"Did you see the birds?"

That one simple sentence kept playing in Nora's head, ever since she'd found Ian in the forest this morning. As glad as she was to realize he was still alive, she was still more than a little freaked out by actually seeing him there. And the way he'd looked hadn't helped. So she was taking some time to herself. Ian was doing the same; he'd been understandably upset to learn she'd thought he was dead.

Nora had wandered into the downtown library. It was one of the places she used to come with her grandmother, especially on days that were too rainy for hikes.

She walked down the aisles, not paying much attention to her surroundings. Really, she just wanted to get to one of the reading chairs in the back corner so she could think without Ian or Michelle around to ask questions. At the end of the aisle, she pulled a random book off the shelf; she didn't even glance at the title. Then, she sat down.

The book was kind of strange-looking. It was slightly bigger than a paperback, and much heavier. Partly, that was because it was thicker than a regular paperback. But mostly, it was the metallic, somewhat rusty clasps holding it together.

Nora stared down at it. She'd never seen a book like this in the library before. She wiped her hand across it, getting rid of the dust that had accumulated. The Six Realms of the Known Universe was stamped onto the cover. Whatever. Nora flipped it open to somewhere in the middle, as much for a distraction as anything else. She scanned over the words, not really taking them in. Instead, she replayed this morning over in her mind.

When she'd first seen him standing there, she'd thought it was a ghost. Or maybe a hallucination. She wished she could have been so lucky. Instead, she'd found herself hugging a snake. Well, maybe not a complete snake. But a half snake. And was that really any better?

As soon as she'd hugged him, she knew something was wrong. He'd jumped when she'd touched him. And then she felt those scales. She'd leapt back with a shriek. She would have run away from him, but she got tangled up in the bushes.

"Nora!" the thing that looked like Ian— like most of Ian— choked out. And that was another thing; it didn't sound like Ian. It was too hollow. It had to be a trick.

"Did you see the birds?" it asked.

"The what?" Nora was momentarily caught off guard.

"The birds." he wheezed.

"What are you—?" she started. Then, she pulled herself together. She'd seen the birds, but so what?

"It's...a sign." he insisted.

"You're— you're not real." she told the thing, struggling to pull herself out of the bushes. "You're something else. Not him."

The Ian-thing looked strangely hurt. It had been reaching out to help her, but at that it pulled away, eyes wide.

"But...I've known you for years..." he whispered.

"Yeah? Prove it. When did we first meet?" she asked instantly.

"You mean in the forest?" he asked.

"Nope! Ha!" Nora shouted. She pointed an accusatory finger. "In science class!"

"That was years later... I taught you how to fish..."

Nora paused. Something about that struck her as vaguely familiar.

"We were in the woods." he insisted. "You were lost."

Nora thought about that. It had been so long ago, and when she'd told her family where she'd been, no one believed her.

"That was real?" she asked.

He nodded. Maybe this really was him after all.

"What happened to you?" she asked, looking him up and down.

He struggled for something to say. Finally, he told her what she guessed was the truth; he was born like that. And once he finally got her to believe it, he told her everything that had happened to him since the day of the accident. When he was done, all the initial horror she'd felt first at seeing a ghost, then a trick, then a snake melted away. Instead, she felt sorry for all he'd gone through.

But just because she felt bad for him didn't mean she was ready to welcome him back with open arms. She wanted to, but she needed a little time to think. This was a lot to wrap her mind around.

Ian had looked horrified at the thought that she'd leave. She'd only backed up a few feet and already she could see his incisors looking disturbingly sharp. She would have almost thought it was a threat except for the fact that he was clearly trying to hide it.

When she'd asked him what was going on, he'd reluctantly told her about the strange marble she'd found. She'd completely forgotten she'd put it in her pocket until he'd mentioned it. She'd left it with him before coming to the library. She still didn't quite understand why he needed it, but apparently it was important to him.

Nora was still going over all of that when something in the book caught her eye: And the skies will be darkened with birds, signaling the arrival of the Realm of Survival.

What did that mean? Whatever it was, it didn't sound good. Nora flipped back a few pages, scanning for whatever she'd missed.

There are six Realms in the Planes of Existence, each filled with their own inhabitants: Compulsions, Survival, Terror, Rage, Beauty, and Possibilities. When the end is nigh, the walls shall collapse, unleashing atrocities, amalgamations, and abominations throughout the land.

Well, that certainly sounded like something they'd want to avoid. She would have chalked it up to some crazy fortune-teller from the past, but she'd just seen those birds. Butterflies too, though she didn't see where the book mentioned those. Quickly, she flipped through the pages, wondering where the butterflies might come in. Agony? Doubtful. Rage, Terror, or Survival? Probably not those, either. So either Beauty or Possibilities. She flipped through to the Realm of Possibilities section and was relieved when she didn't see anything about butterflies. But when she flipped to the section on Beauty, she was stunned to read: The Fae will be heralded by butterflies' wings, and the End of Man will draw ever closer.

Nora stared down at the page. So, the Realm of Beauty and the Realm of Survival were crashing down on them. Beauty didn't sound so bad, except for that End of Man part. And Survival? She couldn't see how that was a good sign at all. She wondered which one of those realms was the one she lived in. Then, she wondered about Ian.

He'd told her that he wasn't born human. Did that mean he was from one of these other realms? Which one? Was his being here another sign of the apocalypse?

Nora shook herself— it couldn't be. He'd been here for years before, and nothing like this had ever happened. No, whatever this was couldn't have anything to do with Ian, she was sure of it. Still, she'd have to ask him what he knew about all of this. Maybe he knew nothing; maybe he was just as ignorant as her. But then again, he did seem convinced that those birds were a sign.

That settled it; she was going to have to ask Ian what he knew and warn her sister. She got up, closed the book, and tucked it under her arm. She walked to the checkout counter, doing her best not to look like she was in any particular hurry. But if this book was right, they might not have much time. Nora never would have thought opening up a book could turn her world into such chaos.

"Can I borrow this?" Nora asked the lady behind the desk, setting the book down.

"Of course dear."

"...I'm sorry, I think I left my library card at home." Nora said, looking apologetic.

It was a small fib, sure. She hadn't had a library card for this branch in years. But it had worked in the past; her name was on file here from back when she was a little girl. The librarian looked at her disapprovingly for a minute, then asked for her name.

It took a few minutes, but Nora was finally successful. She thanked the librarian and hurried out the doors. She wondered about meeting up with Michelle for lunch; there were a few things Nora was going to have to catch her sister up on.