The white edifice reached for miles upward, a round tower with slight pitting and cracks. Other structures could be seen in the distance, reaching into the clouds. The further ones revealed what they were: enormous chess pieces. The ground revealed their setting. Shining black and white squares, polished to a mirror finish, stretched in every direction. The sharp odor of citrus and sweat invaded his senses.

"Looking for something?" a woman's voice called out.

Her.

"That's really childish," West remarked, shaking his head. "Does that work on people who don't know what you are?"

His daimon, in the form of Pandora, laughed with a throaty sound. "It works because you do know what I am. Doesn't it?"

West shrugged. Of course the sight bothered him, but that was part of the game.

"So what's on that mind of yours?" she asked, eyes full of laughter, "Or should I say, 'whom'?"

That was part of the game, too. He had to say what he wanted. "She's seventeen. And my student." He waited for the obvious comment and taunt.

"Does it matter? Aren't you reading a bit much into a hug?" came the unexpected question.

He felt a flash of anger, and hurt, and surpressed it. "Probably."

"So why are you even wondering what to do? Why don't you pay attention to Kai," she continued. "He's becoming disassociated, you know."

The anger came out. "Of course I fucking know! What the fuck am I supposed to do about it?"

She shrugged, and laughed at him when his eyes followed her decolletage. "Maybe you should have let what was supposed to happen, happen. Some things aren't a coincidence, you know," she said looking at his feet.

West looked down, and saw that he stood over the division of squares, one foot on white, and one foot on black. He felt an hand on his arm from behind and he tensed.

"You can't spend your whole life trying to save people," a new voice said. His sister's voice. Despite knowing what the daimon was, he felt the hot flush of tears.

A set of small sneakers and jeans came into view and he looked up at a little boy. "Because you can't." Alexander.

West woke up, sweating. In the bathroom, shaking hands splashed water into his face. He looked at himself in the mirror. "Goddamn you."