After I read the last word, I couldn’t find any words to say. What was it I just read, was the only question to come to mind, but I knew full well what it was. It was a cry for help written as a desperate plea to anyone that read these words. I knew Ty wasn’t the most innocent of people, but I never realized this was the path he walked down, even during his younger years on this cruel planet. 

He smiles so brightly, despite harboring so much pain that with a single misstep, could lead him to dropping to his knees, crushed by the weight of all that came before him. That smile he wears when times are tough is the only combat against that isolating pain he’s felt for so long, and it wears thin with each incoming fire of misery and despair. 

The last time I saw him before his defense mechanisms rebuilt themselves was of him crying in a mess, talking about him being the center of all the tragedy that ever befell him and everyone around him. Was I the start of the eventual decline into that state, or is that just the inevitable coming too early for him to deal with because of my appearance? No matter the answer, I still felt partly responsible for how he ended up after I saved him. 

The image of him walking out of the house wearing a suit came to mind. He said he was going to meet a friend, and now, after reading this plea for help, I realized exactly where he was. Not exactly, since I don’t know where the location is at, but I know the general place he’s going to. Because of my speed, I can easily dash in and out of the streets, looking at the passing signs so I could find where I need to go. 

Jumping out of the chair, I raced out of his room and to the living room door. I exit the house, making sure it’s locked behind me, then stretch out my legs. I don’t want to get a cramp while I’m running at full speed. 

I let my tail out, since running with my tail still there won’t let me get at max speed, or feel even slightly comfortable, and I let my horns pop from my head. A wave of power surged through me as my horns erupted from my school, feeling almost like someone held an exposed wire to my mouth and turned on the current. There was no pain, but my muscles spasmed, wanting to let go of all the excess energy swirling in my veins. 

My muscles tightened, I got into form, and my legs began moving. The world around me slowed down at first, everything moving at the same speed as a turtle would look to anyone moving slightly faster. But outside of the perspective, to that turtle, and in that remark, to the very world, it’s moving so fast that it needs to take a break every now and again. For me, moving at a speed that the slow world can never catch up, the feeling of being truly free overpowered me. However, I didn’t let the freedom sink me. I opened my eyes and mouth, letting my entire body absorb the freedom that I could only feel when being myself with no consequence. 

What in this world turned such a wonderful gift into the most agonizing curse? I may never figure it out, but if there’s one wish I want in this world, a wish so grand in scale that it could change the course of history itself, it’s getting rid of the shackles bounding my species from the core of hell. 

Freedom doesn’t last forever. Sooner or later, the world will speed up and become nothing but a blur. Once I finish my run, I’ll have to slow down and face this world head on. Humanity made these buildings, these walls, these streets, but that’s what makes it feel so claustrophobic. It turns out humanity has a curse. In pursuit of true freedom, rid of all negative consequence, they’ll cage themselves in their cities and homes. Little do they know, the only way to be truly free is to give up comfortability for the ability to choose. One cannot exist with the other in power.

I want true freedom.

The world turns into a blur, but I can still see. I speed through the world, going from sign to sign, unseen in the world of humanity. The cameras may pick up a hint of my existence, but they’ll just think it’s nothing but a simple glitch. Nothing to worry about. Nothing to think about. Nothing to believe exists outside of those porn comics where all meaning of existing is replaced with traits befitting to oneself. 

After a few minutes of running, I found the place I’m looking for. Slowing down in the parking lot, I end up just behind Jessica’s car. I peek inside, but no one’s there. The car sits dark, no life moving within it. Looking around, I find no other car within sight. That makes things a lot easier, so I go through the wrought iron gates, slightly ajar from others passing by to see their loved ones. 

Stepping inside, I place my hand on a stone slab next to me. My feet feel like jelly from the amount I was running. It takes a lot out of me, putting so much strength in my legs. Such speed should really only be used in moments when there’s no other option, which no matter which eyes view this moment, I would always see this as an important enough moment to use the power on.

I looked around and found both Jessica and Ty standing in front of another stone slab among the hundreds resting in the ground. I approach stealthily, not wanting Jessica to learn of my presence. The reason I’m here is to get Ty alone so I could talk with him. I want him to know that he’s not the worthless person he believes he is. As a way to repay for my troubling him, I want to make him feel welcome. 

I moved my way closer, and I could see the side of Ty’s face as he stared down at the gravestone. His face looked strained, as if he were about to break down at any moment. Jessica, meanwhile, was already bawling. Dozens of bouquets litter the front of the gravestone, older ones dying off, their petals dropping to the ground, only to eventually decay and vanish into nothing. However, a brand new bouquet lay right under the name of the person buried there. 

Freya Sox. Let her soul find eternal rest.

Everything clicked together. That chapter I read wasn’t Ty’s only cry for help. Instead, it buried even deeper into the past.

“Hey Freya,” Ty finally began speaking. It seemed they had just arrived from the way he greeted her. “How many years has it been?”

He froze, waiting for her to speak. If she did, there was too much dirt on top of her so they could hear her voice.

“Yeah, I know. I’m an idiot who has terrible anger issues. Maybe you wouldn’t be down there if I could actually think for once. Maybe I wouldn’t be up here either.” Ty chuckled. “As if there’s a universe where that’s a possibility.”

He tried to laugh it off, but whatever was going through his mind refused to let him. His defenses finally broke down, and like I thought would happen, he fell to his knees, his eyes face to face with the name of his first and only love.

“I’m sorry. You had dreams so much brighter than I had. They were so bright that you died because the universe couldn’t handle you looking at the stars, seeing the many stories that could be told. I never had a dream before I met you. I couldn’t even feel anything. No matter how much I laughed and made others laugh and cry, I felt nothing until I saw you crying.”

Ty’s voice rose higher and higher in pitch, and his speaking became much rough, stuttering every few words. Tears and snot poured down his face, and he sniffed his nose and wiped his eyes, trying to keep himself composed, but failing miserably. 

“Once we met, I felt like I could finally dream. You want to know what my dream became. It was to make your dreams a reality! My dream became your dream, to make you write a great book that would persist through our time! But…” 

He fell on his hands, bowing his head to the one person who couldn’t hear him. By that point, I was tempted to come out of hiding and tell him something he should’ve heard a long time ago, but before I could, he raised his head, holding out his hand toward the grave.

“That dream still hasn’t changed. You will still become something great. I tried writing our story, but nothing came of it. It was bought, talked about, then swiftly forgotten. So I released a book about my father, and it’s still talked about, but for how long? Not long enough, cause ever since I finally began meeting people, only one of them talked about that book, and that was when they locked me in their basement.

“At this rate, no one will ever remember you. So, for as long as I live, I’ll write a book, and it will transcend time. I swear it upon Ty Peon. I will force people to remember your name’s.”

Ty broke down into a fit of tears, and I decided not to intervene. It seems like he’s willing to live for a purpose, but that purpose rings a sour taste. No one should have to live for others. I wanted to say that to his face, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t force myself out of hiding. I didn’t understand it then, but now I do. At the time, I realized the problem ailing his shattered soul isn’t one that a few words can handle. He’ll have to face it on his own, otherwise, he’ll never be able to climb that mountain.

I left, making sure those two didn’t spot me. Before leaving officially, I looked back at Jessica. She may be looking after Ty, and she may have a tie to him going farther than mine and his bond, but she’s still my enemy at the end of the day. 

I left, and I wouldn’t bring this moment up. It’s not my responsibility to fix him, no matter how concerned I may be for his mental and physical safety.

***

Once Jessica brought me back home, I headed inside my home. The living room was dark, so I had to feel my way into the hallway. The sound of Harmony snoring on the other side of her room acted as a guide, helping me find my way further. Once I fell into bed, I covered up with a blanket, and with the warmth it brought me, I fell into a deep sleep that awakening from was nearly impossible to do.

As soon as I closed my eyes, they opened again, but this time in a whole other place entirely. I floated around in a deep, dark void that no light could ever shine from. It would have been better if the void acted like space, where it was just empty and I couldn’t feel anything, but the darkness had a sticky and goopy texture to it, making it uncomfortable to move around.

Still, I moved around, struggling to break free from this uncomfortable black slime that enveloped my every being. I was tired of seeing this blackness in each fucking dream I had. It’s nothing more than a nuisance that dares to swallow me whole. I wasn’t going to let it get the better of me. I said I was going to climb that mountain, and god be damned if I was going to be stopped here. I made a promise long ago. A promise that I can never break for as long as I live. There’s no way I would die here.

Screaming and tearing at the goop, I clawed my way around, digging into it, moving in a random direction, hoping that’s the right way. As soon as I began moving, voices sprung to life. All familiar. All heartbreaking.

Ty? It’s me, Freya. What are you doing?

Ty? It’s momma here. Can you hear me?

Ty? It’s me, Freya. Why did you tell me to run?

Ty? It’s momma here. Did you hear what I said?

I ignored those dastard voices, sprung from the depths of whatever this black stuff came from. The voices imitating two of the biggest loves of my life could just go and die. Their voices are too good for the beast imitating them.

Ty, you bastard. It’s me, your dad. Haven’t I ever told you I loved you?

Ty, it’s us, your friends. Remember when we used to laugh together?

Ty, you bastard. It’s me, your dad. I was wrong. I treated you awfully, and I want to apologize. You just need to come here.

Ty, it’s us, your friends. Come back to us? We want to laugh again. We won’t mess with anyone else.

Sadly, to whatever bastard of a beast imitated those voices, using the people I hate the most in life isn’t going to help as much as using the people I love. I kept clawing my way past, ignoring all the voices, which only became louder and louder as I got closer to whatever it was that beast wanted to protect.

Ty? It’s me, Freya.

Ty? It’s momma here.

Ty, you bastard. It’s me, your dad.

Ty, it’s us, your friends.

Screw all of you. I’m climbing the mountain, whether you like it or not!

I dug at the blackness once again, and this time, a light broke through. It hit my eye, nearly blinding me. I didn’t let that minor setback break my foundation. I kept digging, and my head finally poked out. Once my head escaped, so did my body, and once my body passed, my arms and legs followed. 

Once my entire body escaped the Wall of Lost, I fell to the ground. It turned out I was extremely high up, so I dropped several feet face first. I hit the ground, but it didn’t hurt because this was all a dream. 

Or is it really a dream?

That same voice that communicated with me in the field of flowers finally spoke to me again. It was strange that I could miss a voice so much, despite it being a figment of my imagination.

Or am I?

“Will you shut up? This is all a dream.”

You can believe whatever you want. Just climb the mountain, like you so desire.

He’s right. I should just ignore that disembodied voice and do what I’ve wanted to do since the very beginning. I’ll climb this mountain that scales so high no one can even spot the top. Fuck logic and reality. In the realm of dreams, anything can happen.

I took a deep breath and moved forward. 

***

In the deep black of night, the only thing lighting the way of the boat sailing on the crystal clear waters of the ocean were the stars in the sky. There was also the moon, but to the captain of the boat, it wasn’t as pretty as the stars. I smiled, and it was so bright it could be seen all the way to the stars, scaring them so much one exploded in the process, the light vanishing from the sky. Then again, it would’ve happened thousands, if not millions, of years ago, and my eyes only caught up.

Footsteps could be heard from outside, and my grin widened. The cry of a seagull bellowed from the sky, so I had an idea of where they were.

The door opened, and a man wearing a butler uniform stepped through. There was only one minor adjustment to the uniform, an adjustment that a human wouldn’t need. A tail swayed in the wind as the incubi bowed before his lady.

“Ma’am, it is almost time.”

I chuckled as she stood from my chair, letting my tail swing freely. I couldn’t believe that I made it so far out. Then again, if it weren’t for the Queen asking the American government for permission, then we wouldn’t even have had a chance to begin with. 

I headed onto the main deck of the boat, where the star’s light hit my skin in full force. With all the light being thrown about, I could see the city of Juxten in the distance. The plateau that adorned the majestic and trash filled city only excited me even more that she had come here. 

“Well then, sister. Where are you?”

---

 

 

Act 1

End