Jiminy Cricket
This may come off as insane, like I should be put in an asylum for my "delusions", but calm down, I'm not hallucinating. I swear to you on my life that there's a voice in my head and it's not me. Remember, I swore on my life and to an ancient Roman, if I lied, you could kill me and it'd be okay. But since I'm not lying, you don't have to kill me.

Anyways, back to the topic at hand, yes I'm hearing voices-well, only one-and no, he doesn't talk during tests incase you were wondering. He's the type of guy who always follows rules. It's like he's a very vocal concience. Like Pinocchio.

I am nothing like Pinocchio, you are.

And there he is, Mr. Jiminy Cricket himself.

I am not a little cricket sitting on your shoulder.

You call me Pinocchio but I can't call you Jiminy Cricket? That's not fair.

Life isn't fair. Now pay attention to your audience.

Right, sorry. So, let's get one thing straight, this is a dangerous story, if you read it, you life will forever be in danger. I know you hear things like that a lot when you're reading and once you see it, you think, " Then why are you publishing this as a book?" or "yeah, right" or even "now where have I heard that before?" the answer to the first one is because I promised someone I would. Well, technically I promised a thing that happened to be near a thing that happened to-

Denin, why don't you start at the beginning?

Good idea Jiminy Cricket.

My name isn't Jiminy Cricket, it's Cal, use it.

Fine.

Now I guess I should start at the part where I was going to steal a video game.

That would be the beginning.

Shut up.

As I held the case in my hand, I debated with myself. I never really was a video game person, I like learning to fight with ancient weapons, learning about mythological creatures and learning small spells that never actually worked.The only reason I even thought about it was because it was supposed to be the best so far-according to my friend, Kyle, who supposedly has it all-so I decided to check it out.

Kyle said he'd let me try it, if I got the game. The problem with that though is I recently spent all my money on a series on eight books. I lived alone and I apparently had no morals.

So there I was, talking to myself; yes, no and back again. I couldn't decide what to do. When I started my habit of talking to myself, I got some pretty strange looks from the kid next to me. I don't think he heard me, just wondered what I was doing. Come to think of it, that was what I was doing too.

Anyway, after a few minutes of staring at the case, I heard a voice. I said, Denin, you really shouldn't do this.

"Who's there?" I asked, Just a little louder than before it spoke.

It's just me, now shhhh, the voice said. Talk back in your head, you're getting stared at.

Who are you? I asked.

I'm your conscience, my name is Cal.

My conscience? you sound like Nemo's dad. And isn't consciences just your guilt?

Yes but you're special, I was put here in your brain by a guy named Detima when you were a baby. I've only just found my voice.

Okay.

By this time I was sure I had lost it.

You're not crazy Denin, now let's get back to the matter at hand. Are you really that desperate to try this video game? You're a reader and a study person. A nerd. Aren't you proud of that?

It's true, I was proud, I even had shirts that loudly proclaimed this fact.

So why are you even thinking of stealing something you don't even like to do?

Cal had a point. In fact, it sounded pretty ridiculous when he put it that way.

With my mind made up, I put the case back and made my way home. It was an apartment in a small town in Wyoming known as Jackson Hole. It was shabby, the carpet was ripping, the bed was literally a mattress on the floor with a small window above it, a closet was built into the wall to the left at the head of the bed and a desk to the right was littered with papers and other writing utensils. The ceiling was really just rafters, I think this room was meant to be a really big, nicer-than-most-attic.

Once I got home, I crashed on my bed and flipped open my phone(yes it is a flip phone).

The second he picked up, Kyle asked, "Did you get it?"

"No,"

"Why?"

"Because someone convinced me not to," I answered truthfully. I didn't exactly want to tell him that there was a voice in my head.

"Who?

I thought for a moment before shrugging. "My conscience, " I sighed in resignation.

"Your what?" he demanded. "You don't have a conscience."

"I do now,"

"You might want to stand back from the phone," Kyle said quietly.

"Why? Are you going to yell at me?" I asked, snorting.

"Just stand back," he said firmly.

Denin, this doesn't sound right, Cal said warily. If he's not going to yell at you then what?

There was something dangerous about his voice that convinced me to not answer and do it anyway. So I held the phone away at arms length.

Intense pressure suddenly started in my ears, growing until a loud snap sounded and it stopped.

I had dropped the phone, it was now laying, closed on the floor. I bent down and picked it up.

"Sorry about that, it was the only way I could get to you quickly. Kyle was standing there, as if popping in my room by phone was something he did every day.

Once I realized what I was looking at, I did a double take; Kyle was....different. He had bat like wings and something like scales all over his body. His clothes looked like they had come out of a fantasy novel, his robe-vest-thing was bordered with gold, the high collar made him look regal. His black hair, normally messy and in his eyes was combed to the side and shinny.

"Kyle?" I asked skeptically.

Kyle lifted and eyebrow (I think, they were so light, you could barely see them).

"Wow, you've changed," I said looking at him up and down. "Fast," I added.

"Thanks," he said, striding over to my chair at the desk. "Now, about you having a conscience." He said, sitting down. "It is quite impossible, Denin, you are destined to join us."

"Us?"

"The Dark Knights," he answered me with a wave of his hand.

That can't be right, Cal countered. You should be destined to join and help the Morning Lights.

Okay, then what do I do? I asked him in my mind.

Stall him, someone is coming, my ever so helpful conscience said.

"So what am I supposedly going to do with you guys?" I asked out loud. " I mean for me to be destined to join you, surely I will do something out of the ordinary."

"You're a smart one," Kyle acknowledged. "But that's classified."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You are no longer enabled to join us," he explained. "Therefore you must be eaten."

I froze. "Eaten?"

I said stall, not hasten your impending doom! Cal cried.

"I thought I was doing that!" I yelled back out loud.

Kyle chuckled deeply, showing his vampire like fangs. He stood up and circled me until I was next to my desk, backed up against the wall. "Nothing you could have said would make this moment different," he menaced.

An explosion to my right, at the window, made both of our heads turn. The window had shattered and a large hole appeared, debris laying all around on the floor.

Taking advantage of this moment, I opened a drawer, grabbed my new leather journal in there and my favorite pen from the top of the desk. Then, trusting my instincts, I ran and jumped.

I closed my eyes and hoped intensely that the person who did the explosion in my room was waiting for a reaction. Long past the time when I would have expected an impact, I opened my eyes slowly. I was floating on a cloud, three or four feet above the ground. I was too stunned to do anything so it was no wonder I had to be dragged to my feet by a girl in leather leggings and short leather dress. When I finally shook my self out of it, I realized that we were running for our lives. Kyle was still chasing us and some how I was faster than a monster with wings.

"So what's your name? I asked as I ran after the golden haired amazon princess.

"Ace, what's yours?" she answered, not even out of breath.

"Denin," I replied. "Do you have a person in your head too?"

Ace smiled humorously. "Her name is Shasta. What is your voice's name?"

"Voice?" I questioned. The way she said it made me think that there was something bigger than what Kyle was talking about.

"Not here," was all she said to that question.

"His name is Cal," I answered, panting heavily. "How far is this place you're taking me?"

Ace didn't answer as we ran into an alley way and slapped the wall.

The air popped and we were in a forest. No joke; that was it.

"We're here," she answered me. She then led the way to the camp of the Morning Lights.