The woman had long flowing white hair, dark gray eyes and a holier than though, attitude. It permeated the very air around her. Robin looked down at her shoes and noticed that while they were black like everyone else’s, this woman’s shoes had ten inch hills. No wonder she had looked like a giant walking into the café, Robin thought with a twinge of annoyance.
Irritated but knowing she had lost the table fair and square Robin was about to turn and look for another one when she took a second glance at the hover device near the woman’s feet. It had purple stones along the bottom edges however the woman had not been pulling the long metal handle attached to it for navigation.
“Just like the stroller…” Robin muttered to herself.
“What?” The woman looked up at Robin in exasperation with a look that said, ‘you’re still here…’
Glaring at her, Robin said, “How is that cart moving by itself? It looks like it’s being pulled but there’s no one…” Before Robin could finish the woman sniffed loudly, grimaced at Robin then turned away from her as if she did not exist.
Robin grew quiet and could not help but feel as if she had been slapped in the face. Balling her fists at her side she was just about to open her mouth and show the woman that not only did she exist but she had a pretty good idea where the woman could go with her nasty attitude.
“Excuse me…” Before Robin could get into it, Roami was at her side with his hand softly resting on the small of her back.
He moved his hand in a soothing gesture and whispered in her ear, “She’s not worth it, Robin. Come on, let’s go…” He gently took her hand and led her away.
Robin could only glare at the woman as they exited the café and made their way back towards the hover stairs at the epicenter of the mall.
“But we wanted Bobble Juice, Roami.” Robin complained.
“Yes, but that place was way too crowded. According to the map there should be another one on the twenty-second floor. Let’s just go where we can enjoy ourselves. That woman was delusional and drowning in her own sense of self importance. Just knowing she was there would have destroyed the whole Bobble experience for both of us. Right?” Roami smiled hoping Robin would too. She did not.
“She looked at me like I was… nothing.” Robin muttered to herself. “You don’t know how many times I had to deal with that back in…” She quieted and seemed to be drawn back into her thoughts of the past. Roami looked on, helpless to stop her.
“Just forget about it Robin… It doesn’t matter.” Roami said feebly. He was not sure how to convince Robin not to let that particular incident get under her skin.
They got their Bobble Juice from the next café they found then walked through a few more floors of the mall. The entire time, Robin did not utter a single word. In fact she walked, head down and ignored all the stores and entertainments that would usually have had her running amuck, giddily motioning for Roami to keep up. Roami sighed at the sight and struggled to think of something to cheer her up. Just then he got an idea.
“Robin, I have a treat for you…” Roami’s voice seemed to come from miles away. Robin was so deep in her thoughts she felt as if she were again walking through a murky water world. But this one was not below the sea, it was in her head. “Robin?” Roami repeated.
“Huh?” She asked then blinked her eyes to fully return to the present.
“I saw this store earlier and knew you’d love to check these out.” Roami said. Robin looked up to see they were standing in front of a store with a sign in front that said, “Hover Fun”.
Robin saw tons of beautifully painted hover boards, hover skates and hover scooters.
“Woa!” She said aloud and could not stop a smile from creeping across her lips.
Roami smiled as well. He was overjoyed his tactic had successfully pulled her from her dark thoughts.
“Come on. Let’s check them out!” Roami grabbed her hand and pulled her inside.
“Oh… my… goodness! Look at these Roami!” The store shone with hundreds of bright blue lights above and had countless rows of merchandise on wooden shelves. Before they had taken more than a handful of steps inside, Robin had already saw something that took her breath away.
“Purple hover skates! Ahhh! Look at the stars and zigzags on the sides. These are hot!” Robin squealed as she grabbed them in her hands. They looked like inline skates on earth however instead of a line of wheels there were just five small blocks of sparkling purple stones where the wheels would have been.
Roami looked confused and held one of the skates in his hand. “They are not hot at all. They don’t even feel warm…” He looked at Robin with a confused expression.
“No, that’s just a little slang from earth. Sorry, I forget every now and then where I am… now…” Robin laughed to herself and with a sigh moved to replace the skates.
Roami smirked then stopped her hands with his, “No. They’re yours.” He said as he pushed the skates back towards her.
Before she could say another word he began walking further down the aisle, “Now let’s get something for me to ride also. I want to have fun to.” He said while his eyes roved across the merchandise on display.
“But Roami, how will we buy them? I mean… Actually, how are you buying all the things you’ve gotten for me? The dollhouse, the-”
Before she could finish he turned around and said, “Don’t worry Robin. I’ve been doing some work for Mika these past few afternoons. He noticed how astute I am and asked me to help him get his personal finances together at home. He of course paid me for the service.” Roami said with a beaming smile.
Robin smiled back, proud of her friend. “Wow! That’s great Roami! You’re amazing!”
Roami grew serious for a moment, “Although I did notice something odd as I was going over his papers…”
Robin perked up her ear, “Yeah? And what was that?”
Sighing Roami continued, “They have tons of profit and not as much expenses as you'd think. It just doesn’t… add up.”
“Hmm….” Was all Robin could say. She had never been great at finances as she had never had any real money to manage.
“Well, anyway, let’s focus on fun for now. We will figure this all out soon enough. What do you think about this black and silver hover board?” Roami picked up the item in question and Robin squealed in delight!
“Is it Hot?” Roami asked with a smile.
“Yes, it’s Hot to death!” Robin laughed then poked Roami playfully.
“Let’s get them and have a little fun for once then.” Roami said as they carried their merchandise to the cashier waiting with a smile at the back of the store.
***
Moments later Robin grinned broadly and stuck her tongue out playfully as they raced towards the opening of one of the Akwo tunnels in town.
“You ready?” Roami said as they swung their tied black shoes over their shoulders and jumped on their new hover devices.
“Yes sir!” Robin said playfully.
“Let’s go then!” Roami said as they hopped onto adjacent water canals and raced through the bright blue tunnel filled with serious faced Wongswited commuters.
“Woohooo!!!" Robin had never felt so full of life. Her heart beat hard against her chest and she felt replete with happiness. Perhaps she was feeling a little too uninhibited, as just seconds later she nearly tripped. Roami was there in a second; grabbing her hand and keeping her upright.
Feeling a little shaken but still filled with delight Robin looked up at him and smiled sheepishly while mouthing, ‘thank you’. Roami nodded shyly. Robin noticed he did not take his hand from hers but held on to it firmly much longer than necessary.
Her heart began to tremble and she gulped. She had never felt so shy or experienced the feeling of being cared for, as if she were a delicate possession.
She found it hard to look Roami in the eyes for the remainder of their time in town that evening. The few times her eyes did catch his; her heart began to feel like it had
turned into a large butterfly ready to flutter away and seek refuge in his arms…
***
The next morning Robin awoke with a start and realized someone had knocked at her door. Her eyes were puffy and her vision blurred so she rubbed at them to fully awaken. She simultaneously sat up and slipped the sea of warm covers off her body. It felt as if a weight were pushing her back towards the bed but she pushed past the desire to return to sleep and straightened her canary yellow pajama suit with its purple stars littered across it. Suddenly she heard the sound of footsteps quickly moving away from her door. Robin raced to the door and opened it quickly. She hoped she would catch a peak of the servant who left her breakfast at her door every morning seemingly without a trace.
Apparently she was not the only one awakened by their early morning room service. Roami’s door creaked open and his head popped out to see his tray sitting before his door as well. He glanced at Robin with a small but tired smile.
“No servant sighting today… just like every other day.” She said with disappointment. Roami only chuckled as he opened his door to pick up his breakfast.
Robin could tell that Roami had not had much sleep. “Your eyes are bloodshot. What happened?” She asked with concern.
“I woke up in the middle of the night. I heard screams again. You did not hear them this time either?” He asked.
“No. But I have noticed that your hearing is much better than mine so that’s no surprise to me.” Robin said as she motioned for Roami to have breakfast with her in her room.
“I do not know for sure but I have a feeling that those screams and the Reposer are all clues to the puzzle. We must go to the town center at night and see what happens there.” Roami said.
“I’m not crazy about standing out there in the dark but if you really think our answer is out there somewhere…” She looked at Roami intently then continued. “Then I guess we can start tonight.”
***
That night they raced to the town center to investigate. The two hid behind a few rainbow colored sculpture bushes which had been planted at the small sitting park. The park was nothing more than a circular space filled with artificial foliage surrounded by golden paths. A single marble manhole marked the exact center of the town.
Robin and Roami crouched there at the park, hidden from view. They waited for a few hours only to find that nothing at all would occur. At least not there…
***
While nothing had happened during their midnight escapade in the town center, Robin soon found her night was about to get much more interesting.
In the bewitching hours of the early morning, a sad whimpering sounded in the hallway just outside of Robin’s bedroom door. Her eyes shot open and she looked at the window to gauge if the street lamps had grown brighter to signal the start of a new day. No, they were off which meant it was still very early.
She wore dark purple pajamas with a white belt around her middle. The slippers left by her bed were the same shade of purple and so comfortable her eyes rolled back in her head in pleasure each time she set foot in them. Throwing these on in a hurry, Robin raced towards the door on tiptoe.
Slowly; ever so slowly, she opened the door and peeked out. She had finally gotten lucky! A few feet down the corridor she spotted a glimpse of something green…transparent and green.
Bringing her hands to her eyes, Robin rubbed them to ensure her vision was clear. She was sure she must be seeing things. But no, walking down the hallway was in fact a semi-transparent green little boy wearing gray shorts and a gray sleeveless shirt. He was barefoot and kept flashing in and out of focus. It was as if he were a flickering flame. Robin had seen enough horror movies on earth to know she should definitely be freaking out, right about now.
She watched frozen in shock as the ghost stopped before a side table against the wall and grabbed the small yellow vase resting on it. He pulled the fake purple flowers out of it and turned the vase upside town. Out fell a small black wooden vial with a white cork in it. He opened the vial then took two sips. In less than an instant he completely disappeared.
Robin was astounded. She continued to watch as invisible hands returned the vial then the flowers into the vase. She could see soft imprints in the green velvet carpet as the ghost walked away.
Quickly making her way to the side table, Robin pulled the vial out and took a small sip herself hoping that her hypothesis was correct. If not it was very possible she could be dead or worse in the next few seconds.
Replacing the vial, Robin followed behind the ghosts footsteps. As she walked, she turned to look into one of the mirrors hanging against the wall. When she looked for her reflection, absolutely nothing stared back at her. Ah, so she had been right! That liquid vial held; of all things, an invisibility serum!
Robin quietly tiptoed behind the invisible ghost. He made his way down the rest of the long hallway then went into a single red door at the end of the hall. She had seen it before during one of her daily explorations. It was nothing more than an emergency exit to the buildings’ only stairwell.
She looked on in amazement. Why a ghost would take the steps and not the elevators was beyond her. Ignoring the logic behind his actions, she followed his lead and made her way into the concrete stairwell.
Both the walls and stairs were all painted the same drab gray that made one feel like you did not know what was up or down. Robin stopped short for a moment wondering if maybe she was being a little too brash. She turned to look behind her at the closed red door and hesitated. Should she go run to Roami and give him the scoop on what she had seen? As she debated this, she heard footfalls quickly going up the steps and knew she would have to make a decision soon.
Swallowing hard and getting up her courage Robin began tiptoeing up the stairs in her now invisible purple slippers. It was time someone got to the bottom of all the strangeness happening in Wongswited. This might be her and Roami’s only chance to find the riddle.
Robin was in pretty good shape and had used her extracurricular activities at school to avoid spending time at her various “homes”. But even she was out of breath after the thirtieth flight of stairs. However, she refused to give up. Like anything else, that you have put so much time and energy into in order to meet a goal, she would have rather died than lay down and admit defeat.
She continued just so long as her invisible companion did. He apparently was superhuman as he did not stop or pause for breath until they were at the very top of the one hundred and fifteen storied building.
Robin was drenched in sweat. She had struggled to breathe quietly during the entire run and now felt as if she would pass out.
After what seemed like ages, the bodiless footsteps stopped altogether. There before them, stood an identical red door at the final landing. Here instead of yet another twist and turn of gray steps there was only a concrete wall.
The door flung open a moment later and Robin waited a minute to catch her breath and get her bearings. When she felt as if she could breathe normally again and was not seeing double, she cautiously opened the red door to see what was on the other side. Her heart beat frantically against her chest and her silk pajamas were sweaty and plastered against her skin after her ordeal.
Opening it just enough to get a good look at what lay beyond it, Robin saw it was in fact the door to the rooftop. Just outside, the ground was completely covered in slabs of the blue Akwo stone the town used for energy and light. It almost seemed like a glowing sea of cool blue water until one looked closer and realized it was actually hard stone.
Robin thought the effect was very beautiful. However, as mesmerizing as this was, it could not hold her attention for long as she quickly saw she was not alone. Not by a long shot. What seemed like a whole community of people were walking to and fro across the blue tiles doing various activities.
The first thing that caught her attention was the clotheslines hung everywhere. Whereas Robin had seen clothes lines hanging from windows, between buildings and even on ro
ofs of buildings in New York City, she noticed the same sort of zigzag of poles and black rope littered across the entire expanse of the roof. Instead of clothes, however, sheets of Akwo stone hung across each one of these lines.
Also scattered throughout were brightly colored woven fabrics of various colors. They too were draped over the black ropes crisscrossing the roof top from high poles. This fabric was then tied to the ground at its four ends making little tents.
She had apparently come across some sort of shanty town. Robin had seen similar places on television when they showed poor communities in Africa, South America and other areas that made up the third world. She had even seen similar settlements for the homeless in New York City as well.
Robin quickly noticed the outstanding difference between those outposts and what she saw before her eyes at that very moment. First off, some of the people were blinking or flickering in and out. That was the best way Robin could explain the effect. Like her ghost she had followed, they seemed to be low on the invisibility juice. Some appeared one second then were gone the next then back again, while others just looked slightly transparent. Apparently the juice ran out after a certain amount of time.
Fearfully, Robin looked down to see if she was still invisible. She was. With that confirmed she slipped out from behind the door and onto the roof. When she finally got a better look at the flickering people she had once thought were ghosts she was met with an even bigger surprise.
“They’re Fitzian...” She said aloud without thinking. Thankfully no one was close enough or able to see her to realize she was secretly walking among them.
True enough the people walking around her in a flurry of activity were the same tall, green skinned, colorful haired Fitzian’s she and Roami had thought they had left behind in that world under the sea. Robin could not begin to understand how this was possible. Her brain began to work in overtime as she tried to piece everything together.
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