My eyes blurred as they adjusted to the overly bright fluorescent lights above me. I tried to sit up, but something was holding me down. I maneuvered my head to see restraints on my arms as well as across my chest. Panic surged within me. To my surprise, my hands didn’t ice over. Instead, I felt overwhelming pain shoot from the tips of my fingers to my forearm.

  “Try to keep calm,” a hoarse voice that I recognized as Finn’s said. “Whatever device is on our wrists reacts to our magic. Any attempt to summon our magic will result in pain. I learned this the hard way.” His chuckle was also hoarse. Just how much magic had he tried to use…? “I can’t control my reading minds, Ella. There’s no way for me to turn mine off.”

  My stomach dropped at the thought of how much pain he must be in. The pain from earlier still lingered through my arms, and that had only been one burst of magic.

  “You expended more either through your hands than I do reading minds. The pain is an afterthought now.”

  “How are we going to get out of here…?” I asked.

  Finn shook his head, a movement I could only see because his bed… table? was next to mine. “I know Lumi and Zuri were taken with us. Their master doesn’t seem to be anywhere in sight. She came all this way to rescue her member—I doubt she would abandon those two.”

  “So this Greg guy… He’s the one who took the Magus of Historia’s member?”

  “That’s the most likely case anyway.”

  “But how? Earth doesn’t have any magic. Whatever is binding us right now isn’t magic. …Is it?” Thoughts popped into my head about some secret society on Earth that secretly had magic. There's no way that was the case, right...?

  “No. It’s likely static— Er, electricity as you guys call it.”

  My mind flashed back to the TV at the apartment and how the boys couldn’t control technology. But it could somehow control us.

  A low, disturbing moan interrupted my thoughts, and I recognized it to be Aidan’s voice. He was struggling every which way, trying to break free.

  “I don’t think you’re gonna win, buddy.” Finn’s voice sounded more hoarse by the minute.

  “I-I’m scared. I hate tight spaces!” Aidan whimpered.

  I momentarily panicked, realizing my own movements were restricted. Thankfully, the room itself was open, and it didn’t feel like I was being closed in. Not being able to move was still terrifying, but I could handle as much.

  “Did Maverick make it out?” I asked, wondering if maybe he had only managed to get himself out, and not the both of us.

  “No, he did not,” Maverick replied.

  “Gah! How long have you been listening to us?!”

  “This whole time.”

  “Then say something! Don’t be a creep.” I shifted uncomfortably as much as I could. I wondered how long it would be before my legs started cramping.

  “There was nothing to say. We have no idea where we are, we’re powerless, and there’s no way out,” he paused. “I didn’t expect him to be able to pull something of that extent off so quickly. Whatever technology your world has, it far exceeded my expectations. You humans may very well possess something stronger than magic.”

  “Don’t say that…” I swallowed.

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re only solidifying the idea that we’re never getting out," I paused, trying not to panic, or cry, or do anything that might trigger my magic. "Is Rosalie here?”

  “She is, but she’s still unconscious.” I could hear Zephyr’s voice across from me, further away.

  From the distance of everyone’s voices, I could tell Aidan and Maverick were directly across from me, and Zephyr was likely next to Maverick.

  “Maybe she’ll have an idea of what to do…” She had been to other worlds, after all. Maybe those other worlds had creepy technology like us?

  The click of the handle echoed throughout the room, and I could tell a door had opened. From my position, I could see Greg walking back and forth down the aisle that separated us—watching our every movement. I could hear footsteps in the distance, which told me he wasn’t alone. Smart.

  “You’re probably wondering why you’re all here.” I could barely make out Greg’s smile.

  “Please save us your villain monologue,” Maverick said, annoyed. I’d also never understood why villains felt the need to explain their plan in excessive detail when there was a chance they could still lose.

  “Villain? So, you make me out to be the villain…”

  “You kind of kidnapped us,” Finn said hoarsely. “And I’m guessing these devices attached to us aren’t for decoration.”

  Greg clicked his tongue. “Perhaps I’m the villain in your story. But to the rest of the world? I’m a hero. With you here, I finally have all the proof I need to show the world magic is real! Not just magic, but other worlds!”

  “You still haven’t told us how you did that.” I could hear Rosalie’s voice. She must have woken up.

  “With science, my dear.” He bowed dramatically towards the bed in the corner. “Me and several of my cohorts across the world have been researching a way to break down the very fabric of reality and reconstruct it, forming a connection to your world. Or any world, really. We just got lucky. Even luckier when you all decided to try to reclaim the member of your species we took from you.”

  “That must have been expensive,” I said without thinking. A sharp pain radiated through my hands when I realized I had drawn attention to myself. Please don’t kill me…

  “Why, yes, it was. Or would have been without our… connections.” He positioned himself directly above me and smiled, his teeth looking creepier and sharper than they probably were.

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Pain shot through me once again, and I was forced to shut my eyes and bite my lips shut.

  “Sir.” I heard footsteps run in front of me. “We’ve determined that this one isn’t in full control of her MEP.”

  “Hm…” Greg’s voice was inquisitive and sinister. “She could prove useful later. What of the others?”

  “The boy to the right of her is constantly using his MEP. We don’t know why. The two girls next to him are still asleep, but one of them has extraordinary MEP levels. The boy across from her shares the same level, but the girl is… unusual. Her levels are constantly fluctuating.”

  “And the other two?” Greg interrupted.

  “The one with glasses has a higher level MEP than the blonde girl and boy next to her. The other has very low MEP, to where we almost thought it was a fluke.”

  “He’ll be perfect for our first test then.”

  I wondered what MEP stood for. From the way they spoke, it was obvious they were referring to our ether.

  “Even though this one can’t control her MEP, she may have the highest levels yet.”

  I froze. I did not want to be special. Bad things happened to special people.

  “Unpredictable. Science relies on predictable results that can be repeated. She’s utterly useless for our research. Though… Perhaps she’ll have other uses for us. Tranquilize them and move them into their allotted rooms. We’ll learn nothing from DNA alone.”

  Greg’s footsteps diminished, but more footsteps entered the room. I screamed from both the pain in my arm from the tranquilizer, along with the pain in my hands caused by the fear of said tranquilizer. My body went numb, and any desire I had to escape slowly faded away, a feeling of apathy replacing it.

  I let my body limply follow the commands of those around me as they unstrapped me from the bed and harshly forced me along. The room we were in was large with gray concrete flooring and white walls, which only looked blue due to the light blue fluorescent lights.

  Once we were out in the hall, the same flooring and walls continued. The only difference was that the lights were now white.

  We walked a few doors down, or maybe a few hundred. Time was a blur, and nothing was making sense. They harshly shoved me into a room and pointed to a white plush bed I assumed to be mine now. Zuri had woken up by now and was also following along without resistance—until she saw Lumi’s unconscious body being dragged along.

  Zuri fought against her captors, earning a kick to her stomach that left her unable to stand back up. Rosalie was also fighting her captors and doing a much better job. She had managed to throw one of them off of her, causing the other one to grab and pull her hair.

  Rage flashed through her eyes as she turned and bit his hand. Unfortunately, the two guards who had previously been holding down Lumi ran to pin Rosalie to the wall as our captors frantically shouted at each other. Their words were loud and muffled, and my brain was too foggy to understand what they wanted. Eventually, a woman in a white coat brushed by me, nearly knocking me over, and administered another tranquilizer.

  “Those devices on your wrists are set to kill you if you try anything funny.” One of the guards crossed his arms. He was wearing a full black combat suit, making me wonder if he was part of the actual military. Which country’s military? Who knew. Surely the government wasn’t involved, right? That would lean too much into conspiracy theories, and Marge wouldn’t like that.

  The door locked behind us after the guards filed out. “Sure they will.” Zuri clicked her tongue. “They can’t kill any of their test subjects this early.” She crossed her arms.

  Now that everything had calmed down, I noticed we were all dressed in white half robes and pants. Thankfully, we had socks, though they did little to protect us from how unusually cold these rooms were.

  “Is she okay?” Rosalie asked, gesturing towards Lumi from where lay on her bed.

  “She’s probably just overwhelmed. How are you?” Zuri asked.

  “Not pleasant.”

  “Really?” Zuri feigned shock. “What a surprise!”

  “Is it? I thought that would be the appropriate reaction to have in response to our situation. Would you like me to smile instead?”

  “No. I was…” Zuri pinched the bridge of her nose.

  I pulled the blanket around me and brought my knees to my chest. Who would have thought our enemy wasn’t the Magus of Historia after all, but some weird underground organization from my world.

  “Isn’t there any way you can contact Sylvis?” I asked Rosalie.

  “Not without magic,” Rosalie answered.

  “Sylvis watches us, doesn’t she? Will she see that we’re in trouble and come rescue us?”

  “She can’t travel to other worlds if you remember. Whether or not she creates a portal directly to us… Well, she would risk your people launching a direct assault on Etheria.”

  “I’m sure she could handle a handful of humans without magic.”

  “The less they know about us, the better.”

  “Well, that’s not going to happen if Sylvis leaves us here for them to experiment on us!” I sighed, exasperated.

  “Sylvis won’t sit by and do nothing. If it comes down to it, she’ll find a way to help us. I’m sure of it.”

  “I’m sure if it came down to it, she’d rescue you…” Zuri’s eyes remained on Rosalie. “Perhaps Elaina as well. But the rest of us? We’re nothing to her.”

  “Sylvis loves all of us!” Rosalie balled her fists. “She wouldn’t abandon us!"

  “She treats Ethereals differently. I’m sure you’ve noticed this by now. The undying and unconditional love she shows you… I was almost deceived by it, too.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Maybe Rosalie didn’t, but I did. I experienced it the moment I first stepped foot in Etheria. Sylvis’ overwhelming and almost motherly love, as if welcoming home her family. Was it really just because I was an Ethereal…?

  “Your master escaped, didn’t she?” I asked, changing the subject. “Do you think she’ll be back?”

  “Of course she will.” Zuri crossed her arms confidently. “The whole reason she’s here is to rescue our member this Grog guy took from us.”

  “Greg,” I corrected.

  ”Egh… You Earth people have some interesting names. She may not aid you directly, but the collateral damage she causes may just be enough to get you guys out.” Zuri winked.

  “She’s really strong, isn’t she?” I asked.

  “The strongest Ethereal that exists.” She beamed, her face glowing with pride.

  “Does she give you unconditional love like Sylvis did?”

  Zuri shook her head. “I left the Magisteria Fantastique after Sylvis and I had disagreements about using our magic on regular people. Master allows us to help others discreetly, and in some cases even allows us to tell others about it. But she’s distant. She’s set on her mission, and there’s nothing more important to her.”

  “How long were you at the manor for?” I found myself wanting to learn more about Zuri.

  “Three years.”

  “Was Lumi ever a part of the manor?”

  “No. After her family died, Master brought her directly to our home herself.”

  I clenched my fists at my sides. “Your master killed Lumi’s family, though.”

  Zuri’s face darkened with sorrow and regret. “It’s… It’s more complicated than that. But it’s not my story to tell.”

  “Fair enough,” I muttered and looked away, signaling the end of the conversation.

  “I wonder how the others are doing,” Zuri changed the subject. “That mindreader of yours didn’t look too well.”

  “I’m more worried about the kid. Aidan,” Rosalie said. “Finn has been through worse.”

  “Has he?” I raised an eyebrow. I couldn’t imagine what could possibly be worse than the ether inside you slowly killing you.

  “What was that?” Zuri suddenly sat up in her bed.

  “What’s what?” Rosalie asked, her tone not all that interested.

  The room went silent, and I could make out screams in the distance.

  Aidan…