A wisp of memory calls my eyes to someone across the room. I peer closely as a feather of recognition brushes gently at my consciousness. I see a woman reminiscent of a girl I walked hand in hand through childhood with. At the thought, antipathy swirls a dark finger through my chest. I look away, attempting to separate from this half-formed, unpleasant feeling. I grimace as I hear her laugh quietly to herself, a disquieting cadence from the past. Inexorably my gaze is drawn back to her. How odd it feels to look at her, an anachronism from a time when I was unadulterated and whole.

She looks up and our eyes meet. A small frown ripples across the expanse of her forehead. We stay like that for a moment, just assessing each other. Little sparks of recognition almost pass between us and aspects of familiarity attempt to resurrect in the necrotic tissue of my heart. There may have been a time when two little girls were as close as sisters, but neither of us knows the woman standing before us now. She gives me one last searching glance before her expression clears to a perfunctory polite smile. Whatever she was looking for in me seems to have faded as I see myself disappear from her notice. I decide the woman before me bears little resemblance to the girl from my past. A requiem’s whisper threads between us and that’s all we have in common.

She walks past me dispersing the ghost of a dark haired girl with an unsure smile like smoke. Slowly, naturally, she dissipates from my mind as she joins the smudged peripheral of my surroundings. Just another stranger.

     “He’s not beautiful enough.” Icaa croaks the way only ravens can. Her white, pearlescent feathers glinting in the sun as we both stare out the window at the new human walking next to my sister Mareidia. He’s a lanky man with wavy brown hair and an easy smile.

     “No human can match a Shining One in beauty.” I reply absently as I watch Mareidia stealing glances at her companion. I can’t blame her. I myself haven’t been able to stop staring at the man known as Thomas.

     “Don’t you think the cold beauty of the fey is vastly overrated when compared to the warm vitality of humans, anyway?” I glance at Icaa on her perch as she, without turning her head, regards me with her crystalline blue eye.

     “No.” She says simply and cocks her head as the shine of a jewel catches her attention.

     I sigh and rest my chin in my hand while watching the happy couple. It is the year of the Rowan switch and the sovereign of the Third House, my father, chose Mareidia as his heir. As per custom, when one of the Four Houses decides to choose an heir, they are allowed to cut a switch from the Rowan tree and trade it with the human witches for a mate.

     Witches. Just thinking the word causes my skin to crawl. Nasty human subspecies born with the power of Earth’s magic. Wicked abominations, they were the ones who barred us from the human world with their strange incantations and rituals. They are anathema to our kind and if it weren’t for our need of humans, we would never consort with them.

     A kind face turns up to mine from below in the gardens, and I find myself looking into Thomas’ hazel eyes. Mareidia is busy talking to one of the house servants, too absorbed in her task to pay attention to Thomas for the moment.

     A smile touches his lips and he gives me an awkward human wave. I smile in turn, unabashed to be caught staring.

****

     “Thomas? Did you hear me?” Mareidia’s sweet voice pulls me from my musings. I look down to see my blushing bride-to-be looking at me coquettishly through her lashes.

     “Sorry, I was caught up in my thoughts.” I smile at her ruefully. A petulant look pushes her lip out cutely, as she pulls the thick curtain of her dark hair over her shoulder and begins to play with it and sulk. It’s almost laughable to have this radiantly beautiful fey woman sulk like a child over my attention. All the fey are hauntingly beautiful, and despite my desirable human lineage, I have a hard time understanding how an average man like me could even remotely hold the interest of this angelic creature.

     I take her pale, fine hand in mine and place a chaste kiss upon her ivory skin. “Forgive me my darling.” I say, pulling a generic move out of a cheesy romance film. To my utter fascination, I watch a pale stain of blush color her round cheeks. She smiles at me adoringly and I know I am forgiven.

     I never get the chance to find out what she wanted to tell me, because in that moment we are summoned to dinner. She keeps a hold of my hand as we walk to the banquet hall for another bizarre fairy meal of food I’m only just beginning to recognize.

     I stand behind my chair with Mareidia to my left, when she walks in. It’s like all the light is sucked out of the room each time, and the only thing visible is her. Meloridian, the second daughter of the Third King and Mareidia’s sister. I’m becoming a greedy man, I know, because even though I have the beautiful Mareidia as my fiancé, I can’t ever take my eyes off Meloridian. She’s light were Mareidia’s dark. Her hair is a silvery white that almost blends seamlessly with her skin and clothes. The pink of her lips and clear blue of her darkly fringed eyes are a stark contrast of color that draws attention and keeps it. As always her companion Icaa, a white raven, is upon her arm when she enters. With a caw, the bird takes off to perch upon the large antler of a mounted white stag head.

     With Meloridian’s arrival we are seated for the meal and Mareidia keeps me occupied with her gabby nature. It takes considerable effort not to look at Meloridian as she delicately eats little green fruits from her plate and instead listen to Mareidia’s sweet, but constant chatter. The Third Queen suddenly involves Mareidia in a debate with the Third King, and in my reprieve I cannot help but find my eyes pulled to Meloridian. With a thrill I find her already watching me. I try to offer her a polite smile, but I can feel the genuine warmth spreading into it against my will. Her smile in return is brief, but just as warm. We both shoot our gazes away as Mareidia recaptures my attention.

****

     I can still taste my lover’s addictive kiss on my lips as Mareidia plays an intricate jade harp for me. A few months have passed since our first time together, and even though I feel guilty as hell I can’t stop going to Meloridian every chance I get. We’ve been careful as to not arouse suspicion, and even though I can’t seem to pull away from her soft embrace, I have no idea where this affair is heading. I’m in no position in this world of fairy hierarchy to choose my own desires. If we are caught, it will no doubt be dire consequences for us both. Even knowing that, I long to run back to her yielding flesh. I’m a madman. I suppress a sigh as Mareidia blushes shyly at me.  

****

     The Third King puffs up his chest like a pouter pigeon, his face a frightening shade of puce.

     “What did you just say?” His voice is low and dangerous.

     “The baby is mine.” I repeat louder, all my bravado in my voice alone as I will my knees not to give out on me. A high keening cry plays as a horrible background song to the Third King backhanding me across the face. Blood spills down my chin and I find myself on the floor staring at Mareidia’s sobbing form and Meloridian’s horror stricken face as we both watch our nightmare play out.

     Mareidia’s tear coated face contorts into something dark and evil as she looks from me to her sister’s pregnant belly. Mareidia screams madly and pounces on her sister, tearing and beating at the child within her. Acting on an instinct as old as time, I jerk forward and restrain Mareidia from my lover and child. She twists in my hold and begins savagely attacking me, raking her nails down the side of my face and biting me. I weather it stoically, knowing I deserve this and more.

     “DON’T TOUCH MY DAUGHTER YOU FILTH!” The Third King pries Mareidia from my arms and passes her to her mother. As soon as his hands are free, he hits me again. My head whips to the side and it takes me a moment to orientate myself.

     Meloridian sits on the floor pale and shaking, holding on to her pregnant stomach. Her parent’s haven’t acknowledged her once since they found out. To them it was like she no longer existed. I longed to go to her, but I knew it would only make it worse. I haven’t been able to comfort her for a long time now.

     “Take the boy to the cells. I want him wrapped in chain.” The Third King dismisses me like dirt upon his rug, as guards grab me and haul me away. Meloridian locks eyes with me sorrowfully, but neither of us blames the other.

     “And you.” The Third King addresses his second daughter. “You are dead to me. To this family. This is no longer your home.”

****

     “Thomas, wake up!” Seeing Thomas dirty, gaunt, and pale, wasting away in chains, I knew I was making the right decision. The gentle weight of my new born daughter in my arms galvanizes me. I carefully tuck her soft blue blanket more securely around her, before I bend to shake Thomas awake. There isn’t much time.

     “Thomas, please wake up!” I whisper urgently, while shaking his shoulder harshly. Slowly, as if waking from a pleasant dream he doesn’t want to leave, he opens his eyes. For a moment he just stares at me dumbstruck, and then I see life flair in him.

     “Meloridian?!” He rasps in shock. He looks around, gauging his surroundings. “How?” He asks, not yet noticing the bundle I hold carefully in my arms.

     “The guards have been well paid, but they won’t turn their heads for long. We must leave now, while there’s still time.” Icaa patters over to Thomas and regards his chains with her keen raven eyes. With a snip of her beak they break, not made to withstand her enchanted strength.

     Thomas leaps to his feet with surprising agility for a man so undernourished. With a strangled gasp he finally notices our baby nestled in the safety of my embrace.

     “Is that…?” Thomas trails off looking at his daughter for the first time, his eyes misty and strange.

     “Later.” I insist, grabbing his arm and dragging him through the cell door. I lead Thomas through the planned route adeptly, coming out into the forest where I have two fairy steeds waiting in the shadows for our escape.

     I whistle low for the horses, deciding to let Thomas have this respite before I urge him on again. Up against a tree he sits with his head tossed back gulping greedily at the fresh air. I look on him tenderly, even in his sorry state. Neither of us is in love with the other, but there is an undeniable passion and affection that time will never steal. I crouch beside Thomas as the horses nicker softly behind me and hand him our darling daughter. As he carefully accepts her into his arms, I take this last moment to engrave them both into my essence.

     Taking hold of his chin, I place a sweet kiss upon his lips before turning my attention to our daughter. I smooth her supple young forehead with my hand and give her a kiss imbued with my everlasting love. I place a witch’s clover in her blanket to conceal her fairy nature in the hopes that she can go to the human realm.

     “You must take her and disappear.” I tell Thomas gravely.

     “And where will we go?” Thomas queries solemnly. “Would she not be happier with you at the Second House?”

     “The Second House is full of evil machinations, she will never survive there. They do not treat humans as kindly as the other Houses; she will be nothing more than a tool for power there. Such horrors would await her future, that as her mother I cannot abide by it.” Thomas can see how sincerely I mean it. 

     “The only reason the Second House offered me asylum was to get their claws on my child. It served my purpose for the pregnancy, but I knew once she was born I had to take her away. You must go to the witches and beg them to let you return to the human realm. There you will both be safe.” I can’t stop the tears from leaking out for the life I will miss with my child.

     “What about you?” Thomas asks, taking my hand in his long, thin one.

     “I will return to the Second House.” I hold up a hand before he can object. “They will be vexed there is no doubt, but they will honor their word and allow me to stay.” I swallow hard and mount my steed. “This is the only way.”

     A heavy layer of tension hung in the air as the people of the planet Aukere went about their daily lives. It was hard not to notice the simmering glances that Aukerens shot towards the militant Earthlings in their ridiculous blue and gold life support suits. It was true that the suits were vital for Earth born humans outside the safety of their bases, but that didn’t stop Aukerens from hating everything those suits stood for.  

     The Origin Guard was the Earth’s special Aukere military branch where only Earth born humans were allowed to join. Inside the palatial military bases humans enjoyed luxury, high incomes, and true human prestige. It was a den of overindulged, entitled, and vicious snobs with a metaphorical “no Aukerens allowed” sign that we all resented. Much to our indignation, all Earthlings viewed Aukerens as a lesser subhuman race. I found myself comparing the dark mahogany skin tone and black hair of Aukerens to humans’ natural colors. Hate was born from so little. 

      “What are you looking at gene splice?” The vitriolic voice of a guard made me snap my eyes down and curse myself for having been careless enough to stare at them. Anything more than a glance was just inviting trouble. The crude insult he made about the Aukeren race’s origin burnt a slow molten anger within me.  

     “I apologize sir, I meant no disrespect.” My throat felt tight around the forced words of contrition.  

     “Next time keep your weird reptile eyes off me.” The guard sneered at me disgustedly. It took everything I had to remain passive.

     “It’s called a nictitating membrane.” We both turned to see a congenial looking man smiling benignly. Like most Aukeren men, the man was powerfully built with a very dark skin tone of maroon hues. Although he was the picture of serenity, I knew that he more than anyone held an intimidating amount of resentment towards the Origin Guard and Earthlings.  

     “Ishedus Corliss.” The guard nodded with distaste marring his lips. Ishedus smiled blandly at the guard, because he knew that his position in Aukere as a pira tycoon gave him a good measure of enforced respect among the humans.  

     “If you’ll excuse us, I have some business with him.” Ishedus didn’t wait for the guard to respond, but simply clapped me on the shoulder and led me away.  

     Being in Ishedus’ presence always gave me strength and a stronger sense of pride in myself. He was a giant in the pira industry of mining and exporting, as well as the owner of all the pira foundries. Because of this he held a lot of clout among Earthlings for his wealth and the fact that it was through him that Earth obtained most of its pira.  

     Pira was Aukere’s most precious commodity. It was a mineral not found on Earth, and was intrinsic for building the nuclear fusion reactors that Earth and Aukere relied heavily on for energy. Pira easily withstood the high heat and the speed of the neutrons generated by fusion reaction.  

     “Thanks for saving me back there Ishedus.” I gave my boss a grateful smile and exhaled loudly.  

     “I’m just glad I came upon you when I did.” Ishedus gave my shoulder a squeeze before releasing it and walking companionably beside me.  

     “Gyan, It would be a dangerous thing to attract their attention right now. For the sake of the cause, you must be more careful.”  Ishedus remarked softly.    

     “I promise it, Ishedus.” I vowed, feeling the chill of shame at having been reprimanded by Ishedus. He was right though. It was a delicate time.  

     We made our way to one of Ishedus’ factories and slipped inside. Ishedus’ stride took on a new purpose as he walked into a cavernous space filled with the brothers and sisters of our cause.  

     People quieted and moved aside as our leader Ishedus strode for the makeshift dais set up at one end of the room. It felt good to walk beside him, and as his right-hand man I got many nods of respect as well. 

     Ishedus and I had become close after Ishedus inadvertently learned that my estranged father was actually a human named Bram Roth who held a high position within the English government. My father didn’t keep in touch with my mother Tamah and me, but he had recently contacted me to urge me into becoming a spy in the Aukeren rebellion for the EUN (Earth's United Nations.)  I had vehemently refused. When I told Ishedus he shocked me by telling me I should have taken the deal. His logic was sound though, as he explained that it would have been an invaluable source of intelligence and misdirection against Earth. My blunder haunted me, although Ishedus assured me that he understood why I turned it down.   

     “Brothers and sisters,” Ishedus began, “I am sickened to bring you news of our beloved Emeric Fesler’s removal from his post as viceroy. The rumors were true.” Ishedus was solemn as we all cried out in shock and protest. The heads of the Fesler family had been acting as Earth’s viceroy since the first established colony on Aukere. The Fesler family like all the original colonists had started out human and then made the genetic transition to subhuman in order to flourish on Aukere. A loud chorus of why’s bombarded Ishedus and he calmly held out his hand to stem the outcry.  

     “As we all know Lord Emeric Fesler is an avid Aukeren advocate and has made great efforts in the human rights of Aukerens and the prejudice against us. Earth has declared that the interests of the Fesler family no longer coincides with the interests of Earth’s United Nations, so EUN has decided to take direct governmental control of Aukere with the enforcement of the Origin Guard. Emeric Fesler will be removed and thanked for his services.” Ishedus gazed out at the sea of rebellious Aukerens and reflected their outrage back at them. I could feel my own heart dancing to the rhythm of wrath as I silently shook in rage. How dare Earth remove our only voice.

     “My people! It’s time to protect what’s ours! To prove to those Earth bastards that we are just as human as they are! It’s our duty to our people, to our children, to our future to not sit back and let Earth walk all over us.” Spittle flew from Ishedus’ mouth as his face grew dark with fervor. The crowd cheered their agreement, calling out their existence and their anger to the universe. “It is time for us to FIGHT!”

     “WE! ARE! HUMAN!” We all chanted over and over in unison.  

     It had been three weeks since Ishedus had cut Earth off from all pira related exports. We had reliable information that tomorrow night the Origin Guard would be attacking us. A few moderately successful skirmishes against the Origin Guard had given us confidence against our enemy. It was true the Earth military was better prepared, but we had the upper hand when it came to passion and pure blood lust. Through the battles we had proven that we were serious and that negotiations were no longer an option. Our demands were simple and reasonable. We wanted an EUN allied government ruled by the Fesler family, our full human rights, and the reduction of the Origin Guard.

     “Gyan!” I looked over to where Ishedus was bent over a 3 dimensional map talking urgently to a group of people. “I left the plan copies up in my office right on top of my desk, would you mind?”  

     When I reach his office I see that he’s already remotely unlocked the door for me to enter. I immediately see the pack of plan copies and grab them, but the glow of a mail page floating above his desk catches my attention. I spared a moment to look at it and was shocked by what I saw. It was a message from the EUN addressing three of the storage facilities containing casts of pira that Ishedus had signed over to the Origin Guard. 

     I commanded the mail back to his inbox and began snooping around his letters. I was horrified to learn that Ishedus had been feeding the EUN information about our rebellion. Ishedus had been the one to propose the plan to the EUN in return for a powerful position in the newly formed Aukere government. Earth wanted Ishedus to incite the rebellion so that the EUN could do a surgical removal of the insurgents. And in return the EUN agreed that as long as Ishedus could keep his name unconnected publicly to the rebellion he would be rewarded.  

     A memory formed of Ishedus refusing to be the face of the rebellion. His explanation was logical and charismatic when he told us that the rebellion didn’t belong to one man alone, but to all the men and women who fought for their rights. It belonged to Aukerens.   

     The soft susurration of fabric alerted me to Ishedus standing in the office with me, his face cast in shadow.  

     “It’s very inappropriate to read someone else’s mail. I was wondering what was taking you so long.” Ishedus said blithely while shutting the door behind him.  

     “Is this what I think it is Ishedus?” I was willing him to say something, anything to change the reality of the situation.

     “This makes things easier for me.” Ishedus smiled like the gleam of the knife allowing me to see that the man I thought I knew was a mask. “With your convenient parentage, it won’t be a far stretch for people to see how you sold out your race for your own advantage. Like father, like son.” My mind was a maelstrom of shocked betrayal. This man had been like a hero to me.  

     “You wouldn’t.” I choked out, seeing the pieces fall together too perfectly. I was desperately trying to reconcile this monster with the man I thought I had known for so long.  

     “Well that’s a stupid thing to say. I’m obviously capable of many things you never would have dreamed I’d do. What makes this so different?” He cocked his head inquisitively. “You’ll go down as a traitor to the people you were willing to die for. It’s kind of poetic.”  

     “I don’t understand why you would betray us."  I surreptitiously looked for something to defend myself with or a way out.  

     He guffawed unexpectedly. “Why would I not betray you?! This rebellion isn’t going anywhere. I have nothing real to gain from this. You don’t get respect and power by demanding it like little children holding sticks.” A loud noise from downstairs distracted us.  

     “Damn it, they’re early.” Ishedus muttered in annoyance. I took his moment of confusion to try to lunge past him to the door, but he easily batted me out of the way. He withdrew an energy fusion gun and aimed it calmly at me.  

     “What’s going on?” I demanded as he pressed the priming button and the gun began glowing green. I could hear the savage sounds of battle echoing through-out the building. 

     “It’s the clean-up crew. The Origin Guard is here to squash the rebellion.” He smiled confidently.  

     “So you’re just going to kill me?” I already knew the answer, but I still needed to ask.

     “Don’t get second thoughts now. Weren’t you prepared to die for what you believed in?”

     I glared at him resentfully and shook my head. “I never believed in this. In spite of everything you’re doing to undermine our beliefs, our...no, my people will persevere.” I glared at him viciously, but he wasn’t really listening.

     "You know what? I’m actually a little nervous. I’ve never killed anyone before.” The gun flashed brilliantly in front of my eyes as the soft sound of the laser hitting my body echoed within me.  

     As my senses slowly abandoned me, I heard a beautiful rebel yell, “WE ARE HUMAN!”  

     Our rebellion was only just beginning.  

     Suzette put a small hand to her forehead in a useless attempt to relieve a pounding headache. The morning sun forcing its way past the living room curtains was angry and demanding. Pinching the pink tulle of her skirt, she wondered if her mother would be around to give her some medicine for her sudden headache. Making her way through the house she called out for her mother, but no one answered. It wasn’t uncommon for Suzette’s mother not to be home. It seemed more and more often her mother would disappear, leaving her two children in the care of a husband she didn’t have the strength or will to deal with.

     “Papa.” Suzette whispered fearfully while she stared upstairs where her parent’s bedroom was. The sound of her father’s angry tread was so real sounding in her mind she actually shuddered in remembrance. Suzette didn’t dare wake up her papa for medicine. He was known for his quick and unpredictable temper and the longer he slept in, the better it was for Suzette and her brother.

     Grabbing a banana from the counter, she tried to eat it for her breakfast but quickly found that the banana had long since passed its ripeness. Suzette spit the fermented fruit in the trash and hoped that her mother would come home with groceries that night. Suzette was hungry and at the age of ten she was still too young to cook for herself. She settled instead for some crackers from the pantry and headed upstairs to her room to munch and relax.

     Just as she was halfway to her room, a heavy knock sounded on the front door. Suzette paused, heart in her throat. The sudden sound had scared her. The knock sounded again, but Suzette ignored it and continued in to her room. She wasn’t supposed to answer the door for strangers, and any adult at the door would be there for her father. She wasn’t going to be the one responsible for waking her papa. Putting it out of her mind, she made herself comfortable and enjoyed her snack.

     The rustling of paper pushed Suzette further towards consciousness and she was surprised to find herself lying on her bedroom floor. She glanced around in confusion to find a crumpled paper note wedged under her arm. She noticed distantly that the ink on the paper had partially transferred a funky pattern of backwards letters to the skin of her arm, but she didn’t really care. Figuring that she must have fallen asleep, she smoothed out the paper to read the note someone had left for her. With a slice of fear, she realized it was from no one in her family. Someone had been in their house. The note read very simply:

     I’ve been watching your family. You have a bad family. I had a bad family too. Stop being bad. If you’re bad, I’ll be bad too. I don’t want to be bad.

     The ill written note made Suzette feel very disturbed and gave her a heavy sense of foreboding. There was a surreal moment where nothing looked right and she had an overwhelming feeling of disconnect. A shadow moved very subtly in the corner of Suzette’s eye, drawing her back to herself and chilling her with an instinctual fear that paralyzed her body. She closed her eyes, breathing very shallowly. It had to be the intruder who slipped her the note. Keeping her family’s safety in mind, she struggled to manage her fear. Nothing moved and no sound was heard. Stealing her nerves Suzette looked towards the door as bravely as she could. No one was there. Trying to be extra silent, she got up carefully and peered past the door and into the hallway. Still no trace of anyone. She darted into her brother’s room and grabbed his baseball bat from the closet. Steadily and prepared, Suzette combed through the house for an intruder. She was shocked to see that night had already fallen, adding an even heavier feeling of primal fear. On her way through the house, she made sure to lock the back door and thought it best to check the front door as well.

     Before locking the front door she peered hastily outside to see if anyone was on the porch or in the yard. A woman walking her dog spotted Suzette and gave her a very odd look that made Suzette uncomfortable for reasons she wasn’t sure of. Making sure to lock the deadbolt as an extra precaution, she continued on through the rest of the house. The last room she went to check was her parent’s room. It gave her pause before opening the door, because she didn’t want to incur her father’s ire, but the need to feel safe and protect her family rose higher in her. Carefully opening the door, Suzette was relieved to peak in and see her parents sleeping soundly in bed. She took a moment to check her parent’s bathroom and closet before making a speedy exit. Not only did she definitely not want to wake her father, but her papa wasn’t the cleanest man in the world and his bedroom really stank for it.

     Closing the door behind her with a barely audible snick, Suzette breathed a sigh of relief knowing the house was safe and her mom was finally home. A frown puckered her face as she pondered her missing brother Kody. She had searched the whole house and he was nowhere to be seen. Needing to put the baseball bat back in her brother’s room anyway, Suzette decided to check his room one more time. It didn’t make sense that he wouldn’t be home, he was too young to be out on his own at this time of night.

     “Suzette?” A questioning voice called from the closet of her brother’s bedroom.

     “Kody?” Suzette cautiously opened the closet to find her older brother standing inside looking scared. Suzette put her hand delicately over her nose to avoid the smell coming from Kody. “What are you doing in here?”

     “I saw a stranger in the house.” Kody told her with terror. “I hid in here, because I didn’t know what else to do. You’ve got to hide Suzette, what if he’s still here?” Kody attempted to pull his sister in the closet with him, but Suzette was having none of it.

     “I’m not getting in there, it stinks. The stranger is already gone, I checked. How long have you been hiding in here?”

     “Awhile.” Her brother admitted, looking sheepish. Kody had his back up against the full length mirror of his closet while he looked down at his shoes. “I should have been the one trying to protect everyone, instead of hiding in the closet. I’m almost twelve and I’m the big brother.” Kody looked at his sister with shame shining in his eyes.

     “Don’t worry about it, Kody.” Suzette smiled at her anxious brother. “He’s gone now and that’s what matters.” Suzette showed her brother the note the stranger had left behind, but neither of them understood what it meant.

     “Are you going to tell Dad?” Kody asked tensely.

     “I’m not going to tell Papa anything about this. I don’t want him angry.” There was an uneasy silence between the two siblings as they imagined their father’s reaction to a stranger in the house. Both of them shivered.

     “I’m going to go to bed Kody. See you tomorrow.” With that Suzette made her way back to her bedroom and settled in for the night.

     She didn’t know how long she’d been sleeping, but the window in her room told her it was still night. She turned over to get more comfortable and her cheek hit something crinkled on her pillow. Bolting upright she was terrified to see it was another note. Her hands shook as she turned on her bedside lamp and cast a panicked look around her room. All was quiet. Suzette picked up the note and read:

     Please, I don’t want to be bad. Why do you have to make me like this? It’s not my fault! You need to listen to me! I’m going to be bad and you need to stop me. You have to stop me, because I can’t stop myself. Please don’t let me do this.

     Suzette ran to her brother’s room through the bathroom they shared, clutching the note in her hands. The room was dark, but she could still see her brother Kody standing in front of his open closet door with fear in his eyes. Suzette wondered if she had caught him about to hide again.

     “Kody! He’s been in the house again. I got another note.” She handed it to her brother and absently noticed an imprint of ink on the back of his arm. Suzette’s headache started to reemerge with a vengeance. Her brother read the note with alarm and showed her a note that he had found just before Suzette had come into her room. Kody’s note read:

     I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.

     “What are we going to do?” Suzette asked, just before a loud boom echoed downstairs. It sounded as if the door had been kicked in. Kody and Suzette stood together in silent fear as they heard movement in the house. Someone was calling something out, but Suzette couldn’t understand what they were saying.

     “Let’s hide in the closet.” Kody pleaded desperately, putting one foot into the darkness where Suzette couldn’t bear to look.

     “I can’t, it smells so bad in there.” Suzette whispered to her brother furtively as the sounds of an intruder grew closer. The door swung open startling the siblings badly. Suzette let out a strangled squeak and fell to her knees as a large heavy shadow loomed in the doorway before being obscured by a bright light in Suzette’s eyes.

     “Put your hands up and don’t move!” A stern voice yelled at Suzette, the light blinding her. She turned back to look at her brother only to find her own reflection in the mirror staring back at her. Kody was gone.

     “DON’T MOVE!” The voice at the door thundered, aggravating Suzette’s headache and causing her to ball in fear. “Put your hands up!” The voice called out again, and Suzette did as she was told while tears coursed thickly down her cheeks and she choked on a sob. Someone stepped in front of the flashlight and approached Suzette. The cold feel of metal encircled her dainty wrists as handcuffs were fastened around them. The stranger at the door approached the closet and briefly shone his light inside and muttered a passionate curse. The next few minutes were like a nightmare as Suzette was roughly hauled up and walked through the house. Faces of strange men stared at her with cold hostility as she cried and no one would listen to her pleas.

     The first man who had yelled at Suzette to not move in her brother’s room, approached another man and said, “Found him talking to himself in the closet mirror, we took a closer look and there’s another body in the closet. The son from the looks of it.” Suzette couldn’t make sense of what was happening, but she realized with shock that all the strange men were police officers when she saw a badge catch the light and shine like a beacon on one of them.

     “Looks like he killed the whole damn family.” An officer muttered with disgust quietly and shot Suzette a venomous glare. “We found the daughter’s body in the living room and the parents were in their bed. Poor bastards didn’t even see it coming.”

     Once outside, the neighbors gawked openly as little Suzette was escorted through the yard. The lights of the cop cars lit the night in a garish coruscation of blue and red. A man was explaining something to Suzette about her rights, but she wasn’t really listening. It was all too much for her to take in.

     “Who is that man?” Suzette heard one of the bystanders ask and was shocked to figure out they were looking at her and not the brutish man who held her captive.

     “Look at what he’s wearing.” Another person gasped, and Suzette took a brief moment to look at her outfit. She didn’t see anything odd about her pajamas, except that they were tight. Her mother just hadn’t had a chance to get her new clothes lately.

     Just before being helped into the police car, one last thing caught Suzette’s attention. A girl around her age asked a woman, Suzette assumed was her mother, what was going on.      The mother gave a helpless shake of her head, her eyes warily watching Suzette and responded with, “I don’t know. Looks like a stranger is being arrested for breaking into the Dawes’ house.”

     I’m the stranger? Suzette wondered bewilderingly before her personality faded and she was replaced with a small, thin unstable man wearing torn girl’s pajamas.

     “I’m sorry.” He said wretchedly to no one in particular.

They're a clown,

I'm a mime.

They want me to laugh,

They're wasting their time.

To them my silence is,

Un-ortho-dox!

Isn't it obvious?

I'm trapped in a box.

"Take this," the tree spoke, to the boy on the ground. 

"You'll need it for when Life comes sauntering around."

"It's an apple, oh my, but why?" the boy sighed.

"Who's to say I even have a mind to comply?"

"Well fine, go ahead, ignore me I suppose. It's not as if I don't have plenty of those."

"Just hold on one second! It's pretty, I reckon. Can I take it and have it for myself since you beckoned?"

"Called you? Are you sure you have that correct? I offered the apple for you to collect."

The boy looked confused, and utterly defeated. "Alright, then it's mine," the boy conceded. 

"Wonderful! Splendid! This is just how I planned! You'll be stronger against even what I can withstand!" 

"What do you mean, you rotten ole' tree? Now I don't want it, please take it from me!"

"Are you deaf little one, or merely incredibly dumb? The apple is yours, and now we are done."

The boy looked around, but the tree had vanished. The spot where it stood was burned, ravaged, and damaged.

"Oh no! Oh dear! Where could it have gone? All I have is this apple, that tree was a con!" 

The boy sat down on the cold earth to think, what would come next as the skies turned to ink. 

"I'm really quite hungry. I've been here all night. The tree won't return, of this I am right."

So the boy relaxed, apple in hand. The juices were pleasant, if not slightly bland.

One bite, two bites, three to be sure. His appetite was in desperate need of a cure. 

But once the boy stood to make his way back, the pit of his stomach felt like he needed to yack.

"Damn that tree! What did it do? I'm becoming so rigid, please, I don't want to be you!"

But before he could peep just one more word, it all went dark, as his eyesight blurred. 

His arms turned to branches, his feet into roots. The tips of his fingers into delicate fruits.