"Elitists Part 02" by Amy ´the Ames´ Perkins

Chapter 5

            When I woke the next morning someone had already been in, leaving a breakfast tray behind.  I sat up slowly and pulled the tray toward me.  The food was excellent and I finished it in no time at all.  My hunger sated, I determined to get up and look around.  The window I had thought looked out over a forest only overlooked a courtyard garden.  The far end of the courtyard was a twenty-foot high stone wall that stretched onto the neighboring properties.  Beyond the wall I could see the upper levels of the expansive forest I had heard the evening before.  The room I was standing in was on the second floor of what seemed to be an expansive house.  I turned back toward the bed and yelped in surprise.  A young boy was standing in the doorway.  I had not heard him approach.  We studied one another for several minutes before he broke the silence.

            “Mum said Mliss was back, but you’re not Mliss.”  He paused and concentration furrowed his young brow as he stared at me.  Then, a bright smile lit up his face, “But don’t worry, I like you better than Mliss.  You look nicer.  I’m Aiden.”  With that said, he scampered down the hall out of view just as I began to ask him what he meant. 

            I stood there for several minutes, my brain slowly processing this new information.  I was very confused.  Aiden didn’t believe that I was Mliss yet everyone else was absolutely certain of this fact.  It didn’t help that I still couldn’t remember anything and now I was getting two conflicting opinions.  My head was beginning to hurt when…

            flick

I was standing in a cave next to my mentor and teacher, the last dragon.  I was watching the humans bring a wounded young man to my mentor, Teacher, for healing.  Teacher turned to me.

            “Do not be alarmed young one.  What I am about to do will save the prince’s life.  It will not hurt me in the slightest.”  His rumbling voice was just a whisper and I could feel the steam from his breath on my face.  The anxious Queen petitioned Teacher for his help and he reached to his chest and removed a piece of his heart.  Unable to contain my horror I screamed…

            flick

            “TEACHER!!”  I was back in the strange house, leaning against the doorframe.  I heard someone running upstairs, hearing my cry.  My mother hurried towards me and I fell into her arms.  “The dragon!  Oh, it was horrible, he took his heart!  I saw it!”

            “Oh Mliss, why are you up you poor dear.  Get back to bed.  There’ll be no more talk of the Dragon.”  She paused, looking at me fearfully, “You remember the Dragon?”

            “I don’t understand.”  My mother was acting very strange.  She wrung her hands and looked at me.

            “Probably just a bad dream, right?”  She managed a weak smile then turned away and almost ran down the stairs muttering.  I only heard part of what she was saying:

            “Oh He’ll never be satisfied, will He?”

Chapter 6

            That same morning, William woke up to a breakfast, though it was nowhere near as lavish as the one Mliss had.  In fact, all William had was cold, week old gruel that tasted more like mud than anything else. After splashing his face with icy cold water from a nearby stream, William set out to discover as much as he could about the hostile town that had taken Tara from him.

            With the old man as his guide, William cautiously crept through the forest towards the town.  They paused, still under the cover of the forest.

            “See that wall there?”  Mikel pointed, making sure William saw, “That wall encloses the entire town.  The only way in is through those gates and the only time we can go through those gates is if we have a job to do for them.  Garbage removal, stable clearing and such.”

            “What about over the wall?”  William kept studying the wall as he spoke and he was already getting an idea.

            “Won’t work, walls are impossible to scale.”

            “But does the forest go right up to the edge of the wall?”

            “Don’t know.”

            “Can we check?”  William was frustrated.  Mikel wasn’t being very helpful.  “How long will it take to walk around the perimeter?”

            “Ain’t worth it.  Even if you found a way in, it might not be the right place.”

            “She was identified as the Governors daughter.  Do you know where he is?”

            Mikel’s eyes widened.  “No wonder they almost killed you.  That girl’s been missin’ for weeks now and they’ve been blamin’ us but they won’t listen to the truth.”

            “What is the truth old man?”  William’s gaze narrowed, causing Mikel to shrink into himself.

            “She’s dead.  Galloped her horse straight off a cliff.  Racing someone.  Never even saw it coming.”

            “Just take me to the Governor’s house.  I’ll deal with that later.”

            “Yessir, just follow me.”  Mikel led William to the left of the gate.  They walked about three-quarters of a mile in silence before Mikel stopped.  “Reckon this is about it.  Yup, seems right to me.”

            William studied the wall with a critical eye.  It didn’t seem all that high and, not a hundred yards away, a large tree was growing close to the wall.  William could immediately see that this tree would be the key to his entering the town unnoticed.

            “We must be careful here William.  They will sometimes send the ungehever to patrol.  The ungehever will kill anything in their patrol path.”

            “Do these ungehever ever stray from the wall and attack the village?”  William did not like the prospect of avoiding this patrol. 

            “Never, they are imprinted to not leave the path except if they find a stranger.  Then they have the freedom to pursue that one person until eliminated.”

            “By eliminated…?”  Mikel only nodded in answer to Williams’s unfinished question.  Both men were quiet, William thinking of the implication, Mikel listening.  William soon began to realize that the natural sounds of the forest had diminished.  Everything became very still and William looked to find Mikel looking intently at a spot farther down the wall.  He looked over at William, fear in his eyes.

            “Run, they are coming.”

Chapter 7

                I stood in confusion after my mother’s strange statement.  Her words kept repeating in my mind but no matter how I saw them, they did not make sense.  I walked out to the garden to sit and relax.  The soft chirping of the birds seemed to ease my mind.  However, when I finally sat down to rest, I couldn’t get comfortable.  I wanted to lay back and stare at the sky but the bench in the garden was not long enough.  I looked around and finally decided that the wall might provide enough of a shelf for me to lie on.  I climbed up into the tree that was directly beside the wall and pulled myself onto the shelf of the wall.  Once atop the wall, I could see into the forest on the other side.  The wall itself was a good four feet wide and stretched around the town as far as I could see.  The rock was warm and I curled up, using my arms for pillows and was soon asleep.

I dreamt that I was in the middle of a forest, with filtered sunlight playing across my face.  In the dream I heard strange sounds that were not natural.  The forest was silent and even the sun appeared to have hid its face.  I awoke with a start realizing that my dream was in fact becoming reality.  The natural sounds of the forest had all but disappeared and all I heard was heavy breathing below me.  I slowly sat up and looked down one side of the wall, into the town, nothing.  The other side however was a different story.  Two creatures had their heads down and smelled around an oak tree that was growing close to the wall.   I wondered out loud.

"What are they?"

"They are called ungehever.  It is a name given to them by a small village several miles from here."  I spun around quickly.  Behind me stood a young man I did not recognize.  His eyes were also fixed on the creatures on the ground below us.

"Who are you?  How did you get up here?"  At my first question, his head whipped up, eyes full of grief.

"I am called William.  I climbed that tall tree down the wall to escape the ungehever.  If I hadn't come up here, they would have attacked me."

"I am glad that you escaped them William.  These ungehever do not look as though they would be friendly."

"What gave that away?  Their 4 inch teeth or the row of spines along their back?"  William grinned, his dry humor making me smile as well.

“Well, I would say that the barbed tail was my clue.” I liked William already and I didn’t even know him.  “I guess I should introduce myself.  My name is Mliss.”  My tongue stumbled over the strange name.  “I was out here enjoying the sun.  It comforts me.”

“Yes, I know.”  William stopped, mouth open as if he’d misspoke.

“You do?  How?”

“Well, I mean,” he started stuttering, “was, um, that, uh, I know how you feel. I feel the, uh, same way about the sun.”  He finished lamely.

Something strange was happening.  I knew there was.  Who was I that I affected all of these people?  My younger brother didn’t believe I was Mliss but my presence seemed to fulfill the existence of my mother.  And now William, who didn’t seem to fit in anywhere?

“Mliss?  Mliss where are you?  Breakfast is ready and you have guests come to see how you are doing.”  My mother’s nasal whine cut through the awkward silence.

“I have to go.”  I looked at William, searching his face for some clue.

“I know.”  He smiled but the humor did not touch his eyes.

“The ungehever are gone you should be safe now.”

“Yes.”  The silence was awkward.  It seemed William wanted to say something but he remained silent.

“Meet me here again tomorrow.  I feel we need to talk.”  At this he finally brightened.  “Goodbye for now William.”

“Mliss!”  My mother called again.

“Goodbye Ta…., till tomorrow then.”  I touched his arm gently then jumped down into the tree and to the bench before running inside to see what my mother wanted.  When I looked back William had gone.

I walked into the house, and followed the smells of food to the kitchen where I found my mother standing with tow other young people.  I looked from one to the other and finally at my mother, waiting for an explanation.

“Surely you remember Devlin and Marnina?”

“No.  No I’ve never seen them before.”  That had the desired effect on my mother.  She stiffened at my cold words.  Marnina and Devlin exchanged uncertain glances.

“Mliss, will you at least try?  Surely you must remember me by now.”

“My only memories of you,” she looked hopeful, but I charged on, “start last night when I woke from the darkness.  I don’t know this place.”   My mother sobbed and ran to the door.

“Mliss, you’ve changed.  You were never like this before.  I’m calling Dr. Guthrie over this minute.”  With that she fled the house, sobbing as she ran.

“Wow Mliss.  Way to have a backbone now.  That was pretty impressive but you can cut it out with us.  What happened out there?”  Devlin was grinning.

I turned my cold gaze on these two, my friends.  “Who are you really?”

Marnina looked over at Devlin for support before taking a deep breath and plunging ahead.  “Look Mliss, I know we left you out there alone with them but we honestly didn’t know that He was out there.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You really don’t remember?  Wow.”  Marnina seemed stunned.

“Well that certainly changes things.” Devlin was thinking hard.  It appeared hard for him.

“What plans will have to change Devlin?”  I asked this with all the innocence I could muster.  I wanted to know what was being planned around me.

“You two are promised to one another!”  Marnina blurted out suddenly. “We thought you’d remember.  But you haven’t…” Devlin seemed to recover and walked up to me and kissed my cheek sloppily.  I had the feeling that had William kissed me, it would have been much gentler.

“Yeah babe.  Promised.  I’m heartbroken you don’t remember.”  He wrapped his arm around my shoulder where it stayed for a second before wandering down and grabbing my butt.

“Stop that Devlin.  I don’t know you.  Even if we were promised.”

“Since you were ten.” Marnina interrupted.

“Even if,” I emphasized, “we were promised.  Not anymore.  I’m breaking it off.”

“Oh, but you can’t do that babe.”  His hand reached for my chest and I slapped it away.

“Why not?”

“Only the mayor can call it off dove.”  Devlin’s grin was lecherous.

“Why the mayor?”  I was ready to start shouting at the two of them.  Marnina must have sensed that because she answered rather quickly.

“He’s your father, that’s why.”

At this point my mother burst through the door in hysterics with the doctor in tow behind her.  Her shrieking was making my head hurt….

flick

I was standing in a wide green field.  A white mare stood beside my left.  Her amber eyes turned and looked deep into mine.

~It is time for the choosing Honored One~ My mother stood regally on the right.  Her violet eyes glowed with an inner light I cherished.

“Choose carefully Daughter.  Your companion shall be with you until the end of days.  A leader must have a good guide and so this companion will be.”

The mare bugled a call.  ~Bring forth the weanlings!~  A herd of horses appeared pushing a group of gangly colts and fillies forward.  One, a young bay colt, caught my eye.  He had hung back from the group, waiting for the rush towards me to die down.  I pushed my way towards him.  If he was my colt…

Flick

“…My colt!”  I gripped a chair for support as my vision faded then became clear again.  “What happened?”

“You had a vision again.”  My mother no not my mother collapsed into a chair.

“Mliss,” the doctor took my chin and lifted my head so our eyes met, “what did you see in this vision?”  I just stared at him, confused that he didn’t understand.

“My real mother has violet eyes.  Where is my colt?”  I wrenched my gaze away.  “I’m going to find my colt!”  I ran out into the street as I heard Annavui’s wail come from inside the house.  The slammed and I turned to see who followed me.  Marnina was running after me.

“Mliss!  Mliss please wait!  I’ll show you where the stables are.  I can’t imagine what you’re going through but I’m sure it’s not easy.”

In that moment I sensed that I might have a true friend to trust in this strange town.  Marnina led me down various streets until finally a scent of hay and manure tingled my nostrils.  The stable was well kept and immaculately clean.  As Marnina and I walked in, I heard a clamor at the far end.

“When you were brought back, your horse was taken here.  He put up such a fight.  He did not want to leave your side.  They had to place him in the quarantine stall.  He was acting so wild.”  Marnina led me down towards the far stall and I reached my hand through the bars.  It was so dark that I couldn’t see anything but soon a soft, lightly fuzzed nose nudged me and my hand was lipped gently as my horse searched for treats.  He gently blew on my hand and…

flick

The colt stood shyly as I slowly held out my right hand to him.  ~Easy now, why are you so alone back here tiny one?  What is your name?~

~My mother is gone.  I have never known her.  She died before naming me.~  I sensed loneliness from the little colt.  Something I might be able to fill.

~May I name you?  Will you come and be my companion?  We will always be with each other and neither of us will ever be lonely.  Will you accept me?~  The colt jumped joyously into my arms at the offer, soft nose rubbing in my ear.

~Name me and I will be yours forever!~

I smiled and spoke aloud.  “I choose this colt.  He shall be called Cheval du Mer, Horse from the Sea, for his stormy and fiery heart.  May it never be tamable and always as wild and free as the ocean.”  As I finished speaking the gathered horses began neighing and bugling in triumph and celebration.  My choice from their herd was a great honor.  “Let your true-name be binding.”  I placed my hand on his forehead and with a silver flash, a sliver of white appeared, a crescent moon.  I whispered into his ear, so only he could hear, “but I shall call you Clyde, for short.  Let us go home.”

flick

“Clyde we need to go home!”  I looked around, half expecting to be on the floor again after my vision but this time I was still standing.  Marnina didn’t seem to have noticed that I had had a vision again.

“Clyde is not that horse’s name and you are home.  What is wrong with you Mliss?  Something happened to you in that forest and you’re not like yourself.”

I looked at her, not really understanding what I was saying.  “I have to leave now Marnina.  I need to find him and go home.”

“You are home.  How many times do I have to tell you?  But I will help you in any way I can.”  At that moment, Devlin walked into the stables.

“I thought this was where you might have taken her.  She should be home asleep.”  He walked up to me and I eyed him warily.  Something about him made me not trust him.  I felt a sharp jab in my arm and looked down to see a syringe in my upper arm.

“Devlin, NO!”  Marnina shouted and Clyde began to scream in an unearthly way as my world faded to black.

Chapter 8

            I again woke in a fog.  My mind was muddled.  But this time I was not in a bed, this time I was on a hard cot in a dirty room.  There was only light coming in from a small window with wire caging.  I didn’t know how long I’d been unconscious, only that there was no daylight left only moonlight.  I cautiously pushed myself off the cot and found my legs could support me.  I walked to the only door in the room, found it to be unlocked and opened it.  I found myself in what appeared to be a club.  Devlin was sitting, waiting for me.

            “Hello sugar, I’ve been wondering when you’d wake up.”

            “What did you do to me?”

            “Well, seeing as you were acting crazy, the good old doc gave me a sedative to use on you a couple times.  Now I didn’t think one dose would be enough…”

            I was shocked, “How many doses did you give me?”

            “Enough to control you.  You need to learn your place here and it is one of obedience.  You are promised to me, you’ll do as I say.”  Devlin’s eyes were hard and they flashed with malice.

            Although I knew it was dangerous, I couldn’t help but reply.  “And what can you do to make me obey you?  I’ll never do it.  I’d rather die!”

            Devlin lunged for me, his faced twisted in rage.  Without think I threw my hands out to push him away and stop his attack.  Before Devlin even reached me, he flew backwards and crashed into the far wall.  I stared in surprise, frozen in place.  Devlin moaned and  slowly pulled himself up from the floor.  He turned to me, brows furrowed and eyes dark.

            “What did you do to me?”  Each word was a statement in itself.  He began to walk towards me, slowly and with dreadful purpose.  I backed away, furtively looking for an exit.

            “I didn’t touch you Devlin.  You just flew backwards!”  He advanced toward me and I couldn’t move from fear of him. It was cold anger I saw now.

            “You’re gonna rue the day you touched me darlin’.  I’m gonna teach you a lesson.”

            I closed my eyes tight, willing myself to disappear, willing Devlin to miss me, just walk past me.  The contact never came.

            “Witch!!!” I opened my eyes and spun around only to find Devlin behind me and very confused.  “Witch!  What did you do!?”

            “I don’t know Devlin!”  I was confused.  How had he gotten on the other side without touching me?

            “Get out!  Don’t you speak!  You won’t work your sorcery on me!”  Devlin pointed to a door and I fled, glad to leave. The door led immediately outside and I didn’t recognize the part of town I was in.  The two moons above me were both full and the streets were lit with a silvery glow.  I just started walking down the street with no idea where I was going.  I looked down a side street and saw a man walking toward me.  I called out to him.

            “Please, can you help me?  I don’t know where I am.”  The man was silent and kept walking.  I tried again.  “Please!  Will you help me?”  The man was very close now and he kept his head down as he walked by.  I reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him.  “Why won’t you answer?”

            He looked up, a frightened look in his eyes.  “Please young miss, I am not permitted to address you unless you speak to me first.  It is the custom.  You should know that of anyone.”

            “But I don’t know this.  My memory is lost to me.  Please, I see no reason.  Explain it.”  If I could finally learn the why of things, it would be so helpful.

            “Young miss, we mustn’t be seen talking here.  Follow me where it will be safe.”  The old man led me down an alley to a grimy door which he opened only after carefully looking around.  I followed him into a dirty room with old, broken furniture.  “Please sit, and I will explain.  What do you notice that makes me different from you?”

            I stared at him, but could find nothing horridly obvious that would cause him to be an outcast.  I shrugged.  “I do not see anything.”

            “Then you are not like the rest of those who live here.  The people of this city believe in perfection above all things.  Any scar or disfigurement that cannot be hidden is unwanted and that person is cast out.  They become less than even the animals you keep as pets.   You can see mine, no?  We live in a village of squalor and we serve you in all things.  We are the lowest of the low and to touch you in any manner would bring death.”  He paused.

            “That’s horrible!”  I was disgusted with these people who claimed to be my family.  “I don’t feel that way at all.  If anything you have been nicer to me than any of these elitists and this I know; personality means much more to me than any physical feature.  I don’t belong with these people.  I have to leave.”

            “But you can’t.  I will take you back to your family.  If you ever need sanctuary just mention the name of Mikel to any of the outcasts.  They will help you then.”  Mikel led me down a series of hidden alleys and finally into a tunnel which he explained was within the outer wall.

            “This tunnel was built by the outcasts as they were building the wall.  The town citizens do not know about it, you are the first.  There is an entrance to it from each house in the cellar.  It allows us to move about unnoticed.  If we were seen, we would surely be beaten.  Ah, here we are.”

            Mikel led me inside and I was amazed to find myself actually in the house.

            “How did you know where I lived?”

            “You are the spitting image of Mliss, the mayor’s daughter.”

            “You said image.  You don’t think I’m actually Mliss?”  This was an interesting development.  Mikel turned to look back as he slid into the shadows of the tunnel.

            “The old Mliss would never have asked me for help or even acknowledged my presence.  You are either an excellent actress or you are not her.”  With that he disappeared into the tunnel.

            I walked slowly upstairs, trying to make as little noise as possible.  I walked into the kitchen and was surprised to find Aiden sitting at the table in the dark.  I sat down across from him.

            “Hello Aiden.”

            “Hello.”   He leaned forward and rested his chin on his hands.

            “Aiden, what…well…why do you think I’m not Mliss?”

            “I was wondering when you’d ask that.  Two reasons.”  He held up a small hand with two fingers extended and pointed to the first one.  “Mliss used to hurt me even when I’d done nothing.  Second, and biggest of all, you look different.”  His manner was too mature for his age.

            “Aiden, how can I look different from Mliss if no one else notices?”  I was confused.

            “Well, for one thing, this is a painting of the old Mliss and here you can compare that to the mirror in the hall.”  We both walked to the mirror and I stood for several minutes comparing the image to my reflection.

            “I don’t see a difference.  How am I different?”

            Aiden seemed to hesitate before grabbing my hand.  “I’ve never told anyone what I can see but you won’t be scared.  Close your eyes and think of how your soul looks.  Then open your eyes, look in the mirror and look at the picture.  I’ll guide you.”  I did as he told me and closed my eyes, thinking that being able to see a soul was a crazy, impossible idea.  I imagined that perhaps a soul, a good soul, would be of a pure light that shone from within.  Aiden’s whisper seemed to be an echo, far and distant.

            “Open your eyes and look.”  I did and was surprised at what I saw.  It looked as though I was illuminated by a soft, white light.  Aiden looked the same.  “Look at the painting.”

            I did.  The Mliss in the picture was dark.  Streaks of red were laced through her soul.  Her eyes were red and it disturbed and scared me.  She looked evil.

            “Now you see.  You are not Mliss.”  Aiden looked up at me.  Every now and then I saw flashes of blue streak like lightening around his body.  I noticed the same in my own.

            “Have you always been able to see these auras?”  I was fascinated by this new ability.

            “Always.  But I’ll never tell Mum.  She would cast me out.”  I looked down sharply.  Aiden was smiling sadly.  “You know, you can always see these without my help.  So can the boy who brought you here yesterday.  You both have the blue fire.”

            “What boy?  You saw me brought in?  Who was it?”  Aiden shrugged.

            “I didn’t get a good look.  I was hiding.  I’m going to bed before Mum wakes up and starts shrieking.”  Aiden quietly climbed the stairs to his room.  I followed soon after.

            William had gone back to the village in despair.  He could not find Mikel and did not know any of the other villagers.  Instead, he decided to walk back to the ship and work on the repairs with Nikki.  The day was otherwise uneventful and the only thing giving him hope was his meeting at the wall.  That Tara did not even remember a thing and believed herself to be Mliss caused him great grief.  He knew that she needed to remember but had no idea of how to make her remember.  He’d asked Nikki about it.

            “No memory.  Are you sure?” Nikki was doubtful.

            “She had no recollection of me and believed herself to be this Mliss Belisma that the townsfolk called her.  How can I get her to remember?”  William was worried beyond all belief.

            “Well, she should start remembering, most likely in flashes with memories that should spark an overall recovery of memory.  Her role with the Anicham Xesued is too critical for her to forget who she really is.  It’s innate, Tara cannot become anyone except who she was born to be.  If it’s any comfort, I’ve made contact with home.  They’ll be sending a rescue craft.  It should be here within the week.”

            “A week!  What will we do if something happens in that time?”

            “We do our best to prevent anything from happening.  William, try to get her to remember more.”

            “Believe me, I want her to remember.”

            The next day William hiked back to the wall and quickly climbed the tree to the wall.  Tara was already there waiting.  The recognition William was used to seeing in her eyes was not there.  She still didn’t remember.  His hope of her recovery was crushed.

            “What’s wrong?  You look depressed.”  A gentle touch on his arm made him look up at her.

            “I had only wished to arrive before you is all.”  William tried to smile.

            “Don’t be sad about that.  I’ve so many questions to ask you, can we go somewhere private?”  His hopes were lifted again.  Maybe she was beginning to remember.

            “I guess, but I don’t know where.”

            “You don’t?  But you must know Mikel…”

            “Well, yes he told me…wait, how do you know Mikel?”  Suddenly all of William’ senses were alert.  Tara looked confused.

            “I saw him last night.  He showed me home after…after I got lost.  He told me about the tunnel systems in the wall.  Didn’t you know?”

            “No, no I didn’t.  Come, we can sit in the back of your garden. It’s private enough.”  He and Tara climbed down and sat behind a screen of shrubs that hid them from view of the house.  Tara spoke first.

            “I learned I could do something last night and I need to look at you.”  She seemed hesitant and unsure.  William wanted only to encourage her.

            “Go ahead.  I don’t mind.”  Tara closed her eyes and her breathing slowed.  After several seconds she opened them again and looked at him. She seemed to change.  A faint glow surrounded her and the vibrant blue-green eyes became luminous and seemed to be lit from within.  As she looked him over she gasped and blinked and the illumination around her was gone.

            “Can you see the aura around a person?”  William was thrown off by the question.

            “Yes I can, why do you ask?”

            “And can you,” she hesitated before continuing, “Can you move someone across the room without touching them?”

            “Yes and why are you asking this Tara?”  William froze as soon as he realized his mistake.

            “What did you call me?”  Her voice was a whisper.

            “I’m sorry, it’s just you remind me of someone.”  William knew he couldn’t cover the slip he made.

            “No, no I don’t.  You did the same thing yesterday or nearly did.  You don’t believe I’m Mliss either!”  She was speaking frantically now, desperate to know.

            “Wait, who else thinks this?  Who have you spoken with?”

            Tara gripped his arm.  “I’ve had these visions, dreams where I am someone else.  Someone named Tara.  Is she real?”

            William nearly sobbed out loud.  He wanted to say with all his heart She is you, Love. Instead, he could only say, “Yes, Tara is very real.”

            “And you know her?  Take me!”  Her grip on his arm tightened.

            “Give it time Mliss.  It is not yet right for you two to meet.”  It pained William to say these words but he knew it had to be done.  When the rescue ship arrived would be when he would taker her, it seemed the best plan.

            “Well, then I guess I should wait until you think it’s the right time.”  She rose from her seat, then paused, “Thank you for saving my life a few days ago.”

            “You remember?  But you were unconscious!”  William was confused.  Tara laughed.

            “No, Aiden, my younger brother, was hiding and saw your aura when you brought me to the gates.  I figured it must be you.  Thank you.”  She got up to leave but then stiffened and fell to the ground.  William rushed to her side and held her hand as he felt her forehead.  She was ice-cold and breathing shallowly.

            “Please Tara, pull through, and get better please.”  William whispered fervently.  He closed his eyes and looked at her from within.  Physically he could see she was fine but mentally her health was tangled.  Without warning her eyes opened and she gasped for air.  At the same time she abruptly sat upright so she was very close to William’s face.

            Tara looked into his eyes with some knowledge she hadn’t had before.   William was reminded of the very first time Tara had really looked into his eyes and kissed him.  She was looking at him the same way and slowly he began to lean in closer, falling for her all over again.  Without warning, their lips touched and he was lost in memory.  The touch of her was so familiar and he longed to bury his face in her hair and caress her body.  They slowly parted and William let his hand linger in the nape of her neck.  She spoke softly.

            “You were in that vision.”

            “What was it about?”

            “The day we met.  Why am I having these visions?  Why do I see these memories?”  She did not seem to notice that she used we to refer to William and herself.  William took this as a hopeful sign.  She began to quietly sob.

            “All will be explained in good time.  All in good time.”  William hugged her close, knowing there was nothing else he could do for her.  Soon, she fell asleep in his arms.

            “Hello.”  William looked up sharply.  A young boy was peering through the bushes at the two of them.

            “Are you going to report me?”  William was in a near panic.  If he was caught now with help on the way…

            “No, I’m Aiden.  You saved her life.  Thank you.  I saw you bring her to the front gates.”  William was amazed, the child spoke like an adult.

            “Aiden, you’re Mliss’ younger brother.”  William remembered that Tara-who-was-Mliss had mentioned him.

            “Yes, that’s right.  But I’m not her brother.”  He pointed to Tara’s sleeping form.  “What is her real name?”

            “She is called Tara.”  William didn’t want to move too abruptly for fear of waking Tara.  Aiden was quiet as he thought about her real name.

            “It suits her.  She resonated when you said it.”  Aiden settled down on a stone bench.  He was quiet for a moment more.  “Take me with you when you escape.  Please!”

            William was shocked.  “How did you know I’m escaping?”

            “That doesn’t matter!  Take me!”

            Tara shifted and slowly woke.  “Oh, hello Aiden.”  She stretched and moved closer to William, making herself more comfortable when she suddenly sat up.  “Aiden!  William!  Aiden, you’re not going to tell anyone?  We both would be killed!”

            “Yes, you would.”  Aiden said this seriously and it seemed to shock her.

            “Oh, I meant that figuratively…” She bit her lip and looked at him expectantly.

            “I’m not going to tell anyone.  Besides, William was never officially cast out.  He’s nowhere in the records.  I checked.   As much as these people hate those who are disfigured, they keep excellent records of every person who is born.”

            “Aiden?  Mliss?  Where are you two?”  A woman’s voice from the house caused all three to jump. “Aiden?!  What are you doing with your head in the bushes?  Have you seen your sister?  Your father is home.”

            Aiden’s face was white with terror. Before going to see his mother, he whispered one warning.  “Beware of father!”

            “Aiden look at you!  Your father would never stand for it.  Go get washed up.”  William and Tara lay still, hoping to avoid notice.

            “Yes mum.”

            “Aiden, have you seen Mliss?”

            “No mum, I haven’t.”

            “What were you looking at then?”

            “It was nothing.  A bird.”  The door to the house opened and then closed.  William nearly breathed a sigh of relief when Tara gripped his arm and put a finger to her lips, shaking her head.  William listened and heard very quiet footsteps coming closer.  William watched as Tara closed her eyes, her lips moving silently.  William backed himself up to the wall, looking for a place to run.

            The bushes parted and Annavui’s face appeared.  She looked around and William stiffened as her eyes passed over him but she appeared not to see him.  Tara’s eyes were still closed.  Slowly they opened.

            “There you are Mliss!  You gave me a fright popping out like that.  Your father is here.  He has some words for you.”

            “No.”

            “What did you say?”

            “Leave.  Me.  Be.  You’re not my mother.  Let me leave.”  Tara’s face was hard, William had never seen her like this before.

            “I’m calling your father, he’ll teach you submission.  Ryann!!”  The last shriek made both Tara and William wince.  Suddenly the horrid woman could see William.  “Ryann!  An outcast!”  William could hear footsteps pounding toward the bushes after a slamming of the door.  A large man burst through a small opening, causing leaves and twigs to fly everywhere.  William looked at him stunned.  This guy looked mean.

            “An outcast, where?”  Suddenly he saw Tara.  “You should have died!  I sent you to that dragon.  How dare you dishonor this family by coming back! This time I’ll make sure you die myself!  You and this outcast!”  Ryann grabbed Tara’s wrist.  “Come with me.”

            “No.”  William had never seen Tara’s face so blank and it frightened him deeply.  Everything seemed frozen.  Ryann was looking at her incredulously, the mother was in the middle of biting her nail and William watched as Tara slowly closed her eyes.  He dropped to the ground, realizing suddenly what she was about to do.

            As time suddenly returned to normal a shockwave emanated from Tara’s body.  Ryann and his wife were thrown backwards as if hit with a large force.  Nothing else was affected.

            “That was instinct wasn’t it?”  William was amazed at the force of her blast.  She opened her eyes and gasped.

            “Again!  What have I done?”  She turned and looked at William who could not answer her.  “You must leave.  GO!”

            He fled.