Since Medina’s little trip into my mind and subsequent insanity, the council had left me alone and I was getting to know my voices even better. I knew Maryanne didn’t wish to be in charge. I found Strength’s weaknesses in cute fluffy animals. I played chess with Mark and Roy who was fairly good. I chatted about girl things with Jessica and Siren. I visited the cocoons of the last two voices and Monster with Jack. Preacher was a special case. I listened to his sermons and said my amens there. I really got to know my voices but I was no closer to what made my subconscious split and make them in the first place. They played the memories they came out of and the thoughts they were formed around but that didn’t help me figure out my illness. It helped me to understand them better though. Except for Strength. He didn’t come from memories but from literal Strength of mind.

  Most of my Primaries came from second functions. Mark was made of my intelligence. Maryanne was my conscience-given form. And Jack was my subconscious given form. He wasn’t as scary as I thought he was and he shared my dislike for purple. He actually wore all navy blue but it looked black in the light. It was on one of my visits that Monster’s cocoon broke and a woman with neon blue hair stepped out. She had rainbow eyes much like Jonah had had in his transformation, and large pterodactyl wings. When she smiled her teeth were pointed. It was disturbing to see those teeth in my smile. She was slightly overweight like me but that didn’t bother her from wearing a white tank and blue shorts. She wore simple neon blue sandals.

  “Can you talk?” I asked her.

  “I can,” she replied, smirking one hand on her hip.

  “What’s your name?” asked Jack.

  “Benny,” she said, stretching.

  “Can you still control Ether?” I asked, curious about this new transformed voice.

  “Yep. Can I go for a fly,” she asked, stretching her wings. They were still somewhat leathery; they had a few magenta scales streaked with neon blue. They had talons and looked wicked!

  “Go ahead,” said Jack, smiling.

  Benny smirked and beat her dragon wings. She rose from the ground and started to float before flying out of the room.

  “That’s sure to surprise everyone,” Jack said as a few gasps and yells were heard.

  I laughed. “I guess so,” I said walking back to the mind room where Benny was wowing the audience with aero acrobatics. Jessica joined in and the two danced on air. I smiled, having voices wasn’t the end of the world. When they weren’t telling me to kill myself they were ok and we were stuck together for the foreseeable future so better to get to know them, besides, they were my saving’s grace in this jacked-up world. I thought of Jonah and what he could be doing now. It never occurred to me that he might be on his way here. He wasn’t like that was he? Just because we were sorta friends didn’t mean I garnered a rescue, did it? He was probably back on Earth now chilling with his real friends. I sighed. I wanted a real friend. Someone who would risk everything to rescue me. I didn’t see Jonah doing such a thing for anyone. You couldn’t change a tiger’s stripes after all. Still, I wished for someone to help me.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  I fell asleep and when I opened my eyes it was to a blank white room and the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She had ebony eyes that swirled with galaxies and her mocha skin was glowing softly in the light. She wore a flattering sapphire dress that had a split to mid-thigh showing off more mocha skin until her calf-length boots of sapphire silk at least they looked silky.

  “Hello, prophesy child,” she said.

  I sighed. “I’m no prophecy child. My name is Myra and I want to go home!”

  “Duly noted however I’m here to show you a few things,” she said, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.

  “What are these things you have to show me,” I asked.

  She held out her hand. “Come we travel to your true destination,” she said.

  I touched my hand to hers and she gripped it pulling me. The world spun about me and suddenly I was standing on a blue outcropping of rocks staring into a cave lit by torches on either side. The moans of people filled the air. Low pain-filled moans.

  “Come, we venture into the mines,” she said, pulling me into the cave. Inside it was littered with cages and in those cages were the missing children and slaves. They were packed to the brim with humans and Hybrid slaves but it was the children that broke my heart. They were emaciated and dirty. There were so many!

  “This is what the council keeps hidden from its citizens. Only children can get to the deposits of Saphron and so they pose special schools for the children but this is their main goal,” said the woman as she walked around the cages and stared sadly into a child’s eyes.

  “Go to sleep, little one,” she whispered and kissed the child’s head. The little girl drifted to sleep.

  “She won’t awake in the morning and she won’t be the last.”

  “This is awful!” I cried, tears stinging my eyes.

  “Now you know what rides in the balance but there is more, come take my hand,” she said and this time I didn’t hesitate. Again the scenery flew by me until I was standing upon a ledge. I looked down and gasped. There were Morgans chained to the walls, thousands of them.

  “Watch your step. These things can hear you even cloaked as you are,” she said, and I gulped hastening my steps. We passed them and straight into a circular room where a man was tied to a runic circle. He was pleading for his life.

  “Mistress! I had no idea you detested that color! Please!

  “Oh of course not! It’s a recent change but we need another slave so be gone!” came Medina’s voice. Her hair was in disarray and her eyes glowed a hellish yellow as she chanted. I watched as the man morphed into a Morgan with my very eyes. These things were people!

  “Enslaved people but some are children,” said the woman. I gasped and Medina turned around glaring right at me.

  “She can’t see you,” assured the woman. “Come, we go back to where we started,” she said and I followed, too shocked to do much more.

  The woman sighed and caressed my face. “Fear not. You shall not do this alone. Your friends will help but you must be ready. This is your real mission and it begins now. You were not ready before to take this on your shoulders, and you still are not but you will be. It is time to open your eyes to the true suffering of this place and take your place as it’s savior. You cannot do that as a captive. Save yourself,” she said smiling.

  “How!” I cried.

  “Your abilities were given to you for a reason. Use them. All of them,” she said before vanishing and leaving me in the blank room alone. Who are my friends? Jonah? Is he coming to rescue me? Did he really not leave like I thought? So many questions but no answers. As always deities wanted things from you that you couldn’t give at the moment, but what if she was warning me of something greater to come? I had to be ready for anything the council pulled. I wouldn’t fall into their schemes, whatever they were.