Unwritten

Caden

I awake in the field of tall grass in my sanctuary. The forest and animals are still in my sanctuary to my relief. The only semi-normal thing that's happened. Should I even be here though? I briefly remember Sam telling me not to go to my sanctuary while I was here. I didn't choose to come here on my own. Maybe I automatically go when things are really stressful? But then how did I come in on my own with Danny?

I walk around the fields, for what feels like hours, petting the animals and building new areas to my forest. The trees were tall but had limping branches like a Willow tree, to match my tree house. They cast long, amazing shadows across the tall grass and bushes below.

I eventually lay down in one of the trees and stare at the sky, listening to nature and humming random tunes that popped in my head. I enjoyed the time while I was there but didn't invite anyone because of Sam's warning. I don't want to put anyone in danger if his warning is true. I went back to the tree house, laid in bed and fell asleep.

I wake up in the bed back in my clockroot. There was a loud alarm blaring. I immediately cover my ears but it's too late; I already have a raging headache. Lily! Wake up now! I hear screaming in my head. It rings in my temples.

"What's going on?" I scream to him from an empty room.

You need to get out of there now! Something happened-you went into your sanctuary-and there's a black hole opening in the void around your clockroot. You need to get out. It will eat your clockroot. Don't worry about the room. We can get you another one. You, however, we can't replace. You only have half an hour before it consumes the room with you in it. Please! He continues to scream through my head. The desperation in his voice echoes through my heart.

"How do I get out?" I calmly stand up and begin to look for some type of handle. He suddenly becomes quiet and the room stills. Everything is silent as if my ears aren't translating sound to my brain. I know what I have to do. I sit calmly on the bed.

It's then that I realize, Mason is gone. The queen promised she would would bring him back. But never said anything about him being alive when she did so.

You need to come to terms with Mason's death. He says gently. Tears roll silently down my cheeks.

"W-what?" I almost whisper. I can feel my heart beating a mile a minute although I am holding my calm composure. I know what he said and I know I didn't mishear him but I ask him to repeat it just in case. You already know that's what you need to do. You didn't mishear him.

When a human is taken from the toad's land they die-their bodies can't handle the transfer-it's a way of the toads insuring that any human taken from them, doesn't escape with their lives. But we found a way to somewhat preserve them. He's a soul and he needs to be assured and calmly guided back to his body. If you hadn't gone into your sanctuary, Mason would have been sent to your clockroot, as soon as you woke up, so he could explain what happened to him. He tries to explain everything in simple details careful not to overwhelm me.

"So he's here. But he's dead?"

Yes. There is no grief, only pity, in his voice as he tells me Mason is dead. I get mad at him at first but I understand he didn't know Mason so of course he wouldn't be affected.

My knees go weak and fall out from underneath me. The floor meets my hands and knees as I crumble, sobbing. Look, you need to come to terms with it. Lily that is your first psych test. It wasn't meant to be this way. You were supposed to be able to see him and guide him back. Your first psych test was supposed to be relieving the feelings for your parents-the hope that they'd ever care. But now that he has no one to guide him, he is stuck here. In the fae realm. So because of that, your test changed. But you. You are not stuck here. Please Lily! I swear I hear him say "I need you." At the end but it sounds muffled so I chalk it up to my imagination. I let one tear drop one last time, wipe my face and clear me head of all emotions, enveloping my mind in a clear white space.

"I'm okay." I say with a perfectly clear, unwavering voice. My cheeks slightly wet, I stand with my eyes covered. The clockroot fades around me and once again I am in the black oblivion. I uncover my eyes to meet the Hunter's. He nods, satisfied but somewhat is disbelief and looks at me as if he wants to cry. With my emotions gone, I don't react to his expression.

He backs away from me. "Okay. Let's go get the queen." We walk a few paces when the black slowly fades to pure white. A chill runs down my spine. There is a small, dark colored spot a few more paces ahead of us but the Hunter stops.

"Caden. You have trained her?" I hear the queens voice reverberate through the space.

"Yes. She is ready. Although there may be a small problem... She's literally expelled her emotions. She has no morals." He says regretfully. The queen appears sitting in the middle of the black spot. Was she always standing on a black spot? I have the immediate urge to stand in defense but push the urge away. After closer inspection she looks to be almost completely naked. I look away.

"It seems she has some morals." The queen chuckles. "She will be okay for now. If we have issues with it we will put her in a solidarity chamber and wait until she brings the emotions back. You know your mission. Get to it." With that she disappears and leaves us in the white space.