"You're who now?" Skye cried, edging back towards the corn field.

"Thirteen. Me and Hush are symbiotic. She didn't know it when she was a girl, but she was dying. I fed on her Remnant so that we could be one," the thing said.

A memory of Jules telling her about a "Thing In The Woods" fluttered through her mind. Was this it?

"So where is Hush now?"

"I'm still her. And she is me."

Thirteen turned back into Hush, who smiled.

"I promise you he's nice. He's all bark, no bite," Hush smiled.

"Are you sure?"

Hush nodded.

"Well, if I can't trust him, at least I can trust you," Skye sighed.

Hush nodded.

"Skye, I'm going to tell you about a complex idea now. I know that you will understand it, even if just a little, but you have to listen to it with an open mind."

"Why?"

"Because otherwise, it'll be too much strain in your brain and you could very well die."

Skye gulped.

"OK, then," Skye nodded.

"OK, let me begin. Firstly, have you heard of the Zero Point?"

"Yeah. We think it's under The Authority, in the middle of the island."

"Good to know. Well, do you know what the Zero Point is capable of?"

"I know it's a huge power source. That's why Midas built The Agency there, and Chaos Agent built The Authority there."

"Let me show you."

Then, Hush disappeared from her spot right in front of Skye to a spot ten metres away. It appeared to Skye than she had teleported with some floating crack!

"Woah!" Skye gasped.

"That was the power of the Zero Point. Those cracks are called Rifts, and they allow people to teleport through space and time. And, if you master the art of Rifts enough, then it will allow you to teleport to other universes."

"Other universes?"

"Yes, Skye. The multiverse is real. And very dangerous."

"But how did you make it? The Rift, I mean."

"With this."

And with that, Hush produced a sword out of thin air. The blade was blue, like Skye's sword, but it was much thinner, and the hilt was more grey and black rather than brown. And, most notably, there were two green crystals either side of the blade that glowed brightly, even through the light of the Sun.

"What is that?" Skye muttered.

"That is the Sword of Grass. It channels the elements of all plants to give the user ultimate power. Those green gems are the two halves of the Grass Rift Star. Skye, do you know what a Rift Star is?"

"No."

"Well, it allows you to control the Rifts. This one receives its power from the Grass element. And, it can be put into weapons like this one to enhance its power. All of the Rift Stars have been placed into weapons like the one I have here, but they're all missing. The only other one I've been able to locate is the Dual Knives of Ghosts, which was discovered by an entity called Nightmare, but is now in the possession of a man called Fletcher Parker. He's in hiding, so I don't know where he is. Have you heard of him before?"

"Nope."

Hush opened up her phone and tapped on it a few times, before showing Skye a picture of a young, muscular, purple tiger.

"Woah, a furry!" Skye gasped.

"No! Well, yes. But no! If you see him, do tell me."

"I will."

They paused. Skye looked at the floor awkwardly and tapped her foot on the ground.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Skye asked Hush.

"Because I want you to have this sword. I want to teach you how to use it properly," Hush explained.

Skye's mouth dropped.

"Me? But what's so special about me? Surely it'd be more suitable for you? Your friend is a literal plant!"

Hush turned back into Thirteen, who now seemed less intimidating.

"But, Skye, I am dark. To join with Hush, I had to kill her. She's alright with it now, but at the time, I lied to her. Rift Stars work better with someone light."

"I'm light? Liar, more like! I've lied to so many people, I've lost count!"

"Skye, you're a secret agent! It's your job!"

"But what about TnTina?"

"Well, yes, that would be considered dark. But, no one's 100% light. This Rift Star is made for light people, and that includes you."

"Wait, you're implying that there are dark Rift Stars, aren't you?"

"Yes. The Ghost one is made for dark people, which is why it is perfect for Fletcher."

Skye still felt unconvinced. Thirteen sighed, then turned into Hush once more.

"One way you can tell if a Rift Star is right for you is by holding the weapon it comes with. Will you at least do that?" Hush asked Skye softly.

"OK. But you're wasting your time," Skye sighed.

But, as soon as she touch the sword, Skye knew that she was wrong. She felt power... truly powerful power... coarse through her veins, into her very soul.

"Yes! I knew it!" Hush cheered.

She took a photo of Skye, then showed her the photo. Her eyes were growing green!

"Woah! That's crazy!"

"I know. It's gone, now. The Rift Star picked you!"

"It picked me?"

"It's yours, now. Are you free on Wednesdays?"

"I can make myself free. How come?"

"I can teach you how to use the sword and make Rifts. Would you like that?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. Hey, do Marcus and the others know about this?"

"No, they wouldn't get it."

"Should I tell anyone?"

"You can try, but I doubt most people would understand."

"I think I get it," Ollie perked up.

Hush and Skye almost jumped out of their skin.

"Who's this?" Hush folded her arms.

"This is Ollie. You don't know him?"

"Not really. How much did you hear?"

"All of it. Look at me, doing my job!" Ollie smiled.

"And how do you feel? Any headaches?"

"No."

"Alright then. Tell anyone that you think can take it."

"OK," Skye nodded.

Hush nodded back.

"See you then, then," Hush said.

"Wait, where should we practice?"

Hush pointed over to a hill with trees on it behind them. Skye knew that it was a nice picnic spot, and someone had abandoned a car there, so there was shelter if it rained.

"That's great. See you around!" Skye grinned.

She ran around the corn field rather than through it, then rejoined Ava and Jules in the car.

"Hey," Jules greeted her as she got in.

"Woah, did that girl give you that sword?" Ava gasped upon seeing the Sword of Grass.

Skye admired the Sword of Grass as if seeing it for the first time.

"This thing? Yeah," Skye chuckled.

"What is it?" Ava asked.

Skye thought about what Hush had said. Too much strain on her brain... Skye imagined Jules and Ava behind her with their brains exploded all over the seats. She couldn't let that happen!

"Just a sword. Pretty cool, don't you think?" Skye lied. She was getting a knack at lying now.

"Hell yeah! What are those gems on the side? They're super cool!" Ava grinned.

"Just... decoration."

"They're still neat. It'd be cool if they had some kind of purpose."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Like flight or teleportation."

"Whaaaaat? Teleportation's stupid. Who wants that?"

Ava gave Skye a look.

"Skye, I can read your mind. You can't lie to me."

"Wait, those gems can teleport you?" Jules gasped.

"Yup!" Ava nodded.

"But how? Like, how is that possible?"

Ava glanced at Skye for just a moment, as a horrible feeling began to form in the pit of Skye's stomach.

"No, stop!" Skye cried.

"Why?" Ava moaned.

"Because it'll blow your mind. Literally!"

Ava narrowed her eyes at Skye.

"She's telling the truth," Ava muttered to Jules.

"Oh. Then don't worry," Jules shrugged.

"Good. I'm glad."

Then, Skye began the drive back to Catty Corner. And, this time, she did it with a clear conscience.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Word Count: 1354 Words