- BH -

Another night fell upon Kansas, as the siblings got begrudgingly persuaded by their friend to try again their simulated scenario. Gabzryel set up his lab, entered the coordinates, and sat back in his chair, sipping a soda.

Madzistrale and Tom found themselves once more in the Plaza where they saved a man from a beating. They decided to hang about the plaza, get to know a bit more of this world’s history.

A pop-like music station was playing, as a supposedly relaxing background for the shoppers and the workers. When the clock struck three of the afternoon, the station passed to the news segment, and a holographic screen appear on a window-less side of a building facing the plaza. Two newscasters smiled pleasantly, and for this moment, the crowd at the Plaza stopped in their tracks to listen. Many were whispering excitedly, and the siblings understood that they were expecting good news from this growing and popular AAP party.

“Good afternoon, Norr Americae. The long awaited zoo of Columbus has finally opened, where for a small fee, one can see a recreation of the extinct mammoth, in its controlled environment...”

Madzistrale and Tom raised their eyebrows in wonder, as the news continued. For a moment, it was all unimportant, at least, to the siblings, until the newscaster took a more serious tone, and continued:

“Yet another presidential meeting was released today, and the topics have been most interesting. First, we will show an excerpt, a message from President Bohm’s Counsellor, Mr. Randall Redspear:”

“Ladies and gentlemen, the path we have embarked upon since the election, is sadly a dangerous one. Many, out of greed and out of desire to keep their power, will oppose our generosity and our true democracy. Mr. Solomon has himself already been attacked yesterday, no doubt by a bitter opposing ex-member of this council. There will be great obstacles facing each and every one of us, but mostly, people that will try to stop our endeavours, from all positions of power, small or great. Is it your duty, citizens of Uni-states, to either report anyone whom you feel are against what you elected the AAP for, or to yourself bring down these black sheeps. If there are any corporations, any leaders, anyone that is trying to bridle your freedom, it is your duty to report them to us, and we will act.”

The plaza’s crowd stirred at those words; there were already whispers of potential suspects within the workers’ jobs. Tom took Madzistrale by the elbow, and walked out of sight.

“After last time, I don’t think it's a good idea to be seen,” he explained.

“I don’t think they even know that we’ve been already here,” Madzistrale reasoned, looking longingly at the menu's varied coffees and pastries options.

“Just in case.”

The newscasters continued their report, and announced the release of documents proving the nefast influence of some corporations upon previous governments, and endeavoured to give a few examples.

“You can see the entire footage of the meeting at the governmental official Interweb site, or in our archives. And now…”

The siblings stopped listening as the Plaza grew tenfold louder with chatter, exclamations, protest and cheerings, etc.

“Let’s try to meet, again, the President, shall we?” Tom suggested, walking in the shadows of the Plaza, toward the Capitoline.

“And let’s not take the same path than next time, in case we meet that orange-haired lunatic again,” Madzistrale stopped him.

“Right...” Tom thought about it, searching where they could sneak. “Why not go back to where that hill we came last time, and take a longer route, but arrive at the back of the park?”

“Great idea.”

They hurriedly left the Plaza, trying to be unnoticed. There was no telling what the population was going to do if ever anyone remembered the strange newcomers.

After a good hike, they were finally at the top of the hill overlooking the city of glass. The green calm valley surrounding them was a welcoming sight; free of wound up angry people and of strange yet deadly powers that seemed up to no good. The siblings sat down on the grass for a moment, taking in the crisp air.

“There it is, the infamous Capitoline,” Madzistrale finally said, pointing to the extremity of the city, where a large patch of green stretched.

“There, see, we can just take the long route, and walk by the back. There doesn’t seem to be an entrance, but we’ll manage, won’t we?” Tom planned.

“Hello,” a soft female voice behind them suddenly spoke.

Tom and Madzistrale jumped in surprise, and turned to meet the stranger. She was tall and graceful; a complex yet humble regal gown floated delicately in the wind, and she was barefoot on the grass. Though she looked in her mid-twenties, she had long free-floating white hair and a pale blue skin. But when she approached them, the siblings did their best to hide their shock at her eyes: they were blue, and looked as if they saw countless years… but the dark pupils had a slim triangular shape. Their shock was added as her face was strange in structure, still human but unlike anything they had seen.

She smiled kindly upon seeing their surprise.

“I am very sorry to have startled you; it was not my intention,” she reassured them. She talked slowly, but as if to make every word count perfectly. Her accent was untraceable, clearly foreign, yet the siblings felt like they understood her even better than between themselves. “I am happy to finally meet you properly; it took so many preparations to get you here.”

“What do you mean?” Madzistrale asked, partly defiant, especially after her encounter with the lunatic Scott.

“The frequency,” the stranger explained, as if it was the most logical answer. As the siblings didn’t quite understood, she smiled and clarified: “Surely you have all wondered why your friend Summerfield kept on dreaming of a specific frequency, until he decided to try it... and here you finally are. As he said it so well, one day, one has to understand when he’s given hints.”

Madzistrale and Tom looked at each other with a mixture of understanding and suspicion.

“But this is not a conversation for you alone,” she said; with a gesture of her hands, the siblings jumped a second time in surprise after seeing their friend Gabzryel appear by their side. He looked around him in shock, and staggered.

“What... and where in God’s name am I...” he began, spinning on himself. He turned to the stranger: “Look here, I’m not supposed to be up here, I have to monitor these guys!”

“Gabzryel David Summerfield,” the stranger spoke, and upon hearing his full name, whom only a small handful knew, Gabzryel froze. She walked up to him, took softly his hands, stared straight but kindly in his eyes, and said: “Your sister asked me to give you her love until your meeting at next Samhain; and she spoke so highly of you that I knew you would be perfect for this mission.”

The siblings and Gabzryel dropped their jaws in an even deeper shock. Only the three of them (and Gabzryel’s family) knew about Gabzryel’s sister, and even more shockingly, only the three of them alone knew about their meetings during Samhain.

“How did you...” Gabzryel began, anger taking over his shock. “If you even dare to lie about my sister…”

The stranger opened her palm, and produced a small pale pink diamond. Gabzryel took it, and tears swelled in his eyes. He clearly knew what it meant, and that it was a proof that the stranger wasn’t lying.

“Is that satisfactory?” the stranger softly and kindly asked.

“Yes,” Gabzryel whispered.

The stranger smiled, and faced the trio.

“My name is Anazryel, the 12th Queen,” she introduced herself.

“Of?...” Tom asked expectantly.

Anazryel smiled.

“I have come and gathered you here to tell you why I have chosen this place for you; and you will be able to choose whether you continue this ‘simulation’, as you call it, or refuse all participation in it.”

And before they could answer, she sat down in the grass, and began her story.