unmoving Deathless who seemed to care little for her presence and let out dissatisfied grunts each time she came too close.


    The scene at the front gate was not a pretty one. Slade stood panting, his arms low and his sword heavy in his hands, shattered weapons lay strewn about the battlefield. Enoch looked equally as tired, but he was currently bathing the diamond behemoth before him in fire, heating it to the point where the ground itself began to liquify. The moment Enoch caught a glimpse of Jennifer he shut off the fire and yelped as Melodus leapt forward and attempted to drive a diamond spike through Enoch¡¯s heart only to have Enoch dodge away at the last second. Before Melodus could turn to follow he was met with a volley of gunfire emerging from under Slade¡¯s cloak, though they had no effect in hurting the monster, they certainly took him off guard. Growling, he got down on all fours and charged Slade, nothing in Slade¡¯s arsenal even remotely capable of stopping such a charge, so, instead of blocking the charge, he stuck his sword into the ground, and twisted his body upwards over the pommel and launched himself into the air over Melodus¡¯ back. The beast, unable to change directions at such short notice, crashed into the sword, shattering it into pieces, but leaving Melodus entirely unharmed.


    Jennifer knew they¡¯d never win like this and she decided James¡¯ plan may be best after all, so she waved her hands to get Enoch¡¯s attention. He glanced at her and mouthed,


    ¡®What¡¯? She mouthed back,


    ¡®Escape,¡¯ he nodded, turning back to Melodus to gauge the situation, but, Melodus had already closed the gap between them, his hand shot out of the darkness and wrapped itself around Enoch¡¯s throat, lifting him high into the air.


    ¡°REMEMBER ME NOW, BROTHER?!¡± He screeched, his hands tightened around Enoch¡¯s windpipe, preventing him from even screaming, he merely opened his mouth in a desperate attempt to bring in any air. Slade charged in, but found himself quickly knocked away by Melodus¡¯ free hand, ¡°DON¡¯T WORRY, YOU¡¯LL GET YOUR TURN TOO!¡± He sneered toward the fallen Slade, his body twisted and mangled on the ground. Jennifer watched on in horror, frustrated at her own weakness, she wanted to help but what could she-


    Her eyes dropped to the rings, her mind, filled with sensations of wind and lightning, told her what she had to do. She focused on the feelings and pointed those feelings toward Melodus, beginning to feel the wind rushing through her fingertips, and the lightning crackling across her skin.


    ¡°HEY ASSHOLE!¡± Melodus began to turn his head when a massive gust of wind snapped it back.


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL WAS-¡± He didn¡¯t have time to finish as a lightning bolt, a marvel Jennifer had never before experienced, cracked from the sky and collided with the diamond beast, an ear shattering scream to pierced his lips. Enoch, a being of energy himself, took this extra boost and burst into flames, singeing Melodus¡¯ hand and freeing himself from his grasp. Placing his hand over his face and regaining his balance, Melodus wailed and stomped across the ground, his body twitching and spasming. Jennifer smiled in satisfaction, she figured that, if one didn¡¯t quite do the trick, she¡¯d try a second one, but, before she could gather the focus, a diamond hand burst out of the ground at her feet and lifted her off the ground and into the air. She stared at Melodus in shock, only now noticing that one of his arms rested on the ground. He broke into maniacal laughter,


    ¡°YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE SO CLEVER?! BUT NOT SO CLEVER ANYMORE ARE YOU?!¡± Jennifer struggled against the diamonds encasing her, flailing around desperately. Melodus¡¯ voice continued to mock her, ¡°WHY DON¡¯T YOU HIT ME WITH MORE LIGHTNING? COME ON, SEE HOW CONDUCTIVE I AM!¡± Enoch began to rise to his feet, but before he could do anything, Melodus leapt over to Jennifer, standing next to her vulnerable, charrable, human body. ¡°I WOULDN¡¯T IF I WERE YOU, ANY TEMPERATURE THAT MIGHT HAVE EVEN THE SLIGHTEST EFFECT ON ME WOULD ROAST HER IN AN INSTANT!¡± Enoch lowered his hands, eliciting a chuckle from the monstrous king. ¡°NOW,¡± He looked toward Slade who had just barely managed to stand, ¡°LET¡¯S PLAY A GAME, IT¡¯S CALLED, ¡®STAND STILL OR THE GIRL DIES,¡¯ THE RULES ARE SIMPLE, YOU MOVE, SHE DIES!¡± With that he released a volley of diamond shards toward Slade, he stood his ground and the shards lodged themselves in his body, throwing him to the ground.


    ¡°SLADE!¡± Jennifer screamed, drowned out by Melodus¡¯ laughter.


    ¡°AND NOW FOR THE OTHER ONE!¡± Melodus turned his arm toward Enoch, a wicked grin crackled across his face. Rising to face Jennifer, Enoch let out a reassuring smile, opening his arms in preparation for the coming onslaught. Jennifer struggled desperately against the unbreakable grip, a clinking sound accompanied every move. Confused as to the sound¡¯s origin she strained her neck toward it only to see the weapon bouncing lightly against the diamond. Without a second thought she squeezed her hand down to the weapon and carefully lifted it from the sheath until she had a firm grip on the handle. Uncertain how the weapon worked, she figured she¡¯d just start stabbing things until something happened. She turned the knife around and stabbed the diamond covering her arms, letting out a victorious laugh when the diamond shattered like glass around her. Melodus swung round, shocked to see her free and enraged to see his diamonds shattered. Before he could do anything, Jennifer pushed off the ground and leapt toward the monstrous creature before her, pointing the knife ahead of her. Without an ounce of resistance, the knife slid through the Diamond exterior and straight into the false king¡¯s heart. For a second Melodus merely stood still, his eyes wide and his mouth hung open. Then, all at once, his diamond body faded to dust, Jennifer could hear the statues within the castle shattering with him. Then, silence. A long silence permeating through the air, killing even the slightest traces of thought. Within that silence, Jennifer¡¯s eyes searched for Melodus, her enemy, her once captor, but he was gone. The adrenaline faded, Jennifer became keenly aware of the dust that covered her body, aware of what¡­ who the dust once was.


    The weapon dropped from her hand and she fell to her knees, tears ran gently down her cheeks. Enoch slowly approached her, his movements cautious and controlled, fear, Jennifer scared him¡­ She couldn¡¯t believe what she¡¯d done¡­ Her arms spasmed, her breath came short and strained, her whole body had gone pale and the blood drained from her face.. Jennifer would be now and forever, a killer.

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19


    Satin dress, still covered in the dust of Melodus, flitted in the breeze off the side of the great fiery beast it sat atop. Jennifer hadn¡¯t said a word since they¡¯d left the castle, James had arrived shortly after Melodus passed, his eyes wide at the sight of the weapon, his mind reeling as to why Jennifer possessed it, the implications frightened him greatly. Slade had offered little farewell, merely nodding slightly before limping off into the darkness, Squawk flew after him, Chirp remained with Jennifer, resting gently on her exposed shoulder, his little talons lightly pinching her skin, she barely noticed. Enoch offered them a lift, James had refused, Jennifer had mounted the flaming horse without a word. Finally Enoch broke the silence,


    ¡°Jennifer, I never thanked you for saving my life, I¡¯d be¡­¡± He hesitated to say the word, ¡°...I wouldn¡¯t be here if not for you.¡± Jennifer weakly nodded, she appreciated the attempt, but the fatigue, the uncertainty, the vivid memory of Melodus¡¯ expression as he faced the last moments of his life¡­ It all thundered through her mind, leaving nothing concrete to grasp onto, nothing she could possibly say to explain any of it.


    ¡°You did the right thing Jennifer,¡± She was surprised to hear James¡¯ voice, her lip twitched and her knuckles¡¯ glowed white, ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to see now, but Melodus would have killed you, killed Enoch, Slade, Squawk, you had to do it, you had no-¡±


    ¡°No choice? That¡¯s rich coming from you.¡± Jennifer¡¯s voice blanketed the trio in silence, Enoch swallowed deeply, James stood with his mouth open slightly, Jennifer merely stared straight ahead as she spoke into the darkness, ¡°I stole Melodus¡¯ life from him, he will NEVER come back, NEVER make another choice again, NEVER feel anything¡­ What the hell gave me the right to make that decision¡±? She turned to look James dead in the eye, ¡°What gives anyone the right to choose how another person should live¡±? James lowered his head, Jennifer saw it, Death hadn¡¯t lied about a goddamn thing. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan then, ¡®James¡¯? Go back to my city? Meet up with your lying sack of shit brother and prepare me for my new host? Or is there going to be some kind of ceremony first? Maybe a nice send off parade¡±? A tear rolled down her cheek and lingered off her chin before dropping into Enoch¡¯s flames and dissipating entirely. James spoke with his head to the ground, humble, contrite,


    ¡°Death told you? That¡¯s where you got the weapon right¡±? He didn¡¯t need Jennifer to respond, there was no doubt now, no more secrets, ¡°It¡¯s all true Jennifer, who I am, what I intended to do, all of it.¡± Enoch stopped dead in his tracks, his flaming eyes bore into James, he seemed like he may lunge for him when Jennifer spoke again,


    ¡°You¡¯re defenseless right now. You¡¯re tired, bruised, and, if you could¡¯ve healed yourself you¡¯d¡¯ve done it by now, so I¡¯m guessing those wounds are Deathless inflicted.¡± She didn¡¯t need to look at him to respond, there was no doubt. ¡°Death told me that, if I kill you, then we¡¯ll all be free, truly free, free to be whatever we want.¡± James remained silent, ¡°WELL?!¡± Jennifer shouted, ¡°IS IT TRUE?!¡± James remained silent. Jennifer hopped off Enoch¡¯s back and put her hand on the weapon swinging from her hip. ¡°Why admit to all of this?! Why not just lie to me, tell me Death¡¯s a lying sack of shit? What the hell are you after?!¡± James remained silent, ¡°SAY SOMETHING!¡± James sighed, his grey eyes heavy, his body slouched in defeat, he weakly mustered a shrug,


    ¡°I told you before Jennifer, there¡¯s a quality that separates us from the monsters, and, while I refused to live it in the past, I truly believe it¡¯s never too late to try again. I won¡¯t lie to you Jennifer, but I will beg you to allow me to die on my own terms.¡± Jennifer froze,


    ¡°Wh-what are you saying¡±? James allowed himself a weak smile,


    ¡°Your life wasn¡¯t mine to sacrifice, for my brother, for the greater good, for anyone I¡­ I know that now. But my life is. When we arrive at your city I¡¯m going to give Time my body.¡± This couldn¡¯t possibly be true¡­ There¡¯s no way, it just didn¡¯t make any sense,


    ¡°But¡­ But then there¡¯d be no Destiny!¡± Jennifer exclaimed, not realizing the irony of her shock.


    ¡°Exactly, you¡¯d all be free just like you said, but my brother would be around to set things right, not Death¡­ Say what you will about him, but he threw the world into this state, I¡¯d rather not leave the future to him too¡­ There won¡¯t be anything new popping up in the world, the Book will never be closed, and everything that already existed can continue to exist, Time will have access to every page of the Book that¡¯s already been read. It¡¯s better for everyone this way¡­¡±


    ¡°Did¡­ Did the old man agree to this plan? I-I have to know.¡± All of this was too much. James shook his head, no.


    ¡°My brother would never approve of any of this, that¡¯s why he moved your city after you left, that¡¯s why he¡¯s hidden your city ever since. Rachel and I believed we could keep this plan from him, but he¡¯s far more perceptive than he looks¡­¡±


    ¡°...The nurse was in on this¡­¡±? Jennifer choked out, tears welling in her eyes.


    ¡°Jennifer she¡­ she didn¡¯t mean any harm by it¡­.¡± All the memories of the kind and caring nurse began to fade from her mind, replaced with a seething hatred, a burning desire to rip the memories from her head and char them in fire. ¡°Rachel¡¯s my daughter, she¡¯s the Form of Life, ALL Life. She couldn¡¯t continue to watch Life disappear and so she¡­ She wished it wouldn¡¯t have to be this way.¡± Jennifer wiped the tears on her arm, and turned and hopped back onto Enoch¡¯s back, the fiery steed letting out a surprised, ¡®oomph¡¯ and staring back at Jennifer, who merely pointed back toward the ocean.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then. You have a job to do, best get you to it.¡± The coldness in Jennifer¡¯s voice tore at James¡¯ heart, but he knew it was deserved, he knew it had to be this way, he just wished he¡¯d figured it out sooner, perhaps, if he had, someone would¡¯ve missed him once he was gone¡­ The trio walked in silence after that, all the way back to the sea.


    ******************************************************************************


    Waves gently collapsed on the quiet beach, Enoch allowed Jennifer to descend onto the sand, James stood off to the side in silence. The second Jennifer¡¯s feat hit the ground Meerous burst from the waves, spraying water everywhere and flourishing her great size across the heavens, until she cocked back her head and snapped forward, stopping inches from James¡¯ face, her eyes squinted and her teeth bared. James refused to even flinch,


    ¡°Is it true¡±? She growled the words, her throat rumbling and the water boiled alongside her. Jennifer shouted from off in the distance, she and Enoch had started a small fire that they now sat rigidly beside,


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time on him, he¡¯s no threat to me, or anyone.¡± Meerous continued to eye James suspiciously as she slowly swung her body around toward the fire, James refused to meet her gaze.


    ¡°What happened out there? Jennifer you look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost,¡± The accusing growl replaced with a motherly hum.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, we made it out alive and that¡¯s all that matters¡­ Did you find my city¡±? Meerous shook her head, shame in her eyes.


    ¡°I searched every inch of the coast line, if you¡¯re city¡¯s out there it¡¯s not anywhere near my waters, I¡¯m sorry Jennifer.¡± Jennifer just shrugged,


    ¡°Not your fault, don¡¯t stress about it.¡± She rose to her feet, her eyes toward the stars and her expression vacant, apathetic, ¡°I¡¯m going to take a walk, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± And with that she ventured into the darkness, no Enoch, no Solaris, and no James, just her. Something about the darkness resonated with Jennifer, the uncertainty, the possibilities, the way the smallest lights shone so brightly, all of it mesmerized her disillusioned soul, surreal beauty replacing those standards we hold to with such vigor. She was a bit surprised to find she wasn¡¯t crying, she felt like she should be, with all that¡¯d happened it would be understandable and there wasn¡¯t anyone around to see it so why¡­ why were her eyes so dry? Emptiness, she mouthed the word, it seemed to fit nicely so she dwelt on it a bit longer, piecing all her feelings together under a single banner, a banner of loss, of lacking, of nothing, because that¡¯s all she felt now. She pinched her arm, pain, but no suffering. She thought about the judgmental neighbors back home, the vicious children, remembering there was pain at one time, but now, nothing. She considered dancing with the Forms, watching the stars return to the sky, remembering that she¡¯d felt something, but unable to say anything about what that feeling was, the connection felt¡­ severed.


    ¡°A funny thing isn¡¯t it¡±? The voice from the darkness should¡¯ve startled her, but she merely turned to face her stalker stone faced and complacent, but, when the sight of wheels and puffy white hair caught her attention, a spark of something reignited.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s you, whe-where have you been¡±? The old man allowed himself a remorseful smile,


    ¡°Hiding, from my brother, from his plan.¡± Jennifer couldn¡¯t help but smile, glad there was someone still in her corner, but questions still lingered, and she needed answers,


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you warn me? Or stop me from growing, or¡­¡± Her shoulders slumped, ¡°why¡¯d you abandon me¡±? The old man laughed, not a mean sound, but the pleasant sound she¡¯d been so enamored with as a child, but she didn¡¯t see the joke, ¡°HOW COULD YOU LAUGH AT ME?! I NEEDED YOU AND YOU WEREN¡¯T THERE!¡± Her voice echoed in the darkness and the old man shakily stood to his feet, as he did so her began to morph into a younger man, a man very similar to James and Death, but with wrinkles around his eyes, a slight jolt in his step, a twinkle in his eye, and a resilience buried deep down, holding up everything above it.


    ¡°I used to travel the universe like this,¡± he mused, his voice softer, younger, ¡°obsessed with all that I could do to help the universe, to help humans, people would see this face and know that someone had come to their rescue. But then I had to return to my job as Death, my own child had strayed from the right path and I had to be the one to fix it, after that this face became one that frightened everyone who looked upon it, a face that meant their time had come to an end. Every decision I¡¯ve made has hurt someone, ruined someone, or¡± he gestured to the world around them, ¡°ruined the entire universe,¡± he chuckled softly, ¡°so Jennifer, to answer your question, I did abandon you.¡± A tear rolled down her cheek, ¡°because I decided it might be high time I stop deciding what¡¯s best for everyone else, stop deciding who¡¯s saved and who¡¯s left behind.¡± As he spoke his skin began to wrinkle again, his hair greyed and most of it fell from his head, his veins bulged and his voice shook, ¡°Jennifer, I decided again to let you decide, not the fate of the world, but your own fate. I let you follow me back to the house, let you grow as long as you wanted to, but you quickly made it your own. I let you leave to meet my brother, so you could decide for yourself what it is YOU wanted, who it is YOU would become.¡± His legs shook and he fell back into his wheelchair, ¡°And look at all YOU did,¡± he motioned to the heavens, full of stars, ¡°YOU inspired those Forms, inspired my brother, and YOU did it all without me. So Jennifer, after all you¡¯ve been through, answer me one thing,¡± Jennifer met his eyes, and nodded slowly, ¡°what is it you want¡±? A silence fell, a silence that may have lasted minutes or hours, but to Jennifer it felt like an eternity, she stared up at the stars, looked at the old man in the wheelchair, glanced back toward the ocean, then stared down at her own hands, before allowing herself one last glance toward the ocean. ¡°No need to answer now, come on, let¡¯s continue this discussion inside.¡± Jennifer cocked head head to the side as the old man wheeled into the darkness, Jennifer followed when she began to feel the ground harden beneath her feet, she looked down surprised to see not snow, but road. Looking up she realized that the once dark and empty field was now littered with buildings, familiar buildings, and, most familiar of all, a shining golden tower watching over her city. She was home.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ******************************************************************************


    Little within the city had changed, not something Jennifer found at all surprising, but, with the sun now set, streetlamps had begun again to shine, illuminating the roads, wide roads, roads Jennifer now knew had been designed for carrying cars. She¡¯d always wondered what the streetlamps had been for, now she knew, she knew a lot, things in the city suddenly began to make a lot more sense, things that nobody had been able to explained seemed so obvious to her now. Looking up toward the clock tower, Jennifer realized what the strange symbol on all four sides was, and, even more shocking, that the clock had begun ticking again. Jennifer ran over to Time¡¯s side and pointed toward the clock,


    ¡°You¡¯ve stopped slowing down time? Why? I mean, why now¡±? Time shrugged,


    ¡°Because there¡¯s no need for it anymore, we¡¯ve reached the end of the road Jennifer, no sense hiding from it any longer.¡±


    ¡°But does that mean people¡¯ll start aging again? Acting normal¡±? Something about the thought seemed off putting, the irony lost on her. Time chuckled,


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly right, give them a bit to adjust, the memories will come in slowly, but they will all return in time.¡± He winked at the mention of his name, so many of the jokes he¡¯d made as Jennifer grew up suddenly made so much more sense.


    As they walked, Jennifer felt a familiar sensation against her leg, a purring sound emanated from the ground beside her. With a smile she turned to greet her old friend, the little orange and black cat returned her gaze,


    ¡°Cat, it¡¯s good to see ya, I suppose I owe ya quite a few butt scratches don¡¯t I¡±?


    ¡°Yes, a great deal actually.¡± Jennifer froze, her eyes fixed on the cat, her mind straining to make sense of the ludicrous notion that Cat had just spoken to her,


    ¡°...Cat¡­ you can talk¡±? The little cat nodded, and let out a full toothed grin, her fangs shining in the low lamp light. ¡°Which means that you¡¯re... ¡° Jennifer smacked herself in the face, ¡°Cat is the Form of cats! God I feel stupid for not catching that one.¡± She heard Time laugh from a ways ahead, she glared in his direction before feeling Cat¡¯s butt again brush against her leg. Jennifer shrugged, Form or not they had an agreement. Jennifer reached down and gave Cat her butt scratches and, as Cat moved to leave, Jennifer quickly stopped her, ¡°Why didn¡¯t ya ever tell me who ya were¡±?


    ¡°I forgot. We all did.¡± And with that Cat bounded back into the shadows leaving Jennifer to wonder how many more Forms may be in the city. But Time had already wheeled fairly far ahead and she decided she¡¯d best keep up. Jennifer quickly collected her bearings and became acutely aware that they were heading toward the old man¡¯s house, to Time¡¯s house. She placed her hand on Time¡¯s shoulder, a shaky hand,


    ¡°The nurse¡­ Is she¡­ Is she gonna be there.¡± Time sighed and stopped, turning to face Jennifer, his eyes gentle, sympathetic,


    ¡°Rachel believes desperately that what she did was right, she hasn¡¯t arrived at the same conclusions I have. She truly cares for you, but she¡¯s convinced there were no other options.¡± Jennifer hesitated, a million thoughts, but Time deserved none of them, she¡¯d wait until she could confront the nurse face to face.


    Jennifer allowed herself a whimsical smile upon seeing the house again, especially since the city¡¯s move placed the house directly on the coast, an oceanside view only increased the beauty of the little home. But the smile quickly faded as Jennifer remembered who¡¯d be inside waiting for her, she felt the weapon on her hip and the one in her bag, a comfort in their presence. A thought struck her and she allowed herself to linger behind Time, just enough to be out of sight. The second that happened she silently lifted the weapon from the sheath, returning it to the bag, while simultaneously lifting the fake weapon out and placing it into the sheath.


    Upon entering the house Jennifer, though she knew they would all be there, felt quite surreal seeing Enoch and James in the same room as Rachel, much like the girl who goes off to college and, upon inviting her new friends to see her hometown, runs into friends from high school. Jennifer felt a certain amount of surprise at how little the Nurse¡¯s demeanor had changed, she didn¡¯t avert her eyes, or lower her gaze, she met Jennifer¡¯s eyes head on. Does she know that I know, Jennifer wondered, she¡¯d hoped not, she couldn¡¯t imagine anyone cold enough to look their victim in the eye with such ease.


    ¡°Jennifer,¡± The nurses¡¯ voice sounded quite motherly, ¡°you look a bit malnourished, have you been eating well? If you¡¯d told me you were planning on leaving I could have packed you some supplies you know.¡± Jennifer remained silent, the nurse cocked an eyebrow and scanned Jennifer¡¯s face, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you¡±? The question lingered in the air for a moment, James seemed to find a way to look at everything but the two of them, Time merely watched with curiosity, Enoch awkwardly shifted his weight from one foot to the other, nobody wanted to speak, so Jennifer decided she should,


    ¡°James¡­ Destiny told me about y¡¯all¡¯s little plan.¡± The silence somehow grew even more uncomfortable, save for the nurse who seemed merely confused,


    ¡°And? Did he not tell you his plan of becoming the new host himself¡±? The nurse scoffed, obviously annoyed at this delay.


    ¡°Yeah he told me, but what does that matter?! You wanted to sacrifice me!¡± Jennifer¡¯s heightened pitch only increased the nurses¡¯ annoyance,


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to shout Jennifer,¡± She scolded, ¡°sure that was my plan originally, but now another solution¡¯s cropped up, so I¡¯m failing to see why you¡¯re upset, we no longer need you to sacrifice yourself. This is good news.¡± Jennifer couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing, she couldn¡¯t imagine anyone could be this cruel, this uncaring, this¡­ this apathetic.


    ¡°You watched me grow up, you took care of me, all that time knowing that you were preparing me to die¡­ I don¡¯t care if the, ¡®plans changed,¡¯ you¡¯re a monster, a heartless monster who¡¯s no better than any of the monsters out there, the only difference is they¡¯re honest about who they are out there.¡± The nurse chuckled, Jennifer gritted her teeth at the sound, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that she¡¯d die too, she¡¯d rip open the nurses¡¯ throat here and now.


    ¡°Jennifer, I¡¯m the Form of Life. You say I watched you grow up, that I took care of you, nurtured you, and then sent you off to die, what do you think life is besides that? As much as I hate death, he is merely a necessary consequence of me. You think I¡¯m a monster? Every single one of my children is going to die, period. If we save the day now, if we manage to win this fight and make everything, ¡®right¡¯ again, that won¡¯t change the simple truth that EVERYONE eventually dies, you included. My job is to prepare my children for that harsh truth, to ready them for the inevitable. You think you¡¯re somehow different? The only thing different about you was that I gave you a purpose, I allowed there to be some meaning to your life, and somehow that makes ME the monster? Clearly Jennifer your time out there taught you absolutely nothing.¡± And with that the nurse turned and walked into the other room, leaving Jennifer to fume.


    The rest of the room watched her carefully, wanting to gauge her reaction, ensure that an explosion wasn¡¯t imminent, James eyed the weapon on her hip carefully. They all jumped when a thin, scaly head popped through the window, swaying around lazily as she took in the room.


    ¡°Jennifer, what¡¯s wrong¡±? Meerous hummed. Jennifer offered her a weak smile,


    ¡°Just um¡­ Just a lot to take in is all.¡± Meerous eyed her suspiciously and then decided it may be best to simply let it go. As the previous fight began to air out of the room James decided it may finally be time to finish what he¡¯d started.


    ¡°Everyone, I know many of you have mixed feelings about me, but I¡¯m glad you¡¯re all here. As you know Death¡¯s rule on this universe must come to an end, and the only way that can happen is for my brother to gain a new host body. I¡¯ve decided to offer myself as that new host, knowing that the world will be a very different place, I truly believe it will be a better one. To do this though, Time and I will need to go to the Book so that I can use it to make the transfer. The only concern I have in all this is Death, if he were to uncover the location of the Book than things may wind up far worse than they are now, and by worse I mean the complete annihilation of the Book itself, which means the complete annihilation of the cosmos now and forever. With such high stakes we cannot simply underestimate Death in this matter, we must be prepared for anything he might throw at us. Now, the only way he¡¯d be able to destroy the Book, the only thing powerful enough to do so, is his weapon.¡± The room all grew silent and glanced over at Jennifer, the shining knife dangling from her hip.


    ¡°Wait¡­ If the weapon is the only thing strong enough to kill the Book, then why did he let Jennifer have it¡±? Enoch ventured, his eyes fixed on the terrifying blade.


    Jennifer and James exchanged a quick glance, Time piped up instead,


    ¡°My son has always had a taste for the theatrical and the ironic, the prospect of killing Destiny himself likely bored him, but to have a human do it, especially a human that he¡¯d grown close to, he would find that endlessly entertaining. And, if Jennifer refused to do so, he could always retrieve the weapon and do it himself, as far as he¡¯s concerned there¡¯s no losing in this situation. The one thing he didn¡¯t count on is my brother deciding to sacrifice himself, he knew Jennifer would never agree to it and he figured, with the weapon y¡¯all couldn¡¯t force her to do it, so he must believe he¡¯s safe.¡± Jennifer considered this and a question cropped up in her head, a cruel selfish question, but one she needed an answer to,


    ¡°Why me? I mean, why not use anyone else from the city? Why does it have to be me¡±? Time and Destiny shared a look and James spoke up,


    ¡°Creating a new host isn¡¯t an easy task, not everyone will do, whoever we picked would have to have spent a massive amount of time with my brother for it to work, you grew up with him, so you¡¯re the only human who could possibly fit the role. That being said though, the amount of time I¡¯ve spent with my brother should have the same effect, meaning it must be one of the two of us, there¡¯s no one else.¡± Jennifer stared at her feet for a moment, she¡¯d been afraid it¡¯d be something like that, but hearing it out loud, it made sense.


    ¡°So shouldn¡¯t y¡¯all be doing this now¡±? Enoch¡¯s voice awkwardly snapped everyone back to the present, ¡°I mean I know it¡¯s a big deal and all, but every second we sit here talking is just more time for Death to stop it¡­ Not that I want you to die James¡­ Destiny¡­ You¡­ it¡¯s just that, if you¡¯re going to anyway then we don¡¯t want it to be a waste. ...That definitely came out wrong¡­ I uhh¡­¡± James saved him,


    ¡°You¡¯re right, honestly I¡¯m just stalling for the sake of stalling at this point.¡± Jennifer inched closer to Time and whispered,


    ¡°You¡¯re okay with this? I mean your brother sacrificing himself and everything¡­¡± Time¡¯s eyes blinked for a moment as he considered the question, he rubbed his chin with his hand and then allowed himself a sly smile, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it too much, these things all have a way of working themselves out in the end.¡± And with that he offered Jennifer a quick wink and looked away, ending the discussion as James continued to speak,


    ¡°The location of the Book is a secret I¡¯ve held onto for nearly three thousand years, and it¡¯s the only thing that¡¯s kept the cosmos safe. I don¡¯t plan on sharing that location with you all now, but just know that it will take me awhile to get there. In the meantime I need everyone, but my brother to keep watch. Death is no doubt going to become quickly aware of what we¡¯re doing and will attempt to follow, you all cannot let that happen. If you see Death let me know and I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to keep the Book safe, you have my word on that.¡± The remaining people and sea monster in the room did a solemn bow.


    ¡°I¡¯m going with y¡¯all.¡± Jennifer declared, drawing every eye in the room to face her, she seemed surprised to hear the words she¡¯d just spoken.


    ¡°You are¡­¡±? Stuttered James, the rest of the room equally sharing in the sentiment. Jennifer worked the question over in her head, whatever had sparked that proclamation seemed firmly lodged in her heart, unyielding to her every tug, if James was going off to die, he wouldn¡¯t have to do it alone.


    ¡°Yep, we¡¯ve come this far and I did promise I¡¯d help you save your brother right¡±? Grinning from ear to ear she watched for his reaction, she¡¯d just made a very mature and integrity driven choice, she couldn¡¯t wait to see what his response would be.


    ¡°Actually you said you¡¯d help me find him and we did that already so¡­¡± The incredulous stares from the rest of the room snapped him back to his senses, ¡°Ye-Yes, but I do see your point and I would be quite grateful for your company!¡± He sighed with relief as the room eased up, eased up enough for him to get to the hard stuff, ¡°But the weapon has to remain here.¡± Nothing in his tone made it sound like a request. Jennifer¡¯s eyebrows shot straight up, Meerous growled low and Enoch began to spark,


    ¡°You wish for her to go with you to this sacrificial altar unnamarmed¡±? Meerous voice, a suspicious challenge, caused James to take a step back, and Time decided to field the question.


    ¡°I know my brother has lied in the past, but on this issue he and I are in agreement. The weapon shouldn¡¯t come anywhere near the Book, if Death were to get his hands on both then it¡¯s all over, EVERYTHING is over.¡±


    ¡°But what if Death shows up? How will y¡¯all defend yourselves¡±? Enoch¡¯s worried tone sharply contrasting Meerous¡¯ accusing glare.


    ¡°If Death does show up,¡± James began, his head hung low like an innocent man before am vengeful jury, ¡°then we will die with our honor, knowing that, at the very least, the Book is safe and the universe may have a chance to start anew. Whatever caused the birth of my brother and I may happen again if the Book survives, but, if it were to perish, than the world will never be reborn, it will truly be the end.¡± Jennifer looked around the room, into the eyes of her friends, those that had become so much like family, those people she cared for more than¡­ well more than she thought possible. And, with conviction, reached down and pulled the shining knife from the sheath around her waist and handed it to Time, for him to lock away in whatever way he saw fit.

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20


    Time attempted to give an explanation as to how exactly he planned to keep the weapon safe, but it all went straight over Jennifer¡¯s head, something about time dialing or pockets for dimensions and other nonsense like that. She just smiled and nodded as Time continued to go more and more in depth, explaining how the limited amount of influence he still held over time and the knowledge he¡¯d ascertained over millennia of practice gave him an advantage over Death and, through these methods he could, essentially, prevent Death from ever laying hands on the weapon ever again. Jennifer¡¯s face fought to keep from revealing the sad truth that he was putting all this work into hiding a fake, but she couldn¡¯t go back on her decision, the best place for the weapon was with her, she knew that.


    ¡°What I want to know is where ya managed to hide this damn Book for so long!¡± Jennifer interrupted Time¡¯s rambling to snap James back from his musings as they strolled through the city streets. James looked quite pleased by the question,


    ¡°The trick to hiding something from anyone, is to put it somewhere they¡¯ve become accustomed to looking at, a place they assume they¡¯ve entirely figured out. People claim to know something like the back of their hand, and yet a bug could rest on the back of your hand for hours and you¡¯d likely never notice. So, as my brother searched for me I decided that the only place he¡¯d likely overlook is the place he loved the most, the place with the most humans.¡± At this point the pieces began to snap into place and Jennifer¡¯s mouth hung open as the truth set in.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious¡­¡± As they walked out from under a canopy overlooking the street and they had a fuller view of the sky, James stretched out his arm and guided their eyes to, ¡°My tower.¡± James chuckled, he¡¯d figured she¡¯d appreciate that. Time wheeled himself to Jennifer¡¯s side and nudged her in the ribs,


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel too stupid, took me nearly two thousand years to figure it out.¡± Jennifer recalled all the times she¡¯d attempted to enter the tower, all the times she¡¯d been caught and thrown out, everyone¡¯s inability to tell her anything about the tower, the way it seemed to cry out to her, all of it suddenly made so much sense.


    ¡°I think my favorite part of all this is the fact that Death spent so much time ruling the very city that secretly housed his greatest enemy.¡± Jennifer couldn¡¯t help but agree, James may be a pompous jackass, but he was a clever pompous jackass, she¡¯d give him that.


    As they entered the tower, Jennifer saw the familiar sight with new eyes, the ruined museum aesthetic no longer fooled her, the artifacts housed within, upon closer inspection, revealed themselves to be nothing more than rocks of varied shapes, sizes and colors, the descriptions beneath them, nothing but nonsense scribbles, faded enough to convince the average onlooker that it may have meant something at one time. Near the back of the wide show area sat a door with the words, ¡®employees only¡¯ engraved on the front.


    ¡°This is the job you were referring to¡±? Jennifer sighed, coming to terms with all the half truths James had told her. With a nod, James moved to open the door, before stopping and reaching into his pocket,


    ¡°Almost forgot the key,¡± He laughed, producing a gold pocket watch from inside his coat


    Pocket. Time¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of his old watch.


    ¡°Wh-where did you find it?!¡± The old man¡¯s face lit up like a child¡¯s as he leapt from his chair and snatched the watch from James¡¯ hands and cradled it like a newborn child.


    ¡°After the battle, when Death struck you down, the watch wound up in the hands of a


    human being by the name of James Blackwell, he didn¡¯t make it back to the city with you, and so he had to hide from Death without any other aid then his wits and this watch, a watch that kept ticking even though the world seemed to have fallen around him. It was the watch that brought me to him and helped guide my decision to converge with him. I kept the name because I felt it honored him¡­ At the time I hadn¡¯t yet realized the significance of my decision, wrenching his choice from him and killing him for my own gain¡­ I often wonder what he would have said if I¡¯d simply asked him, explained the situation to him and let him decide, but I¡¯ll never have that chance now. I can¡¯t change what I¡¯ve done, but I can make this right. Brother,¡± Time, whose face had shone brightly listening to his brother¡¯s conclusions, suddenly grew focused and attentive, ¡°when you¡¯re restored, and all is right, tell James that I¡¯m sorry for what I did to him, take care of him for me will you¡±? Time nodded and suddenly the weight of James¡¯ decision struck Jennifer head on, before it¡¯d merely been a nice way of making amends for all he¡¯d put her through, but now¡­ Well now she knew this wasn¡¯t simply for her, James was doing this for everyone, for Time, for Enoch and Meerous, for Slade and Squawk, for Helios and Adam, for Freddy and Claudia, even for Lila. But why? Why did he have to do anything at all? Why sacrifice himself for them? She eyed him carefully, none of this made any sense, and she again began to wonder if his words were true, if this wasn¡¯t another trick. The weird feeling that¡¯d lead her to go after him, lead her to join them on their way to the Book, she began to wonder where that weird feeling emerged from. She thought about the weapon in her bag, and it gave her some comfort to know she had it, just in case.


    Through the door sat a sturdy looking bookshelf, stacked with all different kinds of books of various shapes, sizes and colors. The titles of the Books had been written in a language Jennifer had never seen before and thus she could only guess as to what the contents of these books may be.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Jennifer ventured, ¡°which one is THE Book¡±? James chuckled and her face grew red, memories of their first few days together flashed through her mind.


    ¡°The Book is behind the bookcase, you really think I¡¯d just leave the book sitting out in the open behind one weak door? You really have a pretty low opinion of me don¡¯t you¡±? He laughed as he knelt before the bookcase, Time layed a gentle hand on Jennifer¡¯s shoulder, and squeezed gently, his eyes meeting her and seeing more than she wished they would.


    ¡°So, how do we open this do-¡± Time¡¯s question halted as shouting could be heard from all across the city, screams of alarm, confusion and panic wafted in from outside.


    ¡°Damnit!¡± James snapped his head over to Jennifer, ¡°The Deathless must have found us, they can¡¯t be allowed to interfere, go and find Meerous and Enoch, explain the situation and see if you can convince them to help. If any of the Deathless make it hear then Death will know exactly what we¡¯re up to.¡± Jennifer stood frozen for a moment, images of her and James surrounded by the Deathless on the road ran like static through her mind, James¡¯ commanding voice, the imminent fear of the heartless monsters closing in around her, but this time¡­ this time she felt Time¡¯s comforting hand on her shoulder, and instead of allowing the storm of fear to overwhelm her, she focused on the pressure from Time¡¯s touch and took in a deep breath, before nodding and rushing out of the tower toward her friends.


    As she ran, Jennifer became aware of another person following behind her, she turned her head slightly only to see James, all business, keep pace behind her.


    ¡°What are ya doing?! I thought you were opening the door?!¡± Jennifer shouted over her shoulder.


    ¡°Time¡¯s handling it, I¡¯m walking him through the steps as we speak. But, if we¡¯re going to stand against the Deathless, I should be here to help.¡± Though she didn¡¯t want to admit it, she felt much safer knowing she wasn¡¯t going to have to do this without him. By the time the pair made it back to the house, Meerous and Enoch were already well aware of the situation and preparing to move out.


    ¡°How bad is it¡±? James asked Meerous, the great serpent¡¯s eyes gave her away,


    ¡°I...I¡¯m not going to sugarcoat it, there¡¯s likely half a million Deathless less than a mile away from the city. How long will it take to get to the Book¡±? Furrowing his brow, James mulled over the question for a few seconds before letting out a sigh of frustration,


    ¡°Best case scenario, Time has the door open in five hours, worst case, eight.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way we can hold them off for that long, even with both of us fighting together¡­¡± Enoch apologized.


    ¡°What if we all fought¡±? Jennifer¡¯s voice boomed confidently behind James, all eyes turned to face her.


    ¡°...No offense Jennifer, but I don¡¯t think you or I is really going to add much¡­¡± James muttered as his mind sat elsewhere working out solutions.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean you and me, I mean the whole city! Adam told me that everyone in this city¡­ Well mostly everyone, fought in the war against Adam way back when. Why don¡¯t we ask them to fight¡±? Jennifer corrected, the idea making more and more sense in her head by the second.


    ¡°That war was nearly 800 years ago right¡±? Enoch wondered, ¡°What makes you think anyone here could still fight¡±?


    ¡°That¡¯s the best part! Nobody here has aged a day since the war, they¡¯re all still in peak fighting condition! And I know they still have all their weapons! This could work, but we need to rally them now!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± James snapped, veins bulging from his forehead as he rubbed his temples impatiently, ¡°The Deathless will be here in less than an hour, we¡¯d never get to everyone in time.


    ¡°I believe I can help with that.¡± The nurse entered the room confidently, ignoring the glares cast her way by the man on fire and the watery snake popping in through the window. ¡°Seeing as everyone within the city is alive I can contact them all at once, whatever message you wish me to pass on I¡¯ll do so gladly.¡± Meerous looked as if she might bite off the woman¡¯s head, Enoch seemed primed to tell her to go to hell, but before either of them could do that, Jennifer piped up in an even controlled tone,


    ¡°Good, that¡¯ll help a lot. I¡¯m ready to talk to them now, if that¡¯s okay¡±? Even the nurse seemed surprised by her tone, but she shrugged and simply gestured for Jennifer to speak.


    ¡°Fellow citizens! I know many of you remember me as the growing girl, and that you may not be too fond of hearing from me, but please put all that aside for now and listen. Many of you are beginning to remember things, strange things that don¡¯t seem to make a lick of sense, but I need you to put those memories aside as well, right now we all need to focus on the present. Monsters are heading toward the city, many of you have already seen them, but for those of you who haven¡¯t then either check for yourselves or just trust me, either way I need you to understand just how real this threat is. These monsters are coming to kill us, destroy our city and leave everything we love in ruins, we are NOT GOING TO LET THAT HAPPEN! Within the basements of each of your homes are staches of weapons, though you may not have firm memories of them yet, each of you is extremely proficient in their use, trust me on that.¡± Suddenly the thoughts of each pancing citizen flooded into the room,


    ¡°Who is this¡±?


    ¡°Why are you in my head¡±?


    ¡°Monsters?!?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna run for it!¡±


    ¡°New Brain, who dis¡±?


    ¡°Don¡¯t believe her, this is some kind of trick!¡±


    ¡°Someone explain to me what¡¯s going on!!¡±


    Jennifer turned to face the room,


    ¡°They¡¯re not listening to me!¡± She screamed in frustration, but that wasn¡¯t entirely accurate, in fact one man had listened very closely.


    With directions he now read off of the very note that had sent him into despair months ago, he made his way through the city toward the outskirts, memories flooding his mind as he pushed past them, a single mission, a single destination in mind.


    The door flung open, all eyes turned to see Jennifer¡¯s father standing in the doorway, eyes like coals, burning with an unyielding determination, Jennifer¡¯s note held with care in his right hand.


    ¡°Da-Dad?!¡± Her surprised went ignored as her father approached the nurse, his eyes refusing to deviate even slightly from their course,


    ¡°I need to talk to the city, can you make that happen¡±? Even Life seemed taken aback, but she nodded anxiously,


    ¡°Citizens of Covenant, this is General Isaac Williams speaking, please listen carefully. I know that many of your memories are returning, memories that we all might wish to forget, but now is not the time. My daughter is not lying or deceiving you, there are monsters at our borders, I have seen them myself. Time brought us here for safe keeping, but he has released us, I would imagine, so that we may fight. Remember it was US that failed to see Death¡¯s game, it was US that nearly brought an end to the world and it IS US that will set things right. This is not a request, but an order. Those Officers among you are to gather any men and women capable of fighting and ensure they are armed and prepped. If you are an officer please shout so now.¡± A series of yells and cries could be heard from the city, General Isaac turned to Rachel, who confirmed she¡¯d heard them. ¡°Now officers, all soldiers have been removed from the connection and we will only be communicating with you all from here on out. Sadly, in our retreat, we did not pick a very defensible portion of the city to settle down in, but that doesn¡¯t mean we won¡¯t use everything at our disposal to defend it! There are five remaining warehouses at these coordinates,¡± General Isaac focused intently on the layout of the city, revealing the locations of each warehouse as Rachel projected them out to the people. ¡°Within those warehouses you should find enough weaponry and ammunition to form a loose perimeter around the city.¡± Isaac stopped suddenly as Jennifer placed her hand on his arm. He eyed his daughter with a combination of shame and pride, layered beneath the confusion of her interruption.


    ¡°Nurse, would you cut the connection for a moment.¡± Jennifer requested.


    ¡°Jennifer what¡¯s going on? We don¡¯t have time fo-¡± Isaac began as he turned toward the nurse to begin the instruction again.


    ¡°I know we don¡¯t. That¡¯s why James is going to take over from here¡±? It¡¯s hard to say who found that more shocking, Isaac or James.


    ¡°Him? Why would he-¡±


    ¡°Jennifer, I have to agree with your father on this one, I-¡± Jennifer stopped them both with a wave of her hand.


    ¡°James here is Destiny, as in the Form of Destiny himself. When it comes to putting things in order and organizing large groups of beings there isn¡¯t a single being out there that could keep up. James is going to lead the troops from here on out, dad I need ya to keep him informed on what he has to work with.¡± General Isaac¡¯s eyes widened as he stared at the young man in the scarf with new found understanding. Falling to his knees, Isaac began apologizing for his tone before, though slightly pleased that someone finally had the right reaction, James told him that such formalities were not necessary at the moment. ¡°So, will ya do it¡±?


    ¡°Of course, this is my mess, might as well clean it up right. Alright Rachel, put me through to the people.


    Covenant, my name is Destiny, I am the Form of Destiny and I am in need of your assistance, General Isaac has accurately informed you of the threat ahead, and I would ask that you continue forward with the orders he¡¯s already provided you with so far. The ocean you are now adjacent to is allied with us, along with the Form of Fire, they will be assisting you, please do not be afraid when you see them as they are on your side. These monsters are known as Deathless, they are humans and half-Forms that cannot die and will continue to reform each time they are destroyed, but you don¡¯t need to kill them, merely hold them off. Time is in the process of undoing all of this, but he needs a moment to do so, under no circumstances can he be interrupted! The Deathless are marching from the west, meaning that the north and south side will need little defence, merely enough to ensure that no Deathless are able to sneak in. Primary forces should be front and center. The Deathless do not use weapons and therefore have no form of long range combat, use that to your advantage, aiming for their legs to slow down their approach. I will guide you from here, ensuring that you are immediately aware if anything on the battlefield changes. You have your orders, proceed and await further instruction.¡±


    Jennifer gave James a proud grin before sprinting into the city to check on the preparations, she nearly fainted when she saw them. The once mindless drones that plagued her city, stagnant creatures lost in forgotten memories and burdened with pointless mundane routines, no longer walked like shells mimicking human life, no, they shone. Uniforms, uniforms of varying designs and embellished with various emblems clad the men and women who forwent meandering feet and idle stares in exchange for purposeful strides and narrowed eye¡¯d observation. Officers, proud humans adorned in medals and ribbons, barked orders to a captivated audience, eager to follow instruction. Turrets of steel, large guns the size of boulders, belts of copper cased ammunition, swords attached at the hip, rifles slung over shoulders, holstered pistols and cannons dusted off from forgotten corners, all emerged from the warehouses Jennifer used to sneak into as a child, she never thought she¡¯d see them removed. With direction from James, Meerous sent her ocean roaring across the terrain around the city, morphing it into defensible structures, trenches, pits, and cover, created in less than half an hour. The soldiers, hollering war cries, found their way into the trenches and, within an hour, the city bore its fangs once again.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Meerous, deciding that defending both sides of the city may prove quite difficult in her current state, morphed before Jennifer¡¯s eyes into a fierce multi headed leviathan, with multiple heads hovering over various unguarded portions of the city. Enoch, not wanting to roast alive any soldiers who might have an aversion to such things, strolled past the trenches toward the approaching army, stopping a hundred yards from the trenches and plopping himself onto the icy wy ground, melting the snow and leaving him in a circle of dead, dried up grass, his legs crossed and his eyes focused on the monsters ahead.


    ¡°Jennifer!¡± Isaac ran toward her, a strange metal rod in his hand.


    ¡°Dad! What¡¯s up, do y¡¯all need me in there¡±? Taking a moment to catch his breath, Isaac shook his head,


    ¡°Actually, James wants you on top of the tower, keeping an eye on things with this.¡± He placed the rod in Jennifer¡¯s hands. Upon closer inspection, Jennifer noticed the glass circles on either side, one quite small and the other quite large. ¡°It¡¯s called a telescope, you stare through the small end and objects in the distance will appear as if they¡¯re right in front of you.¡± Jennifer tested the device out, checking in on Enoch who noticed, threw up a thumb and winked.


    ¡°Yep, that¡¯d do it!¡± Jennifer exclaimed, Isaac nodded, smiled, looked as if he might say something more, but grimaced instead, before turning back to toward the house. Jennifer shrugged, whatever he¡¯d wanted to say it could wait, besides, his actions had said more than enough already. With a smile she turned toward her tower, focusing in on the open hands, she¡¯d finally claim her rightful throne.


    ******************************************************************************


    A Thunderous crescendo erupted from the world below as Jennifer witnessed the full might of her people. The Deathless, marching mindlessly ahead, finally stepped within range, and the soldiers of Covenant unleashed hell. Cannons blew slews of Deathless to pieces as bullets ripped others to shreds by the thousands, turrets firing large shells into densely packed formations and watching with satisfaction as the Deathless scrambled to escape, only to be blocked by their own ranks. The second the Deathless came under attack, their march morphed into a sprint, the mass flinging themselves directly into the line of fire.


    But Adam had not under sold the strength of her people, each shooter hit their mark, obliterating the legs of the Deathless, cripilling them and sending them hurtling to the ground, reducing their charge to a crawl. But the Deathless quickly revealed that they more than merely human automatons, as winged Deathless took to the skies, attempting to rise above the storm of bullets below. Jennifer, watching them through her telescope, began focusing her mind to alert James, before stopping mid thought as precision shots tore through the wings and sent the hybrid Deathless crashing back down to the planet. With a quick glance, Jennifer quickly located the source of the shots, a group of soldiers, each armed with long rifles kitted with small telescopes welded onto the top of the rifle, stood vigilantly with eyes locked onto the sky. Smiling at James¡¯ forethought, Jennifer brought the telescope back around in time to see beast like Deathless emerge from the center of the mob, leaping above their humanoid counterparts and weaving between the cannon fire only to be quickly put down by a well timed focused strike directly targeting the beasts, taking only a moment before the fire resumed its focus on the main horde.


    How did they know so quickly? Jennifer wondered, the answer didn¡¯t take long, James¡¯ apologetic voice boomed in her mind.


    ¡°Life set up the psychic link, but I modified it slightly, I see what you see, there¡¯s no need for you to consciously think it. If we¡¯d had more time I would¡¯ve asked but¡­¡± Jennifer focused on the image of a middle finger, promptly displaying it for James to see before returning her focus to the battle.


    ******************************************************************************


    Crazy how much of a difference an hour can make, ammo beginning to run low from constant, unceasing use, the focus of soldiers waning as they begin to miss more and more shots. Suddenly the rifles seemed to weigh more, the triggers stickier and the darkness deeper. Enoch had felt the weight more than anyone, his constant blaze had begun to die down, the job of lighting the whole battlefield had taken its toll and the once bright and fiery Form struggled to even illuminate half of the incoming monsters. Winged Deathless began to escape the eyes of the sharpshooters, landing behind the soldiers and tearing the turrets to shreds before the soldiers overcame their shock, drew their swords, and drove them into the bellies of these creatures, now having to shift their attention between the battlefield and the monsters beside them, waiting till they rose again to continue their rampage.


    Jennifer watched in horror from above, the telescope fixed on Enoch who, while putting up his best effort, could be seen with knicks and scratches, bruises and cuts, not enough to halt him, but slowing his movements just enough to make him vulnerable. Yet, through all the madness, James had remained vigilante. No one could mistake his handiwork and Jennifer held nothing but admiration each time she witnessed a group of men, at a moments notice, drop their fire, switch over to the cannons, wait for exactly the opportune moment, and fire into a grouping of Deathless, decimating them and achieving with one shot what would of otherwise taken hundreds. What amazed Jennifer the most was the fact that this wasn¡¯t merely happening with one group at a time, but simultaneously across the battlefield all at once, the focus and quick thinking necessary to pull that off, well Jennifer couldn¡¯t help but be impressed.


    Jennifer hadn¡¯t remained helpless either, her hands brimmed with energy as the wind and lightning radiating from the stolen rings called out to her. She felt stupid for not remembering them sooner, but she quickly rectified her delay and got to work balancing the odds. Great bolts of lightning rained down from the heavens and instantly blew hundreds of Deathless to pieces. Jennifer smiled with satisfaction as surprised soldiers glanced toward the sky with awe. The wind, once a cold and bitter rival, not obeyed Jennifer¡¯s every command, backing the soldiers and slowing the charge of the monsters. With a large amount of focus she¡¯d even managed to ground a few flying Deathless, but the focus it took and the distraction from the larger fight made it a fairly pointless endeavor that she forewent quickly.


    The next hour crawled on, inch by inch the Deathless swarm made their way closer and closer to the fortifications, none yet breaching the barrier, but certainly much too close for comfort. All the good it¡¯d done though, Enoch¡¯s flames had died down to barely illuminate the ten or so Deathless immediately surrounding him, meaning that the soldiers below were firing into the dark, hoping to hit something.


    By hour three the situation descended into a hopeless, mad barrage of everything the humans had left, Deathless now breaching the fortifications slowly, but surely, mauling and dropping bodies left and right. James¡¯ voice boomed through the madness, calling all soldiers to fall back and form a perimeter around the tower. He didn¡¯t have to ask twice. The brilliance of his decision hit Jennifer the second the last soldier left the outer defences and a massive wave tore through the edge of the town, dragging the Deathless off their feet and into the dark. But, with only the weapons on their backs left, and Meerous¡¯ waves only able to push the Deathless back a ways, the peril of the situation had changed little.


    Jennifer let out a shocked scream as a winged Deathless rose from below the tower and hovered inches in front of her. She began to reach for the weapon in her bag, but quickly realized that the moment she drew it, James would know that she¡¯d lied to him. Her hesitation lingered a moment too long and the monster raised its talons, and brought them crashing down toward Jennifer¡¯s exposed face. But, this time, she didn¡¯t cower, she faced the beast head on, lowering her head below the swing and charging, shoulder first, into the creature, throwing it off balance and hurtling into the darkness below, with Jennifer clinging to it.


    As she fell her mind wandered for a moment to her first brush with death, her fear about her legacy¡­ But she knew, no matter what anyone else thought, she¡¯d die knowing she¡¯d done everything she could, everything in her power and¡­ and something else¡­ as she closed her eyes, ready to embrace the ground beneath her, a smile crept across her face.


    The smile quickly turned to shock as talons clamped around her arm descending slightly with her before swooping forward and gliding a ways. Jennifer spun her head around to see a familiar tweed jacket and red bow tie, now clad on a hawk the size of a horse, lifting her back into the air before placing her into the open hands of her tower.


    ¡°Squawk! What are you doing here?!¡± The little bird returned to her regular size, landing on Jennifer¡¯s shoulder and nuzzling against her cheek.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t just leave you silly! Besides, Slade thought you might need the help!¡± Jennifer thought for a moment and then lowered her head,


    ¡°Squawk, I¡¯m glad you came, but, as great as you and Slade are, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be enough¡­ Y¡¯all should run while ya still can.¡± Squawk smiled,


    ¡°Wow Jennifer! That¡¯s really quite selfless, but Slade and I didn¡¯t exactly come alone, look.


    Before Jennifer had even finished turning to follow Squawk¡¯s outstretched wing, she felt the sun landing softly on her cheek. From behind the Deathless, a great shining star had begun to rise steadily above the horde, great beams of light descending upon the battlefield, illuminating the once snowy landscape, a landscape now bursting forth with flowers and trees of every kind, three legged foxes prancing about through the trees, rabbits and hares, emerging from under the brush, water like geysers shooting from the ground and spraying mist into the air, reflecting the waves of the sun and creating a rainbow that shone in the eyes of every once timid and frightened soldier. No one could look away, every eye gazed in wonderment at the scene before them and, for the first time in centuries, the citizens of Adam saw the sunrise.


    Helios appeared next to Jennifer, sitting down on the edge of the hands, patting the spot next to her. As Jennifer sat down, watching the sun, she felt a familiar presence.


    ¡°My, look at how he¡¯s grown, you recognize him don¡¯t you¡±? Jennifer glanced again into the sun and saw him,


    ¡°SOLARIS!¡± She cried with joy, waving at her old friend.


    ¡°I figured there was only one star right to watch over you.¡± Helios smiled, as she held Jennifer¡¯s hand gently, ¡°Now Jennifer, we applaud you for holding out as long as you have, but please, allow us to take it from here. And Destiny, I assume you¡¯re listening, go be with your brother, we can handle it from here.¡±


    ¡°Helios I¡­ I can¡¯t thank you enough for this.¡± She laughed,


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank us, Jennifer was right, we¡¯ve been hiding for far too long, it¡¯s about time we all saw the sun again, don¡¯t you think¡±? Helios, Jennifer and Squawk watched from above as the soldiers rallied beside the Forms, eagles of massive size descended from the heavens, clouds of darkened hues fell over the Deathless and drowned them in lightning, foxes the size of bears tore into throats, a cloaked figure danced through the Deathless, blade drawn as he tore through any one that came to close. Just when Jennifer thought that the situation couldn¡¯t get any better, Adam began to quake as the ground opened up to swallow the hordes, rising in places to prevent the monsters from overwhelming the soldiers who had charged into the battlefield, swords drawn and battle cries bellowing from their very cores.


    The tide of the battle hadn¡¯t just turned, the script had been entirely flipped. No matter how many Deathless approached the city, no matter how many times they reformed, no matter how many of them rose up together, the combined force of humanity and the Forms, proved far too much for them to handle and they fell time and time again. Jennifer watched in wonderment, interrupted by a three legged fox nudging her arm with its nose.


    ¡°Freddy!¡± Jennifer hadn¡¯t realized just how much she¡¯d missed all of them, how much she¡¯d wanted to see them again.


    ¡°Aye love, turns out that them Forms can be rallied, just took someone awful persuasive.¡± Jennifer smiled from ear to ear, she would tell you the praise wasn¡¯t necessary, but certainly appreciated.


    ¡°Thanks Freddy.¡± She smiled,


    ¡°Oh, I wasn¡¯t referring to ya, I was talking about the little bird on ya shoulder.¡± The fox chuckled and Jennifer smacked him, ¡°Ya I reckon I deserve that. In all honesty Jennifer, we needed the kick in the pants from ya, and, no matter what appens next, we¡¯re willing to face it with ya.¡±


    ¡°What happened to just having fun? I thought ya said worrying about the world was boring.¡± Jennifer chided,


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you love, but I¡¯m aving a grand ole time.¡± and with that the fox leapt from her side, down the tower and back into the fray, surrounded by an army of three legged king sized foxes by his side.


    ******************************************************************************


    The fighting faded into a whisper as the Forms and humans charged after every reawakened Deathless that dared to rise from its defeat. With only a half hour left until Time and Destiny finished opening the door, Jennifer allowed herself to relax and watch proudly as her city shone with honor, purpose, pride, as she knew it once had.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame, I must have lost my invitation.¡± The chilly voice neither shouted, nor bellowed, but spoke casually with an ease indicative of authority, and, though the voice never raised above the volume of conversation, every ear within and around the city heard it clearly.


    All eyes turned to the sky, the sun darkening as the figure above them snapped his fingers, morphing the sun into a red giant, casting the world under a blood red hue. Shaking hands and sweating brows fumbled for direction, but none came, silence had fallen over the battlefield. The Deathless now rose without an ounce of resistance, bowing to the man in the sky with fearful glances, the last ounces of their humanity shaken to their very core at the sight. Weapons fell to the ground, Forms returned their reflections to themselves, the grass withered, the trees abandoned their leaves and the water receded back into the ground.


    Jennifer turned to Helios, but she¡¯d frozen, her whole body trembling, pale and suddenly quite small. She knew that man, she¡¯d seen him before, but what she saw now was no longer a man inclined toward negotiation, but one bent on vengeance.


    ¡°Jennifer.¡± The voice whispered in her ear, yet she knew everyone had heard it, all eyes turned to face her, the battlefield starting up at the tower where she cowered. ¡°I had hoped you might have taken my offer, I believed it to be quite generous, but instead here ya are, helping return a tyrant to his throne. Jennifer¡­ Jennifer¡­ Jennifer, I¡¯m actually quite fond of you, ya know? But I simply can¡¯t let ya finish this absurd crusade. So, I want ya to understand, none of this is personal.¡± Death¡¯s suit began to morph, once a solid now snapped and popped like fire, a dark fire that blew in the wind, yet formed a shadowy robe around him. Wrenching his arm from under the makeshift robe, Death opened wide his hand, a scythe materializing within his pale bony fingers. The scythe stood nearly a head taller than its master, the handle formed from the same shadowy fire that formed the robe. At the top, shining in the red sunlight, a blade, like the claw of a lion, protruded from the fire, so clear as to reflect everything that faced it. Once upon a time, those on the cusp of death would stare into their own reflections, framed within the blade, a promise of what was to come.


    Walking down imagined steps, Death descended toward the battlefield, humans and Forms too petrified to run or take up arms, merely stood awaiting the inevitable. But, in the midst of the cowering soldiers, one Form had more to hate from Death than any of the others and, as Death approached the ground, a three legged fox leapt from behind a crag of rocks and toward Death¡¯s throat. Faster than Jennifer could process, Death snapped the fox out of the air and into his outstretched hand, holding him there for a moment, inspecting the creature desperately attempting to wriggle free. With a smile his hand twisted round, from the fox multiple foxes sprung to life, retreating as fast as they could into burrows created from the earlier battle, but, as the neck of the held fox snapped, each fox, no matter how far they¡¯d run, collapsed onto the ground, their necks twisted and their eyes rolled back. Jennifer screamed, but no sound could be heard, upon witnessing Freddy¡¯s death, the Forms had rallied, the humans at their side as they charged toward a grinning reaper.


    Death brought back his scythe and, with one swing, launched every soldier near him into the air. But, instead of falling back to the ground they froze in mid air, their eyes being the only thing still moving, frantically searching for some hope, some salvation, but none came. With a chuckle, Death snapped his fingers and, for a moment, nothing happened, until Jennifer realized that all those frozen in the air had begun to age, faster and faster, their skin drying and peeling, their hair falling as their bones cracked under the weight of their bodies, until nothing remained but dust. A large number of the remaining Forms and soldiers attempted to retreat, but, as they did, they began to cough, the coughing turning to violent fits, causing them to fall to their knees, heaving onto the ground, unable to move. Boils formed across their skin, their eyes turned yellow as they collapsed, their bodies now broken beyond repair. The rotting corpses now formed a barrier around those still living, insuring that none of them may make the same mistake.


    ¡°JENNIFER!¡± James¡¯ voice boomed in her head, ¡°GET IN THE TOWER NOW, TIME AND I ARE NEARLY READY BUT IF YOU STAY OUT THERE HE WILL KILL YOU!¡±


    ¡°How much time do you need¡±? Jennifer was surprised to hear her father¡¯s voice, surprisingly calm all things considered.


    ¡°Isaac, there¡¯s nothing more you can do, it¡¯d be best if you took Life and retreated, he may not follow.¡± James advised, clearly not believing his own words.


    ¡°With all due respect, I think that¡¯s for me to decide.¡± Suddenly James¡¯ voice disappeared from her head, it seemed as if Life¡¯d kicked him out of the call. Isaac¡¯s voice continued to speak,


    ¡°Enoch, gather any living Forms and meet me as close to the edge of the city as you can, it¡¯s time we made our stand.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Enoch offered no argument, what would¡­ what could he even say? Helios, hearing the call, snapped from her frozen state and turned to Jennifer,


    ¡°Jennifer, you need to go now!¡±


    ¡°BU-¡±


    ¡°NOW¡± Jennifer didn¡¯t waste another second, hopping from the hands onto the roof of the tower, she gripped onto the hatch at the top, lifting it up and hopping inside. The tower didn¡¯t hold much on the upper levels, just a series of gears and the inside of the clock, down the stairs were a series of windows descending in tandem with the steps, Jennifer stared out these windows as she descended.


    From the window she could see a few familiar Forms making their way toward the outer edge of the city, a single man, her father, running to meet them. Despite likely knowing what it is they meant to do, Death opted instead to wait and watch, occasionally tearing apart any human or Form that came to close.


    Surrounding Isaac stood Enoch, Slade, Lyla, Adam, and Helios. And, with a flash of light, there was only Isaac, standing, clad in a great steel breastplate, a full body shield shining like the sun, and, in his right hand, a sword with a hilt made of flowers and a blade made of fire. Without a word, Isaac approached the reaper, sword drawn as flowers sprung up around his feet, small stars circled around him, casting him in a yellow glow, contrasting the red hue that defined everything else. A few yards apart now, Death and Isaac locked eyes, Death cocked a smile and Isaac charged.


    Jennifer knew her father stood no chance, she watched in fear as she ran down the stairs, catching brief glimpses of the fight, her father swinging the blade in wide arcs, knocking back the massive scythe at every turn and occasionally making a swipe at Death¡¯s exposed neck, only for him to dodge away at the last moment. Something she¡¯d forgotten, a hope buried deep down, arose in Jennifer¡¯s mind, Forms can be permanently injured by humans, maybe¡­ Maybe with all of their help her dad might get lucky, might land a decisive blow. She could only hope now, only hope in her father.


    The battle raged on, Helios sending her compressed stars barreling toward Death, who danced easily between them, occasionally pulling back his scythe and sending the stars hurtling away, before having to back step quickly to dodge Isaac¡¯s blade. With each strike more and more flowers bloomed along the ground, occasionally wrapping around the reaper¡¯s feet and nearly causing him to trip. With a raise of Isaac¡¯s hand the adam beneath them rose upwards, offering him a seconds rest from Death¡¯s neverending blows. Taken solely from the fight itself one might believe that Isaac and the Forms had gained the upper hand, but the dedicated observer could see that the malicious grin had never once left Death¡¯s face as he moved fluidly through the rising adam and between each swipe of the blade, coming close to a finishing blow, but opting to leave it at the last moment. This prolonged the battle and allowed Jennifer to find her way to the bottom of the tower, at which point she turned to look out the final window;


    Her father lay on the ground, his sword knocked from his hand and the shield shattered around him. The small stars had vanished and he lay defenceless before an approaching reaper, his scythe drawn and his eyes full of mirthful glee. Death raised his scythe into the air, and, like an executioner before the block, brought it down toward Isaac as Jennifer screamed in horror. Before she could witness the inevitable conclusion a hand grabbed hold of her arm and dragged her further into the tower, much to her frenzied protest.

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21


    Jennifer collapsed into James¡¯ arms, tears streaming down her cheeks as the image of her father¡¯s last stand played out again and again in her mind. She couldn¡¯t understand it, she¡¯d hated him for so long, despised his inability or unwillingness to change, but now, when he finally became the father she¡¯d always wanted, she lost him. A strange urge overcame her, a desire to see Death suffer as she had, she knew that their mission would see his demise, so she decided it was that she would focus on from here on out, nothing else mattered.


    James and Time pulled her into the room with the bookshelf, only now the titles of the books shone brightly, similar to the books in Death¡¯s mansion. The shine of the books formed a doorway, one that neither Time or James hesitated to push Jennifer through as they followed close behind. Behind the bright gateway rested the grandest library Jennifer had ever laid eyes on, rows upon rows of books lined shelves of treated wood frame, a fireplace burned in the center of the room. Above sat a second story with marble railing, boasting another hundred rows of stories, a spiral staircase connected the two levels. Jennifer couldn¡¯t help but see the similarities between the library before her and the mansion Death had brought her to. She wondered if maybe James and his nephew had a little more in common than either would care to admit. Great marble tiles lined the floor covered regularly by ornate rugs colored a rich dark red.


    As the trio made their way through the library Jennifer became quickly aware of the room¡¯s brilliance, each row of books formed a labyrinth that James navigated with ease, but Jennifer could see no rhyme or reason to. James stopped, Time and Jennifer followed suit.


    ¡°Did you feel that¡±? James whispered. Time nodded, Jennifer didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Adam¡¯s perished.¡± Time¡¯s voice was somber, but unsurprised.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Jennifer stuttered, ¡°If Adam¡¯s dead than how are we still here? Shouldn¡¯t we, ya know, be floating in space¡±? James shook his head,


    ¡°No, I knew that Adam passing was a possibility, so I placed this room in a dimension of my own creation. We are tens of thousands of light years away from where Adam once was, in a part of space so empty no one could have found it if they¡¯d searched for millenia.¡± Maybe it was the distance, or the fact that it was now dust floating in the vacuum of space, but Jennifer felt a little homesick.


    The room grew cold, Jennifer began to shiver uncontrollably, the sensation felt frighteningly familiar. Clearly Time and Destiny had felt it too,


    ¡°We need to move.¡± James ordered as he pushed on, ignoring the thunderous crashes booming behind them.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t he here already?What¡¯s taking him so long? Not that I¡¯m complaining, but shouldn¡¯t he have been right behind us¡±? As if in answer to her question, a shining woman appeared before them, the brightness of her skin nearly too much for Jennifer to handle, so she shielded her eyes with her arms as a voice like an erupting volcano spoke to them,


    ¡°Dad, it¡¯s good to see you¡¯re still with us and uncle, i-it¡¯s been too long¡­ we¡¯ve missed you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d offer you a heartfelt apology if we had the time, but, I¡­ I appreciate the help. Death will kill you this time, you know that right? The game¡¯s over, he has no reason to hold back.¡± The bright woman smirked,


    ¡°Neither do we, sis and I may not win this, but we¡¯re gonna make this a fight to remember. You three need to move, and, human girl,¡± Jennifer perked up, the face of the shining girl grew soft and humbled, ¡°thank you for the sacrifice you¡¯re making, the cosmos will owe you a great debt from now until the end of time.¡± Though she wished to correct her, Jennifer decided to merely take the praise and move on, let whoever this was die believing her uncle might live. And, with a flash, the girl vanished and the explosions grew louder than ever, the passion of the last stand fueling the battle and shaking the room to its very foundations, Jennifer desperately hoped the room could handle it.


    Before she could dwell on it any longer, James grabbed Jennifer by the hand and began sprinting toward the next turn. As they moved right, Jennifer glanced left and saw, not the library as she expected, but the unending abyss of space, stars exploded brightly into nothingness, great galaxies burned and faded, leaving only the pitch black void. Jennifer continued to follow behind James, Time wheeling quickly beside them, each turn they made Jennifer glanced in the opposing direction, only to see the darkness again, this time lit with the scalding light of the shining girl, and a girl of dense darkness, battling against the cold figure of the reaper. His Scythe dancing through each strike, as great planets and stars formed around him, colliding and exploding inches from his face, yet each time he walked away unscathed. With a scream the shining girl¡¯s energy swirled around her, forming a star larger than any galaxy, with her in the center burning brighter and brighter as the sun began to collapse into her. The other, her dark eyes fixed onto the reaper, calmly opened her hand toward Death, and, with a slight grunt, she began, slowly, to close it. The space around Death began to ripple, every remaining particle of matter left in the cosmos collapsed in on the very spot he stood, the force of the matter crushing itself into smaller and denser pieces. Under the reaper¡¯s feet, a black hole larger than any that came before it, large enough to swallow the universe itself, began pulling the reaper¡¯s body to shreds. With a cry the reaper began to reform over and over and over again, but each time he did, his body still could not seem to escape the dense prison that held him.


    The shining girl, her star now entirely held within her, smiled wolfishly as she approached the trapped and helpless reaper, the very fabric of reality crackling and burning around her. The energy she held would decimate every last bond connecting any two particles together, essentially kick starting the heat death of the universe and forever morphing the dynamic state of the cosmos into a static unchanging void.


    ¡°HOW STRONG IS THIS ROOM?!¡± Jennifer shouted as she watched the battle unfold.


    ¡°STRONG ENOUGH!¡± James shouted back, despite the fact that the two women appeared to have the upper hand in this battle, James still seemed concerned. Jennifer wondered if Death even could be stopped, would the end of the universe be enough?


    The explosion went off, James didn¡¯t even glance back to see it. Jennifer turned around to watch it, the explosion didn¡¯t disappoint. As the light faded Jennifer was pleased to see the two women were still alive, both breathing heavily and searching around them for¡­ he leapt from a tear in the fabric of reality and sliced easily through the shining woman¡¯s arm. She let out a harrowing cry as she gripped the stump where her arm once was. Before he could continue his assault, the dark eyed woman wailed, a sound the shook the entire universe, causing the reaper to hesitate and for the two women to regroup.


    ¡°HOW MUCH LONGER?!¡± Time shouted as he watched his daughters struggle escape the reaper¡¯s unending barrage.


    ¡°WE¡¯RE ALMOST THERE!¡± James shouted back, as he watched his two nieces slowly but surely, lose all their limbs to the wide arcs of the scythe. Death continued to laugh maniacally as the crafters of the universe stood defenseless before him, but it still did not satisfy, he would not rest till god bowed before him.


    ¡°DON¡¯T FREAK OUT, WHATEVER HAPPENS, STAY CALM!¡± James ordered, as they rounded a corner only to see the empty vacuum of space before them. Jennifer nearly stopped, but James¡¯ hand held firm as he broke into an all out sprint toward the nothingness. Despite her protest, she matched James¡¯ speed and, with a final cry, leapt off the last inch of ground, into the void. Jennifer¡¯s life began to flash before her eyes, but it didn¡¯t get very far, as the three collapsed into a small little rumpus room with a single large lounging chair, a small table with a spot of tea that still looked warm and, next to the tea, a single Book.


    But, despite the odd state of the room, despite finally seeing the Book that everything she had ever known, herself included had emerged from, the only thing her mind could see at that moment, was Death sitting in the lounging chair, sipping the tea, with his hand placed firmly on the Book.


    ******************************************************************************


    ¡°It¡¯s so nice of y¡¯all to join me, I¡¯ve been waiting ever so long.¡± Death chided as he leapt quickly off the lounger and drove his face inches from James¡¯. Up close the similarities between the two couldn¡¯t be ignored, James swallowed painfully.


    ¡°Ho-How did you-¡±? James stammered.


    ¡°Make it here first? Oh that¡¯s easy, the second you opened the door I merely froze time and made my way here.¡± Death grinned in smug satisfaction as he watched the confusion stricken across the two brother¡¯s faces. ¡°Oh right! Y¡¯all thought that, as long as timey boy over there¡¯s still kicking that I couldn¡¯t utilize my full power right? Like somehow both he and I still have a hand on the wheel of time.¡± He swung his neck around in a serpentine pattern to take in each juicy expression, ¡°I can see why ya may have thought that, what with me intentionally holding back all these centuries.¡± Time and Destiny¡¯s faces dropped, the words had hit home. Death leapt onto the chair and clapped his hands together as he descended into the seat, ¡°It¡¯s just TOO EASY!¡± His laugh chilled the room, there was not an ounce of humor left in it, ¡°You really think I couldn¡¯t have killed the both of y¡¯all, the entire human race, the entire universe on a whim?!¡± He disappeared behind Jennifer, leaning in for a mock whisper, ¡°And believe you me, I was certainly tempted on multiple occasions.¡± Jennifer swung her arm around, but Death had already reappeared on the lounger. ¡°But, if I¡¯d done that, then guess where all that wonderful death would end up.¡± With a pale finger he tapped the cover of the Book on the table, ¡°Right here, safe and sound to, one day, reappear and ruin EVERYTHING!¡± The sudden raise in volume shocked everyone, seemingly Death included. He put a shaking hand on his chest and took a few deep breaths. ¡°So-Sorry about that. I do tend to get carried away sometimes.¡± He gave them a chilly reassuring smile.


    Time held Jennifer¡¯s hand, she looked down to see conviction burning in his eyes, hope lingering in his touch, at least he didn¡¯t have the weapon, Time thought. Two bodies flew in from the portal behind them, a quite dimmed and cut up version of the shining girl and a small and fragile dark eyed girl, neither of them looked like they¡¯d be able to stand, much less fight. Behind them strutted in the reaper, the closer he came to Death the more his body faded until his whole form had been absorbed into Death¡¯s finger.


    ¡°I hope he didn¡¯t give ya too much trouble, he was told to simply distract ya, but he, like me, tends to get carried away from time to time. But-¡± Death clapped his hands back together and hopped to his feat, circling the table to make his way behind the Book. ¡°He did bring our final two witnesses, witnesses to the end of everything. Y¡¯all should consider yourselves blessed, this is going to truly be a night to remember.¡±


    ¡°War¡­¡± Death shivered at the use of his old name,


    ¡°Yes, uncle¡±? He sneered as his smile twitched ever so slightly,


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this¡­ I know that we¡­ that I pushed you, but¡­ none of this needs to happen. You can still walk away, let us put it all back. Let us create a universe without me, one where you¡¯ll be free. The kind of universe you¡¯ve always wanted.¡± Death froze, his eyes welling up with tears,


    ¡°Ya...Ya really think so? Ya¡¯d really forgive me after all I¡¯ve done? I¡­ I¡± He burst into laughter, ¡°YOU ACTUALLY BELIEVED THAT CRAP?! I just told Jennifer that to mess with her head! Please,¡± He turned away and raised a single hand. With a snap the weapon appeared in within it. He turned to see the shock, ¡°Oh come on, you really thought ya could hide MY OWN WEAPON from me? Hiding it in a pocket time dilated dimension, ya think so little of me don¡¯t ya?!¡±


    ¡°Son¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry I failed you.¡± The old man whispered, Death faced him with a grin.


    ¡°Ya didn¡¯t fail me pop, in fact ya helped me rise higher than I ever thought possible. Now-¡± Death kicked the wheelchair so it faced the two girls and Destiny, ¡°Say goodbye to your family, I¡¯m tired of waiting.¡± With a defeated sigh, Time did as he was ordered. The two girls hugged their father, Destiny laid a hand on his shoulder, there was nothing they could do, but at least they would go together. With a sad smile James reached a hand out toward Jennifer, but she refused it, turning instead to face Death head on,


    ¡°So why use me? Why did you need me¡±? Death merely chuckled,


    ¡°Please tell me ya don¡¯t think I had some greater reason for choosing you. You¡¯re nothing to anyone, just a sad little girl who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyone, and I want you to really take this to heart, ANYONE, could have played your role, you¡¯re just another faceless human, bringing round the end of the world.¡± Death¡¯s words stung, but Jennifer pushed onwards,


    ¡°But why give me the weapon, why tell me that story about you and all your reincarnations? Was that all just to mess with me? Was it all just a game to you¡±? He didn¡¯t answer right away, but instead took a moment to revel in his own genius,Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Oooooooh Jennifer, those cowardly brothers next to ya would have NEVER come here if they thought I might make it here with the weapon, so I did the only thing that could possibly persuade them to sack up and finish this, I gave them the weapon. Not just that, I gave them the weapon in the hands of an angry little malcontent who, if she had just walled off and stabbed Destiny to death, would have brought me no end of amusement. Once they had the weapon I just had to sit back and wait, knowing they¡¯d be too afraid to use it themselves. I figured, correctly I  might add, they¡¯d probably hide it, not knowing just how much power over time I really have.¡± The confidence with which he spoke told Jennifer that he had no doubts about his victory, that he¡¯d spend an eternity describing the utter brilliance of each step if they let him. But she knew that this story had one more chapter to it, one important thing the bastard¡¯d overlooked.


    ¡°Before I go-¡± Death stopped, watching Jennifer speak carefully, ¡°I can tell ya from personal experience that getting exactly what ya want isn¡¯t always all it¡¯s cracked up to be.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that.¡± Death chuckled as he raised the weapon above his head and brought it down toward the Book, shouting, ¡°Goodbye universe! It¡¯s been fun!¡± As the weapon descended, Jennifer turned toward the cowering family, mouthing the words, ¡®I have the weapon, get him.¡¯


    The moment the weapon collided with the Book, time halted. Death watched in confusion as the shining blade bounced off the cover and skidded off into the corner. For less than a planck time Death fumbled for an answer but, before he could even complete the thought, Matter and Energy leapt from either side of him. With a yelp he attempted to freeze time, but, with the last ounce of his strength, Time managed to halt him for a fraction of a moment, just long enough for the two girls to grip his arms and hold him in place.


    Jennifer didn¡¯t hesitate, from her bag she wrenched free the real weapon, the glimmering blade shining in the light of the fire. Memories of Enoch, Meerous, Squawk, Slade, Freddy, Helios, Adam and her father flooded her mind and screamed for her muscles to move, move faster than they¡¯d ever moved before as she charged toward the pinned Death, the weapon bared and her eyes burning with determination. Death let out an enraged slew of empty threats as he struggled against his captors, a moment longer and he¡¯d have been free, but Jennifer didn¡¯t allow him that moment, she leapt over the table, the weapon leading the way as she drove it straight through Death¡¯s chest. She¡¯d won.


    ******************************************************************************


    She waited to see him crumble to dust as Melodus had done, but nothing happened, in fact, the shining girl and the dark eyed girl had stopped moving all together. Time within the room had frozen completely, with the weapon protruding from Death¡¯s chest. He smiled at her, his face moving, but the rest of his body frozen. Small cracks began to emerge mere inches per minute from his fresh wound. Time hadn¡¯t frozen, merely slowed, Death was refusing to die.


    Jennifer watched Death curiously. As far as she could tell there wasn¡¯t a single thing left he could do, and, if there was, he hadn¡¯t done it yet. He smiled at her, his face occasionally twitching as the cracks made their way further across his chest.


    ¡°...How¡±? The question surprised Jennifer, she shivered slightly, his voice still chilled her blood.


    ¡°How what¡­¡±? Jennifer replied cautiously


    ¡°The fake weapon¡­ Where¡¯d you find it¡±? He didn¡¯t know¡­ It seemed strange, Jennifer had the impression that Death knew everything, that he¡¯d watched her this whole time, but¡­


    ¡°On the battlefield, where ya fought Adam, Squawk talked m-¡± That¡¯s when it struck her, she began to laugh, evoking a confused grimace from Death,


    ¡°What¡¯s the joke¡±? He chuckled, a defeated somber sound, what else did he have?


    ¡°I got so mad at her¡­ I was following that song ya stuck in my head, but Squawk tricked


    me into going off course and seeing the battlefield¡­ I suppose I oughta thank her¡­¡±


    ¡°Something that small eh¡±? Death¡¯s smile broke and he began to laugh hysterically, tears streaming down his face, this went on for a few minutes until he lowered his head and mumbled,¡°That bastard¡­ I bet he knew¡­¡± Jennifer raised a single eyebrow,


    ¡°Who knew¡±?


    ¡°Destiny.¡± Jennifer laughed,


    ¡°I¡¯m not falling for it anymore, what¡¯s the point in keeping this up?!¡± Death smirked,


    ¡°Not lying, Destiny¡¯s read the Book, he knows everything¡­ Suppose it¡¯s hard to out think omniscience¡­¡± Jennifer considered this, but she didn¡¯t want to. At this point James had done enough, now wasn¡¯t the time to start questioning him again, besides, she had another more pressing question,


    ¡°Was that all ya wanted? To ask how I did it.¡± Death averted his eyes for a split second before slapping back on his signature smirk,


    ¡°Just curious was all.¡± He smiled, but time didn¡¯t resume. Jennifer watched him closely, something in his eyes bothered her, they held her reflection.


    ¡°Say it. I¡¯m listening.¡± Both Death and Jennifer knew exactly what she was referring to. With a great sigh Death began to speak,


    ¡°I suppose my last words oughta be heard by somebody¡­ Jennifer¡­ The world that¡¯ll exist if ya let those monsters take back charge of things¡­ It¡¯s far worse than anything I could ever make.¡± He watched her face, he didn¡¯t see what he was looking for, his desperation deepend, ¡°Jennifer my father¡­ My father created me because he hated being me¡­ I-I was born from hatred, born to a father who hated the very necessity of my existence. He couldn¡¯t stand watching y¡¯all die over and over again. So he made me¡­ to do the job he was too much of a coward to do himself¡­ But I¡­ I MATTERED!¡± Jennifer retreated slightly, Death continued, barely aware of her presence, ¡°You humans¡­ you all were so defenceless, helpless to every tyrant, to every Form and every king, but I¡­ I brought equality, I struck fear in the hearts of the oppressors, fear of revolution, fear of suffering, fear of death! I brought you humans out of the dark and into the light, I freed you all from under the thumb of the Forms and what thanks did I receive? What thanks did I receive for betraying my own family? Hatred¡­ You humans despise me¡­ You curse me because I end your miserable lives. Yet I watched day after day, year after year, CENTURY AFTER CENTURY AS YOU GRUMBLE ABOUT HOW PAINFUL LIFE IS! My own brothers turned against me, my own father turned against me, and now, the very people I was trying to serve, led me to the slaughter. I was alone¡­ Hated for who I was, hated for the circumstances of my birth.


    ¡°So I only had the one option left¡­ If the Book deemed me a monster, then why fight it? I saw the truth Jennifer,¡± His eyes suddenly fixed onto her¡¯s, the gaze dripping with sincerity, ¡°I was the answer. The Book created me to end Its oppression, to give into my instincts and kill EVERYTHING! DON¡¯T YOU GET IT!? I WAS GOING TO LIBERATE ALL OF US! I WAS GOING TO SET US ALL FREE! NO MORE BOOK, NO MORE DESTINY, NO MORE PAIN, NO MORE SUFFERING! NO MORE MONSTERS, NO MORE HEROES, JUST BLISSFUL, ETERNAL, SLEEP!¡± And that¡¯s when Jennifer got it¡­ When it suddenly all made sense. The room grew eerily silent, Death¡¯s eyes followed her every move, taking in the slightest tremor. Searching, against all odds, for understanding.


    ¡°The Book didn¡¯t make you this¡­ We did¡­ I¡­ I did.¡± As the words left Jennifer¡¯s lips, she knew for certain they were true. Death merely gritted his teeth and stared at the floor, frustrated she couldn¡¯t see what he¡¯d wished her to see. ¡°I was so scared of you, scared of what you meant, scared because I didn¡¯t understand you¡­ I couldn¡¯t understand you. But that hatred made you¡­ you. I saw it, all those lives you lived, all that hatred, having to live the same miserable life over and over and over again¡­ it must have driven you mad. And it was our fault, our fault for despising you, our fault for hating you and for that¡­ for that I¡¯m sorry. But look at all that I did, just because I was afraid of you. You¡­ you inspire us and¡­ and I supposes sometimes a thing can exist simply to inspire people, nothing more, nothing less¡­ An old friend taught me that.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a world without that inspiration, a world where people just exist without knowing why, without asking why¡­ That kind of stagnant world, that¡¯s all we¡¯d be without you. Unchanging automatons living without purpose, without meaning, despising anything different than ourselves because it¡­ it reminds us that things could change¡­ that maybe there¡¯s something better out there¡­ something to hope in... And I¡¯ve seen a world where people fear you too much¡­ where they make you into an unstoppable monster that must be avoided at all costs¡­ If we¡¯re ever going to live I think¡­ I think we need to be okay with dying.¡± Death looked up, his eyes dry, but a slight smile lightly pressing on his cheek.


    ¡°You remind me of him.¡± Death chuckled.


    ¡°Who¡±?


    ¡°Jude.¡± And with that Death vanished into Death.


    The weapon fell to the floor. Jennifer approached it, taking it into her hands and gripping the handle firmly. This next part wasn¡¯t going to be easy.


    ******************************************************************************


    The shining girl and the dark eyed girl lay on the floor, the second time returned to its normal pace they had simply collapsed. Likely prolonged contact with Death had something to do with it. Destiny and Time shook off the odd sensation of slowed movement and scanned the room, searching for any trace of their millenia old nemesis, they found none.


    ¡°Is¡­ Is he gone¡±? James whispered hopefully, Jennifer nodded evoking a sigh of relief from James. The relief was short lived though as James noticed the weapon gripped tightly in Jennifer¡¯s hand, Time had noticed it as well.


    ¡°...Jennifer, it¡¯s time to put the weapon away ok? We don¡¯t need it anymore, the danger¡¯s gone.¡± Time reassured her, but she didn¡¯t move an inch, in fact her grip tightened.


    ¡°How much did you know¡±? She spoke into the floor, James looked surprised.


    ¡°What do you mean, how much of what did I know¡­¡±? Jennifer¡¯s eyes met him, they told him that she wasn¡¯t in the mood to be lied to¡­ ¡°The truth is¡­ the truth is that I knew everything, every single event that¡¯s happened since before you were born, all of this included.¡± Jennifer¡¯s knuckles grew pale around the cold metal, ¡°But I know none of it now. Jennifer, my job, my life, my very essence is tied to that Book¡­ when I left it I lost everything. The further away I went the more I lost until, eventually, I barely knew more than the average person.¡±


    ¡°But you did know,¡± Jennifer stared him down, unblinking, unphased, ¡°at one point ya knew about all of this¡±?


    ¡°Jennifer it¡¯s not that simp-¡±


    ¡°JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION!¡± James¡¯ eyes dropped,


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°So ya left knowing you would die? Knowing that this would be your last act in this life¡­ Or did ya know something I only just figured out, something that I only decided on five minutes ago¡±? James and Time both stared over at each other in confusion,


    ¡°Jennifer I don¡¯t think I understand¡­? Look I wish I could tell you what I knew when I left the Book. I must have known that everything would work out alright, but the whole time we were out there I couldn¡¯t be sure! What if I¡¯d left because I knew the universe was doomed and that I might as well make my last stand now? What if I left because I was meant to die so that the Book would remain unfound? The point is Jennifer that I simply didn¡¯t know!¡± Jennifer believed him, she didn¡¯t really care what he¡¯d known, she wanted to find out if he knows now.


    ¡°But do ya know what happens next¡±? James shook his head, exasperated,


    ¡°Jennifer we don¡¯t have time for all this! Matter and Energy are dying, the second they¡¯re gone you¡¯re gone, and I don¡¯t know what will happen to us!¡± Crossing her arms and nodding, Jennifer spoke confidently,


    ¡°You¡¯re right, we don¡¯t have much time, so we should get this over with now.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, now Time get over here and get ready, I¡¯m going to start the exchange.¡± But Time didn¡¯t move a muscle, he just stared at Jennifer, a single tear rolled down his cheek. ¡°What are yo-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be her¡­¡± He whispered, ¡°She¡¯s already made up her mind.¡± James¡¯ eyes shot open as he glanced back over at Jennifer whose face had already confirmed Time¡¯s statement. James shook his head, he rubbed his hands across his face and paced around a few time before sticking his finger in Jennifer¡¯s face,


    ¡°NO! THIS IS NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!¡± He declared, ¡°Now Time get over here and-¡±


    ¡°If ya try it then I¡¯ll kill the both of ya.¡± Jennifer¡¯s voice gave no delusions she was kidding. Time still hadn¡¯t moved, he merely stared at her with somber acceptance. The exasperation on James¡¯ face only worsened as he looked back and forth between his brother and Jennifer,


    ¡°WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!¡± His eyes begged for an answer, something to latch on to, ¡°Jennifer,¡± He ran over, grabbing her free hand and pleading, ¡°You still have more time, more to live for, more to see! I was wrong, I was wrong for ever thinking that I had the right to make this choice for you!¡±


    ¡°And you still don¡¯t.¡± Jennifer stated calmly, slowly removing her hand from his.


    ¡°But why?! Why change now?!¡± Jennifer smiled, her face suddenly sympathetic,


    ¡°Because James¡­ Destiny, the world needs ya. As much as I may hate it, you keep the world in order, give people something to hope for, bring people together¡­. I can¡¯t take ya away from them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not taking me away from them! This isn¡¯t your burden to bare Jennifer! Please let me do this!¡± Tears now flowed freely down his face, he¡¯d ceased caring who saw. Jennifer wiped  a falling tear off his cheek,


    ¡°You¡¯re right, this isn¡¯t my burden and you have no right to ask me to do it, but there¡¯s something inside me, this little thing that demands I do. A friend once told me that the thing that separates us from the monsters, the thing that makes us noble, a think beyond just living for yourself, is integrity.¡± With that she walked past him and put her hand on Time¡¯s shoulder, mouthing, ¡°thank you.¡± He smiled sadly.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna live on Jennifer,¡± The old man¡¯s soothing voice quieted James, who now focused on the words intently, ¡°everything you are, every impact you¡¯ve had on this world, none of it will be forgotten. And, while many Forms change their host¡¯s appearance to match their own, I won¡¯t¡­ I know it¡¯s not much, but it¡¯ll mean that your image will be seen, like a monument to all the good that you¡¯ve done. Jennifer¡­ I¡¯m honored I got to meet you, watch you grow, and I¡¯m so sorry that this decision fell on you. But the way you¡¯ve handled it¡­ that¡¯s not the way the little runaway girl would¡¯ve handled it, you¡¯ve come a long way.¡± He smiled sweetly and then turned to his brother, ¡°This is what I¡¯ve been trying to show you all these millenia, these humans and their ability to grow, to change, to make decisions more noble than any you or I could¡¯ve ever come up with on our own.¡± Hearing the words, James knew them to be true, he¡¯d seen it. It was for this reason that he¡¯d wanted to take this burden upon himself, for this reason that he¡¯d felt shame for ever thinking that he had the right to decide someone else¡¯s fate, end someone else¡¯s life for his own gain¡­ it was for this reason that he¡¯d made the stars shine in the sky for a girl he¡¯d just met.


    ¡°Jennifer¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be okay with this, but I understand I can¡¯t stop you. Just know that the time we spent together¡­ It was¡­¡± He hesitated and then shook his head, ¡°You asked if I could write a story about you one day, when I told you I was an author.¡± Jennifer looked surprised, she¡¯d completely forgotten about that whole conversation. ¡°I¡¯m going to. Jennifer, I¡¯m going to immortalize your life forever in the very pages of the Book itself! The stars will play out your story from now until the end of days, I promise you.¡± He was pleased to see Jennifer smile again, but he still felt like nothing he offered would even make the slightest difference in light of what Jennifer was about to sacrifice.


    ¡°I wonder¡­¡± Jennifer mused, Time and Destiny perked up, ¡°If we opened the Book right now, would it say I¡¯m going to die? Was all of this written? Or is my choice something even the Book doesn¡¯t know¡±?


    ¡°I don¡¯t honestly know¡­¡± James scratched his head anxiously, ¡°I¡¯ve been away from the Book for so long now¡­ But, we could find out¡­ if you want.¡± Jennifer appreciated the offer,


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯d rather not. As far as I can tell the only way to truly be free is to stop worrying about what the future¡¯s gonna be, or supposed to be, but what ya want the future to be. I want to believe that I¡¯m making a decision that not even the Book could¡¯ve predicted, but, if I¡¯m wrong, then who cares. If my life ends up being just another story in that Book, well¡­ that¡¯s just fine with me. Aren¡¯t we all just stories in the end¡±? She smiled brightly at the two brothers and walked over to Time. ¡°Ok, I¡¯m ready.¡±

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22


    The book closed with a soft thud. A young girl, short dark hair and deep green eyes, lay on a bed, surrounded by machines making all kinds of obnoxious beeping noises. As bad as the noises were, the tubes that came from them, now uncomfortably lodged in the girl¡¯s body, were worse. She knew that their removal wouldn¡¯t relieve her discomfort for long, because she¡¯d be dead¡­


    She glanced over at the flowers by her bed, lilies, her favorite. Her dad hadn¡¯t visited her once, she¡¯d almost given up on him until he¡¯d shown up, out of the blue and brought her these. She hadn¡¯t known about her mother, that her ailment had been genetic and that her dad knew this would happen. She hadn¡¯t known that this would be the second time her father would have to watch someone he loves die, it didn¡¯t excuse his cowardice, but it certainly explained it. She didn¡¯t dwell on it with him, she was just glad to have her dad back. She¡¯d been sick nearly her whole life, getting worse and worse by the day. Initially her dad had regulated her entire life, the same schedule day after day, but, when she¡¯d run away, he dropped all of it.


    She¡¯d been found half dead in a bus stop bathroom, desperately clinging to life. There¡¯d been a blizzard and her decision to seek shelter had been the only thing that kept her alive. A young doctor found her and brought her to this hospital, informed her father, but he¡¯d refused to come, that is, until a few days ago.


    ¡°How are we feeling today Jennifer¡±? The young doctor wore a long white lab coat, he had curly brown hair styled evenly to the side and eyes such an odd shade of blue they were nearly grey.


    ¡°Aside from the whole dying thing, I¡¯d say I¡¯m doing pretty good.¡± The doctor smiled and leaned over to check the readings on the machine, but Jennifer stopped him, ¡°I¡­ I made a decision.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡±? The doctor raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I think I¡¯m ready¡­ to die.¡± The young doctor froze, and his eyes scanned her slowly, his hands shook.


    ¡°Jennifer I think tha-¡± She raised a hand to stop him,


    ¡°And I¡¯d like to specifically request that my heart go to your sister, the nurse she¡­ she told me that was an option.¡± She¡¯d never seen someone so stunned before, the doctor stammered for a moment before finally rubbing his face with his hands and taking a seat in the corner of the room.


    ¡°She shouldn¡¯t have told you about my sister, and she certainly shouldn¡¯t have given you any ideas about you potentially donating your heart.¡± His tone was strict, but he couldn¡¯t be as mad as he¡¯d wanted to be, the nurse loved his sister almost as much as he did, nothing he said would¡¯ve stopped her.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get mad at her, she just did what she thought was right¡­ I can respect that. But I¡¯ve made up my mind, so don¡¯t you dare try to talk me out of it¡±!


    When Jennifer had first entered the hospital she had continually made a fuss about leaving. Every chance she got she¡¯d demand to know when she could go home, how long the tests would take, when she¡¯d be off this machine, but, a few months ago¡­ Death is frightening especially for someone so young. She¡¯d refused all councouling, denied every Priest, Rabbi or Holy man that set foot through her door. The young doctor had vented about this to a colleague who, listening intently to the situation, produced a book from his locker and handed it to the him to give to Jennifer. He said that everyone has a story, and sometimes they need a little help finding it.


    The young doctor glanced over at the book sitting, closed, on her lap.


    ¡°You finished the book¡±? He asked, wanting to change the subject.


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Nope¡±?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t finish the last chapter.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know how it ends¡±?


    ¡°Naw, I¡¯d much rather make up my own ending. I may not like the author¡¯s ending, but I know I like mine. And, as long as I don¡¯t read his, I¡¯ll only ever have mine.¡± The doctor and Jennifer talked for hours after that, ensuring that Jennifer fully understood what was about to happen, contacting her father and getting a start on the paperwork.


    After the doctor left Jennifer sat alone in the room, her eyes wandering. Outside the door she saw the young veteran, must be a tuesday, she smiled. He¡¯d lost his leg over seas and, after returning to the states, began physical therapy to master the prosthetic, his dad worked in the hospital so he stopped by every tuesday to grab lunch. He¡¯d been one of the first people to talk to her when she arrived, he had bright orange hair and a wicked sense of humor, refreshing for a girl who lived most of her life alone.


    Out the window she saw another old friend, a tiny little bird with bright feathers of all different colors. Jennifer always thought that they looked like a little coat and bowtie, the image made her smile.


    She¡¯d made so many more friends, but she knew she may not see them all today. That made her sad, but in a happy sort of way. What¡¯s happier for lonely people than knowing that they¡¯ve made so many friends that they may not be able to say goodbye to all of them?


    She wondered if they¡¯d be proud of her¡­ Proud of the decision she¡¯s making. She thought about all the kids in her neighborhood growing up, how mean they¡¯d been, she wondered what they¡¯d say if they saw her now. She wondered about her mother, the woman she¡¯d never met¡­ What would she think of the person her daughter¡¯d become? But all those questions really didn¡¯t matter anymore. Jennifer knew one thing for certain, and she picked up the hand mirror by her bed and raised it in front of her face. Taking a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching, she removed the tubes from her nose. With her face now clear and entirely her own, she met her own gaze and smiled. She was proud of the person she saw, proud of the person she¡¯d chosen to be.


    THE END