Where am I? Cali shook herself awake. Looking around she found herself in complete darkness. Reaching out her hand, it didn’t have to go far before touching up against a cement wall. She frantically felt around her, finding walls on all sides. She started hyperventilating, feeling as if the walls were closing in on her. What’s going on? Where am I?

“Good morning, Cali. You may be wondering where you are right now, and I will tell you that in due time, but first, we need to talk about your unhealthy obsession. Ever since your father died, you have become obsessed with capturing the perfect photo. You have thrown away your entire life in pursuit of this goal and have pushed away anyone close to you. You became unhinged, willing to do whatever you had to in the pursuit of perfection. You began stalking someone. You followed them at school, and even to their home. Wherever they went, you followed. They didn’t feel safe, and so I’ve stepped in to protect them.

I am going to give you a chance to redeem yourself. You are currently trapped in a maze, if you can find the exit, you will be free to go. In a moment I will move this wall and you will be free to explore the maze. But be careful, as you won’t be the only thing roaming free. Good luck Cali.”

When Buddie finished speaking, the wall in front of Cali dropped into the floor, finally letting her see her surroundings. Outside of her box, the walls opened up, allowing enough space for two people to walk side by side.

As she started walking, her mind focused on Buddie’s ominous warning. What did they mean by that? Getting to the end of the hallway, she came across her first choice of many. Which way do I go?

Her path was blocked by a wall, leaving her with the option of either going left or right. What was it they said about mazes? If you always hug the left wall, you’ll eventually find your way out, right? With that thought in mind, she decided to go to the left. Just stay left. Everything will be fine as long as I take my time.

She absentmindedly ran her hand along the wall, finding it to be perfectly smooth. How have I never heard about someone making an entire maze? There’s no way someone was able to keep this hidden.

Feeling her hand come off the wall, she looked left to find another pathway. I said I was going left. Taking the path, she eventually came face to face with a wall. Damn, it’s a dead end. And I didn’t see anything else down this way. Looks like I’ve got to turn back.

She picked up the pace, jogging until she reached the previous hallway. Following it along, she passed by several branching pathways on her right. I’ve been walking for a while, maybe I should go back and check those hallways. She took a moment to stop herself. No, stop it. I should be patient.

Looks like that’s a dead end. Just before she made it to the end of the hallway, she stopped herself, seeing that it was a dead end, she decided to just save herself some time by going down the path to her right. Walking down the hallway, she felt as if she could hear something. Am I going crazy? She slowed down, trying to make as little noise as possible. No. There’s definitely something.

Pressing her ear up against the wall, she could hear the sound of heavy breathing coming from the other side of it. Someone’s in here! She went to call out to them, happy to find that she wasn’t alone. “But be careful, as you won’t be the only thing roaming free.” Buddie’s words flashed through her mind, stopping her from speaking.

She slowly backed away from the wall, trying not to make any noise. As she slowly crept back down the hallway, the noise slowly disappeared. I think I’m safe now. Double checking to make sure she couldn’t hear anything, she started walking faster, hoping to make some distance between herself and the noise.

Walking down the hallway, she would stop on occasion, listening out for anything. She grew paranoid, and as she walked, she would turn around to make sure no one was following her. She made it back to one of the paths she saw earlier and stopped. She looked around, making sure no one was there before stepping down the path.

The further down the path she went, the more her paranoia set in. What if someone’s down here? Her breathing grew louder, forcing her to stop for a moment to calm down. Maybe I should turn back? What if it’s a dead end and I’m just wasting my time here?

Taking a deep breath, she turned around. What the fuck is that! At the end of the hallway stood a gaunt figure with extremely pale skin. The figure had long black hair that hid most of her face, only showing a single, glowing red eye that was staring directly at Cali.

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Cali immediately broke out into a sprint, running away from the creature as fast as her legs could take her. FUCKING SHIT! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT? As she sprinted for her life, she could hear the sound of footsteps and heavy breathing getting closer and closer. Out of fear, she refused to turn back, deciding to keep her attention on the path ahead. Please don’t be a dead end!

Running as fast as she could, she almost collided with the wall, but was able to keep most of her momentum going around the corner. A few metres later she was forced to turn again, slowing her down just a tad bit more. Come on, come on. She could hear the creature slam into the first wall and urged her legs to move faster.

Eventually she made it back into the earlier hallway, and without thinking, sprinted back down the left, back to where she first started. She felt exhausted, but refused to stop until she could no longer hear anything behind her.

Did I escape? Hiding away in a corner, Cali tried to stay as quiet as possible. Her breathing slowly settled after that intense escape. Her legs felt like they were burning, so she gave herself a short moment to rest before jumping back out there.

Taking things slow, she made sure to look around every corner before quietly stepping into the next hallway. Aside from her own footsteps and breathing, her surroundings were completely quiet, but she refused to lower her guard at all. What was that thing? There’s no way that was a human. Is this all just some weird fever dream?

Looking to her right, she saw the room where she woke up. Please, I just want to go home. Reaching this point, she stopped for a moment, before resolutely walking forward. Walking down the unfamiliar path, she continued checking every pathway, growing more and more anxious with every dead end and looping path she found. Where is it? It has to be here somewhere? I’ve almost checked everywhere in this stupid place.

Her frustration and anxiety mounted as she reached another dead end. Why can’t I find it? Out of anger, she threw a punch at the wall. She sighed heavily. I need to calm down. There are still a few places I haven’t checked yet. Prepared to continue searching, she turned around.

The figure was once again standing at the end of the hallway. But this time, Cali had nowhere to run to. She froze in place, watching as it closed in on her. Unable to do anything, she found herself staring directly into the creatures glowing red eye. Her jaw slackened as she clumsily walked forward. As it got closer, the creatures long hair rose into the air, revealing its face. The hair coiled around Cali, embracing her and the creature completely.

“Unfortunately for you Cali, it seems like you were unable to escape the maze. The entire time, you were plagued by anxiety and paranoia, which ultimately led to you making the wrong decisions. And in the end, you fell into the hands of your stalker. Enjoy Hell Cali, Goodbye.”

~

Mm. In her slumber, Zara felt as if she was swaddled in the most comfortable blanket she had ever felt. More than anything, she wanted to stay coddled in its embrace forever.

“Hello Zara. It’s time to wake up now.” Buddie said.

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and yawned. Where am I? She found herself in a pleasant little recovery room. She felt the gentle warmth of sunlight on her face and looked out the window to see a beautiful meadow. Everything felt peaceful.

This is nice. Looking down, she found herself covered by a large pair of feathery white wings. What?

“Buddie, what’s going on?” Zara said, worried and confused about what was going on.

“You have awakened your bloodline.”

“So what! Am I part bird?” Zara flipped out, worried that she had turned into an abomination. What else has changed? Her wings unfurled, allowing her to see the rest of her body. Studying it closely, she heaved a sigh of relief. Phew, nothing’s changed.

Not used to having wings, she awkwardly struggled off the bed, knocking her wings into the bedside furniture. Standing up in the middle of the room, her wings stretched out to their full length behind her. What do I look like?

As if knowing what she was thinking, the wall in front of her rippled, transforming into a mirror. Looking at her reflection, she was completely transfixed by her wings. Stretching her arms out as far as possible, she found that her wings stretched past her fingertips.

The wings were made up of white feathers that increased in length and size the further they were away from her body. The wings were sleek, elegant and ethereal.

Woah. She watched in wonder as her wings began to move at her command. It all came naturally to her, as if she had had them all her life. A moment later, the wings closed in on themselves, disappearing into her back, leaving two gaping wounds. Instinctively, she focused her mind, and a faint golden glow came from her back. Slowly, the wounds began to heal. A few minutes later, her back looked as good as new.

“Buddie, what am I?” Zara asked excitedly.

“Based off my analysis, you have awakened your angelic bloodline.”

“So I’m an angel!”

“Not quite. You have only accessed a fraction of the power contained in your bloodline. You are more human than you are angel. I recommend that you become familiar with your new abilities, so that you know what you are now capable of.”

I can’t wait to tell Ed about this! Thinking of Ed, her mood soured slightly, as she worried about where he was. “You’re right, I’ll find some time to get used to all of this.” Hopefully Ed will be back soon.