The Fifth World

Cynric: I take in a large breath, so large that I make a huge gasping sound. It is as if I have not breathed for a long time. The oxygen flows through my lungs so perfectly, it doesn't hurt and it doesn't sting. I feel great, full of energy and in perfect health too. My eyes open and I see the faces around me, one of them I cannot recognise.

"What's going on?" I ask.

The one I do not recognise is an Angelican, she stares down at me. She is young, beautiful and has olive skin and dark hair. Her eyes are alluring, they're big and brown with gold bordering the pupil. She smiles at me.

Janine is on the other side of me, tears in her eyes. Nancy is opposite her with a horrified expression on her face. She strokes my cheek, "are you okay? How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I shrug whilst still lying on the ground.

Caine is towards my feet, he holds out a hand to me but I do not take it. Taking it would require seeing his memories and I'm not sure if I want to do that without him knowing, I guess it's a violation of rights. Caine is a good guy. I may not like him because I can't help but feel jealous towards him - even if he is homosexual - but I can try to like him... for Bo and for myself too.
Oh, no. Bo.
I am on my feet in a second and I look around quickly. We are further down the mountain. Smoke is up ahead most likely from the cave and towards the top. Where Calhoun's home is there is smoke too. My head falls into my hands.

"Where is Bo?" I ask through gritted teeth as I stare at the ground through my fingers.

Nancy places her hands on my shoulders, she gently touches me, my dear sister, "nobody has seen her, Cynric. The Thornes set alight the cave in order to kill the people down here, it wasn't long before they found Calhoun's home too. We fought, we killed a lot of them but a couple died too. Temis is dead. Wendell is wounded severely as are others. We must seek help from Hargon. It is the closest city from here-"

"No," I say, Caine follows Nancy and I as we speak. Janine stays behind with the other Angelican. "We must not return to Hargon, the instant they find us we will all be arrested. They have no cares for Wendell or anybody else." I turn to her and take her hands in mine, "how was I saved? I was sure that was it, I was sure I was dying."

A tear rolls down her cheek and she flicks her long blonde hair to the side, "so was I. You're my brother, Cynric. I thought I was going to lose you... Janine found her friend, Alyssa, she can heal anyone to perfect health when she touches their flesh but it takes a lot out of her, she does not have the strength to heal everyone. I begged her to help you."

"Nancy," Caine says and we both stop and turn around to look at him, "Cynric is right. We cannot return to Hargon. We have to do what we can here. You and other Time Jumpers will have to jump somewhere to find medicine and equipment... everything we need. We will treat everyone here. The rest of us will look for Bo."

I look down at his hand and see that he is carrying a dagger... an Angelican dagger. Why is Caine, a Time Jumper, carrying an Angelican dagger? It is no use to him, he cannot speak Angelican and even if he could the spells would not work because he does not have Angelican blood running in his veins...

"Where did you get that?" I ask him quietly.

He looks down at the ground and carefully touches the dagger with his fingers, "I gave it to Bo a few days ago, it was lying on the ground outside on the mountain."

I feel my fingers curl, my fists clench. I can feel the heartbreak within me but it is being taken over by anger. I just want to hit someone, I want to pound the life out of someone. I cannot believe myself. I should have been watching her. I should have been there. I should have helped her! But I didn't! I was sleeping and then I was helping Wendell and Luka! I could have been with Bo! I could have saved her! She could be here right now.

"Cynric, Cynric," Nancy says and takes my face in her hands, her life flashes before my eyes but it is nothing I have not seen before. I ignore it and stare at her and try to put all of my attention on Nancy, now, and not what lies in her past. "We will find her, I promise you. She's going to be okay."

I shake her hands from me and feel my face turn red, hatred swirl within me, where is Bo? Where in this world is she? Is she even breathing right now? Janine tries to touch me but I am too quick, I threaten to hurt anyone who comes within a specific radius of me. Everyone, even Caine, stays back. Calhoun comes to me, though, and I resist hurting him.

"You are causing a scene, young one, do not be irrational on this day of all days."

I feel my teeth grit, my lips press tightly together, I will not curse at him, even if I want to, I will not.

"Keep away from me," I hiss at him and pass many onlookers. We are almost at the bottom of the mountain. There are plenty of people who are wounded, plenty of blood smeared across clothing and sounds of children crying. I ignore it all. Calhoun follows.

"Will you stop blaming yourself for your little girlfriends disappearance?! She has been kidnapped and from what I hear it is not uncommon for this to happen especially in Hargon. Be a man and deal with it. Nancy says we will find her then we will find her but for now these innocent people need you. A lot of blood has been shed today. Make yourself useful."
He finally leaves me alone and I am left to myself.

I see a cliff face and go and sit down. I let my legs hang over the edge. A simple movement will send me plummeting but I am not afraid. My well being is no match to Bo's. All I want is to see her safe. The wind blows through my hair. I stink of smoke. Ash and charcoal covers my white clothing but I do not bother dusting myself off. It would be no use anyway.
I hear a sound, as if it is of wind brushing by so quickly, some stones roll and clatter passed me and down the mountain. Felicity appears at my side. At first she doesn't say a word. She just sits with me and breathes out heavily. I look at her and see the worry in her eyes. Her skinny fingers touch my hand.

"I am afraid for her too, Cynric," she says quietly. "I will help you find her. I will not rest until I do." She looks away from me and out towards the horizon, we may not be that very high up on the mountain but the view is definitely phenomenal from here, "you may not trust me because I am one of them... but I'm not, I'm really not. I do not share their values or beliefs. I am good," she smiles and shrugs, "well, I think I am at least. A lot of people might think different. I may act like I don't like you or Bo... but I really do care for you both and I'm sorry but Bo especially. She is probably one of the only people I have met who hasn't judged me. She's probably the best friend I have ever had."

I look down at her, her dark red hair blows passed her ears and reveals her cheekbones. I guess, if you look at Felicity closely, she really isn't all that scary... she could be quite pretty too.

She holds her hand out to me as if she is ready to make a deal or a pact of some sort, I take it and she smiles, "we'll find her, Cynric."

Bo: I am thrown into a chamber or something. The ground is wet and dirty, my hair is drenched within seconds. I look down at my fingers and realise that this is the most light I have seen for some time now. My fingers are gross, they are dirty and dry and covered in dust, mud and blood. I very slowly and painfully straighten myself up till I am on my knees. I finally find the strength to stand up. The shackles around my wrist hurt, they are rusty and irritate my skin. Curse these shackles... and for once, curse the Angelican magic. If it weren't for these shackles I would be able to escape from here. Hell, I might even take over this place... I could manipulate anybody I wanted, I could make them do things for me. I could have power. Right now I can't do a thing but wait, I am no more than any Average Human when wearing these shackles or when thrown into my cell.
Several Thornes surround me, each sit in a throne... the one in the middle has the largest throne of all. He isn't old looking, he is quite young actually, probably in his twenties... maybe even Cynric's age. He seems curious by me. He looks at me up and down as if he is studying me. I am a little afraid by his stare... he is quite scary. His hair is dark, cut short and is knotted almost all over. He wears simple dark clothing with armour in different places. I look around the room and see the other three Thornes are wearing something much the same. The woman, however, has a different kind of armour to suit her body type. She is slim and of medium height... she doesn't particularly look athletic but I am sure that she is lethal.

She smiles softly at me and right away I can spot the evil in her, "hello, Bo." Her voice is deep and strong... but somehow, over the hostility and evil, there is something strangely beautiful about her... maybe it is the strength I know she has or the dark plum lipstick she wears. Her hair is dark and messy but she has high cheekbones and a pleasant smile. She could be a villain in a film, one that many would call sexy. "We have waited a long time to meet you," her accent is American. I wonder how she got it.

"Why am I here?" I am oddly comfortable with speaking to her, maybe it is because she is obviously pleasant to look at, I feel I should trust her because of that but I know I cannot.

Never trust a Thorne - at least one that lives here. I think of Felicity and feel myself smile. She is a contradiction of her species and I love her because of that. The woman stands up and circles me very slowly, she wears long, dark, leather boots that reach halfway up her thighs.

"Your genes would make the perfect warrior, Bo Abshire," she says. I feel myself take in a sharp breath when she speaks of my name. "But unfortunately we do not have the time nor patience to inject your lovely characteristics into one of us."

I smile, "you are going to use me because I can do things that no one else can. I can control people simply with words - I don't need to persuade."

"Exactly," she says to me, "your gift of manipulation is quite convenient for our kind. We plan to-"

"-create a war," I finish her sentence for her, "that is the only thing that will happen. You cannot make me do anything. I will not manipulate anyone, not even the government, no matter how much I may hate them. I cannot give you what you want."

She sighs deeply and looks at me as if she is very disappointed, the corner of her mouth rises upwards and she smiles at me slyly, her eyes look in a different direction, towards the wall and then she returns her gaze back to me, "you can give us what we want, Bo, because we can take everything away from you."

"Kill me," I say to her and shrug, "I'm done with being afraid. I'm not going to run, I'm not going to hide... but I might fight."

She laughs loudly and tilts her head back like a true villain, "you cannot fight, those shackles not only restrain you from using your powers but they restrain your hands too. You can do nothing."

I laugh too, Jesus, if I were another person right now I would probably mistake myself with a villain, "you may know a lot about me but you don't know what I know... you don't know what skills I posses. If I wanted to, I could kill you before you could even return to your throne over there - even with my hands in these shackles." Of course I am bluffing but it would be nice to see this woman show some kind of fear on her face. "What's your name, sweetheart?" Okay, I am definitely bluffing and I am definitely afraid... but I want to stir, if that's all I can do... I might as well stir the pot while I can.

"My name is Jasmine and it is obvious that you have not heard about me."

I smile at her and shrug indifferently, "obviously not."

"You really are a disrespectful little hybrid, aren't you?" she hisses at me, I can see the anger in her face and instantly feel satisfied, "I am one of the leaders of the Thornes. For a decade I have been trying to find some kind of serum that will bring my people to ultimate power. We've found several but I think you will be the cherry on top - the answer to everything we have dreamed about. If you do not cooperate, Bo, we will not hesitate to slaughter everyone connected to you - your friends, your family."

"I will not cooperate," I say to her and shake my head.

Jasmine sighs, "How old is your brother Adam? Hmm? He's a gorgeous little thing, isn't he? Those little red curls, rosy cheeks... what about your mother? Theresa, is it? She looks just like him. She's beautiful for an Average Human-"

"If you hurt them," I hiss at her, "I promise I will kill you."

She laughs, "oh, dear girl, I am just getting started. It is a challenge being torn between two, isn't it? I, myself, have never had the pleasure of love but I love the attention I get from males, I love how I can make them beg on their knees for me just to give them that little bit of attention and I love ripping their hearts out. But you? You have two young men you love, the Angelican and the Average Human... then your other little friends you have, the two red heads; Janine and Felicity and then that Time Jumper, Nancy, I believe her name is."

Oh my goodness. How do they know all of this? Have they been stalking me? I suddenly remember something Calhoun said once... about spies. I remember what he was saying, perfectly, "There are Thornes in Seabrooke that work as our spies, they go into the mountains, live with their own kind for a few weeks and return to inform us of everything that is going on." It would not be surprising if these Thornes had some of their own spies living among the Seabrooke population.
But how long have they been spying on me? They had to have gone to the Average Human world to watch me and my family! That is crazy. Who knows how long I have been under their eyes?! They know about Jonathan, about how much I love him, they know Mum and Adam and all of my friends. They know about Cynric and I...

"You understand now, don't you?" she says to me quietly, her voice echoes in the room. The other Thornes remain quiet, they sit in their big, high thrones watching us, mainly me. They are staring at me, studying me and trying to decipher whether I would help them or not.

"You set fire to the cave after taking me, how do I know that my friends are still alive?" I whisper.

Jasmine smiles and runs her long, pale fingers through her dark hair, "you don't."

"What about my mother, my brother and Jonathan? How do I know if you haven't killed them
already?"

She walks back slowly towards her throne, her boots heels making deep sounds in the puddles on the floor. This really is a grungy place. "Your mother and brother are safe in Australia, Jonathan is safely in bed fast asleep as we speak. Do as we say, Bo, that is all we ask."