The Fifth World 2

Bo: I am on my knees. My body is shaken by someone, knocked actually. Whoever it is really does not care whether they hurt me or not. My eyes roll and I feel my entire body ache like it never has before... I have definitely endured pain, nobody can doubt that... but this by far is the most physical pain I have ever felt in my life. My face feels strange, limited, like it can barely move... and my lips, I cannot even begin to describe how dry and dead they feel. I can taste blood on them. My hands search for my face and what they find is definitely not comforting. I can feel the blood, thick yet no longer wet sticking to my flesh. Skin is swollen and definitely bruising. When my eyes adjust I see my mangled hands, see the cuts here and there, the dirt and grit that sticks to every inch. I let out a scream but no sound comes out because my throat feels tight, my neck aches. What I hear is almost nothing, like a long gasp. What the hell has happened?

I look around and see a familiar sight... a chamber... dark but full of life. Full of Thornes. The Royals Chamber. Every Thorne I can see is staring straight at me, astonished, overwhelmed, excited... the hybrid has come to them under her own will. I breathe out a very heavy breath. It is over. It is done. They have finally gotten what they always wanted... me.

"I have always dreamed of meeting a hybrid," I hear a strange voice, it is unfamiliar, "Never did I imagine one would have been living for so long in the Average Human World."

I struggle to lift my head up, to see through the darkness, to make out the face that is speaking to me and to all who can hear. There is little light in the Royals chamber. In each throne sits a royal, all I have met with before, all but one... the one whom is speaking to me, the one who sits in the chair that was once occupied by Jasmine.

He is no more than thirty years old. His hair is long and dark, it reaches passed his shoulders but is tied in a very neat pony tail. His eyes are vibrant and pretty... his face is strangely familiar although I am certain I have never met this Thorne in my life. Who is he?

"Remarkable," the Thorne says to me as he stands slowly, something is not quite right with this Thorne, it is obvious that he is evil... but he is different, "You are remarkable."

The room becomes very silent, so silent that I can hear myself breathing, very heavily I might add. The Thorne moves towards me, his every step echoing in the stone room. Grit, grime and water sticks to the bottoms of his shoes. He is tall, broad and very frightening. I look away from him and even hunch a bit more over. He circles me, watches me and then when I look up at him again he is smiling and looking around the room at every other Thorne.

"This," he announces and gestures towards me," is the future. Think of our two worlds... united and full of life... full of hybrids... no longer will we have humans that only possess one gift... but humans that possess many... think of the possibilities... the life one would live would be unimaginable... astounding, like a dream."

What? Two worlds?

I hear more people enter the chamber. I do not turn to look. I just listen. It is too painful to move my body. It aches like hell. I hear a mild chatter and then see at the corner of my eye another person thrust onto their knees beside me. Her head slumps, her red hair covers her face and at that moment I know exactly who it is and I am thankful that she is here... thankful that I am not alone... thankful to learn that during my last days, someone I love and care about would be with me.

"Ah, Felicity," I hear the Thorne say and he looks down at her with pity... or is it disgust? "I have heard much about you, dear. How wonderful it is to finally meet you. I see that you have taken a fascination in this hybrid... a fascination I understand partly... her abilities are uncanny, of course, but you take a fascination that is much deeper, much more confusing... you care for her. Is that why you saved her today?" He laughs loudly, "Oh, of course it is. I am stupid to even ask."

I turn my head slowly towards Felicity and I can see as her hands sit flat on the wet floor that her knuckles are swollen and bloody.

"You saved me?" I ask her so very quietly, what comes out of my mouth almost takes my breath away, the voice is hoarse, unrecognisable... am I really that beaten up?

Felicity finally looks up at me, her face as perfect as the last time I saw it, I am glad to know that she is not hurt, "Of course."

The Thorne cackles again and he claps his hands twice in amusement, "Fascinating. So very fascinating! The Thorne loves the hybrid. How wonderful! And yes, she did save you, Ms Abshire. She gave my Léon quite a beating but in some ways he did deserve it. After all, he did not put his personal issues aside and bring you straight to me. Rather, he took the selfish way out and decided he would avenge the death of his late lover Jasmine. What a disappointment of a royal she truly was. Thank goodness her death left an unoccupied seat in the chamber... just in time for my return."

"Who the hell are you and what do you want?" I hear Felicity spit.

He giggles like a child, like a little boy, this Thorne is truly insane, "Well, I have gotten what I want, sweet child. I have my plan, my intentions... my weapon is almost here."

"Almost?" Felicity asks loudly. "What are you talking about? You have the hybrid, isn't that what you have always wanted?"

Another voice begins to speak, this voice is not masculine, it is very feminine actually... high pitched and sweet. The woman must have been standing behind Felicity and I. Her skin is golden, her hair golden too and she walks with a grace that is very alluring. Over the last few months I have become very good at recognising each human for what they are... but this one in particular is very hard to figure out.

"The hybrid was what everyone else wanted..." the woman says in a very sweet voice, "you were merely a tool to them but they never realised how much more powerful you could become... who cares about what powers you posses? Who cares what you can do? We already have so much more... enough to take over the world. We don't need to manipulate anyone..."

Felicity gasps and I look over at her painfully, "An Average Human, no way."

The woman could be no older than thirty. She bounces towards the Thorne and stands by his side, her hand resting on his shoulder. She caresses him and he looks up at her with eyes of love. I look away quickly.

"Do you have any idea what Alfred will do if he knew you were here?!" Felicity growls. "What he will do to all of you? Bringing an Average Human into the Fifth World?"

"Alfred means nothing to us. What we plan on doing is so much bigger... better, the world will never be the same." She responds.

"Who the hell are you?" Felicity hisses, "And how the hell did you, an Average Human, get here?"

There are murmurs within the chamber and as I struggle to swallow what little saliva I have in my dry mouth I look up and see the strange sense of happiness in this woman's eyes... it is as if she is a Thorne herself... evil, determined, strong and pleased to see such pain and wonder and curiosity within another.

"I got here the only way possible... through a portal, of course. A portal that my darling, John, created," she looks down at the Thorne again, her lover, her partner... the man I am sure is head over heels in love with her, the man who would do anything for her.

"You brought this Average Human to the Fifth World? Shame!" Felicity hisses, disgusted.

There are loud footsteps behind us and I hear Felicity grunt very loudly as she is kicked in the back by someone. I turn around and see that it is the young man that tried to kill me before. The french one, the beautiful one, Léon. His hair is very messy, it is full of dirt and blood. His face is sweaty and a dried up gash sits just above his eyebrow. I know that even though I may not be able to see it, he is in a lot more pain than he is letting on... his injuries would be covered by his fresh and designer clothing.

"I did," John says, "And I would do it again. Be disgusted by my actions, in fact... fear them. Do you really think bringing an Average Human here would be that important compared to what I plan to do?"

"And what is it you plan on doing?" Felicity grits her teeth.

I am sinking... slipping, in and out of consciousness... I so desperately want to hear all of this, witness it... if it is one of the last memories I will ever have then I want to hold onto every second. Answers will become clear here.

"A uniting of worlds. A portal forever open, forever moving... keeping the Fifth World and the Average Human World together as one. There will be no Average Humans, no Angelicans, Thornes, Shape Shifters or Time Jumpers. Reproduction will cause hybrids to be born everywhere. We will wipe out the Average Human race making their existence nothing but history. The world will never be the same." John says.

"No!" Felicity screams, "You cannot do that! You cannot mess with natural selection. You will create a world of war! A world far worse than what we have now-"

Felicity lets out a loud scream. I realise that someone has hurt her and I assume it is Léon. I may not be able to see him but I can almost taste the bitterness and hate he has towards Felicity and I. I know how much he wants to watch us die.

"Enough!" I hear a very loud voice. It does not belong to a Royal. "They have endured enough, John. I ask you to move them to a separate chamber where they can rest. If you plan on using the hybrid, I suggest she is presentable if you wish for her father to comply. I promise you he will do very little for you if he sees his daughter in such a state."

My heart begins to pound... my head raises a very little and my tired and stinging eyes open, "What do you want with my father?"

John and his Average Human lovers eyes move to mine. The woman's eyes twinkle and the corner of her lips rise a little. She is enjoying this very much.

John begins to speak, "I may be able to use an Angelican dagger but it takes a very old and strong one to be able to make a portal so strong that it stays open forever. Getting to Alfred to steal his own or any other members of Parliaments would be too difficult and finding the great Calhoun Hargon was too much of a challenge. So, I gathered, why not take what an ex-member of parliament cares for so very much? And in case, take another? Leave him with nothing until he agrees to help us."

I watch John carefully as I try to understand what it is he is saying... what is he talking about? Taking something that my father cares so much about? Does he mean me? Is that why they are holding me hear? Or wanted me in the first place? Am I merely the tool to lure my father, Johnson, in?

"Bring her out," I hear the Average Human say in a commanding voice.

There are sounds behind me, of doors opening, closing and then several people moving. A body is pushed to the dirty ground beside me. Her hair is long and dark reaching passed her shoulders. Her hands a little wrinkled, a bit like Theresa's. I think this woman's hands are older, though. Material has been tied around her head, covering her eyes, restricting her sight. She lets out a small cry as she lies there. I can see how her hands are bound too... with shackles that are the same as some I have worn before and that I am wearing now - shackles with a spell on them, that stop the wearer from using their powers... that would stop me from time jumping.

Léon walks towards her and rips the fabric away from her eyes. The woman sits up quickly and looks around in complete horror. She is at least forty. When her eyes stop on my face my heart thumps a little because the face I see staring at me is so very familiar... so very much like my own. When I gasp, she gasps too. I realise that the woman I am staring at is no stranger at all... she is my biological mother. Evee.