7:4:3001

1600

Watson’s Quarters: Section 2A

2 weeks from Landing

The air in my living quarters was growing thin.

I felt it every morning when I woke up and every night that I tried to sleep. I could see the effects of oxygen deficiency in everyone. I could hear it when my mother wakes in the middle of the night unable to breathe for a moment or two. I could see it in the pale faced children that walked along the hallways and sat in the cafeteria; barely strong enough to lift their daily meal to their mouths. That was another one of the problems that Apollo was dealing with; starvation. But the oxygen issue was a more pressing matter, as it has become such an issue that we were starting to see fatalities in it. With our end date so close the council had decided against using what little resources we have left to try and fix the problems and instead oxygen tanks were distributed to sections and units, allowing the population of Apollo to have at least a little bit of air. But it wasn’t working and we were dying.

My mother, the chairmen of the council and on the ballad for the thirty oh two election, has been making sure that all units of Apollo were getting what they needed. But just like oxygen, everything was running thin. Food rations have been cut in half and for a lot of people that meant spending hours upon hours in hunger pains, waiting for a protein pack or a broth based soup to digest. I was among them and I found my stomach howling in the dead of night as I tried to sleep. We didn’t have enough of anything really and it only added to the fact that we had no air.

I lived with my mother in Section B, unit A. Apollo had four sections, all with two units to divide. The sections that made up Apollo were vital to the social structure of the ship and it helped with security measurements. A high section meant that you had a higher political stance. It used to mean that the higher section you were in, the better of a person you were. But that died with the older generation, with my grandmother and the people on the ship that had grown up on Earth. These days, it was more of a way for people to work and to live. I lived in the second section, which was the political one. It’s where the families of politicians lived. The first was meant of the President and then the Captain of the ship.

The third was for our doctors and professors, one of our most valued professions because it helped pave the way for our survival on the ship. This was also where a lot of our Defenders come from – or guards, as we sometimes call them. They are the police of the ship and help keep peace and harmony across the sections.

The fourth and last section was dedicated to one of our most hard working people – the laborers. They worked in our kitchens, our labs, even swept the hallways of Apollo. They helped take care of the ship in more ways than I can count and we were forever grateful for the work that they do. My work duty was assigned there and if I were to live on the ship for longer I would end up moving down there to work. But instead I lived in the second section with my mother.

Growing up with a mother on the council meant I was entrusted with information that I probably shouldn’t have been. But in small quarters, even for a high council woman, secrets were passed between the two of us like the black market items in section four B. I knew most of the issues regarding the oxygen scrubbers and the unfortunate issue of no food. I knew everything that she did; there were no secrets between the two of us. My mother and I had always been very close and after the sudden passing of my father a decade ago, we’ve always been inseparable.

Life on Apollo wasn’t always easy. In the early years, I suppose it had been. My grandmother boarded Apollo over five hundred years ago, escaping what remained of the war zone that inhabited the country we came from. I only vaguely remember her from my childhood, but my mother always told me that I looked like her. Either way, she boarded Apollo pregnant with my mother and had her nine months after they woke from cryo-sleep. My mother always told me stories about my grandmother; and I grew up under the pressure of never being able to live up to the brave woman I resemble. She was a strong character that fought in the war; she was someone I looked up to. My mother followed in her footsteps and that is one of the biggest reasons as to why my mother went into politics and then become the head councilwoman. My grandmother would be proud of her. I always wondered whether or not my grandmother would be proud of me. I fell far from the tree when it comes to my mother; I didn’t have a bone for leadership.

Instead, I studied food. When I was younger we had it. The food that was meant to help Apollo adjust after landing or even in the days before landing, only lasted a few years. I remember vividly the taste of genetically engineered meat. It was tough but it had a flavor to it unlike any other. It was salty and chewy and if I thought hard enough, I could almost taste it again. That was silly – it had been over a decade since I last tasted it. I was very young but I remembered. But food was something that I always loved. My mother would tease me from time to time, and my boss at my work assignment would tease me as well. They said that I was obsessed with it because we didn’t have it. They could be right; maybe that was why I liked it. But it wasn’t as much as the actual food, even though I found myself day dreaming of the sugary sweets that were created by the human race.

It was more the story behind it. I loved learning about how important it was to us and the value behind it. Centuries ago people were still only learning about how food helped the human body and mind – it has been the provider for mankind. In the very early ages of human life, it was protein that helped us evolve. The value food has to us goes much further than the taste; it was the one thing the human needed to truly life. Everything else didn’t matter.

So I studied it in school, took all the classes about it. In our Vea Study classes I always read as much as I could about the food that grew there. When I was old enough to get placed into our Work Assignments it made sense that I was placed into the cafeteria. I enjoyed my work there more than anything else – even if it did mean I was reminded daily on how little food we had.

Either way, life was harder now. There were people that were desperate to live and to help other’s live. There were people that would do anything to ensure their safety, regardless of others. In the stress of it all, the council started losing some of their control on the population. We were landing so soon and with the excitement of stepping on solid ground for the first for our lives was enough to take away the control of it all. Unfortunately that meant that people were taking drastic measures to ensure that they did see Vea. Two weeks before we were scheduled to land a bomb went off in the hospital unit of the Flighter. Thirteen people were killed in the incident, including one of our finest trained doctors. Dr. Andrews is one of the only remaining doctors, and his silver white hair proved how little time we had left with him. My closest and deepest friend Melody is training with him and is studying to be a doctor when we get to Vea. Hopefully within a few years’ she will have a proper job in some hospital. But for now, we mourned the loss of thirteen people. Everyone forgot how little of us there were left.

The bottom level of the ship, just under the fourth section, was where the cryo bunks were. It was where nearly two thousand humans slept for five hundred years. But somewhere along the way an unpredicted asteroid slipped past our defense barrier and hit one of the solar panels that were built to power the bunks. Unfortunately the hit caused one of the tanks carrying our most vital energy to leak and it caused a power outage. Nearly a thousand human lives were lost and only seven hundred remains. My grandmother was one of the lucky ones to live through it and now here I was. But the lost lives came from civilians that fought their way onto the ship from a burning nation. We never forgot them and their deaths affect everything that the council does or will do. There weren’t many of us left, and with the colony on Vea silent, we weren’t sure how many have already inhabited the planet.

We just hoped that there was.

※

I was sitting in the cafeteria, slowing eating a protein packet and licking the remains off my finger. It was a small dining area with cold metal tables and matching stools. The walls were metal just as well, all but one. The outer wall was mostly made up of thick glass that looks into space. It was a beautiful view and despite seeing it every day, I always loved it. It was every changing, especially now that the ship has started to slow down and we could see planets and stars as we passed. I always loved to look out the windows and whenever a comet was passing us or we were passing something, the council would put on gathering’s to watch. We would sit together all over the ship and watch the beauty before us. Space truly was beautiful – I couldn’t imagine not looking out and seeing thousands of twinkling stars.

“I can’t believe that we are landing soon. I didn’t think this day would ever come.” It was Melody that spoke. I looked across the table to my best friend and met her dark eyes. Melody had been one of my closest friends since we were younger. She had the thickest and darkest hair, with tan skin to match. She says that her blood line went back to an old nation named Puerto Rico, but nobody knew for sure where they came from. Earth was one of the only places that we knew for sure.

Before I could add to the conversation she begun, a loud siren began to ring out. It rang in my ears, echoing around the room. It bounced off the metal walls and I felt a pain in my head from the noise.

We both stood from the table at the same time and as directed by every Defender in the room, started making our way back to our sections. We split up as the hallway formed a Y and I walked up the few steps to where the councilmen and councilwoman lived with their families. The familiar dark number was marked into the door with my last name printed onto it as well. I held my thumb up to the scanner and waited a second before a screen propped up, asking me for my eye. It scanned my cornea before the door slid open, disappearing into the wall and creating a whooshing sound.

The metal door closed behind me and I heard the automatic click of the lock, signaling that I wouldn’t be able to leave until the President released me. The low humming vent showed that there was even less oxygen in there than there was yesterday and I could already feel the slight burn in my lungs with each breath.

My feet moved slowly towards the small table that was centered in the room. I sat down carefully, conserving my energy. The chair was cold against my legs – everything was cold in space. With my hands clasped together, I waited patiently for my mother to come.

Our quarters were small but larger than most other’s among the units. Our two beds were pushed on either side of the walls, council issued blankets were neatly made on the bed and a single pillow sat at the front of the bed. A dresser sat between the two beds that were filled with our issued clothing and a few family heirlooms that were passed down to my mother. The table I was sitting at was the one of the only other furniture in the room, with the exception of a small couch that was pushed against the wall and an old hologram that managed to make its way to us. Our unit shared it and it was our week to have it.

Under the floorboard of my bed sat a few things of mine; an old story of what used to be illegal in Henosis – the country my ancestors came from - and an old stuffed animal of a bear, one of my favorite animals. I only hoped I would get to see a picture of one. I’ve never known what a bear looks like or even a rabbit. I longed to be able to, but the human history was restricted and only Council Elders were able to get access. My mother didn’t have it.

I must have waited for hours, staring at the metal walls of my quarters, when finally the door opened and my mother walked into the room. She was dressed in the same attire I had on; dark gray cargo pants and a white long sleeve shirt. Her blonde hair and green eyes sparkled in the light and I could never ignore just how beautiful my mother was.

“What happened?” I asked my mother, my voice low even though no one else was in the room.

“The bomb was a diversion. Oxygen tanks that were meant to be distributed to those in need were stolen.” She sat down across from me and I could see the exhaustion in her eyes. My mother was a strong woman and I knew that her job meant everything to her; she was a woman of passion and serving her people meant everything to her. But sometimes the job was too much for even my mother, especially during these times.

“How many were stolen?” I finally asked as my thoughts disappeared.

She sighed and my heart ached for her. “Nearly twenty. There were a few damaged in the bomb. That’s twenty people that might not make it to see Vea.”

“Did you guys find them?” I asked my mother. With a shake of her head I knew the answer and I sighed myself, leaning against the chair. “Is there anything I could do to help?”

“No, there’s nothing anyone could do. The Defenders are on the lookout and are going door to door. All units are on lockdown until they are found, so hopefully we will find them soon. Have you eaten yet?” She asked me, moving to stand up.

I nodded and felt my empty stomach, wishing that there was more food to go around. She ran her hand along my cheek and kissed the top of my head. “We will be home soon, Zoe. Why don’t you get some sleep, we won’t be released for a while anyway. There are over a thousand units; we’ll likely be in here tomorrow night as well.”

My bed was cold when I let my body relax into it, the thin sheets doing little to protect from the cold. I slept in my clothes that night, as most people have started doing in the past few months. To conserve on energy, the units have been switching off the ventilation system and we were left in freezing temperatures. We were doing everything we could to make sure that we would make it to Vea.

When I awoke the next morning my toes were numb and my fingers red. Somehow I ended up in my mother’s bed, cuddling to keep warm. There were often nights when we would sleep in the same bed to conserve our body heat and it helped for the majority of the nights – but there were times when even that weren’t enough.

The unit was warmer when I pulled myself from the covers and I could tell that the unit had been looked through. The Defenders must have come sometime during the night and checked the place. My mother was folding the sheets on my bed and when she noticed I was awake, she grimly shook her head.

“They found them. They were sold on the black market to an older couple that had been struggling. Their execution was earlier this morning.”

“That’s terrible.” I told her, setting my feet on the cold floor. Even through the wool socks I could feel how cold it was. “It’s getting colder, mom.”

“I know.” She sighed. “I’m trying to fight for it. Oxygen is something out of our control, and the food rationing is to ensure we have some until our stomachs adapt to what we will be eating on Vea. But we can’t live in these freezing temperatures during the night.” She sounded upset and I knew she must have heard other news than the elderly couple being executed.

“How many last night?” I asked.

“Another two.” She was quiet and I could tell that she was upset. “I need to get to the council meeting to discuss the oxygen tanks. Try to be cheerful today, okay?” Her sentence was cut off by coughs and I worried. She’d been growing sick lately and I had to believe it was because of the cold.

I only nodded, not being able to say anything. She left the unit and I pulled on the issued shoes that looked more like slippers. I then left the unit myself, heading towards where I would meet Melody. We always met in the morning before our classes – we were both enrolled in the higher education, as many children of the council were. Others couldn’t afford the ration of going to the school – something that my mother had been trying to fix for a decade. But the fact remained that our teacher’s needed to be paid and most of the lower quarter citizens couldn’t afford it.

My pretty brown haired friend was standing by the entranceway, holding something in her hands. She smiled brightly when I approached her and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the lavatory that was meant for the education wing. Younger boys walked out as we walked in, not noticing their looks.

I waited patiently as Melody looked under the stalls to make sure that no one was there. Finally she came over to me and wrapped her skinny arms around my torso. “Happy birthday, Zoe!” She cheered.

“You’re kidding me, right?” I rolled my eyes. Birthdays were mundane here; a tradition that ended centuries ago during the last legs of the United States reign. We’ve never celebrated them – but Melody loved the idea of it. She loved most things that involved past human culture.

“You’re twenty today, that’s a huge step.” She smiled, handing me the thing that she held in her hands. I only shook my head as I took it, carefully removing the brown paper from around it. My eyes widened as I saw the gift in my hands, a book that I had only dreamed of owning, as well as a leather bound notebook filled with unused paper. I looked at the book first and slid my finger over the title, already growing excited about reading this book.

I started shaking my head as I looked up at Melody. “How did you get these?” I asked her.

She shrugged sheepishly, “I asked my father.” Her father was the director of Human Intelligence – which meant that he had access to a lot of artifacts and trinkets that belonged to the human race. He had access to textbooks that dated back to centuries ago. Melody’s father knew that I loved things like this and I’m sure he was too excited to get me these things. Her father also served on the council with my mother and I’m sure that he was able to help get me this thoughtful gift.

“Thank you.” I told her, reaching over to give her a hug. “Really, thank you. I don’t know what I’m going to use this for but I promise you it will be special.” I told her.

“Maybe you could write about me in.” Melody dramatically said. I laughed and shook my head.

“Yeah, that’s a great idea. Come on, we need to get to class.” I laughed and put the two books into the bag. We left the bathroom together and walked into the small classroom that was slowly filling with students. I sat down in my usual seat in the front, and Melody took hers behind me. There were talks amongst the classroom and I could hear the hot gossip of Apollo – who stole the oxygen tanks and the lockdown last night. I imagined how fun it must be to discuss it when you don’t know what truly happened. So I stayed quiet, leaning against the back of the chair as I waited for the professor to walk in.

Our old friend Peter walked into the classroom next and I met his eye as he came to sit in front of me. He turned back to face the two of us and greeted us with a tired smile. Peter was only a few years older than us, but he only entered Higher Education this year. He had spent his weeks training to be a Defender since he turned eighteen and was able to train. He had grown up in Section Two A, which is where most of our Defender’s come from. Peter wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and rightfully so, he’s almost at the end of his training.

We had been friends since we were teens. When we were in General Education we were placed in the Cafeteria for our work assignments. I introduced him to Melody and after that the three of us had been very close friends.

“How are you two on this fine morning?” Peter asked his voice deep and full of sleep.

“Hungry.” Melody told him, leaning forward on the metal desk.

Peter nodded, “Aren’t we all.”

Before anyone of us could add anything else to the conversation, the older woman came into the room and moved to sit at her desk. “Alright class, let’s begin.”

3001

Planet Earth was no longer called home to the human race. It had become a dying system that has entered the very last stages of its life. Due to over population, pollution, and radiation, the entirety of the human race has left the dying planet to venture on to a new one.

Vea, a larger planet similar to Earth’s structure was found in the Xion-Dyaid Galaxy. The best and brightest of humans that remained from a fallen nation have ventured towards the planet, spending the last five centuries in space. As the population of Flighter Apollo came to awaken from sleep, it was devastating to learn that the ship’s original projection of a five hundred light year journey fell short, and they still had nearly fifty years to go. Unable to introduce cryo-sleep back into the population, they were forced to live on the ship, bleeding through its resources. A new generation had been born on the Flight ship which sparked a revolution against Commander Washington, an elected member of the Apollo Council after the passing of his predecessor. The older generation that led to the Earth’s destruction was no more and the new generation has stepped up.

Set to land on Vea in only a matter of weeks, they were scheduled to make contact with the community of Daphne; a colony of Human’s the landed on the planet centuries ago.

Zoe was the daughter of an elected official on the Apollo Council and has lived her past years with ease on the ship. But now with time running out and still weeks away from landing, the council’s power began to loosen and anarchy on the ships began to break way. With contact between Apollo and Daphne in total silence, nobody knew what to expect when they finally landed on the new planet.

Zoe has never been a hero. She’s never been anything other than a normal girl. But somehow, someway, with the help of her friends, she helps Apollo on their journey home.

The waves crashed against the shores, lapping and foaming at the sand. The dark blue water became clear as it danced across my feet, leaving droplets of water in its wake. The wind was strong; it blew my hair back. The coast air coated my cheeks and I knew that they were red. The flag that hung from the pier rustled in the wind, the flapping of its sail silenced beneath the sounds of the air.

I walked a few paces into the water, allowing its coolness to reach my ankles. A few more steps in, my knees were wet. The bottom of my dress began to soak up the cool, salty water.

The cold water touched my hips, soaking my dress and allowing it to cling to my body. My fingertips were next, dragged back by the rush of the water. Two more steps in. It cut against my stomach and caused my breath to freeze in my throat. 

My arms were submerged, my elbows skimmed the glassy surface. The force of the water pushed me backwards, but my steps did not falter.

Three paces deeper.

Curving around my chest and swallowing my shoulders, the water hit the bottom tips of my ears. 

One more step.

The water hit my mouth, the salty taste stinging my lips and making my mouth dry. My hair surrounded me, floating in the dark, cool water.

One more step.

My eyes met the water, the salt stinging them so badly I had to close them. With my nose covered, air bubbles escaped as I let out my very last breath.The cold soaked through the top of my hair; the sensation spread throughout my body.

I swam.

And as I swam, everything changed. I grew warm, I felt as if I were wrapped tightly in a blanket. My eyes adjusted next. The stinging sensation ceased. I opened them up, slowly, seeing nothing but dark ahead of me.

Slowly, the soft sand beneath my feet fell away, and I was floating. Or I wasn’t. I was somewhere in between. My toes couldn’t touch the sand, and my hands were far from the surface.

Then, suddenly, the dark turned to light. It started out small, and it grew, so fast. I was surrounded by light, it wrapped its way around me, circling my body, illuminating the water around me.

I could see everything.

The air bubbles that escaped the fishes gills as they swam. A school of fish, swimming in and out of the coral that lay on the bottom of the sea. Seaweed, that grew and grew, all the way up until it tickled the bottoms of my feet.

Life.

It was everywhere. I looked in every direction, as far as the eye could see. The deep ocean was filled with it. It was all here, all right in front of me.

Suddenly, my lungs cried out. They needed air. My hands grasped the water, trying and trying again to grab at something solid, trying to bring myself up to the surface for just one breath.

My fingertips touched the surface, just once, before my hand was grabbed and I was pulled down. My eyes looked around the water and met the eyes of a stranger.

But it wasn’t a stranger. It was a man. A man that I knew so long ago. A man whom I had loved.

His eyes were no longer crinkled around the corners, no longer tired or dull. They were bright, the color that reminded my younger self so much of home.

The wrinkles that once branded themselves across his aging face were gone, leaving only the smooth skin of youth. His hair grew so dark it contrasted with the light of the ocean. It had grown long since the time I had last seen him; it now reached the back of his neck, seeping down onto the tops of his shoulders.

I tried to touch him. I tried to see if this was a dream.

But when I reached up, wanting to embrace the curve of his cheek, the only thing I saw was my hand. How young my hand looked. The wrinkles were gone, the indent of a wedding band worn for so many years no longer there. My nails, once short and chipped, were long and painted light blue — “the color of the ocean,” I had once said.

It was then that he took ahold of me. His fingers, curving around my own, intertwining and locking our hands so. He easily pulled me to his side, strong muscles defining his arms.

It was something out of a dream.

My eyes stayed locked with his, as his were locked on mine. Mine green, and his blue, dancing together in the open ocean.

“Welcome home…” It rang in my head, the two words playing over as he smiled. The curve of his lips, his smile, reminded me of how much I’d missed him in the past years I’d lived. My life without him, it wasn’t a life. It was waiting to be with him again, it was waiting for him. I wasn’t living — I was waiting.

And together we swam, further into the water. His words replayed in my head, as I swam, with my long lost lover, into Earth’s most beautiful gift.

Chapter 4.

Horgian paced the room, his fingers had been combing through his long beard for the past few minutes. I had spent that time perched on a chair in the great hall, my eyes on him the entire time. I could only hear a few mutters from him, he hadn’t said anything in a long time. I leaned against the back of the chair, wishing that he would hurry up.

"Nia," Horigan spoke very sudden. "Your sister isn't around anymore. She's not fit to lead us."

"What do you mean?" I asked him, slightly surprised that he spoke so soon.

"I mean exactly that. She's not around. The darkness took her and we have no idea where she is. She was almost finished with her training too, she would've been the best sorcerer in the family. She was gifted." Horigan said.

"How?"

"She was a true blood Realm leader. Her father, your father, is a Realm leader. He had wed with a witch from Earth, your sister was the most powerful being in the Realms. The darkness wanted her power. Now they have it. Your sister had the blood of a leader, and a witch, with the power from both. She was a force.” He told me.

"It was my fault," He continued. "I'm the one that wasn't paying attention to her. We had gotten into a fight over how to lead the people, it was stupid, but I blocked off her thoughts. She blocked off mine. She was gone when I went to her room the next day. I regret it to this day."

"What do you mean blocked off her thoughts?"

"After years and years of being a realm guardian and having the magic that comes with it, you begin to get powers that are unheard of in the Realms. One day Nia, you'll be able to read minds. Kianala began to read them so early, but it was a mistake to block them out. I never should have done that."

I shouldn't have been surprised, what was next? Would I be able to fly?

"No, no flying unfortunately." Horigan said with a bit of a sigh. 

I can't be the guardian of the Realms. I don't want to. This was not my responsibility and I can't do it. I'm not a leader, I never have been. I'm simply a girl that's had an unlucky life and is trying to make the best of it. I wasn't born a leader and I don't have the qualities for it. My sister does, obviously. She should be the leader, not me. Why hasn't anyone tried to get Kianala back? 

"Horigan, has anyone tried to get Kianala back?" I asked him, as I stood and walked to where he was. 

"That's her, isn't it? That's my sister?" I asked as I looked up at the mural of a beautiful girl. My dark aura was the complete opposite of hers. She didn't look like our dad, she must take after her mother.

"That's Kianala, the Beautiful." Horigan said as he stared at the picture of her. She really was beautiful.

He spoke before I could say anything. "Most creatures of the Realms cannot pass between the Realms, few and far between can. The ones that can are too afraid to find her themselves, and I do not blame them. It is not their responsibility to make up for the mistakes that I made with her. It's a heavy burden, but I intend to carry it on my own." His voice had changed. It wasn’t his usual tone full of guidance and understanding, it was now harsh and cold.

"Horigan, let me go. I can find her. If what you say is true, I can find people that can pass between Realms. Maybe I can convince a few of them to come with me? Or I'll go alone." I rushed out, looking at the older man that he turned to look at me.

"No."

"Horigan, listen to m-"

"I said no!" He yelled, and hit the bottom of the spear he held in the ground. The candles flickered and burned out before lighting again. "You are to stay here and train to become the Guardian of the Realms. Nia Monthralo Horigan you are going to be the Guardian of the Realms and you will train to become just as powerful as your sister, and that is final."

With that, he left the room, the candles burnt out as soon as he stepped out of the room. I was left alone in the dark. I sighed and crossed my arms, rubbing the goosebumps that appeared in my arm when he had yelled. Horigan would be difficult to get by. But I had to do this. I had to find my sister. She was the only family that I had left.

---

I was sat on the floor, my legs crossed and underneath me. My hands rested on my knees and I listened to the voice that so loudly filled the room. I inhaled, I exhaled. Just as the voice said. Next I opened my eyes and looked into the dark room, a small visible light floated in front of me. The spirit, as Horigan said a while ago, was beginning to summon any magic that was held within me.

Days had gone by quickly after our argument in the great hall. We went to sleep after our discussion and when awake the next morning, neither of us said anything about it. We eat breakfast together, and Horigan explained to me how the next few weeks would go. I would start my training to take on the Guardian role. Horigan would help in any way he could, but for this training I had to do it alone. I've spent my entire day today, and yesterday, and so on, doing this. Sitting in the dark room with nothing to do other than stare at the bright light.

Our conversations have been stressed lately, and in the past day something has changed in the Realm House. It's been a lot colder, and a lot darker. The candles wouldn't burn as bright when Horigan walked into the room, and were only a dim light when I was there. Horigan couldn't answer any of my questions on why this was happening, though I questioned on whether or not he really knew what was going on. It's hard to believe he wouldn't. I would expect him to know everything that was going on. But this was something that he questioned, though he never spoke about it to me. He kept quiet, like nothing had changed.

It was a few days after the cold darkness settled over the Realm House and nothing has changed. I've kept up with the training that Horigan has made me do every day. I hadn’t felt anything inside of me change, and to be honest, I had thought that nothing would really change within me. I was curious to know if something was though, wouldn't anybody? I don't know what type of powers I'll possess, nor do I know how I am to use them, or if I would get any at all. Though, the thoughts were always on my mind.

Ever since I was a child I wanted to have powers, as any other kid did. I've always wanted to fly, to control things with my mind, anything and everything that possessed all the characters in movies and books I've seen.

It had been nearly two weeks since I got here, to the Realms. I've thought a lot about my life and where it was going. I know now that this is who I am. I've had countless dreams with my father in it, my great grandparents, every single Realm family member is there. They all talk to me in my dreams and tell me about how my life is going to be. I met Horigan's father, who vows his life on his son's words. I know that I could trust them. They come every night. I’ve met Christopher, The God. The creator of Realms, the creator of myself. I trust them.

And yet, I couldn’t help but wonder what my life would've been like if I didn't follow that little girl. I couldn't help but wonder if I'd be living on the streets by now, or out of a job, or looking for a better paying job somewhere else. Would I still have no friends, no family? Either way, I did question how my life would be different.

I don't know the answer to that question, I don't think I'll ever have that answer. I do know that I'm not going back. This is my life now, I got a fresh set of cards and I'll be playing them until I win.

Chapter 5.

My eyes were closed as I had felt the familiar warmth spread through my body. I felt as if I was surrounded by a heating blanket, or as if I was wrapped in a towel fresh out of the drier. My eyes fluttered as I saw a light fill the darkness in my mind. The familiar bright light had grown stronger and stronger.

It was a creepy feeling in the beginning, but as time passed and I had grown used to it, I began to love the feeling. I felt as if I was floating. I didn't feel the weight of the world on my shoulders anymore and I certainly didn't feel the depression that clouded over my mind for the past few months.

Instead, I felt new. I felt whole. I felt unstoppable.

Soon after that though, the bright light filled up all the darkness and the light was all that I could see. Then I stood in a field. The grass reached to my knees and I smiled as the wind blew my hair several directions. I took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of the meadow, the flowers in the distance, and I heard the rushing sound of the river that was beyond the meadow. This place, this field that always seemed to bring me back, this was my home. This was where I belonged.

"Back so soon?" I turned around at the words, and smiled as I met the brown eyes of my father. His gray hair had reached the tips of his side burns, though there was still that youthful light in his eyes. He walked over to me, an arm hugged my shoulder and a kiss was pressed to my temple.

"Horigan has me training daily." I answered his question, though there didn't need to be an answer. My father knew why I was here, and why I returned so often.

"And how is your training going? I trust you're doing well?" He asked me.

I smiled slightly, and thought of what I had accomplished in the last few months here. "I've been doing good, at least I hope so. I think Horigan is becoming more stressed out as each day passes, the darkness is getting worse."

"I know," He said. "I've spoken to Horigan as well. This has never happened before, it's something that's going to have to come to an end. The Realms depend on it."

He moved to sit down in the meadow, I followed my father's lead. I know that he was right, something did have to be done. I knew what I wanted to do, but I also knew that my grandfather would never let me do something like this. It was hard enough to know that I've lost my sister, without ever really knowing her. The fact that I cannot try to find her made me furious. She was my sister, I had to at least try. I was Nia The Great, why couldn't I at least try.

"How much older is she?" I asked my father, meeting his eyes. The wrinkled skin crinkled as he smiled.

"She's much older, much. She's nearing two hundred. I haven't seen her in a long, long time. When I passed she had already been taken. That's why Horigan needs you Nia, he really does need you." He told me.

I sighed and shook my head. "I don't get it, though. Why can't I just try and find her? If Horigan is right, then I'm going to be a powerful guardian. Can't I help?" It was pointless to ask him, I knew that and so did he. I can't talk to Horigan about this, he refuses to even listen to me.

"Nia, you really can't. I know that you want to, I want you to too, but there's no possible way. If something were to happen to you, there would be no guardian. You're the Realms only chance Nia, can't you see that?" He asked. There was no hostility in his voice, only the kind father tone that I had once hated.

"I know," I closed my eyes for a second. "It's just not fair."

"Nia, I know. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." My father said, his arm wrapped around my shoulders once again and it allowed me to lean on him.

Nia…

Horigan's call filled my head and I sighed, knowing that it was time to go. I didn't want to go and talk to my grandfather. I wanted to talk to my father, but I knew I had to. I quietly said my goodbyes to my father, and told him that I'll visit him soon. I had more training to do in the next few days and I'm sure that I'll see him again.

My eyes opened and I took in the dimly lit room. Horigan stood in front of me, the dark red rope adorned his body. His white beard was now close to his stomach and his hair had grown longer in the past few months, his horns were still the same. His red eyes met mine as I stood up; it was then that I felt the coolness that had found its way into the room.

Horigan wrapped his hand around my arm and gently pulled me from the room. Goosebumps rose on my arms as we left the room, the candles burnt out as I left, and the temperature dropped suddenly. I let out my breath, to test it to see if I could see my breath, and the fact that I could see the white puff of air scared me.

He continued to pull me, all the way to my bedroom chambers. I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion as he waved his hand in front of the door and it opened on command. I went to speak but no words found their way out of my mouth as I looked into my room.

It was a mess; that was to say the least. My blankets were thrown on the floor, pillows to match. The books of spells and powers that I had been studying have been thrown on the floor and my closet has been searched. I walked fully into the room, stepped away from my grandfather, and looked around the room. I had no personal belongings in the room, but it was still my room. This was the room that I've spent my days and nights in for the past few months. This was my home now and someone had searched it.

Chills formed on my arm, which caused my body to shake as I thought about who, or what, had been in my room.

"Was it...?" I began to ask, but trailed off when I looked at Horigan. His eyes were wide and the usual red grew darker. I could tell that he was angry over what had happened.

"It was," He finally answered my question a minute later. "The darkness, they got in. They were looking for you, tell me Nia, did you have anything in here they would want." Horigan angrily said, and turned to look at me.

My mouth dropped open and I shook my head. "No. No I didn't. I don't have anything that's mine here, it's all stuff you gave me." I told him, offended by the way he accused me of doing something behind his back.

"Then what is it! Why would they come here?" Horigan yelled, though I know his anger wasn't directed at me anymore.

"I don't know, maybe they were looking for me?" It wasn't supposed to be a question, but it sounded as if it was when I spoke.

Horigan sighed, his head shook. "Clean your room up, we'll eat in an hour's time. We have important matters to discuss."

Chapter 6.

I struggled with the few books in my hands, and wished my levitating powers had come in yet. Horigan told me months ago that they would arrive in my first few months, yet they've yet to come. I knew that I should give it time, I've only just begun my training really. He says that I have years to train. I don't know what I could possibly learn in years to come, it seems like I knew all of it already, I just couldn't do it.

It was frustrating, really. I had begun to grow annoyed when I'd fail to make the books levitate, or any other object. I was annoyed with the fact that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get it. Horigan told me it takes time, but how much time?

It's been nearly seven months since I first discovered that I was here and my training has really only just begun. I was unsettled with the amount that I had left... how could it possibly be years?

The days that followed after my room had been searched and trashed, it was obvious that Horigan was unnerved and had began to grow irritable. I knew he was worried; I was the last potential Guardian and I know that they're after me. Horigan had told me that that night of the break in. He told me that the Realms couldn't afford to lose me as their guardian and they couldn't afford to suffer under the darkness' control any longer.

As much as I hated it here during my first few weeks, I've come to almost love the Realms. I've never been in them, any of the four of them. I would like to, and Horigan says that I'll be able to eventually, but I have to finish my training. The People wanna meet the new guardian, especially since the new guardian is a woman. Horigan has told me that the Realms have a strong sense of equality between all genders, but never once has there been a female leader, since my sister, and now me.

My sister.

I have thought about her a lot during the days that followed the break in. I questioned on if I would ever meet her, if I would ever be able to rescue her from the darkness, or if I would live my entire life - one that Horigan said could last centuries - without knowing my half sister. I've expressed those thoughts and fears to my father during my dreams, and he continuously tells me that I have to go and get her. That I have to rescue her. But I can't. Horigan won't let me, and I can't travel between the Realms. Nor do I even know where to start.

I want to… I do. But I can't.

I've tried to talk to Horigan about it, but he won't give in. He doesn't wanna risk me being killed, he doesn't wanna risk anything at all. I'm afraid that the darkness has scared him too much. I'm afraid that the war that had occurred before my father died, and when I was just a child, had done too much damage for the older man to withstand. He's afraid, and he's alone. Or, he was. He's not alone anymore, and I thought that's part of the reason why he's so afraid to lose me. Because if he does, he's truly alone.

We were eating dinner one night, nearly a week or two after the break in when things started to change. The atmosphere in the room changed, and neither of us knew why. In fact, we didn't sense anyone coming until it was too late. Until Marceia had appeared in the room. She fell onto the table, coughing and spitting out a dark liquid onto the table. Blood.

"Marceia…" Horigan said, "What has happened?"

"The darkness… Horigan, it's come again. The Queen broke into the House of Magic and killed everyone in there. Horigan, she wants blood. She wants the blood of the Horigan House. She… She's going to kill Kianala unless you release your powers to her." Marceia said, she wiped the blood that trailed from her lips.

Horigan's face grew pale and he stood and walked over to the peri to help her sit down. He waved his hand over the plate, and food appeared on the plate in front of her. But Marceia only shook her head, peri dust fell on the table around her. "Horigan, there's more…"

"What could possibly be worse than the Queen attacking the House of Magic?" Horigan was baffled, and by the way his face had turned from white to red, I could tell that his anger was only growing.

"She wants the girl…" Marceia turned to look at me. Horigan let out a giant sigh, the table shook as he slammed his hands down on the table.

"No!" He yelled, "She will not take another Guardian from me, from the Realms! Her attack on the House was an attack on me, on the Realms. For this, she'll have war." Horigan cried.

I shook my head. "That's what she wants, don't you see? She's using this against you. She knows how connected the House of Magic is to you, to the Realms. She won't stop at just that, she wants more. There's got to be a way to stop her." The last part was directed towards me, my voice dropped lower and though it was a whisper, I knew they both heard me.

Marceia was the first to speak. "I'm afraid that Nia is right, Horigan. We both know the Queen won't stop. And we both know the only person that could possibly stop her."

"No."

"Horig-"

"I said no, Marceia! I cannot send my people to rescue her! For all we know, she's dead."

"But it's impo-"

"I don't care!"

"I'll go." My voice interrupted the twos argument.

I know that Horigan doesn't like the idea, but someone has to. Someone has to go and rescue Kianala from the Queen before anything happens. Before the Queen takes control of all the Realms, and she'll stop at nothing to conquer; she won't even stop there. She'll move to Earth, she'll want to control there too. And then no one would be able to stop her.

Horigan glared at me, before he stormed out of the room. The lights faded, leaving the two of us alone in the dimming light- the candles only keeping a flame because of me. It was a sign of my growing power, and although the fire isn't burning bright just yet, within time it will.

Marceia looked at me, her eyes searching mine before she slowly nodded. "Get ready, we leave at dawn."

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I had been sitting on my bed when I heard Horigan in the room that was across from mine. He argued with himself, with his ancestors, and with the past guardians. I hoped he knew how much this rescue mission means to me. I hope he knows that I'm going once and for all.

It was different before. Before the Queen had attacked the House of Magic. I remember when I studied that place months ago. learning of its powers in the center of the third realm. It's where witches were born, wizards die, and all of the Realms magic lies within that House. With the Queen attacking it, thousands were slaughtered and many injured. The House of Magic will never be the same, as the Queen had set a curse on it. My heart ached at the thought of my people suffering and dying in the hands of a cruel witch, while I sat here, being fed and trained for what? For the Queen to take over the Realms, and Earth, and other dimensions that I haven't yet learned about?

My sister was there, she was being held captive. I've never met Kianala, but she was blood. She was my father's daughter, and for him, I'll find her.

I shook my head to shake my thoughts away and stood from my massive bed. I walked to the closest and pulled out a knapsack that was stored in there. I grabbed a few things, a few sets of clothes. The bag was small, and I wanted to keep it lightweight in order for easy carriage. I didn't know how long I would be out there, in the Realms, and who knows that lies before me.

I sensed him before I heard him- something that I've begun to learn during my studying. The door to my chambers opened and Horigan walked in. One look at his face, and I saw more than just the rough lines that coursed his face, more than just the horns that grew and twisted into a knot above his head, more than the eyes that had scared me so much in the beginning. I saw an old man who had lived centuries, and a man who had just lost everything he held dear to his heart.

He sighed and shook his head. I watched as he approached the bed and with a wave of his hand, things began to appear on it. I walked over, and looked through the things that had been placed on my bed. A rope, a canteen, a map, and that was it. I looked up at Horigan, my eyes on him as he nodded.

"I don't want you to go, I didn't want you to ever have to leave here. But Marceia is right, you're the only one that can go. The Queen won't suspect you, she'll expect me, or the Fighters. I'm sorry to have to put you through this Nia. I hope you know that this isn't what I wanted for you."

"I know," I said, "I know Horigan. But remember, I never wanted this either. But you changed me, and now I'd do anything for the people of the Realms." I told my grandfather.

He sighed, his forehead creasing from worry lines. "Your father would be proud of you. Now, you must go Nia, it's time."

I nodded, and packed the few possessions in my bag. I shut the clasp, moved the straps and placed them on my arms. I looked at Horigan again, and nodded my head once more. "I'm ready."

Within minutes, Marceia had taken my hand in hers, telling me that it wouldn't hurt at all. I was a Guardian by blood and I would soon be able to move throughout the realms as I please - Horigan says it's hopeful that it'll be within the first few days of being in the Realms, as long as I continue my training.

We stood at the first door to the Realms, the tan one. I couldn't see anything through the thick fog, but my stomach was in knots as I approached it. Marceia was sprinkling the peri dust on me, and it reminded me of that day she kidnapped me and brought me here. How ironic that she was doing this to again, though this time, we were on our way to save the Realms.

Marceia tugged my hand, and said to me that it was time. I looked back at Horigan, and smiled softly as the older man looked at us with a pain expression. "Goodbye Horigan, it's only for a little while, I'll be back soon. I promise." I told him, though we both knew it was an empty promise. We don't know if I'll make it back. I'm sure we both know the odds of me surviving this were slim to none.

"Nia, find Willow. She knows the darkness, and she can pass through Realms. Find Willow, tell her I sent you, and you'll have a great help with you."

"Wh-"

I was tugged into the fog, my vision cut off and I could no longer hear Horigan anymore. Fog filled my vision, the tan color being bright against my eyes and creating an orangey tinge around Marceia and I. It was hard to see, and Marceia kept her told on my arm.

Soon, the ground turned soft and I could feel my feet pressing into something soft. The smell hit me next, and it reminded me of the woods. I could smell trees, grass, and the scent of a fire. My eyes closed as I smiled, remembering the way that Earth smelled, and this new unfamiliar smell, being so similar that I felt as if I was returning to the dimension I was born in.

I opened my eyes as I was tugged further, the tan fog beginning to lighten, and soon, green and brown were all I could see. And then suddenly it was gone, and the grip on my arm was released.There, I stood alone, in the great big world, where the purple sky touched the tips of the trees, reaching its fingertips to the green of the grass. Where two moons filled the sky, and planets danced it the background.

I was here, I was in the Realm. And the game has changed, and even though I had no hope of winning, I couldn't help but smile.