I didn’t want the night to end. It was such a refreshing feeling, lying down next to another shifter and having a simple, intellectual conversation. Ryder had given me one of his shirts, the maroon T-shirt fit me like a dress, long enough to cover my butt. The bonus was it smelled like him.

I secretly claimed it, vowing to make it one of my missions to collect something from the other boys, like a souvenir. Mission: Souvenir from Ryder – Complete. One down – three to go.

We spent the night catching up on the cycles we’d lost together. He told me the order in which he had met the others; meeting Daniel first and then Marcus, followed by Elias. He explained how they had been blessed with mental communication. It didn’t matter how far apart they were from one another. If they desperately needed to reach each other, they could. Yet, the farther away they were, the more concentration was needed to get a clear message through.

He informed me of how there was currently five of them, another shifter named Kai being the fifth. He was staying back in Heila to assist my parents, the King and Queen.

It felt weird to suddenly accept the fact I had a family. Ryder told me about my Father and Mother, Arthur and Catherine Heart.

According to him, they were kind rulers, doing anything in their power to promote peace and tranquility. My two siblings, Kade and Xavier Heart were the top ranking summon magic users in the kingdom. They were currently assisting in the raiding of King Aspen’s facilities in other realms. Ryder stressed how my kidnapping had changed them significantly, compared to the brothers he once knew, but he prayed once they heard about my rescue, they would face their inner demons.

“Inner demons? What happened?” I questioned, curious as to how my disappearance could have affected them.

Next to Lily, I couldn’t imagine how someone would feel or react to the news that their family member was missing; the fear of them being dead or being tortured always in the back of their mind.

“Their demeanour changed. Between the two, Kade physically took it the hardest. He’s like Marcus; always friendly and striving to make people smile, but when your Mother told him and Xavier, he lost control of his spirit. You can’t imagine how difficult it can be trying to calm an extremely angry angel shifter. He stayed in his angel form for weeks.” He explained, his hand lightly tugging a strand of my hair as he looked up at the ceiling, his eyes looked far away, as if he was watching the events unfold before him.

“What about Xavier? Did he care?” I asked, hesitantly. It warmed my heart that one of my siblings had cared about my disappearance, having some type of reaction to my kidnapping. I just wish he didn’t have to experience such suffering.

“Xavier is like Daniel, quiet and keeps to himself. He’s not one to burden others with his inner struggles and that was no different back than as it is now. He had stood there with a blank expression, unable to comment. I could see it in his eyes though, he was trying to be the stronger one. But I could sense his struggle when his eyes kept flashing back and forth, and the temperature kept alternating between hot and cold. His demon wasn’t pleased to say the least.” Ryder admitted.

Kade and Xavier; angel and demon shifters whose youngest sister was robbed from them. If they heard the news, would they be happy or sad? Would they even want to know me? I was so different from the little princess they remembered. Could they accept this version of me?

He told me about his family, specifically his sister, Anya. She was two cycles younger than him, being blessed with a demon spirit like Ryder. She would have been twenty-three if she was still alive. During a family expedition when Ryder was sixteen, he was traveling with his sister in one transportation vehicle, his parents an hour ahead of them. They were heading back to Minato after their routine trip to Heila when his vehicle was ambushed by rouge shifters.

Rouge shifters were followers of King Aspen. Their mission was to cause disturbance throughout the realms to create chaos and uncertainty in an effort to create war.

At that time, Ryder said he wasn’t aware of the hidden facilities, but during the confrontation, Anya was stolen from him. The rogues had attempted to take him as well, but his demon had begged to differ, killing four out of the five shifters as a result. It pained him that he didn’t have the endurance to kill the fifth rouge, the culprit who stole Anya away from him and his family. Before he had the chance to call for help, he had lost consciousness. When he had awakened, he was already back in Minato, being treated for his injuries. They never found Anya.

I could sense the pain in his voice as he explained Anya’s tragedy. I could understand now, why Ryder and his demon were so protective of me. He was scared someone would steal me away again, just as they had stolen his sister. I felt a bit closer to Ryder, after hearing his struggles in life. I felt I wasn’t alone, having someone who understood the true extent of losing someone dear to them.

I told him all about Lily, from the day we met at the entrance of the facility, to the final moments when I received her phoenix, naming her in Lily’s memory. He listened quietly, the arm around me pulling me closer when I struggled to finish certain parts in my story telling.

I didn’t feel sorry for myself for living the life I lived. You can’t regret something you never knew existed. It didn’t mean such a life didn’t have its breaking points. Every day was a struggle to survive, even with my favourite status; I wasn’t guaranteed the privilege to live to the next day. I had to fight, just like everyone else.

When I reached sixteen, we were coerced into participating in death matches. The Owner’s goal wasn’t to see who was stronger when it came down to a fight. His goal was to determine who would survive, no matter what the circumstances were. Those times were by far, the most brutal, both physically and mentally.

The Owner wanted to morph me into another person, a slave who would never defy his command. Through multiple experimental testing, aimed to manually incorporate a trigger in my head, he finally succeeded.  I guess I can describe it as the birth of my split personality.

The Owner referred to her as Midnight, her name symbolizing the end and the beginning of a new era. I always imagined her name representing the dead of night, the point of where darkness was furthest away from the sun’s light. She was her own entity, not like my spirits who could take control of me but allowed me the ability to witness what they were doing with my body.

I believe Midnight emerged due to my brain’s way of protecting myself; a way to deal with the trauma of the past. When the daily experimental trials became too much for me mentally, I would black out; Midnight emerging to take my place. I wouldn’t know what had occurred unless Rose gave me the summarized version or I heard the detailed version, from the Owner, praising my performance.

I understood that Midnight and myself were one individual; I had come to accept her and the Owner’s evil purpose for her. However, taking the blame for murdering shifters didn’t sit well with my heart. I knew the Starlight gods wouldn’t judge me. I was forced to partake in these duels, compared to me simply raising my hand up and volunteering as tribute to kill my fellow shifters.

Sometimes, during the wee hours of the night, I’d attempt to reach out to talk to her. I knew if we switched I wouldn’t be able to mentally communicate with her compared to my spirits, but I had other ways of talking with her.

During my teen cycles, I asked the Owner if I could have a book and pencil to draw in, giving the excuse to pass the time. He didn’t seem to mind my request, a few empty books and two pencils left in my cell the following day. I would write what I had to say to her and switch, allowing her to take control. Rose became the interrupter for anything Midnight didn’t understand, but as time passed, it became easier.

Midnight was the complete opposite of me; quiet and shy, and showed little interest in shifters of any kind. I couldn’t ignore how lethal she was in combat, killing her opponent within five minutes or less. I bet she could simple stare at a shifter and induce their death if she truly wanted too. Of course, that wouldn’t be approved of by the Owner. He loved when the matches were slow and torturous, enjoying their agonizing screams as they fell to their demise. We both didn’t know what the Owner’s intentions were, but I was certain that Midnight would be the prime subject for his malevolent scheme.

I decided not to tell Ryder about her, yet. I knew within me, everything he said was truth. His promise to never judge me was filled with pure intentions, courtesy of having an angel spirit with the ability to determine truth from lie.

I, however, didn’t want to show all my cards. Plus, Midnight wasn’t as trustworthy as I was. I’d make a mental note to tell her everything that has happened later, when I got some alone time. 

We continued to talk till the sun began to rise, my eyes becoming too heavy for me to keep open. The soothing motion of Ryder’s hand stroking my head lulled me to sleep. The nightmares stayed away as I slept peacefully, without a care in the world.

***

I woke up in an empty bed. I let out a yawn as I sat up, staring at the maroon rug on the floor. My mind was foggy; everything seemed hazy and far away. I questioned if this was another dream, but didn’t concern myself. I let my eyes close for a moment, my mind drifting on its own accord. I allowed my body to stand, my eyes still refusing to fully open. I walked towards the door, mindlessly opening it to find my destination.

I shuffled through the narrow hallway, the darkness fading behind me as I entered a brightly lit room, yet my eyes barely registered the change in scenery. I heard a voice talking, the flat tone peaked my curiosity.

“Regardless, I can’t wait till the exams are done so we can- HOLY FUCK! Why is there a girl in your house! No…wait, did she just come from Ryder’s room?” The voice yelled.

I continued staring at the floor, lifting my head slightly, searching for my target. My eyes spotted it, its location was next to the counter, across from the marble island and coloured stools. I shuffled my way towards it, stopping directly in front of it. I took a moment to gaze at its silver metallic texture. I was one step closer to achieving my goal. I ignored the sound of footsteps, the tap noises getting closer and louder to my ears. I felt a hand gently rub against my back.  

“Mako? Are you sleep walking?” The voice asked.

It took me a few seconds to figure out the voice, Marcus.

I continued to stare at the silver beauty, the fridge. My subconscious didn’t care about answering questions. I wouldn’t lose my concentration. I wish they had milk...I like milk.

“She’s half asleep.” I heard another voice confirm, I registered it as Daniel’s. He sounded far away, almost like an echo. It didn’t concern me.

I continued to stare at the fridge, thinking of the right moment to open and reveal its contents, praying to the Starlight gods that my treasure was deep within.

“Just give her some milk.” A different voice, Elias, suggested.

“Why milk?” They both inquired, bewilderment oozing off of their voices.

“She did the same thing early last night. Came from the basement and was standing in front of the fridge for thirty minutes. I gave her a glass, filled it with milk and she simply drank it and walked away. Ryder said it was another one of her habits.” He explained, unconcerned.

I frowned, my subconscious trying to understand what the voices were saying. I watched as Marcus opened the fridge, my eyes lifting to stare at the contents mindlessly. I felt my shoulders drop as I scanned the contents before me, my treasure missing. My treasure was stolen.

“Well, where the hell is it? We don’t have any milk in here. Jeez, now she looks sad. Where did you put it Elias?” Marcus questioned, shuffling through the fridge, my sadness only growing. Mission failed, abort.

“I finished it. I didn’t know you had a girl in your house, wearing Ryder’s T-shirt by the way, who drinks milk while SLEEP WALKING! Are you guys even listening to yourselves?” The unidentified voice exclaimed, clearly sounding pissed. I didn’t care, I had failed.

I turned around, my eyes slumping back to the floor beneath me, shuffling to the corner of the bright room. I sat down cross legged, the bright glass before me. I continued my analysis of the black wooden floor, attempting to distract myself by counting the number of tiny lines that surfaced upon closer inspection; anything to delay me from devising an excuse for my failed mission.

“Fuck, is she sulking? Dammit Leo, why the hell do you always finish the damn milk like you’re the only person in here who drinks it!” Marcus snarled.

“You can’t be serious. Why are you angry at ME? Over fucking milk!” The voice argued.

I heard a click noise fill the room. The sound of footsteps and another click followed. I continued my moment of depression, my heart not ready to accept the truth.

“What’s up with all the yelling?” The familiar voice, made my heart jump with joy, though I subconsciously didn’t understand why.

“Ryder. Mako’s in the corner, over there, sulking.” Daniel pointed out, a moment of silence followed.

“She’s sleep walking. Did you give her a glass of milk like I told you?” He asked.

“You got to be kidding me.” The voice announced, clearly upset.

“LeoIdiot over there finished the whole three fourths of the carton.” Elias admitted, his voice sounding frustrated.

“What the hell is milk going to do?!” The voice snarled back.

“Milk to her, is like coffee to me, juice for Marcus and tea for Elias and Daniel in the morning. No milk, she’s a walking zombie. Just like how you come here every bloody morning and finish the god damn milk! Why are you fucking complaining?” Ryder hissed.

I could hear something open before a thump noise echoed in the room. After a few seconds, footsteps closed in on me. I stayed still, reminded of my defeat. I would admit I lost, accepting my fate. I felt a hand stroke my head, as I watched a hand holding a glass, appear before me. I stared wide eyed as the hand place the piece of perfection on the floor, the glass cradling my glorious treasure.

“Mako, here’s your milk?” Ryder gestured.

I felt like I could cry, the overflowing relief engulfed me. I reached out to the glass with caution, taking a moment to feel the cool glass texture under my fingertips. I lift it up slowly, assessing the white liquid, the soft creamy scent inviting. I took one more moment to appreciate its magnificent glory, before bringing it to my lips, drinking the contents slowly.

My body hummed with happiness as the sweet taste coated my taste buds. I drank the liquid slowly, enjoying every gulp. I placed the empty glass back on the floor gently, appreciating its duty of protecting my treasure. Mission Accomplished.

I let out a yawn, my eyes becoming heavy. The satisfaction of completing my duty made me happy. I allowed myself to descend back to sleep.

 

***

I felt something nudge me lightly, causing my consciousness to stir awake.
“Mako? Are you still sleeping?” A voice questioned.

I opened my eyes, only to squint from the sudden light that invaded my vision. Why the hell is it so bright?

I tried a second attempt, opening my eyes at a slower pace, allowing them to adjust to the light that was pouring out in front of me. I lifted my hand to rub against my eyes, attempting to remove the sand dust. What time is it?

“Mako?”

I snapped my head up to see Ryder looking down at me, his smile welcoming. I took a second to look around, realizing I was in the boy’s living room, sitting right in front of the glass door at the corner of the room. Hmm, when did I get here?

“I can’t even comprehend what I just witnessed.” A unfamiliar voice declared, filled with frustration. I frowned, turning my head towards the direction of the voice.

A dark tanned boy sat on the two-seater sofa, his hair a mixture of brown and blonde, which in my opinion, didn’t compliment his facial features at all. His hair was short and messy, an indication he wasn’t very neat. His brown eyes were dull, though the freckles that lay upon the bridge of his nose drew my attention, the small brownish dots being something I’d only seen in books. He was wearing an orange T-shirt with brown pants, his irritated expression evident. Daniel was sitting on the opposite sofa with Marcus, while Elias, was casually leaning in his usual spot against the bookshelf. All three of them looked amused.

“Why am I sitting in the living room and who’s Mr. Freckles?” I questioned.

“Mr. Freckles!!!! Oh Starlight, nope. I can’t deal with this girl this morning!” Marcus blared laughing. I could hear a few low chuckles and a low pitch growl.

“Seriously? Are you guys going to introduce me to this girl who’s the reason why I was yelled at this morning?” He raged, his face slowly turning red.

“What a hot head. I wonder if he’s a phoenix shifter? That would contribute to his short temper.” Rose commented, a yawn following. I smiled.

“I’m Makoto. What’s your name, hothead?” I asked. I would enjoy pissing him off.

“Hey, Leonardo? She hasn’t known you for two minutes and she already knows how short tempered you are. I told you, try to chill or something.” Elias pointed out, his voice sounding uninterested but the grin on his lips betrayed him.

Leonardo. Why was my gut telling me we weren’t going to get along?

“Well, I don’t appreciate some stranger pointing out my freckles.” He whined, crossing his arms over his chest. He reminded me of a child in an adult body.

He was skinny, with barely any muscle on him. His eyes were brown, the shade not reaching my level of fascination. Compared to the others, his eyes had no effect on me. I always wondered how freckles looked on a real individual, their spotty appearance looking attractive on the models displayed in books and magazines. I had to admit, they weren’t doing the same effect on Leonardo. He shouldn’t hate on them freckles. It's not their fault they can’t boost his below average level of attractiveness. At least they tried.

I watched as his face turned completely red, the anger radiating off his body, ready to explode. I stared back in confusion.

“What?” I questioned, clearly missing the point of his death glare at me.

“She does have a point, you know…about them freckles.” Marcus whispered to Daniel, who nodded in agreement. I heard Elias sigh, Ryder chuckling quietly. Oops, my bad.

“Are you guys done with the “let’s all insult Leonardo” game?” He asked, standing up.

“You started it.” I mumbled back, taking a moment to appreciate the rays of the sun, their warm rays bathing me as I continued to sit in place.

“Leonardo. This is Makoto. She’s the girl we rescued on Realm One.” Ryder introduced.

I turned my head to watch his eyes grow wide, his gaze, looking me up and down in disgust. “HER! Seriously? Miss sleep walker?” He mocked. I raised my eyebrow at him, unamused. Ryder rolled his eyes, turning to face me.

“Leonardo was with us when we rescued you. He was responsible in making things go smoothly above ground.” Ryder pointed out.

“Well, I guess I should say thank you, but since we’re on the subject of nicknames, take your pick; hot head, Mr. Freckles or rude? I’ll make a mental note to call you whatever you decide.” I retorted.

“Really? Continue the insults and see what happens.” He yelled, pointing at me with a menacing look. I frowned, glaring at the finger pointing towards me. I’m so tempted to light that finger on fire…

“I can say it was an accident?” Lily chipped in, excitement flowing with each word.

I should have warned the others about how my spirits loved causing mischief. I smiled menacingly, calling upon Lily’s power. I hid my hand behind my back, my magic reaching my fingertips. I snapped my fingers, a flicker of fire erupting to life on Leo’s finger.

“Mother fucking Starlight! OW!” He yelled, waving his finger as to put the tiny flame out. I glanced away, putting my hands in my lap as I feigned innocence. I caught Marcus’ and Elias’ expressions; Marcus grinning as he stared at me with pride while Elias attempted to hide the smirk on his lips with his hand.

“Hot head? Were you trying to show me your skills? I must say, you shouldn’t go playing with fire if you don’t have any control.” I suggested, tilting my head to the side in confusion as I continued my innocent act.

My spirits all laughed, the joyous sound filled my mind. I smiled at the sound, such uplifting noise warming my heart. It had been a long time since my spirits expressed happiness.

“HELLO? None of you can stand there and say you didn’t see that! She’s the devil!” He accused, glaring daggers at me.

“That’s just how she is Leonardo. Be a man and suck it up.” Elias snapped, slicing his hand through the air, clearly done with the conversation. He pushed himself off the bookshelf, making his way over to where Marcus and Daniel were sitting.

I glanced at him as I felt my lips turn upward into a smile. Our eyes met for a split moment, before he quickly glanced away, looking to his side. I could see the slight blush appearing on his cheeks. Aww, Elias defended me.

The act of kindness reminded me of last night’s promise, to accept me for the person I had become. I wondered if Ryder had told the others.

I returned my gaze back to Leonardo, his sour expression only motivating the wicked smile forming on my lips. You want to play. Let the games begin. Mako-1, Leo-0.

“Now that introductions are settled and Mako’s awake, let's eat.” Elias announced.

I felt my heart melt as a thought crossed my mind. It was clearly past sunrise, the sun too high up in the sky to be calling it breakfast time. Did they wait for me to wake up to have breakfast?

Ryder stepped in front of me, offering his hand. I placed mine in his, without a hint of hesitation, as he gently pulled me up. He leaned down, picking up the empty glass that was in front of me. Seriously, where did that glass come from? He moved next to me, leaning close to my ear.

“Don’t worry about where the glass came from and me and the boys decided to wait for you so we could eat together. School schedule may get a little chaotic, but we try to make it a habit to at least eat breakfast and dinner together. Plus, we figured breakfast would be more entertaining with your presence, as you’ve proven.” He whispered, low enough that Leonardo wouldn’t hear. I turned my head to stare at him, my face probably reflecting the happiness I felt at hearing such a revelation.

“Thank you.” I whispered back, making sure to express how grateful I was to him, to all of them, except for Leonardo of course.

“Mako, let's hurry. You have got to get registered and get your rank stuff sorted before our class tonight. Eli will show you around.” Daniel encouraged, standing up to stretch.

“Eli? Who’s that?” I questioned, my head leaning to the side. I immediately started to wonder who this Eli person was and her relationship with the boys, feeling a hint of jealousy course through me.

The boys took a moment to stare at Elias. I figured they were doing their mental communication thing, seeing as Elias let out a huff, rolling his eyes as he started walking towards the kitchen island.

“A friend…now sit down so we can eat.” He said, pointing to the stools around the island.

I sigh, but obeyed, making my way to the island. Now that he mentioned eating, I did feel slightly hungry. Operation Met Eli, in progress.

There were six stools around the island, all of them a different colour. Let’s see…pink, purple, yellow, blue, orange, and oh what a pretty green. I stalked towards the shiny green stool.

“I claim you.” I announced as I pulled it out, perching on it. It was high enough that my legs didn’t touch the ground.

“You can’t sit there.”

I looked up to Elias glaring at me.

“Why not?” I asked.

“It’s my stool.” He argued. What…

“You guys have appointed stools?” I asked.

“It’s a habit.” Ryder replied before heading to sit down, pulling out the purple stool. Of course.

“Don’t tell me your stools match your eyes?” I inquired, which was met with a moment of silence. No way.

“Maybe.” Marcus replied quietly, shuffling to his stool, which, of course, was blue.

I slapped my hand over my mouth to attempt to mute the snicker that escaped my lips. Within seconds, I was laughing. Chest shaking, tear induced laughter. Only a few hours with these guys and I’d laughed harder and longer than my whole existence.

“You guys are…Ha-ha…grown ass men and you have colour coded STOOLS!” Laughing even harder to the point it hurt.

“We broke her again.” Daniel said with a smile. At least he thought this was hilarious.

My laugh was cut short when a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, lifting me up. I shrieked.

“HEYYY!!” I demanded wiggling my feet. I turned my head to see Elias’ ash, blonde hair. He used his feet to pull out the pink stool while I was still squirming in his arms. He dropped me down, gently.

“Green is my stool. You can have the pink one.” He confirmed, his authoritative tone setting his demand in stone.

“What about Leo? Is the orange chair his?” I asked. My question was met with another wave of silence.

“I don’t live here. Just dropped by. Anyways, I’m out.” Leonardo answered, dismissing himself. I watched him open the entrance door, closing it behind him.

I don’t like him. I heard a few snickers.

“Hey Mako, work on those amazing social skills. That thinking out loud business is going to get your ass in trouble.” Elias retorted.

Scratch that, I hate him more.