I stirred as I heard a buzzing sound from down below. My brows furrowed with confusion because I didn't have a clue as to why there was an invasive alarm going off in my apartment. I still felt a bit drowsy as I climbed out of the warm bed, running down the stairs to find the origin of the strange noise.

A small display next to the entrance glowed and beeped loudly. I helplessly tapped on it, not really knowing what to do with it. As I touched it, a small oval face appeared on the screen and with it a hand, wildly waving at me.

"Hey! I am Sanna! Let me in, would you?" She beamed at me.

I looked at the screen again but didn't see the command to open the doors. "Um hey, I would, but I don't know how."

She laughed out loudly. "Just say open doors," I followed her instructions, watching with awe as doors automatically opened and let her inside.

"This is so confusing. I feel like I stepped in some kind of science fiction movie, walking on a space ship," I said with a flustered voice, openly gawking at weird advanced technology before me.

"You will get used to it, believe me. And you are right, this technology is from space, technically," she winked at me.

I threw my hands in the air. “Right. Of course, how could I forget that,” mumbling to myself I turned back to her. I took her in as she stepped in front me. Sanna was a skinny girl, with milky, pale complexion and so petite she looked like a dwarf compared to the others I saw here. Her small face was surrounded by wild spiky hair, licking the nape of her neck, with streaks of pale pink and olive green in it. She had big, stunning round eyes of color aqua. Her clothes were similar to her hair, colorful and free-spirited.

"I am Sanna Christensen," she introduced herself with a thick accent I couldn’t quite place. "And I am your assigned mentor," she smiled kindly.

"Korina Varga, pleased to meet you," I said as she shook my hand. "Where are you originally from?" I questioned her curiously.

"I was born in a smaller division in Norway, but I’m here for quite some time now - twenty years to be exact. And yes, I know I still can't get rid of my accent. Apparently, it's stuck with me," she frowned.

"Twenty years?" I looked at her dumbfounded. "Right, I forgot about the whole aspect of immortality..."

"Divines and damned are immortal, correct. Other races not exactly, but essentially, we are so well enhanced now you could say that we are immortal," she explained grinning. "Come on, don't hold back, just shoot. You must have a lot of questions."

I was so confused I didn't even know where to start. "Daniel mentioned this is only one of many divisions, what did he mean by it?"

"Yes, this is the 10th division and there are twenty in total on Earth. Similar divisions are built all over the Universe. These on Earth are commanded by the Central building, which is in Southern Italy and is led by a man named Jerome Bosco."

"Is he also a high order of Seraph like Maximillian?"

"Yes. Almost every other division is led by Seraphim or some other divine being," she said, crossing her hands over her chest.

"Come on, let's sit down," I led her over to the living room, sitting on a comfortable looking sofa. "What race are you then?"

"I am a Tracker. Our people are mostly nomads now. Our planet was highly overpopulated back then, therefore people were starving. Vegetation died, the water dried out and oxygen was heavily polluted - we had to leave, only a selected few stayed. Because we are very adaptable and skillful, we could take on almost every job - we are merchants, warriors, scientists, doctors, programmers, you name it,” she paused to take a breath. “I wasn't born on Ibeara - our home world, but my parents were. They had to flee on Earth and eventually they've settled down in Norway and stayed there," she plopped down next to me, crossing her legs.

"How do you differ from humans? You look the same to me," my forehead furrowed as I thought hard, trying to find a difference.

"We do look the same. But we are way more powerful and skilled. We have an enhanced strength and speed, so we can easily track a demonic energy and feed on it – hence Trackers. Also, our minds work differently, similar to yours now if you've noticed it.” She waited for my confirmation. “Additionally, we have a very enhanced sense of smell, so we can find prey almost everywhere. We can track it blindly it's like a second nature to us," her bright eyes twinkled. "Oh right! And we have these babies," she opened her mouth, showing off her sharp canines.

I instinctively jerked away from her. "Hide those, please! You all look more like menacing sharks to me."

"Are you kidding? You are afraid of me?" Her eyes widened in wonder. “I am probably the most harmless creature in all ten divisions.”

I ignored her, asking more questions. "Who are the Skinwalkers? Maximillian mentioned them."

"Creatures with similar powers to ours, but instead of feasting on souls they have other abilities. They can imitate almost every living form. They can walk among different races completely unrecognized and that makes them very lethal. They are mostly used as spies or warriors, but can also work in different professions."

"Are they also nomads?" I asked her.

"No, they were at war with Torok'quars a long time ago, conquering quite a few planets. Both races signed a treaty a few centuries ago, therefore they live in peace now," her head whipped up to look at me. "Be especially careful with them, they can be pretty sneaky creatures... "

I nodded at her, thinking about the things she said. My stomach suddenly rumbled loudly and my cheeks flushed. "Sorry for that, I haven’t eaten for a while," I quickly apologized.

"Of course!" She slapped her forehead. "I will order in since this is your first time, but otherwise we normally eat in the canteen," she lifted her right arm, sporting a leather-metallic wristband - looking a lot like a bigger version of a smartwatch, except she wore in on the inside of the wrist.

"Ria, can you do me a favor, please? Can you bring a dinner for one in 325?" She asked. "Great! Thank you!" Sanna beamed and broke the connection.

"What the hell is that?" I said, staring at the object in astonishment.

"This?" She lifted her wrist up. "A communication device. It has programmed every person's contact that resides in this division. You can also open the doors of your room with it - just swing it in front of the scanner. Oh, and yes, you can use the internet of course. It is a lot like a mobile phone humans are using, except a little more enhanced."

She hurriedly showed me the basic commands on the communicator. I didn't have to concentrate hard - thanks to my new abilities, but that didn't lessen the confusion in my head. To say that this was overwhelming would be a huge understatement. Aliens, angels, demons, out of space technology? What comes next? Gandalf the Grey?

Sanna suddenly stood up, vanishing into my bedroom, returning seconds later with my very own communicator. "Here, put it on," she helped me fastened it around my wrist. "Now you can call me or anyone else whenever you want."

"Thank you," I said staring at the comm device in awe, turning my wrist to assess every single angle of it.

I nervously jumped as the display at the door buzzed once again, announcing another newcomer. "Open doors," I said out loud, feeling silly as it seemed like I was talking to myself. Ria's brown head appeared at the frame, lifting up a bag that I assumed was my dinner.

"Your order has arrived, mam," she grinned at the both of us, reaching us in only a few brisk steps.

The sinful smell rising from the paper bag was enough to make me salivate and painfully aware of the dark, empty pit of ravenous hunger spreading inside of my belly. I couldn’t help myself as I starvingly grabbed the freshly made burger, biting it like I haven’t eaten in months. “Thank you,” I mumbled in between the bites, devouring what’s left of the food, ignoring the rising shame as my manners resembled a voracious beast.

"Sorry I didn't bring it sooner, I should have," said Sanna apologetically.

I waved at her off. "No worries, I couldn't have eaten even if I wanted to," and I knew I was telling the truth. I was too terrified before to even think about hunger. “It was all too much to think about food.”

I slowly and curiously turned my attention to Ria, who still studied me as I was some kind of wonder. "Maximillian said you are a Tracker, how long have you been here?"

"About forty-five years, Traxx and I were transported here almost at the same time," she said smiling.

"That is quite a long time...” I whispered to myself, still grasping the sense of the prolonged lifespan.

She laughed out loud, shaking her head. "Not nearly enough! Daniel has been here almost five hundred years. He is one of the best warriors there is, apart from a few individuals like Max and Jerome," she clarified.

I ran my hand down the side of my face, gasping with disbelief. “Five hundred years...You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Ria pushed her hair back with a flick of her wrist, winking at me. “Better get used to it sweetheart, there are a lot of wonders awaiting you here.”

My mind led me back to the room where I first saw her. “You and Traxx... are you two in a relationship?" I blurted out, feeling my face heating in embarrassment. "Oh, God. I am sorry I didn't mean to pry, it's just because of your previous banter and I thought that..." I was blabbering so I snapped my mouth shut, wishing I could just bite my tongue.

She immediately stopped what she was doing, dramatically snapping her fingers. "Oh hell no, girl! We are not together, just look at his filthy manners! And please don't tell me you are interested in him!" She said, horror evident in her eyes. "Because that would blow up his ego like the eruption of Mount of Vesuvius. As we need more of that," she shuddered shooting Sanna a nasty glare, who tried to stifle a laugh.

"I don’t think I am in a situation to be chasing men right now,” I half-shrugged as I stated honestly. “But no, he’s not my type," I shook my head. "I care little for ladies' men, and he looks like it. But I might have totally misjudged him!" I apologetically lifted my hands.

Ria didn’t seem offended by my remark as she leaned forward, whispering conspiratorially "No, you hit a nail on the head with that one. He is more like a dog, humping anything with a skirt and Daniel isn't much better."

"I don’t want to be mean to any of them...” Sanna started. “But Ria has a point, you should be careful around them Korina. They are truly amazing friends, but having them as partners? Not so much," Sanna stared at her lap, picking at the piece of lint from her sleeve. "Too many broken hearts in this building."

"Ouch," I murmured. “But don’t stress it... That is the last thing I should be worrying about”.

Ria's expression suddenly turned all serious. "How are you feeling Korina? With everything going on?"

I sighed loudly. "I miss my family so much. There isn't anything I wouldn't do to see them one last time, to at least say goodbye," I lowered my head, sadness overwhelming me. "But if that means they are safe and alive, that I can live with."

"I can assure you Maximillian will do anything in his power to keep them safe and well situated. You don't have to worry. As for you, you will eventually get used to living here," Sanna assured me.

As happy as I was to hear my family and friends will be fine, I couldn't help worrying what will become of me.

"I don’t know if I can fit in here you guys... I am an artsy person for Christ's sake, not a fighter!" I looked at them both in horror.

"Believe me you’ll learn in time and don’t forget we are all here to support and help you, you’re not alone," Sanna cast me a gentle smile and looked at Ria who nodded in affirmation.

"All right you mentor in shining armor, it is getting late," said Ria, standing up. "We better leave Korina to catch some beauty sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day."

"I will be here in the morning to accompany you to the canteen, ok?" Sanna petted my shoulder as she walked by me to join Ria at the entrance.

"Thank you guys, for all your help. I truly appreciate it," I said gratefully to both of them.

"There’s no need to thank us," Sanna smiled over her shoulder, jumping with surprise after Ria loudly clapped her hands.

The brunette spun on her heel, enthusiastically pointing at me. "Oh, and by the way, tomorrow we are shopping for clothes! So get ready, we’re going all out!"

"But I didn't bring any money!" I said horrified, I didn’t have a cent in the pocket of my old, torn jeans. Although I badly needed some new clothes, given mine were ripped and filthy, there was no was I could afford them.

"You already have some credits on your new account,” Ria pointed at her comm. “We will just take measures of your body and order online," she clasped her hands together as she finished with explanation.

"Credits? But I haven't earned any," I said confused.

"Every newcomer gets them," Ria clarified. "But you will earn more when your training starts."

"Alright, I believe you absorbed enough information for today Korina. Have a good night sleep and we’ll see you in the morning," Sanna and Ria waved me goodbye as they quietly closed the door behind them.