Far From Home

James stood stiffly as he watched the interaction, but he noticed when Zameer came up beside him. He kept watching him in the corner of his eyes to see if he would get closer. He was always watching people's hands, hips, eyes, and feet. Those always told him what they would do next.

"Yes," James said in simple agreement with Zameer.

The person Melakae mentioned. Alistair. It sounded familiar. He felt like Evaline had mentioned the name, but the faces and the drawings were fuzzy in his memory.

Elise. She called Melakae Mel. That was a face he remembered more clearly. When he looked at Melakae, there was a strange, eerie sense of familiarity. But it wasn't the kind of familiarity one would have with someone they'd met before. It was like he in a waking dream.

Melakae let go of Elise, now giving him her full attention as her smile faded. She looked him up and down.

"That doesn't seem right," she said suspiciously. "How long have you been there?"

"Like I told Elise," James said. "I've been there as long as I can remember."

"So, your whole life?" she continued on for details.

"It seems... there are holes in my memory," James said, his eyes flicking to Elise. "But as far as I can tell you, yes."

Melakae hummed in thought, crossing her arms and shifting her weight between her legs. "Who'd you stay with?" It didn't sound like she believed him.

"I've been alone for a very long time," he said slowly. He thought to add more, but then thought better of it. Specific questions would help him come up with better answers. He hoped.

She squinted at him. "So you mean to tell me you've been wandering the lands almost your entire life without having met anyone?"

"I like to avoid people, if that's what you mean," James said, meeting her eyes.

Melakae met his eyes and held her gaze for a few seconds, but then abruptly smiled and then let her arms fall to her side. "Eh, it's not impossible," she said over to Zameer. "Probably from a traditional community."

"What about Elise?" Zameer pressed. "Should I lump her in with the other sector folks?"

Melakae pursed her lips, but she was staring at James for whatever reason. "No, I'll take both of them. Also, you look vaguely familiar. Have we met before?" she asked him.

James narrowed his eyes at her, and looked her up and down. "No," he said. He decided not to add another caveat that he might not remember.

She smirked. "He's a funny one," she said back to Zameer again, and then pulled out a little notepad from her pocket. "I think there's a meeting coming up soon..."

"It's tomorrow evening," Zameer finished for her without even referencing his own notes.

"Oh, thanks." She put the notepad away. "I'll take those two over there."

Zameer shifted uncomfortably. "Is that really necessary?"

Melakae nodded. "Leave the high-priority cases to me. I think asking the committee is a good idea."

High-priority cases. James hoped Melakae wasn't talking about him, but given the context, it sounded like she was. Unless she was talking about the meeting. He didn't know enough about anything to decipher what was going on.

"If you say so," Zameer murmured, then sighed. "When are you leaving?"

Melakae flicked her eyes between James and Elise. "Now?" she said with a smile. "It's a day's travel, isn't it?"

Zameer groaned, but began walking away. "Fine. I guess I'll just take care of all eight refugees by myself before that meeting."

"You can take the vehicle," Melakae called out, but Zameer waved at her dismissively. "Not like I could take it since, uh..." She looked up at Elliot. "I guess you have a... horse?"

"Yes, it's a horse. His name is Elliot," James said wearily. He was already tired of people's reactions.

Mel nodded, looking like she was supressing a laugh. "That's hilarious," she said, but didn't explain what was so funny. "Are you both ready to go? I'll walk you down the tunnel."

James only nodded.

"I'm ready whenever you are," Elise said. "Not like I had many things with me to begin with."

"Great. Perfect. Let's go, then," Melakae said as she started to head down to one of the middle tunnels, beckoning for them to follow.

Mel was honestly just tired of the same routine over and over again, so when Zameer pointed out that there was another Sector 2 person and someone from the ungoverned lands, she just about lost it from the excitement of something new. The refugee program was supposed to be about helping others, of course, but ever since she founded it, she thought it would be... well... not boring. It felt nice to help others of course, but lately they have just been getting an influx of war-related refugees. That was outside her division, and they often didn't like to do work for the others anyways. So yeah, maybe she was a little bitter.

But no worries about that now, because Elise was here, and so was this mysterious Matt man. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen him before, but she was sure she'd remember a lonely random man wandering the ungoverned lands if she had met him.

The three of them walked down the tunnel, and Elliot's hooves were noisily hitting the rock floor as they walked. She tried to pay no attention to it as she and Elise caught up with their lives, but it did get irritating after a while. What was she supposed to say though: can you please silence your horse's hooves?

Mel did turn around and ask Matt a few questions about the horse, but he seemed tired of answering questions.

"Seems like, around here, horses are like a mythical creature," Elise said to him, like that was supposed to be an explanation.

"Or an extinct creature," Mel said again. "But hey, seems like anything's possible."

"Mmhmm," was all Matt said in return.

And that was pretty much a standard response for him. It was a very one-sided conversation, but Mel didn't let it annoy her. She figured he was hiding something, and she did admit that she was intrigued on what that could be. She didn't believe his story one bit, but at the same time, the horse really did sell it. Anything in the ungoverned lands were fair game when it came to mutations and creatures. She just expected the horse to be, uh... maybe giant, two-headed, and with sharp teeth. Not a horse in its pure form. She couldn't help but feel a bit wary of that.

Hours passed and they continued to follow her directions in the tunnel, and she decided to talk to Elise instead since, well, she talked. She was a doctor (of course, nothing new) and told her funny stories of her time dealing with patients. Mel was about to change the subject as the topic slow started to die out, but Elise abruptly blurted out something before she could.

"Even though I'm limited by what I could do, it's still my duty to help those who are hurt," she said. "It would be unethical to turn down someone who needed help."

"Hmm, yeah, that sounds right," Mel said in response, not really sure what she wanted her to say.

Mel caught Elise shooting a pointed glance at Matt. "It's hard if they don't want help, though."

It took a moment for Mel to figure out that she might have subtly been talking about Matt and his... mental issues. Maybe. She had no clue what she was leading to.

"Right," Mel said slowly. "That does sound difficult. What would you do in that case?"

"I can't force anyone to get help," Elise said. "But would it still be unethical to not do anything?"

"Hey Matt, what do you think?" Mel said, punting the question to him. "You seem like you'd have done a fair amount of reading to know a lot about ethics."

"I don't know what gave you that impression," Matt said.

Mel smirked. "I've got to ask. If you've never met others growing up, do you know how to read and write?"

"No," Matt answered dryly. "Thanks for the reminder."

"No problem," she said back. "It makes a lot of sense now. But also, what are your thoughts about Elise's question? Just curious."

"You'll have to define ethics for me," he said.

Mel laughed, turning around to show her smile. "I knew you were a funny man," she said, then turned to Elise. "Sorry, but I think he's a lost cause."

A few more hours passed, and the walls around them began to narrow. She instructed them to keep close to her as they couldn't walk side-by-side anymore. Matt looked like he was struggling with a horse, but he seemed to get by okay.

Finally, they reached the mouth of another small cave, and they were in a woodsy area this time. Mel had zipped around these tunnels so many times that she knew exactly where she was, so she walked out and started to head towards some trees. The sun was setting, and she knew night would come soon.

"Welcome back to the open air," she said as they followed behind.

Elliot shook his head and made a noise that sounded like a huff of relief, and he tugged at the rope Matt was holding.

"You both good to keep on going for about another hour?" she asked as she peered back at Elliot. "We'll make it to the camp I have in mind if we keep going."

"He's just happy to be out of the mountain," Matt said. "We're good."

"I'm good too," Elise said. "Thanks for leading us."

"Of course," Mel said as she continued to lead them through the trees, not thinking much of the scenery.

True to her word, they hiked for another hour as she led them to a small clearing. There was a chest full of supplies, and in front of it were a few sleeping bags that someone clearly forgot to put away. The ash and burnt wood in the built fire pit was still around, too.

Mel sighed. "I wish people would clean up more often," she mumbled as she started to clean the fire pit.

James scanned the campgrounds, and led Elliot to a nearby tree, tying him up. The sun had gone down, and Melakae had been complainining about people not cleaining up as she got new wood to fuel the fire pit. She shook the sleeping bags out and cleaned them off before handing them to both him and Elise.

James waited to be asked to do something, but when he wasn't, he simply stood by and watched as Elise started to help Melakae pull out cooking supplies, like they were getting ready to prepare a meal once the fire was going.

James busied himself with Elliot. Brushing him, and picking dirt out of his hooves.

The two women chatted about the food and he saw vegetables sizzling in the pan as he watched them from the corner of his eye.

"So," Melakae said after the conversation died down, adding some other ingredients. "How did you get Elliot?"

"Found him," James said, glancing at Melakae, then looking to the hoof he was scraping chunks of dirt out of with a dull knife.

"Where?" she persisted.

"Woods," James said in return.

"When?" she continued.

"A year ago, I think," he said.

"You found a random horse in the woods a year ago," she repeated flatly.

"Life is strange," he replied, still not looking at her. He moved onto Elliot's other leg, propping up Elliot's foot as he kneeled by him.

"Yeah, almost as strange as a random man mysteriously showing up saying he's from the ungoverned lands and claiming to never have met anyone," she murmured.

"I never said that," James said, glancing at her. "That was your assumption."

"Is it, though?" Melakae persisted.

Elise jumped in, seemingly able to feel the rising tension. "I think it's nice that he escaped and is looking for help."

Melakae slowly nodded, continuing to stir the food. "Huh. Do you want help, Matt?"

"...Maybe," he said, glancing back at them again. He looked away, finishing up with Elliot's hoof. He flicked the dirt off his knife and pocketed it away in his boot before he stood up and wiped his hands and then patted Elliot on the side.

"Not saying I take briberies," she said with a playful smile. "But I am one of the program's founders, and I can heavily sway where you end up."

"Mel!" Elise scolded, and Melakae giggled in response.

"How magnanimous of you," James said, turning to look at them with a blank expression. He was getting tired of the teasing, and he was beginning to think this was more a hallucination than a dream. It'd gone on for too long. Maybe he hadn't really slept at all.

Melakae paused for a moment to look up at him, hiding another smirk. She met his eyes. "Can you tell me the definition of magnanimous?" she said, copying his blank tone.

"Generous," he said flatly.

"How fascinating," she continued to tease. "I wonder how you learned that word if you've never written, read, or met anyone else."

"I absorb information from the air," he said with a blank face.

She looked up at him again but then burst out laughing. "You are so weird," she said with an amused smile, shaking her head as she added some spices into the pan.

"Thank you," he said with a nod, and then gave Elliot one last pat before he approached the fire, sitting opposite Elise and Melakae. Elise smiled at him, watching the conversation happen between him and Melakae like she waas glad to sit back and listen.

"But you know, that sounds like a power," Melakae said. "Like infrared waves. They can radio other people and hear other things without the radio." She peered back at James. "But you have a memory power, right?"

James hummed by way of confirmation, slightly raising his eyebrows as he looked down to the ground, plucking a strand of grass and lifting it up, looking at it. Grass was still grass, even if he was imagining things.

"What kinda of stuff can you do?" she asked.

"I can remember things that happen in alternate realities but not my own," he said boredly, spinning the piece of grass between his fingers.

He must have said something wrong, because the two of them seemed to freeze and stare at him.

"I thought you said you have a memory power," Elise said.

"Wait, you have a time power?" Melakae interrupted.

"I don't know what you call it," he said, still keeping his tone neutral. "I just remember things."

"...Like what?" Melakae asked again, the suspicion returning to her voice.

"That's a bit personal, don't you think?" he asked, turning to look at her with his eyebrows raised.

She scoffed. "I'm asking you for an example so I can understand what you can even do."

"Okay. Here's a fun one. In one reality, I die violently. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Elise looked up at him horrified, but Melakae seemed unfazed with his words, squinting at him.

"Did it happen?" she asked.

"Do I look dead to you?" he asked, raising his eyebrows again.

"I'm asking you if these alternate realities happen, or if they're just visions," she said like it was obvious. "It's an important distinction."

"Couldn't say," James said, looking back at the blade of grass in his hands. "I'm not dead, so it's probably just a vision, huh."

"Matt," Melakae said, voice serious as she tried to meet his eyes again. "Please seriously answer the question."

James looked up at her, squinting his eyes. He pursed his lips together and looked away again, this time staring out into the woods.

"You're the founder of this camp, right? Why not just send me away somewhere? You don't have to keep me here."

"One of the founders," Melakae corrected. "And I'm trying to ask you if you have a time power. We'd still have a place for you, of course. It's just..." She let out a sigh, looking at Elise for help. "That changes things."

Elise turned to him, voice gentle again. "It's okay to be afraid," she said. "And we can understand if you ran away because you have a time power. But Mel just wants to know if you have one or not so she knows where to place you."

James was getting tired. He wanted this stupid vision to be over. He wanted to wake up from this dream. He leaned forward and roughly rubbed his face with his hands before pulling his face away and then slapping himself hard.

Well, that didn't work.

He groaned and looked up at the sky, rolling his eyes back into his head before he finally looked over to Melakae and Elise. They both looked equally confused and shocked that he had slapped himself.

"Yes," he drawled. "I have a time power. Kill me now?"

There was a long silence as the two women seemed to glance at each other first, but Melakae spoke first.

"I'm pretty sure we both know who'd win that fight," Melakae said with a tone that sounded like an attempt of a joke, but she moved on to sounding serious again. "Well. That changes things, but it's even more reason to bring you both to the meeting tomorrow."

James tilted his head to the side. "Oh yeah? Meeting for what?"

She laughed through her nose, stirring the food again. "Amazing. Three time powered people in one room. This will either be very anticlimatic or it'll be a big show," she said, ignoring his question.

"Meeting. For what." James repeated again, furrowing his brows.

"To determine where you're going to be placed," Melakae finally answered, flickering her eyes at him. "High-priority refugees can't just be placed willy nilly. And now that I know you have a time power... Well, we'll see what they say, I guess."

James stared at Melakae and looked around, waiting for this facade of reality to fade. But it didn't. All day it didn't. He closed his eyes, and tried to imagine the worst possible scenario.

He'd been caught again. Maybe it was Pitch, and she'd drugged him to hell a million times over. He wasn't coming back any time soon, and when he woke up, he'd be delivered to the Moonlight Kingdom. Maybe he'd be relieved, after all of this. He'd wake up and see Carter's face and actually be relieved that all of this was over. Wouldn't that be funny? If only he could laugh. Right now, he was just tired.

Why did the hallucination have to drag Elliot into all of this too?

James shook his head and opened his eyes again.

Three time powered people in a room. Too bad he didn't actually have a time power. Or maybe he did - he couldn't be sure. The dreams ended maybe a month after Evaline had disappeared. After that, they were different. They were normal dreams. Still terrifying, and they still kept him up at night, but he didn't feel like he was reliving a memory. A memory of something that happened, but was undone.

"Whatever," he said dismissively. He turned so he was facing the side, looking away. He could still see the two women from the corner of his eyes but he didn't feel like facing them. Not if they weren't real.

Mel was wary of Matt. She knew he was hiding something, but this seemed too big to hide. She could empathize with him, though. He didn't need to tell her his life story. It was easy to fill the dots knowing he had a time power.

He probably ran away when he was young because the burden of leadership was too much, and although she wasn't sure how he'd be able to escape without help or what sector he was from exactly, he still made it, and he was alone. He must have traveled far distances to get here. It was odd that this never circulated, but she knew that the government was very good at keeping secrets. Mel was just glad he found help when he needed it... even if he was a little prickly.

He seemed tired, and she didn't want to tease him or prod much further since it seemed to cause him anxiety. She made a mental note of that for when they inevitably wrote up his file.

They ate while Elise and Mel mostly carried the conversation. Elise helped her clean up, and shortly after, they went to sleep.

"It's safe here," she said as she got snugly comfortable in the sleeping bag. She craned her neck to look up at Matt. "Unlike the ungoverned lands, there are no monsters or random people out to get you. Nothing's out here besides us, so we don't need to take watch or anything."

"Great," was all Matt said, but he didn't sound enthused. He took out his own blanket off his horse instead of using the sleeping bag she offered him, and then he lied down on the forest floor, facing away from them.

Like she said. Prickly.

Mel didn't think much of it, though. He seemed to want his space, which she could respect.

Night came and went, and Mel woke up when the sun started to rise. She yawned, crawling out of her sleeping bag and looking over to notice Elise still sleeping. Matt, on the other hand, was awake and had all of his things packed on Elliot's saddle already. He was sitting, leaning against the tree Elliot was tied to.

"You're up early," she said to him as she stretched and got on her feet. She lightly poked Elise with her foot, and she began to stir awake.

"I am," was his only reply.

"Rest well?" she asked, half-distracted as she watched Elise slowly wake up.

"Sure." It wasn't really an answer.

Mel glanced at him, offering a small smile. "Hungry?"

Matt looked over at her, and it wasn't hard to tell that he looked more tired than before. He got to his feet. "Yes," he said plainly.

"There's some food in the chest, I think in a box," Mel said as she gestured at it. "Fruit, granola, stuff like that."

Matt went straight to the chest and opened it, digging around inside until he pulled out the box she'd been talking about and looked inside it. He pulled out an apple and a granola bar, though he inspected it with what looked like suspicion before he shoved it in his jacket pocket and then took a bite out of the apple.

Elise was finally getting up, and she rubbed her eyes as she watched Matt eat. "Good morning," she told everyone. "Glad we survived the night."

"Like I said, uneventful," Mel said as she started to clean up the camp and put things away. "Feel free to stock up on food and water. There should be bottled water in the box as well. We'll leave when we're ready."

Matt glanced back at Melakae and then took a few more fruits and a bottle of water. He closed the box and put it back in the chest before he walked back over to his horse and stowed the food away in the saddle-bags.

Elise helped Mel put away the sleeping bags and then dug through the box herself. After a couple minutes of eating and cleaning, they were off again.

"We'll get there a little early, but that's okay," she told him as they continued their trek through the woods, mostly just voicing her thought out loud. "It's a small cabin that's supposed to fit like fifteen people, but not everyone goes. I don't think you two will stay there very long, but it's important that you be there."

The hours seemed to blur by again, and because they had more time, Mel decided to stop to let them rest every hour or so. Matt looked like he could need it, anyways. They did chat, of course, but it was mostly between her and Elise. She shared enough glances with her to know that she was worried too.

It was early evening by the time they reached the destination. The woods were a bit more gnarly at this point with thicker trees and more colors and bugs flying around, but Mel knew it was still safe. That was why they choose to meet here every month, after all.

"We're finally here," she said, standing in front of the wooden cabin. She noticed that there were some vines growing on the roof, and it made her wonder when was the last time someone put maintenance into this building.

She looked off to the side at the few mopeds parked in place. There were also a few other riding animals tied off on some trees nearby, and they were idly sleeping or sitting around.

"I guess, uh," she said to Matt, gesturing at animals. "Go ahead and tie up Elliot next to that horned camel with the big hump."

Matt looked at little apprehensive as he stared at the other animals, but he nodded stiffly. "They're not... carnivorous, right?"

That was an odd question coming from someone who was from the ungoverned lands. Or claimed to be, anyways.

Mel decided to let this one go for now. "Nah," she said. "Not for humans, anyways."

"That give me no peace of mind," he replied.

"Or horses," she added. "Maybe. I'm not sure since I've never met a horse."

"Yeah. Okay. I think I'm going to stay out here while you two go into the meeting," he said, still staring at the animals.

Mel looked around, pointing at a faraway tree. "Maybe you can tie him up there?" she asked, pointing at it.

"I'll be over there, then," he said, leading Elliot in that direction.

"That's not what I--" Mel began, but he was already walking away. She sighed, turning to Elise. "Well, what do you say? Do I force him to come inside?"

"I think he just needs space," Elise said after some thought, watching him stride away with Elliot. "You said we're early, right? You can always come out to get him when you need him."

Mel hummed over that thought. "You're right," she said, hoping he wouldn't run away. Something told her he would have done that a while ago if he wanted to, though. "I guess it's just you and me for now, then. Ready to meet the others?"

Elise nodded, and they both went in the cabin.

James tied up Elliot to the tree. From there, he could still see the cabin and the freakish animals tied up by the cabin. It wasn't that there weren't many beasts and monsters in Nye. He'd seen worse. He just hadn't seen creatures like that tamed, nonetheless as beasts of burden.

He stood and leaned back against the tree beside Elliot, watching the cabin as time passed by. More people rode in on two-wheeled metal contraptions. It was unclear how they contraptions were powered. There were other animals that looked like a mix of different creatures, exaggerated both in their features and size. There was an animal that looked like a tiger in its structure, but its arms and paws were thick and meaty like a bear. It had feathered wings on either side.

The people riding on the wheeled contraptions wore helmets that they took off before entering. Some of the people coming in seemed to be dressed more formally, and others looked like they were accustomed to combat, or helping refugees like Zameer, back at the camp.

Someone came in on another animal, a giant lizard with the head of a leopard. The combination looked freakish, but the owner seemed to pet its head affectionately before walking into the cabin, leaving it untied.

James couldn't help but feel nervous.

Fortunately, as people trickled in over the passing hours, no one seemed to notice him. He decided to take the time to eat, pulling out another one of the fruits he'd gotten from Melakae.

What was probably most disturbing about this whole experience was that he could taste so vividly. The pear he bit into tasted ripe, and it was sticky. He couldn't think about it too hard. He knew panic might seep in, and at the moment, he needed to keep a clear head to navigate whatever this was.

He was about halfway through the pear when someone else came riding up another creature. It had the striped markings of a tiger, but a brown coat and white striped. It had a tuft of hair going from its head and down its neck, like a mane. The person riding it wore clothes that looked worn and weathered. They were hidden by a cloak and a mask, but judging from their build, they were probably female. He watched as they jumped off at the base of the cabin and didn't bother tying up their animal. Again, people letting their creatures roam free.

He caught a glimpse of dark hair as the person flipped their hood down just as they entered the doorway, but that was all he could make out from the distance. His eyes weren't that keen.

Another hour passed, and nothing happened. No more arrivals, and the beasts by the cabin thankfully paid him and Elliot no notice. He caught movement from something in the corner of his eyes and saw a spider coming down from a thread, towards his shoulder. It had a small body and very long legs. James decided to not take his chances. When it landed on his shoulder he slapped it, and brushed its dead body off on the grass below.

As he stood up, he heard Melakae shout his name. Well, not his real name.

"Matt!"

He squinted at the silhouetted of her by the cabin.

"The committee is ready for you. Ready?"

James wasn't. He glanced at Elliot, feeling his stomach spin with nerves.

"I'll only be gone just a little bit, okay?" he said softly, kissing Elliot on the side of his face. "Be good. Stay safe."

He didn't feel like wasting time. He hoped this would be quick, so he ran down to the cabin and hurried up the steps.

Melakae smiled and beckoned him to come in, closing the door behind him. Inside, he could see a room crammed with people sitting around a large table as chatter filled the room. There were people standing next to the door, so he couldn't get quite a good look at the furniture or anyone else. He felt tense, entering the crowd. He didn't like that he couldn't see the exits. Still, Mekalae motioned for him to follow as she weaved between the crowd. He could hear a few distinct loud voices.

"We should have him prove it!" someone said, sounding like they were shouting across the table. "You both can tell if someone else goes back in time, right?"

"Yes, but let's hear it from him first," a man answered back.

"Everyone," Melakae announced as she sat down on an open seat and finally led James to an open chair around the table. He didn't sit down, but he could get a clear view of the room and the people around them.

"This is Matt, the time powered person from the ungoverned lands I was talking about."

James scanned the faces at the table. He knew none of them, until he saw Evaline, sitting at the head of the table, with her cheek resting in her hand and her elbow on the table. Her hair was shorter, just past her shoulders, tied half-up. She was looking down at a piece of paper, not paying attention.

At that moment, he stopped hearing any of the voices in the room. His heartbeat was pounding in his head.

No.

No.

This... this couldn't be real. He didn't want it to be real. No. He didn't belong here. Whatever this was, he couldn't do it. He couldn't do this again.

He whirled around, pushing his way through the crowd, trying to find the door again. He was stopped by someone dressed in all black and towering over him. The man firmly held his shoulders in place.

"Are you okay?" the man asked with a deep voice, although he sounded more concerned than aggressive.

The moment he was touched something broke in him and he didn't know how to undo it. He punched the man in the gut, stepped on his foot, and elbowed him in the side all in quick succession.

The man grunted and fumbled back, but someone quickly stepped in.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" another man said, but James didn't have time to look at him. A sudden burst of air pressure seemed to push him back against the wall, holding him in place. "Why did you do that? What is wrong with you?"

James tried to fight whatever invisible force was holding him down, but he couldn't get free.

Chatter erupted in the room as all attention was on him. Melakae seemed to rush through the crowd of people surrounding him.

"Let me go!" he shouted.

"Matt!" Melakae called as she finally weaved her way through the crowd, her eyes wide with worry. "Malkiel, let him go!"

"He hurt Hendrik for no reason," the man controlling the invisible force around him said. "He's aggressive."

"He's scared," Melakae said. "Can everyone just... stand back? Please? Sit back down and give him some space?"

It took some moments, but the crowd around him heeded her words, stepping back or returning to their seats. Before the man let go of the invisible force holding him back, James could see Evaline still at the same spot, sitting up straight with her elbow still on the table despite her hand hanging in the air, and staring at him wide-eyed, mouth slightly open.

James couldn't meet her eyes. His whole body was throbbing, and all it was telling him was to do was run. Get away. Get away. Go home, but there was no home. Home was alone. That was home.

There was no more reason. Wherever reason was, it was far away. He didn't want to think that this might be real. If it was real, he would lose again. Over, and over, and over, and over.

The moment the invisible force let him go, he stumbled, almost falling to the floor, but he quickly scrambled to his feet.

"Are you okay?" Melakae asked him with worry laced in her voice. She was the only one who stayed by his side as everyone else seemed to back off.

James scanned the room for the door, desperately locking his eyes onto it and running.

"Stop him," he heard a man's voice say across the table, and James couldn't get past the narrow opening of people. The same invisible force held him back again, but not against a wall. He froze in place, his legs and arms unable to move.

James trembled against the pressure all around him. "Leave me alone," he hissed. "Let me go. Don't touch me. Don't f--" He bit down on his lip and growled.

"Don't fight it," an unfamiliar woman's voice called. "Didn't you
want to be here?"

James pinched his eyes shut, still squirming. He had to fight. He had to.

"We won't take too long," the man's voice from earlier said. "But now we have a few questions. First, can you show us your power for verification?"

"I'm not. Going. To show you anything," James spat. "I changed my mind. Let me go."

Desperation was seeping in. The more he fought against the magic holding him the more he felt like it was hopeless. He didn't have any magic. He didn't have any powers. He couldn't fight these people.

"I don't want to force it, but..." The man's voice trailed off. "What do you think?" he asked, asking someone else.

There was a long pause.

"...Evaline?" he continued on, but there wasn't an immediate response.

It had been a while since Evaline came to one of these meetings, but when she was radioed that someone from Sector 2 was arriving, curiosity got to the best of her. She was hoping that coming in late would mean she could skip the small talks and inevitable questions that she dreaded, but it came anyways -- even if it was short-lived.

More than an hour had passed and she still couldn't believe Elise had somehow escaped the sector and was a refugee. Of all people from Sector 2, she didn't think it would be someone she knew that well. She hadn't dealt with a personal case like this before, and she was tempted to punt this one to Mel again. She seemed eager to help her.

To be honest, Evaline wasn't even sure what she expected, or why she even attended these meetings anymore, or why she was still looked upon as a leader. She hardly did any work because she didn't want to do it anymore. She shouldn't have came.

Still, as Mel went to bring out the next refugee, she was scanning the notes that were written for her, wondering if she was missing something. She just couldn't think of a proper motive for Elise to escape outside of the obvious one everyone else shared. There had to be one. Right?

She only looked up when there was a sudden commotion across the room. She could see Hendrik glaring at a man she couldn't quite see but assumed was the refugee, and Malkiel, of course, stepped in to stop the fight. He had pinned the man back using his air pressure power, and as Evaline glanced at him, she felt her stomach drop and had to do a double-take.

She was staring. She knew that. But she couldn't stop, even as he quickly looked away after he met her eyes, and even as Mel deescalated the situation.

Evaline had spent years keeping herself leveled so almost nothing could surprise or entirely faze her too much these days, but in this one moment, she felt the walls of her mind come tumbling down, like it was pulling out an old painful memory she had buried a long time ago.

Because she was pulling out an old memory she thought she had locked away. She was forced to, seeing him.

Seeing James.

It had been five years, and of course he looked a little different, but he was undeniably James.

...Was she hallucinating? She hadn't hallucinated in years. She couldn't have triggered anything like that. This man, he --

No. He was James.

She couldn't stop staring at him with wide eyes, frozen in shock as she was hardly able to pay attention to the conversation happening. This didn't feel real. He couldn't have been real. It didn't make any sense.

"Evaline," Oliver repeated next to her, shaking her shoulder and bringing her back to reality. She suddenly shook her head and blinked many times, rubbing her eyes to see if she was seeing right.

James -- Matt, whatever he went by -- was still being held by the air, looking distressed.

"You okay?" Oliver asked her, voice soft so only she could hear.

Evaline felt her heart start thumping in her chest as a familiar feeling of anxiety started to awaken and flow through her mind. Without thinking, she suddenly got up, loudly scraping her chair against the floor.

James still had his eyes shut as he wriggled against the air, looking desperate like he was pained.

And maybe he was, if he was real. If this was truly James.

She just wished he'd look at her so she'd know what to do.

"Let him go," she finally ordered, her eyes not leaving him.

"He's aggressive," Malkiel reminded her.

Evaline saw how James's body shook like he was trying to desperately get out of the air's grip and crawl away. She saw how he had headed for the door. She knew desperation when she saw it.

Evaline didn't know what to say, but she knew that she had to keep her composure with everyone assuming she was still in charge. It was always like this.

It's not actually him, she told herself. It's not James.

Evaline took a deep breath, focusing on the rest of his body rather than his face.

"He's scared," she corrected.

"I don't think--" Malkiel began to argue.

"Let him go," she interjected, tired that he was always arguing against her, even if he knew she was right.

She looked away for a moment to give him a steely look, and he returned it as he scoffed and then dropped his concentration.

James fell to the ground with a thud, but he started pushing himself up immediately. From the distance, it was clear that he was trembling. Shaking, now, like a leaf.

He unsteadily got to his feet and started to run for the door again, but without any interference - before he could even get to the door that was now blocked by people - his ankle seemed to twinge, and he fell again. This time he caught himself, but instead of getting back up again, he curled into a ball.

With his fingers arched like claws, he grabbed the back of his head and started muttering something unintelligible.

There were hushed voices speaking as everyone seemed to watch everything unfold. Some spoke louder than others, but Evaline paid no attention to them. Oliver said something to her again, but she also couldn't focus on him.

She was too preoccupied watching the man who looked too much like James rock back and forth in an upright fetal position, head buried in his arms. She was too busy trying to make sense of the situation. Too busy trying to figure out what to do, and if this was even real.

The next seconds -- or maybe it was a whole minute, she couldn't tell -- seemed to blur by as others seemed equally confused and Oliver called for order.

Evaline blurted out the next sentence before she could stop herself. She knew she would overthink it and decide to not say it if she paused to think about it.

"Everyone should leave," she said, hardly loud enough for everyone to hear.

"What?" Oliver said in disbelief. "Everyone?"

She nodded, still watching James rock back and forth.

"I'll take care of this," she said under her breath to him. "Just trust me."

It wasn't helping. Nothing was helping.

James started to pound his head with his hands.

"I need to wake up. Wake up. Wake up," he repeated in a hoarse whisper, again and again. He wished he could curl up tighter, and become smaller, and then maybe he wouldn't exist. Maybe it would all go away. But he knew what was happening.

They wouldn't let him fight, and they wouldn't let him flee, so the only thing left was to shut down. When the panic subsided, he knew it would be drowned out by the suffocating emptiness that he was used to. The gaping hole would return, and maybe then? Maybe then it would all be over, and he would wake from this nightmare and forget it ever happened?

As he rocked on the floor, whispering to himself, he heard the distant sounds of feet shuffling by. The conversation died, and eventually the air in the room started to clear.

There was silence.

"Svida, if you're out there, please end me now," he whispered under his breath. "Take me back to the dust where I belong. I can't take it."

Of course there was no answer.

He could feel tears pressing at the back of his eyes. There was a building pressure, but he couldn't cry. It wasn't coming, but to hold it back took all of his energy, and he felt his head starting to throb and ache.

He didn't know how long he sat there, wishing for it all to go away.

Eventually, the pressure subsided. The emptiness came, just like he'd predicted. He returned to the hollowed out shell he knew as home, but reality was creeping upon him, whispering in his ear that this was real. It was real, and he couldn't escape it even if he ran. Even if he fought.

He uncurled slowly, feeling every joint in his back pop as he took a deep breath and released the tension he'd been holding in almost every muscle of his body. When he finally sat up, he was seeing specks in his vision, and he looked around.

The room was empty.

Apart from Evaline.

She stood still, leaning against the table watching him, and the moment he met her eyes again he felt every ounce of resolve in himself wither. Though he felt an overwhelming desire to cry, he only felt empty. Like an all-consuming ten-ton weight had been placed in his chest.

He didn't have words. He only stared up at her as his eyes seemed to glaze over.

Evaline had waited patiently for James -- or someone who looked like James, or this hallucination, she didn't know -- to sit up straight and look up at her. Too many long minutes passed, but she could wait.

She heard the faint sounds of chatter outside where everyone stood. Everyone except her and him.

She chose to believe that this was a misunderstanding, or someone was playing some kind of mind game trick on her, or that it was an eerie coincidence that he looked a lot like James.

She didn't think that she could forget what the James in her mind looked like, but it had also been five years. It had been a while since she thought about this. Maybe she was searching for something that wasn't there. Her mind was suddenly making connections to other people, even if she had locked away the memory. That must have been it.

Still, something felt so, so wrong. Despite the rationalization and maintaining her level of calm, she felt her stomach twist and her heart still pounding against her chest. The anxiety she dreaded was still dulled at the back of her mind.

But still, she patiently waited. Waited for a reaction, or just something that would confirm what she believed and everything could proceed as normal again.

When he sat up straight and he met her eyes, she felt a small twinge of hurt pull at her heart, like a small needle poking her, and it stayed there. But as quick as it came, she buried the feeling and shook off the thought that even his eyes seemed so familiar despite the weariness.

They stared at each other for a moment that was far too long to be comfortable, but she couldn't look away. She was unable to.

"Can I--?" she asked in a hushed strained voice, breaking the silence. She lifted her hand out like she wanted to touch him, but it stayed in the air.

James stared at her hand, and fear wrapped around him. What if this wasn't Evaline? What if it was a trap?

She hadn't even touched him, but he flinched away, his shoulders scrunching up to his ears as he continued to stare with a gaze that felt less and less focused by the second.

Her voice still sounded the same.

He found his mind drifting, drifting to a distant, foggy memory. A sunset. Warmth. A quiet question asked without words. It danced in the back of his brain like it was teasing him. Forever far-off, and he couldn't grasp it - and yet, at the same time he was too afraid to even if he could.

"I don't--" he finally sputtered, his voice still hoarse and low. He drew his hands inward, holding them close to his chest, almost hugging himself.

"I don't know what I'd do," he said, still feeling the fight itching at the ends of his fingertips, ready to go.

He looked down, shoving his hands into his armpits.

"I don't want to hurt you. I won't - I don't think I - I don't want to. I'm sorry."

The words came out in a string, and he hardly separated them from one another.

Evaline slowly put her hand down, giving up on her request. She absorbed the words he was saying, but hearing him talk to her, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was him. As soon as he apologized, she felt another needle prick her heart, but she swallowed and focused back on the situation at hand here. She had to think rationally.

"I just wanted to see if you were real," she said softly, words feeling hollow.

That you're not a figment of my imagination, like I thought you were.

James felt his heart beating out of his chest.

For a second, he snapped his eyes shut.

Hallucinations.

It was like he heard the word in his own voice, from his own mouth, but he didn't speak it. It echoed through his head, and he couldn't help but wonder too. If she was a hallucination. In his head, he picture his hand going right through her, and he would laugh. Laugh because it was mutual.

He crawled.

His ankle was killing him again, and he had no pride left to lose. On all fours, he crawled up to Evaline's feet - maybe a foot away. He sat and stared at her feet for far too many seconds before he rapidly shot out his hand and touched her foot.

Solid.

He didn't know what he'd expected, but it wasn't that.

"Ah-ha-ha."

An empty laugh escaped him. Sudden, and loud, and hollow. Not the kind he'd imagined.

He slouched, and leaned back, sitting on his butt on the floor, staring off into the room.

"Real," was all he said.

Evaline stood still and watched as he crawled up to her, and she felt a shiver go down her spine as she felt the pressure of his hand on her boot.

Real. He was real.

She crossed that possibility off her mind as she drew her lips together in a tight line, suddenly feeling anxious to figure out what exactly was happening.

"Your real name," she said as she tightly gripped the end of the table, still watching him. "Tell me your real name."

James looked up at her, and he still didn't know if any of this felt real. It felt less real now that he thought it was real.

"James Hawke," he said, staring up at her.

"Tell--" he paused, swallowing hard.

He needed to know too. He needed to know for sure.

"Tell me my name. The name on my posters."

Evaline wanted to laugh or react or do something, but instead she froze, her body and mind refusing to believe that this man was the James she knew.

She felt hollow as some old memories started to resurface upon his request, and as much as she pushed it down, she couldn't stop herself from briefly reliving the many nights spent around the campfire as James looked across from her, chatting and smiling. She couldn't stop herself from remembering the long walks, the long conversations, the time spent together from sunrise to sundown for months.

But she could stop herself from going deeper.

Evaline took a shaky deep breath, expelling far more energy into the next words as necessary.

"Tiberius Hemming," she answered blankly, closing away the memory as soon as it resurfaced.

He couldn't keep denying it anymore. There wasn't any logical explanation for this. How could he explain this away? There were no drugs, no manner of dreams that could conjure this up for him. He had to face the reality. He was on a different world. He was on earth.

And he had no power over any of it.

So, this was how it felt.

He stared down at the floor, quiet, as it sunk in. He dropped his hands to his sides, and gingerly touched the floor. Wood. He could faintly make out the grains beneath his fingers, and find the little valleys between the boards. He hadn't really taken the time to look at the room. The last time he really saw it, it was full of people. Bodies, packed up against the walls. There wasn't much to take in. There was a long wooden table, and chairs, and a small box in the corner. On the other side of the table it looked like there was a brick fireplace, but it wasn't in use. It didn't look like it'd been used in a while.

What he found unsettling, was the fact that the room had no windows. The door was the only way in or out, and instead of candles or something James could comprehend, there was another fire-less, glass lantern on the ceiling that illuminated the entire room. It was bigger than the others he'd seen, and he still didn't know what it was.

"So I'm on earth," he said, his voice shaky. "I'm on earth, and I have no idea how I got here."

He laughed again, but it was hollow.

Was there a--

He suddenly started patting himself down, shoving his hands in his pockets. His pants, his jacket. There wasn't a lot to find. Just a handkerchief and lock picks he always kept, but no paper. No note.

He sat down again, with his knees bent up, and his elbows resting on them, and he ran his hands through his hair.

"No note," he said bitterly, almost in a whisper. "Just here."