We let the everling lead the way. We stood with our palms out, aiming at the back of her head. I couldn't help but second guess our decision. On one hand, she was a lead. It was luck that we ran into her, or we'd have to come back and repeat what we have been doing for months. Searching without finding anything. Maybe with one less member, even. My thoughts floated to what Alex told me earlier that morning.

But we couldn't trust her, not really. Alex did a good job in making her believe that we do. That we were stupid enough to think believe if the potion did nothing to Alex in midland, it wasn't harmful. I wanted to yell all kinds of things at Alex, though. That crazy, suicidal bitch. God! Why did she have to put herself in such situations? Why did she act as though she was expendable or do these self-sacrificing acts! It was stupid. It was unnecessary. We could have found another way.

Our previous brush with Penhara could have ended disastrously, especially when Alex began attacking them. Funnily, we were lucky enough to walk away from the massacre.

Now, she claimed to be part of another faction. Who knew what we were walking into? Suddenly, the words from the interview Daniel gave flashed in my mind.

Sometimes you need to take a leap of faith. Or something to that extent. We were definitely jumping now.

We were led into a village of sorts. One second we were walking towards a cliff and the next, it was the forest again but filled with silver domes.

"What the-" Alex exclaimed.

"Holograms." Daniel said, "Very sophisticated holos."

"This is our base." Hoayin said. Two other everlings approached us with what looked like spears. They exchanged a series of foreign-sounding words.

"These are here to see the council of Kyhait." Hoayin announced at last, shooting us a look that seemed smug as if to say, I spoke the truth.

The base was filled with everlings, some wore crowns of twigs and some bore white marks on their faces. All were armed. There were even humans milling about, wearing their translucent skins. They didn't seem to be held here against their will. In fact, they seemed to be a part of this community.

"Don't you guys have kids?" Alex asked, as if forgetting our existing hostility and is now making casual conversation.

"Our children are well protected." Hoayin replied simply.

"What are the humans for?" I pointed out.

"Allies," Hoayin answered, "some joined of their own accord, others were rescued from Penhara."

"Were you responsible for freeing any, as a spy?" Daniel asked.

Hoayin's eyes narrowed minutely, "No."

The council was not what I expected. I thought there would be long robes and feeling intimidated, but they were all just the same. Two wore the stick-crowns and the rest had white on their faces and bodies.

"We have yet to meet for far too long," One of them wearing a crown of twigs spoke with a hollow voice that seemed to rasp into nothing.

It crossed its arms and tapped its own shoulders with long, spidery fingers before lowering its head, "Cladahien." Then it straightened and looked at us.

"Daniel Everleigh." Daniel said and taking from his cue, Alex and I introduced ourselves.

"Well met." Cladahien said.

"We have heard plenty about these humans who defy the serum." A new voice with the same metallic tang rang out.

I made a mental note that both sound different from Hoayin. Where she sounds as though she inhales while she speaks, making her sound unearthly... These two sound as if they were speaking with their last breath.

I thought back to our meeting with the Penhara and came to the conclusion that that is their most striking difference between genders. Physically, there is nothing that separates their androgyny.

Cladahien waved a hand in the second's direction as though silencing him. "All in due time... We know of you." He nodded slowly, coming to a rest with his head inclined towards Alex, his eyes focused on her.

"And why would you have?" She questioned, unnerved.

Cladahien straightened up without breaking eye contact. The everling next to him stepped forward.

"Andromin." He said in that breathy voice while making the same gestures. "You tried to kill me."

I tensed, readying for a fight but it doesn't come.

"I did?" Bewildered, Alex looked to the both of us but the everling tapped his head. There was a thin white scar that streaked down the side of his face, almost unnoticeable due to the white markings that adorned his face. But it was there, all the same.

It must have occurred to Alex the same time I figured it out, because she gasped as the image of her drenched in blood while confessing a murder came unbidden into my head.

"I must apologise, I thought you were a Penhara spy."

"Well shit," Alex said with a nervous laugh, "you didn't bring us here to kill us... Did you?"

"No, no. We do not kill."

I snorted and six pairs of ebony eyes looked at me, "Yeah, we've heard that before. Look, we have no reason to trust you. We only followed Hoayin because we want to know how to defeat eversleep. I want to get my brother back, and him," I gestured to Daniel, "his sister. So why don't we just cut the crap and you tell us what you really want."

This seemed to give them pause and my eyes find Hoayin.

"This one's tried to kill us too, so save that 'we don't kill' bullshit for someone else, okay?"

Cladahien looked to her, "That is true. Hoayin has spent much time with Penhara and have picked up certain... Undesirable behaviours."

Surprisingly, Hoayin bowed low to the ground in silence and there was a small, abrupt movement - made by Cladehien so quickly I might have imagined it - and she retreated into the shadows without another word.

"We understand how this may seem to you... Thrust into a new world and not knowing whom to trust, or what to believe. We would like to reassure you that we mean you no harm, by offering you answers."

When we kept our silence, Cladehien breathed, "We will let you decide if we speak the truth, and if you think us untrustworthy, we shall part amicably."

I saw Alex shrug and watched Daniel for clues on how to proceed, but his glare was fixed on Cladehien and it was clear that he had nothing to add. I looked back at the leader of the everlings and saw him awaiting my reply.

I nodded.

"Very well," each of the everlings turned at the same moment, "come with me."

It was test after test with these people and after just a moment's hesitation, I fell in step behind him. We entered one of the larger domes, empty but with a large transparent screen in the center.

Cladehien placed his hand upon it and as he gestured, data appeared. Everything and more. Right at the center, we saw the words FRIEND OR FOE. Alex gave a little gasp, "It was you!" She said, glancing around and adopting a defensive stance.

"Yes," Cladehien replied, "we mean you no harm. We saw you searching for us, and so we answered. Since then, we have tried to offer our peace but the program," he turned to face us and tapped his head, "is faulted by its limit. We only have a window of time to locate you before it terminates and you return to your earth bound bodies."

"A-a program?" Daniel asked.

"Yes," He said, facing him, "OXI, outhein xanos ileath, it means 'blessed are the ones'. Originally created to harvest what you earthlings claim to be unsound beings. We took your broken and bent and made them whole again."

"Why?" I asked, thinking about another time and wondering if the answer I hear would be the same.

"It is our way, child. We have been taking your people for many years and over time-"

"What, you capture earth people to be your slaves?" Alex cried, indignantly.

"No, not slaves. To heal our planet and to give them a home."

"Well, neither of us asked to be here. And what do you mean the broken and bent, you've taken nothing but people who are healthy and whole-" I touched Alex gently, meaning to stop her tirade.

"As part of our agreement with your leaders, we take only those they deem unworthy of earth."

There was a stunned silence and I heard myself speaking, "We guessed that the government was involved, that the-" I suddenly heard Daniel's father in my head, 'crime rates have gone down drastically. No more suicides. We are at an era of low psychological disorders. Even the homosexuals have been eradicated'.

"It's true then," I began again, "you are in league with the government to harvest sla- people for Everlore. Perhaps the bigger question is, why are you helping us? Why do you care?"

"The Penhara have been working against us and weaponized our program of peace. They want to take earth by force and they are taking every earthling they can to build their army. We want you to help us stop it."

"How have they weaponized OXI?" Daniel asked, although his eyes were trained on the screen behind Cladehein. I followed his gaze and saw our profiles. Daniel's file was in a dull green and below his picture, there was a word I couldn't quite make out. I squinted at it and found Alex's profile which glowed in a brighter green. It was closer to me and brighter and I read the word below her headshot: valid.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing to the screen.

"This is the database of our program, as you can see, only one of you were meant for Everlore. Based on our previous parameters, Alex was the only viable candidate."

I took a step closer and saw that below Daniel's name was the word invalid. The same word glowed dully on my profile card.

"The Penhara have weaponized OXI and given access to everyone, they have broken our original contract with earth and that is why you are here."

Alex approached the screen mutely and glance over her shoulder and asked, "What's wrong with me?"

"There's nothing wrong with you," Daniel said a little too quickly, "it's just a stupid system made for a race of archaic-"

"You have a ninety seven percent chance of experiencing a mental breakdown, is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and prone to aggression. The synapses in your brain is-"

"That's enough!" I snapped. Alex recoiled as though she was slapped. Her eyes searched for mine and I held her gaze, "You people are disgusting." I reached for Alex and grasped her hand against my body, in hopes of tethering her.

"Your reading was off the charts, and if we weren't bound by our laws, we would have loved to have you join us." Cladehein said gently, "Empathic, but not weakened by it. Strong will, but not hampered by it." There was something like a sigh, "But we do not ask for you to join us. It is forbidden." He closed his great big eyes and when he opened them, answered my accusation, "Do not forget, it was your people who set us those terms. We do not see what your people see as flaws. Earth is a harsh place, but Everlore is accepting."

"And yet your people fight against one another." Alex spat, "So much for that. Thank you very much for your lesson in humanity, but despite everything you say Everlore is, we'd much rather stay on earth. So why don't you actually be helpful and give us Cam and Dana so we can get the hell out of here!"

"Certainly," the leader said, nodding in a dignified manner. "Kava, Andromin."

The two everlings stepped forward and pressed a gel capsule into each of our hands.

"What's this?" Daniel asked holding it up to the light. It glowed green from the screen, but as I looked down at the one in my palm, it was a pale gold colour with a streak of silver down the centre.

"Your way home," Cladehein answered, "once the serum enters your bloodstream, you will cut your earthly ties-"

"We said WE WANT TO LEAVE NOT STAY HERE FOREVER, YOU DIMWIT!" Alex screamed and the everling allowed it, letting her say her piece before continuing.

"You will then enter everlore, and you must find your way to the portal the Penhara currently guards. If you cross successfully, you will never be able to return."

"Well thank god for that." Alex said, pacified by his offering.

"You are truly something," Daniel said after a long silence, "you create this paradox. We have to die in order to survive." He shook his head in disgust.

"We know that you now possess the technology to keep your sleepers alive. We never meant to build it that way, we never meant to have this war. Things have a manner of working themselves out, without influence, without manipulation. The portal is our doorway and we only just realized that it is one of the many ways for you to leave Everlore forever."

"There's another way?"

"Of course, in the event the program selects an important individual - someone detrimental to your society - they must have the power to override our system."

"Tell us."

"But we do not know, for we do not interfere-"

"BULLSHIT. You've interfered plenty!" Alex blurted angrily and tried to wrench her hand from mind. Daniel took her by the shoulder and lay a calming hand on her.

"I am truly sorry we did not insist, but your people needed their secrets, to feel safe. However, we might be able to locate it." He nodded his head and one of the everlings by his side left. "Yoawoin will see to it that it is found."

I took a step forward and held out my hand, "Thank you."