“We should go back to the kitty commune.” According to the clock above the stove it was just after eleven o'clock, and apparently that meant Freya had already manifested in Max's kitchen, ingratiating herself with a basket of freshly made scones. She'd put one into my hands right after she and Max had inspected my new colors, and I nibbled on it as they talked.

“I wanna see the kitties.” Sage said, turning away from the TV, “Can I come?”

“Sorry, little sib.” Max said, “You're a little too young for this adventure. But why don't you go find Samson? I bet he's pretty bummed you wanna go see kitties that aren't him.”

“I know you're hiding something,” Sage said cryptically, and I had to wonder if telepathy ran in the family, “But now I feel bad about not petting Samson enough.”

They narrowed their eyes, “Don't think you can hide those other kitties from me forever, though.”

Max laughed as his sibling stomped out of the room. All of his siblings were like that – kind but precocious, and far more intelligent than their age might suggest. They'd adapted to me early on, never prompting me for spoken answer, instead pointedly only asking me yes or no questions. Memphis hardly talked to me, but he didn't mind my company, and Max's parents had trouble remembering I was great at talking, but they tried.

Max's mum came over as we were about to leave, knitted hat in hand which she gently slid onto my head. I felt like a deer caught in headlights, unsure what the proper thing to do was.

“You always look so cold.” She said, “I made this one just for you, you wear a lot of blues and I thought this would go nicely.”

I could feel the blush spread across my cheeks, but still couldn't find any words to say.

“Don't stay out too late, Max.” She said, turning to look at her son, “It's a school night.”

“Yeah, I know!” Max said, kissing her cheek before opening the door.

It could have been the new hat, but outside of Max's house seemed chilly in a bearable sort of way. The breeze still had a way of blasting through my ratty sweater, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been the last few weeks. Spring was pushing back the cold in preparation for the Summer, and I mourned the loss of it.

We walked quietly. Max and Freya were in the lead, talking in hushed voices, but I was focused on Roman's presence next to me. He was close enough that I could feel his warmth, and occasionally we bumped elbows as we walked. I gathered to nerve to sneak a glance at him and found his eyes meeting mine. It was no wonder everyone thought I looked perpetually cold, with my face this red so often.

Roman opened his mouth to say something, but I couldn't hear it over the sudden overwhelming pulse of the hum. With my next step I fell through the earth, into the inky black depths of empty space. Each surge of the hum was like a current, pushing me through icy cold water, deeper and deeper through endless leagues of darkness.

I couldn’t breathe, but found that I didn't need to.

I couldn't see, but knew there was nothing to look at.

I wanted to scream for help, but there was no one in this void with me.

This was my own pocket of emptiness, hand-made and designed by me, for me. This thought was clear in my mind, clearer than it had ever been, and I tried to keep hold of it as I continued to fall, but it slipped out of my grasp and the world around me darkened completely.

I woke up in a forest. My limbs were numb and the taste of blood and something else lingered in the back of my throat. Below me the moss was damp from fresh rain, and the sun, though hiding behind a few gray clouds, was near setting.

Time had passed. I had no way of knowing how long it had been since I last saw Roman, Max, and Freya, but they weren't there now. I wasn't even sure where I was. This part of the woods was gnarled and ancient, even the trees were covered in moss, and the craggy boulders looked as though nothing had touched them in decades.

I was sitting in the only flat area around, suspended by a cushion of green moss so thick it was softer than my bed at home. Around me the trees were humming, shaking in a tense manner and their leaves struggled to hold on. There was no wind to cause this, nothing dancing in the branches of the trees, except...

Magic. There was magic in these woods, and it rumbled furiously at me as I sat and watched its display.

I struggled to my feet, feeling the rush of magic swirl madly around my limbs, and started walking. There was no way to tell which direction would lead me back to civilization. The trees were dense and old, impossible to see through, dangerous to climb, so I picked a direction at random. It was cold. I still have my clothes and hat, but they were damp from the moss, and the breeze blew right through me, chilling me to the bone. Sans the hat I would've probably frozen to death much quicker, and I remind myself to thank Max's mom for the gift.

The silence of my walk left me with ample time to think about my dreams. Tethyria had been right, though I didn't think I'd ever be able to admit it to her face. My magic had been responding to the dreams. I'd floated and glowed, had swaths of black covering the fingers of one hand, and white covering the fingers of the other. The marks were still there, still as clear as if they'd been tattooed into my flesh not moments before. I didn't know what any of it meant, and I regretted not telling Tethyria about the dreams when Max had first brought them up. Now they weren't even dreams anymore, they were something vastly more confusing and more dangerous.

It was nearly an hour before I saw any signs of life – bright lights shining through the branches of trees – and I had to wonder if I was still in my own city, or if the darkness had brought me somewhere completely different.

As I got closer I found myself blocked by a wrought iron fence, each picket taller than me and topped with a sharp looking ornament. No one seemed too worried or surprised when I stumbled out of the woods through the open gate. I'd followed the fence down, picking my way over rocks and roots, and it probably looked like I was just finishing an evening stroll in the park.

This city was not immediately familiar to me and my stomach tensed with anxiety. This wasn't my home, these streets and buildings were different, even held a different energy about them. I didn't have a car. I didn't even have any form of ID or money, and it was possible I was hundreds or thousands of miles from home. Not too far down the street was a bus shelter, and I walked towards it, sitting down on one of the benches and trying not to hyperventilate.

I was failing by a broad margin when someone sat next to me, tapping away loudly on their phone with long fingernails hitting the screen. I had enough energy to be mildly annoyed, but couldn't find it in me to confront anyone, even with a glare, so I wrapped my arms around my torso and bent over to put my head between my knees, hoping I could calm my breathing.

“No offense, but you look like shit.” The stranger said, slipping their phone into the pocket of a bright pink faux fur coat. She sounded amused and I was reminded of Tethyria, “You need something? Juice? A cigarette?”

I looked at her, confused. She was tall and her hair was huge.

“What? Don't look at me like that! I don't know what children like!”

She rolled her eyes at me when I didn't answer her or change the expression on my face. “You don't have to be so difficult, you know. You're pretty tiny and you're out here all alone looking all sad and shit, I was just worried.”

I didn't know what she wanted or what she expected of me so I ignored her for the most part.

“Look, I gotta get home before it gets too late and Noah locks me out of the apartment,” she said after a moment of silence, “And it looks like you don't go around trusting strangers, which is an instinct you should absolutely keep, but I'd feel like an absolute hag if I left and you froze out here all alone.”

“You got a cell phone on you?” I shook my head. She opened her clutch and pulled out a card and some cash. “There's a payphone on Market, about two streets up that way. You wanna come in for some hot food and a couch to sleep on tonight, you give me a call, alright?”

For a moment I only stared at the bills and business card in her long nails, which matched the color of her ridiculous jacket to an alarming degree. I didn't intend on taking it from her, but she smirked at me before stuffing it into the pocket of my hoodie.

“Remember, if you need anything, you just call up Auntie Momo!” She said as she walked away, her heels clacking on the sidewalk.

The business card she'd handed me said 'Moira B. Dix' and I let out a huff of laughter. Below that it said 'Expert Adult Performer', and at the bottom was her number. I blushed at the idea of what career she might have, but the card had already accomplished its mission in easing some of my anxiety about being in a strange place.

I stood up, rubbing my sore neck, and set out to find the payphone. I wasn't going to call her, wasn't even sure any payphones still existed, but it gave me something more to do than sit down panic-heaving. I was shocked to actually find it. It must've been one of the last payphones in the whole world, and here it sat so unassuming, as if it hadn't got the memo that cell phones existed. I was tempted to use it, if only to say that I had, but I didn't know anyone's number.

Besides, if I could call someone like Max or Roman or even Freya, what would I even say?

'No, I don't know what happened, but can you pick me up? Oh, by the way, I have no idea where I am. No, I'm not kidding, sorry, I forgot to ask the very tall drag queen who gave me money what city this was.'

Rain had begun to slowly drizzle so I ducked into the little cubicle to avoid it.

Inspecting the payphone revealed that, despite it being the future, it only took quarters and I cursed silently under my breath. There was a spell I'd learned when I was a kid for this. I'd found a dollar once, on the sidewalk, and was determined to turn it into four handfuls of sugar from the candy machine outside the mini-mart but I was devastated to find that this machine also only took quarters. The spell had crossed my young mind unbidden and when I spoke it out loud, the dollar in my hand had separated into four shiny quarters.

I tried to remember that word now. It took a bit, trying to suss out the exact pronunciation, but finally the dollars in my hand split into coins. Some of them spilled out and there was an awkward moment of shuffling as I grabbed at them. I still needed a number, though.

Another spell crossed my mind, as though it had followed the first. It was quieter than normal, but still burned in my mind with gold.

I took the phone from the hook, deposited some of the quarters, and whispered my spell into the receiver. First there was a dial-tone. Then silence. Then the heart-stopping noise of the phone actually ringing, actually calling someone who might be able to help. There was no real way to tell who would be on the other end, so I closed my eyes and hoped for someone I could trust.

A stern voice answered, and I probably would've fainted from anxiety if he hadn't said, “Hello, Miranda residence.”