by P. S. Power
As awkward as he looked for a moment.
“Fine, on those terms, with no loopholes or tricks. Please, read those books. They really will help.” Then he left, but the blonde girl, settled in next to him, took a picture book that had gray-black lines and a lot of empty space and a red colored stylus from a package of them that said crayons. Then she started to fill in the spaces quickly, but with an artistic flare.
“I’m Zack’s aunt. Darla. His other aunt, my younger sister, you’ll currently recognize as Taman Baker. Her name is Keeley here. Normally, I’d go to great lengths about all of this, but the simple lesson is that you can’t trust any of us. Not the Greater Demons. Everything we do is designed for some other end. I don’t have your training or best interest at heart here. Neither does Zack. It suits both of us to pretend to seem that way, but it isn’t true. If you move even a reality or two over, and meet any of us, you’ll probably be killed without much thought on the matter. That should be avoided.” The woman shrugged then, switching to a different stylus, this one a soft orange shade. Like a pumpkin. Which it said, on the side of the thing he realized. It was in one of the simple children’s books, so he recognized the word.
Looking up, her pale hand still moving rapidly, she shook her head at him.
“I’m not going to bother trying to scare you. Or dissuade you from the task at hand. What you’re working toward has to be done. We need that information here as well. You simply have to understand who it is that you’re dealing with. Don’t give us your trust. Take our advice only if it fits what you, personally, know at the moment. That might be wrong, but you can’t afford to let your guard down anymore. Not with anyone. Zack had one thing right. You need to stop telling everyone that you’re in training. Lie, if you have to. The simpler the better. You’re learning to play messenger. That’s all.”
She didn’t stop her activity, which was making a rather nice figure of a mouse stand out from the page. It wasn’t the right coloration at all, for his world, but that could have been a stylistic difference. For his part, sitting on the low stool, in the area for children, he read the two texts, which told him a lot about what was going on around him.
For instance, he hadn’t gotten it at all, but Darla here was flirting with him. Using complex body language signals. Things that he hadn’t known to look for before that moment. As she finished her work, she winked at him.
“Meaning that you have that bit down fairly well. The real signals will be a little less obvious. Most people use them subconsciously, most of the time. You need to as well, when blending in. Most human groups will do that, but they’ll change from culture to culture even inside the same world. The same is true for manners. You need to find some way to watch realities from afar, before going to them. Even the places you think should be safe will have dangers for you.”
Then she got up, walking toward the front of the shop. The picture that she’d been working on was gone, even though the thing was open and he hadn’t seen her take it out. Probably so that he’d be distracted while she left.
It worked pretty well, since even though he tried to walk out after her, just to see where she went, he’d lost her. So he made a round of the rest of the mall. That was instructive. The place was filled with beings and people who had body language like what was in the book. He didn’t have that however. Nor did everyone there. Most did. Not all. It set them apart rather soundly, once he noticed it.
Interestingly, most of the people followed the rules of politeness well enough. One or two pushed some lines that way, but no one really went too far out of bounds. The thing there was that the rules were very different than in Noram. There, looking for longer than two seconds was invasive and rude. Especially in Pine Creek and the surrounding areas. You glanced at people, you didn’t stare. Here, if he saw a woman, he was supposed to look for four seconds, then down and away and back again.
Doing it for six or more was considered hostile.
The same pattern done with a man would be as well.
A lot of people walked and talked on their handhelds. The only place he’d seen that was in Harmony, which had similar rules. It wasn’t rude to do that, unless you were supposed to be giving that attention to others at that moment. His examination went on for hours, but eventually, he decided it was time for him to try and go to that other world. To see if he could fit in at all.
It was probably premature, but the tiny world of The Westfield Mall had given up its secrets to him. At least those he could get with casual observation.
For instance, there was a clothing shop where all the people were far too attractive. He hadn’t gone inside, but as he walked passed, he noticed that. They were, from the sense about them, Alede. Like line walker Kaitlyn.
There was also a man who was watching him. His energy was all over the place, but instead of attacking, the dark skinned man simply followed him back to the frozen treat shop. Eve was still there, the new sign getting much attention for her wares. Will turned his shield on anyway, since there was no particular reason for the other man to do that kind of thing. Trying to not seem aggressive, he worked his smooth stone cutter out of his right hand pouch. The one that held the pain rock.
Just as he was about to spin, confronting the man following him, possibly with lethal effect, the other man called out.
“Eve! How are you doing? I mean, other than being the most incredible vampire alive, that is?”
“Ridley. You don’t visit much anymore. I didn’t insult you, did I?”
The man grinned then, his teeth trying to all show at once. The red short sleeved shirt he had on said Fun Zone on the front of it. The words were waved away casually however.
“Never that. I’ve been a bit busy, but had to come and make certain things were taken care of here. If you leave, then things will be messed up later. In fact you need to stick it out here all day. There will be an attack at eight. Down at the Shifter Embassy. You need to have all of their people gone for that. Except Avery. She’ll do the right thing. She’s a dragon after all. Anyway, that means that you, Will, need to get back to your own home on your own. Zack will take you with him.”
Eve looked toward the front, so nearly missed the somewhat paler and different looking man who came from the ripple in space in the back.
“Hi, everyone. Riley told me that I had a different kind of lesson to teach? Eve, in a few days you’ll have to go and talk to Willum’s Aunt. Taman. That will be nearly a month there. Let her know that he probably isn’t dead yet. This is going to take a while.”
Eve looked at the man, who was thin, as well as a bit strange. Like he was totally focused, but also someplace far away. The other man, Ridley, was gone. Just not there at all. He hadn’t left however, and was still right there. Only, he wasn’t. He honestly was still right there, watching them. Half of Will’s mind refused to let him see it happening, while the deeper portion of himself looked right at the smiling fellow. The grin was a bit strange to tell the truth. Not because it didn’t seem real, but rather because there were waves of differing emotions coming from the man who wasn’t there. No one else seemed to notice that it was happening at all, so after a few seconds, Willum smiled and tried to seem happy.
Ready for what they were about to do, even if he didn’t really understand it.
Interestingly, the vampire woman finished up with the customers first, waving for Zack, who looked different, but felt the same as the demon from down the way, however that worked, to not leave for a bit.
When the last person had a treat, several of them sitting at the brightly colored yellow tables along the far wall, on padded high backed benches, she came around the counter. Interestingly, this got him a hug. It was tight, but not sexual in any way that he could tell. Zack got one as well. The people in the place noticed it going on, but looked relaxed about it. One man, who was slightly older, just smiled at the interaction. In Pine Creek he would have probably forced himself between them, while calling out loudly for the strange men to be dri
ven away.
The cool lady, and she was only a bit past room temperature, spoke out loud to the whole room. Riley, who still wasn’t there, was clearly eavesdropping on them the whole time as well.
“I tried to use magic on him earlier, to help with the training. He noticed me doing it, so I stopped. It really does seem to help though. Zack has a thing he does too. It’s different and won’t work on you.” She glanced at the other man then shrugged. “He processes emotions differently, so you can’t scare him into compliance for long. My tricks might work, but he’s going to get that it’s being done, so I figured that asking would be the best idea.” She was looking at Zack directly, but the words were so clearly pointed at Will, that he started nodding even before Ridley spoke.
That, the dark man’s voice, had a strange quality to it. As if it couldn’t really be heard at all.
“It really does help…”
Zack glanced at the man, and Eve flickered in that direction, but didn’t acknowledge that anything was going on. Will, for his part, shrugged. It seemed to be a thing they did at the mall as well. That there was more to the world outside seemed likely, but other than looking through some strange glass doors, he hadn’t seen it at all. So for the time being, it was just an interesting complex of shops.
“Let’s do that, if it isn’t too much work? I don’t really have any way to pay you. I suppose you could have some of my blood, if you don’t take too much? I need it to stay alive, after all.” It seemed reasonable to him, since it was the only thing that he knew vampires required. She’d said that she didn’t eat people however, so it was a risk suggesting that kind of thing.
She just smiled at him, then gave him another hug.
“Oh. That’s kinky. We should see about dating sometime. Not that either of us will ever get a chance. I don’t know about what your schedule was, but after this you probably won’t get a lot of free time for a while.”
That made sense to him. Going to the strange new place and learning their ways had been all about work. Then he’d done things that, as far as he could tell, weren’t the norm for even the place he was in. Kaitlyn had done sexual things with him, but Eve had acted very differently. Suggesting they date, which was, as far as he could tell, her actually responding to his artificial looks as much as anything. He’d been polite, as well as he was able, especially after reading the book on manners, but it was a bit advanced to suggest that kind of thing at the first meeting. He’d done it himself, playing, but this seemed a little bit different.
Like the woman was seeking to reassure herself that she was desirable. Which, even if she did look like a tiny pale version of his own aunt, she clearly was.
So he nodded.
“That sounds nice, actually. I’ve never been on a date with a vampire before. We should make time for that.” Then he stopped, his eyes, which were still brown, matching what he’d changed them to at the book store, locked with hers. “Remember the warning. Tell… Avery, to be careful. She’s our…” He didn’t know the word for compatriot at all. She was a dragon, which could mean anything. So she might be a pet, or the owner of the store she was to defend. He just didn't have a clue there.
Eve nodded at him.
“My adopted little sis. She’s a dragon shifter, not a vampire, but that’s still decently cool. I’ll let her know about what you said. I get a few hours. This is nerve racking. Really, I need to clear this place out, if I can.” She seemed calm, her eyes moving around slowly, instead of darting or seeming anxious.
Zack nodded then.
“If you need our help… Well, I can go and get some people for you first. I know what your Riley said, but…”
There were crossed arms and a big head shake then. The eerie voice spoke again, from nowhere.
“Oh, come on, Zack! I’m trying to set this up in a way so that something half a year from now will go right. Do you really think you can do a better job than I can at this? If so, welcome to it. This is about the worst job anyone can have that doesn’t involve listening to politicians constantly. Poor news pundits.” He was smiling about it, but the human Zack just nodded.
“Well, be careful. If you need to hide out, my home is always open to you. Avery, Troy and Edom as well. Anyone you care to bring.”
That got him hugged again, though not held for a long time.
“Same going the other way. Only a much smaller house. Here, let me do that bit of magic…” She focused, a tickling sensation hitting his body again. Then she started talking. They were just standing in the middle of the shop, with other people clearly watching them. Two of them just stared, not even pretending to look away at any point.
“You’re going to do well with this, Will. When you go into the void, you’ll have to concentrate very deeply, pulling yourself inward constantly. That isn’t hard. Zack will surround you, until you can to it perfectly. Then he’ll let you go, so that you can do that for a while. A hundred years or so. Maybe more than that. Oh, also, when you learn to move, it isn’t actually physically going anywhere. You just change your point of focus to come closer to different ideas. So, go and knock that out, then… Well, I’d say come back for our date, but it seems like I’m going to be busy tonight. Zack will set the rest up for you.”
Her hands had come out to touch his arms on either side. She was nearly his own height, almost exactly, so it wasn’t like she was cosseting a child or anything. It got turned into a rather cold hug, but he did it back. After all, she was clearly being gentle with him. Again, no one seemed to care. Zack even smiled this time, taking him to the back as soon as the vampire let him go.
“She’s a really sweet girl. Avery is very nice as well. Anyway, what she said is correct. You just have to do more than that. After the first bit of things, however. That part won’t take long. A thousand years, but in a timeless space, so… You’ll see, it isn’t nearly as bad as if you were doing it out here.”
The man walked as he spoke, and took Willum by the arm as they moved toward the slowly pulsing and rippling space in front of them. It didn’t look like that much, but the other man counted down from three, pulling him into the void. A place that didn’t exist at all. Where he was, he understood, no more than an idea. One being held together by himself and the being around him. Making him part of Zack, for the time being.
The whole thing wasn’t all that hard. He had to learn to focus far more intently, but doing what Taman had shown him how with her pain stone was a good starting place. He also got time to learn how to do it right. That part was truly different, of course. As Zack had told him, the place didn’t really have time. The only counting of that was coming from inside of himself. Well, in this case, from the being around him. So while nothing was happening at all, he had hundreds of years to practice drawing himself inward. Keeping the idea of himself solid and unmoving.
When it got to be easy enough that he was about to complain about being bored, even though that wasn’t really possible there, Zack moved away from him. The idea of him there still, but not doing the work of keeping him together. That was a bit harder than being inside of the concept that was Zack Hartley. There had been little nudges from the being that had seemed few and far between, but which, now that they weren’t there, turned out to be crucial to staying together as a single person.
A few thousand times, over a course of time that was probably several thousand years, instead of one as promised, while also being no more than the blink of an eye, Willum came very close to simply dissolving. On the good side, that kind of pressure did get him to learn how to do it right. Eventually, there was a sense of an idea, coming from Zack. It wasn’t really in words. That wasn’t how things happened in the place they were both in. Not that his old human self didn’t try to make that into a thing at the moment. He forced that away, since it was faster to simply know what the other man was going for.
Which was for Zack to go out of the void. Slowly, so that Willum could watch it happen. Then, he’d be left there, to figure out how to do it
for himself. That, or live for the rest of eternity there, inside of nothing. All alone.
It wasn’t that daunting to him, but he could see that being a bit slow and off-putting. So he sent an idea back, letting Zack know that he was paying attention. While holding himself together. Slowly, almost as if trying to make what was going on painfully obvious, the man, who wasn’t anything other than thought, if even that, at the moment, shifted his attention toward a singular idea. It wasn’t a point in space, as much as a strong desire to go to a single reality. In this case, one that the being understood very well.
The feeling of it was the important bit. Willum got that right off. It didn’t even take him years of focus to comprehend it. There was a bit of a twisting ripple, which was the important piece of the puzzle, he thought. Zack was doing it extra carefully, so that he could get what was happening. It was the desire to be in a specific place concentrated down to a point so tight that it actually happened. In short, it wasn’t that different from the magic they used in Noram.
Just denser in application, with no physical object being trained to reflect the idea. That was all. Then the other being moved into place. Going to where he thought of as home.
That was really interesting, since it was, very nearly, where they’d just left from. Except that it wasn’t, at the same time. Will took a moment to examine that idea, even as he found the same place that his specific friend had gone to. On either side of that incredibly exact space, there was emptiness for him. Not for Zack Hartley however. He couldn’t tell why, but a lot of the other man had traveled into the same location. Except in thousands of different, though nearly identical realities. All without him.
He moved into place then, making a point of getting the right Zack. It wasn’t hard, since it kind of clicked into being pretty easily. It was, after all, where he was supposed to be, at that moment in time. Stepping out, he found Zack still standing there, smiling at him.