Page 97 of My Wild Pet

And then it begins.

The first apparition appears so suddenly I trip on the moss and nearly fall. A small figure stands in the path ahead—a child, no more than three years old, with golden curls with ombre pink tips, and piercing green eyes. It’s the child from the mirror maze, the one with my hair and Gabriel’s eyes.

“Mommy,” it whispers, its voice soft but chilling. “Why did you leave me?”

I freeze. “You’re not real,” I say aloud, trying to convince myself as much as the hologram.

The child takes a step closer, a tiny pudgy hand reaching out to me. She looks so real, my heart stops for a second.

“Mommy, don’t leave me here. Maman, je ne veux pas rester ici! Take me with you. We have the same collar. I belong with you and Daddy on theLuminous Arc. Don’t leave! I don’t like it here!”

I force myself to move, stepping around it, but the child follows, its voice growing louder speaking a mixture of English, Imperial, and French. It’s the most frightening thing I’ve ever encountered.

“Mommy, why don’t you love me anymore? Why won’t you save me? Don’t you want me?”

Tears run down my face, but I shake them away. So many times I wondered why my father chose suicide over me. And Iused to wonder why he didn’t want me. This child’s voice sounds exactly the same as mine used to, when I would cry into my pillow, “Daddy, why didn’t you want me?” I stop and let the memory run its course. Then I turn to the little girl. “You’re not real,” I repeat, louder this time. The garden seems to laugh, but then it concedes and the child finally fades into mist.

I don’t get far before the path shifts again, leading me into a clearing. There, standing together, are my parents. My father’s warm brown eyes and my mother’s long blonde hair. They look just as they did before they were taken from me.

“Briar,” my mother says. “Come here. We’re so proud of you.”

“Mom?” My voice cracks, my feet dragging me closer even though I know better.

“Come home, Briar,” my father says, his voice steady but filled with pain. “You don’t belong here. It was all a misunderstanding. All of this. We didn’t die. You were the one in a coma. All this has been a dream. It’s time to wake up now and join us.”

My chest tightens as they step closer, their hands outstretched. I want to run to them, to feel their arms around me again. I want to believe this has all been a dream. “Everything? The social workers, the foster homes, my job, the aliens, Gabriel?” My mind centers on Gabriel and I feel something shift.This isn’t realand if I run to them I’ll probably fall to my death.

My mother gives me a sad smile. “Yes it’s all been a dream, baby. We’re so happy you’re waking up from your coma. We will have such a wonderful life together. Come here and give me a hug. I’ve missed you so much.”

I take another step toward them. I long to have parents. Sometimes I even forgot that I had them. I felt as if I was just born into existence from the sea foam and found on the beach.

But, is this real? Was I in a coma all this time? Did the nurses have on the television that’s led to this nightmare? How do I know what they’re saying is true?

I say the word out loud, “Trust.” And then I think of Gabriel. “You’re not real,” I whisper, backing away. Their faces twist into grotesque grins before vanishing entirely.

But the garden isn’t done with me. The path curves sharply, leading me into a dark alcove where a single figure kneels in front of a painted wooden cross. I freeze. Rebecca.

Her blonde hair hangs limply around her face, her skin pale and translucent, as though she’s fading with each passing second. She looks up at me, her eyes hollow. “Briar,” she whispers. “Pray with me. Help me find my way back to Earth. To Heaven. Saint Peter says we can only enter together. You must pray with me. Don’t leave my soul with these devils.”

I shake my head, tears spilling down my cheeks. “Rebecca, I’m sorry, I can’t?—”

“Please,” she begs, crawling toward me in an unnatural way. “They took me, Briar. Just like they took you. Help me find peace.”

“I can’t. It’s not real,” I say.

Rebecca moves forward abnormally and grabs both of my hands in her cold ones. She speaks in a demonic voice, “It’s real. I’ve seen the monsters here. They chase me and they’ll chase you too after you die, which won’t be long now. Pray with me now and our souls will be returned to Earth, where we both belong. You know the words. Pray Briar or risk eternal alien slavery in their Afterlife.”

I stumble back, shaking my head violently. “You’re not real!” I scream, my voice echoing through the garden.

Rebecca’s face changes to something akin to a monster, her eyes darkening as she lunges at me.

I cry out, falling backward as her form dissolves into a swarm of glowing insects that scatter into the trees. I realize I almost fell off a cliff into a valley. I pull myself up and sit down for a second. I have to collect my thoughts. My heart is pounding in my ears.Nothing here is real, I remind myself. Then I get to my feet. I must keep moving.

The garden grows darker, the air thicker, and I can barely see the path now, but I know I’m close. I can hear the Orb of Essence chiming in the distance.

I hold my breath looking at the orb.I just have to grab it, right? That’s all.But a figure steps out from behind a tall hedge, blocking my view of the orb. At first, I think it will be another hologram, but when I see the measured stance of the figure, my heart stops in a panic. Aefre.

He stands with his arms crossed as his cold eyes assess me. Exactly how he appears in real life: the trainer I’ve relied on, the man who molded me from day one. In so many ways, he’s been an authority figure, teacher, captor, lover, and I don’t want to admit it, but father figure as well. Seeing him here, blocking my path, sends a jolt of confusion throughout my entire body.

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