She jolts and gasps as the door whines open. She looks at the empty doorway, the room is dark, but some light comes through a window above her...she's not, where is she? This isn't the same place as before.
She looks up at the window, a half moon breaks through the cloudy sky to illuminate the darkness. She gets to her feet, she frowns at her feet, the bruise on her ankle...it's gone. How long was she out? What did these sick twisted people do to her?
All is quiet, way to quiet. The room and floor have changed as well, like the door, they are made of wood, an old, brown wood that looks almost black or grey in the moonlight. Everything is different.
She starts to the door, creeping more like. She peeks out, looking both ways and freezes. Something just moved, an arm? But that was really long to be an arm. She looks back the other way and back again and enters the hallway, she faces the direction of the movement, but briskly, moves backward. she reaches the corner and peeks around it.
Her heart is pounding so hard and fast. But as she enters the hallway, she realizes it's not just her heart, it's her own bare feet. A screech shatters the silent air. She jumps, slapping her hand to her mouth and screaming herself. She is shaking furiously, staring at the end of the hallway.
She moves her foot forward to take a step and stops when she hears a creaking behind her, she turns and looks back at the wall. Nothing.
What the heck is this? Is this a nightmare? It’s got to be, why does it feel so real though!?
She looks forward as this giant form at the end of the hall leaps into view and shatters through a window. She screams loud and jumps so high that when she tries to catch herself with her feet she missteps and falls back to her butt.
What kind of sick nightmare is this!?
She jumps to her feet, hyperventilating, she turns and runs down the hall back the way she came. Crying, she runs to the first door she comes to and jiggles the knob, locked.
Thump-thump!
She jumps and looks above her at the ceiling, crying and whining softly, dancing around and spinning, looking in checking and rechecking every direction as fast as possible.
She runs down the hall as fast as she can, and somehow even faster when another screech sounds. Crying loudly now making awkward crying, huffing sounds as she runs she finds another door and turns the knob, she throws the door open, rushes in and shuts it behind her.
She turns and looks at the empty library room. She looks back at the door and cries softly, backing into the room.
She hears someone clear their throat. She jumps sideways and turns, staring at a man in a suit. He gives a gentle smile, holding one hand in another and letting his arms hang in front of him. The sides of his head or shaved, his black hair is slicked back. A very professional look. He wears black slacks with a blood red button up and a black vest and tie.
She shakes still on an insane level. She huffs out with relief and hurries over to him.
”Where are we!? What are those fricken things!?” She whispers desperately to him,
He hums, “Worry not. They won’t enter this room. And can’t hear us here. They don’t want me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the curator of this room, those, ‘things’ out there, are called wraiths.”
”What the frick is going on!?” She shouts in a whispered voice,
”That is an excellent question Slug. I’ve been wanting to meet you for quite sometime. You didn’t make it easy.”
Her jaw drops open, “What…the hell are you talking about!?”
”I’ll sum up shall I? This is the Dark Dimension. The monsters here are…inhabitants. But their access is restricted. By me. You must pass a test, it will determine what sort of power you possess and are worthy of. The test is this. Successfully make it out of the forest alive. You pass this test and you will be rewarded greatly.”
She stares at him, thumps and tick sounds like from claws sound from above. Amber jolts and looks upward and back down at the curator.
”W-why!? Just let me go!”
”If I were to do that, you would certainly die. Being given this opportunity, you have a chance to survive, maybe even live.”
”The test begins when you leave, but be warned. When you do this door locks, it will not open again. And should you choose not to leave, you will be forced to leave.”
”Why!? I haven’t done anything to you! Please! Please!”
The curator nods, All have thought the way you do. But I consider myself generous. I’ll provide you with an edge. These creatures are quite sensitive to sound, move swiftly and carefully.”
”No please! Please! Help me!” She almost yells now,
”When you shall leave this room, death will be stalled. Now. Good luck with your test. I will be watching.”
Amber’s stomach turns over, she’s gonna puke, but anger boils inside her too. She starts to march up to him, tears streaming her cheeks but an invisible force shoves her back through the air and out the door she came in.
She hits the wall and falls to her butt. She groans and pushes up to her feet, she throws herself at the door and endlessly jiggles the knob and begs to be let in, crying.
A soft clicking sound echoes in the hall, she stops and looks down the hall. She looks at the door and back at the end of the hall. She breathes heavily, half crying.
She starts backward, she turns and runs down the hall and turns the corner, she slides to a stop and stares at a massive, hairless beast. Like a ginormous man with the head of a doberman only grey skinned.
It clicks repeatedly like it’s rolling it’s R’s. It’s got insanely long arms and legs with long claws. She shakes horribly, she looks at a window just in front of her to her left.
Then a screech shatters her ears, dropping her to her knees. She looks to her right, a second monster had appeared and is rushing at her, she looks forward at the other monster charging her too.
She cries and is shaking, she looks from one to the other and runs at the run in front of her and drops to her knees and face, grabbing her head.
The monster in front of her had jumped and flies over her slamming into the other monster as it comes around the corner. Amber jumps up and crawls as fast as she can out the open window to her left. She falls out to her hands and knees but wastes no time.
She’s sobbing and crying as she sprints away from the cabin structure into the trees. The cold freezing air causes goosebumps to flare up all over her skin. The half moon’s light dulls as it’s covered up by clouds. Dirt and leaves shoot up into the air as she sprints as fast as she can.
Several screeches shriek, tearing their way through the trees. She is running as fast as she can. Something slams into her side, pain explodes like hundred knives stabbing her in the hip at the same time. She slams into a tree and everything goes black and quiet.
”Hmm. Interesting. You’ve made it farther than others. You should take pride in that. You were close, but not the best. Regardless, you’ve now earned your reward.”
She snaps upward, she screams and looks around her white room, a figure stands in the doorway of her room she had originally been in before that horrific nightmare! The pain in her hip is gone, instead a soreness and dull but strong pain resides in her ankle. The figure hides from her behind a red contamination suit with black gloves, matching boots and a gas mask. She breathes heavily, and stares at him.
“Get up.” He says,
”What do you want from me?” She asks shakily,
He doesn’t answer, just stands there. She looks at her ankle. She swallows hard. What kind of fricken nightmare was that!? Jeez!
”I-I can’t walk.”
”Then you’ll starve.” A female voice says,
Amber’s jumps and seems to stop at the same time, causing a Pang! Of panic. She takes several deep breathes to calm herself down. She jumps up to her feet and almost falls forward from the pain in her foot. She limps to the door, the man pushes her out and sends her falling against the hallway wall. She catches herself and steadies herself.
She watches him close the door. He looks at her and nods to the right. She looks for the hall and starts limping. He pushes her forward, she gasps and almost falls forward but manages to catch herself.
She hobbles as fast as she can, her bare feet slapping the cold floor. She eventually turns the corner and is pushed through a set of double doors.
”Go eat.” He says,
He walks off to the side to join two other guards in similar uniforms. She looks around the spacious room, one level, several tables, no table has more than two inhabitants, they all wear forest green colored scrubs.
To her left is a small box, a long shiny silver, grooved table runs along the outter front of the box, below a window. Closest to her where the table ends are a stack of trays.
She limps over and grabs a tray.
”She’s new.”
”She’s dead.” She hears people say,
Her heart sinks. Why her? What is happening?! Her schizophrenia? But…she’s never seen people before. Are the others captives too?
She limps down the line, “Dude hurry.”
She whines and jumps, she looks back at three people behind her, lined up, they must have come in behind her. They wear dark green scrubs too, she down at her torso and legs, same clothes.
”Come on. Go.” The guy in front says,
”Back off Julian. She’s new.” A girl behind him says,
He scoffs, Amber turns and limps down the line and up to the window. She thought about asking them where she was but the guy might have just gotten more angry and caused worse things.
She waits for the person in a similar hazmat like uniform to reach through the window and dump something like looks like a sloppy joe mixture, on her tray. She is scooted to the side harshly by the boy, she picks up her tray and turns, scanning the tables as she straightens her glasses.
The guy walks past her. She’s about to cry, she shakes awfully, her fork clacking against the metal tray softly. She sees an empty table and is about to walk over.
“Hey.”
Amber looks at the other girl, has the friendliest face she’s seen so far. “Come on. There’s an empty table over there.”
Amber shakily follows her. They sit at the table in the back corner of the room. Amber just stares down at her food.
”What is happening?” She asks,
The girl sighs, “You’re in what everyone else calls the pit. The food court, and the pit is in what we call the Chasm, which is…wherever the hell we are. No windows, no glimpses of the outside or any natural light.”
”Why? What do they want from us!?”
”Calm down. You don’t stay calm and soft spoken they’ll beat us. So you know, no more than two of us are allowed at a table together at a time here. So don’t try it. And we aren’t friends, I’ve just seen enough people get broken. It’s not fun. We’re all here because of what we can do.”
Amber breathes a little heavier and frowns at her food. “What we can do?”
”Go on. Eat, it’ll get cold and it tastes like crap when it’s cold. You’ll need the strength it gives you.”
Amber looks at her and back down and picks up her rusted fork.
”We all have powers, abilities. I’m not talking about being an olympic runner or heavy weight boxing champion for 6 years. Supernatural stuff.”
Amber stops and looks up at her. The girl tilts her head, her eyes soften. “So you have seen your abilities already.”
”What? I didn’t say I did.”
”Your face did. You probably thought it was some form of schizophrenia or that you were cursed or talented or something right?”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Amber just stares, “Yeah me too. Then I accidentally killed my psychologist. He tried to…doesn’t matter. I found my abilities, two weeks later, trying to act like I wasn’t some freak. I got kidnapped, woke up here.”
”S-so…I’m not crazy?”
”No. Whatever has been happening to you, it’s your powers. These guys don’t make mistakes.”
“What do they want?” Amber asks,
”Dude. Eat.”
Amber looks down at it, her appetite it just gone. In fact looking at this, which normally would look kind of good, makes her feel sick. Regardless she scoops some onto her fork and puts it in her mouth. The sparking flavor mixes with the sour in her mouth of needing to puke.
”They run tests on us. No one is sure why. Not even Papi, that middle aged guy over there. He’s been here for 17 years.”
Amber looks back at him. He looks defeated, like most everyone else. She looks back at the girl. She has a pixie haircut, short black hair on the sides and in the back, but fades fast to a light grey with a hint of blue. The hair runs long and down her face, sweeping to the side and covering her right eye.
Amber takes another bite, this time she feels a little better.
”How long have you been here?”
”Ten months. Long enough to know how it works here. Keep your head down be quiet. You’ll avoid more unnecessary pain.”
”What’s your name?”
”Call me Shadow. No one uses their real names here. Just go along with it or everyone’s gonna hate you including us. It’s like their way of rebelling. How ‘bout purple?”
Amber reaches up and touches her purple hair
“…Slug? Slugbuns was my twitch streamer name.”
The girl sighs, “Yeah you’re gonna die. Eat up purple.”
“Please don’t call me that.” She says softly but with a strong tone,
”It’s better than Slugbuns.” Shadow says with a scoff,
****
Vaega holds up a diamond, it’s a third the size of her fist. She holds it up to the light and twists and plays with it in her hand. She looks around and sees a glass of water on the table next to the sink and several other dishes. She walks over and drops the diamond in it, it sinks quickly to the bottom.
Yup, it’s real. She fishes it out, drops it in a tiny black sleeve and stuffs it away in her backpack. Among several other stones, several fake, she found what she needed. She turns and starts to the door. She looks at the light above it, changing every half second.
Shoot.
She turns and looks around the apartment. She hums to herself, she pulls her pistol out and shoots the full length window behind her, shattering the glass. She walks to the edge, aims at the glass of the level below and fires another round, breaking the glass. She holsters the pistol and turns, facing the elevator door. She knows it’s them coming here.
She crouches down, planting her hands on the floor, she throws her legs out the window and swings them down and inward and lets her hands go, she swoops into the level below and hits the floor, sliding to a stop on the glass shards.
She jumps to her feet and dusts herself off. She looks up at the office, many people either stand there, terrified or hiding behind desks or objects or in cubicles, peeking their heads out and all staring at her.
”Hey guys, just passing through.”
She walks to the elevator door in front of her and waits till the elevator stops on the floor above her, she pushes the downward button and waits for the newly empty elevator arrive.
She walks in and pushes the Lobby button. The doors close and she starts downward.
”U-um-“
”You try anything and you’ll regret it. Please don’t.”
The woman sinks as far as she can into the corner. They ride the 24 floors down and the girl runs out, then the doors close and she descends to the lobby. The doors open and five security guards aim their pistols at her.
”Freeze!”
”Don’t mo-“
“Hmph. Yeah I’d let me go if I were you. I’m not interested in taking lives today.”
”Y-you’re a Noxi.”
”You got friends and family? Want to see them again?” Vaega asks,
They look at each other and back to her. They slowly lower their pistols. Vaega hums again and walks toward the exit.
”W-wait! He knows you took the elevator! He’ll kill us! Please!”
Vaega stops and turns, “I could knock you out? I’m feeling generous.” She says,
”Please.”
Two other guards look at him and back, panicked faces. “Wait-wait-wait!”
She doesn’t. She kicks one in the thigh, he yells out and falls to his butt, she grabs the arm of one and spins him, throwing him into another guard.
She drop kicks one in the chest, he shoots backward through the air into another guard, she catches herself with her hands and shoulder and brings her knees in close and kicks out and up, throwing herself back up to her feet.
She looks back, she throws her leg up and swinging backward and sends her heel into the temple of one of the guards heads. He yells out, turns and falls to the ground. Out.
One down, four to go, she rushes and jumps and charges and releases her arm/fist and punches another in the face. He is thrown back into a wall, he grunts and slides to his butt. She turns and faces three other guards, one holding his pistol at her.
”Stop!” He yells,
She rushes him and ducks just before he fires, she grabs his hand and spins behind him, kicking her back and knocking him to the ground, she stomps his head and knocks him out. Three down.
She charges the last, panicked two and jumps kicking out both ways and kicking them in the faces. One falls backward slapping his head against the receptionist desk. The receptionist cries out, jumping backward.
Vaega rushes the other and straddles him, slamming her fist into his face twice and knocking him out. She jumps off and bolts to the other guard as he gets to his hands and knees and she kicks out at his face.
He yells out and drops to the floor. She sniffles and looks around her. “Good talk.”
She looks at the others in the lobby, scared and cowering in corners and against the wall. She turns and walks out of the glass double doors.
She walks across the street and straddles her motorcycle and fires it up. She rides it down a few streets and parks it outside Linguini’s Pizza Palace. She searches the outside deck and spots her client.
She starts up to the outside deck seating for the low class restaurant. The clerk that was at the front desk cuts her off with raised hands.
”E-excuse me miss! May I help you?”
Vaega clears her throat. “No. I’m meeting a client, finishing a bounty.”
The clerk stutters for a moment and looks at the deck seating area, everyone staring warily at Vaega and the clerk.
Vaega removes her helmet and tucks it under her arm. “That better? I get it, your appearances. I’m not here to cause trouble.”
The clerk sighs with relief very softly, clearly glad she has ‘stood down’ so to speak. Her helmet gives such an intimidating look, taking it off makes her seem so human. Vaega is beautiful, when she isn’t trying to be intimidating, her face gives off a soft, kind demeanor.
The clerk smiles and nods, “Thank you miss.”
Vaega snorts, “Not miss, never miss, almost anything else.”
”Yes uh, ma’am?”
”Suitable.” Vaega says,
The clerk thankfully turns and turns and walks back to his station. Vaega hops the tiny fence onto the deck and walks over to a table that is hosting a middle aged woman.
Vaega grabs a chair, turns it around ands sits on it backwards, setting her helmet beside her on the deck floor. Everyone else cautiously resumes to their conversations and own tables.
”Sup.” Vaega says,
”That was an entrance.” The woman says,
”It’s been known to happen.”
Vaega takes out the black pouch and sets it on the table. “Checked it myself.”
The woman with long blonde hair and brown highlights takes the pouch into her lap and pulls out the jewel and smiles at it. She puts it back in and stuffs it away in her purse.
”I’d take that and go home if I were you. We aren’t far from where it happened and they’ll be on high alert.”
”Of course. Good idea. And…your payment.”
She uses her leg to scoot something across the rough cobblestone. Vaega looks under the table cloth and picks up the small backpack that would fit a large doll. She looks inside and finds the 10 grand. She pulls out a stack and examines it.
”Hm. Alright. Pleasure doing business. Be safe.” She says,
Vaega gets to her feet and turns the chair back around. She walks back to her bike and rides it to a bank. She uses her arm transfer mod with a bank teller to enter the cash into her account.
She then rides her way to Rikki’s apartment, she parks her bike in a multilevel parking garage and calls Rikki up.
”You here?”
”Yeah, taking your car right?”
”Yeah. Coming down. Don’t bring the suit.”
Vaega rolls her eyes. “Too late.”
”You’re impossible, get up here you can borrow something.”
“Fine. Fine.”
Vaega finds her way to the apartment building’s elevator and goes to the 12th floor and finds her door.
Rikki opens the door and smiles. “Come on.”
”Don’t touch my hair.”
Rikki laughs as she lets her in. “It’s on the bed.”
Vaega walks in and up to the bed, a black long sleeve, silk shirt with blue jeans.
She removes her helmet and pulls on the clothes over her suit, she removes her skin tight gloves and shoves them in her front pocket.
”Okay please do something with your hair. You look like a secretary who’s had a crappy day at work.”
”Thanks Rikki, you look pretty hot too.”
Rikki smirks and shrugs. “Just saying.”
Vaega takes her hair out of it’s bun and pigtails. She lets her hair dangle over her shoulder. She removes her pistol and rifle and puts them in Rikki’s gun safe hidden behind a false wall in her closet.
Rikki wears a brown flannel with a brown sleeveless top and jeans with her black two inch heel boots.
They take the elevator down and walk across the street to the parking garage. They find her black car and climb in. They pull out and start to the club a few towns over. They drive to the Decker bridge but are about to be stopped by police. If they’re involved, it’s something stupid, or something serious.
Vaega counts four police cars and a flipped armored type truck. Rikki rolls up to meet an approaching officer and rolls her window down.
”Sorry. Bridge is closed, got to turn around.”
”What happened?”
”Does it seem like it’s your business?”
She raises her eyebrows but flashes a smirk and nods. Vaega scoffs and holds out her arm, pulling her sleeve back. The mechanics in the underside of her forearm turn aglow, illuminating the white symbol of a mask with a purple 9 on the cheek.
”We’re Noxi. What happened.”
The officer’s eyes widen. “Dude, ruining the fun.” Rikki says to Vaega,
The officer swallows hard, “Um. Well, we aren’t exactly sure what happened ma’am.”
”Don’t, ever, call me ma’am.” Rikki says,
”Or miss.” Vaega adds,
“Uh. Sorry…it’s just a hit and run probably.”
”Well can you let us through?” Rikki asks,
”Debris is all over the road, it might wreck your tires.”
Rikki sighs, “So much for clubbing tonight.”
Vaega shrugs and opens her door. “What are you doing?”
”Helping? We’re here.”
”Since when are you this generous?” Rikki groans as she climbs out too,
”A-are you sure? We can’t pay you for this.” The officer says,
”Just let us through.” Rikki says,
They flash their symbols on their forearms and walk to the flipped truck. As they approach, two rockets ram into the truck from some high distant location and explode sending officers flying. The bridge almost instantly crumbles and collapses sending everyone to the black water below.
It’s dang near impossible to see anything, then something big hits Vaega in the head hard and everything fades.
She opens her eyes, her brain feels like it’s beating, pounding against her skull. Her entire body is freezing!
She rolls to her side and looks around, she’s on the rocky, steep shore, the collapsed bridge is in front of her to her left. Sirens and panic enter both the atmosphere and her mind. Rikki! She jumps and looks around, a large man looks over his shoulder at her, lying awkwardly on the rocks between his legs is Rikki.
Vaega’s heart drops. But at the same time is filled with a fury she’s never felt before. The man throws something at her, she leans to the side while reaching for a knife she had tucked away in her waistband like a conceal carry gun. She looks back when she hears a zap and sees an electric wave roll over the water but quickly disappear, she looks back in time to dodge another.
She’s drawn her knife, brings her arm back and throws it as he lets go too of another tiny circle shaped device. The knife sinks into his stomach and the circle sails past Vaega without her needing to even dodge.
The man grunts and falls backward, Vaega is on him faster than a cheetah pouncing on a mouse. She straddles him and with her fury lifts her arm and with intense speed and force rams her fist into his face over and over and over and over, long after he’s out. She finally stops and gets to her feet, she rushes to Rikki’s side and checks her pulse. Alive. Oh sweet mother…she’s alive. Vaega rolls her to her side.
On Rikki’s back is placed, over the shoulder, a small circle, in the center is colored a yellow lightning bolt. Vaega picks up a stick and drops it against the circle, no shock.
Vaega taps it softly, no shock. She grabs it and pulls it off her jacket. Both sides are adhesive but not super sticky. It’s got a big enough current to knock someone out obviously. How did he get the drop on Rikki? Even if all this just happened!?
What the actual heck?!
****
“Hey Vae. How’s he doing?”
Vaega looks up at Layla, a fellow Noxi. She looks back down at the man who attacked them.
”Better, how’s Rikki?”
”She’s okay. That he shocked her with, you were right, it doesn't just disperse electricity though, it pulls static from the air around it and produces more.”
Vaega looks up at Layla. “She’ll be okay but it was a big shock. They don’t totally understand it but, they do know she’ll be out for a while. Maybe a week.”
Vaega clears her throat. “He tried to kill her.”
”Looks that way. Both of you are lucky to be alive.”
Vaega gives off a death glare. She knows he did, when she knocked him out she found Rikki’s ring in his hand. And he’s not some junkie. “The people that did this calculated, planned. We’ll get them. No one hurts a Noxi and gets away with it.”
”Tell me when he wakes up.”
”Where are you going?”
”Get something to eat, and get some rest.”
”Maybe you should sit this one out.” Patty says walking in the room.”
”Excuse me?”
”You were way too close to her.”
”Exactly!”
”Vaega has a point Pat, she was the closest to Rikki, Vae is the one most likely to get info and scare the hell out of them in the process. Noxi aren’t push overs.”
”You clear headed?” Patty asks,
Vaega nods, “More than enough.”
”Alright Vaega. Get some rest. Layla will be watching over Rikki.”
Vaega nods, she finds her way to the cafeteria, downs two burritos and finds her way back to the the room and passes out in a chair in the room.
****
Amber is thrown into her cell, practically flying into the wall of her cell. She yells as she hits the wall and groans, rolling to her forearms and knees. The door slams shut.
Pain, so much, excruciating! All over! Every inch of her skin! She whines and cries as she rests her head against the cold floor, which seems to just amplify the level of her pain.
”Welcome to hell.”
Amber falls back to her side, all she can do is writhe in pain.
”You learn to bare it.” Shadow says,
”Screw this! How can you just take this!?” Amber screams,
”You don’t have a choice. They’ll never stop. You learn to deal with it. Breathe, it doesn’t help much at all, but it helps.” Shadow says,
”Why the hell do you care!? Why are you helping me!?”
”Because it will crush you otherwise. I’ve seen three people like us die. That’s three too many.”
Amber cries softly into the floor, her skin feels like she’s entirely on fire. Electric shock, an hour straight. Apparently they wanted to see if it would affect and effect her control over her abilities.
”Sick pricks!” Amber cries,
”You have no idea. You’re not alone.”
After two hours the pain subsides enough that she manages to move to her bed. She sits there, her own body turning against her with intense pain.
”I’m sorry.”
”Don’t apologize Purple. When you’re being introduced to it, well…it’s the worst part.”
”Did you feel like this?”
There’s a long silence. Amber takes that as a ‘yes, we’re done talking now.’ But she answers.
”I almost took my life. I was in the cafeteria, i knew I couldn’t sneak a knife to my room so I broke the butter knife and stabbed myself in the stomach. I stabbed myself twice before they tackled me. Rushed me to medical…I spent the next two days in ‘shock therapy’ with break intervals of two hours. I’m the reason only two are allowed at a table at a time and why we can’t use knives anymore for food.”
Amber’s hand presses against her mouth. Jeez Shadow. “Are…are you okay?”
”I’ve learned to keep my head down and take the punishments and tests. It sucks Slug, but take it, learn through practice to keep your head down. It’ll be easier.”
Amber shakes her head. “This will not be my life. I’ll die first.”
”Good luck with that.”
”I’ll find a way.” She says,
”No access to morphine if you’re hurt. They’re taking away forks tomorrow, we have to eat everything with our fingers.”
”Why?” Amber asks,
”Precaution probably, you seem to be bolder than most people who have come in. My guess anyway.”
Amber bites her cheek, “Shadow? Can I tell you something that happened?”
”I mean…yeah?”
”U-uh, where are you? How can you hear me?”
”I’m in the cell next to yours. The walls are not as soundproof as they think.”
Amber looks at the wall and frowns. As if reading her mind, Shadow continues.
”No insulation. They don’t care if we freeze. They care about our powers.”
Amber sighs and bites her cheek hard again. “I uh…I had a nightmare two nights ago but…I’m not sure…the more I think about it, the more I am convinced it was real. I had this nightmare, I was in this creepy dark cabin. There were these monsters, and in the center of this cabin was a library and a man was there, he said it was a test of my powers, that I had to make it out of the forest that was outside the cabin, alive. That however far I made it, that would prove what power or strength or something I got. It was confusing. I…died I think, in the forest. I woke up and met you in the cafeteria. It felt so real, so real and I am starting to think it was real. I…I’m crazy right?”
There’s a long silence. “Shadow?”
”I don’t know. Sounds a little hard to believe.”
”I know. But, I don’t even know what my powers are. Well…I guess that’s not true. But I’m so confused. Where would that have come from?”
”I don’t know Purple. You might just be banana balls.”
”What?”
”Crazy…it’s almost dinner time. I’ll see you there.”
”Okay.”
”I’m not really into talking while I eat Purple.”
Amber’s heart sinks a little. “Okay.”
”You got this.”