The World of Zodiac, Lilium

Chapter 6|Discovery

I am walking through a dark hallway. I don't see doors, just walls. At the end of the hall I see a door. It comes into view more when I turn a small twist in the hall. There doesn't seem to be light inside. I quickly run over to see what's on the other side but the moment I come within 5 feet of the door, my body fills with the sensation of danger. I stand still where I am, to scared to take another step. I stare at the gold door handle, it's shaking as though someone is trying to open it.
Looking around for the first time I start taking note of my surroundings in attempt to find out where I am. The floor has wood and metal planks along the side. But other than that a pretty clean place. But it looks abandoned. The walls are falling apart and there are large gaping holes in the ceiling.
A feeling of déjà vu takes me over and I slowly step toward the door. I know this place. But how do I know this place? I feel like I've done this before.
Just to add to the confusion, when I went to open the door, I find it to be locked. A wake of panic goes over my body, but I still don't know where I am or what I'm doing. I just know I've  been here before and I've done this before.
I swiftly bend down by the piles of wood and break of a 3 inch splinter off one of the pieces. Then I get back to the door and find where a key should go to unlock the door. Somehow I just knew that whoever's in there, locked the door from the inside to keep people out, so they could be alone.
I work for what felt like ever, to my paniced mind. I just wanted to get in there. I knew that I needed in there fast or there would be bad consequences.
Finally I opened the door to see a dark secluded room. I heard crying from a corner and I quickly rush to it to see a boy crying. I know this boy.
It all comes back to me in a flash. I know where I am, I'm at the old warehouse Jake and I used to go all the time. We would escape Luke and all of his friends when we used to walk home together. Luke would always follow us and beat us up so eventually we got up the guts to enter this place when he was chasing us.
That one thing he wouldn't do, was break a law. And breaking a law it was, it was trespassing.
This boy was Jake and I knew it. I recognized what day it was and what was happening. Jake was home from school that day. I had called a dozen times and he hadn't answered. This all happened after I started having the dreams. But they had no reason to lock me up in the mental hospital yet. So I was still going to my old school.
This was the worst day ever for me. The day Jake killed himself. People started rumoring I killed him.
When I ran up to him I saw the familiar scene. Jake was crying, a lot. His face was clearly soaked with salty tears. In his right hand be held a hand gun to his head.
I quickly took it from him and he gave me a sad and very angered look. After he realized who I was he stopped burning wholes into my face with his eyes and instead replaced it with more tears.
"Just let me do it, damn it Kam. You know damn well I can't do this anymore. I'm not that strong. You know whats been going on more than anyone. Just let me get away please. I can't do this anymore." He pleads with more tears trickling down his cheeks. It's visible to see he is shaking from crying.
"No man. Your my friend I can't let you leave me. Your all I have." I say it even in this time warp vision I still begin to cry. I already know what happens but I still feel the need to make my same pleas and hope that this time it works.
But I was mistaken as he uses his old talents of stealing and takes back the gun. Before I can even react, be pulls the trigger on his head. With a loud BOOM! He was gone. Laying on the floor blood everywhere and more pouring out onto the floor.
I wake up shaking from that horrific memory. I am having a dreamless sleep until this memory desided to disrupt my peace.
That's exactly how it happened to. After that someone must have called the cops about the gunshot, because I didn't. I was in shock sitting there wide eyed staring at what was my best friend.
I understand his reasons. I know what it was like at his house,  that's why he was always at mine. His parents were very abusive and they never fed him, so he would come to my house and be treated like he was supposed to be. 
After that I fell into a deep depression and I got really suicidal. I did some things that resulted in me being sent here to live.  I was considered a danger to society because I would have angry outbusts and break things. This was all roughly 2 years ago.
I was having the dreams long before I ever told anyone. I just finally told someone because they began to get more vivid, and I got scared. So I started seeing someone about it. Then a few months later Jake did that and I fell into a pit, they decided to keep me full time.
So I got a year out of public school to go to the one they have here, in the mental hospital. But this year I started it off being released to normal school, only to find out I'd be going to a different school. This school year is close to being over, its spring now.
Today is Saturday so I don't have school. And today is the chosen day for my group session with my parents. They aren't model parents by any means but they pretend to care around others. They tend to let me do my own thing and they do what they have to to keep me alive.
Dr. Fay waltzes into my room with a look of concern. "You never came to the children's group session like you always do. Why not? They all missed you." She says with a sad look on her face.
"I forgot to. I had alot on my mind and I couldn't concentrate. I wouldn't have been any fun or help. I was just thinking all day, not doing much of anything else." I respond truthfully.
"Ok but next Friday I expect to see you." She states and then walks out the door before I can respond.
I hadn't realized just how much the dream had shaken me up until I went to stand, only to find my shaking legs barely support me.
I work my way to my closet and grab a midnight blue tattered v-neck T-shirt and a pair of my many black torn up skinny jeans. I lay them on my bed and go off to shower.
***
It didn't take long and soon I am getting dressed and tying up my blue converse.
I look at the time finally to see that I have just enough time to walk to the family session room downstairs. And so I quickly find myself in the upstairs cafeteria, grab myself a a pack of crackers and head down to the appointment.
The room is split by a glass wall. On one side, the patients. On the other, either parents or whoever else has a scheduled group appointment with a patient here.
I take a seat and watch the door that leads to the rooms. I glance over at that glass to see the room is empty. Either my parents are already talking to Dr. Monroe or they desided not to show up. It could be either one really.
My mind is eased when a lady comes through the door on the patient side and calls my name. She holds the door open for me then once I was through she led me to the last room down the hall. Then opened it.
There sat my small mother. Her waist long blonde hair pulled up into an untidy bun. Her blue eyes pulled into a look of worry. She must have been in a rush this morning for her clothes are as untidy as her hair. Her blue blouse wrinkled and out of place and her black slacks folded a little on one leg.
My father looks as angry as usual. Even if he's happy he looks mad. He has short untidy curly black hair. His green eyes scrunched together in a face that could be anger or concern. His green muscle shirt torn and tattered. His blue jeans wrinkled and torn at the knees.
"Ah Kamren dear come in. We were just talking about my suspicions. Come have a seat in between your parents." Dr. Monroe says. She looks the same she had before. But just a bit blurrier. I can faintly see the tail and eyes. If I concentrate it becomes clearer. Deciding to ignore it I sit between my parents. When I look at my mother I see that she looks slightly frightened.
She looks at Dr. Monroe as though she is some sort of monster that she sees all the time but still gets scared of. Its almost as though she sees what I see.
"Ok now. I suspect that this has to do with family problems. Talking to your parents they claim you haven't really spoken to them thoroughly about your dreams. So lets start with you explaining them." Dr. Monroe says with a sharp smile.
"Well um. Uh like when I go to sleep it feels so real. I see from my eyes not a 3rd person view. And I get up and walk to my dorm window. I sneak out and walk down the street. But I see a road that goes off the main strip. It's never there during the day. But when I walk onto it, its like passing through a curtain. And then when I pass through the world changes. The sun is up and there are creatures everywhere. My body feels like a ghost floating around."
"It used to be that I'd follow different people around every night. But the last couple times its been the same person. But these creatures, they all look like the creatures of the zodiac. And I actually talked to one last time. My body kind of solidifyed as we talked. She explained that based on when their born, they get different physical traits that connect them to their zodiac. It's really interesting. She's really nice. Her name was Juniper. She was a Capricorn. I was sad because last night I didn't dream after Monroe gave me a pill. But instead it made me dream of the accident with Jake." I explained it as best I could. When I looked up my mom was as white as a ghost.
I began to ask her what was wrong but she shot up in a flash and bolted out the door. Dad and I look at each other stunned. I sit up and chase after her. I find her outside the front door sitting on a bench.
"Mom what's wrong? What happened? Did I say something that upset you?" I ask as I sit next to her shaking figure.
"It's nothing you did. It's just that... I used have dreams like that. Of these kind of people. And different places to. I constantly felt like I was looking for someone. I've had them since I was little. But they got really vivid once I turned 11. And they went on and on everynight I was confident and talked to someone everynight. Then after I got married to your father I started seeing this person, he was a Capricorn I think. We got really close and I didn't feel guilty because I thought it was all a dream. But the fact that you have seen it too makes me think maybe it is real." She says still shaking and still as white as a ghost.
Unsure of what to say I say, " I uh wow. That's amazing. Did you feel ghosty until you talked to someone too?"
"Yeah I did. It was weird." She replies still shaken up.
"But I didn't even say the strangest part about when I talked to Juniper. We were laughing alot and suddenly there was a miny tornando swirling next to me. She said it's something air signs can do. I'm an Aquarius mom." I say deciding to tell her.
"Oh no this can't be. This is impossible. No no no. This isn't happening. Kam do you believe this is a real place?" She asks looking scared but with a hint of hope.
"I do. I'm seeing them out here too." I say, hoping I gave the right answer by telling the truth.
"Oh my its true. I believe too and I see them too. I don't know dear but I can't talk about this right now. I'm beginning to feel guilty. There's a lot you don't know. This sort of thing got me in a lab where I was poked and prodded till they got no more ratings from me. I learned to control it so they got nothing anymore Then they me go, I assume they hoped I would just die." With that she runs to their car and curls up in the front seat.
That's strange. Why would she feel guilty? Could she have... No no she couldn't have. She was with dad she wouldn't do something so vial even if she believed it to be a dream. But if she feels guilty maybe she did... do things. Could she get pregnant from something like that? Oh hell I don't know what I'm thinking but somehow it makes sense.
I rush up to my room and close and lock the door behind me. My mind racing I desided to take another shower to calm myself down.
When I'm done I put back on the clothes I had on and decide to walk down the street. By this time it's dark. The sun is down and it makes the street glisten and reflect the moonlight.
I have only seen the street like this in my dreams. I've never actually been out at night, and I'm not supposed to be out now.  I could get in big trouble for this. But that doesn't faze me and I continue walking.
It's just like I'd see in my dreams, including the strange road. That wasn't there during the day. I've been down this road thousands of times during the day and this road was never there.
I do the only rational thing that comes to my mind, I turn on to the road. Just like my dream I pass through a thin invisible vale. But unlike usual I stay solidified. And I notice that there's a thin layer of water surrounding me. I naturally will it to shrink and go to my feet instead of surrounding my body. Somehow it works.
How was I able to control the water? Even if this was my world Aquarius is an air sign. That makes no sense. Unless I was able to move it using the air around me. That could be too.
Looking around I see the place I have entered now three times. The garden glistens with bright flowers. The hotel or apartment building towers above my head at a sickening height.
But the strangest part is always, the people. They all seem so vivid. I feel comfortable in this environment, almost like I belong.
I stroll down the street happy as can be. I don't have the air around me telling me where to go. I'm a solid force that can work on my own so I can go wherever I want.
I walk down town causally, no one looks at me funny, and as I shuffle around a bit I find out why, placed on my back are a set of brown owl-like wings. Ok then, I guess Aquarius's get wings. Or maybe that's all air elements.
I stop dead in my tracks when ahead of me I see a giant goat, and on it a canopy and a ton of kids and teenagers. But then I look closer to see Juniper and her friend on the thing. I quickly rush past the 10 feet separating us.
As I stand underneath it I see Juniper look down, her eyes go wide as she sees me, then she stands and rushes down to me.
"What the hell happened? We're you accepted in or what? How is that even possible? You don't belong here. This is odd." She says with an exasperated sigh at the end.
"I don't know either. I just found out I don't have to be alseep to get here. I like it. And I think I do belong, if my suspicions are correct my dad is actually one of you. My mom was talking about how she had the same dreams of coming here and she met a guy while she was married to my dad on Earth. But she thought it was a dream so she felt no guilt. And now she's really upset. I think she thinks that he's my dad." I reply. She looks at me in wonder, maybe because I am now a full solid figure instead of a dainty whispy spirt that could be blown away at any moment.
"Ok but you can't stay long. Time is different here. You never know how much time has passed in your world. It could feel like 10 minutes and actually be an hour or it could feel like an hour and be 10 minutes. There's no knowing." This makes my head spin.
"That's very strange. But I want to know more. And I like it here. Where are you going anyway?" I ask wanting to continue talking to her. I enjoy talking to her. It's almost as though she's the one that clipped my spirit leash so I could wander freely.
"I'm going home. Back to my colony. I am sorry but the chances of ever seeing you again are slim. In my colony you can only enter if you are of the earth element or you were born to earth elements. Which I asume you are not. And your parents would have to be there to claim you as well."
"Well my dad's a Capricorn my mom says. Maybe he lives there. Please let me find out. Please at least try and let me come along. When we get there I'll find a way back to Earth. But I think that if I just see where you live I'll be able to visit it again tomorrow. Please." I beg till I can't think of anymore pleas. Finally she grabs my hand and leads me up the giant beast to a man at its neck.
"Mr. Tawny do you think this Aquarius might be able to come along. He is in search of his Capricorn father. Once he gets there he should be good. But he needs a ride there. I am pretty sure if you tested his clora you would see that he has Capricorn in him." Juniper says the the man goat, probably another Capricorn.
Mr. Tawny looks up surprised but recovers quickly to reply, "Yes of course, always here to help the young ones. Even if he does not find his father he may come stay with me if he wishes. After all you know very well I take in the orphaned. But I will need to check his clora." Mr. Tawny replys and stands up. I look and Juniper hoping she understands my questioning face, she does and mouths out 'blood'.
Which that Mr. Tawny opens his hand and before my eyes his index finger nail grows into a hollow needle point. With no warning at all he shoves his nail into a vein on my wrist. As I watch I can see just like a surgical needle, the blood is going up the tube, but where is the question.
After a few seconds that felt like hours he took it out and stood there silent, eyes closed.
"Ah yes. Capricorn and what is this? This is some odd clora. I think I disected some of it in the lab ad Corolton once. It came from what was that planet called? Oh I don't remember, I like to call it the second Lilium. For we were able to leave peacefully amongst the beings there. But how do you have their clora son?" He looks me directly in the eyes as he asks this and I can feel myself clam up from fear. What would they do if they knew? Would they take ME to the lab and poke me till I die? But I'm almost one of them, aren't I?
"Uh um uh... Does this mean you will send me away to a lab or something?" Unable to hold back the question, I ask it as I feel my body shake. The first place I'm completely comfortable and I'm exiled away because of a little blood.
"Oh no no. Of course not son. But answer me this, were you born on Lilium 2 or here?" He asks but I am unsure if its a trick question.
"I was born on Earth. I asume you call it Lilium 2. My mom had these dreams of coming to this place just like me. But I found a way to come here while I am awake. Mom met a man here and I guess he is my dad and not the man on Earth I was raised to believe was my father." I explain, he doesn't look at me as though I am insane. Instead he smiles knowingly.
"Ah so you and your mother and probably many other generations are what we call Florque's. They are able to join with our kind. And no its is not just because you are half Lilieth. It's because you have the power of a Florque in your clora, or blood as I believe they say where you are from. But you must know that you can control the time difference between us. Sort of. It will always be day here when its night there, but you control the passing time. If you try hard enough. And the road you take here, its you who places it there, it can be anywhere you choose. It doesn't even have to be a road, it can be a door. But be carful now that you have stepped into this world in your physical form, you have two forms. Controlling which one you have is the hard part. Your have your regular day to day form that you have on, what did you say? Earth?"
I nod and he continues, "OK yes, well now you also have your Aquarius form. As well as the powers that now come with both forms. As a air sign you can control the air and bend it to your will, but as an Aquarius you can also levitate water, but that is all you can do with water. And even that takes alot of practice. Maybe you should attend school here, so we can teach you how to use your powers. During the day on... Earth you can go to their school then at their night, our day, you can attend my school, and Juniper's. It would be delightful to have you." I just stand there stunned for a moment, attempting to process everything he just told me.
"If my dad wasn't a Capricorn or even from this world, but I was still a... What did you call it? A Florque? Yeah that's right. Would the offer still stand? Or would it go away because I would not really be apart of the world?" I ask curriously.
"Oh of course the offer would stand. Florque's are apart of a working civilization here as well as Earth. Just like I hope you will, they alternate and come to both worlds on a daily basis. Do you accept my offer? The school year is ending but you can start next year's courses with Juniper, I'm close to the head person so I can get your schedules to match, sort of. Yours will be quite different for you are an Aquarius, but I can get your mixed classes together." He says. His eyes full of hope. I don't understand why he wants me there so bad. It makes no sense. So when things don't make sense, I guess you ask.
"Why do you want me to go there so bad?" I ask once I decide he's a nice man and won't be angered.
"I had a best friend quite a time ago. When I was in school actually. She was always there for me. She was a Florque as well. I didn't see her much at night till she learned to work with the time. So you could say I have a bit of a soft spot for them, especially when I found out that since she never learned to control her abilities they went out of whack one day on Earth. They saw her tail and ears and sent her straight for the labs. Never saw her again after that, I just found out because my father came back from a term there and told me they found one and then he explained how she looked and I knew it was her." At the very memory, it brought tears to the man's face.
Mr. Tawny was not a very old man, I'd guess mid 30's. He had brown curly hair that fell in his face as he talked. He wore a green T-shirt and black slacks, as well as a white lab coat. He was roughly 5'8 in height. I am 5'7 so he is a bit taller then me.
"I'm very sorry sir. I greatly apologize for the people on my planet being so cruel to things they don't understand." I say sincerely.
"You needn't be sorry for what your race has done. It was a single person doing it not a whole race. But now on a happier topic, shall I enroll you for next set?" He asks his eyes lighting up at the end.
"Yeah sure. But wont I be behind?" I ask. That's the last thing I want, to be behind before I even start.
"Thats why you will spend your summer with Juniper here. She is a fabulous student and understands my class better than most. In case you didn't know, my class is a mixed class and I teach about all the other elements and how to control them and their history as well. That information could come in handy in a situation like with you, because I taught Juniper the knowledge she will need to know to catch you up for next set, she can teach you. If I hadn't taught her these things she would draw a blank." He explains to me.
"But how will she if she's an Earth element. She can't show me examples of controling air." I say bewildered.
"Well, she will find a way. Would you need a visual example?" He asks.
"I'm not sure actually. I don't know how this works." I say. Because honestly I don't. I don't know if i will need a visual because I don't know the first step. I don't know anything about this. Sometimes I need a visual example but sometimes I don't. I guess I'll find out once I start learning.
"Well you'll know once you start. Now you might want to head back to you world. You can make your way to a person as well. It's not just visualizing the place, you can visualize a person and go through tth door to find yourself where they are." He explains to me. And I nod.
"Thank you sir, for accepting me." I say politely.
"No need to thank me. Any sensible person would see that you are a very respectable young man. Now head off before people wonder where you are. Good day and I shall see you tomorrow. Remember begin practicing time control. If you can do it on Earth you can definitely do it here. Just simply hold a clock and slow it down. You can slow it or speed it but you can't skip over time. Now shoo away son." He says and when he finishes he pushes my shoulder slightly towards the stairs. I nod and walk down them.
Once the beast starts running, in no time it was out of sight. Then I realize, I have no idea how to get back to my world. Maybe it's like on Earth. I have to make my own road.
So I walk down the street in the opposite direction and once I come to a spot that is secluded I close my eyes and picture the dirt road I'm on turning into a paved road leading to my street on Earth.
When I open my eyes it was as though it was plucked from my mind and put onto the ground in front of me. So I walk down to and just like the trip here, I wall through a curtain and find myself on my street. Walking from the same road I used to get there.
I look at my phone to see the time, 1:00 AM. I'll practice that time thing tomorrow, or would that be later today? Either way I find my way down the parking lot and to the front door. But its probably locked so I walk to the back door. This door is always unlocked in case of emergencies.
So I walk in and quietly tip-toe to my room. Once I get there I walk into my dark room. I grab a pair of sweats since my room is cold. So cold in fact, I have goosebumps. So I change into my black sweat pants and keep the same shirt.
I curl up in the blanket but before I sleep I say over and over again, "normal sleep. Spirit stay in my body." I will my words to work and I put a lot of excessive force into my words in hope it would work.
It did. That night I slept like a normal person. No traveling just random pictures flying through my mind. For once I don't feel like a weirdo or like there's something wrong with me. I feel accepted and content. I have a place that I can go that is my home, my place, with people like me.
For once I feel accepted. I'm not scared to go to school Monday, because I know, no matter how bad it goes, soon I'll have a much better time in a much better place.