• A door opens with the ringing of a bell, several clicking footsteps follow, and the bell rings again as the door closes. More clicking footsteps coming towards the counter, I slide over so the sensor pads are not blocked. Z turns to the customer and says “welcome to the Zaahir bathhouse, my name is Zamos, how may I be of assistance?”
    A female voice replies, “Come now Z, it hasn’t been that long, has it?”
    Z says with surprise, “Raven, how have you been, it’s been ages since you’ve been back.” I look over at the female, five ten, platinum blond hair, nice bust, full lips, sculpted eyebrows, long shapely neck, high cheek bones and a nose that just seems to fit, not too big, not too small, not too broad, not too narrow, not hooked. She’s wearing a duster or trench coat, dark green leather, almost black, iridescent green. The fact it is iridescent is the only reason I know it’s green. I open my mouth to say hello, she turns her head to me, her most striking feature, her eyes; deep, deep blue, almost violet and iridescent at the same time. I’m stunned, I can’t say anything, I can’t breathe. Z is slapping me on the back saying “breathe kid, breathe.”
    “Did I break the little kiddy ?” Raven asked with a smirk.
    “Your one cold b***h , aren’t you?” I asked in a sickly sweet voice.
    She replies just as sweetly “The kiddy got claws, don’t you.”
    “And the b***h has teeth.”
    Z buts in, “Will you two shut up.”
    “But out old man!” me and Raven say in unison. Then there are three sharp beeps, Z starts laughing, and I look down to see my hand on a sensor pad next to Raven’s. Again as one, “Oh ******** me,” then, “not in your wildest, wettest dreams!” Z laughs harder, “would you shut up old man!” Z starts to laugh even harder, and then he stops as a bell rings out.
    “Thank you,” I said.
    Raven says, “Let’s see what we have,” as she leans over the counter. She pales “I would rather be a doll in Pure Pain than go through that again.”
    “It can’t be that bad, can it, right?” Z just handed me data pad. On it was me and Raven’s name under guest, under room was, “reflections of truth”.
    I look up at Z, “tell me this is a joke,” I grab his shoulders and start shaking him back and forth, “please, please tell me this is a joke, please Z tell me this is a joke!”
    Z looks at me but doesn’t seem to be able to focus on me completely. “I wish it were, I wish to Gods it were.”
    Silence filled the air with the weight of the decision that lay before me and Raven; to leave and never come back or do this and risk our lives. To leave would mean I’d loss the one good thing in my ******** life but I’d still have my life. To stay and see this through would not only risk my life but my sanity, on the other hand my sanity would have long ago left me if not for this place. Oh, if only life where this clean cut all the time.
    “I, for one, am doing this.”
    “Don’t be a fool that room will take you in, chew you up and might not spit you out again.”
    “I’m with her Z. We all know the risks, but if it’s our time then it’s our time, at least we know what will be our end.” I said
    “Look, I know you’re both gluttons for punishment but this is insane.”
    “Z I know you’re scared for us but you don’t need to be.”
    “Raven, you know I’ll always be scared for you, you too Vex .”
    “So what’s on the Secondary list?” I asked Z.
    “Why do you think there is a Secondary List?”
    “Because if there isn’t one, then we know we’re not coming back.” Raven said.
    “You have a point, but I asked because I wanted something to look forward to.”
    “Oh, you know you’ll survive little kiddy?”
    “The question of ‘whether or not I survive’ is no question at all; surviving is the only outcome for this little kiddy .” I said, “besides I want to know where I might find solace if you don’t make it back.”
    “Aw, how sweet, you care for me.”
    “Yes, I do, my plans for you are vary, interesting. I’d hate for you to miss them .”
    “Before this gets any more charged , Echoes of Silence is the only room on the Secondary list.”
    “First come…?”
    “…first served.” I said, “Come on; let’s get going before something else happens .”