Young Writers Society

This wasn't like the London I had grown up in.

I had no way of knowing for certain, but it wasn't like Nathaniel's, either. Both of us had come from places that didn't have so much joy to them. His was practically sterile, and mine had been...

It had been a rougher place.

This place, however? I could see how it was an apparently coveted sanctuary. I couldn't think of anything to say when I saw it. It wasn't even like the towns we had visited during our trips to other worlds or even just around the world we currently lived on. This was something other.

"This is..." Nathaniel started saying, then stopped mid-thought.

I smiled. “It’s beautiful, huh? Stories can never really… capture it. Not when they always get mixed with the whole The Mist is a shambling crime syndicate ring of murderers.”

Saturn chuckled. “Well, I suppose crime syndicate isn’t too far off.”

“Saturn!” I flushed. “It is so. Crime syndicate implies selling people or… or… truly awful things. Not existing!”

Saturn just snickered at me.

My lips flickered into a smirk at that. Nathaniel fought it, of course, but I found the same kind of amusement that Saturn did in what Estella Fay had said.

"It is beautiful," Nathaniel said, finally taking back control of his lips. He smoothed my smirk out into something a little more gentle and soft. I hated it, but at the same time...didn't. It felt like an accurate representation of my thoughts on this place.

I nodded. “It is. Now, medic should be on the ground floor here.” I led them the one of the main buildings, gently swerving around a group of running children.

“Do you want us to accompany you? Or would you rather be left alone?”

Before Nathaniel could come to any decision on that, I shrugged. I didn't really care either way. It wasn't like I'd be slipping back off into my body right away, so there wasn't a need to have fewer people in the room.

"I don't have any problem with you tagging along," I said.

For a moment, Nathaniel's lip flickered into a frown, but I fought it back with a strained smile. Nathaniel, apparently, would have wanted to be alone.

"It would be useful," I said, more to Nathaniel than to Estella Fay, "to be shown around by someone who actually knows where things are."

They'll get suspicious of us, Nathaniel said. Frustratingly enough, I couldn't offer anything in response without making Nathaniel's worry come true.

I smiled. “We’d be happy to help. Don’t worry. We don’t bite.” I frowned. “Except Artemis. But that was only one time and she warned him.”

I shook my head. “Come along now. Let’s get your friend looked at.”

Hev opened the door to the doctor’s office with a short bow. Saturn snorted at him, staying close by his side.

We entered the doctor's office. I wasn't used to formal offices like this one before. Usually, when we got hurt, Asmira played medic. Before then, the only doctor I had been involved with was Dr. Edmund Bickerstaff, and he was more mad scientist than healer.

I looked around. Nathaniel had apparently been a prime specimen of physical health before his death, too, because neither one of us had any idea what was supposed to happen next.

"Where should I put this down?" I asked, gesturing at my body. Nathaniel made a panicked little noise in our shared mental space, probably because most people didn't refer to their unconscious friend as a this. In my defense, I was really just talking about my own body, which didn't hold too much significance to me.

Saturn snorted as Hev closed the door. It was exactly the sort of thing he would say about Cyra. “On the bed. A doctor will see you soon.”

I pointed out a seat by the bedside. “And you can sit here. Stay close, you know.”

Nathaniel nodded.

We were standing by Hev when it happened—I went to take a step forward while Nathaniel still had his gaze on Estella Fay. We stumbled, a little, at the two conflicting commands for Natty boy's legs, and my body started slipping.

I wasn't super attached to my body, but it would be annoying it got even more injured. I fumbled to catch it. Nathaniel did, too.

And just when we were about to get a grip on it, Nathaniel's fingers brushed up against Hev's side. My view of the room suddenly shifted. There Nathaniel was before me, holding my body with a surprised expression on his face that said he all too easily guessed what had happened.

I resisted the very strong urge to utter a Victorian swear, even though it might not have been all that out of place in this England.

I had possessed Hev.

Great.

Hev blinked, shaking his head. He furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head again.

Saturn frowned and put his hand on Hev’s shoulder. “You alright darling?”

Hev blinked again. “There’s someone in there. There’s someone in my head.”

“There’s something in your head?” Saturn stood on his toes, trying to guide Hev’s head lower. Hev shook his head.

“No! There’s someone in my head. A person. A someone.”

Nathaniel gave me—the actual me, not my body—a look that bordered on reprimanding and panicked. I glared back. It wasn't like it was my fault that he picked up on it right away. Besides, I could always play it off-

"Skull," Nathaniel said, with the same mix of not being able to decide if he wanted to berate me or be worried about the whole overall situation.

I stole control of Hev's mouth, still glaring at Nathaniel, and went, "I was trying to pretend like we didn't have anything to do with this-"

I suddenly became all too aware of Hev's body's sensations. There were far more bones than I was used to, and they were so light. I stared down at my chest in bewilderment.

"My bones are all weird," I managed to get out. "They're wrong."

Heliodor Everett

Saturn pulled away from me like he had been burned. “Hev? What-“ He turned to Nathaniel, a dangerous look in his eyes. “What is going on?”

There was a person inside of me taking control of my body.

I stole back control, throwing this person back. “They’re my bones, thank you. Can you kindly get out of them?”

Nathaniel took a step back. He was still holding my body, but I could see he was starting to lose a grip on it. The tips of his fingers were starting to grow dark and longer, though I was only aware of it because I knew our powers kicked in when we were feeling strong emotions.

I fought to regain control of my mouth. The air temperature dropped a little, then, when I realized just how badly this had gone.

"I would, if someone would take a step forward instead of away right now," I said, giving Nathaniel a very pointed look.

Nathaniel gave Saturn a wary look. "And get attacked?"

"You say that like I'm the one attacking," I pointed out. I took a step forward, but was so unused to Hev's body that I tripped and stumbled instead. I immediately shot back up and tried to regain the dignity I had briefly lost. "I'm not going to let Hev slug you in the face, Natty boy. And with bones like this, it wouldn't even hurt if he did get control. Which he won't."

Nathaniel still kept his distance. "That trip says otherwise."

I faltered.

"I was...testing how well he can balance," I protested, which wasn't true at all.

Saturn growled. “Get out of Hev. Now.”

Estella Fay looked absolutely terrified. “Okay. Okay. Can we all just calm down? Please?”

I took a deep breath. The person inside of me had to be the unconscious person in Nathaniel’s arms. I imagined him in my mind’s eyes, and I imagined tackling him to the floor. Because hollow bones or not, alis were strong. The same way hawks had hollow bones but could tear apart mountain goats. “I will set us both on fire if you don’t step back.”

Of course, we were both immune to fire but he didn’t need to know that.

Nathaniel dropped my body. The air temperature plummeted, and up to Nathaniel's wrists became shadows.

I was losing control. Hev had a strong will, one that I wouldn't have expected until I had actually possessed him.

Nathaniel took a big step back.

"You're making things worse," I said, my voice strained. I felt like I was fighting to get every syllable out. I also couldn't tell if I was trying to tell that to Hev or Nathaniel. Hev, because I could switch bodies if I had contact, or Nathaniel, because the dropping my body and stepping even farther away was making that impossible right now.

Not that I would have gone to my body. I'd have gone to Nathaniel's instead.