All I heard was the sound of wind, like a hurricane sweeping onto shore, or the faint hum of birds’ wings. My eyes locked with Jake’s, and he nodded. I forced my feet to walk forward and enter the ominous clearing, where the silver mist above our heads began to swirl. I watched intently as it collected and zoomed ahead, outlining the shape of a tall rectangle.

“What is it?” he whispered.

“I think it’s a door,” I said, turning my head to stare up at him. Jake’s expression changed from alarm to readiness.

“Let me go first.” His fingers touched the door’s shining knob before I could respond.

The ground began to shake violently and sharp whispering filled the air. The clouds of smoke engulf our bodies and a wave of vertigo hit me like a ton of bricks.

“What’s going on?!” I screamed. I heard no response from Jake. I reached for him blindly, trying wildly and with all my strength to resist the mist that both bound and suffocated me. My motions were thick. A set of gleaming red eyes appeared out of the fast-growing darkness and I could no longer find my voice to yell a warning. Abruptly, the weight of the mist pushed down, hard, on my now frozen body and my consciousness slipped dangerously. “Jake!” I tried to say, but words failed me once more. The world turned to black.

_____________________

“Tina. Tina, she’s waking up.”

“Well, it’s about time. God, you’d think she was hibernating or something.”

“Oh, stop. It’s only been a few days. Should I go get Aden?”

“Leave him alone, he’s got enough on his plate right now. She practically fell into his arms… talk about bad luck.”

“What I don’t understand is how she got here. What does this mean?”
“It means that the system is flawed. She’s the first ordinary human to enter Murdoch since gods-know-
when. This is not good.”

“What do you think they’ll do with her? The Court, I mean.”

“I don’t know, Claire. I don’t want to know.”

“She is an ordinary human, right Tina?”

“Yes, of course. Enough of this mindless banter. Go fetch some water and bring food. She hasn’t eaten in days.”

The voices in my head were swirling, twisting. I couldn’t locate my mouth to speak. Something was missing, and I was floating. I caught the short piece of conversation, then, slowly, I burst through the surface, gasping for air.