***NEED WORK

Three days since, and I didn’t leave my dwelling the whole time. I couldn’t bring myself to, and I sure as hell didn’t want to.

That dream…the person being interrogated had to be her. It had to be she-conscience. Who else could it be?
What I saw…the things I saw through her eyes.
Why? Why were they---

The droplets of her blood were the last distinctive thing I saw. Everything else after that was like watching through a filmed glass.
The men came back after an hour like clockwork, and they got straight back to business. I couldn’t see them as they moved closer, but I heard every hit, every gasp, every break---

Sharp, crystal shrieking of glass shattering into shards broke through the air.

“Vardavit!” I swore.

I practically shoved out of the chair I was sitting in, kicking away the table with such force that it flew across my living room floor and crashed against the far wall. More sounds of shattering glass stabbed through the air.
Snarling, I threw my hands up and gripped the back of my head by my hair.

In the end, she-conscience still didn’t speak. But that may have been because the men ended up breaking the only condition ‘Sir’ left for them in his order.
I couldn’t see it, but I almost felt the sting of the man’s backhand as it came in a devastating blow across she-conscience’s cheek. The cracking of bones rang loudest then, leaving me stunned out of my mind.
That was when she stopped breathing for nearly three minutes before she regained her frail gasping.

It was pure agony to just…listen.

I felt none of the physical pain, but every strike I heard felt like a dagger in my heart…and with every painful gasp she let out, the dagger twisted.

I breathed in deep through my nose, and closed my eyes, attempting to clear my mind so I could try and figure out what to do next for the umpteenth time. My brain was practically fried but I couldn’t really give a rat’s ass on my mental well-being.
I need to help her! my mind screamed at me. Get her out of there!
A huge part of me wanted to sprint out of the door and fly to her aid, but there was a huge problem that stood in my way: I had no idea where she was being held.
The moment I woke up after that dream, I had rushed out of bed and out to my door. Just as I was about to open it, I realized I wouldn’t find her. She could be anywhere in the Paramount Towers…hell, she could be anywhere in Stranaglastre or even Galiasis. What help am I if I didn’t even know where she was?

The last time I saw through her eyes was the last time I dreamed about the dark abyss. I would literally force myself to sleep, trying to force myself into that black space, so I could talk to her and find her.
But every time I got nothing. Nothing but this scary emptiness, this dark lifeless void and silence.

And so now I couldn’t leave. The only place I could talk to her was in my dreams. Leaving my dwelling now felt like I was turning my back on her, and that I couldn’t bear.

I swore loudly yet again, pacing through the mess of broken things I had made in the long torturous three days I had to myself.
She-conscience needed me, but now I couldn’t even reach her subconscious.
I stopped pacing and opened my eyes. My reflection glared back at me as I stood before the mirrored wall of my living room. The lost look from before was long gone; in its place was smoldering outrage and frustration.
What the fuck are you doing? it seemed to say to me. FIND her!
I grit my teeth together and just breathed, wrestling the flare of anger that was threatening to burst from my chest. I want to find her, but I had no idea how.
Well, the more time you spend in here just breathing, the more pain and torture she will go through. my mind taunted. Just wait around a little bit and she won’t be breathing anymore.
Shut up. Just shut up.
Oh, that’s right; she gasps for each breath, with each draw ridden in agony.
I don’t need this right now, not from my own mind.
What, she’s the one that can feel all of it; you just stuck around for the ride. Remember how you couldn’t move, or how you just watched and listened? And how the bones occasionally cracked like they were brittle twigs?
My breathing increased, the heat in my chest growing hotter and hotter.
Why won’t my mind just shut up?
‘Get it off the floor.’ ‘Don’t break its jaw…’ IT does this, IT is that. It, they called her. Like some waste of space lying around…
Stop. Stop…
And they laughed! Ha, look at this bitch broken on the floor! ‘Damn, IT got blood on my sleeve…’ ‘No, IT doesn’t bleed blood, IT doesn’t even feel---’

A loud shattering of glass blasted into the space at a painful volume, the sound crashing around me in a shower of shards.
My eyes snapped open, and I literally saw red. After a few moments I realized it was my own blood.
I had punched through my mirror wall.
And then came the pain.

“Shit!” I spat angrily, pulling my wounded fist to my chest.

Hastily, I pulled the bottom of my shirt up and wrapped it around my fist. When the blood started dripping through, I pulled the shirt off quickly and twisted the whole thing tightly around my wrist.
As I applied pressure to my pulsing knuckles I glanced back at the damage.
Shards of glass gathered in piles across my floor, most of it from the mirror, some from other things I had gotten hold of earlier. Half of the mirror was gone, reduced to smithereens by my punch. The other half was still on the wall, though to say that it was intact would be a lie.
The force of my punch had gone into the mirror with such force that more than half of it splintered on impact and fell out in large jagged shards. As for the other half, spider web cracks spread across the remaining surface of the mirror, reaching both of the remaining corners in edgy veins. The place where my punch had landed was caved in slightly, making a crater in my wall. As I skimmed across the ruined surface of the mirror, I caught my reflection again.
From where I stood, only half of my reflection peeked from under the cracks, the one visible eye still glaring. I could see the pain beneath my angry expression.

What the hell was I doing?

I was still staring at the damaged mirror when a small, soft knocking broke through the tense silence.
I wheeled around in the direction of my front door, bewildered. Who the hell could it be, at such a rotten time?

Snarling angrily to myself and holding down my right fist, I stalked over to the door’s entry keypad on the wall. Without checking on the monitor to see who it was, I punched the button with my good hand to unlock and open the door. I heard the locks slide out with a sharp click, and the doors started to hiss open.
“What?” I demanded, knowingly being rude to whoever was at my door.
I didn’t want or need guest right now, and I wasn’t in a very welcoming host-like mood---

My anger was short lived, however, when I saw who it was.

“…Thya.” I said, startled.

Thya stood at my door, not really moving. Something was off about her; instead of her usual outward vibe, she seemed to have pulled into herself. She was underdressed than normally; even her hair was less interesting; left down and the same bright blonde color as before but without the neon purple streaks. She, too, was out of uniform, wearing an oversized long-sleeved top that looked warm with a pair of simple black pants. Her body language was all wrong; she had her arms wrapped tightly across her chest, her hands on her elbows as if she was bracing herself against the cold.
Thya lifted a fleet glance up to my face before looking straight ahead of her, where she was staring holes into my chest.
“We should talk, Zavius.” she murmured softly, not looking at me directly,
Then her eyes drifted lower and her eyes widened in horror.
“Deus!” she cried out, an horrified expression coming over her face. “What did you do to your hand?”
I shrugged dismissively, uncomfortable.
“I cut it.” I said blankly.
“Doing what exactly?”
“Punched a mirror.”

Thya stared at me with her wide pale green eyes, really looking at me for the first time.
I scratched my head with my good hand, feeling awkward.
“So…what, do you want to come in---”
Thya let out a frustrated sigh and briskly pushed past me and into my dwelling.
I stood there for another five seconds before I sighed, closed the door and followed after her.

Thya let out a low gasp, her posture rigid as she took a slow look around my trashed dwelling.
“What in the name—” she broke off, her voice hushed.
I leaned my shoulder against a nearby wall, waiting for her to start freaking out. Thya slowly turned back to me, her face shock and horror-written.
“Oh…” she breathed out, her eyes flickering across the floor that was littered with the broken glass. Then her eyes finally returned to me.
“You…you punched the mirror?” she questioned, as I started pulling the shirt away from my fist. When Thya saw the raw and sliced-up flesh of my knuckles she inhaled sharply and turned away, her hand flying to her mouth.
She seemed to be shaking slightly as she stood there like that for a few moments.

After a while, she lowered her hand from her mouth and turned back to me.
“Zavius, what is going on?” she demanded, her voice coming out as a cry.
I stared at Thya, unable to answer. I knew this was coming, but I didn’t want it happening this soon. What was I going to tell her?
Thya continued to stare at me as I squirmed under her prying gaze. It wasn’t her normal pouting she used to get what she wanted, but a genuinely pleading, tortured stare. It hurt to have her stare at me like that.
“Zavius?” she questioned, waiting for an answer that wasn’t coming.
I breathed out slowly, trying to figure out how to go about this.
“Thya…I don’t know how---”
“Well, at least try.”
“I mean…where to start?”
“Anywhere. Just tell me everything.”
“It’s a long story.”

Thya’s stare hardened a bit and I could see her stubborn nature coming through. She stared at me for a few more seconds before she turned around and walked over to the couch that had been left knocked over. With a snappy flick of her wrist, the seat was righted and the glass brushed off the cushions with another swipe of her fingers.
Thya turned back sharply to me and sat herself down on the couch.
“Then start talking.” she said.

We stared at each other for another minute, neither of us making a sound. I swallowed, not knowing what to tell her.
Did she need to know what was going on? Wouldn’t that put her into danger?
Another minute passed and then Thya let out another sigh.
“Zavius, what is going on?” she demanded. “You were acting strangely all day when we got together to train a few days back. And just when I start to think you are back to your usual self, you have an episode and go and throw yourself into a public fountain. What. Happened?”
I sighed, stress and reluctance starting to fill up in my chest.
“Look, I know that things got really weird three days ago.” I started and Thya scoffed. “And that you have your questions and issues…But you really shouldn’t get involved with this.”
Thya’s mouth dropped open, incredulous disbelief in her stunned expression. Then her eyes narrowed.
“Are you kidding me?” she hissed lowly, leaning slightly in her seat. “Please, for your sake, say that you are joking.”
“No Thya, I’m serious.” I said firmly. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

It was true; with Taeri, any female outside herself that was remotely involved with me was in danger. Imaginary or real.
But she-conscience is real! I reminded myself.
Which was another issue that weighed heavily on my mind….but had no way of explaining. She wouldn’t know about her anyways, and it wasn’t like she would understand…

“…You don’t want me…getting hurt?”

I froze in mid-thought, as I heard Thya’s voice take on a dangerously slow, dark tone. My wandering attention was back on her in half a second.
Thya slowly stood up from the sofa, her normally bright and kind vibe black and heavy around her. I could’ve sworn I could see a dark shadowy cloud surrounding her whole body.
“What is it that you are trying to say, Zavius?” she spoke in that same tone. “May it be that I will not be able to handle the truth?”
Instincts told me to retreat, and I took a few steps back.
“No, no; that’s definitely not what I meant.” I said uneasily.
The glass shards on the floor around her feet shook and bounced before lifting off of the ground completely. They spun suspended in the air as if there was no gravity.
“Then maybe you should clarify.” Thya said in a heavy tone.
“Exactly why shouldn’t I know about what Taeri did to you?”

My jaw dropped open, shock shooting through me.

“How the hell---”
“Really, Zavius? Did you think I wasn’t going to find out about this?” Thya snapped, no longer calm. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“What’s wrong with me? Wait a minute; this wasn’t my idea! Why are you talking to me like I’m the bad guy?” I shot back. “I did nothing wrong!”
“Oh of course you didn’t!” Thya snarled back.
She started to stomp towards me, backing me into the wall.
“It’s not like I should know anything; I’m a complete outsider! Hell, what the fuck was I thinking worrying about a dear friend?”
My eyes widened in shock; I don’t think I’ve ever heard Thya swear or be vulgar in anyway.
“Thya, that’s not what---”
But she cut me off, caught up in her rage.
“Don’t mind me; I just saw you suddenly have a violent breakdown out of the blue and all I could do was just stand there and watch.” she raged. “And when you dove headfirst into the fountain, I was the one to jump in after you and pull you out. No big deal.”
Guilt struck hard and it was sinking to my stomach fast.
“I didn’t want---”
“Whatever you say, Zavius. I can handle being scared, worried and confused, just the way you left me when you ran off on me like nothing happened back there at the plaza. You know what? I don’t need an explanation, do I?”
“I didn’t want you to get hurt!” I shouted.
Thya lifted her right hand and shoved her open palm into my face.
“It’s a little too late.” she hissed.

I glanced uneasily at her hand in my face and went to open my mouth to argue some more. But then I did a double take.
Horrified shock caught me at the sight of her palm---and the angry red scars that stretched over the skin of her hand. It had an odd nasty sheen to it, making the skin glossy in some places and dry and cracked in others.
They were burn marks, as if she had grabbed something scalding hot---

“Your arm…it’s your right arm, isn’t it?” Thya demanded.

---the way you look at me and no one else---

I felt her reach forward and take a firm hold of my right wrist that was pulled tightly into my chest.

LOOK AT ME!

I heard Thya yelp, and she quickly withdrew my hand as if I had burned her.
NO!---

I stared at Thya, and Thya glared back. The floating shards around us suddenly started falling out of the air, hitting the floor in an echo of sharp ‘clinks’.
“Yea, that’s right, Zavius.” she growled, her light green eyes sharp. “This scar is only through the skin, but what you are doing right now to me burns deep.”
She lowered her hand and took a step back.
“I’m your friend, so why won’t you let me help you? Why can’t you just come to me?”
I breathed out slowly, feeling like shit.
“Thya, it’s not that I don’t trust you; I do. But with Taeri, you could really be killed."
Thya snorted, shaking her head.
“That girl would have some nerve if she ever tried to approach me with even a hint of hostility. Especially in these recent development.” she muttered, the dark angry smoldering back in her eyes. “No one messes with my twins and gets away with it.”
“Taeri would have that nerve, Thya.” I said warily. “She’s crazy---”
Thya cut me off with a dismissive wave. She seemed to shake with anger.
“Oh let her, I’ll welcome her with a little more than open arms.” she hissed menacingly that caught me off guard. She then turned her sharp gaze to me. “So, are you going to talk to me?”
I forced myself to breathe in, struggling.
“I was, uh…Branded. Taeri Branded me.” I told her, hating the words as they came out.
Thya gazed at me evenly for a while, slightly guarded, as if she was gauging my reaction.
“I know.” she said flatly, still watching.
I was gaping at her for the second time.
“How the hell---” I started, but I couldn’t finish.
Thya sighed and slightly rolled her eyes.
“After you took off, I tracked you down. You are a fast runner, but you left a nice wet trail for me to follow.” she said. “Basically, I caught up to you just when you were approached by Taeri. I hid and stuck around to hear the whole thing.”
“Then why---”
“Because I want for you to step forward and say the truth yourself.” she said. She let out another sigh, looking at me sadly.
“As sweet as it is that you are worried about me, I can take care of myself, Zavius.” she said steadily. “But right now, you are the one that is in trouble so let me help you.”

I stared at her, completely in disbelief. I don’t know what came over me, but a sudden fatigue came over me. I found myself stumbling forward towards Thya and stepping right into her open arms.
“I’m sorry.” I murmured, limply wrapping my left arm around her. “I’m sorry.”
I felt Thya’s hand against the bare skin of my back, rubbing my shoulders comfortingly.
“Just talk to me, Zavius.” she said.

I let out one last heavy sigh before I took a step back, letting her go.
“Alright,” I said.
I motioned her to sit back down while I tried to form the thoughts. I massaged my jaw with my good hand out of nervous habit for a few moments before dropping my arm by my side.

“The thing with Taeri…started in the Library a few days back, on the day we were Summoned to Elder’s Hall.” I started.

And so I told her, the whole incident from the beginning, not leaving out a single detail. The words just kept on spilling out of me; once I started, I couldn’t take it back. I was so wrapped up with my story telling that I almost had trouble keeping up with my own mouth.

I finally got to the events of three days ago, recap of the confrontation by Taeri, and the content of the conversation.
“…And well, you heard it yourself, so you know what was said.” I gasped, out of breath from non-stop speaking.
Thya was staring at me blankly, as if she was still processing all that I had just told her.
“That’s it?” she asked.
I scowled, feeling slightly annoyed.
“What do you mean, ‘that’s it’? Isn’t that more than enough?” I demanded.
“Ah, that’s not what I meant.” Thya said hastily. “I meant that more along the lines of ‘Did you get it all out?’ sort of thing.”
I thought briefly, but I sighed.
“Yea, I think so.” I said. “I mean, you’re the only person I have told about this.”

It was weird how it felt like I had kept the Branding a secret for months when in reality it has been less than a week since it happened.
I heard Thya let out a fatigued sigh.
“I thought so,” she muttered. “As much as I don’t agree with it, I am keeping this just between me, you and Taeri, and quiet from everyone else, including Zarda.”
My eyes widened at this piece of news.
“You haven’t told Zarda?” I asked.
Thya grimaced, a look of sadness coming into her expression.
“Of course not, what could I have said to him?” she said.
I didn’t feel the relief I thought I would feel knowing that Zarda wouldn’t know about this whole thing but I felt empty.
Thya settle back into the couch tiredly, looking troubled.
“In return for my silence, I want you to tell me everything and answer any questions I have, you understand?” she asked, sounding more like a motherly command.
I just nodded dully.
“Sure.” I said.

It sounded fair enough; what else would I have to hide?

Thya looked at me with a serious, unmoving gaze.
“Zavius, who the hell is this she-conscience?”

…Shit, I slipped again.