I am floating.

Grey blue eyes are looking at me.

A woman with eyes almost like mine and blonde hair with black streaks stares at me.

She smiles sadly at me cupping my cheek gently a tear running down her pale white skin. She is very timelessly beautiful. Almost like.....who? My memory forsakes me.

"Not yet time dear. There's still so much to come."
She pulls me in to a fierce hug. I open my eyes instantly.

I am in a room, in a tent room to be precise. It is green with two metallic beds and other messy meager things that look like belongings but am not sure.

I am lying on a table. I try to sit up but I am all stiff and one of my legs is paralyzed though I can't tell which one... yet.

I have to get my bearings, I find I have had to get my bearings a lot lately.

Where am l? Last I remember was jumping into a portal Artemis created but why? I have no clue and ......passing out? I sigh in frustration. I don't remember.

I try to move again. So stiff. I sit up and stretch.

Note to self, tables make uncomfortable lying surfaces ouch. Maybe I'll apologize to Artemis for putting her on one. But it had a sleeping gear so that doesn't count. A noise distracts me.

I turn to see Karim get up from a chair in the corner stretching while yawning. He looks beat. He looks at me and evident relief spreads all over his face then worry, then joy, then anger?

"You are supposed to be lying down?" He grumpily strides over and starts fussing about.

"The table is uncomfortable."
It's half a complaint and half excuse. I pout, stretching my stiff limbs that crack to illustrate my point. He chuckles a bit. Am forgiven.

"Only you can complain of discomfort in such a situation"
He further examines me. I want to ask what situation but he indicates for me to wrap my arms around his neck and he carries me effortlessly to one of the small metal beds and gently lays me down.

I notice I am wrapped in a soft pink blanket. Now this is ironic.

It is a bit chilly in the tent though. Karim adjusts a pillow behind my head to make me more comfortable. He even wraps the blanket more around me to make me warmer. He's such a care bear.

"Better?" He smiles obviously pleased with himself.

"Better." I sigh in contentment.

He brushes silver strands that have escaped the braid he did from my forehead with gentle tenderness and my heart soars.

"I should have let you go first." His tone is laced with guilt. I am confused. I stare at him blankly.

I don't remember. I am hoping he gives me an explanation though but he looks at me with that worry again and I can't help but feel something is very much amiss.

"You don't even know where we are?" He eyes me warily.

I think hard. My head hurts a bit. I frown, I really don't remember.

Shaking my head I try pulling myself up. A sharp pain shots through my nearly numb left leg which I have figured is the paralyzed one. I scream in pain. Karim is immediately up to helping me adjust my position.

"What happened?" Tears prickle my eyes as I breathe through my mouth trying to keep them at bay. I hate pain. I have a low tolernce for it.

"Don't move around much, you are nearly healed but there is still bound to be pain. The wound was deep."
He explains as he pulls the blanket around me more at the same time revealing my left ankle wrapped tightly in a bandage.

It is so tight no wonder it feels numb. I try wiggling my toes but they are cold and blue, they don't respond. I stare at Karim waiting for an answer from him.

"By the time the portal got us here, you were unconscious." Oh. Portal?

"My hand nearly slipped and I almost lost you in there. A demon threw poisonous spikes at us and one got you in your ankle as we entered through the portal."
He looks so miserable.

Portal. Demon?

I repeat in my head. I feel a tug in the deepest darkest part of my brain where I bury unpleasant memories.

Flashes pass in front of my eyes. It all comes back at blinding speed like I have entered into a speeding movie. I look at Karim with recognition dawning on my face. He blames himself.

We were going to die. I brought him into the unknown. In my selfish moment I have dragged him with me. Why did I even involve him in this in the first place?

"I should have let you go first, you wouldn't have been hurt."
His hands bury his face. My stomach drops.

"I am selfish, this would have never happened if I let you go with that thing. You almost died."
He quietly sobs. He is crying?

I swing my legs from the bed grimacing in pain but I ignore it. I pull his hands from his face, it is moist. He lets me but he doesn't look at me and kept his eyes closed.

I put my hands against his moist face. I have pulled him into this mess, it's my fault. He should not be crying for it.

"Hey, look at me." I ask him but he only looks at the floor.
"Look at me Karim" I say it more forcefully than I intended. He looks at me slowly with red eyes. He is so breathtaking with his forlorn expression.

"Don't beat yourself up over it am alive. See? Still here. I got us in this mess and I will get us out of it. I promise, we'll go back home to our normal lives. Am getting us out of here."
I am stern. He smiles a bit.

I have never seen him this vulnerable unless it's with me of course but still not to this point. I must try not to die or get into comas if this is what it does to him. No matter how endearing it is, I don't want to see him hurting because of me. Does this mean he has feelings for me too? Get a grip this is not the time for this Thea.

We are literally close enough to kiss. His lips look inviting. I curse inwardly and drop my hands from his face. I don't want to repeat my previous mistake, he didn't kiss me back and neither has he talked about it. I look around and remember my previous question is still unanswered.

"Where are we?" I ask again.

"They brought us in here after you were contained." He has recovered a bit.

"Contained?" I raise a brow while I continuing to examine my surroundings more. I have a familiar tug in my chest. I feel her presence here. My eyes rake over the interior taking my time.

"At least that's what she called it. Contained. After we came through the portal and you were hurt. Thing is no one could get to you only that thing. Your leg was emitting a sort of gold from inside out, even your blood was laced with the golden stuff."
Golden? I hold my breath looking at anything but him.

"You were encased in a sort of light shimmering barrier that illuminated the whole camp for miles. It was horrifyingly beautiful. You needed immediate medical attention otherwise you were going to die and kill everyone with you or so they said."
He pauses for a bit and looks at me with uncertainty his eyes resting on my tight uncomfortable bandages.

I keep silent. I feel too calm.

When I don't say anything he continues.
"Your light barrier didn't burn me but I couldn't get through to you, it was like a concrete wall, impenetrable. I was so helpless. She said you needed to be contained." He still won't address Artemis properly.

"She just walked to you and walked right through the barrier, put her hand over your leg and some black gas substance embedded itself like a net all over your left ankle trapping the light, removed the spike and bandaged you.  She didn't seem to be hurt like others but she looked weirdly stronger, like you powered her. And then I carried you and brought you here under her instructions" Somehow this angered him but i didn't know what exactly.

My eyes are fixed on an invisible spot in the air. Artemis. She's the only one he calls thing, it or she. Never her name. But how could she get to me? I wonder.

" Where is she?" I  whisper.

"After we brought you in here she was summoned by some elder or something. Apparently something about the two of you is not right"
He shrugs.

Wasn't he afraid of me? I am afraid of myself at this point.
"Aren't you afraid of me? Apparently it's official am no normal human if am even human at all."
I fix my eyes on a tiny figurine of a beautiful woman on a desk by the chair in the corner Karim was seated.

He scoots closer to me.
"Even if you had a second face, you are stuck with me. You are like the sister to me. Am your best friend and nothing will change that."
He comforts me while holding my hands giving them a bit of a squeeze and smiles.

I smile back my heart breaking into tiny pieces. Nothing hurts more than your crush putting you in a sister zone.

Tears threaten to pour out at the back of my eyes. I fix my gaze on the figurine. It seems to be made out of silver, she has beautiful silver hair, a crown on her head. The silver dress flows down her body trapped in a breezy motion like the wind is flapping it wildly.

She is caught in mid motion of firing an arrow with her dainty hands. Her expression far away but determined and fixed on something unknown. No doubt the recipient of her arrow.

Then it hits me. She is the Greek goddess of the hunt, Artemis. This has got to be a joke, who keeps figurines with symbolism.

"You okay? You have been staring at the figurine for quite some time." Karim nudges me.

"Am okay, I was admiring the craftsmanship. It's captivating." I lie smoothly plastering a smile on my face.

We hear a rustle outside the tent. Artemis steps in looking her usual Jedi self, a silver crystal bow strapped across her back with a quiver full of arrows.

She is wearing more leather like stuff, I guess it's a standard outfit here. With combat boots and her hair in a braid just like me. Her black eyes look from Karim to me then to the bed. She frowns a bit but walks to me.

"How do you feel?" She asks while examining my bandaged ankle.

"Careful thing, you could hurt her." Karim barks angrily. She ignores him. Amusing.

"Am fine, the bandages are itchy, can I get them off?" I pout.                                                                   That card always works. I can't help myself. She smiles a bit. Why is she more warm to me?

"No you can't take them off, we can't risk that energy of yours disintegrating everyone."
She is behaving more like Karim every time I see her shockingly.

"Look on the bright side, at least we know how to kill some of you without making you stronger."
Karim adds sarcastically looking at Artemis. She turns to him and smiles sardonically.

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit" She tosses back at him. Interesting. I want to see how this verbal battle ends but I have questions.

"Where did you go? Where are we? What am I? How do I get home?"

Artemis turns back to me. She hands me a package I didn't notice she was carrying.

"Wear those over your jeans and shirt. You're going to need them outside"
I rip open the paper to see leather clothes like her. The material is definitely tougher and darker. Seems my size.

I put on the jacket, zip it on and she helps me into the pants. She also puts combat boots on my feet and I stand up with uncertainty testing my injured ankle. It doesn't hurt that much, I will limp a little. It seems to be getting better every passing minute.

I stand face to face with Artemis. I hear Karim's sharp take of breath. We are so identical.

She is dark, I am light but we look exactly the same. I hold her hand, like in the dreams.

I feel a sort of buzzing energy around us, a cackling blue electricity is enveloping and revolving around us with a buzzy feeling. I feel light. I am starting to like the warm sensation.

She takes a step back pulling her hand back. Whatever was happening disappeared and it felt like an elastic band snapping.

I wonder if she felt it. The connection. But before I could ask she proceeds to the opening flap.
"You are on my home realm. The council summoned us to the city to question you and I so you won't be going home soon. Follow me."

She disappears outside. Just great. I feel like a prisoner.

I look at Karim. He is quiet. Too quiet. I hobble lightly towards the flap and exit but a hand holds me back. I turn back to him.

"It's a nightmare out there."
I haven't considered what it looks like outside.

"Do we have a choice?"
I hobble lightly outside. But nothing had prepared my eyes for what they saw.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The whole place is a sickening shade of red.

It is so cold and chilly and now I know why they need this kind of clothing.

The sky is red with two moons instead hanging there. One moon is broken in to two pieces and it is a dark blood red. The other moon is intact but one half is a light red.

I shiver but not from the cold. Pure undiluted fright.

Nothing but barren wasteland can be seen as far as my eyes could reach. It is shadowy.
I can hear screams and screeches that make my blood curl and run cold. My instincts yell at me to return to the safety of the tent.

Karim holds my hand and squeezes it. Tears prickle my eyes. A green jeep pulls up in front of us.

"Good. They are here."
Artemis moves to it as a black haired boy jumps out. He is tall in the same outfit as us. Same dark eyes.

He walks directly to Karim and hands him the outfit too. They are about the same height. He looks about eighteen. Karim goes back into the tent to change without instructions. I look at the boy, he stares at me and then goes to stand by Artemis. He whispers something to her. 

The sound of  a door closing snaps me out of scowling at Artemis and the rude boy. A girl with a mop of pink hair jumps out. She has tan olive skin that I immediately envy, or at least the one that is not in the out fit was tan. Her hair is thick and crop short barely touching her shoulders.

Artemis says something I don't quite catch and she laughs. She is beautiful with those creepy black eyes. Karim steps out cutting my staring spree.

He looks dashing in the combat boots and outfit. They must have an endless supply of these clothes and boots.
The girl stops mid sentence when she sees Karim and she pales like she's seen a ghost. I look at Karim.

His eyes are fixed on her. Like she is the only girl he has ever seen. Like she is the only thing he wanted to look at forever. Like his own gravity has shifted and she is the center of whatever tethers him to this mortal coil. His whole being is gravitating towards her. I have never ever seen him look like he is looking at her now.

And he has never looked at me like that. I feel myself go dark. No one says a word so far.

"You......." A tiny leathery voice rings out softly.

"I know you." Karim whispers back.

What? I silently ask Karim.

But all his being is vibrating towards the girl. Tears stream down her olive face. She walks in front of Karim. She has a short sword strapped to her back. I can see the peeking hilt now.

"I thought you were dead" She tells him more tears rolling down her cheeks.

I die a little more when his hands wrapped around her.