Voices flooded into my thoughts alongside a pounding headache. Something inside of me did not want me to open my eyes. The ground beneath me was warm and the air above felt hot...even wet. Where the hell was I?

I could scraggly high pitched voices pierce my ears, progressively getting louder and louder until finally, I heard a very clear voice shoot through.

"Stop eating over him!? There are so many crumbs on him he'll be full the moment he yawns." Yelled a mysterious commanding voice.

"He's waking up!?" whispered various other voices.

I could smell the scent of...jerky or meat hovering over my nose and I could feel many different breathes brush gently over my face. No more fear, I had to know. When I began opening my eyes I could saw a blurry set of short smiling children or short people tightly crowded around me in what seems to be a small white bed. I felt like I was in Snow White or something. Childish gibberish and echoing giggles faded in and out as I gradually begin to gain composure of my five senses.

"Are these the ghost voices here to take me away?" I thought to myself.

I could feel numerous sets of arms tugging on my clothing and arms and I could even feel some of there weight on my legs. My senses could not come any faster.

"Get away from me, just let me die... please!" I sat up and screamed, rubbing open my eyes defensively.

To my surprise, all around me were innocent and teary eyes children. I couldn’t help but to feel guilty, I likey scared the hell out of them. I was surrounded by five toddlers. As soon as I came to, I looked around immediately and found myself just sitting on a white cotton bed in a small warm candlelit room.

"Hey! Uhm...stranger..." Shouted a young woman reluctantly.

The woman had fiery reddish orange hair. I couldn’t really make out the details, my vision was still coming back but I could hear her whisper at the children and scolding them because they were too close to me. Everything was slowly coming back to me.

“Hey Lian. You owe me big time.” Said a somewhat familiar voice behind me.

"Taylum?" I asked aloud.

Taylum gazed in awe while I awkwardly began to scan the room for any sign of the enigma or trouble. Just like the skyscrapers, the room was a mix of wood and metal; just strange dark wooden walls mixed with a odd spots of different metals, most appeared dark orange in color or rusted brown. It was a cozy room though, there wasn't much to it aside from a strange set of candles with a tiny ball of fire hovering above it, a dresser, and another two beds covered in red blankets. Everything seemed peaceful at the moment...everything except the children staring at me as if I was an animal at a zoo. Two of the three children appeared a little shorter than normal. Maybe two feet in height? The rest were nothing out of the ordinary. I guess I was relatively safe for now.

"Taylum? Where am I?" I asked again.

Before Taylum had a chance to speak he was cut-off by a hand covering his mouth ever-so-gently. The woman with fiery hair proceeded to walk in front of him, staring at me, her eyes like daggers. She stared into my eyes intently, as if she was trying to poke for a negative reaction.

"So...uh...this is my friend L-" Taylum tried speaking behind her.

The young woman leaned her head towards me inching her face closer and closer. Taylum widening his eyes at me with every centimeter.

"Shhh! I want him to say it" She interrupted.

"What is your name bub?" She asked immediately after.

This woman was frightening. Her bright orange eyes burned through any front I could put up. I had to act tough, I have no idea where I am and yet I was compelled to tell her some-sort of truth.

"Wh-" I tried asking why.

"You better watch the next words that come out of your mouth. Tell me who you are, and I won't put you back to sleep and dump you in the sewers." She said as her eyes sharpened there glare.

She was damn scary. I now believe that I met eyes with the person who is in charge...or should be. She was young and beautiful, probably no older than myself, although I guess I'm roughly 16 now, I don’t know anymore. The enigma wasn’t to clear on how much time he’d take. The woman appeared to be very...outspoken, probably the big sister of all the kids around me.

"Who are you!? Oh, I am very sorry where am—" I tried politely asking before being interrupted by the fiery-haired woman holding a large rolling pin.

"Who the hell are you?!" The woman yelled, now threatening me and swinging at the air with her large rolling pin.

"It's Li-Lian Nova-jeeeez-man" I said accidently, terrified of the swing of her rolling pin as she stopped her swing at a thin bead of sweat on the tip of my nose.

I could hear Taylum whisper something from behind her, something about how strong her forearms are to the other kids but the other kids seemed to ignore him in favor of watching me cower. I have never met someone as intimidating as her, although I tried my best not to show her that.

"Nova...jeeeeezman!?" She responded with her dissecting stare.

"Novajeeeezman?" She repeated, drawing her face very close to mine.

Her eyes squinted as she touched her tiny nose with mine. She puffed her cheeks red and rolls her eyes white to the back of her head and... actually began to collapse in echoing laughter. I rose my eyebrows confused, I don't understand how such tension could just disappear. Following her laughter, the toddlers systematically followed until the whole room was filled with contagious laughter; so contagious in fact that even I let out a light chuckle. Even barely breathing, the woman gathered the strength to drag herself towards me and whispered something in my ear.

"NOVA-JEEEEEEEEZMAN!!!" She repeated once more... only to slap her knees and collapse into laughter once more.

"Lian... Novaman." I muttered, my voice bowing under hers.

Somehow aside from the confusion, I was also deeply embarrassed. I turned around, scanning for any more recognizable or friendly faces, trying to deflect some embarrassment with understanding. Oddly enough, I turned to my new "companion" Taylum. Taylum seemed strangely amused, even elbowing the rest of the kids within his burst of laughter. This boy Taylum probably saved my life and hopefully, he recognizes my peaceful intentions towards his family.

"Chief. You look like you are what, fifteen. What kind of a threat can a kid like you even be? Of course our supreme control freak Nessiah was joking. Relax a little!" Taylum stated while widely smiling as if he knew what I was thinking.

"No one is afraid of you Taylum! You look like your 12!" Shouted voices behind Taylum

I don't think I have ever seen someone convert a smile into a frown as fast I had just seen Taylum do. I guess the kids didn't respect him too much.

"Anyways, Nessiah. How can you find someone who travels with a puppy and a baby a threat?"Said Taylum, playfully walking toward me.

"Unless you both carry bombs?! Then booo—" Taylum yelled while raising his arms dramatically before being met with a rolling pin to the head.

As she struck Taylum with gently yet hard enough to warrant a frown, I was able to get a glance at what she was wearing. Finally the children seemed to have parted from infront of her. Normally I wouldn't really pay attention to such details but she was wearing something strange, a type of dress apron hybrid that I was not familiar with. Her clothing was elegant with various shades of orange, red, and brown. Her clothing resembled something you would see at some exotic fashion shows. The patterns on her dress were subtle but resembled beautiful gardens. It was weirdly formal yet oddly enough, it appears as though she too was some sort of engineer. It was the strangest thing, almost everyone in the room aside from myself and the young woman was wearing a combination of worn brown overalls and odd variants of top hats, berets, and bows or hair ties; as if everyone was wearing great grandpa and grandma hand-me-downs that were dipped into Alice and Wonderland. It was a like fusion of what my mom would call industrial London -her favorite historical study- and a small touch of odd machinery attached to some of there hats and clothing. Was this there fashion? Some children would actually have gears and goggles on their hats, some have weird metal coils wrapped around there limbs, and a few appeared to have partially metal limbs. It was something out a fantasy.

"You have a beautiful deep blue color to your eyes, Jeezman." The woman said to me calmly as she took a seat on the bed I was lying on.

"You're strange. Normally I wouldn't let any stranger in this house, let alone someone Taylum decides to bring in but this time I fear he was right to be worried about you. Don't tell him he was right please." The woman spoke softly to me and smiling very widely.

"He found you with a silver cross around your neck. Not only did you have a silver cross but you also weren't attending the parade; not-to-mention you were traveling with a puppy and a baby. So you were breaking a few rules there, enough rules to put you in some deep water, that of which some people here may be familiar too." She continued.

To my surprise, the woman before me was actually very kind but careful, all things considering so far. She seems to very aware of me as a potential threat to her and is here to reason with me, maybe explore my thoughts a little. My mother's silver cross appears to have some-sort influence here too. But what sort of rules was she also breaking? What rules was I breaking?

"Playing tough gal on you was just a light precaution. My name is Nessiah and if you are in need then... welcome to my home. Change out of your white pajamas and we'll talk more at dinner. Let me make this clear: you are not in the clear just yet, but my instincts tell me I should give you a break and I trust my instincts. When you are done changing, do not speak with anyone, simply go to the empty chair and sit. There you will listen and eat dinner. If your bad news: goodbye; if your good news: well we better keep talking." Explained Nessiah as she stood up from the bedside.

I didn't really notice until she told me but I felt disturbingly hungry, as to last time I ate, I can't even remember. This dinner is obviously going to be some-sort of interrogation. Unfortunately, I am unable to tell her the truth so I guess I'll have to stick to the amnesia story. I guess it's not a complete lie, so I don't feel as bad when I tell her. Her tough but honest exterior makes me want to be honest right back yet she appears very sensitive about the people she cares about -something I immediately admired in her- so who knows what she is capable of.

"Listen it's time for dinner and everyone in this room has had more than enough excitement for today so let's head on over to the table for food!" Nessiah yelled, pointing towards the exit.

None of the children remotely questioned her authority, Nessiah seemed like a joyful commander with a fiery grace; the children respected her enough to readily follow her rules but feared her enough to strike urgency into their little hearts. Nessiah directed the small group of children outside the room like a conductor, she was obviously used to managing such a large number of children. I could see through a sliver of a crack of the wooden door but the children walked to their seats in what appears to be a candle lit wooden dinner table welded together with various orangey metals. As soon as all the children stepped out of the room and into there chairs, Nessiah turned to me and eyed me down once more.

"Assuming you're sound minded, you fit in perfectly in here so don't feel guilty about staying here if you need to. We are essentially rag-tags who love each other like family. You're clearly not from here, so my hat's off to you. You'll have time to tell your story at dinner, and I'll have time to tell you ours." Said Nessiah.

"I appreciate your hospitality, uhm Nessiah. Thank Taylum as well for talking to strangers and providing shelter for one." I said to Nessiah smiling.

"By-the-way I have your puppy and baby in another room… the baby awoke for about an hour or two and the puppy is tiring himself out as we speak but they are fine. I just wanted to let you know they are here and safe. See you at dinner." Said Nessiah, closing the door.

I was truly thankful to her and everyone else. Not even moments ago I was strewn about on some cold alleyway and now I'm in a cozy room ready to have dinner. It was strange. I felt warm, kind of like I did back home.

"Wait, Nessiah!?" I yelled.

"What?" She responded

"Thank you." I said softly.

"Don't thank me yet, I still haven't decided on whether or not to get rid of you. Anything else?" She laughed ominously.

"Why did Taylum help me?” I asked.

"Taylum was born against the tide. He is a headstrong noble idiot, so scooping you up was a task only he could of accepted. Any more detail and you'll have to ask him." Nessiah laughed.

"I don't have any money with me, and I feel like I owe you and him." I shamefully whimpered.

"Talons, nah... I don't need any Talons for doing what is only a human thing to do. Hospitality for someone in need is free kiddo, and the only kind of payment hospitality demands is that you simply pass it on when some else needs it. At least I try to listen to that ancient wisdom." Nessiah calmly responded.

"Although I wouldn't mind some help with some chores but we could talk about that later." She said with a grin.

Back home I traveled across countless unique countries with my parents and slowly I gathered an understanding on foreign culture but never have a come across a currency such as Talons; that is assuming Talons is a form of currency. I guess I have to learn things as they come, can't seem like too much of an outsider just yet, especially since everything is tremendously foreign. It's like I am in a different world.

I remember back home when I offended a native in there in own country using a single word that was harmless anywhere else, essentially ruining a fantastic five-star dinner with an exploding argument between my dad and the locals. I've learned my lesson, and repeating something like that would not be smart, especially when my parents are not around.

"Hey blue eyes, you still in that head of yours!? If you really feel that guilty of payment you can always explain yourself, Lian. I want to know where you came from. Why you have a baby with you? Is that baby even related? Is the dog even related?" She continued while staring at me.

"At dinner?" I requested calmly.

Nessiah nodded her head in response, smiled, and gently closed the door leaving me to myself. Despite being comfortable now, I couldn't help but questions just about everything. Where am I? Why am I here? How do I get here? Where should I begin? What is the baby's mysterious ailment? The enigma's words gashed my mind wide open. Reality and fantasy were one and the same. If I tried to recollect any previous events prior to my arrival at the alley, I got these strange crippling migraines that would ultimately leave me confused. It was like I was missing time. Did anything even occur? Am I still sleeping after my birthday!? Was I drugged? I became increasingly frustrated with every question that came to mind.

"Fuck you and fuck the deal! You gave me a second chance but now you run and hide while I sit here in pain, thinking about some stupid mission. Well, here I am! I have your baby and dog! Tell me how to get back home!" I thought to myself in a migraine-inducing rage.

"We had a deal..." I whispered under my breath while a tear escaped and traveled down my cheek.

"Get out here and help me, I don't what to do. I said with authority.