The Other Side
an excerpt

The world was always busy. A stead stream of people flowed in an out of the street endlessly, and as time ticked by, ever more was still being made. There were new born babies sleeping quietly in their strollers; their mothers pushed them along, excitedly talking about a skill their baby’s have mastered, but it was always an achievement that was only amazing for a baby.

Then came the business men and women in their fine pressed suits and expensive leather briefcase, who stood by with their cell phone permanently attached to their ear as they chewed out the person on the other end for one reason or another—it was the only time where they truly looked frazzled in public. The teenagers all passed them by, running around and chasing each other like rabid animals on a hot day. Some skateboarded down the sidewalk, forcing people to move out of the way as they whistled loudly towards the ones they found attractive. There were the ones who got lucky and pushed each other into the ally, tearing and biting at clothes and flesh with sounds that would make even the dirtiest people turn red. The girls would gossip around them with giggles that lasted endlessly while they clutched onto bright colored bags full of clothes and accessories found in fashion.

Man made buildings gleamed in the light, full of malice and contempt, towered over the land; it felt like a maze made by humans to persevere their technology and their so-called civilization.

Lily was detached from that life, and the patch of land she stood on seemed to be the only place that held the calming effect only nature could give. Nothing was fast or in a rush here, but it was isolated and growing smaller and smaller as time passed on, but it still fought for survival. Despite being a small and empty park, the trees reached out, trying to swell and grow beyond its own space, struggling to grab onto whoever passed by. They were always swatted away, and not even the beautiful flowers could coax people to come in, so they became weepy and droopy from neglect.

Lily would no allow them to give up hope. She spoke to them every day, encouraging and sweet as if they were her lovers. Their heads stayed down, sadly dancing with the wind and turning away from the sun that gave them life. Their bright color wilted and shriveled up as if they were fed no water, but they would still stay alive—always dying but never dead.

“It’s alright,” she would whisper, crouched down to their level, “who needs them anyways? All you have to do it grow, and I’ll be here.” She would pause to brush a light kiss to their petals, and they would sway in happiness in response. “I’ll always be here.”

She went every day and took care of them like they were her pets. Never did they get better, but in her eyes, they were beautiful. They strived to survive in a word that had no need for them. It was like a war between the two words—nature and technology—where one could not live with the other, but that was the furthest from the truth. It seemed that the war must go on without Lily though, because today was not like any other day.

She stood up from her position, a smile spread across her face from the sweet smell of each flower. The wind was soft today, cool and dreamy. There were no words needed from her, but the roaring of car’s engine whirled in the distance, breaking the peace and atmosphere.

The shouts echoed out the busy air, and the smile scrunched up into a frown that she couldn’t help. She took a step, trying to get away and to block the sounds, but it only became louder and louder. Lily shook her head as if that would dispel the sound, but it only serve to make her dizzy and a small nagging headache to form.

The world seemed lost, and she moved to sit on the grass with hopes that the cool blades could calm her raging body. Her vision became blurry and all the colors melted together in a giant mess before her eyes. The once nagging pain became a sharp and stabbing pang that shook her very core. Then, her nose caught a wiff of complete and utter filth. The once fresh air smelt putrid and contaminated as if someone blew a puff of smoke into her face. It curled around her body, teasing and slipping in despite her protest. She could utter no word as her body completely fell back onto the ground with a loud thud.

From then on, everything felt like a dream to her. It was complete darkness, so much so that it felt like she could drown in the thick and heavy muck. Her body was sore and completely listless on whatever surface she laid on. Lily’s body felt dirty and gritty all at the same time, wanting to move but unable to. She dreamt of nothing at this time, and even as her eyes were closed and heavy, she was aware of what was around her.

There was no sound, no voice, but she could feel the slimy ground. The muck and sludge clung onto her skin, covering her and transforming her into something she didn’t know. The pain was there in her body, wanting—demanding—more and more and more from her. The world was spinning and even though she couldn’t see it, she could feel it. The vomit welled deep in the throat, needing an opening that couldn’t be given. It felt like she was choking, and suffocating, and shaking, and needing something, anything.

It was all there, whirling inside of her until her eyes shot open. Her body was all slimy and grisly and slick, but she didn’t care. Her body was shaking furiously, cold and frightened at the same time. Her surroundings didn’t matter as she turned around and everything poured out all at once.

It was burning as it came up, like liquid acid that destroyed anything it touched. It came even when there was nothing to come out, bile rushing forward and escaping out onto the ground, not destroying but not helping the earth.

The dirt around her was damp, but what she laid on was mud—thick, bubbling, and mucky mud. Lily’s small body was covered in it and it chilled her skin even further than the cool night air. Her soft green eyes were finally able to discern her surroundings, and the first thing she noticed were the trees.

These trees stood tall and sturdy, and nothing would be able to swat them away from what they wanted. The branches prodded out in a warning, naked of its leaves and sharp at the ends. She was alone, she saw, in a world she did not know or understand. Was this a dream? She asked herself. A dream where she could feel the coolness in the air and the ground, and the sharp pain in her joints from something she did not know. The burning in her throat flared out into her stomach, where it rumbled in discontent and barrenness.

Her mind couldn’t clear from the haze it was induced to, and she could not find a way to shake the numb feeling from her legs. They would not move or even twitch from the position under her. It was like they were broken without the pain that would send her mind reeling, but it was a pain that she would take over the overwhelming haze she was in.

The noises sounded all too real as the branches scratched through the air and created an entirely different world. The moon was not out, leaving everything encased in complete darkness and chaos. The bushes and branches rustled with the wind, but it wasn’t a dance like the flowers, it was a tune of danger like something was on its way.

The trees and plants were no longer a comfort to the girl, and she did not even have the familiar, even if hateful, sounds of cars rushing by in the business of the streets. The frightened could not even hear any loud shouts or screams of crying children or drunken teenagers out for a good time.

Lily heard the songs of the crickets and the hoots of owls that stared at her pathetic form. She did not like the world as it is and forced herself up. It was a tumble that she couldn’t control, but she still continued to stagger and force herself along. Her hands held onto the trees for support, and each touch was rough and harsh—a complete contrast to the smooth mud slowly drying on her form. Each touch left muddy handprints, leading a small trail to each move she made without her even realizing it.

She stumbled across a steam that felt even colder than the air and muck around her, but she fell in with complete satisfaction. The icky brown trailed off of her, and she felt more alive than before. The dirty mess slid out of her hair, revealing the bright orange strands that laid flat on her face.

Lily heaved herself onto a ledge hidden from view, and the water dripped from her body in brown blobs that fell back into the water. She didn’t care as she curled up into a shivering ball and fell into a light slumber.

She was home, sleeping on her warm bed and safe from harm. Her mother was there, smiling in the kitchen and slowly moving up and down the kitchen to make breakfast. The smell of food was what incited her, her dream, oh so real, and leaving her much hungrier than she could imagine. Her father was home too, grumbling about how the world has gone down hill compared to the old days. That’s all it was with him, the past and never the future.

She moved in with her heavy pajamas, so very warm even as she was out of bed. A kiss was place on her father’s cheek, happy and cheery by the smile on her face. “Good morning!” she chirped like any other day.

“Morning sweetie,” he would answer, his thick brown mustache muffled a bit of his voice as he spoke. She sat at the table, awake and ready for the day. The table, she observed, was a bit taller than usual, but she shrugged it of as a mistake and continued on. Her mother set the food onto the table with the usual smile on her face, but it was tighter than usual, unnatural in a sense. “Mom? What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Wrong? What makes you think something is wrong?” a question was fired back at her. The smile became bigger and faker and it was then that something felt entirely and absolutely wrong. The wonderful looking food, all brown and crisp from the cooking, became raw, beaten, and completely inedible, and once again everything melting together into a nightmare that would never end.

Lily awoken in the same place she was in before, and she was tired, cold, sick, and hungry. The water looked nasty, filled with mud, dead insects, and fallen crackled leaves, but she didn’t care. Her dry throat cried out for the filthy water, and she had no choice but to dip her hand inside and bringing the liquid to her lips.

The first hand full felt like paradise on her sore throat, but it was not enough—never enough—to appease the hunger in her stomach. The second hand full was good, and she was slowly and surely becoming alright. It was the third hand full though that tasted rotten and disgusting, but it still didn’t stop her from a fourth. It was all she could do not to gag and allow the stomach full of water—and whatever else was in that water—empty out from her mouth.

It was just enough to keep her alive, but her body was cold, and she could not help herself from the incessant shivering. The hunger was not sated by the disgusting water, and she did not even attempt to find anything even as a rumble so deep lashed out and shook her beyond the cold and frightened shiver. Lily couldn’t move from her spot, afraid of the unknown area—the unknown world even.

It was the water that gave her enough for the tears that tore out from her face, falling and falling without her own consent. It was no longer night, but the dun was hiding away as if ashamed by the world and made the day appear to be night. There was no real sound to be heard except for the rustle of the tree leaves as some creature or another scampered by.

Lily was hidden on that ledge where no one could see her, but they could all hear her tears. Her sobs and cries haunted the area and she would not stop or move. Time ticked away and she still stayed curled up in herself, and before she knew it, hours had passed by, and eventually even days. Each day, she drank out of the water to keep alive, not knowing what it was that made her want to survive. Was it the human need to live? Was it the hope that this was just a dream? Even so, after each drink, the sobs and tears would come. It would leave her to be heard, but she was never seen.

Lily never heard the footsteps, rapid and frantic as if running away, nor did she notice the shouts of people so close to her even though she could never reach. They were consistent, but it never reached her ears. She always thought she was alone with no one else in this world. She was afraid to go look, afraid to be attacked or finding the awful truth—there was no way back.

Away from her, in the little forest were children running a mock excitedly. They were dirty little children, two boys and one girl in ratty clothes and covered in dirty, but they looked to be the happiest people around.

“Do you hear it? Do you hear it?” one of the boys asked excitedly. The ran along the path ecstatically, straining their ears to gear any hint of foreign sound. They were no disappointed by a soft cry that reached their ears—it was unmistakably feminine and distressed. “See! I told ya’ the ghost is real!”

They all screamed with mock right and giggled mixed together, all excited for this new development. “We should go find her,” the girl sighed dreamingly. “I bet she’s cryin’ because of a man! Oh, wouldn’t it be romantic? She’s been waiting all these years ‘cause of a man. Maybe he went off to way and she’s waitin’ for ‘em to come back!”

She got shoved playfully for such a silly notion. “Geez, you’ve heard too many fairy tales! I’ll betcha she’s cryin’ ‘cause she got killed! She’s probably missin’ an arm or a leg!” The boy sounded much too excited about that idea, but it was one that he just had to continue. “I betcha it was her husband, and she wants revenge against men because it reminds her of what happen! She’ll kill them all just the way she was killed!”

“Stop it!” the little girl shouted. “That’s so scary, and you’re ruinin’ my idea! ‘Sides, who’s husband would do that? Mommy and Daddy said that husbands and wives love each other very, very, very much until the end of time!”

The last boy was the one who decided to pip up this time, looking around nervously and a bit frightened now that the ideas were put into his dead. “Hey, guys?” he asked. They all turned their attention to him, curious of any new ideas he could give. “What if she’s from,” he paused for a moment as if it was forbidden, “over there.” They all became silent, processing the words and knowing exactly what he meant.

“That’s impossible!” the other little boy cried once it was processed in his mind. “That’s just a story parent’s made up to scare us! I mean, whoever heard of people traveling around in metal boxes? There’s no way for them to move around! And then killing each other with little metal things? One’s that aren’t even sharp at that! And-and! They trap and shrink people into tiny little boxes so they can watch them for entertainment! Wouldn’t that be torture? Plus, who ever heard of that? It has to be witch craft or something!” The boy threw his arms up in exasperation. “Not only that, but they cut down most of the trees and destroy lots of the earth! Can you imagine that?

They all looked at each other and imagined the world with out the forest: it was their playground and comfort. “You’re right,” he replied. “I don’t know what I was thinking.” He bowed in head down and softly kicked the dirt beneath him.

The little girl looked around, still believing the story but never wanting to voice it out loud. It was then that she noticed it, something off on the trees, a trail leading somewhere, but she didn’t know where.

“Hey, guys?” she was the one to call this time. She out stretched her little arm to point at the tail. “What’s that?” They all ran up and examined it with wide eyes. Muddy hand prints were dried on the tree, smeared and completely chaotic as if they were warnings of an upcoming attack. The mud looked like blood to the children, the blood and a sign from the ghost that was tucked away in this forest.

They looked at each other and back towards the hand prints. It didn’t take long for them to search the land even more in hopes to find the trail to lead them to their gold. It was a staggering trail, one that jumped from place to place. The ground was disturbed with tree leaves broken and foot print here and there.

The children followed like little puppies following a trail with their nose, curious of the world around them. They jumped from tree to tree and getting further and further into the forest, but it didn’t matter to them. The only thing they wanted was to find the so-called ghost and figure out the mystery.

“What are you guys doing?” a voice inquired, peering down at them. The children looked up and burst out into bright smiles, running and jumping onto this person, who fell back with a laugh and tried to hold onto each one so they wouldn’t fall.

“Evren!” they shouted. “You’re back!” They all held on, looking up and already hanging on every word before it was even spoke.

“I was passing by, and I figured I’d pay a visit to my favorite little kids.”
A wide smile was flashed—almost too wide—and ruffled the hair on their heads. It was done a bit teasingly, as if it was known that it was what they hated.

“Hey! We’re not kids anymore!” the two boys complained as they pried the hands away, but it was no help as Evren brought the two hands right back down, swiping and chasing after them. They shrieked playfully and ran from the short haired brunette; laughter spilled out into the air, and the world seemed brighter with their mirth. The suns rays peeked in through the trees and watched the children play.

The little girl rolled her eyes and smiled herself, staying away but watching with happiness. She looked around and noticed that the sobs and cries had stopped, and there was silence once again, at least, silence away from the screaming and yelling of the children right next to her.

“Hey!” she yelled out to get their attention. They each turned their attention to her with curiosity to what she wanted. “She stopped cryin’…” The young boys knew what and she was saying what she was saying, but Evren didn’t, but there was a step forward, and a once smiling face was now completely void of the smiles that were etched on before.

“Tessa,” Evren said softly. “Who’s cryin’ and why?” The taller person of the two crouched down to her level with hazel eyes bored into hers, and she tried to look away. “Tessa…”

“The ghost,” she answered, now feeling silly for believing such a thing. “She’s been here for days now.” Tessa looked away from Evren’s eyes in embarrassment and turned over to the hand prints, eyes scanning and looking for a way to explain. The others watched, unable to think of their own way to explain and not wanting to jump in. “She’s been cryin’ every day, and we wanted to go find her.”

Evren sighed deeply while standing up. Hazel eyes glanced over to the trees and turned to the kids once again. “Get back into town,” it came out more like an order than anything and much harsher than intended, but it wasn’t taken back.

“But we want to see the ghost too!” Evren shot them a look that shut out any more protest, and they all grudgingly followed each other back into town. They grumbled and whined, but it didn’t help them at all. They were watched like a hawk so it would be made sure that they were heading in the right direction. When it was believed to be safe, Evren moved on to look at what was on the trees.

The hand prints were small, made by a petite girl, and she was staggering and maybe even hurt. Evren moved quickly, following each tree to wherever it would lead, and it lasted longer than what would be expected. The ground held no blood, but the state of movement and inconsistencies pointed to injuries that Evren couldn’t even imagine.

The ground became softer as the trail continued on, and everything became darker. The trees were thicker, and the branches wove together to keep the sun from peaking through, and with that, came colder air. It caused Evren to pull the cloak tighter around to keep the cold away.

Evren was aware of everything: the crackling of the leaves each time a step was made, the sounds of the wind blowing the leaves around, the rustle of the bushes as an animal or another moves around, and the soft sound of water. There was the flapping of birds wings as they flew overhead, but there weren’t any in this part of the forest—there was never any in this part of the forest.

Every movement made was careful—deliberate—as to see if to see if this was a trick or a ploy to lure citizens outs. There were no cries to be heard, but on the ground, the marks appeared to be sloppier, as if a person was dragging themselves along the way. It wasn’t until it spilled into a pond of water that Evren began to understand.

“Is anyone here?” The water was dirty and mostly muck than water; it appeared to be more of a swamp than a pond. “I’m not going to hurt you,” the voice was spoken softly and carefully. Evren heard her before she was seen, and it came from a small rustle near an almost hidden ledge.

Lily was afraid and curled into a tiny ball to try to hide herself away. The voice was foreign; speaking something she could not understand, nor was it something she had even heard of before. She could tell that it was being switched every once in a while as the sounds began to be different until eventually, it began to speak English.

“Are you out there?” it called out to her. “I’m not going to hurt you. I only want to help.” She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. Lily was hoping desperately for Evren to just leave, but at the same time, she wished desperately to be found.

The voice stopped, but still, for the longest time, Lily stayed silent, wondering if that person was truly gone. The wait felt like hours, even longer than the last few days she had been here, because she didn’t move a muscle nor did she even breathe. In reality, it was only a few minutes.

It felt as if everything else had stopped in that moment. The sounds were quieted and the air stood still. When she felt that it was safe enough, she peered out over the rocks, but almost immediately, she yelped, jumping backwards and falling over, almost hitting her head on the rock in the process.

“Wh-who are you?” Lily asked with a light stutter. She stared up at the very tall and intimidating human. Evren’s legs were submerged in the water, stuck in the mud and muck. Despite this though, a small smile was given, and a hand was reached out, but if it was for an introduction or for her to grab onto, she did not know. Instead, she ignored it and backed up even more, but she was stopped by a stone wall behind her.

“Good, you speak English.” The question was completely ignored as this stranger climbed onto the ledged and smiled at her. It was an easy smile, one that left no question that she would not be harmed, but still she prodded because she still wanted to know.

“Where am I?” Lily asked timidly, but she had more confidence than she did before. “Who are you?”

“The name’s Evren,” was the answered she received. An easy smile spread across the face along with it, charming and convincing, but Lily felt trapped as the only way out was blocked. She looked around and saw the only was to go was up. “We’re near the border between the eastern and the western kingdom in the Alkine forest.”

She searched her mind in hopes of figuring out just exactly where she was, but she just did not know. Evren looked at her a bit expectantly, but there was nothing to be told. They were only left with silence and the awkwardness of strangers while Lily tried to press herself into the stone rock. Her eyes were darting every which way like she was expecting something to pop out.

“Do you wanna come with me?” Evren asked easily as if picking up strange and dirty girls was normal for her. It was topped off with a smile that was so relaxed and easy that it felt like it was alright to do everything that was asked. It was a smile full of charm, and that is the most dangerous smile that could ever be given.

Lily took a deep breath and green burned deeply into hazel. “I—” She couldn’t finish—didn’t know how to answer—so instead she ran. The wall behind her was not too high, even for her tiny form, so she reached up and swung her body over—she almost did not have enough energy to do so.

Evren did not look surprised in the least, or at least, it didn’t show. But because of having such a tall height, it was easy to leap over the wall and watch her as she tried to run.

Lily looked even smaller and scrawnier amongst the tall trees, but not only that, she appeared to be more helpless. Her bright orange hair was streaked with dirt, and her much too pale skin made her hair and eyes stand out even more. The clothes she wore were torn and battered, covered in mud, dirt, and filth. Evren noticed that she could not even run, and instead, she staggered about, holding onto the trees for support as she tried to stumble to the next one.

Evren didn’t say anything and decided to just allow her to try to run away and only followed with a slow stride; it was much too easy to keep up because of the very long legs that were possessed.

Lily was panting—already out of energy—as she attempted to escape. The world was spinning, unfamiliar, and dark. It felt like a hell that she could not escape. When would she awaken from this nightmare? Why was she being tortured like this? Was she dead? Her mind was whirling with questions that wouldn’t be able to be answered. Where in the world was she? Why was she being pursued by such a strange man?

They all were coming at her at once, pounding and pondering, needing to know. It only ended when everything was whirling and spinning and confusing and overwhelming—then everything became dark, and it felt like she was floating, drifting even. It was then that she realized she was falling forward and fast, but nothing could stop her before she crashed into the floor, and she knew no more.

Evren stalked forward with hazel eyes looked over her form. A sigh escaped thin lips, and she was picked up easily after a cloak was wrapped around her cold and dirty form. It was noticed that she felt lighter than she looked, and that was not something good to be accomplished. Her face was thin and hollow like she hadn’t eaten in a while and the worse was to be expected.

“She’s definitely from the other side…” Lily’s skin felt hot to touch despite the fact that she was shivering terribly. A frown graced delicate features, and Evren feared the worse. “I have to get her back into town quickly,” a whispered floated into the air, directed at no one but meaning everything.

The pace was quickened and everything passed them by all at once: the trees, the bushes, the flowers, the rodents, the birds, the sky, the ground, and even the air. A cool breeze was blowing towards them, and it was not something good for Lily. She was cold to touch, shivering and freezing all at once with little goose bumps forming everywhere. But she moaned in discomfort, saying it was cold, oh so cold, as her lips turned blue.

As they ran closer to the edge of the forest, the trees began to thin out, and the shouts and screams of children grew louder. The sun began to shine down on them, bearing down and beating on Evren’s back as the pace quickened and quickened.

The town, which was once peaceful and joyous, got into a panic when they saw the two approaching. “Get the doctor now!” Evren shouted while running towards a random home. The words were no longer spoken in englis, and instead it was a language that would have been unfamiliar to Lily if she had been awake—it was the first that Evren was trying to speak to her. “We’re gonna be in little Tessa’s house! Hurry, she’s burning up!”

Everyone scrambled about in attempts to find the doctor as the children crowded around Evren and Lily, barely giving enough room for them to move. “Gotta try to put this nicely guys, move out of the way! Tessa open the door!” Orders were barked left and right, rushing everyone and everything around.

Evren placed her on bed, watching as her lips were very blue and becoming colder and colder each moment. “Damn it!” The cure escaped before any thought could be put into it, and as the children began to “ooooh” the bad word, Lily began to be stripped.

The dripping clothes “squished” against the hardwood floor and her shivering became more evident. Piles and piles of blankets were being placed onto her body, trying to warm her up, but nothing seemed to be working.

“I’m here!” the doctor shouted while rushing into the room as fast as he could. He looked dirty and ratty and poor just like the rest of the town, but when he looked over Lily, it was professional and skillful. His eyes scanned her blue lips, and his fingers slide across her arm, and a frown seemed to be firmly etched across his face.

“We need to warm her up now,” he said as he glanced over at Evren. “She could die if we don’t and the only way to do that is through body heat.” Determined eyes looked at the helpless girl on the bed, and a nod of the head was the only answer.

Quickly, Evren began to strip just as the doctor ushered the children out of the room. Before the door closed fully, he looked back and smiled. “Has anyone found out yet?” There was no answer back as the bed began to creak and whine against the weight added on, and the old doctor took this as a no.

“Only you and Sevan know, and I want to keep things that way for as long as it takes,” was the answer given just as the door was going to close. There was a laugh through the closed door that even Evren could hear, one of disbelief and amusement.

“You can’t hide yourself away like that,” he said through the door, mindful of the privacy that the both probably wanted. “How will you ever find a nice and pretty girl to fall in love with?” he asked. Evren spooned Lilly’s body, holding her warm body close and warming her up under the many layers of thick, thick blankets. “You’re hiding a big part of your life from everyone, one that won’t be hidden for long. You’ll be recognized eventually.” Lily was soft but much too skinny—it felt like there were more bones than anything. She burrowed herself against the heat source she felt, wanting and needing more of that warmth. “Plus, how can you hide that secret of yours when your naked undisguised body is under that blanket with her.”

Evren snorted, definitely amused by his comment. “She is completely knocked out, and plus, she’d be way too delusional and groggy to even recognize me. Once she is awake, I will be back in costume.” A smile played on those thin lips, and they bent down to place a soft kiss against the almost normal colored lips. “Though, I’m not one to complain about being next to a beautiful girl,” the human heater murmured against her lips, not at all ashamed of the fact of pretty much taking advantage of a girl while she was knocked-out..

“What are we going to do with the girl once she wakes up?” he asked. The old doctor had heard that last comment, his ears better than people give credit for, but he chose to ignore it—it was something that was expected from such a person as Evren.

The said person was a bit taken back by the question as if it was given no though to before, and that was exactly how it was. “I do not know. I was so worried about getting her safe and checked out that I did not think about what would happen next.” The voice came out a bit sheepishly and guiltily, but the doctor could just image the lecherous smile spread across those lips. There was only one thing on that idiots mind right now, and it was something that the doctor could not blame. What else would someone think when they are naked and next to an equally naked and beautiful girl?

“It’s understandable Evren, but you should know,” he began looking around to see if anyone was around or listening to this conversation. When there was no one to be seen, he continued. “You sound more like royalty and less like a commoner as you are speaking to me.”

Evren sighed and pulled Lily a bit closer, but there wasn’t even a moment when hands strayed to inappropriate places. “Yeah, I gotta stop doin’ that huh? Ain’t gonna be good for me to get caught just by the way I talk.”

The doctor laughed truthfully and completely without abandon. “There’s no need for you to go completely overboard, Evren.” They both smiled even though the other could not see.

“She’s from the other side,” Evren piped up, completely changing the subject. The doctor paused, thinking for a moment before answering.

“Do you mean, the other side as in the East, or do you mean the other side as in the other side?”

“I mean the other side as in the other side.” The conscious inhabitant of the bed stared down at the unconscious inhabitant of the bed, taking in her features and smiling a perverted little smile. “I mean, they don’t have girls like this here, but I’m totally liking it. Her hair isn’t something you see often.”

The doctor rolled his eyes and smiled, expecting that comment soon or later. “Alright, just don’t do anything bad to her; even you have enough sense not to molest an unconscious girl—at least, I hope so. But I have to go now; it’s time for Niya’s check up. I’ll come back to check up on her in a few hours,” the older of the two said, leaving with heavy and dragging footsteps.

The footsteps could be heard from inside of the room, and Evren and Lily were left with complete silence. The smile—perverted, and charming, and dangerous all at the same time—was etched onto the brunette’s face before pulling Lily even closer and falling into a peaceful sleep.

Lily could remember being cold like she was dipped in ice water and left there to become numb and freeze slowly, very, very slowly. It was like that for a long time, but she left as if she was being carried, and distant voices were there, but she couldn’t seem to grasp them. Was it her mother? Was it her father? Who was it?

She could not remember much, only little bits and pieces here and there. There were flowers, and trees, scary, scary trees she did not want to encounter, murky water that tasted awful, but she could not remember why she would even drink any of the foul looking substance. Then there were voices, low and careful around her, and finally warmth. It was engulfing her and she could not help but burrow into it, wishing for more of the firm warmth surrounding the frail body.

The voices were louder now, speaking clear and muffled, alternating back and forth, but she did not care. She only wanted the warmth to continue and stay. It felt like an eternity of half consciousness that she did not want to leave—it was a paradise and a hell at the same time.

Lily whimpered when it left, unconsciously reaching out to grasp it and pull it back, but whenever she had a grip, it evaded her and left. It was a long while—at least felt like a long while—of shivers underneath the pile of blankets, but it wasn’t enough, didn’t feel like it was enough. The warmth came back, but it was a different kind of warmth that didn’t feel right. Because of that, her eyes slowly began to open and peak at what was next to her.

Immediately, a scream left her lips as a giant, gruff man laid next to her. Scream after scream left her mouth as she scooted back, revealing the nudeness she did not know she had. The whiff of cool air against her skin made her aware and pull a blanket up, hiding everything from view.

This man was monstrous, full of muscle and nothing else. His face was full of thick black hair and very dark skin, and it was then that she realized he was also nude. Lily began to feel dirty, impure, and it was then that the panic set in.

“Get away from me!” she screamed throwing anything she could get her hands on, but it wasn’t much. All she had were pillows and the extra blankets that lay out on the bed. He stood there, taking it all, and she wanted to inflict more pain, more and more and more and more, but she was afraid to get any closer—afraid of being forced and being awake. “Go away! Go away! Go away!” she screamed a mantra and was on the tip of her tongue and repeating in her mind and out loud over and over and over again. “Go away! Go away! Go away! Go away!”

The door was knocked through, Evren rushing in and ready to attack any threat that was inside the room. The big man stepped back and held his arms up in surrender and to show that no harm was meant.

“I didn’t do anything,” he said. “She just woke up and starting screaming at me. She most likely believes that I did something to her.” To Lily, it was gibberish that she could not understand, and to her knowledge, it could have been a threat or the words that sealed her face.

They looked at the girl, who held a blanket to her chest in one hand, and a pillow in the other, ready to attack if need be. Evren stepped up, speaking softly to her in a language she could understand.

“Hey? It’s ok; we were only trying to help.” Lily watched the brunette carefully, ready to attack with the pillow, her hands, her feet, or anything that she could use. “We didn’t do anything to you,” the smaller of the two tried to comfort, but it didn’t help one bit. “See that man over there? That’s Sevan, and he wouldn’t hurt a hair on your head.” Both of their hands were up in the air to show that it was alright, and that they would not harm her.

“I remember you,” she whispered while backing up and shooting a glare towards them both. “How did I get here? Why the hell am I naked? Why is that freak naked and in bed with me?” she demanded, and with each word, her voice would get louder and louder and more frantic than ever. The telltales of tears could be seen falling rapidly and fully, but it made her look fiercer than ever.