Page 36 of Fated to Monsters

Still, I can’t help but imagine the endless possibilities.

Would any of the guys want that? How do people like us transition to a life unlike anything we’ve ever known?

Even Dash, the sweetest and most innocent of us, has grown familiar with the violence and turmoil of our homeland.

Yet, it hasn't broken him, not entirely. He remains optimistic and ready to try new things. This new world doesn't have the same impact on him as it does on the rest of us.

And with my constant paranoia, can I get used to not constantly assuming anything I don’t know is a danger to me and those around me?

How will I differentiate between a threat and something harmless when everything seems so foreign?

“That sounds nice,” I tell Sydney.

“There’s much to enjoy in this world, if you’ll give it a chance.” Sydney pushes a button on the console of this car, and noise quietly fills the space. “Music is another simple pleasure. You won’t like all of it, but you’ll end up preferring some styles over others.”

“This one is nice.” I lean back in the seat and allow myself to relax with my arm resting on the windowsill. Trees whip by, blurring into one indistinguishable shade of dark green.

“I like it, too,” Dash says from behind me. He reaches through and gives my shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I think we’ll be happy here.”

I have zero doubts that Dash will fit in nicely in Arthlia. Calm and peaceful is kind of his thing. But will I be able to abandon my violent tendencies and resort to a life of domesticity?

How can I come to terms with my past and accept that I abandoned Prania and left it in the hands of Parla?

“What are you going to do about Tremont?” I tilt my head toward Sydney.

His hair wafts in the wind like slow-moving clouds, and his gaze darts down and then onto the road again. "What do you think I should do?"

I chuckle. “I don’t think I’m the right person to be asking. In my homeland, things like this usually ended in violence.”

Sydney nods his head. “That’s what I’m trying to avoid, but I can’t ignore the fact that he nearly ruined everything for me—and for so many others, too.”

“But he didn’t. You were able to stop him.”

“That doesn’t change what he did.”

I chew at the inside of my lip, his words stinging worse than he intended. “What are your options?”

“That’s the thing, I’m not sure. I guess I could kill him, that’s the obvious one. But that doesn’t sit right with me, not with who I am now. Not to mention, it’s super illegal.”

Does that mean that’s who he was in the past? Maybe we aren’t that different after all.

“Releasing him is another option,” he continues. “But what if he’s lying and he has wicked reasons for being here? What if he causes more chaos and hurts people? I’d be responsible for any harm he inflicts if I let him go.”

“So you can’t kill him, and you can’t free him.” I scratch at my chin.

“You could imprison him,” Dash suggests.

My stomach clenches at the sudden recollection of my time spent in Rockbridge with Wes. Surely their prisons are nothing like Prania, but still, wouldn’t that be a worse fate than ending his life?

“In theory, holding him hostage and imprisoning him is also illegal.” Sydney flips a lever and a faint clicking sound appears. He turns us onto another road, and then the sound goes away.

“What does that mean though? What are the consequences?” I scan the new road in total amazement over how lavish this land is.

“Well, the humans, the people living on Earth, have these groups of higher-level officials called the government. They have them at all levels. Cities. Counties. States. Countries. We live in Harper County which is located in the United States.” Sydney runs his hand through his hair. “I’ll have to teach you about geography sometime. Or maybe there’s a crash course I could have the academy put together for you. We school new supernatural creatures; I don’t know why they couldn’t make an exception for your situation.”

My mind struggles to catch up with the fresh information.

“The government is in charge of making laws and there are law enforcement officers who, well, enforce them. There’s a justice system, so when someone breaks a law, they go through a set process and they’re either proven guilty or not, and then depending on the crime, there are different punishments. Something simple like a parking ticket is not punishable by jail time, but simply a fee that has to be paid. More severe crimes, like murder, that's going to get you locked up for a very long time. There are instances of accidental murder, or self-defense, which are taken into account when the decisions are made. Basically, bad things are off-limits here. No killing.” He takes a second to look over at me. “No drugs. Most violence is a no-no. Weapons are pretty much off the table, too, unless you have a license for them. And one of the most sure-fire ways to get in trouble with the government is tax evasion.”

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