I wiped my dirty hands on my tight-fitting jeans and stood up. When Claus and I found this body, we were looking through an abandoned house. The man we found was rotting, his flesh stunk of his carcass, flies flying around him; his colorless eyes were open wide in amazement. I had guessed that he had been dead for at least six months. His bright yellow plainclothes had been covered in dirt, so much that it looked black. We discovered that his clothes were previously yellowafter we had taken him in to the Officials to have him buried.

The abandoned house was a mess; dishes, silverware, and clothes were thrown all over the place and rotten food was stained on thebeige carpet. I could barely even breathe from the stench. The roof was collapsing in on itself and all the windows were shattered into what seemed to be a million pieces. The cabinet doors fell off when we tried to pry them open. The usually verdant grass outside was dead and overgrown. Basically, the whole house was in really bad shape, it probably was still in the state when the man was still alive.

I tilted my head up to the lead gray clouds. Rain sprinkled onto my face and I closed my eyes, smiling to myself. I had always loved the rain. The smell of it was probably one of the best fragrances I have ever smelled. It had always calmed and relaxed me. It even took away my worries.

I looked behind me and saw Claus' familiar auburn hair in the crowd talking to one of the Officials. My lips tugged upwards. He had always used hand gestures when he spoke. I still remember the exact moment when we met at eight years old. He was -and always has been- my best friend.

The inky darkness surrounded me as I walked into the caves. An owl hooted in the distance, trying to call me out. I could hear the ocean; it's familiar whooshing making me feel at home. Dirt and rocks brushed against my feet as I progressed further. I outstretched my arm to feel the freezing wall of the cave, leading me deeper inside. I started to become claustrophobic.

Mommy had said that I shouldn't go very deep into them, since there were scary things creeping around. I wanted to explore inside them and became very curious, so I snuck out as soon as all of the lights were off inside our steel compound. I tried to be as quiet as I could possibly be.

I peered into the darkness. There was a sound coming from inside the cave.

"Hello?" I called, my childish voice bouncing off the smooth walls. The sound stopped. I continued to listen for a minute longer. When I turned back to retreat, the sound picked up again, louder than before.

I walked further inside the cave, curiosity leading me. The sound of my feet scuffling filled up the woodsy hair. It was increasing.

I looked behind me for the exit, but I could barely see it. Panic filled me, my mind consuming me with images with gigantic beasts coming into my field of vision and eating me up.

A cry filled the air and I started gasping. I increased my pace, tripping over my feet as I tried to reach my destination quicker. I would've passed the thing that was making the sound if I didn't kick the soft flesh and tumbling over it.

"Oof," I grumbled as my chest hit the ground. Gravelly sand filled my mouth. My hands scraped against me between my body and the ground, burning. I spit out the salty sand and looked over my shoulder to see a ball of flesh, curled up at the side of the cave. A head popped up, bright eyes boring into mu skull. I looked back down at myself, my chest dirty from the fall.

"Sorry," I apologized, feeling guilty. I looked back up at the boy, who had tattered blue plainclothes and a bruise on his cheek. I stared at it, curious. "How did you get that?"

His sea green eyes glistened and put his head back down on his lap, hiding his face. "Nothing," he whispered.

I looked around, wondering what had done that to him. I got up off of the ground, walking to go sit by him. "Do you need some help? My mommy knows a good doctor."

His high-pitched voice cracked. "Thank you," he said. He looked up to my eyes, gratefully. I smiled and stood back up, wanting to get him healed as soon as possible. I outstretched my thin, clammy arm. He took my hand, his rough against my soft flesh. I smiled, my pale teeth showing.



"I'm Oceania," I said, pulling him up off the floor. I held his hand until he steadied himself. He looked into my eyes, smiling slightly.

"I'm Claus."

I looked down at my dirt-covered sandals. The soft texture of newly dug up dirt was surrounded by the lush green of the grass. I hope you have a great time in the afterlife, sir, I thought. I'll see you there. I squatted down, kissed my fingertips, and patted the hill of dirt in a compassionate way. I saw the black sandals of feet making their way toward me out of the corner of my eye.

"Miss?" A deep, gravelly voice floated into my ears. I lifted my gaze. A man stood before me, looking vaguely familiar. However, I couldn't think as to why.

"Yes?" I asked. The man was no more than forty, obviously. Lately, the population has been dying at that age. No one knows why. He ran a hand through his pale hair, even though there was a youthfulness that made him look too young to have white hair. His face was tight with stress and tearswere glistening in his bright eyes.

"Yes, sir?" I asked again. He quickly glanced down at my feet.

"You're on my brother."

My eyes widened. "Oh, my! I'm so sorry." I quickly got off the patch of dirt. He nodded, his head still turned towards the ground.

"It's okay," he said, his voice cracking with depression.

I searched for something to say, but what do you say to someone who has lost a loved one? 'I'm sorry for your loss?' That doesn't seem to be the right thing to say. He sat down, curling up his rather long legs to his chest, wrapping his arms around and resting his chin on his knees. A tear escaped from his eyes and rolled down his scruffy face. I sat down next to him, not saying a thing. I watched the grievers. Their plainclothes blinded me with vibrant colors. There were different colors for each race and class, so you would always know whom the other person was.

"Thank you." I heard suddenly. The man stood up once he was done. He looked down at me. His eyes were glazed over.

"Of course," I said, sincerely and smiled weakly. "I hope you relieve your grief and be happy."

He smiled weakly at me and slowly trudged back into the crowd. I studied the ground. Little tiny insects were crawling all over the place, black dots picking up crumbs of white food.

"Oceania!" A familiar voice called. I stood up and searched for the source. I surveyed the crowd- everyone's heads were bobbing up and down as they mingled- until I found him. Claus was waving. I smiled and started to weave through the crowd. I kept on getting shoved and my feet were being stepped on a lot, slowing my progress. Once I got through, I fell into Claus' open arms from applying too much pressure. My white-blond hair fell into my eyes, blocking out my vision. I quickly steadied myself and pushed myself back from him and made myself more presentable to the Official, who was staring at me, waiting. Officials were only one step down from the Striker. If you weren't presentable enough to either the Striker or the Officials, you could be fired. I don't see that happening to me, though, even if the Officials wanted me fired.

I looked up to the Official, who was towering over me. "Sir?" I stood up straight, chin up. He studied me with thoughtful, dark eyes.

"Miss Ravening, you are requested by the Striker. He would like to see you."

I tensed up. "As requested, I will do," I stated simply. I gave the Official the brightest smile I could, teeth showing. His presence would've probably scared off other people, but I was used to it, having been born into it. My mother has been part of the corporation most of her life. "At what time does the Striker wish to see me?" I asked the Official.

"Ata quarter past noon," he said. His thick, dark eyebrows knitted together.

"Thank you, sir," I said, nodding and still feeling my lips tugging upwards brightly. The Official turned abruptly and walked away. The smile evaporated from my face as soon as he turned his back. I closed my eyes. Feeling a warm, rough hand rub my back I slowly cracked my tired eyes open. Claus' concerned eyes entered my vision. I closed them again and rested my head against his shoulder. He was always there for me, even if we were thousands of miles away. He was the only person who was able to cheer me up, sometimes. I don't know what I'd have done without him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, tightly squeezing. I felt his heart slightly pick up pace. Hehugged me back.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked. I could feel the worry radiating off him. I narrowed my eyes and pulled back.

"What makes you think I won't?" I snapped, my body tensing. His gorgeous green eyes widened in alarm as he took a slight step back.

"Hey! No need to get feisty with me. I'm just making sure. I worry about you," he said, defensively. My body relaxed a little.

I loudly sighed. "I'm sorry, Claus. I'm just stressed." His face grew soft.

"It's okay. I know. We've had a long day." We had to go to the corporation at five in the morning, get our supplies, and drive six hours further to set up the burial. I smiled up at him. He had noticeable, dark bags under the feathery red of his eyelashes. Wrinkles were forming around his eyes, making him look older than he was, being only eighteen. I kissed his freckled cheek. His lips tugged upwards as he looked into my eyes.

The enormous trees around the spot of the burial whistled in the wind. Leaves flew everywhere, smacking the grievers in their faces. The dirt and grass rubbed against my legs, making them itch. The gray clouds thundered powerfully above us. There was a blinding white flash of lightning. It was time to take cover, since the thunderstorms were sometime poisonous to our bodies. You never know whether they're going to be toxic or not.

A little girl ran up Claus and I, her black hair violently flapping in the wind. She narrowed her eyes at us. "Do you have a place for shelter? If not, there's a place close by that I could show you," she said through the acidic wind, her voice childish and floating around us.

I looked at Claus and exchanged a glance with him. "We would love that," I said, thankfully.

"Follow me." She turned and ran into the forest. I shrugged at Claus, running after the girl. I could feel him breathing down my neck as we quickly followed her.

I broke through the tree line and stopped. She was nowhere in sight. I looked around at anything that could be her. "Where do you think she is?" I asked Claus. I turned my head toward him. I could barely see through the darkness of the shadows, even though I could see better than humans. He was looking into the veil, his eyes confused. I caught his hand in mine.

A voice chilled the air. "I'm right here."

I jumped at the sound. She was right next to me. I looked down in front of me and saw electric blue eyes peering up at me through the darkness. They were glowing, just inches from my face. I blinked.

"What the hell?" I muttered. Her eyes narrowed, grabbing my hand.

"Come with me." she dragged me away. The twigs under our feet snapped as we applied pressure. The smell of rain and campfire assaulted our noses as time went on and made our way deeper and deeper into the woods. The darkness gave no sign of life. The air howled in our ears, making them ring. It hurt us more than humans, since we had amplified hearing. I couldn't hear a living thing from miles away, unnerving me. I usually could have heard animals for miles through a screaming crowd.

Eventually, the girl stopped. She pressed a camouflaged button on a nearby tree. I heard something rustle as she leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Hold on tight." she said, amusement in her high-pitched, innocent voice and roughly dragged us into the moving ground.

The darkness surrounded me. Where am I? My feet scraped against the powdery, soft dirt of the ground. I squinted into the shadows.




“Hello?” I called. My voice echoed throughout the pit. I pressed my hands against the walls, feeling a prickly sensation poking the palms of my hands. “Claus? Little girl?”




A light flashed pink in front of me while muffled voices drifted toward my ears from the darkness. “Hello?” I tried to ask again, but my voice was glued shut. Softness wrapped around my head. My foot twitched, trying to push myself further into the pit.




“She’s waking up!” A voice boomed, crashing into my skull with so much force that it knocked me off of my feet. I hit the ground with a thud, tending my butt. Hands gripped at my sides helping me move forward into the light.




I smiled at them. “Thank you, Hands,” I said drowsily. The pink light grew brighter. My hands dug into the soil, climbing towards the opening. Almost there, I thought. Just one more foot to go. My arms shook with fatigue, but the hands slid underneath me, wrapping their arms around my thighs and helping me up.




The light flickered again. “Oceania, my baby, come here,” a warm familiar voice called. The scent of cinnamon aroused my nose.




“Mom,” I tried to respond, but my attempts were futile. I slowly opened my eyes, blinking back the golden-white glow of a light bulb. The bright walls weren’t any help. A comforting face filled my vision, gripping my shoulders.




“Mom,” I said. Her brown eyes brightened with tears, wiping it away when one spilled over her dark eyelashes. She wrapped her arms around me. I smiled into her neck, welcoming the warmth of her body.




“Mom, where am I?” I questioned her. My raspy voice drifted into the open air and I swallowed. She pulled away from me and retreated to a brown chair beside my bed. I dug my palms into the fabric, trying to savor the sensation. My mother grasped my hand. The silky texture of her skin soothed me. She squeezed.




“You’re in the Clinicus. You fainted at the funeral for that man.”




I eyed the room for the first time. My blue-painted toenails were peeking out from under the thin, pale sheets. Shivering, I pulled up the blanket around my shoulders. I’ve been to the Clinicus so many times because of the corporation. It’s only been a few months since I’ve been here.




The door to my room opened and a Medicus walked in. “How are you feeling, Oceania? Are you ready to go back to your village?” He walked over to the bed, checking the recorder attached to it.




I smiled up at him. “Yes sir, I am quite ready.”




He nodded, drawing his gaze down to the board in his hands. “You just need your daily supply of Ayxl, but I’m sure your mother would like to get it.” His lips tugged upward. “And then you’re admitted.”




“Thank you,” my mother and I both said, graciously.

The medicus looked back toward me and shook my hand. “It’s been a pleasure restoring you,” he said, wrinkles forming around his eyes. He made his way out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

“May I please have my Axyl?” I asked.

Axyl was a shape-shifter drug, helping us with our health and strength. It is not for humans. There have only been a few cases of where they have taken it, and the results are always disastrous.

My mother took out a small, black case, opening it. She stood up. Inside, I saw the powdery, sugar-like texture of the Axyl in a vial. She put it down on the polished wooden table next to my bed.

“Wait here, I’m going to go get the water for you,” she smiled.

I gazed into her concerned, warm eyes. “I’m not going anywhere, obviously,” I winked. Her lips tilted up showing her squared teeth. I smiled back. She walked out the door, leaving it ajar.

I loved my mother throughout the good and the bad. She was always there to catch me if I fell, both figuratively and literally.

I gazed at the Axyl longingly, wanting to be out of this bed. On average, the drug starts working almost instantly.

I picked up the tube, studying it. The white grains sparkled in the light. I uncapped the deep purple lid and sniffed it in. The delicious smell overpowered my senses.

The door of the room was thrown open and my eyes snapped open. I saw an auburn-haired head in my peripheral vision, making its way closer. I turned my head. The caring, emerald eyes sparkled when Claus saw what I was holding. He snatched the vial from my grip, screwing the cap back on.

“You don’t need to get any more addicted to this stuff than you already are,” He stated, amusement flickering inside his eyes.

“Claus,” I gasped, my heart filling with want. He chuckled, leaning his face down to mine. His eyes surveyed me.

“Good to know you’re feeling better. If you weren’t, I wouldn’t know what I would do,” he said sternly. Wrapping his arms around my body, he pulled me toward his, squeezing. I breathed in his manly scent.

The door squeaked open again and my mother strolled in carrying a crystal glass of water. “Hello there, Claus,” she smiled. Claus returned it, walking to her.




He held his arms out. “Nicole,” he said warmly and captured her in a hug. Once he was done, she came over to me and handed me the glass.

“Thank you, Mom,” I said graciously. I set the cup down on the table. I picked up the vial and sprinkled its content into the water, watching the grains float to the bottom like snowflakes. My mother gave me a spoon. I twirled it in the clear water. After I was done, I brought the cup to my lips, eager to taste the sweetness. It filled my mouth and warmed my throat as I swallowed. I drunk until the last drop entered my mouth. I wiped my lips as I brought the glass down to the counter, my body already feeling tremendously better. I smiled.

My feet hit the ice cold floor as I tried to get up sending even more shivers through me, consuming me.

“Socks, please?”

My mother walked around the bed, bending down to grab something. When she straightened, I saw a pair of polished, black dress shoes with socks shoved inside them hanging from her tanned fingers. She walked over to me and put them beside my body. Grabbing them and stuffing my feet inside, I saw a painting across the room. There were all sorts of colors; green, orange, yellow, pink, and purple. The lush verdant hills rolled off into the sunset as the sun shone bright. There are so few paintings of the world anymore, that I’ve basically seen all of them. When shape-shifters like me started coming out with our secret, the paintings had diminished already to almost the so few that we have today. The previous rulers of that time were afraid about the future people finding out how horrible the economy really was with its evils.

The sunlight drifting through the window on the other side of the room warmed my shivering body. I tied the black shoelaces. Claus bent down and held out his hand offering to help me up. I smiled up at him and accepted. My mother guided me through the door, her hand on the small of my back.



❖❖❖❖❖

When we reached my village, the inky darkness of the night surrounded us, wrapping us like a quilt. Our footsteps pounded and kicked at the dirt street as we climbed the hill that our house rested on.

It loomed over us as we walked closer. The mud-covered houses were holding themselves together.

“Is Father home yet?” I gulped.

My mother turned her head toward mine, studying me. “No. He had to work late. Are you okay, Oceania? You’re looking a bit pale,” she stated.

I turned my head, hiding my flushing face. “No, Mom. Everything’s fine.” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the doubt sparkling in her eyes. I continued shuffling my feet. I saw a movement to my left, a hand coming, clasping, and squeezing mine. I looked up to Claus, smiling and squeezing back. He was the only one that knew the secret that I had been hiding from everyone. I looked back down.

The white tiles of the sidewalk started to travel up as we lost the distance between us and our house. A golden glow shone through the windows. The gate creaked shut as we entered our front yard. A few purple flowers dotted the front of the house, splashing it with colors in front of our placidity.

The front door creaked open and a black shadow slammed into my body with so much force it almost knocked me off of my feet.

“Oceania!” Ecal exclaimed in her high feminine voice. Her arms wrapped around me and started to squeeze hard. I couldn’t breathe.

“Ecal!” My voice strained. She loosened her grip immediately and lowered her brown eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Oceania. I’m just so happy you’re back.” She beamed.

I grinned and let her pull me through the white front door, Claus and my mother strolling behind us.