"Come on, open!" Zec whispers to himself. Something exciting is going to happen, Amy surmises. A moment later, Zec closes his eyes and whispers to himself again: "Odilia, it didn't work. The other guards didn't come out."
Suddenly, a loud explosion shakes the forest. The cloud of smoke grows exponentially, darkening the indigo sky.
We are in so much trouble,Zec thinks. Then he sees what he's been waiting for — the metal door slides up, and a half-dozen soldiers march out of the building and toward the apparent danger. Zec jumps straight down from the cliff. He lands with so much force that the ground cracks in all directions around him. He takes a deep breath, draws power from within, and sprints to the door at a speed that strikes Amy as superhuman.
The door is just a foot from closing when Zec slides through the gap. Once inside, he jumps up and starts walking at a fast pace down a corridor. Amy tries to absorb everything she sees — portraits of royalty she doesn't recognize, paintings of strange battles, and life-sized sculptures that remind her of the Roman exhibits she's seen at the MOMA. As her host walks, Amy can hear the voices of several men in the background, but can't pinpoint where the voices are coming from. She's startled by an eerily familiar spectral voice:
We are so grounded.
Zec glances at a ghostly figure walking next to them. It's Odilia! Where did she come from?
Great job, Zec says without speaking, half-smiling.
You doubted that I could pull it off? Odilia asks.
Nope.
The end of the corridor splits into three identical hallways. There's a directory on the wall written in a foreign alphabet that Amy doesn't recognize. All she can distinguish are three arrows that she assumes correspond to the three hallways.
Are you picking up anything? Odilia asks.
Amy hears nearby voices again. She still can't tell where they're coming from.
Dad is to the left, Zec says confidently.
They start walking in that direction, and arrive at a metal door. Zec quietly opens the door and conceals himself behind a tall metal cabinet. From there, he can hear and see the conversation between a group of imposing men. They're all wearing helmets and long black-and-red robes. A muscular, handsome man in the center of the room towers above the others. This must be their leader.
"Greatness is within our grasp, my dear friends," the man says. He takes off his helmet, and his long black hair falls past his shoulders. "We are on the verge of perfecting what once was thought impossible: the fusion of our DNA and Essence with that of Earthling human fetuses. Soon, we will be able to live two lives!"
"So close we are indeed, my king," one of the other men says. "And we couldn't have gotten this far if it weren't for you."
Zec! There's someone headed toward you! Odilia cries.
Zec scans the cloud of thoughts in his vicinity, and quickly realizes that he's in very deep trouble indeed. Someone is focused on him! He turns around and is immediately lifted into the air by his collar by a man with fierce blue eyes. Amy is terrified.
"You are not permitted here, Zec," the blue-eyed man growls.
Amy is blinded by a bright white light. She has the distinct sensation that something is pulling her from Zec's body.
"Amy. Wake up, Amy!"
Amy opens her eyes and looks into Olivia's deep brown ones. It's her! It's Odilia!
"Amy, what's the matter?" Olivia asks. "Why are you looking at me like that? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Before Amy can reply, Mike walks into the waiting room. "Oh, there you are. Your parents are looking for you," he says tiredly to Olivia. Olivia nods, glances at Amy, and leaves the room. "Babe, are you okay?" Mike asks, sitting down next to her and putting a comforting arm around her shoulder.
"I'm okay," Amy says. "How long was I out? Any news about Zack's condition?"
"No news yet. You were asleep for less than an hour. Are you sure you're okay?"
Just then, Amy's father rushes into the room. "Thank God you're all right!" She stands, and he hugs his daughter tightly. "What happened out there?"
Amy doesn't know what to say. Before she can gather her thoughts, Jim and Isabelle Parker enter. "Jim!" Amy's dad exclaims. "I'm so grateful for what your son did to save my girl. He's a hero." He embraces first Jim, then Isabelle. "Any news on Zack's condition?"
"We just finished talking to the doctor," Isabelle responds. "Zack suffered some minor fractures, but they're hopeful he'll make a full recovery."
Zack's parents look at Amy with worried eyes. "Amy? Is it okay if we ask you what happened?" Isabella asks. "You think we can talk about it?"
Amy hesitates, then explains how she woke up next to Zack's unconscious body, how he must have been overcome by the smoke, and how they were blown out of the building by the backdraft. She leaves out Olivia's apparition, her pierced shoulder, and anything else that might make her sound crazy. When she's done, the Parkers both let out a long sigh of relief.
They were afraid she'd seen something more, Amy surmises. Something not quite human.
In the ensuing hours, Dr. Buchanan keeps everyone up-to-date on Zack's status. Eventually, overwhelmed by her emotions, Amy excuses herself and heads to the bathroom. She stares at her reflection in the mirror and starts crying.
Before long, Olivia gently knocks on the bathroom door, then opens it. "Amy, are you okay?"
Wiping away her tears, Amy says quickly, "Yes, I'm fine." She turns to Olivia and hugs her impulsively. "Thank you so much for
