No Going Back Now.

"What?!" Anythe exclaims, her face turning pink from just hearing it.

"You have to. This is your initiation ritual and if you don't do it…"

"Why do you keep cutting off there? What will happen if I don't do it?"

"We will cease to exist." The voice whispers, a tinge of fear in the normally mocking voice.

The room is dimly lit and Anythe's heart beats fast, the faint glow from the moon filtering through the narrow window. Anythe stands at the foot of Atlas's bed, her legs trembling, her hands balled into fists at her sides. The voice, ever present now, speaks directly into her mind, its tone sharp and insistent gone is the soft almost fearful voice.

"You must obey." It hisses. "If you don't, we will both die. Is that what you want?"

Her throat tightens. She doesn't want to die, nobody does, but everything about this feels wrong. Her eyes flicker to Atlas, his chest rising and falling in steady rhythm as he sleeps. He looks peaceful, unaware of his surroundings and worst of all, her.

"Do it!" the voice demands again, this time louder, more menacing and controlling, filling her head. "You have no choice."

Swallowing hard, Anythe moves closer, her bare feet silent against the cold floor. Her heart pounds, the sound echoing in her ears as she climbs onto the bed, her knees sinking into the soft mattress. She hesitates, hovering above him, her body rigid with uncertainty. The bed creaks softly beneath her weight as she sits atop him.

Her hands tremble as she reaches out, clumsily brushing against his arm. A jolt runs through her, and she pulls back, her breathing shallow. The voice grows impatient, urging her forward.

"Touch him." It orders. "Feel him."

Tears prick at the back of her eyes, but her body begins to move as though guided by an unseen force, maybe it is. Her fingers graze his shoulder, then trail down to his chest. She presses her palms against him, feeling the firm outlines of his body beneath the thin material of his singlet.

Then something shifts in her. 

A strange surge of confidence takes hold of her, washing away the hesitation that had gripped her moments before. Her hands move with purpose now, gliding over his chest and abdomen with reckless abandon.

"Good." the voice purrs. "That's it. Just keep going."

Without thinking, Anythe grips the neckline of his singlet and, with a single motion, tears it apart. The fabric gives way easily, leaving his chest bare before her while the clothing hangs down his body like a flimsy jacket. She stares down at him, her breath hitching at the sight of his toned muscles, the way his skin gleams faintly in her eyes.

Her hands move again, tracing the lines of his abs, her fingers brushing over his skin. She flicks at his nipples lightly, the gesture both deliberate and curious. A strange heat blooms within her, foreign and overwhelming.

Anythe smiles.

"Do you feel it?" the voice asks, excitement lacing its tone. "The power? The hunger?"

She tries to block it out, again, she tries to fight the desire but her body betrays her. Her gaze drifts lower, and that's when she notices it… A bulge beneath the fabric of his pants. Her breath catches, her eyes widening in shock.

"No," she whispers, shaking her head.

But there's another part of her, a darker, hungrier part, that doesn't look away, that does not want to look away. That part of her is drawn to it, curious and eager, her hands itching to explore further. The voice feeds into that desire, coaxing her, urging her on.

"Touch it!" It says, almost pleading. "You know you want to. Give in to your desires, let me guide you into this world of immense pleasure. You don't have to hold yourself back anymore. It won't end at just curiosity anymore, till all be yours. Just touch it."

Anythe's finger extends and slowly goes closer to its tip, just inches away from it, she pauses mid-air. "No." she says again, louder and firmer this time.

Her hands fall away from his chest, her entire body trembling as she fights against the pull. The voice grows angrier, its tone harsh and biting.

"You're a fool!" it snaps. "You're denying who you are."

But Anythe refuses to listen. With a strength she didn't know she had, she pushes herself off the bed, her feet hitting the floor with a muffled thud. She stumbles backward, her breaths coming out in short gasps.

Atlas stirs slightly in the bed but doesn't wake, his peaceful slumber undisturbed and under the scrutiny of her eyes, the bulge slowly diminishes into his pants.

Anythe turns and flees, her heart racing as she makes her way back to her room. Her skin feels hot, her body still tingling from the contact with his bare skin, but she pushes the sensations aside.

Slamming the door shut behind her, she leans against it, her chest heaving. She doesn't bother turning on the candle. The darkness feels safer now, a shield against the confusion threatening to swallow her whole.

As she slides to the floor, her knees pulled to her chest, the voice returns, softer this time but no less persistent.

"You can't run forever. Sooner or later, you will give in. It's who you are."

Anythe squeezes her eyes shut, pressing her hands to her ears as though that could block it out. But deep down, she knows the voice is right. 

She glances at the clock and she sees easily in the dark now, the time is twenty minutes after twelve am.

Just twenty minutes has passed since the day began and it already feels like a week to her.

Anythe opens her mouth to pray but nothing comes out.

There is no turning back for her now.

"I am leaving this place in the morning." She resolves as she curls on the floor, letting the cold soothe her hot skin as she finally falls asleep.