---

June 2015

Smack! "Worthless bitch!" Dad yelled down at me.

I held my hand to my burning face where Dad slapped me and tried not to cry. Under his wrathful gaze I scurried out of the room and started making dinner. Why did I have to be so useless?

I'd just gotten everything started when Jerry came home. He glared at me when he saw that dinner wasn't ready yet, "Can't you do anything right?!"

I hung my head and hid my tears behind my long hair. "Sorry Jerry." I mumbled.

He shook his head as he walked out, muttering, "Stupid girl!"

I sighed and focused on cooking. When it was done I turned it down and told Dad and Jerry. By the time they got to the kitchen I had their plates ready for them on the table along with their drinks. They each glared at me as they ate, never giving any indication if they liked it. But that was normal.

Ever since Mom died things had been different. Dad was always disappointed to have a girl, though Mom said he mellowed when Jerry was born a year later. He still never had much use for me until Mom died and he suddenly needed someone else to cook and clean for him. I tried hard, but I wasn't as good as Mom had been.

I waited patiently as Jerry and Dad inhaled their food. When they demanded more I silently filled their plates and stood aside. When they were done I removed their dishes and brought out dessert. While they were eating that I cleaned their dishes. Once that was done I removed the last of the dishes and cleaned up. The whole time I was as quiet as I could be. I'd long since learned that attracting attention was not a good idea.

Once all that was done I could finally start eating my own dinner. Then I had to clean my dishes and the pans I used to make dinner. Leftovers went to the dog on a plate that I then had to clean. Then it was time for house cleaning.

By eight o'clock I was exhausted, but could finally start on my homework. I wasn't sure how long I could keep this pace up, but I didn't have any choice. As my father kept reminding me, my Mom had worked all day and still did everything I was doing now. I knew I could never fill Mom's shoes, though. I'm just not strong enough.

I only went to college because Mom had wanted me to. It seemed pointless, now, though.

I was startled from a light doze by my father yelling, "The toilet's stopped up again! Fix it!"

Groggily I got to my feet and walked towards the bathroom with my father's glare burning into my back. But when I got to the doorway I suddenly felt weak and dizzy. I grabbed onto the door frame to keep from falling.

"What are you waiting for?!" Dad growled, stomping towards me.

"Sorry!" I tried to say, but suddenly I couldn't speak as a dark green light filled my vision. It passed quickly, but with a sinking feeling in my stomach I looked down at myself. As I feared, I'd changed. I was a Wyld now. And was it my imagination or was my skin kind of greenish?

"Shit!" Dad exclaimed in shock, stopping several feet away from me. But he quickly shook off his surprise, "I should have known a worthless bitch like you would turn out to be one of those freaks!" With that he turned and marched out.

I looked after him in sorrow, knowing my miserable life was about to get worse. Unable to restrain my curiosity, I stepped into the bathroom and turned on the light to get a look at the new me. I gasped in shock at the sight.

The woman in the mirror was taller than before; perhaps six foot tall. I did, indeed, have greenish skin, though it was fairly pale. Muscles bulged with every movement of my arms like some kind of body builder; though my arms weren't that much thicker than before. My fingernails had grown half an inch and turned black. They seemed thicker, too. But the real shock was my face.

Thick eye ridges protruded above my beady yellowish-brown eyes. The whole structure of my face was changed by thick, hard planes from protruding bone. And my canine teeth had elongated into small tusks. Oily black hair did nothing to enhance my almost masculine appearance. I was hideous!

After long seconds of staring in the mirror I think I screamed. The next thing I knew I was lying on the floor in tears and men were bustling into the bathroom. I looked up wearily to see Wyld Control officers. I started to panic, but before I could make a move I was chained at the neck, wrists and ankles. The chains were quickly connected to each other and a leash attached to the neck with which I was hauled painfully to my feet.

No words were spoken as they dragged me out of the house. My father glared at me as I passed, while my brother grinned malevolently. My life was officially over.

A new life awaited me; I knew that. A life even more difficult than the one I had known. The life of a slave.

---

There was at least a week of abuse and humiliation before that life began. I had to be 'evaluated' and examined by a stream of nameless faces before I got the collar that would stay with me for the rest of my life.

The day I got the collar was a relief, despite the grueling work I was immediately thrust into. No more faceless scientists, doctors and whatever. And no more abuse from bored guards. Or so I thought.

My job was in a factory. Making what I really don't know. It was on an assembly line, so I only saw part of it. I was chained to my station twenty hours a day. For the remaining four I was allowed to sleep while a 'real human' did the job in relative comfort.

Dry meat, bread and water were all we were given. Not a lot of it, either. There were hundreds of slaves in the factory that I knew of. Maybe thousands. We were forbidden to talk to each other but we often managed amidst the noise of the machines. Learning to talk without moving your mouth or looking at the person you're talking to helped.

I was there for three months before I got the hang of it and was able to speak to the other slaves without being caught. Usually.

The slave next to me, a snake man with a pronounced lisp, was the first I talked to. "How long have you been here?" was the first question to which I was able to get an answer other than a whip.

"Nine months." he replied, his eyes darting to meet mine for a fraction of a second before returning to his work. He never looked at me again, but we began speaking regularly. Usually about our lives before going Wyld. We both agreed it was the worst thing that ever happened to us, despite having pretty lousy lives before hand.

During those first three months I witnessed many whippings and beatings and three deaths. My neighbor, Sam, had seen far more. He told me that to the best of his knowledge slaves never lasted more than a year in the factory. He was well aware of what that could mean for him.

Another month had gone by when a new Wyld joined our ranks to replace the man who had been on the other side of me. He had been working slower and slower and suddenly stopped. When he was whipped and told to get back to work he hadn't reacted at all. That was the closest to death I'd ever been and it wasn't pretty.

The new Wyld was, if anything, even uglier than me. She had such brutish features that I could only tell she was female because she had breasts. She quickly learned to converse as we did and was soon talking about escape.

"Shh, don't let them hear you talking about that!" I'd whispered the first time she brought it up.

"I know people who will help us." she had replied. I doubted that very much. Nobody wanted to get on the wrong side of the Wyld Control office. Those guys were brutal to anybody that got in their way, Wyld or not.

But she kept talking about it and trying to get me to agree to help her. I finally did, just to shut her up. I was afraid the guards would hear and punish us both. Sam thought I shouldn't encourage her, but I didn't think anything would happen.

I was so wrong!

---

Three weeks after she first mentioned escape it happened. Four hours into our shift the ground started shaking. The machines groaned alarmingly, some smaller pieces falling to the floor. Everyone started screaming and the guards flailed about with their whips indiscriminately.

Then the whole building shook, dust falling from the rafters. Then it shook again, and again. Lisa, my new neighbor, grinned. "They're here!" she said.

I just blinked at her in shock. I'd thought it was an earthquake, but she thought her friends were doing this?! Some friends if they brought the building down around our ears!

A terrifying roar shook the building again, causing everyone to pull against their chains in a panic. Even the guards looked worried now. Lisa jut grinned and gave one quick pull at her chain, snapping it with ease. I goggled at her as she calmly did the same for my chains and Sam's.

"I'm an ogre." she'd said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "C'mon!"

She didn't try to free anybody else, but then there were several others doing that. The guards were busy fighting several Wyld. Some of them were slaves, but some were in far too good condition to be slaves. Where they could have come from I couldn't imagine.

We ran, but Sam was falling behind. In frustration Lisa picked him up and threw him over her massive shoulder. I hadn't realized quite how big she was. She had always been hunched over but I could see now that she was close to seven feet tall.

A guard tried to get in the way but I surprised both of us when I caught the whip he swung at me and pulled it right out of his hand. Lisa got over her surprise quickly, backhanding the guard out of the way.

When we reached the outside wall of the factory I stopped in shock. There was a gaping hole in the wall about fifteen feet high and at least as wide. The edges were torn and bent inwards like jagged teeth. Through the hole I could see dozens of guards fighting with Wyld while a group of what looked like soldiers were firing on something that looked suspiciously like a dragon!

"C'mon! We don't have much time!" Lisa yelled back at me. She'd paused just long enough to yell at me before plowing on through the guards that tried to stop her. I shook myself and followed.

As we came out of the factory the noise level changed as the machines became less overpowering and the roars of the dragon and the gunfire took over.

The dragon was massive, at least a hundred feet long. It looked just like ones I'd seen in movies with a long, thin neck and four strong legs with long claws. It's wings were folded down against it's body, but most have been truly amazing unfurled!

Lisa led me through the chaos as if it wasn't even there. She never even glanced at the dragon or the other Wyld. They all made way for us before resuming their fight. The guards were too busy to interfere.

We got clear of the fighting and found ourselves in a parking lot behind the factory bordered by thick forest. A single road breached the wall of trees and it was filled with military vehicles!

"Damn, they responded faster than I thought!" Lisa growled, turning away from the road and into the forest. I followed, hearing bullets hitting the asphalt too close for comfort.

In seconds we were in amongst the trees. Lisa seemed to know where she was going; though how I couldn't imagine. I could only see a dozen feet in any direction before the thick growth blocked my view.

We weren't the only ones in the forest. Wyld and soldiers alike were barreling through, occasionally clashing. Shots rang out from time to time, though how close I couldn't guess.

Suddenly we broke through into a clearing. A giant fallen tree filled part of the clearing, with it's base near the center. Lisa went directly towards the giant stump.

"What are you doing?" I asked when she started pulling loose branches away from the base of the stump.

"Escape tunnel!" she replied, pushing Sam at me. He seemed glad to be on his feet again.

In moments the hidden door was revealed and she heaved it open. It was thick, solid wood and probably too heavy for any ordinary person. Even Lisa seemed to have some trouble. She held it open and ushered us inside. Sam gestured for me to go first and, not wanting to delay things any more than necessary, I went without protest.

That's what saved me, and doomed poor Sam. Shots rang out just as I descended into the tunnel and I heard Sam grunt in pain. Lisa pushed me down further into the tunnel and dropped the door, effectively sealing me in. I heard more shots and what sounded like Lisa grunting in pain before I fled.

I kept telling myself that I should go back and help them but part of me realized that they were already dead. And I would be, too, if I didn't hurry. Not that I knew where I was going. I could only hope that Lisa's friends had planned for this.

My steps became slower and slower as I ran, then walked, then stumbled along the dark passage. There were no visible lights, but I could still see. Barely. Before long I was left leaning against the soft dirt wall, gasping for air.

Shouts behind me spurred me on, though I couldn't move very quickly. But soon the passageway opened out into a large, roughly circular chamber with several other entrances. All of which were rough and looked hurriedly dug except for one. In the center a tall Wyld who looked similar to Lisa was directing other Wyld coming from the tunnels through that one, older, stone passageway.

I stumbled over some loose rocks and fell at his feet. He seemed to recognize me somehow, asking, "Where's Lisa?"

I shook my head, "She shoved me through and closed the door. There were soldiers and..." I couldn't continue, but he understood.

He shook his head sadly and helped me to my feet. "I'm sorry to hear that, Lisa was a friend. Can you walk?"

I shrugged, "I'll manage, I guess."

He frowned, but nodded, "This operation didn't go as smoothly as we'd like. A lot of good people died out there today. We're going to have to collapse these tunnels to keep them from following us. We'll start with yours, since it's obviously compromised." With that he pointed his hand at the tunnel while looking at a normal looking girl with bright neon green hair. She nodded and stared at the tunnel. With a groan it collapsed, throwing dust into my face. When it cleared there was no sign there had ever been a tunnel there.

As others came through the tunnels they would indicate whether more were coming or not and the tunnels were collapsed one by one. I don't know why I waited. I told myself to catch my breath but maybe I was just scared. Every time my life changed it did so for the worse. What waited for me outside that last tunnel?

Finally the last tunnel went. Dozens of Wyld had escaped, along with at least half a dozen Wyld who had helped in the escape. With the collapse of the last tunnel the girl with the green hair gestured for me to go through the stone tunnel. Reluctantly, I did. Everyone who was left followed after with the girl going last. Once we were all inside she collapsed the chamber as well.

I followed the others, wondering where we were going. Would it be any better than what I left? I didn't even know why I'd been freed, or by who. The fact there were Wyld among them was promising, but hardly proved their benevolence.

The tunnel was long and every so often it would shake as the girl would collapse another section of it. This was a lot louder than when she collapsed the other corridors as this one was mostly stone instead of dirt. I wondered how the dirt ones had held up at all and guessed the green haired girl did it somehow. She obviously had a lot of power.

A lot of us were dragging our feet; falling behind the rest from fatigue. The man who had asked about Lisa stayed at the rear and encouraged us. Finally he picked the last one in the group up when he proved incapable of going any farther. Half an hour later I was being bounced along on his other shoulder when I collapsed. Thankfully I passed out soon after.

---

I woke in another underground passage; a natural cave this time. I found I was lying on a sleeping bag in a long row of sleeping bags. Other Wyld laid on some, while others looked to have been used recently but were empty now. I glanced around and saw Wyld wandering around, talking quietly or just staring at the walls. The green haired girl and the big guy who carried me were no where in sight.

A man I vaguely remembered from the factory was sitting nearby, so I walked over to him. "Where are we?" I asked him.

He shrugged, "No idea. Somewhere safe, supposedly. Haven't seen our 'hosts' for a couple of hours now. Don't like it."

I could only nod in reply. Were we going to be sold off to somebody else, or was this a legitimate rescue? He seemed doubtful, but I remembered him being pessimistic before.

I was still tired, so I laid back down and hoped for the best. There was nothing else I could do.

I must have fallen asleep, as the shaking of the ground woke me. I joined the others in looking around in fright for the source. A moment later it proved to be the dragon. He wasn't moving as smoothly as before and had several scales missing with rivulets of blood dried here and there, but he was still moving. Or she, I couldn't tell.

"Hello everyone!" his voice boomed, shaking the cave again. "Sorry if I frightened you. We're ready to move you all further towards freedom now. Just follow me and don't be afraid!"

With that he somehow turned around even though the cave seemed no wider than his shoulders. We all glanced doubtfully at each other, shrugged, and followed. At the prompting of someone riding on the dragon's back we gathered up the sleeping bags and carried them with us.

He was riding just above the tail. Once we had gathered all the sleeping bags and were following along as closely as we dared, he spoke up again, "I imagine you're all wondering why we're doing this, right?" Several people nodded warily, "That's fine, I was cautious when I was rescued, too. To put it simply, we've all been in the same boat. Or at least a similar one. Everyone here is Wyld. Our patrons are mostly normals who hate how Wyld are treated and wanted to help."

"Where are we going?" a woman asked hesitantly.

He frowned, "Well, normally we'd just smuggle you guys out to the safer states around here. But the army is in on this one. Usually we just have to deal with the police and maybe some spooks. Troublesome, but not too bad. With the army being involved we're going to have to move you all down through Mexico."

I gasped at that. I'd heard rumors of how chaotic Mexico had become. Although the country was technically intact, it sounded like a loosely allied group of warlords rather than a proper country. And most of the warlords were powerful Wyld or had powerful Wyld among their troops.

He nodded at our reaction, I was hardly the only one concerned about it, "I know. Mexico isn't ideal, but it gets us out of the states. Most of the states have mutual assistance agreements when it comes to Wyld, so this takes us out of the equation for them since none of them are in good standing with Mexico. We're not going to dump you in Mexico, though. We've arranged for a boat to take you all to Hawaii. It's a long trip, but the destination is about as good as it gets for our kind."

There were excited whispers and relieved sighs at that. Hawaii definitely sounded promising. Even freaks like me were supposed to be accepted there.

He didn't have anything else to say after that and joined us, saying he felt guilty getting a free ride while we were all on foot. I liked him immediately.

The cave opened out sometime later. The dragon left then, saying he would attract too much attention. The man stayed behind, along with two other people who had been riding the dragon's back.

We trudged along for hours before reaching a small shack out in the middle of nowhere. It was only five feet on a side. But when opened it revealed canteens full of water and some canned food. And a couple of can openers. There were also some large backpacks which all the food fit into. The ones who came with the dragon carried those while we each got a canteen and a caution to drink sparingly.

The girl with the green hair and the other guy weren't with us and I wondered where they'd gone. That was answered a few hours later when we came across a large mound of dirt. They were both waiting there and it didn't take much to realize the mound must be the entrance to another tunnel.

It wasn't a tunnel, though, but a large room hollowed out of the ground. When we were all inside the green haired girl sealed the entrance. "Are we going underground the whole way?" a guy asked.

The green haired girl shook her head, "It takes too long to build tunnels for that. I'll be coming along to provide shelter to sleep under at night, but that's the best I can do."

After that everyone opened their sleeping bags and laid down. We were all tired from the long walk, and the lack of good food and rest at the factory. We were too tired to eat.

Wonderful smells awoke us in the morning. Our guides were sitting around a fire, heating some of the cans of food. When one was deemed finished it was handed off to one of us. Before long I was eating, or more accurately drinking, some kind of soup with lots of vegetables and meat in it. It was the best tasting food I'd ever tasted!

We left the cave as soon as everyone was done eating. We all had a new spring in our step. Not only were we free, but we had full bellies for the first time since this whole thing began.

Everyone was more animated that day, and even more so the next. That's when I noticed one of the guys kept staring at me. He didn't even stop when I looked his way; he just grinned at me in a way which made my blood run cold. It was just like the grin my brother sometimes had.

That night he laid his sleeping bag next to mine without saying a word. I thought my fears unfounded when he settled down to sleep with his back turned toward me. But I couldn't sleep.

Some time later he sat up, his gaze slowly passing over everyone. When he was satisfied with what he saw he turned to me. "Time for a little fun, girl." he said, grinning lasciviously.

My heart dropped at his words. They were so familiar... I phased out.

---

To Be Continued...

---

June 2015

The smell of food woke me again. But this time I was the last to get up and eat. I was sore and felt horrible. And he was there, staring again. I shuddered and focused on eating.

The big man who carried me out of the tunnels was also watching me, but with a different expression. I couldn't tell what he was thinking and decided to stay clear of him.

Before long we were walking again. I saw both men watching me and fell back to the back of the group. Neither followed, thankfully.

"He's just worried about you, you know?" the green haired girl suddenly said, startling me.

Where she'd come from I couldn't say, but her words confused me. She pointed ahead but all I saw was the man with the grin. "He isn't worried about me!" I said with a shudder.

She frowned and followed my gaze. Her expression turned dark. He must have noticed because he suddenly moved away. "Not him, though now I think I understand why he's worried. I'm talking about Corey." she said.

"Corey? Who is that?" I asked.

"The big guy who knew Lisa. The ogre?" she said.

"Lisa said that, too. Why do you call them ogres?" I said.

She shrugged, "I guess they look rather like ogres are supposed to look and they have the strength. Lisa seemed to like the idea, though Corey is less enthusiastic."

I said nothing, hoping she'd forgotten what she was saying before. No such luck. "Please talk to Corey." she said. "He can help. And if that other guy gives you any trouble, let me know."

Her tone frightened me. All of these Wyld seemed dangerous. Maybe what they said about us was true? I certainly looked less than human now. And he looked vicious with those sharp teeth.

I fell farther behind and thought about going off on my own. I knew I wouldn't last long, or I would have. Even knowing that I almost did. But then he was there beside me, Corey.

"You'll never make it on your own." he said.

I shrugged, "What makes you think I would try?"

He tapped the side of his head, "I can feel it. Just like I can feel that someone hurt you."

I shrugged, "That was before. They can't hurt me anymore." I was glad of that, though I felt guilty about being happy about never seeing my family again.

He shook his head, "No, not them. Him." He didn't point or otherwise indicate direction, but I knew who he was referring to. How he knew, I couldn't say.

He growled when I stayed silent, "Don't try to pretend with me. I can feel it. It hurts me almost as much as it does you. Let me help you?" He pleaded with me with his eyes and his voice. It was strange to see such a fearsome looking guy speak like that to me.

"There's nothing you can do." I whispered.

Another growl, "Yes there is! Please, tell me what's going on?!"

"It's my place; my duty. It's okay." I said, trying to sound like I meant it.

"WHO told you THAT!?!" he roared, his face mere inches from mine. I shrank away and started running. He yelled for me to stop, so I ran faster. But suddenly the ground under my feet lurched upwards and I found myself standing precariously on a twenty foot tower of rock.

"Sorry about that." the green haired girl said, somehow standing on the rock beside me. "He gets a little worked up sometimes and forgets how frightening he can be."

"How did you get up here?!" I squeaked, barely managing not to fall off of the tower.

She grinned, "The same way I made the ground rise up like this. I'm an earth elemental. It's pretty cool."

"Are you people all crazy?!" I muttered.

"Maybe." she said, shrugging it off. "But you certainly are."

"What?!" I growled.

Her grin never wavered, "Good, you still have some spine left. I was starting to worry about that."

I growled again, a much deeper sound than I would have expected, "Just let me down, okay?"

"Not just yet. We need to talk. Since you won't listen to Corey, you get me. Name's Paige, by the way." she said, holding her hand out.

I just stared at her like she was nuts, which I thought she was, until she dropped the hand with a sigh. "You're going to be difficult, aren't you? Sorry, dumb question. Anyway, from what I've gathered so far, the creepy guy with the sharp teeth did or said something to you he shouldn't have, right? Dish!" she said it like she was waiting for juicy gossip.

"It's nothing; it doesn't matter!" I growled, cringing at the sounds I was making. I really was an animal!

Paige sighed, dropping the chipper act, "Look, whatever your name is, listen." She moved up so close I could feel her breath on my face, staring intently into my eyes, "Whatever bullshit you've been fed is just that; bullshit! Whatever creepy guy did or said was wrong, end of story. How do I know? Because it hurt you and, through you, Corey. Frankly, I'm having a hard time caring about you right now, but Corey is my friend. So you're going to tell me what happened so I can make it right even if you're too screwed up to do it yourself."

She didn't say anything more, just stood there staring into my eyes. I looked down, ashamed. "It's my fault, not his. It shouldn't bother me. It's what we're for." I said.

"We're for?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Paige demanded.

"Dad told me. After Mom died. He needed me to take her place. He didn't have time to take care of the house or cook the meals. And he has... needs. It was my job as the woman of the house." I said weakly.

She just stared at me in shock for a minute. Finally, she shook herself and said, "Wait, let me get this straight! You're dad filled your head with this 'woman's place' bullshit so you just opened your legs for that guy?!"

"It hurts more if you fight it." I said softly, remembering...

"Shit!" Paige muttered. She paced around the tiny tower and then stopped and screamed incoherently. I couldn't look at her, but when I looked away I found everyone was stopped staring at us. And they were getting closer.

"I'll take care of this shit right now!" Paige declared, confidently stepping off the shrinking tower. Steps pushed themselves out to catch her feet. She strode directly towards him. He tried to hide behind the others but she never lost sight of him for a moment. She stopped only when she was within inches of him.

"What do you want?" he asked hesitantly.

"I want to know what your damage is, asshole!" she said angrily.

"What?!" he exclaimed, glancing furtively towards me.

"Aw, fuck this!" she growled. She stepped back and the ground rose up around him, forming a cage of stone.

"Let me out of here!" he demanded, grabbing the bars and pulling on them to no effect.

"What are you doing Paige?!" Corey demanded, pushing his way through the crowd.

By then the tower was gone and I was on solid ground again. Everyone was looking back and forth between Paige, him, and me. I wanted to crawl in a hole somewhere and wished I had Paige's powers.

"I'm trying to decide if I should leave him here or just squash him!" she replied, barely glancing at the larger Wyld.

"What?!" he exclaimed.

This was followed by a whispered conversation involving Paige, Corey and him. Whenever someone tried to get close enough to hear Corey would growl at them until they backed off. It didn't take long; he's scary when he wants to be.

When they were done Paige began to dissolve the cage. He looked smug, until Corey grabbed his canteen and sleeping back and pulled them out so Paige could close it back up again.

"Hey, let me out of here!" he screamed.

"Not happening asshole!" Paige said smugly. "You get to stay right here until we're out of range. When that happens the cage will dissolve. It'll be up to you how you survive after that. Personally, I hope you don't!"

There were a lot of grumbles at that, but Paige and Corey refused to listen to them. The other guides came up for an explanation, but they seemed satisfied and started leading everyone off. They all looked at me as they did; having obviously picked up on my connection to all of this. I hung my head and followed slowly behind the rest.

"Where do you think you're going, bitch?! Get back here, you belong to me!" he screamed after me.

I slowed to a stop, not sure what to do. I wanted to go; I really did. But... Before I could make up my mind Paige grabbed one arm and Corey the other. They led me away from him; practically carrying me whenever I paused when he demanded I come back.

"You don't belong to him. You don't belong to anybody but yourself." Corey said with feeling.

"Yeah, girl, listen to the ogre. He's got his head on straight. Usually." Paige said, grinning at Corey when he glanced her way.

He rolled his eyes back at her and continued tugging me along. Eventually I couldn't hear his cries anymore and it became easier to ignore him.

"When we get settled tonight," Paige said after several minutes of silent walking, "you and I are going to have a long chat about 'our place'. It's too bad your father isn't here so I could deal with him, too."

"You want to cage him, too?" Corey asked.

She shook her head, "Nah, I'd just squish him. He's not worth the trouble of torturing. I only let the other guy live 'cause I didn't want to have a riot. He deserves to die."

Corey chuckled weakly, "Sometimes I worry about you, Neon."

She growled, "Don't call me that, ogre!"

They went back and forth with silly name calling and jokes. It was obvious they'd been friends for a while. I wasn't sure what to think about either of them. Corey could be scary, but was usually very caring. Paige was nice when she wanted to be, but vicious. Would I ever meet a Wyld that was... normal?

Things settled down after that; though most of the others stayed away from me. I guess they were afraid of making Paige or Corey mad. For their part, at least one of them was with me pretty much all the time. I got used to them, but never felt entirely comfortable.

When we crossed the border into Mexico I couldn't say. Especially since the actual border was always shifting. One of these days Mexico would get itself organized and push back at Texas but it hadn't happened yet. Eventually it did become obvious we were in Mexico. You didn't see too many burned out buildings full of corpses in Texas. At least, not ones that had obviously been like that for a while.

"What happened here?" someone asked.

The guy who had ridden on the dragon's back answered, "Warlords. They are always fighting down here. We should stay away from civilization as much as possible while we're here. They won't react to Wyld the same way they do back home, but it's dangerous for anybody."

We passed the buildings in silence; all of us gazing around warily for any sign of movement. There were none and soon it passed out of sight. Several days of grueling walking followed. The heat was oppressive and we had trouble finding good water. A couple of times Paige had to open a deep crevice in the ground to get any.

Thankfully, we came to the ocean without any trouble beyond the water and food issues. We were rationing the food we'd brought and all of us were getting weaker. There had been another food stash along the way but it had already been looted. We were all getting irritable by the time the ocean came into sight.

"So, now what?" a young woman asked.

One of the guides I had not heard speaking before answered, "There's supposed to be a boat waiting for us. I'll scout around and see what the hold up is." With that she ran towards the ocean and jumped; wings of flame blossoming on her back and bearing her up into the sky.

"Wow!" several people breathed.

Paige grunted, "Fire elementals; always getting all the attention!"

"She's a phoenix, not a fire elemental." Corey chided.

She waved that off, "That's what she says! Hmph! She's just a weak fire elemental trying to put on airs if you ask me."

Corey rolled his eyes in response. I couldn't help but giggle at their antics. I couldn't remember laughing so much as I had around them since Mom was alive...

A few minutes later the phoenix returned with a somber expression. "Sorry guys, no boat." she said after she landed.

"What could have held it up?" the dragon riding guy wondered.

"Uh, sorry, that's not what I meant. I found the boat. It's just not going to do us any good. It's been destroyed." she replied.

"Shit!" Paige yelled. "Now what?!"

"I don't suppose there is a water elemental among you?" Corey asked, addressing all of us. We all looked at each other doubtfully. "I guess not. Anybody have any powers that might help us get across the ocean without a proper boat?"

Two people raised their hands. One looked like a human-sized fairy, translucent wings and all. The other looked normal.

"Good! What can you two do?" Corey asked eagerly.

"Uh, I'm kind of a merman?" the normal looking guy said. "My legs turn into a tail and I can breath underwater. If we can get some kind of raft or something, I can push it."

Corey nodded thoughtfully, "We might be able to arrange something. What about you?"

The fairy girl shrugged, "I can pull the raft or whatever."

"Those wings don't look that strong." Paige noted.

She shrugged again, "They're not, right now. But in my little form I'm a lot stronger."

"Little form?" Corey asked.

She nodded and began to shrink right before our eyes! In moments she was only about a foot tall. She flew into the air, zipping around us like a hummingbird. Then she grabbed onto Corey's shirt and lifted him into the air!

"Whoa!" Corey exclaimed. She laughed musically before putting him down.

Paige clapped her hands together, "Okay, we can work with this. Anyone else? No, okay. I'll make the boat, you guys will push and pull it. I'll also make some oars, but Corey here might be the only one strong enough to use them."

With that she got to work. She knelt on the ground and closed her eyes in concentration. A moment passed without anything happening, but then the ground shook as something pushed itself out of the ground. A large stone the size of a horse rose slowly until it could roll onto the ground. Then another, and another. Before long there was half a dozen large boulders lying around her. Then they began to flow into each other!

We all gasped, except for the guides. Slowly a boat's hull formed. It was a large longboat, just big enough for all of us. There was a little stone left which she used to form oars. I could see why she said Corey might be the only one who could use it. I could lift one, but that's about it.

"How are we going to get that into the water?!" someone asked.

Paige stood, brushing herself off. "Easy. Just start walking, it will keep up." With that Paige started walking towards the ocean. The other guides urged us to follow but we all stopped and stared for a minute when the boat started sliding along on a bed of sand without anyone touching it.

"Man, it must be cool to have powers like that!" a werewolf-looking guy breathed. I could only nod in agreement.

Soon the boat was half in the water and half on the beech. We all climbed in except for the merman, fairy and phoenix. She insisted on flying as much as possible to keep the weight down.

The fairy shrank down to her smallest size and perched on the front of the boat. Paige formed a handhold for her to use to pull the boat along. Once the boat was in the water she formed another on the bottom for the merman. The fairy towed us out, the pace quickening rapidly when the merman added his strength to hers. And picked up again when Corey put the oars to work.

We moved along at a fair clip with Paige navigating. She said that she could feel the direction of north like a compass and guided us unerringly.

Eventually Corey got tired. Several people tried to take up the oars but only two of us could handle them at all. Oddly enough, I was one of them. Paige had formed rings for the oars to go through so all I had to do was lift a portion of their weight and pull against the water. They didn't seem that heavy that way but I was obviously stronger than before.

Eventually our pace slowed. The merman stuck his head out of the water and said he needed a break. We hauled him in. The phoenix joined soon after, extinguishing her flame wings a few feet above us and dropping into Corey's waiting arms. She didn't seem very comfortable with that and he quickly set her down. The fairy actually lasted the longest before she had to rest. She quickly reverted to her human size when she did.

The wolfman, Corey and I took turns at the oars, though Corey always lasted the longest. Eventually we were all too tired and drifted in silence until we fell asleep.

---

Something tugging my hair woke me. Brushing at my hair groggily my hand came in contact with... feathers? That woke me up! I sat upright and startled several seagulls away from the boat. Corey was already awake, pulling away at the oars.

"Annoying, aren't they?" he said breathlessly.

"How long have you been up?" I asked.

He shrugged, "A while."

"Why don't I take a turn? You look tired." I suggested. He agreed and we switched places. The movement startled a few others awake, including the phoenix. She decided to lighten our load and started flying again.

Before long everyone was awake and we were moving at a good clip again with our merman and fairy help. The phoenix came back down long enough to heat up our last cans of food. It was interesting to watch. She just held them in her hands and they burst into flame! But she wasn't harmed.

Shared around the entire group there wasn't much. Especially when those of us providing the muscle moving the boat got the lion's share. I protested that, but still got fed half a can. The merman and fairy got a whole can each. Nobody begrudged them that, though. Their contributions were obvious and impressive.

But after two days of travel we were all getting weaker again. Especially those responsible for keeping the boat moving. Corey and the fairy were handling it the best. The wolfman was no longer strong enough to pull the oars at all and I couldn't last more than half an hour at a time. The merman was struggling, too.

Even the phoenix was exhausted, having to spend most of her time on the boat. We were nearly out of water, too. It didn't look good for us.

On the fourth day out someone spotted a boat behind us. We all tensed at this news and redoubled our efforts. For a time we left the boat behind. But fatigue caught up and they closed the distance.

"Who are they?" the phoenix asked worriedly.

"Probably the same ones that destroyed our boat." Paige said darkly.

"Maybe, maybe not. But let's get to Hawaii as soon as we can just to be on the safe side." Corey said.

On the morning of our fifth day the boat was close enough to get a good look at. And it wasn't a small boat, but a large warship! "A battleship?! I didn't think anybody used those anymore!" Corey exclaimed.

"Shit! This isn't good. I heard a few weeks ago that Texas recommissioned a couple of them." Paige said.

Corey's eyes widened in what I could only think was fear, "That's not good. We need to move faster!"

He put his words to action and took his turn at the oars again. We lurched forward, his urgency lending strength to the fairy and merman. But it was clear we weren't going to get away. The battleship was just too fast and we were running out of steam. Even Corey.

And suddenly she was there. Standing among us like she'd been there the whole time. "Hey guys, need some help?" she said.

Everything stopped as we gawked at this stunning blonde woman in shock. Even in the baggy sweatpants and tank top with her hair cut short she was beautiful. I felt an intense stab of envy. Going Wyld made me into a monster and she became beautiful! Unless she was like that before, but still!

"What can you do?" Corey asked, being the first to recover as usual.

"Fly. Fast." she said simply.

"Can you push or pull us?" Paige asked hopefully.

She stroked her chin in thought kind of like a guy with a beard or something. It was odd, to say the least. "I think if I pushed from behind I'd capsize you. And I think I'm going to need to be in contact with as much of the boat as possible for this to work. This thing looks like the work of an earth elemental. Think whoever made it can make some kind of harness like thing in the middle?" she asked finally.

Paige shrugged, "I'll try anything once. Get in whatever position you want and I'll shape the boat around you."

She laid down in the center of the boat and Paige caused the stone to flow up around her, leaving handholds and footholds for her to dig into. "Cool, this should work." she said. "But everybody better get in and lay low. This is likely to be bumpy."

Corey splashed the water three times, the signal he'd worked out for the merman to come up. The fairy stopped pulling and climbed down into the bottom of the boat, keeping her smaller form. Everyone got as low as we could and Paige added protrusions to hold onto. She had to use the oars for material but we weren't going to row our way out of this anyway.

Once we all said we were ready she said, "Hang on!" Suddenly the boat lurched forward, water spraying up on all sides. I was instantly soaked. Paige had to add holes for the water to get out or we would have drowned or sunk. But when I dared to look up I could see that we were moving at an unbelievable pace.

There was a booming sound and we suddenly stopped. Something hit the water ahead of us and a wall of water shot up, soaking us all over again. "They're shooting!" someone screamed.

Everyone began panicking, but the flying girl just smiled, "Don't worry. We got this covered. Watch." With that she pointed back towards the battleship, which was much further away now. The guns fired, flattening the water around the ship. A moment later the booming sound came again. I thought we were going to be hit, but she suddenly pulled us forward far enough to dodge it.

When the spray cleared nobody was hurt. The blonde was still smiling so I looked back at the ship. Just as I did a beam of red light struck it just above the waterline. Water vaporized and the struck spot blackened. A moment later another beam shot out and struck the turret that fired at us. This beam lasted longer and caused the turret to glow red where it struck. The turret didn't move or fire after that.

"What's going on?" Corey asked.

"A friend of mine is covering us. Now that the guns are silenced I'll get us the rest of the way there." the blonde girl said. We all ducked down just in time for us to lurch forward again. The speed she was managing was astonishing! We were like a speed boat; cutting through the water and leaving a tall wake of water falling behind us.

We traveled like that for what seemed an eternity but was probably only an hour or two. When we stopped Hawaii was in sight and the battleship was turning away. I was surprised at that, since it hadn't taken that much damage by the looks of it. But then I saw the two Japanese gunships half out of the harbor and understood.

"We're safe!" someone yelled, followed by just about everybody else. The fairy towed us the last ways to a long pier. Paige freed the flyer from her stone harness and she flew off so fast it almost seemed she teleported. But she reappeared a moment later on the pier, waiting to tie off the boat. Once that was done we all gladly climbed out.

Once we were all out of the boat Paige broke it up, letting the pieces sink out of sight.

"So, what now?" someone asked.

---

To Be Continued...

---

June 2015

What now was an interview with a bunch of people in suits. One of them was named Joe; the friend of the blonde who blasted the battleship. They looked like government people but they didn't act like it. Joe started to talk to me at first but Paige took him aside and he sent the flyer to talk to me instead.

"Hey, I'm Erin. I'm just helping out with these stiffs. We've never had anything quite like this happen before, so the powers that be want us to interview you lot and find out what happened. But lets get out of the sun for this, okay?" she said.

I nodded numbly and followed her. The others were all following the suits. Our guides walked off with one of them, except for Paige. She followed us.

"I'm not going to bite her, you know." Erin said when she noticed Paige following us.

"I know. But this one's kind of fragile. Kind of like Tessa, but worse. I want to make sure she's okay." Paige replied. Erin turned serious when she heard that, though it didn't make any sense to me.

"How much worse?" she asked darkly. Paige just nodded and Erin growled, "Damn it! I don't suppose you were able to meet up with the ones that did that to her?"

Paige shook her hand in a so-so way, "Not exactly. Her family is the culprit here, or at least her father. But one of the others we rescued decided to take advantage of that. I left him in a stone cage without food or water. He might survive, but I certainly hope not!"

Erin cursed under her breath and took several deep breaths to calm herself. "Okay, we'll deal with that later. I'm no shrink. Let's get this out of the way so you can get started on your new life."

I was left following behind them and wondering what they were talking about. Some of it was obvious, but other things confused me. Like the 'new life' comment. What would be expected of me here?

We were all led into a hospital where doctors started looking at us intently. After we were given a clean bill of health minus our obvious malnourishment and exposure from being on the ocean for days. Then Erin and Paige led me into a small room with a table and some chairs and sat me down.

"Okay, considering what's happened I think we should start with some food and water. Cool?" Erin said. I nodded uncertainly and she breezed out of the room.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Paige smiled, "Erin's just going to get you some food and water. Once that's taken care of she'll do the whole interview thing. Then we get you into refugee housing and help you get on your feet. Well, your mentor will do that part. I'll be going back as soon as transportation can be arranged."

"Going back?!" I exclaimed. "Why would you want to do that?!"

"There are a lot of people needing help like you did. As long as certain governments treat obvious Wyld like sub-human beasts there's going to be a need for us. And my power over earth is really helpful for making escape tunnels and shelters, as you saw." she explained.

"I couldn't do that." I said with a shudder.

She shrugged, "I've got some advantages in that area. I know what my powers are and have some experience using them. I know how to fight, both with and without powers, and I don't have the background you do."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"You may not want to admit it now, but you were obviously badly abused. And by your own father, no less. And that fairly shortly after your mother died by the sounds of it! Anybody would have a rough time after that." Paige replied.

I shrugged and thankfully she dropped it. A little later Erin returned with a tray heaped with food and a small pitcher of ice water. I devoured it, with admonishments to take my time from both of them. It was hard, though, being so hungry. Even as a slave I'd never been so hungry. Quite.

When I was done I was embarrassed by what a mess I'd made of myself, and how I'd eaten every crumb I could get to.

Somewhere along the line Erin had left and returned with some papers. "What's that?" I asked while I was cleaning myself off.

"The ever present paperwork. It's not too bad, though. Just fill it out as best you can. If you don't understand something just ask." she replied, pushing the papers and a pen across the table to me.

After that was done Erin made a call and another woman came in. "This is Nancy. She's a healer. She's just going to make sure you don't have any illnesses or injuries the doctors missed." Erin explained.

I held still while Nancy laid her hands on my shoulders. She stood like that for a while without moving. Then she shook herself and looked awkwardly at the other two. "Uh, I think maybe you two should leave for this." she said.

"What's wrong?" Erin asked.

Paige stood and pulled Erin to her feet, "I think I know. We'll be right outside." With that they left the room.

"What's going on?" I asked worriedly.

Nancy smiled sadly, "In order to heal someone I have to touch the damaged area. I can feel where the damage is from anywhere, though."

"I still don't understand." I said.

"You were hurt, down there." Nancy explained, pointing down. I blushed, realizing what she must be talking about.

"Uh, it's fine. Really." I said weakly.

Nancy shook her head, "Trust me, it's not. Please, it won't take more than a minute."

Reluctantly, I agreed. She offered to take me to another room with a bed, but I didn't want to face Erin and Paige so I just laid down on the table after getting undressed. Nancy was as good as her word. She only had to touch me for a minute to heal me. I hadn't realized how painful it was until she healed it.

"Feel better?" she asked while I got dressed. I just nodded, blushing profusely. "Want me to let the others in now?" I nodded again. "Okay. I think you might benefit from talking to Tessa, Erin's wife. She might have some useful insights for you. She escaped form a somewhat similar situation as you. See you around."

I watched her leave, wondering what she was talking about. And wife?! Weird.

When the others came back in they didn't say anything about Nancy or ask what had been healed, thankfully.

From there Erin led us out of the building and to the parking lot. When she pressed the key fob and the lights of an SUV flashed Paige laughed. "What?" Erin asked.

"Since when do you use a car?!" Paige giggled.

Erin shrugged, "I've got a kid now. Can't fly her everywhere. Besides, Tessa never has gotten used to flying. At least not at my speed."

"Mach three is kind of extreme." Paige said.

"Seriously?!" I squeaked.

Erin shrugged self-consciously, "Yeah, pretty much."

I realized then how far out of my league I really was. An earth elemental that could shape rock like it was putty and someone who could fly three times the speed of sound. Or tow a boat at insane speeds. Here was me with a little strength and nothing else. But it fit, too. Dad always said I was worthless and what was more worthless than a Wyld who was just a little stronger than before?

I was lost in my own thoughts as we climbed into Erin's car. Soon we were pulling up to a gate with two large Wyld guards. Erin showed them something and they opened the gate for us.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Refugee housing. The government puts you up here for up to six months until you get on your feet. I stayed here a few years ago." Erin replied.

The apartment was surprisingly nice. The carpet was a bit worn, but clean. The appliances were getting a little old, but everything looked good. I couldn't believe they were giving this to me; even temporarily.

I flopped down on the couch and sighed. It felt soo good! I felt like I could stay right there forever.

---

A jolt woke me from a sound sleep. I flailed around wildly and touched... nothing! Screaming I realized I was floating in mid-air. Suddenly I fell on a soft surface.

"I'm so sorry!" someone said nearby. I looked around wildly and found myself in what looked like my new bedroom, on my bed. Standing nearby was a woman with cat ears and a tail that swished anxiously behind her.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm Tessa, Erin's wife. I was just moving you somewhere more comfortable. I didn't mean to wake you." she said.

"But, there was nothing touching me?" I said, confused.

She shrugged self-consciously, "I'm telekinetic."

I shook my head in wonder. I'd never been around Wyld before I changed. Now I seemed to be surrounded by powerful Wyld.

"You fell asleep on the couch and Erin had already asked me to come over so I thought I'd move you to the bed where you'd be more comfortable. I'm sorry for waking you." Tessa said.

"What's going on in here?!" Erin asked, running into the room.

"Sorry dear, I startled her when I floated her off the couch." Tessa explained.

"Oh, is that all? I thought someone was getting murdered from the sound of it." Paige said from behind Erin.

"How are you feeling Anna? Do you want to sleep some more?" Erin asked.

I was surprised she used my name; I didn't think I'd told her. But then I remembered the papers I filled out. I had written my name at least a dozen times and Erin had those now. "Uh, I'm awake now, I guess." I said.

"So why did you ask me to come over Erin? Just to move Anna?" Tessa asked.

Erin snorted, "Hardly. Paige thought she might like to talk to you. Sounds like you have similar backgrounds."

"Except you got off easy compared to her." Paige added.

Tessa frowned, "Do you mean...?" Paige nodded sadly. "Oh, you poor thing!" Next thing I knew I was getting the stuffing squeezed out of me by Tessa.

"Uh, thanks?" I said awkwardly.

"Maybe we'd better go for a walk?" Erin said, glancing at her wife. Tessa nodded, so she ushered Paige out and shut the door behind her.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

Tessa sighed and sat on the bed next to me, "They thought you might benefit from talking to me. They think we might have something in common."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Our fathers, probably. Mine was no prize, I'm afraid. He would hit me and my mother whenever he was upset. Or drunk. Or just felt like it. Mom died when I was ten from injuries he caused. I didn't know it at the time, though. When I went Wyld things got worse." Tessa said softly.

"How?" I asked.

"He kicked me out. But only after beating me within an inch of my life." Tessa said.

"What did you do?" I asked.

She smiled sadly, "I went to my uncle. He lived not far from us. After that meeting I woke in the hospital."

I nodded, having a few memories like that. She noticed, "You know what that's like, don't you? Anyway, my aunt didn't agree with her husband, or my father. She came and helped me. She got a hotel room for me to stay in until I was recovered enough to leave and then got me a ticket here. I owe her my life."

I didn't know what to say to that, but she didn't seem to expect me to, "What's your story? Paige said it was worse?"

I nodded hesitantly. She sat, patiently waiting for me to continue, "My dad was never happy about having a girl. He didn't know how to relate to me. My brother Jerry was born a year after me, so he pretty much ignored me once he had his son. That was okay, though. I got to spend a lot of time with Mom. But then she died of cancer."

The tears came, as they always did when I thought of Mom. I missed her as much as ever. Tessa waited until I had composed myself and could continue, "After Mom died Dad got really strange. He had me take over all the cleaning and cooking that Mom had done, and even stuff I think he had done. He said it was my job as the woman of the house. That I had to take Mom's place."

Tessa listened, but gasped at the last sentence, "He didn't?!"

"What?" I asked.

"He didn't have you take your mother's place in his bed, did he?" Tessa asked fearfully.

I nodded, "I had to. Mom couldn't anymore. I didn't like it, but Dad said he needed me."

Tears streaming down her face, Tessa crushed me to her again. She held me like that for a few moments before pulling back. She sighed, "Anna, please listen carefully, okay? What your father did was wrong. It was not your job to do that. Not for him or anyone else. That's something you should only be doing when you want to, with someone you care about very much. It might not seem like it to you, but what he did was rape. Plain and simple."

I shook my head, "No, he told me..."

She put her finger to my lips to stop me, "I know what he told you. But consider the source. He was the one hurting you. And don't argue with me, we both know it hurt and more than physically."

"But... he wasn't the only one to say that." I protested.

Tessa's face darkened, "Who else?"

I shrank back from her intense gaze and looked down at my hands in my lap. "Jerry... and him."

"Your brother, too?!" Tessa nearly screamed. "And who is him?"

"He must have been in the factory. He was with us when we escaped. He had sharp teeth and said I belonged to him." I said, shivering at the memory of him.

There was a knock at the door then, and Erin's voice coming through, "Is everything alright in here? I thought I heard another scream."

Tessa patted my hand and got up. She opened the door and said something in whispers to Erin. Erin's faced darkened, she nodded, and then hurriedly left. Tessa closed the door and returned to sit next to me.

"What was that?" I asked.

Tessa smiled sadly again, "Erin's going to get someone who can help you. I'm afraid your history is much worse than mine. I was just beaten. I was never raped, though a gang tried once after I arrived here. Fortunately for me Erin was there to save me."

"But I was never raped. Nobody ever forced me." I said, though I couldn't look her in the eye to say it.

She placed her finger under my chin and lifted. She held it there until I met her gaze, "Rape isn't always about physical force. What you experienced was still rape. You thought you had no choice. And if I'm not mistaken, you were punished if you didn't do as you were told. You were conditioned to act as you did. That's not your fault."

Before I could say any more to that there was another knock at the door. Tessa got up and answered it. I was surprised to see Erin there with another woman. The woman looked a little disheveled and a lot annoyed. "What is this all about Erin?!" she demanded.

"Thank you for coming Beth. We were hoping you could help Anna here." Tessa said. Beth looked over at me and gasped, her skin turning pale.

I thought she was horrified by how ugly I am now, but she quickly disabused me of that. "My poor child!" she cried, rushing into the room. She took Tessa's place beside me and engulfed me in the warmest hug I'd ever encountered. I found myself melting into it and bawling my eyes out for no apparent reason.

---

I woke lying on a soft couch with my head on somebody's lap. Whoever it was, they were stroking my hair and I was afraid if I moved they would stop so I kept my eyes closed and relaxed.

"I know you're awake, but I'm glad you're so comfortable." someone said. Cracking my eyes open I saw the woman Tessa had called Beth leaning over me. It was her lap I was lying on. She smiled sadly down at me, "Are you up to talking now?"

"About what?" I asked, afraid I knew the answer.

"Whatever you want to talk about. I'm kind of a counselor." Beth replied.

"Kind of?" I said.

She shrugged, "Yeah. I don't have the training, but I sense thoughts and emotions. With all the trauma around here it was natural for me to fall into the role."

"Trauma?" I repeated, worried about what might be going on here to cause so much trouble.

She smiled sadly, "Yes, unfortunately most of the refugees we get here went through some pretty bad stuff before they got here. Most aren't as bad off as you, but some are even worse."

"Is it... safe, here?" I asked hesitantly.

A tear ran down her cheek as she looked at me with an expression that reminded me of Mom. Sighing, she said, "You poor thing. You don't really know what safe is, do you?" I just looked at her blankly so she continued, "Yes, it's safe here. We have our share of bad eggs around here but you've already got some good friends in the Carlsons to help you."

"Carlsons?" I asked.

"Sorry, Erin and Tessa. They both feel very protective of you, so I'm sure they'll help you get settled here. And if you ever run into any trouble there aren't many better people to have on your side." Beth replied.

"So... what happens now?" I said.

"Pretty much whatever you want to happen." she replied. "Hawaii will support you for up to six months, so you have some time to figure out what you want to do with your life. You can go to college if you want. We might even be able to get your records from your old school, if you were going to college before."

"I was. Mom insisted." I said.

"What were you studying?" Beth asked.

"I was working on a teaching degree." I replied, unsure if that's what I really wanted at this point.

"You don't sound very confident. Having second thoughts?" she said.

I nodded, "Yeah, I guess I am. But what can I do? I'm not good at anything."

She started stroking my hair again, "One thing you can do is work on that self-image of yours. You're a lot more valuable than you give yourself credit for. You can do anything you want to do, if you try hard enough. What would you like to do?"

I lay there and thought about it for a while and realized I already knew. I wasn't brave like Paige or Corey, but maybe... "I'd like to help other Wyld, but I couldn't go and fight like Paige and Corey."

"Well, we may be working together a lot in the future then." Beth said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because that's what I do. I'm not a fighter, either. My powers are particularly badly suited to fighting because I'd feel my enemies pain as well as my friends. But here I can use that to help people get their lives back together. Maybe you could do the same?" Beth suggested.

"But... I don't have a power like that. I don't have any power at all, except for being a little stronger." I protested.

"Every Wyld has a power. For some, strength is their power. But those are a lot stronger than you are. So there has to be something else you can do. But even if your powers aren't useful in my line of work, you can still study psychology. If you want. There are certainly plenty of Wyld with problems." she said.

"How... how would I find out what my powers are?" I asked, wondering why I'd never given that any thought before.

Beth shrugged, "In my experience, trying to figure out what your powers are doesn't work very well. It's best to just get on with your life and they'll make themselves known eventually. There's just no good way to test for powers. At least, not that anybody has figured out so far. And testing some powers could get you or someone else killed."

That conversation led to others. It seemed like I spent most of my time those first couple of months talking to Beth or Tessa. Or Paige, for the few days she stuck around. At first I did a lot of crying as I slowly came to understand all that was done to me and got my head on straight. Then I got angry. Really angry!

In the meantime I slowly got to know the area and Erin helped me get a job at a restaurant she used to work at. Luckily it was as a cook, not a waitress. I didn't think I was ready for that. At least Dad making me do all the cooking at home gave me some experience to draw on.

My new life started to take shape. I even started looking at taking some classes at the local community college. But the anger just kept growing.

I was walking to the bus stop one day when a group of orcs approached me. I'd been warned about the orc gangs in the area and how they'd probably try to recruit me. Apparently I'm an orc now. I'd really rather be human.

Anyway, the biggest of the group swaggered towards me and said, "Hey babe, you new here? Why don't you hang out with us? This is our territory; we'll take care of you." He finished up with a leer just like the guy with the sharp teeth had.

I froze in fear, knowing where this would likely lead. But then something snapped inside me. My vision went red and I began to feel very hot. I might have thought it was just something in my head if the orcs hadn't suddenly been thrown off their feet and back away from me.

"What the...?" one of them shouted as he fetched up against a parked van.

Before I could take all that in I found the grass at my feet had suddenly caught fire!

"Shit! Look at that! Now I really want her in our gang!" the orc leader said from where he was lying in the gutter where he'd fallen.

The gangers all got up and started back towards me cautiously. I was tired of people wanting to take advantage of me. It seemed like everyone in my life had been taking advantage of me until I met Paige and Corey. Then there was Erin, Tessa and Beth. They never took advantage of me. In fact, they had no need of me at all! They were all more powerful and skilled than me. But they still treated me like a human being.

"Just leave. Me. ALONE!!" I screamed, accompanied by some sort of shock wave that flattened the grass and sent them all flying back in the air again. I guessed that's what knocked them down in the first place?

They scrambled to their feet exchanging uncertain glances between them and then looking back at me. It looked like they couldn't decide if they wanted to keep trying to recruit me or if they wanted to run.

A crumpled up piece of paper fluttering in the wind brushed up against my leg and burst into flame. It didn't last long before it was nothing but ash. Somehow, that seemed to make the gangers' decision for them. They broke and ran.

I watched them run in fascination for a moment before I burst out laughing. They were running from me. Me! It was too ridiculous to believe. But then I looked down at the ashes at my feet and that sobered my mood. I didn't fully understand it yet but I'd found my Wyld power. Beth was right, trying to find it would have been dangerous. I could have burned down my apartment!

The bus passing me broke me out of my reverie and I ran to catch it at the bus stop. Somewhere along the way my vision returned to normal and I cooled down. Perhaps the most amazing part was that I was totally calm. My anger was gone.

---

To Be Continued...

---

July 2015
The encounter with the orc gang changed everything for me. Suddenly I wasn't helpless anymore. Okay, maybe I never was. But I didn't feel helpless anymore. I had power. It wasn't as impressive as Erin's or Tessa's but it was enough to protect myself with.

Perhaps the best part was losing all that anger. Beth didn't agree.

"I'm worried about this sudden change." she said a couple days later at my place. She had been visiting almost everyday since I arrived. I'd asked her if she didn't have other people who needed her help more but she said I wasn't just a client; I was a friend. I still found it hard to believe sometimes that I seemed to have suddenly collected so many friends.

I'm fine." I protested.

Beth stared at me a moment before saying, "You look well, I'll admit. But it's not normal to have such a sudden change. It's not healthy to suppress all that anger."

"I'm not suppressing anything!" I replied, rolling my eyes. "You're an empath. Am I feeling any anger?"

"Well, no, other than some frustration with me. But it is possible to suppress it to a point where I can't detect it." she said.

I shrugged, "I can't explain why my anger went away. It just did after using my powers. Maybe it's part of how my power works?"

She looked thoughtful, "Hmm, I suppose that's possible. That would even explain why your power didn't manifest before. You were too closed down to really get angry so there was nothing to trigger it. Can you activate your power now?"

I shrugged, so we went outside to give it a try. I really didn't have a clue how I'd activated my powers in the first place. I tried to will them to but nothing happened.

"Try thinking about something that makes you angry." Beth suggested.

That wasn't difficult. The hardest part was choosing what to focus on, there were so many things that made me angry. My father. My brother. Being enslaved for being Wyld. The list goes on. It amazed me how much I'd changed since I got to Hawaii. Shrugging that off for now, I focused on the man with the sharp teeth. That was enough to make me angry without getting too upset. Then I focused on trying to get my power to work again. Only a moment later I felt calmer as a shock wave shot out from me, nearly knocking Beth down despite being over ten feet away.

"Are you okay?" I asked, surprised that the effect hit her so hard.

She smiled weakly, "I'm fine. It looks like being angry is the key, alright. You looked about ready to murder somebody until that shock wave. Now you seem completely calm."

I realized she was right. I didn't feel the least bit angry. The heat around me was not as intense as the first time but otherwise my powers seemed to work like before. I wondered if getting angrier would make the heat stronger so started thinking about Jerry. Suddenly there was another shock that did knock Beth down this time. There was also a sharp sound at my feet. When I looked down I found the concrete had cracked.

Before I could say anything Beth waved me back, "I'm fine, relax. I felt a spike of anger from you just before that happened but it disappeared almost immediately. It's almost like your power feeds on your anger..."

"Does that mean I have to be angry to use my powers?" I wondered.

Beth shrugged, "Maybe. Or maybe you just need some practice to learn to use them without getting angry. Either way you seem to have a built in relief valve for your anger. That should come in handy but I suggest you not rely on it too much."

"You mean become dependent on it." I guessed.

She nodded, "Yes, that would be just as bad as being angry all the time. Why don't you see if you can turn your powers off now?"

"Okay." I agreed, willing them to turn off. It hardly took any effort. In fact, it was more like ceasing to exert effort even though I hadn't been aware of exerting myself at all. Beth walked up and held her hand near my arm for a moment before touching me cautiously.

"You cool fast." she said, seeming uninjured.

"That's good but why don't my clothes burn?" I asked. "Not that I'm complaining." I hurried to add.

She shook her head, "Who knows? How do any of our powers work?"

That was the first of many experiments. At Beth's insistence I never did them alone so she, Erin or Tessa were always there. Paige even showed up once while she was visiting and wanted to see what I could do. Not that my powers are very impressive. They're not bad for defense but that's about it. I did learn that I seem to heal a lot faster when I use them, though. I had cut myself while chopping vegetables at work. The cut was pretty deep but healing up nicely until I had another bout of practice with my powers. Then it was like I was never cut at all.

Erin visited me at work one day with Joe in tow. "What's up Erin?" I asked, surprised to see her there. She seemed inclined to avoid the place now that she didn't have to work there anymore. I never did figure out what she disliked about it so much.

"This lug heard about your power experiments and seems to think you'd be a good addition to his team." she replied.

"Team? What team?" I asked. I'd thought Joe just worked with refugees and stuff but this sounded like something different.

Joe looked a little uncomfortable, glancing at Erin for support but not getting it. "Um, you see we don't just help new Wyld settle in here. We're also sort of the Wyld police. When a Wyld goes rogue we're the ones who go after them and bring them in. Most of the regular police force either aren't Wyld or don't have combat related powers. So those of us who do capture the rogues. We also help out the military when the islands are attacked."

I just gaped at him for a moment before blurting, "You want me to join the military?!"

"Um, well, we're not really the military. We're sort of an independent group of problem solvers. We do work for the government but we're not part of any other department." he said.

I glanced incredulously at Erin. "Don't look at me. He's been trying to recruit me for a few years now. He's not very good at taking 'no' for an answer. You saw how he got me to help them out when you arrived." she grumbled.

"So you work with him now?" I asked.

"Not likely." she growled. "That was a one time thing."

"Now Erin, you know you could do a lot of good..." Joe started, only to get cut off by Erin punching him in the shoulder. Hard.

"Forget it." Erin almost snarled. "I'm not playing soldier and hunting down my own kind. I saw enough of that in Calivada."

"Hey," Joe said with more force, "we're not like that and you know it!"

Erin relented a little, "Sorry, I know you're not. But I don't trust the government, any government, enough to start working for them. Find another flyer."

Joe sighed, this was obviously a long running argument between them, "You know Hawaii isn't like Calivada but I can see you're not in any mood to talk about it. Anyway, Anna, I was hoping you would consider giving us a chance. Your powers could come in handy."

I frowned, "How? They're purely defensive."

He nodded, "Sure, but that's still good for defending yourself when things get bumpy. Most of the messes we get into are defensive anyway. Like when you arrived. We didn't attack the battleship full on, we just disabled their weapons long enough for you to escape."

I considered his offer briefly as he filled me in on some more details but ultimately my initial reaction still held. I didn't want to fight. I'd seen enough death already. Helping people like Beth did was a lot more appealing. Or maybe teaching like Tessa. I wasn't decided yet on my career path but I was sure that Joe's path wasn't mine.

Joe didn't give up but he backed off for a while. I noticed a few days later he was trying to sell Erin on it again. The guy is definitely stubborn. If they weren't such good friends I think Erin would have taken him up ten thousand feet and let him go she looked so frustrated.

She was visiting with Tessa a couple of days later so I asked her why she was so against it.

"Why, are you thinking about joining up after all?" she asked, sounding disappointed.

Tessa bumped her shoulder into Erin's, "Don't be so negative, dear. Just because you don't want to work for the government doesn't mean it isn't right for other people. I work for the government, in case you've forgotten."

"Well, yeah, " Erin admitted defensively, "but you teach kids! Not hunt down Wyld!"

"I don't want to hunt down anybody. I'm just curious." I said, leaning back in surprise at how angry she seemed.

Tessa grabbed her hand and she took a few deep breaths to relax. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." she said. She glanced at Janet, their daughter, but she was sound asleep. Janet's a cute little thing. I was holding her as we talked, as I often did whenever they were around. Nobody could resist Janet's charms. Not even Paige and she's pretty jaded.

"Does it have something to do with Calivada?" I asked, remembering her comment about it at the diner.

"How much do you know about Calivada?" Tessa asked.

I shrugged, "Not much. I know it's not a good place to be Wyld. Even worse than Texas by all accounts. And it's really religious."

Erin snorted but Tessa continued, "Religion is mostly an excuse for Calivada to take total control. And to persecute Wyld any way they can. Confederate Wyld are automatically the slaves of their families or the state, though there is a chance to become free if they look human. Texas Wyld are just slaves of the state, as you know. There are, officially, no Calivada Wyld."

"Huh?" I asked intelligently. "How can that be?"

"Some are able to hide because they look normal. Some are useful. The others..." Tessa trailed off, looking worriedly at her wife.

"What about the others? There are others, aren't there? I mean, everybody goes Wyld!" I said.

"The others are killed." Erin said darkly.

"What?!" I nearly screamed. Janet started fussing so I took a moment to rock her back to sleep while staring in shock at Erin.

Erin nodded without looking at any of us, "Sometimes the government gets them. Police, secret police, military or whatever. Spooks they're generally called. I had trouble trusting Joe at first because he looked kind of like a Spook but he doesn't act like them. Anyway, the government only gets the ones whose family doesn't beat them to it. Or their neighbors, coworkers, or whatever."

She stopped there. I waited but she seemed lost in her own thoughts. Tessa placed her hand on Erin's and spoke for her, "Erin didn't know a lot of this herself when she first arrived. She thought it had stopped. But her family tried to kill her when he went Wyld."

I gasped, "No!" Tessa nodded sadly. A tear streaked down Erin's face but she seemed unaware of it.

But it wasn't long before she shook it off and angrily wiped the tear away, "A lot of governments still treat Wyld like dirt. Or weapons. I don't trust governments, so I don't work for them. End of story."

I started saying something about Hawaii being different but Tessa shook her head so I shut up. I guess Erin has her issues, too. It was a surprising revelation since Erin is usually so confident. A little taciturn sometimes, but confident. But maybe that has as much to do with her being so powerful as anything.

The rest of their visit was rather strained but things returned to normal after that. I stuck with my decision not to join the 'Wyld Core' as Joe called it. They didn't seem to have an official title, at least that I knew of, but he liked to call them that. Erin seemed to get annoyed whenever he said it, though, so he usually had the sense not to when she was around.

Another thing I noticed was that those closest to Erin tended to get pronouns wrong with her. She never seemed to react to them, though. I decided it must be because of how short she keeps her hair and how she never wears anything the least bit feminine. It's not like she tries to look like a guy, though. She's just not very feminine. Maybe that's why she and Tessa work so well. Tessa's plenty feminine for the both of them.

Eventually my six months were over. I had started working with Beth and taking some classes, mostly psychology, so I ended up moving in with her. She said I was the best roommate she ever had because whenever she started getting on my nerves I just had to go outside and 'rage out', as she called it, and everything was cool. Not that I got angry with her often. She's far too nice to be mad at for long.

It amazed me how much misery the refugees who came to Hawaii had experienced. Some of their experiences made my life seem like paradise. My powers came in handy as I listened to their stories. I was still prone to anger after everything I'd been through and hearing these horrors really brought it out. Beth was always close enough to give me a little telepathic nudge when I was getting too angry to let me know I needed to blow off some steam. I think I confused a few people when I'd suddenly pause our meetings so I could go outside and use my powers. Beth wanted me to find a better way to work with my anger but felt it was better to rely on my powers for now than to take my anger out on refugees who had already suffered enough.

Working with Beth is really rewarding, though. I get to help people without having to fight anybody. Although there have been a couple of times when somebody went ballistic and I had to use my powers to defend myself. The resulting fires were a pain but the shock wave was usually enough to cool people down. But most of the time we just talk. I've got a long way to go before I can be even half as effective as Beth with her powers but at least I am helping. And I've got a lot of good friends who help to remind me of that when I'm feeling down.

---

The End…?