Amber Grayson, a 19 year old girl who has been busy last time we saw her. She has grown accustomed to her new life but there is something that has been gnawing at her these past 3 years. She is a girl with unfinished business.  Let's watch and see how she plans to change that. She how she travels even deeper into The Size Zone...

As I look at the Mediterranean Sea from our private beach I can't help remember the time me and my family traveled to Naples, Florida. I was ten and my little brother was 7. We played in the water splashing each other while mom and dad just grinned and waved. I took a lot of things for granted with my family. Even when I became a soul eater I thought I could still hold onto my family.  My old master told me that would be impossible. I was immortal, they were not. No one could predict what would happen. Dad was killed trying to save me from the Order and I was branded a terrorist. It's a bitter thing to be exiled from your home. "I thought I'd find you here" a voice said behind me. "Hi, Rafael" I said turning behind and seeing him.

Rafael was a 16 year old boy from Madrid. He was a very rare person. His father is a soul eater and he was born "activated".  After coming to the Athanatos Academia, the name of this academy, I learned it's rare for males to be soul eaters and even rarer for them to be born with the ability to use magic. "You're thinking about them again aren't you?" he asked. "...yeah. My birthday is today. My parents took me and my brother to Disneyland as a gift when I was 10" I said. "Lucky you. My dad really never did those things with me. He was busy chasing women, or his next meal" Rafael said tossing his long black hair as he stretched his neck. Raf was adorable. Like many soul eaters, his appearance was far more attractive than the average human. The girls here in the island clamored to be his girlfriend or more. I don't know why he focused on me.

 "What about your mom? You told me she's still alive" I said. "Dad divorced her a few years ago. He claims she was holding him down. Truthfully, I think dad can't bear to see her grow old and die. Dad tends to focus on his needs. Mom calls me now and then to check on me" he said. "You’re the one who's lucky. Mom thinks I'm a terrorist or some shit" I said. "Nonsense. Your mother knows you" he said. He sat beside me. I could smell his body spray. He smelled nice. "Wish I really knew. I know the Order is still looking for me" I said. He put his hands around my waist. I tensed up. "They're looking for all of us. That why we're here so we can learn to defend ourselves. Is it true you took out an entire combat team?" he asked. "Three of them actually. Well four if you count the chopper they sent in" I said. "You stopped a fucking chopper?" he asked. "Shrank that motherfucker" I said. "Damn chica. You're one badass" he said hugging me. I tensed up more. My heart beat faster.

"You okay Amber?" he said noticing my quickening breaths. "Do...do you like me Raf?" I asked nervous. "Well yeah. You haven't noticed that yet?" he said chuckling. "Why? There are plenty other girls prettier than me" I said. "Maybe on the outside but not on the inside. When it's time to feed you're not cruel about it like the others. The other girls tease and rape the men over and over while you do just what needs to be done. If that's not enough you're the best student here. The head mistress herself calls you a prodigy. Amber, you are incredible" he said kissing me. I felt his tongue in my mouth and I returned his kiss. "You're not saying that just to fuck me are you? Apple fell far away enough from the tree right?" I asked. He looked at me upset. He got up and walked away. "Raf wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean...shit. Nice going Amber. A guy likes you and you damn near call him a pervert for it" I said slamming my fist on the sand.

I returned to the main building and made my way to the dorm.  I thought about what he said. It's true that I don't really toy with my food. Truthfully, that's a more private thing for me. It's embarrassing with a crowd. Ms. Ambrosia and I did it but that was more sensual than power tripping. I...I really miss her. "Make way for the teacher’s pet!" a girl shouted. "Think you're hot shit because the mistress gives you private lessons?" another girl said stepping into my way. "Fuck off Elise" I told the girl. You'd think I would be done with clique bitches when I left high school but no. Elise and her fucking cronies try to rule the academy. "Fuck you say to me geek?!" she said gripping my shirt collar.

"You think you can just waltz in here and fuck with how we got things here? Not only that your homely ass is found talking to Rafael!" she yelled. Elise is a 20 year old girl from England. Very pretty with long flowing blond hair and eyes like sapphires. Like I said to Raf, there were girls prettier than me here. "And this here. No way someone like you could afford such a pretty gem in this necklace" she said gripping something very precious. "GET YOUR SKANK ASS HANDS OFF OF IT!" I said shoving her hard. She tumbled to the floor. "Oh that did it. I'm going to enjoy putting you in your place" she said with eyes glowing blue. "Bring it euro trash" I said channeling air currents.

"ENOUGH!" a woman yelled. A force hit us and it felt like bee stings in our minds. I glanced over and saw it was the head mistress. Mistress Selene. "So that's what the spell mind shock feels like" I said groaning. "She started it!" Elise said. "No you did. I saw everything. The second you put your hands on her you were at fault. You know the rules about fighting outside of a sanctioned duel. Punishment" she said pointing her finger at her. A white light shot from her fingertip and hit Elise. She wailed as she shrank. She didn't stop shrinking until she was 5 inches tall. Mistress picked her up. "Come to my office later Amy. We have some things to talk about" mistress said walking off with Elise in her grip.  The other girls stepped aside. They wanted no part of me.

"Another day in paradise" I said plopping down on my bed. I kicked off my sandals and leaned back. I held my necklace in my hand. It was warm. It's always warm. Not from my body heat but the jewel inside the broach. When I came to the academy 3 years ago Mistress Selene pitied me and gave me a broach with a dull red stone embedded in it. "What's this?" I asked. "You asked if there was a way to preserve you father's soul. This is the way" she said. "But how?" I asked. "I'll show you. This is an ancient technique not used today because it's unnecessary. Long ago when one of our kind had to travel on foot across great distances we used these stones to store souls.  These stones are called blood stones. Souls don't need food or water while the humans do. This way we didn't have to worry about our captives dying and leaving us to starve to death. We just extracted the soul inside and we were fine for a time longer. Now we will try to extract your father's soul inside you" she said.

"Will it hurt?" I asked. "Yes. Do you wish to continue?" she asked I nodded. "Brave child. Think about your father. Think about a very precious memory" she said placing her hand on my bare chest. I thought about the time dad took me to the planetarium. It was our first daddy daughter day. I was 6 years old at the time. Funny, this memory is really vivid for such an old one. It was around that time I found my love of science. When we got there the place was packed. They were running a special program where college kids got extra credit just to go. Every burnout and grade grubber was there hoping they would pass their classes just for showing up. The showing was sold out. I was disappointed so dad tried to cheer me up with ice cream. After that we went to the local sports park and rode around in go karts. When it got dark we left. "Have fun today pumpkin?" dad asked. "Yeah but I wish we was able to get into the planetarium" I replied. "Hmmm...." dad said switching lanes on the highway. He took an exit that didn't lead back home. As the minutes ticked by we had left the city. "Dad where are we going?" I asked. "A surprise" he said.

The sun had set and it was night by the time he stopped. He pulled over to the shoulder of a dark road. The darkness scared me. "This way" he said holding my hand. He led me into a grassy field which led to a tall hill. "Dad?" I asked confused. "Look up" he said. I looked up and saw the stars. I'd never seen them so bright and clear. "Before you or your brother was born, I and you mother would come out here just to stare at the stars. Without light pollution, you can see them very well out here. Look, there's Jupiter" he said pointing to a star. "And that's really bright one is Venus" he said pointing to the brightest star in the sky. "So Venus is the brightest star?" I asked in wonder. "No you are" he said smiling at me. His eyes were full of love. I hugged him and started crying. "Aw don't cry honey. Look, will you stop crying if daddy gave you the moon?" he said. I nodded. He began reaching for it and the perspective looked like he could actually grab it. "Aw man, I can't grab it. I wonder why" he said.

I started giggling. "Because it's too far away silly!" I said. "I guess you're right. Oh a shooting star!" he said pointing. It lasted for a second but I saw that streak of light. "Make a wish" he said. "I wish for more daddy daughter days!" I said. He chuckled. “I think that can be arranged" he said.

I noticed my chest was very warm and my cheeks were wet. I had been crying and hadn’t realized it. Then a sharp pain in my chest. "Ow! What are you doing?!" I yelled. You chose a very very precious memory. One you kept close to your heart. I have to yank it out. This is why your chest hurts. Bear with it. I'm almost done" she said. A terrible pain like something important was torn away from me and then nothing but a dull ache. I looked at her hand. In it was a purple ball of glowing smoke. "Here is you father's soul. I can feel the love for you radiating off of it. He must have been great man" she said solemnly. "He was the best" I replied. "Hold out your hand" she said. She slipped me dad's soul. It felt so warm to the touch. Like how warm a blanket feels on cold winter days. "Now push the soul into the bloodstone slowly" she said. I did and slowly dad's soul was absorbed by it. The stone wasn't dull anymore. It glowed a low crimson like it was shining in the brightest sunlight.

"If I may ask, what memory was it?" she asked. "My dad took me to the planetarium when I was 6. We....funny I can't remember it as well now" I said trying to remember. "That's because it was a shared memory. You remembered it so well because your father's soul treasured it as well. Apprentice, you will come to learn that souls aren’t just life energy; they are the accumulation of life experiences as well. Humans have more strife and pain in their lives as they get older and this is just one reason we eat young souls. Souls that haven't soured due to age, violence, or loss. Your father was unique. I felt sweetness to his soul. He must have been very content with his life" she said. I wiped away more tears. "Allow me dear" she said putting the necklace on.

As I stroke the bloodstone I began my daily routine I do around this time. I began muttering to myself. Special words that I've crafted over three years just for one special day. Over an hour had passed before I decided to go see Mistress Selene. "You asked me to come see you? Oh wow..." I said seeing her sit on her sofa with her feet on the coffee table. Right at her bare feet was Elise who was busy massaging her toes. She had to use both hands at her size to stroke and knead each toe. "Come on in dear. Care for a massage?" she asked. Elise looked at me with pitiful eyes. As much as I would have liked this bitch worshipping my sweaty feet I declined. "Suit yourself. You're missing out. Elise here has gotten quite good at foot rubs. I called you in here because I kept hearing a rumor going around" she said.

"Rumor?" I asked. "Yes, I've heard you've wanted to take the Trial of 3. You're the most gifted student I've seen in over millennia but you're not ready to graduate from the academy yet. What's the rush? You're immortal after all" she said. "I made a promise 3 years ago to destroy the Order. I plan to keep it" I said. Selene and Elise looked at me. "You think you're the first to declare that? We've tried to wipe them out since the earliest days of their existence. What makes you different?" Mistress asked. "The previous ones fought out of attrition. I fight out of vengeance. You know what they took from me. You held his soul in your hand. They will not go unpunished. They...will...burn" I said coldly. "If you go you will die. They are far more numerous than you think. You defeated three squads and this is quite an achievement, but even you can't fight them and the resources at their disposal. If they even knew where the academy was they'd nuked us by now. That's what kind of power they have at their disposal. You still care to say you will destroy them?" she asked.

"I will or die trying" I replied. "Fine! I can see there's no reasoning with you! So be it. We will perform the Trial in two days. Be prepared" she said. I nodded and left the room.

I saw Elise (full size) the next day and apparently she told them what was up. I'd never told them the circumstances behind me ending up here. They assumed a parent or guardian sent me here to learn like many others. They knew now I was a battle tested killer of men. People got out of my way as I walked by. History class was boring. The stories of how previous soul eaters lived and hunted was told and of cautionary tales of how they were killed by the Order. Did you know Jack the Ripper was a soul eater? Neither did me. He extracted souls by cutting into the victim until their soul left their bodies. The problem was the corpse left behind. The Order got wind and killed him. Dumped his body in the Thames. Other classes were more fun though. Spell craft was nice. Thinking of new spells to use in daily life was cool. I learned a trick in which I could control a weak willed person's mind. This came in handy for luring prey. Then meditation. We sat in a circle clearing our minds. This way it was easier to focus on high level spells. Of course all of this ate up energy so we had to recharge every two or three days.

They had designated teams that went around and collected people around the world. Most of them came from either Africa or Asia. It was more difficult to hunt in first world countries. The students joked that it was Thai food Thursday's or soul food Saturday's. Now and then we'd get people from Eastern Europe or on rarer occasions people from North America or from Europe. You'd be surprised how much you ceased to care about people begging for their lives when they did it in a language you didn't know. I made my way to the cafeteria where they were ready for us.

They had them in boxes. You'd just reach in and pluck one out. We were allowed 3 to a person so that meant about 60 or so people were eaten at one sitting. "Good evening Amy. I heard you will be performing the Trial" Mistress Senna said to me. Senna was a soul eater out of central Africa. Rumor is she knew Cleopatra. "Word travels fast around here" I said grabbing a tray. "Welł you are the talk of the academy. One so young and so adept already. When I was you age I was still trying to learn wind spells" she said chuckling. "What should I expect during the Trial?" I asked. "Ah, that I can't tell you. You will see that for yourself. I'm rooting for you" she said handing me 4 teenagers. "You gave me too much" I said. "Shush. You need them. I gave you the choice ones. Young teens from an orphanage from Romania" she said.

I carried my tray of people to my seat and sat down. All of them screamed for their lives. They had been shrunk to just 3 1/4 inches and readied to be devoured by an immortal giantess. I picked up the first one and tossed him into my mouth. A Romanian boy around 14 scrambled and screamed for his life in my mouth. I sucked on him and moved him about making sure his little cock rubbed my tongue. I knew he wouldn't last long being so young. I tasted his cum and swallowed him whole. His soul infused with my body and I immediately felt the soul charge. Next came a girl of similar age. They looked the same so they must have been twins. Some hard sucking on her pussy and she was cumming. Her soul seeped out and I sucked her into my mouth and swallowed. She moved in my stomach for a few seconds more before her body was leached dry of her yummy soul. I ate the third one, a boy of 15 later but I saved the last one. It was common for the shyer girls to take one back to her room. This way she could have fun in private. I dropped the 13 year old boy in my panties and felt him pushing against my pussy. I excused myself later.

After some web surfing and satellite TV, I decided to let off some steam.  I pulled back my panties and pulled the young boy trapped inside. He gasped for the cool clean air. As soon as he saw me he began begging and crying in Romanian. "Sorry little guy but I don't know what you're saying" I said smiling. My fingers ran up and down his naked body. He whimpered and sobbed when my finger rubbed his crotch. I felt his cock harden. "I had lunch and now it's time for dessert" I said raising him to my mouth. I sucked his tiny prick between my lips. He groaned and began beating his fists on my upper lip. He had stopped talking and was just sobbing softly as I orally raped him. My finger rubbed his smooth back and pinched his cute tiny ass. He helped and tensed up. A tiny morsel of virgin cum landed on my palate. A faint salty flavor.

I dropped him onto the bed. He lay there panting. I undressed and sat down on the bed again. My legs surrounded him. He looked at me with awe. "First time seeing a naked girl? You'll get more than a look" I said pointing to my pussy. He backed up and shook his head. Threatening him verbally was silly. He didn't speak English. I slammed my fist into my palm and pointed at him. He got the picture.  He crawled over and began licking my pussy. "Hmmm...more" I said. He must have thought I'd spare him if he did a good job. He was kneading and licking my pussy as much as he could. "Fuck me" I said. Interesting note; fuck is a universal word. Means the same thing in multiple languages*

(Author's note: It's true)

He started fucking me as best as he could with a dick two centimeters long. I was horny enough to feel it though. I was moaning like a cheap whore and twisting my nipples while being screwed by a shrunken teen boy. "More! FUCK ME MORE!" I yelled. He sped up and within a few seconds came. He was blowing his puny load into me. He was exhausted. I grabbed his body and shoved him into me feet first. His weak screams rose and fell as I pushed him in and out of my cunt. "Fuck I love tiny people! Oh fuck yes!" I moaned. I was turned on I came. My pussy squeezed him and every muscular contraction sucked him in deeper. By the time I had finished cumming, only his head was visible. I glanced down and burst out laughing. He was neck deep in giantess pussy. It was getting late and I needed to turn in. I didn't take him out. I left him in there.

Now and then he'd kick his legs and feet and a small shiver went up my spine. Best sleep in a long time. I was excused from early classes due to the Trial so I slept in. It was late morning by the time I awoke. My pussy pal was asleep. I grabbed his head and yanked him free. He was still asleep surprisingly. "Wow, I really wore you out huh?" I said to him. His body was glistening with my juices. I blew onto him. The coolness awoke him. "Bye little guy. It was fun" I said. Lowering him into my mouth. He whimpered as I closed my mouth. I could taste the sweetness of my juices along with his salty sweat. I sucked on him hard and rolled him around in my mouth. I had gotten good at making them cum fast. Pin them to the roof of your mouth and rub your tongue along their body. I showered as I sucked on him. I tasted his cum as I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair. His yummy soul seeped out of him. I swallowed and felt his tiny body slide down my gullet. He moved a bit more as I dried off and then he and his soul were absorbed into me as I dressed.

The Trial was at noon in the catacombs underneath the school. I had an hour to kill. I walked around the compound until I saw Raf. He was staring at the beach we were on the other day. I walked up to him. He turned around hearing my footsteps. He smiled and then looked down. He turned to walk away. "Raf wait! Please?" I asked. He stopped and turned back to me. "I want to apologize for what I said the other day. I...I've never had a boy say he loved me before. I was kinda scared like I didn't deserve it" I said. His face had concern in it. He walked toward me.  "Amy, I know you didn't main those things. You need to understand that people like us have the right to love. I'm not like my dad. When I chose a girl I stay with her. I chose you because of see me not as just a pretty face but something more. Just like you. Is it okay to kiss you?" he asked. I nodded. He kissed me so gently I felt like I would melt. He broke off the kiss and looked deep into my eyes as I did his. Raf had such pretty eyes. Like polished bronze.

"Is it okay if I suck your tits?" he asked grinning. "Not in public you perv!" I yelled. "Sorry. A little bit of dad came out there" he said grinning. I hugged him. "Maybe later" I said whispering in his ear. His cock poked my stomach. "Later" I said leaving the frustrated boy. I felt better talking to him. He really loved me even after I had said such a cold thing to him. Raf really is a good person. I was so happy I went to the beach. I took of my sandals and danced to music in my mind. The warm sand between my toes was nothing compared to the warm feeling in my heart. I didn't stop dancing until it was time to walk to the catacombs.

The door creaked open as I walked down the stairs. Down and down it went. The air stale and moist.  The stone floor cold under my bare soles. I followed an orange light until I reached a room with Mistress Selene and two other Mistresses. "Do you still want to go through with this Apprentice Amy? I must warn you. It's not uncommon for an Apprentice to die during the Trials" Selene asked. I took a deep breath. "I do. I understand the risks" I said. "Very well. Let the Trial of 3 begin. The first Trial. The Trial of Life" she said. The room filled with a bright light. Opened my eyes and gasped. "Mom, dad! Chris!" I said. My family stood before me even my dad. I ran to hug them and dad held out his palm to stop me. "Dad what's wrong?" I asked. "How dare you call the man you led to his death dad" mom said. I felt her words sting my heart. I glanced down with emotional pain. When I glanced up I saw they had grown. No...I had shrunk!

I was barely as high as dad's knee. "Mom I didn't mean to cause dad to die!" I yelled. "He still died anyway. Now I have to grow up without a dad. Thanks to you. I always hated you Amy. Always picking on me. Always lording your big sister role when it came time to babysit me. I'm glad you left" Chris said coldly. Tears fell from my eyes. I shrank again. I was barely a foot tall now. "I'm sorry Chris! I'm sorry I was mean to you but that didn't mean I didn't love you! You're my little brother and I will always love you soul eater nor not!" I yelled. "Soul eater. My daughter is a soul eater. How it sickens me to see you become a monster" he said. "I didn't want to become one! It was either that or die!" I yelled. "You should've died" he said cruelly. I shrank again. This time I was two inches tall. Dad reached down and plucked me from the stone floor.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance. That way I'd still be alive.  Farewell Amy. Time to get rid of another monster" he said opening his mouth. "No...daddy you can't! You can't eat me! DADDY DON'T EAT ME!" I screamed as he dropped me into his mouth. I scrambled as I felt his mouth tilt backward. My bare feet slipped on his tongue. "NOOOO!" *gulp*

He ate me. Daddy ate me. I'm going to die. This can't be real. Dad is dead! Oww! The acid burns! It's real! I'm going to be digested! Daddy....daddy said I should've died. No...daddy would never say such a thing. He protected me. He gave his life, his very soul to save me! Whoever that was it wasn't dad! I won't die in here!

With steeled concentration, I summoned a wind spell. I focused what little air there was inside this stomach and forced and compressed it. "Release!" I yelled letting lose the spell. The snap of air pressure underneath me shot me up that throat like a BB out of an air rifle. A moment of darkness and then my body smacked onto something cold and hard. I coughed and opened my eyes. Around me stood Mistress Selene and the two other mistresses. One was coughing on the floor.

(A half-minute earlier from another perspective)

"I'm sorry Selene but she failed the Trial" a mistress said. "Dammit! I knew she was not ready! I have myself to blame" Selene said starting to cry. "She showed such promise. A pity I ended up eating her. So goes the end of that Trial. She was tasty though" another mistress said muttering the last part. "We...we should tell the boy. He has the right to know" Selene said. As soon as she said that a mistress grabbed her stomach. "Cretia?" Selene asked. "Something’s wrong. I feel her...she's ahhhh!" Cretia said spitting something out very small on the floor. "AMY!" Selene yelled running over to the tiny girl.

"Are you okay honey?" Selene asked. I looked at her.  I've never seen such worry on her face which was easy to see since it was so gigantic. "Don't move!" she said. "Restoration!" she yelled. Within a few seconds I was back to my old height...and covered with puke. "Here. Put these on" she said handing me a robe. I changed out of my soiled clothes and now I wanted answers. "What the fuck was that?!" I yelled. "You don't speak to Selene in a way!" Cretia yelled. Puke was on her chin. "Was it you who swallowed me?!" I yelled. My powers flared up and my eyes glowed green. "Easy child! The Trial of Life tests you on how to come to terms about leaving your old life. You were hit with a unique shrinking spell that triggered when you felt guilt or self-pity.  If you let guilt shrink you too small you fail the test and you are eaten" Selene said.

"So to pass the test I must overcome my guilt and emotional burdens of my old life" I said. "Apparently you did...in an unorthodox way" the mistress who swallowed me said. "What caused you to overcome it at the last second?" Selene asked. "She said in dad's voice that I should've died. Dad would never say that. He gave his life and his soul to save me" I replied. Selene excused the other Mistresses. She watched them leave. "I thought you were dead!" she said hugging me. "Mistress?" I said surprised. She was crying softly. "Ever since you showed up on our doorstep I knew you were special. So strong and yet broken inside. I took pride in the fact you were eager to learn our ways and never did you become arrogant with your gifts. It's so rare for someone like you to be born. When I thought you were dead I felt so empty inside. I felt like I had personally failed you. Please Amy. Give up this endeavor. The next Trial is too dangerous!" she yelled.

"I can't. I have to do this" I said hugging her. Okay. Go through that room when you're ready" she said pointing to a door. I walked into the next room. There was a large wooden box as I approached it I heard tiny men and women inside screaming. A Mistress stood over them. "This is the second Trial. The Trial of Death" she said. She pointed her finger at me and I felt myself shrinking. She had shrunk me to 3 1/2 inches. She casually picked me up and deposited me in the box. Now that I was inside I saw that this was no ordinary box. It had been made into a maze! "You must make you way to the exit. Be warned though. The men and women inside have been promised their freedom if they kill you. If you grow, fly, or destroy the walls you fail. Begin" she said.

I took off running scared shitless. I stopped though. "Calm down Amy. You know the trick behind mazes. Keep your hand on the interior wall and you'll find the exit. I made my way deeper in and I heard footsteps approaching. I stopped and they stopped. Someone was stalking me. My steps got quicker and so did theirs. I readied myself as they got closer. A man jumped out from behind a corner and lunged at me with a sewing needle. I barely dodged it. A quick wind spell sent him into the wall. I quickly picked up the needle and stabbed him on the chest. His face contorted as he yelled in pain. I yanked out the needle and stabbed him again and again. He finally died.

I quickly moved from there. His yelling would signal for others to come. Farther in I got. It was quiet. Too quiet. "Ahhh!" I yelled as I felt a sharp pain in the back of my thigh. I turned to see a woman in her 30's had snuck behind me and stabbed me. If I hadn't over to the side at the last second she would have stabbed me in the back.  "Burn!" I yelled. She burst into flames like a match head. Shit! She got me good and I just sent a big fucking signal to where I was! I quickly limped away from the woman who was now smoldering. "Shit she's not here!" a man yelled. "She can't have gone far! We got to stop her before she reaches the exit! Our lives depend on it!" Another said. "Look! A blood trail! Follow it!" another man yelled. Damn. Why didn't I heal that up immediately?! I concentrated my magic and the puncture wound closed up. I was running on too much instinct, forgetting what I could do. I was still thinking human.  Judging by the different voices there were three left. I had two choices. Fight them and hope I kill them before they kill me or dash to the exit.

Seeing how I got ambushed twice I saw it was better to make it to the exit. I was good at magic but sucky at close fighting. One on one I'd be fine but a group in confined spaces was different. I was getting to the opposite side of the maze. The exit! I can see the exit! I made a mad dash for it. Just as I got near one of them popped up from the corner. I tried to stop myself but my bare feet slipped on the wooden surface. I readied a wind spell to knock him out of the way. Before I could I saw a glint of metal and then a horrific pain. The man, a man in his 20's had a hand on my shoulder and a sewing needle ran through my chest. "I got her! I fucking got her!" he yelled with an English accent. "Hold her Reginald!" a man shouted.

I felt the pain ebb away and a coldness seep in. I heard footsteps behind me and the. I was yanked backward. The shock was clouding my mind to the point I couldn’t focus my magic. "Finish her off" a man yelled. "Not yet. I wanna have fun with her. Might as well enjoy ourselves before she dies" Reginald said pulling the needle out of me. "Idiot! Kill her before she can use her magic!" his friend yelled. "Look at her. She's fucked. She's got a minute tops before she kicks it" he said pulling my legs apart. I concentrated. Concentrated past the shock and blood loss. Past the urge to black out. I began to heal.

I felt better but not great. I had stopped the internal bleeding and that was enough for now. Now I had to counterattack. The man pulled my robe to the side and lined his cock up ready to defile me. "Time to send you to heaven before you go to hell" he said looking into my eyes. That was a fatal mistake looking into my eyes. "You don't want to rape and kill me. You want to protect me. Those two want to kill me and will kill you to do it" I said to him. Mindslave is the name of this level two mind control spell. Those with weak wills will obey your commands. Even if it's to die. He stopped what he was about to do and stood up. He gripped his needle hard. "I won't let you do it" he said looking at his friends. "Reginald? What the hell did you do?!" his friend yelled trying to stab me as I was lying down. The man grabbed his arm and ran him through. His friend looked at him with shock until my slave yanked the needle out.

He fell to the floor and looked at me. He twitched a little and his breathing slowed and then it stopped. Too bad he couldn't heal like me. "No stay away! Stay away from me!" his other friend yelled. I heard running and my slave took off after him. A second or so later I heard screams and wet gurgles. My slave came back as I was standing back up. He was covered in blood and smiling. "Anything else mistress?" he asked. It felt nice to be called mistress and not apprentice. He was cute but I didn't forget what he planned to do to me. "Kill yourself" I said. He gripped the needle in the middle and ran it right through his neck. He stood there bleeding out and smiling knowing he had pleased his mistress. His legs wobbled and he fell to the floor. He died with a smile on his face.

I gripped my stomach and made my way to the exit. The Mistress there waited for me with open palms. I collapsed into them. "Rest child. I'll take care of healing you" she said rubbing my body with her finger. It was either the magic or her body heat that made me fall asleep. When I woke up I was normal size again. "How do you feel?" she asked. "Hungry and tired" I replied. "Understandable. You lost a good deal of blood. You passed the Trial of Death by the way. It was very close though. The Trial of Death shows you that not only are you a predator but you are prey. Predator of humans and prey for the Order. There will be a time when you will have to fight enemies in unfamiliar territory. You must keep a clear head and rely not on just your magic but on your cunning. You were tested on how fast you can use magic, tactics, and evasion. You need to practice on your concentration under pressure and physical prowess but that comes with experience. You did well overall" she said.

She handed me a bowl of soup and some tea. "Take the time to rest. The final Trial is next" she said walking off. I wondered what the next one would be like. Each one was more dangerous than the previous one. I was almost eaten the first time (okay I was eaten but not digested) and this one I was impaled and nearly raped. My hand holding my soup spoon trembled. Keep it together Amy. Just one more to go...

"So is ya ready for this next one?" a woman said walking out of the shadows. It was Mistress Bell. She was one of those bubbly girls. She had the appearance of being 24 or so but being an immortal you learned quick not to go on appearances. She was a soul eater coming from the Deep South. Story goes she was activated during the civil war. She spent her first few years as a spy and shrank and ate Union officers. She came to the academy when the war ended. "So what this Trial like?" I asked. "Dunno. It's different for everyone" she replied. I sat the now empty bowl down and stood up. "Whatever it is I'm ready" I said. "That's the spirit girl!" she said smiling. We walked into the next room and inside was a Mistress holding a torch. "Thank you Bell. You can go" the woman said. Bell left the room. "This is the final Trial. The Trial of Rebirth. This trial will encompass what you have learned since your activation. All your knowledge. All you skills will be now tested.  You may begin" she said snuffing out her torch.

I could hear a creaking of a door and then sunlight. I walked forward through the door. I was outside. Before me was a circular stone area the size of a lecture hall. Standing in the middle of it was Elise. "What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked. "Beats me. The Head Mistress said I can have a sanctioned duel with you here. Like I'd pass up a chance to kick the shit out of you. Step on over ass kisser. Let me show you how a real soul eater fights “she said. ”Bitch you're just a stepping stone in a plan I've been making for three years.

We both began with wind spells. We focused them on each other only to have them mix and twist until a small vortex began forming. The blowback sent us both on our asses. We started on level one spells. Lightning bolts, ice shards, fireballs. We both saw this wasn't working. We kept deflecting attacks.  Both of us were getting pissed. "Step up your game hillbilly!" she yelled channeling more power. "Same to you Limey!" I yelled powering up. It was time for higher level spells. Time for this shit to get real.

The ground was shaking. She was summoning an earth spell. I had to be quick. I knew the earth spell she was trying to invoke. It was called Gaia's Wrath. You rip a boulder out of the ground and fracture it. You shoot the fragments like shrapnel at your target. Fuck healing from it. You'd be hamburger. The clouds grew dark overhead. It would be who was faster now. Me or her. The boulder was ripped from the stone floor. Any second now. Got it! The broke the boulder to pieces and readied herself. "Level two lightning spell! Zeus's Cry!" I yelled releasing the electrical blast. A bolt of lightning that tore the air with horrific thunder arced from the heavens and slammed into Elise. She was blown right out of her sandals and impacted a stone pillar. I breathed tiredly releasing so much power. I thought that was the end of it.

Light enveloped her and stood up. She was healing. She stood up. The green glow of her healing spell faded and was replaced with an orange one. "You pay for that!" she screamed. I readied another spell. It was an ice spell. She was charging up fast. Whatever she was gonna hit me with it was going to be big. Damn! It's too slow! Enough moisture but it's too hot! This ice spell was taking too long! "Die bitch" she said coldly. "Oh shit! Diamond Dust!" I yelled firing the spell off. The spell was not quite done so it was diffused. An intense beam of light shot from her hand and struck the ice shards forming in the air. She had used a light spell; Sol Burn. I got ridiculously lucky. The ice shards scattered the lethal beam into a shotgun like effect. Similar to what I used against the Order agents three years ago. Three quarters of the beam missed me but the remaining quarter burned me. I had 6 third degree burns the size of quarters on my body. If it wasn't for a soul eater’s natural resistance to magic I'd be Swiss cheese.

I quickly began trying to heal. "Lucky whore!" she yelled running up to me. Her hand glowed red. I put up a wind shield just as a fireball hit it. She was hitting me with small fireball spells trying to wear me out. It was a good strategy. I was running low on energy. The previous Trials had consumed a good amount of soul energy. If I was going to survive I need to get creative. I had to come up with a spell that didn't consume too much energy and keep the shield up at the same time. Tall order. I had to do whatever I was going to do fast. I could feel the heat from her fireballs breaching the shield. "JUST FUCKING DIE!" she yelled. She raised who arms up and readied a powerful fireball. When she did I saw a rock. A rock she made to kill me. I concentrated invoking a simple gravity spell. The rock flew at her and smacked her in the back of the head. "Ow goddammit!" she yelled gripping her head.

I took that moment to stop her attacks once and for all. I punched the bitch and with that gravity spell still in my mind, focused that shit right into her body. She went flying. She slammed into the stone floor and rolled a few times. I had to end this. I couldn't let her get back up. I walked over to her and saw she was bleeding from her face and scalp. She was groaning in pain. I knew her defenses were down well enough now. "Shrink" I said pointing to her. She shrank in size to two inches. I kicked her over with my big toe. "You hated me for no good reason. You tried to bully me. You tried to hurt me. Now you tried to kill me" I said putting my dirty foot on her body. Her bleeding face poked out from between my toes. "Please don't kill me. I don't wanna die like this" she said whining. "Before you die, I need to tell you something. I'm not a hillbilly. I'm from fucking Connecticut" I said cruelly. My breath quickened. I felt myself pressing down on her tiny body. I wanted to see her just pop like a ketchup packet under my foot. I wanted the satisfaction of wiping her remains off my dirty, sweaty, smelly sole. I stopped.

"There's been a hidden meaning to these Trials. The Mistress said I had to use all my knowledge to pass this one. Did she mean..." I thought to myself. I released my foot off of her. "This Trial is over!" I yelled. A gust of wind came from behind me. I turned to see Mistress Selene, Bell, Cretia, and three other Mistress' standing there. "Well done. You passed. How did you figure out the real solution to passing?" Selene asked. "The first thing Mistress Ambrosia taught me was a soul eater must never kill another soul eater. This was to see if I would kill one of our kind wasn't it?" I asked. "It was. It's not enough to know our graduates can defend themselves or use proper magic. We must know that they will follow our tenants. Tenants that safeguard our existence as well as yours" Cretia replied. All the Mistress' bowed before me.

"Bell, take care of Elise. I wish to speak to....Mistress Amber privately" Selene said. "Right away. Come on Elise. Let's get you fixed up. Damn she did a number on you" Bell, said picking up the defeated girl. Selene walked me back to her private chambers.   

"Use my shower dear while I prepare something for you" she said. I stepped into her bathroom. It was decked out in gold and ivory. She definitely had a taste for the finer things. I let the water wash away the dirt and sweat accumulated from fighting for my life. I stepped out of the shower and saw my robe was gone and was replaced with a fine silk one. "Ah, you look a whole lot better" she said admiring me. She patted her bed for me to sit. I watched sit down gracefully. She was so pretty. She didn't look a day over 30. Her black hair shone in the light and her skin was the color of caramel. "You amazed everyone today. Half of us didn't expect you to survive and the other half expected you to fail the last trial. I held out hope though. Do you know why?" she asked. I shook my head.

"Because you are the most gifted one of us I've ever seen. I see in your eyes the drive and passion for what you wish to accomplish. That's rare for an immortal. Why rush things when you can't die of old age? We lose that kind of perspective. Even the new students here just wish to learn and nothing else. Elise I can see just wants power. Raf wants...well he wants you" she said smiling. I blushed. "Now don't be embarrassed. Love is a gift to humans and a fleeting thing to immortals. Anyway, tonight I want you to reflect on your future. One that hopefully will make you happy" she said kissing me. She smelled so nice and her lips were so soft. My tummy growling interrupted the moment. "Oops. I forgot you must be hungry and low on energy" she said reaching for a dining tray. She took the lid off and there was chicken with asparagus and alongside were 8 humans. Each one the size of an inch. They all screamed at the two giantess' hovering over them. All men between 15 and 40 and ready to be devoured body and soul.

"Let's start on the main course first" she said. As we ate she told me more about herself. The first startling thing she told me was she had no clue her age. Her childhood was filled with her tribe farming in the area we now call the Fertile Crescent. She lived before there was a calendar and before there was written word. She could only guess she was older than 7,000 years. She said as far as she knew she was the oldest living soul eater in the world. Mistress Ambrosia was the second oldest when she was still alive. She spoke of how she first became aware of her powers. She was wounded in a tribal raid and healed instinctively. Her and her mother was called demons and were banished from the tribe. They roamed the area for decades until word came of a giant village being made. It was the first inkling of a city. Millennia passed and one day while living in Ur she met a nice man. They wedded and had a child. I was blown away when she told me the name of her son; Gilgamesh.

She told me more stories. How she moved from place to place every few decades and when she found more of her kind decided to found the academy. Her first student was Mistress Ambrosia. "She was something else your old mistress. Headstrong and challenged authority. She was adept at wind spells like you but had trouble with shrinking spells. It took her a full year to master that. They were either too small for practical purposes or too big to consume.  Underneath that hardheaded exterior was her drive to improve. She never gave up. I see her teachings in you" she said. "How did she do in the Trials?" I asked. Selene burst out laughing. "She damn near killed me and another mistress in the first one. Not one shred of guilt for her mother. She hated that woman. She did have some guilt over a young boy she shrank once. She shrank a little but that temper flared up when the mistress posing as him said he never loved her. Whew....that was a mistake" she said.

"As for the second Trial, she used the men and women we placed in her way. One by one she enslaved as they met her. By the time she got to the finish they escorted her through.    She rewarded them by crushing them under her foot" she replied. "And her third Trial?" I asked. Selene was quiet. "As I said before, she was the first student so there were no peers to challenge her. In order for the Trail to work you need someone who has been confrontational in the past to see if they will kill their opponent. I was the lucky choice. The fight was vicious and brutal. She surprised me by using level 4 spells. I had no idea she had such power. I tried to take her out with a level 4 earth spell. Sand Oblivion was the name.  I thought if I blinded her she would submit. I figured she would use a heavy spell and that would give me time. No, she was running the long con. She waited for me to invoke something big. She invoked a level one lightning spell. You're a smart girl who knows about science. You know what happens when you hit silicon with electricity right? Yeah you guessed it. Of course in those days we still believed lightning was of the gods and knew next to nothing of science. That lightning was conducted right through the cloud of sand I was summoning. It was like a thick blanket of lightning all over me."

I was down and out. I felt myself raised into the air. She shrank me and held me to her face. She was gritting her teeth and squeezing my body. I felt my ribcage buckling. I smiled. She had beaten someone who had thousands of years more experience. She was gifted. She looked at me and I'd never forget what happened next. Tears rolled out of her eyes. She held me close to her chest. The poor thing's heart was beating so fast...I...excuse me" she said wiping away tears. After regaining my size and we healed. She told me I was more of a mother than her real one and it caused her strife. She was angry at herself for feeling so conflicted. That's why she fought so savagely. When she saw me smile she realized what was happening and it broke her heart. She sobbed like a child in my arms. After that day she was different. She was more caring and loving. Long after she left for the outside world eager to start a family."

"We may be immortal but we still have the instinct to reproduce. She had a child, a daughter, and she loved her very much. The thing was she inherited not just her soul eater gifts but her stubborn streak too. They had a falling out and her daughter died at the hands of humans. Funny isn't it? We live for thousands of years but repeat the same mistakes our parents did. So...human. The loss broke Ambrosia. She wandered the world for centuries taking care not to love someone again. Then she met you. She spoke of you many times. She took pride in how gifted you are. Shortly before she died she called me. She asked me to accept you into the academy. Before I could say yes I realized she spoke of you not as her apprentice but as her sister or daughter. It had been a long time since she spoke with such love. Amy, you gave her a way to escape her loneliness" she said with a sad smile.

I hung my head and cried. I had no idea my old Mistress loved me that much. We had sex and fooled around but that to me was like a crush. She loved me with all her heart. Selene patted my back and let me cry. I felt myself getting dizzy. "Whoa there. Let's get a few yummy souls in you. I know I feel better when I get sad" she said. She had me lay back on her lap. She reached over and I heard screaming. She dangled a 2 1/2 inch man over my mouth. "Please no! Don't eat me!" he begged with an Australian accent. She dropped him and he landed in my mouth feet first. "Don't do this! I have a wife and kids!" he screamed until I slurped him into my mouth. "Make him cum honey then devour him" Selene said. I played with him until he was forced to cum. Down he went into my gullet. "It's not my first day on the job you know. I'm not a baby" I said frowning. "I know that but its fun to tease someone so cute" she said smiling. Another and another she fed me like I was a queen. I liked the attention.

She hummed to herself with contentment as some poor soul (literally) was in her mouth. "Last one" she said placing a young 13 year old boy in her mouth. He was crying in Italian. She had me stand up and without warning kissed me. She pushed him into my mouth. The kid was frantic as I sucked and rolled his puny body around. She kissed me again and stuck her tongue into my mouth and extracted the boy. This went on for another two or three minutes until I tasted that hint of ripe soul and cum. I swallowed. She traced her finger down my throat. "I wish that you'd want to stay" she said. "I know. I'll try to come back. If I can" I said. She sighed. "When are you leaving?" she asked. "I'm booking a flight in two days. I have something I want to do before I go" I said. "Alright, I'll have our record keeper forge a passport for you. You'll see me before you go right?" she asked. "Of course" I said hugging her.

I walked back to my dorm and lay in my bed. "Am I doing the right thing leaving people who love me?" I asked myself. I gripped my necklace. I thought about dad. How he loved me. How he protected me. How he gave his soul to save me against those who would kill me just for being what I was. I thought about who else they killed. They were armed with femur blades. Weapons crafted from leg bones of soul eaters. They preach about how we hunt them but they use cruel methods to kill us. They go so far as to use family against us. Yes, I will go and I will make them pay for what they've done.

It was the next day before I saw Raf. What few I called friends bid me farewell and the others like Elise feared me like I was the devil. I had passed the Trial and graduated to Mistress. Something that would take the average soul eater 5 years I did in 3. Whatever Elise and her clique believed that I got special treatment by being a teacher's pet was officially over. They knew I walked it like I talked it. I found Raf under an old date tree. Ironic seeing what would happen next.

"Date for your thoughts?" I asked plucking a fruit from a branch. "Good afternoon Mistress Amy" he said coldly. "You heard. Of course you heard" I said. "Why can't you stay here" he said. "I told you already. They took something from me. Who else have they killed to get to us Raf? Why must we live in fear when we have so much power? We can't even leave this island for fear we or this school may be attacked by an Order spy. You want to spend eternity living in fear?" I asked. He picked up a shriveled date and tossed it angrily. "Take me with you" he said. "I can't Raf. It's too dangerous. I can't put a male in danger" I said. "I am fucking sick and tired of people treating me different because I have a dick! They see me as someone who can knock them up. Apparently you too! A male that's what you said!" he yelled. I slapped him hard. Tears fell from my eyes. "You want the truth! The truth is I don't expect to survive what I'm about to do! I'm not going to drag someone I love to their death!" I yelled. He looked at me. "Don't decide things for me Amy Grayson" he said.

I grabbed him by his hand and dragged him to the beach. When I wanted to really be alone I had a hiding place. There was a cave that was accessible during low tide. I stood before him and he watched with confusion as I shrank myself. I didn't shrink myself very small. Just 6 inches to make a point. "Pick me up" I told him. He picked me gently and held me close to his face. "What are you doing Amy?" he asked with shaking hands. "What would you do if I was stick at this size?" I asked. "Get help" he replied. "What if there was no help. No way to restore my size" I said. "I'd protect you. Keep you safe" he said wondering why I'd even ask. "Why?" I asked. "Because I love you" he said. "Because you were stronger than me and want nothing to happen to me?" I asked. "Well yeah" he replied. "Then you know why I can't take you with me. Understand better?" I asked. He nodded. "Put me back down" I said. He did and I grew back to my normal height. He looked sad. He didn't want me to go and knew now why he couldn't be with me. I put my finger underneath his chin and raised his head. I kissed him. Our kisses increased in passion. Raf had me sit on the wet silty ground. I took off my top and kicked off my sandals. Rad pulled off my panties.

I blushed as he looked at my naked body. "You're really pretty" he said. I smiled. He took off his clothes. I didn't realize he was so muscular. A gift given by being a soul eater. His cock was erect as he aimed for my vagina. We both groaned as he parted my pussy. He was my first boy. First boy to ever fuck me normal sized that is. I never thought I'd feel so stuffed by a cock. He looked into my eyes as he began thrusting into me. The cave echoed as we mated. My moans and his groans filled the cave. His hands squeezed one tit as he sucked on the other. "Don't bite! They're sensitive!" I cried. He smiled and kept doing it. My breathing quickened. He picked me up and I sat in his lap as he fucked me harder and harder. He ran his fingers through my hair as he stuck his tongue into my mouth and kissed me. "I'm going to cum!" I yelled. "Me too!" he cried. He hugged me close to his chest as he blew his load into me. I orgasmed feeling his semen shoot into my womb. We just held each other as we both came down from cloud nine.

We stayed in that cave and fucked again and again until the tide forced us out. The sun had set and the stars had come out. I stood there naked. Cum leaking out of me as he held my hand. "It's hard to see where the ocean ends and the sky begins" he said. "The stars are like us you know? We see their light long after they supposed to have died. We live lifespans longer than any human" I said looking at a particular star. "Yeah I think that's why dad left mom. She was his shining star that he didn't want to see burn out. Dad was wrong though. We have to cherish the time we have with the ones we love" Raf said looking at me. I wrapped my hands around his waist and put my chest on his back. "Thanks Amy" he whispered. "For what?" I asked. "For letting me suck your tits" he chuckled. I slapped him over the head. "We were having a moment you go be a perv" I said. "Made you laugh though. I...I'm going to miss you" he said voice quaking. "I'll come back Raf. One way or another I'll come back" I said hugging him.

He didn't say anything as I hopped into the boat the next day. He waved. It was too painful to say anything for both of us. I hopped onto a flight to JFK and arrived the next day. I held my breath as I passed customs wondering if I'd be flagged. Keep in mind I was still considered a terrorist. "You're clear. Welcome to New York" the customs official said.  It was strange being back in the U.S. The sounds of hip hop and rock music. The smells of pretzels and coffee and is that...it is! Hamburgers! American hamburgers! I bought a nice big cheeseburger and shoved it into my mouth. God it's been so long since I had one. It's a nice change of pace to have red meat in your mouth and not having to make it cum or out up with the screams. Oh that's right. I'm surrounded by humans. It was strange for me. Normal sized humans all around me.

As I sat soaking up my return to human society and pigging out, I pulled out my Samsung Galaxy 7 and went to peoplesearch.com. First thing on my list was to find mom and Chris. It took a minute but I found mom. "Caroline Grayson. 1306 Mellowbrook Ln. Hartford, Ct 06143" I said reading the address. Mom and Chris had moved into the city a few months after dad died and I disappeared. After eating, I took a taxi to the bus station. I hopped on a greyhound bound for Hartford. Two hours and 15 minutes later I was there. I was nervous in the taxi ride there. How would they react? Would they blame me for dad? Think I really was a terrorist? It was 3 in the afternoon and I saw no cars there. I turned away and began to walk away. "Nobody's home. I can try tomorrow" I said trying to find an excuse not to face my fear. "No Amber, you've come too far not to do this. All you've faced down you can't let this stop you" I said psyching myself up. I walked back to the front door and knocked.

"Yo! Somebody's at your door dude!" I heard a voice say. Tell them to fuck off man! We're busy!" another voice said. That last voice. It sounded like Chris'! A 17 year old kid opened the door. "You sure you want me to tell her to fuck off? It's a girl man" this kid said. "She hot?" that voice asked. "Fucking A she's hot" he replied. "Tell her to come in then. We got enough to go around" that voice said. I stepped into the house and was assaulted by the smell of weed; cheap fucking weed. Smoke filled the air. I waved my hand and saw the owner of that voice. "Oh my god. Chris..." I muttered. It was my brother all right. Puffing on a spliff while sitting on the couch. He looked up at me and his face changed. You never saw anyone get right so fast. He looked at me like I was a fucking ghost. "It can't be. It's the weed. You can't be here!" he yelled. "I'm very real Chris" I said touching his shoulder. He looked at my hand. His body trembled. "Jake you need to go bro" he said. "Come on man! Bros before hoes remember!" Jake yelled. "This is no hoe. She my big sister" he said. "What? You said you had no siblings" Jake said. "Just get the fuck out!" he yelled. Jake left pissed and confused. I waited for the door to slam shut.

"No siblings huh?" I said slightly pissed. "What the fuck was I supposed to say?! Hey my name is Chris Grayson and my sister is a domestic terrorist?!" he yelled. I bit my lip. He had every right to say that. "Is that what you truly believe?" I asked sitting down next to him. "What was I supposed to think? Your teacher and her house turned into a warzone and dad was caught in the crossfire. Then you come up missing and they put you pic on the TV saying you're a terrorist" he said. A tear rolled out of his right eye.  "Look into your heart little brother and then look into my eyes. What do you see?" I asked. He looked at me with those soft blue eyes. He lowered his head. "...my big sister" he said. His deep post pubescent vice cracked with emotion and he began sobbing. "Aw Chris" I said hugging him tightly. I began crying as well. I missed my bratty little brother so much. "WHY DID YOU LEAVE US?! WHERE DID YOU GO?!" he yelled between sobs. "I'm sorry for leaving you and mom. I'm so sorry" I said kissing his forehead.

He wiped away his tears as he calmed down. "Do you really want to know what happened? I mean all of it. Me, my teacher, and dad?" I asked. He nodded. "A few months before all that shit went down I discovered my teacher was an immortal" I said. "Like a vampire?" he asked. "Pfft, I asked her the same thing. No, she's what is called a soul eater. Like the name implies she eats...ate souls to stay alive and never die. She was ready to eat me when I found out but chose not to" I said. "Why?" he asked. "Because...because I turned out to be one myself. She couldn't harm one of her kind. Turns out dad carried a soul eater bloodline" I said. "Whoa. Wait, does that mean I'm now too?" he asked surprised. "No, you don't carry the spark" I said. "How would you know?" he asked. "I...I just know" I said embarrassed. I couldn't tell him that I found out by sucking on his tiny body when he was younger.

"Soul eaters can use magic to trap prey or to defend themselves. My teacher was teaching me that. That's why I hung out with her. Now this is the important part Chris. This is why dad died. Even though our existence is secret, there's an organization out there that hunts us. They're called the Order. Dad was a member. Dad led a strike to kill my teacher not knowing I was one of them. Dad protected me from a sniper. The sniper used dad as bait to try to kill me. Dad...I'm sorry" I said tearing up. Chris held my hand. Dad gave his soul to me to escape. They labeled me a terrorist to better trying to find me. Chris, touch my broach" I said. He touched it. I swore I felt a faint vibration from the stone. It even seemed to glow a bit brighter. "It's warm and pretty" he said. "That's dad's soul in there. You're touching daddy's soul" I said starting to cry. He hugged me tightly. "So why come back now?" he asked. "I completed my training and I came back to get revenge for dad" I replied.

"Training? Like magic training? Sis I love you but this seems like weapons grade bullshit" he said. I concentrated some magic and shrank him to 4 inches. I gently picked up his shrunken body and brought him to my face. "Still think its all bullshit?" I asked. He was so cute as he shook that tiny head. I figured kissing him would freak him out too much. I grew him back to his normal size. "You said your teacher was going to eat you. Was that how?" he asked. "Yep, she shrank me and was this close to swallowing me whole" I replied. "How do you eat a soul?" he asked. I blushed. "You ummm....you have to shrink your prey and make them orgasm. Their soul leaks out and you swallow them up and absorb it" I said. My cheeks were bright red.

"So you've done that before?" he asked. I nodded. "You ate people?" he asked. Nodded again. "What's it like?" he asked. That surprised me. I figured he be disgusted. "Fucking amazing. Each person has a unique flavor" I replied. He smiled. He actually smiled. "Well I take it you wouldn't eat me right?" he said chuckling. I fidgeted in my seat. "Y-yeah" I said. "You hesitated. Why did you do that? You're not going to eat me later?!" he said scared. "NO! I'd never do that! I'm in complete control of myself now!" I said.  "Now? So you weren't before?" he asked. Damn you Chris. Still the manipulator. I can't keep lying to him. "I almost did once, before I left" I said quietly. He had a look of betrayal on his face. "I...I had gone a long time before feeding and was dying. My instincts took over one night. I shrank you and was about to swallow" I said. "So what stopped you other than me being fucking 13?!" he asked pissed. There was a spell I learned at the academy that I never used. It was a personal spell that was too personal for my tastes. It was a mental spell called Memento Memoriam.

I held out my hand and he backed away. I invoked he spell. I touched his forehead and closed my eyes. The spell shares memories. Useful for a soul eater. The sharing of hunting areas and avoiding of the Order not to mention teaching magic. He saw that night. How crazed out of my mind with hunger I was. How I had him in my mouth and was ready to swallow and then I turn to see that picture. I never thought possible to have a memory inside of a memory but it is. He saw that memory of me sharing ice cream with him when he was 5. He then saw me sobbing as I put him back in bed. I broke the spell. "You remember that?" he asked. "Of course I do" I said wiping away tears. His anger softened. "Do that again. Show me dad dying" he said. I was in no right to say no. He saw everything. How dad was shot. How I ate him. Then he saw me go medieval on those agents. "Jesus Amber. I didn't know. I was so angry at you for the last 3 years. I didn't know" he said softly. I rubbed his back as he realized how wrong he was to hate me for this time.

"Chris, where's mom?" I asked. "Oh shit. Mom's at work. She doesn't know you're here" he said. "Well I plan to see her before I head out. In the meantime let's clean up a little and air this place out. Why are you smoking skunkweed anyway?" I asked. "Something to do" he said. "Something to...Jesus Chris. How would mom like it if she knew you're doing something illegal?" I asked. "About as much as she finding out you eat people" he said smiling. "Touché brat" I said.

We got the house cleaned up just as we heard the front door open. "Chris! Help me with the groceries!" mom shouted. Chris ran out of the kitchen to help her. I was too chicken to come out. "I got it" he said. I moved and a fork dropped onto the floor. "Chris? Somebody in the kitchen. I swear if you hiding another girl in my house!" she said raising her voice. I came out of hiding. "Hi mom" I said trying to smile. She dropped the bag she was carrying. I've never seen mom move so fast. She got to me and slapped me hard. Very hard. Before I could say a word she hugged me and sobbed. "Mom its okay" I said trying to calm her down. "WHER THE HELL DID YOU GO?!" she yelled. "It's a long story" I replied. I told mom some of my story. I left out the eating people part. I even lit her cigarette with a tiny burst of fire magic. As far as she knew I was just an immortal who was being hunted by people who feared us, and dad was caught in the crossfire. "So that's why you left? To hide from the people who killed your father?" she asked. I nodded. "I knew my baby wasn't a terrorist" she said. I nodded. The more we talked the more my lies added up.

I told her I hid out in the Mediterranean (which was true) and worked odd jobs to get by (total bullshit). She told me she got a huge check from an insurance agency she never heard of and moved to the city to be closer to her job after dad died. She never understood how they couldn't find his body. I couldn't tell her I ate it. All she knew was dad was an undercover CIA operative and died on a mission to kill my teacher. She thought the story of my teacher and I building pipe bombs was horse shit from the get go.  It was the first time in a long time I ate dinner and watched TV like a family member. Mom wasn't watching TV though. Her eyes never left me.

"I need to make up your room now that you're back" mom said. "I'm not staying mom. I'm heading back out tomorrow" I said. "WHY?! You just got back. You can't just leave again!" she yelled. "I'm going to find the people responsible for dad’s death and make them pay" I said. "NO! I won't allow you to go! You can't just come back into our lives and then say bye I'm off to kill someone! Amber Grayson, you're going to give up this crazy idea of revenge and live here!" mom shouted. "Have you forgotten that they're still looking for me?! They want me fucking dead! They killed dad because he couldn't do it and they'll kill you too if it meant killing me!" I shouted back. "YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE! Chris talk some sense into your sister!" mom screamed. "Mom, you know she's right. Even you can see that" Chris said. "It's just not fair!" mom cried hugging me. No, it wasn't fair. Not at all.

Mom held me close to her like I was a child again. The hours ticked by and mom finally fell asleep. I gently scooted off of her. I walked to the guest room. I heard Chris crying in his room. Maybe coming back wasn't the best idea.  Maybe I was being selfish. I went to sleep. I awoke early and tried to sneak out. Dean had barely broken as I tiptoed down the creaky stairs. Mom was still asleep on the sofa. "Leaving without saying goodbye?" Chris asked. I turned to see him wearing a backpack. "Um...what are you doing?" I asked. "Coming with you" he replied. "The fuck you are" I said. "He was my dad too you know!" he yelled. "Not so loud! Chris where I'm going there may be no coming back. I got magic. What you got?" I asked. "Dad's old M911 service pistol" he said taking it out from his belt and cocking it. "This isn't a game squirt. People are going to die" I said. "Duly noted" he said. "What about mom? How she going to take it if we both leave" I asked. "Taken care of" he said holding a note. "Dear mom, going with Amber to find her a safe place for her to live. Be back soon. Chris" it said. "We are so going to hell" I said. Chris grinned.

Chris raised the garage door. I couldn't believe it. My old Honda was here. "Mom gave it to me when I turned 16" he said. "Keys" I said. "This is my car!" he said. "Was. Now I’m taking it back" I said. He threw the keys at me. We got in and drove off. "So you even know where we're going?" he asked. "When they sent people to kill me and my teacher they had to have some kind of base or post nearby. One with a chopper. I've spent 3 years looking for it. We're going to New London" I said.

"A base is there?" he asked. "No, but I think someone there will know where I can find one. That chopper that tried to frag me had a New London Coast Guard Academy coat of arms on it. They fucked up on that one" I said. "We just stroll up there and ask if anyone knows where the Order base for this area is?" he said sarcastically. "Not quite. If a member of the Order is there I'll know. I can feel them" I said. "How?" he asked. "Members of the Order have soul eater blood in them. They can sense us and vice versa. In fact, do you feel odd when you're around me?" I asked. "Other than the constant mind fucks you've been dishing out. Yeah, I got this feeling in my stomach. Like nervous butterflies" he said. "That's what I'm talking about. If one is there we'll find them" I said getting on the highway.

The drive was only a half hour. We parked the car and got out. Soldiers ran past carrying out their PT. I thought about waiting till the night to sneak in until I felt a tingle. I glanced over and saw a drill instructor glance over at me. Was he an Order member or a descendant? "Got his picture. You did want his picture right?" Chris asked. "Good job baby brother" I said surprised. Google image search told me who he was. "Sgt. Paul Jefferson. Hmmm....very odd. Decorated for valor in Afghanistan and quit the service citing personal issues. Returned to duty last year" I said. "Google had all of that?" Chris said. "No, that guy's mind did. It also told me he takes personal leave now and then and somehow gets approved for it every time" I said pointing to man who was obviously a higher rank and looking at Chris. "Your eyes....they're glowing" he said. "Yeah they tend to do that when I crank up the magic" I said.

This guy had to be a member. He had the bloodline. Unexcused absences that were covered up. All that and this being the place where that chopper came from. "So what's the plan?" he asked. "Wait till nightfall. We sneak in and grab him" I said. "Grab him? Oh you mean shrink him" Chris said. I nodded. "Might as well get breakfast" I said getting into my old car. We ate breakfast. Chris' phone went off over and over. We both knew who it was. Chris turned it off. We stayed in that Denny's all damn day. We just talked. Talked about the old days. "So one thing led to another and well you get the idea" Chris said. "So my dorky brother got himself a girlfriend" I said smiling. "What about you. I got somebody right?" he asked. "Well I do have a guy back at the academy. His name's Rafael" I said blushing. "He's a good guy right?" Chris asked seriously. "Yeah he's nice to me" I replied. "Better be. I'd kick his ass" Chris said. "Good luck with that" I said. I took a sip of coffee and awe there was hardly anyone in the diner. I looked at the time. Quarter past midnight. "Time to go" I said.