Alexander was sitting in his office, writing in the little book that he always seemed to have with him.

  "Why do I have to eat this powder?" I asked him. He looked up from his work and smiled at me.

  "It's good for you, dear. It has all the minerals that your Adamantine needs to grow stronger," he explained.

  "I see. Is there a way to make it taste nicer? Could I maybe mix some sugar into it? That would make it yummy," I said. He ruffled my hair.

  "I think you should be thankful for the food you have, Tiffany," he said. That was true. There were lots of little girls out there who didn't have any food to eat. He was right. I would learn to be more thankful.

  "What are you writing about?" I asked, looking over his shoulder.

  "Oh, I'm just writing down my plans and my thoughts. A lot of them have to do with you," he said.

  "Let me see!"

  "No, no, I'm afraid I can't show you."

  "Why not?"

  "Honestly, I'd be happy to share. But I've been ordered to keep most of my findings a secret."

  "Why?"

  "It's hard to explain." It did sound really confusing. All of Alexander's work sounded confusing.

  Alexander got to his feet and headed over to the corner. He put his hand to the wall and a shelf seemed to appear out of nowhere.

  "Wow! How did you do that?" I exclaimed.

  "That is another thing I can't tell you."

  "Aw darn it!" The shelf seemed to melt back into the wall, taking the book with it. There was something magical about seeing that. My heart raced at the thought of all the wonderful secrets that book must be holding. Alexander reached out and took my hand.

  "Are you ready for your next test?"

  I turned the memory over in my mind. This was something. For once, I was happy to remember my childhood. Whatever was in that book was something that Alexander didn't want me to see. Did he keep it in the same place? There was still so much to figure out. But at least I had a goal in mind. That book must hold some kind of answer. There was a knock on my cell door. In walked the guard. I still didn't know his name. There was a good chance that he had forgotten his own name along with everything else. He handed me another bowl of the powder. I fought down a groan.

  "Is there a reason that I eat in here? Am I not allowed to eat in the dining area, or outside?" I asked. The guard frowned.

  "It's night," he said. So, I had already lost track of time. It had only taken a few weeks... unless I had been here for longer. How was I supposed to tell?

  "Is that the only reason?"

  "Yes. You've simply been waking up at night, so that's when we've been bringing you food."

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "Could I eat outside if I wanted to?"

  "I don't see why not. So long as you had someone there to keep an eye on you."

  "Then... please could I eat outside. I just need some fresh air, please!" Yes, fresh, cool, sweet air. Air that carried the scent of life and freedom.

  "Alright, I don't think Alexander would mind at all. It won't break any rules." My heart soared as he opened the door and we stepped out into the hall.

  "Is your arm doing okay?" I asked. The guard nodded.

  "I did visit the nurse like you told me to. She said I should be fine."

  "Well, that's good. I really am sorry. My intention wasn't to hurt you."

  "I'm aware of that." We headed down the hall I had first come in through. Then we stepped out into the calm of the night. The world was still and dark, but the sky was alive with moonlight. I drank in the beauty of its silver, soft light. My mind drifted back to the nights in the desert when the sand had shone silver with bright light. How I wished I could be there now. I wanted to go there where there were no walls or fences in sight. Nothing but sand and sky for me to admire and wander through. Run for it! My mind screamed. Make a break for it! Go back to the desert, find your sister, and never come back. But I knew better. I couldn't leave my parents and friends.

  "Is this better?" the guard asked. I nodded.

  "Yes, thank you." Even the powder tasted better now that I was here.

  "It is nice. It's been a long time since I've been outside," the guard remarked. A strange look was on his face now. "I can't remember when or where... I know it was night. I think it was a long time ago... but..." he trailed off. Was he remembering something?

  "Was it a long time ago?" I asked. Maybe there was a way for me to jog his memory. Was there a way to do that? What in the world had Tyla done to avoid having her memory taken? I still didn't understand that. If only she were here to help me. The guard's frown deepened. He opened his mouth as if to say something. But a shout cut him off. We turned to see Alexander standing in the doorway. There were two other guards next to him. His face was pale and he was breathing heavily. He raced over to me and grabbed my arm.

  "What are you doing out here?" he demanded. Running away! What else would she be doing? His thoughts screamed at me. I pulled my arm away.

  "I just wanted some fresh air," I answered honestly.

  "You always want more! You're always demanding more! Do you not understand just how lucky you are? Do you not understand how many people would kill to be you?" What did he want from me? Did he want me to die, live forever? Or did he just want to be me? Maybe he didn't even know anymore. Maybe this place and all those fumes had destroyed him. He had let them destroy him. "Answer me, Tiffany!" He grabbed my shoulders and shook me. I did my best to hold his gaze. Maybe it was just that I was outside now, but I suddenly felt more alive. I felt stronger.

  "When will you let me go?" I asked. More anger filled his eyes. You'd think that being able to read Alexander's mind would make it easier to understand that. But his mind made no sense. He seemed to think about me a lot, but the Tiffany that lived in Alexander's mind was so different from me. She was both a god and a slave. She was never really frightened or sad or hurt. She was pure power. I smiled. Me, a god, what a funny thing to think about. The thought of that was enough to make me laugh out loud. I guess Alexander's idea of a god was very different from my own. And if a god was what Alexander saw me as, that was the last thing that I wanted to be. What did I want? Freedom. I didn't want to die. I wanted to live a free life. I wanted my loved ones to be safe and happy. I would fight, I would fight till I got what I wanted.

  "Alexander!" a new voice called out. "We found her!" At that, Alexander turned to the new guard. "We found the sister." Tyla? No! Why? Had she come back? What did Alexander want with her? I couldn't let him hurt her again! I started to run. Where, I didn't know. Tyla couldn't be here. I had gotten her into so much trouble already, I couldn't pull her into more. Alexander grabbed my arm and yanked me back with more force than I had been prepared for. I fell to the ground.

  "Take her back to the cell!" he ordered.

  "Stop! No! Let me go!" He held me firmly as I lashed out and twisted. What was going to happen to Tyla? Why had he brought her here? What did he want with her? It couldn't be anything good. The look of rage that had filled Alexander's eyes at the mention of Tyla's name had been so awful. Was he going to kill her? Connie's small, round face appeared in my mind. I wasn't going to lose another sister. "Please! I-I can't let him hurt her. I need to save her! She's my sister, I need to take care of her. She means more to me than anything," I sobbed. Suddenly, the guard's grip on my arm loosened. I looked up at him.

  "Just go," was all he said. But for the first time since I had met him, he spoke with feeling. There was a bitter fear in his voice. His eyes, too, were different. They were glowing with life. Had he remembered something? I didn't have time to think about that.

  "Thank you," I whispered before bolting down the hall as fast as I could. "I'm coming for you, Tyla!"