April Reflection.

I know it's not quite the end of April, but for me, this is the perfect time to take a moment and reflect. 

In 217 words I will have completed my Camp Nano Goal. I will have achieved the goal I set myself last month. To be honest, having won two NaNoWriMo contests I thought I was undermining myself when I set a word goal of five thousand. As opposed to the 50 000 I will face in November. Looking back, with 4 days and 271 words to go, I have never been more thankful that I gave myself such a small challenge. 

Working and studying full time is honestly exhausting. Forget finding time to sleep and socialise. Watch as your to-do list piles ever higher and your time vanishes when you aren't looking. My friends are constantly telling me 'when you have time' my new favourite response is 'What Time?! I Never Have time!' It's generally a stressful yell as well. 

However, this month. I feel proud of myself. I have accomplished a goal. (well, I will have by the end of tomorrow). I took time off and went away for four days. It was what I needed, writing had become such a struggle. I stared at a blank page, argued with scriptwriting software that just wouldn't work. Those four days revitalised my imagination and left me with six more half finished ideas. 

This month I completed my second seven-day writer's challenge. Finishing and posting a prompt a day for seven days. And completely panicking when people actually liked what I wrote. It's such an awesome feeling. 

So perhaps I haven't finished one task in one paper... but that's all. Everything else I set out to do I have done. I made a new friend, I started getting along with the people at work. I've been informed that I cannot ignore the existence of my approaching 21st birthday.

I am learning how to balance work, school, and my mental health. I know I am still going to struggle. I know I am still going to have to pull near all-nighters. I know my sleep is going to suffer and I am going to use every single spare second I have trying to pull assignments out of nowhere. 

Honestly, I am loving every sleepless second of it, and as one of my characters is often caught saying: 'I don't have time, I make time for what's important, and you are very important to me.' This is important to me, and I will continue to make time to chase my dreams. 

So while I try to finish the second half of my song fic post and find the time to write those last 271 words. I beg of you, remember to make time for what makes you feel young, make time for what's important to you. Life is too short not to.

Until Next Time;
Rose Demica.

Song Fics of 2015

Sorry! I've been away for a while and working really hard on a story I wanted to share. But I've gotten rather stuck, and instead of keeping trying to force that to work. Imma put it on the backburner and share with y'all some of my older works again! This time, it's from the end of last year. These are both 'song fics' aka stories inspired by songs. Most writers will entwine the song's lyrics through the paragraphs, as a way to break them up or hint at what's coming next. I personally don't like this style of writing song fics. So mine are simply telling the story behind the song.

These are also all from the 'project' Dimension Hop, I mentioned in one of my first posts.

Disclaimer, I don't own any of these songs. They belong to the awesome people who dedicated their time and energy into making them. Totally go check them out if you haven't before.

September Rhyme: Aleari.

Aleari awoke with a groan, she knew what happened, she had felt the tug of the dimension door far too many times just to ignore it. She just didn't know where she was. It wasn't like anything she'd ever seen before, various colours swirled past her, bright against the pure blackness that otherwise was the room. Aleari was pretty sure she was moving as well.

Her head felt foggy, and for a brief moment, all she wanted to do was go back to sleep. Figure all this out after a decent night's sleep. A blinding pain through her cheek stopped her, her head twisting violently to the side. Aleari's fighter instincts kicked in, grabbing ahold of the hand before it could slap her again.

"Escape girly! Escape!" A frantic elderly woman ordered, paranoid eyes darting this way and that. She wrenched her hand out of Aleari's hold, hobbling away down a purple tunnel.

"Wait!" Aleari scrambled to her feet, racing after her.

"How do I escape!?" The floor tumbled out from Aleari the second she stepped inside the tunnel. A scream of shock passing her lips as she plummeted down.  

  
~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Aleari shot awake with a start, hand clutching her racing her heart as she gasped for air. Dying was never a pleasant experience. She opened her eyes expecting to find herself in the hot pool of scrying. She groaned when she realised she was back in the room that seemed to spin. A curse word passed her lips as she forced herself upright, ignoring the wave of tiredness she felt. She had to find the others, she had to escape.

Aleari studied each of the eight tunnels, trying to figure out which one to take. If something made one stand out from the other. She knew it couldn't be the purple, she'd fallen through that one already. Which left red, orange, yellow, green, blue, white and black tunnels.

"Fall." The little old lady laughed, appearing behind Aleari and shoving her into the tunnel she was standing in front of, the yellow.

"Listen! Attention pay!" She called after Aleari, as the girl plummeted downwards once more.

"I'll kill her." Aleari mumbled but did as she was told. It seemed like the elderly woman knew more than she did, for now at least.

Forcing herself to ignore the gut-wrenching feeling of falling, she looked around, observing the area around her. She could see huge drops similar to her own, lit with the colours of the tunnels they seemed to be attached to. Every colour was there, every colour but green.

~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Aleari awoke with a start, a groan leaving her lips as she remembered what had happened. She let her head slump back against the surprisingly soft flooring. She didn't like the feeling of dying. She forced herself up when she heard the shuffling footsteps of the elderly woman re-entering the room.

"Escape!" The woman hissed, Aleari sighed, rolling to her feet. Looking around for the woman as she vanished down the purple tunnel once more. Aleari knew better than to follow her. Instead turning to the green tunnel. She held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut as she stepped into the green tunnel, waiting for the stomach curling feeling that came with the ground dropping out beneath her.

She let out her breath when she realised she wasn't falling, cracking open an eye to see that she was still standing in the green lit tunnel.

"Green for go anyone?" She muttered to herself, walking slowly down the tunnel, her hands clutched into fists at her sides as she waited to see what would jump out at her.

Aleari jumped a foot in the air when someone started singing - something she would violently deny if anyone asked her about it later. Instead, she concentrated, trying to make out the words, moving closer to where it was coming from. Her eyes scanning every surface for some sort of speaker.

"Green and Black, yellow red. Rub your belly, pat your head." The haunting voice echoed repeatedly. Falling silent the second Aleari reached the end of the tunnel. Aleari turned, searching everywhere for where the sound had come from, but not a stone looked out of place as they fell over the entrance to the green tunnel. Cutting her off from returning.

Aleari glared at the rock wall as if she could make it vanish with just her mind, but the familiar hum of power didn't flow through her veins. Not in this realm at least. Instead, she turned to see what challenge awaited her next. Nine stone archways gave way to tunnels, backlit with the same nine colours she'd seen in the last room.

"Green for go?" She reminded herself, almost expecting it when the floor gave way beneath her. She glanced around once more, but this time there were no other tunnels, just an entire void of black.

~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Aleari screamed in frustration when she awoke with a start, her heart hammering in her chest as her lungs screamed for air. She was less than impressed when she awoke in the first room once more. Jogging towards the green tunnel before the little old lady could yell at her some more.

"Green and Black, yellow red. Rub your belly, pat your head." The haunting voice echoed as Aleari reached the end of the tunnel. Pausing to see if it would sing anymore, but it didn't.

"Green and Black?" Aleari echoed to herself, glancing down the stone archways until she found one that wasn't lit at all.

"Really?" She sighed, glancing behind her to the closed off green tunnel. Taking a deep breath before resting a hand on the left hand side. She doubted she would be able to see once she was in the tunnel. Four steps in, she decided she wasn't going to fall. Looking around her, unable to make out even the smallest detail, she had to trust the tunnel wall to not lead her astray.

The end of the tunnel appeared to her as red, the colour not hurting her eyes as she adjusted to being able to see with every step closer. She let the swear words fall from her lips as she heard the rumble of something falling behind her, and seeing nine more tunnels ahead of her. These ones seemed to be outlined in a marble tiling, back lit with the exact same nine colours.

"How did it go?" She muttered to herself, trying to remember the next colour in the little rhyme.

"Yellow or red." Aleari frowned, glancing down both tunnels. They were side by side, but other than the colour, they were exactly the same. She glanced up at the roof, the soft red spirals that leant their light to the gap between corridors.

"It can't be that easy?" With a sigh she stepped into the red tunnel. A scream tearing its way out of her throat as she plummeted downwards.

~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Aleari didn't bother to open her eyes, knowing she was back at the start. She kept her breathing shallow and even despite her lungs wanting more intake than that. She was patient as she heard the shuffling footsteps of the elderly woman, waiting until she was hovering over her. With the speed and skill of only well trained warriors, Aleari grabbed the wrist that came down to slap her. Hauling the other woman down and slipping them both over so she pinned the elderly woman beneath her.

"Where am I?" She snarled, twisting the woman's arm painfully. She only laughed as though the action didn't hurt.

"Where are my friends?" Aleari twisted further, feeling the bones shatter beneath her hold, but the woman didn't stop laughing.

"Trapped you are my pretty. Your friends gone. You are too slow, they shall perish, as shall you. Tick tock." The woman vanished, Aleari collapsing forward. A groan passing her lips as she realised she was on a time limit. Her friends no doubt held as insurance. She had to get out of here, quickly.

With that in mind, she shoved herself to her feet. Racing down the tunnels, hesitating for only a second to make sure she had the instructions memorised.

A hand on the wall as she sprinted down the black tunnel, giving herself no time to think as she took the yellow then the red. She skidded to a stop at the end of the red tunnel. Listening intently to the whispers that floated on a gentle breeze.

"Corners, edges, middle part. Close one eye before you start." Aleari thought the voice sounded alot like Zera, but shook off the thought as she exited the tunnels. Coming face to face with four large orge statues. Each was positioned in a familiar action. The first seeming to be patting it's head, the second standing on one foot, the third with it's tongue poking out, and the fourth with a large hand on it's even larger belly.

Aleari took a deep breath, taking her time to look up at the spirals swirling overhead, observing each of the statues. There were three doors placed in the middle of each of the four statues, and she assumed that they opened with two of the actions. Remembering the haunting voice, Aleari made her way to the fourth statue, rubbing her own belly before jogging to the first and patting her head. Holding white knuckled fists out ahead of her, waiting for a door to open, or the constructs to amble to life.

She must have stood there for a good five minutes before she heard laughter echoing down the blue corridor. Glancing behind her to see the elderly woman hobbling closer. Frantically Aleari tried her earlier actions in reverse. Patting her head at the fourth, and rubbing her belly at the first. Curse words falling from her lips as nothing happened yet again, Aleari spun around to look behind her once more, eyes widening as she saw the woman very close to the exit of the tunnel. In a last ditch attempt to escape, Aleari patted her head and rubbed her stomach at the same time. Darting towards the door that started to creak its way open. Thankful that neither Vi nor Zera were with her, they would have insisted on doing the wrong actions, just to see what would happen, and Aleari had fought enough constructs as a result of those two's actions.

Aleari didn't know what to make of it when she stepped out into a blank room. The floor looked like the black marble that Zera had once installed in one of her houses. Flawlessly installed, stretching down the corridor as far as the eye could see. It was suspicious, and she didn't like it. Trying to remember what the voice that sounded like Zera had said.

"Corners?" Aleari took a tentative step towards the black marble, pressing her back to the wall as she did so. She swore as the ground gave way beneath her.

~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Aleari awoke with a start, sitting upright. A groan passed her lips when she felt the room move around her. Looking up to see the same tunnels, in the same room of swirls.

"Not a check point. Got it." She muttered to herself, rolling herself onto her feet in a crouch. Taking off through the tunnels at a run, she didn't have time to keep dying. Slowing down at the end of the red tunnel to commit the words to memory.

"Corners, Edges, middle part. Close one eye before you start." She kept saying aloud as she left the tunnel. Rubbing her belly and patting her head. Darting through the door the second it opened wide enough to squeeze through.

"Close one eye." Aleari squeezed her right eye shut before she repeated her earlier actions. Sliding onto the very corner of the marble flooring. Her fists flew up to in front of her face as the ground rumbled. Just waiting for something to come up and attack her. Instead, half the marble flipped over to reveal tiles of the purest white. A chess board.

"What the heck?" Aleari looked around her, wondering what she was supposed to do. Keeping one eye squeezed tightly shut, she counted the tiles. Dividing that number by three.

Aleari held her breath, taking a small step to the corner of the next black tile. A sigh of relief escaping her when the flooring held steady. She turned to the next tile, taking small diagonal steps in the edge of each black tile until she reached what she had calculated as a third of the board.

"Nine Times Backwards." Aleari jumped when Kydea's voice seeped over the board, looking around, but unable to see where it was coming from.

"Edges." Aleari held her breath once more, before sprinting up the next third. Caring not for what colour she stood on as long as she stayed in the square closest to the edge of the gaming board.

"Sideways 'round." Kydea's voice kept speaking at her as she paused to catch her breath.

"Middle part." She whispered the reminder to herself, taking a small step back, before taking a flying jump towards the middle of the board. Landing heavily, and falling to the cold marble. Her legs buckling with the landing she hadn't expected to make,

"Opens doors you've never found." Kydea’s voice faded out as Aleari forced herself to stand. She continued straight down the middle until she was off the chessboard. Looking at the wide open space in front of her.

“What the heck’s going to happen now? Nine times backwards? Do What nine times backwards?!” Aleari took another step forward, looking for any clues other than the blank space before her. A groan left her lips as another chess board flipped over in front of her.

“Because it wasn’t hard enough the first time? Fine.” Aleari again mentally divided the board into thirds, taking a running leap towards the very edge of the board. Catching herself on the wall when she overshot her landing slightly. A shaky sigh of relief when the floor held steady beneath her. Slowly she slid herself forward, barely lifting her feet from the floor until she reached the last third. Taking large steps from corner to corner.

“So if it was close one eye before you start...” She squeezed one eye tightly before stepping off the end. Slowly opening it again when she was certain she wasn’t going to plummet to her death once more. Before her was a door, a sliver of light the only way she could tell it apart from the pitch black void ahead of her. Aleari frowned, she had hopped it would just be the chess course she would have to do backwards nine times. Now she wasn’t so sure what was going on.

Keeping her footsteps light, she crept towards it. Pulling it open wide enough to step through. Her eyes went wide when she noticed the four statues from earlier off their pedestals, holding clubs, and blocking four tunnels as they all tried to squeeze into one or the other. Slivers of glass were scattered around the red tunnel. The troll statues otherwise leaving it alone in favour of the two on either side. Aleari smiled when she heard them breaking out into argument over which tunnel was the right one. Stealthily sneaking her way back into the red tunnel. She let out a whoop of victory, startling the constructs, before running back through all four tunnels. Red, Yellow, Black, Green. She skidded to stop when she arrived back into the spiral beginning room.

“Key flies in without a sound, Key flies in without a sound. Leopard Whiskers, Coloured Coat.” Garnet’s voice echoed throughout the room, looking around, craning her neck to try see if she could see her friends.

“Nine times backwards. Sideways around, opens doors you’ve never found.” Aleari started echoing the words as she started going through the chess board again. Narrowly avoiding the statues once more. Sprinting through the tunnels until she reached the spiral room once more.

“Let the lie escape your throat. Circus dances open road.” Aleari took a deep breath as she slid to a stop. Slowly echoing all the instructions she’d received under her breath, making sure to continually repeat them to herself as she ran the course again. The next five runs through the course were met with only silence as she reached the spiral room repeatedly. Her own voice echoing around the room as she repeated her friends words continuously.

It was on the sixth run that everything went wrong, She crossed the chessboard like normal, sneaking through the door into the statue room. She could hear her own scream rattling in her ears as a loud crunching of bones ended her life and sent her straight back to the very start.

~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Aleari’s whole body tingled and felt numb as she opened her eyes to see Spirals whirling above her. Her head falling to the side, groaning when all she could see was the entrances to eight uniquely lit tunnels. It took her longer to force herself back up, convincing feeling to return to her extremities as she started the entire course once more. Knowing it well enough both backwards and forwards that she barely put any effort into reaching where she was before. Taking great care each time she passed by the troll statues. Heaven forbid she be sat upon again.

She was startled when she ran out of chessboards, having lost count of what number she had run. Instead, Aleari found herself staring at four turntables, each big enough to support one person. They all had a line from the center to one edge. Allowing Aleari to tell that they all moved at different angles.

“Sideways round?” Aleari kept staring at them, as if the answers would just appear. She didn’t want to get this wrong, running the whole course again would take up much more time than actually figuring this out properly. Aleari studied each in turn, watching as one spun a full circle, another a half. The last two, a circle and a quarter, and then a mere quarter.

“Sideways round? So like a half circle around?” Aleari hesitated before the platform that was spinning in a circle.

“But why sideways round?” She stepped back, watching as the platform crumpled to dust before her. An evil cackle seeming to come from the walls themselves.

“Tick Tock my Pretty.” The voice crooned, Aleari glared at the wall, before turning her attention back to the remaining three platforms.

“Well, Sideways round, could be the platform spinning more than a full circle.” Aleari muttered to herself. If it makes no sense, then it’s right. Never trust a witches spell in times of plight. Her mind quoted at her softly, words uttered by an old prophet in another universe. Aleari turned away from the platform, closing her eyes as she stood on the platform that would turn her ninety degrees towards the platform turning in a full circle.

She could almost hear her friends laughter at the shocked expression she pulled when the platform held steady beneath her. A slight tilt to it as if to shove the young woman towards the platform she faced once it had completed it’s cycle. Aleari slid onto the next obediently, spinning around to face a door she had never seen before. She didn’t know how she could have missed it. The lime green stood out brilliantly from the rest of the pitch black walls, floors and ceilings.

“Key flies in without a sound. Twice.” As Aleari stepped closer, she noticed the door had two keys already secured in the key holes. With a twist of her wrist, the door gave way. Leaving her with a wide gap, and two keys in hand.

“Leopard Whiskers, Coloured Coat.” Aleari reminded herself as she slid the keys into her pocket and stepped into the small room. Before her were outfits of every shape and design. Hung on hooks, scattered on the floor, or folded neatly into piles in corners.

“I suppose I gotta get changed.” It took Aleari a while to find what she was looking for, the leopard whiskers were easy. Her hunter's skills coming into play as she observed the large selection they had. No, it was the coloured coat that stumped her, there were several coloured coats, and each one matched a door. She just had no idea which colour was the one that would let her travel on to the next challenge. With a sigh, Aleari placed the whiskers on her face, freeing her hands up to search through the coats for any more clues as to what colour to pick. It wasn’t until she looked up that she noticed all but the royal blue door had faded to blue.

“Well okay then.” Aleari scooped up the blue coat, shrugging it on before making her way out the door. She came to a stop almost immediately, taking a step backwards until her back was pressed against the wall.  The door she had just walked through vanishing behind her.

Aleari knew exactly what sat in front of her, and she refused to go anywhere near it. There had to be another way around this, anything else but this. Anything but the machine designed to read her better than any person. Why weren’t the others here! Zerafina, who seemed never to tell a lie. Kydea, who could both lie and tell the truth with no way to tell them apart. Violet, to charm even the machine into believing any tale she chose to spin. Garnet, who would be so nervous that not even the machine would be able to tell what was a lie and truth. Anyone but her.

“Tick Tock my Pretty.” Aleari gulped nervously with the echoing reminder, the old witch hobbling towards her, taking a seat behind the monitoring panels.

“Do you want to save your friends or not?” The witch cocked her head to the side, observing Aleari closely.

“Have I finally found your weakness? A simple contraption? My my...” The woman shook her head, standing again, starting to hobble away. Let the lie escape your throat. The quiet murmur seemed to sooth her, the memory of what the next instruction was.

Aleari lifted her head, calming her nerves. Her hands fisting at her sides, pushing herself away from the wall and striding towards the machine.

“I’m not afraid. Do your worst.” She spat, settling herself back into the comfortable seat. Taking a deep breath. Her heart felt like it stopped when the chair plummeted down. Her eyes squeezing tightly shut as she waited for her next death to come. Loud music had her eyes flying open once more, three paths lay out ahead of her. Each seemed to have the wildly dressed colours of the same circus, but all three were engaged in different actions. The path closest to her, had Clowns doubled over in fits of laughter. Clutching onto each other as some sort of support to try remain standing. The furthest path had clowns juggling all sorts of both objects, some were on fire, others were mix matched.

“Circus dances, open road.” Aleari quoted to herself, fixing her gaze on the path in the middle. It seemed like a travelling circus, the band was playing a beat as everyone sang and danced along with smiles on their faces. Aleari couldn’t help but smile and join in as she started to move through them towards the front of the convoy. The closer to the front she got, the more her smile slipped, the more reluctance she felt to leave. Why should she keep going? Why not stay here where she could be happy. No worries, no stress to try find a way back to home. She could be happy and free.

“Seal the spell, there must be blood!” A trapeze artist grabbed her as she tried to turn back towards the music, hissing words at her as he shoved her forward, away from the circus all together.

“Come back for me one day?” He pleaded, watching her closely. He leant down towards her, stealing a kiss from her lips, before shoving her out a door she hadn’t even noticed. Aleari glanced backwards, confused as the door melted away to nothing. Separating her from the person who had taken her choice away from her.

“Seal the spell there must be blood?” Aleari’s eyes fell on the huge cauldron as she turned around. An ordinate knife was lying on the bench beside it. The pot bubbling away over the mystical fire. Aleari sighed, rolling up her sleeve, and cutting into her arm, allowing a few drops of blood to fall into the greenish liquid. Aleari looked up and around the room, waiting for the next door to open. Or for more words of wisdom to show up. A scream escaped her throat when a hand wrapped around hers, looking down in time to see a severed hand in the pot, fingers in a vice-like grip around her wrist.

~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Aleari rolled over, coughing a green liquid up and out of her lungs. Gasping for air as she collapsed back onto her back. Letting her heart rate settle back down as she stared at the spirals dancing across the rooftop. Need more blood. Echoed continually in her ears, until she forced the memory from her mind. Drowning was... unpleasant. She decided, pushing herself to her feet. A sigh of relief passed her lips as she looked around to see that she was standing before the four spinning circles once more. Relieved that she wouldn’t have to run the entire course once more.

She kept her breaths slow and even as she stepped from platform to platform. Making her way back to the lie detector room. She waited patiently for the witch to show up once more. Grabbing ahold of the witch, and holding her close as she stood on the chair and once more insisted she wasn’t afraid. Ignoring the woman’s swearing and yelling in her ear as she carried her through the laughing and dancing circus people. Thankful that her yelling actual blocked out what she decided was a siren’s melody.

“Seal the Spell, there must be blood!” Aleari grabbed ahold of the trapeze artist as he appeared again. Her only free hand wrapping around his wrist and tugging him along with her out the door that appeared.

“What are you doing?!” He tried to free himself, but Aleari only squeezed his wrist tighter.

“I need your help.” She shrugged, releasing him once the door was fully closed behind him.

“What is it you require of me?” He folded his arms over his chest as he resigned himself to the fact that he was stuck with her.

“We’re killing this witch.” Aleari motioned to the old woman slung over her shoulder. The woman had fallen silent when Aleari had dragged the man along. Wondering what it was her newest toy had planned for him. She started laughing at the words Aleari uttered, knowing more than the young woman ever could.

“I need you to hold her for me.” The former circus performer obeyed, gripping the witch tightly as Aleari sliced open her skin and let the blood trickle into the cauldron. She never lifted her eyes from the bubbling liquid, watching as the arm reached up and closed around the witches. Hauling her down beneath the bubbling liquid. Ignoring the screams just as Aleari and the man did.

“What’s next?” Aleari turned to the man, looking around the bare room. No door had opened, the ground hadn’t given way. The roof hadn’t opened up.

“Fly through Kisses, don’t be rude.” The man stated, staring at his feet as he shuffled awkwardly.

“So I have to kiss you?” Aleari was cautious to keep any accusation out of her tone. She didn’t want to have to go through this all again. The man standing before her may not have remembered her, but the witch sure did, and there was no way that she was letting that old hag come back.

“Yes ma’am.” He answered with a nod of his head. Aleari nodded to herself, again wishing that one of her friends were here to do this task for her. Although, she was pretty sure Violet and Kydea would both refuse just to watch Aleari have to do it.

Aleari stepped into his personal space, making him look up at him. His brown eyes seemed startled as he looked to her. Wondering why she was so close to him. Aleari didn’t give him time to protest, stretching upwards and pressing her lips to his.

A quiet groan left his mouth, his hands moving to cup her face. Keeping their lips together even as Aleari tried to pull away. Aleari didn’t quite know what to do, her hands coming up to rest on his chest. Pushing him away when she felt her lungs demanding oxygen. He was breathing just as heavily as her as he leant his forehead against hers.

“Wow.” Aleari wasn’t sure which one of them spoke the word first, but they both uttered the one word before he leant closer and kissed her again.

“To Latitude, or Longitude. Solve the Puzzle, Turn the Key.” The guy whispered, before Aleari could ask for the next part of the clue. Aleari sighed, turning her back on him and towards the next clue. It had replaced the cauldron in the center of the room while Aleari had been distracted.

Aleari frowned looking over the word puzzle, and then at the two doors. One was in the floor, and the other in the wall, both with Keys already in the lock. Just waiting for her to pick one. The guy stood behind her, reading over the same word puzzle she had.

“It’s latitude!” Aleari stated, taking a step towards the door in the floor.

“It’s longitude!” He spoke at the same time as she did. Stepping towards the nearest wall. His hand reaching for the key.

“No!” Aleari slapped his hand down. Opening the door in the floor, and dragging him down the stairs. Relieved when their was only stairs to a solid platform. The room staying solid beneath her.

“Thank God.” She whispered, turning to the man whose wrist she still grasped tightly.

“What’s the next part?” She demanded, he rolled his eyes at her.

“Bleed a bit and then fly free.” He smiled at her, entwining their hands, before motioning to two sets of metallic wings. Aleari winced when she noticed they had a little pins to keep them secured to their bodies.

“Really?” She whispered quietly, releasing his hand to observe the wings even closer. Looking out the window at the huge expanse of water ahead of them. Unable to see another way across, and pretty sure that even attempting to swim would just end up with her drowning again.

“Fine.” Aleari sighed, picking up one of the two backpack.

“Let me help.” The backpack wings were taken out of her hands, and gently eased on to her back. Aleari bit down on her own lip as the thin metal pins slid into her skin, and she could feel them every time she moved her shoulders. Aleari glanced over her shoulder, surprised to see that the wings were moving with each slight shift of her arms and shoulders.

“Ready?” Aleari turned to see the guy flapping his wings, his feet lifting off the ground.

“How?” She reached out and brushed her fingers over her own wings, fascinated when she could actually feel her fingers brushing through her black feathers.

“Instinct.” His hand reached out for hers before he pulled her over the ledge. Aleari felt her heart race as she started to plummet towards the ground once more. She let out a ‘whoop’ of joy however, when her wings kicked into action, pulling her back upwards as her feet skimmed the top of the waters below. Aleari couldn’t help but laugh, as she flew through the air. The man she’d saved flying along beside her. A smile on his lips as he watched her.

“Hold your Courage Pumpkin Dear. One shoe off. The way is clear.” He answered the question she opened her mouth to ask. Aleari shifted her shoulders uncomfortably, before pulling the backpack from her frame. Aleari nearly laughed at the simplicity of the last task. Picking up the word ‘Courage’ and placing it inside the pumpkin’s carved hands. Kicking off her shoe and waiting for the man. Watching him mimic her, his hand sliding into hers as he lead her out the door.

“Finally. What took so long?!” Aleari laughed at her friend's outburst. Looking around to see them locked in a cage with four men.

“Same to you mister.” One of the men glared at her companion, as he pulled himself off the floor.

“I got held up.” The man shrugged, Aleari shook her head. Reaching into her pocket and pulling out the two keys she’d stolen earlier.

“Let’s get out of here.”

~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Aleari awoke with a groan, she knew what happened, she had felt the tug of the dimension door far too many times just to ignore it. She just didn't know where she was. It wasn't like anything she'd ever seen before, various colours swirled past her, bright against the pure blackness that otherwise was the room. Aleari was pretty sure she was moving as well.

Her head felt foggy, and for a brief moment all she wanted to do was go back to sleep. Figure all this out after a decent night's sleep. A blinding pain through her cheek stopped her, her head twisting violently to the side. Aleari's fighter instincts kicked in, grabbing ahold of the hand before it could slap her again.

"Escape girly! Escape!" A frantic elderly woman ordered, paranoid eyes darting this way and that. She wrenched her hand out of Aleari's hold, hobbling away down a purple tunnel.

"Wait!" Aleari scrambled to her feet, racing after her.

"How do I escape!?" The floor tumbled out from Aleari the second she stepped inside the tunnel. A scream of shock passing her lips as she plummeted down.  

  
~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Aleari shot awake with a start, hand clutching her racing her heart as she gasped for air. Dying was never a pleasant experience. She opened her eyes expecting to find herself in the hot pool of scrying. She groaned when she realised she was back in the room that seemed to spin. A curse word passed her lips as she forced herself upright, ignoring the wave of tiredness she felt. She had to find the others, she had to escape.

Aleari studied each of the eight tunnels, trying to figure out which one to take. If something made one stand out from the other. She knew it couldn't be the purple, she'd fallen through that one already. Which left red, orange, yellow, green, blue, white and black tunnels.

"Fall." The little old lady laughed, appearing behind Aleari and shoving her into the tunnel she was standing in front of, the yellow.

"Listen! Attention pay!" She called after Aleari, as the girl plummeted downwards once more.

"I'll kill her." Aleari mumbled, but did as she was told. It seemed like the elderly woman knew more than she did, for now at least.

Forcing herself to ignore the gut wrenching feeling of falling, she looked around, observing the area around her. She could see huge drops similar to her own, lit with the colours of the tunnels they seemed to be attached to. Every colour was there, every colour but green.

~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Aleari awoke with a start, a groan leaving her lips as she remembered what had happened. She let her head slump back against the surprisingly soft flooring. She didn't like the feeling of dying. She forced herself up when she heard the shuffling footsteps of the elderly woman re-entering the room.

"Escape!" The woman hissed, Aleari sighed, rolling to her feet. Looking around for the woman as she vanished down the purple tunnel once more. Aleari knew better than to follow her. Instead turning to the green tunnel. She held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut as she stepped into the green tunnel, waiting for the stomach curling feeling that came with the ground dropping out beneath her.

She let out her breath when she realised she wasn't falling, cracking open an eye to see that she was still standing in the green lit tunnel.

"Green for go anyone?" She muttered to herself, walking slowly down the tunnel, her hands clutched into fists at her sides as she waited to see what would jump out at her.

Aleari jumped a foot in the air when someone started singing - something she would violently deny if anyone asked her about it later. Instead she concentrated, trying to make out the words, moving closer to where it was coming from. Her eyes scanning every surface for some sort of speaker.

"Green and Black, yellow red. Rub your belly, pat your head." The haunting voice echoed repeatedly. Falling silent the second Aleari reached the end of the tunnel. Aleari turned, searching everywhere for where the sound had come from, but not a stone looked out of place as they fell over the entrance to the green tunnel. Cutting her off from returning.

Aleari glared at the rock wall, as if she could make it vanish with just her mind, but the familiar hum of power didn't flow through her veins. Not in this realm at least. Instead she turned to see what challenge awaited her next. Nine stone archways gave way to tunnels, backlit with the same nine colours she'd seen in the last room.

"Green for go?" She reminded herself, almost expecting it when the floor gave way beneath her. She glanced around once more, but this time there were no other tunnels, just an entire void of black.

~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Aleari screamed in frustration when she awoke with a start, her heart hammering in her chest as her lungs screamed for air. She was less than impressed when she awoke in the first room once more. Jogging towards the green tunnel before the little old lady could yell at her some more.

"Green and Black, yellow red. Rub your belly, pat your head." The haunting voice echoed as Aleari reached the end of the tunnel. Pausing to see if it would sing anymore, but it didn't.

"Green and Black?" Aleari echoed to herself, glancing down the stone archways until she found one that wasn't lit at all.

"Really?" She sighed, glancing behind her to the closed off green tunnel. Taking a deep breath before resting a hand on the left hand side. She doubted she would be able to see once she was in the tunnel. Four steps in, she decided she wasn't going to fall. Looking around her, unable to make out even the smallest detail, she had to trust the tunnel wall to not lead her astray.

The end of the tunnel appeared to her as red, the colour not hurting her eyes as she adjusted to being able to see with every step closer. She let the swear words fall from her lips as she heard the rumble of something falling behind her, and seeing nine more tunnels ahead of her. These ones seemed to be outlined in a marble tiling, back lit with the exact same nine colours.

"How did it go?" She muttered to herself, trying to remember the next colour in the little rhyme.

"Yellow or red." Aleari frowned, glancing down both tunnels. They were side by side, but other than the colour, they were exactly the same. She glanced up at the roof, the soft red spirals that leant their light to the gap between corridors.

"It can't be that easy?" With a sigh she stepped into the red tunnel. A scream tearing its way out of her throat as she plummeted downwards.

~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Aleari didn't bother to open her eyes, knowing she was back at the start. She kept her breathing shallow and even despite her lungs wanting more intake than that. She was patient as she heard the shuffling footsteps of the elderly woman, waiting until she was hovering over her. With the speed and skill of only well trained warriors, Aleari grabbed the wrist that came down to slap her. Hauling the other woman down and slipping them both over so she pinned the elderly woman beneath her.

"Where am I?" She snarled, twisting the woman's arm painfully. She only laughed as though the action didn't hurt.

"Where are my friends?" Aleari twisted further, feeling the bones shatter beneath her hold, but the woman didn't stop laughing.

"Trapped you are my pretty. Your friends gone. You are too slow, they shall perish, as shall you. Tick tock." The woman vanished, Aleari collapsing forward. A groan passing her lips as she realised she was on a time limit. Her friends no doubt held as insurance. She had to get out of here, quickly.

With that in mind, she shoved herself to her feet. Racing down the tunnels, hesitating for only a second to make sure she had the instructions memorised.

A hand on the wall as she sprinted down the black tunnel, giving herself no time to think as she took the yellow then the red. She skidded to a stop at the end of the red tunnel. Listening intently to the whispers that floated on a gentle breeze.

"Corners, edges, middle part. Close one eye before you start." Aleari thought the voice sounded alot like Zera, but shook off the thought as she exited the tunnels. Coming face to face with four large orge statues. Each was positioned in a familiar action. The first seeming to be patting it's head, the second standing on one foot, the third with it's tongue poking out, and the fourth with a large hand on it's even larger belly.

Aleari took a deep breath, taking her time to look up at the spirals swirling overhead, observing each of the statues. There were three doors placed in the middle of each of the four statues, and she assumed that they opened with two of the actions. Remembering the haunting voice, Aleari made her way to the fourth statue, rubbing her own belly before jogging to the first and patting her head. Holding white knuckled fists out ahead of her, waiting for a door to open, or the constructs to amble to life.

She must have stood there for a good five minutes before she heard laughter echoing down the blue corridor. Glancing behind her to see the elderly woman hobbling closer. Frantically Aleari tried her earlier actions in reverse. Patting her head at the fourth, and rubbing her belly at the first. Curse words falling from her lips as nothing happened yet again, Aleari spun around to look behind her once more, eyes widening as she saw the woman very close to the exit of the tunnel. In a last ditch attempt to escape, Aleari patted her head and rubbed her stomach at the same time. Darting towards the door that started to creak its way open. Thankful that neither Vi nor Zera were with her, they would have insisted on doing the wrong actions, just to see what would happen, and Aleari had fought enough constructs as a result of those two's actions.

Aleari didn't know what to make of it when she stepped out into a blank room. The floor looked like the black marble that Zera had once installed in one of her houses. Flawlessly installed, stretching down the corridor as far as the eye could see. It was suspicious, and she didn't like it. Trying to remember what the voice that sounded like Zera had said.

"Corners?" Aleari took a tentative step towards the black marble, pressing her back to the wall as she did so. She swore as the ground gave way beneath her.

~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Aleari awoke with a start, sitting upright. A groan passed her lips when she felt the room move around her. Looking up to see the same tunnels, in the same room of swirls.

"Not a check point. Got it." She muttered to herself, rolling herself onto her feet in a crouch. Taking off through the tunnels at a run, she didn't have time to keep dying. Slowing down at the end of the red tunnel to commit the words to memory.

"Corners, Edges, middle part. Close one eye before you start." She kept saying aloud as she left the tunnel. Rubbing her belly and patting her head. Darting through the door the second it opened wide enough to squeeze through.

"Close one eye." Aleari squeezed her right eye shut before she repeated her earlier actions. Sliding onto the very corner of the marble flooring. Her fists flew up to in front of her face as the ground rumbled. Just waiting for something to come up and attack her. Instead, half the marble flipped over to reveal tiles of the purest white. A chess board.

"What the heck?" Aleari looked around her, wondering what she was supposed to do. Keeping one eye squeezed tightly shut, she counted the tiles. Dividing that number by three.

Aleari held her breath, taking a small step to the corner of the next black tile. A sigh of relief escaping her when the flooring held steady. She turned to the next tile, taking small diagonal steps in the edge of each black tile until she reached what she had calculated as a third of the board.

"Nine Times Backwards." Aleari jumped when Kydea's voice seeped over the board, looking around, but unable to see where it was coming from.

"Edges." Aleari held her breath once more, before sprinting up the next third. Caring not for what colour she stood on as long as she stayed in the square closest to the edge of the gaming board.

"Sideways 'round." Kydea's voice kept speaking at her as she paused to catch her breath.

"Middle part." She whispered the reminder to herself, taking a small step back, before taking a flying jump towards the middle of the board. Landing heavily, and falling to the cold marble. Her legs buckling with the landing she hadn't expected to make,

"Opens doors you've never found." Kydea’s voice faded out as Aleari forced herself to stand. She continued straight down the middle until she was off the chessboard. Looking at the wide open space in front of her.

“What the heck’s going to happen now? Nine times backwards? Do What nine times backwards?!” Aleari took another step forward, looking for any clues other than the blank space before her. A groan left her lips as another chess board flipped over in front of her.

“Because it wasn’t hard enough the first time? Fine.” Aleari again mentally divided the board into thirds, taking a running leap towards the very edge of the board. Catching herself on the wall when she overshot her landing slightly. A shaky sigh of relief when the floor held steady beneath her. Slowly she slid herself forward, barely lifting her feet from the floor until she reached the last third. Taking large steps from corner to corner.

“So if it was close one eye before you start...” She squeezed one eye tightly before stepping off the end. Slowly opening it again when she was certain she wasn’t going to plummet to her death once more. Before her was a door, a sliver of light the only way she could tell it apart from the pitch black void ahead of her. Aleari frowned, she had hopped it would just be the chess course she would have to do backwards nine times. Now she wasn’t so sure what was going on.

Keeping her footsteps light, she crept towards it. Pulling it open wide enough to step through. Her eyes went wide when she noticed the four statues from earlier off their pedestals, holding clubs, and blocking four tunnels as they all tried to squeeze into one or the other. Slivers of glass were scattered around the red tunnel. The troll statues otherwise leaving it alone in favour of the two on either side. Aleari smiled when she heard them breaking out into argument over which tunnel was the right one. Stealthily sneaking her way back into the red tunnel. She let out a whoop of victory, startling the constructs, before running back through all four tunnels. Red, Yellow, Black, Green. She skidded to stop when she arrived back into the spiral beginning room.

“Key flies in without a sound, Key flies in without a sound. Leopard Whiskers, Coloured Coat.” Garnet’s voice echoed throughout the room, looking around, craning her neck to try see if she could see her friends.

“Nine times backwards. Sideways around, opens doors you’ve never found.” Aleari started echoing the words as she started going through the chess board again. Narrowly avoiding the statues once more. Sprinting through the tunnels until she reached the spiral room once more.

“Let the lie escape your throat. Circus dances open road.” Aleari took a deep breath as she slid to a stop. Slowly echoing all the instructions she’d received under her breath, making sure to continually repeat them to herself as she ran the course again. The next five runs through the course were met with only silence as she reached the spiral room repeatedly. Her own voice echoing around the room as she repeated her friends words continuously.

It was on the sixth run that everything went wrong, She crossed the chessboard like normal, sneaking through the door into the statue room. She could hear her own scream rattling in her ears as a loud crunching of bones ended her life and sent her straight back to the very start.

~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Aleari’s whole body tingled and felt numb as she opened her eyes to see Spirals whirling above her. Her head falling to the side, groaning when all she could see was the entrances to eight uniquely lit tunnels. It took her longer to force herself back up, convincing feeling to return to her extremities as she started the entire course once more. Knowing it well enough both backwards and forwards that she barely put any effort into reaching where she was before. Taking great care each time she passed by the troll statues. Heaven forbid she be sat upon again.

She was startled when she ran out of chessboards, having lost count of what number she had run. Instead, Aleari found herself staring at four turntables, each big enough to support one person. They all had a line from the center to one edge. Allowing Aleari to tell that they all moved at different angles.

“Sideways round?” Aleari kept staring at them, as if the answers would just appear. She didn’t want to get this wrong, running the whole course again would take up much more time than actually figuring this out properly. Aleari studied each in turn, watching as one spun a full circle, another a half. The last two, a circle and a quarter, and then a mere quarter.

“Sideways round? So like a half circle around?” Aleari hesitated before the platform that was spinning in a circle.

“But why sideways round?” She stepped back, watching as the platform crumpled to dust before her. An evil cackle seeming to come from the walls themselves.

“Tick Tock my Pretty.” The voice crooned, Aleari glared at the wall, before turning her attention back to the remaining three platforms.

“Well, Sideways round, could be the platform spinning more than a full circle.” Aleari muttered to herself. If it makes no sense, then it’s right. Never trust a witches spell in times of plight. Her mind quoted at her softly, words uttered by an old prophet in another universe. Aleari turned away from the platform, closing her eyes as she stood on the platform that would turn her ninety degrees towards the platform turning in a full circle.

She could almost hear her friends laughter at the shocked expression she pulled when the platform held steady beneath her. A slight tilt to it as if to shove the young woman towards the platform she faced once it had completed it’s cycle. Aleari slid onto the next obediently, spinning around to face a door she had never seen before. She didn’t know how she could have missed it. The lime green stood out brilliantly from the rest of the pitch black walls, floors and ceilings.

“Key flies in without a sound. Twice.” As Aleari stepped closer, she noticed the door had two keys already secured in the key holes. With a twist of her wrist, the door gave way. Leaving her with a wide gap, and two keys in hand.

“Leopard Whiskers, Coloured Coat.” Aleari reminded herself as she slid the keys into her pocket and stepped into the small room. Before her were outfits of every shape and design. Hung on hooks, scattered on the floor, or folded neatly into piles in corners.

“I suppose I gotta get changed.” It took Aleari a while to find what she was looking for, the leopard whiskers were easy. Her hunter's skills coming into play as she observed the large selection they had. No, it was the coloured coat that stumped her, there were several coloured coats, and each one matched a door. She just had no idea which colour was the one that would let her travel on to the next challenge. With a sigh, Aleari placed the whiskers on her face, freeing her hands up to search through the coats for any more clues as to what colour to pick. It wasn’t until she looked up that she noticed all but the royal blue door had faded to blue.

“Well okay then.” Aleari scooped up the blue coat, shrugging it on before making her way out the door. She came to a stop almost immediately, taking a step backwards until her back was pressed against the wall.  The door she had just walked through vanishing behind her.

Aleari knew exactly what sat in front of her, and she refused to go anywhere near it. There had to be another way around this, anything else but this. Anything but the machine designed to read her better than any person. Why weren’t the others here! Zerafina, who seemed never to tell a lie. Kydea, who could both lie and tell the truth with no way to tell them apart. Violet, to charm even the machine into believing any tale she chose to spin. Garnet, who would be so nervous that not even the machine would be able to tell what was a lie and truth. Anyone but her.

“Tick Tock my Pretty.” Aleari gulped nervously with the echoing reminder, the old witch hobbling towards her, taking a seat behind the monitoring panels.

“Do you want to save your friends or not?” The witch cocked her head to the side, observing Aleari closely.

“Have I finally found your weakness? A simple contraption? My my...” The woman shook her head, standing again, starting to hobble away. Let the lie escape your throat. The quiet murmur seemed to sooth her, the memory of what the next instruction was.

Aleari lifted her head, calming her nerves. Her hands fisting at her sides, pushing herself away from the wall and striding towards the machine.

“I’m not afraid. Do your worst.” She spat, settling herself back into the comfortable seat. Taking a deep breath. Her heart felt like it stopped when the chair plummeted down. Her eyes squeezing tightly shut as she waited for her next death to come. Loud music had her eyes flying open once more, three paths lay out ahead of her. Each seemed to have the wildly dressed colours of the same circus, but all three were engaged in different actions. The path closest to her, had Clowns doubled over in fits of laughter. Clutching onto each other as some sort of support to try remain standing. The furthest path had clowns juggling all sorts of both objects, some were on fire, others were mix matched.

“Circus dances, open road.” Aleari quoted to herself, fixing her gaze on the path in the middle. It seemed like a travelling circus, the band was playing a beat as everyone sang and danced along with smiles on their faces. Aleari couldn’t help but smile and join in as she started to move through them towards the front of the convoy. The closer to the front she got, the more her smile slipped, the more reluctance she felt to leave. Why should she keep going? Why not stay here where she could be happy. No worries, no stress to try find a way back to home. She could be happy and free.

“Seal the spell, there must be blood!” A trapeze artist grabbed her as she tried to turn back towards the music, hissing words at her as he shoved her forward, away from the circus all together.

“Come back for me one day?” He pleaded, watching her closely. He leant down towards her, stealing a kiss from her lips, before shoving her out a door she hadn’t even noticed. Aleari glanced backwards, confused as the door melted away to nothing. Separating her from the person who had taken her choice away from her.

“Seal the spell there must be blood?” Aleari’s eyes fell on the huge cauldron as she turned around. An ordinate knife was lying on the bench beside it. The pot bubbling away over the mystical fire. Aleari sighed, rolling up her sleeve, and cutting into her arm, allowing a few drops of blood to fall into the greenish liquid. Aleari looked up and around the room, waiting for the next door to open. Or for more words of wisdom to show up. A scream escaped her throat when a hand wrapped around hers, looking down in time to see a severed hand in the pot, fingers in a vice-like grip around her wrist.

~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Aleari rolled over, coughing a green liquid up and out of her lungs. Gasping for air as she collapsed back onto her back. Letting her heart rate settle back down as she stared at the spirals dancing across the rooftop. Need more blood. Echoed continually in her ears, until she forced the memory from her mind. Drowning was... unpleasant. She decided, pushing herself to her feet. A sigh of relief passed her lips as she looked around to see that she was standing before the four spinning circles once more. Relieved that she wouldn’t have to run the entire course once more.

She kept her breaths slow and even as she stepped from platform to platform. Making her way back to the lie detector room. She waited patiently for the witch to show up once more. Grabbing ahold of the witch, and holding her close as she stood on the chair and once more insisted she wasn’t afraid. Ignoring the woman’s swearing and yelling in her ear as she carried her through the laughing and dancing circus people. Thankful that her yelling actual blocked out what she decided was a siren’s melody.

“Seal the Spell, there must be blood!” Aleari grabbed ahold of the trapeze artist as he appeared again. Her only free hand wrapping around his wrist and tugging him along with her out the door that appeared.

“What are you doing?!” He tried to free himself, but Aleari only squeezed his wrist tighter.

“I need your help.” She shrugged, releasing him once the door was fully closed behind him.

“What is it you require of me?” He folded his arms over his chest as he resigned himself to the fact that he was stuck with her.

“We’re killing this witch.” Aleari motioned to the old woman slung over her shoulder. The woman had fallen silent when Aleari had dragged the man along. Wondering what it was her newest toy had planned for him. She started laughing at the words Aleari uttered, knowing more than the young woman ever could.

“I need you to hold her for me.” The former circus performer obeyed, gripping the witch tightly as Aleari sliced open her skin and let the blood trickle into the cauldron. She never lifted her eyes from the bubbling liquid, watching as the arm reached up and closed around the witches. Hauling her down beneath the bubbling liquid. Ignoring the screams just as Aleari and the man did.

“What’s next?” Aleari turned to the man, looking around the bare room. No door had opened, the ground hadn’t given way. The roof hadn’t opened up.

“Fly through Kisses, don’t be rude.” The man stated, staring at his feet as he shuffled awkwardly.

“So I have to kiss you?” Aleari was cautious to keep any accusation out of her tone. She didn’t want to have to go through this all again. The man standing before her may not have remembered her, but the witch sure did, and there was no way that she was letting that old hag come back.

“Yes ma’am.” He answered with a nod of his head. Aleari nodded to herself, again wishing that one of her friends were here to do this task for her. Although, she was pretty sure Violet and Kydea would both refuse just to watch Aleari have to do it.

Aleari stepped into his personal space, making him look up at him. His brown eyes seemed startled as he looked to her. Wondering why she was so close to him. Aleari didn’t give him time to protest, stretching upwards and pressing her lips to his.

A quiet groan left his mouth, his hands moving to cup her face. Keeping their lips together even as Aleari tried to pull away. Aleari didn’t quite know what to do, her hands coming up to rest on his chest. Pushing him away when she felt her lungs demanding oxygen. He was breathing just as heavily as her as he leant his forehead against hers.

“Wow.” Aleari wasn’t sure which one of them spoke the word first, but they both uttered the one word before he leant closer and kissed her again.

“To Latitude, or Longitude. Solve the Puzzle, Turn the Key.” The guy whispered, before Aleari could ask for the next part of the clue. Aleari sighed, turning her back on him and towards the next clue. It had replaced the cauldron in the center of the room while Aleari had been distracted.

Aleari frowned looking over the word puzzle, and then at the two doors. One was in the floor, and the other in the wall, both with Keys already in the lock. Just waiting for her to pick one. The guy stood behind her, reading over the same word puzzle she had.

“It’s latitude!” Aleari stated, taking a step towards the door in the floor.

“It’s longitude!” He spoke at the same time as she did. Stepping towards the nearest wall. His hand reaching for the key.

“No!” Aleari slapped his hand down. Opening the door in the floor, and dragging him down the stairs. Relieved when their was only stairs to a solid platform. The room staying solid beneath her.

“Thank God.” She whispered, turning to the man whose wrist she still grasped tightly.

“What’s the next part?” She demanded, he rolled his eyes at her.

“Bleed a bit and then fly free.” He smiled at her, entwining their hands, before motioning to two sets of metallic wings. Aleari winced when she noticed they had little pins to keep them secured to their bodies.

“Really?” She whispered quietly, releasing his hand to observe the wings even closer. Looking out the window at the huge expanse of water ahead of them. Unable to see another way across, and pretty sure that even attempting to swim would just end up with her drowning again.

“Fine.” Aleari sighed, picking up one of the two backpacks.

“Let me help.” The backpack wings were taken out of her hands, and gently eased onto her back. Aleari bit down on her own lip as the thin metal pins slid into her skin, and she could feel them every time she moved her shoulders. Aleari glanced over her shoulder, surprised to see that the wings were moving with each slight shift of her arms and shoulders.

“Ready?” Aleari turned to see the guy flapping his wings, his feet lifting off the ground.

“How?” She reached out and brushed her fingers over her own wings, fascinated when she could actually feel her fingers brushing through her black feathers.

“Instinct.” His hand reached out for hers, before he pulled her over the ledge. Aleari felt her heart race as she started to plummet towards the ground once more. She let out a ‘whoop’ of joy however, when her wings kicked into action, pulling her back upwards as her feet skimmed the top of the waters below. Aleari couldn’t help but laugh, as she flew through the air. The man she’d saved flying along beside her. A smile on his lips as he watched her.

“Hold your Courage Pumpkin Dear. One shoe off. The way is clear.” He answered the question she opened her mouth to ask. Aleari shifted her shoulders uncomfortably, before pulling the backpack from her frame. Aleari nearly laughed at the simplicity of the last task. Picking up the word ‘Courage’ and placing it inside the pumpkin’s carved hands. Kicking off her shoe and waiting for the man. Watching him mimic her, his hand sliding into hers as he lead her out the door.

“Finally. What took so long?!” Aleari laughed at her friend's outburst. Looking around to see them locked in a cage with four men.

“Same to you mister.” One of the men glared at her companion, as he pulled himself off the floor.

“I got held up.” The man shrugged, Aleari shook her head. Reaching into her pocket and pulling out the two keys she’d stolen earlier.

“Let’s get out of here.”

~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Sirens: Violet.

~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

Violet smirked as she got through the local law enforcement officers with no struggle. Her claim to be FBI, and that their bank robber was wanted in several other states all that they needed to back off and give her time with their star witness.

She forced back a cry when she saw how beat up he was. Half of his body seemed to be in a cast. An oxygen mask over the lower half of his face. There were bandaged over the rest of his body where wounds had been stitched up. Violet glanced behind her as a Doctor and Nurse walked up the hallway towards them.

“What I’m worried about is the memory loss. That could be permanent-” The Doctor stopped speaking when he noticed her standing in the room.

“FBI. Please carry on.” Violet flashed her badge without any thought, stepping closer to the man she’d caused so many injuries to.

“FBI? I take it you’re wondering the state of the woman who was with him?” The Doctor questioned, handing his chart to the nurse and motioning her out of the room.

“No Doctor. I am much more interested in this young man. It’s not the first time this young woman had pulled this stunt, and there’s very little you can tell me about her that I don’t  already know.” Violet smiled at the Doctor, before returning her attention to the man sleeping before her.

“Well, the crash did a number on him. Cracked ribs, broken wrist and leg. It looks like he tried to throw himself in front of the woman who kidnapped him. Thankfully he was wearing a seatbelt. The windows shattered into pieces, which is why he’s so cut up. We haven’t managed to speak to him, but we’re concerned about any head or emotional trauma.” She could feel the doctor’s eyes on her as he explained the injuries. She could sense the older man’s distrust, but her badge was more than enough to get her the answers she needed.

“When will he be awake so I can speak to him?” Violet asked, glancing over her shoulder at the Doctor.

“That’s all you FBI folks care about. Him waking up so you can grill him for information. He’s out of sedation. It’s just up to him now.” The Doctor stormed out of the room, leaving Violet alone with just the sleeping man. Violet sighed, pulling the nearest chair towards her, and sitting in it. Her hand slipping into his undamaged one.

“I guess I owe you an explanation.” She whispered, running her fingers up his arm.

“Why I robbed the bank? Got you involved and injured.” Violet sighed, squeezing his fingers.

Violet groaned as she crumpled to a heap in a bed of hay. She wasn’t ready to leave the last place.

“Kydea you-” Violet lifted her head, ready to direct an insult at the woman who had found the tear in the fabric of space and time. Her words caught in her throat when she realised that she was alone. Her friends weren’t crumpled around her, there was no ‘whoop’  of glee from Kydea when her genius plan worked.

“Not funny.” Violet searched all throughout the barn for her friends. Her hand automatically dropped down to her right ring finger. Trying to turn the band around like had become habit when she was upset. Her heart stopped when it wasn’t there. Her eyes scanning both her hands. Lifting to her neck to see if it was there, however unlikely that might have been. There were only two times when that ring hadn’t been on her right ring finger since He had proposed. When it had been on her left, and on the day she had married him.

She searched through the hay where she had landed, fighting back tears when she realised it just wasn’t there.

It was impossible that it wasn’t in the universe with her though. It was on her hand when she had left the last, and she wasn’t exactly going to leave it behind somewhere. Violet knew she couldn’t leave this universe. Not without her ring, she’d simply have to find it first.

~~~~~♥~~~~~♡~~~~~♥~~~~~

“It didn’t take as long as you might think.” Violet smiled to herself, it had been all too easy to find the man who had it. Not many people knew the value of her ring, and even fewer who’d be desperate enough to take it to pay off a debt.

“There is only one man in town who could have possibly had it, and only one place he would keep it. His secure vault in the bank. I tried asking nicely. I promise I did, I didn’t want this to get ugly. I just, I needed my ring back. He refused, things got nasty.”

Violet sighed, her fingers falling short of grabbing her ring as she went over her plans once more. Robbing the bank would be the easy part, their security was lax. They had one part time guard, and she had made sure he would be out sick today. It would be easy, in, out, gone.

What Violet hadn’t accounted for, was that the cops would be smart enough to follow the trail of ‘random’ money donations as she gave away his wealth. Most of it went to churches and charities that she passed, others to business, the homeless, or even just random passerby's. She never expected it all to be tracked to her, at least not so quickly.

“You were the first idiot that stopped, and it was all so easy from there. You had no clue what was going on. What I had done. I expected a clean get away, you just had to get me over the state line. Where they couldn’t get me, and you did so well. We were so close.”

Violet couldn’t help but swear when she heard the helicopters above them. As if the entire police fleet chasing them hadn’t been enough. She tried shooting off a few rounds, just to prove she had a weapon, but they wouldn’t stop. Violet had no doubt the rich man she’d robbed was the reason they were so insistent.

The dead end that leered at them startled her. The fact that cops had somehow got ahead of them. Violet did the only thing that came to mind. She leaned across his lap, buckled his belt. Kissed his cheek, thanked him for the help, and yanked the wheel downwards.

Violet knew it would work, that the passenger would escape with minimal injuries. Without her seat belt on, she went flying out of the truck when her body crashed down on the passenger's side door. She rolled to safety, and hid when the cops came rushing to her strangers aid. It gave her the window she needed to get away.

After realms of experience, Violet was able to disguise herself, temporarily changing her hair colour, auburn going black. Slipping brown contacts into her eyes. A confident walk, a badge, and a ‘lady suit’ was all she needed to get past the cops looking for her.

“Doc!” Violet screamed when his grey-blue eyes flew open. The man struggling to sit up, eyes darting wildly around the room.

“Hey, relax. You’ve been in an accident. You’re in the hospital. Take it easy.” Her hands on his shoulders pinned him down to the bed. His body relaxing at her gentle words.

“Where is she?‘ He demanded, looking past her and around the room as the Doctor rushed in.

“Who? Is there someone you want us to call?” He shook his head, his eyes falling on the Doctor as he started to conduct a few routine tests. Violet slowly pulled her hands off of his shoulders. Moving out of the doctors way.

“She was beautiful, like a movie.” He whispered dreamily.

“Alright, and what’s your name?” The Doctor nodded in agreement, having no idea what the other man was on about.

“Jonathan. Was she hurt?”

“She wasn’t there Jonathan. They’re still looking for her. We don’t know just yet. What do you remember?”

“Sirens, Lots of Sirens. Blue lights chasing us, and she was laughing, she has a beautiful smile. My truck, she could barely handle it. Pedal to the floor, we passed everything. I wasn’t even scared.”

“Alrighty Jonathan. How about you get some more sleep?” The Doctor injected something into his arm, holding tightly onto his arm until Jonathan fell asleep.

“Definitely, hit his head. He’s going to be no use to you agent. His name's Josh, not Jonathan.” The Doctor sighed, shaking his head, and picking up his chart to make a note of something.

“Thank you Doc.” Violet smiled, watching him leave. Waiting until the door had swung shut behind him to sneak a pile of cash into his belongings. Leaning down to kiss his cheek.

“Hold on boy, and thanks for the help.” She whispered, squeezing a note into his hand.

I’ll meet you in Mexico.

Bad Girls: Kydea, Violet, Zerafina

They had every eye on them from the second they stepped into the already packed club. Ignoring the long line to enter, and even longer line to get a drink. They walked like they owned the place, arms wrapped around each other, laughing as way-to-drunk men fell over themselves to buy them drinks.

The most eye-catching woman was also the first one everyone noticed, everyone tripping over themselves to get out of her way, but she didn’t seem to notice. Whiskey brown eyes were focused on the bar, occasionally darting around the room and back to her friends to make sure they were still there. She was wearing a leather black halter top that stopped at the edge of her ribs, tied like a corset at the front and loose enough to allow a sneaky peek through the cord that held it together. There was the barest glimpse of abs before they were hidden behind a high waisted black mini skirt. Legs seeming endless, helped by her her black strappy heels looked complicated, crossing over her feet before winding up her ankles. Her blonde hair was left loose and wild, slightly messed up from where one could only assume she’d run her fingers through it.

One of her two friends was also dressed in pure black, one was wearing black skinny jeans that wrapped tightly around her lower half, leaving little to the imagination. Stiletto thin heeled black boots put her at the same height at the first female. The black bikini type top she wore showed off an amazingly tanned and muscular body, strands looped around from the center of the front to the clasp at the back, hugging around her ribs and giving the slightest hint of modesty. Her auburn hair was perfectly straight, the longest wisps covering up the clasp that held her top on. Forest Green eyes seemed to dance as a smirk curled at her painted red lips, hips swaying to the beat as she stood with her friends.

The shortest seemed to be the most friendly approachable, a tight white dress wrapped tightly her lithe frame, the neckline plunging, a black lace bra visible at the very end of the split. The skirt half of her dress was knee length, but split up the side. A sheer black patterned pair of tights giving way to black ankle height boots. Her blonde hair was curled into big bouncy ringlets, and royal blue eyes outlined with dark browns and blacks, drawing attention to her eyes. It was her that noticed them first, when she was looking around the club, her friends half dangling over the bar to try talk the bartender into their top shelf spirits.

The only three men in the club who weren’t openly drooling at the sight of them. A challenge, three pairs of red lips curled up in wicked smirks. Game on.