Graser's P.O.V

As I trudged through the forest with a handful of sticks, I felt a strange tugging. Like a fishing line was pulling me out of the sea. I was a fish. Glub glub. 

Anyway, I found myself staring in the direction I was drawn to. 

"Your purpose isn't on Earth. Your fate lies somewhere else."

Somewhere else... I looked to my older brothers. "Guys... I hear something weird," I whispered.

"What do you hear?" Liam asked.

"It says that my fate lies somewhere else."

"Your fate is pizza."

"It could be pizza on another planet."

"What, so you're not even meant to be on Earth?"

"No... do I follow the voice?"

"What?! No! Are you stupid?! You'll get yourself killed!"

Joel stopped the group. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Graser hears a voice," Will quickly started explaining, "and it's apparently saying his fate isn't on Earth and now Graser wants to follow it to another planet!"

The light Stacy was giving off flickered. Joey and Meghan supported her as she stumbled. Oli and Joel glanced at each other. "We'll talk about it on the way back. Come on," Joel said.

"Everyone's been hearing voices, Graser," Oli said. "It's something messing with us, that's obvious enough. Probably the EAPE."

"I hate that place..." Joey whispered.

"Don't listen to the voice. Whatever you do, you must block. It. Out."

But I couldn't. It started getting louder now, deafening. 

"You don't belong here."

"You don't belong here!"

"YOU DON'T BELONG HERE!"

"LISTEN TO ME! THIS PORTAL WILL TAKE YOU WHERE YOU NEED TO BE!"

"YOU WILL HAVE EVERYTHING YOU COULD EVER WANT!!"

I grabbed onto Liam, who didn't flinch as I dug my nails into his arm with a fear of letting go. "It's screaming!" I whimpered.

Joel sighed and looked ahead. "Liam, don't let him let go of you," he ordered. "We're nearly there."

"And not a... m-moment t...." Stacy whispered.

We appeared at the campsite, which was being lit by the one Life ability Shelby had left. She sat by a hole surrounded with rocks, and she looked quite peaceful. She saw us appear, and saw Stacy struggling. "You can let go now, Stacy," Shelby said.

The place went slightly dimmer. Joel dropped the arms-ful of sticks he carried into the hole. Will took my sticks I'd managed to not drop and gave them to Jack, who, with quite a bit of struggle, managed to light a fire. Shelby stopped glowing.

"We have Graser hearing voices too," Joel informed the present group. "The EAPE has to be behind this."

Shelby froze, before looking straight into the blinding fire with a shaky sigh. She didn't blink or move her gaze as she said, "No, I don't agree with you. It's her. We're calling her Her because no name deserves to be burdened with being bestowed upon Her."

"But the poor pronoun..." Elise frowned.

"You're right. We'll call her Void. It represents the void, the hole, where her heart should be."

"I want to follow the voice!" I exclaimed. "It's screaming at me! I have to listen to it!"

Shelby snapped her head over to look directly at me. "No. Don't you dare," she hissed. "It wants you dead." She looked away again. "She'll take you guys first. I'll be even weaker with no friends." She looked up at the dimly lit night sky. "Then she'll take the opportunity to snatch my body. Maybe she'll just take my power and leave me to die." Shelby sniffled. "With that power, she can do a lot of things. There's a lot I don't know how to do with my power. With this magic in the wrong hands, it's even stronger than it is now. And once Void manages to explore the power to its fullest extent, she's very likely to have the strength of a god. It all starts with a voice."

Her whole speech thingy went in one ear and out the other. I was going to follow that voice. Even if it was the last thing I did.

I sat as the only one awake in the huge tent I shared with Will, Liam, Scott and Joey. I heard the voice. I couldn't quite decipher what it was saying, but it was saying something important. I glanced around at my friends and brothers, fast asleep. Slowly, I stood, but then I heard a quiet, "What are you doing, Graser?!"

Liam was staring right at me. I didn't reply, instead slowly unzipping the tent and crawling out. "Oi, don't go on your own!" Liam snapped quietly, following me out.

I glanced back into the tent. "What about Will?" I asked.

Liam looked at me, then back at Will. "He'll be okay. We'll be back by morning, right?"

"I mean, probably. Let's go!"

The woods were dark and scary. I could hear every little noise. But above all was the voice.

"Good boy, Graser."

"You're doing what's right."

I led a very protective Liam around tree roots with only a small torch to guide us. We stayed close together, ready to fight if we had to.

The torch was dim, but it was the best we had. My eyes were blurry from tiredness. That's why I didn't see the hole that I pulled Liam into.