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should not exist. He had turned Ethan into something that even Ethan himself did not understand. “Why did you kidnap me?” he asked, unsure if he was referring to that moment, or when he was a child. It did not quite matter. It all meant the same.
                  “It’s time,” the man declared, “for the world to explode.”
                  Recalling his nightmares, Ethan struggled. He fought as hard as he could against the bonds that were holding him tightly. The tight bonds dug into his skin and still he twisted and writhed like a crazy person. He had to get free. He had to get free, no matter what it cost him.  What did this madman want from him? He was just some random kid that the man had yanked off of the street. Why was he part of the madness that was controlled by this maniac? He was just a normal guy. He was a teacher, for god’s sake. There was nothing more normal than that. He had struggled his whole life to be a normal man, in spite of the powers that made him extraordinary. He was just a regular man.
                  The madman raised a hand. He held it in the air and he yelled out. “Lilly!” he called, leaning slightly on a door that Ethan had not noticed before. He cried out loudly, though, to someone who was behind it. The smile that crossed his face then was still utterly devious, but there was a peace to it that fascinated Ethan. He was intense, passionate, yet he was serene. The muscles in his face were slack and he reminded Ethan of someone who was in a rapturous state at church.  How could one be so completely at peace and still be so completely evil?
                  It hit in an instant. The pain was like a fire inside of him. It ripped through him like an electric current and every muscle in his body went slack. The pain made him cry, nearly roar.  It seemed to spark through every single nerve ending, crackling. Writhing, Ethan cried out. It was electricity sent through his every muscle. It made everything spasm.  He let out a scream. He could not stop screaming. He could hear his own scream, but it seemed like the scream was outside of his body. It was loud and guttural and almost inhuman. “Please! Please stop!” he begged as loudly as he could possibly managed.
                  Stop !
                  “Lilly!”
    The pain stopped then. The sparks that were going through his veins and into his blood stopped. He hung limp against the bindings. His body was still shivering against the restraints that were holding him tight. He pulled hard again, but found that he did not have the strength. His muscles were still tingling, twitching. He looked up, absolutely helplessly.
    The man walked over to him and stroked his cheek. He stroked the back of his hand over the flesh of Ethan’s cheek. Ethan recoiled, but all he could manage to do was shudder.  “Ethan, call the other mind, or my Lilly will begin again.”
    Ethan knew that he was referring to Anna. He opened his eyes and shook his head lightly. He did not want to hurt Anna. He did not want to bring Anna into this. He cared about her, although he hardly knew her. He shook his head lightly and hesitated. That was when the pain returned. It coursed through him stronger than it had before. He felt himself being ripped out of his own body by the sheer amount of agony. He could see himself underneath, writhing like a tortured animal.
    Anna! Help! Please.
    It came out of nowhere. He had screamed out in agony and the plea for help from Anna had literally been ripped from within him. It hurt to call her like that and he didn’t mean to do so. He didn’t want to lure her into a trap. He closed his eyes and tried to stop screaming. It hurt so much that his body closed up and went into shock. Everything that was thrumming with energy stopped moving. Somehow, the man knew what he had done, that he was called. That was when the agony completely stopped. He fell limp against