I awoke from bed with a jolt and sqeak of suprise. I was sure that had been fathers voice but was uncertain of what he had said. That was odd, father never raised his voice.

  She tilted her head sideways at the door of her room only to hear nothing for the next several seconds. Still intrigued, she slowly began creeping to the door and at last with her ear cupped against it she could hear.

  [It is too early, she isn't eve...] a voice not belonging to father cut mother off.

  [She is as ready as she will ever be] The man's voice contained heat and determination.

  Suddenly the door creaked as she leaned in more interested and let her weight lay on it. Almost immediately it swung open and if father hadn't caught her by the arm she would have fallen face first.

  [She listens even now, and Brian is right, it is time.] Father said in that cold manner that always felt devoid of any emotion. [The heart is here now and he is no condition to get another should we waste this one]

  He then firmly directed her to the table and placed a platter with what had to be the heart on it in front of her.

  What exactly was going on, she had never met the new comer before and she wasn't even allowed to eat meat, let alone a heart. I looked up at mother and father. Mother looked furious as always. Her height and muscular body made the bad man afraid, sometimes she thought father was afraid of her too.

  Father was on the shorter side she thought, but wasn't sure as he was taller than most of the bad men, perhaps mom was just really tall. That went for his muscular as well, he didn't seem like much next to mom, but he did against the others. She let her gaze linger on mother, any moment now mother would explode and she would know what was going on, but mother did something she had never did before. She was quiet and she looked away for the briefest of moments. It looked like she wanted to say something, but nothing ever came out.

  [Eat it] Father pointed at the heart and she gasped as it beat once. Was this heart alive, she couldn't, she wasn't allowed meat. It disgusted her, she pushed the platter away almost knocking it on the floor in her haste as she jumped from the seat.

  [I won't eat it, never] Her own heart felt like it might explode.

  [You will learn a portion of your name] The stranger had spoken.

  She hadn't really looked at him because of the heart, even now she couldn't help but glance at it even though it repulsed her. He seemed familiar, but she didn't think she had ever met him. He had dark hair from the small bits she could see protruding from under the cloth cap he wore. Only his face was visible with the rest of his body engulfed by baggy clothing. She noticed dark holes in the fabric now and what was definitely blood soaking through. He looked near dead judging by the number of holes and blood.

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  She shook her head no. She didn't have a name, true. Mother and father had names, though she didn't use them. She knew the bad men had names and it did hurt that she didn't. It made her feel like an object. It didn't make her feel bad enough to eat that though. [No more running, you won't have to fear the Hixocht anymore, the gateway will be open to you and most importantly the name] The stranger was talking in almost a fevered way, it made her uncomfortable.

  Not having to constantly be on the run from the bad men would be great and she knew the wonders beyond the gate. Her books had described far away lands filled with impossible things. Oh, how she had longed to go visit. The others could leave, her mother and father could leave and often did. She alone, the only person....no..the only thing with no name could not.

  Still she was afraid and mother and father were eerily silent watching from across the table.

  Everyone jumped when the stranger let out a burst of manic laughter. He must be closer to death than she thought. Laughter like that still gave her nightmares, but he was just a dying man not that nightmare.

  Their eyes met and she did not see a dying creature something else gazed back fiercely. It frightened her and a feeling she didn't understand. She was scared of this man, so why was her every fiber of being telling her to attack. To destroy this man. She wanted to and that scared her too.

  [Stop it, she is trembling. I cannot go on with this, I am taking her and we are leaving] came the angry voice of her mother she knew so well.

  Father shifted into his fighting stance and the stranger moved to the opposite side of mother. It looked almost like they were going to attack her.

  [Sheina, too much rests on this to stop now. She will eat the heart and live or I will strike her down myself and you know it.] The strange man seemed almost fine despite the obvious injuries.

  His stance didn't tremble at all. If it wasn't for his head twitching he would appear normal. Everything was happening so fast and it was too much. Her mind was starting to play tricks on her.

  Her father nodded at the man's words.

  [If you love her, as I do, then she must eat the heart] Mother's eyes widened as did my own. I was certain that father did not have emotions. My thoughts of destruction forgotten I stood their no longer trembling just gaping at my father.

  Mother relaxed and so did the two men. The stranger walked back to the table and forced me back into the chair before pushing the heart to me. [Listen to me girl, if you don't eat this heart than your mother, your father and you will die. These wounds have cost me a great deal and I won't be able to provide another.] With that he walked to the door opened and before stepping outside removed his hood and cloth cap. She knew that face, it was the laughing mad god. That was impossible The Laughing God was insane. She paled as she remembered the urge to attack that man.

  It started in spurts, but before long a thunderous laughter echoed back from the man as he walked away. I felt numb, my thoughts slippery, out of reach, but a fire filled my belly as I began to eat.