“Try to breathe for a moment.”

***

Wednesday May 13th 2042 11:49PM

“Jessica!?”

Another night. Another dream.

Yet not another nightmare.

Tonight Morpheus’ gift was of the peculiar sort.

The world was a blur. Nothing made sense. Nothing was clear.

I had visions of shapes.

Circles.

People in a circle.

People who I should know, but did not.

They were kind. They were welcoming. Together forever.

We were one.

We were family.

Anything for family.

Anything.

All of us together in a circle.

We were forever.

Then pain.

I couldn’t breathe. I was suffocating. Everything was cold. Everything was muffled. I was dying.

Jessica.

I had been her once more.

These dreams.

They connected me with her.

Did she know I was trying to bring her back? Was she reaching out to me from the other side?

This knowledge should’ve lifted my spirits, but instead I felt something different.

“Master?” Luna.

“Master if we are going to attempt this we must go.”

She was right. We had to go now and meet the time when the line between our plane and theirs was thinnest. “Okay.” I said to the otherworldly woman as I crawled out of bed.

“Do you have it?” I asked and Luna handed me an old cardboard box. Something was inside.

It.

The dead cat.

It was roadkill, carrying the stench of death and the rage of an unexpected end. It had been dead a week and I was to summon its soul.

Just before we were to leave I thought of my sister once more.

Foreboding.

That was the feeling the memory of Jessica brought to me. I had never felt this before.

Perhaps she was just upset, tired of living life in the underworld.

“Just wait Jess. I will become stronger and then we can be together again.”

***

Thursday May 14^th 2042 12:15AM

My head...

My skull...

They were on fire.

Closing my eyes did nothing. Every minute that passed brought with it more throbbing, more pain. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t settle.

Blood trickled from my head in a thin stream and flowed onto my lips. Flicking out my tongue I tasted the coppery fluid and grimaced.

The only thing that hurt worse than the injury was my pride.

"ing witch..." I grumbled.

I lost to her. Lost to someone who sold themselves to the Organization.

Overwhelming disgust blocked the pain.

She had no right to that victory.

That split my skull, but only, because of that weird arm of hers. Her powers were strange and even caused the hair on my body to rise, but they couldn't wound me like this. She was weak and needed help from the ones who put her here.

All I felt was bitter hatred.

If I had the chance I would slam her head against a wall.

“Let's see how much you enjoy getting your skull cracked open.”

If it was her she wouldn't survive.

Weakling.

Blood began to stain the white pillow I was lying on.

More white.

Still so much white.

Too much the same.

What happened to color? To life?

My cell was a small cube with white walls, white floors, a white bed, and a white toilet.

That was it.

Those four walls and the security camera were all that could be considered mine, but I didn't want them.
I didn't want anything the Organization could provide.

The KHDO mutilated our bodies, our minds and destroyed our will. The people here gave nothing, but death.

To think that anyone would side with or defend these people was beyond sickening.

Hell was too good for them. They deserved no remorse.

"Don't hate them Amber. It's wrong."

"But-"

"They only do this to protect their families."

"Jackie, how can you say that? You saw what they did to that man."

"I know, but you must forgive them as their intentions are good. They saw that man as a threat so they did what was necessary. In here we can’t overcome violence with more violence, so do as they ask and they will leave us alone."

“You were wrong, Jackie.” I thought. “You were very wrong.”

My big sister.

Even though we were different we were very close. We weren’t the kind of siblings that did everything together, but we kept secrets and gave each other advice.

Jackie was someone who kept to herself for the most part. She had two or three good friends, but she preferred to spend the majority of her time in her room writing. It didn’t matter whether it was in a diary or an actual book. She was always scribbling words onto a page.

She believed strongly in responsibility and whenever our parents weren’t home or weren’t feeling well she stepped up and cleaned the house, made dinner, and took care of me, sometimes ignoring her own needs in the process. What amazed me was that she never complained or asked for anything in return. She just did those things, because she was that good of a person.

She was also very expressive. It didn’t matter if she was happy, sad or “in love.” If she felt it she showed it. This meant I often had to indulge her about whatever boy she was currently interested in, but it also meant making her happy and her being happy meant she would give me one of those smiles. It wasn’t just her face, but her whole body seemed to glow. She was always easy to read.

But since being brought here, that selfless, smiling sister of mine changed.

We shared the same cell, but some days it was as though I were living with a stranger. She didn’t talk a lot, didn’t smile, and just seemed distant. I spent a lot of time trying to bring the old Jackie back, but I rarely got more than a glare or a “Not now, Amber.”

I needed familiarity to survive this place, but she wasn’t giving me that. On rare occasions I would see glimpses of the real her. She smiled, but it wasn’t like before. She promised me that we’d make it, but I knew that deep in her heart she was lying.

I didn’t understand her.

She said she’d protect me as long as we were together, but most of the time it’d seem like she was advocating for the monsters who worked here.

Justifying their heinous behavior.

Some days I was disgusted with her, but it really wasn’t her fault. The Organization did this to her. They brought us here, ruined our lives, and destroyed our family.

Then they killed her.

Right in front of my eyes.

"Come 'ere, cutie." He grinned, unlocking the door to my cell. He stepped forward and I moved back.
There was something about him. The way he smiled, the way he moved, the look in his eyes.

His walk was slow, methodical. He didn't need to rush. The corner of his lips were turned up, revealing a mouth full of yellowing teeth, and his eyes held a dark glint in them.

I was afraid.

I didn't want him to hurt me.

This room. This place.

I hated it.

My back met a wall. I couldn't escape.

"It's s'okay. Don't be scared, you n' me? We're gonna have a good time."

His rough hands grabbed, caressed, and d. I hated his touch. It felt wrong. Parasitic and selfish. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want his body on mine. When his tongue a grotesque trail along my neck I punched him.

It was too small, too constricting.

He attacked with a knife, cursing me for my refusal. Threatening that he would have me whether I was dead or alive, because I was a worthless just like Jackie.

She was here once.

"What the hell are you doing to her!?"

This place killed her.

This suffocating place.

I knew that voice! "Jackie!?" I cried,suddenly overcome with so much relief that I had forgotten about the blade that was carving a permanent trail down my thigh.

The walls were moving. Inching closer, hoping to strangle me. To kill me.

"No you don't." The man chuckled. "You’re mine!" His large hand s its way under my shirt and gave one of my s a painful squeeze.

"Jackie please help me!"

My heart thundered in my chest as I ran from them. The walls. The laughing, bleeding walls. Jackie’s blood. They teased me with her blood. I would be next. They were coming for me.

I heard guards shouting, glass breaking, and a roar.

A whimper escaped my throat and my body was rattled with a painful shock. I gasped, but couldn’t get enough air.

"Quick call the chairman!"

"It broke its collar!"

"Shoot it, shoot it!"

There were gunshots and agonized screams as evil men fell.

Holes in her body. Blood on the floor. My sister’s blood.

Me next. My blood would meet hers.

"Jackie!?" I called in fear.

"That thing is killing my friends, because of you. I'll return the favor."

I didn’t want this. I didn’t want to die!

I gasped and shrunk down in terror. My heart raced and the blood roared in my ears. My hands made a failed attempt at gripping the ground. I needed to hold something, anything.

The man kneeled down and painfully tore the knife from my thigh.

He was going to kill me.

My chest heaved and my terrified body trembled. Why was I so weak!? So helpless!?

I hated this place. Hated these humans.

I didn’t want to die, but that didn’t mean I had to cower. Jackie was fighting, so why couldn’t I?

The walls. Making this place more and more restrictive. More claustrophobic. There had to be a way out. Jackie wanted me to be free. To live!

I felt the collar around my neck begin to quiver. Jackie had destroyed hers. I could do the same. Fear wouldn’t stop me!

My hands began scratching at the floor.

Freedom. Escape.

They were beneath me. I just had to dig.

I snarled at him, feeling electrical currents begin to flow through my body.

Pain was temporary.

I could handle this.

Scratching and scraping my nails chipped and cracked.

I didn’t want to end up like her!

I needed out!

Pain seized my heart, black spots darted in and out of sight, and my ears were being overloaded.

I growled even louder. "in' !" He swung the knife.

My face and neck were on fire. I hit the floor writhing in pain. I heard the man's sickening laughter. It seemed to come from everywhere. I couldn't focus, I was hurting too much.

Escape!

My body just needed to hold out.

Every second that passed made the air thicker.

The walls were here. Looming over me, inching nearer, pressing against my back, peering over my shoulder.

A loud roar rattled my chest and the man gasped in horror.

An enormous white bear stood on its haunches. Its body was stained a deep red and intestines hung from its head. The man began to plead.

This place was alive and it was hungry. It wanted to devour me. To take my life.

The man cried and begged. He said he was sorry. He said he would leave me alone. He said he would quit the Organization.

Lies.

All lies.

I was close. Very close!

I just needed to break the tile and I would be free.

Soon! I just needed…needed…

The bear knew it and tore through his chest with its sharp claws before ending his life with a bite to the head.

Blood.

I looked at my sister. Her white fur was stained with blood, but none of it seemed to be her own. I watched as she tossed the man out of the cell before turning her attention on me. I stared into her tiny, black eyes as she shifted back.

She fell to her knees in front of me. "Am..." She breathed. "I'm so sorry..." She whispered. Looking in her eyes I saw a mix of relief and sorrow. "I was supposed to protect you."

My fingers were bleeding. I could no longer dig.

It was as though time had stopped. Horror seeped into my bones.

I slowly sat up and smiled at her. "You did protect me. I'm still here." She pulled me into a warm hug.

"Oh Amber!"

I couldn’t make it out.

Something wet hit my shoulder. At first I was confused, but when it happened again I understood. She was crying.

Crying, because I was okay, crying, because we were still alive.

I was going to die in here.

The walls had trapped me.

We were alive.

Then a sound.

Everything stopped. I cautiously peered around me. Everything was where it should’ve been. I looked at my hands. A few of my nails were chipped, and only two were bleeding

I let out a breath.

I was fine.

I heard a clicking noise and my attention went to the large, metallic door. My eyes narrowed and I rose to my feet. Guards were coming and I would not look weak. Thanks to the camera they had seen everything.

They always came after this happened. It was their best time to strike.

But today would be different. Today I would be ready.

The door opened and three men entered. They wore their standard white or green uniforms, but something was off about them.

Their weapons were down, they didn’t close the door behind them, and they didn’t speak. No witty banter amongst themselves, no erted jeers in my direction, just silence.

Even their eyes were strange. They were unfocused, and their pupils were still dilated.

In order to look at me they didn’t move their heads, but instead their bodies.

It’s like I was with zombies.

“Did someone piss in your cereal this morning?” I joked, hoping to provoke some sort of response.

Nothing.

It was bizarre, but welcome. At least they weren’t trying to hurt me. However that didn’t change the perplexing state they were in. I stepped closer and sniffed, taking in their individual scents. They still smelled like blood and chemicals, so that hadn’t changed.

Another strange thing I noticed was that I felt no danger from them. Trusting my instincts I relaxed.

“Well if you lovely gentlemen don’t mind, I’m going to show myself out.”

“Remove the device.” They said in unison and began dragging their feet in my direction.

“You wanna go!?” I readied my muscles as they neared with outstretched hands.

These humans weren’t even – what!?

Their palms found my collar and I listened to a sequence of beeps that ended in a click.  I knew that sound. It was someone messing with the lock.

What were they doing? Why were they doing this? Were they doing maintenance? No. That wasn’t it. They always told me what they were doing when that happened, they always had another collar with them, and they never ever did it in my cell.

The Organization never messed with their technology unless they were repairing it or going to kill the wearer and since they weren’t fixing it…

That damnable chairman was having me killed for my refusal!

In alarm I tore myself from their merciless fingers with a snarl. I stopped when I saw something white falling to the ground. It hit the floor with an audible ping that echoed in my ears. My hand flew to my neck. I felt skin.

I felt warmth.

No longer was that spiteful piece of metal on my neck.  It was proof of their ownership, of their power, and it was no longer a part of me.

I wasn’t theirs anymore.

I gaped at it and noticed how small it looked, how feeble. Was that thing really able to control me for all these years?

“Ms. Liu?”

“What?”

“We have instructions to you to meet Lady Jinri.”

“Lady Jinri!?”  What the-?

“We are sorry to have disrupted your night, but we are here on her orders to take you to the rendezvous point.”

Rendezvous point? Her orders?

Realization struck me like an electric shock.

Jinri was executing our escape!

***

Pul Yaweh 3^rd 347567 12:45AM

A light breeze tickled my skin and teased my hair as I rested on a grassy hill. The thick forest had given way to a stunning valley of the prettiest flowers to have ever honored this lifetime.

Below me there was a small herd of wapiti. They were deer-like creatures. There was a mother and her little fawn dappled in brown and white spots, with two, large, adorable, black eyes. Several steps away a cycloptic buck with antlers that stretched out like branches took a single step forward and observed the landscape proudly.

Above me floated the giant, orange, ringed planet and the two – red and white – moons. I counted only five distant stars, but that didn’t change the beauty of the night.

I liked being here, because it reminded me of the area just outside of my home in China. It was a place without scrutinizing eyes or unrestrained pride. I didn’t have to fear, didn’t have to hate. I was free.

More stars appeared in the sky, but that wasn’t a surprise. Epica was everywhere and nowhere. It floated through time, space, and various planes of existence in seconds.

I watched as the fawn pranced around his mother, kicking up his back legs and bleating joyously, until he stumbled, landing on his belly. In concern I sat up. Then I noticed that neither his mother nor the stag bothered to look in his direction. The baby just got back up and continued his playful dance.

I smiled at him.

He was tough and that was a good thing. He would need to be.

The world we lived in did not take kindly to weakness and there would come a time when he found out that the only one who would look out for him in life was himself.

When that time came I hoped he would stand with his head held high and observe all with a confident light in his eyes. I hoped he would never flee from a challenge or falter in a fight. I hoped that he would prove himself the best.

However, that time would not be for many years. For now he should enjoy his youth with his parents.

Both of them.

Something I never got to do.

I sighed heavily and all three animals stared in my direction. The eye in the center of the buck’s head seemed to be glaring. He puffed out his chest and moved forward.

An intimidation technique.

I waved at him and flopped back down in the grass showing that I was no threat and he focused is attention elsewhere.

Why couldn’t gods be like these wapiti?

They judged without knowing and attacked without mercy. The animals observed, gave chances, and learned. An animal didn’t care about where you were from, what you looked like, or who your parents were.  They look at you for who you really are.

They didn’t think, talk, or feel like we did, but their hearts were pure.

As gods wanted nothing to do with me, I made friends with creatures instead. My best friend happened to be a unicorn named Victoria. She was tan, with three white feet, a large white blaze on her face, a white horn, and a pale yellow mane with a matching tail.

To the stable-hands at our palace she was an ornery beast who didn’t like to do any work, but I saw something else in her. Perhaps it was the same reason she chose me.

She was supposed to be a war beast, but she didn’t like to be ridden, nor commanded, and she had a tendency to bite anyone who came near her stall. She was highly intelligent, which got her into trouble, and gifted her with the label of “that one.” She was singled out as different and was punished for it. It was easy for me to relate and for some reason – perhaps it was my human curiosity or empathy – I told my father I would take over her care.

The first time we met face to face she didn’t attack. I know now that it was, because of my scent. She had always been handled by gods, but now being faced with a half-mortal she was unsure of how to behave.

Each day I greeted her with an apple and light conversation as I went about cleaning her pen. She was uncomfortable at first, never reacting, just pressing against the wall and staring, but over time she grew to like me.

As I got to know her I found that she carried herself with an air of nobility, wasn’t a quick eater, liked her privacy, and unlike other equines didn’t void her bowels in the street. She also liked to be bathed in the sweetest scented shampoos and have her hair braided.

In short, she was a lady and you’d better recognize that, because she wouldn’t hesitate to let you know.

I told her everything and while she was unable to talk back I knew she understood. When I cried she rested her nose on me and when someone was cruel to me she would always snort and bite. On the rare occasions when I was allowed to get on her back she showed me how fast she could go.

Some gods could fly, and those who did often bragged about the feeling. I had never been compelled to do so based on their stories, but when I rode Victoria I understood. The world whipped past me, wind kissed my face, and if I closed my eyes I was above it all. Nothing else existed except that moment in time.

That unicorn of mine…when she went…she went and her feet seemed to never meet the ground.

She was a good friend.

Was.

She died when she was four-hundred and five years old. Almost sixty years ago. I really missed her even now, and some days I wished she were still here, but I was being selfish in doing so. She had lived more than fifty years longer than she should’ve.

It’s a cruel thing the world does. To make animals live much shorter lives than us.

I closed my eyes and let the wind carry me back to the days where I would ride Victoria on nights just like these.

All of a sudden, noise yanked me from my pleasant memories.

It was a sound that had even scared the wapiti away.

I sat up, instantly on high alert. Whatever this was, was crashing through the forest loudly, snapping twigs and scattering birds. It couldn’t have been an animal. It was far too noisy. Not to say that animals didn’t make noise, but there were no large predators here and even if there were the chase would’ve ended quickly.

Laughter. That’s what the sound was.

Animals did not laugh.

My hands instinctively balled into fists as a familiar feeling of rage began to nestle itself in the pit of my stomach.

Gods were here and they would pay for disrupting my peace.

***

Thursday May 14^th 2042 1:20AM

It was dark. The lights and hustle of the city of Andong had long been left behind for the calm of a single lane, country road.

All around were farms and fields abundant in little, glowing bugs. The open spaces and playful insects reminded me of my youth left behind so many years in the past.

Even though there was a lot of bad in my life, there was still some good.

I tried hard to move on, but there were a few things worth recalling.

The innocence of childhood.

Always a good memory.

I could remember pestering chickens, sneaking out to play with my friends, and chasing the fireflies.

The memories always enveloped me in warmth. If I tried hard enough to remember I could hear the shouts of old Mr. Hwang as he scolded us for bothering his animals, smell the delicious scent of my mother's tteokguk, and feel the powerful hoofbeats of horses shake the ground as they ran.

Then a sudden sadness. I was not prepared for the piercing grief. Though I had undergone much pain this sadness was not my own.

It belonged to the yellow-haired girl who was staring out the cab window, clearly deep in thought.

When speaking of the loss of innocence most equated it to the loss of ity, but that was not always the case.

This girl was as much of a maiden as any other child, but her innocence was slipping away.

She should've been spending time with her friends, going to school, and meeting boys. She should've been enjoying her life.

But she wasn't.

Little by little, day by day, I saw it.

She was losing parts of herself, becoming hollow.

Exhaustion, loneliness, grief...

This type of sadness ran deep. It was not merely forgotten. It was the kind of sadness that was colder than ice and settled into the bones. It followed its host wherever they went and even if distracted something would always bring them back to the colorless place where it resided.

It was a place I was well acquainted with.

A place that I had been.

A place I never wanted to return to.

This girl, Jung - Krystal - Soojung was not one who cried easily, or spoke much. Yet she was determined and kind.

I knew that she could handle things in a way most could not, but even the strongest had a breaking point.

How long would it be before the pattern of hope and crushing disappointment finally got to her?
She had considered suicide, because it would be easier. Easier to see her sister again.

I had managed to talk her out of it, but if she truly decided to take her own life there would be nothing I could do.

I didn't want that for her. She deserved better. To live, to smile, and to be happy.

A person should live a long life and make many memories. They should fall in love, celebrate birthdays, and have children.

But the moment she had an ounce of true happiness she would become sad again.

She was stuck. Stuck in a world where her parents had been killed, her sister - and best friend - had been killed, and a world in which she could not go home. She had to use her powers and risk getting discovered in order to just survive.

She was strong, but she was young. This was no life for a child and I feared that it was too much too soon. I was afraid that her determined nature would prevent her from listening to reason.

I wanted to be there for her, and to show her the good in life, because for me, time had stopped.
I would never breathe again. I would never grow again. I would never get married or have a family born of my blood.

I would never have the opportunities she had.

Life was hard, but it was beautiful as well.

But perhaps it was a case of "the grass is always greener." I was a ghost and seeing life as something to be treasured was easy.

Or maybe it was, because I saw myself in her. In the last months of my mortal life I had felt the same as she did. Sadness seemed to follow me wherever I went.

Everything was gray, nothing could bring a smile to my face. I just suffered until one day I slipped away.
A particularly intense wave of sadness hit me and I let out an inaudible gasp.

The poor thing was going to think herself to death.

As her servant it was my job to look after her and therefore I could not allow this to go on.

"Master?"

No reply.

"Master?"

"Oh um, yes?" She turned to look at me, but seemed more than a little embarrassed. After all I knew what she was feeling.

I gave her a reassuring smile.

"Are you thinking of your sister again?"

"Yeah."

"Care to share?"

I hadn't expected to get a lot out of her, so it was a surprise that she ended up being so talkative.

As it turned out she too had been recalling memories.

It was touching.

She told me about her "suburban" home in a place called "San Francisco" and how her father was a small time "boxer" turned "policeman."

Her mother was a former "gymnast" who was a "housewife."

Then she started talking about her sister and how they would play dolls and host "tea parties." Their parents constantly offered Jessica her own room, but each time she'd refuse, because she wanted to stay with her little sister.

As she spoke I noticed that her eyes shined, she moved her hands, and her words became accented.

She was happy.

It was a feeling I hoped she'd have more often.

She continued on, becoming ever more excited as she told me about coming to Korea. She glossed over the part about her parents death, but that was to be expected.

Coming here was when she and her sister really became close and the time she began to want to be just like her.

If Jessica wanted to be a "fashion designer" or an actress she wanted to as well. She wanted to be friends with her sister's friends. It was hard for her to get along with kids her own age, so she stuck with the teenagers who treated her like she was not only Jessica's little sibling, but their own.

She said she liked being the youngest and that it made her feel mature, because they didn't censor anything around her. They were a close-knit group of ten and considered each other family. She told me their names. Taeyeon, Soonkyu, Tiffany - another "American" - Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun.

In time she met people who were friends, but she never saw them like she saw the others.

All I did was smile. I might not have understood all the words she used, but I knew the emotions behind each one of them.

"Sorry." She said after she was finished. "I know you don't care that much, but I couldn't help myself." She grinned sheepishly at me.

"Please do not apologize, master. I care a lot. Your modern stories are fun."

More embarrassment.

The girl touched her arm. I suppose she was not used to having someone be interested in her as a person anymore.

"What about you?" She asked. I blinked at her in confusion. "Me?"

"Yeah, what was your childhood like?"

Then, I began telling her about life in my poor, little hometown. Her eyes were on me the whole time. She was hanging onto every word.

"Man, you were brave, I wouldn't even go near it." She said, rubbing an eye.

"Why?"

"Horses are huge and scary." She yawned loudly.

I gave her a small smile.

She was tired.

Her mortal habits were quite endearing.

"Perhaps you should sleep, master." I urged. "I know...I'm tired, but I feel bad always leaving you awake by yourself."

I laughed lightly. "Unless you go somewhere in the middle of the night and I don't know about it."

"Nope. I just meditate and float around."

I watched her lean her head against the cab window. "Don't you ever get bored of doing that?"

I touched a finger to my chin in thought before smiling. "Nope."

"That's weird..." Another yawn. "I would be." Then she closed her eyes.

“Little one, boredom is a mortal's emotion.” I thought. “When life is endless you will find that you can accomplish all you want in time. There is no need to rush.”

I watched my master's face scrunch up in frustration. Sitting up wasn't a comfortable position to sleep in. Neither was sleeping in a cheap cab with a possessed driver who seemed to not care about the speed limit.

"Excuse me, sir? Please slow down, our master is trying to sleep."

Our master.

He was to take us to Ulchin and for as long as he was possessed he was a servant of Krystal's.

I admit I did not like to share and had this been a permanent arrangement I would be hurt that she had not thought I was capable enough to be her lone assistant.

However my feelings should not matter. I was a servant. Brought here to follow, not feel.

Most of the time the relationship between the summoner and the summoned was not a good one. The summoned was literally a slave. Used and abused. That is if the summoner was powerful enough to control them. If they were not then the servant often killed them to gain their own freedom.

However my relationship with Krystal was not so.

She really didn't like to be called "master", told me I could go if I wanted, and had called us friends.
I had been a slave in life and didn't want to go back to that.

I didn't kill her that first night, because I felt her power. Hers was the kind that nailed you to the ground, the kind that made you want to bow down in admiration and fear.

I believed she would kill me if I had not served.

When I actually got to know her I was shocked at the person she was. She was clumsy in her witchcraft and didn't know her potential. She was deeply opposed to violence so much so that she never ate meat or killed bugs. She did not believe that anyone should control another.

My master began to fidget in an effort to get more comfortable, but once she thought she found the right position she would move again.

She needed her sleep and it upset me to see her struggle.

Once again, it was my job as a servant - as a friend - to take care of her. "Master?"

I poked her once in the side and her eyes opened instantly.

"Master you can lie on me if you like." She straightened up and looked at me hesitantly.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course." I beamed at her. We were friends, there was no reason to be shy.

"Okay then..." She gave a small stretch and decided to rest her head on my lap. She wriggled for a few moments before finally settling down.

She was warm.

Warm with life.

Some of her hair fell in front of her face and I gently tucked it behind her ear. I watched the rise and fall of her side as her breathing slowed.

She was asleep.

I moved a hand to my chest and held it there. It was where my heart should've been. Being so close to a mortal made me feel strangely human. I could imagine the time when blood warmed my body and air filled my lungs.

I had every chance to leave, every chance to go on my own, but I would not take it.

I was attached.

Attached to this mortal child.

Attached to her human needs and to her soft personality.

As I watched her sleep, her face took on a pained expression. I felt fear coming from her and knew that she was having another nightmare.

I didn't like how she had one every time she slept. It wasn't fair to her. I did not know what mistake she made in her casting, but I would have to figure out a way to end these dreams permanently.

Until then all I could do was hold her and her hair.

The corner of her lip twitched and her features relaxed.

I'm surprised it worked. It was a technique I would often use to get my younger brothers to sleep.
Yet I shouldn't have been so shocked. She was still a child after all.

It was unfortunate that she didn't have anyone.

But that wasn’t true.

She had me.

Even though she had no blood relatives to take care of her she still needed to be raised. Maybe I could do it. I was the oldest of five and knew how to take care of children.

Yes, I could do it.

I would teach her about her powers and help her navigate the harsh world that we lived in. I hoped that in time she would grow up and no longer need me anymore. As sad as it would be, I would know I had done my job successfully.

“Krystal Jung I vow I will protect and help you whenever you may need it. I am not Jessica and I will not try to be, but so long as we are together we are family, we are sisters.”

***

Thursday May 14th 2042 2:37AM

"Swim Jinri, swim!" I cried over the ferocious roar of thunder. "But Amber I can't! It's too hard!"

"Yes you can! Just believe in yourself!"

The night was black with neither the stars nor the moon to guide us.

Rain plummeted from the sky jabbing our bodies with thick, painful drops as the cold wind slapped our faces and created furious, mountain-like waves.

A storm had arrived to announce an early start to the monsoon season.

It was a blessing and curse.

The Organization wouldn't be able to find us, but my senses were distorted, making it hard to find the shore.

My vision which could see anything up close with immense clarity could find nothing in this never-ending darkness. My nose that could detect scents for up to three years only caught the tang of salt. My ears that could hear for miles heard nothing over the whir of the wind and crash of the waves.

There was no indication of land, but I knew that it was somewhere ahead.

We couldn't turn back. If it was a choice between death in a cage or death at sea I would choose the sea. At least then I would die going against the Organization.

"I don't know how to sw- AHHHH!" Jinri shrieked as a wave swallowed us.

“Up!” I thought, praying that the telepath would hear me.

My body erupted to the surface, sending thousands of tiny water droplets flying into the night. I coughed and wheezed, but still hunted for the familiar shape of my friend.

She wasn't here.

"Jinri!? Jinri!?" I felt a sudden onset of dread. “Oh God, what if something happened to her!?”

“Amber!?” Somehow over the enraged cacophony of thunder I heard a faint splash.

Something gripped my hand.

I didn't have to see to know.

It was Jinri!

"EEEEEEEE!" She screamed as a wave carried us several feet in the air. It dropped us like we were nothing and our bodies painfully hit the water below.

Lightning danced across the sky and I could see her for the first time since we leapt off the island.
Pale arms grabbed at the air as she helplessly flailed. White clothes desperately clung to her as she valiantly tried to keep her head above the surface.

“Clothes!?” I thought in realization.

“Jinri, take off your clothes!” I ordered mentally.

“W-What, why!?”

“They'll weigh you down. Hold onto me and I'll help you."

She grabbed my arm and I helped her begin the painstaking task of removing her pants. It was a struggle trying to keep her afloat and dispose of them, but it was necessary.

Then the pants were off, sinking aimlessly to the bottom of the Sea of Japan. The shirt would be the hardest, but we had to take risks.

She lifted her arms as I pulled the shirt above her head. When she was free of its grasp I tossed it away. This wouldn't make her a better swimmer, but it would save her from using her last breath just to stay afloat.

“Be careful.” I warned as I began to repeat the arduous process on myself.

I felt Jinri wrap her arms around my body. She was protecting me and when she tightened her grip I knew she wouldn't let go.

"Ll-Llama...?" She stammered as I rapidly tried to remove my shirt.

"What?"

"L-Look."

As if in mockery of our bond several streaks of lightning tore through the sky, highlighting a nearly twenty foot wave.

A wave that would soon devour us whole.

I held her close and shut my eyes in preparation for the impact.

Suddenly Jinri's arms were ripped away from me.

I'd been forced back. Thrown through the cold water that only seemed colder without her.

I couldn't see, couldn't hear.

All around was blackness and warped noise.

Yet that's all it was. It wasn't death. It wasn't the end.

“Up!”

I reminded myself.

“Up!” I called to Jinri.

It was the only way to survive. The only way to be free.

Burning determination replaced fear as I propelled myself upwards. The salt stung my eyes and frigid water nipped at my flesh, but I was doing it.

Defying the sea. Defying nature.

Tonight was the time to prove my right to life!

I felt something as I swam.

Hair.

Long hair tumbling down endlessly into the ocean.

I knew it was her.

“Help me...”

She wasn't moving, but she wasn't dead either.

I swam beneath her, positioning myself so that she would be on my back when I came up.

The added weight only willed me to try harder.

This wasn't just about me. It was about her too!

I caught a glimpse of lightning above the surface.

I was getting closer!

Then that's when I saw them. Lights. Dazzling lights, some green, some blue, some white. They were beautiful and the way they danced and swirled before my eyes was mesmerizing. I wondered what it would be like to follow them...

Pain.

My chest started to ache and my muscles throbbed.

I needed air!

The lights' beauty was nothing more than a lie. If I didn't breathe soon we would both die!

I had to be calm.

Focus.

I felt it.

We would make it. We would make it...

Just a little bit more and...

Oxygen!

My heart leapt in joy. I took a big gulp of air as Jinri coughed, hacking up a gallon of water.

We did it!

"Am...?" Her voice was weak, but somehow I heard it. "Don't try to talk." I said as she rested an arm on either of my shoulders.

"Llama...?"

"Yeah?"

"It's h-hard t-to b-breath and I'm s-sleepy." I was instantly on alert. "Jinri you can't sleep yet!" It was difficult to keep the fear from showing in my voice. "B-But-"

"No! Don't you remember the first thing I'd get you when we made it to freedom!?"

"A f-flower crown..."

"Exactly!" I exclaimed trying to inspire her to stay awake. "Don't you want that!? I told you I'd find you the biggest flower crown in the world, but you have to stay awake!"

"I know Llama, but I...I...just want to rest my eyes for a minute...I w-won't sleep."

"No Jinri, don't do that! You can't do that yet!" I was terrified. "Jinri!?" I called. "Jinri!?" I pleaded and begged for her to speak.

Yet she was silent.

A deafening roar reminded me of another problem. It seemed as though the storm wasn’t done its merciless assault.

I battled waves and danced with death repeatedly, but nothing was getting resolved. Jinri wasn't waking up and the typhoon wasn't stopping. We were lost somewhere in an endless sea.

A sea that stole strength like it stole lives. A sea that didn't want us to survive.

I was tired.

So very tired and my head had begun to pound again. It was like someone was repeatedly stepping on it as hard as they could.

My limbs felt like lead and no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't reach the shore.

There was nothing else. No land, no light, nothing.

All there was, were dark, swirling waves everywhere.

Water mocked us.

It fell from the sky and struck as though it were bullets. It swirled around us swearing to drag us under.

My muscles ached and my heart threatened to erupt from my chest. I gasped for breath, but could get no air. I coughed forcing water from my lungs, only to gulp more.

I was tired and Jinri was suddenly very heavy. I couldn't swim with her on my back.

Strength was quickly being drained from my body.

I didn't like this place. The air was thick, almost smothering and it carried the rancid stench of charred flesh.

I pressed against my sister as closely as I could and peered around for a possible escape route.

There was none.

Behind us were a row of small, holding cells. If someone was placed in one of these it meant they were in line for something, or were going to watch an execution. They were tiny, all exposing places designed to make us feel as insignificant and inhuman as possible.

There was a large one-way window in the left corner of the rectangular room. I wasn't sure what it overlooked, but the chairman was staring out of it intently with his hands behind his back.

All around us were guards, ten of them to be exact. Each with their military grade weapons aimed straight at us.

Near the door there was a sign that read "Crematorium B."

The cremation chambers were open and seemed unusually large. There was enough room for several people to fit inside. They were made of steel.

It was an ominous warning.

We would be next.

Yet now there was nothing. Just deafening silence. The only sound came from my blood landing on the floor. I quickened my breathing and my eyes darted around the room in a futile effort to find an escape route. I felt constricted. Even though the room was large I needed to get out. I couldn't just stand here in the center like this.

Something squeezed my hand. My sister understood my feelings, but she didn't want me to show them.
I didn't want to die, but I'd rather go quickly than sit and let the anticipation eat me from the inside.

"How does it happen?" The chairman asked seemingly to himself. "How does it happen, Jackie?" He slowly turned around and looked at my sister.

This was the man behind it all.

The true monster.

"How does one so tame, become a raving beast? Is it just ingrained in your species' DNA to kill us?"

"Don't flip it around. One of your guards tried to my sister. I did what I had to."

"To massacre seven or eight humans is extreme. Going beyond what you had to do." The chairman took several steps forward. "You humans wouldn't ever let me get to her and you know that. Don't talk about a massacre when you've killed thousands of us." Jackie said calmly. "I don't care what you say. I protected Amber and I'll never regret killing them to save her." She finished, speaking in English.

I looked at her in surprise. Was this really the same person who was so against even scratching them less than a day ago?

I watched as the chairman glared spitefully at her.

"So that's it then? You have nothing else to say?"

Jackie shook her head.

"I should kill you both, but I still need to do research." I saw Jackie narrow her eyes.  "Not once has a shifter broken through my collar, and not once has a shifter morphed so fast. I heard your family was one of the purer lines, but I had yet to see anything special. Until today." He grinned wickedly and I shrunk down, knowing that smile was not without power. He could have us killed in under a minute.

"Amber, you should be excited." He was talking to me? I looked around nervously. "Yes you, silly girl there's no other Amber here is there?" Jackie looked at me and I saw something in her eyes, but I didn't understand.

"You get to live."

What?

I stared at the chairman in horror. If I lived then that meant...

I burst from the water, Jinri still on my back. The memory of my sister gifted me with extra strength, but I didn't understand.

“Why should I remember this now? Am I that close to death?” I thought.

But I didn't feel like it. If anything I felt more alive.

"No!" I protested.

"I want to die too! I won't stay here without her! What do I have to do to be killed!? Punch a guard!? Okay!" I ran in the direction of the nearest sniper, but Jackie shifted into a python and coiled her body around mine.

"Excellent!" The chairman cackled. "This is excellent!"

"Jackie let me go! I want to die with you!" I screamed, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. I couldn't make it without her! What was I supposed to do if she was gone!? If she wasn't here I would have no one!

"Amber!" She snapped, returning to her true form. She was sitting on my back.

"No! I'm not going to let you go! We're going to stay together! Just like you promised, remember!?"

"Amber, shut up!"

How could she tell me something like that? Did she want to leave me? I felt like someone had just ripped my heart from me.

"Look at what you're doing.” She gestured to the chairman and his grinning guards. "You're entertaining them."

"But-"

"This is what they want to see. They want to break you." She whispered.

"Jackie I don't want you to die...I don't want to be here alone."

"You won't be alone. When I said we would stay together and that I would protect you I meant it. Death won't stop me."

"You can't still believe in that stuff! Look at where we are! If God really existed we wouldn't be here!"

"Don't say such things. If there was no God you would be dying with me. You getting a chance to live is a miracle."

I glared at her. She sounded crazy. She was going to die, but didn't believe that was the end of it. We lived surrounded by death. If those souls could come back they would and they would save their loved ones, but they didn’t. They couldn’t, because after this there was nothing.

"I agree with you, Amber." The chairman chuckled. "There is no God for your kind. There is no afterlife, there is no mercy. Here I am the master of life and death."

Jackie got off me and I sat up. "I won't argue about this with you right now. If you don't believe in God, fine, but I'm going to ask you to believe in me."

"Believe...in...you...?" Why should I? She would die soon. She couldn't do anything for me.

"I told you I'd protect you when we got here and I will. Trust me, Am. Even though I'll die, I'll still be with you." I didn't want to accept that this was really happening.

"Do you trust me?" She asked.

Was she really going to die?

"Am?"

Was she really going to leave me?

"Yeah." I sniffled still fighting tears.

"I'm bored of this, men put the young one away."

That fast!?

Our eyes widened.

Firm hands grabbed me and I felt as though I were being dragged. "No!" I screamed. I didn't want Jackie to die! I tried to struggle out of their grasp. "I want to be with my sister!" The chairman was back to his maniacal laughter.

"I swear if I get the chance I will kill every single one of you! Lee Jin you don't know what a massacre is! One day I'll show you! I'll kill every human here!"

"Shut up!"

A punch to the gut stunned me just long enough for them to put me in the cell and lock the door.
"No!" I roared. "No!" My fingers curled around the bars as I screamed. "No!"

"Get in, Jackie." The chairman pointed to one of the cremation chambers.

"No." My sister protested calmly. The chairman looked at her with a confused expression.

"I may be about to die, but that doesn't mean I'll go willingly. What would I look like to my little sister if I just gave in like that?"

"Fine. Guards shoot, but don't kill. I want it to suffer."

Chaos.

All I remember was the sound of gunfire and the smell of blood. Jackie had shifted into something, but that didn't mean anything to their weapons. I heard an animalistic scream and Jackie was back to herself, but she was on the ground. I counted the wounds on her body. Each limb was shot, whole chunks seemed to be missing from her body. Then there was one in her back. The one that brought her down. It was clear that she could no longer get up.

“Am…Amber…” She gasped. “G-Get o-out o-of h-here, a-and b-be h-happy.”

How was it that she was the one who was shot, but I was the one dying?

"Throw it in the chamber!"

“NO!” I shrieked as the two remaining guards picked her up and literally tossed her in one of the chambers.

When the stench of burning flesh intensified I knew.

I fell to my knees and let the tears flow freely.

The memories.

I understood now.

Jackie had gone out fighting. She hadn't just quit, because it was too hard. She fought until she had nothing left.
 

She fought to protect me.
 

Everything she did was for me. She hadn't told me not to hurt them out of weakness. She had done it so that I would stay alive to see this day.

 To escape.
 

And when I was ready to give up I was reminded of her.

She was keeping her promise even in the afterlife.

Now I had to keep mine.

Be strong until I escaped the Organization and when I did be happy.
 

The rain had slowed to something just a little more than a drizzle and the gale that stirred the waves that threatened to kill me had become a breeze.
 

The wind carried with it something familiar.

The scent of exhaust.

Cars.
 

Cars meant people. People meant civilization. Civilization meant escape!

Freedom.
 

I couldn't see the shore yet, but I knew by scent I was getting closer.
 

A faint heartbeat.

Jinri's heart.
 

She was alive.
 

Now I understood my sister in other ways too.

Jinri needed me. While she had powers she didn't know enough about the world to survive on her own and physically she wasn't strong enough to fight. My priority was no longer myself. I needed to make sure she was happy and safe as well.
 

I was a protector now.
 

Just like my sister.
 

Though I couldn't just say that Jinri was the only one that needed someone. I needed her just as much if not more. She gave me a reason to smile again. To live.

So long as we were together I would never give up.
 

The scent grew even stronger and I swore I could see lights in the distance. My heart soared. That was our refuge.
 

Soon we would be free.

***

Notes:

Morpheus – Is the God of sleep in (I think) Greek mythology
Wapiti: French word for Elk (but I’m using it to mean something else)

Sorry it’s been so long, the editor and I have been busy and lazy. Speaking of my editor allow me to introduce her:

Tonee the Editor:...I'm not sure what to say to you people

I kind of coerced her into speaking this time. Heh heh…she isn’t likely to talk all the time, but she makes whatever stuff that decides to pour from my brain more polished.

The next chapter is about 70-75% done I’d say. It was supposed to be part of this one, but I chopped it in half. I’d like to have it out in anywhere from two weeks to a month and a half, but we’ll see what happens.

There’s so much stuff going on in and around f(x) right now isn’t there? I hope they come back next year with five members, but I HIGHLY doubt things will work that way.

Thanks for reading!

-AnthroOutlaw