Voices swirled above her. Her head felt heavy, her body tense. Something had changed. She could feel it deep her bones, in the center of her heart. Another rhythm pulsed in accordance with her own, and she reeled at the realization.

You have tied him, the eerie voice flitted through her. He is yours now.

Tied him? Who had she bound? What had she done?

Images jumbled around in her head, and she worked to sort them out, remembering a strange weathered boy attacking her in a cave. He had been aggravated with her. Her mere presence seemed to cause him great frustration and she struggled to think of why, to remember after that point, but she came up with nothing.

Focusing on the strange heading over her, she saw a sky of dark stone. It was a deep red, flecks and swirls of black worked their way into the tone. She squinted to see past the hazy edges, to sense more, and she gasped as she felt hands around her, holding her gingerly.

She jolted to her feet and stumbled on her solid legs. Her frantic eyes casted on the same boy from the cave, but beyond him stood three other people like him; all with eyes of coal and glassy skin. They were all older than him, and the woman closest was the most intimidating. Power radiated from her in waves, causing her to shudder. Her dark hair was pulled into a tight knot with loose fly-aways. She was flanked by two older men; one with hair that matched the night sky, dark and devoid of any color, whiles the others was a deep brown that reminded her of the muddy stream. The one with darker hair was tall and warily thin, his brows scrunched in angst. The one with muddy hair had kinder, gentler eyes. He didn't scrutinize her as heatedly and stood shorter and more muscled.

The woman stepped closer to her, her hand outstretching and she lurched back as she felt the humming swell inside of the woman.

"Stop," she yelled out to the woman. "Don't do it." She raised her own arms, not quite sure what she meant to do or what she was even capable of.

The woman's eyes narrowed. She was skeptical, but let her hand fall back to her side.
"My name is Raygen, Elder Raygen, but you will not address me as such. It is simply Raygen to you." She glanced back at the boy who sat on a slate of marble and that back to the girl. "We want to know what your intentions are, and what you have done to our boy."

She frowned at the woman. "What?"

"Stop feigning ignorance, child," Raygen ordered. "Do you see the boy over there? The one who brought you to safety? You have bewitched him. I want to know how and why."

"I do not understand what you mean," she whispered, eyes falling onto the boy. His bronze hair was scruffy now and his eyes were glazed. His gaze never left her, and the intensity at which he watched her made her shiver. She felt a twinge in her heart, became aware of the deafening beat the echoed from him and to her and began to understand. He was who the voice had meant. Somehow she had bound him to her, and for what reason she could not recall.

She looked back to Raygen. "I don't know how I bound him to me. The last thing I remember is our encounter in the cave." She looked around the dark building, constructed out of the same stone of the caves. "Are we still in the cave?"

"Yes," Raygen hissed. "You were luckily brought to our home, Community. We are the last of our kind. The topic of interest here is not about us, but about you. Who and what are you? Why have you come here?"

She frowned, mystification pounding through her mind. "I do not know who I am. I simply remember waking up in a forest, wandering through that horrible world and ending up in the cave. Something drew me to it, and when I was inside of it I encountered him." She pointed to the dazed and disoriented boy.

Muddy-haired man spoke. "You have no memory before the forest? You have no home, no people?"

She thought for a moment, scanning her thoughts. "No, not that I can remember. It was just me until he found me." She looked to the boy again, troubled. "Have I hurt him? Why is he so unsettled?"

"He is enthralled by you. He cannot think or see clearly until you free him," the man answered.

"How do I do that?"

"Command him," Raygen responded.

She looked from the strange people to the boy. Hesitantly, she approached. Her hands instinctually stretched to cup his face, and his eyes seared hers as they met. She let her eyes fall closed and listened to his heart, to the thrumming inside him. "I free you," she murmured softly and opened her eyes to see him frowning, eyes blinking furiously as he emerged from a daze.

He hissed and jerked back from her, scampering to the other side of the slab and glaring at her. His scowl was lace with venom and displeasure. She felt his fury accumulate and his detest for her run rampant.

She grimaced at him. She would be mad at herself too if someone had violated her mind as she had his. He didn't want to be latched to her, yet she had forced him. "I'm sorry," she said.

He sneered at her. "I do not want your apologies. Undo it."

Her heart fell. "I cannot. I don't know how."

"You seemed capable of it when you reached out to me. You were in my head, in my thoughts. Only someone with much power and experience can do such a thing."

"I don't remember how I did it." Her voice cracked. She turned to the three who seemed to be in charge. "How do I sever it?"

"We do not know," Raygen disparaged. "Your magyk is foreign to us. Only the one who formed the connection can sever it." She peered at the two of them, her lips quirking down. "If you know nothing else, what is your name?"

She fumbled for the word, felt it somewhere in her mind, tugging at her.

Her name? What had she been called? What had they—

"Acacia," the boy answered. "She told me her name was Acacia when she bound me."

Raygen glared at her. "You claim you do not know what happened, yet you were very aware when the events took place and unconscious too. How is that?"

Acacia struggled for words. She struggled for sense, for meaning.

It was the muddy-haired man who found sense for her. "I am Edmund," he addressed her. "Sometimes people are not aware of their potential, and they allow it to lash out irresponsibly. I believe this may be the case with you. Your subconscious knows much more than you do, and I do not know if that was your doing in the past, or someone else's. Either way, you are a threat to us and Community."

"Then it is settled," the thin man declared, "we kill her."

Raygen looked at him incredulously while horror filled Acacia. "Have you lost all sense, Amit? She is tied to the boy. If we end her, he will die too. We cannot kill one of your own. That is one of our most sacred vows."

Amit glared at the girl, disgust written across his features. "What are we to do with her then? We can't simply let her roam around free, knowing where we live and who we are."

"No, we can't," Raygen agreed. "But we can keep her under lock and key. We can monitor and restrict her. Then she will not be an issue."

"We must learn of her nature," Edmund amended. "She is a danger to not just us, but to herself until we all become aware of what she is capable is."

Raygen shot daggers at the girl. "What of the boy?"

"He is not to be blamed for what has been done. He did the best he could for the situation. It is not his fault that he has fallen prey to her." Edmund declared.

Guilt swelled within Acacia as she looked at him. She remained compliant with these people, allowing them to decide her future for the time being. She was thankful to have discovered other life forms, and understood their skepticism. They had to be survivors from whatever doom had taken place, and it made sense that their nature would've grown jaded. It took pieces from people for them to be able to come out from the horrors she had only glanced at above.

It would be easier on them for her to obey, and it was only temporary. It would last until the events had become clearer to all of them, and she knew they would be the key to her finding answers, to her understanding what had happened to her and the world.

"We cannot keep them separated," Raygen sighed. "Who knows what ramifications it would cause. They are to be kept in the main house, under the supervision of one of us at all times. Tests will be carried out over time to learn more of her. Agreed?"

The others conceded.

The two men strode out of the structure, vehemently conversing with the other in hushed voices. Raygen studied them as they left, and then focused her attention on the task left at hand.

"Come with me." She turned her back to them and left after the men.

The boy followed her immediately, casting a glance back at Acacia before she trailed after them. She took note of the rows of pews at the back of the room. They were lined before three great thrones, and she assumed those were the positions that the three leaders, or elders as Raygen had call her herself, took. She looked at the flickering torches perched habitually throughout the building. One the stone walls were faint but visible etches of a pit, bodies falling into it. She frowned at the frightening images as she passed them, trying to make sense of the strange markings and stories they seemed to tell.

"Elder Raygen, am I still on patrol?" The boy wondered.

"Not for the time being. I cannot let you separate yourself from the girl until we understand the effects of the bond. If it proves that you can be safely distanced from each other, then we may allow you to resume your duties." She responded swiftly.

Acacia watched the boy's expression grow dark and violent. He flashed a look of pure fury, packed to punch at her. She flinched and looked from him. She had cost him his position and tied him. She deserved his scorn.

They fell silent and Acacia studied the details of the shelter they wandered out into. It was perched within the cavern. White flames were settled on each of the stone buildings, casting light into the shadowy cave. The marble path of which they walked over was black, smooth and cold. There were no cracks in its surface or scratches to be found. The smaller buildings that appeared to be dwellings were perched on either side of them. They were perfectly cut cubes, no windows or openings on their walls except for the arc of a door at their fronts. A stream of water rushed past them on the outer edges of the settlement. It seemed to circle around the building, and meet in an open circle at the center of the sanctuary, for the buildings ceased in the heart of their settlement. The street opened up to a ring of water circling a large building, the largest she was yet to see. It loomed over the others, two stories of dark, garnet stone. It held one single window at the very top, and a large arched door at the bottom. The water skirted around it, glistening under the dim light of the torches that were perched on either side of the entryway.

Raygen strode straight into the building, the boy flanking her. Acacia paused for a moment before following suit. She trailed after them through winding halls that were pith black, and others illuminated with the strange white flames. Rooms were spaced sporadically throughout the halls, solid steel doors separating them from the outside. It felt more like a prison than a house.

Acacia shivered at the chill that sat in the building. It reminded her of the cold from the dust that had fallen from the sky, of the unforgiving frigid woods. The world lacked all sense of warmth, even the fires. There was no light, except for the mock ones of their own that they created.

Raygen stopped before another steel room. "This will be your quarters. There are two conjoined rooms that should have your necessary accommodations. One of us will come in the morning for you two."

The door burst open by itself. The boy stalked inside and Acacia looked to Raygen before entering.

"You will be safe here. We will not harm you, so long as you do not give us reason to." She answered Acacia's silent question.

Acacia nodded and wandered in, the door slamming behind her. Her eyes adjusted to the dimmer entryway she had entered. It was plain and made of stone, just as everything else. It felt cramp and chilly as she forced herself to move forward, coming up to a dead end rather quickly. On either side of her was an archway, opening up to two separate rooms that were almost identical. She could make out a cot and bookshelf in the one to the left, as it was easier to peer into with the light pouring out. The other was darker, and she found herself gravitated to the light of the left room.

She entered it to find the sulking boy, white flames sparking out from his hands, and twirling in the air. The flames and extra bright vanished as he looked up to her. "Your room is the other way. I suggest you go to it."

She frowned at him. They way his lips curled, and his dark red hair fell over his face. It was long compared to Amit and Edmund's, reaching down to the nape of his neck. His eyes were sharp and inky. He perched himself on the cot, lazily leaning against the wall, his leg bent. "Do I have to speak slower for you to understand?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I am not dense, so stop treating me as such. I am sorry for this situation, and the burden I must be placing on you, but please bare with me. I never intended for this to happen, and it would be helpful if you could explain some things for me."

His gaze remained steely. "I owe you nothing."

"That is true, but I think it would be easier to tolerate each other without the hostility. Perhaps an introduction would help." She offered him a gentle smile. "My name is Acacia. I do not yet know yours."

He shook his head. "You are a bizarre creature, but if it will get you to leave me alone sooner, then I will humor you. I have been called many things, but the first name I was given was Alias."