Young Writers Society

Carter might have had a point, but I had decided to ignore it - I'd rather cause trouble for him than stay out of trouble's way myself right now. I followed him from a short distance away so he wouldn't immediately notice me and send me back. I knew he'd catch onto me eventually; what I hadn't known was what I would find around the corner.

Someone had found Reed.

Reed, thankfully, had no idea what I looked like normally - or that I had stopped possessing Oliver. And while I was worried that Carter would figure out I had been the one to possess Reed, I realized he had no way of knowing because of what I had told him. It would have been impossible for me to possess someone outside of the room - according to my lie.

I couldn't help but take a little joy in seeing how Reed was reacting right now. I might have done the actual torturing, but Reed was the one who originally signed up for the task. He would have tortured Tiberius the first chance he got.

What I expected even less than Reed's arrival was seeing Carter's reaction to Tiberius being mentioned. Carter had struck me as a mostly level-headed man. I could get him irritated if I pushed just the right buttons, but the hatred and anger burning in his eyes right now was completely out of character. I had guessed he might have been putting up a facade; I just hadn't realized how good it was until now.

Carter took in a short but much-needed breath as he quelled the swirling storm inside of him. Reed was lucky that he didn’t know who he was talking to, but word had spread among the ranks of Tiberius’s betrayal, and people knew him and Tiberius used to be friends. They used to be practically inseparable.

Used to be.

“And you failed to catch him because - what - you lost your mind to your own deranged fantasy?” Carter asked, his voice dripping with condescension.

Reed shook his head in earnest. Carter did not believe him.

“How long ago were you in pursuit of him?”

“N-not long ago. A day or two. We - my partner, Butch and I had caught him, but our other partner accidentally helped him escape.”

Carter blinked slowly and stiffly tilted his head back just a fraction. There was a pause of silence as Carter looked Reed up and down, and then he caught sight of Skull in the corner of his eye.

Of course Skull followed. Of course Skull was there for the most important news he’d received in months.

“... Get this man a bath,” he ordered in disgust. “He reeks.”

The soldiers didn’t hesitate to drag the man down the hall, past Skull. Several looked at Skull in surprise.

“You’re awake?” one exclaimed.

“He’s alright!” said another.

But they knew their orders, and the followed them, eventually disappearing down the hall.

Carter turned to Skull, marching towards him.

“I told you to stay in the room,” he whispered through his teeth.

"I think we both know that I don't like listening to what you say," I replied, shrugging. While I was enjoying getting on his nerves, I was a little more concerned about his apparent hatred of Tiberius. All I knew was that Tiberius had committed treason. Given that he wasn't living a life of luxury, I didn't think it was because he had wanted to betray his kingdom for another. Tiberius seemed like a good person.

Carter, on the other hand? I liked him a whole lot less.

"So," I said, crossing my arms, "who's this Tiberius guy?"

Carter glared at Skull.

“He’s a criminal, and I’m going to have him caught - but not by that fool. But he doesn’t concern you. All you need to do is find a way to get home,” he replied in a tense whisper. He glanced back at a servant passing through the cross-way of the hall, sweeping.

“Look, I just want you off of this base, and I’m sure you’re in agreement.”

I was starting to get an idea.

"Oh, I am," I agreed. "I want to get off of your world as soon as possible. But I do need a way back, and it's pretty obvious who I'm supposed to turn to for help."

I leaned back up against the wall behind me.

"I know you won't do it for free," I said, "so let's make a deal - I get you this Tiberius guy, and you get my home. It should be easy catching him. You know how powerful and old I am. This is child's play to me."

I paused for a moment, but didn't give Carter a chance to reply.

"It also seems like someone - or something - with powers a little like mine is interested in Tiberius," I added. I knew I was already going to win this, but a little extra convincing never hurt. "I know how to fight control like that. Compared to everyone else you can think of, I'm your best choice. All I need to know is what this guy looks like and what he might do to stop me from capturing him."

I shrugged.

"...Or, I could just tell everyone here about what happened in that library, and how you're not the picture perfect leader everyone seems to think you are here."

I gave him a smile.

"It's your choice, really."

Carter was not interested in exchanging services, and there was no way he would trust Skull with capturing Tiberius, who was the most wanted man in the kingdom.

But then Skull explained his powers and alluded to Reed’s insanity having actual magical roots. It was possible that when Skull came to his world, he’d brought some of his world’s magic or someone else with him, but that was all conjecture. That wasn’t enough to bank on.

And then Skull issued the threat.

Carter’s glare intensified as he stared at Skull, watching and listening to make sure no one else was around to see or overhear.

He needed to get this resolved. Soon.

“Fine,” he snapped, his voice still hushed. “Return to the room and I’ll come back with the information you need momentarily. I need to attend to things. I have other responsibilities besides dealing with you.”

I thought I would have been boarded out of my mind waiting for Carter, but the room I returned to had just the right bit of chaos to keep me occupied. I settled for sitting upright in bed. A few minutes into my wait, and the soldier I had been possessing got up. She was understandably confused, but when the doctor - who must have heard I was up - came in to check on me, he gave her a clean bill of health and sent her on her way.

To her, Oliver's dead body was just a strange dream. She was none the wiser.

The doctor checked my vitals, too, but he didn't find anything strange. I came up with a story about passing out like that a lot - my powers remained a secret.

Hopefully, Carter would show up soon.

Approximately thirty minutes passed before Carter marched back to the room with a folded piece of paper in his hand. He closed the door behind him and walked straight to Skull, holding out the paper to him.

“This is what he looks like,” Carter explained, unfolding it to reveal a wanted poster. Though it was only a headshot, it was clear that Tiberius was wearing very similar armor to Carter. It looked uniform. Tiberius had hair that was shorter on the sides and longer on the top, sweeping a little to the side. The portrait captured his resting look of anger and annoyance.

Folded inside the poster was another piece of paper. A map.

“He should only be a day or two away, but he moves fast. You’ll want to move quickly if you’re to catch him. I can provide you a horse if you need. Otherwise, be on your way. The outpost is marked on the map and it should be self explanatory. When you find Tiberius, return him here and I’ll work something out to see about getting you home.”

If there had been any doubt about it, my Tiberius and his Tiberius were one and the same.

I grabbed the paper and folded it up. Once it was slipped inside my leather jacket, I hopped off of my feet and headed towards the door.

"I'm good," I said. "I don't really know how to ride horses, anyways."

I didn't add that I already had a horse waiting for me near the fort; hopefully, Tony wasn't getting too impatient. I also hoped Tony would somehow know it was me again - I liked to think that he was aware that I had been both Reed and Oliver.

I left. I didn't bother saying goodbye.

It wasn't long before I got back to Tony. Even if he didn't recognize me, he didn't have a problem with me hopping onto him.

I just hoped Tiberius was still where I had left him.

What time James had not spent sleeping, he spent taking care of Elliot and slowly reintroducing food into his system. Water was like a savior and food, though at first it made him nauseas, became like a saving grace. He never thought he would’ve missed feeling hungry again, but something about it felt oh so human. Like a reassurance that his body was working and alive.

His body still hurt, but he let himself rest.

He continued to tell himself that Skull had been right about at least one thing: Butch had been too terrified to return. James had found himself blissfully alone, and with the knowledge that he wouldn’t see Butch or the corpse of Oliver any time soon, he felt like he could breathe.

Granted, there was always at least a small amount of nagging, anxious paranoia whispering in the back of his head that he had to go and keep an eye out, it didn’t sound as loud and demanding as it normally was.

James sat in the small clearing beside Elliot and leaned against a tree. He was doing small stretches of his neck and shoulders, taking his time as he rolled his neck from one side to the other. He breathed in and out, trying to let his aching muscles relax and calm down.

Elliot was sniffing the ground beside him, and James closed his eyes.

I was almost at the site when I realized I didn't have a clue of what to say.

Tiberius had wanted me to go. I understood the reasons why, and I hadn't had any intention of heading back until I saw Carter's reaction. The fort wasn't that far away; now that Carter knew for a fact Tiberius was in the area, I had been sure that he would send someone to go and catch him. Tiberius only had Butch to deal with earlier. He had no reason to think someone else would be coming, too.

So I had to warn him. Saying I'd do the job was the best way I could think of to get some extra time - it probably wouldn't take long for Carter to figure out that I was either the guy who had possessed Reed, or had no intention of returning with Tiberius.

But now I was close enough to hear Tiberius's horse, so I had to figure out what to say.

I slipped off of Tony, moving a little closer to the clearing.

And, just with my luck, I happened to step on a branch I could have sworn wasn't there a minute ago - I didn't want to admit to myself how distracted I was.

The branch gave a loud snap.

James heard the crack of the branch, and judging from how close it was, the person in hiding could see him. He didn't know if it was Butch or someone else - a lost traveler, or someone who just didn't know who he was. Not willing to leap to violence just yet, he quietly and subtly drew a knife out from his pocket and hid it in his hand.

He looked up and out into the forest, not sure what he expected to see.

There was a teenager with black hair and a leather jacket with a horse following behind. At first, there was no cause for alarm, seeing as he didn't recognize the boy - but the horse looked familiar.

It was Reed's horse. Skull's horse.

Before Skull could take another step closer James was on his feet and hopping up on Elliot.

I let out a very loud and frustrated Victorian swear.

If it hadn't been for that branch, I could have eased into who I was and what I wanted to tell him. Tiberius probably recognized Tony and realized it was me. He could have just been being paranoid, but I knew which of the two options was more likely.

"I'm not going to harm you or anything," I said. "I'm just here to tell you something-"

That was when my stomach had the genius idea of grumbling loud enough for me, Tiberius, and both of our horses to hear it. I looked down at it. When was the last time I had really eaten a meal? It wasn't even when I had been on my world - we hadn't even had breakfast that morning. The last meal I had was nine days ago.

No wonder I was starving.

James sat in the saddle and looked down at what had to be Skull in the body of some teenager and was unphased by the groan of Skull's stomach. He watched the boy with a piercing glare and sat up as straight as he could manage. He wasn't so concerned with looking intimidating as he was looking like he'd regained his strength - which he had, minimally.

"Then get on with it," he said, ready to flee at any moment.

"I was at the fort," I said. "There was someone there who really doesn't like you but I have a...history with, so I blackmailed him into letting me be the one to find you-"

My stomach grumbled again.

I glared down at it.

"Great," I said. "I'm not hungry at all on the entire way over from the fort, but now that I'm trying to have a serious conversation all I can think about is how I haven't eaten a meal in the past nine days."

I looked back up at Tiberius.

"Like I was saying-"

Another grumble.

I let out a groan and another Victorian-era swear.