Chapter 3 - The Ripples of a Slumbering Demon and The Clueless Boy

I fall through the darkness. Endless and insubstantial. A void of nothingness. Cold. Alone. For all of eternity.

The shadows creep, coiling around me like snakes. Suffocating. So dark. Is this it? Is this death?

A glitter in the distance catches my eye. The twinkle shines like a midnight star, so distant, yet noble. In this world of pure darkness, it acts as a guide. My one and only light in a world of pure black. Is it such a wonder that I reach, trying to grasp that which is so far away?

My hand shuts around the star, and then, as abruptly as the darkness came, it vanishes. I open my eyes and a single, pink petal flutters onto my face. It strikes my cheek softly, yet the feeling is like a gentle slap. What?

Up above, I see a brilliant blue sky. The azure carries with it a cool breeze. Beneath me is a soft, prickly sensation.

Where am I?

Another of the pink petals rushes by, landing squarely on my nose. It balances on the tip, just waiting for me to disturb its peaceful rest.

Slowly, I rise. the petal slips from my nose and lands on the ground. Curiously, I find myself sitting atop an expanse of white. The flat plane extends forever, yet, as I reach down and touch the ground, something seems off.

It's soft.

The feeling is not unlike the very same flower petals that struck me a moment ago. I dig my nails into the ground and pull. The floor bursts into a river of pink. A geyser of petals shoots into the sky, painting the blue canvas in a much warmer colour.

I blink. That's all it takes for the world to transform. The blue and white abyss is replaced by an expansive field of green. Tall, proud trees with the self-same petals I saw stand firmly.

Cherry blossoms.

A song chirps through the land. Soft, yet carrying a certain rough edge. It's one of a kind. From the trees, a small, pink bird flies towards me. It spreads its wings wide, showing how free it is. And then, as it swoops down to land on my outstretched hand, the bird changes.

A girl. The very same girl who I tried to help. Free of all her clothing, she crashes into me like a sack of potatoes.

She's soft, warm and... a bit rough?

If the void filled me with fear, then this fills me with confusion. What? How?

She leans in and pushes her lips against me, hungrily devouring my mouth. A dozen thoughts blur through my head, but all of them are washed away in the light of brilliant wings glowing with the warmest of pinks. They streak out from her back, a testament to her very existence.

They're... beautiful. Like a grand masterpiece, her wings of light hold an intricate design that mystifies the senses. I see a raging demon, yet much like an optical illusion, if one were to look at it a certain way, then they'd see a caring monster.

My fingers brush against the radiant wings, sliding right through. That's all it takes to break them. Just as they shatter and dissipate into dust, so to does the world around me begin to crumble.

The scene melts away, sliding through my fingers like water from a faucet.

So, once more, I fall.

---

My eyes snap open and I bolt up. Sweat drips down my face. What? Who?

Eyes frantic, I look around. What greets me is not cold, dusty asphalt, but a soft bed and comfy sheets.

It takes me a good few seconds to recognize this place.

Wait, this is my room. Well, not my room, but the room I chose in that mansion.

A cough slips from my lip as I dig myself out of the covers. I'm... ok? A quick look at my body reveals that the shirt and pants I had have been changed. Considering how torn they were a while ago, that's both a good and bad sign.

Who the hell's been taking my clothes off?

I blush slightly and pull my pans a bit.

A relieved breath bursts from my mouth. Thankfully, I'm still wearing the same underpants.

For a moment, I had thought all of that some weird dream, but no, my underpants still have a few red splotches here and there from all the blood I was covered in.

So, I'm back home. How did I get here?

The answer to that question is one I find surprisingly quickly as I open my door, or try to.

"Ow!" Someone shouts as the corner slams into them. "Shit! That hurts!"

Hans jumps to his feet, eyes scanning his surroundings.

"Lee? Holy shit, you're ok?!" Dark rings cling to the bottom of his eyes. He looks at me as if he's just won the lottery. "Jesus, I thought you'd be in a coma or something after what happened."

His shoulders drop and he lets out a relieved breath.

"Oh... um, where you the one that put me in the bed?"

He chuckles and nods.

"You're alright, right?"

I blink and quickly shake my arms and legs.

"I feel fine." Though, just trying to remember what happened has phantom pains jumping through my body.

"Alright, but maybe you should rest a bit. It looked like a damned battlefield when I found you."

I take a breath.

"Yeah... what exactly happened?"

Hans blinks and looks down at his feet. Seems like he pulled a mattress from somewhere and plopped it down right by the entrance of my room. It's a bit funny to see that in the middle of the hallway, but it's kind of nice. He must have been worried. Then again, so would I. Being alone in a strange place is sure to scare anyone.

"So, I was trying to get google on these stupid computers..."

He goes on about that for a bit. Looks like he was having a lot of trouble trying to get the basics up and running on his computer. About twenty minutes in, the internet went out, so he left the house to see if something was going on. As luck would have it, my little commotion drew him toward the fight. By the time he arrived everything was over and he found me lying in a puddle of blood amidst a ruined street.

"The police showed up about an hour later," he says with a sigh. "And that girl you were with looked about ready to drop. I think she's fine now, though."

Right. I guess I should explain everything to him.

=======

"Hey, this isn't half bad," I say, happily chowing down on the sandwich. It wasn't exactly a high-grade meal, but my stomach was practically a black hole right now.

"Really?" Hans asks with a small smile. His cheeks carry a tinge of red as he lets out a nervous laugh. "I'm definitely no cook, but I'm glad to hear you like it."

I nod and grab the next one. It's nothing fancy, just some bread, tomatoes, and ham, but to me, it tastes great. Hans is content with just one, but I go for a second. Yum.

The sprinkle of salt mixes perfectly with the tomatoes and the thin layer of vinegar completes it.

"I still find it so strange," he suddenly says. "Was the girl really strong enough to punch craters in the ground?"

I nod. He'd taken my explanation rather well, but we've both seen our fair share of the supernatural.

"It was like an artillery shell going off or something," I say. "Then there was the other one who could shoot ice or whatever."

A strange, gut-wrenching feeling builds in my stomach. It's like the sort of sensation one gets just as they slip and start falling backward. Our world wasn't like this. There weren't people with psychic powers or girls that could punch massive holes in the ground. Still, I can't believe it. Mom has to be back home, she just has to.

"Right," he says with a sigh. "What happened to the ice girl, though?" Hans asks, his face souring as if remembering something disgusting.

"All I saw when I got there was you, the pink-haired girl, the ruined robot, and revolting ball of meat." He swallows, face going a bit green as he looks away.

"I-I don't know," I answer. My heart feels as if it were trying to crawl out of my mouth. Even if we have powers, we're still just normal teenagers. Would he leave If he knew I killed a person? I... I don't want to be here, in this strange place by myself. Even if he didn't leave, he'd probably still look at me differently.

We've only known each other for two days, but he's the only link I have to my old world. I don't want to lose that, at least not until I've heard my mother's voice.

Hans takes a deep, calming breath and nods.

"If the robots are anything to go by, maybe whoever or whatever sent us here had something to do with it."

I nod, fingers slowly drumming against the kitchen table.

"Yeah, but the girl feels different than us, so I'm not sure what her deal is."

"Different?" Hans tilts his head, brow furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Huh?"

What?

"Wait, you mean you can't feel the wierd, erm, feeling around me?"

"Did you ask me If I could 'feel the feeling?'" He snickers.

Heat races up my face.

"Y-You know what I mean!"

Speaking's not exactly my strong suit, Hans! I can tell it's not you're either, so don't laugh!

"S-Sorry," he says, wiping the small tears away from his eyes. "I'm just happy I could find something to laugh about."

He clears his throat and looks at me with a much calmer expression.

"A-Anyways, no, what do you mean?"

Hmm. Is it because he wasn't paying attention? Then again, I only notice if I really focus and listen to the buzzing in the back of my mind.

"Like, when I use my powers I can sort of feel a bubble around me and you If I focus."

He blinks.

"Really?"

I take a small breath and reach out, letting the buzzing into my mind. Like a dozen flies circling my head, the sound drowns everything out and I pull. An invisible force grabs onto my plate and lifts it into the air.

"Try and look at me, like, not with your eyes but with the strange buzzing in the back of your mind."

Hans turns to the plate, a small look of surprise on his face. He takes a moment to digest my words and then shuts his eyes. A second later, he snaps them open.

"Oh, yeah. I can sort of feeling a 'weight' around you. It's sort of like being covered in three bedsheets."

Bedsheets? Id's say it feels more like clouds or water, but everyone's different.

"Yeah." I nod. "I didn't really think about it back then, but the girl wasn't giving that sensation and neither was the other ice chick."

No, it felt kind of different, like a very muted whisper. Not like ours, but then again, maybe everyone has something like it?

"So you're saying they're not like us?"

I shrug. That's one possibility. Frankly, I think it'd be scarier if they weren't. A psychic is something I already know and can explain. If she's just naturally that strong, then that's terrifying.

"Maybe," I answer hesitantly. "Speaking of, what happened to her?"

It sort of slipped my mind, but he'd have had to move her, right? Or did he leave here there for the police to find?

"Oh, um, I put her up in one of the mansion's rooms," he says, realization slowly dawning on him. "Oh shit, I left her alone."

I jump to my feet.

"She can punch holes through walls. You said she was healed, right?"

Hans nods.

"Looked a bit torn up when I found her, but by the time you two were back here she was fine."

...

Ok.

This is ok.

"This is ok."

Hans chuckles.

"Yeah, I mean, It's not like you attacked her, right."

I nod.

"If anything, I saved her life." That's something she should be grateful for. At the very least she shouldn't try to punch me again... right?

"Just in case, let me make her a sandwich."

A nervous laugh rolls out of my mouth.

"Always bring a sacrifice when bargaining with the devil, huh?" Just a weird line I heard in a game once, but it's appropriate, I think.

"Food's always a good peace offering," Hans says with a nod.

Just as I get ready to leave, I turn back to the table. There's my phone, or at least the only phone I have. I don't know why, but it feels like leaving it behind would be a very bad idea. It's important.

With a sigh, I shove it in my pocket and follow Hans.

I just hope she's awake. An angry, conscious girl is bad, but having an unconscious one in our house is even worse. Definitely not something anyone wants to be caught with.

-----------------

As it turns out, the girl is still very much asleep. Laying motionless in her bed, she reminds me of one of those porcelain dolls; the kind that looks very lifelike but still has that aura of strangeness to it.

"I wonder why she dyes her hair pink."

"Weird choice, yeah," I answer. "Still, I've seen weirder."

Just to start things off on a good foot, we try and give her a gentle shake. The girl remains motionless. Shouting doesn't work either. After a few more attempts, a real sinking feeling starts to build in my gut.

I remember. Just as the very life left her body I reached out with my powers and tried to heal her. Some people "die" and then come back a few minutes later. This is something that actually happens in real life. Just like when people drown and get cpr, I was hoping she'd get better. But what If that wasn't the case? Maybe my powers could only fix her body, but not her mind or brain?

"I think we should maybe get her to a hospital," I say. "Neither of us are doctors."

Hans nods.

"Yeah, maybe-"

A loud, echoing chime reaches my ears. It's a sound anyone would recognize.

"Someone's at the door?" Hans mumbles. He swallows and looks at me.

"Should we ignore them?"

Hans slowly moves towards the window and peeks through the blinds.

"Looks like some guys dressed in suits. There's a car parked by the gate."

How the hell did they get in? Weren't the gates locked? Did they hop over?

"I think we should answer," I say.

If they were willing to jump the fence, then there's nothing stopping them from breaking down a door. Hell, they'd probably feel more confident doing that if there's no one home.

"Alright." Hans nods. he takes a small breath and looks at the girl one last time. "If worse comes to worst, we do have powers."

"Yeah, let's go."

I take one last look at the girl, and as I do, a strange sort of pulling sensation tugs at my head. When I turn to walk away, it lessens, but a feeling of longing and confusion replaces it.

What the hell was that?

-------------

"Can we help you?"

Hans and I ask as we open the door. The two men share a look and speak. It's not English. Probably Japanese. Once they get the memo, they sigh and take out a phone. A few minutes of standing around later and a woman shows up. The gates did open for her. She just swiped a card and they parted.

"Hello," the woman greets us in English with a slight accent. "We're with MBI and are looking for someone."

She takes out a small picture. It's the pink-haired girl.

"Would either of you happen to have seen her?"

I turn around, back to the house. Her eyes narrow.