The sky darkened as nightfall was approaching. The forest was nearly quiet aside from the insects and few animals running about as well as the exhausted breaths that escaped the mouths of Nathan, Daniel and Kim. Eunike spied the three of them from the window and opened the back door. He looked them over from head to toe, all three had dirt stains on their clothes, scratches and cuts on their skin, twigs and leaves in their hair and very unhappy facial expressions as they each glared at him. Eunike grinned and welcomed them inside then closed the door behind them.

"So," Eunike started as he began placing dinner around the table. The three of them had cleaned up a little bit and were starving. The aroma of the fresh warm food filled the room, heating up their frozen bodies. Home cooked chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and biscuits. Their stomachs growled in anticipation of the meal. Eunike finished passing around drinks and sat down. Each of them began scavenging the food to their plates and nearly swallowed it all whole. "Did any of you manage to find my bullet?" Nathan, Daniel and Kim all exchanged glances before finally admitting defeat.

"No," Nathan said as he looked down, slightly ashamed. "Not even close." The three of them sighed. Eunike chuckled. All of them quickly looked at him in surprise.

"Well," Eunike started then took a sip of his drink. "I expected as much." Kim glared at him, still angry that she had to do it in the first place. "No matter," he continued. "It was a blank." All three of them were taken aback. A few moments passed before it fully sunk in.

"Blank? You mean," Daniel stopped mid-sentence in disbelief.

"A blank?!" Kim roared as she stood up and slammed her hands on the table. They all stared at her. "You had us running around in the woods looking for something that wasn't even there? For nothing?" Eunike just nodded. "I can't believe this," Kim said as she shook her head and then stormed off into one of the back rooms. Eunike casually returned to eating, unaffected by Kim's tantrum, while Daniel and Nathan sat quietly, unmoving.

--

Kim sighed heavily as she shut the door behind her. She walked across the room and fell, face first, on the bed which laid opposite the door. She was infuriated. A big time waster, that's all that was. A big fat waste of my time. She flipped over and stared at the ceiling. She was exhausted, not only because of the recent trip into the woods, but of the situation as a whole. All her life she was cursed with those dreams and visions of torture and when things began to look up, she arrived. She took over her mind and body and Kim had no way to overpower her.

Kim sat up and looked at the mirror which was the closet door. She examined her face, all its features and curves, her eyes, down to the rest of her body. Right now, it was all hers, but when will a time come again where it won't be?

Her reflection just then changed. Kim was sitting in front of the mirror, but inside the mirror was not her. Her image grinned and spoke, "Hey there."

Kim jumped up. The voice itself spoke, not aloud, but in her head. It couldn't be… but somehow she knew. It was Her. She was there staring back at her, and now She was talking to her.

"Y-you," Kim stuttered out, not completely sure as to what to say to this person, if you could call Her that. Both were silent for a moment. Kim felt dizzy and angry. She hated this woman and the fact that she was inside her, but now She is communicating with her. Kim despised Her. The source of all of her pain was standing right across from her yet she could do nothing about it. This person was her. Or at least, was inside of her.

--

Nathan stayed sitting uncomfortably in his chair, food only partially touched. His thoughts were mainly preoccupied with Kim – worrying if she was alright or not. Out of the three of them, she clearly has had it the roughest. Nathan couldn't even imagine what it could possibly be like with someone else inside you who could take over your body at any time. He nearly shuttered at the thought and quickly suppressed the thoughts.

"I, I think I'll go check on her," Nathan stuttered out. Both Eunike and Daniel stared at him. Eunike merely continued eating his food. Nathan glanced over at Daniel who clearly displayed his opinion of it not being a good idea. It was a few moments before Nathan finally stood up and made his way to Kim's room.

--

'What do you want?" Kim demanded - voice stern and bold although inwardly shaking. The two had never really spoken before. This person, who was so powerful long ago, now trapped in her body, was communicating to a high school girl. It was a bit intimidating.

Her smile faded before she answered, "You're in my way." It was sharp and to the point. She was serious.

"What?" Kim stuttered. She was completely unprepared for that answer.

"There are important things to be done," She paused. "And I can't do them with you in the way."

"What 'important' things?" Kim barked. They both glared at each other, their eyes never breaking. Who does she think she is? Looking down on me like I'm dirt... Kim grinded her teeth. She wanted to punch Her. Badly.

"That is none of your concern. You're weak and you're in my way."

How dare She…!? Kim snapped.

"What the hell are you talking about? Who do you think you are? Walking into my life like you own the place - you're not some top dog!" Kim yelled as she took a step forward. "You're a spoiled brat who thinks she's the best damn thing in the world just because she fought some stupid battle that no one cares about forever ago! You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me." Her face grew red with fury. "So don't you even try to think that I'm going anywhere, because I'm staying. Right. Here." She flung her right arm back, and as she did so, a fluid ring of dark smoke shot from her hand and hit the wall behind her, then dissipated, leaving a scarred mark where it hit.

All went silent.

Kim continued to stare at the mark on the wall - her body in the same position. All that could be heard was her heavy breathing. Her thoughts seemed to have dwindled and gone quiet. She was frozen – shocked.

Suddenly there was giggling. Kim turned her head slowly and looked into the mirror. That girl, her reflection, was laughing.

"So," She stopped laughing, though still smiling. "You may not be too useless after all."

Kim was lost, she felt like she was about to faint. "Wha…what was-?"

"My power, of course."

Kim swallowed hard. "P-power?" Her reflection nodded.

"Darkness…" She said it so simply, like it was blatantly obvious.

"Dark-" Kim choked. Her mind began to spin and the room spun with it. Darkness…? Darkness…? How could this be possible? Why this? Why me? Kim stumbled where she stood. Why She..?

"Could it be," Her reflection pondered aloud, "that you're afraid?"

Kim jolted her head up only to find that She was gone and her normal reflection returned, staring back at her in silence with fear-filled eyes.

--

Nathan slowly backed away from the door. What…what just happened? He leaned against the wall beside him. Was she talking…to herself? And what was…? He started walking backwards from Kim's room thinking it best to leave her alone for now.

--

The night sky loomed over the little house. Crickets and other insects sang noisily in the moonlit darkness. Daniel gazed up at the stars above him in thought. Laying on the rooftop reminded him of home. Of his mother. He closed his eyes and saw her. She was smiling and laughing. He reached out, as if to grab her, only to watch her disappear. He reopened his eyes and sighed, his arm returned to his side.

--

Kim sat awake in her bed, looking out the window. She was tired but couldn't get herself to sleep. She pressed her fingers to her temples – she had a headache. She then stood up and made her way to the front door. Just need some air, maybe then I can sleep. She turned the knob and stepped outside. It was quiet aside from the bugs and a creaking to her right. She quickly turned to see Eunike rocking back and forth in an old wooden chair. He looked up at her.

"You alright?" He asked. Kim stood there quietly, feeling a bit uneasy being alone with him. She had a lingering feeling of distrust towards him. He was friends, or at least used to be, with Her. And all that he told them, could it really be true?

"Yes, I'm fine," Kim lied. Eunike nodded then returned to his rocking. She scratched the back of her neck, uncomfortable in the silence then leaned against the wooden home and both of them looked out into the night.

Some time passed.

"Um," Kim started. "Is everything that you said, is it all…true?" She twitched nervously awaiting an answer.

"Yes," he said simply, not disrupting his steady rocking pace. She glanced over at him through her hair and watched him. He seemed so at ease with the world and his surroundings. She returned her gaze out to the forest covered mountain across from them.

"So all that war and destruction, it really happened?" she was skeptical, how could she not be? There has never been any mention of such descriptions in any history book she'd read nor in any tale she had heard of. Of course there must be an explanation for her and the others to have been brought together, as well as Daniel's ability with fire, but was this it? Is this all…real?

Eunike turned to her, still rocking, curious. "Do you believe it to be a lie?" he gently asked.

"I, uh," she began, at a loss for words. Should I just out-right say it? But, I still don't even know for sure…

Eunike chuckled. He was quite fond of her. "I speak no lies to those who deserve the truth, and I find yourself, and your friends, worthy of the truth." Kim glanced at him again, surprised. "Yes, everything the three of you have been told is fact, though what you do with the knowledge is your choice. Believe it or don't believe it." She sighed inwardly. The answer wasn't the greatest, but she didn't know what to expect from him anyway. Believe what you want, huh? She looked back out again, unwilling to say what was really on her mind, but she pushed it out nevertheless.

"So, why hasn't anyone heard of this before? You'd think for a war that large with events that significant, it would be common knowledge," she stated bluntly. It probably sounded harsher than she had intended, but it had to be said.

"I don't know," he said simply. Kim's head jerked towards him. "I can't quite give an answer for that. The way history was recorded then was not with writing but with songs and dance. This of course makes things difficult later on when things became transcribed. The stories of those events changed and fragmented as they were passed down, pieces making their way into various myths and legends of that time. After the war, it was years before humanity developed civilized societies again. So you can see why our history is largely unknown."

They were silent. Eunike had made a good point. For some reason, Kim wished he hadn't. She didn't want to believe any of it. She wanted to live her own life, free of the curse of those powers.

--

Daniel listened carefully; both Kim and Eunike spoke quietly. He was a bit skeptical on all that was said. What Eunike said did make sense and was understandable, but could he really be trusted? Could that woman who resides inside Kim be trusted? After all, the reason they were there was because of some strange bunch of men chased them into the woods. Was it possible that Eunike was involved somehow? That all of this was a ploy? Ploy for what, though? What could he gain? Is he really supposed to be our 'teacher'? Daniel was still in disbelief on how Eunike could've lived for so long. "Gods" or not. He was never really one for religion. Praying to some god wouldn't make things happen, you would have to do things yourself. Could these people really be right for me? Or should I just leave and go on my own?

--

Nathan tossed and turned in his bed. He couldn't sleep. His thoughts were erratic and disorganized, jumping from one topic to another. One second, it was the incident with the tree, how its roots seemed to have grown back into the ground, and another second, it was about Daniel, and how something must have happened for him to be on the ground like he was when he and Kim found him. And then there was Kim. So much about Kim. Just what was going on in her room? And…what did I see?

Tired of just lying in bed, mind buzzing, he decided to get up for a cup of water.

--

"Is something troubling you?"

Kim's head flipped up, she was dozing a bit from the lack of conversation. She looked over at him as he stared at her, waiting for an answer. Should I tell him? She was unsure, but decided to hint at the truth. She needed someone to talk to, even if it was a person who was somewhat of a stranger to her.

"I, uh, I just am having trouble sleeping, is all," she said, secretly hoping he would attempt to pry more out of her. She needed some release of these emotions, maybe he could help her? Maybe she could confide in him?

"Is that all," Eunike said, nothing more. Kim's face yielded a bit of disappointment. That's it? He's not even the least bit curious? She figured she would have to open up herself a little more seeing as how he showed no interest in doing so himself.

"Well…a lot has been on my mind, you know, as of late." She hoped that would be enough bait to get him talking.

"A lot has happened as of late," he replied, gaze returning to the forest as he continued to rock. Kim nearly smacked herself in the face, but instead just sighed. Why should I bother, how could he help me anyway? He doesn't even understand who I am or even what I am. He probably only cares about Her… Her mind trailed off. Her… Kim's mood began to sink.

Eunike was not oblivious, he knew Kim was distraught about recent events, specifically Her, the one who resides inside her. It would bother any normal person, having someone else take over your body and have full control of your actions can be a terrifying thing to imagine, let alone experience. He noticed how her expression fell when he failed to pester her about her thoughts, he assumed she would talk to him when she felt it was necessary, but perhaps she wanted some sort of push?

"Would you like to talk about it?"

Kim popped back into reality. It seemed as though he did have some interest after all. But what should she say? What could she say? How her life has always been crap and she just then found out why? How would he take that?

"It's just," she paused. "Hard." That was the best way she could word it. She watched as he rocked back and forth still in his chair. She sighed. "It's, you know, stressful and stuff." She was becoming a bit embarrassed, it was not often she opened up to someone, and she was about to do it right then. She watched as he nodded, she decided to continue.

"All my life, I've never once had control over anything. Everything was like it was pre-decided for me. I was walking a path that was already built for me instead of one that I built myself, and I can't stray from that path, I never can, no matter how much I try. After learning all of this, it confirms that. I'm here, not because of me, but because of Her and what She was." She stopped, surprised at how much she said. Having said it aloud made her realize what she actually was upset about.

--

Nathan walked slowly and sleepily into the dimly illuminated kitchen as he made his way to the sink to get water. He yawned and stretched his arms. As much as he wanted to go back to bed to sleep, he just couldn't make himself do it. He went over to the table and sat, staring at his half full glass of untouched water. He wasn't really thirsty.

His ears perked up as he thought he heard Kim's voice. He looked towards the window by the door and saw half her silhouette behind the curtains. He tip-toed over to it to hear better.

--

Daniel turned his head to the side. He barely knew Kim, but listening to her and how she felt, he was a bit amazed at how similar they were. He too had felt that things in his life were out of his control at times, but for him, he had to take back control, grasp it with his fists and force it to do as he desired. He wouldn't believe that there was some pre-made path laid out for him. He made his own choices, no one told him otherwise. He did feel for Kim however, and how tough it may have been on her.

--

Eunike sat quietly and just listened. He figured it best to have her let everything out before replying. He just nodded and waited for her to continue.

"And now," Kim sighed, unwilling to say what she was about to. "It's almost as if my abilities were chosen for me as well," she paused again.

"I, uh," she didn't want to say it, as if saying it would make it a fact. "I found out…what I am, what I have as my power." At this point, Eunike turned to her, his rocking stopped.

Daniel and Nathan listened carefully. Her power? They both thought.

"Oh, and what might it be?" Eunike head slightly tilted in her direction. Kim was quiet for a while, or at least what seemed like a while to her. She glanced at Eunike who was watching her, appearing so relaxed. She didn't want to say it. She wished she didn't have to. Why? Why this? Why me? She felt a yawn coming but suppressed it. She was tired, she didn't want to go on anymore. She wanted a break from reality. After the moments passed by, she saw he was still awaiting an answer, she couldn't hold out any longer. Her eyes showed her pain as she returned her gaze outwards.

"It's," she paused. "Darkness."

Is that… Nathan suddenly thought. Is that what I saw? He tried his best to recall what little he glimpsed when he went to Kim's room just a few hours earlier.

Daniel didn't know what to think exactly on what it meant for her power to be darkness. Was it a bad thing? He wasn't sure, but she definitely didn't seem happy about it. He wasn't in love with his power either, but it was something you had to just learn to deal with.

"Oh?" Eunike replied. "And how do you feel about that?" He eyed her carefully, reading her face, her expressions – all showed she was unhappy.

"Well," Kim tried to organize her thoughts. "I hate it, I hate everything about it!" She slumped down to the floor and rested her forehead on her knees.

"I don't think it's so bad," Eunike began. Kim peeked at him, looking just above her arm that wrapped around her legs. "Darkness can be such a beautiful thing," he grinned. "It's pure and very serene, untouched and untainted. It can be a place to hide when you are afraid, give you comfort, and protect you. It can help you see more clearly and bring out the light. Light would be nowhere near as vibrant as it is without it." Kim sighed and placed her head back in its original position. Eunike thought for a moment, and then looked out to the forest. "Just look out in front of you, what do you see?"

Kim lifted her head up a bit and looked out. Above in the sky shone the setting moon, surrounding it laid countless twinkling stars. Across from them, a few fireflies were still fluttering about, dimly glowing on and off in the distance.

"Your life is not as bad as you may think. It may be difficult, yes, and there have and will be struggles, but that is what makes us strong." Kim turned to Eunike. "You have a whole adventure in front of you, a story that only you can be in, and you get to travel alongside your friends. You just must remember that you need to take a few moments in life to pause and just sit, as we are now, and look out into the world and think about nothing. Just take all of it in and enjoy it, while you still can." He looked at her and smiled. "Whenever you are upset, just bring yourself back here." She tried to smile back; her lips raised only a bit. It did help her to hear those words from him, even if it was only a little. Both of them looked back out as the horizon soon began to glow from the approaching sun. And for a moment, all four of them sat back and admired the view.

Just as the sun started coming out over the horizon, the sound of vehicles filled the air. Eunike looked out to see a few cars coming from around the hillside. He quickly stood up, growing anxious. He turned to Kim and said, "Quickly, inside!" and rushed her into the house.

"Why, what's going on?" Kim asked as she made it into the door. She looked down to her right to see Nathan siting at the door staring up at her. He blushed then hurriedly stood up. Before Nathan could even say a word about why he was there, Eunike handed him a backpack. Daniel came down from the rooftop and entered into the house. Eunike spun to him.

"Close and lock the door," Eunike spoke to Daniel then turned his attention to Nathan. "Fill that pack with the essentials. Bottles, utensils, anything you deem necessary. Kim, help him." The three stood there still for a moment, shocked from the quick turn of events. They only jumped into action after Eunike yelled, "Hurry!" and they were off to do their jobs thinking it was an 'act now, ask questions later' type of situation. Kim grabbed two more backpacks and tossed one to Daniel and the three of them packed up as much as they could; water, food, utensils, a few pieces of clothes, anything they could find. Once complete, they all met back at the kitchen table.

"Now, please, hurry quickly, I want to you to leave through the back door and just run, as fast as you can. Here, take this as well," Eunike handed Nathan a wallet and he placed it into his backpack.

"Eunike, what's going on?" Daniel asked, the three of them eagerly waiting a reply.

"There are people coming, I don't know who they are or what they want, but it is bad for you to be here, just go, now!" Eunike pushed them towards the back door and the three of them stepped outside. "I will distract them for as long as I can, now go!" They all look at each other then the three of them start to leave. Eunike grabbed ahold of Daniel and pulled him back.

"Daniel, listen to me, this is very important. You must not come back here, no matter what happens. Do not let Kim or Nathan come here either. Do you understand me?" Daniel, awestruck, stares in silence. "Do you understand?" Eunike emphasized again, nearly shaking with fear. Daniel nodded then Eunike pointed for him to run and he obliged. Eunike watched them until the three of them disappeared into the woods then closed the door.