I sat on a stool against the wall, wrapped in thick roots that would squeeze me when I answered unfavorably. Which was every time because I wasn’t saying a thing about Earth to these horrible aliens.

  “Where do you come from,” asked Aithne.

  I sighed and rolled my eyes. She wasn’t getting near my home! “Earth,” I answered.”

  The roots squeezed slightly.

  “Where on Earth?” she asked.

  I shrugged. “Don’t know. It’s a big place,” I replied and the roots squeezed harder. I could feel my bones crack. I winced.

  The fire witch smiled. “I’ll make this easier. How many humans are there in your realm?”

  “Last count? 7 billion something,” I muttered.

  “How much is a billion?”

  “More than a million?”

  The roots squeezed. “Hey, I’m bad at math!” I screamed squirming. The roots squeezed harder.

  “Fine, what about...your family? Tell me about them,” she commanded.

  I laughed and the roots squeezed until I couldn’t breathe.

  Maryanne: Does she think we’re stupid?

  Strength: She must’ve

  Mark: Yes she does.

  Jessica: She’s the stupid one

  Roy: She’s going about it all wrong

  Jack: As if we’d give up our family like that. Really? We’re not Kin. We’re Earthlings!

  The roots lessened and I drew a gasp coughing.

  “Had enough? You will tell me about your family,” said Aithne.

  “I don’t think so,” I muttered and the roots began to squeeze again.

  “I can play this game all day,” she said, her heels clicking on the stone floor as she walked to the small desk in the room and took out a vial. It was red. I already knew what was inside. It would make my nerves feel on fire and it would cause me to scream but it wouldn’t cause me to betray my family. If there was such a thing as truth serum here, she couldn’t make it as was evident with this manner of interrogation.

  “So...can...I,” I panted.

  “You don’t want a broken rib now do you?”

  “To protect my family I’d do anything,” I said, amusing her.

  “Very well, have it your way,” she said, stalking up to me and grabbing my face before pouring the vial’s contents down my throat. I choked and sputtered but swallowed the concoction. Immediately I felt my muscles seize and my heart stutter. That stupid woman was going to kill me of a heart attack! I felt my nerves turn to fire and cried out as she pinched my hand.

  “Now. You will tell me everything I want to know,” she said, smirking.

  I lifted my head and glared. “In...your...dreams...bitch,” I muttered before I left reality for my created world. My safety. No one could harm me in my mind. Maryanne and Strength greeted me upon entering the mind room while Mark turned a page in his book and Jessica painted her nails. Roy was arguing with Jack about something. I sat on the round white cushion and laid back letting my delusions play out their lives in front of me. Now that I was here I could visit Monster! I asked and in the end, Jack came with me. He unlocked the room and stepped inside with me. What we found was a violet cristalis hanging against the wall.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “Ugh! Is it still changing?” I asked.

  “Possibly. It was out of control when it was born. It wasn’t finished being,” said Jack shrugging.

  I walked up to the chrysalis and placed my hand against it. Black goop covered it. It was familiar but it did me no harm when I touched it. The chrysalis parted like a flower and I saw a humanoid face with violet hair then black goop and the chrysalis was back in place.

  “It’s your subconscious, Myra. Of course, it doesn’t harm you. We’re all born of it. All seven of us and there are more being made.”

  I turned to him. “Can I see them?” I asked.

  He nodded and took me out of the creepy room and down into a dark hall where a gigantic maelstrom was. Every so often it shifted to show a memory of mine, good and bad it was there. Everything that made me was in this thing. I watched Jack walk across it with no problem. I copied him and walked across with no problems.

  “I’m the only voice that can do this,” he said, walking up to a hole and going in. I followed and gasped. Black goop was dripping from the ceiling and onto four gigantic black eggs. They glowed different colors but were all covered in goop. They were attached to the ceiling by a large umbilical cord and I realized that this hole was a uterus. Eww! The walls were flesh given form! I had to get out of there before I puked. Could I even puke here? I didn’t want to find out so I left through the holes while Jack lovingly cooed at the eggs. Gross! I didn’t want a place like that in my head! A uterus! Those weren’t eggs then. Those were baby sacks, which is why there were spidery veins everywhere on them! It made sense that the voices knew everything I did and were formed of an emotion. Jack came out and watched as I heaved a breath head between my knees. He smirked and nodded.

  “Jack? What emotions were you made from,” I asked and he grinned.

  “The only one you hide in the shadows, Myra,” he said.

  I gulped and nodded. I should have guessed. He was the worst of the lot when he turned. Hate. I was walking and chatting with the embodiment of hatred in my mind. It was the only emotion I hid from everyone. I felt strong hatred for only a few things in my life so I thought it would never form into a voice. I was wrong. It was a primary and Jack was the most rational of the voices. Did he hide his hatred too? How if he was hatred? He smirked.

  “I disappear a lot for a reason,” he said, shrugging.

  I smirked and nodded as we walked back to the mind room where Mark and Strength were at it and Jessica and Roy were cheering from the sidelines while Maryanne was sighing and shaking her head. I laughed as I felt the pull of reality again. Time to face my new torturer. I wasn’t afraid so I broke into laughter again shocking the council as they repeatedly shook me. I zoned in and watched as the purple man, Thorn was his name tilted his head and gazed at me with a strange penetrating look while Aithne growled.

  “What do you find funny? Behemoth! Wretched human! You will tell me what I want to know!” she screeched in my face and laughed again shaking my head.

  ”No matter what you do to me,” I said. “I won’t betray those I love.”

  Aithne struck me leaving a handprint on my face. I giggled and began to zone out again.

  “Aithne, why not let me have a go,” said Thorn and I zoned in again. I was more wary of the lithe midget than the fire witch. He was observant and smart. Two combinations that together were devastating.

  Aithne smiled and fixed her hair. “Very well Thorn but don’t kill her, alright? No matter how annoying she gets. That’ll be my pleasure,” she muttered, her heels making a clicking noise on the stone floor. The creak of the door and she was gone, leaving me with the midget.

  “You are not as subtle as you think,” he said, propping himself against the desk and gazing at me with those onyx voids.

  “What do you mean? I’m not trying for subtle in anything,” I said.

  “In that case, you should. The minute Medina tries for your mind you are as you humans put it, screwed.”

  I perk up. “That’s an Earth word. You’ve been there haven’t you?” I asked.

  He nodded. “I know much about what goes on in other realms being a Watcher. A term only used for male oracles. We exist. I’m sure your friend is one as well. You were pulled into Sapherine for a higher reason. You’ve been expected you could say. Your existence will change ours.”

  “I don’t understand,” I said.

  “You will but for now I warn you of escaping so frequently into your mind. Aithne hasn’t caught on but she will and when she does, she'll bring Medina. You stand no chance against that mind witch as you are,” he said.

  “Why are you helping me,” I asked.

  He smirked. “Because you really will bring a new dawn to Sapherine,” he said walking off leaving me speechless.

  The only thing I wanted was to go home! I was no herald and I refused my destiny if that is what this was. I was going to get free somehow, find Jonah and get home. I had the power. I would use it. I felt so tired of this already. I ignored Thorn’s warning and left reality once again.

  So what if Aithne caught me? There was nothing anyone could do to me anymore. I was broken within. Fragments of a girl. Pieces that made one person. They couldn’t remedy that or make things worse could they? I didn’t think so.