by Jaymin Eve
This was mine?
I approached for a closer look and, with almost no thought, used my energy to open the glass door. Inside were shelves of beauty products. The compound hadn’t been much for luxuries. We had basic toiletries, but besides Lucy’s pirated mascara, which I never bothered with, nothing else. But this was a mini make-up beauty store. Once I rescued Lucy, she was going to go nuts over this world. And in order to rescue her, I needed to get back downstairs like yesterday.
My clothes were stiff with grime. Eager beyond words, I shed them quickly and kicked them into the corner of the room.
Once I was naked, I noticed my necklace hanging low. There was one thing I had to do before I showered. I pushed the clasp, allowing the necklace to fall open. The yellow light reflected around the room, and I was again covered in my birthmark.
This time, though, I could see every detail. The mark covered the top curve of my breast, down my ribs before curving back to meet the detail on my arm. The pulsing red lace-style network was hypnotizing. It was thicker in some places, and in others just the finest little detail.
I froze as I continued to observe the pattern. It seemed as if the faintest voices were echoing in my mind. Shaking off the feeling, I closed my locket.
Time to figure out the shower.
There was a bathtub in one corner and adjacent to it was a square stall with patterned stained glass separating it from the room. I opened the door and stepped inside, closing it after me.
I looked around – of course, there were no taps or nozzles to be found. When I touched the wall, I could feel the energy stream running through the stall.
Water.
Droplets sprang from the ceiling, raining on my face. I squinted up, attempting to see where it came from. Shaking my head, I gave up, excited just to be clean. I sighed, soaking up every soothing drop. I don’t know how it was possible, but the water here actually felt gentler.
Once I was completely soaked through and I’d freed my long hair from its braid, I looked around for soaps and other cleaning tools. I should have known. At this thought, the water changed, turning soapy and emitting a fragrant berry aroma. A panel in the wall slid open to reveal an aqua poof. I’d figured out this world far quicker than anticipated. I finished washing as quickly as possible.
Scrubbed clean, I shut off the water and the glass slid open. I stepped out onto the tiles into the warm room and looked around for a towel. Nothing. Naked and wet, I hopped on the spot for a minute before a gentle breeze wafted through the room.
I looked around in alarm, searching for the breach of my area. But I was alone. The breeze continued and, as the puddle under my feet disappeared, I realized what was happening. Within seconds I was dry. Even my hair was wavy and frizz-free. That breeze had sucked up any excess moisture in the room. Once again I was struck by the current strangeness of my life. But, for some reason, it just didn’t feel that extraordinary to me. I probably should book in some time later for a major breakdown.
Alright, time to find some clothes and get out of here.
I had no robe but I figured my room would be empty. I was wrong. Smashing into something solid, I let out a painful yelp. Immediately recognizing the dark hair that flew in my face, I mentally cringed. My face felt burning hot as mortification suffocated me.
Brace spun at the last minute, so I landed on top of him. Did I mention I was naked? Butt-ass naked? Holy mother of ... why do these things happen to me?
He jumped to his feet, trying to dislodge me. But for some reason my instincts had decided, the tighter I held on, the less of my naked body he could see. In my own innocence, I wasn’t really thinking about the fact my naked body was plastered to his.
“So, this is a little awkward, Red.”
He’d stopped trying to dislodge me and was now pointedly staring at the ceiling. “Do you think maybe you could let me go now? It’s getting a little warm over here.”
I burst into laughter. My body shook so hard that Brace managed to pry himself free. Eyes still averted, he sucked in a deep breath, although the smallest smile played on his lips. “As difficult as this is right now, I’m going to go. Before Josian kills me and then reincarnates me to kill me again.”
That was an interesting thought. I wondered if he could really do that. Brace smoothly set me aside. He made it as far as the door before I saw his eyes flick back in my direction. Shaking his head, he quickly turned away again and exited the room.
What was he doing in my room?
I looked down at my nakedness – laughter burst from me again. I was literally gasping for breath. Lucy would die when she heard this. Shaking off the mirth and shame, I entered my dressing room.
“Oh, hell, yeah.” My exclamation echoed around the massive room.
It was brightly lit, a large chandelier, the centre piece, casting soft shadows. Built-in wardrobes lined the walls, and clothes hung everywhere. Walking deeper into the room, I paused – the entire back wall was dedicated to shoes – each displayed in its own little cubby. I stopped counting at fifty pairs. It took effort, although not as massive as Lucy’s would be, but I dragged myself from the shoes and continued toward the back where there were floor-to-ceiling drawers and little nooks.
I opened the first drawer. Panties, in every color and style. I picked up a scrap of lace that seemed to be missing most of the back part. Luckily there were plenty of other styles. I grabbed a pair of lacy ‘boy-leg’ panties in a bright turquoise green. I found a matching bra in the next drawer. Everything was my size. How Lallielle knew that was beyond me. With underwear taken care of, I now had to find something to wear amongst the thousands of clothes. I needed comfortable, easy to run in.
Moving with determination, I perused the imposing row of clothes. The first section was long formal dresses, the next shorter cocktail dresses. Who in the world would need this many evening dresses? You’d have to attend an event once a week.
Further along I paused at a large section of jeans. Flicking through, I grabbed a gorgeous pair, dark denim with numerous ripped sections covered in a purple lace. The material was softer than I expected. It didn’t feel like denim. Pulling them on and zipping them up, I found they fitted perfectly. Dream-weaving wasn’t Lallielle’s only skill. I found a pair of to-die-for, tight, over-the-knee boots. They were soft black leather and worlds away from my old pair in the bathroom. They had a couple of silver buckles running up the side.
Now to find a shirt.
I moved to the casual clothes and pulled a royal purple top off a hanger. A tank top in simple cotton – ribbed and baby soft. Whatever material they made clothes from, or what they washed them in, was amazing. Dressed now, and semi-ready to marry my wardrobe, I walked toward the doorway. Just before exiting, I noticed a row of coats. New York would be freezing, maybe even snowing. I grabbed a mid-thigh trench coat. Thick and black, with a zippable lining, it would be plenty warm.
I left without another glance. For once I let my red curls hang heavy down my back. I’d tie it back later. I ran down the hallway, focused now. Time to find Lucy.
Chapter 11
They were already standing with their packs on. Lallielle turned at my entrance, and a dazzling smile lit her face.
“My goodness, Aribella, you look stunning.” She took Josian’s hand. “Your hair is amazing. It’s as if you took both of our coloring.”
Considering I hadn’t checked the mirror before leaving, I wasn’t sure what I looked like. But my hair felt silky and smooth. It was working for me today. With curls you never knew what you were going to wake up to.
Josian disengaged from Lallielle and moved forward. Before I could react, he engulfed me in a hug. There was nothing tight or overpowering about it, despite his size. Instead it was comforting, gentle and warm. The world disappeared for a moment. I could have used this hug millions of times over the years. Shaking my head, I pulled away.
His eyes were narrowed and his brow creased as he stepped back. “Sorry, Aribella, I couldn’t h
elp myself. Walkers are demonstrative people, and right now you look so grown up. Just the perfect mix of Lallielle and myself.”
Lallielle stayed back, her expression neutral. Remembering the pain she encased in her mind, I felt a strange need to offer her a token. Taking a deep breath, I stepped around Josian and walked toward her.
“Josian had his chance; it’s only fair that you have one too.” I held my arms open. I was going for sainthood or something.
Without hesitation, she threw her arms around me. Unlike Josian, she held me tightly; I might have heard one or two soft sobs. Another set of arms encased both of us. Josian again.
“You had your chance. Don’t be a hug-hog,” I mumbled into my mother’s shoulder.
He laughed, the comforting rumble surrounding me.
Eventually I managed to extract myself.
Brace stood near the back door, watching me. As our eyes met, I blushed immediately, reminded of the naked incident from upstairs.
His returning smile was full of heat, but the slight nod spoke volumes of his approval, like I needed it.
“Okay, time to go to Earth.” Josian moved next to me. “Picture a safe place for us to go. I’ll find a doorway close by.”
Right. Somewhere safe in New York. Not an easy task. The alley was at least a small area that we could try and defend ourselves in. I dropped the energy encasing my mind and let images of the alley linger.
“There aren’t many places in New York one would consider safe, but this alley is generally deserted. And we might find Quarn there.”
Josian closed his eyes. As a little experiment I threw some energy at his mind, trying to read his thoughts. I really wanted to know how they traveled between the worlds. I slammed up against a hardness the consistency of diamond. No way was I tunnelling through that. Josian opened one eye to grin at me, before he spoke to everyone.
“Okay, link hands.”
I waited for the shimmer, but as Josian stepped back there was something very different there.
It was freaking scary.
A swirling vortex, colored a deep purple. It reminded me of the night sky with no stars to break the endless depth of the color. Like a dark tunnel and at the end I could see the New York alley. But it was contorted, as if there were millions of miles to traverse between where I was standing and where we would end up.
“What the hell is that?” I took a step back. No way was I walking into that death trap. I prefer shimmer and sparkles, thanks.
Josian looked up in surprise.
“It’s a doorway between the worlds, part of the energy wormholes that connect all seven worlds.”
He gestured. “This is what the doorways look like. How did you get here, Aribella, if it wasn’t through one of these?”
I clenched my fist nervously before shaking my head. “It was nothing like this, just a shimmery wall I stepped through from Earth into First World.”
Josian locked gazes with Lallielle. If I hadn’t known better, I would say they were communicating. Noticing my interest, Josian smiled.
“This is part of what makes Walkers so dangerous. We have the innate ability to open doorways to any part of any star system that we want. As long as we can picture where we want to end up, a doorway will open. We then traverse that distance at the speed of light, and we can take others with us.”
While I was beyond interested in learning about Walkers, I had noticed how deftly he’d changed the subject from Quarn’s unusual doorway. I let it slide for now.
Brace stepped up then and grasped my left hand. Lallielle linked hands with Josian, and offered me her other. Taking it cautiously, I waited with apprehension.
Josian stepped into the doorway, pulling us along.
The force sucked me through fast.
Whilst Quarn’s style was a simple and gentle transition, the trip back was a little different.
I was being sucked through a black slide. There was no pain; I didn’t bump into anything, but every particle in my body was traveling too fast.
I wanted to climb off. My claustrophobia was starting to rear its head as the darkness encased me.
I couldn’t breathe.
Ripping my hands free, I wrapped them around myself and tried to slow my racing heart.
I felt arms encase me as Brace held me against him. I heard words. I’m not sure if they were out loud or in my head.
“Breathe for me, Red ... breathe.”
His closeness and soothing accent were the perfect distraction. I buried my head into his rather enjoyably muscular chest, and waited for the sensation to be over. At this moment, Walkers everywhere would be hanging their heads in shame. I was a disgrace.
There was no other noise in the tunnel. It was a vacuum. I didn’t even know if noise could exist here, like in space there was nothing. But I knew instantly when we arrived. My cells stopped jumping around, and I could breathe freely again. The sensation was unmistakable and I wouldn’t be forgetting it any time soon.
Without a jolt, we exited. I’d expected the worm hole to spit us out in a great jumble. Instead we were all standing, unscathed, in the alley. Brace was across from me, my hands encased in his. He let go abruptly, before rubbing his head a few times and walking away. I hugged my arms closer, before zipping up my coat. Small ice particles floated past my face.
“Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it. Walking the worlds is in your blood.” Josian placed a comforting hand on my back. His breath came out in puffs of condensed air.
I looked around. There was trash everywhere and despite the cold the dumpsters were in fine stinking form. But it felt like I was home.
Smiling, I glanced along the empty alley. It was early morning. Light filtered throughout the dimly lit area. Lallielle looked around as well, her elegant nose wrinkled. Josian paced.
“I hate the sensation of being on Earth. I feel like I’m functioning with half my senses. Blind, deaf, and dumb.”
I laughed. “Well, personally, I love that no one can rummage through my head. Plus everything has rules, and works the way it’s supposed to. Buildings don’t have energy I can manipulate.”
They looked at me like I was insane.
Josian took Lallielle’s hand and pulled her close. For some reason I found it reassuring to see their constant contact. It was the feeling you got when you watched a fairy tale, all the way to its happy ending.
Brace continued to rub his temples. “You’re just not used to the convenience of things on First World. Once you figure it out, you’ll wonder how you ever did without them.” He shook his head in a jerky manner.
Josian cleared his throat. “That won’t help, Brace. The more energy you have on First World, the harder it is to adjust to Earth. But you’ll get used to the sensation soon.”
Brace didn’t look convinced.
Josian looked at me. “Once your powers are enlightened, Aribella, you will hate being without them. They will be comforting, your favorite warm blanket to keep you safe.” He shrugged. “And with the combination of your mother’s and my powers, we have no idea of your capabilities.”
Lallielle’s derisive laughter trickled through the alley. “When I first was pregnant, some First Worlders and apparently a few Walkers thought we should destroy the unknown power. You are unique, one of a kind. “
Josian stroked Lallielle’s face. “Your mother didn’t even realize at the time the extent of your enemies. She almost definitely saved your life.”
“Come on ... why would anyone even care?” I could not comprehend the fact I had ‘enemies’; important people, and bad people, had enemies. I was neither.
Lallielle shrugged. “I guess to them you should not have existed: Walkers cannot breed with any but Walkers.”
Josian placed a hand on Lallielle’s elbow. “Let us walk and talk. I do not like our lack of movement.” He ushered us to the entrance of the alley.
I stepped out onto the sidewalk and indicated that they should follow me. We needed to check out the compound f
irst. Weapons were important.
Josian spoke as we hurried along. “We were always warned against having relationships with any beside Walkers; but I thought that was simply a Walker superiority.”
“How many Walkers are there exactly?” At first I’d had the impression there weren’t many, but I was starting to think I was wrong.
A calculated look crossed Josian’s face. “Why do you ask, Aribella?”
I shrugged, watching the puffs of condensed air exit my mouth.
Josian strode easily beside me. “I can’t be too sure. I know our clan numbers in the tens of thousands. And there are seven clans.”
He let me do the general maths. They were far less in numbers than the population on either of our planets. But with their power, that probably didn’t matter.
As I led them through the streets, I thought of how helpless First Worlders, and Josian probably, would feel here. People so reliant on their magic and energy. On Earth, technology was the only ‘magic’.
“You know, if you’re trying to take down First World, and in turn all the younglings, hiding out on Earth seems like the perfect solution.” I spoke my thoughts aloud.
Josian nodded. “I have a feeling some entity is taking advantage of the anomaly that is the dead zone of Earth.”
Brace jogged up to be next to me, and for the first time I noticed the form-fitted dark clothes he was wearing. Very distracting.
I hadn’t been paying attention before, but everyone looked to be in new clothes, close-fitted, dark and perfect for running.
The streets appeared a little more derelict than when I had left. I couldn’t believe it was only three days before. It felt like lifetimes had passed. There were new burnt-out vehicles, more buildings reduced to ruins.
As we approached the compound, we slowed and then came to a stop to one side of the gate. Moving the vines, I stepped closer to the security panel. I reached out a hand, fingers hovering just above the pad.
Something was wrong.