"I want to go home." I mutter, my finger pressed against my lips.

Oliver leans down and tilts his head. "What's the matter?"

"It's too much." I tell him and the group that are all looking back at me where I've fallen behind on the way into this crazy big building. "I'm not cut out for this, and I want to go back."

Oliver looks back at the others and then to me. "It's not too much." He whispers. "You're just afraid."

"Yell, yeah." I nod hard, obviously I am. Trying to be tough got left back in Utopia.

Left back in Utopia.

Like everything else.

Security, no matter how small, my home, no matter how dirty, and my friends. I left it all behind to follow a group of strangers. I kind of still thought maybe this was all a big joke or something right up until the moment when I opened my eyes and I was just here.

Oliver is wrong about it not being too much. It's more than that. I can't even give names to the things I see, or know how to react to things that I come into contact with. It's otherworldly, because it is...another world.

I opened my eyes with a brilliant dark sky over head that didn't look quite so different from the one I looked up at in the Ring. There were more stars, and their greatest star, which they call a moon, lit the whole scene around me. Where the Ring was flat and covered with dirt, Earth is so hilly and covered in colors, even at night. Trees grow up all around and in places become so thick overhead that you can only see little snippets of the sky above us. The ground is spongy and wet under my feet and shows brilliant green in the light of the moon and stars. Walls of rock covered in moss, water that runs a crystal clear color along the path, fish that are yellow and red and green, things flying in the air and perching up high in the branches to look down at us, seeming to ask 'who?' over and over.

And now this?

We had appeared behind a wall of water that seemed to just fall from the sky and came out from behind this 'waterfall' to walk along a narrow rock path until we entered what they say is the 'jungle'. The jungle seemed alive all around. It was so noisy out there, but then we came to a huge building out in the middle of it all, seeming out of place even to me.

A giant fortress of metal with tons of windows and one big door at the front that other people bustling in and out of it as it were normal. Because for here, it is normal, but not for me.

Tawny would lose her mind if she saw this.

"Mali, what are you talking about?" She'd asked when I found her in the wallow and tried poorly to explain that I was leaving.

"I don't have long, but I was kind of right about Oliver. He isn't a Worthy, but he isn't from here either. And there are more of them. If I go with them they'll pay to take care of you and the others, plus Mr. Mags. So I have to go."

She'd shaken me by the shoulders like she could shake the truth out. "What others? Are you in some kind of trouble? You can tell me and we will figure a way out of it. Just like always."

That had made me tear up, just like it does remembering it. "I promise, I'm not in trouble. At least, I don't think so. And it's a chance I've got to take if it means I can take care of you all."

"No, Mali, you can't do whatever you're thinking." She held onto my hands tightly. "We've always made due before and we can continue to do that."

"That was before, Tawny. The fighting pits are over now, anyone caught trying to fight will be executed for everyone to see. I've got no other choice for how to help out around here and we both know if I stay I'll get into trouble for fighting sooner or later. This way I can keep my own neck safe and put food in your stomach at the same time." I'd tried to reason with her with the truth because I knew it was the only thing likely to convince her. "Plus, I want to go with them. They say they can take me out of here, Tawn. To a place that is so different from here. I've got to at least see it."

She'd looked me over seriously, keeping a firm hold on my hand but she sighed, biting the inside of her lip. "I still don't understand it." She hugged me to her. "But if you're sure it's what you want..."

"Thank you for trying, Tawny." I hugged her back.

I'd made quick goodbyes to the little children and then Tawny and I rushed to the market place where Opall was waiting for me with the coins. I made sure Tawny tucked them away safely and explained to her what to do with it, then Opall urged that we'd better hurry, cautiously watching the sky.

"Thank you." I'd told her, squeezing her hand for the last time. "You're the reason I'm even still alive, and you've been family to me."

"What am supposed to do without you?" She wiped a tear from her cheek.

I tried to smile and act tough for her because that's what she needed. "You'll be cleaning up way less messes without me."

"That's true." She laughed. "But I'm still going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too. All the time."

Tawny and I try hard not to be the mushy types, so we left it at that.

I'd dropped her hand and she watched me go with Opall until we were both out of sight to each other.

I'd told the truth.

I've only been here a few 'hours' according to the others, but it's felt like a lifetime since I said goodbye to my only real friend. Maybe I'd rushed into coming here. Do I even really know what I've gotten myself into?

"Hey," Oliver put a hand on my shoulder and I nearly ripped it off and broke his hand before I realized it was him and got my head back in the present. "I've been right where you are before, and it's hard at first, but it gets easier. You've taken the first step, now follow through."

He doesn't wait to see if his version of a peptalk has worked or not, he just goes on to join the others up ahead where they wait near the large entrance door to the building.

I stall for as long as I feel like I really can.

It's now or never.

And I did already promise myself to see this through, and Tawny already saw me off on this adventure, so I guess it would be weak of me to come running back after only a little while away from home. And I'm tougher than that.

"Coming, newbie?" Maxum waves me over with a big arm while Tonyedda frowns at him disapprovingly.

A group of others have gathered around the entrance and my group as well.

Lots of people watching me to see what I'll chose.

Temptation to go back is strong, but not as strong as my determination.

I hold my head high and walk right through the door, wishing as soon as I was in that I'd decided to run away instead.

"Welcome to bootcamp Newbs!"

I slam into a line of other equally shocked looking people right inside the door and someone put their hands on the tops of my shoulder to direct me into the line but I twist, planting a solid fist right into the soft center of an older boy's stomach, making him double over.

"Alright, I like it." He coughs, trying to get air back into him. "You'll be fun."

"Back off." I snap, but he just drops his smile and frowns at the blue necklace around my neck.

"Awh, come on, a peace maker?" He sighs, scuffling off to the other end of the line.

"That's what I said." I mumble under my breath to no one in particular, though there are plenty of people to choose from.

Just inside the door is a large room in the shape of a semi-circle with a dozen doors leading off to other places. The doors have signs above them boasting words like Mess hall, Dormitories, Training, Recreation, Advising, and other things I can only imagine the meaning behind. I glance up quickly and see the ceiling is high and painted bright white with seven different sized swirls of colors.

"They represent the realms." Opall tells me, cautiously taking my arm to lead me to the line of scared peopled.

"What am I doing?" I ask her, but my answer comes from the man standing out in the front of the line. His dressed in head to toe black, and he stand straight as a rod with his hands behind his back and feet slightly separated beneath him.

"What you're doing is falling in line, Newb!" He shouts unnecessarily. "I want a straight line, heads up, back's straight, eyes forward! And don't any of you try to get cute and use any special abilities on me. The Hub is protected against it, not that it would work against me anyway." He pats the red stone on his hand. "Some of you may know already, others may not be as enlightened as others, but these stones serve as a layer of supernatural protection between you and the inhabitants of the seventh realm. You will be taught how to effectively use the stones to guard yourself, but until then some of you are still susceptible of being injured or killed by another Newb, so for the next six weeks while we train, we will remain inside of The Hub to be sure everyone is safe."

The tall thin boy standing to my left raises a hand into the air. "Um, what exactly is The Hub?" He asks, purple eyes scanning all around the room.

Power Trip Guy in the front puffs out his cheeks as he yells. "Did I say the floor was open for questions, Newb? No? Then shut your damn mouths." He shakes his head. "Now, first order of business, you filthy things need baths. After that, you will all report to the auditorium for a rundown of how things will work around here and how you fit into it. You'll receive room assignments, schedules, and then break for meals and rest. First thing in the morning, we get started."

"Started what?" The guy next to me blurts again.

I wait for the yelling guy to turn red, but he only covers his face with his hand calmly, which is almost worse. "Did I ask for questions?" He mutters.

"Sorry, slow learner here, but um, yeah, what are we doing exactly?" The boy smiles and I want to laugh but think better of it.

"WHAT WE ARE DOING EXACTLY IS LEARNING TO LISTEN!" The man's pale face actually does turn a shade of red and I'm pleased by it. "Team leaders, get your Newbs to the baths and for the love of all of the Gods, someone get that boy out of my face before I kick him out myself!"

The strict line breaks off as each person goes to the group they must have come with.

"Sorry about that." Tonyedda smiles guiltily when she comes to my side.

"What was that?" I ask, still in a daze.

Opall, Oliver, and Maxum break off to join us too. "That was Serg." Oliver shrugs. "He takes his job seriously."

I huff at the understatement. "No kidding." I nod. "That job being what exactly?"

Tonyedda grins widely down at me. "His job is to get everyone here ready to become a part of their Custode groups. Boot camp will do that for you, and he's in charge of bootcamp."

"What is bootcamp?" I shrug my shoulders.

"Six weeks of intense all day rigorous training with lessons and small meals thrown in here and there." Maxum crosses his thick arms over his chest and winks. "Serg is a beast, but I think you'll love him."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like much fun." I admit, looking back at the others who are still loitering around looking terrified.

"I want to leave." A small girl says.

The man in front of her shakes his head. "You can't." He tells her. "You've got to complete the six weeks of bootcamp first and then at the end you can chose to take the pledge of the Custodes or get a memory swipe and go back home."

I raise my eyebrows after hearing this and turn back to my group with my arms crossed and my chin pointed at them. "What is he talking about?" I demand and Tonyedda takes a deep breath, ready to explain, but Maxum beats her to it.

"What? Like you would have come with us if we told you all of that?" He points out.

I can't help but smile at his honesty. "I guess that's true."

"Honestly, Malikah, you'll enjoy it." Opall nods.

Maxum elbows me in the shoulder and laughs. "Yeah, the fight training is the best part, you'll be the supreme Newb this class." He nods proudly. "Then the other classes are fun because you get to learn all about the different realms and then an intense study into this realm. It sounds like a lot when you call it bootcamp, but it'll fly by and a girl like you will enjoy it all."

"A girl like me?" I ask defensively, but he laughs and pats the top of my head.

"A little bad ass." He winks and laughs like I should have a clue what that even means.