"Are we really doing this?"

His hand tightens around mine, our shoulders touching, the heat from his body furthering my heightened sense of awareness.

"We are doing this." He smiles, and I feel safe, I feel excited, I feel ready. Ready to take on the realms, ready to just one more time go against the Gods. If I think on it, I've been punished by them in the Ring for too many years for something that wasn't my fault.

The Gods owed me this one.

One good night that would make my life and carry me through all the many years to come of being in The Hub, only venturing when the odd vampire fights the random wolf or however it goes.

"My whole body is tingling." I laugh, giddy for the first time in my existence.

Oliver chuckles at my side. "I know what you mean," he says. "the first time I ever did this, my whole body, mind, soul, the lot of it was humming. There's just something about doing a thing you know you shouldn't do, but that you want so bad." He turns to me, his auburn hair falling into his crystal blue eyes, and takes my other hand in his. We both look down between us at our interlocked hands. "It's the adrenaline."

"The what?"

His laugh makes me smile. "I'll explain it to you later." He shakes his head and I at least take pleasure in knowing that one day, I won't be the Newb anymore. One day another Newb will come and I'll be the one who knows things and explains it all. For now I can handle being the one with all the questions. Especially if getting the answers is always this fun.

I peel my eyes from his face and look back down at our hands. "That's it?" I ask, inclining my chin to the large copper ring on his thumb. It's about two sizes too big and made of a twisted metal carved with beats and decorated by seven small gemstones in its center.

"Yes," He nods as I brush my thumb over the cool metal. "one of the original talismans gifted to the Custodes from the Gods themselves. It was lost centuries ago, but I found it."

My eyes widen on their own. I guess I'd just assumed he'd stolen it. Did it make it feel less outlawed now that I knew he didn't? Maybe, but it didn't change much regardless. "Found it where?" I ask, still enthralled with it. The pull to it is almost as strong as the one I felt to my own necklace, but only slightly weaker.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He says softly. "I was one of the unlucky few last year who got stuck with cleaning duties in the old quarters, spiffing up for new recreations to be built down there. I was digging around in the back of one of the rooms and found it hidden under a loose stone in the floor."

I find it hard to picture Oliver down on his hands and knees cleaning like a regular slave, but the strange ring distracts my mind away from that. "Did you know what it was?"

"No." He lets go of one of my hands and turns it around his thumb, examining it. "I just thought it looked cool at the time, but then when we went out for our next recruiting mission, I noticed Tonyedda had one when we traveled. I hid mine after that, and watched more carefully what she did the next time." I jump a little when he reaches between us and pulls my jacket up tighter around my shoulders. Oliver had found us clothes that wouldn't stand out as badly in other realms, but we were still loaded down with the heavy jackets that went with our Hub uniforms. "That night when we got back I took it to my room and did everything the same way I'd watched Tonyedda do it. It didn't work the first time, but the second...It was the most amazing thing."

"I'm scared." I admit, shivering into the layers of clothing

He nods quickly. "I was too." He assures me, then squeezes my arm. "Hey, Mal?"

"Yeah?"

The corners of his full lips pull outward and up into a slow shy smile. "I'm really glad you decided to come." He says, staring at me with intensity. "You have no reason to, but you're trusting me anyway, and that means a lot to me."

I swallow hard.

Five hours ago I'd been unsure.

When he stopped me in the hall, practically begging me, I didn't know what to do at all. I knew how badly I wanted to say yes, and I knew how badly I wanted to get away from the Hub and the sadness that's looming here after the death of Iris and Courtlyn, but I still had that voice in my head.

The one screaming at me to say no. To turn and walk away, stay out of trouble, ignore people who bring it about, and do right by myself. That voice was there, but so was my heart. My heart screamed louder in the end. My heart just couldn't say no.

Even now the voice yells, but my heart beats louder.

"I'm glad too." I was.

Oliver shifts in the small space of the tiny closet we are hiding in in one of the old hallways that no one ever uses anymore. Above us, the single lightbulb that hangs from the ceiling dangles, casting Oliver and I in a warm orange glow. "Last chance." He says softly, the lines of his face set and his jaw tight. "Last chance to change your mind and walk out that door."

My eyes do shift there, to the outline of the door and the bright light of the hall slipping beneath it. I could call it all off right now. I could, like he said, turn and walk out, pretending this momentary lapse in my usually pretty sound judgement never happened. I could, and that's how I know for sure this is what I want. The option to go is right there, and I'm full hearted deciding to stay.

"I'm not backing out."

"I knew you wouldn't, I just wanted to make sure you knew you had the option." He looks down at the ring. "Put your hands over the top of mine." He says, laying one of his palms flat over the ring on the other hand and I mirror his actions. "Whatever you do, don't move your hands." He warns and I feel a shiver run up my spine. "This is it, Mali, where to?"

I let my eyes flutter shut, glazing over with images from all of the places I want to go. As many wondrous things that pop up, they all get eclipsed by someone else.

"Oliver?"

"Yeah?"

I keep my eyes shut, not wanting to see the look on his face. "Would it be insane if I decided I just want to visit home?"

"Of all the places you can go right now?" I hear the surprise in his voice. When I'd mentioned coming back to the Ring before he'd probably thought I was joking. "Why?"

Her face forms in my mind, her kind shocking eyes, her easy smile, the soothing whisper of her voice that used to lull me to sleep when I was a child. "My friend, I miss her. I want to see her and make sure she's alright."

"I don't know that it's the best idea." He sighs. "I mean, letting people see you that you know? That could make the leaving even harder if you keep reappearing. Then they spend their lives waiting on the next time you'll come back. If it's really what you want we can do it, but you should really think about it."

I hated to admit it, like really hated it, but he was right. I didn't know how often we'd be able to do this, or if this would be the only time. I'd told Tawny I wouldn't see her again and showing back up was only going to confuse her and probably me too. I need to close the door on my past, and embrace my future, but it was hard.

"What if..." I start, looking up at him. "What if we just go there, but we're careful no one sees us? I just want to be sure they're taken care of."

Oliver stills for a moment, but after a few long painful seconds, he nods. "I don't think it's the best idea, but ok, we will go there first to be sure she's alright." He smiles and the fluttering feeling in my stomach begins. "Close your eyes." He whispers and the second my lids meet, I feel it.

That awful, just got shoved out of nowhere, and now I'm falling down down down feeling. Then with a jerk, I open my eyes again.

Home.

Oliver really did bring me home. As bad as I don't want to, tears form in my eyes, reminding me that I'm still capable of such a thing.

"Thank you," I whisper, wiping my eyes.

"Hey," he stoops down before me, getting eye level with me. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

It's a simple word and it's true. Nothing right now could be wrong, because I'm here. I'm in the Ring, the place so many fight and die desperate to get away from, I'm brought to tears of joy to be able to return.

Nothing has changed.

I'm immediately hit with the smell of rotting fish and unwashed bodies, and all the colors I'd grown accustomed to in my short time at the Hub were erased. Brown was everywhere as far as my eyes could see. In the distance I can hear the familiar bustle of the market place, in full swing at this time here. The sun, stifling hot and unbearably bright brings out an instant sheen of sweat on my face and neck.

I nearly break off in a run towards the market when Oliver jerks me back by the elbow. "Woah, we have to be careful." He reminds me and I feel silly that I'd forgotten so easily.

"Got excited." I shrug and he laughs.

"Let's lose the jackets-." He starts, but I remember the first time I saw him and how I thought he was a Worthy.

"-Actually, we need to lose all of this." I cut him off, stripping out of my jackets, and most of my layers until I was down to a tan shift top and my pants. Slowly, I knelt and removed my shoes and socks, relishing in the feel of the hot smooth dirt between my toes. "If we want to blend," I whisper, rubbing my hands over the dirt too, mesmerized by how badly I wanted out of it only to want back in.

You can take the dirt dweller out of the dirt, but not the dirt out of the girl I guess.

"Good idea." Oliver strips down too, losing his shirt, rolling up his pants and even smearing some dirt across one of his perfect cheekbones. "Now?" He asks, doing a slow spin in front of me.

"You look like a regular." I lie, because there isn't much you could do to Oliver to make him look like he belongs somewhere like this.

I wave him forward, the two of us staying close together as we skirt the backsides of the small makeshift buildings until we are behind the old trading station where I used to make my coins fighting every sun cycle. The pits are still there, but none of the people. Fighty is dead and gone, and for no reason. He mentored me and grew me into the fighter I am now, and all he got out of it was a public execution. It wasn't right.

I couldn't stay there long, the memories of the past too potent in this once sacred spot for me.

The two of us edge out from our hiding spot and try to look inconspicuous as we walk through the market. The first thing I notice is that Mags isn't in her usual spot. Even her cart of bread is nowhere to be seen. I make my way up and down the market with my head down looking for any sign of her, but she isn't here.

Even more unnerving is the status of the others here. The people were never quite healthy or happy, the opposite usually, but the level of hunger that seemed so apparent just by looking around put the pep in my step to move faster. I needed to find Tawny and Mags.

"Slow down," Oliver calls behind me as I make a turn down through the old paths that would lead me to the wallows.

"I can't," I barely turn my head. "Something is wrong here."

"Mali, we can't-."

"Oh my gods."

I stop on the fringe of the Wallows and my heart stops.

The dozens of children who usually fill these ditches are gone.

Gone.

"Tawny!" I shout and Oliver jerks me back against him, covering my mouth with his hand. I throw an elbow back into his ribs though and he stumbles backward a few feet. His face in angry when he regains his balance but I keep yelling anyway. "Tawny!"

My hands are shaking at my sides and my voice cracks with fear, but as I call out again, I see movement in one of the ditches. I rush for it, hoping to find her there.

Instead I find Mark, the boy I'd brought here after he lost to me in the pits. He sits up when he sees who I am, revealing two cowering children beneath him. "M-Malikah?" He gasps, clambering out of the ditch. "I-I-I thought you were dead."

"Dead?" I repeat. "Why would I be dead? Where is everyone?"

Mark's face is hollow, all the fleshiness he had just a few short weeks ago is gone, leaving behind sallow skin clinging to bone, much like the tow children he guards. "Where have you been?" His voice turns angry.

"I-I've been..." My whole heart breaks. Something bad has happened and I've been off having three big meals a day and playing warrior while my people suffer. "What's happened? Where is Tawny? And the children? And Mags?"

Oliver's firm grip tightens around my elbow as Mark towers over me. He snorts a laugh, angry, and looks down at me like I'm scum. "The children?" He asks. "They're mostly all gone. After everything happened, The Worthy decided that sending the children here to die wasn't enough, now they are sent here to work. We all work. Not like before where you chose what to do with your life, we all are assigned work. The children are slaves. These two are only here because I've been hiding them."

My eyes burn with moisture as I glance back down to the two little girls, sisters likely. One about eight or nine and the other six or so, just barely older than I was.

"I don't understand, what happened?"

"Mali, we should get out of here." Oliver urges, but I'm not leaving.

Mark glares over me at Oliver. "Listen to your lover and get out of here. We don't need you anymore."

"What happened?" I shout at him, lurching forward into his face. "It wasn't like this when I left! Where is Mags and Tawny?"

"Tawny and Mags." Mark shakes his head. "They're gone too. For good."

My breath halts in lungs shatters with my heart. "W-what do you mean?"

Mark turns his back on me, rubbing his face with his dirt caked hands. "They rose too much suspicion. People got jealous. They were turned in to The Worthy."

"I don't understand..." I whisper around a sob that tries to force its way up my throat.

"The coins!" Mark shouts again. "They had so many coins and they were feeding everyone and the children were taken care of, Mr. Mags had a full supply of meds from the apothecary. People took notice and they turned them in to a patrol. They came here and found what Tawny was hiding and the same for Mags. The patrol took them both, back to Utopia with them. They were going to have to answer to a higher council." Mark's head hangs low in front of him. "They're both dead by now."