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"Just the heart. They don't need theirs after all." Those words echoed in Linithid's head as she headed the direction the goddess had pointed her. How could someone, or something, not need its heart? She turned the scissors in her hands as she walked, unable to get those words out of her mind. "They didn't quite make it." Maybe they were already dead? She certainly hoped so. She couldn't get over the fact that no matter what it seemed she was perfectly willing to do what the goddesses asked of her, without really any explanation. Was she a person or a puppet?

Her musings were cut short as she approached the doors, staring at each one in turn. Even though the last door reeked with the kind of things most people would avoid, Lin was sort of drawn to it. Tucking the scissors into the bag she'd kept with her, she pushed at the door with all her might, expecting it to be incredibly heavy. "Onward and upward, I guess."

After some time -- how long exactly she couldn't be sure -- Lin stood and dusted herself off. There was nothing left for here here, and she had to get the heart back to the goddess before something happened to it. It didn't seem like the thing would keep for very long after being carved out of its...body. Again she tucked the scissors away and began the walk back, still barely able to see anything. The floor seemed to almost soften beneath her feet, moving from stone, to grass, to mud and now...she wasn't sure what it was. It was soft and sticky, almost like the body she had cut through earlier to get the heart. She swallowed hard, trying to catch her breath. What kind of task was she sent on anyway? "This is what you get, Linithid, for doing things without question..."

Wait. How did she end up at a dead end? She had been pretty sure it was just a hallway! She could have sworn she went back exactly the way she had gone before, but here she was! A dead end! Behind her she heard footsteps, and something that sounded like water. The room had to have changed once she stole the heart...stole? Had she stolen it? She must have, with how the thing reacted...but why would a Goddess have her steal a heart? It didn't make sense. Maybe it would make more sense when she got back...

She turned to head back from where she came, hopefully with better luck this time, warily noting the rising water she was certain wasn't there before. It was cold, like the chill of death, and she didn't relish the idea of having to swim through it. The weird watery sound she heard earlier was back, louder than before, and definitely not made by her.

"Please give it back."

She whipped around, hands raised as if to fight but there was nothing there. Nothing but darkness and water as far as she could sense. She shook her head again and tried to continue on, visibly shaken but determined to get out. Unfortunately the water kept rising till it was around her neck, splashing at her face. This wouldn't do, she'd have to go back and try to find the box, then retrace her steps out of here.

"Please give me back my-" As she turned to leave a pair of hands grabbed her, pushing her below the water. She fought against the hands as much as she could, but to no avail. The person,the creature, was pushing her so far down in the water she wondered if she might disappear. Her lungs were aching and panic rose from her chest. She was going to die here, for reasons she barely understood because she never stopped to ask why! She blinked through the water at the creature pushing her down, staring into the glassy eyes and terrifying snarl.

"Give me back my heart." Like a flash another memory appeared before her, the creature fading into the likeness of the woman before and this time she knew. It was her mother. They stood on opposite sides of a large room lit by torches and glittering with gold and sand that seemed to shine like diamonds. The woman stood with her arms crossed over her chest and an expression of quiet suffering, as one may expect on a martyr. Lin was angry, and judging by the broken pottery scattered around she was expressing it clearly.

"You're sending me away?!" She heard herself scream, her hand punching the nearby wall. "Why?! Because I'm not what I 'should' be?! Because I care about the people who's lives we watch?!"

"Yes, we are." Her mother moved away from Lin's outburst, giving an irritated sigh. "You cannot have such emotions for the ones you watch. It leads you to interfere in things you cannot. We observe, little more. Your recklessness now has only proven that you cannot be trusted with the tasks we had given you."

"He was going to die, Mother! For something he didn't do!"She stamped her foot, her tail thrashing behind her angrily. "I couldn't let that happen!"

"These things happen all the time, Ithildin! They must happen!" Her mother's own tail thrashed, and her voice was terrifying in its intensity. "You cannot choose them! You will go to this school and you will learn there and that is the end of it!"

There was a moment of silence as each tried to stare the other down. They both raged silently, immobile and unblinking until Lin broke the silence.

"You never loved me, did you?" The twitch in her mother's jaw told her she'd struck a nerve but she stormed out of the house before a response could be made.

She looked back up at the creature still trying to drown her and she was pretty sure she was crying. It was her mother...she had carved up her mother and now...now she was going to die here.

Her head felt foggy and she slowly rolled it from side to side as she blinked awake. As realization dawned on her she bolted upright, and stared around the room. Last she remembered was being given a dagger by one of the Goddesses and then...then she was here on a metal table in a room so white and bright it felt like an autopsy room. Blinking back tears against the brightness she hopped off the table, all too aware of the metal table and the humming electric lights. She rubbed her ears as she looked for a way out, but all that she saw was a single door. No windows or vents, just that one door. Cracking her neck she headed out, the dagger held tightly in her hand. She checked each direction of the hallway before stepping into it, but there was nothing to see.

CLANG! She jumped at the sound, grasping her dagger tightly, though her hands were trembling. The door behind her was still open, but the room...either it wasn't the room she had woken up in or someone had stolen the table. A giant metal table was gone in a flash, just like that. She didn't like this, not one bit. First the body part harvesting like some...some mad scientist, and now this?! What was the point?! "Eat or be eaten..." But why?! She swallowed hard. There was no way she would get answers right now, the only thing to do would be to head back toward the shrine and ask then but it seemed like the goddesses weren't too keen on sharing information. Holding the knife close she started to walk down the hallway, her eyes fixed on the door she can just barely see at the end of it. The more she walked the less she liked this place. It was like a hospital, or a morgue. Everything so clean and spotless, you just knew there was something wrong with it.

Thud. She whipped back around, her dagger swinging out behind her but there was nothing there. The door was still open, too. She shook her head. "You're getting so worked up you're imagining things again..."

Thud. She almost didn't turn around, so sure she was that it was in her head, but something urged her; a tickle of cold needles down her back. What she saw nearly made her drop the knife. It was a strange creature with glassy and hate filled eyes; eyes that never wavered from her. But why was it here? Why was it following her? She could hear the soft thud of it's footsteps but that was barely audible over the odd scraping sound. The creature was carrying a pair of rusted scissors that they were dragging along the floor, leaving small gouges in its wake. It was coming closer.

She ran. She turned and ran and she wasn't ashamed of it. Something about that creature terrified her to her core and she wasn't going to stick around to see what it wanted. Specially not alone. Maybe she could make it back to somewhere familiar and find someone to help her. There were plenty of people itching for fights back at the Spire. She ran as fast as she could, her lungs aching for each gulp of air she could swallow. She reached the door, but just as she should have been thrilled, her heart fell into her stomach. The door was locked. LOCKED!! How could it be locked?!

"Nononononono!" She punched the wall in frustration, glaring angrily at the words in the handlebar. Passcode Required. "You're kidding me! Are you...really?! There's nothing around here!"

"You are my sunshine..." Was it...was the thing singing?! Why was it singing? That was kind of a strange song to sing and it's voice...the notes seemed like they were supposed to be comforting or kind but the way the creature sang them was wrong. Like a teddy bear filled with bugs and spiders. She had to get out.

The world around her seemed to blur as she kept struggling with the door, the fear was too much. She looked over her shoulder again, like some struggling heroine in a b rated horror movie but this time she didn't see the creature, though she was sure it was still there. Instead she saw a woman, with golden hair and dressed in a simple gown, in a kitchen with a large loaf of bread. She could smell how sweet it was, the rush of spices making her senses come alive and faintly she could hear the woman laugh. "Not yet, you'll spoil your appetite!" Her focus snapped back and the creature as grinning at her, almost sneering.



"YOU'LL SPOIL YOUR APPETITE!" The voice was grating, screeching and warped. Uh-uh. Nope. She was getting OUT of here and she was getting out NOW!!

Thank the goddesses! There was another piece of paper with letters written on it, it must be for the door!

A C E G

"You make me happy...when skies are grey..." Again with the singing. The off key, twisted and mocking singing. She grabbed the papers in her hands and turned angrily toward the creature.

"Could you STOP?! FOR A MINUTE?!" The only response she got was loud laughter. She took a minute to compare the letters to the cipher she found, taking a deep breath to settle her nerves. The creature was right, panicking wasn't helping.

0, 2, 4, 5. She entered the number carefully, just incase it locked her out if she did it wrong but she needn't have been worried. The door slid open with easy, like it had never been locked in the first place. She didn't even hesitate to run outside and she took a deep breath of the air as she looked around. Tall grey trees reached up into the sky like desperate hands, grasping at nothing. Peeking behind her she saw the creature, still following, dragging that infernal pair of scissors. She gave another shiver and took off running, not looking back again.

"You'll never know, dear..." She didn't even give it the dignity of a response this time, but still, something about the song chilled her to the bone and the more it sang the worse it felt. It wasn't long before she came upon a bridge, old and rickety and barely holding together. It looked like the only way out, and it wasn't as if she could double back to look for something safer. She could hear it still behind her, snapping the scissors open and closed. There was no choice but to take the bridge. This day was just getting better and better.

She rushed across the bridge with little other trouble, and she was grateful for that but as she came face to face with the cul-de-sac and the creepy haunted house she couldn't help but throw her hands up in the air.

"Are you kidding me with this?! Seriously?!" She turned to glare at the creature. She was so angry now, either the creature or the goddess was messing with her, and that was painfully clear by now. As she watched the creature getting closer and closer she remembered what the goddess had said just before she woke up in the room here.

Eat or be eaten. Predator or prey. Seemed she wasn't going to get out of here just by running. This was a cage match, not a 'run for your life'. She narrows her eyes at the creature, twirling the knife in her hands and bracing herself. Fine then, if it was gonna be that way she was going to fight as hard as she could. As the creature got closer the world warped and suddenly that woman was standing in front of her again. Tears were pouring down her face, and at Lin's feet was a large dufflebag.

"Please, Ithi, don't leave like this..."

"You're the one who's throwing me out, mom." The woman shifted her weight from foot to foot.

"I'm not...not like that...I just think you need to go and learn about the world...maybe get..."

"Stop. Just stop! Please!" The woman winced and wrapped her arms around herself, the same way Lin herself had done earlier.

"W-when you get there just...just let me know you're okay, won't you? Maybe send a letter or two..?" She felt herself shoulder the bag as the woman faded from view.

"Yeah, sure. If you want." With that she was back in the cul-de-sac, staring down the creature that had been chasing her this whole time. It was now or never, she was sure of that.

How much I love you..... With what she hoped was a ferocious battlecry she rushed the creature with her dagger raised. One way or another this ended, NOW!

This goddess was a welcome relief from the others, she still felt so drained after everything. The warmth was nice, if a bit discordant, and she wandered toward the table with little prompting. The music wrapped around her like a warm blanket and she paused for a moment to sway with the tempo. It was like a balm for her mind, much needed salvation from the harsh realities of the past two days. Flakes fell from the sky and something told her that it was called snow. It was beautiful and she loved the footprints she left behind as she walked. There was something so whimsical about it. On the table were the two jars and it wasn't hard for Lin to decide which one to choose; she had gone through enough sadness and pain already. From the moment she picked up the pink jar she felt herself smiling, as if everything awful just melted away. She turned the tag hanging from the lip of the bottle and chuckled at the words.

"Drink Me"

Even if it weren't the will of the goddess, she probably would have downed it anyway. Poison or no, it was just too inviting. She felt lightheaded as it slid down her throat and something in the back of her mind told her it must be like being drunk. The inner peace was so nice, she vaguely wondered if they could get this on tap at the pizza parlour. She watched with detached curiosity as the table spun and decorated itself with all manner of lovely things. There was something about the cookie, simple and uncomplicated, that drew her to it. She nibbled it carefully, wanting to savor every bite of the delicate confection. It was as delicious as it appeared and about halfway through she began to ponder something to drink. No sooner had she thought it than the table changed to suit her needs. The pink teacup reminded her of something, she couldn't place what it was, but she held it up and took a drink. She felt a strange welling in her mind, something wanting to peek up from where it had been buried for so long and for the first time she wasn't afraid of it. She sat on the ground and crossed her legs, letting the memory play.



Lin sat at a small table, turning a pale pink teacup in her hands but this teacup had a small rabbit painted on the side and a chip in the lip. For a young child she wore a look of great concern. She heard the door open and close but she barely reacted to it until she heard a voice.

"Where's my little sand worm?" Her eyes widened and a huge grin split her face as she lept out of the chair with so much force the tea went flying and her cup nearly gained another chip. The older man had dark hair, silvering with age, and deep yellow eyes. He wore a simple silk suit of white and gold with his hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"PAPA!" She lept into his arms before he even had time to set his bags down. He laughed, spinning her around and tickling her stomach as she held on to his neck. She could smell the spices in his hair and a certain edge that only the desert dunes could give. He'd been gone for weeks, as was normal from time to time. As he sat her down he rustled her hair and she batted at his hands.

"There you are. Why were you looking so sad into your cup?" She shuffled from foot to foot, looking a little nervous and tugging at her dress. "C'mon, you can tell me anything, peanut."

"I...there were these people...I was watching..." She blushed a little. "There was music and they were moving together like...like little kites or butterflies. I'm not sure what they were doing though...but there was so much laughing!" She leans in to whisper conspiratorially. "I think there was even kissing."

"Oh, is that it?" He laughed a bit and stood, looking over her shoulder at another new arrival. "It's called dancing, sweeting, and I can show you how its done if you like? Maybe your mother will play us some music on her harp?"

Her eyes widened and she jumped with delight, clapping her hands together and spinning to face her mother. "Oh, mommy, please?! Would you?!"

"Of course, but just this once. My fingers can't play like they used to." Still, her mother fetched a small worn harp from the other room and sat at the table, strumming a few strings before picking out a simple enough melody. Lin's father took her hands in his, pulling her close and smiling as she stared at his feet.

"Here, step on my feet too. It'll be easier on you." That was all the prompting she needed and as she balanced on the front of his feet he started a simple waltz, carefully moving with her so she doesn't fall. "They do this for celebrations, birthdays and happy things."

"Oh, Papa, can we dance for my birthday? With pretty little dresses?" She was laughing as they danced, staring up at his face as he winked at her.

"I don't see why not, sweeting. I really don't see why not."

She got the feeling they never got the chance to have that birthday party.

As the memory faded she sat with a dreamy smile on her face. It was sweet, light and heartwarming. Something she'd love to have on a cold winter night. She saw the book near her and flipped through it. Tea tastings? What a marvelous idea! Something within her was absolutely delighted by the idea.