Unedited.

Enjoy!

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Life in an alternate universe wasn't very different to life in the mortal world—if you could call it that.

It didn't take long for Rebecca to make the discovery. And coming to the realisation was a little disappointing and more than a little annoying.

It was partly because for the first two weeks of her new life (as Rebecca now called it because it that's what it felt like) was spent in a hospital bed. According to Ferro she'd been too weak to move, the magic draining all her energy.

Because, somehow, someway—as crazy as it was—she'd destroyed something. Not 'hey I hate you, I'm going to destroy you' but destroy. Rebecca had literally blown up a world and it no longer existed.

In the process, she'd killed innocents and other's not so innocent considering they'd been trying to kill her.

It was still surreal to think that it had been all her. At first, she'd thought they were all crazy for even saying it. That they'd been playing a huge practical joke on her. But that wasn't the case. Rebecca had seen the proof.

During her third day in hospital, Ferro had brought in a dome. Like the ones fortune tellers used. On it wasn't a cheap gimmick used so that people could make money; it was real. Rebecca had watched on in fascination as slowly, the crystal had begun to change from its transparency. Revealed had been a map. A detailed one with lakes and countries (or realms as Ferro had called them).

Only, in the centre of the map, there'd been a black space, as if someone had scribbled all over it with a permanent marker. A black space that had belonged to the realm she'd blown into oblivion.

In the two weeks, she'd been lying in the hospital bed, unable to move, Rebecca had been able to reflect on what she'd done. And she'd decided to accept it because what was in the future couldn't be changed—it just was. Somehow she'd blown up a whole country, using her mind and not a bomb.

How? Rebecca couldn't even begin to guess.

According to Ferro magic came with puberty and in light doses as well. For Rebecca that had not happened. Hers had hit with one powerful force, no leading up to it and no reprieve.

So, suffice to say, Rebecca had been grateful when they'd finally let her out of the hospital bed. Life, after that, hadn't really become any more exciting.

Oddly enough, though, there'd been one thing keeping her sane. Adam. A month ago, the idea would've been so preposterous she wouldn't have even considered it ironically. The story had changed however.

Since she'd woken up, he'd been by her side. After Ferro had dropped the bomb on Rebecca—ironic considering that's basically what she'd done—, he'd stayed. Rebecca had been close to a panic attack and the elderly lady had ordered everyone out. But Adam had stayed. He'd stood by her bed side. No conversation had passed between them, Rebecca buried too deep in a state of panic.

From then on, he hadn't left. Eventually Rebecca had started a polite conversation, the silence too awkward. He'd answered with noncommittal grunts and an occasional "I won't let anything hurt you." Then there was the constant Salvatée. Rebecca had tried to get him to call her by her name, but he'd just levelled her with an easy to read stare.

After her realise from the hospital, he'd stayed with her then. They'd moved Rebecca out of the hospital and into a room. And room was complete inaccurate because it was more like a house. And it was in a palace.

To get there, Ferro had led her through the back of hospital, into some dense bush land. Rebecca had been too busy trying not go get lost to see anything and take it all in. he'd said it because he identity was a secret and no one knew the way but him—something her biological mother had told him.

He'd raised his hand and suddenly there'd been a hole in the crowd. Initially, Rebecca had balked because the last time it had happened she'd been with Mikael. But, with some coaxing, she'd jumped through. There'd been no sensation of falling through, just her feet touching the ground a second later.

Then they'd been in front of the palace. From there everything had been a blur. Eventually they'd ended up in her room. Rebecca was still in shock.

A month—that's how long she'd been living here. And Rebecca still woke up every day, wishing she could walk into the kitchen and see her dad flipping pancakes in his impeccably dapper suit, her mother hovering nearby.

But, every day she woke up along. Then she had to remember that they were gone and she couldn't see them. The questions plagued her: had they known who she was when they'd adopted her? Were they working with Mikael? Did they miss her?

She hadn't asked anyone yet, too scared to hear that they'd never loved her and it had all been an act.

But what she didn't know was that she fought tears at night, missing them so badly. In this world, a world she had no one and yet she was supposedly the sovereign, she felt lost and afraid. Adam was the only familiar presence. If he left, she didn't know what she'd do.

So far, her time in the Light Fae realm had been pretty lacklustre. She now had a giant room to sleep in but it meant nothing. She felt so lost in all the exuberance, totally out of her depth.

But, Rebecca had been making an effort to rid her pessimistic side. She'd survived a life or death situation so she had to be grateful. It was easier said than done. But she trying.

In doing that, she'd tried to remember the good that had come out of it all. She had magic. She was royalty. She'd was still alive. Everything was new. No one knew he as the unwanted orphan who'd lucked out with one family. No one had to know she had scars from abuse as a child. She could be whoever she wanted and they'd be none the wiser.

That was the approach she was taking anyway. Especially in light of the fact that she was starting a new school. Optimism had become her middle name.

Throughout the month, she'd been cooped up, mostly by her own device and she'd yet to explore the realm she now ruled over.

So that's what she was doing now—Adam, of course, hovering beside her. The air whipped around her, nothing like the frigid ice it should've felt like considering the dark, cloudy sky. That said, it was scorching hot and Rebecca was boiling in the pair of jeans she'd been given.

They'd only just exited the gate that bordered off the palace from everything else—steel, brass bars that looked indestructible. The palace itself was breathtaking. Large, glass windows everywhere, lush gardens. The exterior was white and as clean as the day it would've been painted.

Absently, Rebecca kicked a rock on the ground. Security stared at her, something she'd gotten used to. There was always someone following her she noticed and no doubt it was under Ferro's orders. There was someone doing it right now, at a distance where he'd hear nothing.

"Are you starting school with me?" she asked Adam, looking around. "Are you technically a person? I mean, of course you are, but you're, you know . . . kind of dead."

He placed his hands in the pocket of his jeans, sharp eyes missing nothing. He always seemed alert, always anticipating a threat. "You can't offend me, Salvatée. And, I don't know. I'll be there, but not as student."

It was odd to consider that before Mikael he'd never have spoken to her and now they were having actual conversations. They'd long moved passed awkward and Rebecca was glad, considering he was around her at all times.

Rebecca jumped over a fallen tree branch. "So . . . are you a person?"

He nodded. "Yes. I was Fae before anything else."

Rebecca hadn't forgotten about that. He'd been working with Mikael, just another one of his soldiers. Now though, he was completely devoted to her. It was a mess but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary for Rebecca anymore.

"Salvatée, if you're worried, no one's going to hurt you—"

"Because you won't let them," Rebecca said with a quiet laugh. "I know."

He didn't say anything to that, so Rebecca filled the silence. "So, can everyone see you?"

"See me, Salvatée?" He sounded genuinely confused.

Considering Rebecca had no idea what she was asking, she doubted she'd be able to explain it. "You can disappear and then turn up again. Doesn't that mean you're invisible? That no one can see you?"

"I'm not invisible. Just going between worlds."

Rebecca could only frown. "Worlds?" The only worlds she knew of were this one—the Fae realm—and the human world. "You go back and live with humans?"

"No, Salvatée. When you don't see me, I'm straddling the world of life and death. Right now I'm living."

That made no sense to her. At all. "When are you dying?"

"Before you brought me back I was there. I can't go back." He paused. "And right now everyone can see me. When I'm in between worlds, they cannot, Salvatée. They feel a presence but they cannot identify what it is."

"What about me?"

When there was no response, Rebecca turned around. Her eyes widened when she saw Adam was gone.

Salvatée.

Rebecca whirled around, stifling a scream.

You do not need to worry, Salvatée.

"Adam," Rebecca whispered. "Where are you? I can hear you—in my head."

I'm in between worlds. No one can hear this, Salvatée.

"That doesn't explain why you're in my head."

It is how we communicate.

"Oh," she whispered. "Okay. Uh, you can come back now." Because it was beginning to freak her out—and whether or not it was hypocritical or not was debatable, considering she'd blowed up a country.

As you wish, Salvatée.

Once Adam was back standing next to her, Rebecca found her panic easing. Slightly.

God, she needed to read about what Adam truly was. Because she was clueless and she needed to make sense of it all. Good thing, there was a library she had access to.

After that, there was silence between them. Rebecca took note of everything going on. They'd walked down a path that only kept going down, like a giant hill. In the distance she could see a large gate, made of what looked to the thick steel. Rebecca could see some Fae—she was still getting used to that—walking back and forth.

"It's the wall that divides the palace from everything else."

She jumped at the sound of Adam's voice. "Huh?"

"The steel wall. What you're seeing. It's the dividing wall, Salvatée. Controlled by magic."

"Uh, isn't that, I don't know, overkill?" From a distance it looked to be as tall as most trees, if not taller.

"Overkill, Salvatée? It is the home of the Queen—there can never be too much security. No one gets in and out without background checks. If there's a threat it's taken out immediately. No risks are take. Anyone could make an attempt on your life."

Like you? The resort was on this tip of her tongue but she didn't vocalise it. Resenting Adam was pointless—he was her only ally at this point. He was loyal to her thanks to the bond between them. No alternative.

"Still . . . overkill," she muttered.

Adam just hummed noncommittally. "Salvatée, if you turn left you see over what you now rule."

Rebecca stopped. Looked to her left and found nothing. All she saw was patches of grass and trees. There was no path to work on. Curious she glanced behind her. In the distance she could see the gargantuan palace, stark white and surreal. It looked like something out of a Disney movie—lush gardens, giant pillars out the front.

"I don't see anything," she said. "Just grass. And more grass. And trees."

"Would you like to see?"

He sounded so formal—always so formal. It was unnerving, considering he was the boy that had offered her cigarettes.

"Yeah." She gestured her arm out, in a grand gesture, trying to seem sarcastic . . . or something. Anything to sound like she wasn't nervous and lost. "Lead the way."

Adam dipped his head, as if he'd just been given a serious responsibility. Then he started to walk to the left. Rebecca followed suit, trying not to trip over the long, white, silk dress they'd given her. A ridiculous choice if you asked her, but she hadn't argued, just wanting to get out and explore so she could try to make sense of it all.

She'd passed through so many trees, Rebecca didn't even pay attention when Adam stopped. In retrospect, she really should've. Because they were right in front of a cliff—standing right near the edge of it.

"Trying to make me fall down a cliff?" she muttered, though she was unsure whether or not either of them were supposed to laugh.

For Adam, it was clearly the latter. "Never. Salvatée." The fierceness in his voice was unnerving.

"Okay," Rebecca whispered. "Where are we?"

The question was nothing short of redundant, because a second later, Rebecca was finding it out herself. Taking it all in was hard to do at first. There was so much to see.

She took it step by step.

They were still on the grass, and it was still just as soft. The sky was still blue—which had been disappointing at first to see. Behind them, there was a line of trees, blocking her view. Standing next to one of the trees, sharp eyes scanning around was the Fae Ferro had sent to watch her.

Behind her wasn't very exciting to see. In front, however? That had Rebecca's jaw going slack.

They stood near the edge of a cliff, where it went straight down. For hundreds of metres. Just a steep drop. Considering her fear of heights, Rebecca backed away instinctively, rubbing her suddenly clammy palms on the dress.

Last time she'd jumped down a black hole with Mikael, it had ultimately led to her demise. And that wasn't even when heights came into it.

"Are we jumping?' she whispered, grateful to be on flat ground. She was only a few metres from the edge. One misstep and she was going on a downward spiral. "If we are, I'll watch you."

"No, Salvatée. Come and sit at the edge."

She shook her head. "No. If I fall . . ."

"You will not fall. I will not let you."

Sometimes he sounded like a concerned boyfriend. So much so it was unnerving. "No."

"Do you not wish to see what you now rule over?"

When he said it like that, her curiosity was piqued. "What?"

"At the bottom of the cliff is what you rule."

Don't do it. Sitting at the edge of the cliff is the worst thing you could do.

Except, before she knew what she was doing, Rebecca was walking over to where Adam sat. Legs dangling the edge of the cliff, as if he didn't have a care for falling off.

"What if I fall?" she whispered, feeling her legs begin to shake.

"Lie on your stomach, Salvatée."

She couldn't back out now—not when she hadn't seen what was at the bottom. So, it was with shaking hands that she knelt down, and moved until she was lying on her stomach. The dress was getting dirty but she didn't care. She was too busy freaking out, considering her head was hanging off the edge of a cliff.

She was an idiot for doing this. After all, curiosity had killed the cat—in her case it would be the Faerie.

"If I fall you can catch me, right?"

"You can dematerialise, Salvatée."

Dematerialising, she'd found out was what it was actually called—moving your body from one area to another. She'd called it teleporting, but it wasn't the case. "I'll be too busy screaming," she muttered. "And freaking out."

Adam had nothing to say to that.

Rebecca sighed. He was right. Last time she'd dematerialised, she'd been between a wall of fire and a soldier with murderous intentions. In a panic, she'd done it, without even realising it. It could happen again.

Despite the pep talk, she couldn't open her eyes. "Is the cliff a security thing?" she said to distract herself.

"Yes, Salvatée. Climbing it is impossible—it's barricaded with magic."

Overkill. Honestly.

And she was putting it off.

Heart racing, Rebecca opened her eyes. Her breath left her in a rush. At the bottom of the cliff, there was a giant lake. She didn't have to ask to know it was for security.

Beyond the lake, there was nothing but building and houses. Thousands of them, spanning for hundreds of kilometres. A city.

And in the distance, there was more of it. And it just kept going.

"I rule over this?" she whispered dumbly, voice thin as a wire.

"Yes. All of it."

"Oh," was all she could whisper.

This was all crazy. And she was seeing the proof of it all, as she rested halfway off a cliff.

Rebecca stared down, watching people walk around—little, minute figures that were barely there—for what felt like hours. The whole time her mind was blank, as the absurdity of it all threatened to crush her.

*

"Your Grace, it's getting late."

Rebecca blinked, glancing down at the bottom of the cliff. It was much darker than before, the sky almost black. Then she turned, acknowledging the Fae that had been following them the whole time. He wore a black, tight fitting shirt with matching pants. On his chest, was a holster and Rebecca could see a dagger at his waist.

That was something she purposely ignored. And had missed it before, caught up by the sight of the sudden responsibly resting on her shoulders.

Reluctantly, she stood. "Guess I have to go back then. Go to sleep and then go to school." Her voice was bitter.

"You don't have to go," Adam repeated once more. "You're the Queen—"

Rebecca just sighed. "I know. But I'm going."

Andshe was going to be optimistic about it—because surely it would be better thanher old one.