1 Chapter 1: The NickNames of the New World

Dj Beetle Mixer

I wish I could give a detailed reiteration of how I got into this mess but, there isn't a perfect sentence to summarize the events that have befallen humanity. My first thought to explain this unfathomable utopia is to think of it as it were, let's say, a nuclear explosion. The world blew up. Yep. Just, blew up. Into hundreds of pieces. It's funny how those scientists warned us of it numerous times! Yet, we all ignored their concerns.

These same scientists also have society believing that a damn dirty cockroach could possibly survive such a worldy explosion. While a single cockroach runs up to three-miles-per-hour and is capable of holding their breath for a half hour even under water, they are still nasty little bugs. Somehow these facts should impress the grand society. Impress us the people with such fascinating knowledge. However, a cockroach isn't that acceptable. They're ugly little critters, germ infested bacteria spreading nematodes! And they can be quite a burden.

Now, a beetle bug deserves much more admiration, that I can concur. I mean, it's a bug unlike any other. It's one that I believe could make it through any explosion! One so big and grand upon the Earth that if it came from the heavens itself, it must be to smite the many plagues against man. An explosion from God. The world exploded.

When the world fell, I climbed out of the rubble and I flew high into the burning red sky. Hot smoke filled my lungs and in one thought, one action, I was orphaned in an instant. I was no longer a Beetle Bug. I raised up from the gray smokey ash. Heavy and heated like a phoenix into the new apocalypse. I was burned at the heart and arose with new fire.

Suddenly, I was a mixture of surreal life. What was known was unknown. Where there was a "yes" to yesterday people found a "no" to tomorrow.

"Would we even make it past night fall?" was asked more frequently than you'd like to hear. Before and then after. Forward then backwards. I walked, we walked. The world was falling all around me. It was all spinning. Chaos, war, and blood. Tons of innocent blood was spilt during this time. Friends came and went as the years passed. Safe houses became expected while reality was turned into a game. A Beetle Mixer is exactly what you might think. Say it with your mouth, "Beetle Mixer". Beetles all mixed together into a gross mush. I am a Beetle Mixer. I am The Beetle Mixer. A mixture of a thousand sounds, a million smiles, and a billion stars. With a spray of ocean water. What is a beetle to those who know not?

One out of every four animals are considered to be apart of the beetle family. Beetles use sounds and vibrations in order to communicate. They can also glow in the dark. They live everywhere and anywhere while carrying suits of armor for protection. They come in all sizes. Did you know a ladybug is a beetle? Or fireflies in the night? No, you wouldn't know because the name Beetle is mush. It is ugly, but I'm not an ugly bug. I'm just a mixture of many beautiful things. The cockroach is the ugly one.

I approached my home in our sandy apocalypse. It is usually cold here hidden under the massive deserted highway, I've never minded it but I prefer the sun. I love heated summer nights especially when it rains on hot pavement. It's silly because I was born in the heat of the day. Old habits die hard I suppose.

"Yo! FingFong! I'm home!" I jiggled the gate at the bottom of the stairs. My partner raced down the stairs to a gate that led up to our place of base. We had to keep our home locked up in case the Cadets of Protection come during their street sweeps. They are commonly known as the CP's. CP's are nasty Nazi like guys that come in strong groups. They march the streets with evil glares clearing out everyone in their way. They are not afraid to trample anyone. All the buildings are falling into nothing and since my home was one of the last standing buildings it was very important we guard it with our lives. There hasn't been a CP invasion in a year so perhaps we have finally been forgotten in our little corner of hell. The building I lived in would be considered a safe house, it has twenty rooms each filled with three or more people. About half of us wander the streets in search of food, bargaining in old ways with neighboring safe houses. All weapons were destroyed when the Queen came to power. If you wanted a weapon your best bet is anything similar to a bat, or iron pipes, and make shift hammers. The only remaining guns are in Washington DC and the knives are in the possession of the "King" whom we never see.

The streets are actually quite safe, and I know it's surprising when the world is in complete destruction but when we fell into the possession of the Queen everything got better, then it got worse and jumped back to better again. There are still schools (just not here). I know there is no need for currency as everyone began to trade again. Criminals like scary ones were all executed. Everyone of them. Even ones that could have been possibly innocent.

One of the last CP marches I remember particularly, was they came to gather remaining criminals like murderers, rapists, child molesters, but one that I don't find acceptable was religious executions. Technically, you can believe in whatever you want to believe but overly pressed religions were taken to court. They were (or most of them) sentence to change or die. I know that Christianity was changed drastically but still saved, Jewish and Pegan holidays were made more internationally and executions were made to the extensions of Mormons, Muslium, Catholics, and many other religions gone, unrecognized and were hung on live television.

That's all I know, TV's don't work like they used to. I mean TV's are like free now, there are like millions of factories still open to make just TV's, video games, and even Apple products all in exchange for a place to live. You can also build up good retirement care and given warm food. The longer you work by the time you reach your golden years, old and withered, everything is covered for you. The medications down to the hospitalization. Get this, we found a cure for cancer! I thought that was really cool the first time I heard that. Ah, yeah… too bad it's no longer the world's problem.

FingFong opened the gate as I hurried inside. I had a bag full of bread which I traded from our vegetable garden. My good friend had a seed collection and we were able to start growing a roof garden just above the deserted highway.

"How many loaves did you get?" He asked. I looked at him and realized he had broken his glasses again. I snatched them off his face, "Again?! This is the third time bruh!" He grabbed them back, "Oh it's not that bad, I'll be fine." He put them back on as I watched them crookedly sit on the bridge of his nose. "God damn you!" I held my hand out, "Give them to me so I can fix them already."

He took them off with joy, "You always have my back-"

"Oh shut up you!" I rolled my eyes smiling as he laughed. I snapped a few times thinking, "Pick a song."

"Cut my life into Pieces this is my last resort! Suffocation no breathing dont give a fuck if I cut my arm bleeding!" A beat began in my heart as he sang his song, I held the glasses in my hand as I felt the electronic pulse go through me. He paused from singing as I opened my hand.

"There! Good as new!" I exclaimed.

I opened them, placing them on his head. "You are brilliant!" He took my hand and kissed it. I pulled it away laughing uncontrollably. I walked away up the stairs. Suddenly a friend from our building community appeared above us hanging off the railing, "I thought I heard someone singing, what were you fixing this time?" She asked.

"FingFong's glasses." I threw my thumb up behind me as I looked to see him digging in the bag. "HEY!" I scared him, "That bread is for everyone." I shook my head then shamed him in sign language. He handed me the bag as we headed up the stairs.

"You broke your glasses again?" Smurfy asked. Smurfy was a big girl. We weren't close but we were good teammates. She had brown hair where one side of her head was shaved. She had piercings on her lips and nose with multiple earrings most of them she just found, others she made. She had beads twisted in her hair while she wore her favorite green camouflage pants with gray conver shoes. Not to mention her famous black leather jacket with a black tank top. They were tattered clothes. Nothing new. Dirty spots and missing laces in the shoes.

FingFong was tall with thin blonde hair that sat high on his head in a ponytail. The top was long and the sides of his head were also shaved. He was wearing one of his three shirts. It was black and red. Regular jeans with holes and dirt as well. Then used-to-be white shoes with black swirls on the side that were no longer visible. They walked on either side of me as they bickered.

"How many times are you going to break your glasses! You are such an

idiot!"

"I didn't do it on purpose,"

"Then how did you do it this time? First time you got punched in the face, then you fell, then you got mixed up with a CP but there hasn't been one in months!"

"Guys!" I snapped, "knock it off alright, I don't care. Sometimes it's fun to use it."

I shrugged it off and smiled. I opened the door to the "dining hall", which was basically two rooms with one wall knocked out to make it one room.

Three TV's sat on the left side paneling toward four kids. They leapt up from the TV toward me, "Beetle!" The kids burst. They ran up below my legs.

"Guess what I brought, but don't tell your mothers okay?" I winked as they gleamed. I had chocolates I had been saving every week for them. I held out my hands as they excitedly took the gift of little sized chocolate.

"Now what do you say?" I asked.

"Thank you!" They yelled.

"Alright go watch TV!" I swooshed them with my hand as they fell back into place.

On the other side of the room was a large group of adults who didn't seem to notice my noisy entrance. "What's happening?" I whispered to Smurfy who was just outside the ring of discussion.

"There was an international message from the Queen today that was on moments ago. It was short but startling."

I walked my way over looking at the dreary faces. One light with a triangle shade shined down below a round wooden table, it was the only light source in the room besides the blaring TV's. Some group mates were up against the wall blending into the dark.

"So what'd she say?" I entered the group leaning on the table.

The group looked at me in surprise, I looked back at FingFong and Smurfy as they shrugged.

"Well well well, look who's still walking!" I looked back into the shadows to find the voice.

I looked cold and hard, "What are you talking about Cenderel?" I put one hand on my hip still leaning into the table. He walked toward the light.

Cenderel was our drug expert, he had it all from marijuana to ibuprofen. He was skinny, tall with blonde hair the color of the sun. He was pale with bluish eyes. He had tattoos of "life, love, and hate" on his arms and his nickname "Cenderel" on his chest. He wore fingerless gloves with a light green tank top. There were many unnecessary necklaces around his neck that could easily choke himself. Lastly he wore some black bottom pants with dust and dirt.

"So she really hasn't heard..." He laughed into his hand turning away.

"What did the Queen say?" I circled the room looking at everyone then to my right as another community friend sat unamused. She shrugged as we made eye contact, "Just something about a new execution process." She said as if the words had come out of her mouth too many times to count.

"So CP's are coming?" I said scarcely.

"Yea..." Said AbeMonkey. I didn't understand. Did this have something to do with me? "Kids will you leave the room for a moment?" AbeMonkey kicked the kids out as he led me over to a chair. "You need to just watch this..." He clicked the remote to the "Queen Presently Program" (also known as the QPP). "Give it a minute this is a new one."

AbeMonkey was our leader, we followed him and every order he gave. He was tall but not skinny. He was actually quite buff and very thick. He wore shorts with socks and sandals and a black sweatshirt with white bleach stains. He had a Mohawk and also strangely shiny blonde hair. His hand never left my shoulder as he pushed me back into the seat. I waited watching normal looking laws being presented by an elderly man, then it glitches. The screen turns black for a moment, "This is it." The room grew quiet.

The screen paneled up to dark blues and greens but there were no pictures, just static color. It continues to panel up beholding a pair of eyes. Bright electric green eyes were staring at me dead in the face. Then she spoke, in a most terrifying voice it made our hearts cry… we all knew who was speaking. The Queen of the Underworld...

"Good day my subjects... I hope the world I have brought has been pleasant. Greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by another 15% today, there are only 1,000 insane criminals roaming the streets, and the TV manufacture has reached over 2 billion of the population with happy healthy lives. Such good news yes?" The eyes went away from the screen and showed the demolished buildings. It focused on one and went inside, "And with good news citizens come bad news. During the time of the my uprising, scientists were doing illegal experiments that would allow certain people to take me down." The building held people but they weren't "normal looking" people... They were deformed. "These poor creatures are mushed made super heroes," the camera went right up to a frog shape-headed man, "and so we killed them-" Suddenly there was a loud bang as the man was shot in the head. I watched their brains splatter on a nearby wall. The camera switch to another mutant with claw hands and two extra eyes. They shot them twice as the loud guns which were never seen or used were being broadcasted over the world. The shooting continued with a variety of people. Some of them screamed... Some of them stood taking it as if they saw it coming. I watched people get murdered before my very eyes feeling the pain of each shot as it echoed the room and in my own invisible ears. Once the sound of the guns stopped the Queen spoke again, "After this we were given information that a few of these mutations were not mutated at all and live among us as ordinary people. They were intensional brainwashed to killing people against me and against all of you. CP's will be sent all across the world to escort these Mutants to me. No one will get hurt, these CP's are specially trained doctors made to check all healthy beings. If you are receiving this message now my Cadets will be arriving in the week. If you do not proceed with this investigation we are permitted to kill you. All against me are legally dead in the eyes of the world..." The screen flashed. The eyes reappeared, "If you are one of these mutations and you give up willingly we have a special job for you and by the promise of my word you shall not be harmed until I meet you personally. So please..." The blues, greens, and blacks played backwards as she spoke, "Cooperate with us..." It went straight to black it flashed white once or twice and the same man who gave all the laws appeared. He started with the newest law. AbeMonkey turned it off.

I gulped hard. AbeMonkey had let go of my shoulder as I leaned forward putting my hands on my face rubbing my eyes. I took off my headphones as I pulled my hair out of my face. Someone came to my side, I didn't look as I felt their hand and their eyes upon my ears. "Hey... If you just give yourself up you won't get hurt..." AbeMonkey said.

"Alright... I get it. You want me to go quietly... I understand everyone." I stood up, "I just want to go pack my things then and lay down..." My headphones still in my hands as I walked away. The groups looked at me quietly. Cenderel spoke, "You're such a freak." FingFong slapped him as Cenderel dodged with ease. He grabbed FingFong in a choker position, "You're a freak too for liking such a thing." Then let him go as he walked by me with eyes smiling.

"We're sorry..." AbeMonkey said, "You have been good to our group and know you wouldn't do any harm. All of us are just worried what the CP's will do to us-"

I held my hand up to silence him, "You don't have to apologize to me, none of you do... You know what I am and I'm not going to put my family at risk." I lifted my hair, "These ears are my downfall... I am a mutant." I put my hair down and pulled my headphones over them. "I'd like to be alone for a moment. Please let me know when they come." I looked at AbeMonkey as he nodded toward me. I walked out the door and up more stairs to my room.

I was bombarded by my roommates. Roofdoof was first, "Beetle! They can't do this! You can hide can't you! The Queen is a dirty liar, she just wants to kill you herself."

"Please Roof, I can't do this right now." Suddenly KBear walked in,

"Is she home! Did she hear-HUH BEETLE!" She shrieked with the same tears as Roofdoof. I threw myself on my bed and moaned a loud yell of frustration. My friends stopped their tears as they sat next to me. "We're sorry... You just can't go..."

"I don't have a choice you guys, it's no use running." I rolled over on my back looking at the yellow ceiling. Our room was pretty small compared to the other rooms. On each wall was a bed except for the wall holding the door. When you entered, I was on the right side, Roofdoof was on the left and KBear was in the middle right near the window. The floor was falling in, it was made out of a dark burgundy wood and our beds had created holes in the boards. Some of the floorboards moved which made it easy to get down to the gates to stop CP marches.

I was tired, I walked all the way across town to get bread. Now I was being kicked out of my own survival group. "There must be something-" KBear pondered. I cut her off irritated now. "There's a reason why the Queen doesn't tell the whole world at once because they can escape. They could come tomorrow or they could come in two days. All the cars no longer have engines in them! It's impossible for me to leave on foot!" I threw my arms over my face.

Alright... I'm going to tell say this now, I'm an experimental human. After I graduated college I needed extra money. The commotion of the Queen was just turning. She was getting elected as president in the election of my graduation and won without any problems. Her first year was chaotic. The government broke down. Internet was shut off and the world slowly fell because she had this group you see that was so widespread that she basically had her own army. Well I went into this experimental lab thinking it was nothing. First my earrings fell out of my ears and the holes closed up overnight. As the new world domination played like a song I was turning into something else. My ears got smaller, they glued themselves to my head and all I was left with were little holes. I'm not sure if they will close up sometime soon but I am hard of hearing. The only thing I can hear crystal clear is music. I knew there were other mutants but I've never met them.

"This really sucks." KBear said.

"Tell me about it." I gripped my headphones wanting to throw them.

"You weren't really brainwashed were you?" Roof said as if doubting me that I'd kill them!

"No, I've told you before Roof I was given pills. I was told to record what happened and I lost my ears. By the time I was done taking the amount of pills the doctors were gone like they never existed."

"I see..." They patted my back.

"Well, I'll just pack up my stuff tonight after dinner."

"But-" they said together.

"No! I have to leave that's final." I rolled over toward the wall.

"But... Beetle, you mean so much to this group." KBear grabbed my shoulder and flipped me over on my back, "Listen to us, we are worried."

I looked at them. Roofdoof was a small girl with crooked ears and bronze hair with the cutest smile. She was wearing white and black leggings stripes that went vertically instead of horizontal. She had a white shirt so dirty and messy you think she was a little boy playing with monster trucks. She had combat boots that strapped half way up her calf and a few piercings along one side of her ear. She had a cross around her neck from her family before they separated... but to be honest I think they are very well dead...

KBear was a round girl and tall. She had a very round face and a type of Mohawk I'm not sure how to describe. She was wearing bright red lipstick and had thick eyelashes that glossed up her eyelids. She was wearing tennis shoes with jeans and an old long sleeved pink tattered shirt. Her brother was all she had left. He lived below us bunked with younger boys. They had been through thick and thin.

I had friends. You know how odd it is to say that? I've never had friends. Even before the world died. Now I have friends. It broke my heart because I didn't have anyone. I had a sister but I'm sure... She died. I saw my parents die in the first CP march and our house never burned so sweetly against the red sky. My mother always hated that house so it made me feel good to see it fall for her. I sang a Beatles song while it burned to pay tribute to my father who always asked that I sing at his funeral. After the fire I scooped up some ashes and stuck them in my jean letter pocket. I have a pocket full of ashes on the inside of my jacket, which I've never told anyone about. I looked at my friends and felt the string in my heart that these people became not just friends, they were now family. If I didn't protect them, I had nothing.

I sat up on the bed taking off my headphones one last time. I felt like crying, "I have to go... You can't die on me yet." I looked at them as they embraced me. My family was all I had and I was all they had as well. "I promise I'll be okay." I said.

"How?" Roof said pulled away. "With this." I snapped my fingers as a beat began once again in my heart. A Beyonce song arose up through my lips, "I used the light that comes to me with your halo——" I struck my fingers together and pulled apart electricity as the beat in my heart continued. The electricity bounced to the beat, my friends stared in awe at the trick. I grabbed Roof's hand tightly around her wrist. She freaked at first but I had to get rid of the energy. I felt her heart as I sent the electricity to the sound of her heart and I heard what it said. "I believe." It chanted.

"I-beli-eve" over and over. What did she believe in? A dream? A wish? It's a wish, a thoughtful wish. It was love in her heart. I went to grant her wish when suddenly there was a yell at the bottom of the stairs. We all jumped into action as I threw open the door. I grasped the railing and flung myself down. I caught a stair step grabbing the railing sliding down the cold metal. I looked hard at the two girls. Who were they?

"AbeMonkey we got two girls down here, age... 17?" Almost immediately they clung to the gate, "Help us! Let us in! He's coming! Hurry!" Out of panic I threw open the gate without thinking. As I was shutting the gate an Asian man came around. He had an iron bar in his hands. I closed the gate trying to lock it back up. He came forward running full speed swinging the pipe. He struck my hands as I fell back into the stairs. KBear and Roof rushed down as everyone watched from above the railings. I held my hand in pain. He had broken my fingers. I wailed on the ground. My head was next to the bars of the gate and the Asian man grabbed my hair and pulled me up. He took the pipe with his arm and slide it through the bars giving solid swings into my body. He bashed my face in once or twice. "Let me in or I kill her!" He yelled.

"Who are you!? You should be dead!" Someone yelled. I was starting to get woozy as I saw blood drip down my front shirt. FingFong ran falling down the stairs. KBear caught him and held him back.

"I'm a CP!" The Asian yelled, "I demand you to let me in or the girl gets beaten to death!" No one moved, he reached his pipe around the bars of the gate and swung hard into my stomach as I coughed up blood. I looked up into the balcony. "Ple-...ease... Sing..." I asked. I don't know if anyone heard me but FingFong started bawling as he fought to get to me. "S-s-s-sing! " I said. Roof heard me.

The man came and whacked me again. I was so broken now that I didn't have the energy to defend myself. My nose was broken, my hand was broken. Blood drooled off my lips. All I needed was them to sing.

"Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. For purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain!" Roof was shouting.

"SING!" KBear yelled to the crowd. Everyone joined in immediately, "America America! God shed his grace on thee," my heart went with the beat. I raised my broken hand and slapped my hands together. "And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea! From sea to shining sea!"

"AGAIN!" KBear yelled.

"Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. For purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain!" I rubbed my hands together feeling the voices echo. The Asian screamed over an over to stop as he jabbed me in the back watching the people with a blank expression.

"What are they doing?" He shook me pulling hard. I smiled.

"They are charging me up..." I choked. He looked down at me making eye contact as I grabbed his iron pipe electrocuting him. I moved away from the gate quickly, FingFong came to my side. He was crying hysterically.

"Oh god don't die! Oh god please don't die!" He picked me up shoving his way through the people. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" He yelled. He brought me back to the big Hall. He set me on the round table. People rushed around me, "What do we do!?" FingFong cries loudly.

"There's nothing we can do, the only Doctor is in the west safe house ten miles away! But if there's CP's as deadly as that one I can't authorize any missions or movement." AbeMonkey explained.

I waved my hand, FingFong grabbed it tightly. "Si-s-s-sing... A-a-ah-"

"Sing again?" He exclaimed. "SING AGAIN!" He yelled. "What song!?" He asked frantically. I tried to shrug. "What song do we all know?"

AbeMonkey started, "Oh-oh say can you see... By the dawn's early light," he sang the Star Spangled Banner as I heard voices join I used that energy to rebuild myself. The pain slowly receded. I gripped FingFong's hand tighter as the song came to a close. I breathed feeling the sensation of being healthy. I opened my eyes as AbeMonkey came around with a rag. I tried to sit up but the two men pushed me back down. "Just lie down Beetle, take it easy." AbeMonkey said wiping the blood off my nose. FingFong grabbed my other hand feeling the bone, "Her hand has recovered." He said. "So is her nose."

I looked around. "Are those girls okay?" I said. "Roof is tending to them." AbeMonkey dipped the rag into some water. Cenderel came into the room, "God damn! You get a beating and you still get up!" I rolled my eyes unamused.

"He did get you pretty good..." AbeMonkey admitted.

"It was nothing-"

"BEETLE! He bashed your freakin face in!" FingFong yelled.

"Alright, alright! So I got beaten up a bit, at least I got the gate locked. I just couldn't get away in time..."

"He kicked your ass." Cenderel laughed. He came to the side of the table, "I got Ibuprofen and some pain killers, but I'm not sure you'd need them. And to be safe, I brought you a remaining CD I found on the street. It might be a little scratched up but you still have that CD player right?" I nodded. "Then this should help you heal up in no time." He placed all the objects on my stomach as I scrambled to catch them. "See ya guys later!" He waved not looking at us. FingFong took the items and set them aside.

"Are you hungry?" He asked.

"I'm fine, I had some bread on the way home."

"I can't believe it..." AbeMonkey said out of the blue. I finally sat up seeing the world. The kids were piled by the door. They were worried as they looked at me for reassurance. I smiled, "I'm okay!" I waved and the children grinned ear to ear running off. I looked back at AbeMonkey, "what's up Leader?" I said trying to lighten the mood.

He shrugged, moving toward the door to shut it. "I bet the CP Ward above ground is going to have a hay-day writing to the Queen about this."

"How come?"

"Well now they know there's possibly of a mutant here and possibly have the right to attack."

"It's so interesting," FingFong began. "CP's don't attack without the Queens permission."

"You know from being a CP it's hard to explain, especially how you all see them now." Oh that's right, AbeMonkey used to be a CP. "It was a very powerful group. I joined thinking it was gonna be like a fun boy scouts adventure but it's not all it's cracked up to be." He smiled.

"So what was it like?" I asked curiously.

"It's crazy that's for sure... But I was so welcomed."

"Welcomed?"

"Yeah, it didn't matter who I was and it didn't matter who or what people thought of me. The message spread across was 'be whoever you wanted to be', it certainly got the attention. So many people, kids mainly joined, when I joined I could be anything. Even something as crazy as building a real gingerbread house to walk into. Anything was real..."

"Anything?"

"Yes."

"So was there initiation?"

"Yeah..." He got quiet.

"What would happen?" I pressed on.

"We'd meet the Queen..."

"NO WAY!"

"Yeah, every CP gets to meet her."

"What's it like?"

"She's hypnotizing, beautiful In the weirdest way."

"Is she tall or short?" I laughed.

"Height never matters when your around her. When you meet her it's like you have an impulse to protect her, you have the need to stay by her side, and then you get jealous of everyone else."

"That's why CP's are aggressive?"

"No, never aggressive. It was sorrow jealousy. You wanted her, to be her, be there for her, even if you are a woman the feeling of being seen by her is like your going to die and be brought back to life." He was staring out a window now losing his train of thought.

"Did you shake her hand or anything?"

"Yeah, I shook her hand and she knew my name which freaked me out."

"Like your real name?"

"Oh yeah, the name I was born with. It was like she memorizes every person in the world."

"How could she do that?"

"She's the person you should be asking. I'll bet you anything she'll know who you are."

"You think?"

"Well since the CP's will be contacting her shortly on the account of the fallen CP the odds are likely that she'd know you were here exactly."

"Hear that girls! I've got no choice but to let her take me away now!" I yelled. KBear burst through the room. "There has to be a way to get you to stay!" She hollered.

"Listen, K," AbeMonkey began, "CP's are getting nastier by the second, if she stays we could all be in serious danger. Don't think about leaving either! You'd make us suffer torturous exercises just to know where you'd gone."

"How would you know that?" KBear confronted.

"Because I'm guilty of doing it." AbeMonkey walked away from the window, once again shutting the door.

"You mean you would torture people!?" I asked shocked at the kind hearted man.

"I would do anything for her..."

"Abe…" I thought for a beat, "Would you still do what she asks?"

He glanced up at me from the shadows of the yellow walls. "I would die for her." He answered with pride.

"I guess the Queen is someone I won't easily impress." I smiled at FingFong who was by my side the entire time listening quietly. He looked at me and grabbed my head with his hand kissing my forehead.

"You'll be fine." He lifted my chin and gave a smirk. He let go of me walking toward the door, "I'm going to check on Roof, see ya all at dinner." He took two fingers and saluted us leaving. AbeMonkey turned on the TV's as it illuminated the room with light.

"You seem fine I presume." AbeMonkey smiled.

"Let me look at you!" KBear grabbed my arms. "He beat you up girl!"

"Yeah I don't know how I was gonna get out of that one! Haha!"

"Trust us when we say we wanted to help, but he had complete control of your body. We wouldn't have been able to pull you out without getting whacked."

Medical care is very hard to find, so if anyone gets sick or injured they were likely to die. No one ran to me because they knew they'd probably die. Ha... I'm a mutant though so I could have healed them no problem. Suddenly Roof threw open the door running full speed. She picked me up, "Oh thank god!"

"Whoa whoa! Hey, I'm alright sweetheart."

"No that's not it." She buried her face in my bosom, "I mean yes that's part of it."

"What?"

"The two girls." KBear began.

"Who are they? What do we know?"

"They are Roof's sisters." KBear tasseled my hair walking back toward the door.

"Roof! Are you serious!"

"I believed! I always believed!" It made sense now. Her heart was beating for other lives. I smiled and rested my chin on her head and wrapped my arms around her. "You're welcome." I whispered. She gasped, "You did that?"

"That was the rhythm your heart beat to... I granted your wish." AbeMonkey grabbed me, "You can grant heart desires!?" I nodded. "I can only look at the rhythm of a heart and hear what it says." He took my hand and placed it on his chest, "Do me!" He yelled. I rejected my hand away, "It doesn't work that way!" I snapped.

"She has to sing a song to get it to work!" Roof exclaimed. I gave a definite stare. She turned red and covered her mouth.

"What shall I sing then!" AbeMonkey exclaimed.

"I sing it..." I sighed rolling my eyes. So I sung an old favorite, "Whenever you're away from me… wherever you gooo- you're never far away from me… I want you to knoo-ho-oh-w." My heart echoed the beat as I rubbed my fingers together. Roof grabbed his hand and gave it to me. I gripped hard till I could find his heart. "Missing" it bled. "I-am-miss-ing, she-is-miss-ing." Unsure how to grant the wish I let go of AbeMonkey and grabbed Roof. Her heart beat, "hope", "love". I got rid of the energy by granting him a full stomach to justify his hungry need. I looked up at AbeMonkey, "I could not grant your wish." I said sadly.

"Why not!" He yelled.

"Your heart said 'missing', I don't know what your missing so I can't replace it."

"What did mine say?!" Roof shouted.

"I-bel-ieve." I patted my chest to the beat of her heart. Thump- buh-bump.

"I did believe." She grinned.

"I granted what you believed in. AbeMonkey is missing, at least yours was solid." We looked up at him.

"Whatever." He left angry.

"It wasn't my fault..."

"Is that really what it said?" Roof said.

"It said, 'I am missing, she is missing'."

"She?"

"I think it's the Queen..."

"Oh... He was a CP long ago."

"That's what I thought...I can't grant that wish."

"I understand." Roof put her hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad nothing bad happened to you, but once I saw my sisters I was in a whole other world and I apologize."

"Hey, you got everyone to start singing. In my book you saved me." She laughed as we walked out of the room.