I lay on the bed thinking.
I didn't go back to sleep, and every second I spent awake made the room feel more real than the last.
I've examined it twice now, the bathroom was fully functional, and even after washing my face many times nothing changed.
Am I kidnapped?
Is my family kidnapped?
Am I dead?
Getting up from bed I walked to the window, the view outside was the same as always, but the way I saw it had long changed.
The plants I once saw as beautiful looked unnerving as they swayed unnaturally as though alive—intelligent.
The giant mushrooms pulsed with color—poison.
I need to get out, but this room might be the safest place here.
I walked to the door that led out of the bedroom.
Since that first time, I never left the bedroom again.
I walked into the living room, one door looked like it led to a smaller room, the other led outside the room.
I kept walking, this time towards the exit door.
Once I reached the door, I pressed my ear against it.
Nothing. It was completely silent.
My hand shook as I held the door knob.
I took in a large breath, then twisted and pushed the door open.
A loud buzz of noise assaulted my ears immediately. 'The door was soundproofed?'
Right beside my door was a large room— a dining hall judging by the large table in the centre of the room.
The hall grew silent at the sound of my door opening.
"Ahhh, it's Vicas" Dahlia's voice broke the silence. "Finally, I almost thought you were never going to join us." She said rushing towards me.
Before I could take in the whole room Dahlia was in front of me.
"Welcome to the... Merry band of kidnapped superhumans" She grinned.
Some voices cheered in the background.
My mouth couldn't find words, so instead I grabbed her. I didn't say anything but my fear and confusion must have been clear.
"We all woke up in this place, all from different places. No one knows anything about how we got here but here we are." She shrugged releasing herself from my grip and turning to face both me and the dining room.
"The only thing we all have in common is our powers" She said, throwing her arms like a Ring announcer. "So welcome again to our Merry band of kidnapped Superhumans."
I finally took in the room, there was a large dining table arranged horizontally fully packed with food, with more than ten people on it.
I spotted my family first, Dad and mum sat together near the right end of the table with my Dad at one head of the table.
Theo surprisingly was talking with a middle aged man on the other end of the table.
I spotted two girls near my age, and older lady and on one end.....
My breath hitched, I stared wide eyed at the only bald man here, sitting at the other head of the table.
The Barrier.
It was him, our eyes met but he only looked at me for a second.
"...Vicas?" Dahlia shook me, she must have been saying something.
"Introduce yourself Vicas, very short just name and power, that's all." She stared into my eyes.
The whole hall turned silent, and I could feel beads of sweat run down my face.
The room was bright, but Dahlia's eyes were a spotlight.
I was under the spotlight.
In the midst of all these Superhumans.
"I... I am Vicas, erm Blanc, Vicas Blanc." My voice rose and fell unsteadily, but everyone in the room seemed to hear me.
'What next?', Dahlia's eyes were still peering into my soul. 'Powers, I haven't said my power yet'.
"My power is...." I stopped halfway looking down at my feet and rubbing my palms together, they were sweaty now.
'How do I say what my power is?'.
I stared into Dahlia's eyes, she was completely calm.
"My power is Death" my voice came out as a whisper, and yet it made the whole room turn even more silent.
The silence stretched on for a brutal second until it was broken by a clap.
A guy, a little older than me, he stood with a knife in his hand while clapping.
On the other side one of the girls my age gave me a smile that made me shiver just a little.
There were two seats left, one right beside her and the other near a man with white hair.
I was going to take the seat near the man when Dahlia pointed to the empty seat near the girl urging me to sit there.
'Is she messing with me?'
As I walked towards the chair, I felt the girl's gaze on me throughout, but I didn't meet it once.
"Nice to meet you Vicas, I'm Kendali" She said stretching out her hand, I took her hand but only briefly and sat facing away from her.
My parents sat opposite me. My mum was talking with a big lady who had an obscene amount of food around her.
My Dad was just eating absent-mindedly beside my mum.
I looked at The Barrier on the other side of the table, there was no food in front of him, he just seemed to be resting.
"Do you know him? He hasn't said much since we got here, no one knows anything about him" Kendali said, making me twitch, I looked to my parents for help but they looked curious too.
"We met the day before I woke up here" I answered briefly, my eyes turning to the guy beside the Barrier who was playing with a knife, he was carving it into the table but it didn't make a dent.
Dahlia was still talking in the background, and now Kendali seemed more interested in me.
Before She could ask me another question a humanoid six armed automation came from a door in the corner carrying food.
It was definitely made by Theo, one of the many ones from home, but this was different.
This one had runes all over Its body.
I stared at Theo, wondering what it meant but he and the other man were still locked in conversation.
It dropped two plates in front of me and four plates to the big woman in front of me.
'Four more?', 'Is she human?', the four plates were mostly meat unlike mine that was more balanced.
The Creature dropped the four plates and took back six empty plates from her.
It came to me and then said.
"Need anything else?".
Its voice was.... normal—no whistles, and it spoke in the common language that everyone in the world spoke.
Theo was looking at me now, I can only imagine the look of shock on my face.
The man beside him was watching too, 'Was this his doing?'.
I had so many questions that no one answered.
"Water" My Dad's voice called out, the creature gave him a glance, and I could swear I saw hatred in its eyes.
"Get him a glass of water too" Kendali said beside me, She was talking about me.
"Thank you" I said curtly to her, she smiled in response, but her dark brown eyes seemed to be laughing at me.
I picked at my food— it wasn't as good as mum's, and not long after the creature came back with water.
Dahlia finished talking sometime ago and she sat beside the white haired man, I expected Kendali to talk to me but she let me eat in peace.
Unfortunately my peace didn't last for long.
It happened in an instant.
As it came from the sky, the very roof made way for It's arrival.
Its four talons dug into the floor—cutting into it smoothly but Its legs were human, at least what could be seen from beneath the cover of feathers.
Its feathers were a heavy dark grey coat, carefully covering its body and yet stretching behind it like wings.
Its face was that of an Owl, with black orbs for eyes.
It spoke. Its voice unmistakably human despite Its shiny gold beak.
"Welcome to Damirra"