The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

"Twenty-seven" (Draft 2)

"I remember, and my sister, you forgot my sister, and Malik, he's my cousin, and Teri who takes care of the babies for them, and Theo, and his baby Prince Phillip, and Prince's mama that is not married to Theo, what's her name, the one with the funny colored glasses?"

Amadeo laughed. "Kim. Yes, I should have said all of them. And don't forget Caroline's mama, and your aunt Amber and Uncle Trey. Now kiss Mama goodbye and ask Ganymede if he will help you pack."

Thierry walked across the room and reached up. Raven bent and kissed his lips. "You go with Ganymede," she said.

Thierry looked up curiously at Ganymede who still stood in the door. "Don't you worry," Ganymede said, "I had brothers and sisters younger than me, I know all about kids."

Thierry started toward Ganymede.

"What are you going to do, Maddy, Athen and Julien aren't here, think you can get Joy to tell us anything?" Angel asked.

"Well, I'll try," Amadeo said. "But just—"

"DON'T SAY ANYTHING!" Angel screamed.

The room was still, Amadeo sat in his chair with his fingers poised over the keys, Raven stood beside him looking shaken. Angel was in the middle of the room with her hands frozen in front of her. Ganymede was still in the door, he had one hand on Thierry's shoulder. The boy was looking about the room with quick darting glances.

"Did you—did it happen to you too?" Angel whispered.

"Everything seemed normal, and then you screamed, Angel," Raven said, "And I felt like it was Déjà vu!"

"Amad?" Angel asked. She walked around the room slowly.

"Something doesn't feel right."

Morpheus turned from the mirror. He'd seen it. Events had repeated themselves, a backward movement, like the skip in the shifting. A hiccup in reality. This was all very bad. Angel had noticed it too, more than the others.

Morpheus looked back to the mirror. Amadeo was standing in his bedroom telling Ganymede to get Thierry out of the house even if he wasn't packed.

Ganymede and Thierry left the room, and then Raven slipped out. Angel still looked determined to know what had happened. "I saw it Amad, we all went through the same events over again. Things like this, they have happened to me...in dreams, and when I was in that coffin."

"Oh?"

"Do you know what it is?"

"No."

"But when I spoke of dreams, something flashed in your eyes. You know something, Maddy. Like you knew all about Eros plot to make Athen and Julien fall for each other."

"I couldn't say."

Angel moved across the floor and grabbed Amadeo by the arms. "I'm not crazy, Amadeo, I saw it, I'm telling you I know what happened, and if I hadn't stopped you then you all would have gone through the events over and over in a loop. Tell me you saw it."

Amadeo shook his head. "I believe you, but I didn't notice anything till you screamed."

Angel let Amadeo go and turned away. "WHAT IS THIS?"

"Angel!"

"It's like I'm back there, in Dream, and I'm trapped again. This is exactly how it was." She turned around and stared at Amadeo. "Are you even real?"