"I want to help kill them. I want to help kill what's left of the Brothers Markus."

Nida examined Lilium for a moment.

"I don't want you getting hurt, or, knowing you, balking at a pivotal moment and getting yourself killed when you had a chance to fight back," she finally stated. "You're not a fighter. Arguer sure, but not a fighter."

Lilium looked down at Meier's body, then back to Nida.

"I know that. But I want to help in any way I can. Even if it's just lookout."

"Okay. Mashira – you're serious about protecting Lilium. You willing to come with us to get some hot revenge action?" Nida turned to the last standing Barbarois, hands on her hips. He nodded. "Awesome sauce. You're with Lilium then."

"Understood."

Nida opened her mouth to say more then stopped. A loud rumbling could be heard from the nearby road. It sounded like Leila's motorbike.

Mashira was instantly at out of the woods, then back a few seconds later.

"It isn't the Leila woman. It is your redheaded friend."

"Kaiou!"

Unsettling Futures

By Jamie Carlson (a.k.a. Cardinal Syn)
Chapter Eleven:
"End of the Nightmare"

At the Markus Brothers' tank, Kaiou was busy stealing bits of red leathers and clothing from the dead Leila – and, of course, her gun – while Tsukai sat, curled in a ball, in the shade outside of the tank, crying,

Kaiou was more angry than sad over what had happened. This was why you don't trust weird strangers you meet in random-ass places. Though this also proved to her for certain that it wasn't a dream – the pain was too real, and normally when a dream gets that weird, either you wake up or it gets even weirder. Instead they just died. If they had suddenly burst into song or turned into zombies, that would have been different.

Finally out of the weird bar wench outfit she'd somehow ended up in and in some nice red leathers, Kaiou hooked Leila's gunbelt around her hips. She stepped out of the tank, careful not to slip on any of Leila's blood, and looked down at Tsukai.

"Come on, we need to leave before the boys get back. We can steal her ride."

Tsukai just hugged his knees to his chest and stared down at the sand.

She stared at him for a few minutes before sighing and turning away, moving to fetch the motorbike.

She knew Tsukai well enough to know getting him to leave wasn't going to happen. She needed to find the others – maybe Nida could kick him into complying or Lilium could coddle him until he got so angry and annoyed he'd move. She wasn't sure if he'd be safe, but decided she didn't have much choice at this point.

She came back to where the boy sat with a blanket and dropped it around him.

"It's going to get cold since we're in a desert."

She dropped a small pistol she found next to him.

"Use that on anything that comes near you, not on yourself."

With that, she mounted Leila's motorcycle, and aimed it in the direction she had seen the Markus brothers take.

To her fortune, the cycle had GPS locator for each brother. Curiously, it was missing Borgov's signal. Nolt and Kyle were in one place – she figured that would be the best place to aim herself toward, since ultimately everyone would end up in the same place at the same time.

Right?

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"Kaiou!"

Nida brushed past Mashira and out onto the road, where she flagged her swiftly moving friend over to their location. To her surprise, Kaiou appeared to be wearing a new tanktop, red leather jacket, and red leather leggings and boots, and had what looked like a giant gun at her hip.

"Heyo," Nida greeted cheerfully as Kaiou cut the engine. "Did they let you borrow those?"

"Nah, took 'em after we had to kill Leila."

"Wait, what?"

Kaiou explained what had happened as the others emerged from the forest, D trailing at the last. Lilium's expression, already grim, became uneasy when Kaiou admitted to leaving Tsukai behind.

"He has a weapon. He just refuses to move. I think something happened when Grove possessed him. Tsukai's having the worst Tsukai's Famous Breakdown I've ever seen."

"We need to go back for him, but..." Lilium looked up at the fortress. "We need to avenge Charlotte and Meier Link first."

"Avenge? Wait, what exactly happened here?"

They told Kaiou the story of the events that had transpired while Nida ransacked the bike for any additional weapons they could take. There was a rocket launcher with one small guided rocket, a couple of small laser guns – according to Mashira – and some knives. She handed a hefty dagger to Lilium, who held it like a precious object.

"Go figure the emaciated one is the only one who isn't a crazy fuck so far," Kaiou muttered, taking a swig from the water bottle she'd brought with her.

"Okay, I was handing out my plan a minute ago, but I can change it up a little now that you're here. Mashira is paired with Lilium, Kaiou and I can pair up as well. D can do whatever the hell he wants because he's D."

The now-familiar growly snicker that erupted from D's left hand was cut off when he curled his fingers around it.

"Everyone has a weapon or two now, except Mashira who is his own weapon. So. Let's go in. The bridge is down and the doors are open!"

"What about the defenses?" Lilium murmured, carefully belting the holster and knife sheath she was handed around her waist.

"Any Noble-built defenses – which there would mostly be since the humans would have stolen the Nobility's technology to use against them – are inactive." D's voice calmly stated.

"But, the lamps -"

"Those won't harm humans."

"Oh, that's true." Lilium blushed as she went to brush pretend dirt off of her dress, then stopped when she realized it was still soaked in blood. She gulped hard, then turned her attention to the fortress before them, still lit by spotlights and floodlamps in various odd angles. It looked even more imposing now that the sun had set completely, the external lighting joined by harsh lighting from within the building.

D was the first to begin moving. The others followed him, some with reluctance, some with a deadly purpose to their steps.

When they reached the bridge, D turned sharply on his heel and walked instead to the edge of the deep, dry moat. Lilium called after him.

"The bridge is right here."

She missed the amused looks exchanged by Nida and Kaiou as D resolutely ignored Lilium and began to climb down the rough wall of the once-moat.

"He's probably going to find a way in at the bottom," Nida pointed out. "He has trouble with bridges." She chuckled as she stepped onto the bridge, leading the charge across and inside.

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Unfortunately for the companions outside, Nolt and Kyle were well aware that they would come across the bridge. Though the Noble's defenses had been disabled, the brothers had set up their own inside.

"Where do you think the Vampire Hunter is?" Nolt rumbled, watching the small portable monitor Kyle had set up on a dusty table in the large stone-walled room they had set up camp in. It had only two entrances if you didn't count the roof/battlement access. The steel door on the far side of the room was rusted, the room behind it partially collapsed from some distant battle. They had simply barricaded it for added reinforcement so the only remaining access was the door to Kyle and Nolt's right, which lead to a corridor with additional rooms and the stairs that lead to the next floor down, and stairs to the roof access. A spiral staircase sat in the middle of the room, leading up to a small landing and the door. They had locked the door that lead outside, but the likelihood anyone would try to enter the fortress from the roof was slim.

So that left Kyle and Nolt only to watch the main door. And with their small portable cameras set up at intervals throughout the many floors of the building, they would not be hit by a surprise attack.

Kyle used a dial on the monitor to flip through each camera's signal. The kids and the hairy Barbarois were visible on Camera 3, crossing the bridge. They would be inside the fortress proper in moments. D was found on Camera 1. He had entered through the dungeon. Kyle had not had a view of the hunter for more than a few seconds before they saw D's hand flick, and the camera stopped functioning. Nolt whistled low. D had been 100 feet from the camera, and had tossed something straight through the lens with barely a gesture.

"We don't need to worry about him," Kyle smirked. "The defenses on the two underground floors are still active, and they're probably full of mutant critters. And as for these guys…." The dial on the monitor clicked as Kyle quickly shifted it back to Camera, then to Camera 4 when he saw the kids were inside. This camera showed him the large doors and the first ten feet of the entryway, enough to see the group slip in. He howled with laughter as the anti-human defenses armed and began firing. An arrow shot from a ceiling-mounted drone grazed the arm of the girl wearing Leila's leathers. She cursed and pulled Leila's gun from her holster, but almost dropped the weight of it.

"Why do you think that one has Leila's stuff?" Kyle asked, suddenly serious and icy. Nolt watched the screen as the group dashed forward. Kyle twisted the dial to Camera 5, angled to show the entry to the fortress – a large foyer devoid of decoration – from the perspective of someone who had just entered the building. The brothers hadn't been able to power up the turrets mounted on the walls, so had set up their own simpler versions on either side of the door that lead to the next room, and one on each side of the 40-foot space, tucked away near the actual turrets.

The group saw the turrets and took position behind each of the massive inactive machines, black domes which had turned gray with dust and age. They were out of sight of the arrow-firing drones now, but couldn't move back into the path to the door without being shot at. They were now hidden from Kyle and Nolt's view.

"If that Alex kid managed to kill Borgov…" Nolt's voice trailed off. Something had happened. The boy those kids had with them – Tsukai – wasn't there. Had Leila done something to the boy, and Kaiou had responded by killing Leila? He worried. There was also no sign of Grove's ghostly presence. Had something happened to both of them? Were he and Kyle – unstable, vicious Kyle – all that was left of the clan?

» » » » » » » » » » » » Ω « « « « « « « « « « « «

Kaiou was growling and cursing, hefting the pressure-gun she'd stolen from Leila over and over to try to get used to the weight and awkwardness of it. How the hell had Leila handled it one-handed? The leather from the red jacket had deflected the arrow nicely, but was now scuffed.

Mashira had managed to pull Lilium out of the path of the arrows that had locked onto her, and Nida had been the first out of the way of the things. No one was hurt – yet.

"I thought the defenses were down!" Kaiou snapped, glaring at Nida as if she had something to do with the onslaught of arrows.

"Those assholes probably set these up," Nida replied with a calm cheerfulness that implied she did this sort of thing every day. "We had been walking toward them for a good twenty seconds before the first arrows were shot – if we run, we can probably make it through the archway before they fire again. At least there isn't a locked door at the end of the hallway. That would suck."

"We don't know what they have set up on the other side," Lilium pointed out. She had her back against the cylinder that made what appeared to her to be simply black domes. They had slits that bisected the otherwise smooth domes, with an old, rusted tube pointing out, each at different angles. Guns, perhaps. She looked to her right, to where Nida and Kaiou hid behind the other massive structure. They were four feet wide easily, so they awarded cover to two persons to a cylinder, but they were only four feet high. They all had to sit or kneel to keep their heads from being exposed. Mashira, who knelt to Lilium's left after he had pulled her against the ancient turret, placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I will go first. Lilium, if you hear anything or see anything that leads you to believe something has happened to me, leave. Give up on this." Her head whipped around and he could tell by the widening of her eyes and the breath she took that she would protest. He held his hand up, palm facing her, pausing her. "If you were to die here, it would be against my former Master's wishes. I do not wish to see you or your companions die here."

Not waiting for a response, Mashira stood, his head and shoulders lowered to still be hidden behind the turret. He readied himself, then leapt into the pathway to the next room and bolted. He was incredibly fast, and closed the distance between the turrets and the archway to the next room in mere seconds. The arrow-firing drones hadn't even noticed him move.

Lilium and her friends waited breathlessly, listening. Finally, they heard Mashira's gravelly voice.

"Clear. Run to me, one at a time."

After a few moments of confusion while the three women debated on who to send next, Nida ordered Kaiou to go first, Lilium next, and Nida herself would bring up the rear. Each took the short journey – it was really only seven or so yards, but seemed so much farther – without injury. Once they were past the archway they were out of the sights of the drones.

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Tsukai sat listlessly in the darkness, having remained next to the Markus Brothers' tank. The moon was brilliant and offered much light, and the tank's emergency lights had come on at some point. He shivered in the chill desert air, but had not moved since Kaiou left. He made no move to gather the folds of the blanket around himself. It lay just as it had when Kaiou had dropped it over his shoulders.

He didn't hear the distant sound of a motor, even as it drew closer and finally stopped alongside the tank. The bright headlights of the vehicle focused on him and threw him into stark relief. He didn't respond to the footsteps of the man who approached him from his side, and didn't really react when the man knelt in front of him.

"Hey, you alright?" the man asked, reaching out to put a hand on Tsukai's shoulder. The man was a little older than Tsukai, with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and a carefully crafted goatee. His dark brown eyes narrowed, brow furrowing as he examined Tsukai's blank face. The bloodstains on Tsukai's velvety clothing caused the man's eyebrows to arch.

The man stood and looked cautiously inside the tank. His eyes widened at the sight. He backed out quickly, a hand over his mouth. The stench of viscera and emptied bowels was unbearable. He looked down at Tsukai, then knelt, placing both hands on the boy's shoulders and shaking him.

"Hey, snap out of it. I need you to tell me what happened here so I know if I need to help you, or get the fuck out of here!" The man's words were slow and deliberate as he tried to reach Tsukai. The boy blinked a few times, and seemed to rouse himself a little.

"They – uh. She. She was raping him and… She was attacking Kaiou. She shot him, and he flew into me, and Grove he… used my body to make her stop, with the light. And he's gone. He just… he's gone…" Tsukai's voice trailed off as he began staring at nothingness again, tears in his eyes. The man stared at him, bewildered.

"Stay with me, kid, I need to know what happened. By "She" do you mean the naked and very dead blonde?"

"Leila."

"OK, Leila then. Leila was hurting Grove, I'm guessing that dead gentleman in there, and someone named Kaiou. Are you Kaiou?"

For a brief moment, Tsukai looked irritated and tilted his head with an expression that seemed to say "Do I LOOK like Kaiou?". This seemed to pull him out of his dark reverie enough to begin to interact. He shook the man's hands off and stood, wincing as his muscles had gone stiff from sitting still for so long.

"No, I'm Tsukai. Kaiou left on Leila's bike."

"Okay. Tuskai, I'm Gelalshawr. You can call me Gela if you prefer. I've got a dune buggy over here I managed to barter off of an old guy who lives near the desert. If you know where your friend went, we can try to follow her." Gela beckoned at Tsukai to follow him and turned toward the buggy.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Gela was already climbing into the buggy – it looked like the bastard child of a U.S. military jeep (without the colors or markings of one) and a golf cart. Not much like a dune buggy. Gela adjusted his black duster as he sat down, brushing dust off of the leg of his jeans.

"Why are you helping me?" Tsukai asked. "Why go find Kaiou?"

"Because, frankly, I'm tired of this shithole place," Gela replied, spreading his arms out as if to indicate everything, everywhere. "Ever since I woke up – you know what, never mind." He rubbed his left arm absently. "At least I have cool stuff for my troubles, but seriously."

Tsukai had perked up at the "ever since I woke up" and trotted over to the passenger side of the buggy. Gela nodded his head toward the back seats, where a large duffel bag was firmly wedged into the floorspace. "If you want to change, there should be some pants and a shirt in there that were too small for me – they may fit you. You've got blood on you and are dressed ridiculously."

"Thanks for that," Tsukai replied drily. He was able to think again, at least for now. Distraction was good. Don't think about Grove. Don't think about the tank at all. He rummaged in the duffel bag until he found what he was looking for. He wandered to the other side of the tank to change, out of Gela's view. He was quick to change, as it was getting bitingly cold and odd sounds – some sort of beasts – could be heard in the distance.

When he reached the buggy again, he had cinched slightly too-big jeans with a belt made from a cable he stole from the motionless tank, and wore a better-fitting shirt similar in cut and style to a t-shirt with elbow-length sleeves. He had found his supply bag and fished out fresh socks. He still wore the black shoes with shiny buckles, but what could you do?

As he settled himself in the buggy, he looked at Gela again, studying him. As they began to move out across the desert, following the faint trail Kaiou had left behind – they were lucky desert wind had been calm and hadn't completely covered her tracks – Tsukai steeled himself to ask.

"You said when you woke up… did you… start out somewhere else?" Tsukai asked cautiously. The other man looked at him in surprise.

"Start out somewhere else?"

"Yeah, like… wake up somewhere… totally different from where you started?"

They drove on in silence as Gelalshawr debated his answer. Finally, he nodded.

"I fell asleep in my apartment in Olympia, and woke up in someone's barn wearing different clothes than I'd had on when I went to bed." He glanced briefly at Tsukai, then back ahead to watch where he was driving. "I've been here over two months now, I think. You, uh… under similar circumstances?"

Tsukai, somehow relieved, began telling Gela his story as they travelled.

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Lilium was oddly calm as she followed Mashira through the next room of the fortress. It was strange here. The place had an aura of desolation, though you could see signs of the life Charlotte had brought to it – a chair here dusted off, a book laying open nearby where it may have been dropped when Kyle and Nolt seized her. At the back of her mind, in the recesses of her heart, she felt the echoes of a longing. Was it Charlotte's?

There were no signs of any further weaponry. Kyle and Nolt must not have had enough time to set up many defenses – especially if they had taken the time to savage poor Charlotte in the time it took everyone else to arrive.

They moved up to the second floor, and then the third, without incident. They had passed a kitchen and mess hall area, a training room with moldering mats and broken practice equipment, and what appeared to be the barracks.

When they reached the fourth floor, they entered what appeared to be the tactical room of the fortress. A large table filled the middle of the room. Dead computer banks lined the walls, and torn, faded maps adorned the table and what walls were not occupied by equipment.

As they made their way around the table, heading toward a door marked with a drawing of stairs and the number five, the relative silence of the room was broken with a click. Lilium froze, her body stiffening. She had felt a plate shift under her foot. Unsure what to do, she remained still, afraid.

Mashira spun toward her, was telling her to get down – bright light and sound. She was on the floor, her ears ringing, blinking rapidly. She couldn't see beyond the black spots on her vision. There had been no heat, she realized, but the concussion had knocked her down. Some sort of powerful flash-bang must have gone off.

Sound was muffled and the ringing was the loudest thing in her head. She didn't hear the screams of anger and frustration from her friends, didn't hear the metal catch release on the net that fell over her as she struggled to push herself to her feet. Confused, she tried to push it away, wrapping her fingers around the threadlike wire mesh that formed the net. She felt the current start and couldn't get free in time. Electricity pulsed through her, just enough to stun. She landed hard on her side, and noticed for the first time this room wasn't dusty. The floor had been swept clean – to hide signs of activity.

She saw Mashira go flying by her eyes, and the hulking form of Nolt walk by her. She tried to speak, tried to push herself up again. Mashira leapt at him, and Nolt's hammer swatted the Barbarois away. Mashira hit the floor and stopped moving. Lilium tried to crawl to him but her limbs and even her dress were tangling up in the damn netting. A silver arrow pierced Nolt's arm, and his mouth opened in a howl. He turned toward the source, swinging his hammer.

A hole was blasted in the wall near Nolt, then the ridiculously large gun Kaiou had stolen skittered against the wall, apparently wrenched out of the hands of its wielder. Lilium could only see vague movement behind the table legs from her position on the floor.

Dazed, she convulsed when another shock of electricity was sent through the netting. Again, it was enough to keep her from moving but not to knock her out. The metal seemed to slither around her, pinning her arms down, one down the side of her body, the other to her chest.

She had barely begun to gain control of her muscles again when she was hauled upright by the front of her dress. She could barely focus on Kyle Markus' leering face. He pressed a cloth against her mouth and nose and she panicked, tried to push his hand away but her arms were trapped. She tried not to breathe in the vapors from the damp cloth, but her lungs were burning and she needed air.

As she began to lose consciousness and Kyle pulled her upward to throw her over his shoulder, she was vaguely aware of Nolt dragging a badly bruised and unconscious Nida and a shrieking Kaiou away by their ankles.

» » » » » » » » » » » » Ω « « « « « « « « « « « «

Nida was conscious when Nolt shut the door to the small office that was now their prison. She shushed Kaiou when the redhead opened her mouth to say something. Nolt's rumbly voice could easily be heard on the other side of the door. Kaiou and Nida were the only ones in the room. Mashira may be dead, and Lilium was still out there with Kyle, that crazy fuck.

Nolt was talking about "the freak in the other room" – Mashira? Kyle muttered something Nida couldn't hear, then Nolt's response. The conversation was one-sided, but Nida made out that they weren't sure if Mashira was dead or not, and Nolt was going to check. Perfect.

Now they were talking about Lilium. "The Girl", Nolt called her. Nida felt cold when she heard Kyle laughing again. That stupid fuck needed to be shanked. Nolt said something about "treating her like Charlotte". His voice had a low, disapproving ring. Kyle raised his voice now, and Nida could clearly hear him tell Nolt he'd just better check on the damn freak and let Kyle get busy. If Leila was dead he wasn't getting any for a while after this, unless he wanted to pay for it, and besides, that "punk" who "offed Borgov" wouldn't work because he didn't do guys.

Nolt's response was so quiet, Nida couldn't make out the words. She heard the two men walking away, in separate directions. One to the left, the other to the right. The timbre of the steps told her Nolt had gone right – back toward the tactics room then. Kyle was probably taking Lilium elsewhere.

Nida sat up as quickly as she could with what felt like bruised ribs and a broken finger in her left hand. She butt-scooted over to Kaiou, who had her hands tied behind her back. They hadn't bothered to tie Nida up, to her satisfaction. They thought she was out cold the whole time.

As Nida untied Nolt's sloppy knotwork, she kept her mouth close to Kaiou's ear and whispered.

"Did you get the gist of that?" Kaiou nodded in response. "Okay. They took the crossbow off my wrist and found all of my knives and my gun, but I have an extra bolt strapped to my calf. I can stab someone with that at least. Do you have anything left they didn't take?" Kaiou shook her head. "Then stay here. I'm going to see if I can help Lilium."

"You're hurt," Kaiou snapped back, glaring at Nida in the darkened room. Her friend's eyes glowed like a cat's catching the dim light from the gaps between the top and bottom of the door and the frame. This alarmed her, but she shook it off. Lots of weird things had happened here. "Give me the bolt and I'll go."

"No. You stay here, find a weapon, and wait a few minutes. Jump Nolt if he comes back – take him by surprise – and then run. Get out if you can."

"Where do you think D is?"

"Don't care."

Nida tiptoed to the door. She slowly pressed down on the handle, and found it unlocked. She swung it slowly, frowning when the hinges creaked. She eased out into the hallway and shut the door behind her.

Nida immediately went left, padding silently down the corridor. She eventually reached the stairs. The placard by the doorway to the stairwell indicated they were on the fifth floor, and the next was the sixth, and after that the roof and battlements. She was just about to mount the stairs when she heard a hydraulic hiss and froze. There was nothing to hide behind. She knelt, shifted her pant leg up, tugged the bolt out of her sock, then stood, facing the source of the hiss.

A panel had slid open in one of the walls. Out of the secret elevator walked D.

Nida gaped.

"There's an elevator?! Why the hell were we using the stairs then?!" she asked aloud. D frowned and took in the bruises that had blossomed on her left cheek.

"I take it you fought with the two remaining Markuses."

"They had traps set up in a room on the next floor. A flash-bang went off to disorient us, then I into a fist-fight with Nolt when he popped in out of nowhere. Lil got snagged under a crazy electrified net, Nolt hit me hard enough to keep me down, and Kaiou got jumped by Kyle and held at knife point until Nolt was finished beating the shit out of me and Mashira. Kyle's got Lil now. He took her this way."

"Where are the rest?"

"Kaiou is staying in the room Nolt had dropped us in – they tied her up but thought I was unconscious, I guess. I overheard Nolt say he was going to go see if Mashira was really dead. If he's not, he's probably going to kill him."

D looked at the arch leading to the stairwell, then back to the elevator. He reached his right hand out of his cloak and offered Nida a knife with a fine blade and a fancy handle.

"Go keep your friend Kaiou safe. I will stop Kyle."

Nida looked at the knife, then at D.

"Why should I let you go yourself? Didn't she say you haven't decided yet if you're going to kill her or not?"

D was silent for a moment, then replied softly: "Go protect your red-headed friend. I will deal with Kyle Markus."

That unnatural miasma poured out of him. Nida considered for a moment longer, then decided. She took the knife, and looked at the elevator, which still stood open.

"Does that go to the fourth floor?"

"It goes from this floor to the basement. If you take Kaiou you can leave through there. Everything in the basement is dead now."

As Nida retreated to collect Kaiou, she chuckled to herself. "Dead now," she mused to herself. "If they got in his way, I'm sure they are."

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Lilium gasped and sputtered as cold liquid coursed over her face. She sat up, waving her arms in a sad attempt to fend off another splash. Kyle's cruel laughter echoed through the room.

Eyes wide and frightened, Lilium frantically twisted around. Kyle was standing behind her, still shirtless, a metal cup held loosely in one hand. The room they were in was somewhat large, with no windows. A rickety table stood in the center, what appeared to be a small television monitor sitting on the edge. Behind Kyle was a door barricaded with what appeared to be various metal crates and abandoned shelving units.

She was seated on the floor, no longer wrapped in the netting. Her head was spinning and she felt sick. She could still smell the chemical he had used to knock her out – chloroform perhaps. With painful slowness she shifted to her hands and knees, letting her hair fall over her face. She looked to her left and saw another door. To her right was a metal spiral staircase leading upward.

Which way? The door to her left was shut, possibly locked. She didn't know where the staircase lead. Her mind whirled from the attempt to think as it was still numb from the effects of the chemical.

He was walking toward her now, and before she could react – her body felt so slow! – he had moved to her side and planted his foot against her ribs. He pushed her roughly sideways, flinging her onto her side. She rolled with the movement, trying to get away from him, but the spinning made her horribly dizzy. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed she wouldn't be sick. Her side ached. The soles of his boots felt like they had metal plates in them.

"It's pretty sad how easy it was to capture your little party, considering you little shits killed off my big brother," Kyle said happily, the pleasantness of his tone stark contrast to the words. As Lilium's dizziness was subsiding, she felt his hand entwine in her hair. She opened her eyes just as he dropped to his knees over her, sitting on her upper legs so that she couldn't kick him. His knees dug into her hips as he curved his spine to lean toward her. His other hand held one of his knives loosely, casually, as if it wasn't a deadly weapon.

With him sitting on top of her, his hand in her hair, Lilium felt it. An underlying current of what she could only describe as desire. Desire to harm, desire to take. Desire to do whatever he wanted. Lust in its most base form – enthusiasm, a desire to obtain. Lilium began to tremble. She lashed out with her right hand, slapping him. She tried to roll with the movement and shift him off of her, but she couldn't get enough momentum to rock him, and frankly, the slap was just weak. It barely moved his face.

She had thought it would anger him, but Kyle just tilted his head back and laughed, the sound high pitched and mad. He pulled her head back by her hair, and she cried out, her hands moving to the one bunched up in her tresses. She scratched at his hand, trying to dislodge him.

"You look a lot like her," Kyle observed, slowly bringing his knife down. He slid the blade under the ribbon tying the outer coat of her dress closed, the pretty blue ribbon with its teal trim, and twisted it so that the sharp blade pressed against the satin. He slid his knife upward, neatly slicing the ribbons. He cut the bow in half. "The little slut who thought sleeping with an undead thing was better than sleeping with a hot-blooded human."

Lilium was crying silently now, and placed her hand on Kyle's chest, trying to push him away, then clawing at him. When he got tired of it he slapped her, then pinned her hands above her head. He had to lean over to her to do it – she tried to knee him in the groin. That earned her a cuff to the side of the head with the butt of the knife. Kyle shifted first one leg, and then the other, until he was resting between her knees. When his hips pressed against her, Lilium gagged.

She screamed and thrashed against him. She was well aware of his stupid knife and didn't care. She was going to end up like Charlotte – she would rather be dead before he violated her.

Kyle spoke to her in that false pleasant voice even as he began to cut her bloodstained dress away from her body. He told her about everything he had done to Charlotte, and how he was going to enjoy having a repeat with Lilium. He hoped she was still a virgin, like Charlotte had been.

Lilium's dress lay around her in shreds as he began touching her, grabbing her. He kept her hands pinned and had to lay the knife down on occasion, but she couldn't free her hands.

He bit her shoulder and she sobbed. Anger flaring, she turned her face toward him and bit him back, right on the cheek. He howled as her teeth sank in, and he jerked away from her. He struck her harder this time, dazing her. His movements were sharp and angry as he tore her shredded skirt away from her hips.

Her throat was sore from screaming and the sounds escaping her throat were growing harsh. She was cold, the floor was hard and her limbs hurt from trying to fight him. She tried to jam the heel of her foot into his back – where were her shoes?! Every time she connected he backhanded her. He tore her undergarments, cut the bands where he wasn't able to tear the thicker cloth.

He licked her. She fought the urge to throw up, for her own dignity rather than for his sake. She was already sticky with dried blood and sweat from exertion. She didn't need to be covered in her own vomit. She was surprised enough she hadn't lost control of her bladder – or worse – when she was electrocuted.

A part of her realized she was disassociating. She was suddenly less aware of his hand on her breast. Of the feeling of him adjusting her legs. She was retreating into her mind. She was still fighting, but it was automatic. She was too tired, too dizzy to put any strength into the blows. He was covered in the scratches she had inflicted when he released her hands, but he didn't seem to notice.

She was in pain. It took very little effort to focus her mind away from the pain he was inflicting, to not accept that it was happening to her. A small part of her, the part of her that sometimes soothed her when she was anxious or upset, frantically wrapped itself around her mind and tried to contain her, save her from being aware.

Distantly, Lilium felt alarm. Distant… to her right. Funny. She could feel things in a directional sense. That was new. Her empathy had only ever forced her to feel the vague impression of strong emotion in the past, and recently, stronger emotion from those near her. The alarm she felt now seemed to shift into something darker. And it was getting closer.

Her eyes were fixed on Kyle's face, altered by his mania. A grinning mask of insanity.

In an instant, his expression changed to one of surprise. He looked away from her. She heard a sound – singing, sweet and high. Not a voice a human or animal could raise to the heavens. The song of metal.

Kyle didn't really say anything. He didn't have time.

Before Lilium's eyes, Kyle's head just sort of… flew away. Away from his body, toward the spiral stairs only a few feet away. It hit the rails of the steps with a resounding twang. Down his head fell, landing on the floor, the face turned away from her. Warm blood splattered her face and bare chest.

She expected the body to land on her, but it was hauled and tossed clear across the room.

Lilium was being helped to sit up. Her trembling hands gathered what remained of her dress to herself. The tremble became violent as she cast vacant eyes up on the face of D. His usually stoic face had softened, his brows coming together slightly and a frown pulling his sensual mouth downward. A hint of sadness, echoed in the pulsing emotions she felt from him as he encased her in his cloak.

She leaned into him and cried.

» » » » » » » » » » » » Ω « « « « « « « « « « « «

Nida opened the door and had to dodge when Kaiou tried to hit her with a broken broom handle.

"Nice try," Nida quipped. "Come on, let's go try and save Mashira's hairy butt."

"What about Lil?"

"D's got her."

Kaiou had only found a broom when searching the small dusty office (which in itself was not the easiest task in the dark). With the light of the hallway, they still couldn't find any useful weapons.

The two ran toward the elevator D had discovered. Kaiou found the control panel and punched in the button marked with "4".

When the door opened, it ironically opened to the sight of Nolt, who turned toward them in surprise. While he was distracted, a furry body tackled Nolt to the ground.

"Hey, you're not dead!" Nida cried, watching with delight as Nolt used the handle of his sledgehammer to hold the werewolf Barbarois away from him. Mashira's wolfish muzzle clamped onto the silvery metal. The wolf head in his stomach extended and snapped toward Nolt's torso, only inches from disemboweling the larger man.

"Shit," Nolt grunted. He looked up at Nida. "Look, call him off, and I'll surrender. This has gotten beyond out of hand." Nida and Kaiou exchanged looks.

"Right, not sure I believe that," Kaiou responded, crossing her arms. "Aren't you mad? We totally killed your other siblings."

Nolt's arms had begun to shake from the strain of holding Mashira away.

"Girl… Leila was almost as bad as Kyle. Borgov didn't care about anything but money, so turned a blind eye to their debauchery," Nolt responded, grunting. "Each of 'em… prolly did something to deserve getting killed. It's also part of… our job description. You die hunting monsters if you're not careful." Nolt tilted his head awkwardly to, of all things, offer Kaiou a sad smile. "But I would like to know what you did with Grove. He couldn't really fight back, not unless Leila gave him his shot."

Kaiou looked at the floor. Mashira was still putting pressure on Nolt, but had stopped trying to tear open the giant's stomach. He waited, yellow eyes focused on Nida. Finally, Kaiou sighed.

"Look, Leila was a sick bitch. I found her raping that poor skeletal brother of yours. I use rape because she'd bound and gagged him. I guess he could have been into that, but it didn't really look like it." Kaiou shrugged. "Technically, they killed each other. She shot Grove when he tried to stop her from killing Tsukai, and then he like, possessed Tooskie-kun. He shot her with balls of light and that was it."

Nolt nodded. "I see. Then I can't hold that against you."

"You believe me?" Kaiou's incredulous expression seemed to amuse Nolt, as he smiled up at her.

"Knowing Leila, yeah."

"Mashira… down, boy," Nida said lightly, snapping her fingers and pointing to the floor next to her. If the doggy treatment bothered him, the Barbarois man didn't show it. He simply let go of Nolt's hammer and pushed himself away from the human. He was limping when he shuffled over to stand next to Nida and Kaiou.

Nolt tossed his hammer away and lay on the floor for a minute, breathing heavily, arms spread out at his sides. "Did you kill Kyle, then?"

"No. D's doing that."

"Alright then."

"If you were mad at him for hurting Charlotte and Lilium, why didn't you try and stop him?" Nida watched him and waited patiently for his reply. Finally, Nolt sighed.

"Because I'm the big dumb one who just does what his brothers tell him."

As answers go, it wasn't very satisfying. It was, however, honest. Nida couldn't begrudge him that.

"Well, let's go see if D's done killing Kyle yet, and get the fuck out of here."

Kaiou and Mashira followed Nida onto the elevator. Nolt drug himself to his feet, and looked around the tactical room. He looked at them, and when he saw Nida was waiting, followed. The elevator barely fit the four of them.

They rode up to the second-to-the-top floor in silence. When they arrived, there was no sign of D. They filed up the long staircase to the final floor.

They couldn't hear anything from the room at the end of the hall. Nida and Kaiou exchanged worried looks, then took off at a brisk pace, the two men bringing up the rear. When they walked into the room, they found D walking town the spiral steps that had led to the roof. He was carrying the body of Charlotte in his arms.

Near the door lay Lilium, swathed in D's cloak, apparently sleeping. There was blood on her face and on the hand that held the black cloth under her chin. Her head was pillowed on what remained of the outer coat of her dress. Kyle's body lay on the other side of the room, his head sitting nearby.

Nolt shed his long sleeveless duster. Wordlessly, he laid it out on the floor near the stairs. D carefully laid Charlotte's broken body on the cloth, and Nolt carefully, almost reverently, began to wrap her in its folds, staring at her feet..

"I did wrong, not stopping Kyle. I'm not blameless. If you wanna take off my head, you do that," Nolt said softly, presumably to D, while he fixed the duster around Charlotte. "The Markus clan is finished now. For the better, I suppose."

"You aren't a threat to me," D replied simply. He knelt next to Charlotte and lifted her right hand. He slipped a ring off of her finger – the ring her father had described to him when he took the job to find her – and then rested her hands over her chest so Nolt could finish swaddling her body.

Storing the ring in a small belt-purse, D stood and moved over to the sleeping Lilium. Kaiou was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her leg having replaced Lilium's torn and soiled dress as the younger girl's pillow. Kaiou looked up at him. Nida took a break from kicking Kyle's corpse to look over at them.

"Is she okay?" Kaiou asked carefully.

"I made her sleep," D responded softly. "Physically, she has bruises. Nothing seems to be broken. I have a salve in my saddle bag I can give to those of you who are suffering from bruises. They will heal rapidly."

"But is she okay?"

"…" D knelt and carefully lifted Lilium in his arms. "I can't answer that. I will take her outside." He turned to Nolt, who had picked up Charlotte's body.

"I'll carry this one. Are you going to take her body back to her father and brother? Or did you plan on burying her?"

"I have what I need. If you wish to bury her, you can."

An uncomfortable silence had descended over the group. They marched outside, two trips on the elevator – one for D, Lilium, and Kaiou, the next for Mashira, Nida, Nolt, and the bundle in his arms. Nolt did not seem concerned with retrieving his brother's body.

As the group reached the end of the bridge and Meier's abandoned carriage, the growl of an engine could be heard in the distance. When the vehicle reached them, Kaiou and Nida were pleasantly surprised to find Tsukai.

D left Lilium's sleeping form in Meier Link's carriage. Tsukai insisted on climbing in and sitting with her when he found out what happened. Gelalshawr introduced himself and shared his story with Kaiou and Nida – how he, too, had mysteriously appeared in this strange world, almost a month ago.

Nolt and Mashira took shifts digging in the forest as D silently treated Nida, then the still-sleeping Lilium, with bruise salve. He even set Nida's broken finger and gave her a different salve that would speed up the healing of the bone. This world, this time, certainly was as wondrous as it was dangerous.

» » » » » » » » » » » » Ω « « « « « « « « « « « «

When the dawn came, Lilium Noir stood at the foot of a double-grave. A rudimentary cross had been built from wooden slats from a wagon Kyle and Nolt had used. The inscription, carefully carved into the wood by Nolt of all people, read:

Star-Crossed Lovers

C&M

Rest Well

Gela had been kind enough to loan Lilium his duster, which she buttoned up and tied closed, as she had nothing else on underneath it. A cool morning wind caused her to shiver. She had washed Kyle's blood off of herself, and essentially dunked her entire body in a nearby stream D had assured them was safe.

Lilium was alone for now. Gela was sharing with Kaiou how he had lost his left arm shortly after arriving here, and had been fortunate to encounter an amazing craftsman who built prosthetics from living metals and magic. In return, Gela had basically spent the last month working for the blacksmith and being shown off as an example of the old man's craftsmanship. He had finally paid off his debt and decided to wander this strange and dangerous world. The arm was black, and covered in runes for protection and strength.

Tsukai had already shared this information with Lilium in the hours before dawn, when she had woken in the carriage and panicked. He had calmed her and told her what she had missed while cuddling with her. Nida had popped in and out as she supervised the grave-digging, rested, checked on the horses, and otherwise made herself useful.

Now, though, away from everyone else, Lilium felt like she was finally just feeling her own emotions. It was a relief, and a curse, all at once. All she felt was pain. She couldn't help but feel her presence had been a distraction that allowed for Charlotte to be harmed. She ran her fingers over the string of pearls and crystals Meier had handed her, believing her to be Charlotte, and considered laying them on the grave. Eventually, she decided not to. Grave robbers would find and take it, anyway. She would keep it for now.

She felt D when he came up to her, footsteps silent in the grass. She didn't turn to him at first. She simply stood in the pale dawn light with him. When Lilium finally looked over to him, she found he was looking at her, watching her. She offered him a watery smile.

"Thank you. For… stopping him. And honestly, for getting Charlotte's body off of the wall, and letting us bury her."

"I needed something of hers to take back to her father."

Lilium's smile deepened and she laughed softly.

"You try to make yourself sound so stuffy, but you're not fooling me." She reached out and poked him in the arm. "You couldn't have left her up there either. It wasn't right."

D didn't respond, but the voice in his left hand couldn't help himself.

"Damn right it wasn't. We see a lot of nastiness in D's line of work, but these Markus buffoons really take the cake." D's fingers twitched once, but he seemed to resign himself to the carbuncle's remarks this time. "You fought him good, didn't you?" the voice suddenly asked, its tone quiet. Surprised, Lilium leaned forward and craned her neck to look at D's hand, then at D's face.

No one had really talked to her about it. Tsukai had distracted her, and Nida had offered her silent support. Until that moment, though, no one had asked her a direct question. Lilium was unsure how to respond. Finally, she just nodded once.

"Yeah. I fought him good. It took me twenty minutes to get my nails clean." She responded. She jumped a little when Left Hand laughed, then smiled. "I'm alive. That is what matters now." Lilium boldly slipped her arm through D's. "Will you be so kind as to walk me back to the carriage? I have no idea where my shoes went, and forest paths are awfully prickly."

D obliged her.

When the ragged band decided they were done with this god-forsaken place, they made their plans for the immediate future. Nolt left on a single horse, in the opposite direction from that of the others. D, Gela, Tsukai, Kaiou, Nida and Lilium would head toward Gaelin – where the whole rotten mess had begun for the four friends. D would accompany them before continuing on his way further West, to Charlotte's father's estate to report the unfortunate news of his daughter's death at the hands of the hunters his son had hired.

Mashira insisted on accompanying them, taking Lilium to safety being his final task for his deceased Master. He was her shadow the whole way, having been unable to protect her from Kyle Markus. If anything even remotely threatening neared, Mashira fought it off. Eventually, the beasts that would otherwise have assailed the traveling band finally figured out that the combination of a snarling Barbarois and deadly dhampir was just too much for any of them to handle.

The trip was surprisingly short. Gela had become familiar with the area and was able to lead them to shortcuts, and houses where friendly people were willing to offer assistance. They took some convincing when they saw the Noble's carriage in which Lilium rode and Nida drove, but when they found out the vampire was dead, they were impressed. A kindly old couple gave Lilium an old dress and some new shoes to wear when they learned she had no clothes.

They were all better fed and rested than they had been since the beginning of the adventure. When they arrived in Gaelin after only four days of travel (Mashira's presence helped immensely through the Barbarois territory), moods were lighter than they had been at that nightmarish fortress.

When the old innkeeper saw Lilium was saved and her friends were still alive, he welcomed them back and threw them a small celebratory dinner, insisting that it was the best excuse he'd had to have a party in years. "There's nau' much here t' celebrate."

When D readied to leave, Nida stopped him.

"Thank you for not cutting Lilium in half."

"… You're welcome."

Nida smirked and turned away, quite finished with him, and quite interested in the really tasty mozzarella-like cheese the innkeeper's wife had served them.

Lilium was waiting for him at the stable, petting the nose of his cyborg horse. She looked up at him, one hand resting on the horse's cheek.

"I suppose it's pretty cliché, the damsel in distress waiting to thank her dark knight for rescuing her again." She slipped her hands into the pockets on her borrowed skirt. "Don't worry, I'm not going to profess my love for you and beg you to stay. You're scarier than you are attractive." She poked him teasingly in the stomach before returning her hands to her pockets. Poking was sort of her thing. "Thank you, though. For saving me – more than once, even. Thank you for not killing me every time you had the chance. I know I'm annoying and naïve and such."

D nodded to her, then began saddling his horse and setting up his saddle bags. Lilium watched him in silence until he was finished adjusting the saddle and bridle. Once it was clear he was ready to leave, Lilium stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his torso in a gentle hug. He stood still, not stopping her, but not returning the hug. She shifted her arms and stretched up to wrap them around his neck.

"I'm so, so sorry," she whispered, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "I wish there was something I, or anyone, could do for all that pain and anger you have inside. I don't think you would let them if they could, but that doesn't stop me from wishing. I'm naïve, but I'm not stupid." She hugged him again, her arms around his neck this time, cheek pressed against his. Something told her he didn't let people do this, but that part of him needed it. She wasn't sure if what she was doing would help him, hurt him, or just annoy him. Or perhaps he would shrug it off.

She felt that strange connection to him flicker a little, and something passed between them. Startled, she moved to disengage herself from him. His arms wrapped around her waist before she could move, and briefly, he returned the embrace. As he released her and moved away, his lips brushed hers. It couldn't really be called a kiss. She didn't have a word for it. It didn't make her tingle, or giddy. It was just… warm.

D turned away and mounted his horse. He looked down at her again, and she stared back, unsure of what had just transpired. He smiled gently – the slightest curve of his lips, barely visible.

"Be safe," D's soft voice caressed the twilight air, and he urged his mount forward. Lilium watched him go. She didn't wave. Waving was something you did when you expected to see someone again, she decided. When he was gone, she felt, curiously, like a piece of her own self had gone with him. But in its place there was a cool spot of darkness, wearing a dark cloak, and a black traveler's hat.

» » » » » » » » » » » » Ω « « « « « « « « « « « «

Mashira was the next to leave, stating he needed to return home and tell the elder of Caroline's demise. He had helped to see Lilium to safety and as such, his contract was fulfilled.

That evening, Nida, Kaiou, Tsukai, and Lilium settled down in the same room they had woken in some time ago. Gela had a room next door.

Instead of leaving Lilium to the bed by herself, Tsukai and Nida snuggled in with her. Kaiou was content with a cot near the bed. They were fed, their injuries (physical at least) were healed, and they were in clean nightclothes.

As sleep settled into the room, Nida's voice piped into the darkness of the night.

"Ask me a question."

"No," Lilium replied, yawning so largely her jaw popped. "I'll ask you all the questions you want tomorrow. Tonight… just… let me sleep."

She was out before Nida had a chance to protest. Since falling asleep was usually something Lilium had trouble doing, Nida decided to leave it at that for the evening.

One by one, the breathing of the four settled into sleep-mode.

And one by one, they were whisked away…

» » » » » » » » » » » » Ω « « « « « « « « « « « «

When Nida opened her eyes, she blinked rapidly. The room was too bright. She didn't remember the room being so bright the day before. The white-painted walls were practically glowing in the sun's light.

White walls.

Larger bed than she fell asleep in.

No pants (even though she'd reluctantly worn them to bed the night before).

Nida sat up quickly, disturbing the slumber of Lilium, who had thrown an arm over Nida's chest during the night. She looked around the room.

Bedside table with lamp and one with a stereo. Closet door in front of the bed. Rumpled sleeping bag on the floor between bed and closet. Kaiou – on the floor instead of in a cot.

What the frizzity whut?

Nida looked down at herself. She was wearing the shirt she'd been wearing when she fell asleep at her dad's house. She looked down at Lilium, who was rubbing her eyes and propping herself up on her forearm. Kitty pajamas.

This was Nida's dad's guest bedroom.

Wait.

If that was a dream, why was she in bed with Lil and Tsukai?

Kaiou cried out from the floor.

"Where the hell is my cot? And why am I not in the same room as I was when I fell asleep?! AGAIN?!"

Kaiou's angry outburst finally roused Tsukai, who sat up as quickly as Nida did when he realized something was off. Nida tossed the covers off and went to stand, dragging the sheet out to wrap around her waist as she moved. Something fell to the floor. She looked down and stared. It was a partially-smoked cigar. The same one she had taken from Borgov and been pretty much chewing on for the last several days.

Kaiou saw this, and her eyes met Nida's. Kaiou opened her hand. In it was a note written to her by Gela – his cell phone number and email address "should we ever make it home", he had teased her.

Tsukai stumbled out of bed and wobbled to the door.

"I… have to pee." He announced uncertainly, and opened the door. Nida looked at his spot on the bed. A single gold hoop earring. She had seen it on Grove's ear. She didn't say anything as Tsukai left the room and wandered down the hall to the bathroom.

Lilium was clearly confused, looking around the room in a daze. Tangled in her hair was the pearl and crystal string. Nida reached over and gently removed it from Lilium's hair. The girl looked back at her, alarmed. Unsure.

Nida sat on the bed, her legs covered with the sheet, as Lilium wriggled her way out of the covers and padded out of the room. Kaiou eventually stood and left as well. Nida finally stood again, and shuffled down the hall, sheet firmly wrapped around herself.

In the living room, her father sat on his chair, watching Lilium and Tsukai curiously. Kaiou rustled around the kitchen pulling a bag of Cheetos from the counter and a soda from the fridge. Lilium and Tsukai were looking at the TV. News was on. The weather, specifically. The day was displayed on the screen.

It was the very next day. It was as if they had fallen asleep and woken up at her dad's house. They hadn't been gone a month or so. It was like a dream.

But they all had tokens from the strange place they had travelled to. From their expressions and body language, they all knew what had happened, had happened. They couldn't explain it, and couldn't pinpoint the cause of it.

The day progressed like any other, albeit a little quieter and by far more tense than even the nights when Lilium and Tsukai argued over something trivial. Nida's dad asked her what was wrong, and she deflected his questions. This was normal for her, though, and so he didn't push his luck more than usual.

At the end of the day – Sunday – they all packed their things and piled into Nida's car. She dropped Tsukai off first, as his was the first stop on the way home, then Lilium. After Lilium and Tsukai were safely at home, Nida and Kaiou talked about what had happened. And what to do.

They agreed that if Tsukai and Lilium – arguably the two most traumatized of the lot, as Nida and Kaiou were both stronger mentally than the younger two – didn't want to talk about it, they wouldn't talk about it.

After she was dropped off at her house, Kaiou called the number Gela had given her. He answered. They spoke for several hours. Gela complained about needing to start wearing long-sleeved shirts and gloves everywhere, since there was no way he could explain his crazy new arm.

Nida went home, and returned to her normal schedule. As if nothing had happened.

» » » » » » » » » » » » Ω « « « « « « « « « « « «

In her small room in her parent's house, Lilium Noir stared at the strand of pearls and crystals in her hand. She closed her eyes and reached inside herself, and there, hiding away, was that piece of cool darkness.

She had noticed the moment she entered her house she could feel things that she couldn't before. She told her mom she wasn't feeling well and went to her room to hide.

Slowly, Lilium stood, and hid the strand of pearls in her jewelry box on the highest shelf in her room. Her fingers lingered briefly on the white box as she hesitated. She moved her hand away and stepped back slowly. Shaking her head, she rubbed her hands on her jeans and walked into the bathroom she shared with her parents.

Lilium looked hard at herself in the mirror. Her curly brown hair seemed a little longer, as if it boasted a month's growth. Other than that, nothing had changed, really, except something behind her eyes. Something intangible.

She decided to tell herself that it was a dream. She had vibrant, strange, frightening dreams before. If she worked at it, she would eventually forget the events of this dream, just as she had so many of the others.

She wandered down the stairs and into the small family room where she settled on the couch and gazed absently at the television. Her mom and dad acknowledged her and let her know they would be running to the store to get something for dinner. She smiled at them and responded, and even as the words left her lips, she felt a thrill of déjà vu.

"Be safe."

~fin~

Author's Note:

Is it really okay to tell yourself it was a dream? What will happen when you're forced to face the reality that you spent years trying to forget?

Find out in the (completely unanticipated) sequel, coming soon, to a computer screen near you….