Chad Thoeness's Story

[/OOC Everyone look at the OOC thread!]
Surrounding the gardens of the Leatus Dominionate was a huge and wondrous forest. Within this forest sat a large golden fountain, and beside this fountain sat a beautiful but lonely Goddess. This Goddess was Manera, the deity of love and she had grown tired of her loneliness. In desperation for companionship Manera brought people from other worlds to come and live with her in return for a wish. Her wishes fulfilled and granted, it had come time for the humans to keep their promises to live with her in heaven. Grinning to herself as she ran her porcelain hand across the smooth tips of the water's surface, Marena called out to her people, her chosen few, lulled them into a sleep and guided their sleeping souls to her realm. The souls would be led to her manor, awaiting her when she returned. A smile crept across her face as she turned from the fountain and began her journey back to her home, their home now. For they would live here forever. And no one could escape the House of Dreams.

Gunter fumbled with his keys, muttering to himself. He had had an amazingly bad day at school. In fact, it hadn't even been a whole day. That twerp Bradley had been jerking at his strings in every class, calling him Jerry and Nazi. Not that anyone at his new school knew of his former life in the military, but they could tell he was German by his accent, and were just ignorant bullies. And they were afraid. For some reason they were particularly jerkish today... Eventually he found the key to the front door and twisted it in the lock. Then he opened the door and walked in hesitantly.

'Hello?' his new mother's voice called out, 'Is that you, Timothy?'

Gunter didn't respond. He simply walked shame-facedly into the living room.

'Gunter??' His adopted mother, Shelly, jumped up from the couch. 'What are you doing here? You didn't have early release today, did you?' She glanced at her watch. Gunter already knew it was only 12:30.

He shook his head. "I got sent home." He muttered.

'What? Why? What happened?'

He stared at the floor. "I was sent home because I hit Bradley. May I go upstairs? I did not do anything wrong, and I do not feel like discussing anything he did to provoke me. I need to do my homework."

Shelly shook her head in frustration. 'Sure, okay. We'll talk about it later, okay?... Hey... We'll talk later, alright?'

Gunter shrugged and plodded up the stairs to his room. He shrugged his backpack off his shoulders and shlumped down on his bed. He sighed. Throwing himself back onto the bed, he finally let the first tears escape his eyes. He thought that if he was in America, everything would be better. Well, it was better, a ton better, but it definitely left something to be desired. He hated himself. And self-loathing was hard to live with. Especially when everyone around you is helping you with it. He started to dream. He wasn't asleep, but he was dreaming. He thought of Anna, and wondered where she was. Adrian, too, if he was okay. Self-loathing and survivor's guilt. Lovely. Soon, he actually was asleep. Many familiar voices bounced around and echoed inside his head. But one in particular was getting his attention. A soft, beautiful voice like a bell.
Bright light. Percussive noise. Another flashback. he thought. He didn't know what to do. Even after all these years, he just sat back and let it control his mind.
He jerked awake talking very hoarsely and quietly: "Die Bomben, wieder. Adrian! Adrian, ducke du!" He tried to dive out of the way, but he couldn't move. Some shrapnel must have hit his spine and paralyzed him. "Nein!" He screamed, though it came out just a hoarse whisper. "Warum?..." He opened his eyes... and breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a flashback. But he still couldn't move. And bright light was almost blinding him. He had to get a grip on the situation. "Hallo?" He called with as much voice as he could muster. "Is anyone hearing me?" He winced. His thick accent was back. The very same accent that he had worked so hard to eliminate when he reached America. He looked around. This... was a weird place to wake up. There were other beds spanning the room with strange people on them. Tall, arching windows let in inordinate amounts of sunlight. Gunter felt stiff. He looked down at himself. He was not wearing his normal clothes. He was wearing his Hitler Youth uniform. What was this, some kind of nightmare? "Is anyone hearing me?" he called out again, hoping for an answer.

Chad sat listening to Commandant of the Marine Corps speak about his exploits in Afghanistan. When the Commandant called his name, Chad stood walked to him, received his medal and then saluted the Commandant, who after saluting back motioned to the podium for Chad to speak. He stepped up to the podium and looked out at a crowd of people. He breathed deep "I do not deserve this medal, I did not do anything 'above and beyond the call of duty', I did my job. These three men sitting in front" he motions to the squadmates whose live's he had saved with his wish, "they earned me this, without them I couldn't have done anything." The three Marines stood and walked to the stage where Chad saluted and then hugged them. "Thank you all for the recognition, but all I did was what I needed to do." He concluded and walked off the stage with his fellow marines, they made their way to a local bar where they drank and shared stories with one another. At the end of the night Chad wishes his friends a good night and makes his way home he lived alone in a small apartment. He had not dated anyone because he knew had only a year left in this world and he didn't wish to break anyone's heart. He lay down in his bed, and drifted off to sleep peacefully.

Chad it is time to uphold your end of our deal he heard a beautiful and soft voice in his head.
"My word is my word, I wouldn't dream it any other way. I shall join you in your dream world." And with that he awoke in a new and strange building but he was unafraid.

Gunter struggled, trying to move. He wiggled his fingers, and for the first time they obeyed. He slowly sat up, hearing a woman's voice. 'H-hello? Where a-am I?' As he rose he saw a beautiful, composed, Oriental-looking woman who asked, 'Dream spirits... why have you brought me here?'
Gunter's brows furrowed as he tried to figure out what she meant. Did she think he was a dream spirit? He started to speak to answer her, but then he stopped. He hated the way he talked now. It reminded him of his past, which was not a happy story. Instead, he looked around the room, counting the people. One, two, three, four, five, six. They were all older than him, he noticed immediately. There was another kid, but he looked like an older boy, and he was dressed... oddly. They were all dressed strangely, in fact. Well, he supposed they all thought he was dressed strangely, too. As much as he didn't want to, he spoke up. "I am not a dream spirit. I am a real person. I did not bring you here, something else did. Although I cannot imagine what..." Then he remembered - the beautiful goddess Manera who had come to him in his hour of need. Had it already been a year? Years were short-lived things, he guessed. "Ah... of course. Are you all wishers as well?" he asked. He wasn't sure where they had come from if they were fellow wishers, because they were dressed so strangely, but he supposed that Manera could summon anyone from anywhere. Maybe they were all from America, and so they were strange. That was probably it.

As Jamie's eyes became adjusted to the light, he saw that there were more than just two people who belonged to the voices he'd heard earlier. There were six other people here with him, each in their own beds. Many of them were older than him, there appeared to only be one child younger than him, but he was dressed oddly. The only one who appeared like he was even remotely from the same time period as Jamie was a Marine. Jamie of course wasn't completely up to date on the uniforms of the military, but it seemed modern. The other boy, who was younger than him was wearing a uniform too, like a Boy Scout from the 40's. The Ancient Chinese Princess was still there, and there were two other women. One looked like she was wearing a Victorian Era clothing, and the other was dressed like something out of a music video, her jacket shimmered and changed colors in the light.

Just as Jamie was getting used to the light, and his present company, the other boy spoke up, answering the Princess's question. "I am not a dream spirit. I am a real person. I did not bring you here, something else did. Although I cannot imagine what..." he said, trailing off, lost in thought for a brief moment, and unable to finish speaking until... "Ah... of course. Are you all wishers as well?" He asked, as if it were a very simple question, but Jamie did a double take. Wishers? Was he referring to... that dream? Jamie tried to remember, but all he could recall of his dream was that a woman had told him she would help him, that all he needed to do was to say what he wanted and she would grant him his wish. She'd mentioned a consequence, was this it? Was the price to be paid having to be away from his parents and friends? If so, he wouldn't have wished at all. Anything was better than being away from his parents, even if it meant being picked on for the rest of his life. People could change, the conditions of a goddess wouldn't. Jamie felt his heart skip a beat, and a lump formed in his throat. He'd remembered. She'd told him herself, "After your year of living with your wish, you will come to me. You will live with me in my garden. That is the price to be paid." She'd said, in her voice chiming like a bell.

Finally speaking up, and in a voice barely a whisper, Jamie spoke "So this is it, isn't it. Our time is up." He said. He looked around, still completely shocked that this was all really happening. Jamie had just thought it was a dream, that the changes he'd made were all his own doing. That being social, being outgoing, and joining theater was something he'd done with his own power. He had been wrong. One year... one year wasn't enough. "I wish I'd never made that wish. I wish I'd manned up on my own..." Jamie whispered, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "My mom... my poor mom... She must be heart-broken." Jamie whispered. They were stuck here. There was no way to get back. Even if they could, Jamie didn't even know where here was, they could be anywhere.

Chad sat listening to everyone speak, he head the voice of a Chinese woman, who wore traditional clothing, and others who's clothing seemed odd as well as some who appeared to be wearing civilian clothing from the western world. He heard a boy speak, he appeared no older than 15, he war a uniform that Chad immediately recognized as that of the Hitler Youth. Chad began to wonder what implications this could have, a woman from traditional china, a young boy of the Hitler Youth, a woman dressed in strange clothing made of unknown materials, could they all be from different time? A young man, who was in his late teens to early twenties spoke. Shortly after Chad noticed a few tears form in his eyes. Always one to take care of others he walked over to the young man "I know it's hard, but we are the only men here, we must be strong for them. To show them we can all make the best of the situation, hold those feelings in, and later once you have a moment alone you can let them out. Tears are nothing to be ashamed of, but you have to maintain control." He whispered to the young man so that only he could here, his voice was soft and understanding. He then spoke up to the rest of the group "Hello everyone, I am Captain Chad Thoeness, Company Commander of the 4th Force Reconnaissance Company United States Marine Corps. I suggest we all introduce ourselves, as it would seem we will be here for a while. Also based upon observation, I would reason that the Goddess has taken from different times so we should state the year we are from. I am from the year 2012, I am 22 years of age." His voice was strong and in charge, his years as an officer the Corps gave him a level of confidence in unknown conditions.

While she waited for a response from the apparitions, Ying'e looked over their created forms in greater detail. The golden haired boy was dressed in some sort of segmented attire that looked more like the clothing of farmers, and the flame haired woman was even fairer than she, but was taller than any woman she had ever seen. Soon, other spirits woke from their slumber; a boy with hair dark like hers but features that resembled the first two, a taller woman wearing a material that looked like gems and fabric meshed together, and an even taller man still who looked more like the youngest boy than anyone else. Ying'e had never read of any legends depicting spirits like these, and found herself utterly confused. Even so, she knew how to keep a level head, and merely accepted their strangeness out of necessity.

The boy then spoke, trying to convince the empress of his identity. She was skeptical still, knowing spirits were mischievous creatures that loved to fool humans for their own pleasure in attempt to assume their form, and thus, she kept silent. It was not until he stumbled upon the word "wishers" that she really paid him any attention.

Manera.

Ying'e looked at her clothing, and realized it was the same dress she had in first dream given to her by Manera. She remembered distinctly for she had recorded the dream in great detail upon waking the next morning, carefully hiding the journal as she feared that the wish would be undone if others were to know. Perhaps this spirit was correct, but she was still suspicious. They were too different from her, even if to her, they were speaking the same language.

Aside, the dark haired boy mumbled something, but Ying'e was too far to catch his words. Though from his expression, it appeared that he too believed he was a wisher. The largest man then moved to his side, likely whispering words of comfort, though he might as well have been scheming with an accomplice for all she knew. The empress - or to them, princess - was not sold, but she gave it some thought. Her people knew better than to take wishes offered to them by spirits, but Ying'e was willing to pay the price if it meant that she could save her father, and to lead China through a time of prosperity and enlightenment. Perhaps this was what the goddess meant by her end of the bargain, though she did not think the price would come so soon. More time...perhaps that was a greedy thought. She had already defied Heaven's decisions, it was only fitting that she was given only a year.

The giant then spoke, a strong voice like hers upon addressing the court. She understood that his name was Chad Thoeness, but considering that the Chinese began with listing the last then first name, Ying'e thought his first name was in fact Thoeness. He was a commander of some company...not that she had ever heard such a name. Thoeness continued, making some sort of sense with his explanation of time periods, though the princess was finding it a bit difficult to wrap her head around the idea. Nonetheless, she decided to contribute as well as it was only fair. Rising from her seated position, the princess addressed the other spirits with a quiet but commanding confidence.

"I am Yuan Ying'e, Empress of the Northern Wei Dynasty, daughter of Emperor Xiaoming. I am of 16 years and from the year 544, the middle kingdom."

Adelina remained quiet as she listened to the strangers speak. They all, without exception, wore odd clothing. She examined them in turn, trying to decipher where they were from. She supposed the lady with the slanted eyes was from Asia, and her clothing looked familiar to some sketches Adelina had seen in history books she had read, although she would've said it was ancient attire. As for the little boy... he was wearing a little uniform, with a symbol on the side, like a twisted cross. Adelina didn't recognize it at all. Another man was wearing a uniform, yet it was not English. Although the Americans hadn't been part of the British Empire for just under half a century, she didn't believe their uniforms were quite that.. Strange. Perhaps he was from another country, like Ireland, although she heard they were all savages there. One dark haired boy, the one who spoke of his mother in a lilting, foreign accent (It must have been American, they spoke in such a unusual manner) wore a loose, short sleeved shirt, a jacket of the likes she had never seen before, and rather tight pants. His shoes were made of cloth and rubber, and looked extremely worn. She frowned. She had no idea where he could be from. Despite all her study of history, she hadn't seen anything like it before. He had tears in his eyes, but Adelina refused to be moved yet. Not before she knew him. And the most startling of them all, was a woman wearing pants, tighter than the boy before her. Adelina was taken aback. Decent women never wore pants, unless they were immoral. Yet this lady didn't show much skin, nor did she have rouge on her cheeks. Her hair was uncurled, and pulled back into a strict plait. Her shirt glittered like a metal made of different colors.
And then the uniformed man began to speak. "Hello everyone, I am Captain Chad Thoeness, Company Commander of the 4th Force Reconnaissance Company United States Marine Corps. I suggest we all introduce ourselves, as it would seem we will be here for a while. Also based upon observation, I would reason that the Goddess has taken from different times so we should state the year we are from. I am from the year 2012, I am 22 years of age." He too, had an accent like the dark haired boy, but his voice was deeper, calming, but Adelina was confused by what he said. They couldn't simply all be from different times. It was impossible...
"I am Yuan Ying'e, Empress of the Northern Wei Dynasty, daughter of Emperor Xiaoming. I am of 16 years and from the year 544, the middle kingdom." The Asian woman spoke. Her voice was musical, yet she spoke with a voice that demanded respect and consideration. Adelina didn't know what to make of her. An empress from 544 seemed too ridiculous to believe, yet there she was, in front of her.
There was a pause in the introductions. Adelina decided it was her turn to speak. She rose, leaving the sheet on the bed when she realized she wasn't wearing her night robe, but her favourite azure gown. She tried to step forward to introduce herself, but she stumbled, for she has measured the distance between her feet and the ground incorrectly. She stared at the ground, dumbfounded. She had grown overnight. She was far, far taller than she was yesterday, at home. Her dress had evidently been resized to fit her new height, but this, above everything else terrified her. It meant that she was, as she had thought, completely out of control here.
Looking back to her audience, she gathered herself. Taking a deep breath, she straighten her back, lifted her chin and executed the best curtsy she could manage. Rising, she spoke. "I am Lady Adelina Grant, from Darsville's Terrace in Fitzrovia, London. I am 23 years old and the year is 1841. It's a pleasure to meet you all." Adelina didn't lose her edge, and her voice turned out smooth and confident. She would not appear weak in front of these strangers, yet she had to remain a lady. "I would like to say that we mustn't draw conclusions. This may be a delusion. However, if it's reality, we mustn't say what we don't know is true. We are not certain we will stay here forever. Take hope in that fact." She directed her last words at the dark haired boy, with a smile that looked far more assured than she felt.

Tarani examined the others as they began to determine where they were, why they were, and who they all were. She was not exactly keen on informing others of her name. She knew this was the work of Manera, as she had expected every second of coming. However, she did not remember Manera mentioning to her that there would be others. She assumed it would be her and her only. For some reason she felt neglected and upset that Manera had lied in that fashion. It seemed silly to her to think this, but she was fully expecting to be the only one at Manera's side. She had no problems with that. The year she had with viewing her family from the outside was one of the happiest times in her life. She would have never changed it. However, now she was here with five other strangers who seemed to have gotten the same chance as she. Over the year, it was assumed to her that Manera had thought Tarani a special enough being to be given a chance as that. Now that there were others here and a few spoke of the same thing, she felt like lesser a person. At once she felt special, and now just a toy. She sighed and lay back down on the bed she had woken up in. She had to think about this. Why would Manera do this? Betrayal. That was the word. She felt betrayed on the inside. Oddly enough. She did not know Manera, nor her reasons behind choosing her. Why would Tara honestly think she was special enough to be the only one? She did not know. That angered her more to realize she had thought that. Even for just a moment. Fucking Idiot she said within her mind.

It took a moment, she noticed a type of silence. Had they all introduced themselves? She thought only three names were said. The young boy was right. Different times. She could not believe what she was hearing, but at the same time she knew the power of a Goddess had to be great if she could grant a year wish to anyone. She shook her head and sat up again, standing from the bed. Hand reached up to sleek back her hair, confirming it had not been tussled, then lowered to straighten out her jacket. Eyes glanced between everyone. She had read books , plenty of books. History was her sorest of subjects ,but all looked familiar in that way. The little boy wore a swastika. She chuckled a moment, noting to keep an eye on him. All she could really remember about that time was how such a horrible way it was for some. The next was a young Asian woman, whom said she was an Empress. Empress? She huffed to herself. Not any longer, Sweetheart. She smiled at that thought. She didn't take much mind for those whom thought they were better than everyone else. In her world, there were those who had nothing and then there were those like the Empress. Next, was that of a young boy whom seemed to cry a moment. Wimp. He won't be of any use. She noted in her head. That wouldn't stand. Then there was the Marine. She had heard of that faction from the older days. There was no longer different factions in her world, but a singular one that controlled her world. She didn't much like them either. They were as much the enemy as the government and those above her were. Nose wrinkled at the thought of so many here that she did not like. Both the cry-baby and the Marine were of the same time, she could tell. 2012 was not exactly in the history books but there were notable times around that era that she remembered. It made sense, however. Lastly, was the young red-head. She stated her time as being in London. 1841. That was a part of her history she could not recall. She knew around those times was Maidens, Princesses, knights and such. At least, she thought. She too was of royal blood. She shook her head, thinking about how odd this was going to be. None of them seemed suitable to be here, however they were. She questioned Manera's choosing, but then thought of why she was here herself. If it was not to be one person as Manera seemed to skim over, then why all of them? That thought crossed her mind. Something she knew needed to be discovered. However, she figured it was her turn to introduce herself. " Tarani from York of Charo in 2347" was all she said. She didn't much care for introductions, especially if it was her. She knew here her name meant nothing to them, so her name seemed unimportant for the time being.

Hands rested within the pockets of her jacket, as it was a slightly nervous habit of hers. Eyes then began to look around at their surroundings. She figured Manera would arrive soon. She had to explain things and not just let them wander, right? So there, she stood, awaiting that moment. She wanted more information as to why there were here. Why she was deceived.

Jamie's heart was breaking. Right now, his mother could be calling upstairs to have him come down for dinner, only to find him completely gone. She'd throw herself through the hallways of their house, blast through all the doors, and probably tear herself apart looking for Jamie until she realized he wasn't there. Jamie could see her, almost. He could see her desperately searching for him, only to be heartbroken when he wasn't anywhere to be found. He could see her crying, her husband, and Jamie's dad, trying to console her while the tears fell from his own eyes. It was one of the single most painful moment's of Jamie's life. Jamie pulled his knees up into his body, while still sitting up, and wrapped his arms around himself, trying not to completely lose it. As he sat their, trying not to break down and sob like a small child in front of complete strangers, he heard heavy boots hitting the floor, coming closer towards himself. Jamie looked up to see the marine, knelt down next to him. He smiled gently and put his hand on Jamie's shoulder. "I know it's hard," he said. "but we are the only men here, we must be strong for them. To show them we can all make the best of the situation, hold those feelings in, and later once you have a moment alone you can let them out. Tears are nothing to be ashamed of, but you have to maintain control." Jamie wiped his tears away and only nodded in response to Chad's words. As the others introduced themselves, Jamie finally got to take a really good look at them. It seemed Chad was right, everyone else WAS from different time periods. He found that no one else was speaking, and it seemed it was his turn to speak up and introduce himself. "Umm... H-hi." Jamie stuttered, he was incredibly nervous. "I-I'm James. James Maddock. But I g-guess, i-if you like, you can call me Jamie. I'm from the year 2012 as well. I'm eighteen years old." Jamie said, trying to keep his voice from quavering and also trying to speak up to make himself understood to all.

Gunter felt some pity for the crying kid. He was right. What would happen to their families? Would they be worried? Would they start searches for them that would never end? This was wrong. Something about it just didn't sit right with him. The man who seemed to be dressed in some kind of uniform walked over and whispered words of comfort to the older boy. Then he turned to the rest of them. 'Hello everyone, I am Captain Chad Thoeness, Company Commander of the 4th Force Reconnaissance Company United States Marine Corps. I suggest we all introduce ourselves, as it would seem we will be here for a while. Also based upon observation, I would reason that the Goddess has taken from different times so we should state the year we are from.'

Wait. The year we are from? Gunter thought, What is this, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells?

'I am from the year 2012, I am 22 years of age.'

2012? How was that even possible? 2000 hadn't even happened yet! Gunter's eyebrows raised slightly.

Then the Chinese woman spoke: 'I am Yuan Ying'e, Empress of the Northern Wei Dynasty, daughter of Emperor Xiaoming. I am of 16 years and from the year 544, the middle kingdom.'

Gunter nodded. This was insane. But, he supposed, a goddess could do anything. A tall red haired woman stood up and stumbled over her own feet like an adolescent boy. But then she recovered herself. 'I am Lady Adelina Grant, from Darsville's Terrace in Fitzrovia, London. I am 23 years old and the year is 1841. It's a pleasure to meet you all.'

Wow, 1841. That was cool.

'Tarani from York of Charo in 2347.'

"2347???!!" Gunter breathed. It was unthinkable. The world must be horrible by then, he thought.

'Umm... H-hi.' the older boy mangaged to get out. 'I-I'm James. James Maddock. But I g-guess, i-if you like, you can call me Jamie. I'm from the year 2012 as well. I'm eighteen years old.'

Gunter nodded, then felt his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth as all eyes turned towards him. Feeling incredibly self-conscious, his hand flew up to cover the swastika on his arm. He hoped no one had seen it. Tarani chuckled, and he felt his face turn an angry red. She had seen it. And she knew what it meant. "I am not a Nazi." He started defensively. Then, deciding that that wasn't much of a start, he restarted. "I am called Hert - Gunter. I am from 1945, I am fourteen years old, and..." he shrugged. "That is all you must know." He timidly turned to the Marine. "Um, do you... happen to know... who won the Second World War?" But before the marine could answer, a soft laughter seemed to echo effortlessly around the area.

"Don't worry my chosen few, you have just come home. You were granted any wish that you desired and now you are here to live with me. Your bodies are adjusting to the transition through time and space to get to heaven, you will feel as your normal selves within the hour. Please don't be distressed, this is the beginning of a wonderful eternity together. Relax. Make your way through the main hall to my chamber when you are ready. Welcome home."

Chad stood respectfully as the other's introduced themselves, the kid whom he had comforted was the only from his time, was named James. Then the young boy in the Hitler Youth uniform spoke, he was from 1945 and named Gunter, then he approached Chad a little nervous "Um, do you... happen to know... who won the Second World War?" The question surprised him a bit, but then he remembered the kid was from a different time. Chad took a deep breath in, having been a soldier for so long he had a very particular view of war. But before he could respond Manera spoke to them all "Don't worry my chosen few, you have just come home. You were granted any wish that you desired and now you are here to live with me. Your bodies are adjusting to the transition through time and space to get to heaven, you will feel as your normal selves within the hour. Please don't be distressed, this is the beginning of a wonderful eternity together. Relax. Make your way through the main hall to my chamber when you are ready. Welcome home." After she spoke Chad turned back to the young boy and spoke, "Son, no one wins at war. War is a terrible thing people die, soldiers do terrible things because they were ordered to. World War II is a strange topic, the history books will tell you that Allies won the war, but in order to do so they had to do many terrible things themselves. Ultimately the Axis was halted and the genocide of the Jewish people was halted. But war is always terrible, one does not win war, he merely survives it." There was a calm sadness about his words that can only come from a seasoned warrior. He did not attempt to sugar coat things for the kid and instead spoke directly to him as an equal.

Tarani watched the rest of the group as they finished the introductions. So many time frames and yet she was from the most recent. Well, most recent to her she supposed. It was a little hard for her to wrap her head around it, but she knew time travel had been tinkered with until outlawed some hundred or so years ago. She did not doubt there were those who still secretly looked into it, but she never thought she would be subject to it in any manner. It was actually pretty interesting in her own thoughts. So many time frames. If only Manera chose stronger individuals. She huffed at the idea that she was the strongest. Of course she automatically thought that. It was just how she felt until someone proved otherwise.

She was lost within her thoughts until the young Nazi stated that he was in fact not a Nazi. She smiled mischievously at the child. Right hand raised and patted her arm in the same area his swastika was. She made no verbal argument, but raised her brows after patting her arm. She chuckled until she heard Manera's voice. Manera....Her smile turned into something gentle. Hearing the sweet chimes of the Goddess seemed to make her melt. She supposed through the year of expecting something of this sort that she had readied herself to be at her side until...well who knows when. So to hear that voice once again seemed to calm her soul. Switch her to a totally different core of herself that she had never experienced. A type of happiness, and even an ounce of crush. To be told you are to spend the rest of time with a Goddess of such beauty, one would automatically assume certain things that perhaps Tarani should not have. Despite such, she felt light, gentle, and happy once Manera instructed them what to do. It took a moment but that lighthearted feeling soon exited her existence and she was back to normal. Thinking about how she felt deceived since there were other souls here, helped in that fashion.

Brows furrowed but she turned toward a doorway that she assumed was the hallway to Manera's chamber. She felt uneasy in her stomach, but the largest feeling of that is the absence of answers. She had questions that she would demand of the Goddess despite the predicament and lack of power Tarani possessed in this situation. The lack of power did not settle well with her either. Eyes looked back at the group to see if anyone else would choose to follow. Waiting for them to get their feelings together was not an option for her. Manera's beauty in front of her with answers was her only goal right now. She proceeded down that hallway, butterflies in her belly from the anxiety of her eyes coming across Manera once again.

Second.. World War? Adelina was alarmed. That sounded dreadful. It meant that there must have been a First World War. She wondered if Captain Thoeness fought in a Third World War, or Ms...Tarani had witnessed some other World War. The possibility scared her. She was also curious to know what a 'Nazi' was. Maybe it was a just a word from the future. Besides her confusion, she was frustrated. Everyone, aside from Ms. Ying'e, was from a time after her. They knew about how life was in 1841, but Adelina couldn't imagine what their life was like. Even Ms. Ying'e seemed to accept the...magic of their situation better than Adelina could. But Adelina was a Christian, and Jesus said that there were no Gods beside his Father. So how could this woman, this Goddess take her, a child of God, away from his land, and bring her to her own? Thoughts were whirling around her head until finally, Adelina regained control of them. She would remain calm and strong here, she told herself. This was not a place to loose her head and faint. Not for the first time, she wished her corset wasn't so tight. Breathing in, she thought back to what they were talking about. Wars on Earth. She was just about to ask about them, when a bodyless voice spoke, and Adelina was as sure as anyone else that it was the Goddess.

"Don't worry my chosen few, you have just come home. You were granted any wish that you desired and now you are here to live with me. Your bodies are adjusting to the transition through time and space to get to heaven, you will feel as your normal selves within the hour. Please don't be distressed, this is the beginning of a wonderful eternity together. Relax. Make your way through the main hall to my chamber when you are ready. Welcome home."

Her questions about the wars died in her lips, as she felt the urge to do as the Goddess wished. Even the Captain's half-answer didn't tickle her curiosity. She watched as the brooding Ms Tarani turned in the direction of a door that had previously escaped Adelina's notice. It must have led to hallway which would then lead them to Manera. Ms Tarani (at this point, Adelina was annoyed that she hadn't given her surname - She disliked calling the dark stranger by her Christian name like a servant would) began to walk toward, looked back once and continued.

Immediately, Adelina wished she had been the one to walk first, to lead the group fearlessly to the Goddess. She didn't want to follow the woman, one who Adelina suspected held contempt for everyone else. It was something in her countenance that Adelina disliked.

Adelina turned to the others. She was older than most of them, excepting, she thought, Ms Tarani. She moved closer to the youngest two, Gunter and Jamie. Jamie was a little old to call him by his Christian name, but perhaps it would be better to be friendly than formal in this case. She suspected that Ms. Ying'e was quite young of age, but if Adelina mollycoddled her, she wouldn't appreciate it. And the Captain was only a year younger than her.
"Shall we follow?" She asked the boys, speaking to them like equals. It wasn't custom at home, but she had never agreed with treating the children like they had no opinion. Of course, they had to respect their elders, but Adelina felt it was too hard if respect was not earned

Quietly, she waited as the others introduced themselves, realizing that perhaps naming conventions differed when the others seem to have strange first names like Grant, which was much too masculine sounding for a lady. Reversing her idea, Ying'e then noted each of their new names silently. When the small boy finished his introduction, he made a move to cover the strange spider symbol on his arm, denying that "he was a nazi." Whatever a nazi was, Ying'e wasn't too interested. It was merely something she did not know, there was no point in dwelling. He - Gunter - then conversed with Chad about some war, which she found a bit pointless. If they were not spirits meant to mislead her, seeing into the future was meaningless as they were wishers trapped here to comfort a goddess in her loneliness. Still, Ying'e found herself interested, but she need not ask now. They had an eternity for questions.

Ying'e surprised herself with her strength, but she supposed the foundation had always been there and was simply built upon during her year as empress. She thought she would feel more devastated, more protective over her family, and would fight tooth and nail to return, but this was on a scale greater than any one person. This was a divine force, and she feared the repercussions on her people for her insolence in attempting to escape. It was then that a lovely voice entered her thoughts, as though she were answering any doubts she had. Ying'e willingly accepted her words, but her body seemed to instinctively fight against this invasion of privacy, stiffening defensively. Even so, she did not fear, for this was necessary, and so she ventured into the doorway after Tarani.

Gunter listened to the message with mixed feelings. Here was his savior, the goddess who had rescued him out of the worst days of his young life, but she was also his betrayer. She hadn't told him that he would be ripped from his life with no warning. No, that wasn't fair. She had given him warning. A whole year ago, she had warned him this would happen. So, really, she hadn't done anything wrong. It was his own fault. He had accepted the deal. And besides, he was being terribly ungrateful. The anger he then had for Manera turned toward himself, like it so often did. His thoughts were interrupted by the end of the message and Chad's answer.

'Son, no one wins at war. War is a terrible thing - people die, soldiers do terrible things because they were ordered to. World War II is a strange topic. The history books will tell you that Allies won the war, but in order to do so they had to do many terrible things themselves. Ultimately, the Axis was halted and the genocide of the Jewish people was halted. But war is always terrible. One does not win war, he merely survives it.'

Gladness flooded Gunter's heart. He smiled. "The Allies?" But then he thought of his friends. Anna - what had happened to her? Then he felt like a coward for leaving. For daring to wish for one second that the situation might be taken from him, that the blood on his hands might be washed away. The smile quickly faded from his face, and he lowered his head in shame, ignoring the chuckling from Tarani. She could go die, for all he cared. Then Tarani left, walking down the hall. The tall woman approached him and Jamie.

'Shall we follow?'

Gunter nodded, smiling through his shame. He watched the Chinese woman glide through the doorway after Tarani, and then he swung his feet over the side of the bed and stood. He was still a little weak, but Manera had said that would wear off. "Let's go to get some answers." he said determinedly, and walked down the hallway. Once he got to Manera, everything would be fine. But that was what he had thought before. Once I'm in the army, everything will be fine. And that thought was soon proven wrong. Maybe this one would be, too.

It was a beautiful hallway, with gold and silver and huge doors on each side. But they were all locked. They had symbols on them, and Gunter wasn't exactly sure what that meant. He walked down the hall to a pair of beautiful, large, golden-glided doors. The designs were precise, filled with animals of every kind, a swooping bluebird, a proud stag. The doors themselves stretched up to the ceiling just to encompass all its pictures. Gunter tried to see beauty in them, but he couldn't. There must be something wrong with me. he thought. As everyone walked up to the doors, they opened on their own, and Gunter saw her. And if he hadn't seen beauty in the doors, he saw it now.

The Goddess of Love rested on soft white silk pillows on top of length of stairs. It was like a throne room of an Emperor, with a small river running through the sides on the room creating the laughing sound of trickling water. The floor was marble and chairs scattered on the main floor all pointing in the direction of the Goddess. Manera cast her eyes upon them and showed them a pearly white smile and a kind face as she swept her hand in the general direction of the chairs. "Please do take a seat." she said sweetly to her approved.

Gunter walked slowly into the room, unable to take his eyes from the goddess. She was kind and loving, and meant no harm. Gunter had never seen anything like her. There was no hint of cruelty or malice in her. It was baffling. After breathing a breath of awe at the goddess's purity, Gunter took a seat on one of the chairs. They were so comfortable, but he was too caught up in the beauty of the goddess to notice. He and Manera waited for the others to react and take a seat.

Once down the hall, she noticed the large gold doors. It was something she had never seen before. Everything was so dark, old, dirty, and meaningless in her life. These doors were the opposite of everything she knew. Eyes widened a moment, noticing the doors had opened. Watching Gunter walk through she too followed; not exactly appreciating that he had entered first. Once inside, the Goddess sat above them , atop gorgeous stairs. Tarani had paused in her position, just looking over her. Taking her time she looked from head to toe. How gorgeous this woman was. She was even more so in person than she had remembered in her dreams. It took the woman speaking to be cast back into real time. Looking around at the chairs, she did not exactly want to sit in them. It felt like a meeting of some sort. One she was not sure would have good information. She really wanted her questions answered, so she did as Manera said. Slowly walking to a seat closest to Manera, she sat down. The crunching of her jacket echoed lightly through the room.

This was the moment Tarani had waited for. The moment to see Manera in all her glory. To be told of her duties and what the two shall do together. She seemed to think , or dream, that Manera and her would be a type of friends. They would do numerous things together throughout the day and years. Eternity was a very long time. For a solid year she had prepared for these actions; even looked forward to them. It was to her deepest concern and anger that there were others here to share these moments with Manera. That part royally upset Tarani. Sitting here and awaiting the others allowed her to once again think of this. Manera wold have to fork up the answers. Tarani would make her. At least...she figured she would.

Jamie listened politely as the others introduced themselves. He's managed to stop crying, and get up, throwing off his covers, and sitting on the side if his bed. As Jamie listened to the others, he took mental notes on ages, names, places of residence, and speaking patterns. He did so instantaneously. It wasn't something he even had to think about. He just did it. Jamie had always been good with little things like that. Especially languages, Jamie loved languages. They way that words could roll off of the tongue and mean a myriad of different things, dependent on simple percussive variations, was marvelous to Jamie.

As they stated their names, Jamie could help but be held, for a brief moment, in complete and total wonderment. They were all from such different times, such contrasting periods. It was amazing to think that such power could come from a swing being. Enough power to pluck these whole individuals from the currents of space and time, and deposit them here. Now that he thought about it, Jamie looked around for a moment. Where was here? Jamie stood up once they had all finished and looked around the room. It wasn't a place he could ever recall being, nor one he'd read about or seen on the Internet. There were beds laid out in a circle in a semi-exposed gazebo like room. Jamie could hear the sound of water, trickling through a good sized stream, but he had no idea where it came from. He could hear birds chirping, the whisper of the wind running through grass. It was simultaneously indescribably beautiful and haunting. He could distinguish no local flora or fauna that might give away the climate or local geography. There were plants and animals of all different species and geographical locations. It was amazing. That's when he heard it. Manera's voice. It was calming, yet terrifying all at once. It chimed like a bell, but demanded respect in a way that Jamie didn't know was possible. He shrunk back, next to the bed he'd woken up on, next to the other boy, Gunter.

"Don't worry my chosen few, you have just come home. You were granted any wish that you desired and now you are here to live with me. Your bodies are adjusting to the transition through time and space to get to heaven, you will feel as your normal selves within the hour. Please don't be distressed, this is the beginning of a wonderful eternity together. Relax. Make your way through the main hall to my chamber when you are ready. Welcome home.". Said the goddess.

Jamie was relaxed, ever so slightly, by the words. They were gentle, and kind. Jamie was calming down, but he still had questions that needed answering. What of his family? His friends? What were they doing? How were they doing? Did they know what happened to him? Then, Adelina spoke.

"Shall we go?" She asked, simultaneously addressing Gunter and himself. Jamie clenched his fists, just a little. He nodded and stood, following her out of the room and down a hallway of sorts. There, he was greeted by a huge door, made entirely of gold. It was breathtaking. The door had been inscribed with perfectly accurate images of animals. There was a proud stag, swooping birds, and hundreds of fish. Literally any animal you'd ever seen before was there, even things like dragons, and phoenixes. Jamie gasped and ran up the the doors. He touched the point of a stag's antler, and gasped again. The whole door had been carved from a single, massive piece. It was amazing. The door opened rather suddenly, and Jamie scampered back, next to Adelina, as if to hide behind her, should something terrifying pop out. As they doors swung open, Gunter went in first, followed by Tarani. Jamie swallowed hard, before stepping forward and into the room, shortly after Tarani. Once again, as Jamie entered the room, he gasped softly. There she was, Manera. She was the single most breathtakingly beautiful woman Jamie had ever seen in his life. He blushed slightly, after realizing he was staring, and sat in a chair next to Gunter. He had so many questions swirling about inside his head, like a maelstrom thrashing about in his skull, however, Jamie said nothing. He sat, politely, and waited for everyone else to enter. Once they had, Jamie would ask. He would find out what happened to his family, his friends. Even if it would break his heart, Jamie had to know. He had to.

Manera watched them marvel at her beauty and take their seats. She knew their every thoughts and she found some of them slightly cute and amusing. She smiled at each one individually, pausing for the same amount of time with each, not showing favor to any. Finally she rose from her seat to stand and look upon those whom she had chosen, her golden hair falling in volumes down to her hips, her fiery emerald eyes looking upon them.

"You all had great needs when I came to you" she spoke softly, her voice echoing around her manor so everyone could hear - not loudly, though, it was almost as if she was standing beside them, talking in their ears. "And I took those needs away. I granted you your desires and in return you shall grant mine." Her eyes swept over them as they hung on her every word. Yes... these were right ones to choose she thought to herself. "I am but a lonely Goddess. My halls no longer fill with laughter and banter, and my wish is that you keep my hall company that you fill these halls with your voices, your forms. I am your master now. My wish... is that you become my pets."

With that she beamed a grin, sat back down, and awaited their reply.


Gunter quietly reveled in the sacred, beautiful silence. The only sounds that could be heard were the laughing of the water, the rustling of Manera's clothes, and the quiet creaking of Tarani's jacket. It was made of a strange substance, but Gunter couldn't care less about that at the moment. He opened his eyes when he felt the goddess' eyes on him. He looked up to see her smiling at him. It was a wonderful smile. But then it was gone as she moved her stunning gaze on to smile at the others. Then she spoke. It was amazing, the most beautiful voice he had ever heard. He thought that he wanted to hear that voice sing, but then he shook his head. It would be too beautiful for him. He didn't deserve to hear something so precious.

'... my wish,'

Anything. Gunter mouthed. Anything you want.

'is that you become my pets.'

Gunter's brow furrowed. What? She couldn't mean that. She couldn't possibly. The realization dawned on Gunter that he had been duped. Again. Taken in by something outwardly beautiful, something tantalizing. That old, familiar feeling filled him again. "No." He said firmly. "No no no no no. This is not real." He put his head in his hands. "I don't believe it. There is nothing beautiful. How stupid I was to think for one second that anything could be so good. Gunter, you were tricked again. Everything is a lie. Don't forget it. Ever again." He pounded his fist into his knee in frustration. It was no use, and Gunter knew it. They were all stuck here. Caged under her power. He glared at her in dismay, feeling betrayed. This situation reminded him of a quote from the motion picture 'Song of the South,' which had come out in 1946, just before he slept: "You can't run away from trouble. There ain't no place that far." So true. Gunter thought bitterly.

Chad sat upright and respectfully as Manera stood and spoke to them. He kept his eyes on her out of respect and outwardly he gave no sign of any emotion or fear, but on the inside Chad was wary of the goddess, no one who had the power to do what she did for him did so without asking for anything in return. She had taken him from his home, this he was aware would happen but now she would reveal the rest of her terms. "I am but a lonely Goddess. My halls no longer fill with laughter and banter, and my wish is that you keep my hall company that you fill these halls with your voices, your forms. I am your master now. My wish... is that you become my pets." Pets, Chad could not believe anyone would do something so horrible, although his face and form remained as still as stone on the inside the gears in his head twisted and turned trying to figure out what to do. On the one hand Manera was clearly powerful, she had granted them all a wish of some kind changing their lives, and then brought them here. Even if he were to escape she could probably find him, and he could not let these people remain here helpless. He would stay but resist, we are humans and will not be treated this way, I will help them. He made this decision without revealing any emotion or thoughts outwardly, the others would see his typical stern and emotionless face sitting upright and respectful. Just as he made this decision her eyes stopped on him for a moment and he simply stared back at her until she moved on to the next person. He was certain she knew what he was thinking, so he could not safely think of a way to resist now, but he in his heart he knew he would find a way.