It was getting dark, the sun was beginning to set after a long day of chasing down information and interacting with a number of individuals. I headed toward the eastern side of town where I hoped I would find the only place available apart from the inn that would let me stay the night. As we approached the intersection, Edith who had been keeping to herself appeared to have been alerted to a nearby presence. Without warning, Edith flew off toward the area where we were meant to find rest, seemingly circling around the vicinity, perhaps she had found her next meal. Following her through a maze of alleyways, I was surprised to find that she had not only found her next meal, but more trouble as well. 

    “I told you, you can’t come inside. The room is being rented to someone else.”

“Come on, it’ll be quick, we just wanna take a look around. We’ll be in and out before you even know it.”

“And I already told you, no. It would be bad for business if I just let some thugs rummage around somebody else’s belongings without their consent.”

“Tch, you’re making this really difficult for us, little lady. But okay, maybe we got off on the wrong foot, after all we’re not only here to look around.”

    “Huh? What else could you be here for?”

“We’re here for you.”

“For me? What do you want with me? Wait, if this is about Talal, he never told me anything.”

“No need to be afraid. All we want is to have a word with you in private, just to ask a few questions, that’s all.”

“N-No, I can’t. I just remembered that I have somewhere to be. You’ll have to come by another time.” 

“Look, you can make this real easy for us, keep things clean. Otherwise… well, we might have to get a little rough with you, understand?”

“N-no, please I haven’t done anything. I don’t want to, please…” She trembled.

“It’ll be fine, we’ll be really gentle. You won’t feel a thing, promise.” He grinned, putting his hand on her shoulder.

“Get your hands off her.” I intervened.

    Interrupting their conversation, I made my presence known as I physically put myself in between the two of them. With the landlady behind me, I motioned for the man to back off. Taking a look at my surroundings I counted two other men within the vicinity not including the one I was talking to.

    “You’re…” The landlady murmured.

    “Who the hell are you?” The man snapped.

    “Get inside, I’ll take care of this.” I demanded, ignoring the man’s question.

    “But there’s too many of them, you’re only going to get yourself killed!”

    “Stop talking, you’re only gonna get in the way. Go inside, now!” I yelled.

“I-I was just trying to be nice! Fine, do what you want, you can die for all I care!” She yelled, hurrying to the door, closing it shut.

“Well now, looks like you made your girlfriend upset. Can’t wait to see her face when we show her your severed head.”

“She’s pretty, but we’re not that close. Besides, you should learn to back off when a girl won’t give her consent.”

“Funny, but you see, try to look at it from our perspective, we‘re here to cut any loose ends tied to our donors. You get it? That’s why we gotta clean house, and that woman along with it.”

“Yeah, that’s not my problem. I would very much prefer it if she were alive, she has something of mine. So whatever you’re planning, it’s not gonna happen.”

“That’s too bad.”

    Feeling a sense of hostility, I watched as he motioned for his sabre, unsheathing it in an attempt to strike me down. Prepared, I attempted to parry his attack to no avail as our blades crossed one another. I felt a strong sensation of pain travel down my right arm, I found myself struggling to fend off his attack.

“Hah, alright, you wanna take her place, is that it?”

“If it’s Talal you’re looking for, I can tell you he’s already dead.”

“Oh? You know what happened to him?”

“Well, yeah. After all, I was the one who killed him.”

“That’s a problem. Well you’ve certainly saved us the trouble of knowing who to track down. Our boss won’t be too happy to hear about this, he’ll want some compensation. Guess we’ll have to kill both of you, hopefully that’ll be enough to satisfy him.”

“You sure about that?”

“Am i sure? Hmm, I'd say I'm pretty confident, after all it would appear as though you’re struggling as we speak.” He grinned, pressing down hard with his sabre.

Despite my bravado, I could feel my body physically shudder, the act of our weapons colliding had exerted too much pressure on my arm. Having yet to recover, the work that had gone into healing my arms had been undone. I could see my right arm turn visibly red, the bones and sinew inside torn and twisted, my arm once again crippled. 

“I’m gonna carve you up while my friends have their way with that woman. How does it feel being so powerless?” He grinned once more.

My blood began to tingle, I could sense a change in the air. This was bad, I had no means to defend myself from another attack, let alone one powered by Ljóss. I braced myself only to realize this sensation did not come from my attacker. From a side glance I saw what appeared to be Edith swooping in at a tremendous speed, her claw extending outward. Spiraling toward my attacker, her talons seemed to be brimming with energy as they punctured the flesh surrounding his cheeks. Just as quickly, she retracted her claws, scraping against the jawbones, she pulled at the flesh with great force, tearing off the skin underneath the nose. And in one quick motion, she flew off and retreated to a safe distance. The man screamed out in pain, caught off guard by the sudden surprise attack.

“What the fuck!?” He screamed, his voice muffled as he covered his mouth. 

Before he could continue, I used this opportunity that Edith had given me to stave off my attacker. Using my only good arm left, I attempted to strike my dagger into his neck. However my attack was stopped as the man grabbed hold of my arm, preventing me from landing a fatal blow.

“You didn’t think I’d see you trying to land a sneak attack?” He sputtered, the blood from his torn lips splattering on my face. “Look what you did to me! Bastard, when I’m done with you, you’ll wish you were dead.” He sputtered once more.

    Squeezing my wrist, I was weakened and felt myself losing grip on my dagger. Dropping it, he pushed me down and straightened my arm across the ground, robbing me of my weapon. Grabbing hold of my dagger, he struck it deep into my palm, nailing me to the ground. 

“Stay there, don’t move. I’ll be back for you real soon, we’re gonna bring that woman out here and play a few games, we’re gonna have lots of fun!”

“Wait, don't…  come back here!” I yelled to no avail as he ignored my cries. “Shit, hey asshole! If you touch her, you’ll never know where I hid Talal’s journal!” 

“What was that?” He turned around.

“His journal, I have it.” 

“Really? Well now, this is certainly something… You’re not lying to me, are you?”

Weakened, I used the only leverage I had in an attempt to garner some attention. I needed to stall for time in order to find some way to recover from this situation. But what could I do? 

“So, where is this book, hm?”

“I’ll only tell you if you promise to leave her alone, she’s got nothing to do with this.”

“You want me to leave her alone? You’re seriously funny, you know that? Do you think you’re in any position to negotiate, I mean look at you, what can you really do?”

“I can’t do much, but if you touch her, you’ll never get the journal. I know it’s important, after all, it has the names of very powerful people and their ties to the organ harvest trade.”

“So you’ve read it, huh? You’re gonna cause a real problem for me, aren’t you.”

“So what’ll it be, huh? Ready to hear me out?”

“Alright, I’ll play along. I’ll spare the woman, so tell me, where is it?”

“If you help me up, I can show you where to find it.”

    The man was visibly irritated, but with no other options he reluctantly picked me up off the ground. Taking the dagger and pocketing it for himself, he made sure I wouldn’t try to pull anything sneaky on him. This was fine, I had already thought of another way to get myself out of this situation, it was risky but I believe I could make it work. 

    “There you’re up, are you ready to tell me where this book is, huh?”

    “Sure, but I’m feeling a little weak in the legs right now…”

    With my arm wrapped around his back, I tripped his leg and began pulling him down with my weight as I pretended to faint. Falling, he had let his guard down, using what little strength I had left I increased the flow of blood to my right hand, all the way into the tip of my index finger. It was now or never, I pierced my finger deep into his jugular and began to dig around for his trachea, or windpipe. I could see the man’s shredded face begin to cough up blood, his eyes turning red. 

    “The journal you’re looking for, it was with me this whole time.” I smirked.

    “You bastard.” He gurgled.

    “Hey! Is everything alright over there!?” One of his men called out.

    My finger was still digging around in his neck, I could feel his breathing begin to slow, I didn’t have much time before they came over to investigate our little fall. Unplugging my finger from his neck, I slowly reached over to his side and grabbed hold of my dagger. Getting up quickly, I turned around and threw it at the neck of one of the men approaching us, instantly killing him. Picking up his sabre, my hand stung as the wound from being nailed to the ground had yet to heal. I didn’t have much blood left, I had to end this quickly. With sabre in hand, I charged at the remaining thug, using some blood to increase my strength I quickly cut off both his arms.

    “Wha- my fucking arms!” He screamed.

Unable to fight back, Edith came swooping in once more and mounted the man’s head. Taking advantage of the situation, Edith began to pick at the man's eye, pulling it from the socket, she flew away at safe distance and began to savour her hard-earned reward. Puncturing it’s squishy exterior, she began to pick it apart, savouring its yolky contents. Done toying with her food, she kept her gaze on her victim and swallowed his eye as if to mock him, he would bleed to death soon enough. Walking over to the other man I had killed, I went to reclaim the dagger I had thrown, it’s blade still slick with blood.

“My eye, my fucking eye! Somebody, kill that fucking bird!”

“Hey now, try not to play with your food, Edith.” I teased. “Now then, let’s finish th-”

It was at that moment I felt a sharp pain pushing its way into my body from the back. I turned my head to see another man behind me. His eyes locked with mine, I felt him push something into me even deeper. Looking down, I saw the tip of a blade protruding through the flesh of my stomach. I then felt the blade being pulled back from my body, leaving nothing but a gaping hole in my stomach. Touching the wound, my hands were covered with blood and I soon felt myself drop to the floor.

“Wha-” Was all I managed to say.

“I got him! I got the bastard!” The sneak exclaimed.

The wound wouldnt heal, my body had yet to recover from the battle I had earlier with the old man. The bleeding continued, pouring out from my wound. I felt woozy. I made an oath to myself that I would never succumb to my body's need, but my body ached, urging me to be more lenient with my diet. Just this once, a little bit wouldn't hurt. I brought the dagger up to my mouth, the smell tingling my senses, I pressed the blade against my tongue, lapping up the red liquid, I savoured the crimson nectar. 

“No… it isn’t enough…” I moaned, attempting to pick myself up off the ground. “I need more… my body is starving…”

“What, you’re still alive!? That wound should’ve killed you.” He yelled. “Tch, whatever, you won’t be moving for much longer, one more strike should do it.”

Though the blood continued to pour out from my wound, I felt some strength come back to me. It wasn’t enough, my body continued to ache as I felt my body making changes to accommodate the situation. It urged me to consume more, but I refused, however my body insisted that it wasn’t satisfied with what little it had received. The man who stood over me began to strike me down once more. As my instincts took over me, not wishing to suffer another injury, I rolled out of the way. His sabre struck the ground, in turn I stabbed the man’s leg, spurts of blood dripping down onto the ground. Wishing to satisfy the needs of my body, once again I tasted my blade, graciously receiving more of the crimson nectar. The sounds of his scream dulled as I felt my head ring, my body continuing to ache ever more, my vision blurred as the only thing that came to mind was to satisfy this hunger.

“W-What are you doing?! Get the hell off of me!” He yelled.

Grabbing hold of his foot, he attempted to shake free by repeatedly kicking me, however it only caused him to lose his balance as he fell backwards. His shoe came off in my hands, a thoughtless object in my current state, I tossed it aside. Still not satisfied, I crawled toward him, grabbing hold and ripping away the bottom hem of his trousers. The wound on his leg exposed, I squeezed his calf as the blood poured out like jelly, letting it spill into my hands, I relished the taste. I could feel life come back to me, the ringing in my head beginning to die down, the wounds on my body healing. Having been brought back to my senses, I was overcome with guilt, how could I have been so easily tempted by my bodily needs? I knew the answer, after all it was simply a matter of survival. Standing up, I looked back down at the man, his eyes filled with terror.

“I’m sorry you had to see that…”

“W-What the hell are you!?” He trembled.

“I’m…” I paused, not knowing what to say. “I’m not so sure myself.”

“P-Please spare me, I was only following orders!” He cried.

“Yeah, but you're a grown man who lives with the decisions he makes. Besides you came to attack me, it’s only natural it would come to this.”

Pinning him to the ground, I slit the man’s neck, his attempts to scream were muffled by choking on his own blood. The battle over, I was more than exhausted from today’s activities, seems I can’t catch a break in this town. Having lacked the ability to perform sorceries, the only reason I was still alive is thanks to this body, and for that I’m thankful. Sometimes I can’t help but feel as though some greater force wishes I were dead, I shrugged the thought off. I needed to know if this was all worth the effort.

    “Hey! You can come out now, I’ve taken care of these guys!” I shouted.

    I got up and banged on the door to the building, awaiting some form of response. Edith came soaring down to me, perching herself once more onto my shoulder. Her beak covered in blood, it seemed she had thoroughly enjoyed her meal. 

“Are they really all gone?” The landlady peeked from behind her door.

“Yes, they’re gone. Will you open up, please.”

“Oh?” She peaked out from the door, examining the situation. “They’re really dead…” She said in awe, opening the door entirely.

“Yeah, that’s what I just said.”

“I didn’t think they were serious, they were really going to kill me. Never once have they laid their hands on me, but with Talal gone they seemed to show no concern for me. I… I didn’t know what to do, I thought I was going to die, if it wasn’t for you… “ She stopped.

“There’s no need to worry, they’re gone now.”

“I know, but… I’m just so glad you showed up when you did… ” She sniveled, hugging me.

“Ow, that hurts, mind letting me go?”

“Oh! Sorry.” She blushed, trying to regain her composure. “Though, I’m surprised, I didn’t expect you to be back so soon. Where’s the little girl that accompanied you?”

“She’s safe, I’ve left her in good hands. Look, let’s change the subject. I just need to rest here for the night, is that alright?”

“Well sure, but, I saw you get stabbed. Are you going to be alright?” She sounded concerned.

“I’m fine. But apart from that, I made a bit of a mess out here…”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I have a friend that works with the local guards, I’ll explain what happened, he’ll sort it out in the morning.”

“Huh, how convenient.” She seems unphased, must happen a lot around here.

“Yeah, he’s a good friend. Still... are you sure you’re not hurt?”

“Look, I told you, I’m fine. Will you let me in, or not?”

“Rude. I was just showing a little concern, and here I thought you were a prince coming to save a maiden in distress. Whatever, fine, come in.” She sounded upset. 

Stepping aside, she left me enough room to scurry into her abode. I was feeling extremely unwell. Returning to what had originally been Talal’s room, I found myself settling in rather quickly as I began to unload my baggage. Edith disembarked from my shoulder and landed on the floor, picking apart some of the clothing that had been left by the previous tenant, she began building a nest.  Sitting on the bed, I not only felt tired but I felt uncomfortable, my clothes drenched in sweat, it clung to my skin like another layer of skin. I stank, these clothes from the inn would do me no good. Taking off numerous layers of the bloody yet damp clothing, I felt somewhat liberated. Peeling off the shirt from my body, I felt somewhat vulnerable and a little uneasy. I noticed Edith who had been occupying her makeshift nest had now turned her attention towards the door. Bothered by this notion, I turned around and was surprised to find somebody watching.

“Ah! Don’t worry, I promise you I haven't seen anything.”

“Hah... you just can’t help but intrude on others' business, can you?” I sighed, relieved.

“Well, this is my house and I’m generously letting you stay here. Besides, I only came to ask if you were hungry, I made some dinner so... “

“Ah, thanks but I think I’m good.” 

“You aren’t hungry? But I made so much food, I wanted to thank you for earlier.”

“I appreciate it, but I already ate… Look, I really need to get some rest.”

“I see… well suit yourself.”

Despite what I said, she still hadn’t left the room, seemingly wishing to ask me something that lingered on her mind. Her eyes were locked on me as I continued to undress, I wasn’t really uncomfortable with her watching but I was exhausted and wished to rest in peace. She clearly wished to express something, I suppose it didn’t hurt to show a little concern.

“Is there something I can help you with?” 

“Oh, no! Sorry, I was just thinking…”

“About?”

“Well, I saw you got stabbed and I couldn’t help but worry. But looking at you now, I don’t see any wounds.”

“You were watching?”

“Well I was worried what was going to happen.”

“I see, you misunderstood the situation, I dodged and he missed.”

“He did? How odd... because I could have sworn while I was watching the fight that there was blood pouring out from your stomach. It’s got me thinking, how exactly did you recover? ”

    This was a problem, I had intended to keep my condition a secret, I needed to throw her off somehow. I was reminded of the contents that remained in my bag, what I had bought from the husbandry was meant to fool others into thinking I was a sorcerer without a second thought.

“I can see you have a hawk with you, but she seems perfectly healthy. So you couldn’t have used her to heal...”

    “Well, I had some insects in my bag to keep me healed.”

    “Insects?”

“Yeah, insects. Specifically locusts, I had bought them earlier from one of the local husbandries.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Why is that?”

“Insects wouldn’t provide nearly enough energy to restore your body. Even if that were the case, where is your proof?”

    “Look lady… If you want proof, I have it right here.”

    I reached into my bag and popped open the small box, grabbing hold of one of the locusts crawling and hopping within. Firmly in my grasp, I squeezed the life out of it, feeling it crunch beneath my fingers as its juices oozed down into the bag and on my hand. Pulling it out of my bag, I presented it to the landlady. As unpleasant as it was, I had to rid the landlady of all suspicions she might have of me.

    “See, it’s life was taken and transferred to me.”

“Is that so… then you wouldn’t mind if I take a closer look then.” She insisted, swiping it from my hand.

    “Hey! What are you-”

    “I see… it would appear I was wrong about you.”

    “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

“No, what I’m saying is that I was wrong in thinking that you would be more honest with me. I told you, didn’t I? I can tell when somebody is lying.” She snapped.

“I’m not lying. Can’t you see that insect is dead.”

“So you continue to put up this act… fine. If this locust is truly dead, then there shouldn’t be any energy left in it, correct?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Okay, let’s put your theory to the test then.” She pulled out a knife.

“Where did you get that?”

“Hm? I always carry this with me, you never know what kind of trouble you might get in.” She smiled.

“Wha- Look let’s just stop this pointless arguing. Okay, fine, I haven’t been entirely honest with you.”

“Oh? Are you finally going to explain how you healed yourself?”

“Yeah, I’ll tell you. Earlier today I took a trip to the journeyman’s guild and got into a fight with a high-ranking chassis soldier. He hurt me pretty bad, but as a sign of respect for having stood up to him he healed me with some old world medicine that helped heal my arms. Thanks to that, I’ve been feeling its effects even now, I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.”

“I see. I do appreciate you being honest with me.”

“Are we good now?”

“No, not quite. Though I appreciate the effort, it doesn’t explain how you healed the wound on your body.”

“I already told you, the medicine from earlier-”

“The medicine that was for your arms, not for your body.”

“Yeah, but-”

“That’s enough. You’re an awful liar, it’s almost sad to watch.”

“I told you, I’m not lying.”

“Okay, let’s put it to the test then.”

Using the knife in her hand she slit her wrist open, the blood pouring out onto the carpet.

“What the hell are you doing!?” I yelled as I approached to examine her wound.

“Gotcha.” She smiled. 

Having been distracted by her self-inflicted wound, she took advantage of my concern and cut me with the knife, opening a small wound on my cheek. I stepped back, the wound immediately healing itself from the abundance of blood in my body.

“Hah! I knew it!” She grinned.

“What the hell, you crazy? Are you trying to kill me?!”

“I knew it! What’s really crazy is you!” She exclaimed.

“What do you-” I halted, realizing the cut on my cheek was gone.

“The wound healed by itself, I didn’t even see you use any sorcery. Just what exactly did you do, who… what are you?”

“This is… This was a mistake, I should go.”

I had gotten ahead of myself thinking I could lay low, I shouldn’t have come here. I thought perhaps I could find somewhere to stay the night without having to worry about anybody prying into my business. Before I could head out the door, the landlady intervened, standing between me and the exit.

“No, wait! Don’t leave, I didn’t mean to scare you off. It’s just… I can’t help but want to know more about you.”

“Look, can you just let me through, forget what happened here, it's for the best.”

“No, there’s no way I could forget this! You… You’re blood… It could-” Before she could say another word, she began to lose her balance, collapsing onto the floor.

“Shit.”

    Looking at her wrist, she had lost too much blood. With no other option, I cut open my hand and let the blood pour into her wound. The slit on her wrist gradually began to heal, stitching itself close to prevent further bleeding.

    “Amazing, so you can heal other people as well…”

    “Wha-?”

    “Ah, sorry! I just pretended to faint.”

    “You… I can’t believe I was foolish enough to help you. That’s it, I’m leaving.”

    “Wait! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to trick you.”

“That’s not the point, do you even understand my situation? If anybody knew about this, about what I could do… The fear in their eyes...  Look, I don’t want to cause you trouble, it’s best if I leave now.”

“Wait, I’m perfectly fine with you staying here, I never said you couldn’t. I’m not scared or anything.”

“But you’ve seen what I can do, if anybody knew…”

“You don’t have to worry! It’ll be a secret just between the both of us, yeah?”

“You… You’re something else.”

“I swear I won’t tell anybody, and you’re welcome to stay here anytime you like. I mean, you did save me after all.”

“Fine, I had planned to come and stay the night anyway. Not like I have anywhere else to go.” I sighed. “Don’t make me regret it” 

“I promise I won’t. Also I hope you can forgive me for before. It’s just… I’ve never seen anybody like you, that ability of yours is amazing.”

“Yeah, yet it hasn’t stopped people from trying to hunt me down.”

“If you’re worried about me telling anybody, I told you I won’t. But in exchange… do you mind if you shared some of your blood with me for letting you stay here?”

“Tch, I figured there was a catch. Why do you want it so bad?”

“Well if it could heal me, I figure maybe… it could heal anything, maybe even disease. Even if it can’t…  Look I have my own reasons. But hey, I’ll even give you your artifact back!”

“You still have it? The weapon I gave you?”

“How rude, what do you take me for? Of course I still have it, I never break a promise.”

“Huh, guess you might be trustworthy after all.”

“Well, yeah. I would hate myself if I lied, it’s the reason I hate it when other people lie as well. I’ve been hurt in the past, that’s why I know better than anyone how painful it is to have your trust betrayed…”

“I see… It must have been hard for you.“

“I’ve said too much, I probably shouldn’t have said anything. You know what, you can forget about the whole blood thing, it’s selfish…”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Wha- really?”

“Yeah, really. So, go get a jar.”

“A jar?” She seemed confused.

“Yeah, or would you rather I let my blood pour into your hands?”

“Oh! A jar, of course!”

    She ran out the door, likely to the kitchen where she kept her appliances. After some time, she returned to the room with a small ceramic urn instead.

    “This was the best that I could find…” She breathed heavily.

    “That’s fine, bring it here.”

    I don’t trust easily, but I decided to make an exception this one time. Once again I found myself cutting my veins open, it was almost comical at this point. When we first met, this woman had a bit of a sour attitude, but having now gotten the chance to know her a little better shows that she’s had her own struggles to deal with. Before I knew it, the jar had been filled to the brim. Healing my wound, wiping it clean as I pulled away from the pot, the lady seemed to be entranced by it, her eyes reflecting a deep crimson.

    “How’s that?”

    “This is… more than I could’ve asked for.” She murmured, slowly picking up the pot.

    “Too much? In that case, let me dump some out…”

    “No, don’t!”

    “Woah, calm down. I’m just teasing you.”

    “You… that’s not funny. This is a gift from you, I don’t want to waste it…”

    “Hah, it’s not that special. I’ve got plenty more where it came from.”

    “It’s special to me…” She muttered.

    “Anyhow, it’s getting pretty late, and I feel pretty drained, literally.”

“Ah, sorry! I’ve taken up too much of your privacy, you’re renting this room after all, I should’ve shown you more respect.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I still owe you silver for the rent.”

“You can forget about that.”

“What, why?”

“Well, if you hadn’t shown up when you did… who knows what would’ve happened to me, I don’t even want to think about it…”

“Alright, but you can’t really put a price on a life, there must be something I can do for you.”

“You already have.” She smiled, lifting up the pot. “So should you ever need somewhere to stay, my home is always open to you.”

“Ah, right. I don’t know what to say.”

“Well, a thank you would be nice, it’s not necessary though.”

“Alright, I can do that. Thanks, lady.”

“I hate when you call me that, my name is not ‘Lady’, it’s Akilah.”

“So that’s your name, huh. Then let me start over... Thank you, Akilah.” 

“That’s… better.” She blushed. “Oh, but what’s your name?”

“It’s Grit.”

“Grit…”

“Yeah?”

“No, nothing.” She smiled. “So… um… anyway, I’ll be making breakfast tomorrow morning, so be sure to wake up early. So, don’t forget and… good night, I hope you sleep well!” She sputtered before quickly kicking the door closed.

Exhausted, I settled down on the bed just as Edith had begun to nestle comfortably in her sheets. To think so much happened in one day, I had met with so many interesting characters and came close to death almost twice. There was so much going through my head, I was a little overwhelmed. Though I couldn’t shake one thing off my mind, Akilah… where have I heard that name before? Without giving it too much thought, weary from the day’s events, I slumped onto the bed and fell asleep.