I heard steps coming to my side in my unconsciousness. I was laying in a bed and my eyes were open as if I was still awake, but the empty nothing beyond the bed told me otherwise. The steps neared, stopping at my bedside.

Stay together, I heard faintly. No matter what happens. Stay together and never let anything come between you. It might just save your lives in the future.

A figure in white appeared before me wearing a white gown, with tendrils of crimped brown hair and pink-tinted cheeks. Princess Leia sat beside me and placed her hand on my cheek.

"You're much older than you were when I last saw you." She brushed a strand of hair away from my forehead. "You've grown."

I couldn't move, therefore I couldn't speak. She seemed to understand and went on. "But you're so sad. So much more sad than ever before, dear. What's the matter? What have you lost?"

I felt a tear slip from my eye and Leia wiped it away. "Ah, I see. You've lost the will to fight, yes?"

My answer came in a torrent of tears and pathetic sniffling.

"I understand, dear. You must be so tired, so very tired of fighting for your life. I'm so sorry. But you can't give up yet. You must fight. I don't know if this will be your last fight, or if you will ever be the same after it. But you can win, Jenakin. You can win. And that's all that matters. You must win, not just to save yourself and your friends but to save your world. To save all of our worlds. You are the key to it all. You cannot give up now."

I knew. I hated the idea, I hated that it had to be me, but I knew that no one else could accomplish what I could. No one else was powerful enough. And I hated that.

I blinked and Princess Leia disappeared; I was simultaneously disappointed and relieved. I was alone once again, but it didn't last for long.

I woke up slowly, blinking carefully in the darkness as I felt someone breathing gently beside me. Galen snored lightly in my ear, tickling me and making me smile as I turned to cuddle up to him. He hugged me close, still asleep, and I held him tightly. He didn't seem to mind.

"Thanks for being here for me, Galen," I whispered to him. "You don't know how much it means to me." I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep once more.

Hours later I woke up once again, though this time I knew I wouldn't fall back asleep. I carefully climbed out of Galen's arms and grabbed some clothes, going to the bathroom and taking a hot shower. It calmed my nerves and slightly reduced my headache, making me almost cry in relief. My head felt as if it were splitting open that day.

I went downstairs after I was finished and grabbed a coat and rubber boots, putting them all on before carefully and quietly stepping outside. The frigid air helped to distract me from my headache and I gratefully welcomed it. I strolled to the freshly plowed street and dug my hands into my pockets, watching my breath turn into puffs of steam. The thin, dry air chased any exhaustion I felt after my shower away completely, leaving me feeling relatively refreshed and rejuvenated.

Even still, I felt as though something was wrong, something that was clear even though I didn't know what it was. It's like the feeling one gets when he or she sees a familiar setting from an unfamiliar angle. While I could say that my surroundings were completely normal, something was most definitely out of place.

I decided to walk the block and started towards the street corner. The feeling followed as I turned down it and continued towards the next corner. I was finally in front of the house behind mine before I realized what was happening.

The sky was red. It actually looked like it was blood red, sending shivers down my back as I slowly looked up. No sun was yet in the sky but it seemed like the world was covered in film. I felt like I was a picture being developed under a red light. My hands emerged from my pockets in defense and I raced back to the house, losing my boots along the way. I burst into the house but there was nothing behind the door and I fell into darkness. I landed carefully on my feet in a blank space, my frozen socks soaking quickly in the inch of water I stood in. It was an uncomfortable feeling, but I ignored it.

"Does that mean today's the day?" I demanded. "Instead of trying to convince me to come along quietly, you just force me into your service like some kind of pawn?" No answer came. "Well? What's your answer?"

You were not summoned by any one of us here, said a familiarly silky voice as I heard someone approach me from behind. I turned to see a familiar man with red hair and eyes approaching. His mouth didn't open as he said, You delivered yourself directly to us.

"You have come to your senses," said the horrid voice of my mother's alter ego, causing me to turn to her. "Your heart, at the very least."

"And you're lying," I spat.

"Some part of yourself believes you belong with us," she continued, grinning. "Some part of yourself knows that your power cannot be contained nor controlled. You are beginning to fear yourself and your abilities."

"Your fear is gaining control of you," said the robotic voice of the Sith Lord beside me. I turned to face him as well, glaring at him. His apprentice stood glaring nearby. "You've allowing it to cloud your judgement."

"Then I guess I'll just have to stop being afraid," I said sharply, looking down at my feet. "I'll defeat you all here and now and get all of this over with."

But my powers wouldn't respond to my call. I felt my anger beginning to grow as I clenched my fists and lept at my witch mother, throwing an angry punch directly into her withered, wet nose, but it passed straight through her as if she were a hologram. I quickly turned back around, stumbling back as I lowered myself into an attack position and watched the four gather before me. My anger and fear were about to burst out of my body and all I could think to do was run, but a slow clapping from out in the darkness stopped all of us. The scenery around us changed into a tranquil forest clearing mid-Autumn. I turned, ready to fight once more, but the foe before me made me freeze entirely. I felt my will to fight completely drain from my body as well as my strength and fell heavily, starting up at the person before me as they finished clapping and stepped up to me.

He knelt carefully before me. "See?" the man said excitedly. "They were all right about you. You're scared and angry and your powers are getting out of control. You sensed that, so you came here." He smiled happily at me, studying me closely. "You came home."

I started at Rey in disbelief. My head felt like it was being torn open. "Rey?" I whispered, tears coming to my eyes. "It was you?" My tears fell heavily. "Why? Why would you do this?"

He laughed as if speaking to a child and grabbed my hands, gently pulling me to my feet. "Because you're my pride and joy, Mira. Jenakin. Ooh, Mira-Jen! That's perfect." He wrapped my arm around his own and dragged me along as he approached the edge of the clearing. "You're my favourite creation thus far. As soon as I created you, I made it my goal to wait for your abilities to fully manifest before I finally claimed you." He turned around a tree and a door stood behind it, alone. He opened it and gently pushed me through before following and closing it behind him. We were suddenly in a lovely white room with a beautiful white dress laying across a desk. Everything was eerily familiar and I mentally conjured the room and dress I was in during my horrid dream just days before, when I was forced to both relive the most terrifying events of my life and see a future I knew I could never have. I felt disgust rise up in my stomach.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I said in a shaky voice. "I don't remember promising myself to anyone."

He spun me around and caught me against his chest when I lost my balance, smiling at me gently as he held me tightly. "You may not be so willing right now," he said softly, staring deeply into my eyes. "You'll see soon enough, though, that I'm the only being you'll ever need." He cupped my cheek gently. "I can protect you, as well as those you love. From harm, from sickness... even from you."

I felt my heart clench in my chest. "What do you mean by that?"

Ray kissed my forehead gently, making my headache completely disappear. My magic rose within me like water in a cup and I suddenly realized that if I so much as twitched it would quite literally explode out of my body.

"What did you do?" I whispered slowly as he released me and took a step back.

"I removed your barrier," he said gently. "You were blocking out your powers, that's why you've been in pain. That's why it was hard to control when it came back, because you're trying to hold it back. Your fear is overtaking you and making your abilities volatile."

I felt blinding anger rise and faught in vain to keep it down. "You what?" I choked.

"But just as I can help you release your power, I can also help you contain it." He reached out, cupping my face and kissing my lips gently. I wanted to push him away, but I found myself unable to as I felt my raging magic subside and calm within me. He pulled away, his smile just as gentle as before, and rubbed my shoulder carefully. "Better, right? If you stay with me, I can help you control this power."

I wanted to vomit. He was right. Just being near him was calming for my abilities, as if it obeyed his will as opposed to mine. I felt my fear rise once more as I stumbled away, shaking my head and crying even harder. "Please, just leave me alone!" I shouted, clamping my hands over my ears tightly. "I just want to be left alone! I didn't ask for any of this, I just want to be alone!"

I closed my eyes tightly, willing myself to be at home when I opened my eyes and opened them, once again in the doorway of the house I had burst into. The Hobbits were staring at me from the couch, bleary-eyed and confused. A breeze ruffled my hair and I quickly turned to close the door, locking it behind me and leaning heavily against it. I could hear footstep running as my magic once again raised to the surface of my skin, like water about to spill from a cup. I stood completely still, eyes wide and knees shaking as my friends and loved ones rushed to me, quickly surrounding me.

"Jenakin, what has happened?" demanded Gandalf, his staff raised slightly as he stopped noticeably farther away from me than everyone else.

A hand reached out to me but I flinched, making it stop. "Something happened," I whispered. "My magic... I feel like it's going to explode. You guys need to go, use the back door. I'll try to get somewhere rural before -"

"Mira, what's going on?" Anya asked carefully, taking a step closer. "You look really sick. Maybe you should come and lay down -"

"Stay back!" I shrieked, flinching away from her. "Please," I continued, much quieter, "you'll get hurt."

Anya smiled gently at me. "I know you'd never hurt me." She reached out to my shoulder.

"Anya, no -!" Gandalf shouted, but it was too late. Her finger brushed my shoulder and she was sent flying, slamming into Galen as he caught her and they slid back several feet from the force. He kneeled carefully onto the floor, shaking Anya and calling to her.

Her heart wasn't beating. I could... feel its stillness. Mary, the Hobbits and Gandalf rushed to her side as Galen lay her carefully onto the floor and began CPR. I watched with growing horror as tears streamed down my face until she finally coughed, breathing raggedly. I felt no relief, only fear at what I had done.

Galen slowly looked up at me, and so did Mary. I met their gazes and they each turned away in turn, looking fearful and ashamed of it. Anya was still coughing as she sat up, her hair sticking out wildly and her eyes glazed over, about to roll backwards into her head. She was deadly pale and it looked like she had just been struck by lightning, her clothes even smoking from being slightly burnt. She leaned heavily against Galen, fighting to stay conscious.

I felt my powers rising once more and turned to the door, seeing the familiar white finish and throwing it open, running through as I slammed it behind me and launched myself onto the porcelain white floor of the room I had just been in. I fell hard; I felt a bruise begin to form and disappear completely. I curled into a ball, my hands pulling at my hair, and began to scream.

Happy birthday to me.