Listen closely. 

The creature had spoken more in their heads than their ears. Its presence could be felt over their skin as familiar as their own tiny hair follicles. Together they sat in the hospital and listened to the animal's proposal.

You are three who have claimed control of forces you no longer understand. You are three who come together in search of more.

 To overthrow an enemy. To impress those around you. To win the favor of those you admire.

 You are three who know the voice of ambition and seek to add their own.

The world stopped moving as it spoke to them. The world that was constantly hurtling through space, spinning like a top, expanding in infinite forever before they were born and beyond their last days. A world that moved so infinitely, suddenly lay sleeping. 

"What… happened..?" Erica was the only one bold enough to make a sound in the stillness. 

I brought you here, between the awake and the sleep.

Every single item in the room, including the room itself, opened up like a flower. Swelling and forming lumps, the lumps becoming copies of each item growing and mushrooming out of each original. Copies on copies in kaleidoscopic patterns unfurled until each one filled the room and left only splotches of color and light in the witch's vision. They couldn't even see each other. 

"Erica!" Alice shrieked in fright. Carter wanted to respond but found himself unable to move, throat closed in terror.

"Alice…Alice, I'm here…" the voices were sometimes muffled and sometimes booming. They would layer on top of each other and sound like a chorus. They kept yelling but the air seemed to drain from the room, leaving the sounds to buzz uselessly in their throats without a medium for travel. Carter clung to what he hoped was still his sheets as he heard the creature once again.

Unpleasant?

He thought he'd start sobbing. His brain felt like it was on a grill. He couldn't organize his thoughts enough to form a response without almost puking.

You would like to leave?

Unanimous yes.

Agreed.

They woke up.

Far too sudden to be possible, they were waking groggily from an impromptu hospital nap. The sun was much lower in the sky and its orange glow blinded them through the window. Alice and Erica huddled together in a hug on the floor. Carter squeezed his backpack tight to his chest and shivered, eyes glassy and unresponsive. 

"Carter?" Alice's concern was weaker than usual. 

I would like to leave as well.

Their shaken gazes turned simultaneously to the window, where a small weasel had soundlessly appeared to lie in the sun.

But I can only be here awake when much of the world sleeps.

The weasel stretched its paws out in front of it, sitting up and gazing toward the sunset.

My time in the awake is borrowed.

Carter didn't dare move for a moment, he didn't feel as though he was back to normal, he felt as though normal were a blanket covering the truth around him. 

 Erica and Alice gradually pulled away from each other.

"You're stuck there? Every day?" Alice asked quietly, voice far more firm than Carter felt.

Since before days were defined.

Carter's eyes widened. He still couldn't stop seeing the horrible shifting of space splitting his mind open like a walnut. He couldn't imagine living there trapped all day every day for so long. He felt sick at the thought of having to return every night. He felt insanity beating his temple's doors down after only a few minutes.

I need your help to escape.

"We'll do it," Carter spoke finally and unexpectedly. There was no communication or debate. "Guys we have to." He turned to the more apprehensive girls. Ericas face turned sour before she addressed the animal in the window again.

"We need to speak as a group, in private." 

No.

"Well you're an understanding demon, aren't you?" Her sarcasm was ignored as she was stared down by a pair of endless black eyes like a puppet's.

I am not a demon.

Erica sighed heavily before pulling her sister and Carter into a quiet huddle.

"I get it, I do." Erica smiled nervously. Eyeing the animal in the window she leaned in close to whisper. "But we don't know what this things deal is except it's dangerous." She hissed. "If it's stuck there it's for a reason." She concluded. Carter looked between her and Alice wildly.

"You can't be serious." He whispered back harshly. 

"Carter…" Alice whispered sympathetically. She still shook her head, agreeing with her sister. 

"I don't care if it's the devil himself he's…that was…I just think we have to, how can you just do nothing?" His voice broke unexpectedly. 

"What can we do?" Alice asked.

"You just said we're witches, or you guys are, whatever, we can figure out something." His words were met with skepticism and he finally felt the fear bubbling in him rise into anger. "He can manipulate me, he's done it before. He has my name…" he pressed. They looked more confused than anything. "Then I'll do it alone." He declared bitterly. The girls paused. 

Carter was acting on fear but he made a good point, they couldn't just leave the poor creature to suffer. Even more than that they couldn't let Carter try and help it alone. He was only involved in magick because of them and now it's probably traumatized him. Alice looked up at Erica expectantly and she gave a heavy sigh. 

"Fine, we'll help you…uh," Erica looked around for help but came up blank. "Do you have a name?"

Yes.

"Alright 'Yes'. We'll help you." Erica laughed. The weasel hissed half-heartedly and sat back down.

I will be in touch. 

With that, it lept to the ground and disappeared.