A cool breeze pushes against the tall green grass in need of a fresh cut. There are a few sparsely placed trees, all tall and thick with either fluffy leaves or sharp spines.  Far to my right, fenced in by a pink castle wall is the park for little children under six. The sandpit has long-lost buried treasures waiting to be found by the next pair of little hands. The very center is the winding stairs to a makeshift castle tower, the slide slipping down to a softer pile of sand a slightly different shade and coloration. There are a lot of children screaming and laughing watched by a few careful glazes. 

On the side I am on, is the more mature part of the park. There is a set of swings, and a few slides, and an older nearly rusted merry-go-round groans and cries out as children pushed and pushed swirling it around and around going faster and faster with each breath. Until no one could move it faster, and children tumbled and fell off laughing. 

In between the two sets of parks, is a huge balcony area with benches of all random assortments. Some are from the actual park, and others are brought in by family members. A huge swath of adults is here, surrounding Rinny and his parents. Congratulating him on his birthday, shaking hands, and exchanging presents.

There's this warmth and excitement all around us, cousins and aunts and uncles, all of whom brought their own family and friends, and they brought theirs. I've never seen anything so large before. My own birthdays are much smaller than this and private. 

Rebecca grins mischievously, immediately placing both her hands on Luna's back giving Hazel her code word to push. Like a train, Hazel and I push Rebecca who pushed Luna all the way to Rinny. Once he sees us he waves brightly, and then he sees Luna. Stuttering and turning several shades of pink and red, he sweeps his gelled hair back. He's in a nice suit and tie, clean from any dirt or debris. He's been greeting guests it seems for a few hours, a pile of birthday presents and cards on the table behind him. 

The reason why he's so embarrassed is that as promised we've prepared Luna to the best of our ability. She's dressed up in a sweet spring dress the color of freshly cut grass and bulbing flowers. Her golden hair was brushed and preened like golden feathers fluttering in sunlight. A bright blue bow trailed down like butterfly wings dancing. She looks like the princess at his princely party. 

Rebecca teases, "We are here Rinny, with our present, all nicely wrapped with a bow."  

Rinny flushes several shades darker, his voice coming out in a squeak, "I... Thank you all for coming. I know it's not much... but please have fun." 

Luna gives him a kind smile, reaching over and taking his hands. She speaks in what I assume is his native language, and the two have a small conversation, Rinny growing redder and redder by the second. 

Rinny's mother seeing this interaction places a hand on his shoulder, "Hello, I see you are his school friends." She beams, "Thank you for taking care of him, how about you take a break and actually enjoy your party."

"Mom?"

"Don't fret dear, it's not every day you have a birthday." She kisses his forehead, "You have fun." 

Rinny beams, and shyly turns to us. 

We all lightly push him away, towards the park, where we begin to swing. 

I find swinging relaxing. The repetitive up and down of your legs, the feeling of the wind picking up and pushing against your body. Leaning back and watching the sky go back and forth. It's exhilarating and mind-altering. I think this feeling is why everyone loves swinging even when they've outgrown the seats and struggle to sit down. It's akin to flying, drawing people to it. 

I say relaxing... but that relaxation only lasts when there's no Hazel or Rebecca around. Hazel leans over me, her feet placed by my sides as I sit under her keeping us stable. Hazel screams in excitement like some little kid, "Let's fly!!!!" I do all the work, pushing us up, and began the process of getting us airborne. Hazel reaped the benefits laughing. And I can't help but laugh with her, the joy is infectious. 

Rebecca calls out daring Hazel to let go and see how far she can jump. Hazel leaps, landing in a pile of sand, groaning and jumping right up to her feet, "Higher!" as she scrambles back over to me. 

Next to us, polar opposites to the chaos are Rinny and Luna both swinging peacefully and talking in his language sometimes switching back to English and then back once more. 

It's getting late, the sun warms on my back. It's not very common for the sun to be out all day, so I bathe in its rays. It's summer, so the sun will be out more often, and warm the cold Washington air. 

Rebbecca groans pointing towards a mini-van that's pulling up. "They've arrived with the gremlins." 'The gremlins being her twin brothers, who look a lot like her, but act like hurricanes reborn. The third is a quiet kid, who is not to be mistaken as sweet. He's the one who gets the other two in trouble, without getting his own hands dirty. The three of them are evil incarnates as Rebbecca says. but she loves them and will do anything to protect them. And they her. 

Hazel grins evilly, she especially loves to play with them. Since they will do anything with her if it annoys Rebbecca. "Let's go get them!" 

Rebbecca cries out, "No!" She grabs Hazel who drags her and her wheelchair forward. "You are not going to alert those brats!" 

"HEY BRATS!!!" Hazel screams across the park, "YOU'RE SISTER IS OVER HERE!!!" 

Luna grabs my hand and Rinny's, "Let's go somewhere more peaceful." We head towards the balcony where the adults are starting to set up space for cake and barbeque. They wave Rinny away when he tried to help ruffling his hair and messing it up. His family is close, every one of them laughing and cheerful. From one car, almost ten cakes are brought out, and then the birthday cake itself. Rinny sits down, watching this all. "My family is amazing." He whispers closing his eyes. 

He's right. His family with all its troubles and drama, truly cares for him. Every family is like that isn't it? From small to large, family sticks together through thick and thin. Imperfection, and crisis. Even now, Hazel and Rebecca are playing with her brothers, fighting over something, yelling and cursing but all the while smiling so broadly it must hurt. 

Before long, the adults gathered the children and held Rinny over his cake shouting birthday songs in a few languages. Rinny leans over and blows out the candle, cheer following him. He grabs a few slices handing them to Luna and me. "Here, you guys can have the birthday cake." 

"Thanks!" I say, eating slowly the soft spongy cake and slightly cloyingly sweet buttercream. I've never cared for sweets like this, so I scrape most of the cream off and settled for the cake. Rebbecca scooped up my cream and ate it with ice cream in her bowl. 

I hear something from behind, I glance back and see... something brightly colored and hidden behind the trees. Rubbing my eyes, the figure doesn't fade out, or become invisible. It's three feet taller than the tallest person in the party, with long limbs and a flat shield-like round head twice the size of its body... I rub my eyes again, and it's gone. 

What was that? 

A melancholy scent whisp in the air. Dew drops splattering across freshly cut grass, all encased in a light fog. It's a scent that's cold, causing me to shiver from head to toe. I lower my fork. There's something watching me... I scan the crowd and the forest beyond the park. However, I can't seem to catch sight of the shield-like creature again. I know it has to be out there, I feel the crawling sensation of eyes staring down at me. 

Luna suddenly grabs my shoulder, and I jump out of my skin, a sound escaping my tight lips. She looks right at me, her face tight. Does she sense the thing too? Her voice is sharp her whisper only for me, "Ignore it, Aan. Ignore it." 

How can I ignore whatever it is? Especially when I can feel it getting closer and closer. 

Rinny's mother stands up her voice washing over the crowd, "Today is a blessed day! My little boy is no longer little, slowly becoming the man we all know he will be! It is time for him to open the presents given to him by all you kind people, come come! Let's wish...." 

Before she can continue her speech, someone screams. A person fell to the ground, collapsing hard. Then another person, and another, Rinny who was right next to Luna and I fell forward his head hitting the ground hard. 

What! What's happening?! The scent is getting stronger and stronger. Grabbing my head, I feel hot. Tendrils of heat soak my feet and crawl up my body. A wave of nausea and fear breaks any calm exterior I have, and tears fall down. I fall to my knee trying hard to keep steady, but more and more heat burns my chest. 

I can hear people rushing around me, screaming and crying. I fall forward, caught by a large man. I look up recognizing him. "Daddy..." I sob, "It hurts... Daddy..." I grab his shirt, curling into his strong arms carefully lifting me up. "Daddy..." 

I bolt awake, crusty eyes screaming as I lightly dab at them. I'm in an obsidian mirror room. My image distorted and warped all over me. I reach for its surface, the cold image burning against my fingertips. I take a long breath, standing up to my full height. The room is just large enough for a short girl like me to be comfortable. 

I remember this place, in my dreams. I'm dreaming of it once more, the same as the night before, and the night before that. A repeating deja vu. 

I push the wall, and it falls silently backward dissipating into sparkling ice crystals. I lean over the edge, looking down into even more darkness. 

A voice echoes upwards, "Help! The Pain! Please Help! Help!" it sounds even more desperate this time like someone screaming from the window of a burning house. I can yell back, but there will not be an answer. Just the crying and screaming and begging someone to help them. I'll sit in the darkness waiting for the voice to fade, and the horrible tides of water will force me elsewhere... Unless... I take a long deep breath sliding down slowly disappearing into the endless darkness. I can't see anything, but I fumble forward until I feel an oddly familiar cold object. Pulling on it, it clinks and clatters. It's the chain with the collar. If I follow this, I will reach the end with the hole and hear the voice telling me to hold the collar again... but each time I get to that point, something stops me...

I take another long breath, following the chain. 

In no time, in many times, I find the hole. Perfectly round, and capable of fitting a single hand. The chain flies up into it, the voice clearly coming from the other side. Echoing around down and around me. I reach for the hole, the world suddenly shifting and It's right there, in front of me. I kneel looking into its depth. 

There's no logic to this place, I've found that out from before. It still sets me on edge, a cold shiver scraping against my spine. 

Cautiously I place my hand into the hole, fumbling around. There's only a chain and empty air, pulling my hand back, it's slick with red blood. Swallowing back my disgust, I try to wipe it away. But it keeps clinging to me. 

"Welcome back."

Back! I whirl though I know it's useless because whoever speaks does not make their appearance. Only their disconnected voice. I fearfully squeak, "I am... who are you?"

"I can't tell. Pick up the chain." 

"No."

The voice lets out an annoyed sigh, "You have only a few more chances before he dies." 

Dies... The voice... 

"He," I get the feeling she's nodding towards the hole. "He has been trapped for far too long, his life is reaching its end. If you do not pick up the chain and accept the collar there is no way he will live past the next month." 

"You haven't answered any of my questions. Who is he? Who are you? I can't just..." I fling my arms upwards, "Accept any of this without answers!"

I feel something grab my throat, soft fingers wrapping right where the blood seeps, "he is perhaps the most important key to all of this. And you the keyhole. You have to accept the collar and place it on your neck."

"No!" 

"If you do not then..."

A light flashes overhead, a pale blue circle spinning and spinning like a top. The wind picks up pushing me away. 

The invisible hand lets me go, "What a selfish little Goddess of death. Oh how much she loves... I will see you next time, and hopefully, you will behave better." 

The wind lifts me up, and down, away from the hole, and invisible voice. 

I feel heavy, every inch of my body is just covered in a weighted blanket. Blinking several times, my mind comes back blank. There are these bubbles of memories flying far away from me. I try to reach for them, but they allude to any attempts to capture them. What was I dreaming about? I feel my cheeks warm heavily, and I reach for them, coming away with blood. Is this still a dream? 

Gasping, pain explodes inside of me, fire raging and scratching my bones and muscles. With each breath, it oxidates the flames dancing until I slowly feel nothing but the smoldering bursts. My limbs shake and tremble, an invisible physical force weighing heavily on me. I try to get my vision back, as I fight against the rising instincts to cry and scream.

I'm in a hospital I think. The air is heavy with the scent of hand sanitizer and cleanliness that's unnatural. Machines beep in my ear, in rhythm to my racing heart and rapid breaths. My eyes are slow to adjust to the bright lights overhead, enough so I can see three figures next to me.

 It has been an eternity for me since I've seen them. 

Shyan sitting on a chair, her back slouched over, her brown hair trailing down over her face and sticking to her cheeks. Dressed in comfortable slacks and a t-shirt that's not entirely clean. I don't think she's slept for a while, dark bags and tense veins around her neck twitching, are not the only signs of sleep deprivation she has.

Rin too looks just as bad. His dirty blond hair mingles with our sisters, as he leans into her shoulders. He squeezes his dark eyes, shaking in the midst of a nightmare. I want to go over there and wake him up, stop him from crying.

And last, sitting on the floor is George. He's tall enough he's leaning against my bed, one hand over mine, the other a pillow for him to sleep on. He too is tired, his clothes old and worn-looking. His golden hair is messy. I reach for it, brushing it to the side. I hear him moan awake, blue eyes opening lazily blinking several times before he tightens sitting up. He stares in disbelief, his grip on my hand tightening. "You're awake..." He croaks, "You're awake!" he trembles, tears falling, "We... we thought... you'd never wake up..." 

[To be continoued]