Jaca finally reached the shores of the island that Esio mapped out for him. As soon as he was able to, he reached into his bag and pulled out a fresh pair of clothes. A little out of breath from the swim, Jaca quickly realized he was all alone. He didn’t know exactly what to expect however he didn’t think the island would be deserted…

  Slipping a sleeveless advisor robe over his head, once again Jaca looked around and saw nothing but untouched nature. The shoreline revealed the pure white sand. The beach's length looked about a hundred yards before reaching the forest. Two medium sized mountains could be seen in the background just over the trees. It was a peaceful island. A nice getaway from what he just came from, but something was missing. Jaca came to the island to speak with Ancient Cassandra.

  Looking around once more, Jaca didn’t move too far from the shoreline just in case he needed to make another quick getaway. A group of flying birds were flying westward over the trees when something interesting caught Jaca’s eyes. As soon as the birds got close to the trees, they disappeared. Completely vanished from thin air… Jaca couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  Not sure what to do, Jaca picked up a small rock and threw it towards the trees. He knew he was on to something when the rock never touched the ground. It also disappeared before his eyes. After a few minutes, Esio’s longtime advisor and trusted friend gathered the courage to walk closer to this invisible force field. Taking deep breaths, Jaca slowly walked through the opening to what seemed like a completely different world. Glowing 3-D silhouettes of people walked casually around the hidden paradise. They didn’t have distinct features but the outline of a human body. Moments later, Jaca heard an echoing voice in his head. “Welcome Jaca, son of Aquantris. I’m excited you made it safely.”

  Looking around quickly this time. Jaca hastily ran and hid behind a large rock that sat beside a row of trees. “I mean you no harm. I am a humble servant of Star Counselor Esio. He sent me here to speak to the Highest One, Cassandra. I bring her crucial information.”

  “I know who you are and you have nothing to fear, son of Aquantris.” The voice, this time, did not echo but sounded much near. A large shadow overcame the rock in which Jaca was hiding behind. It was so big it forced Jaca to follow where it was coming from. When he looked towards the sky, all he could see was a giant woman standing over him. His eyes widened when he realized he literally had nowhere to run with someone who was the size of a large statue.

  “My stars...” Jaca whispered to himself as he still lifted his head to meet the three-story high woman’s gaze. Snapping back to reality, Jaca immediately removed his sandals then threw them aside. He dropped to knees and placed his face on the back of his hands. With his nose barely touching the ground, he shouted, “Oh my Highest One, Cassandra! Thank you for allowing me to set foot on this sacred land.”

  While still mumbling his formalities, Cassandra shrunk herself down to human size without Jaca noticing. She gently knelt down and touched the star struck advisor on the arm. The Ancient Star resembled a Greek-goddess. Her long white toga dragged through the sand as it covered her sandals. Her beautiful olive skin glowed as she turned away to walk back from where she came. Cassandra’s eye color was not set to one but a bright lamination of the shade of green. Her long beautiful brown braided hair reached past her backside. It was wrapped around in a spiral bun held together with gold pins. “Stand up, my son. We have much to discuss... To be honest, I was not expecting you but another to show. No matter, time is of the essence at the moment."

  Jaca stopped mumbling when he met Cassandra’s gaze. Slowly standing to his feet, he asked “You were expecting Counselman Esio, weren’t you?”

  The Ancient Star slowly nodded her head in agreement. “None the least, if he sent you then I trust you.” Her voice was soft and gentle.

  Trying to keep up with Cassandra’s pace, Jaca confused said, “Than with all due respect, my Highest One, you know why I’m here... Wherever here is. I swam a very long way to seek your assistance, your grace.”

  “I do...” Cassandra said plainly.

  “We need your help, desperately. Our way of life is vanishing as we speak. My Counselman said you were our last hope...”

  The Ancient Star stopped in her tracks. Jaca almost bumped into her from behind. She slowly turned around and gently replied, “I am... Son of Aquantris, I will not let our way of life parish. My husband Arkaminus’ sacrifice will not go in vain.”

  Jaca’s eyes widened, “Your husband?”

  Cassandra laughed before she replied, “Come, Jaca. I have a lot to update you on.” As she walked beside the extended table that was full of food. From end to end, the table was covered with all sorts of delicious food. “Sit down and eat. I will start from the beginning.” Jaca pulled up a chair then quickly grabbed a full plate of food. Without much thought, Jaca stuffed his mouth as his Highest One Cassandra began explaining her story. “About a decade ago, the previous Mother Queen Esio’s mother came to me. She informed me and the other Ancients of a possible plan of reform. After the battle on Takeaway, many queens decided to take matters into their own hands and began working with the rebels. Along the way, Arkaminus and I had been looking for a champion. A leader who would be willing to fight as well as go against the grain. Luckily for us, we found that champion among the Skinner clans. Outsiders by nature, but they were considered extremely loyal to their cause.”

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  “Skinners? My grace?” Jaca asked with a full mouth of food. “I thought the shapeshifters were seen as untrustworthy. Now you’re saying they’re loyal?”

  Cassandra giggled after sipping her wine. “Yes, son of Aquantris. Skinners are loyal if you are loyal to them. The Creator designed every creature with a purpose. Who are we as servants to meddle with that? As I was saying, we had found our champion in the third sector on planet Hades. Conner is a fierce young man who help hide a small town of Star Children and other creatures. There I observed and studied his ambitions and decided to recruit him. Together, the Skinner clansmen and us Ancients devised a plan that would save everyone from what was to come. We end up naming this safe haven, the Underground Railroad. The last few years however, the rebels had Conner as one of their most prized prisoners next to Arkaminus. One of the queens personally paid a visit to Hades and preceded to destroy everything we had built. It wasn’t until yesterday when Conner’s sister, Oki and the Child of Dreams freed him and the rest of the captives.”

  Jaca again perked up and almost spit out his wine when he heard ‘Child of Dreams’. “Kahree? You’ve heard from the Angels?”

  Cassandra slowly put up her palm in the air. “Everything happened the way it was supposed to be. Kahree and Sakiya’s destinies have already been foretold. It is our job to make sure that happens.”

  Jaca slowly wiped his mouth before putting the napkin on the table. “What about Luna, my Highest One? You didn’t mention her...”

  There was a long pause before Cassandra answered. Her facial expression turned stoic with a touch of seriousness. “Luna is no longer with us, my son. Her legacy will remain sacred and her spirit will live among the Ancients.” She slowly turned around and pointed to a glowing silhouette who stopped mid-stride. When the figure turned to face Jaca, he could see it was Luna in spirit form. She gave a blank smoldering stare which made her father’s advisor and the man who helped raise her begin to sob.

  Jaca quickly stood to his feet in complete disbelief. “No! I don’t understand...” Jaca turned his attention back to Cassandra. “I was too late... there was nothing we could do? I thought the Ancients could see everything. My grace...”

  The Ancient Star sighed deeply before placing her hand upon Jaca’s shoulder. “We all have rules, my son. The Creator strictly forbids any Ancient to directly interfere with mortal lives. Once me and others heard of this forced reform to destroy what the Creator wanted, we were allowed to improvise.”

  Jaca wiped his tears off his cheeks. “Improvise? So, the rumors about Arkaminus fathering many Star Children is just that, a rumor?”

  “Yes, rumors. No Ancients are allowed to procreate. Only to observe and advise...”

  “The Underground Railroad... You’re helping to hide the Star Children. Keeping them safe until the Angels or what’s left of them, to put everything right again. Where is this Underground Railroad? How do we get to it, my grace.”

  “You’re standing on one of the safe havens as we speak...” Cassandra again stood up and proceeded to walk around. “This island is sacred and inter-dimensional, meaning this place is not exactly a part of this world. It’s neither here nor there... There are several portals all throughout the universe. We constructed such ways of traveling to get the captives much faster and easier. However, it is essential that we keep going and rescue as many as possible. I have the up most faith in the Child of Fire and the Child of Dreams. They don’t know it yet, but their destinies are more intertwined in this situation than anyone else. My husband Arkaminus, told Sakiya that love will end this war, not more violence.”

  Jaca looked down at his sack and opened it to pull out the files he had on the queens. He gently placed them on the table and looked back at Cassandra. “I am your humble servant, my Highest One. What will you have me do?”

  *

  Sky stopped mid-stride then turned around. A group of medics and Boro’s authorities arrived at the scene of the crime. Jose Fuego’s house still burned slowly from the interior as the fire fighters quickly rushed in to put out the remaining flames. That’s when she noticed the medics lifting Jordy up on a stretcher, then placing him inside a small white van. Sky turned around and let go of the man that was assisting her walk through the woods with the rest of the group. It was essential all the freed Star Children gets away from the rebel’s grasp. “I can’t go with you... I have to stay here.”

  Overhearing what her sister said, Kahree quickly replied. “What in the hell do you mean? We need to get to this ‘Underground Railroad’ Conner keeps talking about. I’ve never heard of such a place, but he swears up and down it’s the only real safe haven at the moment. We need to check this out for ourselves and make sure we aren’t handing over these free people to another captor.” Kahree noticed Sky was playing attention but not really... That she noticed, and it did not rub her in the right way. “This better not be over Jordy’s ass... Chicks over dicks Sky! Besides, he’s our fucking enemy for crying aloud. We need you with us! He’s the reason Luna is dead in the first place. That shot weakened her so bad she couldn’t fight that Alex prick off in time.”

  Oki and others could hear the girl's volume starting to rise as they moved through the forest. She turned around and stood between them to prevent any more confrontations. “Hey... we can’t do this here. We must get from out in the open and put enough distance between us. The rebels are going to come back, and we can’t be here.”

  Sky adjusted her ripped dress and placed her spaghetti strap over her shoulder. “One of us has to show face... If we all disappear at the same time, they will know for sure it was us. We need more time to finish this. Jordy’s a part of ending this Ree whether you like it or not. He’s not like them at all... The reason he came back to the house was to free the trapped Star Children in the basement. A wooden beam fell down from the ceiling, almost crushing him. The other fuckers just left the Star Children to die as revenge. They were going to let all those people die in the fire just to prove a point, and Jordy was the only one who went back for them. He can change and come to our side...”

  Everyone grew quiet as Sky spoke about Jordy as if he was an ally. Oki was the first one to speak up. “Ree, I’m not trying to take sides, but Sky is right. We do need to show ‘face’ back in Freeland otherwise we risk putting the working class in jeopardy. Rogelio and Fuego are going to want blood after tonight. We just waged war on them for sure.” She turned to Sky and said, “Go, do what you need to do. We will take these people to safety and meet you back in Freeland.”

  Sky nodded in agreement before turning around to walk back towards where Jordy was getting treated. Before Sky got too far away from the group, Ree yelled out, “Be careful... Freeland and nowhere else. We’re finishing this shit once and for all.”