First World

  “No idea. I can’t figure how anything works on First World.”

  Lucy leaned closer. “Oh, and by the way, you totally understated Brace: hot, hot, hotttt.” She drew out the last, fanning herself.

  I sighed. “I told you he was gorgeous. It’s a waste; I wouldn’t know what to do with him.”

  Lucy opened her mouth.

  I interrupted before I could hear her sure-to-be suggestive ideas. “Remember, virgin here, almost eighteen and never been kissed.” I wiggled my eyebrows. “Unlike Lucy – who makes out with the extremely good-looking Josh, the delivery dude – for shoes.”

  Her mouth dropped. But before she could respond, the door slid open.

  Brace was standing exactly where we’d left him. His lilting accent filled the small bathroom.

  “Let’s go.” His eyes lingered for a moment.

  My face warmed as he turned away.

  Lucy, already past my teasing, nudged me and whispered, “You’re staring at him the way I stare at my vintage Manolo Blahniks.”

  I shook it off. I was stronger than this attraction. I’d seen Lucy actually drool when she stared at her shoes. Reaching up, I stealthy wiped at my mouth. Thank the gods: drool-free.

  We lagged behind. Even I struggled with his long-legged pace.

  Finally we caught up to him.

  He stood outside a half-size door and gestured for us to step inside. It was a laundry – not the room I expected to be staging an escape from.

  Brace faced us, his white teeth flashing. “Well, Abby – and Lucy – since we’re friends now, I’m about to trust you with a protected childhood secret.”

  He moved to the back wall and with little effort shifted a large white machine to the side. Bending over, he flicked a latch and lifted a trap door.

  “This is an old laundry chute; it drops out into the forest.” He smiled cheekily. “I used this to sneak out when I was young. The only problem was figuring out how to get back inside.”

  Judging by the grin, Brace was a terror of a child.

  I peered into the wide space of the chute-opening. “How long since you’ve used it?”

  He laughed quietly, a sparkle lighting his deep brown eyes. “Quite a few years. My father pretty much lets me come and go as I please now.”

  Lucy pushed me aside to carry out her own inspection. “It’s still safe, right? What if it’s rusted away in places?” Her voice echoed down the length.

  Brace shook his head, his confusion noticeable. “Rusted? It’s made from Destruck, and isn’t even through a third of its thousand-year guarantee – it’s safe.”

  Lucy snorted. “A thousand years ... I guess that’s good enough for me.”

  Brace squinted at her; he didn’t understand the source of her sarcasm. With a half-smile, he turned away.

  “I’ll go through first and see you at the bottom.” He pulled himself into the opening, long legs hanging down. “Don’t worry about the alarm and fields; I’ll disable them.” Then he pushed off and was gone.

  “You’re next, Luce.” I pushed her toward the chute. “I’ll be right behind, so get out of the way.”

  Lucy took a deep breath and climbed in. Then she was gone.

  My turn and I was a little claustrophobic.

  I reminded myself: it was this or prison.

  Moving closer, I shut my eyes tightly. No way could I get in with my eyes open. Hands out in front, I felt for the opening. Misjudging the distance, I found myself tumbling forward before plunging headfirst down the chute, my heavy pack powering me even faster. I screamed the entire way. Bracing myself, I managed to force a hand over the top of my head as the slide tapered off and I plunged out. Tumbling a few times, I ended up face down, my pack thrown to the side.

  I stayed like that for a moment of reflection – and to determine what was broken – something sure felt broken. My pride, I think.

  Strong hands gripped my arms and pulled me up effortlessly.

  “Are you okay?” Brace asked, his eyes wrinkled in concern and amusement.

  Lucy, on the other hand, had collapsed in laughter. “That was hands down the funniest thing I’ve ever seen,” she managed to gasp out.

  Brace set me back on my feet before handing me my pack. His lips twitched, but he saved himself an ass-handing by changing the subject.

  “Since we are trying to avoid the guard, I suggest we move from here.”

  I scraped Lucy up off the ground as she continued to let out snorts of laughter.

  “Stop replaying it or I will kill you and hide the body somewhere in the forest.” I gestured to the masses of greenery around us. “No one will find you.”

  The laughter subsided for a moment, before she lost it again. I shook my head. Brace was already moving along the path, so, dragging Lucy with me, I hauled it to catch up.

  Chapter 7

  We walked in silence for a while. Except for the occasional chuckle from Lucy that made it clear – I was never living that entrance down.

  Even with my bumpy start, I was relieved to be free. And back in nature. This area of the forest was different: less dense and more traveled.

  And whilst we had a little more information, there were still so many questions.

  Why was Grandier’s nickname First World? I couldn’t help but wonder. Was this an old world, much older than Earth?

  Lucy broke the silence.

  “What are those hugely round trees everywhere?” She pointed to the bulbous tree trunks surrounding us.

  She was a little breathless, her shorter legs struggling with our pace.

  Brace flicked his eyes toward to the tree-line. “The sycaim tree?” He shrugged. “Don’t tell me there are no ‘thud trees’ where you’re from?”

  I wondered what he would think if he knew that, before yesterday, I’d seen about five trees, and not one was healthy or green.

  We shook our heads.

  He gave me a half-smile, before he answered drily, “They’re First World’s native trees.”

  Whoops.

  He stopped suddenly and I almost collided with his bulk, but managed to avoid him at the last moment.

  “They’ve been around First World since the beginning.” Reaching down, he gathered a few loose stones.

  Without any warning, he flung them into the trunk of the closest tree. As they connected, a loud thud echoed. Nearby, birds screeched before evacuating the treetops. I stared for a moment, fascinated by the huge animals as they flew out of sight. They were so bright, two blue and yellow, and one dark pink.

  Brace distracted me by throwing another set of stones. He seemed to enjoy the noise.

  I smiled at him. “They’re hollow?”

  He nodded. “When I was young, Father carved me a tree house in the hollow of a large trunk. They’ll still continue to grow, even after that.”

  As we started along the path again, I realized I was enjoying having Brace as our guide, and my instincts urged me to confess our secret. We needed someone on our side; we needed answers. I continued to observe him as he led us through the forest.

  For a big guy, Brace moved almost silently – his strength was clear – and my traitorous heart already trusted him. I shook my head.

  You don’t know him, Abby, I reminded myself for the tenth time that day.

  “So, Deralick mentioned yesterday that things have been pretty rough around here lately.” Lucy had her innocent face on. She was digging for information.

  Brace nodded as he continued ploughing through. “The last twenty years have seen changes I never expected from First World. Of course, after a hundred-year peace during the rule of Emperor Christian and Empress Elisnarra, it’s been extra hard to adjust.” He paused to move a large branch off the path.

  I took that moment’s pause to contemplate how anyone ruled for a hundred years.

  When we could move along the path again, he continued. “Now, with the Emperor’s illness, it won’t be long before responsibility falls to Lucas and, at this stage, he’s not
ready.”

  Quarn hadn’t been kidding when he said these worlds were parallel. “It’s been chaos back home since ... well, our lifetime,” I added to the conversation.

  Brace grimaced. “Darkness continues to spread throughout the land. It started at the black mountains.” His face was grim. “The pure energies are being leeched away.”

  Lucy looked at me in confusion. She wasn’t the only one baffled. I understood about a third of his words. But I knew the black mountains from my dream.

  “Pure energies?” I had to ask.

  “The energy of our land. The energy of our people. Those with active gifts have found a huge depletion in their abilities.” He glanced toward me, holding my gaze. “Have you noticed the change? Or has it always been this way for you?”

  “We’re seventeen – ” I started.

  Lucy interrupted. “Almost eighteen.”

  I eyed her. “Yes, Lucy ... almost eighteen.” I let the sentence trail off; we were getting a little close to revealing our secret.

  A thoughtful frown crossed his features. “Well, I’m ... around twenty-two ... and I vaguely remember when things were better. But I’ll say you’ve never known the best of First World. Do either of you have a specialty?”

  Around twenty-two. Who spoke like that?

  I focused on his questions and, thinking quickly, replied, “Well, we aren’t really into ‘categorizing’ ourselves. What’re your specialties?”

  I’d go with the same half-truths and diversion tactics he was using.

  He laughed. “Quite the individuals, aren’t you? There are many branches, but I do have a few favorites. Animal Affinity: they’re usually out in nature with their animal guides. A little scary when riled – you don’t want to take on the animal kingdom.”

  I exchanged wide-eyed glances with Lucy as he continued.

  “Nature Spirit: plants bloom in their presence. Moonlighters: walk only at night to use the energy of the moon.” He shook his head. “They’re quite the strange ones.” He looked around. “What else? The Flecho: love anything manmade. They’re generally the inventors of our gadgets. Felens: read the emotional resonance of any place ... its history ... memories ... past emotions. And speaking of that, Emoters: manipulate all forms of emotion, best to be avoided.”

  I shook my head for a moment. Information overload. I wasn’t going to remember any of this. But I’d love some paper. The nerd inside me wanted to jot all of this information down.

  Brace continued. “Another group to avoid are the Mesmerizers. Hypnosis is their skill, depending on the strength of an individual’s mind and shield.” His voice lowered. “You should always be wary of the gifted. Power corrupts.”

  I speculated whether everyone on First World was ‘gifted’ in some way, or only a select few.

  “Word.” Lucy nodded at Brace, her head bobbing vigorously. In typical Lucy fashion, she was just going with the flow, no qualms about people with powers. “Our entire city was corrupted, and there isn’t anything special about them.”

  “Well, I’m glad you escaped.” There was intensity behind his words.

  I liked that.

  “So what’s your gift, Brace?” I was curious, there was no way he wasn’t packing something serious. I could feel ripples of electricity every time I was close.

  And again I copped the full force of his eyes. Silky strands of his thick hair fell across his forehead.

  “I have an affinity with energy. It’s not an interesting or common gift.” He shrugged as if to say, ‘no big deal’.

  Yeah, right.

  Brace smiled, but not with his eyes, just his lips. “I’m curious, though. I haven’t been able to get a read on either of you. Do you choose not to communicate telepathically?”

  Lucy’s mouth fell open; in that moment she probably swallowed ten bugs.

  “Shut. The. Door. Seriously? Telepathy?” She laughed.

  Shaking his head, he opened his mouth to retaliate – I opted for the distraction.

  “So what’s with the dark mountains?” Their oiliness was weighing on my thoughts. I couldn’t ignore them any longer.

  His confusion was replaced by disgust – enhancing his dark beauty.

  “They were an amazing natural wonder. First Worlders traveled from all over to ski, mountain-climb and camp throughout their wilderness. But something happened many years ago; their energy changed.” He shrugged. “I have no idea what’s going on; there are thousands of miles of tunnels underneath. If it was me, and I have suggested this to the Guardians before, it’s the perfect place to build and house an army.”

  He said this without hesitation or doubt. I shivered thinking of the dead plants; an army of zombies maybe.

  “Where are they located?” I was going to make sure we avoided that area.

  He looked back the way we had just walked. “They are not too far from the royal castle, actually. Less than a day’s walk and only four hours’ drive.”

  I sighed in relief; we were heading in the opposite direction.

  The landscape was changing as we walked. The forest had thinned.

  “So, tell me ... Is Lucas single?” Lucy winked at me as she pranced along.

  It didn’t even look as if the heat was bothering her anymore.

  I sighed. If she had been closer, I would have kicked her.

  Brace simply laughed. “Lucas is my closest friend. But I wouldn’t send him on a date with my worst friend. Being next in line for the royal throne, he’s been completely pandered to.”

  I chuckled. What a picture those words painted. “We’re reading you ... Lucas is a spoilt brat.”

  He shook his head. “It’s not exactly his fault. He was raised to believe he’d end up with his chosen Empress. But it’s never happened. So now he likes to ... be indulged.”

  “How is Lucas expected to rule all of First World?” I took a shot in the dark.

  The corners of Brace’s lips lifted slightly. “I’m not sure anyone is expecting him to rule at all. We’re all kind of hoping Emperor Quest hangs on for many more years.” He ran a free hand through his hair. “Fortunately six of the seven lands have a competent Mayoral Head. No way could Lucas keep control of two billion inhabitants alone.”

  Mirth danced in his breathtaking eyes. Apparently the very thought was amusing to him.

  “You said you’re from the north, right?” he questioned us.

  A quick glance toward Lucy told me she couldn’t remember what we’d said either.

  “Uh, sure, sounds right.” I bobbed my head a couple of times.

  His jaw tightened. “Yeah, well I think Mayor Johansson might be the one we need to keep an eye on. Lucky for us, even as a stand-in for his father, Lucas is mostly a figurehead and he can’t make any decisions without majority vote of the council. They’re actually meeting at the moment.”

  A loud rustling in the bushland to our right distracted me from my next question. I stopped and craned my head higher. This section of the forest was almost barren, with lots of dead twigs and leaves. I shifted my pack, trying to ease the ache in my shoulders.

  An echoing roar shattered the air around us.

  Lucy pretty much dived into my arms. “What was that, Abby? Abbs. Seriously, did you see it? Is it a bear ... lion ... bigfoot?” Her panicky questions were rapid.

  Brace stepped closer and took Lucy’s pack from her back. “Keep moving. It could be any of the native animals. I’ve got your back.” He ushered us forward, bringing up the rear.

  We set off at a dead run. I always thought I was fast, but now I know – Lucy is faster.

  “Angelisian is not far.’ Brace’s voice came from behind me. “But we need to get out of the forest now. It’s a burber.” His breath came in rasps as we sprinted.

  My pack felt like a feather, shoulder aches gone.

  “What’s a burber?” Lucy gulped, her tiny legs flying.

  Brace’s voice came in gasps. “Let’s hope you don’t find out.”

  The thundering
grew louder.

  I was losing momentum. Despite the adrenalin, the stress of the last few days was catching up to me. Brace kept pushing our pace. He was close behind me; I could smell his clean masculine scent.

  I looked back, my curiosity demanding to know what was following us.

  A large creature was barrelling along about twenty feet behind. It was huge, looking a bit like a bear crossed with a moose – with massive antlers. I focused again on the path.

  My foot caught under a branch and I went sprawling along the dusty trail, just missing a few exposed tree branches. The impact sent shockwaves through my body; I couldn’t breathe.

  “Lucy, keep running. Wait at the end of the path. I’ll help Abby,” Brace yelled over my head.

  She hesitated, as I knew she would.

  “Go, Lucy!” His tone brooked no argument.

  “Save her or I’ll kill you!” Lucy screamed as her footsteps pounded away.

  “Abby, are you okay?” He crouched down next to me.

  I couldn’t answer. My chest burned as I gasped for air.

  “Come on, Red. Let me know what to do?” he questioned again.

  I managed to suck in a gulp of air as an impatient Brace yanked me into his arms, heavy pack and all.

  Spinning around, he stopped.

  The creature was five foot away, staring but not approaching.

  Despite the fact it had chased us, right now it was viewing us as the unidentified threat.

  Brace dropped me to my feet and shoved me behind him.

  “It’s too close. Don’t run, little Red.”

  I shook my head. Was I a fairy tale character? “Red?” I questioned.

  “I like your hair.” His answer was simple. Then he glanced out of the corner of his eye. “You like to question everything, don’t you?”

  I sighed. Now was not the time for an argument. But revenge would be sweet – he was getting a nickname.

  The beast roared, attracting my undivided attention again. It arched itself up onto its hind legs. It was dark brown and shaped like a moose, its four legs tipped by large hooves and a short thick fur. But its head, despite the antlers – that was all bear. Including the mouth full of massive, razor-sharp teeth.