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      Aris woke up with a start. She could feel Zania’s panic like electricity in her bones. She jumped out of the bed she was in. She saw the 5 kids lying out around the infirmary, peacefully sleeping. She beelined for the door and pulled on it, locked. She began banging on it. “Hey! Let me out!” The sound of her fist hitting the metal rang out but none of the kids stirred. She banged harder and yelled out. “You’re so loud,” a deep voice croaked behind her. She turned around to one of the boys sitting up, head in his hands. He has big brown curls with blonde tips that hung over his face. Aris decided to ignore him and let her mental wall down. Zania! Zania, where are you? Hey! You’re awake! Jynn’s voice responded in her head. What is wrong with Zania, why can’t I hear her thoughts? She’s in the judgement room, but it seems like she’s trapped in there. TRAPPED?! What do you mean? I don’t know! This has never happened before! Aris let out a deep sigh. Come let me out. We’re locked in the infirmary. I’ll send someone that way. Aris tried, really tried, not to freak out. Her sisters, like herself, were smart and capable and powerful. But she hated feeling helpless. She began pacing the floor. The curly haired boy watched her for a moment, but her movements made him dizzy, and he rested his head back in his hands. He tried to remember how he got here, but everything was a blur after drinking from that creek. “Excuse me miss?” he choked out, not moving his head. Aris paused. “Yes?” “Where are we?” Aris debated answering. The living was not meant to visit the Second Realm without written permission from the council. Part of Niobe and her’s job was making sure of that. Only Zania would know where to find the cracks in the system. But once they leave, their memory of the place should disappear. “You’re in the Second Realm,” she finally answered. The boy looked up and Aris gasped, his eyes were still onyx black, no iris or cornea to be seen. She rushed to him and grabbed his face. He tried pulling back but Aris held her grip tight. “How do you feel? Can you see?” she asked. Making the boy look at her in the eyes. “Dizzy,” he answered. “You’re hurting me.” Aris let go. “But yeah, I can see, why?” Aris ignored him and turned to the girl in the bed bedside him and manually opened her eye, black. She began panicking. Did she do the spell wrong? No, they’re alive. She should have been more specific, wanting them alive too simple of an intention. She began pacing again. Had she traveled on her own, she’d have her grimoire. But of course, Niobe didn’t summon her book with her. She heard the big metal door slowly creaking open and she ran to it. But she froze when she saw an older balding man in a dramatic brown robe at the door. The skin on his face hung from him like a bloodhound, and he seemed to always sniff out trouble like one too. Head Councilman Rhemorn was as depressing and rude as his name sounded, and Aris hated every interaction she has ever had with him. “Aris,” her name slithered out his mouth with feign delight. “I thought my guards were wrong when they said they saw you carried here. But here you are!” His spies must’ve been the ones to lock her in here, Aris realized as she spread a smile just as Rhemorn’s on her face. “Rhemorn, I’ve warned you before about your lackeys following us around.” “That is Head Councilman Rhemorn, I wish you would abide by the formalities set in place.” “Seeing how I will be your boss in less than a year, Rhemorn, I will be changing quite a few outdated formalities. Speaking of, aren’t you meant to bow when approaching me?” Aris teased and Rhemorn’s eyes flashed annoyance but only for a second. Aris knew all the formalities, rules and regulations of the mystical courts. She had read the old documents several times out of fear of forgetting one. She often taught her sisters how to properly behave during their quarterly check-ins with the council. But Rhemorn, didn’t deserve such politeness. Begrudgingly, Rhemorn lowered himself into a half bow. “My apologies Goddess,” Aris flinched at the title. “But my guards were simply passing by, and I thought I would come and see why you’ve brought yourself to the Second Realm.” “I came to visit my sister,” Aris lied. “I just got a little hot and she let me come by to lie down. Is that a problem?” “Of course not, but there was talk of Zania being here as well as a few guests who were not spirits.” Aris avoided the temptation to glance behind her. There should be curtains hiding anyone else resting here. She could veil the kids behind her, but Rhemorn would probably sense her magic. “You caught us,” Aris said. “I brought Zania with me. She’ll be 17 soon, I didn’t think it would cause such a fuss.” Rhemorn’s wrinkly eyes folded themselves into a squint. “Only Zania came with you?” Aris nodded. “I see… no other guests?” “Are you calling me a liar Councilman?” “No, of course not… You do know the rules.” “I know, she was not meant to visit before her 17th birthday, but it’s only 3 months away.” “Rules are in place for a reason,” Rhemorn huffed. “Understood, I will accept whatever punishment the council decides.” “We will discuss it at our meeting tomorrow… Where are the other goddesses?” “They’re around here, I will find them and take Zania home.” Satisfied, Rhemorn nodded turned to leave but not before adding, “I’m surprised Aris, this is behavior I usually expect from your sisters… don’t let them allow you to lose reason.” Aris rolled her eyes at Rhemorn’s back. His distaste for her sisters’ disobedience, specifically Niobe’s, was openly known. Niobe asked too many questions, and it seemed to rub the councilman the wrong way, which in turn rubbed Aris the wrong way. “Goddesses?” Aris jumped and turned around to see the curly-haired boy now peeking from the curtain around his bed. “Sleep,” Aris waved her hand and him and he fell to the floor hard. She cursed herself for the sloppy spell, but she didn’t have the time or desire to explain. She closed the door as she went into the Temple’s main corridor. She hated the Temple. A building of illusion, you see what’s meant for you to see and the judgement room its own mindfuck. The room was meant to make you reflect on the life you lived and show you based on how you lived, where you will end up. When Aris went in, she was back home, with no magic and memories gone. She lived normally for many years, her sisters were there but they too had a normal, plain life. They went to school, Niobe got married, Zania had a baby, and Aris traveled. They were happy and had no regrets. On her deathbed, a tall, glistening woman came and visited her. She held her hand and gave her a sad smile. The woman with bright, unnaturally green eyes whispered to her “I wish I could’ve given you this. I wanted you to see you deserved joy, before you suffer the way I have destined you to.” The Aris woke up, 17 years old again on a cold tile floor. Aris placed her hand on the wall. “I’m not your usual master, but please… take me to my sisters.” Aris waited a moment and then the dormitory-looking hallway changed to one long dark amethyst hallway with a single open door at the end. She ran, recognizing Zania’s wailing coming through the door. After Zania had calmed down, she was led to the infirmary. Aris convinced her sisters this was not the place to talk about Zania had seen without knowing who’d be listening. Instead, they found Zania’s backpack and sat her down on the floor in the middle of her comatose friends’ beds. She pulled out her grimoire in front of her. “I need a glamour spell for eyes,” she said softly and the pages began flipping. She still felt sick to her stomach, but she couldn’t cry anymore. That woman’s scowl burned her mind; she could feel her still scowling. The book settled and Zania quickly read it. She snorted. “I need iris flowers and doll’s eyes berries” she said. “Subtle. It’ll last 3 months, think we can figure this out by then?” “We better,” Jynn said. She sat at the edge of the bed that Aris lay in with her arm dramatically over her eyes. “Could someone please get me those flowers and berries?” Aris yelled to no one. Zania looked at her confused. “This place is staffed by ghosts and demons, they’re not always physical but they are always here,” Jynn explained. “Oh… doesn’t that get awkward? Like you can’t see who’s watching you?” Zania asked. “I can see them, you guys can’t… you haven’t read any of the intro material huh?” “My birthday isn’t here yet! I don’t have to read it yet, plus I was hoping Aris would just tell me what I need to know.” Aris scoffed. Jynn poked her stomach and Aris sat up and slapped her hand away quickly. “To be fair, you did that for me,” Jynn said. “You both need to grow up,” Aris said. “You just explain things better,” Zania pouted. “Since we’re waiting here anyway, how about you give me the cliff notes.”