QUANTUM

by Imogen Rose

  “Her Royal Highness?” Simla snorted. Justin was killing himself guffawing and, truth be told, I was on the verge of collapsing into a heap of giggles myself. But something about the way Luna looked at me prevented me from doing so. I bit down on my cheeks to maintain control.

  Luna stood up, clearly irritated. “Calm down! My colleagues Madison and Olivier will be here soon. You have been assigned Madison, Simla. Justin, you have been assigned Olivier. Your Highness, I will remain in your service for now,” she said, looking over at me.

  I wanted to kill Simla when yet another snort escaped from her overactive proboscis.

  “Make yourselves comfortable. I will return shortly with Madison and Olivier to take you out for dinner. I have put a selection of outfits for you in the wardrobes in your bedrooms.”

  After she left, as expected, Justin and Simla turned to me. “What the heck? Your Highness?”

  I shrugged and rolled my eyes. Not a clue. “Beats me. But I kinda like it. Please feel free to call me that as well.” I smirked.

  “Get stuffed, Arizona!” Simla spluttered. “Why would she call you that?”

  “Sheesh, I don’t know! Maybe I smell royal? Unlike you.”

  “Eat shit,” Simla muttered. “Get the heck out of my room, I’m going to get dressed,” she said irritably.

  I was happy to head back to my room, the only one of the three with a view of the Eiffel Tower. I must be special. Strange that I should feel so elated by the mere reference to anything hinting at being a princess, boy, it must be that Darley spirit. Too bad Ella missed this, she was the epitomy of everything princess. I squirmed. What was I thinking? If there was one spark in this whole, weird situation, it was that Ella wasn’t here. She was safe back home–I hoped from the very bottom of my heart. I opened the wardrobe door and stared at the small, but neat array of outfits in front of me. Now, I could really have done with some Ella help. What’s a girl to wear out to dinner in Paris with her captors? It might have been prudent to ask Luna whether we were going to McDonalds–for a Burger Royal, a la Pulp Fiction–or somewhere less casual. The selection of outfits in the wardrobe strongly hinted at the less casual, not a pair of jeans in sight. I selected a black and violet Chanel dress, laid it down on the bed and plunked myself down beside it. Royal? Why would Luna think I was royalty?

  One thing was crystal clear. I was not royalty. I knew that for a fact, after having had to do that mind-blowingly boring family tree project at school. However, even if I did have a sprinkling of royal blood from hundreds of years ago in me, so what? And how would the Sigma-W-Pi know anything about it anyway?

  I tried to remember back to the earlier conversation with Gramadea and Rupert. Gramadea had admitted to being a Sigma-W. She’d said that Rupert had pretty much kissed his wanderer life goodbye when he opted to be with Mom. Yup, but that didn’t help explain why I was here or why I was being referred to as royalty. However, that couldn’t be a bad thing–I hoped. It should ensure better treatment, I thought, looking out at the Eiffel Tower in wonder. I decided that I would do what I usually did–go along with this situation the best I could until an opportunity presented itself to get the heck out of here. Well, unless I was presented with a French castle and Prince Kellan was there waiting for me….

  I sighed. Enough with the ridiculous daydreaming. I had been abducted! By aliens, practically! I needed to conduct myself very carefully. As harmless as Luna appeared, she was undoubtedly dangerous. I just knew that. After a quick wash in the shower suite–think ten showerheads coming at you from all directions, cool!–I stepped into the Chanel dress. I sat down opposite the ornate dressing table and applied some lip gloss after I had blow-dried my hair. As I was considering playing with some of the makeup in front of me, the door behind me opened and I could see Luna walk in. She smiled over at my refection. She had also changed. She was still wearing all black, but her outfit now consisted of a plain shift dress, a cropped cardigan and pumps. She was still wearing the pendant–I would have to ask her about it when the time was right.

  “Your Highness, you look lovely! I brought a tiara, I hope it’s to your liking,” she said, and held out a dainty, sparkly princess number that Ella would have killed for. It took everything I had not to let out the most ungainly snort ever.

  “That’s very nice, Luna,” I managed to mumble. “I think I may leave it off, though. Thank you.”

  “But, Your Highness. Everyone will be expecting you to wear one!”

  “Everyone?”

  “The French arm of the Sigma-W-Pi. They’re all invited to the dinner. We’ve never had one of the Royal Family here before, they are excited. I’m aware that you are not here of your own accord, but it would mean so much to everyone–there will be a photographer there,” she added.

  Flaming g-r-e-a-t! I reached for the tiara with irritated resignation. But Luna didn’t give it to me. Instead she came over and placed it on my head. I could see from her refection in the mirror that she wasn’t entirely happy with the look.

  “Your Highness….”

  “Luna,” I interrupted. “Please call me Arizona.”

  “Oh, okay, Your… I mean Arizona. May I put your hair up in a bun? It will keep the tiara from falling. Your hair is so shiny and smooth…,” she explained.

  “Knock yourself out,” I said. What was the harm? May as way go all the way. Perhaps I should ask for a ball gown and scepter…. I sat with my back straight and allowed Luna to have her way with my hair. It reminded me of the Ball last year, good times. I missed Kellan. What’s a princess without her prince? I was glad he wasn’t here, though. All this fun was sure to end in tears at some point. Whatever was in store for me, it was bound to be bad. Real bad when they found out I wasn’t the least bit royal.

  “There,” Luna said, sounding pleased with herself as she stepped back and surveyed my royal head.

  “Thanks, Luna.” That did look rather fabulous. Simla was going to be pissed.

  “Y… Arizona, will this bag be okay?” Luna asked, holding out a silver Chanel.

  I guess. I nodded and reached out for it, trying to remember as much as I could from the Princess Diaries, so as to not disappoint.

  “Simla and Justin will meet us at the reception. I thought it would be nice for us to walk over. We have time and it’s a beautiful evening.”

  “Yes, that sounds lovely,” I agreed. It would give me a chance to figure out a bit more about where in time I was at the moment, or so I hoped. It may even give me an opportunity to escape.

  “Arizona, although it will just be you and I walking over together, there will be no point in trying to escape. It will just mess up your outfit, we’ll still get you to where we need you to be,” Luna informed me, smiling sweetly.

  Darn, could she read my mind? I slipped my feet into the pair of Chanel flats Luna placed in front of me.

  “I have a pair of heels for you to change into once we get to our destination, but these will be more comfortable for our walk over.”

  “Where exactly are we going?”

  “Have you visited Paris before?”

  “Yes, quite a few times.”

  “We are meeting over at the Île de la Cité. I thought we could walk down and perhaps visit the Cathedral before we go to dinner?”

  A God-fearing kidnapper? Sigh. I’ve always loved Notre Dame Cathedral, though. I visit every time I come to Paris. The Rose window has always mesmerized me, and I love the tranquility of the hall and wandering about the annexes. Plus, maybe I could get the attention of someone in there to help me escape.

  I could hear noises from the living room as we exited my bedroom.

  “That’s just Simla and Justin taking to Madison and Olivier, you’ll meet them later on. Let’s go,” Luna said, gently nudging my elbow and leading me outside into the fresh air.

  It was a beautiful evening. By the temperature, I would guess we were either in late spring or early fall. Looking around at the trees, I was thinking, early fall. It was time to star
t probing Luna gently, as we walked along the Seine toward the island.

  “Would you like me to share some of the history of this place as we walk along?” Luna asked, looking over at me.

  “In a minute. I’m hoping you could answer a few questions first. Let’s start with something real simple, like what year is it?”

  “Your Highness…,” Luna began.

  Back to that old malarkey again!

  “I’m not in the position to answer those kinds of questions. I’m sorry.”

  “Why not?”

  “I get my orders from our leader, Potomal. He’ll explain everything to you when you see him. In the meantime, I have been asked to make sure that you are well-entertained and comfortable.”

  I guessed he would be at the event we were on our way to and that I would have my answers soon enough. But I asked, just to make sure. “I’m assuming that I’ll meet him tonight?”

  “We were hoping that he would grace us with a visit, but he’s been detained. You’ll see him in two days,” Luna offered.

  “Two days! What the heck am I supposed to do in the meantime? Go shopping?”

  “If that is what Your Highness desires. Paris has some great shopping.”

  “I know that! Why two days?”

  “Well, mainly because that’s how long it will take Simla and Justin to complete the first phase of their training. You may join them in the meditation aspects if you’d like. The next phase will take place in London and that’s where Potomal is at the moment, so it works out efficiently.”

  “What are they training for exactly, I mean Simla and Justin?”

  “I’m not allowed to talk about that.”

  “Of course you’re not,” I sighed. “How come I’m not training with them?” I sighed again. “You can’t tell me. Right?”

  “Right,” she confirmed.

  We were walking over the Pont Neuf Bridge toward the Cathedral, which was lit up, the towers glowing in the dark. The sight was simply breathtaking. I stopped for moment to take it all in.

  “Amazing isn’t it? This island is where the earliest Parisians settled, a Celtic tribe called the Parisii. I’d like to travel back there sometime to experience it for myself.”

  “How long ago was that?”

  “Around 52 BC.”

  “Why don’t you?” I asked her. “Travel back, I mean.”

  “I will, one day. I’ll also visit when the Romans were here, when they worshipped Jupiter, on this very site. It would be fun to do a trip through time see the progression for myself. After the Romans, Paris became a Christian society. That’s when the first grand cathedral–not Notre Dame–but Saint-Etienne Basilica was built to replace the ancient Roman temple by Childebert I, the King of the Franks, in 528. Notre Dame eventually replaced the Basilica when Pope Alexander III commissioned its construction in 1163, though it was not completed until 1345.”

  I could tell that Luna was passionate about Paris. “Have you lived here a long time?”

  She smiled. “I wish I could be more open with you. I have lived here for a while, and it’s my most favorite place in the world.”

  As we walked over to the West Façade, my eyes were drawn up to the Rose window. I could hear Luna hesitating. “Go on,” I laughed. “I’m sure I’ve been told before, but I’d love a refresher.”

  “I was about to ask you if you have preference for which one of the three portals we go through? However, I see you are busy admiring the window, beautiful, isn’t it? I expect you’ve been told that the central theme of the design is human life, with symbolic scenes of the zodiac in the stained glass along with other scenes.”

  I nodded and headed for the central portal–The Last Judgment portal–not that it had any significance for me whatsoever, I just like to head through the middle of things. I walked through at a faster than normal pace, feeling drawn into the tranquility. The familiar smell of burning candles brought me back to the half a dozen times I had visited here before. I went over to light a candle and then sat down on one of the chairs and closed my eyes. I could hear the bustle of tourists walking up and down the sides with guides. It would be so easy to grab one of them and ask for help. Alternatively, I could stand up and yell blue murder and call some attention to myself. What would that accomplish?

  For one thing, I had no idea which time or dimension I was in. So even if I could get someone to render some assistance, what if I was in the future, or the past? In another dimension? How would I get back? If I made a scene now, how would Luna react? She would probably grab me and wander me off to another dimension, pronto. And she would be pissed! No, I needed Luna to help me get home… or perhaps another Wanderer could help. It was probably best to stay in her good graces until I could figure out a failsafe way to get some help.

  I guess there was a small chance that I was still in the same time and dimension, a teensy chance. The tourists at the cathedral looked contemporary. Their clothes, bags and hairstyles seemed to indicate that we were all in the same decade. But, how could I find out for sure? I needed to get hold of a cell phone. Then it would be easy to check. One phone call to Kellan’s number is all it would take. If it was out of service then I would know for sure that we were in different dimensions. If I did manage to get hold of him, an escape would be relatively easier. Until I knew for sure, I would need to play along with Luna. Like she had warned me before, an escape attempt at this time would probably only result in messy hair.

  “Your Highness, are you ready to walk on?”

  “Luna, seriously. Please call me Arizona.”

  “I’ll try, when it’s just us. In public I’m required to address you properly,” Luna explained.

  Whatever, I sighed to myself.

  We walked out into the cool evening and strolled down the side streets. I stopped in front of a sign–Nos Ancetres les Gaulois–I broke into a smile.

  “Arizona?” Luna asked, clearly puzzled.

  “Oh, it’s nothing.” I remembered coming to this restaurant with my family. It was a ton of fun and the food was great. I remembered that Mom had arranged it as a special treat when I was obsessed with Asterix and the Gauls as a kid. I recalled the medieval feel of the place, the veggie basket, barrel loads of wine–which I had been allowed a little taste of, yuck–and the guitar player. “Have you tried it?”

  “No, I wasn’t even aware of its existence before you stopped in front of it,” Luna admitted. “Is it good?”

  I smiled. “In a rough-and-ready way.” Yup, not a place to go in a Chanel dress and tiara! We walked on some more and then Luna walked down half a flight of metal stairs to a shabby wooden door. She turned and looked at me, handing me my heels.

  “Are you ready?”

  No big surprises. Walking through that shabby wooden door in my Manolos and tiara, I hadn’t been expecting anything less than the over-the-top setting in front of me; I was supposed to be royal, after all. All the same, I surveyed the mini-ballroom with trepidation. The light sparkling from the two crystal chandeliers illuminated the crowd gathered before me. There must have been at least fifty people in the room. A very good-looking crowd, not a hair out of place. Everyone had stopped talking, as they turned to stare at me. I offered them the best princess half-smile I could muster, as Luna took my elbow and led me through the guests. As I passed them, they nodded in gentle bows.

  Well, no surprises until I was led to a chair that looked suspiciously like a throne. I looked over to Luna.

  “It’s just for the photographs,” she said reassuringly.

  Ah, well! That makes it all better then, doesn’t it? Sheesh. “So what happens now?” I asked Luna, trying not to roll my eyes. “Where are Simla and Justin?”

  “They should be here any moment, they were supposed to have arrived before you. I would like to introduce you to a selection of our most prominent Sigma-W-Pi members. They’ll want pictures. I hope that’s okay with you.”

  I nodded. It’s not like I had any choice. I was surprised at the number of
people in this room. I had assumed that the rogue group was much smaller than this. “Luna, who are all these people?”

  “There are a handful of Sigma-W-Pi’s here, you’ll meet them shortly. The rest of them are ancillary staff–regular humans who assist us with day-to-day operations. They would all like to meet you, too, but since there are so many we held a raffle earlier and the winner will be presented to you later.”

  Just peachy. I couldn’t figure this out at all. Why on earth was I being presented as royalty? Even if I had been royalty, this was insane. I was clearly not a Sigma-W-Pi, so why expose all these people to me and put them at risk? I would have their descriptions in my head and could reel them off once I got back home. The only explanation was that they must exist in a different dimension from mine, so they had no fear of me going back and blabbing about them. “Luna, why are we doing this? It makes no sense….”