Aje of Existence

Only 23 years old, Aje had her entire life to look forward to, or so it would seem. For some time now Aje had been feeling alone, as if no one really cared what the hell happened to her. She had recently broken up with her boyfriend, yet again, because the egoistical bastard had decided to run off with someone else...and her money. She didn't have much left; luckily she had finished her last year of university by the time things started to gradually deteriorate into the piece-of-shit place she found herself in now.

Everything had been fine, aside from the break up and having been robbed. People break up, it happens.Then one day a jogger ran into her on her way to work. That's when the problems started. That day, Aje had an important meeting at her new job. She was hoping the owner of Jason Design Interiors had acknowledged her work effort and her creativity when it came to designing and decorating the inside of a room. This was her chance to go big, have her name in magazines, maybe even her own show. What she would never have contemplated was the hell that was about to ravage the life she would soon only be able to dream of.

She arrived at work about 24 minutes late. As she ran into her office space she looked over at Jason's secretary who made a face signaling that she'd messed up. Aje cursed under her breath, shoving her jacket off and making her way quickly over to her boss's office. Before knocking on the oak wood door, Aje inhaled sharply, strangely enough knowing what was about to happen. She gulped her breath down and turned the knob. Inside she could already tell this couldn't end pretty.

"The meeting went well, took about 15 minutes," Jason's deep robotic voice didn't help ease Aje's nerves in the least. Shifting in her seat, Aje couldn't even begin to think how he would react to what happened. After a moment of what seemed like eternal silence, her boss spoke again.

"You know, before hiring you, I told myself you were the kind of person this firm needed," As though by pure fear Aje didn't dare move her lips. She was terrified. She loved her job and couldn't begin to imagine losing it this early.

"I...There's no excuse, sir," What the hell, was she in high school again?

"I know." Aje's stomach turned with fear and pure nerve. "I'm gonna have to let you go."

This was the true beginning. Colter had only been a side track. The spark of fire in Beddlum's far more "glorious" game. That little push didn't compare to this push into the poisonous pit of thorns. After having collected all of her belongings from her desk she managed to make it down to the parking without even a tear.

When she got to the lobby she overheard two men talking about an opening in the firm. At that moment tears came streaming down Aje's eyes. Her dreams had been crushed by a stupid jogger on the streets of New York. What's new?! She managed to think to herself. She had no job, low income anyway, and now she had none.

When she got to her apartment she noticed the bolted lock was cracked at the edge. She immediately pulled out the common 45 caliber gun she kept in her purse and propped the door open with the nozzle. Very carefully she took the black stilettos she had on and placed them off to the side, never looking down. As she crept silently to the main hall of her tiny apartment, noticed most of her valuables were gone. Gravely convinced that no one was there any longer, she walked past broken glass and a few plates that had been taken out of their rightful place.

Aje eyed the entire place. It was at that moment she realised things were more than not okay. Things were fucked up. The life she had grown to know and love and appreciate was now gone. Feeling empty inside, Aje looked down at her right hand. Gun cocked, she rose it near her face the nozzle pointed to the left. She eyed the silver weapon in her hand, at that moment seeming like a guest welcoming her into a place where nothing could go wrong. After staring at the trigger for 30 minutes Aje placed the gun in her holster which the robbers had apparently missed by chance. She looked at the glistening gun, its silver and black coating seeming more and more welcoming. This is stupid, she thought to herself, shaking foolish thoughts away from her mind.

"You know it's not, Aje," Aje turned around to face the front door. She felt as though someone was there, watching her. Maybe she was just so high on emotions she was seeing things. After sitting on her bed where Colter and she had spent so many nights together Aje rose, grabbing a towel on her way into the bathroom. She sluggishly undressed in front of the mirror. She paused after taking off her bra and studied her face. She seemed different. Colourless. She examined her hair, her eyes, her jaw.

She was beginning not to recognise herself. She then examined her entire body. She had never been a skinny girl, but right now she seemed to have lost more weight in five hours than she had ever in her life. She hated what she saw in front of her. A failure. Just as she was about to soak her brown hair in the warm water, Aje felt a tug at her towel. She looked over, startled, to find nothing but steam in front of her. She dismissed any other thoughts then turned to get into her bathtub. As if cued, Aje turned once again, but this time she knew someone had to be there...she wasn't crazy.

She ignored the churning feeling in her gut and turned the shower faucet on. She couldn't shake the feeling of haste and anxiety she felt as she pulled the shower curtain to one side and stiffly climbed into the tub. The water wasn't warm yet but she could care less. Her mind was entirely blank. All she could think about was Colter, her job which she no longer had, and the awkward feeling she had. In one second she lost it. She couldn't take it anymore. Turning over to face the walled part of the tub she slammed her head on the tile. Still not satisfying the numb feeling she longed for she slammed it once more. Blood streamed down her forehead into her eyes, staining her lips. Her bare body was now drenched in the heavy red liquid, transparent only because of the water flowing down her limbs. Finally, the numbness came and all else was a mere setting in the background. She slid down to the tub floor, the bloody water engulfing her quivering body.

As if by instinct, Aje opened her eyes. Nemo me impune lacessit, she kept repeating in her head. Nobody attacks me without punishment. Aje turned to face the ceiling. She lay there, motionless. She couldn't see or hear anything. She was lost in her thoughts. Blackness consumed her mind. All she could think about was a lapse. She wanted time to stop. Too long has it been since she had a good day. Then the answer came to her. She hadn't realised it yet, but there was a solution to all her problems.

Aje stood, not caring to be cautious on the wet tub floor. She pulled the shower curtain open and stepped out of the tub. Grabbing a towel to cover her body, she opened the bathroom door and made her way to her closet. Not knowing why, she disregarded all of the clothing she'd been wearing for four years and pulled out a pair of torn-up traditional black converse and her favourite high school outfit: a tie-dyed black and violet shirt and worn-down black skinnies. Starring at the outfit before her, she thought about her past. Everything had been perfect. There was never anything to complain about. Prying herself away from such far away thoughts, she shifted back into the reality she was beginning to abhor, and all hope of a natural, remotely normal life she now figured was utterly useless.

So this basically sucks, she thought to herself as she put on the black skinny jeans she would so often wear as a teenager. Everything was bleeding into her mind. The things that had happened in the past couple of months had all been so random. One thing piling on top the other. There had to be an explanation, and it apparently started with her past. She walked over to her mirror, bra and shirt at hand. She looked into her own eyes. She couldn't recognise them. They weren't hers. The person standing in front of the mirror was a stranger. Same name, same hair, same form, same face. But there was something about her eyes that uneased her. Made her skin crawl. Her left eye still shone a turquoise/sky blue colour and her right eye a hazel/green. Still, she couldn't figure out what it was that unsettled her, made her stomach knot and her teeth churn. Then she saw it. The slightest hint of it. Of blackness. An abyss that would gradually be the ruin of her. She looked away in disgust. What she had realised was so disturbing she couldn't think of anything else. She flopped down on her bed, her torso exposed, not caring how cold it was. She had left her window open and any other night the piercing winter breath would bother her tremendously, but tonight it was more than welcomed.

She lay there, wishing for the blackness to consume her entity. For what seemed like an eternity, Aje simply rested, if it could be called that. Her mind filled with dark thoughts and shrieks of panic with every shutter of her eyelids. It's time, she thought, consciously sitting up on the edge of her bed letting her heavy hair drape over her shoulders. All there was left to do...

"Aje."

His voice, seemed caring, affectionate, all of Aje's worries would now be lifted. She looked up to find a tall man standing before her. His hair brown and slightly waved. His eyes red, burning like a flare. He didn't unnerve her, he couldn't. But then he smiled, his lips full, not showing his teeth. That was the pushed button. The caring she had heard in his voice was gone, the affection no longer existent. She was damned at the very moment she laid eyes on him.

"Aje, my name is Beddlum. I have an offer for you." A monster. That's what he was. Something that had crawled out of her darkest nightmares.

"I really do prefer demon. Has a bit of a ring to it." He chuckled, smiling at Aje, not trying to be polite, simply enjoying her thoughts. He knew everything. What she thought, what she felt, her intentions.

"I'm only going to offer once, so listen up." He made his way into the moonlight that was seeping through the window. His eyes shone a brighter red now, harsher, more demonic. She nodded.

"Alrighty. So your life sucks. I like suffering. I think we can make a beautiful relationship out of this, don't you?" His arms were crossed over his chest. He knew the answer before he'd asked her; no one refuses Beddlum.

"W-What do I have to do?" Though she tried steadily to hide it, her fear was washing over her like a river over the bank. Beddlum laughed.

"Do? You won't have to do anything." Noticing Aje's puzzled face, Beddlum added, "See, I have this... challenge. I put you in a world, one of my dimensions if you will, and you fight your way through to the world, which will lead you to this world again. If you die, don't worry, I'll revive you — only 7 times."

Beddlum looked at Aje with hopeful eyes, not because he wanted her to accept, but because if she did, that would mean her certain death, that would mean more power for him. Aje looked down at her black skinnies, determined, then back at Beddlum.

"And all I have to do is make my way through different dimensions?" Beddlum nodded, a smile of tease forming at the corner of his mouth. Aje closed her eyes then nodded her acceptance.

"Excellent," Beddlum smirked. "But before I take you... put some clothes on."

Remember that one thing may lead to a certain path, but that path is never certain to lead to your answer. Keep your Strength at bay and your Courage at Heart. Never Trick the Race, or Anyone can steal your Vision. I, like you, will Suffer your fate.

Aje awoke, her hair drenched and her lungs burning. What the hell? She looked around, nothing but what looked like cacti off in the distance. She shut her eyes and remember what The Demon had told her. It was a riddle, a well crafted one. And now was the time when she had to decipher it. She understood the strength, that was literal. But the rest. Courage at Heart was capitalised. Courage.

Aje kept repeating to herself. In the rest of her riddle, only certain words were capitalised. But why? The first word of a sentence, that was obvious. that left...

"You shouldn't just stand there like a cactus... that is, unless you don't mind getting hacked up like tiny pig pieces." Black hair, blue eyes, pale complexion. Where the blazes did he get a horse?! The man looked at her questioningly. In a swift sudden motion, he jumped off his...horse and held out a hand to Aje.

"I'm Sol," He didn't seem demonic. He wasn't exactly the most cheerful guy, either.

"Uh... I'm Aje."

"Age? Seriously?" He raised an eyebrow then shook his head.

"Anyway, that's not important. If uh, if you want to keep your 7 lives I suggest you move your ass and get the hell away from here." He took the reigns of the horse and pulled it along. Somewhat confused, Aje followed. She obviously didn't know this man. One thing she did know: He wasn't a demon.

"By the way," Sol stopped abruptly, Aje almost running into him.

"What's up with your eyes?" Thinking, no, fearing that he too could see the blackness in her eyes, she quickly looked away.

"Why is one blue and the other green?" A little dumbstruck, Aje looked at him, half wishing he'd be more direct.

"Oh, erm, they used to be hazel. The blue grew into my left eye." Looking down at the dirt-covered ground, Aje felt tears well up in her eyes. She hadn't thought about home or her life. Sol looked over at her, noticing the discomfort, he shrugged.

"So, how long have you been playing?" Aje's gaze shot up.

"Playing?"

"Yeah, you know. Beddlum's ultimatum," Aje looked up at Sol, not knowing what he was talking about. He laughed and looked ahead.

"I wish you the best of luck. I'm already on my third life."

After Aje said nothing, Sol grabbed her arm and turned her toward him.

"Look, whatever it is, however bad your life was on the outside, nothing compares to this." His eyes were hard, his pupils narrow, the blue growing intense.

"We're in the superior version of Hell. Keep your mind focused and you won't die." Aje couldn't help but remember her riddle. Something about him stood out. After she still hadn't sad anything Sol let go of her arm.

"Maybe you should just stick around. See what happens." As he started off Aje mumbled to herself.

"Courage at heart."

"What?" Sol turned around, thinking she'd said something to him.

"Courage at heart. It's something Beddlum said to me."

"He gave you instructions?" Amazed by his realisation, Sol walked toward Aje. He looked deep into her eyes, trying to see something he'd missed. His eyes grew cold and his voice dry. As if Hades himself had vowed death upon him, he turned.

"You're one of them." He said in disgust.

"What?!" Aje didn't fully understand what he meant but she knew what 'them' stood for.

Sol looked at Aje, unable to keep his eyes fixed on hers. Her very presence should send chills down his spine. But it didn't. Her touch should make his skin crawl. But it didn't.

"You're one of them."