Level Seven: Trypanophobia & Algophobia

"Well someone sure made a name for himself back there," Shyrene snapped, snarky and with the most overt attitude. Her arms were crossed, and her foot tapped on the floor in a choppy way, that was unsatisfying to listen to. Her anger didn't have any pattern or organized flow, and she wanted it that way. She wasn't here to be the professional orchestra. She's here because she's mad, and though she didn't call anyone out or stare at anyone, we knew who it was directed to, because we knew how she is. She liked to take care of herself.

Blake defended his side, and as I thought would happen, not questioning that he was the one she was speaking with. "Shyrene, I had to. I want more time with you, and it's just in case—."

"Just in case they fail?" She cut him off, her head clicking up to find him, and by that same inconsistent pattern in her footsteps, she made her way to look him face to face, so close, that they'd kiss if they were on good terms. Evidently, neither of them were very lucky in that area. "Your faith isn't even the size of a grain of rice."

"I believe in them, Shy. I do! It just doesn't hurt to be a little cautious. Why are you flipping out because I wanted to spend time with you? Because I saved your last life?" He raised his voice at her, but it was obvious he regretted it right after. That didn't matter that much, because he already did it, and what was done, was done. No turning back.

"You wanna know why it pisses me off, Blake? Do you really wanna know?" She responded, gritting her teeth. "Because this urgency only comes when it's my last life. I know, I know very well that you know how much I hate being protected, and how I like to be my own person, and keep myself standing, but if you are going to do any protecting you have to do it all the time. Not just when things are suddenly urgent. What does that tell me about how you'll treat our relationship? Are you only gonna start worrying about me when I'm on my death bed? How about the times all I have is a cold? Or even more, when I'm in a joyful dance-in-the-sunflower-field kind of mood? What are you gonna do then? Nothing?"

Blake opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out, and Shyrene only allowed him to have a short period of time to manage to come up with something. When he didn't, she took over again. "You're confusing me, Blake. Do you like me because I'm the only one that's been here and you don't have choices? Is the reason you want a relationship is because you feel you have authority when you have someone to worry about? Does it feed some kind of ego inside of you that worrying about someone means you're a good person? But in the mean time, if there's nothing to worry about, there's nothing to see? I don't need your protecting! I never did. I know what I'm getting myself into, and how risky things are, but if you're going to do anything at all be consistent about it."

"It's not like that Shyrene," Blake answered, massaging the bridge of his nose. "I gave you space with that because I know you wanted it. I'd love to protect you from the beginning, but only if that's what you want and I know that you don't. I'm not going to be some toxic control freak that needs to protect his girlfriend to feel like he has masculinity, and I honestly openly admit that you're much more powerful of a person than me, but if your life is at stake," his voice cracked, and there was a miniature pause in the middle of his sentence. "Then that's a whole different story, Shy."

She looked up, her eyelids fluttering to keep herself from bursting, and she kept her eyes away from her boyfriend. It shut her up, and it made her look like she knew she lost the argument, but because I don't want to be judgmental about it, something made her feel she had to change the subject. "Cams, why do you call Ellie, Mars, by the way?" She said, sassy with her switch. I kinda disliked the start of that conversation, because it's like she was using him as a shield from what she didn't want to hear, but I didn't feel I had room to say anything.

"Uhm—." Camdyn said, perking his head as he heard his name. As her and Blake argued, he tried to get himself the least involved in it as possible, which I have to commend him for. He heard perfectly everything she said, and found Blake's eyes for permission to answer her, when his conversation with her wasn't necessarily finished. Blake shrugged in response, letting Shyrene be, and Camdyn sighed, appearing he wasn't in much of a mood to talk anyway. "When we met in high school, her name was Saturn Marie Matalines. Because Saturn is a planet and Marie can be shortened to Mars, I thought it was funny. I was teasing her."

I rolled my eyes, but confirmed his story when the woman looked over at me confused. "Yeah, that's actually the name still on my birth certificate. I just changed it publicly. That doesn't mean it's changed according to the law."

"So your name is Saturn Marie? It's been for your whole life?"

"I told you this already, girl. That's why Soren always calls me by that name. He's used to it, and he gave me that name so he's not just gonna let go of it either."

"Weird. Yeah, I kinda remember you saying like that, but I didn't get what you meant. You've always been known as Ellie here. If you remember, you never had to actually introduce yourself to us. I guess I just assumed that Saturn was some common nickname someone made up and that stuck a bit too hard." Shyrene tilted her head as she pondered over something.

"It was your mom, Esther Matalines that announced to the Queen, before you were even born that'd she'd have a daughter named Ellie who'd inherit the power of the sun. That's back when our world was still intact on the verge of being destroyed, and it was quite the privilege to hear that we'd make home in your subconscious. For a while we couldn't exist at all because the time since those destruction and your birth had a time gap, but thank goodness our memories were retained and we know it's the Queen that saved us, and your subconscious of the royal blood that was prophecy come true that we'd call home."

I tried to form words, but I was too speechless. I was still trying to make sense of her words. Well, not exactly make sense of them, but actually accept that it could be true and that I was born with a purpose. Plus, though it wasn't necessary to say, I was clearly born to be my mother's daughter, a princess in line, and not a slave to my father's stupidity. I'm more of an Ellie than a Saturn, it's built into me. Always has been, but I wanted to hear it as crystal as I could get it.

"So I was announced to be born with this ability before Soren's even inherited the power for himself?"

"Before your mom even met him, actually. You're a gift. Weren't you already told you were a gift before?" She answered. She then turned to find Blake, her next words delivered loudly and slowly, so that he wouldn't miss it, and I started to understand why she began this conversation in the first place. She knew that at some point she'd steer the chat here.

"And that's why you're worth trusting, Ellie Reyes. Of course, when I first met you I had to be a little skeptical even if you are royal blood because I've never actually met you this way, but we got this far, haven't we? Why shouldn't we trust you?" She said, purposely clearing her throat. "Right, Blakey?"

Blake didn't answer, and I didn't care. It wasn't my business. What was is that I've never been more proud to be me. I wasn't born normal, true. I was born much better than that.

LEVEL SEVEN: THE TWO IN ONE

FEAR OF INJECTIONS AND FEAR OF PAIN

COURSE HAS BEEN PREPPED!

GAME WILL BEGIN

We were squatting around a modest room, that was ten by ten feet at most. There wasn't any furniture in any location, no decoration, no windows, no shelves, and the floor was icy on my bare calves. Besides the badly painted walls, all the room had to offer was a brown-colored door, with a note taped lopsided toward its center, and a duffle bag tucked up against the corner of the space.

"I'll get it," Shyrene sighed, when all we did was sit there eyeballing the paper, like it'd fly right to us. She ripped it off dramatically, I'm shocked it didn't rip, and cleared her throat to prepare herself to read it. "This level is another interactive. The main goal of this level is to find the key to open the door, and exit the room."

"That sounds easy enough," Blake thought aloud, and so far I thought the same, but I was nearly sure that that couldn't be all. We've climbed up to level seven, and we've seen blood and have trembled millions too many times. It wouldn't make sense to suddenly make a level so basic. It doesn't even follow the rules that Shyrene told me about at the start.

"I'm not done yet turd. You're smart enough to know there'd be a catch, and I haven't gotten there yet." The woman said, her hand about to slap him, stopping centimeters away from his cheek just to see him flinch. It'd be funny, but what I was thinking was coming true, and hearing it come to life didn't put me in a laughing mood. "You'll find four injections in the duffle bag that are made to make you fall asleep. They have built in pain killers too. Once you're out, the key will be hidden somewhere in the room, and you'll be given time to naturally come to. I'm sure you've noticed that it's almost as empty as you can get a room, so think about where it could be. There can't be too many options."

"Did you just say injections? Like shots? With the needle that goes into your skin?" I quivered once the word came out of her mouth, but I couldn't get to speaking actual sentences until she finished saying anything. I wanted to interrupt her, but I couldn't. Injections have always been a childhood letdown. I couldn't stand getting blood drawn, but even getting flu shots that are only supposed to take a moment's time, I couldn't manage. Naturally, I've always been that way.

Joey, my stepfather, had to do certain injections on his own, in the household, when we first started to live in the same place, and there was a time that it caused some complications. It was already beyond my head that a man I barely knew had to be hospitalized right in front of my eyes and coming from my property at that, but when I grew to care for him, it increased. I hated the idea of losing him, and anything that ever hurt him, I despised. My fear of injections skyrocketed. He's gone now, but the fear still remains. That one isn't a secret. It's very out there, even now, and it's odd to accept I haven't been tackled and attacked because of it yet.

"Duh! That's what injections are," Camdyn teased, still able to joke in the middle of me experiencing fear. It didn't last long though, because he had a worry of his own. That's when it hit me, I don't know how exactly it's being done, but this level is targeting both of us at the same time. "But why are they mentioning that the injection has a pain killer in it? Why do we need the pain killer?"

"I guess there's only one way to find out," Blake stated, casually. He just might be the most confident one of us here, and he was the one to do the honors of unzipping the duffle bag, and removing the needles. "Shall we get to it?"

I shook my head. "Oh hell, no. That's not happening."

Camdyn smirked a little. "I'll do hers," he said. "You both can take care of yourselves right? And then I'll do my own. Fair?"

The other two nodded. "Yeah, fair."

Before I could run, Camdyn had me pinned down to the floor and up against the wall. It was probably dumb to think to try in the first place, because where the heck am I supposed to run off with in this tiny square we're stuck in? He lifted my sleeve further up my arm, preparing a spot for the needle, and I had no escape. My muscles tensed, and when I felt the sting, they tensed a bit more. Still, Shyrene and Blake's eyes didn't go almighty as competitors. I was glad they were on my side, but the tingle I felt of this scenario being unlike the others — it felt off. It felt like something bad was going to happen.

"Done. It wasn't that bad, right?" He asked, a common question that doctor's always asked to their patients, making me more prone to trembling. With a fake smile and a thumbs up, a common go-to of mine, I nodded my head.

Already, my surroundings were blurring, and I knew I'd be the first among us to pass out, but pass out for what cost? Why are we agreeing to do what the piece of paper said so easily?

There's so many questions left unanswered.